Spider Quest - Discovery Kids
Ages: Everyone

Speaking for my family, we are fond of spiders. In San Francisco we have a Louise Bourgeois 2.5 ton 10 foot high spider sculpture, large enough to stand under. September is known as Tarantula Mating Season. Cars are banned from certain park roads and people go out to watch those fist size spiders run across the road looking for mates. My granddaughter allows them to climb onto her hand. So, Discovery Kids; Spider Quest finds an eager audience here.

The game offers players the chance to observe, capture, and keep some of the dangerous species that often engender fear and disgust - spiders, scorpions, snakes. The education is bound about by a plot that involves joining a team from a museum collecting species. Minna and Blake will offer helpful instructions. In the game's main hub, players access the laboratory and vivariums, check out the collections and obtain their next mission. Some interesting and surprising facts are picked up during the game. Besides capturing techniques, players learn how to keep up a vivarium, how to feed spiders, even how to develop fighting skills. Sheesh - boys will be boys.

The game is for kids and is mostly controlled by the stylus, however some reading is required. Spider capture missions require quick responses because the prey vanishes quickly on the small screen. Intermediate saves would make the game more forgiving and less frustrating.

An exciting trip into a new kind of never-never land.

Fun Factor: Interesting experience. Choice of English, French, Spanish language
Female Factor: Mina is the lead researcher
Player Friendly: Game wants a larger screen

Reviewed by: Editor - 02/10