With totally perfect timing for the school holidays, I was asked if I'd like to try out an online game for kids (ahem ... and their parents !) called Wizard101. In this game, a bit reminiscent of Harry Potter, you take on the role of an apprentice wizard and set out to help headmaster wizard Merle Ambrose save Wizard City from the evil Malistaire Drake.
To start off with, you have to choose and customise the wizard you will incarnate - physical attributes, clothes and also a name by combining three elements. I wanted to choose the name Cheryl Bigpants but Sophie wouldn't let me and went for the much more lyrical Sophia Pearlblossom !
The game is based on a series of mini missions, each of which give you gold pieces, experience points and magical items when you succeed. You need to defeat a whole host of weird and wonderful creatures - including ghosts, skeletons and evil fairies - using card duels. It sounds complicated but is actually really simple and Sophie loves deciding which magical spell to unleash on her opponents. You have to choose between attack spells, magical shield spells and healing spells so it's more than just a shoot-'em-up style game, you actually have to think too.
Some of these online games are really complicated and younger children end up going aimlessly round in circles then give up when they get nowhere. Wizard 101 helps them out by indicating not only the direction but the number of steps they need to take to find their next challenge, which is a total time and frustration-saver. You can be killed during the duels, but you just get magically teleported back to a safe place and pick up play again. Red and blue orbs allow you to replenish your life and magical energies too so it's very kid-friendly.
Wizard 101 can be played for free but there are some areas you won't be able to access without being a paid-up member. I initially had a press account set up for me to allow total access to the game but after a few teething problems, I gave up on this account and set up a free account myself. We've been playing all week and are nowhere near completing all of the tasks or discovering the game, even in just the free area. It's an online game but you have to download a prgramme on to your computer and then access the game from that. As you play, it downloads new areas of the game that you will need, so - if you go too quickly - you may get the message "this area isn't ready for you yet". I thought it was a bug in the game but have now understood that you just need to go and explore a different area then come back a few minutes later when it will have donwloaded (you can watch the progression in a little circle on the left of the screen).
As with many online games, there is a chat option but we haven't tested this. Sophie has accepted a few friend requests but has been having so much fun running around casting spells and completing missions that she hasn't been interested in this side of things so far.
This weekend is actually a great time to discover the game because, in honour of the royal wedding, access to all areas is free until Monday. They explain :
"All Wizard101 members are invited to celebrate the upcoming nuptials. Her Royal Highness the Queen of Marleybone is issuing a special Royal Pass, which will grant all young Wizards studying at the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts the ability to access to all of the Worlds in the Spiral for free! Wizards new and old will have the right to roam the realms for the whole weekend! You’ve only got this opportunity for a limited time though – come Monday, the Royal Pass will be void and admittance to those worlds will only be available to eligible Wizards.
As part of the wedding celebrations, Queen of Marleybone is also giving young Wizards the chance to win the Island Getaway House – the honeymoon destination of the Royal couple. All you have to do to enter is take a screenshot of the Royal couple (who will be present in the game between 4pm and 6pm) and submit it before midnight on Friday 29th April 2011. The entry picked at random will win a magical bundle of prizes! There’s lots of wiz-ical things going on at Wizard101 this weekend, so check it out!"
Have fun ! And I bet you'll be playing it after the kids have gone to bed (or maybe that's just me !)
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : free for the main game with various paid options to access other areas
for more information : http://www.wizard101.co.uk/
Other reviews you may be interested in :
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment