Harvest Moon

My kids (10 and 12) have spent their spring break farming, despite the snow outside. Every once in a while I hear outbursts like 'Just had a bumper crop of turnips' or 'What else do I need to do to get married?' The source is Harvest Moon, a game that has been around since 1997 but has been released in different versions since then, including the recent Harvest Moon 2 for Gameboy Color.

Harvest Moon is a farming simulation that involves players in long, busy days of planting, watering, harvesting and selling crops, milking cows, feeding chickens and shearing sheep. You start with grandpa's dillapidated farm and a dog, and need to clear the fields of rocks, stumps and weeds, and to plant seeds. Choose crops appropriate to the seasons, for example plant cabbages, potatoes or turnips in the springtime. As well as crops, the novice farmer can breed cows, sheep and chickens to garner milk, wool and eggs. Tutorials explain the basics of a farmer's life.

The game objective is to prosper and get married. The player is evaluated and given a score after two years of hard work. There are five young women to choose from in the courting game. Both my kids picked Elli the village baker, since she also dispenses sweets (I hope their criteria change when it comes to the real thing :-)). They courted Elli by supplying her with eggs and milk and by buying her cakes. After supplying her with a kitchen as well, my younger son managed to marry her. He decided that being married was a good idea when his wife started to help on the farm.

My children have been absorbed in this game and are now anxious to acquire the Gameboy version as well. They find it fun and a challenge and enjoy its variety. Like any good simulation, its objectives can be accomplished in a wide variety of ways - different crops and farm animals can be tried, along with a choice of winter activities like mining and a greenhouse. The nearby Flower Bud Village is available for shopping excursions to buy seeds and tools, has young ladies to woo and seasonal Festivals for entertainment. And the woods and hills have their own resources that can be harvested.

In summary, Harvest Moon is an absorbing simulation and a nice change from the usual run of fighting and conquest sims. It holds kids' interest, challenges their problem solving skills, and teaches them something about crops and resources and where they come from. Younger kids would enjoy it just as much as older ones, though early readers might need some guidance to play. My only concern with the game has been watching my sons work the poor farmer into exhaustion - but maybe that's a good real life lesson as well!