 |
Star Wars Pit DroidsReviewed by Hilary WilliamsonPublished by Lucas Learning
PC version requires: Mac version requires: Description:
Watto, the Toydarian junk dealer, has purchased a shipload of Pit Droids and doesn't know what to do with them! Help him by moving these mindless mechanicals through 8 locations on Tatooine as they wind their way from the Transport Ship to the Podrace Arena. Whenever a new location is reached, watch a hilarious movie of the silly droids' absurd antics. Start the game by taking C-3PO's guided tour. He tells you how to direct Pit Droids to goals, and explains that 'they can be rather difficult'. His tutorial covers how to use arrows, how to show a grid, get a view without structures, zoom in and out, get help from R2D2, pause, fast forward, rewind and restart. Pause and rewind are very useful, as they allow you to see the droids' characteristics and where they are heading, and then reset to lay out arrows. Take Puzzle Training. This covers different topics, like how to get over fans or manage ratio arrows. Either take all the training at once, or jump into the game and come back for training when you're stymied! The training exercises are simple, and explain one technique at a time. If you fail, C-3PO warns you that the droids will get recycled, a horrible fate even for a Pit Droid! Start a new game, selecting Easy, Medium or Difficult. Solve puzzles to bring groups of 48 Pit Droids at a time through the different areas to the Podrace Arena. Puzzles increase in difficulty as you succeed. Alternatively, use Puzzle Chooser to select a specific puzzle, or have the game pick one for you at random. To solve a puzzle, watch where the droids are being launched, what colors they are, and what they are carrying, and then look at the arrows that are available to you. I found it easier to solve puzzles with the grid laid out and the structures levelled, and used rewind and pause all the time. Fast forward is also handy to speed things up once you are sure of the solution! Arrows can be dragged to different positions if you make a mistake. Once you understand how the puzzles work, use Puzzle Maker to create your own. Modify an existing puzzle or build one from scratch. Choose its location and pick amongst different tiles, arrows, walls and structure to build your puzzle. Take C-3PO's tour if you need help.> My 9 year old worked out how to do it on his own. He enjoyed making puzzles even more than solving them! Check the Puzzle Exchange for new puzzles and send the ones you create (this is not available yet, but is supposed to start in October). Features:
Technical Aspects:Installation on a PC with Windows 98 was straightforward, with the usual Wizard. The game requires a lot of memory (200-300 Mb) and installation took a few minutes, but displayed entertaining artwork sketches while waiting.The back of the jewel case lists keyboard shortcuts - keep it handy. An Owner's Manual (detailed user manual) is supplied. The reference section at the back covers all the types of puzzle pieces, barriers, and transformer pieces. This is extremely useful during play. Some of the tool types were hard to distinguish and I had to zoom in and out to see them. It was also awkward to exit when I could not solve a puzzle. Report and Conclusions:My 9-year-old and I have both been enthralled by this game (we're keeping it a secret from the other family members!). The closest game I can think of is Lemmings. The silly droids are similar, in that they keep on heading towards oblivion unless you re-direct them. Lemmings was one of my family's all-time favorite computer games, and one that we were able to play each at our own level.Pit Droids has similar qualities, and the same requirement to use the right tools to succeed in problem solving. What is special about Pit Droids is that in solving its problems, you are also discovering important mathematical concepts, for example in sequencing, sorting and transforming droids - all in the guise of fun puzzles! And the antics of the droids are very entertaining. My favorite is the little droid who has tantrums when you Exit - reminded me of my kids when they were> younger! > Most of the Easy Pit Droids puzzles could be solved by kids 8 and up - younger children who enjoy thinking games would also manage some of them. The graphics are fantastic, the music is mellow, and the game is both absorbing and excellent value! Don't miss it. You can download a Mac demo. |  |
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Star Wars Pit Droids
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
