Learn to look after dolphins (My Pet Dolphin (DS))

Member Name: julwhite

Product:	My Pet Dolphin (DS)
Date:	28/05/09 (43 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Interesting, fun and educational game

Disadvantages: Can become repetitive

Dolphin Island is a game for the Nintendo DS, where you have to look after a dolphin, teach it tricks and watch the audience's reaction. The game isn't just for children, but is likely to be of much more interest for youngsters.

You can teach the dolphins new tricks by using the stylus on the DS screen, and if these tricks are impressive then the crowd watching your dolphin's performance will rate it highly. You have to give rewards to your dolphins to encourage them to keep performing the tricks, always remembering the better the show the better the audience reaction.

Controlling the game generally is very easy and is all very easy to pick up. It's also nice to see the stylus used in the game, as some Nintendo DS games don't use all the features of the machine to their full. Both display screens of the DS are used, maximising the benefit of these.

Also of interest to children, and of educational benefit, is a section giving details and facts about dolphins, and also a quiz about them. It doesn't add much to the game in terms of its game-play, but it's a nice addition and gives that educational boost which isn't that common in games. It may make it just that bit more acceptable for parents if they can see an educational benefit.

The graphics in the game are satisfactory in my view, but they are nothing more than average and they could have been better. But the game-play doesn't require very strong graphics so it doesn't really detract much from the game. Sound wise the game is good, again nothing special, but the sound effects especially do add to the atmosphere of the game.

In terms of the game-play, I found this game fun for a while, playing through the different options and teaching the dolphins new tricks. However, this does all get a bit repetitive after a while, especially once you learn how to please the various audiences and get good ratings for the tricks which your dolphins can perform.

The game is available for around fifteen pounds new on sites such as play.com and ebay.co.uk, but can currently be found for less than ten pounds if you are happy with a second-hand copy. The game has been rated as 3+, so is suitable for children of nearly all ages.

Overall this is an interesting game, especially good for children as it's good fun for a while. If you can obtain a copy for a few pounds, this is definitely worth a look. It doesn't have a lot of very long-term interest but is definitely fun for a while.

Summary: Fun game, worth a look especially for kids