FLYware: Batman Begins Card Game
© 2005 LeapFrog
This complex strategy/battle game is played with a deck of fighting cards, the FLY pen, and a game board. Your mission is to win control of Gotham City by being the first to find the parts to a microwave killing device. After you insert the cartridge in your FLY pen, you pass out fighting cards to each person, and touch different stops on a map of Gotham City -- a map that makes the NYC subway system seem simple. This underlying complexity is the main problem with this game. It is hard to learn, and easy to get confused along the way. The game itself is a bit like "Battleship" -- only hunting for hidden ships using a grid system, you race your opponent, listening carefully for clues on the whereabouts of parts of a hidden weapon. The pen serves as the mediator, a set of dice, and a board marker by remembering each player's location. It also provides instructions for when to fight using a deck of cards. The duels seem pointless, as all the moves are equally complex, and the pen seems to randomly assign a winner. You can play as either as the bad guy (Ra's al Ghul) or Batman, and a quick battle mode is available, for those in search of a a quick fight with the cards. If you have a bit of time to invest in learning this game, it could be good, but we had a hard time convincing even serious Batman fans to get past the learning stage.
$30, FLY, Smart Toy
Teaches: logic, strategy, reading
CTR Rating: 34%