Lost in Blue 2

$30, Nintendo DS

Teaches: reading, survival skills, starting a fire, logic

CTR Rating: 66%

CTR Review

This life simulation for the Nintendo DS lets you take on the role of either Jack or Amy, two young people who are shipwrecked on a desert island. This is the second Lost in Blue title for the Nintendo DS (the first was Sept. 2005). While it could be a great learning experience, with some real science embedded in the game, the program missed the mark with our testers. That's too bad; we really liked the idea of this game, which is really a race against time, to find enough food and shelter-related items to keep your health meter up.You do this by exploring the island, using a handy navigation screen to find mushrooms, seaweed, clams or perhaps a stick for a fish spear. Unfortunately, it is easy to die of exposure or hunger (the avatars keep complaining "I'm cold" or "I'm so hungry" before they lay down and die; a very depressing occurrence). Of course, that's only if you can't find the necessary ingredients fast enough.Another disappointment is the way fictional content (such as colored mushrooms are poison) is embedded with real concepts (such as the way to start a fire). Players can also use the touch screen and microphone to play mini-games such as diving, archery, carpentry, cooking and tool crafting. You can also compete in survival mini-games with a friend via local wireless connection.Colleen (11) liked the concept, but gave up when she couldn't get her fire started. Steven (11) did not like the graphics, and found the in-game controls to be confusing. He wanted more in-game help. Jon (18) complained that the fact that the characters were always near death was annoying. He felt that there was too much use of the stylus, to move around. All in all, this is the type of game that we wish we could redo. Note that a Wii version has been announced.