Key stage 1 games......Interesting.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/numeracy/shapes/index.shtml

Well, What can I say its been a while since I played a key stage 1 game.

The game in question is a shape based identification game that requires the player to identify shapes as asked to advance a level. After 5 levels the player is treated to a small scene where we see the creation of a robot (cute isnt it?) and a thumbs up is given to the player. The game comes in 3 levels of difficulty ranging from medium to very hard, No prize for guessing which difficulty im stuck on.

Player interactivity is simple yet effective. It lets the player pick from 3 shapes a turn and even the wrong answer has a small cutscene. The game however returns to its previous state so until you get bored and click the [x] button or get the right answer it stays on the same level.

The main aim of the game is to endure the mind numbing sound effects and warnings from the players character till the end to see the professors creation from the shapes. The goal was also simple and clear so it required little instructions to play. The structure could be tied into this, Mainly because the objective is repeatedly enforced upon the player with every move.

The endogenous meaning of the game is little more than a sense of victory and the new knowledge handed to the player. The game could be improved by adding a minigame at the end to do with the robot being created by the professor or alternatively a poster or background that the player can download as a reward to show that they have revised.

The game has elements of struggle because of the difficulty settings provided and also the nature of the game itself challenges the player. One thing that could be activated as a unlock feature would be to play through medium to unlock the hard difficulty then once played on the hard difficulty the player can play the extra hard. This stops people going for very hard first and playing medium last.

Overall I felt the game was suitable for the age group though I think the animation for getting it wrong could lead to repeated wrong answers in children because of its comedic nature when compared to the right answer's animation. The reward of seeing what the professor was making could also be changed by doing a minigame of controlling the creation around a mario style platform level.