Game Review: Dora the Explorer Super Star Adventures
Rate This Article
What Parents Should Know
This Game Boy Advance title was designed specifically for
preschoolers--it doesn't require that players know how to read
and it is careful to create no-fail situations for preschoolers
to explore. While it is good, it is not as educational as
handheld games created for the Leapster system.
Parents might want to discuss why certain characteristics of Super Stars can help Dora in her adventures.
Common Sense Media Review
Dora the Explorer Super Star Adventures is a
Nintendo Game Boy Advance ("GBA") title designed specifically
for preschoolers aged 3-6 years.. Unlike most GBA titles, which
use written words to communicate with youngsters, this one uses
symbols, pictures, and a few spoken words--no reading is
required. Even better, game play is tailored so preschoolers
can't fail at the title's activities. Here's how it works.
To start, preschoolers select one of six Explorer Stars to join them during their adventures with Dora. Each Explorer Star has a special power such as the ability to be noisy, or the talent to create music--but the player has to catch the star before it will help. To catch a star, kids play a simple but fun hide-and-seek activity.
Staying true to the Dora the Explorer television show, each of the six adventures sends preschoolers to three locations, as shown by the Map character. Activities at the locations include maze navigation, matching games, side-scrolling race games, a "Frogger"-type leap-across-logs activity, a complete-the-pattern activity, and a play-a-song game.
Super Star Adventures is designed to make play easy for preschoolers. In the maze activity, Pointer Star appears to point the way so youngsters won't be confused when the maze continues on multiple screens. In the side-scrolling race games, kids use the control pad to navigate and avoid obstacles. If the players run into something, they don't fall off or crash, they just stop. And if they are playing with Noisy Star, she will make noise and the obstacle will move out of the way. In the Frogger-type game, players can't fall off the logs into the water. If they attempt to leap at the wrong time, they simply won't move.
This GBA game is good for preschoolers, but it is not perfect. The complete-the-pattern game is confusing, and youngsters don't have any way to save an activity and continue playing it later.
This title is worth considering if you already own a GBA. If you are thinking of buying a handheld gaming system for your preschooler, choose the Leapster. Its content is better and more educational.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
