Scribblenauts (Nintendo DS)

Scribblenauts is an amazing game, even before you get to the puzzles you can have loads of fun just messing about, you'll be amazed just how many things they actually have programmed into the game, some of my favourites are Pegasus, Shrink ray, Love bow (makes creatures that try to kill you tame so you can ride them), Time Machine, Skeleton (vehicle-try it) -and much much more!The puzzles are fun too, and they make you try new items that you probably wouldn't otherwise find. Some of the puzzles are actually quite tricky, especially if you try and complete them 3 times to make the star icon turn gold, if you just complete the puzzles once you may find that you use basically the same thigs every time so if you're someone who likes to complete a game as quickly as possible you may find it a little repetitive after a while.To be honest I hardly ever even get to the puzzle part of the game because I'm too busy putting lawyers in cages suspended over water infested with sharks with laser beams attached to their heads -you know, that old chestnut :)This is a fun game for all ages, I'm 21 and it's seriously harming my ability to do actual Uni work, and I've had it well past the traditional 'novelty wearing off' stage. I went home last weekend and my 18 year old brother played on it and he's now going to buy it for himself, I'm not sure how much younger children would enjoy it, I suppose it depends on their spelling and imagination, but even without the weirdly spelt mythical characters and vehicles you can stil have a blast with it!

I have been a gamer for over 20 years and I love it when I come across a game which is very original and unique to play. It doesn't happen very often these days and Scribblents is amazing in so many ways. Every word I have typed in so far has come to life on the screen and there are many different ways to solve the puzzles in each level. My favourite creature that I brought to life to kill two bears is a dragon and I use wings the most on my little man to explore and help complete many levels. I go back to some levels as it's fun working out different ways to complete each level and you gain lots of points for this. The graphics are a bit simple and are very colourful but they suit this game very well. Scribblenauts is a must have game for all ds owners and the touch screen controls work fine for me but I am a very able gamer.

Scribblenauts is a very original puzzle game. In it you use the stylus only to move your character - Maxwell - and any objects you conjure into existence (by writing their name in a notepad) around numerous platform-based levels, combining them with each other as necessary to solve the puzzle. You move Maxwell indirectly in the sense that he runs, jumps, swims, climbs etc towards where you've pointed with the stylus (there's no D-Pad control at all) so it's not like a normal platform game in that regard. You move objects more directly by placing them exactly where you want them in the level - e.g. placing a bridge over a gap ready for Maxwell to cross. It is here that the physical skill of the game comes in... if it were a 'point and click' adventure game like Monkey Island you'd just click "use bridge with gap" and that would be that but in this you have to precisely, and often precariously, place the bridge over the gap and just as accurately manipulate Maxwell to cross it - sounds easy but if the bridge and the gap are roughly the same size and you move Maxwell too fast there's a very real danger of knocking it in.There's a great deal of depth and variety in this game both in the number of levels and the types of the puzzles. There are two modes of play, "Puzzle" and "Action", each with 110 levels spread across 10 themed worlds, and then, on top of that, is "Advanced Mode" in which you replay any completed level three times in a row and must use different objects each time. All modes are puzzling and challenging but in different ways. Puzzle mode is the most imaginative and requires the most 'contextual knowledge' - i.e. knowing what goes with what... for instance one puzzle is to turn four people into a rock band by giving them instruments: easy enough the first time but if you want to beat the level in advanced mode it means thinking of 12 additional instuments appropriate to a rock band. That is one of the more static examples of puzzle mode but there are many others that involve movement and skill as well. Action mode on the other hand is about a different type of problem solving and is less reliant on a vivid imagination: here it is about planning and skilfully navigating a route to the starite (the starite is the star you have to collect to win a level... in puzzle mode it appears when you solve the task that was set - i.e. equipping that rock band - but in action mode it's visible from the start) often through a maze of tight spaces, past enemy sentries, through colour-coded doors (with colour-coded switches to open them), and avoiding all manner of devious contraptions designed to stop you. For example, in one level you have Maxwell on a long platform and the starite below him on another, shorter, platform. Every time you move to the right a moving wall moves to the right below you pushing the starite along. Your task is to devise a way of getting to the starite before it is pushed off the end of the shorter platform into the lava pit below... ingenious level design in my opinion. In this mode you tend to use your favourite tried-and-tested vehicles, tools, and weapons (rather than continually thinking of new ones as you might in puzzle mode) because it's more about skilful manoeuvring and timing and you have the best chance of succeeding if you use familiar and well-practiced objects. One final 'mode' - if you can call it that - is Playground mode. This occurs on the title screen before you start a game (and before you've chosen one of the two named profiles available to store your game progress) and just consists of an invincible Maxwell standing in an empty level. Here you can experiment with objects to your heart's content. There are several 'backgrounds' available for this which you have to unlock by writing certain objects. But it's important to remember that they're not just backgrounds - they're foregrounds too so unless you unlock one with water in it for instance, you'll never be able to test water-based objects. So in its way, this mode is a game in itself and one worth pursuing because it allows you to experiment with the objects and enemies of difficult levels away from the pressures of those levels, and of course to search for the perfect objects and practice using them.The designers of the game clearly have a sense of humour (though how good it is I'll leave you to decide) and there are plenty of jokes, red herrings, and devious twists thrown into the levels. For instance each level has a hint at the beginning and one such hint is simply "good luck with that". Then there's a perfect recreation of the clocktower scene in "Back To The Future" for you to solve. And as a hint from me I'd suggest that if you're hard up on game money (which you win by completing levels and use to unlock worlds and buy various other novelty extras) you should pay close attention to the very last action level.In summary, this is a brilliant and challenging game suitable for both adults and children - it's kind of like 'The Simpsons' in that respect - equally suitable for both but in different ways. It has great music, amazing cartoony graphics/animation, and very realistic physics. The thousands of objects at your disposal are very intricate in their design with many moving parts that work in tandem with the physics of the game - right down to multi-jointed ropes that swing in the wind or break into sections that fall down and crumple on the floor (ready to get in the way later!). There are so many different types of puzzle that it never gets repetitive and there are enough puzzles - including advanced mode - to keep you going for, seriously, a lifetime... you'd have to be a video game genius to beat advanced mode for every level. One word of caution though: it can be incredibly frustrating at times (but in my opinion the best puzzle games are) not least because Maxwell is the most clumsy and hyperactive game hero I've ever seen: not only is it hard to make him do precise movements but with one slip of the stylus he will come charging along and literally jump kick down your carefully positioned rig of ropes, bridges and weights! But this is not a fault - it's how he's designed and with practice he becomes much easier to move. I mention it only because this will be enough to put off some older/less dexterous players - like my Dad - who otherwise enjoyed the puzzle elements of the game. All I can say to those people is that it's such a rich and diverse game that it's worth sticking with it because it really does get easier with time even if you're not usually fond of (or good at) action/platform games - as was the case with me when I first got it. Finally, you can share levels you've created with the level editor with other users (who must have their own copy of the game) but I haven't tried this so I can't really comment.

Its Scribblenauts, what more is there to say?One of the best games on the DS/3DS. One of the most innovative games on any platform.As educational as it is entertaining.The original game in the Scribblenauts series. The one that began it all. Better than the its successor in some ways, not so good in others. Still superb after all these years.

ok i love this game for how creative it makes you. the ability to change from puzzle to action levels is inspired. some levels however you have to ask yourself how am i gonna do this. i love how many things you can create. just wish there was a sandbox mode, kinda like minecraft where you could just create your own world without having an object limit

Son likes it but is bored with it already, better for younger audience (he is 11). Wants the latest version as can do more things with it.

This game was a purchase for myself as entertainment for an upcoming holiday and it didn't fail to entertain. You choose how to play the game yourself! You are set with a task to acheive a star and can write ANYTHING to appear and help you win the star. This makes the game have endless possibilities so endless fun. There are a variety of levels to keep you occupied and I have struggled on some and can't finish them but you can easily skip to other levels, so no faults.