Fairies and Scrooge are likely to feature prominently in many children’s Christmas this year.
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure and A Christmas Carol are the two big Disney movies of the moment, and both films have the customary video games to go with them.
The Tinker Bell game for Nintendo DS brings the Disney Fairies world of Pixie Hollow to life for young gamers, while A Christmas Carol does likewise to Disney’s winter wonderland adaptation of Dickens’ famous story.
In Tinker Bell the mischievous fairy is on a mission to create the prestigious Fall Scepter that can rejuvenate the Pixie Dust tree.
Things go wrong and the sceptre’s fragile moonstone ends up being shattered. Tinker Bell must go on an adventure north of Neverland to find the Mirror of Incanta to put things right.
In addition to playing as Tinker Bell herself girls (I’m assuming it’s just going to be girls) can also create up to five of their own fairies as they help Pixie Hollow prepare for the same autumn festival as featured in the movie.
Players visit different areas within Tinker Bell’s world for more than 30 mini-games, quests and puzzles. They can also gather items such as snowflakes, sunflower seeds and spider silk for customising their fairies’ clothing as well as creating items to decorate their homes. There are hundreds of costumes, dresses, shoes and accessories to choose from.
Beyond their DS, players can also enjoy online play, including uploading a fairy avatar to the virtual world, gaining access to an online quest, unlocking special items and connecting with other players.
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure is a very pretty and happy little game. It is awash with colour and cuteness.
It’s obviously of minimal interest to grown-up gamers but at the same time it’s a completely inoffensive game which little girls of about seven years old will absolutely adore. If you know any young fans of Tinker Bell and the Disney fairies then this is the perfect gift option.
Watch a trailer of Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure:
The Tinker Bell game seems to be closely based on the new animated movie, while offering a slightly expanded experience to game players.
A different approach has been taken for A Christmas Carol. Whereas the new Jim Carrey film provides a ‘re-imagined’ take on Scrooge’s journey of redemption, the video game seems to take more inspiration from the original story and is more akin to the Dickens tale which everything knows.
The game provides a mixture of styles including point-and-click adventure, puzzle solving and hidden object.
Rather than being Scrooge himself players act as the Hand Of Fate, manipulating the miser’s environments to guide him through the supernatural voyage.
Events are triggered by interacting with characters from the story such as Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Mr Fezziwig, Marley and the three spirits of Christmas.
Players also need to blow and shout into the microphone and use the stylus to pull, shake, drag, rattle and tap the different surroundings.
Animated cutscenes help the story unfold.
In addition to the main adventure the game includes a raft of other content.
For starters there are 14 mini-games to play including coin toss, performing on the piano, snaps card game and snowball fights. A ‘Pass the DS’ feature lets up to four players to compete on one device.
There is also an advent calendar, song sheets, recipes and most impressively the full Dickens A Christmas Carol storybook.
The game has a lovely festive theme and is ideal for keeping kids happy over Christmas and possibly even into the New Year.
Watch a preview of the Disney's A Christmas Carol game:
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