Difficulty:

Easy

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Check your bargain bin"

The worst thing about this game is the "grab and move" interface (cf. Black & White). Otherwise, the most challenging thing about this game is that you wonder if they will survive ok while your computer is off. With a population of about 30, and farming the rich soil field, mine barely survive! Play it until they can fish, and then you need worry about it no more. The characters are cute (I even have one villager who likes to run, so he runs everywhere as an adult!) and fairly savvy once they get trained. I got the jewel-case edition at US$10, and I thought it was a great bargain for the playability and challenges. A bit boring to watch between challenges, but one could scout around to find mushrooms for the children to pick up, if nothing else (they're worth 8 units of food, too) . I just wonder what will happen when all 16 game challenges are done...