Bob The Builder: Fix It Fun! for Game Boy Color

Bob the Builder

Can we play it? Yes we can, as Bob the Builder has now made it to the Game Boy Color in Fix-It Fun. It begins in Bob's yard, where he is greeted by Dizzy, Lofty, Roley, and all his other best friends, all ready for some serious work. Enter Wendy's office and there's a stream of jobs just waiting to be done--notices are in the fax machine, in the files, and on the shelves. Jobs seem to be piling up everywhere, and Bob needs your help to get them done. Scroll up and down the job sheet menu to pick a task, and whether it's Mrs. Potts's fence, the town hall roof, feeding Pilchard, or fixing a wall with muck, it will keep the little ones busy for hours. Each smiley machine has his own adventure for Bob to take part in, and the graphics are superb (as in all BBC children's games), clearly replicating these extremely popular characters. The controls are simple and intuitive, and the enclosed instructions are illustrative and clear, taking players through the games one step at a time. They also include a number of handy hints in case building doesn't come as naturally to everyone as it does to Bob. For little ones who are pestering parents to buy them video games, this title is a great opportunity to combine education with entertainment. Young children will while away long car or plane journeys quite happily without even realizing they're learning about shapes and patterns, numbers and letters, and tidying up and fixing things, as well as developing their hand-eye coordination and reasoning and concentration skills. (The value is much the same as when children use an educational CD-ROM.) For Bob fans everywhere, or youngsters who love using their older brother's or sister's Game Boy, Bob the Builder: Fix-It Fun lives up to its BBC credentials: it is safe, fun, and educational. It's also the kind of video game every parent is looking to find. --Lucie Naylor