Parenting Teens

I have a confession to make. I know, you’re shocked that I’ve ever done something that needs confessing, what with my angelic demeanor and all, right? But none the less, a confession it is. Are you ready?

I have a little bit of a competitive streak. Against others, against myself, it’s merely a teeny, tiny, hardly noticeable NEED TO WIN OMG I HAVE TO BEAT THE GAME competitive streak.

I know. You’re shocked. I’ll wait while you recover. Better? Moving on.

You see, while we were waiting for our copy of Neopets to arrive, I received another package in the mail, with two DS games and a Wii game inside. I hadn’t expected it, but wasn’t about to snub my nose at such wonderful offerings. Sure, I don’t HAVE a Wii or DS, but that was just a minor technicality, right? Right! Besides, I have friends and family who have one or the other gaming system that I can steal borrow for the testing of these games. I’m sure you see where this is going…

First off, we have the Wii game, Mortimer Beckett and the Secrets of Spooky Manor. Instead of taking it over to my sister’s house and competing with HER, I discovered the online version at GameHouse and downloaded the trial version for my PC. After all, it’s a game for kids! I can beat it easy in 60 minutes, right? Right.

Wrong.

Remember going to the doctors office and dashing for the copy of Highlights Magazine, skipping all the pages to get to the item search puzzle, only to be ROYALLY upset that someone had dared actually CIRCLE the items already? Well, Spooky Manor is a huge, colorful, ghostly messy version of the search puzzle. It’s far more challenging (and all us mother’s who have been stumped by Highlights groan..) as all the items to be found have been smashed into at least 3 different pieces, and SOMETIMES you have to replace an item where it belongs in order to move a ghost, or use the hack saw to cut away the chains around the boards to find the doorway to the next level beyond. And the things you have to replace are not always replaceable in the same room they’re found!

There’s a map, a guide book, and a certain number of hints you can use as well to help you find your items, and solve the puzzles as you search for the pieces of the Ghost Machine hidden about the house. When you put the ghost machine all together, and chase the ghosts from the house, you win.

After an hour, I had only finished two levels. I am not ashamed to admit I then forked over the cash to buy the full version so that I could spend the next three and a half hours NOT sleeping, but instead finding every last blasted piece of the ghost machine because the game WILL NOT BEAT ME. At 4am that morning, I’m pleased to announce that the Spooky Manor is ghost free. At least, on MY game under MY name it is. The girls, they’re having fun playing it now, as well. So - Mortimer Beckett and the secrets of Spooky Manor? WIN!

Included in the package were two DS games - Sally’s Salon and Tropix - your island getaway. Sally’s was also available online, and thus I spent 60 trial minutes doing my best to wash, color, cut, perm, tan, tweeze, manicure my way through as many customers as I could. I’ll have you know I’m an EXPERT virtual stylist. It told me so, when I managed 15 customers before closing, without turning away or losing a single one. Beat THAT, hm? (my competitive streak is showing, isn’t it?)

I also found a way to test out Tropix, which has 11 games in one. You play the games - swinging on vines, bowling with coconuts, popping bubbles, etc - earning sand dollars with which to buy other islands or buy food and comfort and fun things for the Island your Monkey is stranded on. It’s a lot of fun to bounce between the games, go shopping, and play around on your island.

I have a feeling my youngest - age 9 - will LOVE Tropix, if I ever get her a DS. She’ll probably like Sally’s Salon too, but it’s my older daughter - 14 - who’s eyes lit up while she watched me test the online version of that one. As for me. Well, I’m the expert. And I promise not to steal their thunder too often.

Oh, Who am I kidding - I can’t WAIT for them to start playing them so I can be smug about having already beaten them!

…stop looking at me like that. Competition is good for the soul! Right?