Barbie Horse Adventures: Mystery Ride review:3 stars (Blah) - For $20 I thought this would be something a bit more. The "adventure" is a bit boring and doesn't change much each time you play it. The navigation is quite poor compared to other games. Plus there's quite a bit of stutter on some of the vocals (I run a fairly fast machine with 768MB of RAM so I know it's not that). All in all, three stars may be a bit much, but my daughter likes it and I guess that's all that counts. 4 stars (Great For Younger Girls) - For young girls (6-10) just starting with an interest in "Mystery" games, this would be fun and entertaining. Small challenges - not too difficult, but skill-building for younger - make this interesting, but are too easy for more advanced game players. The graphics are okay, even though a bit stiff and cartoonish. Horse-loving girls will enjoy "selecting" their mount (including coat and mane color) and the opportunity to groom, feed and ride. You also get to choose Barbie's outfit and the style/color of your saddle and bridle.
My main criticism is that the game time was too short, but for beginners or younger children, this could actually be a plus.5 stars (Not MY favorite computer game, but then, I am a fan of neither Barbie nor horses.) - My little girl loves the game, though, and that's what counts. I got it for HER, after all, not me (a present for having read thirty-five books). And, even though it's Barbie (cringe), the game contains some intellectually-redeeming qualities in that it requires the player to solve various sets of puzzles. It has Barbie fluff, too, as the player can change the clothes that Barbie wears riding. For a five year old girl, this one's a dream.