Description:
Decorate Cinderella's castle, filling it with furnishings, pictures, and even food before bringing in the world's most downtrodden stepdaughter and her friends. With this game, Cinderella fans ages 5 and older can design their heroine's living spaces, print out especially well-decorated rooms, and experiment with a new variation on the age-old pastime of playing with dolls. Disney's Cinderella Dollhouse is really a basic paint program posing as a watered-down version of The Sims. Players decorate Cinderella's kitchen, bedroom, and ballroom, but instead of adorning each empty space with flat images, girls choose from a gallery of interactive objects. What does this mean? Put a flute in Cinderella's hand and she will actually play it; give her a tray of cupcakes and she will offer them to everyone in the room. Adding different characters to the mix will change what they do and say. Girls can thus create scenes where the wicked stepsisters argue, or--by swapping the cast around--they can induce the Prince to make a declaration of love to Cinderella. The number of possible combinations is respectably large, and Disney provides a monthly download of additional objects to keep gameplay from getting stale. Unfortunately, this game is something of a one-trick pony. Unlike an adult-oriented simulator, the characters' prerecorded responses to game objects are controlled by very simple rules. There are no deviations from the basic Cinderella script, girls cannot create their own characters, and ultimately, the animations don't disguise the fact that this is just another clip art gallery with new bells and whistles. Even with the game updates, older girls will outgrow the dollhouse swiftly. What's more, occasional sound glitches and a long introduction sequence--which can't be skipped--make the process of getting started tedious. That said, the game does have appealing graphics and expands nicely on the concept of an electronic sticker book--an activity that is usually tossed into other games as a poorly executed afterthought. For younger girls who are fond of this particular fairy tale, or who have already shown that they enjoy decoration-themed programs, Disney's Cinderella Dollhouse makes a good selection. --Alyx Dellamonica
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