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Meadow, makers of Heaven Quest, have recently released Gil's Bible
Jumble. This game is directed, like their earlier game toward
very young children. However, whereas adults could enjoy
Heaven Quest, Gil's Bible Jumble is strictly for the kids.
Adults might enjoy playing it to see how it works but there is no
serious play value for the older gamer.
That
said, the game is centered around teaching pre-school age children
scripture. They do this through two activities: Bible
Breakout and a Scripture matching puzzle game. The Bible breakout
is a simple variation on the classic game, Breakout. The
Scripture matching puzzle is built around a maze of paths where
pieces of scripture are hidden along with various books of the
Bible. The object of the game is to pick up a scripture and
take it to the right book.
Running
Gil around the maze of trees, picking up scripture and matching them
to the right book is a creative way to encourage scripture
memorization. The cartoon-like
graphics appealed to my youngest Children, though they looked
a little too simple for my taste. Unfortunately, the Bible
maze didn't keep my children's interest for long. After a few
times they lost interest.
I'm not
sure how entertaining you can make scripture memorization anyway,
especially for pre-schoolers. I think Gil's Bible Jumble is a
step in the right direction. I liked the way the handled the
matching of the scriptures to the books. To win, all you need
to do is get the right match. However, once you get the right
match you have an opportunity to guess at the right chapter and
verse for that scripture. This really adds a lot of challenge
and still makes it possible to win the game.
I liked this
approach since it is what makes it possible for an adult or older
child to enjoy the game while making it possible for a pre-schooler
to succeed. Rather than fighting the game, you end up
challenging yourself to get better. This breaks
scripture memorization into two parts: One you learn which
book a scripture is associated with and two you are encouraged to
work at remember the chapter and verse. If you played this
game over and over again, you'd begin to learn book, chapter and
verse. I think this points the way to other game developers
who want to consider how to encourage scripture memorization in a
creative and fun way.
Even
with this innovative approach, how much fun is the game? To be
honest, I think as a pure game it fails to achieve anything beyond a
mediocre rating for replay value. How often can you go into
the Bible maze and enjoy matching scripture? It's more like a
tool in that regard that uses cartoons and games to help make
memorization more fun...it's edutainment. As such, I think the game would
find a good, lasting home in Christian schools or home schools.
It should work well as a reward
or as something to supplement a dry Bible curriculum.
From a
pure gaming perspective, the
breakout style game is the most entertaining of the two activities
you can do. It's somewhat challenging and fun but not very
educational since all you do is hit different color Bible books
behind the bricks to make them smile. I presume this will encourage
kids to associate smiles with Bibles. Not a bad idea I
suppose.
It's a
very simple rendition of the breakout type game. The screen is
small and the number of "bricks" to break through are very
limited. For someone used to that type of game it'll be
disappointing. But for a 4 year old it's plenty and that's the
minimum target age for the game.
So,
you're not going to get a lot of game here. But at a price
point of $14.95 that should be expected. If you're looking for
something that could teach your child some scripture (and a little
logical thinking at the same time) then this game is the good buy.
Where
this game is going to find an audience will be with the pre-schoolers
and Christian schools.
The cartoon-like quality of the game will appeal to the younger kids
and the scripture memorization is a good reason to add it to a Bible
curriculum.
You can
pick from a variety of Bible versions (KJV, NASB, NIV) so your child
won't have to learn the wrong version :).
Is this
worth $14.95? That will depend on what you're looking for in a
game. If you want a game that teaches scripture to children,
this one is the best I've seen but I think it's really only going to appeal
to very young children as a game. If you
are looking for something to fit into your classroom's Bible
curriculum or as a reward for
elementary and younger children, Gil's Bible Jumble deserves your
serious consideration.
There is
a demo
so you can try it out before you buy.
Final
Score
Highlights: Cartoon-like
appearance will appeal to the pre-schooler. Pre-schoolers will
be able to play the game successfully. Nice approach to
scripture memorization that has appeal for the youngest and the
oldest Bible scholar.
Lowlights:
Not enough content. Gameplay is limited.
Hints:
None needed though keeping your Bible handy might help.
Recommendation:
I'd recommend it to Christian schools, home schoolers and Churches
(especially pre-school). For your child at home, if there is any
serious game competition (IE, you have a Playstation or other games)
Gil's Bible Jumble will end up on the short end of the stick so I
can't recommend it for general home purchases unless the only games
you buy are Christian games or you really want a game for your child
that includes scripture memorization.
Age Appropriateness:
Pre-school to 10ish (The game can be played and enjoyed by older
kids and adults but not likely for more than an hour or so).
Christian
Sense (CS): 3+
(interesting approach to teaching scripture)
Game
Engine (GE): 3
(does the job but nothing spectacular)
Game
Play (GP): 3 (for
preschoolers) 2 (or less for older kids and adults)
Overall:
3 |
