Scripps Spelling Bee

SCORE: 91

Did you know that over 9.9 million viewers watch the Scripps National Spelling Bee? Neither did I. Or I did not know that until I started reviewing Scripps Spelling Bee for the Nintendo DS. This hand held little gem will help you improve your spelling. I know some of ya'll are like why? You have Open Office, Google, and other programs that give a little red underline when you spell something they do not have in their database. I suppose if you want to be dependent the rest of your life you can continue on that path. If self reliance interests you in the least then you will want to take a good look at Scripps Spelling Bee.

I should add that I see Scripps Spelling Bee as more of a game for children. Sure adults can use this hand held video game to fire up certain lazy synapses. Few of us are graded on our spelling though. And even fewer of us adults will participate in a spelling bee. How cool would it be, to be cheering on your child at the Scripps National Spelling Bee? That is the kind of goal worth achieving.

Scripps Spelling Bee contains different templates for the player. Some are better than others. This DS game does start out looking pretty bland. The letters are all discernable, which is a good thing. There is a nice picture of a cartoon bee in a few areas of the game. I did not find any offensive images while playing Scripps Spelling Bee. The various characters in this Nintendo DS game are friendly, cartoonish, and approachable.

There are eight mini games, a practice mode, Get the A+, and Bee the Champion in Scripps Spelling Bee. I really like the Get the A+ mode. This allows parents to input their children's spelling words for the week. Then the child uses Scripps Spelling Bee to get their spelling words right. Video games have a long dirty history, and a horrible public image. Scripps Spelling Bee is one of those games that bridges the gaps, and helps turn that major issue around.

The touch screen controls work flawlessly in Scripps Spelling Bee. The letters in certain mini games are a little smaller than others. The Nintendo DSi has bonus content, but Scripps Spelling Bee works fine on a regular Nintendo DS. This DS game makes learning fun. As an adult I got a kick out of the characters as the story progressed. The down side is one mistake send the player back to the beginning. Listen to the word numerous times if you are not sure, check the definition, and its usage in a sentence. A little patience can be the difference.

Scripps Spelling Bee is not the first educational game to make it to market. I can tell that a lot of work went into this game. Parents can use Scripps Spelling Bee as a tool to improve their childrens spelling. I know my kids could use this kind of a tool. Even though Family Friendly Gaming was given a reviewable copy of Scripps Spelling Bee, I feel it is worth the money. I hope to see sequels to this game in the near future.
- Mark

Graphics: 81%
Sound: 88%
Replay/Extras: 90%
Gameplay: 92%
Family Friendly Factor: 99%
System: Nintendo DS
Publisher: THQ
Rating: 'E' for Everyone

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