Guest Author - Marie Stroughter

Our family has a GamePass
membership, so we get to test out a fair amount of video games for our desktop PC. Due to the graphic nature of most video games and the link between viewing these videos and increased aggression in boys, we only allow "family friendly" games. For some boys, having a "kid-friendly" label slapped on them is the death nell for "coolness," but I think we’ve found some games that are fun to play, engaging, and, yes, even a little "cool":

Burger Rush: This was the first game our whole family glommed onto, and we fiercely competed against each other to get the best time and accumulate the most money! The game centers around a burger stand. Customers line up and place their orders, similar to Diner Dash and Cake Mania. The difference is, in Burger Rush, there is a big grid with each of the ingredients needed to make the food items. You create combos of three in a row (like Connect Four, or tic-tac-toe). Making these combos fills part of the orders waiting in your queue. You also earn coins that you can use to purchase upgrades for your shop, such as efficiency upgrades for soda and fry stations (which boost profits), or other more expensive recipes. There are over forty levels, each with a regular and “expert” goal. There are some interesting customers like an astronaut, and an Elvis wannabe. The customers can get irate, and each will make a unique noise to get your attention. Great for ages 6 and up.

Farm Frenzy: This is the newest addiction to sweep through our house! It’s similar to the Tycoon series of games, wherein the goal is to accumulate product to send to market. You can buy and sell product to increase your farm’s profit. You can then purchase upgrades and equipment. Each level (currently I’m on level 28, but there looks to be fifty or more levels) gives you a quota to meet (reviewable while in-play by clicking the top right-hand corner of your screen). Sometimes you have everything you need, sometimes, you have to start from scratch and purchase each bit of equipment needed. For example, I can’t make cheese until I have the churn to produce butter. I can’t weave cloth until the yarn is spun. Each level awards medals based on time. The “cool” part is that bears can descend at any time, so you have to keep watch for them, as they can toss your livestock. If you capture them, they take up a lot of storage space in your storehouse.

My nine-year old son and I are currently in a battle to duke it out and get the best time on each level. I wouldn’t be a mom if I didn’t make it educational somehow, so I’ve had him keep a running tally of how much money he has (displayed in a corner on-screen) with how much product is being currently transported to market (displayed under the moving truck icon). He’s done a great job of math as well as having a blast. We’ve had the game for over a week now, and he’s as into it as he was the first day he played it, with no signs of getting bored with it. My other two children, a five-year-old boy, and six-year-old girl, are really interested in the game as well. But due to the complexity of the goals, the game is a little beyond them, with the exception of the very beginning levels. Best for ages 8 and up.