I fondly remember the story of Charlotte’s Web from my childhood. It was almost enough to make me not have such a negative attitude towards spiders – it was that good. I begin my exploration of the game Charlotte’s Web with a mix of anticipation and trepidation. Will they capture the magic of the original story or will I be playing any old pig?Charlotte’s Web begins by letting you select your language. You can play in English, French, Spanish, German or Italian. After some brief opening disclaimers and credit, you can start a new game, load an existing game, or tweak the options. I was pleased to see that you can set the difficulty to easy, medium or hard and you can choose to turn the sound effects or music off or on. Given my fine motor challenges at these games, I’m going to try easy mode.
Upon starting a new game, I learned that I have 3 potential save game slots. I pick the slot I want to use and then get to enter my initials for the save game. I also get a percentage rating showing how far I’ve progressed through the game. At this point I can choose Adventure, Mini-Games or Storybook. I learn that Adventure mode has 16 chapters! There are 5 mini-games that can be unlocked as you play through the Adventure. You’ll also unlock Storybook pages as you play the Adventure mode. If I want to get anywhere, I’d best get started.
I really like how the tutorial works in Charlotte’s Web. The text is simple and straightforward and tells me what I need to do, but the control pad keys I need to use are also highlighted on the screen. I get to wake Wilbur up and learn to jump over a box, and then immediately I get to meet the soon to be famous Charlotte A. Cavatica. (Note: Aranea cavatica is the scientific name for the type of spider Charlotte is – currently this kind of spider is designated Araneus cavaticus.)
I proceed (as Wilbur) through a series of obstacles. I jump over hay bales and crawl under shelves. I can grab onto small carts and push or pull them into position. I learn how to access secret rooms and use pull ropes to move hay. I can even charge into a weak fence and break though it – even if I do end up with a tiny headache. I also find out that I can, amazingly, climb up and down ladders. Go me! I found the initial tutorial area very easy. Even on easy mode though, I started having trouble when Wilbur needed to jump up a series of platforms to get over a very tall stack of hay bales. I probably need to call for backup. Now where is that dexterous 6-year-old? Okay, just kidding. I did manage to get through the platforms after a few tries (plus, the child was not immediately at hand). Woohoo! I even managed to finish level 1 on my own.
My goal on level 2 is to find 60 little blue glowing spider eggs and hatch 20 missing goose eggs. The maneuvering around the barn and through the farm is enough to keep me on my toes (or Wilbur on his little piggy hooves). I get a lot of free advice from the farm animals as I explore my surroundings and look for my quest items. I also have to be more careful to defend myself from mean rats (not Templeton, he’s a nice rat), blue jays and steely-eyed farmers. (I don’t actually defend myself from the farmer – I just hide strategically.) There are helpful arrows to point my way at certain points in my journey. Very nice. Given that level 2 is more challenging, I like that there’s a way point in the level where your game is saved and your ear-of-corn health bar goes back to full. I have to say, I think it’s kind of funny that Wilbur has to sit on the goose eggs to hatch them as part of his quest. A little hour glass marks his progress. The little goslings are such cute little fluff balls when they hatch and start going, “peep, peep, peep”.
While it’s true that there are foes to defeat (or bypass) in Charlotte’s Web, there’s no bloodshed. Wilbur scares the creatures he needs to get past. When Wilbur’s health goes all the way down, he faints and starts over back at the nearest save point. I didn’t see anything too scary for small children.
After I finished level 2, I decided to give Wilbur a short break and check out the storybook. It has some brief, easy to read text and a picture from the movie Charlotte’s Web. It’s a nice addition to the game. It’s not essential to the game play by any means, but it is a pleasant inclusion.
As I contemplate heading into level 3, I take a little time to reflect on the game. The music is nice and cheerful. While the game is essentially a side scroller, I’m not really thinking about it that way while I’m playing. Many of the characters I’m meeting are familiar names from the story, like Templeton the rat, and I would expect any names I don’t recognize are from the movie. The background scenes are all very nice, and Wilbur is such a cute little porcine hero. The tiny little Charlotte is adorable, even for a spider.
I can’t say it’s exactly like the story I remember, but it is a delightful game to play. I’m happy to let my daughter to play Charlotte’s Web. Someday I’ll introduce her to the original story too.
I’m a working mom – married with one child. My daughter is 7 and she has autism. Everything else in my life moves around this core. Online gaming has been a big part of my social life over the last several years due to the difficulty of going out and about. I have to say that my daughter Alissa is awesome at computer games. She has skills with electronics that amaze me. When I get away from the computer, I like doing craft projects (knitting, crocheting, sewing, painting, quilling, whatever sounds fun) and reading. I mainly read suspense these days but I have a pretty eclectic collection and a library of about 6000 books. I’ve been using a computer since grade school – I started with an Apple IIe and have upgraded considerably and many times since then. I played Dungeons and Dragons for at least a few decades. I met and married my husband through gaming. He was my DM. I stopped tabletop gaming more from lack of time than anything. It’s easier to meet and game with friends online than it is to coordinate real life schedules around my daughter’s needs.
