Barbie Super Sports

Overall: B-
Violence: A
Sexual Content: A-
Language: A
Drugs/Alcohol: A

Platform reviewed: Playstation
Publisher: Mattel Media
ESRB rating: E

I've always felt that girls were being left out in the cold when it came to videogames. It doesn't take a degree in advertising to identify the male gender as the target audience for a market inundated with themes of shooting, racing, role-playing and sports. But take heart girls, the marketing minds at Mattel Media must have made the same observation. Because now you can play with Barbie on that Sony Playstation your parents bought "the family" for Christmas... if your brother will let you.

Playing Barbie Super Sports is a cinch. Simply decide whether you want to be Barbie or one of her friends--Christie, Kira or Teresa. Then, after choosing between in-line skating and snowboarding, you'll go shopping for a coordinating outfit and the appropriate sports-specific footgear (skates or boards). Sorry girls... that's the extent of playing with doll clothes. Now that all the preparations are taken care of, it's time to see what this baby can do.

Each sport has its own practice area. Take advantage of this opportunity to become familiar with your character's repertoire of moves and stunts. When you are ready, it's time to try out those skills on the four remaining levels (one of which is locked until the other three are completed). Regardless of sport or level, certain requirements must be met--listen to Barbie as she tells you what these are. Perhaps you will be required to race against the clock, collect pink balloons, jump over fountains in an oriental garden, or smash into snowmen on a slippery slope. Whatever the challenge, you will be awarded tickets at the conclusion of every race. These tickets can then be traded for faster skates and snowboards.

Drawbacks to this virtual Barbie experience include: An extremely limited two-player mode (only one level is available for each sport). Barbie's annoying repetition of the same lines (you can only listen to her repeat things like "Cool," and "Radical" for so long). And when the game seemed to spend more time loading than playing--even my eleven year-old daughter started to complain. Then again, when you consider the age of girl most likely to play Barbie Super Sports, these shortfalls may not be a problem.

On the plus side, parents will be happy to note that, aside from propagating today's "perfect body" myth--courtesy of Barbie's unrealistic measurements--game content will be of no concern. After all, what could be wrong with a game that saves you megabucks on Barbie clothes, and doesn't leave its dolls lying around in places only to be discovered with your bare feet... in the dark.

Jim Fleming

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