The Scribblenauts Games

Your character, Maxwell, is a scribblenaut. Your task is to help him collect starites through the game levels. Each level has its own puzzle or challenge you must meet to release the level's starite.

As mentioned above, you have over 20,000 items you can create to solve these challenges. They've tried to program in everything a person might think of trying to use, and some things that are fairly obscure (and hilarious). But wait, there's more. The items can interact with each other causing even more fun things to happen.

Want to see what happens when you put a Greek goddess, Cthulhu, and Abraham Lincoln on the same screen? You can do that!

In puzzle or adventure modes, attain merit, style points, and ollars for solving a challenge in few moves and stylish ways. Your ollars are used to unlock subsequent worlds, and for purchasing avatars other than Maxwell's default to use to play. Ollars are easily earned in normal play, so a shortage shouldn't be a problem. If it is, simply replaying levels a little will fix it.

Different avatars may offer a little edge, such as a higher jump if you use the Ninja avatar.

With a rating of E for everyone 10+, you know there's not much to worry about. Scribblenauts has cute, sketch-like, cartoony graphics, and no gore whatsoever. There is a little fighting, but the worst that shows with that are little poofs and then the loser falls and disappears. It's far less graphic than a lot of cartoons that might come to mind. There are mythic creatures and some simple magics like a witch that can wave her wand and turn other characters into frogs.

Spelling and reading ability are required, as a major component of play is to be able to "type" in (with the stylus) the name of the item you want to appear in the world, to use to help solve the challenge of the level. I can see this helping early readers and spellers to strengthen those skills. I love a game that can be educational without being in your face about it.

Super Scribblenauts, with its focus on adjectives, can help students strengthen their awareness and use of them.

Both games have an advanced mode requiring players to think of three different ways to solve the puzzles, which can strengthen use of synonyms, as well.

From a gamer perspective, just for my own enjoyment level, I'm really engaged by Scribblenauts. The challenges are different enough that it stays fresh and interesting. Another strong point is that, with so many ways to complete an objective for a level, you can play through more than once and not do the same thing twice.

The only real complaint I have with either game was with the original Scribblenauts, in that sometimes you're trying to place an item, and it's important to the completion of your puzzle that Maxwell not move until you do, and he will interpret a tap of your stylus as telling him to run there. So he does, and ruins everything, making you do it over. Argh! But this hasn't happened so much I've been inclined to stop playing, and they fixed that control problem in the sequel.

It's not often we find a game that appeals to the whole family. This series does. My preschoolers love to muck around on the sandbox screens, thinking up things for their older sister or me to summon for them. My nine-year-old enjoys that, but does need to ask how to spell many of the things she'd like to summon.

Scribblenauts is very deserving of the awards it has received, and both games are great additions to anyone's Nintendo DS game library.

ROFLCopter + Rope, and air vents can solve a lot of problems.

Bridge Ladder and Fixed Ladder span wider distances than the normal ladder and bridge.

The L and R buttons rotate objects.

;)

Enjoy!

Super Scribblenauts offers 120 puzzle and action-platforming levels with more outrageously fun experiences and scenarios. The game recognizes tens of thousands of words/objects including hundreds of new ones, and the new Adjective System allows for object modification creating real life behaviors, personalities and characteristics of the objects.

Super Scribblenauts was released in North America on October 12, 2010.

Maxwell is back with a brand new set of levels and smoother control. Your task is to help him collect starites through the game levels with a combination of platforming and puzzle problem-solving.

Like the original, they tried to program in everything a person might think of trying to use to solve the challenges, save proper nouns and such, and include things that are fairly obscure (and hilarious). Just like the original, the items can interact with each other, and this game's focus on adjectives opens a whole new - seemingly endless- set of possibilities.

There are merits to be earned, and ollars can buy you hints and avatars. Advanced mode has changed, a little - not every level has one - but those that do have a little crown on the star indicating the level.

Scribblenauts Official Website
The Kids WB games website has more about the games, more videos, screenshots, and downloads.

IGN Interview with the creator of Scribblenauts
Find out more about the ideas behind the game, check out Scribblenauts screenshots, and see more video.

Scribblenauts on the Gamefaq Forums

Super Scribblenauts on the Gamefaq Forums
An active forum where many gamers are discussing the games. It's a great place to pick up ideas and ask questions.