Now that the oldest is of an age to really appreciate really good computer games on the only existing worthwhile gaming platform (PC of course, consoles are for jerky jocks... not hardcore gamers!). I finally get to delve into my huge Steam collection to hunt out all the little things that I have been collecting since the day that I found out that I was going to be a father. I would like to have my girls experience gaming as a really decent form of exploration and narrative genre.. not merely as a time waster and a thinly disguised Skinner box.

So, I've collected many games that are a combination of deep thinking, education or with such beautiful visual and soundscapes.... the sorts of games that I would be entranced with! After all, if you feed your kids crap food... they will come to expect that crap is regular. So, in that vein, I've tried to limit their access to terrible games... and introduce them to really decent quality games... of course, in some sort of moderation! Sometimes, I really despair at some of the games that some parents give their kids... they are almost designed to trigger a short attention span response with their lack of depth and attention... not to mention the mass produced factory style care with development and art/sound assets.

Recently, I finally finished setting up an old PC computer box with some scavenged remains of other boxes that I have lying around... and one of the first games that I put on the PC was Bookworm Deluxe and Bookworm Adventures. Bookworm Adventures is an old is a relatively old (2006) game released by PopCap games... unfortunately, PopCap is company that is normally associated with games like Bejeweled and such things... the sorts of games that I'm desperately trying to avoid... however, with Bookworm Adventures, they evolved the word-forming gameplay of the original Bookworm game and added a light RPG style mechanic over the top of it!

The result is a really cute turn-based RPG battler.. with the player controlling the avatar, Lex the Bookworm, as they try to rescue friends that have trapped in the various book worlds. The voicing for Lex is hyper-cute... almost on the edge of being annoying, but thankfully, he doesn't speak too often!

The game is balanced for kids... which is lucky, as it isn't capable of adjusting the difficulty to the player's skill level. So, for an adult, it is pretty easy... but for a kid, it is just challenging enough. You have a board of 16 letters, from which you build a word... the longer the word, the more damage you cause... the rarer the letters that you use then you will also cause more damage. There are various other RPG style effects and items that mix up the gameplay a bit... but the general gist remains the same... keep in mind that this is a light RPG for kids... not a Planescape clone!

So, I'm pretty happy with this first PC game for the kids... the older one loves Bookworm Adventures (it would have been nice if there was a language mod for Dutch... but English will have to do...), and the younger one just likes watching! The original word game (Bookworm Deluxe) is also interesting for them, but it is just not as engaging, as it is a point attack game with no story and nothing to keep their minds engaged....

Unfortunately, it isn't sold any more (not on Steam) as PopCap folded after being acquired by EA Games.... so it can be a bit tricky to find this game... it also means that active development and support of the game is zero... although, it isn't such a complex game, so there is very little that really go wrong (a higher resolution would be nice... but not a deal breaker...)!

Steem-Monsters (aka the best blockchain game out there!)

Humble Bundle

Have you heard of Humble Bundle? It's a place to get some really great deals on Games, e-books and comic bundles. However, if you sign up for a Humble Bundle Subscription (12 USD per month) you get some really nice bonuses!

1. A 100+ USD bundle of games delivered direct to you each month, redeemable on Steam, Uplay or direct download (depending on the game). This includes recent Triple A games!
2. Access to the Humble Bundle "Trove", a list of 60 games (and growing...) which are free to play as long as you remain a subscriber!
3. Additional Discounts on the Humble Bundle store, with the choice of supporting charities, Humble Bundle or developers in whatever percentage that you wish!

Humble Bundle Subscriptions, it's a no brainer for the dedicated gamer!

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