Planet Horse [Game Download] Review
This is actually a very good horse game. While the controls took a little longer than most horse games to get, they work well - my problem might be that you use the mouse to control the horse, and I'm on a laptop with a touch pad. While this game is simple, it's actually very enjoyable.
You start with one horse and can pick from breeds (actually, all the breeds are the same, just some come in certain colors... however, you can get the same color with other horses). So, instead of listing breeds, I'll list colors; chestnut paint, grey, black, bay (looks more liver chestnut), chestnut, palomino, and appaloosa. What's kinda cool is you can also pick a zebra and a unicorn. You then pick leg and face markings, and can decide if your horse is a mare, stallion, or gelding. Finally, name your horse.
There are three different types of competitions; show jumping, cross country, and "rides". "Rides" are full of different goals and you get to ride around beautiful scenery in either America or Europe. The scenery is, actually, beautiful. And, what I find good, is you get to decide how much detail is in the scenery when you go to start the game. If you have a slower computer, don't be afraid of the scenery taking up too much memory and making the game lag.
As you compete, you gain new levels and things to buy in the shop; both for you and your horse. Some items are just for show while others can actually help your horse - improving their stats.
At a certain point (not too far into the game) you can start buying new horses where you can pick from the same group you picked for your first horse.
You can enter this horse into any competition, even ones that may be too hard for it. If you do well, your horse's stats will grow greatly.
After riding for a certain amount of time you have to groom your horse. It's simple and you can pick between brushing and giving a bath. While this might sound annoying, it's not difficult and the time between grooming is long enough that it doesn't seem like that's all you do.
Jumping is pretty simple. You have to make sure you're going straight at the jump, then it gives you three marks that the horse's hooves will touch. You need to click your mouse when a hoof touches the mark. I've missed two, and gotten the last one and the horse jumped with no problem, so I assume you only need to get one. Once you do that it cuts to a beautiful scene of the horse jumping - this scene is quick and looks great, it hasn't bothered me once.
The controls, as I said, are a little difficult to pick up at first; I suggest using a mouse rather than a touch pad. You click a spot and the horse will go there; the further away you click the faster the horse goes. If you hold your left button down and move the mouse around, the horse keeps going in the direction the mouse is. (there's a marker on the screen to show you where you're clicking). It's hard to explain, but when you play you'll understand.
I've played yesterday and today and I haven't got bored yet. If I do seem to get bored, I'll play with a different horse or, rather than doing the objectives in the "Rides", I'll just ride around. It's cool seeing all the nice scenery.
Well, that's about it. If you're looking for a simple yet entertaining game, then this is yours. I haven't found a glitch yet, and if my computer's running a little slow, I just play with lower graphics. I wish there was more of a free ride, or getting to really interact with the horse while not riding, but even so it's a great game.
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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 31, 2010 13:45:12
