"Pony Luv" Review (PC)

Publisher: Activision
Developer: Activision
Release Date: October 2006
Genre: Simulation
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone

Pros:

• Multiple accessories to customize pony

Cons:

• No depth
• Fingers quickly tire during racing competition
• Awkward interface

"Pony Luv" Review

"Pony Luv" continues a series of Luv games, previous versions being "Kitty Luv" and "Puppy Luv." All of which follow the theme of "luv" by caring, training, grooming, and feeding your choice of pet. "Pony Luv" shows you some of the things horse owners need to do daily to keep their pet happy and healthy.

"Pony Luv" can be divided into 3 areas: shopping, caring for pony, and competition. What you see for options and things to do is what you get. There are no levels to open up or special items to buy that only become available later. This leaves nothing for a surprise. Having a system of unlockables would have greatly improved the quality and overall desire to continue to playing.

Care for the pony by making sure he is sufficiently fed, gets plenty of time to nap and play at the park. All the pony's needs are monitored by a collection of meters similar to those found in "The Sims," a life sim created by Maxis. Besides eating, drinking, and sleeping, the pony will need to visit the park and to go for walks.

In order to get the food, water, and equipment a pony requires you will have to earn money. Money is earned through competition, through racing and later showing off tricks. The races are not based entirely on your horse's ability. Races are won by clicking the mouse button as fast as possible. The clicking represents cheering! The more you cheer the quicker your horse will run. The fast clicking to win is a novel idea. It's a fine idea. The problem is too many races at once is a surefire way to tire out your hand. You can't avoid racing, it's the only way to earn money in the beginning.

All the possible actions can be found by clicking on the menu icon. The menu shows your options of going shopping, changing locations, racing, feeding, etc. A lot of clicking could have been saved by skipping the menu icon and having a row of icons on the bottom of the screen. Plus the overall feel of "Pony Luv" would feel cohesive with the navigation and gameplay working together.

"Pony Luv" will be enjoyable for a select group of gamers. I see this game as one for young players who are just starting to game. The lack of real depth and clunky interface is not going to satisfy those who play a lot of games.

Download "Pony Luv" Demo & Buy Direct - About.com Arcade Center