Casper (Game Boy Color)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 2.0 stars Mediocre
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 4.5 (2.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Frank Provo
• Reviewed on: 06/12/2000
• Updated on: 05/17/2006
• Released on: 06/01/2000
• Originally published on GameSpot: Casper (Game Boy Color) Review

Casper the Friendly Ghost has been around for ages, appearing in comic books, cartoons, and even a 1995 motion picture. This film spawned a number of video games, and now - five years later - Interplay is releasing one more, Casper for Game Boy Color. Just as in the film, it's up to you to guide Casper in his quest to befriend Dr. James Harvey and his daughter, Kat.

To gain the Harveys' friendship, you'll guide Casper through a 50-plus-room mansion in search of many conversation-inducing trinkets, all while foiling the antics of his three ghostly uncles. Being an action RPG, the game is portrayed in a top-down view reminiscent of Zelda DX or Quest for Camelot. Control is simple: Move with the D-Pad, use items with the A/B buttons, and check inventory or a map with select or start. As the game progresses, you can even transform into alternate forms, such as a puff of smoke, a beach ball, or a saw blade. The game's save feature provides four save slots, leaving ample leeway for you to make mistakes.

Casper is a game meant for younger audiences, and the gameplay reflects that. Right after the opening cinema, you're already in a room containing food items and a brass key. Contrary to popular belief, Casper can be injured, and a 100-point life meter is all that stands between our hero and his final resting place. Bump into an uncle, contact a raging fire, or use a morph, and you'll lose one life point. Thankfully, food items are plentiful, so dying isn't a major possibility. In fact, the brunt of the game's difficulty lies in solving various puzzles: pushing the right buttons, completing paintings, or positioning statues. Unfortunately, the puzzles are kindergarten level in simplicity and more plentiful than booth girls at a trade convention. Seasoned gamers can blow through the game in less than two hours, provided they don't mind triggering more than 100 switches, completing five paintings, and tapping the B button relentlessly.

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