Disney Channel's High School Musical DVD Board Game
Based on the wildly popular Disney Channel Original Movie,High School Musical, the Disney Channel's High School Musical DVD board game is an above average companion to the ever-growing HSM empire. If you're familiar with the Scene It? DVD games and are hoping for the "start of something new," you will find this pared-down version aimed primarily at children six and over "sticking to the status quo." It comes with the High School Musical board game DVD, game board, and six character pieces. Gameplay is fast-paced and you can adjust the length to fit your timeframe. Choose one of six characters (Gabriella, Troy, Sharpay, Ryan, Taylor, and Chad) and answer trivia, spot the actual (or "so not") scene stills, sing in the blanks of your favorite HSM songs, and complete the missing dance moves to further your character to the final call backs. Questions and challenges range from the appropriately appellative freshman to senior difficulty. The first player to reach the final call backs chooses the theme for the final showdown. All of the players that made it past the auditions compete to become the star of the high school musical.The game's how-to was quick, simple, and useful. The practice mode takes you through the dance moves, and although we were expecting the whole musical numbers, the redacted walkthroughs are fairly thorough. Mrs. Darbus narrates your way throughout the game and has inspiring, drama-related banter that was only a minor annoyance to the adults after an hour of playing. The only troubles we came across were the constant clicking of the DVD remote after every scene in game, and also, an errant click while answering questions cannot be reversed, thus interrupting the gameplay. The songs and dances inspire players to get up and act as this game provides a bit of excitement for all of those fans ofHigh School Musical.--Scott Teal