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IGN Review

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 85 / 92
Date: November 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

November 06, 2002 - You know the drill: games made for little kids are bad, games made for girls are bad, and games made for little girls are really, really bad. Very few of you guys ever bother to play games for kids or for girls (and, for some reason, still feel the need to loudly complain about these games in emails to us and on message boards -- Sorry Bobby, but all those MK&A games aren't the reason why Acclaim didn't have the time to make the new Turok better), but you can take an informed guess that you?re probably not missing much.
There are, however, the rare few kids' game and girls' games that aren't piecemeal bits of non-entertainment (tic-tac-toe is not meant for videogaming) or awkward rush-jobs of poor game design. Usually, those uncommonly good girls' games are done by small teams working with unknown characters as a labor of love, but believe it or not, a major publisher and known developer actually turned our a game that's both enjoyable and creative for one of the world's most recognized and successful franchises. You go, girl.

Features

Slip into Barbie's designer spy outfits as she sneaks into danger
Use your robot spy-puppy, smoke screen and stealth ring to outwit your foes
Mini-game puzzles and a variety of gameplay (sometimes on horseback and in the water)
Collect top-secret files during your mission and unlock hidden game features
Only for Game Boy Advance
Believe it or not, Barbie: Secret Agent is the best Metal Gear knock-off that the GBA has at the moment. Of course, it's no substitute for the real deal, but as a game made for girls, it's surprisingly complex. It's also very competent in the gameplay department, which is another rarity in girls' games -- aside from some troubles grabbing onto ladders, the control is solid and smooth. The combination is a refreshing game for girls that neither insults their intelligence nor frustrates them with too much challenge.

In the game, Barbie will be off to four exotic lands to track down a master burglar dame who's stealing the royal crown jewels. (For those always looking for prominent female characters in games that aren't there just to fill out a tube-top, not only are Barbie and her main adversary female, but also the smartest and most tenacious baddies in the game are really baddie-ettes.) Barbie's not the type of girl to go guns blazing into this kind of situation (or any kind of situation,) so she'll have to use her wits to duck into the shadows and fool guards as she sneaks by. Her collection of spy gadgets isn't much and may not be all that crafty -- it's hard to play sneaky when you've got an invisibility ring and a bunch of smoke bombs just waiting to be used -- but the game does force you into situations where you'll have to rely on Barbie's stealth skills instead of her spy gear. She'll spend most of the game hiding in shadows from passing enemies, sending her robo-puppy out to distract guards, and otherwise jumping around The only time Barbie really has to kick into some dangerous action is when her foes take flight and she has to chase them in high-speed chases on horseback, on a jetski, or in the Barbie Car, and even then, she's not out to hurt anybody -- just to save the day.

Gameplay is a bit like Prince of Persia with some stealth mixed in. The control has that lanky, animated feel of P.o.P., although the handling is still pretty responsive and accurate. Aside from a small few really tricky jumps, the game shouldn't be too much trouble for little girls to handle -- in fact, the first few stages are such a breeze since you can just about hit every guard along the way and still pass, so there's not much of that frustration for those that are playing their first game. (There's also a training mode for new gamers to learn the ropes, as well as a number of difficulty levels once they've gotten the hang of the game.) The racing stages are just simple choose-a-path slot racers, but there's a number of mini-stages that are pretty fun -- they include standards such as Pong and Qix, but they're still simple fun for the short time they last.

Closing Comments
There's always very much a need for some quality kids games and quality games made just for girls -- they never seem to come along, but the world could use a few more good games made for beginner gamers. Luckily, Barbie: Secret Agent is one of the uncommon few that works well for the young gamers it's for -- the control is easy to handle, the level of difficulty is appropriate and involving, the graphics are colorful and cheery, the game design is creative and fun, and there's a bunch of things to collect along the way (including pallet-swaps of outfits, cars and ponies.) Of course, it's too light and simple and short for most gamers (actually, compared to most of the GBA action games out there, this one's really not a bad play-through -- I wouldn't be surprised if it started off as another game before the Barbie license was attached), but they're not the type who'd go for a Barbie game anyway. However, for the girls who love the dolls and need a game made just for them, this one will do pretty well.
-- Nix


Presentation
The girl is making it on her own as a in exotic locales with intriguing gadgets ... and she doesn't have to hurt anybody in her mission. 7.0
Graphics
Nothing special in effects or technology, but they make colorful use of the trademark Barbie pink and other visuals. 7.0
Sound

Like the graphics, the GBC-quality music isn't anything special, but it does bop along nicely -- plus, there's fun touches like the underwater echo. 6.0
Gameplay
Who was expecting this? Creative gameplay, solid control, and a fair challenge make this a great game for little girls. 8.0
Lasting Appeal
It's short and simple, but there's variety between the mini-games and racing bonus stages. 6.0
OVERALL SCORE (not an average) 7.5

Barbie Secret Agent is A Great Game!!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 28, 2002
Author: Amazon User

My husband and I bought this game for our 4 year old daughter's GBA for Christmas and she just loves it. I have always been a Barbie enthusiast, but this game is just wonderful. This game is easy to follow and understand.

Not the Best, But not the worst.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: December 31, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I like this game more than hating it, but it was kind of boring after you finished the game that was kind of easy. I am not telling you to not buy it, but not to buy it either. It is your decision, but I personaly reccomend this game more for the younger ones.

Okay, but not good enough

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: April 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is HARD at times. Men in black suits are surrounding you and sometimes you don't know what to do....This game deserved three stars because you know that all girls under 6 are in love with Barbie. Well, if it was even hard for me,... how is a little girl supposed to figure it out? What's the deal? I suggest you do NOT buy this game. Save your money and rent it, and THEN decide.

HARD!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: May 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I like this game. The only thing I have a problem with is there are so many levels and are so hard to beat. It took me a week to finish the first level. It took me half a month to finish the game. But I still find it hard!

i want a game boy

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 11
Date: June 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

it is really fun and challenging.

Fun Fun Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

My daughter who is 9 just loves this game. We've had trouble finding games that have goals interesting to her. She solved the game in a couple of days but has kept playing it because she loves the game!

A fun & challenging girl game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: September 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I'm 30, female, I like dark spooky things and sometimes Barbie pink things. I also like "girl games" - ones that aren't too too hard and ones with good story, eye candy, fun characters, rpg, etc. When I first started playing it I thought I would easily finish it in 2 hours, but I was wrong. I think I got about halfway through in a few hours but it started to get a bit harder and I put it down to continue some other time. Some may say some parts are too hard for little girls it's meant for but who wants a game you finish in one day? It even has special items locked up that you must get all the cds on each level to unlock and get to use, some of them are differnt colored outfits, a jet ski, a car, and a better robot dog. The graphics are beautiful and barbies gadgets are cute, like her compact that hides her so she can sneak past the men in black suits (guards). I would personally love to see an in depth RPG for Barbie for PS2 or XBOX.

Fun - for the first week.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: November 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Ok, this game is sorta cool, but not a "Mom, I need new batteries" every day kinda thing. You can hardly control Barbie, and her gadgets are LAME, LAME, LAME!!!!!!! Basically, this is for 4-8 year olds, not an 11 year old.

~A Gamer

Cool game but...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: December 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

it's too short! The graphics are not bad and neither is the story but you could beat the game in an hour. It's not like other games that when you beat it you get new stuff. No. It's the same way when you beat. I beat the game in half an hour. And the game was too easy. I liked moving Barbie around but that's really it. Luckly, it wasn't my game. At first I was thinking of buying it but after, I wasn't so sure! My friend has all of the barbie games. I'll just try them before I buy them.

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