by Jeff McKinney (follow me on Twitter)

This may be one of the most difficult games I’ve had to describe yet because it is also one of the most unique and creative. I’ll start with the basics; Scribblenauts is a DS exclusive that combines elements of classic action games, such as Mario Brothers, with imaginative puzzle solving brainteasers like those found in the Professor Layton games. Players use the DS touch screen to help the game’s character, Maxwell, collect a Starite (a gold star) on each level. Here is where things get tricky. In order to get the Starite, you have to figure out what objects Maxwell will need to use in order to reach the Starite. The game recognizes tens of thousands of words so once you decide on an object, type the name into the touch screen keyboard and that object will appear in the game. For example, The Starite might be in a high cave on the other side of a section of water. One way to reach the cave is with a jet pack (I’ve used that a few times) but once you reach the cave, how do you get the Starite out if the cave is too small for Maxwell to fit in? That’s what you have to figure out.

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