

One thing's for sure there may be little learning in this forest, but regardless of anything else, there's still a fair amount of fun. In many respects, it's almost like an interactive art piece in a way, with its lack of real logic or agency. It's an exploration into a fantasyland that's deeply immersive solely on its artistic merit. There is little in the way of story beyond the immediate "play a game" or "follow that elf", but I suppose that's the point. These screens are mostly directionless, with blind waves of the mouse potentially uncovering an animation, a puzzle and hopefully a purpose.Īnd I suppose that's the major negative towards Woodpsell there is no real purpose. From here, you enter the main hub of the forest, with interlinked screens that contains the main bulk of the game. The wave-over trick no longer worked until I hazarded something I was told not to do I clicked. Once this was done, I was returned back to the previous screen where I still had no idea what to do. It's easy, and a little too simple but the artwork on display and the music that plays are enough to keep you engrossed. The other three just played audio clips, until I held on the one over the flowers that took me to a mini-game.įeaturing the same trippy art that wouldn't be out of place in a Brian Stroud/Jim Hensen collaboration, this music game has you organise the mouths so that they're all singing the same song. Another would flash up a elf wordlessly pointing to the left. One would bring a rock face to life, casually yawning reflecting my own state at the time. I moved the mouse around until the cursor changed colour and found four or five hotspots of various size. After a few clicks, a voice sample kept telling me to stop clicking everywhere. I spent a little too long here trying to progress. More often than not, the resulting animation is amusing but there isn't much logic or assistance in what you should do.Īn example of this is the opening screen. Fairies fly among the flowers, gnomes climb out of tree knots and every rock, twig and leaf morphs into facial features that react when you point the cursor over them. Each of the main screens link directly into each other, scrolling to reveal a large forest playground to explore. Right from the very beginning, the game features highly detailed and lush artwork depicting a magical forest filled with the movement of flora, fauna and fantastical creatures all at once.

The short tracks evoke a mysticism that perfectly complements the game, with its catchy acoustic guitar riffs, rhythmic percussion and guttural, ethereal vocals. The popular Italian soft rock band Tazenda composed original music for the game. It's not all about other cultures with Woodspell, however. This seems to be their modus operandi their only other game was the very American New York set Who's Fat Lou?. Going on the Nordic mythology of trolls and gnomes found in Woodspell, it is a little surprising that Mediola hails from Italy. While scouring the internet, I found Woodspell: An Enchanted Forest of Learning and Fun from Mediola, and with its gorgeous European fantasy aesthetic, the six-year-old in me was instantly sold. Whether they had a Disney movie, a well-drawn picture book or simply their own wild imaginations to draw from, development teams had an ingrained need to stand out to your six-year-old. While most other genres were still using chunky pixels or tipping their toes in even chunkier polygons. High quality graphics, game play and musicįor some reason, educational CD-ROMs in the 90s had a high chance of looking spectacular.Original soundtrack by the award winning band "Tazenda".

Sing along as you solve the puzzle of the harmonious mushrooms.Enjoy hours of game play discovering secret locations and interacting with endearing mythological creatures.In this scene, reposition rocks to uncover a hidden mystery. Inspiring, detailed graphics dazzle both children and adults.Let the magic of these legendary creatures tickle you heart, light up your computer screen, and stay with you forever.

Woodspell encourages parents and children to work together to build their own adventures using fantasy and imagination every step of the way. Play games, hear stories, solve problems, and sing along with the original music as you make your way through the mysterious woodland. Players will be surrounded by elves, gnomes, fairies, giants, witches, and other legendary creatures. This highly entertaining game contains some of the most breathtaking graphics ever created for your computer. Stimulate your child's imagination while challenging their minds with Woodspell. The wonder of the enchanted forest awaits you.
