by James Kent

Created on: August 26, 2008   Last Updated: May 15, 2010

I enjoyed the game Summer Session more than I thought I would. This is basically a role playing game that is actually quite basic. The main game character is a freshman in college spending his summer vacation taking extra classes in Biology with the hope of graduating a year early. Throughout the game there are points to be won in strength, intelligence, coolness, luck and stress. Obviously the higher the number the better; other than stress where the lowest number is best. There is also a place to record how much money the character is making. This is important because it affects what your character can do, such as what you can buy. Near the beginning it asks for your name and once you enter it, it will appear in dialogue with the other characters; I thought this was a nice touch.

Throughout the game you can interact with various characters that you meet along the way. The dialog is written on the screen, but nothing is spoken out loud like it is in some games of this genre. When in conversations with the characters there are options on what to say and different choices will produce different results. The general idea is to be liked by the characters. Be careful because saying the wrong thing can mean that you'll be disliked by that character. After completing the first day there is the opportunity to select the schedule for the rest of the week. There are various options to choice from such as rest, sport, exercise, work and study. Again it's important to choose carefully as if you exercise too hard you will be tired for class the next day. There is also the option to go to the mall at the weekend.

The game play is quite fun and I can see how this game would be quite fun for college kids between classes. I actually found the game strangely addictive. The sound is quite jazzy and upbeat that helps to get you involved in the game. To be fair the graphics aren't anything special and it is basically made up of still images rather than moving video. There isn't much that is innovative or creative about this game this sort of role playing game has been done a number of times before.

I really enjoyed playing this game and I can see how it would be a lot of fun. I would think it's aimed at college kids because they would be able to relate best to it. That said anyone that has been to university would relate in some way and especially those who have stayed for summer school. I would recommend this game to anyone looking for a little light relief. The one improvement that I would make would be to include the dialog to be spoken out loud.

I give this game 4/5.

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