In this creativity software based on the direct-to-video film, Barbie as Rapunzel, players are treated to a video introduction to the game. The nasty witch, Gothel, has cast a spell that turned Prince Stefan to stone. Furthermore, she has hidden him in a Garden Maze and removed all of the beauty from the castle. This sets up players' goals: to restore beauty to the castle, find the jewels from Prince Stefan's crown, and rescue the prince.

Players begin by actively restoring the castle to its glory, and it is up to them what designs, paints, and decorations to choose. Beginning in the dark and dreary foyer, children use magic paint box tools (such as magic wands, "living" stickers, and magic paintbrushes) to create lovely decorations. The floor tiles require extra attention—restoring them takes the form of a mosaic puzzle. Once the room is completely restored, a Crystal Lens appears and children use it to search for one of the crown gems. In the ballroom, the special activity involves designing a new pair of thrones. Children create a masquerade mask for Barbie, design a rug for the dining room, plant flowers in the garden, and so forth.

The final activity, which is accessed only after the castle has been restored, involves navigating a garden maze using the arrow keys on the keyboard. Once Barbie (playing as Rapunzel) finds Prince Stefan, players must place the gems into his crown in order to break the spell. Children then prepare for the big masquerade ball by choosing Barbie's costume. At the end of the game, children are rewarded with a Magical Memory Scrapbook. This scrapbook allows them to view a slideshow of their work in the castle.

Although definitely lacking in tangible educational value, this program is light but happy fare for children who enjoy creativity games. Enjoyable videos introduce each area of the castle and the garden. These feature Rapunzel (Barbie) and Penelope, her talking purple dragon friend.

Technically Speaking
Minimum requirements are Windows 98/Me/2000/XP, Pentium 266 MHz, 64 MB RAM, 16X CD-ROM, and 175 MB hard drive space. Mac users require a Power Mac G3 266 MHz or faster processor, System 8.6, 9.1.2, 9.2, 10.1.2, 64 MB RAM (32 MB free RAM available), 24X CD-ROM, and 175 MB hard drive space.

Skills Covered
Following directions, creativity, computer mouse skills, eye-hand coordination, logical thinking, and pattern recognition.

Educational Value
Not much is offered on an educational level, save for an introduction to the names of some flowers and some thinking skills required for the maze activity.

Entertainment Value
The program is an enjoyable extension of the movie, borrowing some elements from the video and adding a fresh new story line. The musical soundtrack is pleasing and the videos are a treat.

Design
The program is responsive and generally easy to use, although the icons are not always intuitive.

Replayability
Children on the younger end of the suggested age group (ages 5-6) will likely enjoy the most replay value; while some older children might only play the game until its objectives are fulfilled.

Dollar Value
Suggested retail price is $30 US.