Product Overview
A new pony has been born in Ponyland, and it is up to you to take care of her! You choose the colors of her mane and body, and you can give her a name as well. Choose to go to the farm area to feed, groom, and otherwise attend to your special pony, or travel to the village to play the many different games and activities:
- Play dress-up at Ivy's Beauty Salon, or play in the hair salon and experiment with different hair styles for your pony. Take a picture and print it out as well.
- Go to Light Heart's Game Cottage and play games like Tic-Tac-Hoof, baking in the kitchen, the Switch Puzzle, and read and color pony books, watch videos, and print out cut-outs.
- In Sundance's Dance Studio, click on the jukebox to play a dancing memory game (by repeating musical sequences).
- At the Schoolhouse play a memory game or create pony pictures and cards. The Art Board contains some printable projects.
Caring for your pony means nourishing and grooming her and playing with her too! You will be supplied with things like a hairbrush, food (with the exception of the apples, not what you would expect -- pizza, lollipops, and cupcakes), medicine bottle, and juice boxes. A rainbow is always present to use as a gauge of how healthy and happy your pony is -- if it is fading, there is something you should be doing for your pony! You can lead your pony around (if she feels like it). From time to time, your food supplies will run low, and you must grow food for your pony -- and this is where it gets a bit bizarre -- grow lollipops and cupcakes? Lead your pony to the nursery if she is tired, and she may dream of you (your name appears in her dream thought balloon). Make sure your pony gets adequate exercise in the paddock, and help her to practice her jumps.
Take pictures at any time and print them out. There is also a photo album, pony pet certificates, a pony diary, awards for pony jumping, and mail.
Navigating Ponyland is simple and can be done in one of two ways:
- Click on the outside edges of the screen to scroll left and right OR
- Use the Mini Map Bar to jump directly to the place you want to go. At any time, you can look to this bar to see where your pony is!
This is one of those highly entertaining games that kids can't get enough of. Don't expect realism, though, with the virtual pony activity (feeding lollipops, cupcakes, pizza, and juice boxes to the ponies, for example) but remember that this software is based on those pastel-colored My Little Pony toys that aren't too realistic anyway. My two daughters (aged 2 & 4) have played this game for hours on end. The muzak isn't too bad -- at least it's quiet and relaxed -- and the scenes are cute.
Technically Speaking
Minimum reqs are Windows 95, a Pentium 90(P166 recommended), 16 Mb RAM (32 recommended), and 4X CD ROM(8X recommended). You will require a minimum of 25 Mb of hard drive space to install this game. Direct X must be installed, and is included.
Skills Covered
creativity, memory, puzzle-making, imagination.
Educational Value
Not intended as a hugely educational software program.
Entertainment Value
My Little Pony gets top marks for enjoyment. Kids derive much satisfaction from caring for their ponies and playing the amusing games and activities.
Design
The interface is well-designed with two ways to navigate Ponyland. Kids need only to click on the little butterfly for help and guidance. She will suggest how to help make the ponies healthy and happy.
Replayability
For little pony lovers, this game will entertain for a long time.
Dollar Value
The software goes for about $25 US and I always see it for around $30 Cdn, which is quite appropriate for the quality and quantity of content.
Released: 1998
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