Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1346 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: UBI Soft
• Released on: 2006-10-26
• Platform: Nintendo DS

Customer Reviews

Okay.
This is my person view but...

I think the game is superb. The graphics are okay, and the overall excitment is overwhelming, although I must say after a couple of days and nights of playing, Yes, it does become rather repetitive and, sadly boring. ALthough, I do tend to go back to it after breaks. Then play it again.
It's a 'cool' little game, with a nice story and graphics. It's realistic and you always try to do your up most best to get the top points in the game.

Sometimes if you get stuck, you do get very frustrated, and annoyed, but come back to it after about ten minutes and use some simple common sense, and then you will get it. Always read what the narraters say, otherwise you'll probably go wrong. Just buy it, give it a chance, I'm sure you'll like it.

I would recommend the game for a younger audience, up to 13 year olds. The game is sutible for all though.

Take the reins for the DS
This game is like having a basic version of the PC game, Pippa Funnell: Take the Reins on your DS and makes good use of the DS touch screen.

You play Ginger, one of the characters from Take the Reins but at a new riding academy. You play a week at a time, caring for your horse, practising dressage, show jumping and cross county, taking your horse for walks, going to the library and chatting with classmates. You choose what you do when but you must include a good variety in your week.

At the end of a successful week (you must meet certain achievement levels in popularity, horse care and riding skills to progress) you are entered into an event and at the end of 6 weeks you enter the championship.

There are little adventures that you have to do with your classmates (usually involving going to find things for them) which are enjoyable and prevent the game from getting too repetitive. Plus each week the dressage tests include more movements and the jump courses get more tricky.

The game play is good for a handheld console. Dressage consists of touching the markers with your stylus and drawing figures at the correct time. You aren't actually controlling the horse, but missing the markers gets you faults and you will have to read up in the library to learn the figures. Jumping you control the horses direction and speed (using either the stylus or control pad)and when he jumps. If you jump at the wrong time you will knock down poles, get a refusal or even a fall. The controls are easy to master.

On top of the main adventure you also get to buy a foal to look after, play with and train up which provides a nice break from the main game. It's not in depth but it is a nice addition to the game.

If you love horse you will love this game. If you enjoyed the PC versions you will enjoy it. If you are after a nice, fairly simple and enjoyable way to spend a few hours then this is a good game to buy.

Great Stuff
This game was really good. I completed it in one and a half weeks, though. I loved the way you could choose what you'd do in your week, whether it was jumping, dressage, cross-country, care or something else.
Although, when caring for the horse gets really boring, cos' you have to care for the horse every day of the week! I like the way that you can pat, and talk to the horse though.

On to the dressage. It was fun, and I liked how you used the stylus to draw things on the touch screen. But, when question marks come up its confusing, cos' you don't know whether you have to draw a circle, triangle etc. But, you have to make the horse learn it in the libary. Well, not the horse actually in the libary, but with points you get in doing shows at the end of each week, you can use in the libary to unlock new figures.

Oh, I can't forget about the foal! It's so sweet, even all my close relitives say the horse is cute. The graphics are really good too.
Overall I reccomend this game to any person, horse lover or not. Because, you can learn about them and their gaits in the libary and the game shows you good structure of the horse.