“Havarti!” “Provolone!”
“I’m in there like swimwear.”
Tish here again, and if you recognized either of the quotes above, you’re officially cool. Take a moment and revel in it. If not, I’m going to tell you about a handful of games you can come in and play. Then you will be cool too.
Pajama Sam is the main character of a series of PC games from the late 90s-early 2000s. These games are what they call “edu-tainment.” Personally I never felt like they were particularly educational.
In the first game, “There’s No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside,” Sam is a little boy afraid to sleep with the lights off, and so he decides to imitate his favorite comic book hero, Pajama Man, and heads into his closet to defeat Darkness. Along the way his three superhero items (mask, flashlight, and lunchbox) get misplaced, and the game is centered around Sam getting his things back. They can be hidden in several different locations and each game is randomized.
For instance, the mask might be in the garden being worn by a carrot, who is the leader of the Salad Liberation Front (apparently veggies don’t just want to be salad, they want to be the main course). The carrot agrees to give you the mask back if you take him into the kitchen in Darkness’s treehouse and help the carrots escape from the fridge. But to do that, you need to figure out how to work the elevator, and then convince the fridge that you’re not trying to let the carrots out. Also, the fridge sings.
The game also has a mini-game where you can play a version of tic-tac-toe with a toaster in the park, Cheese and Crackers. To challenge someone to play Cheese and Crackers, you say, “Havarti!” and if they want to play, they’ll reply with, “Provolone!” Our 3 year old CEO really likes this part, and will play over and over.
Spy Fox is another series by the same company (Humongous Entertainment) starring, you guessed it, a fox who is a spy. These games are Bond/Get Smart spoofs, with supporting characters named Monkey Penny and Professor Quack.
The game play is similar to Pajama Sam with randomized hiding places for specific items needed to foil the evil plots of various villains. Spy Fox saves the day while delivering comedic one-liners like:
“You had me wigged out for a second there.”
“Your Mother must be so proud.”
And of course: “The name’s Fox, Spy Fox!”
This company has several other series, but these two are the ones I have played most. They are actually they style of game I really enjoy. I like games where I have to find a rope so I can reach a board floating in a stream and use the board to convince a rowboat that wood floats so that he will take me across the stream, for example. Puzzle-type games that don’t require speed or accuracy are totally my jam.
I also really love that we have PCs now, because these games are perfect for 5-8 year olds, or even younger if someone older wants to play with/help them. The humor is great for all ages, and the quests are easy to understand. Stop in and give them a whirl!
