Barbie Magic Genie Bottle & CD-ROM

Other products by Mattel

Product Details

• Our recommended age: 5 - 20 years
• Manufacturer recommended age: 0 months and up
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00004W4R9
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: October 5, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,960 in Video Games (See Bestsellers in Video Games)

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  Software > Children's Software > Games > Action & Arcade

• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review
Was Mattel's Barbie Magic Genie Bottle & CD-ROM more inspired by I Dream of Jeannie or Christina Aguilera? It doesn't really matter--despite the almost-identical blonde heroine and fairly kitschy premise, Barbie doesn't quite live up to those two pop classics.

The game itself is reminiscent of other adventure titles, like the Might and Magic series, with a first-person perspective (which can be wonderful or dizzying, depending on your constitution) and a floating Barbie to guide you on your journey. By capping the accompanying genie bottle, you can choose to reduce Barbie to a voice-over, which helps, since her image took up a quarter of our screen.

Using the bottle and various magic items they find, kids must look around four magical lands for puzzle pieces, all the while speaking to various townspeople. We found the process of problem solving required serious patience, since the interface of the game is often confusing and counterintuitive. Kids who enjoy methodically searching through every corner of a game will love this task, but others may find it tedious.

We were pleased with the detailed, Arabian-inspired art in the game's design. But this is a prime example of how the concept behind the CD-ROM wasn't followed through on, as there is very little to engage a young history buff, and there are no elements of Arabian culture in the dialogue that we could find. (The innkeeper could be in Abu Dhabi or Secaucus, New Jersey, for all we could tell.) It should also be noted that this game is basically entertainment--not educational--software.

The best part of the game is the bottle itself. It requires a joystick port and three AAA batteries, as well as a small flathead screwdriver to install the batteries. Parents will want to be present at installation, since we had to alter our control settlings to calibrate the new addition. Once the bottle was installed, it lit up with every touch, and added a fantastic element to our journey. (Ages 6 and older) --Jennifer Buckendorff

Amazon.com Product Description
Experience 3-D adventure with Barbie, and help save the kingdom and restore Barbie Genie's powers. Use the Magic Genie Bottle to uncover clues and solve puzzles on your quest to find the missing power gems, and ride a magic carpet through exotic lands. You can even get helpful hints and tips from Barbie Genie: just release her from the bottle, and she'll magically appear onscreen.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

138 of 167 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It had my daughter sucked in for hours, October 9, 2000

By A Customer

My daughter loved the game and shes still playing, it is so much fun that I can barely get her off the computer so I can work. She plays with the genie bottle all the time too.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very cool, magical game for girls with outstanding graphics!, December 30, 2001

By	Mark Flint (Bolingbrook, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am very pleased with this game that I purchased for my two girls, both of which are into computer games. My 5 and a half year old finds it a challenge but not hopeless. My 12 and a half year old helps out and is interested in the puzzles and arcade type games. The bottle flashes in very cool complex patterns behind the plastic jewels when it is rubbed or the top is taken off (which is thoughtfully attached by a strong string.) The bottle is attached by a very long, very pink cord, which makes it easy to use without feeling like you have to be on top of the computer. The game has nice background music, and the animated characters give interesting, complex clues about the other characters in the game, building an interesting story behind it all.

One note, the support site is really..., not what is printed in the book or shown on the screen. Also you will want to setup the bottle as a 2-axis, 2-button joystick for it to work right, the service site has detailed instructions. We had trouble with the bottle initially because "rubbing the bottle" (a major function of the game) didn't work. It turned out that I didn't have it set to the right kind of joystick (it was still set-up for my old joystick.) Follow the instructions on the support website and you will be fine!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars OK, December 26, 2000

By	"lickenfelt" (Bolivar, PA USA) - See all my reviews

My two daughters would give this a 5 star rating, I myself would give it about a 3, so we decided to give it a four.

As far as price, I paid $40 and after playing it was disappointed because I paid so much for it. If I could go back I would not pay more than $25 for it.

It is fun and can be a challenging game to play because they gems you must find are not always in the same place if you restart the game, so it will always be different when your kids want to play again. You can always save your game which comes in handy since there are about 5 levels you must travel through and it does get lenghtly.

The only problem that we have had so far is that when you touch the magic bottle heavy items on the screen are to pick up, but for some reason they won't so we end up pressing F5 for it to work.

As far as kids taking the bottle to play, I would not recommend that, since the parrell port stays attached to the bottle and cannot be removed.

Sound and anmimation are good.