Laura's Happy Adventures
Encyclopedia
Laura's Happy Adventures is an adventure
, role-playing
video game developed by Playmobil Interactive and distributed by Ubi Soft Entertainment. The game was originally released in 1995 becoming the first computer video game to be produced primarily for young girls as a target audience
. The setting was based on Playmobil
's popular Victorian
dollhouse
line. The game's storyline revolved around a good-natured young girl named Laura as she solved the mystery of a magic diamond by helping the people around her, both within her family and the outside villagers, blending real-world everyday life with fantasy elements. The game was directed by Alain Tascan and featured an original soundtrack by composer Daniel Scott. A Game Boy Color
version, entitled Laura, was produced and released in 2000.
, Henry, Laura's grandfather, had met a small fairy named Lumina. A gust of wind had made the small creature lose control of her wings and had fallen into the sea. Henry had dived into the water to rescue the fairy and in exchange, Lumina had rewarded him with a beautiful bracelet
. One day, as she is admiring her grandfather's stone collection, Laura picks up a volcanic rock, but accidentally drops it and it shatters on the floor. Inside what had been the rock, Laura discovers a small pink diamond
. The diamond comes to life and tells Laura its story. It had been the fairies' lucky charm until the day that one of the fairies, Lumina, had lost it inside a cave which was later filled with lava
following the eruption of a volcano
. Laura's grandfather had chipped the rock out of the lava, completely unaware that the lucky charm was inside. The diamond explains that it lost its powers due to its long imprisonment and that in order for it to sparkle and bring luck again, Laura must light up its five facets by helping the people around her and bring them happiness.
Within her home, Laura finds plenty of opportunities to help those she loves. The entire town is preparing itself for the celebration that is to take place that same day, the town's seven-hundredth anniversary. Laura's mother, Miriam, is in charge of arranging the preparations, writing the invitations as well as the opening speech, and has no time to take care of her youngest daughter, Laura's baby sister Caitlin. Laura's father, Anthony, is saddened after a small quarrel he had had with his wife which had caused her much grief and needs help to come up with the perfect way of asking forgiveness. Tommy, Laura's younger brother, is crying because, after taking his father's binoculars
without asking permission, he had forgotten them at the town gates and had disappeared when he had realized this and had gone back for them. Laura's grandfather Henry, many years after his encounter with Lumina, is still saddened that people fail to believe his story and longs to one day have the proof it takes to convince everyone. Rosie, the cook, is struggling to finish a cake for the evening's celebration, but she had neglected to collect the nuts that Carmen the fruit merchant had saved for her and does not have time to go to town. Outside, people, too, need help carrying out their daily tasks; Carmen, at the produce stand
, has run out of mushroom
s, Violet the florist needs her watering can re-filled, Theo the tramp
needs a job and Mr. Morris the milkman
's back is too painful to continue working and is in desperate need of an assistant. Before the day is through, one adventure at a time, Laura finds ways to help out her friends and family in order to enjoy themselves together at the celebration, where Laura is rewarded and honored by being asked to read the opening speech and begin the festivities.
a player can move Laura around her house in a 3-D environment using the arrow keys. The first times that Laura is presented with a new action or interaction that is available, the diamond jumps out of her backpack explaining to her and the player how they can perform it. For example, the first time Laura stands close to a human character, the diamond tells her that in order to interact with that human the player must press the space bar
.
Using the space bar allows Laura to pick up certain objects scattered throughout her home and across town. Every time Laura picks up an object, it is placed inside her backpack
. Using the tab key
, a player can look inside Laura's backpack and select or unselect items. Using the space bar, Laura can select items that she will need to use in her adventures; these items can be used, given or shown to people in different circumstances. Most objects are used only once during the course of the game; only certain objects, such as a magic wand, are kept inside her packpack permanently once they've been obtained. The use of the space bar allows Laura to interact with human characters, open doors and drawers, climb up or down ladder
s and use the objects inside her backpack.
In order for Laura's adventures to begin, she must first talk to one of the people living inside her household and answering 'Yes' when they ask for their help. Laura can run and search freely throughout her home and town in search for objects and in order to solve the different situations she faces. The 'Z
' key allows Laura to jump, an action required a number of times during the game. Each time Laura successfully completes one of the complications in need of being solved, one facet
of the diamond lights up. There's no specific order in which these need to be performed, it is up to the player's choosing. When all five facets are sparkling, the game is complete and the conclusion of Laura's story is played, which is the celebration of the town's seven-hundredth anniversary
.
, where the Playmobil
toy brand is extremely popular. Many different language versions of the game were produced, including Spanish
, French
, German
and even British English
. Though the game was intended mainly for a female audience, it was popular with male players as well.
In spite of its good reviews, the game was subject of slight controversy. Because the game was intended for young girls, a number of reviewers and testers felt the nature of the game was slightly inappropriate. The game is completed when Laura manages to help each member of her family solve some kind of situation; some players believed this would give a young girl the idea that girls are expected to be servicial and helpful in order to find happiness (hence "Happy Adventures"). One of Laura's adventures in particular was bothersome to some testers; Laura is asked by her father Anthony to help him sort out a dispute he had had with his wife. Though the dispute was minor and Laura is simply asked to run a few errands and deliver brief love notes, testers felt asking a young girl to settle an argument between two parents to be inappropriate, even "disturbing."
The success of the game lead to the completion of Alex Builds His Farm (1999) and Hype: The Time Quest
(1999), as well as a Game Boy Color
remake in 2000.
, 98
, 2000
and ME
operating system
s. The bargain UK release from Focus Multimedia
(with the British English
dub), however, can be configured to be readable by Windows XP
.
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
, role-playing
Role-playing
Role-playing refers to the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role...
video game developed by Playmobil Interactive and distributed by Ubi Soft Entertainment. The game was originally released in 1995 becoming the first computer video game to be produced primarily for young girls as a target audience
Target audience
In marketing and advertising, a target audience, is a specific group of people within the target market at which the marketing message is aimed .....
. The setting was based on Playmobil
Playmobil
Playmobil is a line of toys produced by the Brandstätter Group , headquartered in Zirndorf, Germany.New products and product lines developed by a 50-strong development team are frequently introduced by Brandstätter. Some of these, such as promotional products, are only produced in limited quantities...
's popular Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
dollhouse
Dollhouse
A dollhouse is a toy home, made in miniature. For the last century, dollhouses have primarily been the domain of children but their collection and crafting is also a hobby for many adults. The term dollhouse is common in the United States and Canada...
line. The game's storyline revolved around a good-natured young girl named Laura as she solved the mystery of a magic diamond by helping the people around her, both within her family and the outside villagers, blending real-world everyday life with fantasy elements. The game was directed by Alain Tascan and featured an original soundtrack by composer Daniel Scott. A Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
version, entitled Laura, was produced and released in 2000.
Story
Many years before, while climbing the foot of a cliffCliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
, Henry, Laura's grandfather, had met a small fairy named Lumina. A gust of wind had made the small creature lose control of her wings and had fallen into the sea. Henry had dived into the water to rescue the fairy and in exchange, Lumina had rewarded him with a beautiful bracelet
Bracelet
A bracelet is an article of jewelry which is worn around the wrist. Bracelets can be manufactured from metal, leather, cloth, plastic or other materials and sometimes contain jewels, rocks, wood, and/or shells...
. One day, as she is admiring her grandfather's stone collection, Laura picks up a volcanic rock, but accidentally drops it and it shatters on the floor. Inside what had been the rock, Laura discovers a small pink diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
. The diamond comes to life and tells Laura its story. It had been the fairies' lucky charm until the day that one of the fairies, Lumina, had lost it inside a cave which was later filled with lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
following the eruption of a volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
. Laura's grandfather had chipped the rock out of the lava, completely unaware that the lucky charm was inside. The diamond explains that it lost its powers due to its long imprisonment and that in order for it to sparkle and bring luck again, Laura must light up its five facets by helping the people around her and bring them happiness.
Within her home, Laura finds plenty of opportunities to help those she loves. The entire town is preparing itself for the celebration that is to take place that same day, the town's seven-hundredth anniversary. Laura's mother, Miriam, is in charge of arranging the preparations, writing the invitations as well as the opening speech, and has no time to take care of her youngest daughter, Laura's baby sister Caitlin. Laura's father, Anthony, is saddened after a small quarrel he had had with his wife which had caused her much grief and needs help to come up with the perfect way of asking forgiveness. Tommy, Laura's younger brother, is crying because, after taking his father's binoculars
Binoculars
Binoculars, field glasses or binocular telescopes are a pair of identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes when viewing distant objects...
without asking permission, he had forgotten them at the town gates and had disappeared when he had realized this and had gone back for them. Laura's grandfather Henry, many years after his encounter with Lumina, is still saddened that people fail to believe his story and longs to one day have the proof it takes to convince everyone. Rosie, the cook, is struggling to finish a cake for the evening's celebration, but she had neglected to collect the nuts that Carmen the fruit merchant had saved for her and does not have time to go to town. Outside, people, too, need help carrying out their daily tasks; Carmen, at the produce stand
Produce
Produce is a generalized term for a group of farm-produced goods and, not limited to fruits and vegetables . More specifically, the term "produce" often implies that the products are fresh and generally in the same state as where they were harvested. In supermarkets the term is also used to refer...
, has run out of mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s, Violet the florist needs her watering can re-filled, Theo the tramp
Tramp
A tramp is a long term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking or hiking all year round. In British English meanwhile a tramp simply refers to a homeless person, usually not a travelling one....
needs a job and Mr. Morris the milkman
Milkman
A milkman is a person, traditionally male, who delivers milk in milk bottles or cartons. Milk deliveries frequently occur in the morning and it is not uncommon for milkmen to deliver products other than milk such as eggs, cream, cheese, butter, yogurt or soft drinks...
's back is too painful to continue working and is in desperate need of an assistant. Before the day is through, one adventure at a time, Laura finds ways to help out her friends and family in order to enjoy themselves together at the celebration, where Laura is rewarded and honored by being asked to read the opening speech and begin the festivities.
Gameplay
The game starts in Laura's bedroom; with the use of a keyboardComputer keyboard
In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
a player can move Laura around her house in a 3-D environment using the arrow keys. The first times that Laura is presented with a new action or interaction that is available, the diamond jumps out of her backpack explaining to her and the player how they can perform it. For example, the first time Laura stands close to a human character, the diamond tells her that in order to interact with that human the player must press the space bar
Space bar
thumb|250px|A [[computer keyboard]], Space Bar is on the bottom center of the keyboardThe space bar, spacebar, or space key, is a key on an alphanumeric keyboard in the form of a horizontal bar in the lowermost row, significantly wider than other keys. Its main purpose is to conveniently enter the...
.
Using the space bar allows Laura to pick up certain objects scattered throughout her home and across town. Every time Laura picks up an object, it is placed inside her backpack
Backpack
A backpack is, in its simplest form, a cloth sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders, but there can be exceptions...
. Using the tab key
Tab key
Tab key on a keyboard is used to advance the cursor to the next tab stop.- Origin :The word tab derives from the word tabulate, which means "to arrange data in a tabular, or table, form"...
, a player can look inside Laura's backpack and select or unselect items. Using the space bar, Laura can select items that she will need to use in her adventures; these items can be used, given or shown to people in different circumstances. Most objects are used only once during the course of the game; only certain objects, such as a magic wand, are kept inside her packpack permanently once they've been obtained. The use of the space bar allows Laura to interact with human characters, open doors and drawers, climb up or down ladder
Ladder
A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types: rigid ladders that can be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rope ladders that are hung from the top. The vertical members of a rigid ladder are called stringers or stiles . Rigid ladders are usually...
s and use the objects inside her backpack.
In order for Laura's adventures to begin, she must first talk to one of the people living inside her household and answering 'Yes' when they ask for their help. Laura can run and search freely throughout her home and town in search for objects and in order to solve the different situations she faces. The 'Z
Z
Z is the twenty-sixth and final letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.-Name and pronunciation:In most dialects of English, the letter's name is zed , reflecting its derivation from the Greek zeta but in American English, its name is zee , deriving from a late 17th century English dialectal...
' key allows Laura to jump, an action required a number of times during the game. Each time Laura successfully completes one of the complications in need of being solved, one facet
Facet
Facets are flat faces on geometric shapes. The organization of naturally occurring facets was key to early developments in crystallography, since they reflect the underlying symmetry of the crystal structure...
of the diamond lights up. There's no specific order in which these need to be performed, it is up to the player's choosing. When all five facets are sparkling, the game is complete and the conclusion of Laura's story is played, which is the celebration of the town's seven-hundredth anniversary
Anniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
.
Reception and criticism
Laura's Happy Adventures was well received by both video game critics and players. It was specially praised for being the first game of its kind. The game was well known in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, where the Playmobil
Playmobil
Playmobil is a line of toys produced by the Brandstätter Group , headquartered in Zirndorf, Germany.New products and product lines developed by a 50-strong development team are frequently introduced by Brandstätter. Some of these, such as promotional products, are only produced in limited quantities...
toy brand is extremely popular. Many different language versions of the game were produced, including Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and even British English
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
. Though the game was intended mainly for a female audience, it was popular with male players as well.
In spite of its good reviews, the game was subject of slight controversy. Because the game was intended for young girls, a number of reviewers and testers felt the nature of the game was slightly inappropriate. The game is completed when Laura manages to help each member of her family solve some kind of situation; some players believed this would give a young girl the idea that girls are expected to be servicial and helpful in order to find happiness (hence "Happy Adventures"). One of Laura's adventures in particular was bothersome to some testers; Laura is asked by her father Anthony to help him sort out a dispute he had had with his wife. Though the dispute was minor and Laura is simply asked to run a few errands and deliver brief love notes, testers felt asking a young girl to settle an argument between two parents to be inappropriate, even "disturbing."
The success of the game lead to the completion of Alex Builds His Farm (1999) and Hype: The Time Quest
Hype: The Time Quest
Hype: The Time Quest is an adventure video game developed by Playmobil Interactive and distributed by Ubi Soft Entertainment. The game, released in the year 1999 along with Alex Builds His Farm , is based on the medieval castle toy series from Playmobil...
(1999), as well as a Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
remake in 2000.
Compatibility
Laura's Happy Adventures is generally only compatible with Windows 95Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
, 98
Windows 98
Windows 98 is a graphical operating system by Microsoft. It is the second major release in the Windows 9x line of operating systems. It was released to manufacturing on 15 May 1998 and to retail on 25 June 1998. Windows 98 is the successor to Windows 95. Like its predecessor, it is a hybrid...
, 2000
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...
and ME
Windows Me
Windows Millennium Edition, or Windows Me , is a graphical operating system released on September 14, 2000 by Microsoft, and was the last operating system released in the Windows 9x series. Support for Windows Me ended on July 11, 2006....
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s. The bargain UK release from Focus Multimedia
Focus Multimedia
Focus Multimedia was founded in 1995 in England by Craig Johnson and Lawrence Reeves. It is a consumer software publisher that mostly distributes its products in the UK and Ireland, but also exports to English-speaking countries worldwide....
(with the British English
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
dub), however, can be configured to be readable by Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
.