About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

Overall, I give high marks to the Imagine: Artist DS game from Ubisoft. It takes gaming on the DS platform to a more creative place and it is a clever way to engage girls in learning. The combination of story with tutorial makes you feel like you have an ultimate goal in mind, which I find to be a motivating tool for moving ahead with the learning. And when the story is complete, you've still got a fun drawing program to play around with.



Pros

• Option to practice what you learn with a free-draw component
• Games help reinforce learning
• Players with a DSi will be able to integrate their own photos into the art

Cons

• Lessons start out slowly
• You have to go through the lessons to unlock tools
• Drawing with the stylus isn't always precise

Description

• Follow lessons covering a variety of concepts and techniques including colors, shading, collage, patterns and shapes
• Create artwork with a variety of tools and techniques
• Complete an "internship" with a local art studio
• Save the art studio from being sold
• Upload your artwork to the Imagine: Artist online gallery

Guide Review - Learn to Draw with Imagine: Artist

The Imagine: Artist DS game from Ubisoft has the unique combination of a storyline game, tutorial and free-use drawing program. The premise of the game is that you are a recent high school graduate doing an internship with a community art studio. The art studio is in danger of being sold to a developer. As you learn about drawing techniques, color composition and other artistic skills, you work toward the goal of saving the art studio.

It's a nice choice for helping girls learn to draw.

Imagine: Artist admittedly gets off to a slow start. You are limited in the art tools you can use (they unlock as you progress through the tutorials) and the early tutorials require a lot of tracing and coloring with little room for creativity. But, just as I was starting to get bored, the time comes for some new techniques and some opportunities to set my creative energy free. Parents may need to encourage less patient users to work past the first week or so of lessons. The lessons are reinforced by games and open-ended activities. These are fun and a nice way to help the concepts stick. They're also a good break from the step-by-step tutorials.

One of the biggest challenges for me is that the stylus isn't always precise, especially when used with a screen protector. It can be difficult to draw fine lines. I also had some difficulty navigating the game when I wasn't following the prescribed steps. As an example, it wasn't immediately clear how to switch brushes or colors mid-task. These are minor challenges and par for the course when trying to draw on such a small screen. It's still easier than using a mouse.

Another complaint I have is that the content is really aimed at girls. The Imagine line at Ubisoft is intended to engage girls in gaming, but I think there could be some room to make boys feel comfortable using the program as well. As a parent on a budget, I don't want to have to buy separate drawing programs for my kids.

On the other hand, the tools are fun to use and the ability to try out techniques in a free-draw mode is a big bonus. Many DS games are very short. I appreciate a game that continues to provide value even after the storyline is complete. In addition, your budding artist can upload artwork to a private online gallery and even share their pieces in the public gallery. Browsing through the gallery was impressive and it was useful to see how other people are using the game.

• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Release Date: November 17, 2009
• Genre: Creative
• ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
• Platforms: Nintendo DS/DSi

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.