The World of CD-i Chronicle #20

When I got my CD-i back in the 90’s, a demo CD was included. In this demo disc I remember to watch a demo of Richard Scarry’s Best Neighborhood Disc Ever. Even if I was already a teenager, I was delightful with the quality and possibilities the little kids had with games like this. To improve the imagination, the reaction, etc…
Today I am not going to talk about this one, I am going to review The Crayon Factory, a game for kids that is deeply placed near my heart… I am going to play the French version, “L’Usine aux Crayons”. I used the German covers because my covers aren’t in good condition for scanning.

I enjoy playing this game with my daughter aged 7, she really loves it, and the Roller Controller is her favorite accessory to play. We play together alternatively just like if I had her age!

SOME HISTORY:
Released in 1995 by Philips Sidewalk Studio, The Crayon Factory was release under 2 formats:
A normal one, in a jeweled case (or a long box), and a special big box with 8 crayola crayons and signed by Julie Walters, the voice of the game for the USA and European versions.

THE GAME:
You are a robot called Friday and love to spend your time in the Crayon Factory, watching all the phases of the creation. All the employees are also robots, that know exactly what to do and let you try all the stations.
But one day a new director buy the factory and decide to save money by eliminating colors.

Just like in most of the kids titles, this is a mini-games compilation to improve all the senses of your children, like the color, the reflex, the painting, the sound and the logic.

When accessing the factory, you have to validate the worker file. You can create up to 4 files for 4 different players.
This is a 1 player game, not an alternatively one. Each player will have to use his own file. Of course I play alternatively with my daughter 😉

There are 8 areas to play:

1. Colors creation.
2. Crayons creation.
3. Gears repair.
4. Wax replacement tubes.
5. Sort crayons.
6. Quality control.
7. Free painting.
8. Noises machine.

1- The colors creation:
Each time you access this area, you will have to combine colors to find the same one as the object nearby.
You have to find the color of 6 objects. 5 of them need 2 color combination, and the last one need 3 colors combination.

2- The crayons creation:
Here you create a color of your choice mixing up to 4 colors. Then the colors are mixed and placed on a mold to create the crayon shape. In the last step, you will have to name the color you have created.

3- Gears repair:
The gears are broken and need to be replaced by new ones. Find the right gear size and the motor will work perfectly.

4- Wax replacement tubes:
The tubes used by the was are now broken, no wax, no crayons,
Change all the broken tubes using the correct ones, rotate them if needed and get all working again!

5- Sort crayons:
Here you have to be very fast!  All the crayons are sorted by colors, but some of them are wrongly placed. Find them and remove them by clicking on it. The crayons are falling always with the same speed, but wrong crayons will appear more often.

6- Quality control:
Here you have to verify if all the boxes are the same as the one on the left top… every colors of the boxes.
If it is OK, then say yes, if it is not, say no and the box will be removed.

7- Noises machine:
45 sounds are available. Place them on the noise machine by creating a combination of sounds.
Musical instruments, animals, words and vehicles.

8- Free painting:
In this area you will be able to paint 34 drawings. All of them appears in the story of the game. By coloring them your way, the story will be tell with your colors! All the robots, machines, children, objects, etc…
There is a very cool detail… look at the Remote Controller in front of the monitor 😉

When leaving the factory, you have to validate again your file. At this moment you will know how many times you have played each areas. If you play many times a game, you will reach the status of “specialist”.

For each country versions, the voices are from different well-known women.
English: Shari Lewis
French: Marie Vincent
German: Monika Peitsch
Italian: Cristina D’Avena

The CD-i was definitely a great system for all the family! Teenagers, parents and like this game show, for kids!

Other information:
– 1 player only.
– No Digital Video Cartridge required.
– Roller Controller highly recomended.

CD-i Emulator Compatibility:
Not tested…

Good Points:
– 8 different areas to play.
– Improve the children’s colors idea.
– Easy to use (with the Roller Controller).

Bad Points:
– No music while playing, only on the story.

EVALUATION:
Graphics 9/10
Music 8/10
Gameplay 8/10
TOTAL 8,3/10

Find all the Chronicles at www.theworldofcdi.com
Contact: omegalfa@theworldofcdi.com
Twitter: @omegalfapt
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Written by omegalfa, © 18/06/2020