Games simulate figure skater's life Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

It's the stuff of fantasy before you grow up. Both blend on-the-ice action with well-developed plots and light and lively minigames. Figure Skater, the fifth in Ubisoft's Imagine series for girls, simulates the life of a skater who's about 12. The character (girls name her) has an allowance-dispensing mom, a world-famous coach, a personal trainer, role models, a snippy rival, friends and a budding love interest.

Her world isn't just the ice rink. She interacts with characters via dialog boxes. The objective is to get to the world championship by winning town, city, state, regional and national competitions. As Coach Summers explains, talent won't get you there without hard work.

In the game, that means increasing stamina, coordination and artistry by playing minigames; practicing increasingly difficult moves by tracing different patterns; conversing with folks to "grow as a person"; and creating, rehearsing and performing routines. The minigames range from silly to clever, such as the curling contest.

Skating is neatly conveyed by use of the Nintendo DS stylus and touch screen, which translate into dazzling jumps and frazzling falls. Mia, the second in THQ's American Girl series, follows a similar pattern. Here, the main character is 10 and has a bigger posse - ex-Olympian coach, big brothers, parents, friends and others.

The plot has more heft, too, and some nice twists. Players carry out a succession of tasks to prepare for the town's winter skate show and then the regionals. For instance, rink manager Mr. Gunderson needs a torque wrench to fix the Beast or Mia won't be able to practice. In addition, Mia must design a program that has at least two different spins and jumps and is the same length as her music; find said music; and design a costume.

Practicing and performing entail quickly pressing arrows on the keyboard that match arrows on move icons. There are two minigames, one of them a dandy match-three that reminded me of Bejeweled with iridescent snowflakes. Both Figure Skater and Mia are a tad plot-heavy, which might frustrate players looking for an arcade experience. But stories give the games legs.

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