Talking Ben

Talking Ben is a talking animal game for children.

Talking Ben is a talking animal game geared toward children which can be played on the Windows PC. Talking Ben the dog is a retired Chemistry Professor who will interact with the child players and do fun experiments with a little coaxing from his young cohorts. Set for a younger crowd, players can poke or slap Ben, talk into the computer's microphone and have him repeat their phrases, tickle Ben, talk to Ben on the telephone, and record video which can be shared online. Another aspect is guiding Talking Ben to mix chemicals in his lab, a place that he loves to be.

Tickle Ben's feet and he'll stop reading the newspaper. To get Talking Ben reading the newspaper, click on it after he folds it beside his chair.

Players can give Talking Ben bottles of Apple Juice, canned pasta meals, and make him burp afterward. There is no limit to apple juice bottles however the effect is the same whether the player chooses one at a time or one after another. Clicking on the cartoon flask at the bottom right of the game screen sends Talking Ben to his lab. Experiments are conducted by mixing test tubes of various colours together resulting in black clouds with lightning, ceiling high flames, Talking Ben ingesting concoctions, spitting fireworks, a purple tornado and more. Trying too many experiments means a screen pops up for players to buy more potions to mix together using real dollars in an online transaction.

Ben the Talking dog would rather read newspapers in his favourite chair and sip coffee, so the kids can have fun bringing him back to animation. Talking Ben was created by Outfit7 and has PRIVO certification. This means that the game makers are in accordance with COPPA compliant privacy practices. Apps won't share information, and the game's content can be personalized for further enjoyment. On the other hand it does have in-app purchases available.

Talking Ben takes up 88.3 MB of hard drive space and is comptaible for Windows XP/7/8/10 and works best with a touch screen interface. Microphone and speakers are also required to talk and listen to Talking Ben. Outfit7, the game's creator, started with Talking Tom the cat and expanded their games for children by adding jigsaw puzzles, bubble shooters, and adventure games for ages 6 and up.

There are nine characters in the "Talking" series of games. Each has their own back story and special phrases and characteristics. Child mode must be set at the start of the game in order to avoid potentially buying things through the in-app advertising.

Pros

• Cute
• Funny
• Interactive

Cons

• Repetitive
• In-game advertising creates buying options