Boo Bop BeBop Bop I Love You Part I

I realized the other day that I almost never game on a desktop anymore. Sure, I still play the infrequent game of Civilization or Masters of Orion, but very little else. Part of the reason, I'm sure, is that I do a lot of gaming on the run. But I've also found myself sitting in front of my computer playing games on my Palm, or even playing games in POSE. I've obviously conditioned myself to think Palm when I think gaming. In fact, I can only think of two games that have even tempted me in the past few years: Black and White and The Sims. I resisted.

Much to my great surprise Dejobaan Software recently released BeBop, a Palm game very much like The Sims.

In BeBop you control a household of bebops, making sure they are well fed, clean, well rested, and happy. You also must ensure they train in each of three disciplines: mind, fitness, and charm. You see, throughout the game you are invited to competitions in each of these disciplines. Winning competitions is the only way to get the money needed to buy food, entertainment, and other necessities. The better trained a BeBop is, the better its chances of winning. Also better trained BeBops can enter more difficult competitions that pay better.

That is the essence of the game, but much of the enjoyment comes from the details. You have control over most elements of the game from the number of BeBops in your household to their names to their appearance to what they do.

The game starts with the selection of BeBops; I strongly recommend playing with three and training each in a different discipline. You must name and select the appearance of each person. The appearance selector is a lot of fun, resembling one of those old chose your body part spiral bound books that lets you combine the head of a lion with the neck of a camel. Whether you chose to mix-and-match or use compatible parts, I strongly recommend making each person look different for easy identification.

Once your crew is selected, the game starts. All of the action (you see) takes place inside the house, essentially a grid of squares. Each square can hold an item - a bowl of fruit, a towel, a bathtub, a bedroll, a television, a bookcase, an exercise bike, etc. You start with $200 to spend on these or other items. Some of the items are durable - last forever - and some get consumed. Some of the consumable items can be refilled while others can't.

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