There was a time, not long ago, when the words used to describe the graphical quality of a Freddi Fish adventure were “lush” and “bright.”

You can add another word to that list – vibrant.

Humongous Entertainment’s (and Infogrames’) latest foray into the underwater world of adventure and puzzle solving, Freddi Fish 5: The Creature of Coral Cove is the richest, most colorful escapade to date. Oh, and the story is pretty good, too.

For those parents who have never encountered the title before, Freddi Fish is a nice, polite little yellow fish who, along with her buddy Luther, solve mysteries while challenging younger players (in this case, ages 4-7) to advance the adventure through problem solving, logical thinking, working with shapes and colors, numbers, memory building and improving listening skills. There are games within the main game – like a very friendly, easy version of Battleship, though played with fish you don’t sink, but feed to uncover – as well as songs and other activities. In order to advance the game, children need to work through puzzles – which sometimes means that they have to help other in-game creatures with difficulties before they can get the pieces necessary to near the solution to the overall game.

In FF5, Freddi and Luther are attending the grand opening of the Coral Cove Park when suddenly, a mysterious and giant sea monster is seen lurking inside. If the park is to open on time, the fishy friends must solve the mystery behind its appearance. And don’t worry parents, even though the monster sports three eyes, it is quite friendly, and shouldn’t upset children in the slightest.

 The game may mix up the puzzles slightly, but the game generally plays the same time and again, which does knock down replayability value.

However, this game is a wonderful blend of stunning graphics, polite dialog, and puzzles.

Jessica, 12, who helps field test children’s products (and who has played previous Freddi Fish adventures), said: It has really good graphics, and really good sound. This one, I think, is harder than the other ones.

“It’s a really pretty game. It has fun games along with the main mystery.”

The game is full of puns, and adventure, and should appeal to any child in the target age bracket.

Install: N/A
This hybrid disk (meaning it can play on either a PC or Macintosh Power PC) takes up absolutely no install space. The only space required is for saved games.

Gameplay: 7.
The transitions from one scene to another can be a little slow.

Graphics: 9.
While the animations are of the Saturday morning cartoon variety, the interactive screens and color scheme far surpasses anything available on television.

Sound: 7.5.
Freddi is such a polite fish. “Hot sauce!” is the most vehement exclamation coming out of these characters.

Difficulty: 6.
Though some of the puzzles will challenge younger players, this is a success-oriented game.

Concept: 7.
Obviously, with this being the fifth in the series of titles, there is a well-established system running through the game. This title contains the basic elements as its predecessors, with a bit of a graphical boost

Multiplayer: N/A

Overall: 8.
Freddi Fish continues to delight. The player interface is extremely simple, the animation is very good, the graphics are excellent, and the characters are wonderful. Though the game features limited replay, it nonetheless presents a solid game for younger players.