Chocobo's Dungeon 2 (PlayStation, 1999)

OK, I admit it -- I bought this game because of the cute little chicken-like bird on the cover (my ID is, after all, "rooster613"). He's not really a chicken, he's a Chocobo. (Fans of the Final Fantasy series will be familiar with those!) But cuteness aside, I soon got hooked on the game for its own sake.

Although this may, at first glance, seem to be a little kid's game, it has plenty of fun for adults, too. In fact, of all the video games we have around the house (and that's a LOT!!!) this one gets played the most, even though it is an older game. (Right now as I write, I can hear somebody playing it in the next room.) Why do we like it so much? One of the big attractions is the randomly-generated dungeons. Every time you go into one, the paths will be different. So it's never the same game twice. We also happen to like treasure hunts -- and there are LOTS of things to find in this game.

In addition, you can customize your Claws (Chocobo's weapons -- he kicks monsters with them) and your Saddles (the armor he wears) in an almost infinite variety of ways. Various jeweled Collars also add to his abilities. Plus, you can earn Feathers which give you various powers, cast spells with Magic Books, and combine useless items at the Recycle Boxes to make new ones (hopefully more useful). When you are in the Village you can sell unwanted items at Chubby Chocobo's store and buy more useful things. And of course, you Level Up as with most games. Plus there are various little sub-plots along the way. All of which can get pretty complex -- so there's even a Strategy Guide for this "children's" game, which we also own.

The first time through, I just played to beat the game. After you do that, sit through the credits to access bonus games at the end (one has 30 levels!) On subsequent play-throughs, I tried to get all the different Claws, Saddles, and Feathers -- and that take some doing. Many games later, I still have not succeeded in getting all the Feathers. Are you up to the challenge?