Games for Lunch: Chore Wars

In a nutshell: Kyle and the Quest for Cleanliness
12/31/2008 2:36 PM | 1 Comments | Page 2 of 2

0:28 We divide dusting into 15-minute chunks because that's about how long either of us can dust without going crazy.

0:31 Unprompted, Michelle suggests that our new "Sorting the Mail" adventure should include "fighting the demons of identity theft with the mystical talisman of shredding." She's totally into this now ... I can tell...

0:34 I let Michelle make the first adventure claim for watering the plant, even though she wasn't officially in the party when she did it. She gets 5 XP, then asks if she can count washing the dishes last night as well. Sorry ... there have to be limits!

0:35 Michelle: "You should look at our party again." I reload and notice she's changed her name from Michelle to: "Michelle the Magnificent." "Will your level of chore completion fit your title?" I ask. "You'd better believe it! Will yours?" she taunts. "Oh, it is on," I reply. She completes the thought: "Like Donkey Kong."

0:36 Michelle's 5 XP gets her in the "Monthly XP Gain Hall of Fame." I must catch up!

0:37 Cleaning the refrigerator becomes "Ridding the frozen wastes of the fell spirits of the past." Writing these descriptions is much more fun than actually doing the chores.

0:42 After some more editing, I'm reluctantly on to the actual chores. The dishwasher happens to be nearly full, so I start it and try to claim it. "You can't get all the point until you empty it too!" Michelle reminds me. Drat! Oh well ... I claim my two points just for starting it. On the way to the claiming, I encounter a Tentacle Beast, represented by a picture on my browser screen. I choose to engage in combat, which involves clicking the "More..." button over and over to see what happens. We both have a lot of ineffective attacks. Finally I win, with 6 HP remaining. I get 5 gold and a silver plate.

0:45 And there I am on the high score tables with my massive 2 XP! I do a little victory dance. Michelle gives me a laugh and a kiss. Awww...

1:00 I spend the last 15 minutes of my hour taking out the trash in every room of the house. As I explain in the game's comment field: "I was almost overcome by the stench in the garbage room, but I persevered..." Booyah, I'm back in the lead! But how long will it last?

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Yes.

Why? I can't abide Michelle beating me at anything.

This column is based on the free Web-based version of the game available at the official Web site.

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