This software gives you more options than you might expect, especially given the fact it was released way back in 1996. First, you can choose from a total of 35 backdrops, including many beloved Springfield locations, as the setting for your little cartoon adventure. Fill the space with your choice of a huge number of items - furniture, signs, electronic gadgets, three-eyed fish, etc. Once the scene is set, bring on the actors - luckily, you won't have to deal with threatened actors' strikes in order to bring your Simpsons creations life. Almost all of your favorites are here: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, Mr. Burns (Excellent!), Smithers, Krusty, Milhouse, Barney, Moe, Nelson, Flanders, Ralph, the aliens, etc. Each of them comes equipped with a number of different actions and sound clips. Naturally, the Simpsons family members offer you the most options, but you can easily add such elements as Homer running and falling down, Lisa getting down with her bad self on the saxophone, Bart skateboarding by, Maggie plopping down on the ground, Nelson pointing and laughing, Barney burping - it goes on and on. Then there are a number of choices for background music, after which you can add opening and closing credits, screen dissolves, special effects (lots of good stuff here), and basically engage in unrestrained cartoon mayhem.

Ah, but things aren't quite that simple, and here is where a lot of home cartoonists meet with frustration. It can be a challenge to make things happen the way you want them to, and the interface is a little clumsy at first. After a reasonable amount of time, however, everything starts to click; you learn how to make the cartoon last as long as you want, how to make that darn piece of furniture stay in the scene from start to finish, where and how to introduce new characters midway through the cartoon, how and when to insert the appropriate voices for your characters' actions, and everything else you need to know to let that little Groening demon inside you out to play. It looks hard at first, but it really isn't. I'm not sure how easily younger children can adapt to the interface, but older children and all those of us committed to remaining young at heart can have a lot of fun with this software. So can your friends, to whom you can send your little masterpieces - whether or not they have this software themselves.


Some Tips For Buying The Simpsons Cartoon Studio   August 26, 2002
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This game is pretty good as it has a large selection of things to do (i.e. you will never do every single thing in the game without sleeping for the next 50 years). The only problem is there isn't a great amount of miscellaneous characters, and the ones that are there aren't able to do much, (For example, how can Ralph or Chief Wiggum walk? How can Dr. Nick talk or Grampa do anything but sleep?). More backgrounds might be needed, (Mr. Burns Office or Moes Tavern). If your buying this your for kids, make sure that they are real Simpsons fans and possibly that they have asked you for it. If you're buying this for yourself make sure you try the demo version first as you might not like it (remember the demo version has about 1/30th of the original). Don't let this put you off buying it. As you can see, I gave it five stars, my opinions were that it needed more things to do. I am not saying the creators did a bad job on it, in fact I thought it was a pretty decent game, but after a while it gets a bit boring watching the same thing, (a bit like the repeats on BBC2). Hope this has helped you! <:)+-=


Love The Simpsons? Love This Game!   August 11, 2001
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

If your looking for hours of Entertainment and Enjoyment, you've come to the right game! The Simpsons Cartoon Studio Game is ABSOLUTLY AWSOME....If you are a fan of the simpsons. I am 13 years old writing this review....and I will tell you if your kids like the simpsons, get them this game. I got this game 2 days ago and allready am a pro at it. You can do everything from Add Props,Add Almost all the characters from the show and make your very own unique simpsons episodes...and watch them...When you're done and proud of your work...Send it to a friend...Even if they dont have the game! From the Moment you start this game you will love it. You can make simple 10 second cartoons to 10 minute long ones! If you are a parent of a kid around any age, get this game...they will absolutly love it! Its Fun and Exciting...And when the kids arent home...you can use it and get loads of laughter! DONT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF NOT BUYING THIS AWSOME COMPUTER GAME!


My kids LOVE this game!   July 21, 2001
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I bought the Simpsons Cartoon Studio CD ROM for my twin 12 year olds boys' birthdays. They are both Simpson fanatics, and love everything Simpsons. I had read some of the negative reviews on this product here, and was a bit wary of it as a result ... but I got it anyway. Mostly, the reviews said that the instructions were either missing or inadequate, and it was too difficult to figure out how to make the program do anything, or control the animations. Well, nothing could be farther from the truth. My one son who is more technical read the HUGE included instruction booklet cover to cover the first night, and from then on he was off and running. He says this is his favorite Computer game now, and he absolutely loves the animation possibilities, the characters, props, backgrounds, voices, music, etc. He has created several complicated masterpieces that look great. I can only conclude that they must have re-released this CD with a better instruction book after the earlier reviews were written. (There are actually two copyright dates on it, so that's probably what happened.) In any case, it's a huge hit in our house, and my sons are both thrilled with it!!! We also got the "Virtual Springfield" CD ROM ... another FANTASTIC game! One son likes that one more, but the other likes the Cartoon Studio better!