Laura's Happy Adventures

31.12.1998

Genre: Adventure

Laura's Happy Adventures is an adventure video game developed by Ubi Soft Montreal and published by Ubi Soft Entertainment, and released as part of the Playmobil Interactive series of products. The game was originally released in 1998, becoming the first adventure video game to be produced primarily for young girls as a target audience. The setting was based on Playmobil's Victorian dollhouse line. The game's storyline revolved around a good-natured young girl named Laura as she solved the mystery of a magic diamond by helping the people around her, both within her family and the outside villagers, blending real-world everyday life with fantasy elements.

Many years before, while climbing the foot of a cliff, Henry, Laura's grandfather, had met a small fairy named Lumina. A gust of wind had made the small creature lose control of her wings and had fallen into the sea. Henry had dived into the water to rescue the fairy and in exchange, Lumina had rewarded him with a beautiful bracelet. One day, as she is admiring her grandfather's stone collection, Laura picks up a volcanic rock, but accidentally drops it and it shatters on the floor. Inside what had been the rock, Laura discovers a small pink diamond. The diamond comes to life and tells Laura its story. It had been the fairies' lucky charm until the day that one of the fairies, Lumina, had lost it inside a cave which was later filled with lava following the eruption of a volcano. Laura's grandfather had chipped the rock out of the lava, completely unaware that the lucky charm was inside. It then explains that it lost its powers due to its long imprisonment and that in order for it to sparkle and bring luck again, Laura must light up its five facets by helping the people around her and bring them happiness. Within her home, Laura finds plenty of opportunities to help those she loves. The entire town is preparing itself for the celebration that is to take place that same day, the town's 700th anniversary. Laura's mother, Miriam, is in charge of arranging the preparations, writing the invitations as well as the opening speech, and has no time to take care of her youngest daughter, Laura's baby sister Caitlin. Laura's father, Anthony, is saddened after a small quarrel he had had with his wife which had caused her much grief and needs help to come up with the perfect way of asking forgiveness. Tommy, Laura's younger brother, is crying because, after taking his father's binoculars without asking permission, he had forgotten them at the town gates and had disappeared when he had realized this and had gone back for them. Laura's grandfather Henry, many years after his encounter with Lumina, is still saddened that people fail to believe his story and longs to one day have the proof it takes to convince everyone. Rosie, the cook, is struggling to finish a crisp for the evening's celebration, but she had neglected to collect the nuts that Carmen the fruit merchant had saved for her and does not have time to go to town. Outside, people, too, need help carrying out their daily tasks; Carmen, at the produce stand, has run out of mushrooms, Violet the florist needs her watering can re-filled, Theo the tramp needs a job and Mr. Morris the milkman's back is too painful to continue working and is in desperate need of an assistant. Before the day is through, one adventure at a time, Laura finds ways to help out her friends and family in order to enjoy themselves together at the celebration, where Laura is rewarded and honored by being asked to read the opening speech and begin the festivities.