Fatty Bear's Birthday Surprise

Overview

Fatty Bear's Birthday Surprise was the second offering from the Ron Gilbert (The Secret of Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion) founded Humongous Entertainment. Built around a streamlined version of the SCUMM engine the game was targeted at a young audience. First released in 1993, Fatty Bear is the only Humongous Entertainment protagonist to not appear in any sequels. 

Plot

Starring an anthropomorphic teddy bear clad in red overalls. It is up to Fatty Bear to save Kayla's birthday from disaster. Throughout the game the player is charged with gathering ingredients for a cake, catching a rogue puppy, and decorating Kayla's room. Set in and around Kayla's house, Fatty Bear travels all around to find the necessary items. Featuring an early version of Humongous Entertainment's soon-to-be standard path changing feature the game changes slightly each time it is played.

Design/Gameplay

Fatty Bear's Birthday Surprise runs on a streamlined version of the SCUMM engine. Instead of having to pick an action to interact with an object the player only needs to point-and-click for the action to be processed. This modified engine makes the game ideal for younger gamers who can't yet read.