Employee of the Month is a one hit wonder with the youngsters!

Author's Rating:

Pros: practice reading, logic, computer and memory skills
follows the TV series

Cons: somewhat redundant
game does not have any variation
may bore older children

The Bottom Line: 
It is inexpensive and interesting enough that I recommend this game for  true SpongeBob fans or younger children (4-8) needing to practice reading or basic computer use.

Author's Review
Overview
SpongeBob SquarePants: Employee of the Month for Windows is rated E and very closely follows the TV show. Popular characters including Mr. Krabs, Patrick, Squidward and Sandy appear throughout the game as SpongeBob completes a quest.

What quest? As Employee of the Month, SpongeBob receives two tickets to the amusement park, Neptune's Paradise. The entire game is spent performing tasks and errands to complete the seemingly simple bus trip there. 

Without spoiling the game, each level involves interacting with the characters and determining what task requires SpongeBob's help. The storyline unfolds much like an episode of SpongeBob squarePants. The characters exhibit their trademark behavior and phrases. There are also cut scenes which look and feel like an episode of the show.

The errands exhibit SpongeBob's helpful, can do attitude which is a good reminder for children. Children must apply a bit of logic and use memory and observation skills to complete the errands. Younger children also gain some practice using the mouse, but a lack of experience will not hurt their gameplay much.

The gameplay consists of using the mouse to click on a person for SpongeBob to speak to, explore the background or head to to a specific landmark or direction. Players also select SpongeBob's questions or responses for most of his conversations. The mouse is also used to click and drag items from SpongeBob's treasure chest. 

You do not "die" or have to start over on this game. Players can save at any point and return to play later. There are a few areas with hazards that play perilous music, but it is for dramatic effect. Completing one section unlocks the next area on the map and ultimately leads to a new map. All of this recreates the feel of a more difficult game and lets younger children (or those new to video games) gain confidence and experience without undue frustration.

As SpongeBob interacts verbally with the characters, their words light up at the bottom of the screen. This helps children learn to read and spell new words. The narrator's speech and dialogue in the cut scenes does not display.

My Experience
I purchased this game for $4.99 because two of our younger family members, ages 4 and 7, love to play computer games. They are both SpongeBob fans and the E rating appealed to me. Overall, I feel I got my money's worth.

I played the game from start to finish to test it. It did get a bit tedious at times, but I am not a big fan of SpongeBob. I think the cut scenes, interesting characters and silly antics would increase the enjoyment factor of this game for fans. Just like the series, some jokes are meant for an older audience. It is also very easy to save the game and continue later.

As for the children, they loved it! The younger one, age 4, enjoyed it more than the 7 year old. Both enjoyed interacting with the silly characters throughout the game. (Many of them had accents or unusual qualities which the children mimicked.) They played separately and I told them not to reveal the solutions. I knew that was necessary to maximize our use of this game.

They both got stuck at certain points, but I told them to retrace their steps and talk to all the characters. Both were disappointed that the game did not offer anything else once they had completed all levels. They asked to play again, but we have not had the time yet. I am curious to see if they will play the whole game again or get bored.

The 4 year old can recite all the steps in the game even though he only played it once. I noticed him playing a real life version. He does a deep voice and tells someone to go find a specific object. When they do, he directs them to find something else. Unlike SpongeBob SquarePants: Employee of the Month, I am not sure his version has an end.

Update: Both children played it multiple times. They spent more time exploring the background and marveling at the silliness of Patrick and company. The price of this game continues to drop, so it is worth considering for your children.