One Week

The first time you play One Week, the end comes very quickly. The main fun of this text adventure, based on seven days in the life of a high school girl, is replaying it to see what happens when you make different choices. The competing pressures are studying for the SAT and preparing for the prom. If all you do is work, you can afford a nice gown but won't do well on the test. If all you do is hang out with friends, you meet more boys but are stuck with a cheapo dress. As a text adventure, the game relies on its prose, which simulates nontrendy teenspeak pretty well--although we were left wondering whether kids today really call cute boys "baldwins." The best part of the game is the end, which shares your SAT score and what you do for the rest of your life. The five endings we saw were hilariously depressing. The music irritated us, and the graphics are not well executed. Fortunately, you can turn both off. One Week may appeal to aspiring younger teens and ironic middle-aged adults.