Gallop & Ride!
by Anna
(Alberta, Canada)
Being a horse lover, I own a few games and I had currently got Gallop & Ride. This is by far a great game. Excellent graphics and sound--details that MOST games miss. Mainly the goal of the game? Earn money, raise, breed horses and get the ranch back to life again.
Below, I've written Tips/Instructions/Guide to playing the game. Mind you, the pamphlet that comes with the game should explain most of this as well.
In the game for activities/jobs, there is:
1) Foal Training. This happens in the riding arena. Trying to understand what your supposed to do is quite puzzling and I admit it took me a day or two to finally understand. It goes like this: there are 3 rings. A checkpoint (which would be a white square) and a horse symbol (which tells you where your foal is)The goal? get your foal to the checkpoint where ever it is in one of the 3 circles. There are 2 speeds: walk and trot. How you get the foal going? well, there should be instructions when you start. Once you get the foal to the checkpoint, it's important to give the foal a carrot so that they learn that obeying you is good and rewarding. But, if you miss a check point, it'll get harder to control the foal. How do you get credits? Get all the check points. It's okay for 1 or 2 errors.
2) Massage. This would be in the windmill (across the bridge) It's easy to get how to massage the horse. But there'll be a picture of a horse near the screen with red areas that you'd need to massage.This earns you credits/money. But there are some with TIME limits. you don't finish in time, you don't get credits.
3) Breeding. This is beside the building where you massage. To breed, you can either: breed a foal of your own or for a client. But know, that you must have at least a horse in the stable that has trust and is in good health to do this. If you choose to breed for a client, you must try to match the breed/color/pattern they want. mind you, there is a time limit and if you don't get it in time, the breeder/vet will leave.
4) Racing. There are 3 areas with 3 races. To get into a race, you first should train your horse to the point where it'll be ready for that certain race.
5) Training Your Horse. To train your horse, you'd need to go to one of the areas (where you go up to the gate)and jump your horse over jump obstacles. also, galloping gives your horse strength.
How to get credits:
There are no cheats to this game. I've looked and even tried, but there isn't. So, you have to earn them. With each activity listed above you can earn credits.
Get Bonus Credits:
You'll find these in the riding areas. they're golden horse shoes. it ranges from 5,10 to even 100.
Getting buildings: (riding arena, windmill/massage, breeding barn/guest house)
You work your way up by the star ratings. There's 2, 3, and 4. The pamphlet should tell you what you can do to achieve each star.
Tips:
I found that there are ways of getting money without spending it.
1) Keep horses in pasture. Just make sure to check on them. This prevents you from having to spend money on feed by keeping them in the stable all the time.
2) Pace yourself!!! Don't rush yourself to get everything. That will put some pressure on yourself. TAKE YOUR TIME.
3) Don't upgrade the guesthouse until you are READY.
4) To get the best horses: Breed 'em! use one of your horses (or buy one). I bought a few and just used them for breeding a foal of my choice. And breed them to a stud then Ta-Da a foal. Train them, don't sell them. But of course, this takes time. Mind you, be sure that you have room in your stable!
5) Stock up on carrots!
6) If you want to make a lot of money... Train foals, massage horses everyday. make a schedule, and follow it. I had already made around $15,629 in a couple of weeks.
7) Train your horse for the race(s)! If you wish, don't buy/upgrade the stable and focus on training your horse. But mind you, don't over do it. you don't want to end up broke or your horse ill/stressed.
Basically, Take your time!!!! Don't rush the game. if you pace yourself, you'll end up with fantastic horses and A LOT of credits (money).
I'd rate this game 10/10. Its both challenging, and great to play. What ages should play? Well... I'd suggest 11 or up.
