THE WARRIOR STORY

Elaborate video game graphics give this somewhat embroidered account of David’s youth and battle with Goliath a melodramatic cast.

The story, available in Spanish or occasionally awkward English is arranged in six independently loading chapters—four of which include a chase or other animated game that must be played before continuing. Figures in the cartoon scenes have a loose-jointed, craggy look. David resembles a small wooden doll, and Goliath towers over him as a feral, skeletally thin giant with a horned helmet and glowing eyes. Characters move and scenes pan or shift smoothly with prompted taps and swipes. Except during the games, each chapter can be restarted by tapping an icon, and a drop-down ribbon menu allows readers to skip to another chapter or to toggle the audio narration and background music on or off. Once a reader achieves good scores in the course of reading the story, the games can be played separately and, online, even competitively. Despite an early episode in which David kills a lion and a narrative reference to Goliath’s “hellish gaze now stained with red,” there is no blood or overt violence to be seen.

A sanitized but action-packed rendition of the hero’s early exploits.