The Buzz Surrounding the Latest How to Train Your Dragon Game – School of Dragons

There have been excited murmurs for a while, but now there’s endless talk among the How to Train Your Dragon fan base about the latest HTTYD game – School of Dragons! With the release of the teaser to the sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2, and all the buzz that’s been surrounding the game, it is probably time to take a look at what all the talk is about and if it is worth all the attention.

School of Dragons–A Quick Summary

As the official website describes the game, “School of Dragons holds a world of creativity and exploration packed with endless quests and adventures that enables kids to raise, bond and train their dragons.” The description certainly sounds promising! What it also highlights are two important aspects of this How to Train Your Dragon game:

1. Endless fun as kids play with their favorite movie characters and raise and train dragons.
2. The game is a mix of education and fun.

School of Dragons – What it Really Offers

True to its description, the game does recreate, and impressively well at that, the Isle of Berk from the movie. For all the kids who loved the movie, it’s an absolute delight to play with the characters they saw and loved on screen. And, what’s more, kids can create their Viking avatars and get their very own dragon to raise and train!

In order to raise their dragons, players need to fish. Fishing is an important skill because this is what you need to feed your dragon. Vikings also learn to fly their dragons at the Flight School. Another exciting feature of this role-playing game is racing. Players get to compete with each other and race their dragons to get to the finish line first. That certainly sounds like an adrenalin rush the little Vikings are sure to love!

Along with all the best features from the movie, this How to Train Your Dragon game takes the gaming experience a notch higher with the educational content it offers kids. There are exciting science quests that players can go on to learn interesting science facts. The scientific method is certainly an integral part of the School of Dragons.

School of Dragons – The Verdict

While exploring the School of Dragons, it is hard not to get excited about raising your dragon and then racing with it. Since the game is aimed at kids aged 8 – 12, the educational content that has been woven into the game comes as a boon for parents. This How to Train Your Dragon game strives to arrive at the right balance of learning and fun, and succeeds! A look at various online forums speaks volumes about how well kids have taken to this game.

The buzz around School of Dragons has certainly been positive and fans of the hit DreamWorks animated movie have enjoyed this online How to Train Your Dragon game! There’s also talk of exciting new game features that the team is working on. From the looks of it, there’s much to look forward to. Happy playing!

Things to Do with Dragon Pictures

Screensavers

Dragon pictures make great screen savers! With perfectly sculpted bodies, exquisitely fringed edges and a beautifully forked tongue, animated dragons find a respectable place in everybody’s screen savers. The long and twin but unequal horns make dragon pictures beautiful to look at.

Wallpapers

Wyvern dragons range between 10 and 30 feet from the body being proportionate to the height. They have only two hind legs, wings as their second set of limbs, a long neck, a narrow head with long snout that can be deadly at times. They fly like birds in that they use their set of legs to hold down prey and rip it apart with its mouth. Pictures of wyvern dragons make great wallpapers that will be pleasing to the eyes whenever you minimize the windows for two seconds of peace!

Dragon Crafts

Dragon crafts are a rage. There are an endless number of things that one can do with dragon pictures. Online websites have illustrious pictures of dragon crafts that kids and adults can enjoy doing. Besides occupying them constructively, dragon crafts make great pastimes and festive décor too.

Dragon T-shirts

Download a simple yet striking dragon picture from the internet. Get hold of a white t-shirt and some fabric paints. Wash the t-shirt to ensure there is no dirt to absorb the colors.  Cut out the border of the dragon image that you downloaded and outline it on the t-shirt with black paint. Draw the physical features with a pencil so that you can erase at your will! Once you’re done, feel free to go berserk with the colors on your dragon t-shirt.

Dragon Masks

Dragon masks are the best! Besides being source of endless fun to kids, dragon masks are an important part of any themed party! Make your very own dragon mask at home. You will need black sketch pens, crayons, Popsicle sticks, glue stick and a great dragon picture. Cut out the image and paste it on a cardboard. Snip off the extra edges of the cardboard after sticking the dragon picture on it with glue. Paste the popsicle stick on one side and your dragon mask will be ready in no time!

Dragon Tattoos

Dragon tattoos are the most common of all! On the one hand, dragons are worshiped as gods and creators in some cultures while on the other hand, dragons are charismatic yet sinister demons! Wannabe tattoo makers search the internet for perfect dragon pictures with the right curves and striking features to ink their bodies. If you’re planning to don a dragon tattoo, be sure that you want to sport it permanently on your body. Any tattoo is irreversible, so is a dragon tattoo despite the magical powers of dragons!

Real Species that Resemble Dragons

For millennia, dragons have featured in the mythology, folktales, art and historical accounts of cultures as diverse as those of Egypt, India, Europe, China and Africa. European dragons are fearsome fire-belching reptiles, part lizard, part snake and part bat. Their favorite pastime is to destroy cities, devour maidens and stand guard over treasure hidden in mountain caves. South American cultures have their own version of the dreaded dragon – a divine flying serpent with the power to restore the world after every cycle of destruction. The Chinese dragon is a water-dwelling creature that confers fertility and fortune on the deserving; an amphibious patchwork of eagle-like talons, stag-like antlers and a body that remains enveloped in flames.

Despite the differences, dragons belonging to disparate cultures have characteristics that can be found in many animal, bird and reptile species that actually exist today. Here is a far-from-comprehensive list of creatures that could well qualify as cousins to the awe-inspiring dragon.

The Komodo Dragon

Easily the top contender for the position of First Cousin-to-the-Dragon, the Komodo Dragon also has the distinction of being the largest lizard in the world. Inhabitants of the Southern Indonesian islands, these powerful reptiles have sharp claws and teeth that are capable of administering lethally toxic bites. So that explains the name. In fact, the Komodo dragon could very well have been the inspiration for stories and sightings of the European dragon – except that it was only discovered by Europeans in 1910.

The Bearded Dragon

This dragon lookalike from Down Under is a woodland native with a number of spiky protuberances around the head and the ability to inflate a pouch underneath its chin in order to intimidate its enemies. But if the tactic doesn’t work, the bearded dragon is equally capable of rearing up on its hind legs and making a dash for safety. This interesting creature can produce a mild form of venom which is harmless to humans and most other animals.

The Paradise Tree Snake

The dragon’s serpentine cousin is an agile climber found mostly in Thailand, Singapore and

Paradise Tree Snake

other Southeast Asian countries. The Paradise Tree Snake is a tree-dweller with the uncanny ability to change its shape from convex to concave as it glides and parachutes its way from one high branch to another. As it launches itself through the air, the snake writhes to and fro, resembling an undulating snake on the ground. The species is not very aggressive but its rear fangs are poisonous and they mostly feed on small mammals, birds and lizards.

Riders of Berk – All About DreamWorks’ Dragons

We have always been fascinated with dragons. Something about these winged creatures elicits reactions of awe and fascination among kids and adults alike. No surprise, then, that one of the most popular American computer-animated TV series revolves around these fire-breathing wonders! Yes, we’re talking about ‘DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk’! 

Riders of Berk – A Quick Synopsis 

Based on the 2010 blockbuster ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk’ picks up from where the movie left off. It bridges the gap between the first film – HTTYD – and its sequel ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’, slated for a June 2014 release. The series premiered in September 2012 on Cartoon Network. ‘Riders of Berk’ features most of the cast from the hit film, including Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, T. J. Miller, and David Tennant. While the movie sees Hiccup successfully establishing peace between the Vikings and dragons of Berk, the TV series follows Hiccup’s journey, travails, and challenges that such a situation brings with it. 

In this show, Berk also sees the establishment of a unique Dragon Training Academy, helmed by Hiccup. The academy serves to help Vikings adapt to and understand their new companions – the dragons! The series highlights the various trials that Hiccup and the rest of his friends must face – from dragons that cannot be trained to new enemies who threaten to shatter the harmony between Vikings and dragons. 

Riders of Berk: Meet the Vikings 

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III: Son of Stoick the Vast, Hiccup was first the misfit who couldn’t slay a dragon. Now, he is the leader of the Dragon Academy who helps all the kids tame and train dragons! 

Stoick the Vast: The leader of Berk’s Hooligans, Stoick is both intimidating and caring! A valiant warrior, his sole objective is to care for all the inhabitants of Berk and keep them safe. 

Astrid Hofferson: Fearless, striking, and confident, Astrid is the second-in-command at the Dragon Academy. Hiccup’s close friend and love interest, she is shown to be tough but caring. 

Gobber the Belch: Berk’s blacksmith, Gobber is also Hiccup’s mentor. With an enviable knowledge on dragons and an impressive reputation as a dragon slayer, he becomes the veterinarian once peace is established between dragons and Vikings. 

Fishlegs Ingerman: While Fishlegs is generally afraid of putting himself in any kind of dangerous situation, he loves learning everything about dragons. While Hiccup chooses riskier routes, Fishlegs prefers to bury himself in books. 

Snotlout Jorgenson: An overconfident, vain bully, Snotlout is constantly trying to woo Astrid. While he believes he is a great warrior and dragon rider, his skills are average at best. 

Bucket: One of Berk’s farmers, Bucket is named after the bucket that he wears on his head, the result of a blow to his head while battling a dragon. Having suffered a memory loss, Bucket requires constant supervision. 

Mulch: Another Viking farmer, Mulch is independent and intelligent, a contrast to the soft-hearted Bucket. He is responsible for producing and collecting food for the village. 

Alvin the Treacherous: The primary recurring antagonist of the series, Alvin is both impatient and merciless. He aims to capture Hiccup and displace Stoick to become the chief of Berk. 

Mildew: Spiteful and a recluse, Mildew’s hatred towards dragons is extreme. While he is disliked by most Berk residents, he is clever and patient and can swing people’s opinions in his favor. 

Riding high on the success of DreamWorks’ hit animated film ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, ‘Riders of Berk’ was received enthusiastically by fans and critics alike. All eyes are now glued on ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’, the much-awaited sequel of the hit first installment. Going by DreamWorks’ track record, this one’s sure to be a winner as well!