As you happily canter through deep forests or gallop across country meadows, Barbie will point out things of interest. Some are small animals with whom you're able to interact and others are puzzles, and this is where the edutainment part comes in. These brainteasers range from simple jigsaws to more complex Krypton Factor-style challenges. For example, in the meadow trail there's a Tetris-style game where flower blooms need to be grouped into threes by colour. On the beach you'll discover a rock pool and the animals living there are highlighted in sequence - you'll need to repeat this sequence (aka Simon Says) in order to complete the challenge.

During the trails you'll also encounter opportunities to race with Teresa. Defeat her and you'll get a "well done" from Barbie and a ribbon for the notice board. Once all four trails have been completed, both day and night, and you've solved all the puzzles, on your return to the notice board you'll have received all the pieces of the missing postcard, allowing you to progress to the mystery Ranch trail. Here you need to collect various pony treats, complete a cross-country-style assault course and sort apples into barrels to complete the game.

Barbie is unlikely to ever top the gaming charts, assuming she even enters them, but Race and Ride caters for a specific market where little else does, making it very hard to judge. The gameplay is shallow and despite minor changes to the trails, the only motivation to revisit them would be just for the ride - something that's only likely to appeal to the most avid junior equestrian.