Children's
Software Review of: |
| This product is a
word game for young, elementary school-age children. It is rated for children
aged 6 to 9. The game itself is very entertaining and represents another
positive foray into "learning" or "educational" game development by 7th
Level. This title utilizes the true power of a multimedia game for children.
Its purpose is to "educate and motivate children in an entertaining and
non-threatening way," according to the President of 7th Level.
It is very colorful and uses very nice graphics. The action is fast and
furious in parts of the game. It incorporates sound, both verbally spoken
words and music, effectively. The characters are funny, interesting and
unique in combination. It should be noted that the voice quality of the
characters in the game really enhances the game’s overall quality. However,
if you have an aversion to Howie Mandels voice, you might consider making
an alternate purchase.
The game requires a minimum configuration of a 486 33 mhz computer with at lease a 2X speed CD-ROM, 8 MB of RAM and 1MB of hard drive space. Graphics requirements are for 640x480 pixels with 256 colors. Sound devices need to be MPC-compatible with amplified speakers and headphones preferred. The game is controlled with either the mouse or keyboard. The CD must be in the drive to play the game. This game has been used on my computer at home, through three upgrades. Initially, it was on a 486 DX-2 80 mhz machine, with fair performance. It was slow, with choppy video and audio in places. Next it was on my 586 AMD K5-90 mhz system with a 2 MB PCI graphics card and the performance was much improved. There were still delays but the graphics and audio were much better. Recently, I upgraded to a Cyrix 200 mhz chip with a 4 MB PCI graphics card and the game runs more quickly and with no noticeable delays or glitches in video or audio quality. It is my recommendation that this game should be used on at least a mid-Pentium level (100 mhz speed or better) quality system. Lil’ Howie (voiced by Mandel) is the host with his sidekick Stinky the skunk and Alphabot, the talking, narrating and scorekeeping transportation vehicle. Alphabot looks more like a vacuum cleaner than a vehicle, but when you get inside of him in the game, you go on a wild ride through a maze to get to some of the different "rooms". "Rooms" include the Library, Living Room, Ballroom, Attic, and Scary Story Room. In addition, there are some "games" to play such as the Cheese Game, Peanut Scale and Stink Gun. You start out in the Library, where you meet the characters and they invite you to go on an adventure. What child can resist going on an adventure? At the beginning, the player gets to sign in and choose a nickname, which the cast calls you as you travel through the game. Options include letting Lil’ Howie drive the Alphabot through the maze or going to any room you choose. As you continue down the road, before you reach any room, you are stopped and must pay a toll of sorts by placing words in their correct alphabetical order. In each room, there are different tasks to accomplish and various games to play. For example, the Ballroom was very popular with Zoë, my 5-year-old daughter. In this room, there is music, dancing and rhymes with the goal of figuring out the lyrics to the songs. Another fun room is the Attic, in which the player is asked to sort items and deciphers which one doesn’t belong with the others. There is also an activity book included in the title. This book has some of the more old-fashioned activities that have been used to help a child learn, such as connect-the-dots, word searches, concentration, and picture search. The answers are even provided in the back of the book, ensuring that the child learns what was intended. Skills that are enhanced include word recognition, alphabetizing, categorizing, rhyming, synonyms and antonyms and compound words. A strength of the game is that you can even make up your own vocabulary lists and enter them, which allows the game to be used in conjunction with words the child is learning in school. As a father and a psychologist, the consistent positive reinforcement of the player and encouraging attitude inherent in this game is refreshing. Overall, this is a fast-paced and fun game that is silly at times but is generally appropriate for the target audience. The game was enjoyable for Zoë, my 5-year-old, Jackson, my 3-year-old and even Sarah, our 16-year old, (but don’t tell her I told you). I would recommend this game for it’s variety, style, educational components and the x-factor, you know, the one that makes kids come back, it’s fun. 7th Level has had a web site http://www.kidsworld.com where the game was formerly available, but to my dismay, when the ‘Kids World" site is accessed, there is a cryptic message informing the viewer that 7th Level no longer does direct sales of their products. So, it seems your only option is to find the product at one of the local stores such as CompUSA, Computer City and Best Buy or in one of the mail-order catalogues. Larry Grosskopf, Ph.D. is a Clinical Psychologist at the San Antonio State Hospital.. He and his wife, Marta, are raising three children, ages 16, 4 and 3. Contact him via e-mail at lgg622@flash.net or by phone at 509-3740 |