By Dale Farris, Secretary
Golden Triangle PC Club
November 2002

Game Overview

When the Little Raven finds Eddie Bear’s tricycle, he can’t resist taking it for a ride, even though he’s supposed to first ask Eddie Bear’s permission. The Little Raven thinks about the fun he’ll have, and he doesn’t think that Eddie Bear will really mind. Why not? He’s only going for a little ride. Find out what happens next!

Yup. You guessed it. Little Raven (called Stripy) crashes the trike, spilling the parts all over the territory. Now, Little Raven has to find the parts and reassemble Eddie Bear's tricycle.

To help Little Raven reassemble the trike, you visit many other animal characters in the game, search for the trike parts, and in the process, learn important lessons about friendship, cooperation, sharing, and responsibility. Of course, all the while you will also have lots of fun in the process!

Story Background

TIVOLA's new Little Raven & Friends interactive CD ROM game is based on the Little Raven children's books by Nele Moost (author) and Annett Rudolph (illustrator). These children's stories focus on characters that interact in situations that challenge their choice of behavior, and are designed to provide fun learning that helps children with their behavior. For example, in "It's All Mine," Little Raven is shunned by the other animals when he gets greedy and takes their playthings. However, he is forgiven as soon as he apologizes and gives back their toys.

7 Games Built Into One

Discover the 7 original Little Raven games within the game. These include:

The Cheese Maze
The Weight Game
In a Nut-Shell
The Flag Game
The Search and Find Game
Rounding up Beetles
Test Your Memory

Game Play

The story begins when the Little Raven, also known as Stripy because of the lone striped sock he wears all the time, takes Eddie Bear's tricycle for a spin. Well, as you might expect, something goes wrong very quickly. Stripy crashes the tricycle into a tree. All he can find is the front wheel, so he sets off to find the other seven parts of the tricycle.

At each turning point in the story, you have to help Stripy make a decision. For example, you face answering whether Little Raven should confess to Eddie Bear that he rode Eddie's trike, or should he lie and blame the accident on the tree in the road? If you make too many "bad" decisions, Stripy will end up in the Time Out Cave. However, deciding to do the right thing will quickly get Stripy (and you) back into the game. As you play this neat game, you will also see how the other characters become sad or angry when Stripy decides to be naughty and uncooperative. These emotional aspects make up the solid, fundamental learning points in this highly valuable game.

Stripy has to visit seven friends and successfully play seven games to collect all the strewn tricycle parts. When you play the game, you can choose which of these characters to first visit, but thankfully the choices in the game are limited, so you cannot get lost nor forget where to go. There is also a fair amount of randomization in the included games, which adds replay value to The Little Raven & Friends. There are also 2 levels of difficulty in each game.

In searching for the tricycle parts, Stripy finds that Mouse has the taillights, and you have to help Mouse push the cheese through the maze into the pantry to get the lights. Here, very young players may need some help, as they might get frustrated when the cheese gets stuck in a corner.

The sheep character has the fox tail part of the tricycle, which waves high from the back of the trike. In order to get back this part, you have to carefully listen to directions and hunt for a flag.

Wild Boar is using the trike's back wheels for weights, so you have to help Stripy make new weights for Wild Boar. This game requires thinking and reasoning skills to pick two objects which balance. This game may also stimulate requests for help from Mom or Dad.

The rabbit plans to use the tricycle seat to make a new skateboard for Sheep. However, before Stripy can retrieve this part, he must pick up the beetles he has spilled.

Mole cherishes the shiny trike horn he has found. Stripy has to play a shell game with Mole to determine who keeps the horn.

Owl needs his glasses. You have to find Owl's glasses, and then you play a game of Seek and Find with Owl to get back the trike's pedals.

Badger needs some help learning how to play a memory game. If Stripy agrees to help, then Badger will give him the tricycle's handle bars.

Once you find all the parts, then you put these together to recreate the tricycle. Then it’s time for an exciting tricycle race, which adds further to the great value in this neat game.

Age Group

Although the game box states the game is relevant for ages from 3 to 10, I suspect most 3-4 year old gamers might need a little help and guidance from their parents as they play this charming game. The older children should have little difficulty with these games, but this may be more a factor of computer literacy than the challenges built into the game. However, parents will find playing The Little Raven with their rug rats a very enjoyable experience, and an opportunity to assist their children in further strengthening their computer skills.

Game Design

The design and layout of the game is super, in keeping with the sound tradition long set by so many other equally excellent games from TIVOLA. The sounds are not all that obnoxious, while being obviously designed to appeal to the targeted age group. Adults will enjoy playing this well developed game, and will not find themselves getting tired of the screen layouts, the background sounds, or the character voices.

Game Play Notes

The Little Raven & Friends does a super job of providing a game play experience that will likely succeed with the targeted preschool age audience. The characters aren’t all syrupy and mushy, and they respond and behave like today's children. The game also succeeds in its emphasis on showing young children how to get along with others, and the consequences of bad choices.

The characters also present exemplary behavior when they wear helmets and pads when engaged in sporting activities. There are also enough variables in game play that make it fun to play again. The very youngest of the targeted age group may be the group that requests the most assistance with some of the included games.

Primary Language

English

Extras

Change languages at any stage with just a click.

Targeted Customers

TIVOLA's marvelous game The Little Raven is likely to be well received by the preschooler crowd, in the specified age group. Parents will also have great fun playing with their younger children, as they help Little Raven find the missing tricycle parts and return the trike. Along the way, parents and children can discuss appropriate behavior, and how best to learn to get along with others in the world.

This title also presents super value to public libraries, as a wonderful title to be added to their collection. The game could be made available on workstations for children and their parents to play, or it would represent a super tool for use in Little Bookwork programs that would reach more children.

Price

$19.99 (super bargain!)
$29.99 (Canada)

Minimum System Configuration Requirements

Windows
P-166 MHz processor
Win 95, 98, 98 SE, 98 ME, NT 4, 2000, XP
32MB RAM
30MB free hard disk space
16 bit high color display
Sound card
6x CD-ROM drive

Mac Machines
Power PC
OS 7.1
16MB RAM
30MB free hard disk space
32,768 colors graphics card
Sound card
6x CD-ROM drive

About TIVOLA

TIVOLA Publishing creates and publishes a wide range of award-winning multimedia products designed to open up a world of interactive fun and learning to children and young people. The German based company has offices in New York, London, and Berlin, and produces a wide range of innovative interactive CD ROMs that stimulate a child's curiosity, while encouraging smart play. In 1995, TIVOLA published its first title, and has developed six distinct categories of software.

These include Play and Learn, The World Around Us, Quest for Knowledge, Stories and Adventures, Crimes and Clues, and Games for Fun. The company has a commitment to producing high-quality, multilingual CD ROMs that tell exciting, entertaining stories through beautiful graphics, witty animation and original games. TIVOLA titles are currently in more than 49 countries worldwide.

TIVOLA began in 1995, when founding partners, Karsten Voelker, Mil Thierig, and Barbara Landbeck founded the Berlin office to fill the need for original CD ROM games that are clever but also promote learning. In 2000, TIVOLA was named "Company of the Year" by the Berlin Association of Self-Employed Entrepreneurs, who recognized the company's fast development into an internationally successful multimedia company with an innovative brand building strategy.

The TIVOLA UK offices opened in 1998, and with the launch of 10 new titles in 2001, the company continues to grow in the UK children's software publishing market. The TIVOLA US offices opened in 1999, and the company signed a contract with the Navarre Corporation to distribute their products in the US and Canada. 

The company develops books and story games on CD ROM, and all titles are simultaneously produced in English so that they can be understood by potential international licensees. The software is also produced for the PC and the Apple platform.

TIVOLA also buys and sells license for different products. For these purposes, the company has developed optimal localization standards. With this new system, TIVOLA titles are obtainable in countries all over the world.

The TIVOLA line of CD ROM programs are products parents can depend on to provide a fun and educational computer experience for their children. Teachers can also feel secure in integrating the educational lineup of TIVOLA products into their curriculum, especially those teaching entry level classes. TIVOLA's series of learning CD ROMs for children that include the many Oscar the Balloonist titles, the many Max adventures, the super Chemicus science-based program, and of course The Little Prince, all assure a solid worthwhile computer experience for all ages, especially young learners.

With the worldwide notoriety of TIVOLA products, the company has also ventured into a new online interactive arena. Companies can now rent online games from TIVOLA to make available at their Web site for their own customers. This new portfolio of online games for rent expands still further the success of the company.

Recent news has also revealed that TIVOLA has been granted worldwide licensing rights to develop and publish educational discovery games based on the legendary comic strip icon, PEANUTS, through United Media. The most widely syndicated comic strip in history, PEANUTS reaches over 350 million readers in 75 countries, appealing to adults as well as children. The first TIVOLA PEANUTS CD ROM will be introduced at the 2002 Toy Fair, and will combine PEANUTS humor with the suspense of a discovery game. As would be expected from any TIVOLA title, the game will integrate educational elements into the distinctive humor of the PEANUTS world. 

Contact Information

Linda Weal, Media Coordinator
Tivola Publishing
580 Broadway, Suite 604
New York, NY 10012
212-431-4420, ext. 201
212-431-4420
FAX 212-431-4537
linda@tivola.com
mail@tivola.com
www.tivola.com

You can also order from other retailers or online vendors.