By Dale Farris, President, Golden Triangle PC Club
December 2001

Overview of Games

The Zoombinis Logical Journey and the Zoombinis Mountain Rescue are two of the most charming educational software titles for children you will ever have to opportunity to enjoy. In the newly emerging software industry known as "edutainment," game developers focus on making computer games fun, while also integrating learning principles for game players. These types of special computer games are traditionally aimed at children. Go to any retail electronics store and you will likely find software product shelves filled with all sorts of these computer programs that are usually written to run on both PC and Mac platforms.

These 2 Zoombinis titles are among the best of this crowded bunch, and could easily be on the top of anyone's list of recommended titles of computer games for children aged  8-12. The focus in both titles is learning math without the numbers, and this succeeds well in both games.

The Zoombinis are little blue people that gather together to solve various problems in each game. Zoombinis are quirky, smart little blue people, and each Zoombinis is an individualist with a diverse set of personal features. These include wild eyeglasses, weird hairdoos, rocking roller skates, springy shoes, and other wacky stuff you don't see in any other computer game. The Zoombinis are fun-loving and always non-violent, and they must use their wacky wits and brainpower to defy adversity and solve the puzzles in the games.

Against the Zoombinis are an assortment of equally weird adversaries. These include the edgy and devious Fleens, the Bloats, diabolical brutes always trying to take advantage of the Zoombinis' trusting nature, the Boolies, happy-go-lucky creatures that stick together and can alone create major confusion, and Pizza Trolls, big, ugly grumps who are very fussy about their pizza toppings.

Kids help the Zoombinis solve perilous puzzles, each one more challenging than the others, and all the puzzles involve math and logic skills. This underlying analytical ability is superbly structured into the puzzles, and kids will likely not even realize they are using these essential skills as they work through the puzzles.

This emerging Zoombinis brand has become a super seller, and for good reason. Kids will use and sharpen many skills as they work through and solve the mind-bending puzzles. These include observation skills, data sorting and ordering, pattern finding, theory forming and testing, logical reasoning, problem solving, statistical thinking, algebraic thinking, graphing and mapping, and data analysis.

Don't be surprised to find these Zoombinis titles already actively integrated in elementary school classrooms. Parents too will find these titles of great value, especially as they work with their children when playing these super learning games.

Both games also feature printable activities, in PDF format, so be sure you have the Adobe Acrobat Reader on your machine (the free Reader comes with game). Each game also features an additional fun pack of playing cards that contain classic puzzles and inspiring quotations. This inclusion of the pack of puzzle cards was quite a surprise, and greatly adds to the already super value of these marvelous children's computer games.

On the game CD, there is a super User Guide that includes a great Parents Corner that explains the educational benefits of each puzzle in the game. This can also be of great value to teachers who wish to integrate these games into their math classes.

Zoombinis Logical Journey

In this title,  the Zoombinis encounter 12 puzzles, each with four difficulty levels. Kids must rescue the Zoombinis from the diabolical Bloats who have seized Zommbinis Isle. While facing humorously challenging encounters with Tree Trolls, bullying Fleens, Allergic Cliffs, and more, kids build mathematical and logical thinking skills as they navigate through these 12 sets of puzzles. 

The Learning Company has recently upgraded the Zoombinis Logical Journey for Windows, to now feature support for tactile feedback mouse sensations from the Immersion Corporation. Immersion's patented TouchSense technology brings the sense of touch to the user interface controlled by mouse devices that support this technology. This presents new feedback to children playing this game, as they experience the effects that correspond to the game. When a bridge collapses, or they run into an avalanche or a geyser, the TouchSense-supported mouse will relay this sensation to the user.

A partial list of TouchSense effects that are conveyed through a supported mouse include bounce, pop, sneeze, sniff, jump, step, walk, connect, skate, collapse, eject, collision, fall, whoosh, whilrpool, rocket, turn, paint glob, boing, geyser, and even woodpecker. These rollover graphics really add to the experience of the game, and when kids roll their mouse pointer over the hot spots in the game, these are now more noticeable and easier to find because they are marked with a particular tactile clue.

Children's educational software titles that are infused with Immersion's TouchSense technology can be experienced with the following peripherals:

Logitech iFeel Mouse
HP Force Feedback Web Mouse
Kensington Orbit 3D Trackball
Saitek Optical Force Mouse
Belkin Nostromos N30 Mouse

However, even without the right device to enable these added tactile sensations, the Zoombinis games still provide great fun and learning value.

Zoombinis Mountain Rescue

Attacked by a severe storm, the small band of Zoombinis seeks refuge in a mountain cave. Instead of safety, the Zoombinis are trapped in a hazardous tunnel where mysterious creatures lurk. Kids build logic and mathematical thinking skills in their challenge to maneuver the Zoombinis through 9 puzzles, each with 3 levels of difficulty.

This new entertaining adventure is a journey into the math of the information age, the mathematical thinking kids will use in writing computer programs and organizing their data in spreadsheets. In this game, kids will also use advanced concepts involving binary numbers, binary computing, networks, and permutations.

Age Range

Both games are designed for kids age 8 to 12, and parents will certainly enjoy playing these neat games with their children. Children younger than 8 will probably need parental support, and with this assistance they too can help the Zoombinis save the day.

Price

$24.99 for each game (super bargain!)

Windows System Requirements

Pentium 200MHz processor or higher - both games
Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP - both games
32MB RAM - both games
40MB free hard drive space - Logical Journey
50MB free hard drive space - Mountain Rescue
8X CD ROM drive - both games
High color, 16-bit monitor - both games
Windows compatible sound card, speakers - both games
Windows compatible mouse - both games
Immersion compatible tactile mouse - Logical Journey

Mac System Requirements

PowerPC 180MHz or higher - both games
Mac OS 8.6 through OS X - both games
32MB RAM - Logical Journey
64MB RAM - Mountain Rescue
40MB free hard drive space - Logical Journey
50MB free hard drive space - Mountain Rescue
8X CD ROM drive - both games
High color, 16-bit, 13" or larger monitor - both games
Speakers - both games
Mouse - both games

Game Features

Marvelous use of solid math and logical reasoning skills in fun games
Many different puzzles with various levels of difficulty
Practice mode
Helpful puzzle clues
Parent guide
Puzzle reformation - a new game each adventure
Experience enchanted animated images as the Zoombinis travel around
Lovely full-color photo-realistic graphics
First-person perspective
Very impressive background displays
Super sound effects
Classic point-and-click interface to work the game
Beautifully drawn backgrounds

Printable activities - Logical Journey
Immersion TouchSense tactile sensations - Logical Journey

Skills include algebraic thinking, data analysis, graphing and mapping, logical reasoning, pattern finding, problem solving, statistical thinking, theory formulation and testing

Additional advanced concepts - binary numbers, binary computing, networks, and permutations - Mountain Rescue

Targeted Customers

These super games for children present a dynamic, fun-filled approach to learning, while most kids will not likely even notice that they are learning. The games challenge the skills necessary for using the scientific method and problem solving, such as separation and control of variables and combinatorial logic. The inductive logic and discovery built into these neat games are solid components in these valuable additions to the glut of children's software. With these two Zoombinis titles, parents and teachers now have 2 excellent choices that stand above most of this glut.

While the age group is 8 to 12, I think there will be many situations where parents with younger, precocious children will want to expose these younger child to these super titles. Also, these games provide super opportunities for parents to play along with their children as they work to save the Zoombinis.

I also think all public libraries and elementary schools can feel comfortable integrating these titles into their lineup of educational titles for children. The games can be set up to run on various machines in math classes or computer labs, and will also greatly add value to public libraries striving to add quality children's software to their resources.

Install and Setup

The installation and setup presented no difficulties on my machine. You will just want to make sure you have the hard drive space to support the game. Also, the more RAM and the faster the processor, the better this and any other computer game will run.

To run the games, you will need the CD in the drive.

About The Learning Company

The Learning Company is one of many companies all owned by the Broderbund company, a leading, worldwide publisher of award winning productivity and rich-media software. The company publishes and distributes some of the all-time best selling consumer software under brands such as The Print Shop, PrintMaster, 3D Home Architect, Family Tree Maker, and The Zoombinis.

These software products enable computer users to create, personalize, and share projects such as newsletters, greeting cards, banners, digital photo albums, family tree charts, home designs, scrapbooks, and multi-media slide shows. The company’s products are distributed worldwide on PCs, Macs, PDAs and online, using a multi-channel approach that includes retail, OEM licensing and direct-to-consumers at home and in businesses. Broderbund has been a leader in making complex technologies accessible to the average computer user.

www.broderbund.com

Contact Information

Debbie Galdin
Public Relations
The Learning Company
6401 Kaiser Drive
Fremont, California 94555
510-792-2101
debbie.galdin@learningco.com
www.learningco.com