They Call Him Flipper. . .
A Review of Flipper Interactive Storybook
Rich Cunningham
One of the trends in films these days, seems to be the remaking of old television series of the 1960's and 1970's. "The Brady Bunch", "McHale's Navy", "The Addams Family", are just a few to have graced the silver screen. There is also one based on the story of a boy and his dolphin, called "Flipper". I wish I had a nickel for every bowl of popcorn my brother and I ate while watching the original program in living color on Saturday nights. It was a great program. And, now thanks to the magic of modern day computers, it is a nice little program to play. (It is based on the movie, not the TV series, by the way.)
The name of the program is called Flipper, and is a product by the BrainStorm software company that is located in Irvine, California and is a division of Interplay. The program is an interactive storybook and is intended for children (and grown-ups) aged five and up. It is contained on a hybrid CD-Rom, meaning that has both Windows 95/3.1 and Macintosh versions on the same disk.
The story centers around a boy named Sandy and his dolphin Flipper. Their adventures come to life through story pages that feature animations set against photo backgrounds. The user has the option of having the story read to them, or reading it themselves, and interacting with the many hot spots on each page. There are also environmental topics spread throughout the story, on subjects such as over fishing, hurricanes, and pollution. There are also film clips from the movie itself, complementing the story line animations.
After the story is read, there are some games that can be played. These games are hosted by Pete the Pelican, and include games of jigsaw puzzles, matching exercises and concentration. There are also instructions on how to construct a model fishing village using everyday household items, and printing out of character pages that can be put together to make a coloring book.
The manual included with the program is very well written. It includes everything that is needed to install the program, and to get it running. Each icon in the game is explained, as are the games and activities. There is a special section for parents to help them understand some of the concepts of the program, so they will be more able to help their children get the most out of the game. Installation was quick under Windows 95, and it includes the installation of the latest version of QuickTime, which is needed for the film clips.
This program is very well rounded. It contains enough variety to keep any person playing it interested, and should appeal most children. The only thing missing, in my opinion, is the theme from the original TV show. That would have made it perfect. But you judge for yourself. It is a good program to have in your home library.
School House Scorecard
| Product: |
Flipper Interactive Storybook |
| Company: |
Brain Storm
|
| Cost: |
$29.95 |
System Requirements:
IBM:
486/66 or higher, SVGA color monitor with 640x480x256color graphics,
8 MB RAM, Windows compatible sound card, Double Speed CD-ROM,
Windows 95 or Windows 3.1.
Macintosh:
68040 or higher, or Power Macintosh,
color monitor displaying 640x480x256 color graphics,
Double Speed CD-ROM, 5 MB RAM.
Breakdown:
Ease of Use 3
Learning Value 3
Entertainment Value 4
Graphics 4
Sound 4
Overall Score:
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