Not Just Fun And Games
A Review of Fun 'n' Games Deluxe CD
Rich Cunningham
One part of Windows that my son enjoys playing with is the Paintbrush accessory. He likes to create drawings, and then print them out. It has really stimulated his artistic talents, and we encourage him to do it (even with color inkjet cartridges costing what they do....). When this program crossed my desk, the Paint portion of it caught my eye at once.
This edutainment tool is call "Fun 'n' Games Deluxe", and is a collection of programs that are designed to stimulate a child's artistic and creative talents, and also offer some fun games. There are four modules that comprise this program. They are called "Paint", "Music", "Style", and "Games". They are all equally well written and presented.
The first module I tried was called "Paint". It can best be described as
a do-it-yourself artists kit. There is a scratch pad that a child can draw
pictures on, and then color them in.
(I will add that the choice of colors is
better than I have ever seen in any other program of this type. Not only are
solid colors included, but some imaginative designs are also use). There are
some scenes included, sort of like a coloring book, that a child (or adult)
can color in, and then print out on a color printer. There are also some items
that can be added to these pictures, that can help a child create a story.
The second module, "Music", is a musical adventure for the user to experience. There are pre-taped songs that are charted so that one may see and learn the notes that comprise the music. There are different background themes that can be selected to enhance the atmosphere. Of course, songs can even be written and played back to the enjoyment of family and friends. (This module was hard for me to fully experience, due to the lack of a manual. But this is a beta product review, and I have been told by the distributor that a manual will give in-depth instructions on this module).
The next module I tried was "Style". It can best be described as
playing with computerized paper dolls. (My wife always said I'd be cutting
out paper dolls eventually if I kept hacking with computers.) You have two types
to choose from, "Style Stuff" and "Mix 'n' Match". Style Stuff lets you put your
doll in a setting ( with many, many settings to choose from) and then change
their clothes. The attraction here is the same as playing with real paper
dolls.
My youngest daughter really enjoyed this part, and when I asked her why she liked to play with paper dolls, the response was "They're so fresh, Daddy." Mix-n-Match is similar, but in addition to the clothes, one can also change body parts, like the faces, bodies, and legs. Let your child's imagination run wild with this one.
The fourth and final module, "Game", was a lot of fun. It features 4 arcade style games that require a small amount of hand-eye coordination (something I really lack). But the games, while very colorful and well designed, do not require a lot of thinking to complete. That adds to the fun.
The four games are: "Aquashark", a horizontal Space Invaders-type of game; "Space Cadet", a sort of Science Fiction Centipede; "Whereabouts", a matching game; and "Sliding Puzzle", a puzzle that you rearrange the pieces to form a picture. The games are enjoyable and entertaining, and provide a chance to rest from the other modules in the program.
The mechanics of the game are very well put together. Moving from module
to module is quite easy and accomplished via mouse. There is a lack of
multimedia-type effects (music, voice, sounds, etc.) that would really
enhance game play. But then this is a beta, and may change in the final release. I
had trouble installing the game on my kid's 486 with an ISA bus. It installed
just fine on my 486 with local bus. I talked with the distributor and was assured
that the final release would be installable on an ISA machine.
This program provides a potpourri of activities that will certainly entertain children of varied ages. My children enjoyed it, and I'm sure yours will too.
School House Scorecard
| Product: |
Fun 'n' Games Deluxe CD |
| Company: |
GT Interactive Software
|
| Cost: |
$35.00 |
System Requirements:
386 minimum, 486 recommended
DOS 5 or higher, works with Windows 95;
4MB ram w/3MB EMS
CD ROM (Double Speed), CD-ROM extension 2.21 or later
SVGA Graphic w/512k ram
Joystick and mouse supported
Supports Soundblaster, Ad-lib, and 100% compatible
Suggested ages: 4 through 13
Breakdown:
Ease of Use 5
Learning Value 3
Entertainment Value 4
Graphics 4
Sound 4
Overall Score:
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