Hold The Maya!
A Review of MayaQuest - The Mystery Trail
Tina Velgos
If your kids like exploring ruins and ancient Mayan culture, I think
they'd love MayaQuest. However, if your kids would rather play computer
games instead of digging into the collapse of the ancient Mayan
civilization, then don't read any farther!
MayaQuest is highly educational and would fit perfectly into a social studies (history, geography and culture) curriculum in school. It contains a wealth of information including ancient Mayan facts and over 1,500 photos and video clips from the actual world-record holding 3,224 mile MayaQuest bicycle expedition. This virtual field trip lets kids explore seven different archeological sites while they study messages from experts.
Kids start their adventures at a high-tech headquarters, which was
confusing to efficiently navigate due to lack of instructions or help
options. To leave for one of the sites, click the flashing red elevator
button (the elevator is located in the middle of the room). A
multi-functional helmet doubles as a camera, maps, e-mail system,and
compass. The object of the game is to find as many clues, solve tasks and
ride rugged bike paths before an impending natural disaster hits the land
so that you can solve the mystery of the collapse of the Mayan culture.
My software testers, Stefanie (11) and Justin (13) were only interested in the virtual bicycle expedition. Wonderful graphics with 3-D renderings simulate what it is like to steer a bicycle through the harsh, insect-infested rainforests and dusty ruins of Central America. The goal is to uncover clues along the journey to solve the mysterious collapse of the Mayan civilization.
Steering the bike with the cursor, you can move towards the top of the
screen to make the bike go faster, or move to the bottom of the screen to
go slower. By putting the bike on autopilot (select Biking from the
Options menu), the bike moves slower ("way boring" according to the kids)
without the risk of accidents (running off the road, colliding with a rock,
etc.). I think the kids enjoyed deliberately running off the road and
crashing the bike. Of course, once you crash the bike, it will cost you
money or time (virtual, of course). The kids didn't seem to mind.
The "ReadMe" file is a MUST in order to operate MayaQuest. The instructions, otherwise, could be better, as there is no help option. I printed out the "ReadMe"file for reference while I played the game. My software didn't come with a separate user's manual, other than the small fold-out in the jewel box itself.
I enjoyed the Bookshelves section, where you can click on journals of each
of the original MayaQuest members. You can read journal entries and leaf
through the pages of photos of the actual MayaQuest bicycle expedition and
hear haunting musical melodies in the background.
If your kids are doing a report on ancient Mayan civilization, be sure to check out the Multimedia Resource Tool in MayaQuest. Here, you'll find five different sections including artifacts, site media, topic overviews, sounds and movies and photos with captions. The artifacts section was my favorite. I clicked on photos and text of dozens of ancient artifacts and tools.
Another nice feature for Internet users is the ability to expand the MayaQuest game by adding game updates via the MayaQuest Home Page. You can download game updates and add them to your MayaQuest folder. The MayaQuest home page is at http://www.mayaquest.mecc.com
The biggest question in my mind about MayaQuest is replayability. Will kids play this CD-ROM more than once for entertainment? Guess it's the $49.95 question!
School House Scorecard
| Product: |
MayaQuest - The Mystery Trail |
| Company: |
MECC
|
| Cost: |
$49.95 |
System Requirements:
Windows:
IBM PC or compatible
486 or higher
Microsoft Windows 3.1 or higher, Windows 95
4 MB RAM (8 MB RAM recommended for Windows 3.1 and required for Windows 95)
SVGA color monitor, 256 colors
2 MB free hard-disk space
Mouse or other Windows-compatible pointing device
Double speed CD-ROM drive
Windows-compatible sound card
Windows-compatible printers supported
Macintosh:
Apple Macintosh 68030 (LC III or greater), 68040 or Power Mac recommended
System 7.1 or later
5 MB RAM, 8 MB RAM recommended
13" or larger monitor, 256 colors at 640 x 480 resolution or higher
2 MB free hard-disk space
Double-speed CD-ROM drive
Breakdown:
Ease of Use 2
Learning Value 3
Entertainment Value 2
Graphics 3
Sound 3
Overall Score:
Copyright © 1997 InfoMedia, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.