The 2002 edition of Zoombinis - Logical Journey brings forward all the clever and engaging "problem solving" puzzle activities that made the original program one of the best of it's kind. What is new in the 2002 edition is up to date graphics and significantly enhanced quality in the program's operating design and duration of play.

The story starts off with you helping a group of little people called the Zoombinis escape from Zoombini Isle. In search for a new home, the Zoombinis travel to a mysterious island where they are presented with a series of 12 challenges. Your objective is to get as many of the Zoombinis as possible through each one of the of the activities and eventually get them to the safety of the village in the middle of the island.

Your journey starts at the "Allergy Cliffs" (see right) where you have to find a way to get everybody across two swinging bridges over the "sneezing" cliffs. To do this you have to figure out which specific physical characteristic (nose, hair, eyes, feet, etc.) of each of the Zoombinis is going to be allowed to cross which bridge. If you get it wrong, the cliffs will sneeze and your Zoombini will be thrown back to the starting point. You have only so many chances before these bridges collapse. This is a real exercise in hypotheses testing to determine the right sets or groupings of Zoombinis, for each bridge.

With the Pizza Eating Trolls (see right) you have to figure out which particular combination of pizza toppings the fussy gatekeeper likes. When you get the right combination, he will allow one of your Zoombinis through the village. Once again you are testing hypotheses on what might be the right combination. The key is remembering what didn't work so you can find the right answer as quickly as possible.

The "Mudwall" (see right) has you throwing colored mud balls at the mud wall in an effort to get your Zoombinis to the other side. To hit the right targets on the wall, you have to figure out which combination of color and symbol on your mud ball is going to hit the right panel on the wall. This is a very clever and very amusing exercise in deductive reasoning and remembering.

The 12 challenges, designed by a team of educators, develop specific skills and strategies that underlie mathematical problem solving, as used in early algebra and which kids, in this age range, are doing in school.

Each of the activities has 4 levels of difficulty which can be increased if you are looking for even greater challenge. Each time you start the program, a new set of solutions is created for each of the activities so the program is "new" every time you use it. Some of the actual activities will also change. Each puzzle will give you clear instructions before you start. You also can access a practice area, where you can first get a good handle on how each puzzle works, before you embark on the journey..

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