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Educational: 4.5
Overall Design: 4.8
Ease of Use: 4.6
(4.0 = good, 4.5 = very
good, 5.0 = excellent)
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Program Description Commentary Who Is This Program For
Why We Selected This Program Computer Requirements
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World Explorer takes you on a world tour in pursuit of your best friend Joe who is traveling with his family on vacation. He leaves you a note in his bedroom giving you a clue where he is and you must try to find him.
You start with a map of the world and using the clue in the note, you click on the part of the world where you think he is. Up comes a richly illustrated map (see map detail at right) of the region you have selected and you must find him on the map. After discovering where he is, you find another note telling you he has gone to another place again leaving you a clue as to where he might be. Again you are off to try to find him.
As you are exploring, you will learn about the part of the world you are in, and you can collect snapshots and stickers of what you are seeing for your logbook as you travel. In some of the places you visit, you will be able to view short video clips with descriptions on the wildlife, the people, and the historical places of the region. When you eventually catch up to Joe, you will have travelled to seven or eight parts of the world and you will have completed the tour and won the game. There are five completely different tours within the program.
When we travelled to Australia, we learned about the Kookaburra Bird, how long it takes to walk across Australia (5 months), Ayers Rock, surfing on the south coast, the desert terrain, and the Sydney Opera House. In Europe it was everything from Bran Castle on the Danube (reputed home of Dracula) to photos of the Giant's Causeway in Ireland and flamenco dancing in Spain.
In this program, you can pursue the game or just take your time wandering around the various sites on the world map. There are over 50 destinations ...and you can travel by boat or plane. The program has 3 levels of difficulty. There is also an index so you can look up specific places and use as a reference guide.
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"I started off playing the game looking for Joe, but then just started clicking on the little pictures to see what was there. I really liked the picture of the polar bear." Rebecca, age 8.
"It was neat because I saw some things about animals that I used for a school project." Angela, age 7
" I liked flying the airplane all over the place." Arthur, age 6
This program is for any child who likes exploring and where you want to encourage an interest in the larger world we live in. This program introduces basic world geography, but with the rich level of content, makes it more like a junior version of National Geographic - a journey of exploration of different cultures and peoples. Because it is constructed as a game with lots of "clicking and looking", it has lots of interactivity for curious minds with restless hands. If you have a visually oriented child, this program, with it's beautifully illustrated maps, is a feast for the eyes.
The publisher suggests that this program is for ages 4 to 9, but even at the easiest level, we would suggest that it is more for ages 5 to 6 and up, and even then, some parental assistance on the clues may be needed.
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The premise of trying to find best friend Joe who is on a journey out there somewhere around the globe, is a good way to engage a child's interest in a journey of discovery.
The illustrated maps are of superb quality and when you click on a picture of a person or a place, the illustration magically becomes animated. The musical background tracks are also well done, with the background music constantly changing, to reflect the musical culture of the country you are in.
What our kids really liked, with every new part of the world they went to, was that there was lots to click and see and as well as being able to take pictures of their trip as they went from one place to another. There was also lots of thoughtful detail in how the program worked. My First Amazing World Explorer is an exceptionally good way to introduce the world to a young child. - Dan Lang
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Pricing and Online Ordering
(or call toll free -1-800-250-9229 )
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Platform:Mac™: Operating System 9 - OS X 10.3 Panther (operates in Classic), 68LC040/25MHz, RAM 8MB (12MB RAM for OS 7.5 or higher) 2XCD-ROM Drive, Hard Drive Space 13MB, and 16 bit audio card.
Platform: Windows® 3.1x 95/98 - XP, CPU 486DX/33MHz, 8MB RAM for win 3.1, 12MB RAM for Win 95, 16MB RAM for Win 98, 2XCD-ROM drive Hard Drive space 13MB, 8-bit sound card (16-bit recommended)
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or to see other social studies programmes
Castle Explorer (History) - ages 8-12
Carmen Sandiego's Great Chase Through Time (History) - ages 8-12
Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego - 2002 ed. (Geography) - ages 8-12
Canada - Confederation to Present - ages 12 - adult
Real Lives Simulation - ages 13 - 17
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