You can keep exploring for a better geography game....
Written: Apr 04 '00 (Updated Apr 04 '00)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Gets kids thinking
Cons: Poor quality graphics; Annoying voices
|
|
|
| prplhrt's Full Review: ODS Air Explorer |
ODS Air Explorer is not a game to get excited about by any means. Its object is to teach geography, and I guess it does indeed do that. However, there are many other software games out there for children that accomplish this in a far superior manner than ODS Air Explorer does.
Basically, you play the game by flying around to different states to retrieve a key that will help unlock the little cage that this annoying little character named Blit sits in. The most annoying thing about Blit is that he speaks in this very high voice and constantly repeats phrases like, "get me outta here....." "I want my mommy!!!" (which for some reason disturbs me in the way he says it- like he's a child kidnapped or something and is begging to be released.. could just be my impression....)
There is no way to turn off the sound either because you need to be able to hear what the announcer says in order to play the game.
The announcer says things like, "Fly to Florida" and using the mouse, you navigate on a map where to go. The U.S. map is shown in sections, so children have to really know what direction to begin flying. If they fly to a wrong state, their plane runs out of fuel and they must start over. A little bit too discouraging for children as they basically have one try and that's it. Levels 1-7 use a red propeller plane. On these levels, when you run out of fuel, the program will then give you hints as to which direction you should go to next, like "Fly south and east of where you are". Levels 8-11 use a gray jet plane. When you run out of fuel here, the plane automatically lands and you lose all the keys you have collected. You usually need 5 or so to free Blit.
The different levels allow the child to find certain states based on location, capitals, major cities, state nicknames and other info. The first few levels have the full names of the states imprinted and a picture of the key. When the plane is flying around, the key is evident. Then, instead of the announcer saying to just fly to a state, he will say fly to the state whose capital is Boston and so on. As the child progresses, the map changes. At first, the names are there, then the 2-letter abbreviation, then just the shape.
If your goal is to teach your child basic geography, then this is an ok game in which to do it. However, don't expect any flashy graphics or sound here! This is a very low-key software game. They could have at least made the U.S. map in color!! I was able to purchase it for a mere $5 during a promotional event Ohio Distinctive Software was running. I believe that if you check their web site, you will find that you can still purchase it in a software bundle for about $20. Not a bad deal.. but if your child is used to the high graphic games of today, this will be a huge disappointment!
Basically, if you want an inexpensive software game for children, this is it....but don't expect to much from it. My advice is to keep exploring the market for something that will make learning geography more fun for your child. My bet is that neither you or your child will be able to tolerate Blit's annoying voice long enough to actually play this game!! If you can, then good for you :-)
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
prplhrt
|
|
Member: Denise
Location: Massachusetts
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 11 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.