Hurricane Katrina: Tempest in Crescent City
© 2008 Global Kids
How many people can you save from a hurricane? This free sidescrolling game is a far cry from Super Mario, but it is easy to play and has a valuable educational message. You use the arrow keys to steer a young girl through a flooding neighborhood in a timed race to try to save as many residents as possible. You use the arrow keys to move, and the space bar to jump, take a breath, or break a hole in a roof. Reading the cartoon-like text bubbles is required in order to understand the next challenge. The Flash-based game runs in any recent browser, and requires a registration. The game was developed by Global Kids (http://www.globalkids.org) who worked with Game Pill (http://www.digitalcreations.com), with funding from AMD and Microsoft. The site provides links to a variety of relief groups as well as information about New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina including multiple timelines, analysis of media coverage, and supporting articles for all information presented. This is a good game for teachers to bookmark, and you certainly can't argue with the price.
Internet Site
Teaches: social studies, hurricane relief
CTR Rating: 86%