Pit Droids
© 1999 LucasArts
There aren't too many programs out there that can captivate eleven year old girls, sixteen year old boys and 40 year old software reviewers, but this one sure does. An amazingly strong exercise in logical thinking, the program presents a series of successively more difficult puzzles all housed within graphically rich Star Wars settings. The overall goal of the game is to lead a group of robots called Pit Droids through various obstacle courses until they reach their final destination, The Podrace Arena. Kids have to figure out how to program the Droids so they'll move the right way through each puzzle. They do so by manipulating tiles that have varying functions. For instance, a red arrow makes red Droids turn a certain direction, while a 1:2 ratio tile divides a column of Droids in two directions at the ratio of-- you guessed it-- one to two. As players correctly navigate each puzzle, they rack up points and can open up deeper levels of the game. Why is this so engaging and educationally robust? First of all, the Droids are downright cute and pretty funny as well. Kids and adults naturally take to these creatures and want to help them reach their goal. Second, the challenge levels are designed so that each hurdle is just a little bit tougher than the last-- doable, but tricky. Plus, there's a great tutorial mode within easy reach, should you get stuck. Finally, the logic exercises presented in each puzzle are designed so that the player is in complete control. He or she can stop the action in mid-play, manipulate variables and even reverse the action if a proposed solution doesn't solve the puzzle. When the learner controls the learning, there is ownership over the activity and the outcome. The program has great depth of content with 300 puzzles that vary considerably in difficulty and a puzzle editor that lets players create their own challenges. This game earns high marks for both educational value and sheer fun-- it's a real winner.
$29.95, Win 95, 98; Mac OS (CD-ROM)
Teaches: logic, programming