Putt-Putt Deluxe Pack (Travels Through Time & Balloon-O-Rama)
© 1996 Humongous Entertainment
The first program in this two-CD pack, Balloon-O-Rama, is similar to the old classic game of Pong. The idea is to help Putt-Putt bounce his dog Pep into the air to pop balloons and collect hidden surprises, earning more points along the way and advancing to harder levels. Despite the limited format, there is a nice range of difficulty with 120 levels. It is also possible to use a Level Builder feature to create custom games. Overall, this is a fun game with very little educational value. In the second, much more educational program, Putt Putt uses a time warp machine to search for his lost school supplies. Putt Putt follows the cursor through the age of the dinosaurs, to medieval times, back to the Old West and into the future. At each place, children search for items needed to solve problems which can sometimes be very tricky. For example, to oil the gear in a drawbridge in medieval times, children must find an oil can– hidden somewhere in the Wild West! A sharp eye and a good memory are valuable assets for this game, which can easily take several days to complete. This was a popular title in our test library. The children, many veterans of other Humongous programs, loved the new characters and the colorful, engaging graphics. They also liked the depth of this program, saying "There's lots to do!" There are 40 different screens to visit, each with clickables and challenges. And, with each replay, the school supplies are hidden in different places, making the adventure new every time. Other nice features include a paint machine where kids can change Putt-Putt's color and the color stays changed for the rest of the program! Another strong activity has kids searching through a "computerized" library file to find just the right storybook for a certain character. These one-page stories can be read aloud or printed out and colored. Overall, this is a great program, strong in both educational and entertainment value. Some preschoolers may find it a bit tricky and parents might have to lend a hand, but the experience is rewarding and fun.
Win, Mac OS (CD-ROM)
Teaches: gaming, history, dinosaurs, medieval times, old West, logic