Nile: Passage to Egypt

$24.95, Mac CD-ROM, Windows CD-ROM

Teaches: history and geography of the Nile

CTR Review

Kids learn about the history and geography of the Nile as they travel down the river, starting in inner Uganda on through the ancient kingdoms of Egypt. At five different points along the journey, the boat can be turned in four directions, showing realistic views of the shore along with Egyptian landmarks. While they travel, children have access to five different screens of information for each attraction, including full screen pictures and two rather choppy videos. By exploring these, children can get a first-person tour of the Nile that is set at their own pace. In all, this program offers plenty to do. Found among the artifacts are five different games, the most fun being the ancient game of Senet; a cribbage-like game in which players compete with an opponent, Ramses II. We found all of the games to be easy to use and effective at helping children understand key concepts. For example, in the Sunlight Game, children play a rock shuffle puzzle to restore a tunnel for a shaft of light. In terms of content, this program covers 351 topics. It is richly illustrated with full screen photos and contains numerous video clips. Kids will also find a handy tour feature with 18 brief tours through each section of the Nile. A ten-year-old tester described the program as "awesome." We agree.