|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| A Review of Carmen San Diego |
|
|
Even adults can have fun with the popular kid’s game, Carmen San Diego.
They can also learn about history, geography, or astronomy in the
process. I fell in love with the series, and I hope that you will love
it too.
“Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?” was the first title
in the series. In this game, the ACME Chief sends you on the hunt for
suspected criminals who have stolen an important artifact, and have
fled to somewhere in the world.
You, as Carmen San Diego, must follow the trail of the suspects by visiting a number of locations in the world, while answering questions that will help you determine where you can find the stolen item, the warrant of arrest, and then the criminal.
If you succeed in making the arrest, you will be awarded a higher rank and move on to the next case. The other titles in the Carmen San Diego series work on the same strategies and premises, and allow you to learn while you travel to different periods and continents.
Carmen San Diego was also a television show, where kids can guess clues, prove their finesse in geography, and win trips to related vacation and tour sites around the world. Lynne Thigpen starred as the ACME Chief, and guest stars occasionally popped up and act in mini scenarios to entertain the audiences at home. At the core of the game show were three rounds of quiz questions. This was then followed by a simulated video process of finding the stolen artifacts, getting the warrant, and then capturing the fleeing criminal. The final contestant must then succeed in a map locations-finding challenge, where the finalist must locate countries on a continent by pointing at them with a giant parking meter like marker, which lights up if the player located a certain country correctly. The Carmen San Diego series, made by Broderbund, was based on a Broderbund founder’s childhood game, in which an almanac and maps are used to compete in quizzes.
The tools and concept have been carried over to computer games, where kids can enhance their research and deductive skills by accessing a massive collection of facts about history, geography, and astronomy. It is really a thrilling game which even adults can enjoy. I highly recommend that you try any of the Carmen San Diego games.
|
|
|