Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this is an interactive rendition of the popular Fox TV show of the same name, and that, like the show, it's fun for kids and adults. Sometimes you can get the final million-dollar question wrong even though your answer was correct because there may be more than one answer -- a situation that can cause some frustration. Even so, this is a fun game for families to play together. It's a great way to let the youngest members shine.
Families can talk about which questions they like best. Are the first grade questions always easier than the fifth grade questions? How do you feel about Foxworthy's quips? Would you like to be one of the fifth graders on the show?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jinny Gudmundsen
If you know the answer to "Who was the first Vice President of the United States?" then you could win a million dollars -- virtual dollars, that is. That's one of the final questions in the PC version of ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? The game mimics the popular Fox TV show of the same name and allows the whole family to test their elementary school smarts.
As on the show, you become the single contestant in a trivia game that tests your knowledge of academic subjects typically found in first through fifth grades. To win, you must correctly answer 11 questions in a row.
Playing with you are five virtual fifth graders. They answer the questions along with you; and, at any time, you can use them for two special cheats: peek at one student's answer and then decide what your answer will be, or copy what the designated student has written. Additionally, one time in the game, if the classmate working beside you gets the answer right and you get it wrong, that fifth grader can save you from losing.
The questions come from a bank of over 3,000 questions drawn from popular school textbooks and fall into 28 different categories covering math, science, geography, history, health, English, spelling, and more.
The game looks like the set of the TV show; and you even hear Jeff Foxworthy, the host of the Fox show, narrate the game. As during the TV show, Foxworthy dishes and quips as you play. If you take a long time answering, he will assume that you looked it up on the Internet and then complain that it's not fair.
This is a fun game for families to play together, especially if you have grade school children. But even if your children are older, you will be surprised by how challenging the questions can be (and how much you don't remember from grade school). One of the reasons to play as a family is to provide an environment where the youngest child can show off his or her knowledge to the rest of the family.
The final million-dollar question can get a little tricky because it isn't multiple choice. You have to type in the exact answer they want, and there may be more than one. When we answered "Pittsburgh" to a question about the location of the headwaters of the Ohio River, we got it wrong. We're guessing that the broader "Pennsylvania" might have been correct.
Even with the occasional quirk, this is a good family game. At $20, it costs less than taking the family to the movies. Too bad winning the game only awards you a virtual million instead of the real thing.
Families might also want to check out b=Family Game Bundle, which contains two trivia games to play using your DVD and TV. Also fun for families is Wii Sports.
Reviewed: 09/26/2007
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CommercialismThis is based on the Fox TV show of the same name. |
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Educational ValueFun way to test grade school smarts. |
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