Parents' Guide to

Cyberchase: Carnival Chaos

By Jinny Gudmundsen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Intriguing logic games with fun carnival theme.

Game Windows, Mac 2003
Cyberchase: Carnival Chaos Poster Image

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What’s It About?

Cyberchase is a hit PBS show that creates a fantasy world in cyberspace. It stars Motherboard, a benevolent character who is plagued by the antics of the evil character named Hacker. In CYBERCHASE: CARNIVAL CHAOS, the first computer program featuring the Cyberchase characters, your children help Motherboard retrieve the all-important Mega-bolt, an item stolen by Hacker and his lackey, Delete. Luckily, Delete accidentally dropped the Mega-Bolt into the R-Fair-City Cybersite -- a place full of carnival rides, games, and attractions.

Barker, a fast-talking hustler who runs R-Fair-City, is annoyed at having the Mega-Bolt bounce through his site. He won't give it back until players have helped six characters by playing six different carnival games and solving two logic puzzles.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Kid-testers were impressed by how the program turned everyday carnival games into fun, logical challenges. Because the games are easy to play but hard to win, kids jumped right in -- but they found that they had to stop and think to become a victor. Players will find very clever variations of pop-the-balloon, Skee-Ball, bumper cars, a maze-type game, a code-breaker game, and a super-soaker activity.

The program offers two modes of play: adventure and puzzle practice. It has adaptive leveling and plenty of help along the way. The video sequences from the TV show are very grainy, which is a small annoyance. All in all, though, kids thought this was a carnival worth investigating.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about which carnival game was the most challenging. Were you frustrated, or did you enjoy trying to figure it out?

Game Details

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