Common Sense Media Review
By Jinny Gudmundsen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Confusing game isn't very good.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
This is one of two software titles developed by Brighter Child Interactive for Cyberchase, a PBS Kids show. They share a similar format of six learning games and two logic puzzles loosely woven into a storyline using characters from the television show. In CYBERCHASE CASTLEBLANCA QUEST, the weaker of the two games, the evil Hacker has stolen the \"gloom chip\" of Castleblanca, a Web site community of monsters. Since the inhabitants hate sunlight, they need help in dealing with the brightness and rescuing the \"gloom chip.\"
Players provide that help by playing six math games and solving two logic puzzles.
Is It Any Good?
The storyline is difficult to follow because it's presented in a very grainy video that is too brief. The math games all suffer from poor verbal instructions. The screens are not intuitive, so players had to stop playing to access the online manual to figure out what they were supposed to do. These instructions should have been demonstrated in a video.
Most of the games require players to use trial and error -- a characteristic of good math software games. However, in several of the games, just as the player is figuring out the answer, time runs out and the math puzzle resets to another configuration.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what makes this game challenging. Is it the puzzles or the way they're presented? How could the developers have made this a better experience?
Game Details
- Platforms : Windows , Mac
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Brighter Minds Media
- Release date : May 19, 2004
- Genre : Educational
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : August 25, 2016
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