Rock the World
Reading adventure game with a design flaw for 6+.
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this is a fun way to learn spelling and grammar rules, but only if the game is played on the handheld first and then played when plugged into the television. If not, the Mini games could grow repetitive.
Community Reviews
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What’s It About?
ROCK THE WORLD, a software title for the Leapster L-Max, stars four teens and a cymbal-playing monkey, members of the rock band called Algorithmics. It offers first- and second-graders three arcade Mini games that drill spelling and grammar rules. When kids play Rock the World on the L-Max as a handheld, the main menu presents the three fun Mini games. In one Mini game, kids catch alphabet fish to spell words.
When the L-Max is plugged into a television, an additional adventure game becomes available. Players learn that a rival band has stolen the Algorithmics' monkey, and they chase the rival band to three cities around the world. At each location, players search a large maze-like city to find eight items needed to trade for information about the monkey's location. To obtain the eight items, kids trade words from their word bank that follow specified grammar or spelling rules.
Is It Any Good?
The TV adventure game has an engaging premise but, depending on how your kids approach it, they may experience repetitive gameplay that can become frustrating. If players don't have the right words to trade, the adventure takes kids to a Mini game so that they can earn more words. But instead of randomizing the order of the three games, kids are taken to the same game each time they need more words within that city. Potentially, they could replay the same game eight times before they collect enough words to move to the next city.
This repetition problem goes away if, before plugging the L-Max into the TV, kids have banked a lot of words by playing the three Mini games in the handheld mode. While plugged into the TV, kids can also get to the Mini games by pushing the "Home" button. To avoid this design glitch, parents should encourage handheld play before plugging the game into the TV.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how words fit specific grammar rules. Also, they could talk about using video games to learn. Why do you like to play educational games? Do they actually help you learn? Do you see any problems with learning this way?
Game Details
- Platform: Leapster
- Available online?: Not available online
- Publisher: LeapFrog
- Release date: December 31, 2005
- Genre: Educational
- ESRB rating: NR
- Last updated: November 4, 2015
Our Editors Recommend
-
Get Puzzled
300 puzzles for the Leapster teach kids logic.
-
Animal Genius (Leapster)
Kids will go wild for this educational Leapster game.
-
Math Missions
An excellent math game for the Leapster.
-
Top-Secret Personal Beeswax
Share secrets with Junie B. Jones, learn to write!
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate