Foo Castle
Reviewed by Cynthia A. Sorrels
Published by O'Connor House Software

Age Group: Age 4 to 8 Type: Thinking Games Price: $39.95

Description:

Foo Castle is a strange and eerie place. There's plenty to do, though. Just watch out for the bats. The skeletons won't stay in the closet here...

Installation

No problems with installing this program were noted. It takes 5 megs of hard drive space, though, which seems like a lot until you realize that some CD-ROMS require more than that.

The Castle

There are 9 clickables and two entrances to the castle. Not hard to find. You'll see a Witch, Bats, Dragon, Storm, Yard lights and hear a skeleton voice and a ghost voice.

Inside the Castle

From the Entryway, you can reach the Library, Game Room, go Upstairs, enter the Shapes Room or the Colors Room, or exit. Be sure to turn on the light switch! The Shapes Room presents six choices of shape puzzles to play with. These are bright and colorful.

The Library leads to the Throne Room, Undersea, and back to the Entryway. Change Seasons by clicking on the picture in the room. This room has three games: Alphabet Fun, Number Fun and Jigsaw Puzzles.

Upstairs Hall This Hall has a number of doors: enter into the MouseRoom, Skeleton Room, see the Spider Ride, check out the Smiling Spider and the Bats as well as the Ghosts and the Dragon Room. The Trapdoor to the Crazy Room is here, too.

The Dragon Room features more clickables and an entrance to the Dragon Tree. At the Dragon Tree, there is an entrance to the tree and exits to the Dragon Room and Courtyard. The Mouse Room has several clickables and exits to the Upstairs Hall.

The Games

Games to be found in Foo Castle include: Jigsaw Puzzles - choose from five puzzles to complete. Just drag and drop the pieces into place. Number Fun - is actually a dot-to-dot game. Alphabet Fun - Each letter is illustrated and an animation plays. Color Fun - Click on a color to see King Foo juggle with an item of that color. Time Games - Choose from the Clock Game or Watch Game - comparing digital readouts to an analog clock.

In the Game Room Decorate the Doll House - drag and drop furniture where you want it. Create a Funny Face - just as it sounds. Build a Beast - make creatures from other creatures. Create a Funny Animal - as it sounds.

The Crazy Room Click on everything in this room. My 2 year old loved the "Crazy Ball." You'll find the entrance to Patterns here - that's lots of fun.

Graphics and Sounds

The graphics are bright and colorful but don't appear to be polished. They're a little rough. The sounds don't continue throughout the program but appear here and there, mostly as clickables. And while there are lots of clickables, there's a lot of wasted space, visually.

Compare Foo Castle to:

• Living Books has more clickables and music.
• Playskool Puzzles has more innovative puzzles, better graphics and sounds.
• Magic Tales is more colorful.

NOW, note that the above titles are all on CD-ROM. Within the two disks used for Foo Castle, Mr. O'Connor has done a really good job of introducing multimedia for those who are thinking about purchasing a CD-ROM for their system but want to understand what it's about before they pull out their wallets. But this program is limited by not being available in CD-ROM format.

Final Notes:

1. Some of the scenes may frighten young children:
   • a skeleton that jiggles, then falls and crumbles,
   • bats flying around,
   • a dragon that looks more like a gargoyle,
   • witches and ghosts.

   These overtones are apparently meant to be taken as gentle joking; some folks wouldn't be amused, though. Many three year olds, in particular, are vulnerable to being frightened by such images.

   This title is advertised as being non-violent; I would take exception to that. In one scene, a witch hits the Queen with a lightening bolt and she fizzles/fries. There is no other overt violence, but the eerie feeling persists throughout the upstairs levels.

   Update:

   (Feb. 2, 1998) One reader wrote to let me know that he hasn't been able to access the O'Connor House Software website to order the Foo Trilogy. I tracked down an address/phone number, and after many attempts by us both, he reached Mr. O'Connor's family, who says he passed away last year. They are closing the business, and these programs will no longer be available.

   Jim Connors vehemently denied that the Queen in Foo Castle was actually hit by lightening - he contended that she disappears in a hole in the floor, then reappears, unharmed. We developed an email correspondence that I greatly enjoyed - Jim's wisdom and love for children, particularly his own children and grandchildren, were amazing. We'll miss you, Jim. - C. Sorrels

   

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