Power Rangers Activity Center
Reviewed by Cynthia A. Sorrels
Published by Gryphon Software

Age Group: Age 4 to 8 Type: Thinking Games Price: $ 39.99 US

PC version requires:
486-66 8 MB RAM, 2x CD-ROM, Windows 95, also on Windows 3.1, 640x480x256

Mac version requires:
Version is available.

Description:

The Zeo Power Rangers have been popular in my home over the past few months, since the kids discovered these superheroes on afternoon television. At first, they tried out some of the martial arts moves but realized pretty quickly that they fall over with each attempt! This mom is not thrilled with the violence in the episodes, but then, it's the ultimate "Man vs. Machine" conflict. And the female Rangers work and play every bit as enthusiastically as do the males - Saban Entertainment seems to understand that girls enjoy being invincible too.

So on to a description of this title: Gryphon Software have done a great job of bringing the Power Rangers to life, without repeating the activities from the Batman and Robin Activity Center. The main menu is called the Viewing Globe, and shows the three areas for kids to play: Angel Grove, Machine Skybase, and the Power Chamber. Each of these places features three activities to check out.

Features:

• Angel Grove has a spelling game with Skull and Bulk, Front Page News, and a Movie Theatre, where you can catch the latest action from Angel Grove and beyond!
• Machine Skybase features King Mondo's Puzzles - a slider, jigsaw, and word search.
• Power Chamber - with the Gold Ranger Conzordtration game (guess what THAT is?) and the Zeonizer...a coloring book.
• Each game or puzzle has three levels of difficulty.

The title works with Windows 95 Autoplay, installed without problems, but on almost every session, our machine froze (crashed) at some point. This was quite a disappointment, and it was quite unpredictable, never happening at the same place in the game. We explained to our 4 year old that King Mondo had turned Cogs loose in our computer - hey, that's as good as any other explanation! Much less complicated than a discussion about our vanishing hard disk, too.

Reactions:

If your child, boy or girl, is into Power Rangers, they'll love this title. My own kids have spent hours playing with the various games, and it appeals to a good range of ages. Younger kids love concentration and the coloring book - older kids will enjoy the word searches. The Movie Theatre is another favorite here, they have a wonderful time playing the actual video clips over and over...

The educational games do focus on education, without being drills. They're fun, and besides, when was the last time you were rewarded with getting to see a Power Morph? Of course, you'll be immersed in PR lingo, but if your kids are fans, you're already in the midst of it. Just listen to Zordon and stay away from King Mondo, the Power Rangers will sort everything else out!

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