Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Reviewed by Peter Oliver
Published by Broderbund

Age Group: Age 8 and Up Type: Social Studies Price: $ 30 US

PC version requires:
486-33 8 MB RAM, 1 M 2x CD-ROM, Windows 95, also on Win 3.1, 640x480x256, 640x480xTrue, Mouse

Mac version requires:
Mac, PowerMac versions available.

Description:

If any computer game series has attained institutional status, it's certainly Broderbund's Carmen Sandiego series. The first edition of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? debuted in the early 1980's. It featured then state-of-the-art CGA (!) graphics and came packaged with a copy of the current World Almanac. Since that sensational debut, Carmen has appeared in several more computer games, board games, fast food chain kiddie meals, and, by my count, at least three TV shows. Now the flagship program of the Carmen series is back for its third go round, and this edition not only takes full advantage of the multimedia capabilities of today's computers, it also cleverly features "The Chief," Lynn Thigpen, from the two PBS game shows at her alliterative best ("There's outrage in Ottawa!") in well-produced full-motion video clips.

The Astounding Acme Babel-Link Translator: Installation, Documentation, and Interface

Installation was a snap from the Windows 95 autoplay menu. WWCS copies only 1 MB to the hard drive and runs entirely off the CD. The program will run under either 256 color or 16-bit color settings. Scrolling performance of the animated scenes will be improved on slow machines under 256 colors, but the manual advises that this will degrade the quality of the video. (Note: Broderbund's minimum stated requirements of a 486-33 with 8 MB of RAM appear to be understated. Although I was not able to test the game on a slower machine, the technically identical Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego? was reported to run slowly on a 486-66. To read Cynthia A. Sorrels review of Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego? click here.)

WWCS includes the ample documentation that is a staple of the series. Because the program's interface is so intuitive, the 40-page manual, or "ACME Agent Handbook," was almost superfluous. We used it to learn the function of the "Find" feature, the program's searchable database, and the electronic notepad, which lets players cut and paste their interview results into a handy diary, and that was about it. As always, a copy of the current paperback version of the World Almanac and Book of Facts is included in the package.

The interface is as slick and intuitive as anything you'll find in all of computer gaming. Everything is controlled through the "ACME Babel-Link Translator." One click on a large, clearly marked tab, and another click on the desired function are usually all that are required to perform any action in the game. The keyboard is used only to type in the player's name and for the "Find" feature of the database.

Catching Carmen's Conniving Crook's -- Playing the Game

Player's can use the WWCS program simply to learn geography. Information on any of the 50 countries in the database can be called up directly outside of the detective game. Information on each country includes a nicely drawn map, a picture of the national flag, and either a full-motion video are some still photographs about a particular aspect of that country.

Most players, however, will find it much more fun to get their geography education indirectly through the detective game. Each case begins with an FMV briefing from the Chief ("There's panic in Paris!") who sends you off to the country involved. At that location, and each successive location visited, the player learns the thief's description and current whereabouts by questioning the characters in the game. The animated characters appear before beautiful, 360-degree scrolling backdrops of the locale. The player stops a character for questioning simply by clicking on him or her. Each character can be asked about the thief's current whereabouts and appearance. When a player gets enough information to learn the thief's current location, "Fly By Night" travel can be called up from the Translator and it's on to the next country.

The geography lesson comes in because the characters don't simply tell the player what country the thief is in. Instead, they give the player geographical clues, such as the name of a city, river, language, tribe, or other geographical feature of that country. The player must deduce the proper country from that information. The player can use the "Find" feature to determine the country from the game's database, but that runs down the Translator's batteries. Run them down all the way and you lose the case. So instead the player can build up almanac searching skills by consulting the printed book to find the necessary information.

Gradually the player will put together a description of the suspect. Each piece of information is entered in the Translator's "Digisketch." When all the Digisketch information is complete, the player can have the warrant issued. After the warrant is issued, finding and clicking on the suspect is all that's needed to make the arrest. At any location along the way, the player can call up an "ACME Good Guide," who will provide a guided tour of the locale. The Good Guide can also be consulted to verify the player's warrant information before an arrest is made.

Players start out as rookie gumshoes and earn promotions from the Chief as they accumulate arrests. Periodically an arrested thief will drop a clue as to Carmen's description. When the player gets promoted to "Super Sleuth," the Chief will offer the player the chance to nab Carmen herself. Successfully nabbing Carmen earns the player a spot in the Hall of Fame and ends the game. That will take a while though, because it takes fully 39 arrests to work your way up to Super Sleuth and the clues get tougher as you go!

Capturing Carmen -- Reactions

WWCS is computer gaming at its best. It has great graphics, it's splendidly presented, the sound and music are wonderful, and, most importantly, it's simply a lot of fun to play. The subject matter may be a few years beyond our 4-year-old's level, but he enjoys simply watching and listening to the game. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad have a lot of fun playing the game together after the kids are in bed. We're learning more about geography than we ever did in our school years, and even when its well past any reasonable bed time for parents of young kids, Mom and Dad are saying, "Just one more." Now how many kids' computer games can you say that about?

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