Logical Journey of the Zoombinis

Reviewed by Cynthia A. Sorrels
Published by Broderbund

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Age Group: Age 8 and Up
Type: Math
Price: 39.95

Description:

Broderbund's Logical Journey of the Zoombinis begins when the inhabitants of Zoombini Isle decide to get out of town permanently. It seems that these formerly happy campers met up with The Bloats, who took over their island, their businesses and generally pushed people around until the little blue guys (Zoombinis) decided to escape and build a new home far away. Only 16 Zoombinis can leave at a time and they need your help to get to their new home.

The adventure begins on Zoombini Isle where you must recruit a band of 16 Zoombinis who want to escape. They can be recruited automatically or made up one at a time. When ready, click the GO button to continue on...

Availability

This program is available on a hybrid Windows/Mac CD-ROM. Those folks at Broderbund are always thinking!

Installation Notes:

The installation was no problem; one interesting thing is that Windows 95 Autoplay can be switched on or off, which is nice. It requires Quick Time for Windows and the files are contained on the CD; updating the version of Quick Time took only a few minutes.

Sound and Graphics

The Zoombini music is very catchy, but not overwhelming, and it changes throughout the game. The sound and sound effects can be toggled on or off. Most of the sound effects are Zoombini chatter but it's quite soft - I could never tell what they were saying.

The animated sequences ran very smoothly, even though the machine used was less than the required system configuration. There were no problems with sound or graphics noted. Some of the load times were a bit sluggish, but the game play was fine.

Documentation

The documentation for this title is excellent. The game scenes are explained in detail, with screenshots throughout. There's also a special section for parents, information on how to reach mathematical organizations to learn more, explanations of what mathematical concepts are addressed, and a chart of math topics/skills. There's also the usual technical help, several pages worth.

Levels of Play

When you get a full band of 16 Zoombinis get through each of the 3 puzzles on a section of the journey, you are automatically moved to the next level of play. The transition screens between puzzles show a change of trail color depending on the level. The four levels are: Not So Easy, Oh So Hard, Very Hard and Very, Very Hard. Once you complete a level, you may not return to a puzzle at that level unless you're in Practice Mode.

Game Options

Dialog and Sound Effects - and Background Music - can be turned off or left on. Sticky Mouse - Click on a Zoombini, then move it around the screen without having to hold the mouse button down. Transitions - turn off this option to skip the Map transitions. Hidden Options - Press "?" to access the Options menu. Animations can be turned off and on. Practice mode allows practice of any game at any level with a random band of Zoombinis. Hints can be given at most puzzles or levels.

Losing Zoombinis

Sometimes Zoombinis don't make it through a puzzle and are temporarily lost in the wilderness. Don't worry, they go back to the last Base Camp! You can go back and pick them up there later, then continue on.

The Big, The Bad, and the Hungry Trail

The first leg of the journey for the Zoombinis brings them to Allergic Cliffs. Here are two bridges who are known to have bad allergies to some Zoombini features. One sneeze sends a Zoombini bouncing back off the bridge. When this happens, a peg holding the bridges springs loose and drops off - so what IS it about certan Zoombinis that makes these cliffs sneeze?

Stone Cold Caves The Zoombinis must enter one of the four caves. Bring one to the highlighted spot and watch it go up unless one of the stone guards interferes. There are only so many chances to find the right entrance before an avalanche!

Pizza Pass In the clearing, the Zoombinis meet Arno the Almost Omnivorous, who is a Pizza-Eating Tree Troll. And he wants a perfect pizza. NOW! Try to choose the toppings you think he'll like by running the Pizza Machine. Arno will take care of the rest! But look out, he knocks Zoombinis way off in the distance if he loses patience with the pizza.

Shelter Rock Base Camp Here's a campsite with hot soup, a quiet place to rest. There's a Shelter to house the Zoombinis while they wait to continue the journey. You do need to have 16 Zoombinis to begin the next phase of the journey. If there are fewer than 16, you will have to go back to Zoombini Isle to bring the next group.

Whose Bayou? - The Trek North

Captain Cajun's Ferryboat This Captain is VERY particular about seating arrangements! He'll throw folks off if you don't pay attention. It's going to be almost like musical chairs around here for awhile. Place a Zoombini on one of the seats; pay attention if the Captain protests, though.

Titanic Tattooed Toads You've never seen lily pads like this! The aerial view makes the Zoombinis appear tiny as you look down on the lily pads. The Titanic Tattooed Toads will give the Zoombinis a ride - if a toad is placed on its correct lily pad path, it hops across to the far bank of the marsh, drops off the Zoombinis and swims back. Placement on an incorrect path will result in the Zoombini and frog being stuck in the marsh.

Stone Rise Zoombinis must be placed in a certain way to activate the stones and get out of the river bed! They must complete an electrical connection - then the stones turn red as power surges. Then the Zoombinis see the stones rise and they all scramble over the embankment.

The Southern Trek - The Deep, Dark Forest

Fleens! Fleens are the Zoombinis' mutant cousins whose genetic makeup was altered by a bad batch of hair mousse. Here, you click on a Zoombini and bring it along the path until the spot highlights. Release the Zoombinis there and they do the rest. You will need to figure out which type of Fleen chases which type of Zoombini - and it isn't easy!

Hotel Dimensia The Zoombinis found a hotel for the night! Ulla Instantaneous, a big band leader/hotel keeper, greets them happily. Each Zoombini needs to find a room for the night before Ulla closes the hotel for the night. Place a Zoombini on the ledge outside a room - if the Zoombini drops off, it needs to try another room. Those who find their rooms are destined to spend a wonderful night serenaded by Ulla's jazz band. Refreshing!

Mudball Wall If you're interested, this section can be previewed at Broderbund's website. Just click on the company name at the beginning of this review and you can try it for yourself. It does require Shockwave and Netscape Navigator to play online, but you can download a demo and play offline. Broderbund has created a wonderful Zoombini website, lots of additional information is there, not just a rehash of the documentation!

Here, the Zoombinis must get over a wall. The machine creates mudballs that can be colored and stamped with a shape. If the mudballs hit a target on the wall, a Zoombinis, or two or three, will be catapulted over the wall. This is really fun!

Shade Tree Base Camp This area is similar to the campsite encountered earlier in the game. You need 16 Zoombinis to go on from here - or you can go back to Shelter Rock or Zoombini Isle for recruits. You're getting close to the new homeland!

The Mountains of Despair - The Subterranean Journey

The Lion's Lair The Zoombinis are creeping along a winding path through dark caves. There are strange writings along the wall. Eventually, they come to a lighted cavern; the only way out is guarded by a large stone lion. The Zoombinis need to find their correct places along the path - if you put it in a wrong spot, it is flipped through a secret tunnel and pops up in a correct place. Careful, though - there are only so many chances before the gate comes crashing down!

Mirror Machine Deeper into the mountains, the Zoombinis find an enchanted cavern with a mysterious machine. They must go down the rail path past the central mirror. Place a Zoombini on the mining cart, choose a crystal plate Zoombini image and place it into the crystal. Then pull the lever on the mining cart. If both the Zoombini and crystal image are placed correctly, the cart whisks across the rail. Click on the lever to continue.

Bubblewonder Abyss Finally, the Zoombinis come to the most dangerous part of the journey; teetering on narrow ledges of a chasm, they have no clear way to get to the other side. To get across, click on a Zoombini and place it on the arrow when it highlights. The Zoombini is then encased in a bubbleship to float through. IF the right Zoombini is launched at the right time, there are no problems getting across.

ZOOMBINIVILLE!

The Zoombinis have found the perfect place to build! As more Zoombinis arrive, you'll see a small, prosperous town with houses appearing! If you bring a full band of 16 Zoombinis through one entire leg of the journey, a special building is constructed to commemorate the Zoombini's perseverance and fortitude.

So now? Go free more Zoombinis! There are several hundred waiting to be set free! Will you do it? Can you win all 16 reward buildings? We'll see...

FWIW...

(that's "for what it's worth" for any newbies out there.) My hope is that TERC and Broderbund are developing Zoombini programs for preschoolers and for those over 12 as well. This game will appeal to girls and to boys - there are, after all, girl Zoombinis on this adventure! Now I need to go thank Mike Salvatore at Broderbund for allowing me to review this one. It's a definite "keeper."