Adventures with Kanga Roddy: The Journey to Snow Mountain

by Victory Multimedia

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004TKW8
• Item model number: BC96300
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 10, 2002
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,281 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From Children's Software Revue® -- "Subscribe Now!"

A friendly kangaroo named Kanga Roddy and his other buddies are featured in this unusual CD. The characters and storyline are based on a TV series (that our testers were not familiar with) focused on helping children deal with their emotions. The CD uses footage of the characters from the show, including child and adult actors. One of the kids feels like he has no talents, and goes to Uncle Pats' to find out what makes him unique. While exploring, children play several simple, crudely designed but fun games that are supposed to represent what each of the show's characters likes to do. There are several simple arcade-ish games. In one, kids try to hit a soccer ball past a goalie. (Testers found that by consistently sending the ball to the right that they couldn't lose.) In another activity, children help a character avoid obstacles while surfing. Some mad lib-like stories are entertaining but tough for younger kids to follow. Children will also find simple coloring book pages, open-ended music activities and puzzles, all of which are enjoyable but somewhat clunky. There's a sign-in that doesn't seem to have a save function- in fact, kids have to listen to the intro and instructions each time they play.
Teaches: logic, timing, social skills
Age Range: 4-8 Copyright © 2000 Children's Software Revue

Amazon.com Review

Imagine Barney with a dash of New Age mysticism and a penchant for kung fu, and you've got marsupial martial artist Kanga Roddy, a popular public-television star in California. Unlike products designed to hone kids' educational skills, such as reading or math, Adventures with Kanga Roddy focuses on teaching emotional intelligence--qualities such as honor, respect, and compassion.

Kids must explore Kanga Roddy's world sequentially, beginning in a place blandly named the Activity Fair; here they meet Tommy, woeful because he doesn't have a special skill like the other kids at the fair. Then it's on to Uncle Pat's Bookstore and a door leading to the magical land of Hi-Ya. Each of the three areas features 10 hidden games and many clips from the show. The games range from simplistic, aim-the-soccer-ball-into-the-net tasks to more complicated fare, such as changing stories by inserting new words or trying to outwit the Spirit Stone Puzzler. These games don't do much to increase emotional intelligence, but the clips from the show--especially the ones featuring Pat Morita--are a delight.

Tommy's journey of self-discovery is the thread that links all the areas and helps this CD-ROM live up to its philosophical premise. However, the producers could have worked harder to make the activities appropriate to the concept; coloring predrawn pictures and hitting baseballs thrown by Kanga Roddy are activities that seem designed to entertain more than develop emotional intelligence.

Some kids are bound to be frustrated by the fact that they can't simply click ahead and see what happens in Kanga Roddy's world; if so, just cryptically say, "Patience, Grasshopper," and leave them to their exploration. If Kanga Roddy does his job, they'll respect you for it in the end. (Ages 4 to 8) --Anne Erickson