I SPY Treasure Hunt [Old Version]

by Scholastic, Inc.

Product Features

• Challenge your child to pick out the clues in the collages -- each clue helps them get closer to finding hidden treasure
• Put all the clues together to get the map
• Explore interesting places like lighthouses, train stations, forts, and more, while using & developing kids' rhyming skill
• Once you're done, you put together the puzzle to go off in search of the treasure left behind by pirates ages ago!
• OS Requirements - Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, XP, Vista, Mac System 7.6.1 or later and OS X (Classic mode only)

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005NN17
• Item model number: 14532
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 13, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,758 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #17 in Software > Outlet
  • #20 in Software > Children's Software > Thinking & Problem Solving
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Pirate's plunder rewards players who discover all of the hidden objects and decipher the riddles in I Spy Treasure Hunt. But there's also a bounty of booty on the path to that treasure as players discover this captivating world where closer inspection invariably reveals a new surprise.

This program is based on the award-winning I Spy books written by Jean Marzollo and photo-illustrated by Walter Wick. From the very beginning, this program immerses players, just as the books do: as a train pulls into the station in the town of Smuggler's Cove, the point-of-view is from inside the passenger car, looking out the window. Once off the train, this quaint seaside town with a secret is yours to explore. Potential riddle spots reveal themselves when a cursor sweep causes an object to respond with movement and sound. A tackle box, a deserted ruin, and a lighthouse are just a few of the 20 spots ripe for discovery. Scenes change swiftly, considering the vast amount of detail each contains. When explorers find a riddle area, a cluttered panorama appears onscreen and a child's voice reads the sentence below that always begins with the phrase "I spy...." Then players must find and click on the objects listed in the sentence. This isn't as easy as it seems; for example, finding three "fours" sounds simple, right? But the task gets complex when one numeral is hidden in the grain of a wooden tabletop, the other is written out in letters on a menu, and the third is a pair of dice showing a three and a one.

Successfully finding all the "I Spy" items in a scene yields a scrap of a treasure map. But building the map doesn't automatically reveal the treasure--that'd be out of keeping with this game's complex character. There are three different treasure-hunting scenarios, and each requires gathering a completely different set of clues around the town of Smuggler's Cove. The attention to detail that the books are famous for is abundantly present here: sound permeates the different "sets," from waves breaking on the shore, to the slow tick of a clock in the general store. Find and click on a skull-and-crossbones--it scowls and growls. Find and click on an oil lamp--it flares up briefly and then goes out with a delicate puff of smoke. And no, you can't cheat by just holding down the mouse button and scanning over a picture hoping to hit a required item. I Spy Treasure Hunt is a wonderfully absorbing program that slyly sneaks in a vast amount of learning. Mapping, reading, rhyming, and problem solving occur incidentally as players are drawn into the mysteries of Smuggler's Cove. And it's the only program we've ever encountered that elegantly illustrates that "four" and "4" and "." + "..." all equal the same thing. (Ages 6 to 10) --Anne Erickson

Product Description

I Spy Treasure Hunt is a great new game that takes kids on a spy adventure through a quaint seaside town.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Fun., September 11, 2002

By 

apoem "apoem" (Bosque Farms, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: I SPY Treasure Hunt [Old Version] (CD-ROM)

This is a fun computer game and very similar to the I Spy books. We have I Spy Haunted Mansion CD as well and I think this one is much better. I would strongly suggest you choose this one over the the Haunted Mansion. Instead of one game as on Haunted Mansion, there are three games with this program. It is fun and I have found myself sitting up late playing it. THe graphics are neat and the sounds are clear and easy to hear. Well worth the time and money.

Enjoy.

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, November 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: I SPY Treasure Hunt [Old Version] (CD-ROM)

My 8 year old grandson loves this game. The only problem is prying him away from the computer when he is playing it. He has numerous other software games (Backyard everthing), but enjoys this the most.

This game will have your child reading, reasoning through clues, and learning new words (for common things like anchor, thimble, etc.). All that and fun too.

Sometimes it takes a second pair of eyes to find an item, so you may be asked to play along. You may find your child is better than you at thinking outside the box.

The game designers were very creative. The game does not wear out as quickly as some computer games, because after all of the clues are gathered and the treasure is found, there are new games with new clues, and new ways to find a new treasure in a new location. The locations for the clues repeat (Inn, Island, Fort, etc.), but each new game is different. My grandson has played for hours on end, locating new clues, and working through the new puzzle to get to the treasure.

We also have I Spy Haunted Mansion, but I recommend this one because of its variety, rich graphics, and creative puzzles.

Note: We are running this on XP with a 2.2 gigahertz processor and 512 meg of RAM with no issues.

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun game, great graphics, February 12, 2002

By 

Emilia Palaveeva "ema-in-seattle" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I SPY Treasure Hunt [Old Version] (CD-ROM)

In the typical I Spy tradition, comes a game with great visuals, that encourages kids to develop their logic and attentiveness. The game consists of three separate riddles. Each of these requires the players to visist different locations and spy several objects. Once this challenge is compelted at each location, the player gets a piece of a map. After visiting all locations, the map is composed and givesd you more clues on where to find the treasure.

The game is really fun. My 4 year old enjoyed finding the objects and putting the maps together with very little help. The graphics are very detailed and alaive.

My only problem with this game is that it has a glitch in the sound. The voice over reading of the riddles is cut off one or two words before the end. This should not be a problem for older kids, but for a 4-5 year olds that cannot read might be a problem.