Customer Reviews

Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? Classic

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

As a teacher, I love to see kids getting an opportunity to play fun educational games on the computer. However, it is difficult to find many edutainment software titles that are age-appropriate for 9 - 12 year olds. Good, learning-focused software for this age group is often competing with the endless world of games - Playstation, X-Box, etc. Programs that will appeal to kids in this age range have to be entertaining and visually sophisticated, as well as provide educational value. "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?" does this and does it quite well. Featuring sophisticated graphics and a compelling storyline, Carmen delivers an energetic mix that combines solid, skill-building activities with an intriguing plot.
Carmen offers kids an exceptional method of learning about the world in an educational but entertaining manner. The game will really test their skills as geographers. While trying to hunt down bad guys, they learn about cultures, history, languages, and locations. Because the kids are exposed to geography facts within the framework of adventure, the learning opportunities are fantastic. While kids learn key facts about 50 countries - their geography and history - they also read maps, exercise deductive reasoning, develop reading and research skills, follow directions, and collect data. It is easy to recognize the program exercises their higher-level thinking skills.
I found this program reinforces the very skills I am trying to teach - how to get kids to think and apply the higher-level thinking skills. Beware! They learn to think! They have fun! It is the best of both worlds for them and me, and I love it!!

This game really tests your skills as a geographist! Learning about cultures, history, locations all while trying to hunt down the bad guy. If you don't know your facts, look it up. But becareful, because you only have a certain amount of time before your translater loses it's battery! And when you don't feel like chasing the crooks you can travel the world with a guide to show you around the neighborhood! Bon Voyage!

i have this software about 7 years ago and my nephew was only 8 years old then but he just loved playing the game. he used to play it everytime he comes home from school that he soon got to learn about the different places in the world, learn about world geography:the peoples, cultures & products of the different countries. and most of all, he just loved catching the crooks and really had a fun time with the game. even his mother and my other sister also enjoyed playing the game with him. two years after that however, a virulent virus "killed" my software of carmen sandiego and so my younger nieces didn't get the chance to enjoy it as much as their older brother did. i've been looking for this kind of software ever since but i guess it was not just available here in our country (or maybe it's just very difficult to look for one here). i've found out that it is available at amazon.com and, boy, i'm so glad!

Carmen Sandiego is a very good learnig game, because the player must find out where certain cities are in certain countries. The game provents you from geussing, because there is a time-limmit.
The game also test your skills: based upon knowing alternitive words, for the basic words a child would know.
The game also teaches a child different langueges to play the game, it really isn't hard to do that. The basics to the game is that you fly to different places over the world asking where the crook might be, and what they look like. Once the player has issued a warrent, they must areest the crook. Good Luck!!

Little did I know that this game would bring so much fun in many ways. It is the best type of game I have seen for learning. My child keeps coming back for more after he tires of all the other games in his inventory. It is fresh and not competitive. You don't have any guns, weapons or blood. Now that I love. So will you.

I was hoping this was the version of Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego that I had previously owned. But nope, this version sucks rocks.

Even as old as the game is now, and how long ago I bought it, I still have the urge to play it every now and then. It is addicting and educational at the same time. It isnt too easy nor too hard which is why my little brother adores it, loving the cartoon-like characters that he gets to direct. Technically, the game is good. I had no trouble installing it on several different machines, and there were hardly any problems playing it. It's definetly worth the money.

I love this game. While chasing Carmen and her gang around the world, you come across funny characters, puzzling clues, interesting locations, and you learn a lot about geography and history at the same time! They did a magnificent job on this game - I wish I could find that missing last disk so I could install it again on my new computer!

This game is hokier than the classic version. The dialouge between the ACME agents is somewhat painful, albeit usually educational. For those who are looking to walk down memory lane, you may be disappointed. Unlike the old games where you would hunt down minions, & work your way up the ranks to hunting Carmen herself, this is 1 overarching case made up of several mini missions. I actually like that take on the game. The interface is completely different now as well. Rather than questioning witnesses and getting clues of the next step, the game mostly requires the agents to click on hotspots and retrieve scraps of notes that are, well, rather blunt. Gone are the days of a slow-build to revealing the solution with a broad clue that applies to a region and more specific clues that eventually narrow down the location you need.

Each mini-mission takes approximately 30 minutes and there is apparently no way to save the game until the mission has been completed. For that matter, even after certain missions have been completed, the game will not save. It could not be more frustrating to keep replaying the same missions over and over.

In sum, this game appears to be dumbed down quite a bit from many of the other mystery/problem solving games out there. The key clues needed to solve many of the puzzles are automatically put front and center after the puzzle has been selected so it takes little thought to solve them. It's also impossible to lose Carmen's trail. All the player has to do is contact the chief and she just point blank tells you "Go here. Do this." I think the game would be more challenging (and educational) if the Chief would give hints, perhaps for security purposes. Maybe for younger players, that direct approach is necessary, but I find it hard to believe that 12 year-olds need to be so directly walked through the story.

Finally, please note that this game was copyrighted in 2001, so on a visit to New York City, you will see the Twin Towers, not only standing, but as a point of discussion.

this is awful!!!
I had played the original game -- about fifteen years ago I think-- which was a very intelligent set of geography puzzles and hours of fun.
This "new version" has taken a great concept and destroyed it by thinning the content to a point of triviality and replacing it with a mindless cartoon storyline that often goes into repeated inanities and makes no sense whatsoever.
Where in the World is the REAL Carmen Santiego???