In a world of ultraviolent video games, where dexterity of the thumb and index finger is infinitely more important than the flexing of the cerebrum, there must be a place for children and their parents to interact and actually learn something from that overpriced multimedia computer/gaming system. Take a deep breath and enter the ROMper Room, where learning is a four-letter word — cool.
Marvel Comics’ famed web slinger helps educate children through a computer that integrates games, school skills and themes from his latest movie adventure.
The Spider-Smart Learning Laptop features a familiar red-and-blue exterior with a mug of the hero plastered squarely on its lid. When opened, it sports illustrations of the new film’s major villains with more images of Spider-Man that all light up.
Geared for children 4 years old and older, the laptop uses a standard but small-hands-friendly keyboard, directional pad and embedded 4-by-2.5-inch monochromatic backlit LCD screen.
Once the owner types in his name, an enthusiastic male narrator describes the escape of archvillains Sandman, Venom and the New Goblin and offers players access to eight learning zones with 48 activities.
For example, under the School Zone, students get 11 activities ranging from letter identification to opposites to addition and subtraction to fill-in-the-blank permutations. Games include standard fare such as Pong, Tic-Tac-Toe and mazes, while a Smart Zone features more puzzlers.
What distinguishes this laptop from similarly priced ones is memory to create a personalized list of words, numbers and equations. It also has a limited English-to-Spanish translation button on some exercises and attempts to introduce youngsters to instant messaging, e-mail and screen savers, though it’s pretty feeble and offers little explanation.
The aggravating aspect of this device begins with the action, which is brought to life with gray pixels on an unimpressive screen. At some point, companies such as KIDdesigns, Oregon Scientific and V-Tech will have to break down and embed color displays with decent resolutions. I find it hard to believe this could not be implemented at an affordable price.
Additionally, the two-page user manual does little to enlighten parents about some of the laptop’s better attributes, and a “video” key doesn’t offer anything resembling what modern humans would call video but instead features pixilated segments of pigs in action or bowling rather than themes from the Spider-Man universe.
While on the topic of licensed authenticity, because the laptop is based on “Spider-Man 3,” it would have been nice to get some dialogue snippets from the film or even decent sound effects incorporated into the cerebral action.
When compared to Oregon Scientific’s Superman and Batman laptops, my young tester preferred the DC Comics’ heroes product because of flashier designs, including how the Man of Steel’s laptop opens magically with a wave of the hand to a fanfare of music.
However, the Spider-Smart product still features a decent amount of content at a cheaper price, and parents will appreciate the personalization of challenge sets.
Spider-Smart Learning Laptop from KIDdesigns, stand-alone product that uses four AA batteries (included), $39.99.
A pair of treats
Here are two multimedia items for the entire family:
• “The History Channel Presents the Civil War,” from New Video for DVD-enabled computers and home entertainment centers, $49.99. Spanning six discs, this DVD set collects the 1990s television series “Civil War Journal” and “Civil War Combat” to help examine the bloodiest conflict ever to occur in America.
The programs are not simply a dry history lesson, though plenty of experts and scholars offer overviews, but are brought to life through narrated diary entries and letters from the combatants, photos and plenty of re-enactments from such famous battles as Antietam, Gettysburg, Cold Harbor and Shiloh.
The eight-episode “Journal” series, hosted by actor Danny Glover, is especially rewarding with shows that look at how many of the commanders of the Civil War were friends at West Point and Sherman’s “march to the sea,” along with great biographies on Robert E. Lee, John Brown and Stonewall Jackson.
The package includes a full-color 24-page book on the war that doesn’t make up for the woeful lack of extras and zero PC interactive content tied to the History Channel’s robust Web site.
Although not as endearing as Ken Burns’ opus, but still offering an impact, the DVD set provides 10 hours of history for the Civil War student.
• Marvel Heroes Comic Book Creator, from Planetwide Games for PC, $29.99.
With the likes of Ghost Rider, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four in theaters, it would be nice actually to empower tykes to appreciate the roots of these classic sequential-art characters.
Now youngsters get the chance through a simple drag-and-drop art program that enables them to design colorful multipage comic books and share them via hard-copy printouts, PDF e-mails or Web postings.
With an interface of menus that offers access to 100 page templates, 300 character poses of such stalwarts as Spider-Man, Wolverine and Elektra, and plenty of Marvel-themed clip art and logos, the creator simple pulls elements onto pages, sizes up the action and characters, drops in dialogue boxes, and adds text to explain his complex story.
Additionally, he can import his own art elements to personalize the saga and even toss in some sounds or animations culled from the mighty Marvel universe.
Its a beautiful program that immediately turns a PC (Windows 2000 or better) into a one-stop sequential-art publishing shop.
ROMper Room is a column devoted to finding the best of multimedia “edutainment.” Write to Joseph Szadkowski, The Washington Times, 3600 New York Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20002; call 202/636-3016; or send e-mail (jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com).
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