Joseph Szadkowski

ROMper ROOM: Making the SAT less scary

For any high school student even thinking about college, one of the hurdles is getting past the stress-inducing SAT.

September 28, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Comic Book Tattoo blends art and music

Zadzooks reviews Comic Book Tattoo from Image Comics and Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Visual Guide from DK Publishing

September 25, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Bob the Builder helps make learning fun

A review of Bob the Builder Can-Do Zoo from Brighter Minds Media, Active Life: Outdoor Challenge from Namco Bandai and Lock's Quest from THQ

September 21, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Star Wars, The Force Unleashed review

A player controls Darth Vader's apprentice Galen Marek in the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Zadzooks reviews the PlayStation 3 version of the game.

September 15, 2008

ROMper ROOM: A Pajama party for kids

An award-winning superhero from the world of PC edutainment makes his debut on Nintendo's Wii entertainment console in Pajama Sam: Don't Fear the Dark (Majesco Entertainment, for Wii, $29.99).

September 14, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Scott Hepburn tackles ‘The Clone Wars’

Profiling members of the comic book industry, this month Zadzooks interviews artist Scott Hepburn.

September 11, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Evolver makes math concepts fun

A desperate mission to contain a military biotech experiment challenges players' targeting and numerical problem-solving skills in Math Evolver, Virus Origin (Topics Learning and Tabula Digita, for Mac and PC, $29.99).

September 7, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Clones at war again

Zad's Toy Vault reviews Hasbro's General Grievous action figure, the Clone Wars: Ultimate Lightsaber, Clone Trooper Voice Changer and Lego's Republic Attack Gunship.

September 4, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Didj customizes learning

Touted as the first customizable educational gaming system, Leapfrog's handheld Didj ($89.99, requires four AA batteries) is a logical maturation of the company's preschool product, the Leapster.

August 31, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Swords cast world into strife

The world's greatest warriors battle for control of two powerful swords in Soulcalibur IV ($59.99). Namco Bandai Games America Inc. takes its three-dimensional fighting game franchise to new visual levels through the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 entertainment systems.

August 28, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Fun on menu in Order Up!

Culinary entrepreneurs virtually hone cooking skills while managing restaurants in Order Up! (Zoo Games and SuperVillain Studios, for Wii, $39.99).

August 24, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Thor sets heavens on Earth

I have not loved the Marvel mythos of Thor since I was 6 years old and my dad bought me a Kenner projector with a Thor cartoon and supplemented it with a comic book featuring Thor versus the Circus of Crime.

August 21, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Kids tell own tales with V-Tech system

VTech's Disney Create-A-Story early reading system ($49.99 requires two AA batteries) is another product in the growing stable of edutainment systems that places the power of reading in young hands.

August 17, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Hellboy players on the attack

Superhero and cartoon characters have become integral parts of the electronic entertainment industry. With this in mind, I salute the meld of pop-culture character and video game with a look at some ...

August 14, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Learn life lessons with Jumpstart

A friendly group of animated animals teaches children the finer points of life in Jumpstart Advanced Preschool World (Knowledge Adventure for PCs with a minimum Pentium III processor using XP or Vista operating systems, $29.99).

August 10, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Chemistry Set writer Dougan has lots of stories to tell

By day, he is a mild-mannered economics consultant. By night, Jim Dougan dons the cowl of sequential-art writer and occasional self-publisher.

August 7, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Find recipe for new world

History's greatest leaders take center stage as they "build an empire to stand the test of time" in Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution(2K Games and Firaxis, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, $59.99).

August 3, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Hellboy toys are hot stuff

Thanks to the proliferation of film, comic book and cartoon characters, companies are bombarding consumers with an incredible selection of action figures. Let's take a peek at of the latest from Mezco Toyz and Dark Horse Comics for "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."

July 31, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Reading is easier with help from Frog

LeapFrog's Tag Reading System ($50, requires two AA batteries) combines the style and portability of big brother's Fly Pen with the extremely popular Leap Pad learning system to help children in preschool through third grade with reading and comprehension skills.

July 27, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Hellboy: Behind the scenes

Pull up a chair, break out the sarcasm filter and welcome to Mr. Zad's comic critique, featuring Dark Horse Comics' world of Hellboy including Hellboy II: The Art of the Movie and B.P.R.D.: The Ectoplasmic Man.

July 24, 2008