Bruce Von Stiers

What adult has not had exposure to Curious George and the man in the big yellow hat? There have been books, toys videos and even computer programs based on the lovable little monkey Knowledge Adventure has rolled out a whole new adventure for Curious George. It is called Curious George Downtown Adventure. The game is for children ages 3 through 6.

In this game, Curious George and the man in the big yellow hat have made their way downtown. A lot of activity is going on there. Through a series of connected mishaps, a lot of things are messed up downtown. Guess whose fault that is? The child playing the game must help George right all the wrongs that he has caused.

There are four distinct areas of the game in which Curious George can do things. There is Downtown of course, the Candy Factory, the Park and the Circus. Each of these areas has specific tasks that George will have to accomplish in order to move on.

You will find as Curious George starts to put things back together Downtown, that he doesn’t have something he needs. You will have to get him to another area in the game to pick up what is needed.

There are several learning functions that Curious George Downtown Adventure performs. Critical Thinking functions are accomplished by figuring out how to get Curious George to the right platform or pick up the appropriate object. Logic and Reasoning tools are used in determining the right piece of equipment or element to help George accomplish his task. And the game promotes friendship through the appreciation that the town’s people give Curious George as he fixes the things he messed up.

To help Curious George out, there are items like ladders, bowling ball, trampolines and kites. Place the object in the path that Curious George needs to go, and it will somehow assist him. Use a kite to help Curious George get a girl’s kite out of a tree in the park. Place a conveyer belt section at the Candy Factory to get Curious George from one section of the factory to the other. Use a combination of bowling ball, kite, ladder and trampoline to help Curious George get a kite to a man trapped on a ledge.

If you get stuck along the way, click on the Light Bulb on the menu sidebar. It will show you where to place the objects. I had to use it a time or two to figure out the puzzle. Just proves I’m not as smart as I thought I was.

As a reward for doing well, Curious George is awarded bananas. There the Curiosity Meter to keep track of the amount of bananas that Curious George has accumulated. Certificates can be earned and even printed based on the number of bananas Curious George has collected.

The program also comes with two mini books about Curious George. The titles of the books are Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory and Curious George in the Big City.

Curious George Downtown Adventure is a delightful educational opportunity for young children. It has puzzles that are fun and some that are not so easy to do. And the program comes from a leader in children’s educational software.

Curious George Downtown Adventure has a suggested retail price of $ 19.99 U.S. You should be able to find it on stores shelves just about now. If not, visit the Knowledge Adventure web site to order a copy. Their site is www.education.com.