Science is awesome!
This is the third entry in a series of educational games that started with Millie's Math House and continued with Bailey's Book House. Like the first two titles, this one is a fine attempt at getting kids to learn about science and is thus well worth a look. As before, this is basically a collection of science-themed activities and games, all built around the character of Sammy Snake. Each activity has two different modes to try out, one which encourages the player to explore the selected concept and experiment, and a second which is more guided and which asks players to carry out specific activities with instructions. The games here include the Acorn Pond, which teaches users about the seasons and the animals which live in the pond; the Weather Machine introduces various meteorological concepts; and Make-A-Movie encourages creativity through the creation of mini films. The game as a whole aims to teach a number of core skills, like pattern recognition, observation, and logic, and in this respect it is highly successful. As far as educational games go, this is top notch stuff. The range of games and activities is broad and all are entertaining and useful, with some genuinely interesting things to learn and which should keep players hooked for some time. The presentation is great, with some nice characters to engage audiences, while the control system is simple and accessible, requiring little more than pointing, clicking and dragging. When you throw in the encouraging remarks from the characters, you have a first rate bit of edutainment.
