The Great Galaxy Grid Game

Reviewed by Cynthia A. Sorrels
Published by Ohio Distinctive Software

Age Group: Age 2 to 5, Age 4 to 8
Type: Thinking Games, Science
Price: $10

Description:

Hey, Space Kid! Ready for the wildest trip through space ever? Well, we now have the technology to send one special space kid to all the places we had only dreamed of going - and it could be YOU! But don't think this is going to be easy because first you've got to get through some nasty looking space traps and later, you'll need all the logic and brain power you can muster. Good luck! Next time we meet, you could be an experienced Space Commander.

Features:

Carefully choose your way through the grids to the space ship and look out for red holes.
Gather information about the planet you'll be visiting.
Locate probes and analyze their data.
Work your way up through the ranks to Space Commander.

Technical Aspects:

We had no problems with installation or gameplay on our iMac DV-SE, which has 128M RAM. It would likely run fine on much lesser systems, even those old 486 series sitting in the garage. The graphics appear on a black background, and the interface makes it easy to maneuver.

Report and Conclusions:

If there's a space buff at your house, they'll love this program! My 6 year old son, Ryan, was amazed that he could "do it" and finagle his way through the grids to the planets and learn more space facts. What he didn't know is that he was practicing logic and higher thinking skills while he picked up information about the solar system.

The company includes the Teacher's Manual on the disk for parental convenience, and all-in-all, presents a nicely structured activity balanced with basic content regarding the planets of our solar system. Geez, all that and a great price, to boot. :)