Curious Calvin in the Treasure of Bulstrode Castle (UK Version)

PC version requires:
Windows 95/98; 486, 16MB RAM, 256 colour 640 x 480 display, 8 bit sound card

Mac version requires:
PowerPC, 12MB RAM, 256 colour 640 x 480 display, 8 bit sound card

Description:

Ransom Publishing, Ltd. has released a set of educational titles based on the BBC Little Monsters cartoon and designed to support National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. The series features characters with descriptive alliterative names such as Rude Roger, Greedy Graham and Perfect Prudence. Curious Calvin in The Treasure of Bulstrode Castle emphasizes writing for four- and five-year-olds. A mysterious treasure map, magic rooms, talking books, pirates and ghosts lend atmosphere to this adventure set in a spooky castle.

Features:

• Characters familiar from television and books
• Activities support the National Curriculum
• Sticker book reward system works in concert with other Little Monsters titles

Technical Aspects:

Graphics are simple, bright cartoons. Audio is easily understood and includes appropriate background music and sound effects. Most if not all activities could be performed by hearing-impaired users, although the introductions and explanations are audio only and would require translation.

Report and Conclusions:

Curious Calvin in The Treasure of Bulstrode Castle begins with Calvin just outside the castle. Naturally inquisitive about what his computer buddy looks like, Calvin provides an opportunity to create a cartoon with limited choices in hairstyle, facial features and clothing. Once that mystery is solved, Calvin's curiosity is further piqued by the discovery of a treasure map. Some of the instructions are missing, though, and only through solving various mysteries of the castle can the missing pieces be assembled and the treasure found.

There are six activities to complete before going to the dungeon to find the secret treasure. The level of difficulty varies widely in the activities. For example, in the magic letter room the user is asked to match letters that are written on a board by picking the same letter from an alphabetic list at the bottom of the screen. The visitor's book in the library is far more challenging. After locating the visitor's book, the user is asked to enter name, address, birthdate, current day of the week, and to write comments about the castle mystery. This from four- and five-year-olds? Likewise, in the gift shop the user is asked to send a postcard to TV Trevor. In order to complete the activity, a child needs to know where a postcard is addressed and where salutation, body and signature should go. The user is given limitless opportunity to move the components about, but it still seems pretty ambitious for the preschool set.

The user may check his or her progress at any time by checking a "sticker book," which adds a sticker for every activity completed. The sticker book also includes a page for every other character in the series. As a parent, I'm not crazy about the potential for pressure to acquire the rest of the series to get all the stickers. I would rather that the extra pages be left out unless another title is purchased.

After finishing the activities and assembling the instructions, gameplay progresses to the dungeon where a helpful ghost guides the user to the treasure, which turns out to be a book entitled "1001 Interesting Facts for Children." The book spouts a few of fascinating tidbits before "The End" appears on the screen. That's it folks -- no replayability factor whatsoever.

Familiarity with the Little Monsters may be necessary to fully appreciate this title, and it may be that use of Curious Calvin in The Treasure of Bulstrode Castle within the series is a better experience than as a stand-alone title.