Disney's The Emperor's New Groove: Groove Center

PC version requires:
200 MHz Pentium, 32 MB RAM, 100 MB HD, 8x CD-ROM, Windows 95/98, 16-bit color DirectX compatible 2 MB video card, 16-bit DirectX compatible sound

Mac version requires:
233 MHz G3 processor, 32 MB RAM, 100 MB HD space, 8x CD-ROM, Operating System 8.5 through 9.x

Description:

The latest release in Disney Interactive's line of activity centers is The Emperor's New Groove: Groove Center. The Emperor's New Groove tells the story of Kuzco, a spoiled young ruler who has plans to turn the surrounding farmland into a waterpark. Kuzco's plans are interrupted, however, when his scheming advisor, Yzma, and her sidekick, Kronk, attempt to usurp his power. In a bizarre twist of events, Yzma uses the wrong potion and, rather than killing the emperor, she inadvertently transforms him into a llama instead. Kuzco meets up with and is befriended by Pacha, one of the local farmers. They embark on a journey together and, in the course of trying to regain his human form, Kuzco learns some valuable life lessons along the way. Many of the voice talents from the film are featured, including John Goodman as Pacha, Eartha Kitt as Yzma, and Patrick Warburton as Kronk. Unfortunately, David Spade, who provided the voice of Emperor Kuzco in the animated feature, is conspicuously absent.

The Emperor's New Groove: Groove Center features four activities ranging from straightforward arcade action to games geared more toward logic and creative thinking. "Kroc Krusher" has Kuzco swinging perilously beneath a rope bridge while crocodiles wait threateningly below. You have to spit at (something llamas are well known for) the planks of the rope bridge, causing them to fall and get wedged into the crocodiles' jaws.

"Kornotopia" is somewhat like a SIM Farm type of game centering on following instructions and completing tasks in a logical sequence. You direct Pacha to till fields, plant seeds, water the seeded fields, and harvest the crops. You have to fill orders for specific amounts of each type of vegetable, but watch out for catastrophes that can ruin the crops, such as tornadoes, insects, snowstorms, and scorching heat.

"Yzmania!" is another arcade style game, but this one incorporates color recognition into the gameplay. Kusco is located at the center of raised dais. Yzma's minions, who each sport one of four colors, circle him and gradually make their way up the steps towards his position. You fend them off by throwing potions at them, but you can only transform them when the color of the soldier matches the color on that side of the platform. At higher difficulty levels, the colors at the center change places periodically, creating more of a challenge.

"Loomation" allows you, with Kronk's help, to create your own animated tapestry. For each panel, you select a background, characters, props, and dialogue. You can print your finished creation to make a flip book or watch it in "Loomavision" by clicking on the movie projector. You can also share it with your friends via e-mail. There is an additional online component referred to as the "Marketplace" where you can use your high scores from the other three games to "buy" new art for use in creating your "Loomation" sequences.

Features:

• Four activities including arcade games, creativity, and logic adventures
• Unique online component
• Multiple difficulty levels
• Features several original voices from the movie

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Report and Conclusions: