Lawrence D. Duck: Language Arts Private Eye

Reviewed by Anise Hollingshead
Published by Lawrence Productions

Age Group: Age 8 and Up
Type: Language Arts, Thinking Games
Price: $80

PC version requires:
Windows 95 +, P90, 32 MB RAM, 8xCD-ROM

Mac version requires:
OS 8.x, 32 MB RAM, 8xCD-ROM

Description:

Join Lawrence D. Duck as he takes on another baffling case. By using grammar and punctuation skills, kids will uncover clues to use in a mystery, presented as a logic problem. Eliminate suspects and submit your final answer to solve the case.

First, choose a difficulty level and then pick a case. Once you have a case, it's time to get started! Lawrence has to look under all the footprints in town and answer the questions correctly, in order to find the different keys that will unlock the stores containing the mystery clues. Once all the clues are collected, use the traditional grid typically given in logic problems to solve the mystery. Types of questions deal with tenses, compartive forms, possessives, punctuation and other grammar skills.

Features:

  • Grammar questions
  • Logic problems
  • 3 difficulty levels
  • Randomization of problems
  • Good manual

Technical Aspects:

This program installed easily, and had no run-time problems. The graphics are bright and cheery, but not state of the art. Besides watching Lawrence move between footprints, there isn't much animation to speak of. Hearing impaired users can play with ease.

Report and Conclusions:

This program presents a large amount of grammar practice, but not as much variety as I would like. However, the randomization was really good, better than usual for these "question and answer" types of programs. The difficulty could also have been increased, as I found the hardest level to be not so very hard for 8th graders.

I really liked the logic problems! Logic problems are excellent for kids to practice their critical thinking skills. One thing I would like to see added, however, would be one page with the list of clues alongside the problem grid, so you wouldn't have to keep swapping back and forth while solving.

My 5th grader is enjoying the game, and will benefit from the grammar practice. The only other comparable title on the market now is Grammar Games, which can be found included in the updated Spelling and Grammar Games. Unlike Grammar Games, there isn't much time pressure here- kids just need to move along in a somewhat timely fashion to avoid losing to Lawrence's competition, Private Infeathergater.

A good choice for home or school use.




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