Carmen Sandiego (from Broderbund) was a big hit when it first appeared on the scene – no doubt harried parents were delighted by its claims to provide education along with entertainment. Anything to wean the kids away from the mindless “shooters” such as Doom and Unreal. Along with its accompanying volume (Where in the World), Where in Time fulfills only part of the promise it held out.
The main reason being that the target audience for this software is the 8 – 10 age group. Older kids and adolescents will find the graphics simplistic and the play repetitive. The game proper consists of eighteen historical adventures starting from Ancient Egypt, passing through the Vikings, the Voyage of Columbus, the Aztec Empire, and concluding with the First Person in Space. The software makes grand claims to promoting deductive reasoning, problem solving, map reading and research skills in children – claims which have since been repeated by other software manufacturers as well. No doubt they know that they are on to a good thing!
No doubt the basic premise is sound, the music is catchy, and in Carmen Sandiego we have a charming heroine (or villain, depending upon one’s point of view). But the game play is predictable and not challenging enough. What the game lacks most is an element of randomness – each time one plays the game, the player has to go through the same sequence of events. In other words, after the game has been completed, it cannot be played a second or third time with new parameters.
The heart of the game is the Chronopedia – or historical encyclopedia. It contains many interesting facts. Again, the concept is good, but the Chronopedia also contains many irrelevant details which have no bearing to the game, and are also of no interest to the student of history. The intent of the software designers being that by hiding clues within the Chronopedia, children would be encouraged to search and to browse for missing data; but the execution leaves something to be desired. No doubt, this would be a fun way to learn histoy – and geography – but how many primary schoolteachers would feel confident using this software in their classrooms instead of their homes?
As in other walks of life, the cup can be seen as either half empty or half full. Carmen Sandiego is neither pure entertainment, nor is it pure education. But it is a good way to introduce the school going child to the subjects of history and geography, it is a good way to supplement his education, and it is a good way to build up his interest if he is so inclined. But the game by itself is not innovative or compelling enough.
More reviews about the en.wikipedia.org/wiki/where_in_time_is_carmen_sandiego