Odyssey Atlasphere

When I was first asked to review this product I felt it was a bit of a diversion for me as it is really not a "computer program." Because the product is computerized, and it had me very curious, I decided to include a review here. I am very glad I did! The Odyssey Atlasphere from Explore Technologies is in my opinion what a globe was always meant to be!

The Altlasphere is a sturdy, somewhat washable (important considering the price,) beautiful, alluring globe. The globe sits on a computerized base where the control panel is held. This is a globe which will not look "junkie" in the nicest living room. A light pen is attached to the base and allows you to interact with the globe. For the 'technophobic' you can simply touch countries on the globe and listen to their names. A high quality human voice talks to you as you traverse the planet. This is the LEAST of what this globe will do however. My younger kids enjoy listening to music samples from each of the 190 countries along with their national anthems. If you want to know more about the people, a simple click of a button will allow you access to population, life expectancies, birth and death rates, number of people per home, adult literacy rates and much more. Information is available regarding climate, elevations, currency, income distribution, governments budgets, political status and date of independence. The list goes on and on. The globe is really a living and breathing atlas with all of the information you would expect from a good atlas.

Not only can you find information regarding a single country, but you can compare various countries. This allows some in depth study and comparison. You can also zoom in on a country and learn more about the 'details.' The versatility of the Atlasphere is incredible and very impressive.

Cartridges can be placed in the base which allow you to play different games and access different information. At the time of printing, there are two cartridges. The main cartridge contains the information mentioned above plus several games. A "Metropolis" cartridge allows you access to information about cities, territories and more localized statistics. More cartridges will be made available in the future, but you have a very broad base of information with the current cartridges.

Although my kids enjoy simply wandering aimlessly around the globe, their favorite aspect is the games! "Eureka" allows you, or you and several friends to find as many countries as you can in a 45 second span. "Globesurfer" has you finding several countries at one time. Once you have located these countries you are asked a question about these countries which you must answer. The last game, SoloTrek challenges you to find as many countries as you can in the shortest period of time. Each of these games can be played solo or with multiple players. Various difficulty levels make the games useful for children and adults of various abilities. Similar games can be accessed on the "Metropolis" cartridge which test your knowledge of capitols and cities.

Like me your first question may be, "At this price what happens when the map changes?" As you know, this has happened often in the past few decades! Explore Technologies has designed the Atlasphere to have interchangeable sleeves. When it is time to update your globe you will be able to place a new sleeve on the globe and pop in a new cartridge. Although the price of these updates was unknown at the time of printing, the company assured me their intent was to make the updates as affordable as possible in order to encourage people to keep their globes updated. Later this fall you will be able to purchase a "text-free" sleeve for the globe. This is an exciting alternative as your children will truly be tested on their geographical knowledge! I am particularly looking forward to this edition as my son needs a bit more of a challenge now that he really knows where all of the countries are.

At first glance you may balk at the $399 (ONLY $299 SINCE THIS WAS WRITTEN)retail price tag. I know it set me back a little bit as I wondered what in the world would make anyone pay that much for a globe! I was wrong. After only one day in our house it was very clear that this product is worth the price they are charging. Granted, it is a lot of money, but this would be a great "save up for Christmas" item. There has not be one person walk into our house in the last month who has not picked up the globe, started to play with it and said, "Wow! Where did this come from?" Everyone who interacts with the globe is thoroughly impressed with it's quality and it's 'addictive' aspect. My kids constantly sit on the couch and play with the globe. In short, although it is a lot of money, you will not regret the purchase.

The Atlasphere is appropriate for all ages and ability levels. My two youngest children had had little to no exposure to geography. They did know where the United States was, but that was the extent of their knowledge. Within several days (and no adult interaction on my part) they were both spouting off country after country. My oldest son has always been a geography-wiz. The globe has attracted him and really given him a good challenge. The funniest thing is to watch the adults who pick it up and can't put it down! As a matter of fact, I hear the thing beeping in the background as I write. Hey, it's MY turn!

Grading:

Educational value- 5
Entertainment value- 5
The remainder of my grading scale is really not applicable. Suffice it to say I am EXTREMELY impressed!

 

The Atlasphere is currently being carried by Leapfrog, but their supply is sometimes spotty. Their web site is at http://www.leapfrog.com