Star Wars Anakin's Speedway

4/4/00

If you have younger children who want to be like their 'big brothers' and play all the 'cool racing games', this one is for you. On the other hand, most elementary aged children will tire of this game rather quickly. We found it did not have enough variety to keep kids going very long. Preschoolers are often left out of this market completely, however, and this would be a good choice for a 4 year old racing fan.

Join Anakin as he and his friends Sebulba, Gasgano, and Ben Quadinaros as they become expert Pod Racers. Three different courses, Tatooine, Ando Prime, and Baroonda are ready for you to conquer. Your children can click on any part of the race track, changing it with the click of a mouse. Each change makes the course a bit tougher, easier, or just silly.

My kids enjoyed creating new race tracks and trying to use them for awhile, but then moved on to other activities. When you start the race you control the speed by clicking on buttons at the bottom of the screen. There is really now 'racing' action with a joystick, or any steering involved. For this reason, young 4 year olds can handle it, but older kids will become bored quickly.

In the lounge area you can use the jukebox, making droids dance. Young kids will find this silly, but again won't stick with it forever. A very limited coloring book area allows your kids to 'paint' their favorite Star Wars scene. There were not enough pictures, and the tools were rather limited.

All in all this program just did not have enough to keep my kids going. Had I found it on sale, I would not have felt bad. I would not recommend purchasing this one for kids older than about 6. I was not nearly as impressed with this title as I have been with other Lucas Learning programs.

Grading for Anakin's Speedway Educational Value: 2 Entertainment Value: 2 1/2 Replay Value: 2 1/2

 

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