Zip Zap Map World

"Zip Zap Map World" is a slightly older program from National Geographic. It is not a CD product which makes is accessible to those with older systems. This program will work well for those with kids who just want to play an fun arcade game and are willing to pick up a little knowledge on the side.

"Zip Zap Map" is not a geography program that will teach your kids about countries or cultures of the world. This is more like an arcade puzzle game. It is difficult visually unless your children are extremely familiar with the shapes of various countries. The game is fast paced and requires a great amount of visual concentration.

When the program starts, your child will choose an area of the world he or she would like to concentrate on. Within that country, your child will choose a region. At that point hold on to your seatbelts and have you fingers on the arrow keys! Countries start falling from the top of the screen. By using the arrow keys, your child must turn the countries in the proper direction, move them across the screen and place them in their proper place. As with most games of this nature, the object is to accumulate as many points as possible in a specified period of time. One concerns I had was that the countries are moving so quickly that it is difficult to learn the names of the countries. Three speeds and three difficulty levels do make it possible to slow the game down, but not enough for some children.

This program is not the one you want to purchase to teach your children geography, but it might be a great 'add-on' program. If your children struggle visually this will be good practice for them, but keep in mind they may find it frustrating. With no text on the countries until they are placed this becomes a real test in visual perception and acuity.

Grading:

Educational value- 3
Entertainment value- 3
Use of medium- 2 1/2
Age- 10+

System requirements- Windows-IBM PS/1 or IBM PS/2 or 100% compatible with at least 2 MB RAM and Microsoft Windows 3.1+, Mouse, color monitor with VGA graphics, 3.5" high density disk drive and a hard drive, speakers, audio adapter optional for sound. DOS version requires a 12 MHz 80286+ and DOS version 3.3+. SRP $39.95 from National Geographic at (800)NGS-LINE