Zoombinis Island Odyssey Published on November 22nd, 2002

Zoombinis Island Odyssey is the third title in the Zoombinis Series, and this time the Zoombinis explore logic puzzles that have a science twist. The Zoombinis learn that their ancestral home of Zoombini Isle has been decimated and then abandoned by the diabolical Bloats. They return to the isle to help restore its ecosystem. The key to restoration is the reintroduction of special moths that will pollinate the dwindling snozzleberry plants. These plants are the favorite foods of the Island’s Zerbles, a gentle animal that is almost extinct. To reestablish the isle’s food chain, players team up with the Zoombinis to play seven logic games. In the games, kids interact with gear-driven catapults to ascend the cliffs, decode tiles with symbols to match hieroglyphs on a wall, create new Zerbles by using Mendel-square genetics, and deduce how to feed the picky Zerbles by using Venn diagrams. They will also tinker with the rotation of the earth to speed up the moth’s development, facilitate the pollination of a field of snozzleberry plants by observing complex patterns, and sort snozzleberry seedlings by attributes. Players have two options in exploring these wonderfully intriguing puzzles. They can play them in “Adventure” or “Practice” mode. The former creates some pressure to solve the puzzles in the most efficient manner possible so as to further the story along. In both modes, the player has control over the three levels of difficulty. Zoombinis Island Odyssey is truly inspired children’s software. The characters are funny and adorable. Children have always been drawn to the blue round Zoombinis, and this title’s additional characters are equally charming. Kid-testers loved Arno, the talking tree stump, and they couldn’t resist the gentle Zerbles. The narrator’s funny rhymes also add to the title’s appeal. This software is outstanding because it allows children the freedom to explore complex ideas by using trial and error. To succeed at the puzzles, kids must form hypotheses and test them. They must collect data and analyze it. And all this higher-level thinking happens in the context of a fun adventure. Zoombinis Island Odyssey is one of this year’s best releases. Because of its structure, Zoombinis Island Odyssey works equally well in a school or home setting.
Summary Age  8 - 14 Platform  Windows Mac Price  $20.00 Category  Logic Grade  ISBN  Company  The Learning Company (800) 223-6925 http://www.learningcompany.com

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