Anybody get BBC Dinosaur World to run? I tried both versions (two interminable downloads), then installed DirectX 8.1 and updates to my graphics card drivers (two more interminable downloads). Every time I tried to start it I got a total freeze-up.

Dinosaur World is a few years old and never got past beta when apparently BBC dropped the project.

If you were able to start and run it or if you found something similar I'm curious to know. I think a virtual, interactive environment with dinosaurs is something the 8-year-olds of the world desperately need.

Game: EdHead's Simple Machines
URL: http://www.edheads.org/activities/simple-machines/index.htm
Age Level: Elementary school
What it does: Student clicks around in one of several environments which can be chosen searching for examples of simple machines (inclined plane, screw, lever, etc.). Choosing the correct item opens a window that explains details about the principles involved.
Observations: Entertaining as well as educational, many humorous touches.
Up/Down: Up.

Game: Virtual Earthquake

URL: http://www.sciencecourseware.com/VirtualEarthquake/VQuakeExecute.html

Age Level: High school and up. Late adolescent to adult learners should be able to grasp the content but it requires some seriousness of purpose to complete.

What it does: In addition to supplying background information about earthquakes, this site teaches the student how to interpret seismographic data. After entering the S-P wave interval and the S-wave magnitude (which the text explains how to do) from sample graphs, maps are produced showing where the epicentral circles cross (again, it explains the terms and concepts) pinpointing the quake's epicenter. Next, you learn how to measure the width of the S-wave record on the graph and using a nomogram (I'm acquiring all kinds of vocabulary) the magnitude can be calculated on the Richter scale.

Observations: Unflashy, not a game and not all simulation. Large amounts of text which may put off less dedicated or younger learners. Highly educational and very information-dense. Design features are basic, almost primitive (think 1990s) but this isn't all bad. No confusing details distract the user, bandwidth isn't wasted, response is instant. To follow thru the activities, you click from one HTML page to the next, a very basic setup. Interactivity occurs only when the user enters data and produces graphs.

Few navigation aids, no "back to previous page" and "home" buttons. I expected the logos at the top to be parent site and home links on the "everything that looks like a button should be a button" principle but they weren't. Adding a directory and a glossary wouldn't be amiss.

Up/Down: Up. All in all, even with its stodgy design I found this one of the best.

Game: Wizards and Pigs Poetry Pickle

URL: http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/games/wiznpigs/wiznpigs.html

Age Level: Elementary school.

What it does: Player moves a little wizard character thru a cartoon dungeon-like maze. The wizard fights poetry-spouting goblins with one of 3 potions depending on the kind of poetry (rhyming, alliterative, rhythmic) and takes their keys.
Observations: I find a number of shortcomings with this game.
Background music can't be turned off.
Overly long - too much gameplay, too little education.
Unresponsive - sometimes it's impossible to click anything, arrows don't work, can't figure out what is expected. Possible software bug.
Keyboard arrow keys can't be used as expected to move the wizard - must use onscreen keys.
Full of distractions: chairs that dance, a picture that laughs at you, locked doors, a pile of treasure, a hat that talks, a frog, a magical fireplace - all of these look like they should be part of the game's action but aren't, they seem to be there for background scenery only.
Ending is anticlimactic.

On the other hand the environment is visually rich considering that it's a cartoon. There are a number of cute touches, for instance the dungeon is lit with light bulbs. The gameplay is absorbing and would keep kids occupied for a while.

Up/Down: Thumbs down in its present state. Game is not necessarily ill-conceived but is inadequately executed. I can think of 2 directions the game design could be taken to make it more useful.
One: Pare down and simplify gameplay, eliminate distractions, make shorter and more about poetry than about gaming.
Two: Complexify and expand the story line, make it longer, make the gameplay relevant to the lessons. The game is full of intriguing visual elements (frog, hat, etc., above), if they were made to be interactive elements relevant to the story line. Maybe clicking on each could trigger a brief episode that contained both fun and educational content.

Game: Cloud Concentration
URL: http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/concentration/concen2.html
Age Level: Elementary on up.
What it does: Resembles the "Concentration" memory game. Match 2 pictures of the same type of cloud, as each pair is matched the squares disappear to reveal a picture of a sunset landscape thru picturesque clouds.
Observations: Small game, does only one thing. The benefit is that it necessarily exposes the learner to cloud images and names repeatedly - the repetition will help with memorizing the long cloud names (like "cumulonimbus", 5 syllables, maybe a long word for an elementary school kid.) I found this one on
http://classroom.jc-schools.net/basic/sciweather.html .
a collection of weather resources for science teachers.
Up/Down: Up.

Game: Online Music Games
URL: http://www.flashmusicgames.com/
Age Level: Kiddos on up
What it does: Simulate playing various musical instruments and create tunes that can be played back. The student can control variables such as the speed of the playback creating different tempos.
Observations: Considering the extensive and varied web site as a whole, since each individual Flash simulation is rather slight, a student with talent and novice-level musical knowledge could have a lot of fun here exploring the sounds that can be made. A site like this might be made a bit more realistic if adapted to a touchscreen, for instance playing drums with a computer mouse doesn't mimic the action of playing a real drum set.
Up/Down: Thumbs up.

Game: Pyramid Challenge
URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/launch_gms_pyramid_builder.shtml
Age Level: Middle to high school on up
What it does: Player takes the role of an Old Kingdom vizier and handles details of constructing a pyramid, including complicated decisions about where to locate it, what to make it out of, what to feed the workers, and so on. There are details about ceremonies required to propitiate the gods and ensure success with the project. And it all has to be done before the pharaoh dies.
Observations: Another well-polished BBC entry. Attractive design, smooth gameplay, high educational content.
Up/Down: Thumbs up.

Game: Death in Rome
URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/games/death_rome/index_embed.shtml
Age Level: Middle to high school on up.
What it does: Investigate a death (murder?) in ancient Rome. User can click on objects in the dead man's apartment and consult with a modern-day archaeologist and experts on Roman food, coins, religion, and medicine; user can also "talk" with other inhabitants of the city who may or may not be suspects.
Observations: As you might expect in a BBC product it is artistically designed and factually rigorous. The interface is smooth, efficient, and intuitive.
Up/Down: Up.

Game: Eclipse Crossword
URL: http://www.eclipsecrossword.com/
Age Level: Elementary school on up
What it does: Enables user to create unique crossword puzzles by entering a list of words and short clues. Puzzle can be printed out or saved as HTML to play interactively using Java among other options
Observations: Old-school as heck, not necessarily a bad thing. Could be useful for practicing spelling and vocabulary. Should appeal to logophiles.
Up/Down: Up.

Game: Star Viewer
URL: http: //sites.google.com/site/keirclarke/sky.htm?attredirects=0
Age Level: I'd say middle school and up.
What it does: Planetarium-like map of the sky contains clickable links to Hubble Space Telescope pictures and educational videos
Observations: From Google. Requires downloading an attachment. At least one link didn't work because the video had been taken down from Youtube. Still, contains an impressive amount of information, easy to operate, visually beautiful.
Up/Down: Up.

Game: Rocket Modeler
URL: http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/rocket/rktsim.html
Age Level: Maybe 5th grade and up.
What it does: Teaches basic concepts of rocket design to modelers. Lets user change materials, size, and weight of components and computes the changes to performance.
Observations: Java powered. Very basic, functional interface that suggests this is engineering, not entertainment. Rocket-crazed kids will love it.
ObservationsUp/Down: Up.

Intriguing, involving gameplay and I certainly learned a lot about CSI. I went thru most of the side activities providing supplemental information (I admit I skipped the "maggot milkshake" bit, I was eating at the time). I played thru both after finishing the "Rookie Training".

* Lag time was bad in a few instances. I had to wait for the game to generate the right screen.
* Dialogs: there was no way I found to back out of a dialog with a character once started. The player can select "Thank you for your time" or equivalent, but no way to simply back out. I found myself repeatedly click-clicking on dialog lines rapid-fire to get back out and try something else when I realized that there was no more information to be gained.
* Non-persistence of selectability. I found in a few cases that the same area became unselectable after going thru it once. Occasionally I found myself thinking, "Did I do that already? What did that do again?"
* Inconsistency in the Save Game function. The 2 games differed. For consistency's sake all games in the same series should have routine functions that work the same way.
* Branches and dead ends. This is maybe analogous to proceedings in the CSI world where all the evidence can't be expected to come up when wanted or in the order desired. But I came to a stop a few times and had to figure out what I was missing, making the gameplay stretch out longer. I had to use the walkthru hints a few times when flummoxed.
* It's possible to miss evidence and not know it until later. Again a realistic touch no doubt but it slows down the game.
* On the positive side VERY educational.

Excellent game. Rather brief story arc, but easy to play, responsive, educational. I think it struck a good balance between providing a rich interface and conserving computing power/bandwidth. A few notable points not in any order:

* Easy to manipulate objects.
* Easy navigation between locales. The animated map showing the character's travel was a convenient and cute touch.
* Quick movement. No lag time as I experienced in "Canine Caper" and "Burning Star".
* Makes use of wire frames during movement within a context, making turning and moving rapid - a well-implemented feature.
* Responsiveness is very good. Everything worked smoothly, didn't find myself confused by the interface or the progression of the narrative. For instance the process of taking samples is done in 3 clicks (click object, click to take sample, click to dismiss), no ambiguity or worrying if you did it right.
* Lack of branching in the story line. This is a good thing in a game intended for play during 1 class period, avoids backing out of dead ends at the cost of some story complexity.
* The growing number of victims gives a visceral sense of urgency to completing the game.
* The 3 "Learn More" videos are authentic and inspiring.
* The game does not talk down to the players and expects the students to understand basic terminology.

My only complaint which isn't really a complaint is that its short length doesn't allow for a more complex story to develop.

Sorry for the long post but more still to come.

Charles Crowley