When is a game that has the word "adventure" in the title not an adventure game? When it is Arthur's Computer Adventure. Not that that is a bad thing, mind you, but this is more of a interactive read-along adventure, not an inventory-based, solve the puzzle in order to proceed adventure on the order of Rugrats or The Pink Panther.

This game is the fourth release in the Living Books Arthur franchise, and it is also the most balanced. Not only can you read about Arthur and click on hundreds of objects within the pages of the storybook, but you can also participate in five different "learning activities" that are actually learning tools masquerading as games. This enhanced interactivity greatly increases the game's replay value, and we did find ourselves revisiting certain games again and again.

Arthur, as all children and most adults know, is an animated children's character who has sold more than 23 million books and is the number one children's paperback series. He has his own animated PBS television series on over 300 stations and in 1998 won an Emmy for Outstanding Children's Animated Program. He even has his own web site that receives over 500,000 hits per week. Marc Brown's creation is as well loved in the 2-to-11 age group as were previous generations' childhood heroes, Howdy Doody or He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (though Arthur is not as shamelessly marketed as many other children's franchises).

If you have ever played any previous Living Books game, then you are familiar with the premise. The story is presented as if it were pages of a book. But this book reads to you as you follow the words, and you can also click on numerous interactive hot spots that are usually humorous in nature. This time around, Arthur has an addiction that we are all familiar with. All he wants to do is play his new computer game, "Deep Dark Sea." In fact he wants to play it so badly that he disobeys his mother's orders and uses her computer after being told to wait until she gets home. His disobedience leads to disaster as something goes wrong and the computer screen goes blank. Now Arthur, his sister D.W. and his friend Buster have to fix the computer before mom returns. The story contains the usual moral lessons that one would expect and seemed to satisfy my eight-year-old son.

There are also five activities integrated within the story. The activities can be played at adjustable levels of difficulty and are extremely mouse and keyboard friendly. Frankenfish lets you learn about life under the sea and lets you print out your creations as a coloring book. D.W.'s Store teaches you to prepare recipes and to use your earnings to purchase products. Toy Copter is a nifty little game that allows you to drop water balloons on a target and rescue a fireman. Treasure Hunt challenges you to match words against objects, and Deep Dark Sea is a side-scrolling arcade style game that lets you explore and search for hidden treasure. As you may have guessed, all five games are meant to develop skills such as problem solving, number recognition, spelling, et al. Yet, in what is an admirable accomplishment, all five games also manage to be fun.

So what is the adventure in Arthur's Computer Adventure? Well, for me, it was playing with my son Jacob. Even though the box states that the game is for ages 3 to 7, my 8-year-old was enthralled. The interactive reading section can be completed in a night, but it is the well-done extra activities and games that kept him coming back for more. This is one program that is heartily recommended for any parents who wants to enjoy computer time with their children or for any parents who does not want to fret over leaving their children alone with inappropriate material.

Final Grade: A

System Requirements:

Windows 95 (CD)
486/66 MHz or better
16 MB RAM
Super VGA (640x480 256-color)
2X CD-ROM drive or better
20 MB free hard drive space