In the present U.S. educational system, every parent is fighting to
give his/her child a distinct advantage in school. What steps can a parent take
to scaffold his/her child’s learning at the home front? I will let you in on a
“Humongous” secret. The good people at Humongous have created a game
that reinforces all the hard work that a “good” teacher does by taking
the fundamental reading skills and incorporating them into a game that not only
tricks the child into reading, but also stars one of the most famous dogs of all
time. How can you beat that?

The game begins with the famous Nick Jr. intro
that the kids have come to love. I enjoyed the introduction because I did not
spend a lot of time watching Steve talk, but a story line is quickly established.
The basic concept of the game is Steve had bought the last newspaper from the
newsstand, and it is up to Blue to get more newspapers. In order to get more papers,
our roaming reporter Blue has to go out and find big stories for the Big News
Gazette. Now our roaming reporter is not your average reporter. This reporter
gets to do cool interactive activities to uncover the stories.

So how does
Blue uncover these big stories? Well, she gets the stories at the end of the activity.
In one example, Blue needs to find the missing party hat. So Blue sets out to
find the hat through a small maze that consists of the child making Blue walk,
turn, jump, or whatever card is found.

What Can My Child Do in this Game?

That
is an excellent question. In my exploration, I discovered Baby Bear building some
type of storybook that needs to be finished. Mr. Salt, Mrs. Pepper, Shovel, and
Pail play a matching game that emphasizes word and picture relationships. The
Dictionary is excellent because it shows a picture and reads the definition as
the child matches it with another picture. There is a sticker game where, as the
child moves throughout the story, he/she finds hidden (not well) stickers that
allows him/her to create his/her own story. And when you’re all done, you get
to create your own newspaper and print it. There are more activities to do that
I have not discovered only because I spent so much time playing the matching game
trying to beat Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper.

What Educational Value Is Within
the Game?

The game strengthens writing, word and letter recognition,
comprehension and prediction, and listening comprehension. My favorite value in
the game, which most schools are using today, is a form of everyday labeling.
This strategy is designed for students to see words and build a relationship with
objects. You can see an example of this in the second screenshot above.

Is
There Anything That I Need to Be Concerned with in this Program?

No,
the game can do a full install, so you need not worry about your child inserting
a CD in the computer. Also, the game does not let you escape unless you exit by
clicking the stop sign. As always, I would not suggest leaving a child unattended
at the computer, but if necessary I don’t foresee problems.

Graphics:
A
Sound: A
Fun Factor: B
Plot: A
Control: A
Educational Value:
A+

Final Grade: A

System Requirements:

Windows:
Pentium 166
Windows 98/95

32 MB RAM
4x CD-ROM

Macintosh:
Power
PC
132 MHz
System 7.5.3
32 MB RAM
4x CD-ROM