Have you ever noticed how completely most people, old and young alike, get caught up in a good computer adventure? We become so involved in the character we're "playing," it's almost as if we become that person.
It even works if the character is a fish! Odell Down Under proves that. A sequel to the classroom program Odell Lake, it challenges you to keep a lot of fish alive as they swim around Australia's Great Barrier Reef.You begin as a small fish, swimming in that cool water. An onscreen card announces your name, social characteristics, food preferences, predators, and special abilities. Using this information, you try to stay alive, healthy and well-fed as you explore your surroundings.
First you just poke around, nibbling to learn to recognize what's food to you. You soon find that unhealthy parasites are clinging to you. To get them off, you must seek out your special "cleaner" fish.
Soon a predator swims into view. You can use your talents to stun or scare it - or hide in a hole or handy cave until danger's over. If you make your way safely through all nine screens, you get to metamorphose into a slightly bigger fish.
And so on, up the food chain. See if you can survive through your fish's life span! After honing your skills in Practice mode, you can advance to Challenge and Tournament modes. In Challenge, you play as four fish in turn, moving up the fish ladder when you earn enough points. In Tournament, you play every one of the 70 fish in the software tank.
The program is packed with information about tropical fish, and having to know it to keep alive makes you read and remember what you read.
It builds thinking skills, too. We'd recommend it for anyone 8 or older. When you tire of playing with real fish, the program lets you put attributes together to create your own mythical fish-eat-fish world. It could keep you cool all summer.
The program lists at $60 for Windows or Macintosh computers. On IBM-compatibles, you need DOS 5, 256-color video and 4M RAM - but no sound board. For more information, phone MECC at 800-685-6322, Ext. 549.
- Prince of Persia combines a beautifully animated cartoon with a challenging arcade game. Mostly, the Arabian Prince (our hero) runs, jumps, ducks, and engages the enemy in swordplay.
Prince of Persia 2 continues the slight story line and adds some magic to the Prince's armament. It's subtitled "The Shadow and the Flame." If you like arcade games, this one can make you forget summer's heat.
There are 15 levels of mazes and labyrinths to get through - and three lives to use up before you're out. You'll need to make your way past serpents, quicksand and assorted pathblockers including some disembodied heads. You'll have to solve some riddles, too.
We particularly like one feature: If you hit the right keys, you can restart play from the beginning of the current level or the point when you were last reborn. Don't look for learning here, just mindless play to while away some hot summer evenings.
The game runs on IBM-compatibles in MS-DOS and on the Macintosh. It sells for about $40. Broderbund, its maker, is at 1-800-521-6263.
- Unless you regularly browse the shelves of your neighborhood computer software store, you may have missed a fine bunch of updates and sequels to some of our most favorite games. First off, Carmen Sandiego's back, and this time she's spaced out! Where in Space is Carmen Sandiego has you chasing Carmen and her gang as they try to steal all the stars and planets from the skies. You'll peruse the usual dossiers, access the usual databases, and build clues to crack the case. Even in the outer galaxies, there are witnesses to find and snitches to grill.
This sneaky teaching game will hold the interest of 11-15-year-olds. It comes in versions for the Mac and MS-DOS (no Windows needed).
Broderbund says it should cost about $40.
MECC's Amazon Trail is a fitting sequel to their Oregon Trail. It's a challenging journey up the mighty river for any explorer from grade four through junior high school. Your goal is to find a plant in the Amazon's rain forests that can save the Incas. Danger lurks at every bend - along with (shhh!) a lot of history, geography, and natural science. MECC (1-800-685-6322) lists Amazon Trail at $60 for Mac and MS-DOS.