Fun ‘n’ Games Deluxe CD

Not Just Fun And Games

A Review of Fun ‘n’ Games Deluxe CD

Rich Cunningham

One part of Windows that my son enjoys playing with is the Paintbrush

accessory. He likes to create drawings, and then print them out. It has

really stimulated his artistic talents, and we encourage him to do it (even with

color inkjet cartridges costing what they do….). When this program crossed my

desk, the Paint portion of it caught my eye at once.

This edutainment tool is call “Fun ‘n’ Games Deluxe”, and is a

collection of programs that are designed to stimulate a child’s artistic and

creative talents, and also offer some fun games. There are four modules that

comprise this program. They are called “Paint”, “Music”, “Style”, and

“Games”. They are all equally well written and presented.

The first module I tried was called “Paint”. It can best be described as

a do-it-yourself artists kit. There is a scratch pad that a child can draw

pictures on, and then color them in.

(I will add that the choice of colors is

better than I have ever seen in any other program of this type. Not only are

solid colors included, but some imaginative designs are also use). There are

some scenes included, sort of like a coloring book, that a child (or adult)

can color in, and then print out on a color printer. There are also some items

that can be added to these pictures, that can help a child create a story.

The second module, “Music”, is a musical adventure for the user to

experience. There are pre-taped songs that are charted so that one may see

and learn the notes that comprise the music. There are different background

themes that can be selected to enhance the atmosphere. Of course, songs can even be

written and played back to the enjoyment of family and friends. (This module

was hard for me to fully experience, due to the lack of a manual. But this is a

beta product review, and I have been told by the distributor that a manual will

give in-depth instructions on this module).

The next module I tried was “Style”. It can best be described as

playing with computerized paper dolls. (My wife always said I’d be cutting

out paper dolls eventually if I kept hacking with computers.) You have two types

to choose from, “Style Stuff” and “Mix ‘n’ Match”. Style Stuff lets you put your

doll in a setting ( with many, many settings to choose from) and then change

their clothes. The attraction here is the same as playing with real paper

dolls.

My youngest daughter really enjoyed this part, and when I asked her why she

liked to play with paper dolls, the response was “They’re so fresh, Daddy.”

Mix-n-Match is similar, but in addition to the clothes, one can also change

body parts, like the faces, bodies, and legs. Let your child’s imagination

run wild with this one.

The fourth and final module, “Game”, was a lot of fun. It features 4

arcade style games that require a small amount of hand-eye coordination

(something I really lack). But the games, while very colorful and well

designed, do not require a lot of thinking to complete. That adds to the fun.

The four games are: “Aquashark”, a horizontal Space Invaders-type of game;

“Space Cadet”, a sort of Science Fiction Centipede; “Whereabouts”, a matching

game; and “Sliding Puzzle”, a puzzle that you rearrange the pieces to form a

picture. The games are enjoyable and entertaining, and provide a chance to

rest from the other modules in the program.

The mechanics of the game are very well put together. Moving from module

to module is quite easy and accomplished via mouse. There is a lack of

multimedia-type effects (music, voice, sounds, etc.) that would really

enhance game play. But then this is a beta, and may change in the final release. I

had trouble installing the game on my kid’s 486 with an ISA bus. It installed

just fine on my 486 with local bus. I talked with the distributor and was assured

that the final release would be installable on an ISA machine.

This program provides a potpourri of activities that will certainly

entertain children of varied ages. My children enjoyed it, and I’m sure yours

will too.

School House Scorecard

Product:	Fun ‘n’ Games Deluxe CD
Company:	GT Interactive Software 16 E. 40th Street New York, NY 10016
Cost:	$35.00

System Requirements:

386 minimum, 486 recommended
DOS 5 or higher, works with Windows 95;
4MB ram w/3MB EMS
CD ROM (Double Speed), CD-ROM extension 2.21 or later
SVGA Graphic w/512k ram
Joystick and mouse supported
Supports Soundblaster, Ad-lib, and 100% compatible
Suggested ages: 4 through 13

Breakdown:

Ease of Use 5
Learning Value 3
Entertainment Value 4
Graphics 4
Sound 4

Overall Score: