The Multimedia Bug Book

A Bug In The Program

A Review of The Multimedia Bug Book

Jackie and Kristina Wheeler

Dr. Anson Pantz’s bug collection has escaped! He’ll give youngsters

hints about where to find these bugs, but it’s up to the child to

find up to 50 bugs in 5 fun-filled habitats. From a fish pond to a nest

in the trees, challenges and fun await in trying to find and capture

Dr. Pantz’s bugs. Each habitat is filled with hilarious sound effects

and animation.

The first thing I liked about Multimedia’s Bug Book is that it came with

no documentation. That tells me that it should be intuitive,

straight-forward and not too complex. And it was! What Kristina liked

best was exploring the 5 habitats and discovering all the fun animation

and sound effects.

What I liked best was the way Bug Book combines having fun on the

computer with real learning. The program opens with ragtime music and

then Dr. Anson Pantz introduces himself and tell children his story

about how he has lost his bugs. The child picks a bug bottle, looks at

the bug, and gets a short hint about where this bug is typically found.

Then the fun begins! The child selects a habitat and sends Dr. Pantz off

to find the bug. If the bug is in that habitat, the child gets to explore

all sorts of creative and wacky animation and sound effects by clicking

on the items in the habitats. Kristina loved making fish sneeze,

cattails meow, flowers hmmm and run, and chocolate chips scream and jump

off a cookie!

When the child waits for a second or so, bugs randomly appear one at

a time. If the bug is the one they’re looking for, they click on it to

capture it and store it in a bottle. Then the child can explore more

in-depth about this bug. There are video clips of some of the bugs,

excellent enlarged photos that really let you see the bug up close, a

ruler that shows you just how big this bug is in real life. They can

read or listen to more descriptions of the bug and even type in their

own notes about the bug if they’re old enough. Finally, kids can go to

a research area to explore even more. There are memory games, bug

experiments, jigsaw puzzles, terms, charts and more!

Kristina loved this program, even at 5 years old. She did not want

to quit playing after an hour, when I said time was up. For older

kids, there are other features to keep them entertained such as the

escape feature. If you turn this on, captured bugs can escape from their

bug bottles. Dr. Pantz alerts you that a particular bug is about to

escape. Then the child has to answer a question about that bug. If

they get it right, the bug remains safely stored in his bottle.

Because there are so many bugs to find, from ants to wolf spiders,

lady bugs and monarch butterflies to scorpions and beetles,

you definitely need to be able to save what you’ve done and pick up

there the next time you start. Children type in their name and

everything they do in that session is automatically saved so you can

continue on next time.

This game is a definite, “don’t miss” — even if your kids don’t know

they like bugs. The Bug Book is fun, educational, very well produced

with top notch animation, voice, and sound effects. You’ll definitely

want to put it on your child’s Christmas list!

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School House Scorecard

Product:	The Multimedia Bug Book
Company:	SWFTE International, Ltd. 722 Yorklyn Road Hockessin, DE 19707 Phone: 302-234-1750
Cost:	$35.00

System Requirements:

MS-Windows 3.1 or higher
MS-DOS 3.1 or higher
486SX or higher
Hard disk
4MB RAM (8MB recommended)
Double speed CD-ROM drive
VGA or higher
Mouse
SoundBlaster or compatible sound card

Breakdown:

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

Overall Score: