Software Evaluation

Title: Strategy Challenges of the World Collection 1:  Around the World

Publisher:  Edmark

Date Published:  1996

Platform:  Windows & Macintosh versions

Content Area:  Developing strategic and critical thinking skills

Range of Grade Levels:  This software can range anywhere from about 2nd grade and beyond.  You are able to adjust the difficulty levels as you go!

Content Description:  This game is composed of three different historic games, including Mancala, Nine Men’s Morris, and Go-Moku.  These games have been played for years throughout the countries of the world.
Mancala is a “Pits and Pebbles” game which is played throughout Africa, the Middle East and the South Pacific.  You must use precise planning and thinking skills in this game.  The difficulty level is easily adjusted and comes with advice as well.
Nine Men’s Morris is an ancient game thought to originate from Egypt.  In this game, a player’s goal is to place three chips in a row to remove one of the opponent’s chips.  This is a difficult game and requires a lot of thinking ahead as well, but can also be adjusted to a certain difficulty level.
Go-Moku is a game traced back to ancient Japan.  The goal in this game is to get five chips in a row before your opponent.  This game gets especially hard as you increase the difficulty levels.
All of these ancient games are challenging and extremely testing of one’s critical thinking skills.  Time allowed to play each game can range from 10 min. to hours, depending on the ability of the players to outsmart each other.  Dragging the arrow to another notch easily changes difficulty levels.  Hints are also readily available in each game, which helps when you are stumped!

Instructional Type:  *Problem Solving *Game

Strengths/Weaknesses:  At the lowest of difficulty levels, I was able to perform each game rather quickly and outsmart the computer.  However, as I raised the difficulty level by about 2-3 notches for each game, I was forced to think extremely hard about my next move.  Critical thinking is required at all levels of each game, and gets progressively more difficult, and seemingly impossible at the highest level!
Playing this game was extremely easy.  The instructions for each game are in audio form before a player is allowed to begin.  They are simple and to the point.  Hints are a nice touch to each game, and I really found them useful in most cases where I felt stuck.  I really do not see any weaknesses in this software!  I loved it and thought that it was a wonderful game for children and adults!  The player is forced to think critically about the upcoming moves that are involved for each game.

I would use this software as a wonderful integration with history, given that each game has originated from all over the world.  By playing each game, the player learns a small amount about the culture involved, and is a great link to history and to studying each of the cultures and countries involved with each game.  I would also use this software simply as a wonderful award for kids who finished their work early, because it promotes wonderful strategic thinking skills!

I would definitely use this software in my classroom.  This is not a regular educational game in my opinion, but one that anyone ranging from age 8 + would enjoy playing and becoming involved in the thinking required.  It is a wonderful instructional tool to use as a connection with history, and would give kids a great insight into history at their own level of playing and really allow them to relate to that culture.

Rating:  I would rate this software as a 10. I was thoroughly impressed and thought that it was a very carefully thought out program and promotes wonderful skills for children as well as adults.

User Comments:  Comments from the reviews that I found:
 “’Real World Strategies’ are priceless motivational tools in learning games for kids and adults” -Tina Velgos
 “This software is one of my favorites!” -Timmy, first grader
 “My kids may not choose it day after day, but they certainly will come back to it frequently, and over a period of many years.”  -Proxy parents
 
Links: -http://www.thereviewzone.com/strachall.htm
 -http://www.superkids.com/aweb/pages/reviews/pro…/merge.shtm
 -http://www.terc.edu/mathequity/gw/htm/SCWCT.htm