Bonjour! Hola! Konnichiwa! Join CJ and
Edison as you journey through the Language Pavilions at the World Festival.
Learning a foreign language has never been so much fun. Inside each Language
Pavilion you can listen to a story, play hide-n-seek, dress puppets, play games,
paint, and get a cultural lesson. There are four Language Pavilions - the
Spanish Pavilion, the Japanese Pavilion, the English Pavilion, and the French
Pavilion. Collect 4 globe pieces as you explore the pavilions and you will
be rewarded with a video to watch.
Overall this is a good game and the kids enjoy it. Not only do you learn some
words in another language but you also get a cultural lesson. There are great
mini movies found throughout the pavilions that give some cultural background
information and you can even listen to foreign music. The worst part about this
game is that unless you already have some experience with the foreign languages
it can be hard to figure out what is being said. As you click on items the
foreign term is spoken. Some words are not very clear and almost all words are
said so fast you have to have them repeated four or five times just to figure it
out.
The games are fun to play but there should be an English interpretation as well
as the foreign interpretation. While playing the kitchen hide -n - seek game we
had trouble figuring out what some of the items were. For example, we were
thinking the item was a bottle but they were calling it water and we never did
figure out what some of the items were in the Japanese pavilion.
Painting and the Phone Number Fun are the great games. In Painting, you click on
the color you want to use and the name of the color is spoken in the foreign
language and after you have finished the painting and go back inside the
pavilion your picture is hanging there for you to see. Phone Number Fun is a
memory game in which you follow the sequence of numbers the phone plays with
each sequence getting longer after each turn.
The best part about the game is the Craft Desk. There are recipes, games, costumes,
and crafts from all four of the countries that you can print out and do with
your child. Like most Knowledge Adventure games there is a progress report to
keep track how your child is doing. The age is 3-6 but I would suggest waiting
until your child is closer to 5 before buying. While younger ones will enjoy the
games they will not understand what is being said.
Install:
Easy
Gameplay: 8.5
The games are very easy to play and there are 2 different modes. In one mode
you
explore and learn the foreign terms and in the other you are quizzed.
Graphics: 9.5
The colors are bright and the characters are friendly. There are movie clips
which
look a little outdated but still enjoyable to watch.
Sound: 7
The music is clear and upbeat and appropriate for the country. The spoken
words
need some work. Some of the words are not very clear and all are spoken too
fast.
Difficulty: 8.4
The games themselves are not difficult but they are interesting and will
hold a
child's interest even if they cannot understand what is being said.
Concept: 9.5
The concept of learning foreign languages through exploration is great.
Multiplayer: N/A
Overall: 8.5
It is frustrating to not be able to understand what is being spoken but the
kids
still enjoy it. The learning experience is great - kids learn how to say colors,
numbers, and household items in different languages as well as get a view
of the country and their customs.
