When The Computer Museum evaluates children's software, we ask one over-riding question: Does it use technology to add a valuable new dimension to the learning experience... something that kids can't get in quite any other way?
When it comes to Zurk's Alaskan Trek, the answer is a resounding 'Yes.' The latest in the Zurk's series takes 6-10-year-olds to the 49th state where they can discover and experiment with the real-life interactions of animals and plants in three different ecosystems.
The software's technology underpinnings are truly inventive: there's a kind of "intelligence" built into every plant and animal in this title. Wolves, for example, are programmed with a predatory instinct while hares head for their burrows at the first sign of danger.
Using these "intelligent," animated building blocks, children can populate scenes with animals and plants against the backdrop of the Denali region, tundra or ice floes. Then they can observe as animal instincts trigger true-to-life interactions. (Yes, we're talking nature red in tooth and claw.) Kids can capture these natural dramas as animated stories. And they can write accompanying scripts, too, drawing on a built-in field guide for information. In a nice touch, kids can even alter Nature's script, turning prey into predator for a change.
Like the other Zurk's titles, this one does a masterful job of integrating math, life-sciences and language-arts activities into an exotic natural setting. Underlying the movie-making and scripting activities, for example, are early programming skills and implicit lessons in sentence structure and composition. Math comes into play, too, when the animals from the Denali and tundra reappear in a hands-on activity that introduces equations while kids weigh different animals.
The bottom line: The best of the Zurk's titles. A visually stunning product that uses a powerful technology to create a unique, challenging and playful environment.
