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Set in an underwater version of the Wild West, this is the fourth installment
in the superb kids adventure series. It is geared toward children ages 3-8. Like its
predecessors FF4 is a colorful animated adventure that ties together a number of
mini-games. Cousin Calico's prize-winning Hogfish have been rustled, and the player
must help Freddi solve the mystery. There are many environments to point-and-click
through as the plot advances. The player searches for clues, collects items and
interacts with colorful game characters. The game and story are both dynamic, so
every time the game is played the player will have a different experience. Mini-games
include: Stella's Sodaloon (a Nickelodeon machine where kids can view some old-fashioned
movie clips), The Interactive Wanted Poster (filled with outlaws with wacky names like
Crazy Fin Sally, and Crooked Hat Pebblefield; kids get to mix and match the different
descriptive words that distinguish the outlaws' outstanding characteristic and their
crime), and The Oysteroid Arcade (shoot pearls out of a clam in order to burst air bubbles
before they get too close; modeled after the arcade classic Asteroids, the larger
bubbles split and make 2 smaller ones). The educational focus of this edutainment title
is on the development of strategic thinking skills, problem solving, decision making
strategies, deductive and inductive reasoning, sequencing and memory skills,
hypothesis, testing and evaluation. |
