Description:
We wanted to give The Mummy Mystery accolades, but we couldn't solve the mystery of why it persistently froze our Windows 98 Pentium III system with abundant RAM mid-game. This program, which requires no installation, ran smoothly on a Celeron system with Windows 95 (go figure). It's a shame, because when this pun-filled, humorous little CD-ROM works, it's swell. But there's no getting around the frustration of having to reboot when Little Monster Private Eye suddenly suffers mid-game paralysis again, and again, and... If the game behaves on your system, expect to find a clever James Bond parody set in Egypt. Mercer Mayer's character, Little Monster Private Eye, must collect clues to help rescue the famous archeologist Professor Pickle, who got himself locked in the tomb of Thanxfurnuthen, an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. Accompanying Little Monster during the investigation is Detective Kerploppus, whose thick Scottish brogue is a dead ringer for Sean Connery at his Bond best. Once the mission is underway, a map displays destinations like the Lost City of Hamonrya, and the tomb of the well-coifed ruler Pharaoh Phaucett (you really must read this review aloud to appreciate the groaners the game-makers crafted here). Visits to these sites reveal 11 games, as well as objects to collect that will help solve the final mystery that unlocks the tomb of Thanxfurnuthen. Explorers must match sight as well as sound in "Scarab Concentration," reconfigure a fountain so that the water flows into the right spot in "The Fountain Puzzle," and test their powers of observation in "The Shell Game." All of the games are of the matching, pattern-completing, puzzle-solving variety. Players also collect scarabs, which serve as currency in this world, and gather and purchase items that will help them eventually access the tomb. This CD-ROM's other strong point, aside from the fun it has with language, is that kids must grasp the big picture here in order to complete the game: a clue picked up in the museum will appear to be useless, but will help solve another conundrum if it's used in one of the tombs. We appreciated how The Mummy Mystery pulled us into the desert sands and ancient mysteries of Egypt. Now, if only we could figure out why one of our systems, which met all program requirements, seemed to suffer from the Curse of the Mummy whenever we tried to run it. (Ages 4 and older) --Anne Erickson
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