Description:
Relive the magic of the Disney film with The Emperor's New Groove Activity Center, three entertaining games and an ever-changing art program that even enables kids to e-mail their creations along to favorite friends and relations. Quality Disney graphics run true to form, with bright colors, detailed images, and whimsical characters. The delightfully evil Yzma hosts the games and walks kids through the main menu, so there's no reading required. Each of the three games has different skill levels to keep kids occupied, and all especially challenge hand-eye coordination; children under the age of 6--unless they're unusually adept--may get frustrated. The Yzmania area gets positively riotous, with soldiers creeping closer to the top platform while players attempt to throw color-coordinated potions quickly enough to halt the onslaught. As games are won on each skill level, new art becomes available in the Loomation area, where kids can design animated tapestries from an assortment of scenes, graphics, and characters. This section operates with simple click-and-drag motions, so younger siblings will enjoy the area even if they can't quite get the hang of the games. All the artistic treasures are printable, and the program manual offers instructions on creating flipbooks--a great rainy day or after-school activity. Installation is quick and easy, as long as you don't mind the continuous music that plays during the few minutes of setup. If children want to utilize the e-mail options, post-installation is an ideal time for them to do so; installing the links to the Web will also allow kids to visit the marketplace, where new art becomes available for Loomation. Happily, this works with both Netscape and Internet Explorer. (Ages 4 to 8) --Jill Lightner
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