Description:
Created in response to newly enacted standardized test requirements for grade school students, Newton's Quest 6th Grade brings traditionally dry material to 3-D life with interactive tools that help stimulate kids' curiosity about science, space, nature, geography, music, and art. Over 4,000 questions and 400 exercises, covering a full year of curriculum, are incorporated into the colorful space fantasy world of Newton, the affable alien youth who serves as your eager escort. While the material covered is thorough, grade-appropriate, and sure to boost knowledge in key areas, we found the programming to be a bit sloppy in places and overall user experience less than intuitive, leading us to wonder whether navigating through the game was itself a test of conceptual thinking and logic skills. Things start out promising enough. Installation is easy and the graphics had the accessible look and feel of a Saturday morning cartoon. The 3-D environment and 360-degree views lent themselves well to interactivity, and the teen-next-door persona of the pointy-eared Newton engaged our attention without seeming condescending or sappy. However, as we began to follow Newton through his spaceship classroom to create our own player character, we began to notice a few disjoints that disenchanted and even frustrated us. For example, we were asked questions by Newton without any indication of how to respond with a yes or no. He occasionally stopped after greeting us or explaining something, presumably waiting for some type of input from our end--even whistling or humming as we kept him waiting. He even adopted a different accent on occasion, inexplicably and distractingly. Add to this unclear paths of navigation, instances of screen views changing for no apparent reason, and slow transition times, and we were left feeling a bit cheated out of what could have been a playfully effective interface. Once a bit more familiar with the quirks of this program, however, we began to make use of its extensive educational resources. We conducted scientific simulations, enjoyed interactive displays and games, and eventually tackled the activity areas dedicated to standardized test practice. In these, a five-step learning method was presented, including warmup activities, and then lessons, practice problems, advanced problems and, finally, testing. In essence, these activities are drills, but drills made more worthwhile by a reward system and immediate assessment results. Overall, and despite the awkward and unwieldy interface that plagues the program throughout, Newton's Quest 6th Grade can be a valuable tool to grade schoolers eager to improve their testing skills and performance. --Ed Noble
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