Description:
Carmen Sandiego is a thorn in the ACME Detective Agency's side. A brilliant globe-trotting thief, she learned all of her best tricks in her days as ACME's greatest operative. Now, she has used those skills to steal a rare book about Marco Polo. It is up to her former partner, an untested rookie, and--most importantly--you, the player, to stop her. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? has been around for over a decade in various incarnations, and one look at its successful mix of educational content and mystery role-playing is enough to explain why it has endured. Focusing on geography and world cultures, the game pursues Carmen through Earth's major cities, introducing players to the languages, customs, and landmarks of their peoples along the way. Like most mystery games, this one has a sedate pace, requiring players to look hard at each new cityscape and search out clues that will help the story unfold. This does not mean it is impossibly difficult--there is plenty of help on offer for whenever a detective is stuck. The clues themselves are generally based on true facts about the nations Carmen is visiting on her crime spree, reinforcing the lessons learned as the point-and-click world tour progresses. By combining varied and beautiful landscapes with the thrill of the chase, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? teaches and entertains, seamlessly combining its educational content with its adventure component, and offering--if you keep your wits--the satisfaction of thwarting one of computer gaming's most notorious thieves. --Alyx Dellamonica
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