Description:
Trouble is afoot in the high mountains of the Masters of the Elements. One of these great beings, the Master of Chance, has lost his cat. As Time, Gravity, and Chance's other friends search for the wayward beast, their powers are leaking away and the natural order of things is falling apart. Unless you can find the cat and the Masters' lost rings, chaos will result. Aimed at players ages 8 and older, Masters of the Elements is a first-person role-playing game devoted to teaching basic physics concepts through virtual experimentation. Players learn about gravity and force through a virtual juggling activity, attempt to recharge a battery that will run the Master of Time's toy train, and perform many other tasks in order to turn up the missing cat. Each small game offers a gentle lesson in the workings of the universe, one that helps in the larger quest. This game requires an odd mix of arcade-style finesse and puzzle-solving skills. The clues to the science conundrums are all available for players to decode, but their solutions are subtle and implementing the experiments can take care, grace, and a lot of repetition. Mouse commands are sometimes on a hair-trigger--move a millimeter too far or shift a juggling pin too quickly, and the whole activity might collapse. This makes Masters of the Elements an excellent game for children who enjoy using the computer in the company of helpful parents. The masters for whom the game is named are supreme rulers over Time, Gravity, Electricity, Warmth, Light, and Chance. They are also cheerfully drawn storybook characters with ample humor and appeal. This game never lectures players on the aspects of the concepts it teaches, yet still delivers applicable lessons in how the fundamental forces of nature work. What's more, the artwork is pleasantly unrealistic, stylized in a fashion that will please those tired of a harsher graphics aesthetic. Ultimately, these features make Masters of the Elements a terrific package for kids who enjoy solving problems and thinking independently. --Alyx Dellamonica
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