Friday, May 2, 2003

Yoda’s Challenge Activity Center

It comes with free stickers? What’s not to like? Not much, if your child doesn’t mind being placated with sickeningly sweet and generic praise. Yoda’s Challenge seeks to teach children through the lovable characters of Star Wars: Episode One, that massive cash cow that has taken over the hearts and souls of kids everywhere (well, okay, maybe not the Pokémon-addicted kids). There are six activities to choose from, each focusing on a different skill. While none of these activities teaches anything terribly new, there are definitely some new ideas in the actual delivery of the information.
While your kids will probably find it less irritating than you will, you’ll definitely want to leave the room while junior plays with Yoda’s Challenge. As with Jar Jar’s Journey, the pseudo sequel to this title, which we reviewed in January 2000, the dialog and voice acting are incredibly annoying. It may sound trivial to point this out, but any parent who’s had to sit through an episode of Barney knows the true horror that is in store. Even your kids will notice the bland comments that come from the voice actors who praise players with such comments as, “This person is very intelligent!”
The activities come up being half and half: Race to the Finish, Unscramble the Computer, and Programming C3PO are great learning activities, while Exploring the caves of Naboo, Trapping the Droids, and Jamming with the Band aren’t the most educational activities. While there’s lots to be learned here, it’s not a safe bet that they will appeal to most kids. Trapping the Droids, especially, could cause an uproar in your household, as it tries to teach rhythm; if your kid has no natural rhythm (like me) this will be a very frustrating activity.

Yoda’s Challenge Activity Center:
Lucas Learning Company  |  www.lucaslearning.com  |  415-448-8000