The ClueFinders Reading Adventures
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The ClueFinders Reading Adventures: Mystery of the Missing Amulet is a computer game in The Learning Company's The ClueFinders series, where the ClueFinders embark on an adventure in an alien world to save the planet Millenia from the evil sorceress Malicia.
[edit] Synopsis
The game begins in Sierra, where a meteor bomb strikes down into the earth. The ClueFinders approach the meteor, and Joni wants to feel if it is like volcanic rock. Santiago tries to stop her, but it's too late. At the moment Joni touches the rock, the ClueFinders get sucked up into the planet Millenia, where they are separated and divided into two teams, Joni and Owen and Leslie and Santiago. Joni and Owen are safe, but Leslie and Santiago and trapped. Then, Joni meets the princess of Millenia. She explains that Joni's friends are trapped at the top of Mount Voldrak by an evil sorceress, Malica. She says that Joni and Owen will have to find the two halves of the Amulet of Life, which were buried by her people, the Sorrens and the Doldreks. Unfortunately, Malica has trapped them, so Joni will have to free the Sorrens and Doldreks too. The princess also explains that she is not let out of the dangerous lands. Also, Owen has a slight romantic relationship and tries to flirt with the princess.
First, Joni and Owen must go to the Crystal Caverns and collect Thermagems to operate the machines that will crack the ice and free the Doldreks. Once these are collected and the amulet is found in the Crystal Caverns, a mural shows up, and Joni begins to be a bit suspicious with the princess.
All of a sudden, the princess appears and explains that next the team must go to the Mystic Mountains and collect LavaRocks that will operate the machines and free the Sorrens. Joni was wondering why the princess was here, as she said that the princess explained she was not aloud in the land. Alas, Owen was still trying to flirt.
Once the last half of the amulet is found, the princess is revealed to be Malicia, and takes a necklace Joni bought at the market on Earth, mistaking it for the amulet. Joni and Owen set off for Mount Voldrak.
They find Leslie and Santiago, but Malicia's flying goons (somewhat similar in appearance to Mathra in The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures: The Mystery of Mathra) manage to catch the amulet as Joni was trying to destroy it once and for all. Malicia aims the amulet at Owen, but he uses Laptrap's back as a defense against the amulet's ray, which bounces back at Malica, trapping her forever.
Then, her flying goons turn into a Sorren and a Doldrek. They free Leslie and Santiago, and explains that they have been trapped in Malicia's power. They also explain that amulet is the only way back to Earth.
So, after thanking then Sorren and Doldrek, the ClueFinders head back to Earth. Back on Earth, the ClueFinders ask Socrates (Joni's dog) to bury their amulet so it is never found, and the adventure ends.
[edit] Activities
Thermagems
To operate the machines and free the Doldreks, ThermaGems will be needed, but the wall between the wall and the ThermaGems are so small that even Laptrap cannot enter. LapTrap explains that Professor Horace (from The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures: The Mystery of Mathra) has invented a device so LapTrap can make Mini-Traps. Guide the Mini-Traps around the obstacles and find the thermagem that doesn't belong. Once you have at least five gems, head on to the machines.
Jukebox Jumbler
To free five of the Doldreks and collect their clues, you will need to feed ThermaGems to a jukebox. Once you feed it a gem, a crossword will apppear. There will be some clues on a panel on the top of the jukebox indicating the meanings of the missing words. The prefixes or suffixes will be there on the crossword, too. Drag the letters under the clues onto the crossword to complete it. Once you complete one crossword, you will free a Doldrek and receive a clue. If it takes you too long to complete a game, or you decide to change levels, or quit and resume you must start over and feed the jukebox another gem.
Ice Breaker
Five more Doldreks need to be rescued, and the Ice Breaker is the perfect place. Insert a ThermaGem into the slot on the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Five spheres will be available for you to use in the game. Grab the shield and launch the sphere by moving it anywhere in the screen. Below the face of the Ice Breaker are the Doldreks that need to be rescued. Beneath them is a sentence. The Ice Breaker will tell you an instruction. Aim the spheres at any pad to break it, sometimes revealing a falling word. If the word matches the Ice Breaker's instructions and he is satisfied with your work, a Doldrek will be free. Like the Jukebox Jumbler activity, if you decide to quit and resume, you will need to start over again. If in the middle of a game the level changes, your scores will stay. But if you decide to change them in the middle of a game, the machine will want another ThermaGem.
Crystal Gateway
Once you have all ten clues, head to the Crystal Gateway. Use your clues and click on the correct symbols, called etchings on the wall. If you click on the wrong etching, or click on them in the wrong order, you will need to start again. When all the symbols have completed the puzzle, the door will open, and you will see the first half of the amulet.
LavaRocks
To free the Sorrens in the Mystic Mountains, you will need LavaRocks, which can be found by using the Mini-Traps again. An analogie will appear for each rock, and you will need to find the odd-one out.
Rock Muncher
The Rock Muncher is hungry again! Feed him a LavaRock and complete his puzzle to operate the drilling device which will free the Sorrens. Read the question on the sign. Then read the passage on the rock wall. Drag the rock that answers the question into the Rock Muncher's mouth. If it is the right rock, he will operate his drilling device. If you have drilled enough, the rock will collapse and the Sorren trapped inside will give you a clue. Like all other clue-earning activities, if you change levels, quit and resume, or make too many mistakes, you will need to feed the machine another rock. This activity's gameplay is identical to that in 'Set in Stone' from The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures: Puzzle of the Pyramid.
Bridge Builder
The huge stone dragon can let out a ball from his stomach and roll it over to the other side of the cliff to free the Sorren, who will give you a clue. Alas, there is no bridge, so you will have to build one. The dragon will use his laser eyes and zap out a sentence. Then, a rock will come falling down from the sky. Categorize the rock into different parts of speech by landing it on top of the correct part of speech. Once you have layered enough rocks on top of each other, the stone ball can roll across and free the Sorren. Like all other clue-earning activities, if you change levels, quit and resume, or make too many mistakes, you will need to feed the machine another rock.
Mystic Gateway
Use the ten clues you have earned in the Mystic Mountains and click on the correct symbols, called etchings on the wall. If you click on the wrong etching, or click on them in the wrong order, you will need to start again. When all the etchings have been clicked in the right order, the door will open. This game is identical to 'Crystal Gateway'.
Mystic Messages
After the door is open, you will need to read the passage on the door and use context clues to fill in the missing words. Once you have filled in the correct words, letters from some of these words will appear in the message below, guiding you on the next step. Once this puzzle is completed, you will see the last and final half of the amulet.
Gates of Mount Valdrok
Use the clues the gargoyles give you to complete the puzzle and open the door. Try typing in a few letters. One gargoyle will tell you if you have a right letter in the right place. The other will tell you if you have a right letter in the wrong place. If they both say nothing, you have no right letters. Once you figured the word they are looking for, you may enter.
[edit] Skills
ThermaGems - vocabulary, categorisation and reasoning
Jukebox Jumbler - prefixes, surffixes, vocabulary, and spelling
Ice Breaker - vocabulary, antonyms, synonyms, homonyms
Crystal Gateway - sequencing, reading for meaning
LavaRocks - critical thinking, attributes, synonyms, antonyms, vocabulary, analogies
Bridge Builder - grammar, parts of speech, sentence strucuture
Rock Muncher - reading for meaning, main idea, detail, inference, vocabulary
Mystic Gateway - sequencing, reading for meaning
Mystic Messages - reading comprehension, using context clues, spelling, inference
Gates of Mount Valdrok - spelling, deductive thinking, hypothesis testing
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