Sonic's Schoolhouse
| Sonic's Schoolhouse | |
|---|---|
 Box art | |
| Developer(s) | Sega Entertainment Bap Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | Orion Interactive |
| Designer(s) | Bruce Austin[1] Britton Jackson Jim O'Keane Jed Weintrob |
| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Platform(s) | IBM-compatible computer with Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Trivia / Game show |
| Mode(s) | Single-player[2] Multiplayer (up to two players)[2] |
| Distribution | CD-ROM[2] |
Sonic's Schoolhouse is an educational computer game developed by Sega and published by Orion Interactive that teaches young learners mathematics, reading, and spelling.[2] Sonic's Schoolhouse is the fourth Sonic the Hedgehog game in the educational genre and is the only game in the series (spin-off or otherwise) to be given an Early Childhood (EC) rating.
Gameplay
In addition, players can earn access to two mini-games (a collect-the-rings game and a match-the-statues game) and a "field trip" section which gives them numerous facts on the various animals in the game.[2] It was developed by Orion Interactive (which later became MGM Interactive) and published by Sega Entertainment and Bap Interactive. It was the first game to be developed by Orion (The first non-independent educational kids game), although the game is now owned by MGM Interactive themselves. It is still owned by Orion, although the Sonic series is not owned by MGM.
The entire game plays in a similar fashion to id Software's Wolfenstein 3D, in that the player plays in a world that has no variation in height and is largely composed of right angles.[2] Players pick up nearby answers (ranging from bouncing letters and numbers to balloons with various pictures on them) to shoot back at a blackboard so as to answer it (usually filling in the blank; in the reading section the player must match up pictures with their words instead), or otherwise recycle (much to Sonic's pleasure).[2]
Sonic the Hedgehog himself is not playable, but acts as the guide.[2] Instead, the player must choose from numerous animals to play as during the course of the video game.[2] Doctor Eggman and his robots also show up to steal the player's answer (or in the ring mini-game, to steal all of the player's rings).[2]
Reception
Allgame gave Sonic's Schoolhouse a rating of 2.5 stars out of a possible 5. The website also praised the way that questions were modified based on the player's grade level in school (Kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade, and fourth grade). This would accommodate the limited vocabulary and knowledge of younger students when providing an adequate level of challenge for them.[3]
References
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