Where in Space Is Carmen Sandiego?

Where in Space Is Carmen Sandiego?

Developer(s) Brøderbund Software
Publisher(s) Brøderbund Software
Director(s) David Ross, Christa Beeson
Producer(s) David Ross, Christa Beeson
Designer(s) Kim Walls
Programmer(s) Bob Arient
Artist(s) Michelle Bushneff
Composer(s) Tom Rettig, Michael Barrett
Series Carmen Sandiego
Platform(s) DOS
Release date(s) 1993
Genre(s) Educational
Mode(s) Single-player
Distribution Floppy disk

Where in Space Is Carmen Sandiego? is a game produced by Brøderbund Software, Inc. and released in 1993.

Development

In the time before the company was acquired by The Learning Company, Carmen Sandiego games are generally divided into four eras: CGA (1985/6), VGA enhanced, (1989/1992), high-res VGA (1992-4), and CD-ROM (1995 onwards). This game fallls within "the second group...that are based on the improved game engine that offers high-res VGA graphics, thousands of clues (as opposed to hundreds), and a more polished interface."[1]

According to Mobygames, "Where in Space is Carmen Sandiego uses the original formula from the first 4 games in the series (Where In The World, Where in Europe, Where In Time, Where in the USA) and extends it to our knowledge of astronomy and space".[2] The game includes 32 locations and 1100 clues, the latter of which can be deciphered throguh the VAL 9000 computer which "provides information about the history, science, and mythology of space that will aid you in your search". The game includes "digitised NASA images of the sun, planets and moons, star searches, talking aliens, planetary fly-bys and launches of interplanetary probes", while "the original music score includes different themes for each planetary system in digitised sound. ".[2]

Gameplay

The player flies in a rocket ship throughout the solar system, interrogating various alien lifeforms in order to solve the theft of an important part of the solar system (e.g. Saturn's rings). There was only a limited amount of fuel available for travel. So if the player didn't ask the right questions on the right planets, or followed the wrong clues, the criminal(s) would get away, leaving the player to start over again with another crime. This version is somewhat similar to Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?.

Reception

Asking a witness for clues in Where in Space Is Carmen Sandiego?

Charles Ardai wrote in Computer Gaming World in 1993 that "the game's quality [is] quite high" but criticized "its longevity, which is low", noting the small number of animations that, despite their high quality, often repeated. He concluded that "Carmen seems to be feeling the effects of middle age ... it seems to lack the staying power of the earlier games".[3] Oldgames.com wrote "I simply love this game. It's not a fast action game, and you won't need to strain your brain too much (just enough to make it interesting). In return, you'll get lovely cartoonish graphics and tons of edutainment. Yes, you will learn a few things about space during the course of this game. The game also has nice speech and sound effects, but the sound is nothing special. All in all, it's a game that deserves a 4. I can't really find any flaws in the game, except maybe that it's a children's learning game - but that's not really a flaw, that's exactly what they wanted to make, and they succeeded."[4]

Clayton Walnum of Atari Magazines wrote "Where in Space is Carmen Sandiego? is yet another wonderful entry into an already long and successful line of educational computer games. Plus it's a fascinating romp through the solar system featuring awesome digitized photos from NASA's own files and a clever gang of otherworldly character".[5] WIZ gave the game 80, PC Player (Germany) gave it 73, PC Games (Germany) gave it 69, and Power Play gave it 62.[6] Eugene Register-Guard said "The graphics are gorgeous and the script witty".[7]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.myabandonware.com/game/where-in-the-world-is-carmen-sandiego-1ax
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.mobygames.com/game/where-in-space-is-carmen-sandiego-deluxe-edition
  3. ↑ Ardai, Charles (1993-08). "Broderbund's Where in Space in Carmen Sandiego?". Computer Gaming World. p. 62. Retrieved 12 July 2014. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ↑ Oldgames.com
  5. ↑ http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue158/108_Where_in_Space_is_Ca.php
  6. ↑ http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/where-in-space-is-carmen-sandiego-deluxe-edition/mobyrank
  7. ↑ http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19940508&id=aUlWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KesDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7086,1755768

External links

References