Monkey is a children's adventure based on the same Chinese story
as the popular television series. The text of the story is available
both on-screen and in the accompanying documentation. The
attractively presented package is obviously designed for school use
with separate bookleys for teacher and pupils. The program itself is
delightfully presented and my own children (aged between 8 and 12)
were more than willing to test it out - indeed they couldn't be dragged
away until they had solved it. However, I couldn't really recommend
it as a good buy for home use since the game doesn't really last long
enough for one individual to justify the purchase price.
A strong feature of the game is the use of a number of screens
attractively drawn with Mode 7 graphics. Actually, it's not really an
adventure in the orthodox sense and provides only limited options
for moving around locations. In general one is presented with
questions to answer and a variety of puzzles to solve which then take
you on to a new place - or throw you back to the beginning if you
fail. Clues and solutions are provided but appropriately divided in
the pupils' and teacher's versions of the documentation.
The educational value of this kind of software is hard to assess. The
problem-solving may be of some value but the main benefit probably
lies in attracting younger children towards interaction with the
micro, and convincing them that it can be a lot of fun.
1st February 1986
