This CD-Rom is a combination of activity and quest. The story begins with Penelope lost in Boss' freshly dug tunnels. However, Snoozer is asleep in front of the tunnel's entrance. So, the purpose of the game is to wake Snoozer and rescue Penelope.
Items needed to rescue Penelope are earned in each of four activities. There is a phonics/spelling activity where you have to arrange leaves to get an acorn to roll into the bird's nest with the letter which will complete the word. At first this was too difficult for my just turned five year old, but he's catching on. I did think it was a little tough for the younger kids to not only figure out which letter was needed, but to also position the leaves correctly.
Another activity involves matching the number of nails to the number printed on a board as a character moves a wheelbarrow down a pathway. On higher levels players have to match equations and sums. My son's favorite is a lotto/domino type game where you move through tunnels by connecting pictures on the cards. This starts off easy, but gets harder as you have to match related things such as a hoof to a horse or an egg to a bird. The last of the activities involves catching butterflies which match the symbols or shapes on the net. On the highest level, players match fractions.
Each activity has four difficulty levels. Players may either set the levels, or let them automatically adjust. We found the levels adjusted too quickly for my youngest son. Before he knew it, the activities, were getting too hard and that caused frustration. So for younger players, parents may want to set the game on the lowest level. When enough rounds of an activity are completed, the player earns something - ribbons, a net of butterflies, a board, or a rock. These are used to make a machine that catapults Snoozer out of his resting spot.
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