Captain Coordinate is a British super-hero who needs your help to prevent a dinosaur egg from falling into the hands of the evil Profit Twins.  This title is a combination of adventure story and math, keeping children engaged as it introduces map reading and coordinates.  It does not provide an intensive drill, but is a fun and engaging way to introduce these concepts as your child completes the adventure and learns about reading maps, timetables and coordinates. The game, when played through as a story, spends quite a bit of time between math activities addressing the story.  Once a child has played through the story once, you can configure the setup parameters to go directly to the math activities, which provide different variables so that different questions are posed each time the child plays, along with three levels of difficulty you can easily configure.  Extremely well designed and animation intensive, this program will run better on a newer computer.

Seven fully narrated, engaging activities designed to develop important geography, and math skills.  These activities include finding the shortest distance to a destination, the fastest bus route, using directional controls (North, South, East, West) to find clues and escape a lion in a nature sanctuary, reading an x, y coordinate grid to replace the missing pieces of a map, and reading a map with addresses to gather information in a town. It took my 11 year old (who is a bit old for this software) about 1 1/2 hours to play through the entire story - but it kept my 10 year old son riveted, with great animation, and clever plot twists (a little bit of hokey dialogue - the Captain calls the child playing the game "dude" - which my son found extremely amusing).  The child uses the Captain's "map top" computer which is cleverly implemented to play many of the math challenges.  The game can be saved if your child does not play through at a single sitting.

Each focused activity has three levels of tutorial and help options to encourage independent learning, while record keeping tracks children's progress.

This would be a fun game for a teacher to have available during computer free time at school.

With two modes of use, each activity can be practiced in isolation or as part of an exciting and entertaining adventure in which children help Captain Coordinate save a lost dinosaur egg from the greedy Profit twins.

Key Content

Details

Seven fully narrated, engaging activities designed to develop important geography, math and computer technology skills. With two modes, each activity can be practiced in isolation or as part of an exciting and entertaining adventure in which students help Captain Coordinate save a lost dinosaur egg from the greedy Profit twins. Each focused activity has three levels of tutorial and help options to encourage independent learning, while record keeping tracks students' progress. Activities cover the following objectives:

Geography Skills

Using maps- selecting routes on a map and calculating the length of each route.

Compass Points - giving instructions needed to move around a simple map.

Understanding Scale - giving instructions needed to move around a simple map.

Interpreting an Aerial View activity - interpreting an aerial view and locating addresses on a street map of the same area.

Using map symbols- using knowledge of map symbols and a key to complete a missing map square.

Using compass points- working with the 4 main compass points when giving directions.

Compass points activity - working with 8 compass points when giving directions.

Using letter/number grid references- entering letter/number coordinates to locate specific squares on a map.

Using 4-figure coordinates- entering 4-figure grid references to locate specific squares on a map.

Using 6-figure coordinates-Coordinates and Map Symbols activity - entering 6-figure grid references to locate specific squares on a map.

Using scale - measuring distances using a simple scale.

Number Skills

Using addition -Calculating Routes - calculating the lengths of routes by adding a pair of two-digit numbers together.

Reading the Time

Understanding Timetables activity - converting an analogue time into a digital time when filling in a blank timetable.

Recognizing compass points-Compass Points activity - working with the 4 main compass points when giving directions.

Understanding Scale activity - working with the 4 main compass points when giving directions

Compass points activity - working with 8 compass points when giving directions.

Using letter/number grid references-Coordinates and Map Symbols activity - entering letter/number coordinates to locate specific squares on a map.

Using 4-figure coordinates-Coordinates and Map Symbols activity - entering 4-figure grid references to locate specific squares on a map.

Using 6-figure coordinates-Coordinates and Map Symbols activity - entering 6-figure grid references to locate specific squares on a map.

Using scale-Understanding Scale activity - measuring distances using a simple scale.

Computer Technology Skills

Checking and correcting a database-checking and correcting a simple database to ensure it is accurate.

Searching a database- carrying out searches to find records which match given criteria.

Controlling an on-screen object-entering commands to control an on-screen object around a simple map.

Scale activity - entering commands to control an on-screen object around a simple map.

Interpreting an Aerial View activity - entering commands to control an on-screen object around a simple map.

Minimum System Requirements

PC: 95+, P-166MHz, 32 MB RAM

16 bit color and sound card

Mac: OS 8.1+, 233MHz, 32 MB RAM

16 bit color and sound card