Title: Nile: Passage to Egypt
Overall Rating: B-
Source: Own Library
Playing Time: The playing time may vary depending upon the time spent playing the games within the program.  You may choose to play the games more than one time for educational purposes.  Approxamently three to four hours to complete the trip on the Nile River.
Date: 06/11/98

 Cost: $19.95 <http://www.thunderbeam.com/i/438F0a8eF0016C78067511d075268CE600AA334A00AF49C0.html?NETSCAPE_LIVEWIRE.keycode=1208&NETSCAPE_LIVEWIRE.oreo=357fda331208e602898f6977>
 
Number of Players:1
Special Equipment/Facilities Needed: No
Subject Area: S
Objectives: The objectives of this title is to take you for a trip down the Nile River.  Also. making stops along the way to meet the people in that specific region.  The programer takes you to tombs and pyramids in ancient Egypt while showing you some of the activities and games that were played during this time in history.  This program is to show the Nile River and the region around the Nile.  Although some of this program is fiction in your journey still ideas can be extracted about the Nile River and the people who lived there long ago.
Brief Description: The River Nile of Egypt; This program will take you on  a journey down the Nile River while showing you the people of that area in history.  Show you the games that they played during Egyptian times.  The boat will take you down the Nile with historic stops along the way.  While you keep a scroll of where you have been and keep photoes of memerable areas within your trip.  You may write in your log book to remember areas and ideas about your trip.
Entry Capabilities Required: This program can be used from 11 years and up.

Rating: (1-5)

Relevance to objectives: 3; this program could be more educational for the students when talking about Egypt
Provides practice of relevant skills:3; this program revels history about Egypt and the Nile River.  Other than a little history about Egypt, the games will be used by the children most.  They may be educational in their thinking process.
Likely to arouse/maintain interest:2;  At first the program is interesting.  But after you visit some tombs and pyramids and travel in your boat, the program becomes repititious and relativly boring unless it can be tied in with somthing else in your lesson.  
Likely to be comprehended clearly: 3 1/2; This program is good at showing you what the ancient times were like although not totally relalistic.
Technical quality (durable, attractive):2; This program could have much better graphics to make it more interestiong for the children.  Relativly boaring graphics but does have some good qualities in its graphics.  ie.) THe photoes you can take along the journey.
Game: Winning dependent on player actions (rather than chance): Overall this is not a winning game, it is a successful trip program, making the journey down the Nile.  Although, there are games within the program  that may be won by the individual student.
Simulation: Validity of game model (realistic, accurate depiction):4; The program shows the people and the scroles on the walls of the tombs and pyramids.  Some parts of the program is unrealistic but the children may learn about Egypt. 
Evidence of effectiveness (e.g. field-test results):NA
Clear directions for play: 3; Some instruction for the students will be needed and after the instructions they should have few problems running the program.
Effectiveness of debriefing:NA

 Strong Points:Pretty acurate review of Egypt and Nile
Weak Points: Graphics could be better and keep children interested longer
Reviewer: Joe Shambo
Position:Student
Date: 06/11/98
Computer System Reviewed on: Macintosh PowerPC 6500/250, 32mb ram.
 
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