Kid’s Education
Spelling Jungle
Spelling Jungle (ages 7-10) and Spelling Blizzard (Sierra On-Line – ages 9-12) are basically identical titles, set in different venues with different degrees of difficulty. Spelling Jungle is set somewhere deep in the heart of Africa, while Spelling Blizzard, predictably, takes place in Antarctica. In both cases, Yobi, a bald blue-eyed wizard resembling a cross between Ben Kingsley and Mr. Magoo, needs help to get up an overflowing river. You find his way by stepping on stones to spell tricky words while avoiding obstacles like killer whales, wolves, and charging zebras. Navigating is not so different from what you do in many GameBoy programs, but not as much fun. Along the way, Yobi offers mnemonics at the bottom of the screen intended to help you remember the words, but some kids found them more confusing than helpful. If you make it to the end of the river, you’ll find out why it overflowed. This was not enough of an incentive to keep our reviewers engaged.
- August 1995
