The Emperor's New Groove Groove Centre - Other

The delightfully evil Yzma hosts the games and walks users through the main menu, so there's no reading required. Each of the three games has different skill levels to keep children occupied, all challenging hand-eye coordination; children under the age of six--unless they're unusually adept--may get frustrated.

The Yzmania area gets positively riotous, with soldiers creeping closer to the top platform while players attempt to throw colour-coordinated potions quickly enough to halt the onslaught. As games are won on each skill level, new art becomes available in the Loomation area, where children can design animated tapestries from an assortment of scenes, graphics and characters. This section operates with simple click-and-drag motions, so younger siblings will enjoy the area even if they can't quite get the hang of the games. All the artistic treasures are printable, and the program manual offers instructions on creating flipbooks--a great rainy day or after-school activity.

Installation is quick and easy, as long as you don't mind the continuous music that plays during the few minutes of setup. If children want to utilise the e-mail options, post-installation is an ideal time for them to do so; installing the links to the Web will also allow them to visit the marketplace, where new art becomes available for Loomation. Happily, this works with both Netscape and Internet Explorer. (Ages four to eight) --Jill Lightner, amazon.com

Manufacturer's Description
From village harvests, to rescue challenges to arcade-style games, Disney's The Emperor's New Groove Activity Center by Disney packs an attitude. Groove to the hilarious antics of Kuzco, Pacha, Yzma, and Kronk. Create your own stylish art with a magical loom that animates before your eyes. Raise crops and guide Pacha to the greatest harvest ever as the chief of your own village, Kornotopia. Help save Kuzco as he hangs from a perilous rope bridge above a couple of hungry alligators. Work with Kronk to create a magic tapestry in Loomation that will animate before your eyes. You can even print it out as a cool flipbook. Use your cumulative scores from the games to barter for new art to include in Loomation. Based on the movie by Disney, The Emperor's New Groove Activity Center will keep kids occupied and challenged for hours.