The people of Naboo are having a grand celebration, and they want you to join them; follow favorite Star Wars characters Anakin Skywalker, Queen Amidala, and Jar-Jar Binks through a host of educational activities in the city of Theed and the underwater kingdom of Otoh Gunga. On land, players may choose between three activities: in Naboo Puppet Theatre, kids select a character to star in a puppet drama and then define a story for the puppet to act out; Gungan Sling Painting challenges players to hurl paint at druids, matching the color of the paint to the surrounding druids; and in Music Droids, participants improvise tunes using a number of different instruments and maps. The undersea component of the game is also divided into three parts: in Otoh Gunga, players can dunk Boss Nass by sorting creatures into color groups, find hidden seashells with Obi-Wan Kenobi, and design a Gungan Deesco Dance for Jar-Jar Binks.
While all six activities seem to effortlessly combine educational content and pure fun, Music Droids is especially outstanding. The music maps are designed so carefully that players can skate a mouse over the map surface and come up with a credible-sounding tune; anyone who has tried to create truly musical combinations with an unfamiliar instrument will know that this is no easy task. Kids will delight at the creativity incorporated into this game and the ease of playing it.
In spite of a few slow and repetitive sequences, the Star Wars Early Learning Activity Center offers a high replay factor. It builds vocabulary and the understanding of music concepts, logic, and a host of other useful skills without making it seem like a chore. Game instructions are delivered slowly and clearly, with plenty of visual aids; character voices, sound, and graphics are vivid and often amusing. Young fans of the Star Wars films are sure to enjoy and learn from this well-crafted program. (Ages 4 to 6) --Alyx Dellamonica
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