GEOBEE


National Geographic Software
Available in 3.5 inch diskettes

Ages 10 to Adult

Windows ISBN 0792232216
Mac ISBN 0792232240

Review by James Neal Webb

If it's been a while since you've been to a spelling bee, or to its newer cousin, the geography bee, there's something you might have forgotten: when you were in the sixth grade trying to spell anaconda (that's A-N-A-C-O-N-D-A), you took the contest seriously. And so do today's kids, since it is a competition-and their chance to excel. Learning shouldn't be dull, though, and that's something the National Geographic folks have known for a long time; GeoBee take the concept-and it is their concept, after all-and tweaks it a little bit. The result is a delightful electronic game, especially if you have kids playing against each other.

GeoBee has a fairly conventional interface; up to four people can play, answering geographic questions of increasing difficulty. You play against the clock as well, and type in your answers. Don't worry if your spelling is rusty, because GeoBee will help you out on the words it recognizes-there's just no guarantee the words will be the correct answer. The real fun comes in with your animated host, BuzzBee, who mugs and jokes his way through the contest, as well as offering encouragement. He's more David Letterbee than Alex Trebek, but that's all right, because the Jeopardy! host is here, too, with a special introduction.

Kids being what they are, they're bound to tease each other as they play (I know mine did), but that's okay, because the spirit of GeoBee is in fun. As a matter of fact, hearing all the laughing and screaming going on, I had to double check to make sure they were actually playing the same game I loaded. They were-and soon enough, so was I.


James Neal Webb operates his own computer graphics business in Nashville, TN.


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