Serious Game Classification

When two members of the ClueFinders are miniaturized by a shrinking ray, all four of the mystery-solving teens (and LapTrap and AliTrap, their mechanical assistants) must hunt through a San Francisco toy store for clues before the mysterious shrinking ray is turned on the city itself. As they explore, they must earn and collect items to build an unshrinking device.

The player uses the mouse to navigate by clicking on arrows to move from area to area, and once a place has been visited it can be returned to via the map. All actions are performed by mouse clicks and dragging, and in one instance the arrow keys can be used to move around in an arcade-style game. The ClueFinders games utilize an automatic leveling system that adjusts each minigame separately to the player's level of skill - this is an option that can be turned off if the player prefers. In-game help is readily available, and if the player seems to be having difficulty the red videophone will open and the game characters will make helpful suggestions.

As the ClueFinders make their way through the toy store they will take part in these activities:Gumball Jackpot - add coins to the gumball machine to reach a target price and receive a prize
Pneumatic Pipe Blast - travel through the pipes by following and predicting patterns
Global Trek - locate places on a map and follow direction to sequence and plot a travel route
Catapult Fling - experiment and adjust leverage points and weights on a launcher to knock an item out of a bag
Decoding the Divide - use logic and language skills to decipher a coded message and cross an alligator-filled moat
Eldon the Talking Elevator - complete equations to clear 5 squares in a row on a grid
Taxi Bug Express - maneuver the waterbug taxi along the river, avoiding incorrectly spelled words and collecting the correct ones
Escape From Alcatraz - complete sentences by filling in missing words and then sequence the sentences to help Lucky Lucy the rat escape. This game focuses on the curriculum for third and fourth grade children, covering elements of Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science, and building skills in problem-solving and logical thinking.

Included with this game is a bonus ClueFinders CD-ROM: The Mystery of the Missing Amulet, which was previously released as ClueFinders Reading Adventures. [source:mobygames]

Distribution : Retail - Commercial
Platform(s) : Macintosh - PC (Windows)

Links

• http://www.mobygames.com/game/cluefinders-the-incredible-toy-stor [...]
• http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/home/932005.html