Visit the long-gone world of pre-Colonial America, Disney style. As a young woman and her people encounter newcomers on the shores of their ancient territory, the Pocahontas Animated Storybook invites players to watch the adventure unfold--and to play and read along.The Pocahontas Animated Storybook is essentially a pared-down version of the recent film. It combines read-aloud text (which lights up as the words are spoken so new readers can follow along) with short animations and dialogue scenes. Each page of this virtual book also contains plenty of hot spots so players can trigger character actions at the touch of a mouse. Many of the book's pages also link into easy games: children can learn to aim a bow and arrow or match animals to their forest habitats by listening to their distinctive cries. In another of these activities, Flit the hummingbird needs players' help to rescue berries from a hungry raccoon, Meeko.
In terms of design, Pocahontas Animated Storybook is one of the best constructed of the Disney storybooks. It helps that it is a recent release and runs well on newer computers. Its slick graphics and up-to-date presentation will please computer-savvy children in the 4-to-6 age bracket even as it helps them build reading vocabulary. It also allows players to skip some--though not all--of the long audio instruction sequences which otherwise become repetitive. The graphics are attractive, the game icons make sense, and navigation is easy. In short, this is a game with very few flaws.
On the other hand, some parents may be put off by the story itself, which glosses over some very grim historical facts, or by the superficial uses which are made of the game's Native American content. Rather than capitalizing on an opportunity to enhance children's appreciation for the culture in which the storybook takes place, Pocahontas' society is used primarily as set decoration.
Fans of the movie and young reading-game aficionados will take great pleasure in this storybook. With its lush graphics, superb sound design, and engaging activities, the Pocahontas Animated Storybook brings the art of the read-along computer game into a higher realm. (Ages 4 to 6) --Alyx Dellamonica
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