Junior Arcade Games
by Al Giovetti
Price: $14.95 ESP each
Genre: kids arcade
Ages: for kids ages 3 to 8
Release: Summer 1997
Developer: Humongous Entertainment
Programmer:
Music:
Art:
Producer:
Publisher: GT Interactive Software Corporation
Phone: sales 800/499-8386, technical support 206/485-1212,
support@humongous.com.
Website: www.humongous.com
Requirements:
Company line: Humongous Entertainment's Freddi Fish and Luther Star in New Junior Arcade Games. Maze Madness and Water Worries CD-ROMs Deliver Action and Fun. Hot on the fins of the Top 10 smash hit Freddi Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse(tm), Freddi Fish(tm) and her pal Luther dive into new worlds of fun in their first two Junior Arcade(tm) games from Humongous Entertainment, a subsidiary of GT Interactive Software Corp. (NASDAQ: GTIS).
Freddi Fish and Luther's Maze Madness(tm) and Freddi Fish and Luther's Water Worries(tm) will hit stores Feb. 24 on hybrid Windows(r) and Macintosh(r) CD-ROMs for.
Pajama Sam(tm), the world's youngest superhero and star of Pajama Sam in No
Need To Hide When It's Dark Outside(tm) -- Computer Gaming World magazine's
No. 1 Kids Game of the Year, will debut in his first Junior Arcade game this
summer.
"Kids who love Freddi Fish, Putt-Putt(r) and Pajama Sam will have a blast discovering new worlds of fun and action in our nonviolent Junior Arcade games," said Ralph Giuffre, Humongous Entertainment executive vice president of marketing and licensing.
"Freddi Fish and Luther's two new Junior Arcade games expand the product line, joining Putt-Putt and Pep's Balloon-O-Rama(tm) and Putt-Putt and Pep's Dog on a Stick(tm). We are also excited to add Pajama Sam's first Junior Arcade game later this year," added Giuffre. Freddi Fish and Luther's Maze Madness.
History: Freddi Fish, Freddi Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse, Maze Madness, Water Worries, Putt-Putt and Pep's Balloon-O-Rama, Putt-Putt and Pep's Dog on a Stick, Pajama Sam, Pajama Sam in No Need To Hide When It's Dark Outside, Junior Arcade, Junior Adventures, Junior Field Trips, Fatty Bear, and Buzzy the Knowledge Bug are all games produced by Humongous Entertainment.
Humongous is a company formed in 1992 by Shelley Day and Ron Gilbert.
Humongous Entertainment creates high-quality, hand-drawn, interactive Junior
Adventures(tm), Junior Field Trips(tm) and Junior Arcade CD-ROMs that
encourage kids to explore, discover and have fun. Endearing original
characters include Putt-Putt, Freddi Fish, Fatty Bear(tm), Buzzy the
Knowledge Bug(tm) and Pajama Sam. Shelley Day, an advertising executive,
wanted to animate the stories she told her children when they were young
including the character Putt-Putt, who is a car with a dog sidekick that makes
for a very interesting heads up interface with Putt-Putt's dashboard as the
game control panel.
Freddi Fish, a heroine when most were heros, was designed by ex-Lucas Arts luminary Ron Gilbert who created Maniac Mansion, Zack MacKracken, and the Secret of Monkey Island series featuring Guybrush Threepwood, an bumbling apprentice pirate seeking his fortune in an enchanted and enchanting world of mayhem. Humongous Entertainment was recently bought out and is now a wholly owned subsidiary of GT Interactive Software Corp. (NASDAQ: GTIS).
Plot and Game play: In Freddi Fish and Luther's Maze Madness, kids can use their computer mouse or keyboard arrow keys to direct Freddi Fish through more than 50 different mazes to collect Grandma Grouper's kelp seeds. Some mazes are so elaborate that kids will discover and explore several screens while completing them. Each level is packed full of point-scoring goodies, but they're swimming with hungry foes such as squids and sharks that can eat Freddi's limited supply of peanut butter and jellyfish sandwiches. Teleporting whirlpools, gates, geysers and bonus rooms are just a few of the surprises that await the players.
In Freddi Fish and Luther's Water Worries, kids will be immersed in hours of
bubble-popping action with Freddi Fish and Luther's Water Worries. Freddi
Fish's pal Luther is sucked into a whirlpool where bubbles constantly rise
from below. The bubbles must be popped before they reach the surface, or they
will lower the water level and eventually force Luther to swim out and try
again. Luther uses his trusty slingshot and an unlimited supply of pebbles
to pop bubbles while collecting worm doodles to advance further.
Kids use the computer mouse to help Luther pop his way through 100 fun levels plus pearl-packed bonus rounds. Popping the bubbles can free trapped friendly fish, hungry nasty fish who will eat valuable worm doodles, or goodies that temporarily give Luther special powers. Watch out for stinging jellyfish and pigs with bowling balls. If Luther's not careful, he can get momentarily trapped in a bubble in which he is unable to use his slingshot.
Graphics and Animation: All Humongous Entertainment games use traditional Disney feature film-like quality two dimensional hand drawn animation. The graphics are highly detailed and are like being the main character within a Disney animated feature
Voice actors: Like an animated film, voice actors provide the basis for the script, character development and plot enrichment. The voice overs are complimented by optional text to enhance the experience.
Music score:
Sound effects:
Utilities: Families can save games for as many as 75 players, with 10 custom levels for each player. Game secrets and help are always only an "F1" keystroke away.
In Freddi Fish and Luther's Maze Madness, An easy-to-use Custom Level Editor lets kids create their own fun, as they build, save and play an endless variety of mazes. Players can select building materials, create walls, plus pick and place as many as 40 items -- including goodies and foes -- for personalized fun. Its "Unlimited Tries" option gives Luther unlimited energy to try a level an unlimited number of times. "Urchin Suit On" gives Luther a permanent Codfish Commando Action Urchin Suit that keeps him from getting stuck in bubbles.
Freddi Fish and Luther's Water Worries can keep track of as many as 75 one-player and as many as 75 two-player games. Game hints and help are always only an "F1" keystroke away. "Bubbles On" gives Freddi Fish a full-time bubble shooter to temporarily detain her fishy foes. "Unlimited Tries" prevents Freddi's supply of sandwiches from ever being depleted.
Both games Junior Helper feature, available whenever the cursor is placed at the bottom of the level-selection screen, makes gameplay easy and fun for kids of all ages
Documentation:
Multi-player: In Freddi Fish and Luther's Water Worries, Kids help Luther in the Single-Player Mode. Two-Player Mode is twice the fun as kids take turns, one controlling Luther and the other controlling Freddi Fish, who swims into the whirlpool to help her friend find his way out. Melee Mode lets kids test their skills and stamina in back-to-back levels where players with high scores get to record their names on the Top 10 list.
Future plans:
References:
http://www.humongous.com/company/products/water0.html
http://www.humongous.com/company/products/maze0.html