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Nightmare Ned
from Disney Interactive

See also the Summary Rating Table for comparisons with other Problem Solving software titles, and the SuperKids Buyers Guide for current market prices of this PC-only title.

Reviewed on:
Pentium166 with 16MB and 12XCD

Description
Spooky monsters and frightening adventures abound in Nightmare Ned, an arcade-like program that can best be described as Walter Mitty meets Beetlejuice. Our alter-ego, Ned, is an average ten-year-old boy with an overactive imagination. Upon returning from school to an empty house, Ned does what any red-blooded young boy would do -- the forbidden. He jumps on all the furniture, eats mountains of junk-food, and watches horror flicks on the television. Suddenly, the power goes out, and Ned’s imagination runs amok. The telephone cord seems to reach out and grab him, creepy creatures evolve from what are really just shadows. . .or are they? Ned races to his bed, where slumber will bring safety. But for Ned the odyssey is just beginning.

Ease of Install / Use
This is a power and space hungry program, requiring 75 MB of hard drive space! Navigation can be accomplished using the computer keyboard, a joystick or a gamepad. Although it is initially a bit of a coordination challenge, the keyboard is a perfectly satisfactory option.

Educational Value
There is very little educational value to this program. For the most part it is an arcade game, involving observation, quick thinking and speedy reflexes. Some problem-solving is required, at times Ned’s movements must be carefully planned, and if a wrong move is attempted the user must recommence an entire sequence from the beginning. After a few such instances, our reviewers became ‘smart’ players, and began to precisely coordinate their actions. Although this was often frustrating for younger reviewers, it made attainment of the final goal a worthwhile and satisfying endeavor.

Kid Appeal
The user is invited into five different nightmare worlds, each filled with slick graphics and state-of-the-art technology, where Ned battles mischievous monsters and frees himself from dire situations armed only with his cunning and a red yo-yo. The main means of exploration in the program is movement -- Ned can walk, jump up, jump forward, and climb stairs. His yo-yo can also be used, at times, as a means of exploration.

Best for... / Bottom-Line
In general the program was well-received by SuperKid’s kid reviewers, and even succeeded in appealing to hard-to-please teenage users.

See also the Summary Rating Table for comparisons with other Problem Solving software titles, and the SuperKids Buyers Guide for current market prices of this PC-only title.

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