Trivia software? Educational? Well, it's a stretch, but some of these titles may have a place on your shelf. Each of the following titles is aimed at a particular audience. The first two address general knowledge, the second pair focus on sports, while the final one is aimed at pop culture.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire [for ages 10 and up] from Buena Vista Interactive, lets kids and their families test their trivia knowledge in an effort to win a virtual million dollars. The program provides reinforcement of previously learned facts, with questions taken from such categories as history, social studies, geography, government, grammar, and literature as well as the less academic, sports and entertainment categories.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire Second Edition [for ages 10 and up] from Disney Interactive, successfully duplicates the popular television game show complete with long pauses and brash commentary by Regis Philbin. It's greatest value may lie in its ability to engage a small group in an amusing way to share information. Many of the questions resulted in more in-depth discussions about the topic.
Code Head X-Treme Culture [for ages 9 to 12] from Knowledge Adventure, is a wacky version of a 'test your knowledge' style quiz show which can be played by one or two people or over the Net. Tests knowledge, and also gives a brief explanation confirming the correct answer with a bit of extra information when appropriate. Questions include: unscramble, spelling challenges, vocabulary, jumbles, sequence, match-no match, multiple guess, etc.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Sports Edition [for ages 14 and up] from Buena Vista Interactive, is a continuation of the same format found in the earlier programs above, but focused on a single category of questions. Although fun for sports fanatics, the educational value is minimal -- and less than the general purpose titles, because there is less room for educational discourse while going through the game. Best suited for older teenagers, college students, and adults who have a broad, detail-oriented sports interest.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Kids Edition [for ages 8 and up] from Buena Vista Interactive, is yet another variant to the earlier programs above, designed for younger users. Best suited for 8-15 year-olds who like the TV show.
ESPN's Two Minute Drill [for ages 14+] from ESPN Interactive, is is modeled after the television sports quiz show by the same name. Like Who Wants to be a Millionaire-Sports Edition, ESPN's 2 minute Drill is a multiple-guess, sports trivia game. It does not instruct other than confirm the correct answer. Educational value is minimal. But unlike that other sports title, this game is not geared for kids or teenagers. It is far more difficult! It is best played by groups of adults who consider themselves extremely sports conversant, since the questions tend to be very specific.
Austin Powers Operation: Trivia [for ages 13 and up] from Berkeley Systems, is an Austin Powers version of the popular You Don’t Know Jack, also from Berkeley Systems. Users cast their lot with the dastardly Dr. Evil, or team up with the refreshingly candid Austin Powers. Questions are presented in five different formats, and test players’ knowledge of pop culture from the '60s to present time. Parents should note that the program includes the same sort of irreverent and often sexually implicit dialogue that earned the Austin Powers movies their PG 13 rating.
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