My how games have changed! I remember playing this game way back in primary school on an Apple IIE computer that had a monochrome screen which means it was basically black and white. Originally an e-learning game (and still is) that taught children about different countries, cultures and places, Australian developers Mindscape have revisited the series that is once again a game for children (8 - 12), teaches them about the world and also boasts a rather strong adventure game aspect.

Before going on, it should be noted that this game is a classic PC point and click game, so don't expect those first person shooters or modern adventure games with state of the art 3D graphics, this title is as far away from those genres as possible. In its essence, the game is a point and click adventure game with cartoon inspired graphics that work well with gameplay and gaming environment.

The story once again revolves around the infamous Carmen Sandiego, a master thief who has once again started stealing treasures from around the globe. It's up to the gamer who controls two agents to hunt down the clues and hopefully arrest this nefarious redheaded beauty. Thankfully players have a PDA to assist them in the case as they jet set around the globe, talking to witnesses, solving puzzles and hopefully enjoying themselves as they progress.

Although you need to find clues and objectives, you also need to talk to witnesses that gives the gamer access to a variety of dialog options in order to progress through the case. Once you have gathered the clues together, you need to engage in a variety of sometimes contrived puzzles that assists with the e-learning aspect of the game. Needless to say, for an adult reviewer, some of these puzzles were a tad tricky but it did bring back some enjoyable PC point and click memories.

One drawback of the title is that you can only save the game once you have completed the mission which does make for some annoying gaming, especially if you only want a quick game. Thankfully, depending on your child's skill, the missions range from easy to medium and hopefully should provide them with no problems. Younger gamers may need some parental assistance though. Once you have completed the mission, you are then ranked by your agency and some additional clues are given to the player which will lead you to your next destination.

Graphically, the title is almost a carbon copy of those old 80's and 90's PC point and click adventure games, however with a 21st century face lift. Although the environment are at times Spartan, it's actually not that bad and the developers have faithfully recreated certain landmarks in the game. To put it simply, it's almost like a cartoon with simplistic character designs and a great colour palette. Match that with appropriate sounds and music and hopefully this will keep most younger gamers interested, as opposed to the mindless arcade games that are currently available.

At a recommended retail price of $29.95, this should give most younger gamers around 5 - 10 hours of play, provided it is not played in one session. For an e-learning game, it's probably one of the better ones available and does give kids something different to the mindless violence of the console world of gaming. It's not the greatest game ever made but for the genre, it's sturdy enough!