Tortoise and the Hare, The Download (1993 Educational Game)

Aesop's Fable: The Tortoise and the Hare tells the classic upset victory story from the days of the Greek culture. The Hare and the Tortoise run a race. The Hare gets ahead and goofs off, allowing the Tortoise to win because he never gives up. As the moral of the story went, "Slow and steady wins the race".

This story or fable is amusingly animated with lots of large pictures and animal characters who really are characters. Younger players may be more interested in having the story read to them, while older players will enjoy the chance to explore the many animations that can be found simply by clicking on the pages.

One new character introduced in this story (and the accompanying book) is Simon, a big purple bird who acts as the story's narrator and reads the lines on each page of the story. He also gives commentary on the story and characters when he is clicked on.

There is a musical animation and sometimes more than one, on every page. Players will enjoy the music as well as the story, and younger players may pick up a like of jazz by listening to the music included.

This is a good game and includes a storybook that mirrors the game in every respect. Players may read this as a companion piece when not on the computer, or before going to bed each night.

Graphics: Average cartoon-style, nothing spectacular, but well realized characters.

Sound: Loud, clear, easy to hear and listen to.

Enjoyment: Children of all ages will enjoy this story a great deal.

Replay Value: The story is a classic, with classic appeal.

Based on Aesops tale of determination and perseverance, Living Books brings the story of The Tortoise and the Hare. Who hasn't heard the story about the slow tortoise that, in the end, wins the race against the speedy hare? The story is presented across a baker's dozen of screens. Each starts with simple narration which allows and encourages reading along. Then the user can interact with many items on each page for exploration and fun. In theme with other Living Books series, the title presents pages that are drawn in a brightly colored cartoon style. Many hidden objects within the pages are waiting to be found by clicking on them to start a fun animation sequence. You can also click on any of the words of the story and hear them repeated to promote reading skills.

How to run this game on modern Windows PC?

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Just Grandma and Me, Harry and the Haunted House, Arthur's Reading Race, Arthur's Birthday, Little Monster at School, Berenstain Bears, The: In The Dark, Ruff's Bone, Winnie the Pooh and The Honey Tree Animated Storybook