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Freddie Fish 4: The Case of the Hogfish Rustlers of Briny Gulch By Pam Gleichman Tribune Media Services Freddie Fish is back in his fourth adventure. This time a roundup of rowdy rustlers have fishnapped Cousin Calico’s prize hogfish. You must help Freddie Fish and Luther find the rustlers’ secret hideout, rescue the hogfish and wrangle the rambunctious rustlers. In this Wild West Adventure, in an effort to break the case, you search for clues and solve puzzles, while exploring fascinating locations along the Briny Gulch trail. Cousin Calico Catfish, Sheriff Shrimp, U (a sea snail mail carrier), Saltwater Stella, Nelson Torso and Eight-Fingered Phil are there to help you discover the secrets that hide behind every corner of Briny Gulch. There are games to play when you need a break in the action. They include Oysteroids (a bubble-popping game of accuracy), Sheriff Shrimp’s Most Wanted (a shape-changing poster puzzle) and the Honky-Tonk TubeWorms (who change into musical melody makers and perform music). The program features a revolving cast of outlaws and a wide variety of locations, which allows for a new set of problems to solve each time you play. Games can be saved for play at a later time. Freddie Fish and Luther are charming! Our testers loved this one. Many of the children who were not familiar with this type of problem-solving program needed a lot of help getting starting and understanding what they needed to do. Children were more interested in solving the mystery than playing the games. Those familiar with the previous Freddie Fish and Putt Putt Programs (also produced by Humongous Entertainment) were able to "dive" right in. Freddie Fish 4: The Case of the Hogfish Rustlers of Briny Gulch challenged those who played. It takes sharp problem-solving skills to solve the case, yet those who played were willing to stick with it. Publisher : Humongous Entertainment, 13110 N.E. 177th Place, Suite B101, Box 180, Woodinville, Wash. 98072-9965, (800) 499-8386, http://www.humongous.com . Category : Problem solving. Age : 3 to 8 (My recommendation is 5 to 8). Installation : There is no installation. The program is run entirely from the CD. Use : Easy. Graphics : The hand-drawn graphics are outstanding. Written Materials : Minimal. System Requirements : Windows IBM or 100-percent Pentium compatible (P90 or higher recommended), Windows 95/98 or higher with 16 MB RAM. Macintosh Power PC (80 MHz recommended), System 7.5.3 or higher with 16 MB RAM. Tested Version : Windows/Macintosh. Cost : $29.99. Rating : Four stars. Freddie Fish 4 : The Case of the Hogfish Rustlers of Briny Gulch is very engaging. WEB SITE OF THE WEEK: FREDDI FISH HOGFISH HOE-DOWN http://www.humongous.com Join Freddie Fish, Luther and all their friends from Briny Gulch as they play mini games. Hogfish Round Up is an animated mini-game of speed, skill and spelling. Each hogfish has a letter on its side; players click on the critters to spell words that will free them from the rowdy rustlers. There are three levels of difficulty and over 90 words. Children can compete against other kids from around the world for top scores and weekly prizes. You can also download free animated screensavers, desktop wallpaper and a printable activity book. DEAR PAM : Do you know of any programs that will help teach Spanish to a 4-year-old? DEAR READER : JumpStart Spanish by Knowledge Adventure (Windows 95/98 and Macintosh) introduces children 3 to 6 to the Spanish language and its cultures. Hop & Skippy’s Language Island will also familiarize your child with many common Spanish words and phrases. With this program, you can choose from four different Spanish dialects. RATING KEY : ***** — Outstanding; **** — Very Good; *** — Good; ** — Fair; * — Not Worth Purchasing. Pam Gleichman welcomes questions/comments from readers. Write to Pam at Tribune Media Services, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1400, Chicago, Ill. 60611. Send e-mail to pamgl(at)msn.com. � 1999 Tribune Media Services, Inc. Techno file index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA