''The Playroom'' is a video game first created in 1989 for DOS,

Apple II The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-m ...

and Macintosh computers. The game was compatible with the TouchWindow utility. It was ported to the

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...

and

FM Towns The is a Japanese personal computer, built by Fujitsu from February 1989 to the summer of 1997. It started as a proprietary PC variant intended for multimedia applications and PC games, but later became more compatible with IBM PC compatibles. ...

computers in 1992 and 1994 respectively and then remade for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

and Macintosh in 1995. It was designed for ages 3 to 6 ( preschool through first grade) manufactured by Broderbund. A follow up game titled ''

The Treehouse The Treehouse may refer to: *A programming block on YTV (TV channel) *The Treehouse (video game), ''The Treehouse'' (video game), a 1991 point-and-click computer game made by Broderbund *''The Treehouse: Eccentric Wisdom from my Father on How to Li ...

'' came in 1991 as well as a sequel to this game, called '' The Backyard'' in 1993.

Gameplay

This video game featured Pepper Mouse and is set in his playroom. Clicking on toys and areas of the playroom will activate animated surprises or open an activity. Activities include the spinner, a simple counting game with four difficulty levels; an ABC book, where objects can be placed on two different scenes; the computer, which teaches spelling and getting familiar with the keyboard; the cuckoo clock, which teaches how to tell time; the mousehole game, which is a

dice Dice (singular die or dice) are small, throwable objects with marked sides that can rest in multiple positions. They are used for generating random values, commonly as part of tabletop games, including dice games, board games, role-playing g ...

-rolling game with three skill levels; and the mix-up toy, in which heads, torsos and legs from various characters can be customised. The 1995 remake includes additional content to the existing activities and the presence of Pepper's sister Ginger.

Educational goals

The game is designed to make younger players comfortable to their surroundings as they become absorbed in the activities, helps them get ready for school and offers them learning opportunities in a non-threatening manner. Literacy skills are not required to play it. Topics in the game include simple math, reading, time and reasoning skills. It pays great attention to detail, clearly spelling out meanings to make reading letters and words plus typing easy. There are also activities to teach telling the time, counting and using imagination. The user manual also includes fun activities to add to enjoyment. Copies of the game also came with a stuffed toy of Pepper Mouse. Aided by this software, Children can learn and advance at their own pace and play in their own way.

Reception

''The Playroom'' won six Early Learning Awards. ''

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'' gave the game four stars out of five, calling it "clever and engaging" and placed it as one of the SPA Top Hits for Home Education. The game was reviewed in the '' Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Guide Book'' where the authors described it as "virtual reality for three- to six-year-olds" and claimed that " ere is real education going on behind the scenes of this creative playroom".

Availability

The game was included on a twin CD pack along with "Jamie Discovers Math".

References

External links

Official Site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Playroom, The 1989 video games 1992 video games 1994 video games 1995 video games Children's educational video games North America-exclusive video games DOS games Amiga games Windows games Apple II games FM Towns games Broderbund games Infogrames games Classic Mac OS games Video games about mice and rats Video games about toys Video games developed in the United States