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"Garfield: The world around me" is an attractive computer game aimed at children of 4-6 years of age. The game is produced in cooperation with preschool school teachers whose suggestions we took into account during the production. The game introduces children to some professions. The purpose is to connect jobs with characteristic objects and clothing. In addition, "Garfield: The world around me" acquaints children with the seasons and time of day and with the concepts of time. Unlike the game "Garfield: Let’s study from the beginning" which is intended for children of a younger age, it’s very simple, this game is challenging and dynamic. That makes the game more interesting. The game "Garfield: The world around me" contains two more interesting games with the exclusive purpose of teaching computer mastery..
"Garfield: The world around me" consists of the following games:
WHAT WILL I BE WHEN I GROW UP
In this game a child should dress Garfield in clothing related to the professions requested (a policeman, a firefighter, a chef, etc.). In this game Garfield is shown on the screen. Garfield is divided into three parts: a head, a body and legs. A player can move each part of Garfield left/right in order to make a requested figure. You can use either the mouse or the keyboard for this game:
- using a mouse, just click the arrows left/right which are by each part of Garfield (a head, a body, legs). The active part is marked with a green circle while the other parts are marked in red.
- using a keyboard with the keys up/down first choose a part of the body which you want to move (a head, a body, legs). The active part is marked with a green circle while the other parts are marked in red. When you have found the part of the body you need, use the keyboard keys left/right to move the active part of the body. There is an example of how Garfield should look in the upper right corner of the screen.
CREATE A WORK PLACE
In this game a player should create a workplace for a certain job . An indoor or outdoor space will appear on the screen and it must be furnished with items typical for a specific profession. A catalogue of items will appear at the bottom of the screen. You can use the catalogue with either the mouse or the keyboard keys left/right. When you find an item you need, click it to be activated. In the “catalogue” the active item will be framed in a yellow rectangle. Direct the mouse at a chosen location in the room and click the left button. The item will be inserted into that chosen place and marked as impossible to choose in the “catalogue” at the bottom of the screen. Remember that some items can only be put on the wall and others only on the floor. If you have made a mistake and want to remove an item from the room, make sure there are no activated items (if there are, just click the mouse again on an activated item from the catalogue). Then point the mouse at the item in the room you want to remove and click the left mouse button. The item will be removed from the room and returned back to the catalogue. In the left part of the screen there is a picture of Garfield which shows the job we need and the number of items we need to put into the room.
TIME
The aim of the game is to connect a particular activity with a time of day, with a period of time when we exercise. There is a clock at the bottom of the screen which shows the time. Above it there are three pictures of Garfield showing him doing different activities like sleeping, having breakfast, attending school, playing, working on the computer, having dinner, watching TV, etc. It is necessary to choose an activity which corresponds to the time shown on the clock. To choose the activity you want, just click the left mouse button on the picture that you want.
THE SEASONS
This game is very similar to the game of “What will I be when I grow up”. In this case Garfield has to be dressed according to the season we need. The operation of the game is the same as for the game of “What will I be when I grow up”.
A PAINTING BOOK
In this game a child can paint black and white pictures of Garfield. On the left side of the screen there is an example of how the picture should look. Under it there is an active colour and a colour palette which we can use. To choose the colour you need, point the mouse at the colour and click the left button. Then direct the mouse at the chosen place in the picture and click the left mouse button again. The whole highlighted area of the picture will be painted in the chosen colour. NOTE: It is impossible to click black lines in the picture. If you have clicked the black lines nothing will happen on the screen. There is no option of scores in this game.
PUZZLE
This is a classical "puzzle". The aim of this game is to assemble a picture which can consist of 15 or 40 parts (see OPTIONS). There is an example of a picture at the bottom of the screen. By the right margin of the screen there is a “catalogue” of picture parts. You can operate the catalogue using either the mouse or the keyboard arrow keys up/down. Find a part you need and click the left mouse button. This part will be activated and in the “catalogue” framed in a yellow rectangle. Point the mouse at the chosen place in the central part of the screen and click the left mouse button. In this case, the part will be inserted into a selected location and in the “catalogue” marked as impossible to be chosen. If you want to remove a certain part of the puzzle, make sure there are no activated parts (if there are, just click the mouse again on the activated puzzle part in the catalogue). Find the chosen part in the central part of the screen and click the left mouse button. The chosen part will be removed from the screen and returned back to the catalogue. There are 20 different puzzles which can be assembled.
OPTIONS:
The program concept allows for detail adjustment of the work parameters. It is possible to set-up:
- three player levels (beginner, intermediate and professional)
- scoring options (Includes no score, points given according to the right answers, and points given according to right answers while taking into account time passed)
- number of puzzle elements (15 or 40)
- if you want help in the puzzle and the kind of help you want (example, upper left corner of the puzzle or both)
- if you want Garfield’s introduction to the game
- if you want Garfield’s comment at the end of the game
- if you want background music or not and the option of controlling the volume
A defined player level will change the way the games are played. The higher the level of a player is, the harder the game elements:
- in the game "What will I be when I grow up" individual parts of Garfield (a head, a body, legs) move by themselves after a certain period of time (30 sec. for an intermediate player, 15 sec. for a professional
- in the game "Create a work place" individual items which a player has inserted into a room disappear after a certain period of time (30 sec. for an intermediate player, 15 sec. for a professional
In addition the available number of items varies depending on the player level: for a “beginner” the number of items is two times more than for a certain job (it is usually 3-5), an “intermediate player” should choose the right ones from approx. 30 items, while a “professional” gets a complete range of items approx. 60 and should choose the right ones among them.
- in the game "The Seasons" individual parts of Garfield (a head, a body, legs) move by themselves after a certain period of time (30 sec. for an intermediate player, 15 sec. for a professional
- in the game "Time" there is a time limitation for each task. (15 sec. for an intermediate player, 7 sec. for a professional . These options influence the games final result.