Astronomy 101, Dinosaur-Style

Do your children relate to mutating turtles and other animal cartoons more than humans? Then they might be interested in First Byte’s ZugWare talking dinosaur series.

The latest episode of the series of learning adventures, “Zug’s Race Through Space,” again features the appealing adolescent Zug the Megasaurus and his assorted dino-pals on Eco Island. We last saw them teaching ecology in “Eco-Saurus,” reissued as “Zug’s Adventures on Eco Island.” Now Zug and the gang are into astronomy.

Zug has a rather ingenuous relationship with the other island dinosaurs. Each has a distinct personality, some nicer than others, but all speak in the same rusty, mechanical voice. Young players may enjoy the audio assistance with accompanying dialogue balloons.

One day, Zug sets out across the island looking for his friends. He is surprised to find that most of them have taken new jobs. Although we never learn why, they are all sitting around in spaceships observing features of various planets in our solar system--space stations that, mysteriously enough, have no kitchens in them.

Being an entrepreneurial kind of guy, Zug goes into business. With the help of a couple of friends still left on the island, he starts a delivery service of healthy dinosaur food. To win the game, he has to figure out who needs dinners and get there in a spaceship before his competition. Provided with one dinner and one clue at a time, Zug races the clock and the rival Blaster Burgers ship to reach his destinations. You’ll learn something about each planet along the way.

The game makers say “Race” is good for ages 5 to 12. Our guess is that’s a bit of a spread. Younger kids may pick up some good computer skills and a little bit of astronomy. The clues on the higher difficulty levels may stump 12-year-olds, but the game action is likely to bore. These teen-age reptiles are no Ninja Turtles.

Race Through Space

Rating: ***

IBM and compatibles; 640K RAM (512K available) required; VGA and audio system recommended. List: $34.95.

Computer games are rated on a five-star system, from one star for poor to five for excellent.