Why is it that the BBC always has the best edu-games? From building pyramids to exploring with the vikings, the fine folks over at BBC Schools are constantly coming up with clever, and highly addictive ways to lure me into wasting time while learning. This week’s find, Questionaut, is no exception and goes beyond the usual goodness with an eclectic “general education” quiz that is beautifully wrapped in a quirky and colorful environment.
Questionaut take the player on a journey through several floating islands in the sky. It’s a traditional “point and click” adventure similar to Myst (yes, I’m busting out the old school games), and rewards players for both their keen problem solving skills while also providing a nice assessment of general knowledge. In the couple of hours I’ve sunken into the game I’ve had questions covering square roots to how to write a proper introduction for a letter. Each level requires you to answer 5 of these type of general knowledge questions before you have enough fuel in your balloon to reach the next higher island.
As an added bonus there are small problem solving challenges to complete on each level before being given your 5 questions. My favorite challenge was a large tree filled with animals, and trying to correctly move the animals around so that a little bird could fly down and catch a worm without being attacked by a cat. Simplistic challenges, yes; but very rewarding challenges for the simple at heart.
This site would be a great challenge for 5th grade and up if you’re looking to keep a few students busy before Spring Break, or a way to provide yourself with some sanity as the students exhibit high degrees of Spring Fever!
This post comes courtesy of Kotaku (which isn’t always the safest site for work, which is why I tried it at home first).
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I have just spent a shocking amount of time playing BBC games. I blame you! On the plus side, I’ve added them to my class’s delicious site so that they can enjoy them as well.