Facebook Game Review: "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?"

As a kid, I loved computer lab days where we students got to play computer games like "The Oregon Trail" and "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" in lieu of an actual lesson. The games taught various bits of trivia about pioneer US history and world geography as well as micro management in "The Oregon Trail" and basic deduction for "Carmen Sandiego." But as I grew older, the games got worse in game play as my lessons focused on more complicated topics.

Now The Learning Company has revamped both games for the most accessible gaming platform to this date: Facebook. "The Oregon Trail" has had some hiccups in its perchance to constantly sicken my in-game family and tendency to lag during the minigames, so I ended up spending more time with "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?"

You play a detective chasing after the titular red trench coat wearing chief thief Carmen Sandiego and her gang in "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" The chase involves visiting various cities around the world to deduce where the thief has hopped to next and flying there hoping to catch him/her before time runs out. Other clues from each location hint at the identity of the thief and is used to issue a warrant to actually arrest the thief. If only the teachers told me that game feature when we started playing the game, we all would have performed a lot better. Then lather, rinse, and repeat until you catch Carmen herself.

The Facebook reincarnation maintains the original game play with some modernized updates. You pick out cases that rotate in based on a timer, visit the panoramic scene of the crime to interrogate witnesses, and use the clues to book the next destination or narrow down the list of suspects. Game play is fast thanks to quick loading times and simple graphics. Cases are easily solved or flubbed in a few minutes. One hand it makes the games fast, but on the other hand the cases feel rushed. The location clues tend to be easy but the warrant clues can get frustrating in its vague nature. Does "He pulled up like Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston" mean a limo or a bodyguard (after rereading it, it is bodyguard). And while solving the cases, you get to learn about various sites each city has, which may cause the travel bug to bite. All the game needs are convenient travel sponsor ads promoting flights, hotels, and tour packages.

While the core sleuthing game play is pretty much unchanged, the social network gaming rears its head in odd and irritating ways. In addition to bragging about your solved cases, you can turn to your Facebook friends for assistance if you can't figure out where to go based on a clue. While it does add a teamwork element, this feature will remain obsolete as long as any search engine works. Additionally, players will have to snag other people for detective promotions and unlocking certain cases. Creating a party does not add to the game play; this just gets more people playing. A series of timers limit the number of cases to take, which does keep the game casual and prevent people from losing hours playing. And like every Facebook game, in-game currency generated from real world currency rears its ugly head. Coins are purchased with real money to gather more direct clues-unnecessary for locations but potentially useful for those fiddly warrants. Coins also make it faster to get to cases if you REALLY want to find Carmen. And just like the most annoying trends in social network gaming, coins are needed to unlock cases that supposedly yield game bonuses.

But in the end, the retro game play and potential educational lessons combined with the modern and easily accessible Facebook social networki gaming platform does make this new version of Carmen Sandiego worth at least a look. Who knows, maybe she'll turn up.