Microsoft Office Users Learn and Have Fun with Ribbon Hero 2: Clippy's Second Chance

For better or worse, the world's most famous animated and annoying paperclip (could there really more than one) is back. In an all new training application designed for Microsoft Office users, Clippy returns in Ribbon Hero 2: Clippy's Second Chance.

Love him or hate him, Clippy, Microsoft Office's prior Office Assistant needs your help. After being dismissed from Microsoft (we learn of his demise in comic strip form - he annoyed someone at Microsoft named "Bill"), the once famous and super intelligent office supply and fasting device needs help in completing a variety of Microsoft Office tasks in effort to rise back to fame. The first task for Office users to accomplish - help Clippy polish up his resume.

Put forth by Microsoft Office Labs, Ribbon Hero 2: Clippy's Second Chance turns Microsoft Office into a game. By doing so, practicing and learning new tasks within the application becomes fun. As the tasks propel Clippy through an adventure in time, Office users will be faced with challenges in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

Ribbon Hero 2, as the name implies, is a second attempt by Office Labs to make learning the popular productivity suite fun. Different in this version is " Clippy, comic strips, colorful graphics, surprise animations, multiple levels, time travel, upside-down Clippy, space ships, Greek Gods, bow-and-arrow battles, and a ton of useful Office features."

The training game features six distinct levels and are based on skill. Starting in Medieval Times, Office users are presented with tasks such as working with the ribbon, creating pie charts, smartart, styles, dropcaps, working with animations and shapes, ink to text, and more. Within a level, points are earned for completing tasks, and retry and branching hint options are available for those that may be stuck. Missing from the newest version of the game, however, is social network connectivity. In particular, the previous version included the ability to challenge other users in the form of high score bragging rights.

Feedback for the edutainment type application in the Office Labs forums has been positive, and new users will likely agree that the game's cute and whimsical style along with realistic and worthwhile tasks place the title as a valuable asset both as a self-paced learning tool, and for use in the classroom.

Ribbon Hero 2: Clippy's Second Chance is available as a free download from the game's official website, and works Windows 7, Vista, or XP, and with Office 2007 or 2010 for PC.

Source:

The official Ribbon Hero 2: Clippy's Second Chance website.