Liberty's Kids
If you watch PBS television – you already know about Liberty's Kids. If not – it
is about two junior reporters working on Ben Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette at the time of
the American Revolution. These two reporters interview soldiers, spies, loyalists,
statesmen and townsfolk, to gather facts about major historical events like the Boston Tea
Party, the Crossing of the Delaware, Valley Forge, the battles at Lexington, Concord and
Saratoga and the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
The game is strangely compelling in spite of the primitive graphics, because the crux of it
is in interviewing characters with differing opinions and putting together a news story.
The reporters see different sides of the situations - Sarah Phillips more sympathetic to the
Loyalists and James Hiller, who identifies with the Patriots. Using the interview makes
the events immediate and involves the player with the issues. In this way, I think it is
even better than the TV version. PBS has an online site, the Chronicle of the
Revolution, that gives additional information pertaining to the show and the game:
pbsdids.org/libertyskids.
My hope is that the Learning Company (and PBS) continue
this series up until our current events.
Editor Review 11/02
I reviewed the game,Liberty's Kids for the Macintosh. The story line is
that you are a reporter for the Pennsylvania Gazette in the time of the
American Revolution. You gather quotes from locals on both sides of the
conflict. Patriots, loyalists, and sometimes some very important people,
including Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and even General George Washington.
You focus on important events during the Revolution including the Boston
Tea Party, Lexington and Concord and Valley Forge. Eventually, you
compile your quotes into an article which is edited, printed and
published by you.
Although this game is a bit short, I for one enjoyed it very much. It
not only teaches about language arts and skills, it is a fun way to
learn about our history. On a scale of 1 to 10, this game would be a 9
and I would highly recommend it for second graders and up.
Reviewed by: Micah M. Age 12 - 07/03
Ages: 8 – 12 plus
|
Unless otherwise indicated, games, movies, books or other products which are reviewed or mentioned on this site have been given to us by the respective authors, publishers, distributors or their public relations representitives. |
