JumpStart Adventures 4th Grade: Haunted Island
Encyclopedia
JumpStart Adventures 4th Grade: Haunted Island was a personal computer game
in Knowledge Adventure
's JumpStart
series of educational software
intended, as the title indicates, to teach a fourth grade
curriculum
. This version of the game was released in 1996, but was retired from the line in 2000 and replaced with JumpStart Adventures 4th Grade: Sapphire Falls
.
The plot, setting and characters of Sapphire Falls are completely unrelated to this game and the only Knowledge Adventure product in which any elements of this game appeared is the long since discontinued online game
of KnowledgeLand.
was a witch named Ms. Grunkle.
After signing in at the schoolhouse, the user is transported to Haunted Island. With the aid of a large purple bat
named Flap and a fortune teller named Madame Pomreeda, the user must rescue the thirteen lost classmates by collecting the students' "most prized possessions" from the island's educational activities. After these possessions, which reveal elements of the kid's personality, are collected, Madame Pomreeda transforms the classmate back with a poem that tells the monster to go away and the child to return.
The user has a limited amount of "health
," which is indicated by a candle
in the upper left hand corner of the screen. Health is depleted through answering Repsac's questions incorrectly and is indicated by the candle burning down. If the candle burns out, the user is cast into the island's labyrinth
, which contains a "fountain of health" that will cause the candle to reburn and, eventually, grow back to its original size. However, finding one's way out of the labyrinth is difficult.
Earning five thousand points, will earn the user one of the keys
to Ms. Grunkle's house. Five keys unlock one door
and lead the user into a new room. Whenever a room is entered for the first time, Ms. Grunkle appears and curses the user into the labyrinth. Once the user advances all the way through her house and makes it into her attic, where the rest of the class is locked up, the game is completed. However, if some of the kids are still monsters when the user reaches that attic, Flap informs the user they will have to be changed back before the attic can be entered. Note that it is almost impossible to not have all the keys by the time all the children have been changed back since merely playing the games that will save the kids provide all the points needed, but if you can achieve this by play the games at only low levels and keep getting all the answers right to do this.
ess and the fourth-grade substitute teacher
who turned the kids into monster
s and brought them to Haunted Island, which she apparently rules over. Her appearance fits the popular depiction of a witch to a tee, with her having gray skin (although it's blue on the icon), black clothing and a pointed hat. Presumably, she was voiced by Jeannie Elias
, since Elias was the only female voice actor credited.
Ms. Grunkle appears at the beginning and ending of the game as well as whenever the user enters a new room in her house. Sometime after you finish playing one of the minigames she flies by on her broomstick to taunt the user with typical villainous comments ("So, you think you're pretty good at my little games? Well, you haven't seen anything yet!") before flying off. Curiously, she is sometimes referred to as "Mrs. Grunkle," prompting one to wonder whatever became of husband (she has a skeleton in her living room watching TV and holding a remote, which could have been her husband at one point). She does not have an explained motivation for her actions in the game.
(based on Peter Lorre
) who provides help to the user, most often by explaining how the game's activities are played. He is commonly seen as the mascot
for this version of JumpStart 4th Grade (as Botley is for JumpStart 3rd Grade
, Jo Hammet is for JumpStart 5th Grade
, etc.) He was probably voiced by Tony Pope
.
and the cards she gives the user all make great use of rhyming
couplet
s.
Madame Pomreeda's apparently lives in a circus
carriage
at the end of the island opposite Ms. Grunkle's house. Although she, her carriage and her magic seem to be very reminiscent of popular depictions of Gypsies
, she is blonde-haired and blue-eyed and therefore does not have the physical appearance typically associated with the Roma people. According to Flap, Pomreeda has a "rotten sense of humor," considering the bugs in the Spider's Web activity cute.
Her name is an obvious play on palm reading. She was also probably voiced by Elias.
who serves Ms. Grunkle. He occasionally springs upon the user to ask multiple choice
questions that will deplete the user's health if answered incorrectly. Most of his questions seem to involve science
and grammar
, as well as sentence structure. This is presumably due to the fact that the game does not have activities which specifically address these topics.
Repsac is "Casper
" spelled backwards, which is quite fitting considering that Repsac's personality is the complete opposite of Casper's. Repsac was probably voiced by Pope as well.
over a spider's web but it crawls over the letter-shaped bugs that correctly spell that word. On the higher levels, there is also a giant red spider that must be avoided. Once three words are spelled, the game is completed.
around the top of a well
to make it eat the number-shaped bug that correctly completes the equation
at the bottom of the well. Eating one of the "poisonous" bugs that incorrectly complete the equation will make the toad sick. Also the user has to eat the purple bugs buzzing towards the top, Otherwise, the toad will fall in. After three "rounds" of the game are played, the activity is completed.
to see how the different plants react to different amounts of light
, water
and space. On the first level, there is only one kind of plant needed, but, on the higher levels, the user must use two different kinds of plants on the same plot. The game is completed after three successful harvests.
, the user helps a hunchback named Semimoto (a play on "Quasimodo
") play various pieces of music
on an old keyboard
. The user moves Semi's hand over to the correct key
, indicated by a bat flying over a blank musical scale
, and presses it. If the key is correct the bat will fly away, but, if the key is incorrect, a skull
will appear to show where the key was pressed. If the user misses three times, a new round will begin. Three melodies must be played to complete the game. This game is reconceived as "Crystal Keys" in the newer version of JumpStart 4th Grade.
to fill in the missing portions of a spooky story written on a tombstone
and save a friendly ghost from the Grim Reaper
. The constructed story does not have to make sense, but must merely be grammatically sound. On the higher levels, the user does not see the story and is only given the part of speech, making the game rather like Mad Libs
. The ghost who appears at the end of the game to thank the user for saving him is modeled on Rodney Dangerfield
. Three (identical) ghosts must be saved to complete the activity. In fact, the ghost is actually the same, as even he notes, despite the fact Madame Pomreeda's challenge specifies that three souls must be saved.
tomb
, mummies
lie buried under stone tablets that have images and writings related to various bits of history
on them. Here, the user must play a game resembling a simplified version of Mahjong solitaire
to match the related tiles and uncover the mummy. However, there are rules regarding which tiles can be "selected" and, if no move is possible, the game resets. After three mummies have been uncovered, the game is completed. "Tablet Turnover" from the newer version of JumpStart 4th Grade is virtually identical to this game.
while avoiding a ghost who will turn the vampire into stone. In the center of the screen, a long division
problem appears and the user must lead the vampire to the correct answer. Selecting the wrong number will cause another ghost to appear, although, if the user gets more than two ghosts, the extra ones will eventually fade away, leaving just the two. Once several division problems are solved, the vampire will be allowed to enter his coffin
in the center of the screen. Three vampires must be put to rest in order for the game to be completed.
on a giant map
of the world. The user must use geography
clues to discover which countries
have buried treasure
s and move the ship over to the correct countries. The user must also take care to not run out of food and supplies, since doing so will end the game. This can be avoided by running the ship into the "food and supplies" icons scattered over the map. There are also "cannon ball
" icons that come in useful if the user runs into one of the several pirate ships
that speed across the map. The "Map Madness" activity in the second version of JumpStart 4th Grade is nearly identical to this game.
s and fraction
s to mix three magical potions that will turn a frog back into a "rather handsome" prince
. The running gag
of the game is that the "rather handsome" prince is actually pretty disfigured. Another running gag is that the same prince is repeatedly turned into a frog. You could also notice cameos of the characters from Jumpstart Preschool.
After this, the game quits and the user's name appears in red on the sign in list. The player can still play the game, but some areas (Pomreeda's carraige, Ms. Grunkle's house) are locked.
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
in Knowledge Adventure
Knowledge Adventure
Knowledge Adventure, Inc. is a maker of educational software including the Adiboo and JumpStart series of grade-based and subject-based titles, such as My First Encyclopedia. It was established in the late 1980s in Los Angeles, then later merged with another large education software firm, Davidson...
's JumpStart
JumpStart
JumpStart is an educational media franchise for children, consisting mostly of educational games, produced by Knowledge Adventure. The series is distributed as Jump Ahead in the United Kingdom...
series of educational software
Educational software
Educational software is computer software, the primary purpose of which is teaching or self-learning.-Early History, 1940s - 1970s:The use of computer hardware and software in education and training dates to the early 1940s, when American researchers developed flight simulators which used analog...
intended, as the title indicates, to teach a fourth grade
Fourth grade
Fourth grade is a year of education in the United States and many other nations. The fourth grade is the fourth school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 9 or 10 years old, depending on their birthday. It is a part of elementary school. In some parts of the United States, fourth grade...
curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
. This version of the game was released in 1996, but was retired from the line in 2000 and replaced with JumpStart Adventures 4th Grade: Sapphire Falls
JumpStart Adventures 4th Grade: Sapphire Falls
JumpStart Adventures 4th Grade: Sapphire Falls is a personal computer game released by Knowledge Adventure in 2000 to replace their earlier JumpStart Adventures 4th Grade: Haunted Island released in 1996. Despite the name being the same, this product contains no characters or storyline elements in...
.
The plot, setting and characters of Sapphire Falls are completely unrelated to this game and the only Knowledge Adventure product in which any elements of this game appeared is the long since discontinued online game
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
of KnowledgeLand.
Opening Sequence
A peaceful schoolhouse with white picket fences are shown in the beginning with pleasant music. Suddenly, lightning flashes, and the schoolhouse and the fences take on a twisted shape. Inside, the substitute teacher named Ms. Grunkle,who is really a witch casts a spell on a frightened girl named Zev Cosmo. Although Zev's face is blacked out when the effects take place, we can see her turning into a monster. The same thing happens to Wolfgang, then Albert Brayne. Then a half-dozen of frightened students named Violet, Jane Plain, Penny Scilin, James, Tiffany,Stanley ZeBlucky, and Joe are all turned into monsters one-by-one. Ms. Grunkle flies on her broomstick to her house. Along the way, she drops the skeleton keys to her house and her magic wand by Madame Pomreeda's carriage. After that, the words "Haunted Island" appear on the screen. (The other four students not shown in the introduction are: Calvin, Laura, and Debbie.)Storyline and Gameplay
The user is a fourth-grade student, who, fortunately, missed the day of school when the class's substitute teacherSubstitute teacher
A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is unavailable; e.g., because of illness, personal leave, or other reasons. "Substitute teacher" is the most commonly used phrase in the United States, Canada and Ireland, while supply teacher is the most commonly...
was a witch named Ms. Grunkle.
After signing in at the schoolhouse, the user is transported to Haunted Island. With the aid of a large purple bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
named Flap and a fortune teller named Madame Pomreeda, the user must rescue the thirteen lost classmates by collecting the students' "most prized possessions" from the island's educational activities. After these possessions, which reveal elements of the kid's personality, are collected, Madame Pomreeda transforms the classmate back with a poem that tells the monster to go away and the child to return.
The user has a limited amount of "health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
," which is indicated by a candle
Candle
A candle is a solid block or cylinder of wax with an embedded wick, which is lit to provide light, and sometimes heat.Today, most candles are made from paraffin. Candles can also be made from beeswax, soy, other plant waxes, and tallow...
in the upper left hand corner of the screen. Health is depleted through answering Repsac's questions incorrectly and is indicated by the candle burning down. If the candle burns out, the user is cast into the island's labyrinth
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...
, which contains a "fountain of health" that will cause the candle to reburn and, eventually, grow back to its original size. However, finding one's way out of the labyrinth is difficult.
Earning five thousand points, will earn the user one of the keys
Key (lock)
A key is an instrument that is used to operate a lock. A typical key consists of two parts: the blade, which slides into the keyway of the lock and distinguishes between different keys, and the bow, which is left protruding so that torque can be applied by the user. The blade is usually intended to...
to Ms. Grunkle's house. Five keys unlock one door
Door
A door is a movable structure used to open and close off an entrance, typically consisting of a panel that swings on hinges or that slides or rotates inside of a space....
and lead the user into a new room. Whenever a room is entered for the first time, Ms. Grunkle appears and curses the user into the labyrinth. Once the user advances all the way through her house and makes it into her attic, where the rest of the class is locked up, the game is completed. However, if some of the kids are still monsters when the user reaches that attic, Flap informs the user they will have to be changed back before the attic can be entered. Note that it is almost impossible to not have all the keys by the time all the children have been changed back since merely playing the games that will save the kids provide all the points needed, but if you can achieve this by play the games at only low levels and keep getting all the answers right to do this.
Ms. Grunkle
Ms. Grunkle is the game's villainVillain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
ess and the fourth-grade substitute teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
who turned the kids into monster
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
s and brought them to Haunted Island, which she apparently rules over. Her appearance fits the popular depiction of a witch to a tee, with her having gray skin (although it's blue on the icon), black clothing and a pointed hat. Presumably, she was voiced by Jeannie Elias
Jeannie Elias
Jeannie Elias is a Canadian American film and voice actress.-Anime Roles:* Blood+ - Young Haji, Nahabi, Additional Voices* Ergo Proxy - Kitty* Naruto - Kaori-Non-anime Roles:...
, since Elias was the only female voice actor credited.
Ms. Grunkle appears at the beginning and ending of the game as well as whenever the user enters a new room in her house. Sometime after you finish playing one of the minigames she flies by on her broomstick to taunt the user with typical villainous comments ("So, you think you're pretty good at my little games? Well, you haven't seen anything yet!") before flying off. Curiously, she is sometimes referred to as "Mrs. Grunkle," prompting one to wonder whatever became of husband (she has a skeleton in her living room watching TV and holding a remote, which could have been her husband at one point). She does not have an explained motivation for her actions in the game.
Flap
Flap is a large, purple batBat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
(based on Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre was an Austrian-American actor frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner.He caused an international sensation in 1931 with his portrayal of a serial killer who preys on little girls in the German film M...
) who provides help to the user, most often by explaining how the game's activities are played. He is commonly seen as the mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
for this version of JumpStart 4th Grade (as Botley is for JumpStart 3rd Grade
JumpStart Adventures 3rd Grade: Mystery Mountain
JumpStart Adventures 3rd Grade: Mystery Mountain is a personal computer game in Knowledge Adventure's JumpStart series of educational software. As the title suggests, the game is intended to teach a third grade curriculum. This is the only version of this game created and, unusually for Knowledge...
, Jo Hammet is for JumpStart 5th Grade
JumpStart Adventures 5th Grade: Jo Hammet, Kid Detective
JumpStart Adventures 5th Grade: Jo Hammet, Kid Detective is an educational/adventure computer game in the JumpStart series, created by Knowledge Adventure in 1997 and intended for fifth grade students...
, etc.) He was probably voiced by Tony Pope
Tony Pope
Anthony Pope , also known as Anthony Mozdy, was a voice actor.He was born in Cleveland, Ohio and was known for providing the voice of Furby, as well as the voice of Newton Gimmick and other voices in the popular toy series The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin in the 1980s.-Death:He died on February 11,...
.
Madame Pomreeda
Madame Pomreeda gives the player the challenges needed to save each kid. Each time she is visited, Madame Pomreeda gives the user one of four cards, each containing three challenges. After the user finishes with four cards, Madame Pomreeda will use the collected objects to determine what the child's true personality is and say a poem aloud to change the kid back. These poems, the spells she uses to activate her crystal ballCrystal ball
A crystal ball is a crystal or glass ball believed by some people to aid in the performance of clairvoyance. It is sometimes known as a shew stone...
and the cards she gives the user all make great use of rhyming
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
couplet
Couplet
A couplet is a pair of lines of meter in poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.While traditionally couplets rhyme, not all do. A poem may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets with a meter of iambic pentameter are called heroic...
s.
Madame Pomreeda's apparently lives in a circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
at the end of the island opposite Ms. Grunkle's house. Although she, her carriage and her magic seem to be very reminiscent of popular depictions of Gypsies
Fictional representations of Roma
Many fictional depictions of the Romani in literature and art present Romanticized narratives of their supposed mystical powers of fortune telling, and their supposed irascible or passionate temper paired with an indomitable love of freedom and a habit of criminality.Particularly notable are...
, she is blonde-haired and blue-eyed and therefore does not have the physical appearance typically associated with the Roma people. According to Flap, Pomreeda has a "rotten sense of humor," considering the bugs in the Spider's Web activity cute.
Her name is an obvious play on palm reading. She was also probably voiced by Elias.
Repsac
Repsac, also referred to as Random Threat by the bugs in the spider web, is a menacing ghostGhost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
who serves Ms. Grunkle. He occasionally springs upon the user to ask multiple choice
Multiple choice
Multiple choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list. The multiple choice format is most frequently used in educational testing, in market research, and in elections-- when a person chooses between multiple...
questions that will deplete the user's health if answered incorrectly. Most of his questions seem to involve science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
, as well as sentence structure. This is presumably due to the fact that the game does not have activities which specifically address these topics.
Repsac is "Casper
Casper the Friendly Ghost
Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. As his name indicates, he is a ghost, but is quite personable...
" spelled backwards, which is quite fitting considering that Repsac's personality is the complete opposite of Casper's. Repsac was probably voiced by Pope as well.
The kids
These kids are shown in order of the haunted yearbook.| Student | Monstrous form | True form |
|---|---|---|
| Wolfgang | Werewolf Werewolf A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse... |
Musician Musician A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession.... |
| Violet | Gorgon Gorgon In Greek mythology, the Gorgon was a terrifying female creature. The name derives from the Greek word gorgós, which means "dreadful." While descriptions of Gorgons vary across Greek literature, the term commonly refers to any of three sisters who had hair of living, venomous snakes, and a... (called a "Medusa Medusa In Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone... monster" in the game) |
Artist Artist An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only... |
| Albert Brayne | Brain creature | Mathematician Mathematician A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change.... |
| Tiffany | Warthog Warthog The Warthog or Common Warthog is a wild member of the pig family that lives in grassland, savanna, and woodland in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P... |
Beauty queen Beauty Queen "Beauty Queen" is the second song from Roxy Music's second album, For Your Pleasure. The lyrics refer to Ferry's girlfriend, Valerie Leon, one-time UK beauty queen, B-movie actress and model working in the Newcastle area, circa 1973.-Musicians:... |
| Calvin | Evil clown Evil clown The image of the evil clown is a development in popular culture, in which the playful trope of the clown is rendered as disturbing through the use of horror elements and dark humor.-Background:... |
Class clown |
| Joe | Gorilla Gorilla Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies... Beast Beast Beast or Bestial may refer to:* Animal** In particular, megafauna- Computers and games :* Beast , computer-graphics lighting software* Beast , a Windows-based backdoor trojan horse... |
Jock Jock (subculture) The term jock, when used primarily in the United States, refers to the classic stereotype of a male athlete. It is generally a negative stereotype, and is attributed mostly to high school and college athletics participants who form a distinct youth subculture. In sociology, the jock is thought to... |
| Laura | Unchanged aside from an added vampire Vampire Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person... head |
Class President Class President A class president is usually the leader of a student body class, and presides over its class cabinet or organization within a student council, in a grade school class presidents are generally elected by the class, a constituency composed of all students in a grade level.The practice of electing a... |
| Stanley ZeBlucky | Frankenstein's monster Frankenstein's monster Frankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name... |
Dunce Dunce A dunce is a person incapable of learning.The word is derived from the name of the great Scholastic theologian and philosopher John Duns Scotus, also referred to as Doctor Subtillis, or "Subtle Doctor", whose works on logic, theology and philosophy were accepted textbooks in the universities from... |
| Zev Cosmo | Miss Hyde | Scientist Scientist A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word... |
| Jane Plain | Raggedy Doll | Shy girl Girl A girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:... |
| James | Penguin Penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers... |
Butler Butler A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its... |
| Debbie | Tire Tire A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground... -headed monster |
Mechanic Mechanic A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and... |
| Penny Scilin | Angry Hypodermic Needle Hypodermic needle A hypodermic needle is a hollow needle commonly used with a syringe to inject substances into the body or extract fluids from it... |
Doctor Physician A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments... |
The Spider's Web
At the beginning of this activity, a word is stated and given in a sentence. The user must then guide a tiny spiderSpider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
over a spider's web but it crawls over the letter-shaped bugs that correctly spell that word. On the higher levels, there is also a giant red spider that must be avoided. Once three words are spelled, the game is completed.
The Toad Well
Here, players move a toadToad
A toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura characterized by dry, leathery skin , short legs, and snoat-like parotoid glands...
around the top of a well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
to make it eat the number-shaped bug that correctly completes the equation
Equation
An equation is a mathematical statement that asserts the equality of two expressions. In modern notation, this is written by placing the expressions on either side of an equals sign , for examplex + 3 = 5\,asserts that x+3 is equal to 5...
at the bottom of the well. Eating one of the "poisonous" bugs that incorrectly complete the equation will make the toad sick. Also the user has to eat the purple bugs buzzing towards the top, Otherwise, the toad will fall in. After three "rounds" of the game are played, the activity is completed.
The Mutant Swamp
In this game, the user attempts to harvest various kinds of exotic swamp plants so that enough of them grow large enough to meet a given quota. To do this, the user must experimentExperiment
An experiment is a methodical procedure carried out with the goal of verifying, falsifying, or establishing the validity of a hypothesis. Experiments vary greatly in their goal and scale, but always rely on repeatable procedure and logical analysis of the results...
to see how the different plants react to different amounts of light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
, water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
and space. On the first level, there is only one kind of plant needed, but, on the higher levels, the user must use two different kinds of plants on the same plot. The game is completed after three successful harvests.
The Clock Tower
Inside the island's clock towerClock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
, the user helps a hunchback named Semimoto (a play on "Quasimodo
Quasimodo
Quasimodo is a fictional character in the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo was born with a hunchback and feared by the townspeople as a sort of monster but he finds sanctuary in an unlikely love that is fulfilled only in death. The role of Quasimodo has been played by...
") play various pieces of music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
on an old keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
. The user moves Semi's hand over to the correct key
Key (instrument)
A key is a specific part of a musical instrument. The purpose and function of the part in question depends on the instrument.On instruments equipped with tuning machines, violins and guitars, for example, a key is part of a tuning machine. It is a worm gear with a key shaped end used to turn a cog,...
, indicated by a bat flying over a blank musical scale
Musical scale
In music, a scale is a sequence of musical notes in ascending and descending order. Most commonly, especially in the context of the common practice period, the notes of a scale will belong to a single key, thus providing material for or being used to conveniently represent part or all of a musical...
, and presses it. If the key is correct the bat will fly away, but, if the key is incorrect, a skull
Human skull
The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...
will appear to show where the key was pressed. If the user misses three times, a new round will begin. Three melodies must be played to complete the game. This game is reconceived as "Crystal Keys" in the newer version of JumpStart 4th Grade.
The Cemetery
In this game, the user selects the correct parts of speechLexical category
In grammar, a part of speech is a linguistic category of words , which is generally defined by the syntactic or morphological behaviour of the lexical item in question. Common linguistic categories include noun and verb, among others...
to fill in the missing portions of a spooky story written on a tombstone
Headstone
A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. In most cases they have the deceased's name, date of birth, and date of death inscribed on them, along with a personal message, or prayer.- Use :...
and save a friendly ghost from the Grim Reaper
Death (personification)
The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood...
. The constructed story does not have to make sense, but must merely be grammatically sound. On the higher levels, the user does not see the story and is only given the part of speech, making the game rather like Mad Libs
Mad Libs
Mad Libs is a phrasal template word game where one player prompts another for a list of words to substitute for blanks in a story, usually with funny results...
. The ghost who appears at the end of the game to thank the user for saving him is modeled on Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield , was an American comedian, and actor, known for the catchphrases "I don't get no respect!," "No respect, no respect at all... that's the story of my life" or "I get no respect, I tell ya" and his monologues on that theme...
. Three (identical) ghosts must be saved to complete the activity. In fact, the ghost is actually the same, as even he notes, despite the fact Madame Pomreeda's challenge specifies that three souls must be saved.
The Mummy's Tomb
Inside the island's token EgyptianAncient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
, mummies
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
lie buried under stone tablets that have images and writings related to various bits of history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
on them. Here, the user must play a game resembling a simplified version of Mahjong solitaire
Mahjong solitaire
Mahjong solitaire is a solitaire matching game that uses a set of Mahjong tiles rather than cards. It is also known as Shanghai solitaire, electronic or computerized mahjong, MahJong solitaire, solitaire Mahjong and, erroneously, as Mahjong...
to match the related tiles and uncover the mummy. However, there are rules regarding which tiles can be "selected" and, if no move is possible, the game resets. After three mummies have been uncovered, the game is completed. "Tablet Turnover" from the newer version of JumpStart 4th Grade is virtually identical to this game.
The Vampire Maze
In this game, the user must guide a vampire through a maze of hedgesHedge Maze
A hedge maze is an outdoor garden maze or labyrinth in which the "walls" or dividers between passages are made of vertical hedges.-History:...
while avoiding a ghost who will turn the vampire into stone. In the center of the screen, a long division
Long division
In arithmetic, long division is a standard procedure suitable for dividing simple or complex multidigit numbers. It breaks down a division problem into a series of easier steps. As in all division problems, one number, called the dividend, is divided by another, called the divisor, producing a...
problem appears and the user must lead the vampire to the correct answer. Selecting the wrong number will cause another ghost to appear, although, if the user gets more than two ghosts, the extra ones will eventually fade away, leaving just the two. Once several division problems are solved, the vampire will be allowed to enter his coffin
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
in the center of the screen. Three vampires must be put to rest in order for the game to be completed.
The Pirate Ship
In this game, the user controls a ghostly galleonGalleon
A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
on a giant map
Map
A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....
of the world. The user must use geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
clues to discover which countries
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
have buried treasure
Treasure
Treasure is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered...
s and move the ship over to the correct countries. The user must also take care to not run out of food and supplies, since doing so will end the game. This can be avoided by running the ship into the "food and supplies" icons scattered over the map. There are also "cannon ball
Round shot
Round shot is a solid projectile without explosive charge, fired from a cannon. As the name implies, round shot is spherical; its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the gun it is fired from.Round shot was made in early times from dressed stone, but by the 17th century, from iron...
" icons that come in useful if the user runs into one of the several pirate ships
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
that speed across the map. The "Map Madness" activity in the second version of JumpStart 4th Grade is nearly identical to this game.
The Enchanted Forest
In this game, the user uses decimalDecimal
The decimal numeral system has ten as its base. It is the numerical base most widely used by modern civilizations....
s and fraction
Fraction (mathematics)
A fraction represents a part of a whole or, more generally, any number of equal parts. When spoken in everyday English, we specify how many parts of a certain size there are, for example, one-half, five-eighths and three-quarters.A common or "vulgar" fraction, such as 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, etc., consists...
s to mix three magical potions that will turn a frog back into a "rather handsome" prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
. The running gag
Running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
of the game is that the "rather handsome" prince is actually pretty disfigured. Another running gag is that the same prince is repeatedly turned into a frog. You could also notice cameos of the characters from Jumpstart Preschool.
The Fountain of Health
The fountain of health is located in the center of the labyrinth. It is where people go to increase their health by answering questions similar to Repsac's. The more questions answered correctly, the more your candle will glow.The game's conclusion
Once the user enters the attic, Ms. Grunkle attempts to transform all the students back into monsters, along with the user. However, the user produces Ms. Grunkle's magic wand, which protects the kids from the spell. Ms. Grunkle is temporarily shocked that the user has acquired her wand, but then realizes that Madame Pomreeda must be responsible. (The game's opening sequence depicts Ms. Grunkle accidentally dropping her wand next to Pomreeda's carriage.) With that, Ms. Grunkle acknowledges defeat and flies out the window on her broom. A piece of paper she leaves behind on the floor reveals the schoolhouse being restored to its original state.After this, the game quits and the user's name appears in red on the sign in list. The player can still play the game, but some areas (Pomreeda's carraige, Ms. Grunkle's house) are locked.
Connections
- Wolfgang's name is a reference to Wolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
while Albert's name is a reference to Albert EinsteinAlbert EinsteinAlbert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, Jane Plain is "Plain Jane" backwards, and "Penny Scilin" is a play on penicillinPenicillinPenicillin is a group of antibiotics derived from Penicillium fungi. They include penicillin G, procaine penicillin, benzathine penicillin, and penicillin V....
. - Near Madame Pomreeda's carriage is a cage with "Cirque du Jumpe Starte" (the first part of this being FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
for "Circus of the" and the second an alteration of "JumpStart") written on it with images of characters from previous JumpStart products at the top. Pressing the up arrow key when facing the cage shows a spooky twisted version of the main screen from JumpStart Pre-K. (Both JumpStart 4th Grade and Pre-K were developed by KnowWare) These characters can be seen lurking in the Haunted Woods. They include Eleanor Elephant, Casey Cat, Pierre Polar Bear, and Kisha Koala from JumpStart Preschool and C.J. the Frog from JumpStart 2nd Grade.
External links
- JumpStart Adventures 4th Grade: Haunted Island review on MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...