I miss the DOS version of "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" It was a game my sisters and I used to enjoy playing, (along with Family Feud, Alley Cat and Prince of Persia, and it used to be such a thrill to finally pin down Carmen, after an exciting, nerdy hour of answering geography trivia questions. The graphics of the classic version was quite impressive, for the 80's/90's, that is. What I loved the most were the names of the criminals: Justin Case (a word play for "just in case",) Mrs. Sarah Nade ("serenade"), Anita Bath ("i need a bath"), and many more. I had been so inspired by the word play that I actually named one of my pet birds Cedie Mentary (a word play on "sedimentary" + Princess Cedie was quite a hit at the time too). :) It was such a hit then that there had been quite a number of variations. Off the top of my head, I can recall one: Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?
On the other hand, the Facebook version of "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" is a cheap thrill. First, the graphics are quite disappointing for the current state of technology. And I know I'm not supposed to cheat, but darn it's just too easy to google the clues and find answers. :( There are no more interesting characters, and the Chief is boring. The worst part is how the game is built on the virtual economy of facebook. BOOO! Sure, it's a great business model. But man, don't take away the fun!
I don't know. I think the real culprit is Facebook. You killed MY Carmen. Hmmph.
Salma F. Angkaya
Entry #13
