Headline Harry and the Great Paper Chase. (computer game) (evaluation)
by Chantelle Oligschlaeger

Get a head start on Headline Harry's Great Paper Race, take a look at the sequel to Elvira, and scrutinize an abundance of other evaluations.

You have only three hours left before your deadline. Miss it and Marvin Muckraker's devious reporters will print their falsified stories on the front page of the Diabolical Daily. Not only will you have to face your angry editor, Headline Harry, but the public will never learn the true story. Such is the life of a reporter in Headline Harry and the Great Paper Race, a game that combines lessons in modern history, geography, and problem-solving.

Both older children and adults the abundant facts when they join Headline Harry's crusade to stop the presses of the scheming competition. Choose the region of the United States that you most want to tackle and decide which historical event from that area warrants a lead story. File the story before your deadline arrives. To make matters more difficult, you might lose time traveling, discovering information, or falling prey to one of Marvin Muckraker's reporters.

The animated adventures include digitized speech and music, and are available in 16- or 256-color versions. Players can only explore 12 stories, but the upcoming teacher's edition will allow for three times that many. A convenient save-game feature allows you to saver stories in progress.

Headline Harry doesn't promise that scooping the Diabolical's reporters will be easy; it takes perseverance. But students, especially, will find this fact-chasing mission a welcome break from clunky history books. Complex, but not frustrating, Headline Harry is good news for rookie reporters looking to build their problem-solving skills.