There is this lovable little car named Putt-Putt. He is the main character in some learning games from Humongous Entertainment. The latest in this series is called Putt-Putt Joins The Circus.

Putt-Putt is going to the circus. But a goat eats his ticket as he tries to get it off of some train tracks. The train gives Putt-Putt a ride to the circus. From there Putt-Putt must do certain things to be able to get into the circus.

Putt-Putt finds out that B.J. Sweeney is having trouble with all of his circus acts. None of the things have been set up right in the circus tent. B.J. needs someone to fix everything up right so that the show can go on. Putt-Putt volunteers to help out.

The player controls all of these things that Putt-Putt does. The game uses problem-solving skills in order to help Putt-Putt on his quest. Putt-Putt must solve all of the problems of the five main acts of the circus. If he can do this, the show will go on as planned. If not, well, there will be a lot of disappointed kids in the audience.

Along with problem solving, the game also teaches teamwork, kindness and friendship.

Some of the characters that Putt-Putt meets at the circus include Bart, the Peanut cart, Hank the security car and Bette Bandwagon. Putt-Putt has to help Bette get something out of her pipes. But save the item for later, when Putt-Putt has to help another circus performer.

Other characters that you will meet in the game are Terri & Marie Tiger, Phillipe the Flea, Katie Cannonball and Reginald Cornelius Androncoles III, a lion who is down in the dumps.

If the player can get Putt-Putt to put everything back together, then Putt-Putt can be part of the circus.

This game comes with several mini games imbedded in it. The Pie Toss Arena is fun but a little messy. Toss peanuts to tin cars in Peanut Challenge. Marvin's Magic Cards has you find matching cards. Click on a card to turn it over. Find the matching card to remove the pair. Other games include Clown Table and Titanic Trampoline.

For a fun learning experience, Putt-Putt Joins The Circus is just the ticket. It challenges children and lets them have fun while doing the problem solving. It also gives children an opportunity to learn friendship skills.

Putt-Putt Joins The Circus is sold at most software retailers. It can also be found at stores like Target and Toys-R-Us. The list price for Putt-Putt Joins The Circus is $ 24.99.

To learn more about Putt-Putt, visit the Humongous Entertainment website. It can be found at www.humongous.com.

Copyright © 2000 Bruce E. Von Stiers