All four of our children love video games. We don’t mind, but they aren’t allowed to play violent games or games with profanity. Last year, in 2012, Dig-It Games released a new, fun education online and iPad video game called Mayan Mysteries. Since we don’t own an iPad, we reviewed the online game version.
About the Product
First off, the iPad version of Mayan Mysteries can be purchased for $9.99, while the online single user version for PC and Mac is $21.99 for a year’s subscription, and they are recommended for ages 11+. More than 1 person can play by choosing New Game instead of resume, however, it will erase your progress, so be careful of that. The online games does also run on my Dell XPS 10 tablet the runs on Windows RT, although it is a bit slower on there. Logging onto the site is easy, however it WILL show your password, so if you don’t want your kids knowing a common password, pick something else that’s easy for everyone to remember. Once you’re logged in, there are several options to choose from, such as launching the game, viewing all of the artifacts, the Leaderboard, viewing clues as to who the mysterious looter is, viewing and changing you’re account information, and the members of Team Q: Dr Alex Quinn, and archaeologist, and his niece and nephew Fiona and Charlie Quinn, and you!
In the games Mayan Mysteries, you get to be a part of Team Q, and search for the mysterious looter and the lost city. You get to visit Mayan cities and learn about the Mayan culture. The game takes about 12 hours of playing time, so if you or your child plays a couple hours a day you could finish in a week.You are given a magical book from Chief Mateo that you have to unlock. First you’ll visit the map to learn about 4 locations: Tikal, Carakol, Copan, and Ceren. A quiz is given, and then you’re off to Ceren! If you fail a quiz and get caught by the looters, you are able to retake the quiz. When the characters are speaking, there is an exclamation point over some that you click, and are given an archaeological or historical fact, and then a challenge of some sort. Once the challenges are completed, the book is unlocked! The book then releases a spirit guide that takes you back in time, so you can see how the artifacts may have been used. Part of the story is shown in comic book form. You even get to do some excavating of your own. If you choose the wrong tool, the game will tell you to pick another tool or you’ll lost the artifact. I lost 2. :/ Some of the reading can be a bit intense, so I’d recommend no child under the age of 10 play the game. Also, there are some pagan aspects with the spirit guide and vision quests, so use discretion with what you think is best for your family. I trust my children to play this game and not get caught up in all of that since we are a Christian family. I do realize that everyone doesn’t share our beliefs. Also, if you have more than 1 child, they can take turns playing once one has finished the game.
What I Think of the Game
I really like this game for my kids. It’s fun, very interactive, and educational. I may not agree with all the beliefs mentioned, but like I said before, I can explain to them that for our family, those beliefs aren’t okay, but there are people from long ago who had those beliefs. I love all the facts and challenges; they really give so much great historical information! Based on the price, I might would go with the iPad app since the online version is for a year, and this could be used with several children for schoolwork. You could even incorporate lapbook work with this game if you wanted. Click below to read reviews from other Crew members!