Scooter's Magic Castle

I was probably about twelve when my family purchased our first PC, and the Commodore 64 was packed away and largely forgotten.  That initial, off-white tower of magic came with a bundle of educational software titles.  Most people tend to get their guard up when talking about "edutainment", a field rife with titles that are more lecture than game, but the bundle of CD-ROMs that arrived with our first PC was a treasure-trove of entertaining gems.

Granted, a lot of this material was intended for a younger audience than myself at that age, and fell right into step with my little sister who was four years behind me.  But did I care about that?  Not on your life.  Fun was fun, and in the cozy confines of your parent's basement den, who cares if you're playing Wolfenstein 3D or Gus Goes to Cybertown?

One of the most entertaining titles to come with the PC was Scooter's Magic Castle, released by EA-Kids (yes, EA of Electronic Arts fame.  This was before they became the tyrannical company everybody loves to hate).  Although the presentation is much like an early-learner Adventure game, it is in fact far more open-ended.  In the game, you follow along with a little elf named Scooter, a bouncy little fellow who could have walked right out of a Disney film, and explore a magical castle filled with mini-games.  Like many kid's games of this sort, you can click on all manner of objects to reveal fun animations.

Games encountered within the castle are often simple, but very well presented with bright colors and lively animations and sound effects.  They include a musical memory game, a fishing minigame and (a personal favorite of mine) a color-mixing game wherein you mix together various colors to bring to life a clownish Frankenstein's monster.

With its colorful presentation, perky animation and bright, upbeat music, it is easy to lose an hour exploring Scooter's Magic Castle.  The game is easily available for download on the net from various Abandonware sites (although it may require some emulation to run properly), and it is well worth a look.  It still holds up today, having more charm and fun than much of the shovelware that tends to be pushed out under the banner of education.  Even as an adult it is a charming little diversion, and if you've got young kids, they're sure to love to fall in love with Scooter.