In the StarFlyers games, players take the role of Katie Cadet, the alter-ego of imaginative youngster Katherine Cadell. She’s joined by her friends Ajay, Klanker and Io as they go on outer-space adventures. At each game’s heart is a real-world dilemma, according to the developers. The games also feature printable activities, multiple levels of challenge and kid-friendly help menus.
In Royal Jewel Rescue, for example, Katherine has dropped her mother’s jewelry box, so she and her friends go on an interstellar mission to rescue the Royal Jewels of Princess Popcorn. They participate in challenging puzzles and games as they recover the precious items.
Alien Space Chase puts players in a space hunt for Alien Ambassadors — a circumstance clearly inspired by real-world Katherine’s experience with Victor Wexler, the neighborhood bully who let pets loose on Bring-Your-Pet-To-School Day. It just happens that the Alien Ambassadors look like the pets. Kids build problem solving and critical thinking skills as they travel to distant planets to solve puzzles and play games.
Both games are available on hybrid CD-ROM with support for both Windows and Mac OS for US$19.99 each. Mac system requirements call for a PowerPC-based Mac, 180MHz or faster; Mac OS 8.6 or later, including Mac OS X; 100MB free HD space; 32MB RAM; 8x CD-ROM drive; 800×600 resolution with support for thousands of colors.