Editorial Review
Problem solving is at the fore of
Curious George Downtown Adventure, a game that pits the inquisitive monkey against his own clumsiness! George has caused a series of minor accidents while shopping downtown with the Man in the Yellow Hat. Among other
faux pas, he has trapped a window washer halfway up a building and lost someone's fan in a dumpster. In order to put everything right, George will have to travel all over the city, putting together the gadgets he needs to get the job done!
There are about 60 puzzles in this game, each structured as a challenge of mechanics. George must put together a group of simple devices like trampolines, ladders, and conveyer belts to move him to his current goal. Heavy objects can be dropped onto crates in need of shattering, while ramps and trampolines can get the monkey up to the otherwise inaccessible levels of the puzzle. Completion of some tasks will earn the player more "curiosity tools"--gizmos designed to help with the harder challenges. Be warned, though--sometimes finishing a puzzle just causes George to have another mishap!
Mechanically based puzzle games are nothing new, teaching basic physical concepts like gravity and momentum to children while giving their creativity a workout. In fact, some of these other games are vastly more complex, inventive, and rigorously devoted to the chain of cause and effect than Curious George Downtown Adventure. Even so, this package is competently designed and makes an excellent choice for kids who are newer to this form of gameplay. Its graphic design and interface are appealing, while its challenges increase in difficulty at a gentle pace. The game also offers plenty of help and encouragement for players who get stuck, and most of its puzzles have more than one solution, giving children an opportunity to try out new strategies as George tries to rescue balloons, elephants, and electric fans by the score. --Alyx Dellamonica
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Customer Reviews
Once again, voted greatest Uncle of all time 
2002-11-15
My niece and I have a mutual understanding- monkeys are cool. It started with a monkey puppet "the tickle monkey" and evolved into Curious George toys. For her 3rd birthday I sent her very first software. She was very excited to get started on the computer (at long last since my sister has been fighting her off it) and loves it.
My sister feels this is a great introduction for her to the PC and she loves George's adventures. I'm looking forward to giving it a try myself, but until then I'll have to go on the assurance of a 3 year old that it is a great program.
(Well, her mom loves it too)
Too hard for a 3 year old 
2002-10-21
This is a well-designed game and my son really likes to watch us play it but he is light years away from being able to do it himself. Frankly, my husband and I had trouble with a lot of the puzzles ourselves and we are both engineers. I was surprised that the previous reviewer said her 4 year old could do it, since I thought it would be pretty hard even for a six year old. Maybe we just haven't had enough practice yet.
Good graphics and sound, poor installation 
2002-09-27
The game has good sound and graphics. The installation failed on two different systems with Windows XP. Installed on a Windows 98 system and copied installation files over the XP install and it now runs.
My nephew really loves this! 2002-08-16
My nephew loves the Curious George books and this game makes him feel like he's playing with one of his favorite friends! I recommend it because it teaches small kids to think about cause and affect and it brings them into George's world.
Simple but not simplistic fun for a 4 year old 2002-07-10
My 4 year old daughter was getting a bit bored with her computer games until we bought this one. I had to help her solve the first 5 or so puzzles, but after that, she got VERY excited and started to solve them without me in the room.
This is a visual logic puzzle game: How can George get to the top of the building, using just the short ladder, the trampoline and the bowling ball? Put the ladder in front of the mailbox, and George will climb the ladder, jump down to the trampoline and bounce up... you get the idea. It's "The Incredible Machine" meets "Putt-Putt" and it works.
The look on her face when she solves just one of the 50 puzzles was worth the cost of the game.
great, except for the booster code 2006-02-23
My son got this for his 4th birthday, and he loves it. It's alot like Incredible Machine, which was a really fun game. He plays it all by himself and has beaten almost every level. The booster code thing is quite lame, and of course young children might feel bad not getting to play part of their game. I think the game is quite nice without the extra free play levels, and I would recommend it for advanced preschoolers to much older kids. My husband and I got into a debate over which items to use on one of the levels. Lots of fun!
Not So Much 
2006-01-25
I'm glad that everyone else was delighted, but this software was only a mild success at my house. The program can be frustrating in how narrow the acceptable area is to successfully place the many objects George needs to employ to complete his Rube-Goldbergian journeys. If your child isn't already very good with a mouse, this game will prove frustrating. Often the physics just makes no sense. My 4-year-old son couldn't understand that the program was asking him to put a trampoline on top of a light pole -- because he knew that wouldn't work. This from a kid who thinks you can build a working space shuttle out of cardboard boxes. We spent most of our time clicking on the "hint" icon that shows you where the props need to be placed and just plopping them down accordingly. Pretty much not the point! File this under a great idea that should have worked better than it did.
Great Game 2003-10-07
My 5 year old son loves this game. He has played through it 11 times in the last 6 months. Very original game that requires some planning and thought on where to put different items in order to move George through each situation. Also a help key that gives the answer away if you get frustrated.
A great problem solving game! 2003-03-14
I really like this game for my four year old, because it is different. It doesn't teach phonics, math or music, but the more abstract problem solving skills. And, he loves it because it's fun! He has to put together a sequence of events to get to the desired object. Very well designed!
Only one complaint 2002-11-27
My 5-year-old son loves this program. However, he is frustrated that he cannot enter one area because we don't have the "booster code." How do you get a booster code? You have to buy another product from the same company. It upsets me that the company cannot rely on the fine quality of their products to sell more, but have to resort to ambushing parents with a marketing gimmick that a 5-year-old is too young to understand.
