From the Tip of the Taj Majal to the Base of Big Ben, Carmen Sandiego Has Been Spotted in Broderbund's New Software Series and on Her Own Internet Site; Education icon, Carmen Sandiego, leaps into her second decade as America's most elusive software character

Business Wire, August 26, 1996

NOVATO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 26, 1996--The internationally renowned Carmen Sandiego(TM) is at it again! Today Broderbund Software (NASDAQ:BROD) began shipping the next generation of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?(R) software featuring richly detailed 360-degree panoramas from 50 countries, an extensive electronic reference database and spectacular video, photos and music. Lynne Thigpen, who stars as "The Chief" on the Emmy Award-winning PBS television game show, is now the first "real person" to play "The Chief" in the Carmen Sandiego software series. Also timed with the software release, Broderbund has created the ACME Internet Headquarters(TM), a world wide web site for players dedicated to the pursuit of Carmen Sandiego.

Next Generation of Carmen Sandiego software

Broad consumer adoption of Carmen Sandiego into homes and schools strengthened Broderbund's desire to launch the next generation of educational Carmen titles. The new Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? offers an immersive environment in which the player can take a 360-degree walking tour through each location and feel as if he or she is in the country and experiencing its culture. A technological leap over the two-dimensional postcard view found in previous versions, Carmen's improved interface lets children explore 50 world locations and learn about world geography and cultures.

An extensive electronic database covering 50 countries includes videos, photographs and short essays from The National Geographic Society as well as flags and geopolitical maps. The database can be used in conjunction with a case or outside of the game to explore. In Explore Mode(TM) kids can use the Fly By Night Travel service to fly throughout the world. They can look at the World Wiz Database and view videos or photos about any country in the game. This explore at your leisure feature opens up many possibilities for use in the classroom and also supports kids' research for school assignments. In addition to the database and Explore Mode, players can also reference The World Almanac(R) and Book of Facts(TM) that is included with the program. Each of these tools helps children to develop valuable research skills.

When visiting each of the 50 world locations, children can request one of seven "ACME Good Guides(TM)" to take them on a guided tour and provide them with interesting geographical and cultural facts. Each Good Guide covers a specific area of interest. For example, Rock Solid(TM) helps ACME agents learn more about the environment and the world's natural resources while Dee Plomassy(TM), fluent in 17 languages, is an expert in political systems and economics. The software features other new animated characters, including 220 tourists who offer clues to current cases and "The ICK Brothers(TM)," a duo of bumbling janitors who attempt to clean up the trail of clues left behind by Carmen's careless band of 39 villains. The program also features Carmen Sandiego's favorite feline, Carmine the Cat(TM).

Lynne Thigpen, playing the role of "The Chief", appears in the product in full motion digital video. With an active career as a stage and dramatic actress, Ms. Thigpen has appeared in numerous films and television shows including The Paper and Blankman, and has an on-going part in the daytime drama, All My Children.

The program contains over two thousand clues, each of which is spoken and written to help develop reading and vocabulary skills. Players can record the character description and location clues by pasting them into the electronic Notepad. Each clue entered in the log is saved for reference and stamped with the name of the country where the clue was received to help reinforce deductive reasoning.

"For years, children, families and schools have embraced Carmen Sandiego as an educational geography product filled with lively animation, high quality sound, and superb graphics," said Ken Goldstein, Executive Publisher of the Education and Entertainment Studios at Broderbund. "New technology has given us the opportunity to create a new generation of Carmen Sandiego software in which the quality of animation is as sophisticated as what children are used to seeing in movies and television. We feel the enhancements we've introduced to game play may set a new standard for educational software."

Carmen Sandiego ACME Internet Headquarters Web Site

For players dedicated to the pursuit of Carmen Sandiego, the ACME Internet Headquarters is designed to provide access to geographic resources published on the world wide web. This web site allows users to seek additional information about world and U.S. geography and cultures. Broderbund has provided links to a selection of sites that offer a wealth of geographic information where players can view world maps, browse through a global travel guide and discover lists of additional world geography resource sites. Players can use this valuable information to help with gameplay or with school assignments. Offering an exciting geography filled web site for use with a fun, educational software program gives kids an opportunity to become comfortable with and build essential on-line referencing skills. Those who visit The ACME Internet Headquarters site at www.broderbund.com/carmen can also send e-mail messages to The Chief or give feedback and comments to Broderbund's Carmen Sandiego Product Development team.