Somehow, despite the insistent educational theme of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, theres a real element of intrigue and suspense in tracking down Sandiego and her goons. After inputting your detective name and having been assigned your first case, the initial clues are laid out for the hunt for Sandiegos henchmen. Youre given the crime itself and the culprits gender, then its up to you to figure out the rest by speaking to locals and deciphering clues about their whereabouts. On arriving at the scene of the crime youre given facts and history of the country - such as the population or historical landmarks - and a series of different areas to visit, such as local hotels and markets. Talking to eyewitnesses will lead to teasing clues on both the location of the culprit as well as important descriptions of their distinguishing features. This leads to a series of deductive trips across the world, gradually building a dossier on the perpetrator in order to lead to an arrest, while pink panther style animated cut scenes let you know if youre close to catching the foe. However, while it sounds like a simple game of cat and mouse, the geographical nature of the puzzles leads to some head scratching tough decisions. Matters are further complicated by the fact that a false trip to one location when the culprit was in fact on the other side of the world can lead to the trail quickly going cold and the fiend getting away. If your knowledge of flags, currency and historical landmarks arent up to scratch, youll also find yourself quickly getting lost in a random part of the world. What made Carmen Sandiego so enjoyable was that it managed to make you quickly forget that they were playing an educational game. The detective sleuthing elements of the game and the globetrotting espionage did a fantastic job of hiding the fact that as you continued to play the game, you were quickly being taught a compendium of facts about the world. Whats more, as in all effective forms of education, a wrong answer the first time round would assure you not to make the same mistake again. Soon youd know which currency belongs to each country or how many stripes are on different flags, all without even realising you were playing the video game equivalent of a intense geography lesson taught by a man dressed as Inspector Clouseau. More than 30 years since the first Carmen Sandiego title and the series is still at the forefront of educational gaming. Following the release of 'Where in the World' came a sequel titled 'Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego', in which players were educated in history and events which shaped the world. Of course, any popular 90s videogame wouldnt be complete with its own TV spin off, and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego ran as a popular childrens show on PBS from 1991 to 1995 - thriving on the edutainment which defined the games. With many parents sadly living under the old fashioned belief that all video games are suitable for children, some are given unrestricted access to any games they desire - even if its intended for a strictly adult audience (if you don't believe this, spend some time working in a game store). With this in mind, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego is a charming throwback to an era in which games were frequently developed with an ambitious desire to entertain and educate in equal measure. Why Its A Classic: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego made educational gaming surprisingly engaging by throwing in an element of intrigue and globe hopping espionage. Does It Still Hold Up ? : Theres still a charm to Carmen Sandiego's mix of spying, geography and Guess Who. Availability: If youve still got a working Sega Mega Drive or Super Nintendo laying around, you can pick up Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego for about a quid, which is less than the price of a microwavable burger. Far more satisfying and with none of the saturated fat.