6. EcoQuest: The Search For Cetus
EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus, and its sequel Lost Secret of the Rainforest (1991 and 1993 respectively) were educational, or edutainment (shudder) titles released by Sierras Discovery Series branch. Both games borrowed the basic point-and-click interface perfected by earlier Sierra offerings like Kings Quest, but the focus of this series was nature and ecology. Back before we had a separate bin for every material known to science, EcoQuest told kids about the importance of recycling and opened them up to the depressing realities of climate change and extinction. The hero of both of these stories is Adam Greene, a rather precocious ten year-old boy. Adam is the son of an ecologist diver who, I seem to remember, had rather excellent facial hair. On meeting a dolphin that his father has rescued, Adam learns that he can communicate with the animal kingdom, and he sets off on a journey to help his flippered-friend find the giant sperm whale Cetus, who is king of the sea. Despite the rather Disneyish premise, TSFC and its sequel are at times seriously hard-hitting and, dare I say it; emotional. There is a wealth of facts and information here, which will appeal to players who have even the slightest interest in nature. The games were originally pitched at ages 12+, but children as young as seven or eight could easily play along with adult help. Assuming, of course, that daddy is comfortable crying in front of the kids!