Sega's attempt to take their prize mascot
Sonic the Hedgehog into the world of
edutainment software. Released in late 1996 for the
PC and the
Sega Pico, this features
Sonic and friends as they try to teach the
kindergarten -
4th grade audience about
arithmetic,
reading, and
spelling concepts. The player doesn't actually play as
Sonic; the
blue blur acts only as a guide in this title. The way the program works is that the player must choose a category (
Math I,
Math II,
Reading, or
Spelling) and then grab the answers that are floating in midair that answer the displayed question. There are ten questions per level and several levels per category.
Like any video game (even the edutainment ones) there's a villain and like any Sonic the Hedgehog game the villain is Dr. Robotnik. He floats around the levels and if he touches your character he'll steal your answers. The program has a few hidden features that reward players for completing levels: a field trip mode and a playground mode. The field trip shows video clips of zoo animals and the playground gives access to two mini-games: Concentration and Ring Hunt. Concentration is the classic memory match game (using Sonic characters as the icons to match) and Ring Hunt requires the player to avoid the badniks and collect the floating rings.
This isn't a traditional Sonic the Hedgehog game. This is a learning tool for the kiddies. Sonic the Hedgehog : Sonic's Schoolhouse :: Mario : Mario Is Missing.
References:
http://www.emulationzone.org/fanfare/ghz/sonic/school/school.html