|
|
|
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. April 22, 1996: Kids are catapulted back in time to discover and understand the secrets of ancient Egypt in Pyramid: Challenge of the Pharaoh's Dream™, a new social studies title due for release this fall from McGraw-Hill Home Interactive (MHHI). The adventure, based on real world history, provides an accurate depiction of this ancient society and allows kids to explore the technology, culture and secrets of Old Kingdom Egypt. "Virtual flight" technology, photo-realistic sets, and a host of quirky animated characters are used to let kids ages 10 and up build a gigantic Egyptian pyramid using centuries-old techniques. This product will be published for Microsoft® Windows® '95 and the Apple® Macintosh® and will be on store shelves in November 1996.
"With Pyramid kids learn about the people and the culture of ancient Egypt, the process of building a pyramid, the tools and technologies of the time, and details of daily life along the Nile in order to complete the puzzles and adventure," said Bill Nisen, president of MHHI. "In addition to its educational value, we believe that Pyramid sets a new standard for realism, both in its presentation of ancient Egypt and its depiction of how the pyramids were built."
In Pyramid kids find themselves in the shoes of a young archaeologist who has discovered the secret entrance to the last unexcavated Egyptian pyramid. Suddenly, kids are cast back in time and challenged to turn a young Pharaoh's dream into reality: Build a majestic pyramid to the height of one hundred men, using only the tools of the time. In order to advance through seven levels of adventure and puzzles, kids learn about the daily lives of the people who live along the Nile and gain a deeper understanding of the culture of ancient Egypt. In addition, kids must take on historically real engineering and logic challenges, working with the community to build a pyramid using only ancient tools. Children are guided through the title by a helpful Scarab, a character that supplies kids with context clues about the different puzzles and adventure.
Pyramid was developed for MHHI in collaboration with Knowledge Adventure, Inc. The breathtaking sets and special effects were created by the Academy Award®-winning production house Dream Quest Images®. Dream Quest Images recreated two and a half square miles of the Nile River Valley with seven miniature sets to produce the effect of player-controlled flight over the ancient valley. The "virtual flight" sequences allow kids to freely explore how an ancient pyramid site might have looked during the reign of the Pharaohs. In addition, characters like the Pharaoh's older sister, the Scarab, the blind Astronomer, two murderous Snake Charmers and the hilarious Mud Bath Lady represent two-dimensional hieroglyphics come to life.
Pyramid: Challenge of the Pharaoh's Dream is expected to sell for $40-$50.
This title requires an IBM PC or compatible, 486/66 or faster or Pentium, 8 MB RAM, 256-color monitor, double-speed CD-ROM drive, Microsoft Windows'95, 8-bit sound card, speakers and a mouse. For the Mac, the title requires Macintosh System 7.x, 68040/33 or faster or PowerMac, 8 MB RAM, and a 256-color monitor.
Established in 1995, McGraw-Hill Home Interactive (MHHI) is based in Redwood City, Calif. The division is dedicated to publishing original consumer multimedia titles that equally emphasize education and entertainment in core subject areas such as science, math, social studies and language arts. MHHI's titles, targeted to children 8 to 14, engage their imaginations and stimulate their minds with entertaining narratives, while making parents comfortable with the educational value and proven experience of McGraw-Hill. McGraw-Hill Home Interactive is a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
The McGraw-Hill Companies, founded in 1888, is a leading information services organization serving worldwide markets in education, business, finance, the professions and government. Revenues in 1995 exceeded $2.9 billion.
Copyright ©1996
|