Zoboomafoo: Leapin' Lemurs!

Overview

Leapin’ Lemurs! is based on Zoboomafoo, the PBS television series that follows the adventures of Zoboo the Lemur and the Kratt Brothers. In the series, children get to know new furry, finned, and feathered friends at a wonderful place called Animal Junction. Animal visitors are always passing through. In Leapin’ Lemurs! Zoboo is planning his Lemur Day celebration and needs your help filling the Snack Machine for all his animal friends. Along the way you’ll visit a jungle in India, the Amazon, the Australian outback, the arctic wilds, and a Bayou swamp.

Gameplay, Controls, Interface

The gameplay in Leapin’ Lemurs! is pretty simple. In each level you must run around looking for a particular snack item. As you collect snacks you’ll meet and learn about a variety of animals through both video clips taken from the television show and brief factoids. For the most part, collecting the snacks is easy, particularly in the super-easy mode for younger children.

There a couple of things that make the game challenging for older players though. If you run into some of the animals in each level or fall into water, the snacks will begin to disappear from your inventory, reappearing wherever you collected the last snack. If you only lose one or two snacks this is not a big issue, but the closer I got to finding all the snacks the harder it got -- I had to remember where I’d gotten the last few snacks and how to get back there. I should point out that while I played to get all fifty snacks in the level, the game only requires that you collect half that amount to continue. To help locate snacks, Zoboo can sniff the air -- if there’s a snack within range he’ll point in the direction it can be found.

In addition to finding snacks in each level, Zoboo will meet with animal friends from the TV series and invite them to join the Lemur Day celebrations. His animal friends will also help him reach snacks that he can’t get to alone. Aside from collecting snacks, you’ll find beans for Zoboo to eat, as well as special objects that will unlock an extra bonus level.

Graphics & Audio

The graphics in Leapin’ Lemurs! are nicely done -- animals are easily identifiable and the environments are accurate representations of the different habitats you visit. Throughout the game there are video clips from the TV show as well. With the exception of what plays in the Arctic stage, the music is subtle and serves as a complement to the different stages, but in the Arctic environment it became just a bit annoying.

Bottom Line

Zoboomafoo: Leapin' Lemurs! is a nice addition to the PBS series, teaching kids about the animals that visit Animal Junction and the animals that Zoboo encounters on his journey, which can range from butterflies to arctic foxes. Its easy mode is simple enough for young players, while still being challenging enough for slightly older kids. If your kids are fans of the Kratt Brothers’ animal series then give it a try -- at a retail price of under $20 you won’t go wrong.