I think we can all agree that the proliferation of Macromedia's Flash software has made good games a lot tougher to find, especially well-made ones. Classroom Pitfall is a well-made game; it may be short, but it's great. The gameplay is fairly simple and very reminiscent of the classic Pitfall in which the primary objective is to make it safely from point A to point B. The difference being that each level of Classroom Pitfall takes place in a different classroom, such as Gym or History, and the obstacles and pitfalls are objects you might find in a classroom, such as compasses and protractors.
In the beginning, you must choose a character to play as, there are five in total and none possess any skill over another; as near as I can tell they were only added so as not to exclude any gender or racial group. The characters all have the same controls: left and right arrow keys, and the space bar to jump. Each level is randomly generated and spans across seven screens; the one you start on, along with three screens that branch off to the left, and three more screens that branch off to the right. You must follow both paths to collect all the stars and advance to the next level. That means, of course, you'll have to backtrack across one side of the level, so try and choose the path with the least obstacles to start off (there is a map at the bottom of the screen, the skulls represent the hazards).
The thing I love about this game is the sheer variety and the quality of the visuals. Each level possesses its own set of hazards, and since the levels are randomly generated you may actually find new content the next time you play. The visuals are very polished; someone obviously took their time on this game, and unfortunately, I don't know who actually developed the game.
The game was made for a company called Tesco and their "computers for schools" program, which aims to help fund schools in the UK through a 'voucher' program. Anytime an item (such as gas or groceries) is purchased from a Tesco retailer, the buyer is awarded vouchers that they can donate to a school of their choice. The school then uses these vouchers to get free things from Tesco online. It's a nice little program and with that in context, the theme of the game seems appropriate.
All my digging and I still couldn't uncover who the game was made by, and the Computers for Schools site doesn't have an address where you can reach them. I did, however, find many mentions of a sequel to this game, but no place to play it. Oh well. If anyone has any information on either the sequel or the designer, or what the hey happened to either of them, it would be appreciated. Click.
I've seen this before, and in fact played the sequel - but unfortunately, I can't remember the address. It's been advertised on some games directories, I believe.
(And no-one in the UK ever buy gas, not when we have PETROL. ¬¬)
If you really want to know who made this great game, I imagine Tesco customer services could help you out - there is a Contact Us section on their website (tesco.com), where you can send in a query about anything you want.
Tesco is the largest supermarket retailer in the UK -- saying 'a company called Tesco' is like saying 'a company called Walmart'. The first Tesco store opened in 1929.
The game is a fun throwaway thing, although a little too old-school for me -- my reaction times have slowed down a lot since I used to play things like this all the time!
I'm sorry, this is rubbish. The collision detection is appalling, the gameplay frustrating and uninvolving. And the graphics - for a commercially sponsored game especially - are disappointing. Possibly the worst game I've ever seen on the site.
Lighten up, it's fun. One annoying thing though - there are points which are impossible (far as I know) to get past without losing life. E.g. science lab, 2 bunsen burners right next to each other, one switches off as the other turns on and vice versa. Impossible :)
Didn't grab me either.
Though I don't feel quite so strongly about the game as Throctukes, I definitely agree that the game has room for improvement. Collision detection is a bit primitive, and some of the obstacles simply aren't intuitively avoided at first, often resulting in loss of life. I became especially frustrated at the trap doors with nooses hanging above them; despite what I considered a well-timed jump at the very edge of the pit, I still "collided" with the empty space, causing my character's untimely demise. I thought that the graphics were fine, especially if the game is intended for a younger audience, and the animation was very smooth. Overall, I think that a child might find this game very satisfying, but it leaves a lot to be desired for those of us with more discerning tastes.
I don't think the collision detection is that bad. It's not like you need to narrowly escape from death everywhere.
It is a cute, simple game.
It was Oscar Wilde who said something like: people often don't lkisten to what's being said, but dwell on the person speaking and make decisions about what's being said based on the speaker and not on the content (ah, human nature is flawed); but, then he also said: "America is the only nation in history which miraculously has gone directly from barbarism to degeneration without the usual interval of civilisation." Sorry, I like quoting other people. That way no one can directly criticize anything I say.
Ok, Ok, I'll lighten up. Sorry. I still think this is a weak game compared with the majority of the games reviewed here, though.
The collision system may not be bad... but if it isn't, the animations are. You end up dying when you aren't actually running into things, for example the protactors kill you when they are doing any part of their animations, including the part why they stop and go back in the opposite direction. It took me 6 times to get past the protractor the first time, then 2 more deaths before I figured out you had to wait for it to stop completely, but you have to wait for when it stops completely in a specific orientation or you die anyways. After getting that down, why does a trampoline kill you if you stub your shin on it? Also, after getting through 4-6 levels, and then dying to impossible bunsen burners, I was frustrated. I found the levels I did play mediocore, and the final parting shot of not allowing me to actually get past one part unless I play through the entire previous areas again just made me upset.
I have to agree with Throctukes, I really did not like this game. It is way to easy to die, even if you time the traps right. The graphics are not so good, and overall I see no real point to this game.
This game is the magical and modern result of how boring political-correctness is. One step away from night of the living dead. Yes, modern reality sucks the life out of everything. Everyone lighten up, or else the thought-police will get you. Everyone pretend to be middle class.
Well, the game has no time limit or such involved with the levels, so it's really about patience. If you rush, it'll be hard.
Well, I found it fun at least.
Oh well.
Derek - I think that's all that really matters. ;)
I think the game is very cute and it will likely appeal to younger gamers and those who are not as critical as the ones who have spoken up here.
Not every game will please everyone. There will always be a vocal few that complain. I certainly appreciate your contribution as I have been fighting a very bad cold all week.
So, cheers! =)
Wow, this game is awful.
You die when you just get close to an obstacle. It doesn't even have to touch you. I can't believe that anybody would call a game with that bug "well made." Sure, it's cute. But it's badly written and annoying.
It is just that, in comparasion to the other games posted here that have most of their kinks worked out, this one sticks out as a sore thumb because it needs improvements. If when you were/were not going to die were more predictable, along with the auto-death of the burners, then I would have enjoyed it. I did enjoy the graphics, and it is still a fine game, but I do not think it competes at the level of the other games on this site.
I dont understand the trampoline. I mean, in games, when you jump on a trampoline you would normally go flying up, but instead i died? what's up with that? ;p
The game doesn't really have any replay value, but it's good for a few minutes of fun. Definately not going to make it in the next top ten though.
I was too was struck down by the bi-Bunson killers. Two alternating flames right next to each other provides a constant hazard. Even if I had somehow gotten past the first pair on the left side of the screen, there was another pair on the right! WHAT the hell?
snyder, it's not completely politically correct. I mean, look at the way you die in the game. It's very obvious that for the first couple of deaths, the kid you choose goes to Heaven, but then when you die for the final time you just get knocked out and fall over. This very obviously suggests that when you start out, you are a member of the Judaeo-Christian tradition, but when you fail completely, you become an atheist. This is supported by the fact that all the kids are going through the grief process as predicted by Nietzsche. ;P
Interesting to see so much negative feedback. I thought this was well done game, it looked cute and played good enough. Certainly worth to try out.
this game was made some time ago whist working at nowwashyourhands
there was a second version of this game made, classroom pitfall 2, but it's not online any more
Just so you know the link to this game is broken it can also be found at http://www.andkon.com/arcade/adventureaction/classroompitfall/
if you search google classroom pitfall there are multiple hits.
[Edit: I've updated the article with the new link. Thanks :D ~Kero]
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