Disney's Adventures in Typing with Timon & Pumbaa

31.12.1998

Genre: Arcade

Rafiki, Timon and Pumbaa from Disney's Lion King are the tutors in this typing game created for children ages 6 and up. The comedic meerkat and warthog team are "going off on an adventure to broaden their horizons", and wise old Rafiki advises them to bring along his keyboard. When they demur, Rafiki enjoins the player to assist them in their travels, and the typing tutorial begins. The game employs standard practice routines, beginning with proper posture and placement of the fingers on the keys, followed by letter repetitions as each section of the keyboard is mastered. At first the exercises focus on accuracy, later working up to increasing the player's typing speed. Keyboard exercises are interspersed with mini typing games that become available as the player progresses: Milestones are rewarded with printable certificates, and Rafiki keeps a progress report of the player's WPM (words per minute) and accuracy statistics, as well as showing which keys the player needs to work on. There is a Ctrl + P option at the sign-in page that allows the unlocking of all the games and lessons.

Smack-A-Bug - a simple adaptation of the arcade game Whac-A-Mole, typing the lettered bugs as they pop up causes Pumbaa to shoot them with his pea-shooter. Provides practice in finger placement and home row technique Savannah Water and Power - fill up a water tank for the thirsty pair by typing words as quickly as they appear in this Rube Goldberg-esque assembly. This exercise works on the player's accuracy Grub Getaway - help Timon and Pumbaa find bugs around the rocks by typing words nearby; this provides more practice in typing phrases with accuracy Carnivore Cave - type sentences to move Timon and Pumbaa through a maze ahead of hungry hyenas, practising speed and accuracy Traveler's Tales - type paragraphs and edit mistakes to help Timon and Pumbaa move along on their adventure