Directory of the Best Games On the Web

Feature Game For 2005-02-09
Sagwa countdown to the new year
http://pbskids.org/sagwa/games/countdown/index.html

Happy New Year! Welcome to 4702 or as some know it , the year of the rooster. We are, of course, talking about Chinese new year. To celebrate, how about a series of Chinese theme games?

PBS Kids gives us Sagwa-Countdown to the New year. These are a series of eight games based on the characters from the book "The Chinese Siamese Cat" by Amy Tan. Each game is tied to a phase of the moon prior to the new year in which certain things are prescribed in anticipation of the big day. These games are oriented toward children but are interesting for adults as well. Or even beter yet, for adults to share with children.

While the games themselves are fairly simple puzzle type games, they are beautifully illustrated and give young and old insight into traditional Chinese culture. From cleaning house to a lion dance parade, we learn about the rituals that lead up to the new year.

We like these games because they are beautifully illustrated and that they show us all that there is more to Chinese culture than egg rolls and Kung Fu fighting.

The last week:

2006-02-13: Polar Dash 2006-02-12: Gold Miner 2006-02-11: Total Reclaimer 2006-02-10: The Bar 2006-02-09: Top Dog 2

2006-02-08: Whiteout XL 2006-02-07: Inside the Firewall 2006-02-06: Pop, Pop, Pop! More...