Joseph Szadkowski

ROMper ROOM: SimCity Creator’s pace tests patience

A legendary land-management simulation returns to Nintendo's hand-held system in(Electronic Arts for DS, $29.99).

October 19, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Dynamic Duo must save city in LEGO Batman: The Videogame

DC Comics' Dark Knight becomes part of the legendary universe of virtual building blocks in LEGO Batman: The Videogame for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

October 15, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Hand on the buzzer for Quiz TV

A review of Sony Computer Entertainment America's Buzz! Quiz TV and WipEout HD and THQ's De Blob

October 13, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Cal McDonald uncovers the occult

Zadzooks reviews Criminal Macabre: Cell Block 666, No. 1 from Dark Horse Comics and The Flash: The Wild Wests from DC Comics

October 8, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Game becomes language coach

Picking up My Chinese Coach (for Nintendo DS, Ubisoft, $29.99), I knew it would take more than a gamer's worth of finesse to beat this program. I actually would have to learn something.

October 5, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Joe Montana, Deluxe Hellboy and Duel with Dooku reviews

Zadzook's Toy Vault reviews McFarlane Toys' NFL Legends Joe Montana, Mezco Toyz' Deluxe Hellboy and Sideshow Collectibles' Duel with Dooku

October 1, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Making the SAT less scary

For any high school student even thinking about college, one of the hurdles is getting past the stress-inducing SAT.

September 28, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Comic Book Tattoo blends art and music

Zadzooks reviews Comic Book Tattoo from Image Comics and Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Visual Guide from DK Publishing

September 25, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Bob the Builder helps make learning fun

A review of Bob the Builder Can-Do Zoo from Brighter Minds Media, Active Life: Outdoor Challenge from Namco Bandai and Lock's Quest from THQ

September 21, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Star Wars, The Force Unleashed review

A player controls Darth Vader's apprentice Galen Marek in the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Zadzooks reviews the PlayStation 3 version of the game.

September 15, 2008

ROMper ROOM: A Pajama party for kids

An award-winning superhero from the world of PC edutainment makes his debut on Nintendo's Wii entertainment console in Pajama Sam: Don't Fear the Dark (Majesco Entertainment, for Wii, $29.99).

September 14, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Scott Hepburn tackles ‘The Clone Wars’

Profiling members of the comic book industry, this month Zadzooks interviews artist Scott Hepburn.

September 11, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Evolver makes math concepts fun

A desperate mission to contain a military biotech experiment challenges players' targeting and numerical problem-solving skills in Math Evolver, Virus Origin (Topics Learning and Tabula Digita, for Mac and PC, $29.99).

September 7, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Clones at war again

Zad's Toy Vault reviews Hasbro's General Grievous action figure, the Clone Wars: Ultimate Lightsaber, Clone Trooper Voice Changer and Lego's Republic Attack Gunship.

September 4, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Didj customizes learning

Touted as the first customizable educational gaming system, Leapfrog's handheld Didj ($89.99, requires four AA batteries) is a logical maturation of the company's preschool product, the Leapster.

August 31, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Swords cast world into strife

The world's greatest warriors battle for control of two powerful swords in Soulcalibur IV ($59.99). Namco Bandai Games America Inc. takes its three-dimensional fighting game franchise to new visual levels through the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 entertainment systems.

August 28, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Fun on menu in Order Up!

Culinary entrepreneurs virtually hone cooking skills while managing restaurants in Order Up! (Zoo Games and SuperVillain Studios, for Wii, $39.99).

August 24, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Thor sets heavens on Earth

I have not loved the Marvel mythos of Thor since I was 6 years old and my dad bought me a Kenner projector with a Thor cartoon and supplemented it with a comic book featuring Thor versus the Circus of Crime.

August 21, 2008

ROMper ROOM: Kids tell own tales with V-Tech system

VTech's Disney Create-A-Story early reading system ($49.99 requires two AA batteries) is another product in the growing stable of edutainment systems that places the power of reading in young hands.

August 17, 2008

ZADZOOKS: Hellboy players on the attack

Superhero and cartoon characters have become integral parts of the electronic entertainment industry. With this in mind, I salute the meld of pop-culture character and video game with a look at some ...

August 14, 2008