The ClueFinders
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The ClueFinders are a group of fictional preteen detectives whose exploits are featured in a series of edutainment software aimed at children aged eight to twelve. The series is produced by The Learning Company as a counterpart to their Reader Rabbit series for older elementary-aged students, who are apparently considered too mature for games featuring the eponymous bunny and his cuddly friends[citation needed].
The ClueFinders include Joni Savage, Santiago Rivera, Owen Lam and Leslie Clark. The kids are accompanied on all their adventures by LapTrap, an anthropomorphic laptop computer who floats in the air. Note that, although it is often spelled as "Clue Finders," "Cluefinders" or "Clue-Finders," even by sources such as the Internet Movie Database, the series' main title is properly spelled as one word with the "F" capitalized.[1]
The first ClueFinders title was released in January, 1998 and most of the subsequent games were released within the next two years. 2000 and 2001 each saw one new ClueFinders game, both followed by a different noneducational bonus disc, but no new games have been released since that time. However, bundles including multiple previously released titles, such as The ClueFinders Math Learning System 2007, have since been created.
Contents |
[edit] Games in the series
- The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures: The Mystery of Mathra (1998)
- The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures: Puzzle of the Pyramid (1998)
- The ClueFinders 5th Grade Adventures: The Secret of the Living Volcano (1999)
- The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures: The Empire of the Plant People (1999)
- The ClueFinders Math Adventures (1999)
- The ClueFinders Reading Adventures (1999)
- The ClueFinders Search and Solve Adventures (2000)
- The ClueFinders Real World Adventure Kit (2000) (bonus disc)
- The ClueFinders: The Incredible Toy Store Adventure! (2001)
- The ClueFinders: Mystery Mansion Arcade (2002) (bonus disc)
[edit] Overview
[edit] Content
Although the ClueFinders' adventures generally seem to take place in the contemporary real world, all the products in the series contain some elements of either fantasy, science fiction or both. Of course, merely the continued presence of LapTrap technically pushes the series into the realm of science fiction as he represents a level of technology not currently feasible. Nevertheless, the opening titles from The ClueFinders 5th Grade Adventures place the series in the present day.
For the most part, the games almost exclusively use 2D computer graphics and, when 3D graphics are used, it is almost always in cut scenes and therefore pre-rendered. The 2D graphics are apparently intended to mimic the look of hand-drawn animated cartoons with animations that use thick outlines and solid colors on two-dimensional backgrounds. For this reason, the series is often[2][3][4] described as imitating the look of a Saturday morning cartoon, Scooby-Doo being repeatedly cited by reviewers. In fact, three of the ClueFinders seem to be particularly similar, in terms of personality, to members of the Mystery, Inc. gang with Santiago as Fred, Owen as Shaggy and Leslie as Velma though the analogy ends there as Joni and Daphne are very different. However, LapTrap clearly fills Scooby-Doo's role as the cowardly nonhuman comic relief. LapTrap's physical form may be loosely based on that of Weebo from 1997 motion picture Flubber.
Two of the games in the series followed the Scooby-Doo formula of having a monstrous creature turn out to be a hoax, but later games have abandoned this. Still, most games in the series feature a twist ending of some kind. A notable exception to this is The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures where the user learns who the villain is and what his intentions are at the start of the game.
[edit] Structure
All the games in the series begin with a quick opening sequence that quickly establishes the game's premise, often ending with a cliffhanger, followed by a title card. The title card is followed by the sign-in screen, where the user can choose whether to play the adventure or to play the game's activities outside the adventure in "practice mode." Choosing to play the adventure will lead to a follow-up sequence which further establishes the premise as well as the overall goal of the game.
The bulk of each game involves traveling between different screens in a predetermined area which has various educational activities. The user will have to play these games to advance through the program and, often, to another area with different games. Most of the time, each area will have one activity that needs to be completed to advance onwards, but which can only be played by collecting items from all the other activities in the area. If a concentrated amount of time and energy is put into it, most players will be able to complete the program within a few hours. The ClueFinders Math Adventures, which takes a much longer time to finish, is an exception.
Throughout the series, the game options can be accessed by clicking on LapTrap. Typically, he carries the following options:
- Map - provides the user with a map that will allow instantaneous transportation to any previously visited game screen; this option is often changed to "Choose Activity" in practice mode
- Progress and Levels - provides the user (or the user's parents) with a progress report and the ability to change the leveling of specific activities; in The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures and The ClueFinders Math Adventures, the progress report and leveling files are separated
- The ClueFinders Club - provides the user with a small database that contains information on each of the ClueFinders, LapTrap and the team's mascot Socrates
- Settings - allows the user to turn on or off background music and/or background animations; in The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures, background music is given its own option while The ClueFinders: The Incredible Toy Store Adventure! has an option to enable closed captioning (which is by default off), making it the only title in the ClueFinders series to offer closed captioning.
- Credits - allows the user to view the game's credits
- Quit Game - allows the user to quit the program; the game can also be quit from the sign-in screen
- Sign In - returns the user to the sign-in screen
- Return to Game - closes LapTrap, returning the user to the last game screen
Two games in the series feature a specific option that does not appear in any other game.
- Logic Cube - in The ClueFinders Math Adventures, the user adjusts the Logic Cube to figure out which suspects are responsible for which thefts and where the stolen items have been hidden
- Reference - in The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures, this file provides the user with information on ancient history for the "Chasm of Time" activity
In all the games except for The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures, the ClueFinders are split into two teams at the start. A portable red videophone allows the two teams to make contact with each other and clicking on the phone provides the user with game hints from the other team. The other team will typically either be serving as backup, looking for clues or else be captured and in need of rescue. In The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures, Socrates fills the function of the videophone in providing the player with game hints.
[edit] Main characters
[edit] Joni
| Joni Savage | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures |
| Last appearance | The ClueFinders Mystery Mansion Arcade (currently) |
| Created by | Kenny Dinkin, Barbara Dodson, Lauren Matzer, Ric Parks and Nicholas Stern |
| Portrayed by | Chrissie McCarron (voice) |
| Information | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 12 |
| Title | Team Leader |
| Family | Dr. Horace Pythagoras (uncle) |
Joni Savage is the leader and founder of the ClueFinders club. According to her profile in LapTrap's "ClueFinders Club" file, she is twelve years old and in the seventh grade. Joni is voiced by Chrissie McCarron.
Generally, Joni is depicted as being a bold, headstrong tomboy. She apparently claims to be absolutely fearless and she is, in fact, very courageous, though often to the point of sheer recklessness. Nevertheless, it has been repeatedly demonstrated that she is not actually "absolutely fearless," although she would be loathe to admit that as demonstrated by a scene from The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures in which she is obviously worried about her kidnapped uncle, but is not willing to admit it. However, she is still usually very adventurous and confident of success for the gang. Curiously, the programs' box art has an ironic tendency to depict her looking scared or alarmed.
Throughout the series, Joni is consistently portrayed with blue eyes, braided red hair and round glasses. In all but two entires in the series, she wears a yellow backpack, which serves as an inventory for items collected in the game. The two exceptions are The ClueFinders Math Adventures, in which no items need to be collected, and The Cluefinders 6th Grade Adventures, in which Leslie wears the backpack instead. Dr. Horace Pythagoras, the naturalist who must be rescued in The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures, is Joni's uncle.
Joni's "regular" outfit consists of a pink T-shirt, purple shorts, off-white socks, brown hiking boots and purple hair ribbons to match her shorts. The only games in which she does not appear in this outfit are The ClueFinders Math Adventures, in which she wears a "winter" variation of it as the game is set in the Himalayas, and The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures, in which she wears a green T-shirt, a brown vest, blue jean shorts, pink socks with similar boots and blue hair ribbons. In the later games of the series, Joni's appearance seems to have been changed to look more "feminine" than previously. Starting with The ClueFinders 5th Grade Adventures, she appears with a developed bosom and pink lips, whereas she had been previously drawn flat-chested and without lips. In addition to this, she is consistently posed in a more "yielding" position with one of her idle animations having her playing with her hair.[5]
[edit] Santiago
| Santiago Rivera | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures |
| Last appearance | The ClueFinders Mystery Mansion Arcade (currently) |
| Created by | Kenny Dinkin, Barbara Dodson, Lauren Matzer, Ric Parks and Nicholas Stern |
| Portrayed by | Clayton Stroope (voice) |
| Information | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 12 |
| Title | Team Equipment and Inventions Officer |
Santiago Rivera is the team's highly skilled mechanic who can supposedly repair anything. He is voiced by Clayton Stroope.
Like Joni, Santiago is twelve and in seventh grade, making him and Joni the two oldest of the ClueFinders. Personality wise, Santiago is rather sensible and level-headed, which runs counterpoint to Joni's rashness. Despite this, Joni and Santiago seem to get along very well with each other. He and Leslie, whom he has been consistently paired together since The ClueFinders Reading Adventures, form the "brains" of the outfit. Joni has stated in The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures: The Empire of the Plant People that he is "the best scientist" among them.
He can also have a tendency to be hesitant about following Joni's more reckless exploits, preferring to think first before going into action. While not a coward, he does not seem to like getting into danger very much.
According to his profile in Laptrap's "Cluefinders Club" file, he has invented a machine that "hangs up his clothes, turns out the light and brushes his teeth for him. Now he's working on one for Joni." While it is neither stated nor proven, it can be assumed that he may be interested in Joni romantically, since they get along quite well together in The ClueFinders 5th Grade Adventures: The Secret of the Living Volcano and saved her from the plants in the "Poison Garden".
Being Hispanic, Santiago obviously has black hair. He is the tallest of the ClueFinders and his eyes are always drawn black. His "regular" outfit consists of a yellow sweat jacket with a greenish-black shirt underneath it, jeans and red tennis shoes. As with Joni, his outfit is altered to be more appropriate for the Himalayan climate in The ClueFinders Math Adventure. In The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures, he wears a light blue T-shirt, jeans and a different pair of shoes.
[edit] Owen
| Owen Lam | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures |
| Last appearance | The ClueFinders Mystery Mansion Arcade (currently) |
| Created by | Kenny Dinkin, Barbara Dodson, Lauren Matzer, Ric Parks and Nicholas Stern |
| Portrayed by | Brian Gregory (voice) |
| Information | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 11 |
| Title | Team Supplies and Nutrition Officer |
| Spouse(s) | Princess Malveera (brief infatuation) |
Owen Lam is the "hippest" Asian member of the ClueFinders. His voice is provided by Brian Gregory.
Owen loves pizza, skateboarding and, evidently, the word "dude." His personality (and method of speaking) runs especially counter to Leslie's and the two of them frequently bounce off of each other. This is because Owen apparently finds her superfluously elaborate form of talking annoying and she dislikes the way in which he translates her complex words into layman's terms. However, it has been shown, as in The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures, that the two of them can get along when they need to. In more recent games, Owen is instead paired with Joni, whom he seems to get along better with.
Owen wears his black hair with a bowl cut and his "regular" outfit consists of a green shirt, blue shorts, orange tennis shoes and purple-lensed sunglasses. As with the others, his clothing was adapted for the climate of the Himalayas in The ClueFinders Math Adventures and, in The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures, he wore an orange shirt, green shorts, brown sandals and the same glasses.
Owen is eleven years old and in the sixth grade. In The ClueFinders Reading Adventures, he had a very temporary romantic interest in Princess Malveera.
[edit] Leslie
| Leslie Clark | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures |
| Last appearance | The ClueFinders Mystery Mansion Arcade (currently) |
| Created by | Kenny Dinkin, Barbara Dodson, Lauren Matzer, Ric Parks and Nicholas Stern |
| Portrayed by | Keoni Asia Gist (voice) |
| Information | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 10 |
| Title | Team Research Officer |
| Family | Captain Clark (grandfather) |
Leslie Clark is the youngest and most intellectually inclined of the ClueFinders. Her grandfather is Captain Clark, the captain of the ship featured in The ClueFinders 5th Grade Adventures. Leslie is voiced by Keoni Asia Gist.
Her profile in LapTrap's "ClueFinders Club" file states that she won the National Spelling Bee when she was nine, holds the local record for checking out the most library books a year and that her first word was "encyclopedia." Leslie's trademark gag is the way in which she uses complicated words in casual conversation apparently in an attempt to ostentatiously display her extensive vocabulary and to imply that she possesses immense intellectual capacities. For example, she describes tossing a Frisbee as "exploring the aerodynamics of this projectile".
Leslie's "regular" outfit consists of a yellow shirt with a matching miniskirt, a purple vest and small brownish shoes. As with the rest of the ClueFinders, her outfit was changed in The ClueFinders Math Adventures, which marks the only time she appears in pants rather than a skirt. In The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures, she wore a light purple shirt and a dark blue skirt with matching boots. The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures marks the only game in which she wore the backpack instead of Joni. In The Cluefinders: The Incredible Toy Store Adventure!, she and Joni both wear identical backpacks.
Leslie is the team's only African-American. She always appears with her hair in dreadlocks, but her actual hair color varies from black in the earlier games to dark brown in the more recent ones. Leslie's eyes, usually drawn black, were shown to be green in The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures. She is ten years old, but is in the sixth grade, having skipped a grade. Leslie's age was originally given to be eleven in The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures, but this was changed in later products. Since The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures is the first game of the franchise and it takes place before all the others, the change is therefore a retcon.
[edit] LapTrap
| LapTrap | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures |
| Last appearance | The ClueFinders Mystery Mansion Arcade (currently) |
| Created by | Kenny Dinkin, Barbara Dodson, Lauren Matzer, Ric Parks and Nicholas Stern |
| Portrayed by | Les Hedger (voice) |
| Information | |
| Species | Turbo T.U.R.T.L.E. |
| Gender | Male (apparently) |
LapTrap is an advanced artificial intelligence built in the form of a floating laptop. His voice is provided by Les Hedger, who also voices various other characters in the ClueFinders games. It is quite probable that his name is based on "laptop".
Specifically, LapTrap is described as being a Turbo T.U.R.T.L.E. (Turbocharged Ultra-Rugged-Terrain Laptop Equipment) and his function in the game is to carry the game options in a manner similar to P.O.P. (the "program options pad") from the Reader Rabbit series. Interestingly, both P.O.P. and LapTrap are small with a similarly "bug-eyed" appearance. Making a character serve as the options menu has the obvious advantage of eliminating the need for having any options appear on the game screen itself, though it means that LapTrap must always be clearly visible except in cut scenes.
LapTrap originally belonged to Dr. Horace Pythagoras in The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures, the first game in the series. At the end of the game, Dr. Pythagoras gave LapTrap to the ClueFinders and, much to his chagrin, LapTrap has since accompanied the kids on their subsequent adventures. LapTrap himself is quite anxious about being in dangerous situations and his protests are frequently a source of light comic relief. Nevertheless, he has occasionally displayed a reluctant willingness to join the kids on their adventures. Humor is also derived from his rather pompous nature and the great pride he takes in his technological abilities.
LapTrap is yellow in color and he usually floats so that he is at "eye level" with the kids. His "eyes" are located on one of the shorter sides side of his base and, except when he is displaying the game options, he always appears in a "closed" position. In The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures, LapTrap appears very different than he does in all the other games, being more oval in shape and having green pupils. In all the other games, he is rectangular, though sometimes with slightly curved edges, and has either black or yellow pupils.
LapTrap can translate thirty languages into English (this may have been increased to thirty-one after the events of The ClueFinders 5th Grade Adventures) and, on two occasions, he had robotic arms extend out of his body so that he could grasp hold of something; however, in The ClueFinders Math Adventures, when entering the Great Hall, Laptrap talks about handball and Joni says "But you don't have arms." In The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures, he was shown to possess sonar and video projection technology and, sometime prior to The ClueFinders Reading Adventures, Dr. Pythagoras gave him the ability to create tiny probes called "LittleTraps." These LittleTraps are small and round with proportionally larger eyes than LapTrap. In The ClueFinders: The Incredible Toy Store Adventure!, a LittleTrap becomes a main character.
[edit] Socrates
| Socrates | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures |
| Last appearance | The ClueFinders Reading Adventures |
| Cause/reason | Unknown |
| Created by | Unknown |
| Portrayed by | Derek Sorentino (voice) |
| Information | |
| Species | Dog |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 28 |
| Title | Team Mascot and World's Smartest Dog |
Socrates is the team's mascot and, supposedly, the world's smartest dog. He can't talk, but he can "think out loud" in the manner of Garfield and Snoopy. The voice for his "psychic thoughts" was provided by Derek Sorentino in The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures.
Socrates originally appeared in The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures, but he has not appeared since except for a brief, non-"speaking" cameo at the end of The ClueFinders Reading Adventures. Nevertheless, his profile remains in LapTrap's "ClueFinders Club" file. Socrates' speech during cut scenes in The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures is in the past tense, suggesting it may be a narration of some sort.
According to his profile, the ClueFinders found Socrates on Gabistan, "the island of talking animals," where he appeared to be the only animal who couldn't talk. Despite this, he has PhD's in mathematics, literature, physics and philosophy from the University of Gabistan. Socrates was top of his class in obedience school and his "secret ambition" is to send LapTrap there. His profile states that he is twenty-eight, which is quite old for a dog, although some dogs have been known to live that long.
[edit] Notes
- LeapFrog Enterprises has created three browser games ("Doom Elevator," "Jungle Adventure" and "Rescue") featuring the ClueFinders, though they use conspicuously different voice actors.[6] Two ClueFinders books, The Mystery of Microsneezia[7] and The Mystery of the Backlot Banshee,[8] were written by Ellen Weiss and illustrated by Mel Friedman. FanFiction.Net currently has exactly two stories featuring the ClueFinders. [1]
- The ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures and The ClueFinders Search and Solve Adventures are both set in the ClueFinders' home town, which appears to be a typical American suburb. Based on The ClueFinders Reading Adventures, it seems that the ClueFinders' home town is located near the Sierras in California. The area under their town is inhabited by a secret civilization of sentient plantlife. The local newspaper is called the Learning Times, which is a nod to the newspaper featured in the Reader Rabbit games.
[edit] References
- ^ Official ClueFinders website as well as the fact that this spelling is used on jewel cases.
- ^ SuperKids Software Review of Clue Finders Reading Adventures.
- ^ Yahoo! Auctions - Clue Finders - 4th Grade Adventures - The Learning Com
- ^ ClueFinders: The Incredible Toy Store Adventure
- ^ Kids Domain Reviews - The Cluefinders Reading Adventures Ages 9-12
- ^ LeapFrog Games: Third and Fourth Grades
- ^ Microsneezia at Amazon.com
- ^ Banshee at Amazon.com
