Review by: Brian Clair

Connections is one of the first games to come from The Discovery Channel. Based on the critically acclaimed television series with host James Burke, Connections gives players not only an in-depth learning experience but an involving game as well. In Connections, you enter a world where someone has begun to create chaos in the timeline by breaking down the connections between historical events. So for instance, you appear in what appears to be Europe in the 1400′s but because the timeline is mixing together there are telephones, electric lights, matches, pencils, televisions, etc.

Don’t think that the mixing of items is totally chaotic, it’s not and James Burke knows it. Through the game he’ll appear to help you on your way, in the above example, the connection is graphite. When you find items that make up a historical connection, they appear in your Connection chain. This chain is what allows you to repair the timeline and make it stable enough for you to escape the chaotic whirlwind of the timeline. Of course, Connections isn’t just about finding items, there’s also quite a lot of puzzle solving to be done in order to progress through the storyline.

Also in true Discovery Channel style, learning is a major part of Connections. As you add items to your chain, you can click on them and see James Burke give you a history lesson and overview of the item in question. This is done, as is most of the game, using Quicktime movies. This helps to make Connections a real learning tool that people can play and discover new things about, just like the Discovery Channel itself.