12^th June 2006

Following the success of Homework Help on the Mapzone section of the Ordnance Survey website, BPI have created three new educational and fun games for Mapzone.

Our hero, Eric

The three games feature a character called Eric, a schoolboy on some exciting missions which task him with finding buried treasure, getting shipwrecked and having to navigate around a mysterious island, and finally finding a job as a seaplane pilot involving top secret night missions.

The games have been built using Flash, with original illustration work provided by Big Picture Interactive's creative team.

Learning can be fun

The games are all suitable for Key Stages 2 & 3, involving important elements from the National Curriculum such as:

• Planning a route and working out the distance using a map scale
• Using symbols on an Ordnance Survey map
• Using simple co-ordinates to locate points on a map
• Identifying the eight points of the compass and using a compass to orientate themselves/ follow a route
• Using basic map skill accurately e.g. four or six-figure grid references, measured distance/ direction

The games provide an effective resource for Unit 25 "Geography and numbers" of the Key Stage 2 national curriculum and Unit 1 "Making Connections" of the Key Stage 3 national curriculum. However, as well as the educational benefits, they're also fun! Have a go yourself.

Related Pages

	Games The role of games has evolved - they are no longer seen as a bolt-on to add a little entertainment value but instead are employed as a useful branding tool or educational toolkit.
	E-learning E-learning is the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to gain knowledge or a greater understanding of a subject. In other words, learning using computers and the Internet.
	Flagging it up A new e-learning game about European countries and their flags for www.mapzone.co.uk

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