The mysteries are very varied, and getting to the bottom of them requires skills in math, language, science, and problem solving. There are more than 86 skills covered in all, across 16 interactive activities. You are plunged in right away by the need to devise a way across a river using variously marked stones to create a bridge. Thinking caps definitely need to be on to solve this, and the other puzzles in the game.

There are four difficulty levels, and parents can use these to ensure the game matches the abilities of their children. ClueFinders 5th Grade Adventures is a challenging but fun game, and you'll learn without even knowing it. As a bonus, there is an Adventure Kit CD offering various fun activities, such as a code maker for sharing secret messages. --Sandra Vogel

There are four skill levels and detailed help features should you get frustrated. Mark each milestone with a motivating progress report. There's also a Real World Adventure Kit included in the program that allows you to create cool maps to guide your friends on treasure hunts. There's a logbook and calendar to plan activities, keep on schedule, and record your daily thoughts and achievements. You can create, encode, and printtop-secret messages with the encoder/decoder, then help your friends decodethem.