Let's talk about Carmen Sandiego

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I don't even know how we got a copy of "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?" when I was four-years-old... all I know is that I was instantly hooked to a game I largely didn't understand (barely knew how to read at the time and had to have my dad help me out there) and could barely play due to our black and white monitor and frequently occupied PC (it was my dad's work computer, after all).

And it's not like I hadn't played other "edutainment" games before or since, given that my kindergarten and elementary school computers were loaded with them, but none of the competitors seemed to get the "game" part right in the way the guys at Broderbund Software did with Carmen. This one felt a lot less like a test and a lot more than an enjoyable detective work.

I still play these games from time to time, and I have made sure to include at least one on all my devices, from my long-defunct flip phone to my PS2.

What about you?

 

[VampireLord1024VampireLord1024's icon]

I may have never played any of those games before but honestly, where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

 

[Strategist's icon Strategist Strategist]

My mom got me Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego as a kid. It was one of the better edutainment titles. Probably the only one I'd play on my own with some frequency.

 

[guppy]

All I've got to say is Lynne Thigpen was super cool. R.I.P. =/! That's about all I remember from Carmen Sandiego as a whole. But it's probably pretty cool, as I dig edutainment games =)

 

[Smiley Cat]

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Aw, man.

For a second I thought you had posted this absolute earworm:

 

[Don Patch]

I have more memories of the PBS quiz program for kids than of the game.
We had the game on a Windows 95 machine (I think) but it suffered from the CPU-speed thing that a lot of DoS games did where it was just WAAAAY too fast and jittery. No turbo button ?‍.

 

[Thinaxanel]

I'm thankful that in my hunt for pc titles (that I grew up with) that I was able to acquire Carmen Sandiego: Treasures of Knowledge.
I'm also hoping one day that I'll also be able to get Word Detective up and running too.

Post automatically merged: Dec 2, 2024

Aw, man.

For a second I thought you had posted this absolute earworm:

Not only is that song an absolute banger. It also had some fantastic writing/animation to go along with it.

 

[Deleted member 537]

i would bang her honestly. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[RetroLaw]

Just realized a new game is coming out, and I feel like some people are going to be pissed because it looks super different

 

[RageBurner]

Oh, man, Carmen!
It's probably the only edutainment game ever made that I actually enjoy playing; instead of insulting the player's intelligence it had a pretty smart setup about it all. Loved figuring out the right clues and catching the bad guys.

 

[OnTarget]

I had all the MS-DOS games as a kid. I remember particularly liking the two time travel games, mostly because of the aesthetic if I'm being honest.

I tried watching the Netflix cartoon a while back. Wasn't terrible or anything, but I didn't particularly care for it.

 

[RageBurner]

I used to play on comsole, the Mega Drive specifically. Enjoyed it greatly and learned a lot.

 

[Cuestionador]

I never play a Carmen Sandiego game, but i watch the old series and i was watching the new some days ago, i hope to check some of his games soon. Here's an old sketch for a friend, made many years ago:

Spoiler

 

[RageBurner]

I never play a Carmen Sandiego game, but i watch the old series and i was watching the new some days ago, i hope to check some of his games soon. Here's an old sketch for a friend, made many years ago:

Spoiler

View attachment 88438

Very nice. It would be cool to see new Carmen games.

 

[Cuestionador]

Very nice. It would be cool to see new Carmen games.

I heard there was a new game released, with the look of the new animated series.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I think the AVGN was promoting one not too long ago.

 

[Deleted member 797290]

Yes, that tells me something. Carmen Sandiego is the female Robin Hood. I like the series on Netflix.

 

[RageBurner]

I actually prefer it when Carmen doesn't have a positive spin to her motivations, it makes the character stale. If I remember right in most interpretations she stole just because she was that good and wanted to test her mettle, not for selfless reasons.

 

[Deleted member 560402]

I'm thankful that in my hunt for pc titles (that I grew up with) that I was able to acquire Carmen Sandiego: Treasures of Knowledge.
I'm also hoping one day that I'll also be able to get Word Detective up and running too.View attachment 2573View attachment 2574

Post automatically merged: Dec 2, 2024

Not only is that song an absolute banger. It also had some fantastic writing/animation to go along with it.

I still have Word Detective, I got it free with a box of cereal.

Post automatically merged: Jul 9, 2025

i would bang her honestly. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

ayo! XD

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I actually prefer it when Carmen doesn't have a positive spin to her motivations, it makes the character stale. If I remember right in most interpretations she stole just because she was that good and wanted to test her mettle, not for selfless reasons.

Yeah, kinda do the same.

The Netflix series make her awesome at it (and my countrywoman ;D) but it was bordering on Saturday Morning Cartoon vibes... Plus, I really wish she had gotten her arse kicked at some point. Episodes lost a lot of steam once you realized she was basically invincible.

 

[Deleted member 7989]

I used to watch the old cartoon a lot as a kid, but I never played the games. Always thought it was pretty cool though. Might have to try one of them out.

 

[RageBurner]

Yeah, kinda do the same.

The Netflix series make her awesome at it (and my countrywoman ;D) but it was bordering on Saturday Morning Cartoon vibes... Plus, I really wish she had gotten her arse kicked at some point. Episodes lost a lot of steam once you realized she was basically invincible.

In the games it took a looong time to catch her. Her accomplices would always fall first (I also question the quality of the holding facilities, as the same perps had to be caught multiple times, sometimes in succession).

 

[Deleted member 58254]

 

[Deleted member 560402]

my school had a bunch of old computers in the 90s. We used to play Where in The World and Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego. They were on floppies and you had to reach around the back of the computer to turn it on. Really ancient tech even for the time.