UNDER THE SEA

A flashy, if superficial, gallery of ocean life.

Darting or undulating through the same underwater scene, groups of octopuses, jellyfish, sea turtles and seven other types of sea life swim into view. In addition to the bubbly ambient music that plays in the background, they squeak like rubber duckies, bleat fetchingly or emit electronic tones when tapped. A touch on each screen—except the one with clownfish, which requires playing an entire, finicky timing game—brings up an overlaid all-caps text with facts. Broadly interpreted, these include such tidbits as “Sharks are used in popular culture as eating machines,” predators that eat pufferfish will find their stomachs “full of poisin” [sic], and dolphins are known for “protecting swimmers from sharks by swimming circles around the swimmers.” There is no way to advance until the text appears and no way to go back at all. The 3-D figures are modeled in realistic detail and move naturally, but any attention they catch will flag quickly thanks to the paltry slate of interactive effects and the clumsily worded informational content.

Not a keeper.