Skip to main content

TOS Review ~ Roman Town by Dig It! Games


Today's review is of a computer learning game that focuses on archaeology and ancient Roman life. It was developed by a professional archaeologist in an attempt to make the study of archaeology fun. Judging by my 7th grade daughter's reaction to Roman Town, I'd say the goal was achieved!

My daughter is fascinated with ancient history - primarily that of Ancient Egypt. The reason she enjoys learning about Ancient Egypt is because she loves archaeology. So much so that when she hears of a new archaeologcial find she laments that it wasn't her doing the finding! Having access to Roman Town by Dig It! Games has been more fun than school work for her!

The game Roman Town comes with a downloadable Educator's Manual, which makes use of the game easy for moms and kids. While the game is fun, it's also very educational. We learned quite a bit about archaeology, which is impressive when you consider that it's a topic we're well acquainted with in our homeschool. It was also a nice change for me to discuss some of Ancient Rome's history in lieu of Ancient Egypt! Sometimes too much of a good thing can be just plain too much, if you get my drift :)

The geographic location of Roman Town is a site in southern Italy somewhere around Naples, with the historical sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum close by. I like the use of a modern day map combined with historical geographical sites because it ties the present day with ancient history. It also cements the location in the student's mind to see it on a map - we've all met people who can't locate parts of Europe or Asia on a map and the reality is our world is a whole lot bigger than North America. To rightly relate to the world we live in at this time in history, we need to know where we fit into the whole world and where each part of that world fits into God's plan of redemption. In the Christian homeschool, there is always more being taught than academics and I appreciate that Dig It! Games lends itself easily to our family's bigger educational goals.

The player (or should I say learner?) is an excavator at a dig site. There are 6 dig sites in Roman Town and each site is like it's own mini-game. The player can choose the type of tool they would like to use at the dig site. Using 2D and 3D reconstruction, memory games, modern versus ancient comparisons and much more, Roman Town teaches Roman history along with archaeology.

Language and spelling skills are strengthened as new vocabulary words are learned - this is by no means a language arts program but a mom could easily incorporate the vocabulary from Roman Town in writing and spelling assignments.

Now lest you think that only my 7th grade daughter who has a keen interest in archaeology enjoyed this computer program, my 8th grade daughter and 5th grade daughter also played Roman Town. They liked the dig sites and the challenge of completing each level and learned more about Ancient Rome than they knew previously. It's truly a fun learning game for children of all ages.

The layout is very thorough and it is evident that a whole lot of consideration, attention to detail, and hard work went into the creation of this product. The creator's passion for her subject matter is clearly seen in the game itself as well as in the end result. And homeschool moms know that a passionate teacher makes the subject matter come alive - which is exactly what occurs when learners play on Roman Town.

To learn more about Dig It! Games visit their website at www.Dig-ItGames.com . Roman Town is available for purchase at the company website in CD form for $39.95. The Educator's Manual is available for $19.95. There is also a Teacher's Edition - feel free to suggest it to any public or private school educators you might know who could use this resource in their classroom.

As an aside, let me mention that I received this product free of charge for review purposes.

As a special bonus Dig It! Games has made Roman Town available to blog readers at a 20% discount. To take advantage of this offer use the coupon code BLOG20.

Happy Digging!

Day 76 done :)

Jan L. Burt
www.homeschoolingmothersbiblestudy.com

Comments

Popular Posts

A Homeschool Mom's Devotional by award-winning podcaster Jan L. Burt

Colossians 4:17 tells the reader to "be sure to carry out the work the Lord gave you". How can this be applied to the enormously busy lifestyle of a homeschool mom? First of all, we must always remember that the Word of God has the answer for our every need and we can trust fully in God to use His Word to lead us, guide us, correct us, and bless us. Keeping that in mind, let's consider what this verse is saying. We are told to carry out, or complete, the work the Lord has given us. We are wives, mothers, homeschoolers. Those three BIG job descriptions come immediately to mind when I think of homeschooling mothers. Applying God's Word to our life means carrying out our work as wives, as mothers, and as homeschoolers. When I am exhausted from another long day (or long week, long month, long year, etc.) I still must honor the Lord by blessing my husband. Maybe that means having a hot meal on the table when he arrives home from work. Perhaps your husband

I Gotta Let You Know Two Very Important Things (Seriously, They Are Truly Important For You To Know...)

 First, a big --- fat --- hefty dose of encouragement for you, my wonderful homeschooling friend.  As you get ready to roll into the fall of 2020...stop for just one moment and hear what God's Word has to say to you right here, right now, on the brink of the last stretch of what has possibly been the most turn-your-whole-world-upside-down year ever.  Psalm 125:2 - As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore.   You are surrounded.  Completely & totally, that's exactly how surrounded you are.  Going into the great unknown as, say, a working mom whose children are going to be doing school online at home (or a working mom homeschooling and working from home for just the next several months, but not planning on continuing to home educate after things "normalize" again).  This is God's promise just for you as you embark upon this season of life. I really, truly believe He wants you to know that He has you surrounded

My Preferred Bible Reading Plan

We all know that reading our Bibles is a key part of living a healthy life as a follower of Jesus. But busy homeschool moms may, at times, struggle to know what part of the Bible to read on any given day. Some people read the Bible through, Genesis to Revelation, and when they finish simply start over. Others have reading plans that follow along with the sermons their pastor is currently preaching. And yet others find themselves "stuck in the Psalms", since they're not quite sure what to read. I'm not going to tell you how many chapters a day you should read, or that you need to do exactly what I do. I'm just going to share what has worked for me, and hopefully encourage you to get into the Word using some type of plan ~ because every homeschool mom knows what happens to our plans when we fail to create a plan, right?! I use a prayer and Bible reading guide called "Prayer Point" , published by Samaritan's Purse. About every 8 weeks, I receive a

Do You Homeschool? Then You Need to Read This Article!

Whether you have been homeschooling for a month, a year, or a decade, you've inevitably faced the "questions". Questions about socialization, college, athletics, driver's ed, high-school biology, etc. etc. etc. and so on..... It seems as if homeschoolers are ripe for questions from day one; but the flip side seems to be that there really is no flip side. We are expected to patiently answer any and all questions, smiling politely and pretending we've never heard this line of questioning before. But when we try to ask a few questions about, say, public schools as a whole or the issue of private schools being used as a last-ditch landing spot for students expelled from public school, well...ahem...we're pretty much told to keep quiet. No one wants to hear our questions, and often times no one really wants to hear our answers to their questions. They just kind of want us to....go....away. I'm not planning on going away any time soon. And neither are my fiv

Everything by Mary DeMuth

The book Everything by Mary DeMuth became a "keeper" for me almost as soon as I began reading. Mary sugarcoats nothing in her attempt to make Jesus' gospel what it rightly is ~ and as you probably guessed from the title of her book, it rightly is about everything. Eighteen chapters, three sections, one-hundred and ninety-eight pages...if you take the time to delve into them you will grow exponentially in your walk with the Lord. In Everything Mary calls us out, calls us higher, and admonishes us with honesty and openness. Sharing from her heart and relying heavily on the truth that is God's Word, she sets things straight. There aren't just one or two things about this book that I have taken to heart; and there aren't just a couple of quotes I could share here. The book in it's entirety is a game-changer! Please buy this book, read this book, apply the truths in this book to your life, and let the Lord become your everything! HERE is a dire