Since Mango has yet to learn to fly, he needs to visit Professor Funnybone who is able to design him an airplane. Professor Funnybone becomes the in-house meteorologist during the course of the adventure. His lessons are kid-friendly and accessible, and are sprinkled throughout the program.

Once Mango is able to pilot an airplane (designed, in part, by the players of the game), the journey begins. First, he meets up with clouds that have lost their memory. Players will need to watch an animated lesson on how clouds are formed in order to solve this dilemma. Then, they can continue the journey by scrolling to the left or right and exploring more parts of the island. Players quickly learn that Hocus Pocus, who cannot tolerate any noise, has stopped the winds from blowing. In order to help the kites fly again, kids access a lesson about wind. When they later discover a group of tied-up clouds, kids learn about 10 different types of clouds in order to free them. Players can also explore Grandma's house, where they help put groceries away using sorting skills.

There are 6 games to be found in the program, either by discovery or by accessing a games screen. These include cloud puzzles in the sky, mazes, a matching game, hide and seek, memory, and a "plumber's apprentice" puzzle involving connecting pipes in a logical manner.

The lessons in Professor Funnybone's book are the star of the program. Besides their charm, they subtly demonstrate that knowledge is power—the mere act of watching them solve problems in the game. For example, one lesson demonstrates where wind comes from with the help of some happy-faced bubbles of air. The circular flow of warm and cold air is compared to the movement of a Ferris wheel. After the sequence plays through, a kite is freed from his unhappy standstill.

Clicking on the suitcase reveals a screen where there is a flight log, a place to quickly access any game in the program, a book of printable science experiments to do away from the computer, and the Professor's book of lessons.

As kids move about the island, they can click on the plane's control panel to listen to original songs and weather reports. Kids can access a map that allows them to move quickly and directly to other parts of the island.

The program's logbook is particularly special. It tells the story of each player's progress in the adventure, and is a cute way to recap children's explorations. This printable book contains ready-to-color illustrations and text that both support and add to the lessons and activities children have encountered in the adventure.

Some kids will lose patience with the inability to click through certain sequences. While it is probably a good thing that the lessons are non-interruptible, when kids are "trapped" in a help sequence that drags on too long, they can get antsy. Others will have trouble understanding the purpose of the game—it isn't always clear what has to be done, and navigation is a bit confusing at times.

Technically Speaking
Minimum system requirements are Windows 95 or later, Pentium 200 MHz (Pentium II 300 recommended), 32 MB RAM (64 MB recommended), and 4X CD-ROM (8X recommended). Mac users require a PowerPC 200 MHz (300 MHz recommended), System 8.1 or higher, 24 MB available RAM (32 MB recommended), and 4X CD-ROM (8X recommended). The program requires 80 MB of hard drive space.

Skills Covered
Kids learn early science concepts in the following topics: the wind, types of clouds, cloud formations, precipitation, rainbows, storms, weather forecasting, and weather instruments. The games require some logical thinking skills.

Educational Value
This program simultaneously challenges and charms young users with its somewhat complicated mission and excellent lessons and activities. The lessons are adorable and are well integrated into the story line, painlessly introducing early science concepts to young minds. In fact, the lessons—about such things as rainbows and clouds—are the program's highlight. We do wish, however, that the games incorporated more of the educational content of the lessons.

Entertainment Value
This title is as entertaining as it is educational. The graphics and songs are delivered with panache, and the story line has just the right amount of intrigue. Mango himself is rather endearing—he's eager to fly and a fun guide, especially when he's trying to "flip, flap, flop" himself into flight.

Design
While the program is easy to use once understood, there are a few design issues worth noting. Some of the animations cannot be "clicked through", which can frustrate children who are less patient. As well, we had a difficult time figuring out how to officially exit the program. For a while, testers moved about the program aimlessly until they figured out what they needed to do. Though the opening video tells the whole story, we wished kids were reminded of their mission from time to time. However, the program has some handy features that allow kids to jump to different areas of the island quickly and to access the games independently of the adventure.

Replayability
There is a surprisingly large amount of content in this program—enough to keep children busy learning and having fun for some time.

Dollar Value
This CD-ROM carries a suggested retail price of $19.95 US.