Zoombinis is a fantastic game for young children. Not only does it educate them in the ways of logical decision making, but it teaches them about the crushing weight of discrimination at a young age.

Let me explain, the story follows the game of an indigenous race of creatures known as the Zoombinis, who are well known and respected throughout the world for their craftsmanship skills. This is until another race of creatures, The Bloats, arrive to Zoombini Isle, and establish a imperialist reign of capitalism over the Zoombinis, forcing them into slavery, and exploiting their hard work for the benefit of their new owners. The race of Zoombinis would now have to live their entire lives under this boot, all because they were simply a race of skilled workers, rather than greedy conquerors.

Already, the game teaches its players a powerful message about how often people will try to govern others if they have the power to do so. All the Zoombinis ever wanted was to live peaceful lives, and because of that are forced into lives of servitude against their will. As the player, your goal is to guide the Zoombinis through a sort of underground railroad and establish a new civilization far from the grasp of The Bloats.

This is when the message of the game becomes fully realized. The Zoombinis are judged by their looks almost each instance of this journey. From their eyes, to their hair, even the color of their nose. The inhabitants of the land are not afraid to discriminate over the slightest differences. Creatures like the Sneezing Cliffs, The Stone Guardians, Ula the hotel owner, Captain Cajun, all judge the Zoombinis by their characteristics alone. (To be fair however, The Sneezing Cliffs bias is based off severe allergies and not systemic distinction, and Captain Cajun's motives may just be due to a severe case of OCD.) Even many contraptions within the land are designed specifically to separate the Zoombinis such as Stone Rise, Lion's Lair, and The Bubblewonder Abyss.

Even the Zoombinis themselves are guilty of the sin of prejudice. There is a race of creatures in the game known as Fleens, who were once Zoombinis as well, but had become mutated by hair products and developed green skin. Much like the Zoombinis, they have distinctive hair, noses, and eyes, but are still considered an entirely different race of creatures by the Zoombinis. The Fleens are act highly hostile to the Zoombinis because of these circumstances.

Playing Zoombinis, you wouldn't expect a children's puzzle game to create such profound statements about intolerance. Teaching children these kinds of themes along with providing fun puzzle solving adventures is good for developing a childs intelligence. Kids need to learn about this harsh reality someday, and this game teaches them early in a fun, and exciting manor. Excellent videogame.