Treasures of Knowledge (2001)

Overview

Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? Treasures of Knowledge (2001) closes out the original computer-game line. Developed by ImageBuilder Software and released under The Learning Company label, it drops the warrant loop for a full point-and-click adventure aimed at roughly ages eight to twelve.

Gameplay

Carmen steals a rare edition of The Travels of Marco Polo, which turns out to map a trail of artefacts toward a lost city. Two ACME agents take the case — veteran Julia “Jules” Argent, once Carmen's partner, and rookie Shadow Hawkins — opening in Rio de Janeiro and working through eight interconnected missions. You travel via a laptop “Global Transportation System,” draw on a database of some 50 countries, collect ACME gadgets from field agents (the first in Cuba), keep Jules's journal, and call the Chief for hints. Puzzles use what you learn — the Egyptian board game Senet, the Aztec calendar, a game of concentration in Japan, and more. The speech is not subtitled.

Reception

Reviews were generally favourable — praised for a more serious, character-driven story and its geography and history, dinged for puzzles that rarely challenge and for dated visuals. It took a D.I.C.E. Award in the PC educational category and a Parents' Choice Gold Award, and it is one of the few classic-era Carmen titles still sold digitally. Archived here as a Windows and Mac CD-ROM entry.