COol MOther's Techno Talk [A Classic!]
©1998 Reesa Marchetti

What's with Monty Python and 7^th Level?

Well, what did you expect from Monty Python? The Quest for the Holy Grail CD-ROM from 7th Level is all that and more…naughty bits, silly music, silly movies, the voice of Eric Idle, those silly, Victorian-styled animations…

Just a word of caution for parents: this CDROM at times over-accentuates the baser side of Python's inspired madness, crossing now and then into questionable territory for a child. For example, "Spank the Virgins," one of the games-within-a-game on the CD, is fraught with double-entendres that some children would probably get — or at least, wonder about.

And you know that a child will immediately find the grossest segment and repeat it over and over. Which means lots of digital belching, rectal trumpets, bare buttocks, etc. in your house!

There's even some mild cussin'. But parental warnings aside, this is a great game. It's just so entertaining, and it's top-notch multimedia from start to finish. You have to figure out arcane puzzles to advance to each level, and there are many hilarious skits and songs on the way. Most of the film sequences are outtakes from the Holy Grail movie.

There are lots of spoofs, including one of the Internet. Although all the action takes place during the Knights-of-the-Roundtable days, there is a bit where in order to be allowed passage to the next level, you must meet the demands of a crew of knights for — a shrub. You obtain the fictitious shrub by filling out an online order form.

All in all, if you're a Python fan, this CDROM will give you some of what you've been missing now that there are no more new episodes of the TV show. And if by some chance you've never witnessed Monty Python in action, this makes an excellent beginning, or follow-up to the previous CDROM, "A Complete Waste of Time."

So what's with 7^th Level, the maker of Monty Python, Howie Mandel's Great Word Adventure, Tracer, and other well-done CDROM games?

I think the company is on to something.

Tracer, a recent release, is an exciting, fast-paced action game that has you taking the form of a computer guardian and trying to outrun — and outwit — a computer virus that follows on your heels through an ever-changing track. You take the part of an animated character with human-modeled animation movements.

Mandel's games are enchanting and educational without being didactic. Although they're aimed at younger children, I know some 12- and 13-year-olds who still enjoy playing them.

So what's with 7^th Level? It's a tip of the apron from COol MOther for a fine variety of CDROMs for the entire family.

(Update: Tracer and the 7th Level Web site can no longer be found at their former URL, and Howie is into other ventures: Web site.