A column on learning with games featuring reviews of games and ideas on how to use them in your homeschool.

Do you know where coffee originated? Where is Mauritius? What African country's capital is Monrovia? Can you name the highest peak in Africa and find it on a map? Where is the Great Rift Valley? You would know all of this and more if your family had been playing Go Travel Africa on a regular basis. Many people think that it is not very important to study the continent of Africa; most of the history we learn is centered in Europe and Africa seems less important than the rest of the world. This is a sad misconception. Africa is extremely important both in history and in today's news. The oldest Christian nation in the world is Ethiopia. Egypt and most of northern Africa played host to four conquering civilizations: Egypt, Greece, Rome and Islam. Most of the world's diamonds come from South Africa and two of the world's greatest rivers are in Africa. Many great explorers were involved in mapping Africa and all the dominant European powers carved Africa up to divide between themselves in the eras of exploration and colonization. One may not ignore Africa without missing a huge chunk of history, not to mention current events.

Go Travel Africa is a simple to play card game which can be enjoyed by the whole family. Its colorful, informative cards contain just the right amount of information to make them interesting without being overwhelming. Anyone who can read on a third grade level can learn to play independently in a short time; younger children will need a partner or can just play by the color coding of each suit. Teens and adults will be challenged to learn about countries and regions that are unfamiliar. No previous knowledge of African geography is required.

Go Travel Africa comes with directions for two games: Go Travel Africa and Go Travel Concentration. The former is played like Go Fish with the continent of Africa divided into thirteen geographic regions, each containing four cards. Each of the 52 cards features one country, with the exception of two cards which contain two countries each. In addition to a colorful map of that country there is a small locator map of Africa which shows the player where that country is on the continent. The cards also have photos or other bits of interesting information about the featured country. Each country map shows the capital and any other important cities, rivers, mountains, deserts, lakes, longitude, latitude and distances in miles. The four cards in each suit share a distinctive colored border, making the game accessible even to pre-readers with a little help.

The other game instructions are for a Go Travel Concentration game in which the 52 cards are laid out face down and picked up two at a time looking for pairs with matching borders. This version is great for color recognition and discrimination for the younger members of the family while the older members can test their "concentration" skills and learn about Africa at the same time. The creator of Go Travel Africa is a retired anesthesiologist, Dr. Margaret Emmons, who has a heart for Africa and wanted her grandchildren to know more about the continent. Her grandchildren enjoyed the game and learned so much that Dr. Emmons decided to market it. Thus, the game is designed with children in mind: the beautifully designed cards are laminated for durability, the box is compact (3" X 4") and sturdy, small enough to fit in your purse for a quick game anywhere. The directions are printed on the box so they can't get lost and important information is included with the game to help you pronounce the place names and read the map symbols. Even population and square mileage information is included. Go Travel Africa retails for $15.00, an excellent price for a game that has such wide age appeal and is so much fun to play. It is designed to provide years of enjoyment while teaching players about a much neglected, yet vitally important area of the world.

Go Travel Africa can be combined with a large map or atlas and a few books to create an instant unit study in geography and/or history. Suggested titles (depending on reading ability or listening tastes) include: