ACME ALERT: Carmen Sandiego is Back!; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Unveils Carmen Sandiego Games for Wii


PHILADELPHIA – Global education leader Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) and The Learning Company, a division of HMH, today announced a highly anticipated lineup of math-focused games available for Wii™ and its WiiWare™ service that focus on The Learning Company’s iconic character Carmen Sandiego. This occasion marks the first major video game console release by an educational solutions provider like HMH. The first game in the series, entitled, Carmen Sandiego Adventures in Math: The Lady Liberty Larceny, will be available to demo at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2011 Conference and Exposition, which is being held from June 26-29 in Philadelphia.

In each of the five upcoming Carmen titles, the player assumes the role of an ACME Detective Agent who is hot on the trail of Carmen’s henchmen after they steal one of the world’s major landmarks. In the first title in the series, The Lady Liberty Larceny, thieves sneak into New York City to take the Statue of Liberty. In order to bring each of the villains to justice, players will be tasked with completing 10 different math puzzles throughout the game.

“For generations, Carmen Sandiego has been helping students master key concepts in math, reading, history and geography,” said Michael Muldowney, Interim CEO of HMH. “HMH is excited to bring this educational institution to students everywhere on the popular Wii system. It’s the perfect blend of fun and learning.”

Each game in the series works as an independent experience. Designed for 3rd through to 6th grade students, HMH continues to provide motivating and engaging content that is built from concepts taught in its renowned math programs. Research continues to show the power and effectiveness of educational gaming, as it allows for multiple modalities, motivation and rewards for mastery, and the presentation of learning in an environment that kids find familiar and engaging.

Carmen Sandiego, the criminal mastermind and head of an international crime syndicate known as V.I.L.E., was made famous almost thirty years ago in the classic computer game, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?  Since its debut the game has remained enormously successful and transformed itself across several other channels, including video games, television, and books. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego has even become a popular facebook game.

The full slate of Carmen Sandiego Adventures in Math games from HMH and Nintendo® include:

  • The Lady Liberty Larceny
  • The Big Ben Burglary
  • The Case of the Crumbling Cathedral
  • The Great Gateway Grab
  • The Island of Diamonds
HMH will be conducting live demonstrations of Carmen Sandiego Adventures in Math: The Lady Liberty Larceny at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia during ISTE. HMH will have the game available for play at booth #2311, as well as a live-action version of the game designed for attendees to win great prizes.  


About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 
With education products and services used by 57 million students throughout all 50 U.S. states and 120 countries, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a global education and learning company. The world's largest provider of materials for pre-K–12 learning, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is leading the way with innovative solutions and approaches to the challenges facing education today. Through curricula excellence coupled with technology innovations and professional services, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt collaborates with school districts, administrators, teachers, parents and students, providing interactive, results-driven learning solutions. Its Educational Consulting Services group works to increase student achievement in underperforming schools by developing, implementing and supporting education transformation through sustained district partnerships.  With origins dating back to 1832, the Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com.

About The Learning Company
The Learning Company is a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the world's largest provider of educational products and solutions for pre-K–12 learning. The Learning Company is a recognized leader in educational software and adventure games that engage children of all ages as well as adults who have grown up solving cases with Carmen Sandiego and fording rivers along the Oregon Trail. As learning tools becoming increasingly adaptive and immersive, The Learning Company combines its rich heritage and proven approach with the latest technology to make learning fun for students, teachers and parents.