Archaeology in a Box

Notably, archaeological games have been rather, well, Old World. There's a fairly strong focus on Egypt, naturally, with a spread to Peloponnesian themes and Middle Eastern adventures. When the New World is seen, it happens to be the Aztecs, or maybe the Mayans or the Incas. But as far as archaeological entertainment goes, apparently North America doesn't actually exist.

Until now.

For instant archaeology, just add child.

That's right. Behold, Dig! Discover's Archaeology USA. Because a big giant block is exactly what every child wants. Except that in this case they actually do. Because within this block are a dozen "relics", cast from actual artifacts that were found in sites across the United States. With special tools (provided with purchase), kids get to excavate these treasures, paint them, and display them proudly. The relics are a bit of a mishmash – everything from Indian arrowheads to colonial coins to Civil War goods. And frankly, we're not going to get too picky about this. This toy is what is known as a successful archaeological endeavor. For one, it's focusing on an archaeologically ignored area, because, believe it or not, it does not have to be a thousand years old and from Egypt to be considered archaeology. For another, it's about as close to real archaeology as you're going to get without getting a pick and digging a giant hole in your back yard. (Parents get to appreciate this much smaller scale mess.) Maybe it still lacks a great deal of the initial paperwork (although it does come complete with a "How to Become an Archaeologist" booklet), and maybe it's a little weak on the exact facts that are unearthed by these artifacts (although without playing it, this may be a little difficult to ascertain exactly), but it's hard to find a computer game that gives you the same experience of getting your hands a little dirty. So maybe this game is still about the treasure rather than the people who had it. It still teaches it a lot better than most other games out there.