Surfing the Net with Kids: Pokemon » Newsletters

Surfing the Net with Kids

June 6, 1999

Dear Readers,

Welcome back. It’s almost here! The summer CyberSurfari for kids and families
starts on June 21. Don’t forget to practice before the treasure hunt
begins. The Fun
Facts Practice section features none other than yours truly
<grin>.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by:

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Pokémon

Send these
sites to a friend or colleague

Despite the wise adage to "write what you know," this week
I’m tackling Pokémon — the Japanese video game/television
show/card game that is currently riding a tsunami of popularity with
American kids (mine included.) As many of the following fan sites were
created by kids, you’ll find the usual assortment of spelling errors and
grammatical mistakes — I was able to overlook them and still enjoy the
sites — and I hope you will too.

Like "Surfing the Net with Kids?"

Recommend-It to a Friend!

Pikachu’s Pokémon
Centre

"Your mission is to be the greatest Pokémon
trainer ever and try to catch all 150 Pokémons. One problem, not
all 150 Pokémons are gonna be found on one game pak. The solution?
Link up your Gameboy with a friend and trade!" With information
about the animated television show, the Gameboy games, and the upcoming
Nintendo 64 games, this fan site is a great place to get your questions
answered. First try the FAQ (where you’ll find Frequently Asked Questions
such as "Which Pokémon is the best to start with?") If
you don’t see what you’re looking for, Webmaster Yellowfurball and her
sister Bluefluff promise to try to answer questions via email.

PokéMasters

Want to clone a Gameboy Pokémon? Here’s how: "1) Set up a
trade with a player that has a Pokémon they don’t mind deleting. 2)
When the screen says, "Waiting…!" the person with the
Pokémon they want to clone turns off the Gameboy. 3) Now turn off
the other Gameboy. 4) If the code worked, when you restart both Gameboys,
both games will have the cloned Pokémon." This utilitarian site
is my pick of the day. It neatly categorizes lots of information such as
codes, attacks, site maps, TM’s (Technical Machines) and HM’s (Hidden
Machines.)

Pokémon Abode

"Your best bet for training Pokémon is to fight against other
trainers in the game. If you have fought all of them, then we suggest a)
fighting other Pokémon in the unknown dungeon, or b) fighting others
in the Pokémon Mansion on Cinnibar Island." Best clicks here
are the two original downloadable Pokémon computer games (Windows
only) found by choosing Pokémon in Your Computer, and then clicking
on AbodeWorks Studio.

Pokémon World

"When your adventure begins, you’ll be asked to choose names for
yourself and your rival, Professor Oak’s grandson. You may choose default
names from the computer’s list or make up two of your own." This
official site certainly provides insight into how big this Pokémon
thing is. Did you know that the Japanese airline ANA has painted one of
its transpacific Boeing 747 jetliners with Pokémon characters?
Visit Pokémon World for their comprehensive Strategy Guide and the
Pokédex encyclopedia, which "will tell you everything you need
to know about them [the Pokémon]: their powers, their evolution, who
they can beat in a duel…and who to watch out for!"

Universal Pokémon
Network

"You can capture Safari Pokémon by going to the Safari zone and
then heading to Cinnibar Island, swim up the half coast and half land and
you will be attacked by Safari Pokémon." Universal
Pokémon Network has separate sections for the TV show, Gameboy
games, and Nintendo 64 games. It is chock-full of tips and game myths
(some true, others false), a large gallery of fan art, and fan fiction.