<s>
As	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
series	I-Application
of	O
platform	O
games	O
has	O
grown	O
in	O
popularity	O
,	O
its	O
publisher	O
Sega	O
has	O
expanded	O
the	O
franchise	O
into	O
multiple	O
different	O
genres	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
these	O
are	O
several	O
educational	B-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
designed	O
to	O
appeal	O
to	O
young	O
children	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
attempt	O
to	O
create	O
an	O
educational	O
Sonic	B-Application
game	O
was	O
Tiertex	O
Design	O
Studios	O
 '	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
Edusoft	O
for	O
the	O
Master	O
System	O
in	O
late	O
1991	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
canceled	O
despite	O
having	O
been	O
nearly	O
finished	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Sega	O
launched	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Pico	I-Device
in	O
1994	O
,	O
it	O
released	O
Sonic	B-Device
the	I-Device
Hedgehog	I-Device
's	I-Device
Gameworld	I-Device
and	O
Tails	B-Device
and	I-Device
the	I-Device
Music	I-Device
Maker	I-Device
for	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Orion	O
Interactive	O
also	O
developed	O
the	O
1996	O
Sega	O
PC	O
game	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
Schoolhouse	O
,	O
which	O
used	O
a	O
3D	O
game	O
engine	O
and	O
had	O
an	O
exceptionally	O
large	O
marketing	O
budget	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
mid-2000s	O
,	O
LeapFrog	O
Enterprises	O
released	O
educational	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
for	O
its	O
Leapster	B-Application
and	O
LeapFrog	B-Application
Didj	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
bestselling	O
video	O
game	O
franchises	O
ever	O
,	O
selling	O
over	O
80	O
million	O
units	O
for	O
the	O
combined	O
series	O
as	O
of	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
original	I-Application
game	I-Application
,	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
platform	O
game	O
,	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Released	O
by	O
Sega	O
in	O
1991	O
,	O
it	O
greatly	O
increased	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
established	O
Sega	O
as	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
main	O
rival	O
in	O
the	O
console	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
2	I-Application
began	O
development	O
in	O
late	O
1991	O
,	O
the	O
Manchester-based	O
Tiertex	O
Design	O
Studios	O
began	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
an	O
educational	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
set	O
in	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
universe	O
called	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
Edusoft	O
for	O
the	O
Master	O
System	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Edusoft	O
was	O
made	O
using	O
sprites	O
ripped	O
from	O
the	B-Application
original	I-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1994	O
,	O
Sega	O
released	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Pico	I-Device
,	O
an	O
"	O
edutainment	O
"	O
device	O
powered	O
by	O
the	O
same	O
hardware	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
Genesis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Sonic	B-Application
had	O
become	O
Sega	O
's	O
mascot	O
,	O
Sega	O
released	O
two	O
educational	O
games	O
featuring	O
characters	O
from	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
franchise	I-Application
,	O
Sonic	B-Device
the	I-Device
Hedgehog	I-Device
's	I-Device
Gameworld	I-Device
and	O
Tails	B-Device
and	I-Device
the	I-Device
Music	I-Device
Maker	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameworld	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Aspect	O
Co.	O
,	O
the	O
studio	O
that	O
produced	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
Game	O
Gear	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
educational	O
game	O
,	O
Wacky	B-Application
Worlds	I-Application
Creativity	I-Application
Studio	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Genesis	O
in	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
a	O
Sonic	B-Application
game	O
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
does	O
feature	O
in	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
Sega	O
and	O
Orion	O
Interactive	O
collaborated	O
to	O
produce	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
Schoolhouse	O
,	O
an	O
educational	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Sega	O
PC	O
brand	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
developed	O
using	O
a	O
game	O
engine	O
similar	O
to	O
Wolfenstein	B-Application
3Ds	I-Application
and	O
ten	O
educators	O
and	O
psychologists	O
helped	O
create	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
challenges	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
cartoon	O
clock	O
was	O
originally	O
the	O
star	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
but	O
was	O
replaced	O
with	O
Sonic	B-Application
;	O
thus	O
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
Schoolhouse	O
is	O
only	O
tenuously	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Sega	O
's	O
20	O
million	O
"	O
Blue	O
is	O
Back	O
"	O
marketing	O
campaign	O
to	O
promote	O
six	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
releasing	O
in	O
the	O
holiday	O
shopping	O
season	O
;	O
advertisements	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
were	O
run	O
in	O
magazines	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
promoted	O
in	O
store	O
displays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
Schoolhouse	O
also	O
came	O
bundled	O
coupons	O
worth	O
40	O
in	O
discounts	O
for	O
Sonic	B-Application
merchandise	O
,	O
including	O
comics	O
and	O
plush	O
toys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
mid-2000s	O
,	O
LeapFrog	O
Enterprises	O
published	O
two	O
educational	O
Sonic	B-Application
platformers	O
:	O
Torus	O
Games	O
 '	O
Sonic	B-Application
X	O
and	O
Realtime	O
Associates	O
 '	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
,	O
for	O
the	O
Leapster	B-Application
and	O
LeapFrog	B-Application
Didj	I-Application
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
Edusoft	O
would	O
have	O
been	O
the	O
first	O
educational	O
Sonic	B-Application
game	O
,	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
third	O
entry	O
overall	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
first	B-Application
Sonic	I-Application
game	I-Application
that	O
was	O
not	O
developed	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minigames	O
are	O
accessed	O
from	O
an	O
isometric	B-Application
hub	O
world	O
and	O
more	O
non-educational	O
games	O
can	O
be	O
unlocked	O
after	O
a	O
certain	O
number	O
of	O
educational	O
ones	O
are	O
beaten	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
programmer	O
later	O
emailed	O
screenshots	O
to	O
Sonic	B-Application
fansites	O
but	O
was	O
unable	O
to	O
prove	O
it	O
was	O
real	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Edusoft	O
was	O
confirmed	O
to	O
be	O
real	O
after	O
its	O
ROM	B-General_Concept
image	I-General_Concept
was	O
eventually	O
leaked	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Device
the	I-Device
Hedgehog	I-Device
's	I-Device
Gameworld	I-Device
was	O
the	O
first	O
of	O
two	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Pico	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aimed	O
at	O
children	O
ages	O
four	O
to	O
seven	O
,	O
Gameworld	O
stars	O
Sonic	B-Application
,	O
Tails	O
,	O
and	O
Amy	O
and	O
features	O
13	O
minigames	O
that	O
are	O
designed	O
to	O
teach	O
the	O
player	O
problem	O
solving	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tails	B-Device
and	I-Device
the	I-Device
Music	I-Device
Maker	I-Device
was	O
the	O
second	O
Sonic	B-Application
game	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Pico	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tails	B-Device
and	I-Device
the	I-Device
Music	I-Device
Maker	I-Device
uses	O
the	O
same	O
picture	O
book	O
form	O
that	O
Gameworld	O
uses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
features	O
several	O
minigames	O
,	O
including	O
"	O
Travels	O
with	O
Tails	O
"	O
(	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
guides	O
Tails	O
through	O
three	O
levels	O
)	O
and	O
"	O
Percussion	O
Pinball	B-Application
"	O
(	O
in	O
which	O
Tails	O
is	O
placed	O
in	O
a	O
pinball	B-Application
environment	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
Schoolhouse	O
is	O
aimed	O
at	O
children	O
aged	O
five	O
to	O
nine	O
and	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
a	O
3D	O
environment	O
viewed	O
from	O
a	O
first-person	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
has	O
been	O
likened	O
to	O
Doom	B-Application
(	O
1993	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
primary	O
difference	O
is	O
that	O
players	O
must	O
solve	O
spelling	O
,	O
math	O
,	O
and	O
reading	O
questions	O
in	O
several	O
difficulty	O
levels	O
based	O
on	O
age	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
is	O
not	O
playable	O
,	O
instead	O
acting	O
as	O
a	O
guide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
X	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
anime	O
series	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
name	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
by	O
LeapFrog	O
Enterprises	O
for	O
the	O
Leapster	B-Application
handheld	O
game	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
stars	O
Sonic	B-Application
and	O
Chris	O
Thorndyke	O
,	O
a	O
character	O
created	O
for	O
the	O
anime	O
series	O
,	O
who	O
must	O
save	O
Tails	O
,	O
Amy	O
,	O
and	O
Knuckles	O
from	O
Doctor	O
Eggman	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
must	O
guide	O
Sonic	B-Application
through	O
three	O
levels	O
,	O
periodically	O
stopping	O
to	O
answer	O
math	O
questions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
three	O
levels	O
,	O
Station	O
Square	O
,	O
Angel	B-Application
Island	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Eggman	O
's	O
base	O
feature	O
sequences	O
,	O
addition	O
,	O
and	O
subtraction	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Didj	O
version	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
platformer	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Genesis	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
,	O
but	O
has	O
numerous	O
minigames	O
that	O
are	O
designed	O
to	O
teach	O
spelling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jeuxvideo.com	O
regarded	O
the	O
educational	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
as	O
obscure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
programmer	O
who	O
worked	O
on	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
Edusoft	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
tested	O
at	O
a	O
primary	O
school	O
in	O
Didsbury	O
,	O
Manchester	O
and	O
was	O
well	O
received	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
wondered	O
"	O
if	O
the	O
kids	O
realised	O
how	O
lucky	O
they	O
were	O
to	O
get	O
to	O
play	O
an	O
unreleased	O
and	O
often	O
forgotten	O
Sonic	B-Application
game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewing	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
Schoolhouse	O
,	O
Hardcore	O
Gaming	O
101	O
was	O
strongly	O
negative	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
a	O
bare-bones	O
edutainment	O
title	O
"	O
that	O
"offer[s]	O
neither	O
education	O
or	O
entertainment	O
of	O
any	O
sort.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
criticized	O
its	O
voice	O
acting	O
,	O
visuals	O
,	O
lack	O
of	O
difficulty	O
and	O
educational	O
value	O
,	O
and	O
poor	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
license	O
,	O
deeming	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
rather	O
cynical	O
attempt	O
from	O
Sega	O
to	O
tie	O
it	O
in	O
with	O
their	O
mascot	O
"	O
and	O
urging	O
readers	O
to	O
instead	O
play	O
the	O
Leapster	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GamesRadar+	O
said	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
Schoolhouse	O
was	O
only	O
"	O
vaguely	O
educational	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
a	O
grade-schooler	O
'	O
s	O
nightmare.	O
"	O
</s>
