''Magic Tales'' is a series of interactive storybooks for children, developed by

Animation Magic Animation Magic () was a Russian-American animation studio founded in Gaithersburg, Maryland in 1991, with offices later added in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a 100%-owned subsidiary in Saint Petersburg, Russia Russia, or the Russian Federa ...

and produced by Davidson, which were distributed by Capitol Multimedia, Inc. on

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for

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and

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. The series was introduced at the 1995 MacWorld

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. The series began with the release of ''The Little Samurai'' (an adaptation of a Japanese folk tale) in 1995. The stories are narrated by the central character Grandpa Mouse, who reads them to his two grandchildren while they are having a boring time. The series was titled "El Abuelo Ratón" in Spanish. Each story has twelve pages.

Games in the series

Gameplay

The games featured three-dimensional art; approximately 30 minutes' worth of animation, over 500 "click-and-explore" options and original music. The stories were influenced by the ethnic backgrounds of their source material, and aimed to teach children moral lessons. The games were targeted at children aged 3 to 9.

Reception

Critical reception

''The Exceptional Parent'' recommended the series to parents who wanted to "develop

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child's interest in words and reading". ''Computer Shopper'' called ''Magic Tales: The Little Samurai'' the "most magical" storybook they had played.

Commercial performance

One hundred thousand copies of the first three ''Magic Tales'' titles were distributed around retailers around Christmas. The series gained recognition from the ''Parents'' magazine. Three new titles out of 3,000 children's titles would be chosen for three additional products to be released the following Spring.

Availability

* ''The Magic Tales Collection CD''

References

{{Reflist 1995 video games 1996 video games Animation Magic games Children's educational video games Davidson & Associates games ScummVM-supported games Software for children Video game franchises Video games developed in the United States