Kodu: Mars Edition

Did you follow the landing of the latest Mars rover – Curiosity? Well if you did or even if you just know a bunch of space crazy students the latest version of Kodu is for you. Last week Microsoft announced  (and launched) Kodu:Mars Edition. Download it at http://www.kodugamelab.com . Some of the new features:

• New ROVER with authentic Rover commands
• New rock types, indicative of what you might find on Mars
• 3 new levels to play : Explore Mars & Mt. Sharp, Program a Rover, and our new Arcade level.
• Several new program features, including "End of Path" and comparison operators.
• 5 template levels based on where Rover landed on Mars.

I think the new robot is cute. I had an early preview of Kodu: Mars Edition and I think it has the potential for combine kids fascination with robots and space in a way that encourages them to explore computer science and programming. After all it was great software that make that amazing landing possible.