Amazon.com Product Description

Join the Rescue Heroes team to save the planet! Burning meteorites from space slam into Earth, setting off worldwide disasters. Blast water at raging brushfires, snowboard down hair-raising avalanche-covered slopes, race a water rescue craft through deep floodwaters, and more. Rescuing the world has never been so much fun. Features include four action-packed missions around the globe, seven exciting activities with three levels of gameplay, and game controls that put you in command. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

mediocre software for avid Rescue Heroes fans only
Meteors have hit the planet, resulting in a series of widely scattered emergencies that require the Rescue Heroes to intervene -- and they need your help!!

The graphics are good, the intro is exciting .... but after that the game is totally mediocre. Four activities have three levels of difficulty, but they are quite tedious no matter what level you play. (1) Move around a water maze to rescue people in a flooded movie studio, and shoot a life preserver over a moving line of floating objects. (2) Navigate a maze on a rock face as you rescue stranded climbers while avoiding vicious eagles and snakes. (3) Aim a hose at brush fires so you can find and rescue animals on an African preserve. (4) Snowboard down a ski slope without hitting the shrubbery so you can dig people out from under an avalanche.

The hype is here, but the games are very boring. Your child has little flexibility or independence when performing tasks, and those tasks probably use only 2% of your child's brain power. For example, in order to dig people out of the avalanche, you click on the snow cave over and over, it doesn't matter where, until the person trapped within tells you how great you are -- and every time it's the same person in the snow cave. Each game is rather mindless in this way. There is little reasoning required and no skills acquired.

This is lame software that has neither educational value nor excitement. When there are so many worthwhile children's software titles out there, don't waste your money or your child's time on this lazy stuff. It may be worthwhile for the truly avid Rescue Heroes fan, but even that is doubtful. This was our first Rescue Heroes title. It is also our last.

Lava Landslide
I gave this game to my son as an early birthday present. He's almost four and loves the Rescue Heroes. The reviews I read were mixed so I decided to buy it anyway. I'm really glad I did. Sure it's challenging, but it's a good excuse for the parents to get involved. First I did the hard parts for him, to show him what needed to be done. Then I guided him through them and finally he ended up doing it all by himself. He was so proud when he accomplished the hard tasks that he couldn't do at first!

Unlike most computer games this one requires the use of the arrow keys instead of the mouse. Well, it's always nice to learn new skills.
I can't wait to give my son the two other RH games I baught for his birthday. I have no doubt he'll love them too.

Inaginext Pirate Raider
I gave it a 1 because they did not have a 0, to give. I bought this game for my son and I try to install it and it tells me that it has encountered an error. I go to the web site and it tells me what to do with that error, but after I do what it told me it does the same error thing again. My son and I both got so frustrated and finally gave up. I am returning it to the place where I purchased it for a full refund. Good luck for those of you that also bought this Horrible Game.

Frustrating game for my almost 5 yr. old
I agree with other reviews that the mouse clicking is very difficult. It's difficult to maneuver the men around. My son tried for a few minutes, became so frustrated, I finished the one mission, but couldn't get him to do any more. Would recommend the I Spy software - ages 6-10, but he loves it! Don't have to know how to read.

Yeah Pirate Raider!
My 7-year-old LOVES this game. He'd play from sun up to sun down if I let him. I hear him cheering and clapping in the other room and he's having so much fun!
I'm VERY anti-violence, so when he got this game I was concerned. I was pleased to discover that although the ships sometimes fire on each other, no people are ever involved. This makes it so much more abstract and less about killing. When you capture forts, you fire on canons only and never see people. When you capture other ships, your knife is used only to chop up fruit that's thrown at you by skeletons. Once you capture their gold, you're on your way to fulfill another mission.
Frankly, this game is so much fun I have to admit to playing it myself! ... Read more

Features

• 3 beloved Dr. Seuss books on 3, fun-filled CD-ROMs
• Easy for kids to replay a favorite part, skip ahead, and learn hundreds of words
• Skills include: word recognition, vocabulary building, reading comprehension, and more
• Titles include Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, and ABC
• For preschoolers û 1st graders; ages 3-7+

Reviews (2)

It makes him laugh! Awesome three disc set.
All of these discs are full of wonderful surprises! Especially the Green Eggs and Ham disc. It's classic, loveable Dr. Seuss that can be read to the child or the child can interact with the characters. Highly Recommended and a lot of fun!

Doesn't work on XP Pro
Tried to install it 10 different ways under XP Pro. (256 colors, low resolution, etc.). Still no joy. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Sassy and smart, this charming CD-ROM series combines early-childhood education and humorous storytelling with a distinctly European flavor--something along the lines of Doctor Doolittle meets Monty Python meets Beatrix Potter. Our hero, Oscar, is a small, curious British boy who tours the world in a hot-air balloon that enables him to switch among the four seasons with the click of a mouse. His companion, Carmela, is a treasure chest who often goes missing. In this escapade, Oscar crash-lands his balloon on the thatched hut of a timid animal researcher named Balthasar Pumpernickel, who lives on a farm amid fields of talking pigs, cows, sheep, and chickens. Carmela is there, too, stocked with a dozen delightful animal-theme games to play. Children are free to go straight to the games chest or explore the farmyard--and talk to the animals--in depth, across all four seasons of the year.

Along with this CD-ROM's elevated level of illustration, there's a fearlessness about content that is uncommon in America these days. The presence of dung on a farm, for example, is clearly acknowledged in the program with a special matching game (whose icon is a toilet bowl) that requires kids to "click and drag each animal to its droppings." As well, adults aren't the all-knowing educational founts here; Professor Balthasar, afraid of the animals, hides all day in his hut. "Outside lurk a thousand dangers!" he sniffs. Parents and kids alike will appreciate the goofy inanity of a farm-facts guessing game that poses such true-or-false questions as "Cows love to eat frogs," and "Sheep sleep on poles." Most powerful of all, however, are the stirring scenes of the animals: from sunny days in the fields to deliciously snowbound days inside the barn. (Ages 4 to 8) --Jean Lenihan ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A little difficult for our 4 year old
The game has lovely graphics, and creative-educational games. My son enjoys matching the poop with the correct farm animal. However, it is a little difficult for him to understand what the directions are or what he's supposed to be doing in the game. It's a bit "word heavy" for a boy who has an auditory processing disorder, but he does enjoy clicking on the animals to see if they'll poop. In fact, anything to do with poop will entertain him. It's really better geared towards older kids and younger children who can handle higher level learning. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Based on the I Spy book series by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick, I Spy Junior: Puppet Playhouse features puppets, games, and riddles to promote listening and problem-solving skills. An interactive story about a princess and a sneaky dragon strengthens rhyming and other word skills, a puppet-making workshop teaches kids to follow directions, and a magical animated tree helps promote early reading skills. Seven play areas in all offer a variety of fun learning activities. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Boring...
This was so heavily hyped, I had to have it for my five-year old twin girls. What a bore. They're either too old for it, or there is the outside chance that Scholastic really didn't put a lot of effort into this. It would bore a three-year old. Compare to Spooky Mansion or Treasure Island - can't compare with these gems. I'm 50 and play the latter two.

The best children's software I've seen yet
I have never taken the time to review a product, but I love this CD so much I felt I had to. It is the best software that I have bought for my kids so far. The colors, the characters and the graphics are terrific and even manage to hold mom's attention!! Never mind, that my daughter really loves it too. Another thing that was good about it is that it's teaching my daughter basic mouse skills and there are quite a few different activities to play so kids won't get bored easily. I'll be looking for more software from this company as I find that most of the stuff out there for kids is a big waste of money.

Not perfect, but very good
My 2 1/2 year old son has really taken to this. It's a really great idea and it's well executed. You have four puppet shows and three games. The graphics are very well done and very realistic, with no cartoon-like figures. Everything is a scan of a real object. The games are building your own puppet, building your own still image from a puppet show, and sorting. Sorting really is what early math is all about. I'm glad they have it.

The puppet shows are where you will spend most of your time. Each show is composed of four or five scenes which have a dozen or so clickable objects. A riddle appears at the bottom and you have to find the three or four objects that are in the riddle. When you click on a riddle object, it does something and advances the story. Each scene has two riddles and when you have gone through all the scenes, your done with that show. A kid might eventually learn the locations of all the objects in a particular show, but with four shows, it will take a while.

There is only one real problem I have with it, based on several sessions of lap play with my son. Because there are about a dozen objects in each scene, but you only need 3 or 4 for the riddle, the rest of the objects don't do anything when you click on them. I think every object should do something (wiggle, glow or zoom, at the very least) when it gets clicked, not just the riddle objects. This has led to my sons newest vocabulary word: "doesntwork". If not this, then at least the riddle objects from the first of the pair of riddles for a particular scene should still be active for the second of the pair. So, when you click on a riddle object from the first riddle, it should still do something, if not it's original action, when you are finding the objects from the second riddle. As it is now, my son tries to click on the objects which were just active in the previous riddle, but they "doesntwork".

But, overall, I'm pleased with it. There is no violent action and it is pretty exploratory and creative, as advertised.

A Decent Game for Kids Under 5
This is a good choice for children under 5. I was impressed that the graphics and game play were appealing, and utilized the latest features from Macromedia.

I get SO tired of childrens games that look and play as though they were made for a Windows 3x machine, circa 1994. This game will not disapoint. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

When the Rugrats set sail on the trip of a lifetime but end up on Island Uninhabited, there's only one family that can help them out: the Wild Thornberrys. Based on the upcoming Rugrats Go Wild feature film, this thrilling adventure has the babies trekking treacherous rainforest paths, taking on bug-eating plants, and staring down dangerous animals while solving "wild" puzzles to salvage their family vacation. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

I can't use it
I also bought this but can't run it on my system. Disney provides an XP driver fix, but it can't be installed unless the program is already in your system. Catch 22. KB Gear is NO LONGER IN BUSINESS. That is what Disney told me. I'm trying to find any fixes.

WONDERFUL!
My 3 year old loves this product. We are running it on Win98. My copy actually came with drivers for Windows ME and 2000. Only problem I have with the company is that I can't find their company to see if there are additional software packages for the product!

deceptive
I just purchased the Sketch Board for my 4 year old...Got it home & proceeded to load the software included only to find out that this product won't run on any operating system higher than Win98. Also searched for possible updated drivers & discovered that this product is being marketed as a Disney product when it really isn't.They have a big picture of Mickey Mouse on the cover & the name Disney printed all over the box.... So if your thinking of purchasing this product & you're running WinNT,2000 or XP..forget it about it.

Great for kids.....lots of art
This is a wonderful product for a child. The SketchBoard (drawing tablet) and the software match up so what you see in front of you is on the screen as well. The software is pretty nifty with so many options for stamps and basic animation that most children will have hours of fun and learn a lot about creating art of the computer as well. My 4 year old has used it for a year and I am giving it as a gift for other preschoolers on my list this year. While it may be a basic drawing tablet in the right hands masterpieces will be produced.

Fun but useless
I have to confess-- I'm 15 and I bought this program, even though it's for little kids. I am really into animation and I thought it would be useful. Well, I was wrong, so if you were thinking the same thing, don't bother with this program. Here's a list of pros and cons:

PROS:

-Fun for making simple animation

-Easy to create scenes with Disney characters already available in Magic Artist stamp bank

- Fun Sketchbook with music

- Great for little kids to mess around with

CONS:

-Stylus for the sketchboard is impossible to use, it draws on the computer screen even with it isn't touching the board. Drawings come out badly no matter what level of drawing you are at. Don't use this if you really want to make animation. When you draw on the sketchboard it only shows up the computer so it's also hard to draw ANYTHING. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

a terrific product for little Little Bear fans
We have already tried a number of software products for young children, and I would rank this as one of the very best. The material is true to the children's series, so you see most of the characters from the show (Owl, Cat, Hen, Duck, Father Bear -- though not Emily or Little Bear's grandparents) and Little Bear and Mother Bear's voices seem to be voiced by the same voice actors as those of the television show.

The CD starts with Mother Bear calling Little Bear into the house when it starts to rain, and quickly switches to the activity selection screen. There is: 1) cooking -- adding ingredients to a bowl, cutting out shapes, and decorating cookies; 2) costumes -- drag-and-dropping various costume pieces and props onto Little Bear, Duck, Cat, Owl or Hen; 3) painting -- using a variety of colors and fill patterns to color any of six different scenes; 4) stickers -- drag-and-dropping characters and props onto various scenes (campsite, garden, bedroom, picnic, boat or house); 5) puzzles -- drag-and-drop 4, 6 or 9 pieces onto a template; 6) matching -- finding pairs of characters' pictures amid a layout of 8 or 12 "cards". An activity section has 27 projects which can be printed out; these include recipes (fizzy lemonade, gingerfriends cookies), games (sound bingo, finger puppets) and arts & crafts projects (vegetable stamps, making a water xylophone). There are enough activities to keep a child interested for a long time and options, such as the number of puzzle pieces to fit, mean the activities can be interesting for children of different ages. At any point you can print scenes in one of three formats (a color picture, a coloring book line drawing, or as a card), and printing has been without bugs.

Running this on a PowerMac G4, installation was quick and easy. The only weak point is the booklet, which contains nothing but installation instructions.

Recommended for ages 3 and up, but we are assisting a younger child and he loves it. He can do some things himself but needs help with others.

This is a terrific product, and I endorse it without reservation.

You'll Have to beg them to get off the computer!
My son played with this software on the computer at our town library's children's room and I had to beg him to leave the library! We went back a few more times and I finally realized that this software would capture and keep his attention over and over again. He even asked for the software for his 4th Birthday present! Since he loved it, I thought it was great, and the librarians thought it was educational, I purchased it for him. Happy Birthday Tyler!

Little Bear - Rainy Day Activities
I read the reviews before I bought this product and found them so helpful I thought I'd write my own. My daughter loves this game. She's 3 and a half and can get around all by herself. The card memory game is so good for them yet simple enough so that it's not frustrating for them. Adding sprinkles and decorating cookies is also one of her favorites. There's so many variations to this game I'm sure your child will have a favorite, too. Enjoy!!

Wonderful software for any day
My 3 1/2 year old daughters love this computer game. It is very child-friendly. You don't have to be able to read to figure out what to do. They can easily get around from activity to activity without a problem. There are a number of different activities which my daughters really enjoy. They get to "make" gingerfriend cookies with Mother bear, adding the correct amount of ingredients for her. They then get to decorate the finished cookies. There is a coloring book that allows them to floodfill the areas for ease and fun. They can add pictures to a scene (kind of like a sticker book, but one that you can re-use :o)). They can dress-up Little Bear and his friends in costumes in another activity. This is a very good computer game that is well-worth the money. It is one of their favorites. ... Read more

Features

• Team up with detective Barbie to solve the carnival mystery
• Crack the case of the carnival caper by searching for clues
• New clues and suspects every time you play
• For kids ages 5 and up

Reviews (6)

Hot CD for my boys!!!
My boys who are 5 and 7 love this CD. The CD calls them by name which is really cool. The action scenes capture their attention. I bought this CD despite having no girls to share it with. Yes, there is a lot of pink, but the fun is worth it!!! My son who says he "hates girls" still loves this CD. We have had fun with it for 8 months straight. Ton o' fun for the money!!! Monika

BEWARE OF WRONG MERCHANDISE!
This is NOT the Detective Barbie described. Instead of the carnival mystery, it is actually the VACATION mystery.. entirely different!!!
Even the wrong photo is displayed for sale. VERY DISAPPOINTING!

not just for girls
My three older children have enjoyed the Mystry of the carnival caper, They like riding the rides and being the first to win a prize at the sideshow as several children can join in.
The game play is fairly basic once you realise that you find a clue and go to the place the clue describes and you will find the next clue or you will see the suspect and have to catch him. You sometimes find keys which you will need to rescue ken. The magifiying glass is often nessecary to find the hand print that leads you to the clue. You can talk to the other characters. Catching the suspect is not always easy but if you do loose him you get another chance by following his footprints to more clues.
The good points are riding the rides is fun, there are three suspects all which are randomly chosen as the criminal and you dont know until the end which one it is, so the end is always a surprise. No two games are the same as the order of the clues is very random. The place where ken is hidden changes each time. There is plenty of replayability.
The bad points, character control is very clumsey, you use the mouse but must place the arrow at the edge of the screen to get the barbie to walk where you want her too, my younger children found this quite frustrating as the position of the mouse does not relate well to where the character is.
You must pick a name from the list and although it is a large list with a good variety of common and uncommon names your childs name may not be there particulary if it is a boy, then you have to pick something that is close in sound or an acceptable substitute, Barbie requently refers to your child by name so if the names not there it makes it difficult.
Overall it is a fun game, just remember to follow the clues as one clue leads to the next and finally the suspect and if you get stuck use the magnifying glass and follow the footprints. The clue computer does show the hot clue, the one you havent followed and the cold clues the ones that have already led you to a clue, and remember there may also be a key or tool you need hidden in the same place as a clue so look around with the magnifying glass even after you have found the clue.

Dust collector
My girls, ages 7 and 5, love Barbies but hate this game. They found it hard to use and not very interesting. It doesn't do much but collect dust at my house. They prefer Reader Rabbit and Jump Start games.

Great game!
I love this game! It's always fun because the calprit is someone different every time! I have played it a lot, and I would reccomend it to anyone who loves a good mystery! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

TERRIFIC
THIS GAME WAS COOL. I BOUGHT IT FOR MY DAUGHTER AND SHE IS UPSESSED!!! I PERSUADE YOU TO BUY, CUZ ITS DEFINATLY WORTH THE MONEY ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Ariel returns to the sea with her curious daughter Melody in Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. Kids join Ariel, Melody, Sebastian, and new hosts Tip and Dash on exciting adventures in the underwater world of Atlantica.

Five activity areas feature arcade play, music, and creative fun. Kids dive to daring depths with Melody and Sebastian in a hunt for precious gems. Choreograph underwater dances, sing along with a selection of sea-themed karaoke activities, and more. Three undersea environments and 15 levels keep kids challenged and entertained. Plus, the cool purse makes it easy to share the fun with a friend. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

My Girls Love It!!
My daughter received this for her fourth birthday and she plays with it everyday. It is also interesting enough that my 8 year-old also plays with it. I had to help the 4 year-old quite a bit in the first week or two, reinforcing where to click, how to get from screen to screen, etc., but she's able to navigate the program herself now. I wouldn't recommend it for younger than 4 though, it has a lot of features that can get confusing for the little ones. My 8 year-old uses the program to its full potential, making picture scenes with props, sounds and colors, choreographing characters in an acrobatic show, playing a "pac-man" style maze game starring Melody and playing a diving game as well. For the price, I was surprised that it had such good features and pretty straight forward directions and navigation. It's a hit at our house! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

As Alistair Cookie (Cookie Monster wearing a robe and cravat) welcomesguests to Monsterpiece Theater, he launches a reading adventure thatcontains the warmth and wit we've come to expect from anything bearing the name Sesame Street.

Cookie directs kids to choose one of two stories to read: "Grover's Travels" or "The Three Grouchketeers." Grover's story is a wide-eyed adventureduring which our hero learns about his feelings. "The Three Grouchketeers" isabout cooperation, and has a tad more attitude, since it involves Oscar theGrouch. After deciding on a story (younger kids will lean towards "Grover'sTravels," while the top of the age range will probably like "The ThreeGrouchketeers"), kids can either read it straight through, or read a versionwhere activities must be completed to progress. Both stories contain sixactivities based on early learning fundamentals, and a choice of two levels ofplay. The tasks are simple and educational: counting in sequence will untieGrover, following Oscar the Grouch's directions arms the Grouchketeers withenough "royal junk" for their mission, and helping Big Bird complete a rhymemakes Grover's getaway balloon inflate.

Text appears above each page, and words light up as a clear-voiced narratorreads the story. Once kids have read through the story, they can use an indexfunction to go directly back to their favorite page or activity without havingto sit through the whole "book" again. There are some musical interludes thatrange from awful (Grover is no Pavarotti) to cute ("Oh I love triangles! They'repointy and pokey and stable!"), and the animation is bright and busy. Our onlygripe is that the producers didn't follow the rule of threes--one more storywould have given this CD-ROM real staying power.

One of this program's great strengths is its capacity to surprise. "I've got tarin a jar, an iron bar, a fast car, and a Mylar sitar!" intones Big Bird duringthe rhyming game. On another page, the word "minuscule" crops up, alongside aclickable thesaurus that recites every other word for "small" imaginable. Dozensof cleverly animated hotspots adorn both stories. In true Sesame Streetstyle, Reading Games teaches kids, yet never talks down to them. (Ages 3to 5) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Fun Game for Kids
My Kindergartener really enjoyed this game. He was having problems with rhyming and this really helped him. I would recommend this game to everyone with kids between 3 and 7. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Designed to make learning fun, Franklin the Turtle Goes to Schoolis a set of two CD-ROMs filled with games and activities that don't require anyreading, making it perfect for younger players. Concentration and listeningskills are crucial, however, as all instruction is provided verbally.

Areas for play on the first disk include the schoolhouse, theater, andplayground. Each features three fun activities, found by moving the cursoraround the area. (It changes from an arrow to a star when you've found a game.)Every game's difficulty level can be set individually, and once each game ismastered at each skill level, players get to attend an official graduationceremony with Franklin and friends. Basic preschool- and kindergarten-levelskills are reinforced, including counting, measuring, sorting, identifyingcolors, practicing phonics, recognizing words, and learning the alphabet.

The second disk in the set is mainly for parents. It includes a list of skillseach game is designed to teach, as well as nearly 30 pages of printableactivities, which kids will love to color when computer time is over. A shortsynopsis of each of the books in the Franklin series is also available, as areinterviews with the creators of the series.

The activity CD-ROM installs painlessly, and many children won't have a problemnavigating around the screens by themselves after the first couple of visitswith an adult. No installation is necessary to access the second, moreinformational disk, so you can pop it in when you have the time. A freeJumpStart activity disk is also included in the package, and its simple learninggames geared toward the same age group should provide a few additional hours ofentertainment. (Ages 4 to 6) --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Buy this for your little one!
My first reaction was that this program might be too difficult for my 4 year old ~ she'd rather swing from the chandelier than sit down and learn her letters. Much to my surprise, she LOVES this CD! In fact, after sitting down with her only 2 times to perform the various tasks, she is now able to work through the program herself. The highest skill level is still too hard for her, but she is learning her upper/lower case letters, numbers and is following directions nicely. My 8 year old also requests time with this CD simply because it's fun.

Wonderful software!
I bought this for my four year old grandson for Christmas, and he loves it. This provides hours of entertaining education.We check his progress report,collect stickers from Mr. Owl, sing with Franklins friends and have silly fun. This is a must have software game.

Freakin' Franklin Is Friggin' Fun!
What can I say, I play it for hours after my kid goes to sleep. Man...I dig that school play stuff. Its so crazy, it make me want to laugh some more! =)

MORE! MORE! MORE!

The Best Game My Kids Have Played. EVER!!!!!!
This is such a wonderful piece of kids software. I can't believe that such a magnificent treat for children exists. My kids love Franklin the Turtle and the just can't get enough of this game. It's extremely nice to know that amongst all the crap on the shelves these days (and believe me, I've purchased my share of stinkers...ahem...Disney), that there IS quality software for kids out there. And knowing that this game comes from the developers at Nelvana, a company that truly cares about fun and learning for kids, is a real assurance that I'm dropping my hard earned cash on something worthwhile. I'm going to buy the other Franklin game now for my kids for Christmas, your kids will love it too! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

In JumpStart Learning Games: ABC's, the JumpStart gang has a mystery on its hands. Someone spilled juice in the JumpStart train's caboose and didn't clean it up. Children join Eleanor Elephant and friends on a fun-filled train adventure to deduce "Who left the juice in the caboose?" As kids travel to different locations and play learning games, they earn clues and use their deductive reasoning skills to solve the mystery. Along the way, kids can also listen to six fun songs, which reinforce letter recognition, letter sequencing, and letter sounds. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Jump Start ABC's
My son really enjoys this software. He loves the cartoon characters and the fun songs that they sing and dance to. I like the way each word lights up while the characters are singing songs. That way you can follow along. He learned to recognize his letters by playing this CD. It's a good way for a young child to develop listening skills and to follow directions. My son really likes playing the sled race while finding words that begin with the same letter. I like the fact that there are three levels of play. (easy, medium, hard). When you master the easy level you can go on to the next level. I would recommend this CD to anyone with young children ages 3-5, because they will learn pre-reading skills in a fun and motivating way.

Very Average
The music was nice, but the dialogue was too long.... My three and 1/2 year old became easily bored. He was only interested in the sled game. Its good for kids who can keep focused on something for a long time.

Great for learning ABC's!
My 3 1/2 year old loves this software. It has helped him learn abc's, upper/lower case, matching, finding, letter sounds, etc. I was very happy with this. The only disappointment was that after he'd mastered the 3 different activities, there wasn't another level with new activities. Still fun, though!

Jumpstart ABC's
My 4 year old son loves this game and I don't even think he realizes that he is learning as he plays. It is exactly what I was looking for. This gives him the ABC recognizition that his preschool teacher told me to work on with him. Another wonderful thing about it is that it was easy enough for him to comprehend and figure out what to do and now he plays on it all by himself.

A delightful learning experience
This software delivers great bang for the buck. My son is almost three and he loves this program, which is designed to help children learn the alphabet. He calls it Juice Caboose. It has numerous characters that are fun and the music is charming. The exercises are challenging, but not impossible.

I believe that interactive learning software is a much better way for children to spend time than watching TV or videos. This is a good program because it holds the child's attention and creates a fun learning experience. I recommend it highly. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

You can make Barbie look like she's never looked before. Give Barbie and her friends new looks for different occasions. Make a different look every time you play. With Barbie Magic Hair Styler you can create the Barbie of your dreams. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Hours of Fun
Both my 7 year old and my 3 year old stay on the computer for hours at a time cutting Barbie's hair and putting make-up on her. Both of them really enjoy it. This is a must have for any Barbie lover. This is our first piece of Barbie software and we love it.

Hours of Fun
My 4 year old loves this game. She will sit and play changing Barbie's hair, makeup and jewlery for hours if I would let her. It is user friendly so I only had to show her how to get started once. Now she can do it all by herself. Love it.

Gr8 Game
This game is so fun i played it when i was little and still do!

How much I love this CD!!
I love this CD so much!!!I like to make Barbie's bangs so long that it covers her face!!

This is so much FUN for everybody, big and little!
This CD is so much fun! I played it at my friend's house and I was hooked! My friend had to PRY me off the computer! I am 11 going on 30 (in my mother's words) and it is SO much fun! I love this. Except I couldn't find it in stores, for some reason. However, the similer "Barbie Beauty Styler" isn't half as enjoyable as the Magic Hair Styler. Girls of all ages that are interested in beauty and themselves will LOVE this. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Yes, it's possible your baby may try to teethe on the mouse at first. And you can pretty much count on your child occasionally bringing her or his fists down on the keyboard with a smashing degree of force. Yet once your kid begins participating in the muppet-happy fun and learning opportunities packaged into Sesame Street Baby & Me, you'll surely risk a little wear and tear on your hardware. A joint project between the tech and design wizards at the Learning Company and the wise educators and artists at the Children's Television Network, this CD is an impressive example of what an adaptive medium the interactive CD can be.

Graciously hosted by popular Henson muppets such as Elmo, Zoe, and Big Bird, this parent-child program bubbles along gently and merrily from games of "Peek-a-Boo" to "Do What I Do" to "Silly Songs." Transitions from screen to screen and activity to activity are handled slowly and calmly, just as a baby needs. ("Are you saying bye bye?" Big Bird asks. "Okay, bye bye.") While the parent navigates, the child discovers the power of the mouse (to "rake up" screens full of autumn leaves, or "unwrap" presents) as well as the effects of the keyboard buttons (to make Elmo pop up in "Peek-a-Boo" or advance to new letter pictures in an alphabet game).

The only disappointment in this CD is the absence of any nod to urban culture or childhood emotional education that the Sesame Street television show handles so beautifully. Indoors and out, all the scenes have a rather bland and homogenized look. As well, there are only one or two moments that display CTW-style wit (Elmo's relationship to the doe-eyed Baby Natasha is the best). Here's hoping they crank up the playfulness, emotional sensitivity, and world culture references in version 2. (Ages 1 to 3). --Jean Lenihan ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Best Toddler Game for 12+ Months
My daughter loves this game and plays it almost every day. She started when she was about 12 months old and was able to do a lot of the activities.

The games are divided into mouse-based and keyboard-based games. What's nice about the mouse games is that she can wiggle the mouse around and get positive feedback. The mouse games consist of unwrapping presents and simple coloring games (just moving the mouse colors things in.)

All of the original Sesame Street characters and actors perform the voices in this great game. There are sing-along songs, letters shapes and numbers, and lots of other educational activities.

Unbelievable
I was astounded with watching my little 2 year old run the mouse, with such ease too! This program is great for getting little ones comfortable with the computer. The games are fun, especially, "Open the Present"! My daughter is ready to go on to more difficult programs thanks to "Baby and Me"!

too expensive by Reader Rabbit Toddler instead
My 20 month old son who really loves playing with his Reader Rabbit Toddler CD was not at all enthused by this one. I think it is really expensive and nothing outstandingly. You are better of buying Reader Rabbit Toddler, which has similar games like coloring, songs and animal sounds and also really cheap. Please try Reader Rabbit Toddler before you buy this one. I think it is not worth the investment.

Easy for ages 1-3 to use!
This is a great game for young toddlers. It is very easy for them to use. It helps ages 1-3 learn to use the mouse. The games talks to the children with a lot of encouragment. My 2 year old plays it all day. He just recently scratched up the disk...even though on a family of six budget, I am actually putting forth the money to get another one. It's that good.

Fun playing with Elmo and friends
My 2 year old LOVES this program and it has given her great confidence on the computer. She operates the whole game by herself and happily uses the mouse, keyboard and switches from one activity to the other. Highly recommended!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Eye-popping graphics, fanciful animation, and cool world music entertain you while you help clownish Steve and floppy-eared Blue complete three challenging, long-lasting treasure hunts. Of all the Blue's Clues software, this is the program most well suited for kindergartners.Not easily solved, these treasure hunts require you to amass a number of different items, not all in sequential order. While hunting for the scrolls, which lead to the treasure bug and the key, you're also looking for Blue's Clues, which help steer you toward one of the character's "favorite pleasures." Luckily, the highly affable Steve is always there to tell you where you are, what you should be looking for, and where you're going next. And over time, the logic becomes clearer, and it's pretty darn fun to have so many things to look for and record at once. Once you're oriented, your momentum builds in this game, leading to a true sense of triumph when you finally amass the three keys necessary to reach The Land of Discovery.Navigation may be tricky at first--prepare to sit with a child on her/his first time through the program and assist. For example, the yellow arrows that move you through certain areas of the hunt are positioned off in the upper left side of the screen, where they're easily confused with back buttons. As well, there is an unusual blend of view-only clips interspersed with the activities. A frustrated child may abandon the hunt during times when they are forced to pause their hunt, particularly if they are not devotees of Blue. Yet fans of the Nickelodeon TV show will likely take instantly to this skill-building adventure. (Ages 3-6) --Jean Lenihan ... Read more