Features

• Grade-based software teaches essential developmental skills
• Combines learning techniques and complementary learning aids
• Multi-subject CD with dozens of fun games and lessons
• Printable-activities CD with more than 100 projects
• Sing-along CD with original songs; 50+ flashcards and stickers

Features

• Cruise and explore the big city with the My Scene girls
• Plan for one of twelve events
• Take fun tell all quizzes to discover things about you and your friends
• Attend art shows, charity events and more
• For one or more players

Reviews (9)

My Scene computer game
This game is fun but after you play all twelve games then when you play again you do the same thing and buy the same stuff. Also, Chealsea and Barbie walk slower than the other people, but Madison is as fast as them. And when you see one of the other My Scene girls they just ask if Nolee called you or you ask them if they want to go somewhere and they say they can't, then they walk away and if your not Madison you can't follow them, they just walk off the part of the screen you can see and you can't catch up with them.
In the game, you have to buy the things you need for something your doing. To get money, you can decorate a store window, design clothes, or make music. I like the clothes and window games, but the music one is boring. And you can only play the games twice. You can also pick boyfriends for the My Scene girls. The boys are walking around. You can also talk to girls. To find out what clothes you should get, you need to read a magazine. You can also take quizzes and try on clothes after you've bought the clothes you need.

Slightly Disapointed
I look for a game since usually my volume wont work that will work and be simple if you have no volume like the sims. I cant end the game when I cant hear wher i haft to meet barbie or any of the crew. This game often freezes 2 and it's not just my computer Vivendi universety can do better.

The Reviews Here do not go to MY SCENE
I purchased My Scene because of the reviews listed under it. I purchased for a 5 year old. The reviews listed right now with this product are for other Barbie computer games. This game, My Scene, is probably lots of fun for any girl who can read pretty well and follow instructions. Very difficult for a 5 year old. My 11-year old niece enjoys it, but be careful reading the reviews (unless Amazon fixes the problem, as I did contact them.).

My Scene is super fun!
My 6 year old LOOOOVVEES playing this game. It's age appropriate for kids of all ages! I love playing it with her, so does her brother! I kind of wish the game was a little longer or if you played it more than once you had different options, like more variety, but it serves it's purpose. It was worth the buy and amazon had it at a great price!

A Very Impressive Game
I am 17 yrs. old and had put this game on my Christmas wishlist. I recieved the game on Christmas morning and have played it every day since. This game has some of the best graphics I have seen and is great for any young or old girl who is into fashion, music, and friends. You basically get to become one of the MyScene characters and help them get ready for many different events through fashion activities and money making jobs. I have been extremely satisfied with this game and recommend it to anyone between the ages of 8 and 100. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Go on an epic adventure of math and logic with the Zoombinis Logical Journey and Zoombinis Mountain Rescue educational software titles. Embark on a dangerous quest to a new Zoombini homeland and learn critical logic and mathematical thinking skills. Trek across treacherous terrain strewn with perilous mind-bending puzzles. Learn important life skills such as deductive reasoning, pattern recognition, hypothesis testing, and more, while leading the Zoombinis to freedom. These entertaining adventures are a journey into the math of the information age. Develop the cognitive mathematical thinking skills used in writing computer programs, organizing spreadsheet data, and searching for information on computer networks. ... Read more

Reviews (65)

Love, love, love this game...
I was introduced to this game while helping out in an elementary school computer class (yeah, I'm technically a grown-up). It's an engaging way to teach logic skills, and the puzzles are a lot of fun. I agree that there are a LOT of Zoombinis to save (the purpose of the game)and that once you've mastered the higher levels it's a bit tedious to keep playing the harder versions of the puzzles, especially if there are any you don't like to begin with.

On the other hand, this game is wonderful for a variety of age groups (some of the younger kids may need some help figuring out the logic behind the puzzles), for different ethnicities (the Zoombinis are blue), and genders (most of the characters are somewhat ambiguous on gender, and the Zoombinis are all equal). I've seen it played solo, and in groups, with equally enjoyable results. And there are a number of resources available for educators, parents, etc. to help your kids make meaning from the games they are playing.

All in all, this is a must for any elementary/middle school computer educator, and a highly recommended for parents who want their kids to use computers as a tool as well as a toy.

One of the best logic games, all in a fun package
I'm a 13-year-old boy, I loved Zoombinis ever since it came out about 7 years ago, and I still love it now. Zoombinis is a great education game, it teaches logic and mathematical skills essential to learn, and also lets children (and adults) have fun while doing it.

Zoombinis is set apart from so many other logic games by adding characters that are enjoyable and funny to a 2nd grader, while not being so annoying or childish that a 7th grader cannot enjoy or laugh at them as well.

Another way Zoombinis excels is in the way it adjusts to the user's ability. The game will start out easy and teach more simplistic concepts, and after the user is comfortable with that, it will move on to more complex problems.

A nice thing about this game is that it will encourage someone to learn and keep going. It can all happen because the game is both educational and fun, and the child will get a sort of self-satisfaction when they accomplish something. Whenever a puzzle is completed, the user gets a little bit closer to the goal of saving all the Zoombinis, and this gives them something to work for.

Zoombinis consists of 12 different puzzles for the user to go thru, and one of the factors that have made it so successful is how it makes the user actually think. Instead of letting you just guess the answers, Zoombinis has you think about why a certain answer does or doesn't work, then lets you come up with some sort of practical method to solve such problems, which can later be applied to more advanced levels of education (I am currently taking geometry, and I still use many of the methods I learned here to help me solve problems).

In all, Zoombinis is one of the most valuable and fun game (educational or not) that I have ever used. It is a great product, and I would certainly recommend it.

Nice Game, but just a little hard
I got this game with a multipack and it rocks!!! But just kind of a little hard but I like it.

My kids loved it!
Not only fun but a great logic builder! The best peice of software I've bought for my kids!

What a great surprise!
We love this game! When I was searching for new games for my girls, 8 & 11, I came across this game, but made the mistake of not ordering it. One day, my daughter came home from her computer class and raved about this game - I ordered the Logical Journey and Mountain Rescue...I am so glad that I did. My 8 year old and I enjoy playing Logical Journey together - its a little more basic and easier for her to understand. My older daughter prefers the Mountain Rescue - the graphics are a little more advanced and she enjoys the games more. I would recommend these games to anyone looking for fun, safe, and mentally challenging entertainment! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Instant maybe. Immersion questionable.
My dad got this for me to supplement a Latin textbook I have been studying for my high school language course. It is quick and easily understandable. You get plenty of words and phrases, which is perfect for a traveler. If you want to learn the language for the sake of knowing it, not travel, however, you'd better get a book to supplement this. It doesn't teach about pluralization, verb conjugation, or other oddities that the language holds, such as, in Latin, the ending -m which implies a direct object. The Latin CD also does not use the dashes over the vowels (ie. â,ç,î,ô,û). Overall, I am very happy with the product and with the price of $39.99 (USD), but I am also quite glad I have my textbook (ECCE ROMANI) to go with it.

Okay for the price
I was hoping this set would contain the first CD or at least part of the first CD in the two-CD Instant Immersion programs, which would have been a great deal, and would have truly given you a good start in all these languages. However, this set only has very basic material for each language, and in fact is more like having a basic CD vocabulary and phrasebook for each language rather than a real mini-course or introduction, which for me is only marginally useful.

The vocabulary sections are divided up into 8 sections: first words, colors, food, numbers, shopping, countries, time, body. The ninth section is for phrases, and one advantage is that they are pronounced individually for you, which you can do for the individual words, too. There are two categories of games, easy and hard, and the program tracks your progress.

If you like to collect lots of phrase books with basic vocabulary, this might be fine for you, as you can at least learn some words and phrases that might be useful, but for me the major shortcoming is there is nothing on the grammar. I would rather invest the money in the 2-CD version of the half dozen languages I'm interested in, and then pay the extra for the 5 and 8 CD advanced Instant Immersion software when I'm ready to progress to the next stage of learning.

Still, for a reasonable price you get 33 languages, including all the main European ones plus things like Swahili, Korean, Finnish, Hindi, Tibetan, Vietnamese, and so on. So if you like to play around with exotic languages this might be the set for you, but you'll need to supplement it with a real language learning course if you're serious about really going anywhere with your studies.

I need to mention one drawback to the CD's, however. I have reasonably fast, 16x read and 48x write speed CD, and the program still runs fairly slowly, although I have a half gig of RAM and a 2.6 GHz system. It's mostly noticeable when using the pronunciation capability, but it spends a lot of time just seeking when you're jumping between sections. It's tolerable on my CD player, but if you have an older, slower one, be advised it's going to be slow.

One solution would be to get Tenebril software's Virtual Drive Manager program which will copy it to your hard disk so you can run it from there. I've tested it on about a dozen programs and it works on most of them. So it's not a sure thing but the program isn't that expensive and it does work for many things. Tenebril can be found on the web, where I bought it. I don't know if their software is carried by most computer stores or not. ... Read more

Reviews (436)

"Haunted Carousel" an entertaning ride.
In "The Haunted Carousel," teenage sleuth Nancy Drew is on her eighth case: investigating amusement park "hauntings" in Captains Cove, NJ. One of the park's famed carousel horses has been stolen, and the carousel has been mysteriously starting and stopping on its own. Also, the park's roller coaster stopped suddenly, causing a rider to injure his neck. With the park shut down, Nancy must interview the employees and explore the park to find clues.

"Haunted Carousel" has some nice improvements over past games: the addition of the "to do" list, journal, and cell phone (no more endless running back and forth to Nancy's hotel to call). If Nancy gets stuck, she can call her friends Bess and George and the Hardy Boys. The game has two levels, Junior and Senior Detective, and there are plenty of built-in tips and hints, including a park operating manual with an overview of most puzzle components. "Haunted Carousel" seemed to be one of the easier ND games.

"Haunted Carousel" really draws the player into the park's atmosphere, complete with hotel room service, arcade games, a ride on the carousel (and chance to grab the brass ring), and more. The storyline flowed smoothly, the puzzles were organic (programming an arcade game, switching roller coaster tracks, repairing the carousel's band organ, reading invisible ink), the voice work was above average and the characters had distinct personalities. Music was pronounced, including carnival music for the carousel and ominous creepy tunes for the haunted house.

Nancy must watch her step as always, since someone wants to stop her from finding out the truth behind the hauntings. Along the way she helps someone come to terms with the past, sniffs out an insurance fraud, and digs up long-lost truths and secrets about the park and its employees. This is a lovely adventure with a unique atmosphere that will delight young sleuths.

Not worth the price compared to others in series
First of all, I would like to point out that the editorial review above is not for Secrets Can Kill. It is for one of the other games in the series, and is therefore a better review than Secrets Can Kill deserves. It may be confusing to see the editorial review for the Tower mystery right under the title for Secrets Can Kill.
I love the Nancy Drew series, and I am a college-educated woman in my thirties. I have played four out of the first five games in the series (I have not played Stay Tuned for Danger). The other games have wonderful graphics and storylines. Talking to the other characters is enjoyable, and the puzzles are challenging enough for an adult when played on the senior detective level. I played Secrets Can Kill on the Master level (there are three levels for this game instead of two), and I found that my nine-year-old son was not challenged by the puzzles. Most of the puzzles are easily solved word puzzles that have clues as to the items to gather or hints about the character's secrets. However, most of the puzzles have nothing to do with the game play itself. There is one slide puzzle that allows you to find an inventory item; otherwise, the puzzles are just there for hints. As mentioned in other reviews, this game has cartoon-like characters rather than the 3D-type characters in the other games, and it really does make the game less interesting. The dialogue is uninteresting and the characters become hostile and barely speak to Nancy through most of the game. Overall, the game requires only a few answered puzzles to solve the mystery, and the ending is disappointing, to say the least. I gave this two stars instead of one, which was my first inclination, because I feel that it might be interesting for a child to play, especially if the child has not had very much experience with adventure games for the computer; however, a child would probably still at least want to play on the senior detective level. I recommend the other Nancy Drew games that I have played to players of any age for a nice, relaxing mystery, and I especially recommend the Haunted Mansion game. I cannot, however, recommend Secrets Can Kill.

Very interesting --- Another good mystery
I thought it was very good, only it was a little too complicated. I liked the usually good graphics (for Nancy Drew games) but I didn't particularly like the way you couldn't easily get around. Really well done ghost dogs, very scary. The mystery was a creepy one, and the villain was certainly unexpected. That's all I'll say. Anymore would spoil it.

My favorite ND game so far!
Treasure in the Royal Tower is one of the best computer games I ever played. This is a great starter Nancy Drew game for starting off because it's not too hard nor too easy. If you want a really easy game try the Haunted Carousel.
The story goes that you, as Nancy Drew, are snowed in at a ski resort in Wisconsin with an interesting history. In this game you learn about the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette.
"So, what's the mystery?" you ask. I'm getting to that.
There is a tower shipped over from France and was put back together on Wickford Castle, the ski resort you are staying at. The library at Wickford has been vandalized, and it takes a lot more than barging through the front door to investigate. Later, you hear about Marie Antoinette having a crown worth millions and somehow you figure that the library and treasure are connected. Your job is to find out the story behind the treasure and library.
This game took me about four days to beat. It's quite challenging in parts, like the ski lift, but you can get through it. It's also a little frightening, like the banging noises, but not too frightening that you never want to play it again, like the Final Scene. All in all, Treasure in the Royal Tower is a great game and everyone should buy it.

Not the Best
I've played all of the Nancy Drew Games (except the Final Scene) and this one was pretty good. It was well-written, but I didn't think it was as interesting as some of the other games. I would reccomend the Haunted Carousel or Treasure in the Royal Tower instead. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Entertaining for the young viever
Our granddaughter asked to watch this nearly everyday. It is a pleasant way for a young child to learn a classic story.

She likes it!
Purchased this for my 5-year old. First try, it was a little difficult, after that she could do it by herself. Has been playing and continues to enjoy the different wands and the different colors and designs that the wands make on each scene. Make sure you try different wands at each scene to decorate. We didn't realize that on the first go around. I recommend for 5-10 year olds! Definitely.

Great Game
I have a five year old that loves this game. She can play with it for hours. She really enjoys it. Many diffent games, that she can do, even though she can't read yet. A must buy for all 4-6 year old girls!!

BEWARE: Great Game...But Watch Out For Copy Protection
My kids love this game, but as it usually happens, the disks get scratched. After unsuccessfully making a backup copy, I sent an email to Videndi's tech support. In a nutshell, sorry you are out of luck....Here is the email and thier response:

Your original question:
----------------------------------------
Customer Submitted Question On: 11/10/2003 6:45AM
Why can I not get a backup copy of "Barbie of Swan Lake" and "Barbie Botique" working. I have three girls using these disks and they end up scratched very quickly. I have tried making a backup of both numerous times, but the program quits after the intro screen. Any ideas on this?

The response to your question:
----------------------------------------
Solution Added On 11/10/2003 8:12AM
Sorry sir this program contain copy protection there is no way to make a backup copy sorry

same reviews three products
Barbie swan lake, My scene and Fashion Boutique all have the exact same customer reviews. Are these actually reviews of each product? I don't think so...what's up? ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

If order is important to your child, Thomas the Tank Engine's world is probably a favorite place. In Thomas and Friends: The Great Festival Adventure, kids enter the tidy world of Thomas and Friends and immediately set about polishing engines, loading boxcars with the right items, and making sure passengers get onto the train in timely, proper fashion. All the while, Sir Topham Hatt encourages kids with phrases such as "I know I can trust you to be really useful." High praise in this place where practicality is paramount.

This CD-ROM could win an award for cinematography--the "camera" tracks, zooms, and swoops through the activities. Thomas, Percy, and everyone's favorites, the Troublesome Trucks, move about the Island of Sodor preparing for the upcoming festival. The seven activities are either of the counting/sorting/pattern-recognition variety or ones that work on basic hand-eye coordination and mouse control. Kids can go to the engine shed to polish, oil, and wrench the engines into prime working condition; unload Bulstrode the Barge and fit the packages into the boxcar with the matching label; or help round up cows that escaped from a farmer's pen. Each task has only three levels of difficulty, and they can be completed quickly by a kid with some computer savvy or an older child. Between these chores are short vignettes involving Thomas and his friends, making this CD-ROM feel familiar to fans of the television show.

While the age range for this program is "2 and up," don't assume that it'll keep your 5-year-old busy for very long. But if you have a helpful 3-year-old who needs to learn how to mouse and count, Thomas and Friends can put your child on the right track. --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (9)

All aboard for fun with Thomas
In The Great Festival Adventure,Ride around the island of Sodor with Thomas, and his friends to get ready for the festival.There are seven games:One at the Shed,one at the Quarry,one at the Harbor,one in the Field,one at the Station,one at the Fair Ground,and one at the Band Stand at the Fair Ground. In the Shed, you'll help Thomas get cleaned up before he goes out to help his friends.

In the Quarry,there has been a rockslide and you have to fly Harrold over the rocks,pick them up put them in the right trucks for James to tow away.

At the Station,Annie and Clarabelle need your help to figure out which passengers go and which stay.

At the Harbor,Well the Harbor game is pretty much the same as the Quarry game.

At the Fair Ground,help Harrold put together stalls and rides.

At the Field, help Terrence chase cows into their pen.

And at the Band Stand,listen to music and make music with the musicians.

Tip:Skip around after you complete the game.

I loved theis game.It was alot of fun.If you like Thomas get this game now!

Wonderful graphics, great audio
I bought this software when my son was around 18mnths old. He is a total Thomas fan so he is always asking to play it. He loves to sit and watch Thomas and his friends travel around the island of sodor. He is currently 2yrs old and wants to play it every day. It really is a great piece to have my only complaint would be that he is now starting to get bored with the activities. It doesn't allow children who can not use the mouse to interact with it's games , which is important to keep them content. It also doesn't give you much else to do once you've mastered the five step program. It's the pictures, sound and graphics that keeps them coming back not the content and tools to learning. I would still recommend it don't be too disappointed. It would be nice if they came out with a game that the children could actually drive the train and interact with it choosing what destination to go to as well as being able to stop, start, pull forward and back up the train. something to think about.

good graphics, poor entertainment value
While there are some stunning sequences of Thomas & Friends zooming around the island, the interactive sections of this offering do not really cut it.

To begin with, they are mouse intensive, so a toddler who has not yet mastered the mouse will be left watching an adult manipulate the elements involved. Secondly, they are not all that inventive, and some of them downright illogical - when you are presented with a platform full of passengers to load on a train, why should you only be getting the number suggested by the game on board? My son keeps asking me "what about the others" - they just magically disappear off the platform.

Other activities in the game seem a little contrived - clicking on band members and trains simply to hear them make a sound grows old pretty fast, especially when it's done only by moving a mouse. If there had been a "hit a key, see who plays" feature, it would have been a little more enjoyable. Likewise the intitial section where you prepare the engines in the engine shed - putting a drop of oil on a yellow dot, then tightening an imaginary bolt on a yellow dot, then putting coal on a yellow dot - all a little tame.

For real entertainment value I would recommend Reader Rabbit's toddler, which is 100 percent "keyboardable" and offers challenges that can keep a toddler interested for quite some time.

A final word of warning: the game claims to be able to run on a 133Mhz or better PC with 2Mb of video Ram. there is no way that would happen, at least not to the enjoyment of anyone with the patience and attention span of a two year old. The game is slow and clunky, even on a 233Mhz it drags and the sound struggles.

Beautiful graphics but limited
This software was put together beautifully. The graphics are top notch as is the audio. My 3 year old enjoyed this software for the 8-10 times he played it. It would have been nice to have different levels that the kids could progress to instead of the same game and the same 3 trains in the car wash and other games over and over again. This software is fun and it is part of our library so that we can pull it out every few weeks. I would have preferred something that held his interest for a longer period of time. A nice touch is the ability to print out pictures of the trains either in color or black and white for your kids to color. This part continues to be a hit. Despite my reservations regarding different levels, I still recommend this software.

Outstanding graphics & sound, a bit light in gameplay
Thomas, his friends, and the island of Sodor look absolutely fantastic in this game's high quality 3-D graphics. The stereo sound effects are also top-notch. (In fact, graphics and sound are probably much better than they really needed to be for a preschool-age game!) On the downside, the game itself is a bit lacking in terms of things to do, especially for older preschoolers. The activities range from the super-easy (i.e. click on the sponge and then wipe the dirt off Thomas) to the mildly challenging (i.e. put the large rock in the large freight car, the medium-sized rock in the medium-sized car, etc). There aren't a lot of activities, and they don't change with repeated playings. It's probably a great game for kids brand new to the computer and/or for Thomas fans, but more experienced computer-kids will lose interest after a couple of rounds. ... Read more

Features

• Teaches essentials skills like arithmetic and logic
• 11 engaging activities and 3 unique adventures
• 3 levels of play automatically adjust to child¿s progress
• Starring popular characters and voices from hit TV show
• Automatic help allows for independent play; for ages 3 and up

Features

• Multiplayer mode included – replay a course with other players
• Compete on 14 different and unique courses
• Ride through 6 different landscapes
• Integrated adventure mode allows you to play through the game while trying to solve a mystery
• Customize your horse with your favorite features

Reviews (6)

Four
I think this game is really great, the graphics are good, but the grooming! every time you go to a show, you get a new horse to look after them on top of your other horses. Also some horses are better than others, for example, the best ones are the palimino, the dark grey (these are the last two horses you get ) and Eclair. The challenges are really tricky and I still havent worked out the wheel one and ive had it for a year!

Fun Fun Fun
This is a really cool game even for me and I'm 16! Yea Its sad I know but I wanted a good horse game, I beat the Barbie Riding Game in less than an hour. So I was happy when I still haven't been Saddle Up and ive had it for almost a month!

The grooming can be really annoying after a while but its alot like real life. Picking there feet takes like 15 mintues the first time. The challanges are HARD! I still haven't figured out the wheel challange and its making me very mad!! But I still love it!

Great Game for Horse Fans Like Me!!!
I love this game. It is fun as well as challenging. The part I don't like about it ,though is the grooming.

It takes like an hour just to pick a hoof, and you keep getting more horses to groom throughout the game! You have to ride and care for each and every horse, even if they don't belong to you! In some competitions, you have to ride you're "friends'" horses instead of your own. (Your horses are a lot better at pacing themselves in the challenges.) I also don't like how you can only save the game in your room. But worst of all, is how much grooming is involved EVERY DAY!!! Hose down the horse, brush him, pick his HOOF (not hooves, thank goodness), shoe him, AND clean his stall and take him to the pasture! All of that is involved before you can go riding!

BUT, I loved the graphics. The only problem is if you wander off course, your horse falls into a white area. It is a great game, though. And the courses and competitions are a ton of fun! The challenges are REALLY CHALLENGING. It takes a while to figure them out, but its fun while doing it. This is an awesome game for horse fans like me. This game shows what its like to own a horse. I think it should be ages 11 and up!

Neigh!!!
This game is a really great game, and I play it as often as I can. It can be a bit confusing when first starting out, but I soon got the hang of it. It's really fun, and there are lots of things to do in this game. It's a great game if you don't want to be riding all the time. I'm horse-crazy and I'm very focused on the quality of the graphics, and although they aren't the greatest, they're definitley better than alot of horse games. And the best part is, there's no dressage!

WOW
i am 15 years old and i am crazy for horses! This game is GREAT and it really teachs you about horses and you get to do compitions and the software works perfectly fine for me.The jumping courses are fun, and controlling the horse is easy.But you need practice and soon you get it.I recommened this game to anyhorse lover and its great fun. the game is well designed and really really fun :) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

blast the math blaster
I would like to warn parents and educators of this product. In my opinion, not only was the software poorly designed and difficult to follow; the content was offensive. For example, when my daughter and I were going through the game together, there was a section where it is necessary to type in the answers to some math facts. It is not clearly presented how you are supposed to even enter the answers, so it took us awhile to figure it all out. The program then answered with a sinister laugh, "My grandma could answer those better, AND SHE'S OLD". There were several more extremely offensive statements. After turning off the game, my daughter announced that she wanted to blast the math blaster game. I agree.

Great tool for reinforcing math skills!
My daughter, age 8, has been using Math Blaster (8-9) in her third grade class since the beginning of the year, 2002-2003. She loves it! Her grades on math, which were her weakess subject, have exceeded my expectations. This product reinforces math techniques learned in class; which provide her a better understanding of the concepts. Word problems have been her worst area, but by the second nine weeks and now, just finishing the third nine weeks, her teacher is most impressed with her improvement. My daughter enjoys it so much, that she wants a copy of her own at home, which is why I am purchasing it today. This way, over the summer, she won't lose skills she's learned throughout the third grade. This program was highly recommended by her third grade teacher and is utilizied in all third and fourth grade levels at our school. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Toddlers ages 1 to 3 experience the joy of learning with Reader Rabbit and friends. From hide-and-seek to peek-a-boo games or playing with onscreen blocks, drawing crayons, and more, this title's delightful characters come to life onscreen and create an enchanting learning environment for toddlers. No mouse clicking or other computer skills are required; toddlers strike any key to move the activities along. Plus, a new Dreamship activity filled with funny sounds and silly animations promises to amuse even the tiniest of tots.

Reader Rabbit Toddler 2002 is part of the award-winning Reader Rabbit children's educational software series. Toddlers discover a world of fun characters, interesting shapes, and colorful graphics in the CD-ROM's 20 interactive play areas. They'll also delight in this title's memorable sing-along tunes and fun printable activities.

To ensure that you're never without Reader Rabbit, Reader Rabbit Toddler 2002 comes with a special bonus CD-ROM, Reader Rabbit's Dreamship Tales. Bursting with added activities, videos, tunes, and more than 100 printable games and activities, it's a great way to keep the fun going after you've turned off the computer. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

No regrets on this purchase!
I bought this software based on others' reviews here. What a great buy! Our son turned 2 last month. We have an old iMac we gave him, and we thought we'd buy him Reader Rabbit to introduce him to computer use since he's taken an unhealthy interest in ours. The software installed easily, and by default makes itself start up when the computer turns on to save children from having to navigate program menus. The first time we sat our son in front of it he laughed and squealed and couldn't get enough of it. Since the software can be operated without a keyboard, we removed it (he was banging on it pretty hard), and he just navigates his way through everything with just the mouse. His favorite games are the Bubble Castle and the Fingerplay Theatre. Our son is behind in his language skills, and at the end of the first day (thanks to bubble castle) he could count to five! The best part though is the overwhelming cuteness of Fingerplay Theatre. He clicks a song, such as Twinkle-twinkle, and follows the rabbit's hand motions on the screen and then goes wild at the end clapping his hands and screaming YAY. I really could go on and on here, but let me summarize by saying after one week of Reader Rabbit, he knows more about colors, counting, alphabet and songs than he's learned in months of baby einstein videos. Best twenty bucks I've ever spent. Two technical shortcomings, but I'm reaching: There should be a "sleep" mode when he walks away from it and leaves it on, and possibly a way to disable the exit star (he sometimes clicks it by accident and inadvertently leaves the program).

Best toddler software I've found
We've tried Pooh Toddler, Little Bear, JumpStart and a handful of other toddler geared software and Reader Rabbit has been the favorite of both myself and my son. It's easy to skip the intros (which are short anyway) and get straight to the game; it works for a wide range of toddler skills; and it has activities appropriate to a toddler's attention span, namely short and colorful without being overly abrasive. Some of the games have more of a point than others ("can you find three matching animals?" vs. "pick a song!") but they can all be triggered by 1) point and click 2) mouse over or 3) random key pounding. This has been great for my son (who didn't get the whole mouse thing until he was 2 1/2) and means that no game is too advanced to key pound your way through. There are about eight different games on the main disc; you can pick a song to sing, match animal babies to their parents, place shapes to complete a picture, and match letter sounds to pictures -- among other things. I really like that a lot of the short tasks are rewarded with a *short* song and animation piece -- not great art, but not annoying, either. And my son loves them.

I will warn that the alphabet and the shape game can be frustrating if they accidently pick up a letter/shape on mouse over because it then has to be placed with the mouse -- random key pounding won't unstick it. Also, my son was prone to accidently bringing up the menu through key pounding and I'd have to come and fix it.

Finally, I've had the old and new versions of RR Toddler; the new one has a second disc which my son had zero interest in. On the main disc there are a few asthetic changes and a dreamship game in a completely different section, which my son loves but which has no real education value and is a little harder to access. On the good side, the new Reader Rabbit *seems* to run just fine on Mac OS X so I don't have to run 9 to get it to work. Hooray! (BTW, Little Bear Toddler has the same point and click/mouse over/random keys function, but I don't think it's as fun. The games that *require* mouse skills in toddlers have gotten shoved in the closet.)

The BEST first software program
After trying several different software programs for toddlers (including JumpStart Toddlers), I really believe this is the only way to go for the first program. The games are controlled by keyboard and mouse, so children who don't yet understand mouse movement can make the game work. When using the mouse, simply rolling over the correct part of the screen will activate the game. There are a variety of games that will improve computer skills gradually. Even after learning to point, click, and drag, my son still loves this game. My only complaint about the game is that I wish the star "button" which takes you back to the main menu is at the bottom right corner of the screen and too close to other pieces on many games. The fact that you only have to pause over the star, not click it, to return to the main menu meant that, until his mouse skills improved, my son was constantly accidently exiting a game in progress. I'd move the star to the upper right or left corner. But that is my only complaint. This is a fantastic product.

Reader Rabbit Toddler
After a bit of research, we bought this as the first computer software for our 1 year old daughter, and she just loves it. It keeps her occupied and laughing for long periods. First she was fascinated by the keyboard banging and the reactions she could cause. By 16 months she had mastered the concepts of mouse clicking and dragging objects and moving around. By 20 months she was an expert in all the games, starts and stops the program herself, and navigates to where she wants to play. This program is also educational as well as fun. She learned her numbers, colors, shapes, animal sounds, songs in large part through this software. While she is now 22 months and has moved on to a bit more advanced programs, she still goes back and enjoys playing these games quite frequently. This was a most excellent purchase. It was a very positive experience for her, not much frustration, in fact she kept pushing us away when we tried to help and show her things, she wanted to figure them out on her own. The computer has easily become her favorite toy, and the family has to fight with her just to get time of their own. I recommend this without hesitation, it is better by far than anything else I've seen for a baby/toddler starter program.

Too easy!
We bought this game for our 2-1/2 yr old last week and found that the games are too simple, the long instructions are annoying and can't be turned off, and you can't operate it without the CD. All the games are very easy, more geared towards 1-1/2 to 2 yr olds. Activities include matching letters, popping bubbles, matching animals. Although they are good for teaching mouse control, they are not intellectually challenging and our daughter is already bored with them. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

From island adventures to arcade-style games, there are tons of activities waiting here for the dinosaur fan in your house.The latest version of this long-popular program has much improved graphics and animations. The creatures really do come back to life, and since it covers the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods, that includes a lot of creatures!

The guide through the different games is Rolf, a young dino who's the only "cutesy" character in the whole program. To help him find his buddy Pterrance, build a maze with different puzzle pieces--it's a great spatial abilities builder. After that, kids can pick from matching games, platform-style skill games, fossil-assembling puzzles, or just plain exploring.

The 3-D videos are great--exciting and lively without being too scary for the little ones. And with so much information, you'll soon be learning the detailed differences between herbivores and oviraptors just to keep up with your kindergartner! --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (48)

A must have for ANY dinoboy/girl
My 4 year old son and 6 year old daughter have played this game over and over and over and over and... It is my sons favorite computer game.
He started playing this when he was 3, with a little parental help, but can now go at it alone.
A earthquake has causes all the eggs on dino island to get lost.
You need to help Rolf find all the eggs. Oh, there's a small problem, a T-Rex is on the loose too, and Rolf needs to hatch these dino eggs so the babies can help him defeat the T-Rex.
Travel around the island to the different periods, Triassic, Cretaceous, Jurassic, and help him complete puzzles and games to earn hatching crystals. Keep your eyes open for hidden eggs along the way. Answer questions to reveal the eggs.
When you find and hatch all the eggs, you can then beat the T-Rex!
Games include Connect-A-Cave (logic puzzle), Bone Builder (build a dinosaur out of bones), and Scrambled Eggs (matching), and more.
The game automatically levels up for each individual puzzle as the child progresses. You can also easily decrease or increase the level of play manually, allowing ages 3-8 to play.
Click on dinosaur and other items to learn important facts that help you learn and progress in the game.
The game is non-violent. The T-Rex pops up and growls every now and then, but that's the extent anything "scary." There is NO BLOOD SHED.
I can not go on enough about how great this game is. It is educational and fun! A definite must for your dinosaur fan! Of all the computer games we have, this one get the most use, and was clearly the best buy!

Our best software purchase to date!
I am constantly looking for quality software for a 3 year old and this is AMAZING! My son can play almost every game on level one and when his 6 year old cousin comes to vist he plays the games on level 3. We love to play the games, collect the crystals and hatch the eggs ... we take turns guessing what kind of baby dino we are going to hatch! There is even a cinima section where your child can just click on pics of Dinosaurs and hear info on them. As if all of this were not enough it revolves around a volcano that erupts lava ... we all know any true dino game should include a volcano!!! One more plus is that a 3 year old can play this with littel or no help from a parent ... I use it when making dinner. I am unable to do this with any of the big name pre-school software. I am so pleased with this purchase! Buy this ... you will love it!

Missng some of the old stuff.
I always enjoyed this game. I had the original, (MS-DOS Based Version. It had some great games in it, such as "Save the Dinosaurs!, in which you were given a time limit in which to save 15 Dinosaurs, from 3 different time periods, before a Giant comet hit the earth, making it impossible for dinosaurs ot stay alive. There was also an encyclopedia area, in which you could look up the various dinosaur facts. There was an puzzle where you had to guess which Dino you were looking at. And another one, where you had to work out the answer to the question, "Which reptile is this a part of?", where it showed you a Dinosaur, and some pictures of dinosaur parts. There were many more

A windows 95/98 based version of this game came out, that was exactly the same, exept that it needs Windows, and won't run on MS-DOS. This one that I have now, is more animated than the original, and does not have my favourite puzzles. I preferred the original version, because it gave facts in a more realistic way. Kids aged 4-8 may like the latest version, but the original, though much scarier for that age group, is still the best.

Is there a new game out, that has all the features mentioned above? It doesn't have to be from Knowledge Adventure.

Other than that, it's cool.

Fun, educational, probably ok on XP
This game was written for Windows 95 and slighly updated for Windows 98. I installed it under Windows 2000 (recent version of DirectX) with excellent results, so I'd expect it would be fine under XP.

Some of the images are dark and muddy, but overall it's a fun game with some reasonable educational content. We haven't run into any major bugs, and it doesn't demand much in the way of drive space or CPU/video performance.

It appears to be out of "print", in fact I think the entire Knowledge Adventure line is probably in limbo. A real shame, it's hard to find good software like this any more. Not only are there no equivalent "modern" competitors, if they existed they'd be very demanding of machine resources.

I've not tested the Mac version.

Kids love this game
My kids have had this software for a couple of years, and they keep going back to it. Of all the computer software I have bought (and there have been many!!) this game has the most lasting power. And the nice thing is that it keeps the interest of both my 8 year old AND my 6 year old. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

"Not too long ago, Zoombinis enjoyed the good life. Though they alllooked slightly different--different eyes, noses, hair, feet--such differencesmeant nothing to the Zoombinis. And so they lived happily on Zoombini Isle,making small, useful products, which were prized the world over." So begins anunsuspectingly addictive CD-ROM, featuring uncommonly fun reasoning games thatrequire serious problem solving and math-thinking work. Yet the perils that facethis cheerful society are not as fearsome as the amount of time you'llpotentially spend on this pursuit. Beware the chubby, chattering Zoombinis ifyou don't want to get hooked to your computer for at least 90 minutes asession!

Adored by educators and parents alike, Zoombinis Logical Journeychallenges children to employ such basic fundamentals of mathematical thinkingas organizing information, reasoning of evidence, finding and making patterns,and systematic testing of hypotheses. The journey follows four puzzle-filledtrails, each exploring related mathematical ideas. The fundamental data andvariables for all this work are the variations in the Zoombinis' features. Their"feet," for example, can be shoes, skates, whirligigs, or coiled springs (thesound effects for these items are particularly great), while their "eyes" may beheavily lidded, enhanced by eyeglasses, blocked by dark shades, or limited tojust a single eyeball. Sorting and arranging these variables in order to solvepuzzles requires concentrated effort from the players, and the game rewards themwell with inventive scenarios that evolve in fabulously curious ways as skillsare gained. This may not sound like much, but when Arno the Pizza-Eating TreeTroll, who has been yammering for the perfectly topped pizza his entirelifetime, suddenly demands a perfectly topped ice cream sundae, too, it is astaggering, giddy surprise.

The product is full of so many little joys, it's hard to demand improvements.Still, it'd be a great thing if version 2 would feature something other than themonotonous, ping-ping-ping soundtrack that's featured here. But that's minor. Inthe end, the creators' promise that this CD-ROM will "encourage kids to developa lifetime habit of associating fun with learning" is dead-on. (Ages 9 andolder) --Jean Lenihan ... Read more

Reviews (65)

Love, love, love this game...
I was introduced to this game while helping out in an elementary school computer class (yeah, I'm technically a grown-up). It's an engaging way to teach logic skills, and the puzzles are a lot of fun. I agree that there are a LOT of Zoombinis to save (the purpose of the game)and that once you've mastered the higher levels it's a bit tedious to keep playing the harder versions of the puzzles, especially if there are any you don't like to begin with.

On the other hand, this game is wonderful for a variety of age groups (some of the younger kids may need some help figuring out the logic behind the puzzles), for different ethnicities (the Zoombinis are blue), and genders (most of the characters are somewhat ambiguous on gender, and the Zoombinis are all equal). I've seen it played solo, and in groups, with equally enjoyable results. And there are a number of resources available for educators, parents, etc. to help your kids make meaning from the games they are playing.

All in all, this is a must for any elementary/middle school computer educator, and a highly recommended for parents who want their kids to use computers as a tool as well as a toy.

One of the best logic games, all in a fun package
I'm a 13-year-old boy, I loved Zoombinis ever since it came out about 7 years ago, and I still love it now. Zoombinis is a great education game, it teaches logic and mathematical skills essential to learn, and also lets children (and adults) have fun while doing it.

Zoombinis is set apart from so many other logic games by adding characters that are enjoyable and funny to a 2nd grader, while not being so annoying or childish that a 7th grader cannot enjoy or laugh at them as well.

Another way Zoombinis excels is in the way it adjusts to the user's ability. The game will start out easy and teach more simplistic concepts, and after the user is comfortable with that, it will move on to more complex problems.

A nice thing about this game is that it will encourage someone to learn and keep going. It can all happen because the game is both educational and fun, and the child will get a sort of self-satisfaction when they accomplish something. Whenever a puzzle is completed, the user gets a little bit closer to the goal of saving all the Zoombinis, and this gives them something to work for.

Zoombinis consists of 12 different puzzles for the user to go thru, and one of the factors that have made it so successful is how it makes the user actually think. Instead of letting you just guess the answers, Zoombinis has you think about why a certain answer does or doesn't work, then lets you come up with some sort of practical method to solve such problems, which can later be applied to more advanced levels of education (I am currently taking geometry, and I still use many of the methods I learned here to help me solve problems).

In all, Zoombinis is one of the most valuable and fun game (educational or not) that I have ever used. It is a great product, and I would certainly recommend it.

Nice Game, but just a little hard
I got this game with a multipack and it rocks!!! But just kind of a little hard but I like it.

My kids loved it!
Not only fun but a great logic builder! The best peice of software I've bought for my kids!

What a great surprise!
We love this game! When I was searching for new games for my girls, 8 & 11, I came across this game, but made the mistake of not ordering it. One day, my daughter came home from her computer class and raved about this game - I ordered the Logical Journey and Mountain Rescue...I am so glad that I did. My 8 year old and I enjoy playing Logical Journey together - its a little more basic and easier for her to understand. My older daughter prefers the Mountain Rescue - the graphics are a little more advanced and she enjoys the games more. I would recommend these games to anyone looking for fun, safe, and mentally challenging entertainment! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

A diaper-clad rhinoceros, a troupe of Incredible Performing Hamsters,and a mambo-dancing moose are just a handful of the many light-hearted elementsthat make Reader Rabbit: Learn to Read with Phonics an engrossingearly-reading program that puts some much needed fun in phonics.

The program starts with Mat the Mouse singing a complaining song because shecan't read well enough to take full advantage of the carnival she wants toattend. This alone is a stroke of genius: it's easier for kids to relate to poorconfused Mat than some know-it-all character who already knows how to read (thatwould be Reader Rabbit, but he serves a purpose as Mat's guide). When her wishfor "no more words to read" comes true, Mat realizes a world with no wordssimply won't work, and sets out on a journey to decode a message that will allowher to make a counterwish and get words back.

The occasionally flat animation is remedied by the volume and variety ofearly-reading activities. Two approaches to the program help customize it to yourchild's learning style: Road to Reading is the more structured approach, wherekids lead Mat on a path to 26 different lands associated with each letter of thealphabet, and help decode her counterwish. Pick and Play is a nonstructuredmethod of exploring the program that allows kids to directly access the variousactivities found along the alphabet path. Word Factory is another programelement that has nothing to do with Mat's quest, but introduces four moreword-building and memorization activities to an already brimming program.

Designers paid attention to details that are important for learning: charactersmeticulously pronounce words and sound out letters in clear children's voices.Each activity can be played on five different levels, and kids can check theirprogress and print study words. The program introduces sight words formemorization as well as words that must be constructed by sounding out. Some ofthe virtual books in this program are more entertaining and engaging than actualphonics texts we've seen. Even the Parent's Guide information was useful, andtaught us a thing or two about how kids learn to read. Perhaps most importantly,this CD-ROM's clever wordplay and constant comedic surprises will keep kidsinterested as they develop the nuts-and-bolts skills that will lead to alifetime of enthusiastic reading. (Ages 3 to 6) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Learning to Read with Reader Rabbit
I ordered this software for my almost 4 year old who loved the Reader Rabbit Toddler software, but had outgrown it. To get the most out of it, your child should have the ability to hold and click a mouse, and should already have basic recognition of capital and lower-case letters. The lowest level is perfect for my child but would have been too difficult at ages 3 - 3 1/2. The software teaches both letter and word recognition as well as phonics. The games are cute and when your child gets tired of learning to read there are fun songs and graphics to listen to with "reading propaganda" lyrics about how fun and important it is to learn to read.

The best reading and phonics game
I own several phonics and reading games, and there's no doubt in my mind that the Reader Rabbit games are head and shoulders above the rest. The three main reading games: Learn to Read with Phonics, I Can Read With Phonics (also called Reading 6-9) and Reading 4-6 are absolutely a must for kids learning to read. No matter who the child is, if there's the ability to read in him/her, these games will get it out!

Learn to Read with Phonics is fantastic in that it such an incredible amount of stuff to do. Every letter has a land, and the child explores each land by going through phonics drills and reading two books. The books and the drills are divided into 5 levels, and each land requires finishing some phonics practice before the child can move on to the next. Alternatively, the parents can also elect to go to each land or each activity if they choose, so there is great flexibility here. Every word in the books is individually clickable, so the child can be certain to learn how to say each word. The drills are not particularly demanding, so even if the child doesn't know much, as long as he goes through the drills he can move on to the next level. He is not stuck there until he gets it all right, but even this can be adjusted by the parent.

Learn to Read with Phonics is a game, but not in the normal sense. There's phonics drilling here, meaning that this is actually glorified homework. If you just let your child do it on his own, he will do it for a while, like my 5 year old son did, but he will probably get tired of it after a few hours and will not go through the entire journey. (Girls are probably better at this than boys.) I got the games to homeschool my kid. I require that he finishes 5 letterland a day, and I make sure that reads out each letter in the books by individually clicking on them. This takes him an hour (longer when he gets to the end of the journey when the levels get harder and the books get longer.) When he's done, I let him have a small bag of chips. He seems to find the deal acceptable. When he is all the way through, I make him start from the beginning again.

Repetition isn't necessarily fun, but that's how people learn. I find the computer invaluable at teaching little kids. At their stage, there's more repetition than anything else, and as a formal college teacher, I don't look forward to teaching little kids stuff to my kids. The computer is perfect for the job because it never gets bored, tired, impatient, or a sore throat from saying "See Jane run" too many times.

The difference between Learn to Read with Phonics and I Can Read with Phonics is their levels: one is for ages 4-6, and the other one is for 6-9, but the age group is really arbitrary. If your child has trouble reading, he/she can benefit from both CDs. They are two totally different games, and together with Reader Rabbit Reading 4-6, which is still a different reading game, makes a perfect package as a computer reading teacher.

I highly recommend this product to anyone.

Note: another reviewer here says that this game may not run on XP. Not true. I have XP and all three Reader Rabbit reading games run just fine on it.

It doesn't work with w2k
I'm an A+ network Engineer. This sw doesn't work with w2k, and probably not with xp. I spent hours on their website and am still searching the web for a fix, no luck. Consider this before you buy from this company.

Road to reading is superb.
Once my daughter strated on Road to Reading, she was not ready to stop. After coming back from the daycare, she would play it for at least two hours everyday. She reached the end of the road after 5 days and what a sense of achievement she had. She did learn quite a bit while playing this game.

Recomend this program for pre-schoolers
Excellent program for children who know their letters and are begining to understand the sounds those letters make. Parental assistance needed to get started, then child is able to run with program. Great progress reports, show which words the child needs help with. Used these to make "drill cards" on index cards for long rides, to practice difficult words, and "sight" words, which the progress reports separate out from words that can be sounded out. Program matches childs ability. Highly recomend as a tool to assist a child to learn to read. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Don your tiara and pick up your wand, for only true, good princesses can enter the enchanted world of Barbie as Rapunzel.

Rapunzel and Prince Stefan have organised a masked ball, but they didn't invite the local wicked witch, Gothel. When Gothel finds out, she is furious and promptly casts an evil spell over the castle and its inhabitants. The prince is turned to stone, the jewels from his crown are scattered around, and the enchanted castle is immersed in darkness. When Rapunzel and her trusty purple--and very cute--dragon friend enter the doomed castle, they are challenged by the witch to find the jewels in order to rescue the prince and restore the castle to its former glory.

One of the most magical, creative packages on the market, this interactive adventure really is superlative. The graphics are fantastic and pixels do not stick between screens. The movement is fluid and controlled and the sound is excellent.

This package also develops basic PC skills, creativity, and imagination, and encourages colour recognition, shape matching, hand-to-eye coordination, and cause-and-effect recognition skills. The accompanying music completes the magical experience.

Barbie as Rapunzel is accompanied by a clear, comprehensive instruction booklet that should probably be read by a parent before commencing. That said, instructions are given throughout the quest in a clear, slow voice and objects flash onscreen to reinforce the message. The help section can also be accessed at any time. The manufacturer recommends this package for children ages 5 and older, and though help may be required to begin with, a computer-literate 5- or 6-year-old will soon get the hang of things and be able to play alone. All in all, a superb package that kids, Barbie fans or not, will just love. --Susan Naylor, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Reviews (26)

very entertaining and worth the money
I bought this software for my 5-year old daughter for Christmas. She and her twin sister, along with their 4-year old sister, LOVE this game!!! They love everything about it, from the theme song at the beginning, to finding Prince Stefan in the maze at the end. I will admit, it's not super educational, but it does keep them entertained and it's nice to have a "fun" game once in awhile that doesn't require them to think too hard! It's also nice because they can leave the game midway, and return back to where they left off by clicking on their name. The names can also be deleted so that they can start a fresh game. They can restore the castle over and over again and have it be different every time. I think it was totally worth the money.

A fun game for younger Barbie fans
My three year old adores this game. The game only takes 2-3 hours to complete in one sitting, but my child has played it over and over, and still loves it. The box recommends this game for ages 5 and older, but my daughter can play this game by herself with ease, except for the maze (which is fairly easy, but she needs help working the arrow keys). This game is mostly a "paint" type game, where you decorate different rooms in a castle in order to save Prince Stephan and the castle. You paint and place different decorations about the castle, as well as "build" a planter and a mosaic tile. The game and the decorations are quite cute, and easy for young Barbie fans to do independently. I feel it does have some educational value as well, in that my daughter seems to have improved her mouse skills from playing this game, has grasped concepts like clicking a "done" button when she has completed a task, and seems to have become better at listening to directions. My one and only complaint is that I wish there had been just a couple more rooms in the castle to decorate. Still, for a fairly short game, it has lots of replay value in it, and the length is just right for a young attention span. I would recommend this game to people with young children who are Barbie fans, especially if their kids aren't quite ready for the more advanced thinking that games geared for older kids have. Don't get me wrong, I think older Barbie fans will like this game, too, if they want to play a game that mostly centered on decorating. I've had problems finding games that my daughter can play independently at her age, plus she's a huge Barbie fan, so this game was perfect for us.

Awesome computer game for a 5 year old
Just bought this for my daughter she loved it so much she played the game twice in a row.
She loved decorating the castle and saving the Prince.
Don't hesitate to buy this Barbie game she'll love it too

Rich and great for ADD girls
I bought this very rich program for my bright 4 year-old who has significant problems with patience and focus/attention. She likes the video very much. This video has been very helpful in rewarding her for working patiently and methodically. At the same time it is great for teaching shapes, use of color, and fine motor control.

Definitely enjoyed!
This was a gift for my 6 yr old daughter. She is a big Barbie fan as well as loves to use the computer. She is still enjoying this game. She completed it in a few hours which worried me at first, but she loves to do it over and over again. The music is enjoyable and the colors are vibrant. It seems to be very user friendly also....my daughter has not really needed my help to use it once she started it the first time. ... Read more

Features

• Grade-based software that covers essential kindergarten skills
• Combines an exciting world of fun and lively games with lovable characters
• Teaches math, literacy, thinking, and creative skills
• 3 difficulty levels to choose from; play as either the boy or girl character
• For kids ages 4 to 6

Amazon.com Review

The Tonka Dig'n Rigs Playset is one of those very rare products thatreally does educate and entertain on a parallel level. As much toy as it is apiece of software, the digger controls (steering wheel, ignition key, horn, andthree control levers) will amuse little hands for hours, while the CD-ROM worksby presenting children with a number of "jobs" or activities, and getting themto complete tasks and interact with the onscreen action. This not onlyencourages youngsters to react to instructions, but also enhances hand-to-eyecoordination and fosters an understanding of cause and effect.

It is also a superb way of introducing youngsters to the PC and keyboard. Chunky, imaginative, and, more importantly, possessing ultimate play appeal forchildren (what child ever tires of pushing buttons, turning wheels, and pullingand pushing levers?), it is a fantastic way of refining gross motor skills tothe finer level required for mice and keys.

But probably the best thing about this set, from a parental point of view, isits ease of installation and portability. Just place it over the keyboard and itslots into place. A belt then straps around the keyboard to hold it in placewhen your toddler inevitably gets excited. And, when it becomes the favorite toyof the moment, it is easy to pop in a bag and take to Grandma's (whether she hasa PC or not!). It is a superb toy and developmental aid that kids will love andparents will feel good about. --Lucie Naylor ... Read more

Reviews (83)

Great Game for Kids
My son is almost 3 1/2 and he loves this toy. We had to return the first one because when you turned the wheel to the right the button that touches the keyboard didn't come down far enough but it was exchanged without a problem. Overall it's pretty sturdy, has some great games and is very easy to use. It teaches directional words like up/down, left/right, etc. and colors and really is a lot of fun. The only problem is trying to limit his time using it because he likes it so much. My 20 month old like it too even though he doesn't understand it he can "drive" the truck when it's on an open road. I'm sure this will get easier for him in no time as well.

A real pleaser for your little trucker
My almost 5 year old has loved this since he was 3. The controls are easy to use, and as long as you tighten the strap attached to the controller base securely to the keyboard,it remains in place with no problems. My son just loves tonka Joe and he still sings to the theme song every time it comes on. He especially likes being able to choose which truck he's going to drive each time, whether it's the excavator, dump truck or one of the others. We did have a little problem with the disc being scratched after the first year of play, but you can just go to the infrogrames website download their address, send in a check for a nominal amount for a replacement disc and within 2 weeks he was back to truckin'. Or you could just make a copy of the original disc as a back up before you begin play, which is what we did after receiving the replacement disc. I can't wait from my next little one to have lots of fun with this game as well!

One of the best PC games for little kids!
We bought this game for my son when he was 3 1/2 years old. He'll be 6 next month, and he still loves to play it. You must have a desktop PC with keyboard...can't play it on a laptop. Once you clip the dashboard onto the keyboard, Tonka Joe is ready to go! My son could play this for hours if we didn't limit his computer time so that he'll do other things rather than just sit in front of the computer. I can't say enough good things about this PC game. Little boys (and girls!) will absolutely love it! Very, very durable!!

Dig a hole and bury it
Not 5 minutes after setting this up for my son, the control lever inside the steering compartment broke. On receiving a replacement, it broke as well. I have a very heart-broken 4 year old.

The best toy ever!
My son who is 2.5 loves this game, and it is excellent in developing hand and eye coordination. He also has learn skills that involve left and right movement! Far better than watching TeleTubbies. ... Read more

Features

• First adventure-style Thomas and Friends computer game follows video & book format
• Chapter-based play lets kids play at their own pace
• Explore 11 locations around the Island of Sodor
• New storyline starring beloved Thomas and Friends characters
• Gameplay encourages critical thinking and fosters listening and memory skills

Reviews (8)

Don't use this if you have a Windows 98 computer!
This software crashes upon startup on my Windows 98 computer. Though not a computer expert, I think it has something to do with requiring video drivers that aren't compatible with Windows 98; that is, drivers only available for newer versions of Windows.

After spending four hours trying to get the compatible drivers onto my computer, my display was so destroyed that I had to restore back to a previous version of the operating system to make it work again.

The other Atari Thomas games have worked great on our Win98 computer, and today, most people have XP machines. But if you're in the Windows 98 minority, stay away from this game!

Saves the Day? Save your money, instead
As a recent release from Atari/Infogrammes, it seems like this series is steaming towards a the scrapheap. Other releases -- The Great Festival Adventure, Building the New Line, or the keyboard add-on Railway Adventures are all better than this, and progressively have gotten worse. While some attempt at making this series more "educational" is somewhat laudable, the actual options for game play and interactivity have gotten simpler and less interesting for my 3.5 year old son.

Thomas Wastes The Day
Hang your head in shame Atari, this game is terrible. Did they do any testing at all with the intended age group? My five year old is not interested in this game at all -- there's nothing compelling about it. My three year old liked the "chocolate factory" section for about 10 minutes, then never looked for this game again. If you're looking for Thomas, go for the "Festival Adventure" CD, that's definitely the best of the lot, with great graphics. Don't waste your time or money with this one.

The worst game we ever bought
I can't believe how disappointing this is. It is not intuative at all. There aren't enough instructions as you move through the story method. It seems like you're just sent on a wild goose chase. The games are too simple and not at all educational. The activities are for 2 yr olds. What's with the chocolate factory? They could at least ask the child to pick a certain colored sugar.
You'll kick yourself for buying this.

Not terrible, anyway...
I thought perhaps some of the other reviews were a little harsh. I bought this for my son who is 2 1/2 and it is a little over his head. Mostly I have to help him navigate his way through, though he has improved his mouse skills with the Harold the Helicopter game. I agree it is probably more for 4 year olds. Certainly this is not as educational as reader rabbit, but the graphics are terrific and it makes my son smile. Any avid Thomas fan will enjoy, though it may not be a necessity for others. ... Read more

Features

• 4 beautiful ponies provide hours of fun activities
• Help the ponies get ready for the Friendship Ball
• Choose hairstyles, jewelry, and clothing; invent a new dance
• Printable coloring pages, cake recipes, and dance moves
• For kids ages 3 to 6