Features

• Travel to exotic locales with Ms. Frizzle and the gang
• 3 educational games: Dinosaurs, Inside the Earth, and Solar System
• Ages 5 - 10

Reviews (9)

$16.99, That's All?
Three selections for $16.99!! Not a better bargain out there! Parents this is a steal... Your kids will have you wanting to learn while they explore these three selections. Promise you!

Whales, dolphins, volcanoes and Mars? Turn of the Cartoon Network and turn on your kids to something worthwhile!! You won't be sorry!

Another gem from Microsoft
I'd like to preface this by stating that my 6-year-old plays this package daily - after his homework. He installed it by himself, so my opinion is that those who say it's difficult to install need to look at their system resources. He loves the graphics, sound and the activities. I once read a review that this package is not user-friendly and I say, baloney. I say this because he doesn't ask for assistance when using this software. All he complains about is not having all the MSB titles. There is no main menu to show you how to navigate through the CD and many of the screens do not feature an "Exit" icon to allow you to exit the program or return to the main menu, but who cares? I want my six year old to figure out these functions for himself anyway.

He is not very PC-savvy but he knows the basics of PC's. And, he does use other software easily. I wonder if some of these negative reviews are making mountains out of molehills. I'm know I'm not overlooking something obvious here - so what's the problem?

obsolete software that doesn't work with win2k
these seem like very old titles, written for win/3.1 and possibly working on win/95, but incompatible with the modern microsoft operating systems. out of 3 titles, two failed to install on my child's win2k system at all. one installed, but didn't function right. its graphics are the 10 year old primitive 256 color 640x480 VGA, 2-dimensional and flat. the game's audio wouldn't turn on. i can only guess that the other 2 titles were even more antique. a major dissapointment, because science related titles for small kids are so rare and hard to find!

i have encountered other children's titles that were poorly written for win/3.1 or older versions of windows, and hadn't been updated in 10 years, which wouldn't install or run right under win2k, but these are titles published by microsoft itself!!!

great games
i ordered all the bonus packs (6 total software titles). and my 5 year old son loves them. they entertain him for hours. so much learning and fun on so many subjects! i highly recommend them.
that said, lets get on the the technical part. i had a lot of trouble getting them to install. some of them froze up. some of them wont autorun. and the Animals one we have never been able to play at all. it is like it "half installed". says it is there in programs. but wont open no matter what. so try to uninstall or reinstall and that wont work either. i have sent it back to the manufacturer and havent heard from them yet. my computer is almost 2 years old with windows ME and lots of ram, memory, big hard drive. and even some graphic upgrades done recently. even tried it on someone else's comp with same results.
but i still say the problems i am having are worth the fun my son is having with 5 games. and he doesnt even know there is a 6th game he hasnt been able to try yet.

This is how learning should be - FUN!
Our 5 yr. old son plays these games for HOURS (if we let him). He loves them so much that "computer time" has become a treat for him when he has earned a reward. These cds are packed with great information, which is presented in lots of fun and challenging games. Even "Dad" enjoys them. AND they are not as annoying/loud/hyper as many of the computer games that we have come across. You will be amazed how fast and how much your child will learn! ... Read more

Features

• Join Clifford and his friends at the Birdwell Island carnival
• Participate in lots of different activities and carnival games
• 100+ interactive and printable stories
• Win up to 18 different prizes that you can use to decorate a float for the big parade
• 3 levels of play that automatically adjust to your child's progress

Reviews (3)

for the most resistant reader
My 4.5 yr old son would much rather play nintendo than try to learn phonics, thanks to the influence of two older sibs. He received this game yesterday and already has spent countless hours on it playing the games and inadvertantly learning phonics. This game uses letter groupings as well as phonics, which is the method my other kids used with great success. This game definately requires parent participation in the early stages, but it's been fun watching him become more and more independant in his reading skills even though he is not aware of it. Only complaint is that the reward system is limited, so beware if your child is reward-oriented.

Clifford the Big Red Dog: Phonics
I bought this for my 3 year old daughter for Christmas this year. It was the first computer learning game she ever tried and it has been great in teaching her the basic mechanics for moving the cursor around the computer screen and using a mouse. But now, just 3 months later, I find that she is bored with the game. There are only a handful of games at the carnival to play. She seems more interested in decorating the float with the prizes she's won from these games instead.

some reviews below refer to "Thinking Adventures"
Note: Some of the reviews here (the 3-star one entitled "very easily bored with it" for instance) refer to a different product--"Clifford's Thinking Adventures".

The Phonics title is a completely different game, released in July 2003. If the review says at the end "refers to an ALTERNATE VERSION" check the link--might be a review for the other game. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Learn essential keyboarding skills, such as hand placement, correct posture, letter combinations, number and punctuation keys, and upper and lower case--and have fun at the same time. (Ages 7-10) ... Read more

Reviews (13)

great typing program
My children both think this is a great program. My almost-10 year old daughter likes it much more than Mavis Beacon that they use at school and my 7 year old son can even use it. They both have improved their typing skills enormously while having fun at the same time. I'd recommend this program without reservation!

Disappointed
My seven-year-old was using it and actually improving after just a few screens, although the repetitive "fjfj fjf jf jf" style gets boring for a child with the length of pages required to type (there are typically about four lines per screen of characters like that). I think there should be some extra breaks between long sessions. I think the repetition is necessary for effective learning, but something fun needs to go in between. This is, after all, for kids.

On the positive side, it gives an initial assessment test to determine where your skills are. Then the goals for that user are set based on the assessment. There are a few fun games that use the same skills that are being taught, and the games appear to automatically challenge at a level that matches the skill of the player (again, based on the testing in the lesson part of the program).

My son was a little frustrated early on because the initial assessment test is rather critical to a non-typist. Although the girl in the program says something like "You did great," the low words per minute (WPM) and high number of errors displayed on the screen seem to speak louder than she does and may be somewhat discouraging. But we maintained a positive attitude because I told him it didn't matter how well he did on that test; it only wanted to see his beginning point. It's important for a parent to be involved in order to give encouragement in some places and a push in others. It really enhances the learning and helps to get through the tough spots. And younger kids, of course, enjoy the involvement and interest of their parents.

If the program worked properly, there wouldn't be much of a negative side. The requirement of an older version of Quicktime is a valid concern if you are using a newer version. But I didn't have any version before, so I didn't care whether the game required the current or an older version. But the program does do a system search for other versions before installing Quicktime and tells you that it can't coexist with another version.

I would've probably given the program four stars if not for the fact that it kept crashing when coming out of any of the games. And when it crashes, it forgets the entire session. Which means that any progress gained is lost, and the child must go through the same exercises a second time. The first time this happened, my son begrudgingly went through the beginning lessons AGAIN (I was beside him cheering and encouraging, which helped keep his attitude somewhat positive). But when the program crashed a second time after he had gone through those early lessons the second time, he wasn't the least bit interested in going through them a third time, and I didn't blame him. The crash was effectively punishing him for working hard and doing well.

The bottom line? If you can buy it from someplace where you can return it, take the chance. And if it works on your computer, you've got a good four-start program. If it doesn't work, return it and your losses are minimal. Good luck. But to Knowledge Adventure/Jumpstart: FIVE YEARS is a long time between releases of any program; it's time for a new version, or at least an update.

Comparison to Jumpstart 3rd Grade
Nobody has really compared this program to Jumpstart 3rd Grade, which features the same charactors, so I've decided to do it. Perhaps the best metaphore is that Jumpstart 3rd Grade is like a theatricaly released film and Jumpstart Typing is like a direct-to-video release. For one thing, there is no CGI animation in Jumpstart Typing, like there is in Jumpstart 3rd Grade. For another there is a lote less at stake in the plot. Jumpstart Typing isn't really like a prequel or a sequel, just a different adventure in the same world.

The only recuring charactors are Prof. Spark, Polly and Botley. This is a bit disapointing that we don't see any other charactors from Jumpstart 3rd Grade, especially since we only meet one new charactor. Jumpstart Typing is set at Sparks Stadium like Jumpstart 3rd Grade is set at Mystery Mountain. Mystery Mountain is the Sparks' home. Sparks Stadium is the first stadium for interplanetary keyborad competition, though this seems to contradict with Botley's statement in Jumpstart 3rd Grade that Prof. Spark hasn't ever found any alien transmissions to decode. All the recuring charactors look like they do in Jumpstart 3rd, probably beecause they recycled animations from Jumpstart 3rd Grade, for instance, note that Botley's pose in the main stadium scene is exactly the same seen on the 2nd Floor of Mystery Mountain in Jumpstart 3rd Grade. However, new charactors look true to the animation in Jumpstart 3rd Grade.

Overall, the charactor's personalities are true to Jumpstart 3rd Grade. Botley and Prof. Spark are entirly in charactor, but then again, Prof. Spark hardly appears in either. Polly is a bit out of charactor, she is nicer. One could atribute this to the fact that her father is at Sparks Stadium, though we don't see him 'till the end, rather than far away at some convention. However, she locks Coach Qwerty in the trophy room for the same reason she sends all those robots back in time.

Acadamically, this is sort of Mavis Beacon for Kids and the is the setup is similar to Jumpstart 3rd Grade. However, though Jumpstart 3rd Grade is set rather fluidly, Jumpstart Typing's setup is rather convoluted. We take Lessons and Timed Typing Tests to fine "strength" to play the games, but to win we have take the Timed Typing Tests. Playing the games is useless, unless you want a bunch stupid medals!

In conclution, this is game is fairly effective at teaching keyboarding, though better at teaching speed typing than the basics. However, it fails to capture the fun of Jumpstart 3rd Grade.

Defective Program
This program displayed upside down on all three of our computers. Knowledge Adventure Customer Service was absolutely terrible -- basically nonexistent.

great!
Oh my! I learned to type so fast, it works so well!!! You are in a gym, and you have to rescue the coach. You get cards to unlock him from a little jail, and at the end you get a trophy. I'm about to get my trophy for my 2nd game. It takes a while, you learn to type, and its just lots of fun! You'll love this item! ... 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

Amazon.com Review

Introduce youngsters to the PC in a fun and entertaining way with Jay Jay the Jet Plane and his fleet of flying friends, the popular and familiar TV characters.

Your child can take part in exciting, interactive adventures, enter the land of make-believe, and embark on an exciting rescue mission to enable the Sparkleberry Tree on Pangabula Island (which has lost its shimmer) to survive, by discovering the magic ingredients to nurse it back to health.

All activities encourage children to have fun, to use their imaginations, to discover and learn about nature and ecosystems, and to sing songs. (Some of the activities also include printable sections.)

The package teaches youngsters to acquire knowledge of nature and science, learn about spelling and phonics, recognize letters and build words, practice patterns and sequencing, grasp logical reasoning and the art of following instructions, develop critical thinking and musical creativity, and practice early PC and mouse skills.

The manufacturers recommend the CD-ROM for children ages 3 to 7 years, but obviously adult help will be needed at the lower age level. The program is bright and bold, and will introduce preschoolers to the PC in a nonthreatening way. The accompanying documentation is comprehensive and simple to follow, and clear installation instructions are included. --Susan Naylor, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Typical cookie-cutter children's game
Like just about every other children's game (think JumpStart) this game is made in Macromedia's Director. And also, like just about every other children's game, it is low-budget, low-talent and low-resolution. The game forces itself into 800x600x16-bit @ 60Hz and after you exit the game, guess what? You're still in 800x600x16-bit @ 60Hz. Because the programming talent is nonexistent the game is rigidly linear, forcing you to watch the mind-numbing instructions before EVERY game no matter how many times you've played it previously. And, in what seems to be a trend among children's games, it requires Administrator privileges to not only install, but also RUN the game! I am not about to give my 28-month-old son those elevated permissions on the family computer. Not because I'm afraid of intentional mischief but because I'm afraid of the accidental damage he could do. The only things that save this title are the videos and cutscenes which feature plenty of time with the main characters and keep my son interested.

Just like the TV show, Jay Jay is still a hero!
A fun program that my nephew has enjoyed for weeks. The activities keep him coming back over and over and the theme of helping each other and conservation are messages that it is never too early to expose children to. Like the Jay Jay Earns his Wings program, this one is a winner. Where can you get the Sky Circus program I see listed as discontinued?

My little ones love cd-rom!
Great activities for pre school kids. Highly recommend this cd-rom.

Jay Jay is SuperSonic
My son loves Jay Jay and absolutely loves this game. He has played it already 3 times.

Don't waste your money
My son absolutely LOVES Jay Jay the Jet Plane, but didn't get into this software at all. The games are boring and I could just see the disappointment in his face. I'm glad I didn't pay full price, and instead bought it on clearance at a local retailer. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Kids (ages 5 to 7) discover core learning skills in this delightful age-appropriate learning environment featuring Reader Rabbit and friends. Team up with Irvin-the-Inventor and the Cloud Queen to discover why it's raining umbrellas, raincoats, and galoshes. While traveling to Raingear Forest and Cloud Nine, kids explore seven fun activities full of adventure and discovery. Along the way, Reader Rabbit and friends cover reading, math, science, problem solving, and more, creating a forecast that calls for fun-filled learning.

Reader Rabbit 1st Grade 2002 is part of the award-winning Reader Rabbit children's educational software series. Learning activities include Cloud Spelling Challenge, Raingear Forest Math, and Gumball Science. Kids also enjoy this title's fun music, stories, movies, and characters, while the program's progress reports let parents see just where their child is advancing and where they might need some help.

So that you're never without Reader Rabbit, Reader Rabbit 1st Grade 2002 comes with the bonus CD-ROM Reader Rabbit's Dreamship Tales. It's bursting with added activities, videos, tunes, and more than 100 printable games and activities--a great way to keep the fun going after you've turned the computer off. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Warning for Windows 95 users
The system requirements are misleading for this 2002 version, this software will not install on Windows 95 as listed. Wouldn't it be refresh to tell you that tech support apologized and quickly did the right thing - NOT !

Sparks the Fire to Learn!!!
As children's software goes the Reader Rabbit series is one of my favorites. Reader Rabbit's 1st Grade "Capers on Cloud Nine" captured my daughter's attention so well that she would not stop until she had finished the entire game! That says a lot since she hasn't previously been terribly interested in the computer as her older siblings have. The only reason I gave this four stars instead of five is because she was able to complete it in one afternoon. How I wish it could have gone on a little bit longer! Now the hunt is on for more...but what a great start. Still, it was definately worth the money and I would do it again as it sparked the fire!

Educational and fun!
It's tough finding something for kids to play while not spending a fortune and wasting brain space on senseless games. The Reader Rabbit series are great because they offer great ways to learn while keeping things simple and fun in a cartoon-like format. The software is easy to install and I found that my 1st grader could easily navigate the program without getting stuck. She sat on it for hours!! I was surprised to see the fun she had with the program and look forward to purchasing further copies. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Plunge into a world unlike any dreamt possible before. From the makers of the original Myst and Riven, this groundbreaking adventure beckons players to uncover the elusive secrets of the ancient D'ni civilization. Follow Yeesha, eccentric daughter of Atrus, to discover Linking Books, encounter descendants, and solve puzzles as you venture through visually stunning environments.

See more pictures

Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is the next chapter of the Myst franchise and the most immersive and ambitious Myst experience ever created. The game is bigger, better, and more innovative than any of the previous Myst adventures. Players can move at their own pace, spending hours discovering visually stunning, real-time 3D worlds, solving a large variety of mind-challenging puzzles, and following an epic storyline. Players can continue to discover new areas of D'ni by downloading new maps, worlds, and puzzles.

The Story of Uru

The story of the D'ni civilization began when they established their underground empire on Earth some 10,000 years ago. While living beneath the Earth's surface, the D'ni practiced what they called the "Art of Writing," which enabled them to create links to incredible, alternate worlds of fantastic variety called "Ages," to which they could travel through "Linking Books."

The D'ni people thrived for thousands of years, but later met with a great catastrophe that all but ended their civilization. Their vast cavern was left uninhabited, and their Linking Books and Ages seemed lost forever.

See more pictures

Then, in the late 1980s, a few humans from the surface discovered that cavern. One of these humans was Elias Zandi. He devoted the rest of his life to exploring and, eventually, restoring that ancient city in the D'ni cavern, preparing to one day reveal their discovery to those who were suddenly feeling irresistibly drawn to the cavern.

When he passed away in 1996, his legacy was divided between a foundation that he set up and his only son, Jeff Zandi. The foundation came to be known as the DRC (D'ni Restoration Council). As their name implies, they took on the task of physically restoring the ruins of the D'ni cavern. If you choose to visit the cavern at some point, you're sure to run into them.

See more pictures

Jeff Zandi, on the other hand, was interested in learning why the D'ni civilization fell in the first place. He continued studying the teachings of Yeesha, by far the most talented of all the D'ni writers, and daughter of Atrus and Catherine. After years of learning, the younger Zandi is finally comfortable bringing others to an uru (a D'ni word meaning "large gathering" or "grand community").

On your way to the cavern, if you decide to join us, it might be a good idea for you to learn some of the great teachings of Yeesha. Experience the adventure of a lifetime, Uru: Ages Beyond Myst.

Game Features

• Experience a new freedom of movement, a first for the Myst franchise: Explore each unique age in real-time 3D, moving your character effortlessly through the world without pointing and clicking.
• Create a realistic character: Choosing from a wide variety of facial and clothing features, you will be able to create a male or female avatar that you will use to explore the world. The range of character options allows you to appear the way you look, or the way you want to look.
• Explore the mysterious and graphically intense world of Uru. Uru's work-of-art style graphics will immerse and captivate you like never before.

  See more pictures

• Follow an epic storyline: At the request of Yeesha, the eccentric daughter of Atrus, you'll journey through a variety of different ages, and discover the lost civilization of the D'ni people. As the story unfolds, you'll be drawn deeper into the D'ni civilization, and if you choose to download new content, the journey expands even further. You can explore new ages and areas of the D'ni civilization, unravel new mysteries, and adventure in a world that continually changes and expands. Exciting new content will be downloaded regularly, providing an adventure experience that is fresh and ever-changing.

Reviews (220)

ATI Drivers May Need to be Updated - Fun after that
When I first bought this game, I could not get it to run, in spite of the fact that I had the high end of the system requirements listed on the box. I went to ATI.com and downloaded new drivers for free. The game ran beautifully after that.

Things I liked about this game:
1. The graphics. Incredible. I especially loved the 3-D environment that allows you to spin around and look at everything, and gives you more freedom of movement than previous Myst games.

2. The sound. Wonderful, rich sounds that fit perfectly into the game.

3. The story. Apparently, this a matter of taste, as I see most reviewers here on Amazon really disliked the story. Personally, I found the story at least as engrossing as Myst: Riven, although not on the same level as Myst: Exile. I enjoyed learning more about the D'ni people featured in the Myst games. The main story revolves around Yeesha asking you to restore four pillars in order to make things right for a new group of people, called The Least. I found the story very satisfactory.

4. The end. Again, this appears to be a matter of taste. Most people don't seem to have cared for the ending at all, but I loved it. I didn't feel like it was just a prelude for the online game, which I have no intention of playing.

5. The puzzles. They are definitely challenging. If you don't like a challenge, or you don't want to use a good walkthrough to finish, this may not be the game for you. I loved the puzzles (with a few exceptions), and as usual, found them to blend seamlessly into the game.

Things I didn't like:
1. Camera angles. They were pretty good most of the time, but often I would find myself watching my avatar walking somewhere on a path I couldn't see to an area I couldn't see. You can change the camera to first person, but the game will pull you out of it for puzzles, which interrupts the flow of the game.

2. Load times. It takes about a full minute sometimes for a new area to load. Granted, that isn't long, but considering how frequently you have to enter new areas, it can get annoying. This is probably an unavoidable drawback of having such lush graphics in 3-D game.

3. Jump, die, reload. Isn't that what most experienced gamers really hate about some adventure games? To be fair, you don't die, you're simply transported back to a central start point. Which has to load. Then you have to click to go back to the age you were in, and wait for that age to load. Then, depending how far you were from your last save point, you get to go find where you were when you fell. This can get tedious, especially when you factor in load times. One puzzle requires you to do quite a bit of difficult jumping, and I must have had to go through the above sequence 30 times. For that, I knocked a star off my review.

4. You can't save wherever you want. Jumping and falling would not be so frustrating if you didn't have to sit through the constant reloading of areas. You would not have to sit through the constant reloading of areas if you could save right before you jumped in the same area. However, this is not allowed. You never save in this game at all, except by finding and pressing jouney clothes. These save your place in each age. (Puzzles save themselves automatically once completed.) This isn't a huge problem, but can be inconvenient, especially if you're doing a lot of jumping and falling.

Overall, I really enjoyed this game, but there are definitely some flaws.

A Myst game for gamers
There are a lot of complaints people have with this game that I didn't. Let's deal with them.

First of all, let me say this - the part of the box that says "minimum system requirements" is actually (gasp) the *MINIMUM* system *REQUIREMENTS*. If you DON'T HAVE THEM, then DON'T COMPLAIN when the game doesn't run. If you have a cheaper version of a graphics card, and Uru doesn't like it, oh well - it tells you quite specifically what you need. Being true 3D, it's a lot more than the previous bunch. My system is by no means incredible or new, and it looked profoundly gorgeous and ran with nary a hitch.

Second, a lot of people seem to be having trouble with the fact that there are running and jumping puzzles. Well, with Exile, when they added the ability to free look, there were quite a few puzzles based around pointing something somewhere. Now, they add the ability to move freely, so of course there are going to be some puzzles involving that. There aren't many, and to anyone who's ever played a third person adventure game, they're basically trivial.

Third, there seems to be this general backlash towards the game design in general. Less emphasis on story (which I simply don't understand - there were journals and backstories everywhere, just like the last three...but whatever), more open-ended design, etc. It seems to me that these guys weren't trying to make another Myst game, they were trying to make a good adventure game, and they displaced it from the rest of the mythology on purpose. This is a game designed to appeal to everyone, not just the people willing to click through an endless slide show.

Fourth, people seem to not like the puzzles. I don't get this at all. Aside from one fairly arbitrary solution at the very end of the last age, all of the puzzles made sense and I felt were quite clever. Exile had this feeling going that each puzzle was in isolation and I never felt like any of them really related to the game that much; here, each puzzle is an important part of whatever world it's in, more like the first game than either of the other two. There was only one age that followed the solve, move on, solve, move on mentality, and it was themed - each puzzle had an obvious solution that turned out to be completely wrong, and something else had to be done. It was genius, I thought - every solution made me think "oh, THAT makes sense!" once I finally got it.

It's not perfect - the not picking up objects thing was irksome, the load times can be annoying on older machines, and the ending is a little weak. But this is a Myst game that finally felt to me like a real adventure game, not an austere exercise in puzzle solving. I felt like I was part of it.

So, I'd reccomend this more to broad gamers than specific fans of the Myst franchise (as if the plethora of one-star reviews wasn't enough to make that clear), but I didn't think that it was anywhere close to as bad as most of the people here are making it out to be. One of the best games I've played in the last year.

Great game, marred by a few issues
For the past several months, I've been lucky enough to beta-test this graphically stunning and intellectually challenging game. Yes, there's no doubt that the controls take some getting used to (but you can re-configure them all in-game), and the idea of seeing yourself takes some getting used to, as well. The online launch is proceeding, albeit very slowly and deliberately in stages to ensure that everything works properly.

The game, while not a direct sequel to the Myst series (it's more of a parallel storyline), is a stunning foray into adventure gaming and a ground-breaking one as well. To my knowledge, there have been no "Massively Multiplayer" adventure games. Imagine a game that requires you to work together with three or more players to solve logic puzzles to unlock access to other worlds. That's something you can look forward to.

"Uru Prime" (the single-player portion) is utterly gorgeous, and tells a tale of a culture's pride before their fall. The story also exposes a much darker side to the D'ni culture that hasn't been seen before (if you've played any of the previous games), including slave-trade, extermination of other races, and corruption within the supposedly "utopia" of the D'ni Guild system (which was hinted at, in the books). The single-player storyline perfectly sets up the online portion, while allowing a decently satisfying gaming experience for those who decide to not explore deeper, and participate in the online portion, dubbed "Uru Live".

The biggest portion that attracts me about the online portion is the sheer storyline potential for it. With so many of the other MMORPGs out there, the story is a sketchy framework wrapped around the gameplay. So much of the gameplay in those games seems too repetitious to me. In Uru, the gameplay serves the storyline, not the other way 'round.

The game's creator, Rand Miller (who created "Myst" and "Riven" with his brother Robyn), envisions the online portion much like episodic TV. He even calls each new story installment as "episodes" The announcement recently that has made waves is that there will be a multi-lateral approach to "Uru Live" episodes; you'll receive in-game mail, get to read posts on a message board, and you'll also run across other players in-game. The biggest difference is that these players will actually be acting out the story, to help further it.

In fact, I ran into one of these last night, in my first foray into "Uru Live". Was interesting, to say the least.

The other big thing that has got my attention versus other MMOGs, is that the sheer evolution of the environments. The new worlds will become available at an estimated one every other month, and there will be smaller changes to the online game environment weekly, according to the game's designer.

No RPG, this: there's no levelling-up, no killing, and no dying. No experience points, no buying better armor/weapons, and no PvP killing. It's all about the story, about using yer "noggin" and working with your fellow explorers to solve the puzzles.

Excellent but flawed game
Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is an outstanding game with exceptional images, sounds and puzzles ... so why four stars and not five?

Uru has two significant flaws:

1) You can't save your game.

Your save points are set by touching each Age's seven Journey Cloths. It's the game designers - not the gamer - who determines save points.

Good save points make it easy for the gamer to explore alternate endings, and more importantly, to avoid having to solve the same puzzle repeatedly.

But unless you play Uru perfectly, some Journey Cloths are placed so that you must solve several puzzles multiple times.

2) Your avatar can walk, run, climb and jump.

Unlike Myst, Riven and Exile, Uru is no longer restricted to point-and-click movement from one scene to the next.

But there's a problem.

Your avatar is keyboard and mouse controlled, not joystick enabled. Its third person perspective is occasionally sloppy. Moreover, it can't use its hands when moving objects; that's a ridiculous constraint.

Uru's minimum hardware requirements are...

800 MHz Pentium/AMD Athlon
250 MB RAM
32 MB nVidia GForce 1 - 4 or FX/ATI Radeon 7000 - 9800 or better

Assuming you don't want long delays between Age loads, I strongly recommend, "or better."

My guess, Uru really wants a 2 GHz CPU with 1 GB of RAM and a 128 MB video card. Uru is designed for higher end hardware.

Uru also has hardware requirement gotchas. Here are some of them...

* 98SE is specific; no allowance is made for Windows 98.

* The video card requirement is precise: it's either a 32 MB nVidia GForce 1 - 4 or FX, or an ATI Radeon 7000 - 9800 or better.

No other video card will work, including lower end versions of nVidia or ATI Radeon.

* The "CD-ROM: 4x or better (not recommended for use with CD-RWs)" requirement is imprecise. Didn't fully appreciate it until I bought the expansion pack, which clearly states, "This game contains technology intended to prevent copying that may conflict with some disk and virtual drives."

Uru will not work properly in either a CD-R or CD-RW.

Finally, here's an Uru synopsis:

You begin in the Desert.

After touching seven Journey Cloths, you are given access to a linking book, which takes you to Relto (Island in the Clouds). Relto is your refuge and starting point between game sessions.

To solve Uru, you must transfer pillars from Teledahn (Mushroom Age), Gahreesen (Fortresses Age), Kadish Tolesa (Mechanical Age) and Eder Gira/Eder Kemo (Volcano and Garden Ages) from the Bahro (Pillar Cave) to Relto.

When all four pillars reside in Relto, you transfer them back to the Bahro and return to the Desert to solve its remaining puzzles.

A step down for the series
Myst was great, Riven was insanely hard but genius, and Exile was spectacular, with perfect difficulty and great puzzles...with Uru, however, the series has gone slightly awry. The idea of an avatar isn't entirely terrible, but the ideas of kicking things into position and having to walk and jump accurately to progress are. As for the first one, just let us have an inventory, and have a set position for the items when we figure out where to put them back down! The soccer game that pervades Uru is absurd. And the need for nimble fingers has no place in the Myst franchise; if we want to test our ability to run and jump skillfully, we'll go play a platformer. Give us the ability to run and jump, sure, but don't make us master it in order to win the game.

A few of the puzzles in Uru, in my view, require a mental leap outside of the realm of logic, but others may disagree. In any case, I eagerly anticipate Myst IV: Revelation, and hope it will be less like this subchapter and more like Exile. ... Read more

Features

• For kids age 8 and older
• A new chess adventure with Fritz, Bianca, and Chesster
• Covers openings, middle-game tactics, endgames, and more
• More than 20 mini games within the game for practice
• Powered by "Fritz", the world's leading chess software

Features

• Join SpongeBob and Patrick on an epic and comedic quest to unexplored territory
• 3 playable characters: SpongeBob SquarePants, Plankton, and Mindy (new)
• Make the perilous journey to Shell City; huge 3D worlds based on the movie
• Authentic voice talent and special cameo appearances
• Non-linear game play allows players multiple paths for completing main objectives

Features

• Mia was sent to the pharmacy to get medicine for her sick grandmother, Mimi. But on the way she was robbed by Romaine Rat, and now she must earn the sparklies to buy the medicine for Mimi!
• Children will guide Mia through a beautiful 3D world, as you use her literacy skills in a fun interactive story
• Use logic, reading & concentration skills to unravel every surprise, discovery and hidden character
• Teaches numerous skills, such as vocabulary, phonics, word recognition, sentence comprehension, rhymes & more
• A spectacular learning adventure from the perspective of a brave little mouse!

Reviews (1)

Excellent Encyclopedia
I can't believe this Encyclopedia is so inexpensive. It is truly excellent. I bought this for my 4th grader and it has a ton of stuff to help students. There are tools to help with report writing, a "How to study" cd, "sticky notes" you can use to put notes into articles, an integrated dictionary... Well, you can read the list of features in the product description.

I really like that this encyclopedia is so easy to use. I like it much better than Encarta. The articles seem better, with more information than Encarta, too. The installation lets you copy the entire contents of disk 1 to hard drive (~700mb). After that, you only have to insert the second encyclopedia disk if you select something that requires it.

The "Surf the ages" feature is pretty cool. You get a webpage of news from assorted dates in history. I think my son will have a lot of fun with this since he is a history buff. There is also a monthly info summary (can't remember the exact name), but it gives you a single page with a lot of information relating to all kinds of stuff.

My son is doing a report on Thomas Edison for school. I looked him up and got a timeline of his life, a lengthy article on him with all kinds of references to areas of science and technology he influenced.

I then downloaded article updates off the web. There was one about recent Supreme Court rulings related to Affirmative Action. I followed that link, started reading the article and then followed another link into an entire history of african-americans.

There is a wealth of information in this encyclopedia and it is very easy to access. If you have kids, this is the encyclopedia to buy. The ability to easily cross-reference topics and follow links to get more in-depth info on any topic is awesome. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Forget the cat litter, all-hours dog walks, and outrageous vet bills; Barbie Pet Rescue features some of the most realistic, adorable animalswe've ever seen in a computer program--and without all the work involved inowning a real-live pet. Visit Barbie and her kid sister Stacey at the Pet RescueCenter, where you'll wait for rescue missions, explore in the playrooms, or tendto pets in the Care Center.

Rescue missions come in over the phone or via e-mail; after learning which petis missing where, travel with Barbie on her scooter to one of three differentenvironments in which to search for one of eight lost pets. In many missions,you'll have to use your wits to figure out how to entice scared animals to cometo you, or how to retrieve pets trapped in trees or other sticky situations. Ifyou get stuck yourself, Barbie's full of helpful hints to send you on the rightdirection. With each successful mission, you'll receive a printable Paw & PurrAward that hangs on the PRC wall.

Rescued pets come back to the Pet Rescue Center with you and Barbie to wait fortheir owners and receive a little TLC. Nurse them back to health in the Care Center, where you'll give recovered pets water, treats, vitamins--evenbaths and brushings; sometimes you may also need to bandage a hurt leg or pickburrs from ruffled fur. After creating a file for them in the computer andgiving them a name you select from a list of suggestions, the animals go to oneof two playrooms to wait for their owners.

In the meantime, you can play with them, plus all the other pets already in theplayroom--a kitten, bunny, hamster, puppy, and even a turtle--in what is perhapsthe best of the game's activities: petting! Select which animal you'd like topet, then use the cursor to stroke an animal's head or back, or perhaps scratchher under the chin. The animals respond to your attention as they might in reallife, by licking, rolling over, purring, or barking. It's the next-best thing toa romp in the park with a real-live kitten or beagle.

There is a related game for each kind of animal--Kitten Keepaway, Puppy Treat Toss, Hamster Trail, etc.--and if you do well enough, you'll see theanimal do something especially cute. A few of the games test kids' logic andspatial aptitude, but mostly they challenge players' mouse mastery and hand-eyecoordination; a speedy "click" finger yields frequent success.

Our only complaint: once players have completed all eight rescue missions andthe activities in the playrooms, there's not a lot more to do. It's always funto pet the animals, but it's not likely to hold kids' attention for frequentreplay. That said, this graphically rich program is a real treat for any animallover. We plan on keeping this game around for those moments when wereally wish we had a dog around. (Ages 5 and up) --Leah Ball ... Read more

Reviews (41)

ATTENTION ALL KIDS 3-9 YEARS OLD
This is the perfect way for children to help other things like abanded pets,and to adopt pets. It is a very cute game. I really love it. I think it is a great game for girls or some boys that are pretty young. It's great for kid's who love animals or have pet birds, cats, dogs, turtles, and bunnies. It encourages them to start to help out more with their pet (if they have one) I'm not making the choice, you are, I can only recommend you to get it, anyways all I'm saying is it's a wonderful game! To wrap it up(my opinion): my advice is: JUST GET IT ALREADY!

A Nice Game
This game was quiet enjoyable and the graphics were very good. You rescue different animals -- dogs, bunnies, cats ect. -- during the game. After rescuing the animals, you take them back to the 'PRC' (Pet Rescue Center) to give them a check-up and name them.
One of the things that's kind of annoying is that the animals Barbie rescues are always girls. I'm a girl, so it really shouldn't matter, but that makes the game pretty un-realistic.
Also, you'll find the animals in odd places that they couldn't get to or trapped in in real life. The adventures you go on to rescue the animal are always the same. And, Barbie will rescue turtles, which she really shouldn't be able to tell whether they are pets or wild.
Anyway, it was a nice game all around. I recomend it for eight and under. If your son or daughter likes animals, this would be the game for them!

What A good Game
This game is great and I love all the games except the kitten keep away. But otherwise the game is the coolest and I am hoping to by one know and it would be so cool if you could send me one for free. Much love Britney.

Okay for a rainy day
My mom got me this game for christmas and I loved it. Now that was two yrs ago. Now I only play it when i'm really bored which is like never. One you get all your paw and purr awards it is just the same rescues over and over again.And also the thing that annoys me the most is that you can never keep any parrots once you rescue them. Also how do you know if the turtles were not wild to begin with? On the positive side the puppie kittens and rabbits were so life like. Overall a good game but play only if you are really bored and you need to pass the time.

from a person that loves animals
I love this game! In it you get emails or telephone calls saying that different people need your help because they saw or lost an animal, and they need you to go help them. You don't have to go on these missions if you don't want to though. The thing that I don't like about it though is that there are only about fifteen missions to go on. Once you rescue an animal, you take them into the vet area to take care of them. You give them a bath, feed them, and do other things with them. There are some great games that you can play, like a turtle obstacle course/race, a game where you try to get the treat into the puppy's mouth, and a hamster maze. Sometimes the hamster gets out and you have to try and find him. Once again, I love this game! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

XP issue
My son's had this game a while (I'm assuming it's the Hasbro Interactive branded game) and recently we upgraded his PC to XP.

Of course the game didn't work, but by selecting Properties on the game icon you can move to a Compatibility tab and run the game in 98/ME mode - Works fine like that.

Ryan's 7 now and the game is simple, but he still enjoys it from time to time, for its attractive graphics and Ringo's familiar naration.

I'd recommend this to anyone with a youngster interested in Thomas. Before we had this Ryan never went near the PC, now he's computer literate above his age (not entirely due to this game, but it piqued his interest).

Dishonest, misleading system requirements
Who runs Windows 98 or ME anymore? Nobody. This software will not run on ANY NT-based OS, including 2000 and XP. I've tried.(..)

For Atari to continue selling this (I don't care who they bought it from) is criminal.

Do not buy this title unless you're running a 9x-based machine. Better yet, don't buy it at all or anything from Atari until they sell software that will run on operating systems that are not five years out of date.(..)

Doesn't work
I've got a dual boot 98/2000 system. It obviously wouldn't work under 2000 but neither would it run under 98. The furthest I've got is the end of the intro movie and it hangs. I went as far as reformatting the OS drive and reinstalling 98 and 2000 so they were both clean but it still doesn't work. Working for a games developer myself I know how little work is involved in ensuring a game is compatable with new OS's and more recent versions of DirectX. Releasing a patch wouldn't be too painful. But then Developers have a different agenda to Publishers. Don't let the Atari monika fool you. This is the same old Infogrames under a new name to try to disguise their past from newbies. Despite the fact this game is still appearing in the shops they won't support it. I don't know what their excuse is. The BBC has at least put in writing why they refuse to upgrade their games past win98/directX 7. Because (apparently) most game players don't use Win 2k or XP. Most game players use 98/ME. Excuse me? Any games player who knows anything about getting the best from their gaming experience will be using 2k/XP, certainly not 98 or the abomination that is ME.

In short ... if you've recently bought a computer for your child, don't expect this or other games in the series from the BBc or Infogrames/Atari to work without a considerable amount of effort.

For small children
My son is almost 3 and this game is much to easy for him. Of course it being Thomas he still likes it, but the other games are much better. If your child is familer with the computer at all and over 2 1/2 dont' buy this, but for a first game it would be great!

Not for a 2 yr. old
We gave this game to my 2 yr old, who loves trains. The game looks and plays well, my 4 1/2 enjoyed it, but my 2 yr old was unable to play it, due to the dependance of pointing-and-clicking. Once the kids master hand-eye-mouse control, then they should enjoy it. ... Read more

Features

• Experience the expedition of a lifetime during the mid-1800's
• Relive a period in time that changed the United States forever
• Hunt for buffalo, barter for clothing, and cross treacherous rivers
• An action-packed adventure the whole family can enjoy
• For ages 7 and up

Reviews (3)

Wagons Ho!
Starcraft, Monkey Island, Medal of Honor, and Freelancer are exceptional games. Oregon Trail belongs among the great games. Oregon Trail II is great for the whole family. I think it would be a great game for teachers to show their students the difficulty the pioneers faced traversing from Illinois and Missouri to Utah and California. You will spend many hours figuring out how to start out as an artist and end up alive and wealthy in California. I suggest you start out as a banker first. Some will enjoy figuring out what medicines and other goods to take and others will enjoy hunting for meat on the trail and deciding which trails to take. I hope to see continued support of this game since my family has had it for years and we never tire of it. The best strategy is to take one of each essential item and then whatever else you can afford. It takes time to figure out what medicines are best for ailments. As for crossing rivers, if they are deep you better caulk the wagon, and if they are fast it is best to double team those horse. If you enjoyed this game you will love Oregon Trail 5. Good luck pioneer!

Trail Mix
This is one of the greatest computer games I have ever played. I put it in good company with Monkey Island, Starcraft, Red Alert, Medal of Honor, and Battlefield 1942. These other games are more for adults or boys where Oregon Trail II is great for the whole family. The video is interesting but the game itself not only is fun but a great teaching tool. I think it would be a great game for teachers to show their students the difficulty the pioneers faced traversing from Illinois and Missouri to Utah and California. You will spend many hours figuring out how to start out as an artist and end up alive and wealthy in California. I suggest you start out as a banker first. Girls will enjoy figuring out what medicines and other goods to take and boys will enjoy hunting for meat on the trail and deciding which trails to take. I hope to see continued support of this game since my family has had it for years and we never tire of it. The best strategy is to take one of each essential item and then whtever else you can afford. It takes time to figure out what medicines are best for ailments. As for crossing rivers, if they are deep you better caulk the wagon, and if they are fast it is best to double team those horse. Good luck pioneer!

HOURS of fun!
This game is the best! You are the "captain" of a train of wagons going out west in the 1800's. You can pick a number of people to go with you and pick their names and ages (I usually did my friends' names or the names of famous people). On the journey you encounter storms, food shortages, sickness, and desicions such as: If a person dies-keep going or have a burial? Where and when to stop and rest? How to spend the money you are given and what to do when you run out? And more. Overall, a great game! ... Read more

Features

• Designed by a team of math experts
• Develop critical math skills in 10 core subject areas
• Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, Statistics, and more
• Fun and stimulating with engaging interactive tutors
• Bonus: learn Microsoft Excel with Professor Teaches Excel

Reviews (1)

Old time bugs that haven't changed since the last version...
This software is technically crippled, and looks like it suffers from the same bugs as the 2004 Math Advantage version.If you have 1gig of memory, you will get an error stating you need 3mb of memory to run this program.Below is a cut & paste of the fix for this.But also, they do not name the directory correctly that it looks for.The software itself uses Quicktime, and you can tell it's age because it tries to load an old version 4 of QuickTime.Right now as I type this they are at version 7.Sounds like they just keep repackaging the same software with a different date on the box cover.And like most software, this cannot be returned once opened.It may run on a Mac just fine, not sure about that.


The full fix for the 3mb memory error:
From the Windows XP desktop, select the Start button, right-click on the My Computer icon, and select Properties from the resulting menu.

Click on the Advanced tab to bring it forward, and then select the Settings button within the Performance section.

In the Performance Options window, click on the Advanced tab to bring it forward, and then select the Change button in the Virtual Memory section.

Click the Custom size button...
Change the Initial size (MB) setting to 4000
Change the Maximum size (MB) setting to 4000

Select SET to accept the change, which will close the Virtual Memory window. Select OK to close the Performance Options window. And select OK to exit the System Properties window.
... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Enter a pharaoh's tomb to solve an ancient Egyptian mystery. Join the ever-adventurous ClueFinders on an archaeological dig in exotic Egypt, and uncover a plot to unleash a sinister, age-old force on the world. Kids will need all their smarts, spunk, and spirit to work their way out of this title's tricky spots. From building a bridge to interpreting mysterious scrolls, every activity brings children closer to unraveling the astounding mystery, while mastering essential fourth grade skills.

Explore 21 interactive games and exercises designed for kids, ages 8 to 10 and older. Build more than 60 key fourth grade skills in math, language, science, geography, and problem solving. Four levels of difficulty and a variety of tricky challenges keep ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures 2002: Puzzle of the Pyramid fun and fresh. Detailed help features guide kids throughout, and built-in progress reports help parents navigate their child's learning fun.

In addition, an all-new for 2002 bonus CD-ROM doubles the mystery and clue-finding fun. In ClueFinders: Mystery Mansion Arcade, our adventurers are lured into a spooky mansion by an ingenious mastermind and his four villainous henchmen. Kids help the ClueFinders escape by choosing the best ClueFinder for each arcade-style hazard. Speed through the Ultimate Deep-Dish Pizza Skate Park, stay cool through the High-Voltage Circuit Zone, and much more. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Both kids loved it!
I have twins who just turned 9; I bought the first copy of this through their school about 8 months ago, and the boys were totally hooked. It's entertaining as well as educational. Some of the stuff is repetitive; but I think that helps them learn how to concentrate on completing tasks. I bought the second copy of this game when our CD drive cratered and destoyed the disk. BTW, these games are MUCH cheaper on Amazon and through office supply stores rather than through school!

Pretty Good
This was a great game. The tasks were repetitive like having to collect 12 cairoglyphys five times. The graphics and story lines were really good and I think this would be a great game for kids who already know how to read, so from grades 3-5.

A winner in our household
My third grader just received this. He loves it and has already spent several days solving the puzzles. What a great way to get him ready for 4th grade. This is the second year we have gottne Clue Finders to work on over the summer and both have been a real hit in our household. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Microsoft presents Scholastic's The Magic School Bus Explores the Human Body, a fully animated, interactive multimedia science adventure for kids ages 6 to 10. Based on Scholastic's award-winning book series, this CD-ROM software is designed to entertain and encourage a sense of adventure and exploration, especially about science and technology. The Magic School Bus Explores the Human Body features the irrepressible science teacher, Ms. Frizzle, and her inquisitive class in a fascinating exploration of the human body. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The Magic School Bus Explores the Human Body
I don't own this product, but I would like to. Why don't you
have in stock anymore? Is it possible to get a hold of it
somewhere else. I think my 5 yr old grandson also find this
one interesting along with the others that I've ordered from
you. Has the company stopped making it? If so, is it possible
to get it somewhere?
Thank You
Joy Phalen
...

Mother of inquisitive 4 year old
As with most MSB CD's, my 4-yr old found this to be a very exciting adventure. The CD takes you through all parts of the body. He has learned about all the parts of the body and the various functions they perform. In fact, as we eat these days he explains to me the whole digestive process. Only negative I, as the parent, found was you have to change the color format on the CD to 256 color in order for it to work at all (thus the 4 stars). Aside from that, I would highly recommend it!

Mom of busy child
My six year old daughter loves Magic school bus human body! She has always been interested in the human body and this is right on target. She got this as a Christmas present and when she work on this she is on the computer for at least 2 hours! I like the fact that it feels like you are traveling through the body yourself and even after you finish it tells you which part of the body you have explored!

Very disappointing
My son loves The Magic School Bus books and videos and is very interested in the human body, so we were very excited to stumble upon this product. Unfortunately, precious little information is actually given about the way the body works. It is mostly about navigating from one place to the other and even in that regard once you get out of the digestive tract, the travel patterns don't really makes sense/provide information. Save your money! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Based on the School Zone workbook series, this program incorporates critical math skills with interactive exercises and fun games. A solid curriculum, audio guidance, and clear examples help your child master addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, story problems, place value, and other skills. The program randomizes problems with each use, providing a different experience each session. Engaging games provide an important break. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Fantastic
I teach a first/second combination class and this CD works wonders with my first graders. They love the the updated certificates they get to print out each session. This is a program that I can use on going the whole year. It follows the standards and a child can work independently at it. The best feature is that a student can go back and fix errors they made. There are games that they play after they are down with a lesson. The last feature I was impressed with is the scratch pad. Students can use there mouse to figure out problems on the side of the problem, using a the scratch pad (just like using a pencil and a paper) I am very happy with using this in my classroom and so are the first graders. ... Read more