Amazon.com Review

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

Amazon.com Product Description

Little hard hats will have a dynamite time blasting boulders, commanding the crane, and driving trucks from backhoes to bulldozers as they construct all kinds of buildings. Incredible activities, realistic controls, and countless choices give kids a new thrill every time. (Ages 4-7) ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Fun, fun, fun
I am a teacher of pre-school children with physical disabilities. The children in my classroom LOVE this game. They were so motiviated to play it that they learned to clip, drag and drive the trucks themselves. These are children who otherwise have motor and perceptual difficulties. They sing the songs together and have a great time. I highly recommend it to parents, and teachers alike. My only problem is getting them to play something else!

Plain Old Fun
My 4 1/2 year old son loves playing this game. It's just plain fun for him. He does not have difficulty in moving the mouse to perform various functions. In fact, he seems to be able to move about within the program very well. I would recommend this game.

again, simple, but loved by my son
This allows my son to smash things or blow em up, build things, and make pictures. OK, relatively mindless, but he loves it and can interact instead of passing watching the TV.

Recommended with these limitations in mind. It is a good deal in this day and age when taking your kids to the movies can bust the budget.

A good title ruined by unreliable software and lack of testi
This would be a great game, but on the Mac it freezes up the whole machine after one or two minutes of play, and on the PC it loses sound intermittently. Also some of the activities evidently have not been properly play tested - e.g. the crane game requires far too much precision for a young child, otherwise it would be a great fine motor activity...

Would be a great game, but software flaky and untested
This would be a great game, but on the Mac it freezes up the whole machine after one or two minutes of play, and on the PC it loses sound intermittently. Also some of the activities evidently have not been properly play tested - e.g. the crane game requires far too much precision for a young child, otherwise it would be a great "fine motor" activity. I would say spend the extra $$$ and get Tonka Digs 'n' Rigs, which is very similar, is much more reliable, and comes with add on controls for the PC. [NB: since I originally wrote this review, we've had more success running this on the PC, and if we avoid the frustrating activities such as the crane, my 4 year old actually does get a lot of enjoyment from some of the other activities. I'll now upgrade my rating from 1 star to 3 stars, but I'd still recommend Digs 'n' Rigs over this title.] ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Buckle up and join Jay Jay the Jet Plane and friends for an exciting ride where the sky's the limit on learning. Best of all, kids get to help Jay Jay pass his flight tests with flying colors. Designed for children ages 3 to 7, Jay Jay's tests consist of delightful games, stimulating lessons, enchanting stories, and fun songs. Along the way kids learn about numbers, patterns, measuring, sequences, and much more. Filled with songs and even a surprise ending, Jay Jay Earns His Wings will launch a love of learning.

Based on the award-winning PBS Kids TV series, kids will find a magical world where imagination takes flight. They'll build skills in addition, matching, critical thinking, estimating, following instructions, as well as using a mouse. As they help Jay Jay prepare for his first solo flight, kids get to enjoy nature videos, explore six interactive learning games, and extend the fun with printable coloring pages. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Jay Jay EARNS His Wings
What a wonderful word for a child to learn: EARN. With concerns about my nephew being given almost anything he reaches for I bought this for his birthday. At four he is starting to develop a concept about work equating reward. His favorite cartoon show Jay Jay has helped with this wonderful computer program where Jay Jay has several errands to run to EARN his new job. The math skills taught were presented in a way that my nephew was totally unaware that he was learning! I'm looking to buy more Jay Jay programs. this one has done the job and more.

BUY THIS!!
Jay Jay is one of my almost-3-year-old son's favorite TV characters. My son is fascinated with basic math right now. When I found that it taught simple math addition and measurement, etc., I decided to pick it up right away. After we ran it on my son's computer, we were pleasantly surprised by the vivid animation and the quality of the games it offerred. Usually the drawings of the characters in a computer do not look as good as what you would see on TV, but this one is just as good. It even plays the theme song in the beginning. BUY THIS ONE!! Your kids will learn a lot from it, even though he may think he is just playing an interesting computer game. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Really good children's software is fun to play with, encouragesexploration of the program, is forgiving, and teaches something. JumpStart Artist is all of those things, and more. As one might expect from JumpStart(a quality series if ever there was one), JumpStart Artist helps childrenbecome comfortable with their own creative skills, while at the same timeteaching a little bit about art history and artistic styles.

The CD-ROM revolves around a handful of activities, ranging from freeformpainting to virtual puppet making to a matchmaking game that introduceshistorical pieces of classic art. At any point in the game, the animation islively and helpful, and accompanied by a friendly soundtrack. Don't think thatthis isn't enough to do--there is plenty of material here for any little artistto explore.

Our favorite feature of the program is the variety of artwork presented in thematchmaking game. Broken down into five categories, there are examples rangingfrom Seurat's Sunday in the Park to Tanner's The Banjo Lesson, andeven Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Can. The purpose here is teach kidsthat art comes in a variety of styles, and that not all art looks like MonaLisa. Not only is each piece pictured, but there is a series of buttons onthe side that describes the style of painting, how it was done, and otherinteresting details. Also, the name of each painting and the artist ispronounced audibly by the narrator, teaching children the proper pronunciationof such names as Matisse and Seurat.

This is a fun and educational CD-ROM, with plenty of depth to keep theblossoming artist involved and interested. --Mike Caputo ... Read more

Reviews (8)

more that a kids software
This is one of our favorite jump start programs. I was not sure who likes it the best: my eight year old, the five year old who has all ready build an amusement park.(you earn parts for this as you play), grandma(she bought this one), or me who was able to create my very own piture that as became my wall paper. This art program was bought for my five year old who is into scrapebooking with grandma. There are some sections that I find somewhat hard like the make a quilt. There are other sections that are for everyone in the house to do like make your own piture or Frankie's tent where you can make pitures that will go into a story/song/movie that is where most of our ride piece have come from. There is a tent that your child will learn about shapes and mixing paints. You also will learn difern kinds of art and even a mini game where you play with CJ and Edison. My age range 4 to 100.

Fun, entertaining, different
My son really liked this artist program. We first rented it from the library, and then he liked it so well we bought it. This program is different from a lot of the other artist programs out there becaue it teaches art fundamentals (i.e. what is texture, introduces kids to the color wheel, asks kids to re-create a pictures that are already drawn by causing them to match patterns, introduces them to mixing colors, etc.) It has a movie area where the pre-drawn pictures you color come to life in a movie.

It teaches foreign language. One of the movies is about a pinata, and it teaches the Spanish words for big and small. It is extremely enjoyable for preschoolers (age 4), yet it is complex enough that a young grade school child would not think it was too easy or too young for them.

Fun & Creative
I bought this for my daughter when she was 4. She is now 5. From the start this was one of her favorites and she still plays with it once or twice a week. She likes the colors and textures and variety. I like the fact that it is a creative toy that captures her imagination and it does not contain people or situations that I feel are inappropriate for small children.

Jump Start rules
This is an excellent example of what childrens software should be. This product could hold my childrens' attention for probably hours, by having them to use their own imagination instead of just "finishing" someone elses' idea. They have even found ways to play with three of four children at a time. We have had this product for over a year and it is still the one they reach for first. Jump Start products are always way ahead of the rest and this one is no different.

Ideal for homeschooling
Featuring art curriculum based on the National Standards for Arts Education, JumpStart Artist introduces students in kindergarten through third grade to the elements and principles of art, art history, the cultural significance of art, art production and display. Featuring drawing, painting, quilting, puppets, and collage activities, students are drawn into the diverse world of art as they develop understandings of basic art concepts using a collection of more than one hundred famous artworks, folk art, and cultural crafts drawn from around the world. There are fun activities introducing students to such fundamental concepts as line, shape, form, texture, value, space, color, symmetry, pattern, focal point, contrast, mood, symbols, and style. A True Color, 32-bit palette enables students to experiment with blending tools for achieving realistic color-mixing effects for their own creations. There are three levels of complexity that provide students with progressively challenging experiences. JumpStart Artist is ideal for homeschooling, and strongly recommended for traditional classroom art appreciation curriculum supplementation. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Saving San Francisco from a powerful shrink-ray is the order of the day for Owen, Joni, Santiago, and Leslie in Cluefinders: The Incredible Toystore Adventure, an educational role-playing game for third- and fourth-grade students. When two of the Cluefinders themselves are shrunk, they are beset by mice, spiders, and other suddenly giant monsters as they try to assemble the parts necessary to build a machine that will reverse the process. Meanwhile, the other members of the team must work out who built the malevolent device...and why?

The Incredible Toystore Adventure has a better mix of story and educational content than most games of its type, offering smart, resourceful characters and a mystery engaging enough to make the study component worthwhile. And make no mistake--this game drives young players hard. Wide-ranging drills in math, language arts, science, and other academic subjects are presented in a cheerful and interesting fashion. Drills come with four levels of difficulty and, if players want to build the anti-shrinking device, cannot be skipped.

This game also comes with a bonus CD containing an entirely separate game: Mystery of the Missing Amulet. This game carries the detectives across the galaxy on a quest to save a dying planet. Where The Incredible Toystore Adventure has a generalized focus on many areas of academic development, this second game is more narrowly focused, offering a tough workout for a child's language skills.

All in all, Cluefinders: The Incredible Toystore Adventure is a pleasant surprise--an educational game that can meet the high expectations of both parents and young players. (Ages 7 to 10) --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Seems to be a good game..
I bought this game as a part of a three pack for Cluefinders. AFterwards I read a review where a person had trouble installing this on an XP system. That was one reason why I bought this game as the box states "Now Featuring XP compatibility.". With a bit of trepidation, I installed it in my computer, and then let my 8 year old have at it. I must say installation on the XP system went fine and after only about 3 hours of play we haven't noticed any strange glitches. This is definitely more of a learning game as opposed to a more fun style of game like Pajama Sam or Spy Fox. I saw that my child had to fill in the blanks of sentences, using words provided, and then arrange those sentences into a sensible paragraph. That provided a bit of frustration, and even the proper arrangement wasn't obvious to me. Still, by randomly moving the sentences around, you can eventually get the answer they are looking for. Same with the math questions. You will get an equation to solve and about 25 different answers are on the screen, and you click on the right one. I have no doubt my child just clicks till she gets the right one if she doesn't know how to do the equation. For less then ten dollars I got 3 Cluefinders games, and with only trying this one game, I am satisfied with the purchase. It seems perfect for this age group of 7-12 years where Reader Rabbit and cutesy games are too easy for them, and they want to feel like they are solving a mystery but also practicing school skills.

Disappointed again
I bought this software specifically because it said it would run on Windows XP. I had tried other Cluefinders on an older computer and was very happy with it. But since buying the XP, it's been a nightmare to get them to work. Despite it's claim that it's compatible with XP, (my system more than meets the system requirements), there were still technical errors. I tried the Program Compatibility Wizard and changing resolutions to no avail. Trying to contact their email support system has been unsuccessful so far - something about no being able to access it at this time. All in all, frustrating and discouraging. Cluefinders is off my list of educational games for now.

works right, and my daughter likes it
This is the first "edutainment" software that I've been able to install without a hitch on our Windows 2000 system. We don't give normal accounts "Administrator" or "Power User" privileges, and it worked fine. Kudos to The Learning Company for finally updating their game engines to work cleanly (and securely) on operating systems newer than Windows 3.1!

It also properly adjusts and restores screen resolution, and with far more than VGA resolution.

My daughter enjoys it, and has played each disk several times.

I'll agree with the other review that the map section required some help at first. But she's been able to stretch her mind to understand all aspects of it, which is great.

A 9 yr. old
This game is totally cheap (price wise) because you get one regular game and one bounus game... It is very educational and also is fun. This is a really, really great game!!!

Education vs. Fun
As I sat down with my niece to "play" this game I was struck by how interesting it was that software manufacturers could actually use games that are fun to help teach kids (and I dare say adults) and add to the education that children are receiving. This game was fun for us both because it helped my niece to recognize patterns, follow sentence structure, taught general mathematics in the elevator and showed that in the end you can have fun while learning.

I would definitely recommend this game to anyone who has a child in the 2nd, 3rd or 4th grade. However, you will need to sit down with them to help them figure out what exactly they need to do. The only reason I gave this product a 4 star rating instead of a 5 is that in one part of the game, the player is required to map out routes on a computer screen and it was very difficult for my niece to grasp. I believe that they set out to teach the player something they hadn't covered in school and it went above my niece's knowledge level.

Otherwise, this game is a very good educational tool and yes, we "both" had fun playing it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Entertaining, but not educational
Unfortunately, my daughter loves this game and will not choose other software games over this one. What really irritates me is the whole "Software for Girls" marketing statement. My daughter loves Barbie, but she is also a very intelligent 5 year old who excels at other appropriately challenging games. What kind of message is Barbie trying to send girls!??!!! To me, it is insulting. You can make it both fun and educational as other character software titles have, such as Blues Clues and the Disney series. You would be much better off choosing a different character that your child loves, such as Dora. Hopefully, the latest titles from Barbie are more challenging. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Exotic animals disappear. A world-famous scientist vanishes. Something fishy is afoot! Join the ClueFinders on a clue-searching trek into the depths of the rain forest. From reading maps to building bridges, every activity brings kids closer to unraveling this astounding mystery, while mastering essential third grade skills.

Explore 30 interactive games and exercises designed for kids, ages 7 to 9 and older. Build more than 75 key third grade skills in math, language, science, geography, and problem solving. Four levels of difficulty and a variety of tricky challenges keep ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures 2002: Mystery of Mathra 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 (6)

The Clue to Making Learning Fun
I purchased Cluefindes 3rd Grade Adventures about 6 weeks ago, and since have watched my child use it to completion. She has played it 4 times and will probably play it again in the future. In the meantime, she has moved onto the 4th grade game.

Setting up the game is pretty easy, and the directions are clear. Starting up is a cinch as well. You have the options of taking the test drive which is a placement test. It is not as much fun as the actual game, but it is not too boring either and it gets the child started at a challenging level. The first time my child "played" it she started at the beginners level, and finished it in two days. The second time, I set it to level two and it took her a week to complete. The third time I had her do the test drive. This is where the real value came in.

When she started the game on the lowest levels she was basically reviewing what she had learned the previous year, which is a good thing. But, when she played the game after the placement test, she was truly challenged to learn more. I never imagined in a million years that a child would follow me around begging to be taught long division. She could not cross a bridge in the game without being able to divide. So I taught her and she practiced and cemented the skill by playing the game.

As a homeschooler leaning towards self directed learning, I found this game to be invaluable. It gives me the freedom to wait for a child to be ready to learn a skill while at the same time ensuring that such comes quickly through constant challenges. After all, the best time to teach a child a skill is when they want to learn it. This game provided that want for me.

This game does not teach skills your child must know, but provides challenges. The way I use it is to wait for a challenge to be presented, and then teach that child whatever they need to succeed and overcome that challenge.

The only problems I had with this software is that each time the child finished the game, they had to start again with a new member name, it would not let us back into the game as the same person. This did allow me to compare the membernames records to check for progress which was evident.

If you purchase the 2 cdrom version of this game, with the personalized learning center, you will be able to print worksheets according to your childs strengths and weaknesses and to see where the child needs more practice. You will also be able to spot where your child may be gifted.

The personalized learning center disc, however is not formulated to give a child a "grade" based on how well the child did in the program, but to show progress over time. Therefore, If you are a homeschooler and grades are important to you, you will want to "test" the child separately perhaps using the worksheets or making up your own exams.

Great teaching game
We are a homeschooling family. I bought this game along with the fourth grade and fifth grade versions for my nine year old. She sailed through the other two, but found this one challenging. It is great for reinforcing math, introduces chemistry, addresses the pollution problem, history, spelling, vocabulary and reading comprehension. There is a level selection area in which you can choose how hard or easy the game is, but this is also handy for letting parents know where your child may need some help in or where they excel. It has a practice mode where the child can just do the activities without having to play the game. I found this great for reinforcing some of those areas my daughter needed more help in.
Even though my daughter has finished all three games, she still plays these.

Never Too Old To Play!!
It's great I'm 14 going on 15 in a month but I don't care
because that doesn't stop me from having fun. It's the greatest game. I've only played the 3rd and 4th grade one but they're still and always be my favorite software. If you've never played any of these games and you love computer games; buy this then even if you're older then me. Who cares? Just remember HAVE FUN!!! You won't regret it!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Could you make one for 10th graders or do you already?

Thank You

Cluefinders 6th Grade Adventures
This product provides an excellent source for preparation or reinforcement of what a 6th grader is expected to know. Players are put into a mystery situation where they have to solve clues in order to figure out the answers. Various aspects of the 6th grade curriculum are covered, and the computer adjusts for the skill level of the player, making the games increasingly more challenging. Areas covered include logical thinking, mathematics, science, geography, social science, and language arts. The games are fun, and since they get progressively harder as the student masters a skill, they do not get boring. At times the transition time from one activity to the next can be a bit long, and instructions are repetitive, but this seemed to bother adults more than children; this should not deter the buyer, however, as the positive aspects of this game far outweigh the negatives. Graphics and sound are excellent, and help includes a map and a reference section. Levels can be set manually, or the program can be adjusted to automatically determine when to advance to the next level as a skill is mastered. On the whole this is an excellent product, and a great way to make learning fun. Highly Recommended. Reviewer is a teacher and a librarian.

Cool
This game is fun and VERY educational... I even forgot I was
learning while playing it! The games are fun and have different levels, so if one level is too easy you may make is
harder and more challenging. It explains the mini-game
and how to play. The charactors are click-able and they seem to talk and help you throughout the whole game.
You meet cool alien type things, and in order to survive, you must figure out the answer to the mini-games.
The backround music is pretty cool, but it may get annoying
you can turn off the music, too! before you begin the game, it shows a mini movie of what's happening and it tells about
your mission.I love this game! ... Read more

Features

• 6 activities and 2 mini-activities
• 5 villains and 5 possible outcomes
• 3 levels of difficulty: spooky, spookier, and spooktacular
• Printables for fun away from the computer
• For kids ages 5 to 10

Reviews (8)

Great Game
We have three of the Scooby Doo Case File Games.
My four year old loves these games. He will play it for a long time. There is problem solving and mazes and other activities in each game.

My problem with this game (and the other Scooby Games) is that there is no variability. Once your child solves the game and plays it again, the puzzles are essentially the same. The clues might change and the villian might be different, but the puzzles are the same and the clues are in the same places.

This is not a problem for my kids though. They both enjoy the game and play it for many hours.

Enjoy.

Great fun but...
I would rate this a middle of the road four or at the very least a high three.

First the positive- the scooby gang are in a museum and a green glowing bug man has messed up the displays. They have to put the displays back together in order to earn clues. The clues point to a villian. Each of the 'games' or displays involves a different part of the brain- in one scooby has to jump on a conveyer belt to earn scooby snacks and collect bones, another is a puzzle, another is a matching game and so on. There are three different levels so you can have it fairly easy to fairly difficult. My five year old was able to play the easy with no help and the medium level with only a little bit of help.

The Negatives- The games are the same. The villians change but the games are the same- you are always doing a puzzle in the dinosaur room and it's always the same puzzle. The placement of the boxes in the puzzle might change but the idea is the same. I would have also liked to have seen the ability to change the levels of the puzzle as individual games, not the whole game.

However, it's a fun game.
I would also suggest the Freddy Fish games if your child likes to solve mysteries.

Enjoy.

Close, but not the best.
If any of you have expierienced past Scooby Doo games of this style, then you will understand this. In comparison, the voice acting in this is sub-par. The vocal animations are so generic that every word they speak looks just like the last. The load times between screens is a lot longer in this one than in past games. However, the puzzles are clever, and the background animations and layouts are very colorful and creative. Dropping you in many foreign locales. A good representation, and learning tool, of different cultures. My 5 year old enjoys this. But, myself, as a Scooby Doo fan, did not think that much of it. It was a bit shorter than previous games as well. Good game. Just not great. Hope the next volume shows more promise.

Great Scooby fun!
My 8 year old loves this new Scooby game. She will play it over and over. The facts on China are cool and the animation is just like the TV show.

I highly recommend this Scooby game. We like them all but this one is definitely a favorite!

Jessica & Hannah's Review
Jessica our 9 year old daugher said "this game is great, in one room you visit the cafeteria and you are challenged to blend different flavors of ice-cream until Shaggy gets the perfect cone. In each room you visit you need to find the clues to match the suspect until you find the glowing bugman". Hannah our 7 year old daughter said "this game is perfect, we both had fun with it and I think lots of people should have fun with it just like us" ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

In Busytown, children meet all their favorite characters from the Richard Scarry books, television programs, and videos. Together with Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, Mr. Frumble, Dr. Diane, Mr. Fixit, and many others, they explore 11 playgrounds rich with real-life experiences.

Give your child the thrill of learning by doing, across a wide range of early-cognitive skills. Busytown meets the guidelines set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, guidelines that emphasize learning through play. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great Idea But Full of Programming Bugs
My three yr old loves Richard Scarry's Busytown so it was a natural choice for him. However, he was very disapointed to find one of the games (the garage) did not work at all and several of the others have programming quirks. If the cursor isn't positioned just right the game doesn't work. My advice is to select something else or wait for another imporved version.

disappointing
I brought this because I loved richard scary as a child but was totally disappointed with the game. There is no replayabilty with the only variation in the game being in the gas station and the parcel delivery. But the children soon got bored. The best part is playing with the wind. The mouse control is very poor ending up with frustrated children. The only way to get into the gas station was to put the whole game onto the hard drive.

Bustown 2000 CD-ROM
I started with Busytown Software back in 1995 with our first son when it ran on DOS and barely on Win95. The program worked well. After reading about BT 2000, I was reluctant to buy it. I did buy it this past week, had the same problem with the gas station and within 24 hours, SSI Tech support emailed the file to copy from the CD to the Hard Drive. About a 30 second fix and the game functions flawlessly. If your child loves Richard Scarry books and videos, this is a must have to compliment what they read and view to give them hands on interaction that is unlike any other application that I have seen. My first son is now almost 7 and is teaching his 3 year old brother how to play the game.

My son loves it.
The Busy Town CD-ROM is educational and fun. There are a lot of different activities and for a 3-4 year-old to play with on his own. But you do have to have a fast computer. One of our computers was too slow and it was impossible to play the program on it. Our other computer was fast enough. We had problems getting into the gas station game. I sent an email to technical support and received a message explaining how to copy a file from the CD-ROM to my hard drive and now it works great! We are very satisfied with it. It was definitely worth the price.

Great if you can get it to work
I understand the complaints of the previous reviewers. I could not get this program to run on the PowerMac and it also had a lot of problems when I ran it on the iMac while networked to the PowerMac. But once the iMac stood alone, I only had minor problems with this program. It is a big memory hog.

It's a really super program if you can get it to run. I'd pay special attention to the system requirements before buying.

There are 12 different activities which teach your child all kinds of things. It's great for pretend role play also. Pump gas, serve customers in a deli, build a house, get a ship ready for sea, etc.

It's too bad this title has compatibility problems with so many systems, because it really is a beautifully done program. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Beginner's Bible: Classic Bible Stories introduces children ages 3 to 8 to three kid-friendly renditions of classic biblical tales. Kids learn about the value of friendship, faith, and kindness in The Incredible Voyage of Noah's Ark, Mighty Moses and the Road to Freedom, and Young David's Journey to be King. Sounds, songs, interactive games, and puzzles bring each tale to life. Onscreen texts develop early reading skills, while printable crafts and coloring projects extend the fun beyond the computer. ... Read more

Features

• Guide Timmy, Cosmo, and Wanda on an adventure to find "Da (missing) Rules" book
• 11 levels to venture through and gather all the Good Deed Stamps beginning in Vicky's Nose
• Each mission will develop new objectives (up to 3 times) allowing replayability when players finish the game
• Timmy helps by journeying through ancient Rome, as well as alien spaceships

Reviews (3)

Total Crap
It's on sale for $15 and takes up 2.63 Megs of ram, what does that tell you?

The best game in da world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Navagating thru vickys nose and stuff was assome buy it now or ur missing sumthing BIG great 4 10+

This game is lousy
I bought this game because my kids love the Fairly Odd Parents show. This game contains a bunch of arcarde-like challenges, such as navigating through Vicki's nose. These were too hard for my 5 year old, and not very interesting for my 8 year old. There's no strategy or thinking involved. If your kids are used to playing StarFlyers or ClueFinders, they'll be completely bored with this game in 2 days. Don't waste your money. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

USA Explorer provides mystery and entertainment along with an in-depth geography lesson. You'll track down clues from coast to coast as you try to deliver an important secret package. Throughout your travels, you'll learn about the history, customs, and cultural practices of every region. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excelent
This was a great learning tool for my 11 year old son that was in fith grade. State history and capitols are the focus of learning in his fith grade class. This was a great means of study for him. Fun and chalenging. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

This deliberately paced program takes place in Charlie Brown's world,where kids dress the same day after day and the only character with attitude isa beagle. Players who persist through this CD-ROM's slow start will be rewardedwith games and scenarios that emulate what it's like to live in the middle of a"Peanuts" cartoon. This is a good thing for kids who like the strip and thehandful of "Peanuts" TV specials in existence. But kids who prefer the morefrenetic pace of modern cartoons might find Where's the Blanket, CharlieBrown? a bit too placid.

The mental workout this program provides is excellent. More than any other gamemanufacturer, Tivola has mastered the art of setting up a problem, then quietlyletting the player figure out how to solve it. Linus's blanket is lost, andplayers can either assume the identity of Charlie Brown or Lucy and find it.Once the problem is presented, players must navigate around Charlie Brown'shouse and use their powers of observation to get the game moving. This segmentcan make players feel like they're trapped in "Peanuts" purgatory, as they arrowCharlie Brown from room to room, desperately searching for a means out of thehouse and into the rest of the game. The on-disc Help file spells out exactlywhere players must look and what they must collect to move on--resist thetemptation to look at the Help file. You will miss the challenge and charm ofthis game if you lose patience and cheat.

As the story line leads from Charlie Brown's house to a library to Schroeder'spiano room to a supermarket with many other stops in between, games areunlocked. The nine games are short, smart endeavors. Some of the standoutsinclude a game in which Schroeder plays a short melody on his piano, and kidsmust click on sequences of actual notes that match the melody. Another greatgame requires kids to put poor, scrambled Peppermint Patty back together aftershe is magically rearranged by the Great Houndini. This descrambling has someadded twists that push it far beyond typical match-the-parts games. Each of thenine games has two levels of difficulty, and once they are unlocked, they can beinstantly accessed for repeat play.

On the way to these games are numerous other minigames, opportunities forproblem solving, and goodies you can feed Snoopy to keep his Snoopy meter onfull. Players can play this game in German as well as English. Where's theBlanket, Charlie Brown? probably won't hold up to a lot of repeat play byolder kids, but the gentle way this program forces players to use their entirebrains to find that darn blanket is remarkable. (Ages 4 to 102 according to themanufacturer; we say 4 to 8, although hard-core "Peanuts" fans of any age willalso enjoy it.) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Fun and Humor at a Great Price!
I love Peanuts and I just loved this game. The characters were drawn exactly as they are in the comic strips and the game remains true to the Peanuts legacy. I really enjoyed my interactive Peanuts fun - and it's a great price for such a wonderful time!

dialog may not be the greatest for younger children
I purchased this game at Target as a gift for my 5 year old daughter. I noticed that it had won some sort of Parents Choice award and she is a big fan of the Peanuts "specials". The game has a charming detective game at its base which is a bit too difficult for her to figure out. She would be happy to continue trying but I am just going to throw this one in the garbage. My problem with the game is the constant negative talk that Lucy and Charlie Brown spew as they search for the blanket. Lucy is even more bombastic on the software than she is on the specials--constantly calling people stupid and putting them down. Charlie Brown is virtual stream of negative self-talk. I am aware that much of the Peanuts humor relies on negative humor and putdowns but it seems really excessive in this software. Even though I threw the game out and definitely didn't get my moneys worth I gave the it two stars because the basic game seems challenging and fun. Definitely not a good choice if your trying to teach your child to be kind and upbeat. I

HELP!!!
My daughter is trying to beat the game and is stuck at the supermarket level...i can't seem to figure it out either... of course it could be because i'm not that great at video games but if someone could just post a thing on here and let me know how to get past it i would really appreciate it!

Thanks

Great game, and good for German students, too!
Where's the Blanket, Charlie Brown? is a fun game all Peanuts fans will enjoy. The pace might be a little too slow for the younger set expecting constant action, and a four-year-old might get easily frustrated not being able to exit the Brown household, but all-in-all it is an appealing game with lots of nice extra features. The reviewer who mentioned the fuzzy graphics probably installed the game on the Quick Install method - if you use Full Install, the graphics are crisp (although it does take up a bit more disk space)! Finally, the game is also great for German students, such as myself, as it provides more exposure to the language in an entertaining way by playing the game in German.

Mostly fun & addictive game for Peanuts Fans!
This game is fun for Peanuts fans of ANY age to enjoy. Don't be put off by the marketing, which touts this as a game primarily for young children. I am an adult (also a gamer) and I thoroughly enjoyed this game. It's interesting because there are games within the game you unlock. These are not challenging in and of themselves but it's fun to have these pop up randomly. The game is true to the spirit of the Peanuts characters, with Lucy being the fussbudget she is and Charlie Brown being resigned and wishy-washy. Although, it's not a Mensa workout for adults by any means, I think children will find it challenging and engaging and even adults may find themselves stymied by the sheer simplicity of the game, i.e. I sometimes found myself "thinking too hard" and missing obvious solutions because I'm a grown up. The only gripes I have, which is why I didn't give it 5 stars are the graphics and sound. The drawings are a bit ragged around the edges and the sounds don't always match the action (and the words don't always match the mouth movements). Additionally, the sound is set too loud (the lowest setting was still too loud at least on my iMac). Other than the few technical glitches, overall, this game is just as fun as the Sims and it's nice to play a game that doesn't involve violence. Besides, who doesn't love Snoopy and the gang? If you're a parent, this is a good game for kids and if you're a Peanuts fan, you'll love it. ... Read more

Features

• 4 complete CD-ROM titles for the price of 1
• Hours and hours of exciting game play and education
• Includes characters both parents and kids love
• Plus Mighty Math sticker sheets free inside
• Fun learning for kids ages 5 to 9

Amazon.com Review

Disney's Animated Storybook Collection is a three-in-one package thattakes new readers to familiar Disney stories. Along the way, it helps them learnto read those tales on their own. The collection offers three storybook versionsof some of its classic cinematic releases: Toy Story, 101Dalmatians, and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too.

Each follows a relatively straightforward format--a pared-down version of thestory is presented to users along with an interactive illustration. As the storyis read aloud, the words being read are highlighted so children can, withrepeated viewings, learn to recognize them. This reading practice isinterspersed with animations and games. In one such activity, players help putaway Andy's toys before a hoard of children descends upon his room. In another,Roo of the 100 Acre Wood plays tic-tac-toe with you.

This package provides a pleasant diversion for preschool children who arealready interested in learning to read. The amount of text provided is far fromoverwhelming, and the vocabulary is kept simple. There are enough distractionsfrom the educational content to keep the program from becoming drudgery, and thefamiliar Disney content should pose little challenge to most users. As childrengain reading proficiency, though, they may become frustrated with the games'insistence on playing out the lengthy animations. There is little scope forplayers to skip ahead, in other words--even if Pooh has explained the gamenavigation menu to them 40 times, children will have to sit through theinstructions again.

This aside, Disney's Animated Storybook Collection is ideal for Disney fansages 4 to 6. --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not very interesting, even for a 2 year old
We have had an older Pooh storybook for years. Both my kids loved it. There was a lot to see and do -- songs, funny things that happened if you clicked on the picture, and nice graphics. So when that storybook finally died, I ordered this one. We were so disappointed! The graphics are simplistic, the storyline choppy, there are no songs, and very few fun things happen when you click on different parts of the picture. When you click out of the story, you have to endure a slow listing of options before you can get back to where you were. This seems to have been put together quickly and cheaply and is not worth the money. Even my Pooh-crazy 2 year old was bored silly and disappointed.

Great for your kids!
I own a lot of Disney Learning Series CDs, like Kindergarten, Preschool and 1st grade. My kids love them all! I got this one a few months ago and both my kids love the story books!! I'm very happy with them and better yet my kids are having fun and learning to read at the same time. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Now kids can design and decorate hairstyles and fashions for Barbie and her friends in unlimited ways. Choose from Barbie dolls in over 150 outfits, then create any hairstyle imaginable, from ringlets to straight cuts. Add accessories to hair and clothes, and bring backgrounds to life with animated snowflakes, butterflies, blossoms, and more. This is a fashion fantasy come true, for ages 5 and up. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Barbie Beauty Styler
I kind of like this game because you can decorate clothes, but it isn't really very fun. I don't understand why it's called beauty styler, because the only hairdoes you can give them are round curls, bangs, big curls, hair that looks like rope, and some more. The hair doesn't even look real. And you can't save very many pictures. And if you want to use the close up, and you want to color a shirt with the hair, you can't color the bottom that's not in the square.
And if you keep undoing things, whenever you undo something all the old things will come back, then disappear, and if you got rid of a bunch of things, it will tke a long time for them all o come back then disappear.

Barbie Mania
This is an ideal software for any Barbie lover. Create your own world with many design tools. Everything is at your fingertips.First you start off with choosing from doing Barbie or one of her other friends. Then you choose what background you want, from a stage to a pj party. All the choices in this game keep you busy.
I have had this game since i was 7 and i still enjoy it now.i definatly recommend buying this for you child, friend, or yourself. I garentee you won't regret it.

Barbie Mania By a 13 year old
This is an ideal software for any Barbie lover. Create your own world with many design tools. Everything is at your fingertips.First you start off with choosing from doing Barbie or one of her other friends. Then you choose what background you want, from a stage to a pj party. All the choices in this game keep you busy.
I have had this game since i was 7 and i still enjoy it now.i definatly recommend buying this for you child, friend, or yourself. I garentee you won't regret it.

Great
I am 13.This software is great.The most exiting thing for me was it has so many options that you can't see at a time. I never bored with it.

Barbie Bonanza
I think that this computer game is a wonderful toy. I think that I would even enjoy it. I think that it is a great toy for younger kids and even older kids and preteens to have. It is for imaginative and creative minds, and you can let the kids have control of something for once. This is a great toy and I recommend anyone who has a young girl to get this for them. They will truely love it! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

It's off to Martian boot camp for the good-hearted Butt-Uglies. Evil Emperor Bog is eager to conquer Earth and is convinced the Butt-Ugly Martians can't hack it. Dr. Damage, no nice guy himself, has sent our friends on a wicked course. "Send them to Martian boot camp," he scoffs. "Let them prove themselves on my treacherous Bog-stacle course." With robot fighters, intense laser cannons, out-of-control asteroids, and alien brutes--Jax, Humanga, and Gorgon--this Bog-stacle course is the most difficult challenge the Butt-Uglies have ever faced. Kids must help our ugly Martian friends prevail at all costs, so they can return to Earth as its secret defenders. If not, evil Emperor Bog will get his way, and Earth will become space dust.

Kids play as their favorite Butt-Ugly Martian and fight villains from the Nickelodeon TV show. They can compete against the computer or take on a friend in this wickedly fun game. Packed with eight different Bog-stacle course challenges and loads of mini missions, kids are challenged in the action-packed B.K.M. Battle, Asteroid Field, Energy Field Maze, Robot Rush Hour, and more. Outrageous environments, like deep space and other interstellar locations, are filled with spaceships and dangerous black holes. When taking a break from all the action, kids can hang out with the Butt-Uglies at the Bog Star or the Alien Cantina for more out-of-this-world, alien adventure. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Butt-Ugly Martians: Martian Boot Camp
From simply the best company in the world when it comes to Edutainment software fror children, Knowledge Adventure, and thier Jump Start Learning series - comes a fanatically, fun to play, funny, great game for anyone over six years old. Grant it the title "Butt-Ugly Martians: Maerian Boot Camp will have a lot of people that are very "square" and are strict church goers turning the other way - most people cringe when they see the words like "Butt-Ugly", but why? They are just two words - I am a fifty-nine year old Grandmother and let me tell you folks I am really enjoying this game - now some of you may say or think that I have very, very, low goals for my life if I think this is a great name for a game - well I will agree the name does kind of make you sit up and take notice - but be broad minded look beyond the the title - this is one heck of a game, fast, funny great sounds, and music, and a pure joy to play - nice going Knowledge Adventure - this old Grandma has not yet given it to my 7 year old grandson, be I know he will love it and so will my "tomboy" granddaughter - buy for under [$] and have yourselves a "heck" of a lot of fun - Come On every one "Let's Get Ugly"!
Jacqueline Lee Wilson

Don't let the "Butt" in Butt-Ugly Put You Off-- Great Game!
At first I was NOT going to let my son have this game because I was a little put off by the Butt-Ugly Martians title on this game; but he was relentless in wanting to "be a Butt-Ugly Martian, just like the guys on TV" and I gave in. Boy, am I glad I did! First, the Butt-Ugly Martians is a Nickelodeon cartoon (I did not know this until my boy showed me the show on something called SLAM on Sunday afternoons on Nick)and these martians aren't really THAT ugly--they also save the Earth every week from other aliens that are a whole lot uglier. Anyway, back to the game--it's a PC/Mac game that kids can play by themselves or with a friend. I installed it on my machine (it had no problem installing on Windows XP) and let my son go at it. There are numerous mini-games (8 or 9--quite a lot for a game like this) and the kids can play the games as they tell a story about how the Butt-Ugly Martians need to prove themselves to their leader, a REALLY butt-ugly guy named Bog (the games are set up in a "Bog-stacle Course"--get it??) Bog is an arrogant little ruler and the fact is, the B-U Martians are secretly protecting Earth from Bog's other warriors while pretending to be trying to invade us on their own. Get it? I guess you need to be 8 years old. Anyway, the games seem both challenging and fun, the dialogue is hilarious, and my son can be involved in the game on his own or with a buddy (which few of these kids PC games seems to be able to accomplish.) It's all good clean fun--and the "Butt-Ugly" is just part of the fun. Bottom line: for kids 6-12, especially boys, this is an excellent game that I would definitely recommend. Apparently there are some other games featuring these guys on the market and I will be putting another one in my son's Christmas stocking this coming holiday.

FUN! Exciting to play with lots of games
Totally worth it--I bought this game with my birthday money and I'm glad I did. I like the Butt Ugly Martians on TV so I also like this game.

Excellent kids game for 1 or 2 players
I just bought Butt-Ugly Martians: Martians Boot Camp for my two boys and we are all very happy with the product. I admit that at first I was a little turned off by the "Butt" part of the title, but I realize that it is all just part of the fun of this game. When we got the game home, I installed it on my computer and let the boys go at it. There are actually a bunch (like 8-9) of smaller games that can be played by 1 or 2 kids as they progress through the story of the Martians being shipped back to Martian training camp in order to prove themselves to their king, a guy named Bog. My older one (who is 9) gets computer games pretty easily, but the younger one (he's 7) sometimes has trouble; fortunately each game has easy instructions (from a helpful device in the game called an "Instructikon") that anybody can grasp. The games strike a good balance between being challenging and fun, and some of the dialogue is hilarious! The thing that the boys seemed to like the best is that the games change often enough where you don't get bored of the activity before you must go on to another challenge. I watched my sons play this game together for almost 2 hours (more than I usually allow at one sitting, but I couldn't bring myself to stop their fun!) without stopping--another positive element is that the gameplay is balanced so that 2 kids can play together even if they are at very different skill levels, as my boys are. I highly recommend Martian Boot Camp, but you will have to intervene so your kids don't play for hours on end.

EXCELLENT GAME!
This game is soooo much fun! It is really a bunch of games all rolled up and you can play by yourself or with your friend. The graphics are pretty good and it is easy to learn to play the games becase there's easy instructions that come up before you play. Awesome gift!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good value...Not great
We bought this for our 4 year old daughter. The real "plus" here is that this set is a great value -- 3 games in one package.

The "Artist" game is by far our dauther's favorite. It has a lot of different activities, including making your own movie. The "teaching" component mostly consists of very basic instructions about lines and shapes.

The "A,B,C" disc has a few games related to the alphabet that introduces the child to the letters. It also has some songs that aren't really very interactive.

The "1,2,3" disc is, well, to put it mildly, dumb. There are only 3 different games -- matching numbers (which is sadly the most interesting game), matching quantities (gets kinda tedious after a while), the last one involves maneuvering a dog around to find objects in a sequence (unfortunately, the dog doesn't always go where you tell him).

Overall, don't buy these games because you think they will make your kid smart. Just buy them for fun.

OK, for what it is.
The main advantage of this package is that you are actually getting three different modules in one box -- ABCs, numbers and art. So, from an economic standpoint, it's a good deal.

These games are suitable to begin with a 4 or 4 1/2 year old. (They are a little advanced for my 3 1/2 year old, but she can muddle through as long as Mom or Dad are nearby to help her out of a jam.)

One unfortunate component of this software is that there is no way to turn off the on-screen instructions (in the form of animated characters). After a while, it gets kind of annoying, but our daughter doesn't seem bothered by it -- yet.

The quality of the animation is so-so. The lip sync is chronically off, but I've seen worse on kids' software. It will play on Windows NT without any problem, as well as on Macs (but only in Classic mode).

My main criticism of this kind of product in general is more philosophical, than practical. In my opinion, it's important to look on "edutainment" software as a fun supplement to bookwork and parental interaction, not as a substitute for them. My husband and I work with our daughter every night on her letters, numbers, drawing (fine motor skills) and aural skills (reading novels aloud) for at least 30 minutes. If we were relying on edutainment software for her education in place of our one-on-one efforts (as well as restricting her television intake), then all she would be learning is how to be desensitized by annoying music and flashing lights.

As long as it's viewed as "fun" and not real education, then this software serves its purpose -- light-hearted reinforcement of already mastered concepts. ... Read more