Amazon.com Review

Pit Droids poses the age-old math question: "If a droid traveling five miles per hour leaves Mos Espa at dawn, how long will it take to get to the Arena Gate?" Watto, Tatooine's notorious junk dealer, has purchased a large pit-droids shipment to help with the pod races. Naturally, the droids don't know the way, leaving you to direct the capering mechanoids to their goals by placing various arrows in their path.

Right from the slick panoramic interface, Pit Droids is a blast. C-3PO's thorough tutorials (featuring the inimitable Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2's chirpy in-game help will have you herding the hordes of droids in no time. Not only do you need to avoid collisions, you need to change droids' attributes, sort them, and adjust the timing of their patterns. While holding your attention with the frenetic puzzle-solving fun, Pit Droids quietly refines your logical-thinking and problem-solving skills, making it a great game for older children as well as adults.

Pit Droids rewards progress with comic short films of the clowning droids in action. Eight locations offer more than 300 puzzles spanning three levels of difficulty, and the Puzzle Editor lets you build your own devices. It's enough to keep you interested for as long as the droids keep you scrambling. --Jack Gardiner ... Read more

Features

• 8 challenging game levels
• 300+ puzzles
• Create your own custom-made puzzles
• 6 unique Star Wars game environments
• For 1 player

Reviews (6)

Great Fun Game!!
Almost endless amount of pre-created puzzle But then! You can creat your own! Loads of fun!

This is not good
YO people, dont waste money on this. Trust me! It is boring. i mean, it takes forever to just beat one!

Challenging, Graphic, and Limitless
Star Wars Pit Droids is not exclusively for Star Wars fans, and is an excellent puzzle game if you want one. It has three levels of play for all people. The goal is to use the arrows provided to literally point the different pit droids in the right direction. However, they have different colors, helmets, and tools, so you have to guide each type to their destintation. It's 3-D and has pretty good graphics. There's an online exchange for puzzles that you make, which has some EXTREMELY difficult puzzles, much harder than the game provides. Making a game in this is pretty easy, but picky. It doesn't agree with the standard Microsoft interface, and forces you to use buttons for cut-and-paste. The major downside to this game is that you can only save after completing a level, not during one. Overall, I suggest this for people who want to be challenged or to challenge others.

This is hard,escpecially Hard Mode,but fun
This game is fun.You work on many puzzles to get your pit droids to the Podrace Arena.I won a T-shirt for a 13 year olds contest on this game,I had to get 144 pit droids to the Podrace Arena before too many other opponents did the same.I would recommend this game to any one who isn't too (not smart) as I wouldn't want to insult you readers! And also,if you want a cool pit droids T-Shirt,you can buy it now and practice until sometime in Year 2001.Then you can sign up for a totally cool contest!

The "H-bomb" since Droidworks!
Pit Droids is the #1 maze/puzzle game! If you're a big fan of Star Wars or strategy, you should definitally buy this game! What I specifically like about Pit Droids is the great 3-D graphics, the challenge of the puzzles, and the hilarious slapstick "reward" cutscenes! But sometimes you may go crazy when you get to a frustrating part in a level, but don't worry about that little comment. Yep, it's another one of those Lucasarts/Learning masterpieces that quite often happen. I betcha when you pop this CD in your PC, you're going to think, "I didn't waste a dime on this thing!" ... 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

Reviews (3)

Great combination of fun and learning!
Both of my children have thoroughly enjoyed the Cluefinder Series, especially this 3rd Grade Edition. I have tried many similar products but have found them to be either to heavy on the education, thereby losing the kids interest, or too heavy on the fun and they don't really learn much. In this product, the children get to work with a small group of kids (whom they may know already from other Cluefinders adventures)as they seek to solve the story/mysteries. I love the way the kids get rewarded for progress during their journey, providing even more incentive to continue. And the best part of all: they really do learn! During dinner one evening, my daughter showed off some of the math skills she had learned quite far in advance of her school classmates. And it wasn't just rote memorization. She had really learned the concepts. My hat is off to The Learning Company!

You're the ClueFinder in this game
The ClueFinders' are four kids who as a team gather clues and solve a mystery. They solve fractions, solve English problems, and many more educational games. It is a fun way of learning, and it is intresting, easy, and awsome. I highly recommend any ClueFinder's game there is, because they teach you and let you have fun at the same time. This product is defienitly worth its' money.

Highly Recommended
Probably most important with any educational software is finding something you're child really likes. My son loves to play this game!

He especially likes playing geography and maps. He loves choosing were in the world to send one of the characters. If he sends the character to the correct place, then he wins a "crypt tile". Crypt tiles are important because they are used to solve the games overall puzzle.

The math section makes doing fractions fun. Cylindrical tubes are aligned on the ocean floor by putting fractions in their proper place. If all the tubes are correct, then a "tube worm" coughs up a "crypt tile."

Navigation in the game is easy. Playing is fun - yet challenging. We recommend this one highly. ... Read more

Features

• Learn the full math curriculum with engaging, interactive lessons
• A comprehensive learning tool--the ultimate skill-building resource
• Perfect for math students grades 7 through college
• Subjects include Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, and much more
• Also includes bonus item--Basic Math Review

Reviews (1)

Disapointing, and rather clunky software.
When you buy this software, you expect professional layouts, and a professional feel. Well when you first open the software, you feel like you just opened a cheap website. Once you enter the index, which is clunky in itself, you will have to choose which math topic you wish to study. Once you enter your section, you have to scroll through tons of info just to find what you are looking for, although you can use edit and find to find some text that you are looking for. This information that this software offers is not complete. For example, in the Algebra section, it does not give you all of the instructions on factoring quadratic equations, even though it gives you huge complicated questions that it expects you to know the answer to. I am studying to major in Mathematical Science, and I would not recommend this software if you are trying to learn new topics or get ahead in your classes. This software is basic review, and you had better remember things from your classes in order to understand what they are talking about. Also, if you don't have high computer skills, this software will get very confusing. ... 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

The classic arcade hit has returned. With a galaxy to save, you must attack squadron after squadron of alien forces. There are 13 different enemy species to destroy before they wipe you out. Fight with laser beams and neutron blasts as you hunt for shields, hidden worlds, and even a replica of the original game. Incredible graphics, sound, and special effects keep the adrenaline pumping as you combat the alien invasion. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Space Invaders: The Next Generation
I recently upgraded to Windows XP, and I'm happy to say that "Space Invaders" is still compatible with my computer. Using the keyboard for controls quickly becomes as easy as using a mouse on other computer games. Hitting the passing spaceship above the descending aliens is critical, as that unlocks added features you'll really need, such as a shield and double shot. I also like how each level adds a different alien with more challenging features. Especially tough is the huge super-alien that appears at the end of every level. With state of the art graphics and ease of gameplay, Activision has created a great game that's both fun and addictive. More expensive computer games are gathering dust on the shelf while I continue to zap aliens!

Space Invaders
I really like this game; however, I just ordered it from you about 2 weeks ago and I still never got my game! I was looking foward to playing that game soon! What's going on?

one of my all time favorites
have played space invaders for years (from video machines to the old atari model) and was tickled when I discovered this version for use on my computer. Have made it through all the levels and am now getting my grandson in on the fun. He shoots while I move the tank from side to side and he gets a big kick out of hitting an alien (which is getting to be more often).

A classic redone right.
"Space Invaders" was probably the first seriously quarter-sucking game of my adolescence (with "Defender" probably being the last, less a few later-in-life notable exceptions) and it's nice to see it get the "upgrade" being given to so many other (dare I say "less worthy"?) arcade games.

This is also one of the =best= upgrades of a classic game done to-date. Why? Because they didn't change =too= much. The original was a genre-creating game that was followed by a zillion variations and subtle alterations (like the aliens dropping down a la "Galaxian"/"Galaga" or a 3D perspective like "Zaxxon") and yet this upgrade resists all of that. It doesn't even bother with a story, except for a tiny homage cutscene at the beginning and end of the game.

Your "tank" (is =that= what that thing was supposed to be?) moves horizontally along the bottom of the screen as an alien horde moves closer. The more aliens you shoot, the faster the surviving ones go (which was probably more a reflection on CPU speeds of the day than anything).

What they added were tank powerups and special attacks and alien special attacks. For the most part, the tank's special attacks are useful and must be used differently from one another. The alien's special attacks must be kept in forefront of the player's mind.

The power-ups render the game very easily won, particularly the "double-shot" which allows your tank to have two shots on screen at once, instead of just one. (Without a double-shot, a miss means you must wait for your missile to travel to the very top of the screen before you can fire again. Accuracy counts a =lot= more.) The shield is like having an extra-life, but better because you don't lose any powerups you have if your shield gets hit.

It takes about an hour to play through all ten levels but the implementors generously included save game features. In a way, I liked the ease of the game, because I got my butt kicked back in the '70s. (The arcade "Space Invaders" was meant to drain quarters, of course.) I wasn't disappointed because I bought this (as I do with all arcade rehashes) using my "20-quarters-rule". (As in, "don't spend more than".)

The only down side to this game is the exceedingly lame emulation of the original that winning the game unlocks. You can find far better emulations of the original other places.

5 stars with a caveat or two
This is a fun and addictive game, with "Addictive" being the key word here. I personally find it a bit challenging. I think there are 12 levels? It took me forever to get to level 2, now the farthest my husband and I have gotten is level 3. I love the graphics, the music?, and the sound effects. Down side might be a little carpel, tunnel syndrom. My 4-year old son loves it. I really have to limit his time to play. It is worse than TV in that respect. His dream is to defeat the crusher and get to level 2. My 8-year old daughter loves it and my husband and I love it. (no age disclosure there, beyond old enough to have kids though) I would say it has brought my husband and I closer together. We put the kids to bed, clean the kitchen, then he looks at me with that sly gleam in his eye and says "ya wanna do it?" I'm easy, I say yes, and we race upstairs to the computer to see how far we can go with Space Invaders this time. After a few rounds we take turns rubbing Ben Gay on our wrists. It is fun!! ... 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 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

Amazon.com Product Description

This trailblazing adventure builds real-life skills, such as decision making and problem solving. As the leader of a wagon party, you can choose your team and supplies, read maps, plan your route, and guide your team through the unknown wilderness. Tough choices lie ahead, but with the help of your wagon party and people you meet along the way, you'll conquer this challenging journey and arrive in a new land. You'll need to build a team with the skills you think are important for survival on the rugged trail to Oregon. To find the best route, you'll rely not only on maps and guidebooks but also advice from fellow travelers and your gut instinct. On the trail, you'll face all the trials and tribulations of the first pioneers: raging rivers, buffalo stampedes, sickness, and gunshot wounds. Your adventure comes to life with 3-D travel, 360-degree panoramic views and full-motion video. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Great game... maybe I got lucky?
I remember playing Oregon Trail as a girl in elementary school - recently I saw it here on Amazon.com and decided to get it, even after reading all of the negative customer reviews. Maybe I got lucky or something but there was absolutely nothing wrong with any of the software and everything loaded up and installed great. My computer's pretty new, too... I didn't have to go through the hassle of downgrading anything (I have Quick Time 4.0), like some people had complained about in their comments. I definitely recommend the game - brought back lots of memories, only with better graphics and easier game controls. And you can't beat Amazon's price. Awesome game!!

oregon trail
it is a fun game for all ages for people who just want to have fun. it is also a good learning experience for all students learning about the oregon trail. it gives true accounts of how hard a journey the trail was. i give this game five stars.

Not so good.
I got this as a gift, because I loved playing Oregon Trail in grade school. This version, though having much prettier graphics, isn't nearly as fun. Half the fun of playing it was naming all the people after your family, and reading the dirty limericks people wrote on the gravestones. Save your money, don't buy this.

A Classroom Favorite
My third graders study the Oregon Trail every year and enjoy playing this game. It is educational and exciting! Kids take a small party on a covered wagon trip from Independence, Missouri to Oregon. First, they buy everything they need, from oxen to bullets. They must provide their own food along the way (by hunting, trading, or buying at a fort) and are often faced with illness and even death. If someone does die, you can write their tombstone, and maybe see it on your next trip!

This game turns textbook learning into reality. It is hard to make it all the way to Oregon (Hint: it goes faster if you have a lot of oxen). But along the way, you will learn to take care of your party and to appreciate things like good water and good weather. I happily recommend this game to kids age 8-10.

I love this game
I got this game for baby-sitting we loaded it on and the people did not work. We got with the technical support and they told us to got to broderbrund.com they told us how to get the people to work the only thing the didn't tell us was to totally delete the game when you are done with the process. Most people don't like this game true Oregon Trail 2 was the best yet with lots more trails to go on and such. There is some difficulties with this game but all in all it has only exited twice on me. It probably is just the peoples computer. Note the disapering people usally only happen with Windows. I also think that you should read the box that's says 10! and up seven year olds should not play this game enless they know the reason people got those illness's. This game is very educational and great for older kids. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Get ready to travel the world, encounter exotic sights and sounds, meet unusual people--and arrest them! Carmen Sandiego's international crime ring is furiously filching world treasures ordinary thieves wouldn't dare tackle. We're counting on you, Gumshoe. So, when you think you've got the goods on the bad guys, submit your evidence, make the collar, and go to court. But beware! Your evidence must be airtight or your suspect will go free! (Ages 9 and older) ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
This is a good game that will teach children about world geography but younger children may get frustrated with this game. It is really geared toward pre-teens and you have to listen closely to the clues in order to determine where is the world is Carmen. This game will work with Windows XP Home Edition but you have to run it in compatibility mode.

Warning: It¿s not an easy game.
This game is a little frustrating for any child who cannot yet associate a continent with the following clues: kroner, Ho Chi Minh trail, outback, Sahara. I had to help out more than either of us would have liked. On the other hand, it's fun, so she is motivated to try. And she is learning a lot!

Carmen has made my child a geography whiz!
I have a 10 year old daughter who I have seen spend, literally, multiple hours on our PC engaged in what I call "virtual globe- trotting" in an effort to find Carmen and her partners in crime.

Players use the Digiketch to piece together a composite image of the suspect as they unlock clues describing his/her appearance.(Once you get a complete image, you can issue an arrest warrant!)

There is a World Wiz Database that helps players learn more about the countries that the suspect may have visited. This game introduces foreign phrases, international travel, and problem solving skills in a way that no other medium could.

I highly recommend this game as a means by which a child's horizons can be greatly broadened.

A first-class program.
I love this game. While chasing Carmen and her gang around the world, you come across funny characters, puzzling clues, interesting locations, and you learn a lot about geography and history at the same time! They did a magnificent job on this game - I wish I could find that missing last disk so I could install it again on my new computer!

Educational And Fun!
This is simply a brilliant,but yet educational,game.It challenges childrens' (& adults') geographical knowledge,while incorporating strategical planning as well. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Approaching the last quarter of the 18th century, a tidal wave of change is poised to engulf the American colonies. Sarah Phillips and James Hiller, two young reporters working for Benjamin Franklin, adventure in search of the ultimate scoop for the front page of the Pennsylvania Gazette. Kids encounter soldiers, spies, Indians, Loyalists, statesmen, and townsfolk in a series of adventures that place them right in the middle of one of the most important eras of America's history, the American Revolution.

The primary goal of Liberty's Kids is to provide kids, ages 7 to 12, with a fresh and exciting experience of the extraordinary period in American history, 1773 to 1789. Kids gain insight into the complex ideas, perspectives, and motivations for the American Revolution. Seven historical events set in colonial America, including the Boston Tea Party, the Declaration of Independence, and the crossing of the Delaware, await kids in this exciting educational software game. Each event is can be replayed from different perspectives. Plus, kids can watch mini-movies from the PBS Kids animated series, explore Ben Franklin's inventions, create and print their own newspaper, meet famous historical figures, and much more. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Great program!
This game (should I call it a game?) is fabulous! Based on a great PBS show, it continues to teach about the Revolutionary War. By interviewing key people (like George Washington & Sam Adams) the children can create a newspaper, similar to the tv show. Sarah & James help guide you around the sites of major battles & famous towns. For fun, you often have to find certain items to give to the characters before they will allow you to interview them.

The learning mode is great & took my 9 year old daughter about 10 minutes to figure it out and go to town. She has completed the entire game about 5 times in a month and still has not grown bored - the scenerios change every time you play!

I recommend this to anyone who has ever watched the show, but also for a way to teach more about the Revolutionary War. A good reader is needed, and one that can make good judgements to choose which interview comments to publish. This would make a great addition to a classroom library of software!

Definitely a great buy!!!

I loved it!
I watch the show and I loved the CD-Rom! It never gets boring for me, because one time I got the same item for a guy that I got in the last game and he didn't need it, he needed something else! It is also really good because you can get how both British and Patriots felt about what was going on. It was so much fun!

Really cool game!
I never get bored of playing, because it changes every time. I love to hear interesting commentary and arguements between James and Sarah as you journey from scene to scene. It gives a very balanced view of the Revolution, because one's British and the other is American. I've watched the show, and they both have held my interest. It's good for anyone!

Learning and Loving the American Revolution
This game is fabulous! My children love Schoolhouse Rock and this game gave some depth to the songs about the Revolution that they had already learned. We have all played and what's great is that each game and assignment is different. Seeing the Revolution through the eyes of teenage reporters allows my children to appreciate American History without being "taught" or "preached to" by me or by their teachers. They love when I quiz them about the Battle of Saratoga, Valley Forge and Lexington and Concord. Even my 5yr old knows who John Adams is!

Great game for kids!
We bought this game for our kids for the summer, to help keep them busy. My kids LOVE the PBS show and we decided this could be a great way of entertainment and learning. My 10 year old daughter picked up on the game right away and has really enjoyed playing it. My 8 year old son has taken some time to learn the game and enjoys it, but he would like more excitement. I really like that the kids can learn more about the Revolutionary period and be a part of putting it together in a newspaper. If your kids love the show, they will enjoy the game too. ... Read more

Features

• Over 70 challenging activities cover a two-year curriculum for 3rd and 4th grades
• Have fun developing skills in math, grammar, language arts, geography, science, and history
• Learning Buddies technology adjusts the program continuously to the right level of difficulty
• Get report cards, printable activities, Schoolhouse Rock videos, guides, and more
• Real-life learning includes critical thinking, creativity, vocabulary, and logic

Reviews (1)

Well Made Educational CD Rom
This set had all the bases covered. It includes 4 area of study. Math , Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies. Fun and well rounded. ... 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

Amazon.com Product Description

Scooby-Doo Mystery of the Fun Park Phantom is a PC mystery game that combines the exploration of an adventure game with the strategy and endless playability of a traditional board game. The characters come to life in 2 1/2-D, a special rendering that keeps cartoon characters looking true to their 2-D appearance, yet gives them added dimension. Just like the TV show, the game places players in sticky and sometimes humorous situations, where they must solve a mystery and uncover the game's true villain. Hunt for clues, set traps, and munch down on Scooby snacks. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A lot of fun for a "kids game"
I bought this game for my wife as kind of a "gag gift" as she likes Scooby Doo (as do I) but the game is actually fun. You can play up to 4 players (Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy; you can't actually be Scooby but he does help you throughout the game) on 3 differnt difficulty settings to find the Phantom. This is where it may get a little repetitive though. The Phantom is 1 of the 8 other characters in the game. But the variety of traps one can lay for the Phantom actually keep you interested.

The game is more fun if you have some friends to play it with and is even a lot more fun over the internet (if you can find a game though) as you can sabatoge your opponent and not feel to guilty about it:-)

Overall the game is nicely done and is fun for the entire family. The graphics are nice and the sounds and voice overs are above average. Gameplay is fun and exciting and is great for kids as it challenges them to remember where the various clues and trap pieces were throughout the game. The game is a lot of fun and will not disappoint.

Great Game
I bought this game because I love Scooby Doo. I thought the graphics were excellent(though I didn't think the characters looked exactly right), and the game was very captivating. You walk around looking for clues and traps, and when you get the right ones, you set the trap to capture the ghost. I was a little disappointed in that you can't be Scooby, but that wouldn't be really fair then, would it? I just got it and I really love it. The sound effects match up with the character's movements, and the videos are really quite good and fun to watch. The only major complaint I have is how LONG it takes to go through turns, but that really isn't a fixable problem. I really think the program is great!

Back to the Stone Ages
This game was visually nothing. It really is just a tedious click, move a few steps, and click again to move a few more. The view is from overhead. You have to collect the correct combo of 3 pieces and go to the correct location to use them. With 27 possible pieces and 9 locations, it was just a real pain. No visual excitement. It must have been one of the first video games ever written.

Scooby-Doo and friends help a couple in need of help!
If you are wondering why I am giving this 4 stars instead of my normal 5 stars, is because I think the computer players are smart, if you don't want them to be. Scooby-Doo and his pals, Fred, Daphne, Velma & Shaggy run into another mystery when thier mystery machine breaks down in front of the Gobs, a couple that is in trouble because they had to close down the park because the fun park phantom scared away thier guests.

At first, Mr. Gob thinks they are there for the park. So Mr. Gob strikes a deal, with Shaggy, Daphne, Fred & Velma that if they can find out who the phantom is he will fix thier mystery machine. So here is the areas of the park. Fun House, Midway, Log Flume, Ferris Wheel, Bumper Car, Pirate Ship, Roller Coaster, Merry-Go-Round and the Miniature World.

Now when you begin the six suspects are assigned to the areas of the park. And your character(s) are aslo assigned to an area(s) of the park. The suspects are a security guard, a magician, a farmer, a groundskeepr, a clown, and a banker. You'll find that these people all have a reason why they would like to see the park closed. Thier are 9 areas of the park and 6 will have a suspect in them where they are suposed to be for the whole game.

Think before you buy this program
Though this has a similar title to the excellent game Scooby Doo Phantom of the Knight, this program is very different in style. The gang compete against each other to get the phantom (which doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you think about the show), and it gets so tiresome after awhile because it is played almost like a board game. You have to either play with a friend, or against the computer and end up doing a lot of waiting for others to take their turns. Fun for a little bit, but very tedious after awhile. The point is, this program is not terrible, but it is not what you would expect with the Scooby Doo name. It is a competitive game, whereas the Scooby Doo Phantom of the Knight is an adventure with the whole gang working together to solve a mystery together. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Join Barbie and friends in a race through the carnival, searching for clues and suspects. Tell Detective Barbie your name and she'll ask for your help throughout the game. It's up to you to solve the case. But watch out--clues and suspects change every time you play. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Fun to Play
This game was fun and exiting to play. You find neat clues, follow footprints and look for handprints, and even chase suspects on cool rides. The clues and the theif/kidnapper change each time, and it is always fun to see where the clues lead you too. The only problem with it is that Barbie walks way too slow! If only she would ever run, maybe the game would be more exiting and less frustrating when you try to get her to move.

MsDollie
My four nieces (ages 8 to 12) really enjoy this game. There are times when the clues are well hidden and take some careful examination to find, but that is part of the fun. There are several games to play within the mystery setting. Our only real complaint is that Barbie moves slowly through the carnival setting. We always want her to run - especially when following a hot clue!

Detective Barbie at the Carnival
I found this game a bit too hard or a glitch in there.

After looking for Ken and the clues seemed futile, my daughter and I really enjoyed the rides.

We quit worrying about find Ken and figured he left the park, so we went on the rides.

It is fun, but a few minutes of rides and we were ready to leave the park.

Best Computer game ever!!!!!!!!!!
Barbie Detective Carnival Caper,was the first computer game i ever had and i have to say it's better than any computer games in the world!

Pretty Cool
This game is fun and suspenseful...but Barbie walks way too slow. It takes me hours to play because the locations are spread out and Barbie needs a walker to get from location 2 location! It's sooooo slow. But a fun game, at that! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Based on the popular PBS television show, Zoboomafoo Animal Alphabet takes kids on a guided tour of their ABCs, allowing them to brush up early reading and spelling skills while learning about animals from the Kratt brothers and their leaping lemur friend.

An educational activity center for children in the 3 to 6 years age range, this game offers a variety of simple minigames designed to build alphabet knowledge by capitalizing on a young player's curiosity about the animal kingdom. Users can color animal flash cards or play an arcade-style round of Penguin Pong, bouncing ice floes off each other to reveal the answer to a quiz question. Alternately, they can go to Animal Mixups, a top-notch activity where kids mix and match animals, grafting a zebra head, to take one possibility, onto a tiger torso, perhaps with a cow or reindeer tail to finish.

As an extra bonus, play is interspersed with lengthy live-action sequences from the television program. A win in one of the spelling games triggers a shot of the Kratt brothers going face-first into a mud pit. The Kratts and Zoboomafoo the leaping lemur also host a collection game, where players seek out animals whose names start with the different letters of the alphabet, and then get to see video footage of the creature itself.

Animal lovers and fans of the show should enjoy Zoboomafoo Animal Alphabet thoroughly, especially if they have never seen a game of this type before. More experienced players may recognize that about half of its activities are standard fare, reworked versions of games that appear repeatedly in educational software. This is the only complaint to be made, though, with what is otherwise a completely engaging game with lots of fascinating animal facts and great potential for teaching young learners some basic reading skills. (Ages 3 to 6) --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Nice mix of learning and fun
My 3 year-old really enjoys this game. It is perfect for a child who is learning her capital letters, but who is not quite ready for phonics yet. Also, while the graphics aren't superb, they are good enough for a pre-schooler and make her feel like she is interacting with the show. The CD-ROM also has a nice variety of games where different skill sets are tested. My only reservation is that that the software seems to have a few glitches on my Windows XP.

a good collection...
of games that teach spelling, reading and letter recognition. In addition to this, are the usual colouring and puzzle games. The positives: my 3 year old is quickly learning how to spell simple words and seems to enjoy the animal movies and graphics. The negatives: the font they've used for the games utilizing the alphabet is quite difficult to read (the k could be an x, etc.) Easy readability is crucial to a teaching program such as this, when will they learn? Also, the "Penguin Pong" program needs a patch but it is easily retrieved if you go to the Learning Company's website.

Pass On This One
With all the software titles available now days, I would suggest passing on this one. My child loves animals and learning, however, this is one of our least favorites. Maybe this is because we have access to more software (family "hand-me-downs") so this one just sits. After using this a few times I kept thinking there would be more substance, there isn't. I would suggest one of the JumpStart learning series (jumpstart advanced preschool etc.).

kids and parents deserve better than this lame software
I am really startled at the praise this software is getting. We own approximately twenty software titles for children and I would rank this as one of the three worst. In its favor it does not crash, but the quality of both format and content is poor.

First off, the resolution is bad. We've run this game on a Macintosh laptop and desktop computer, and the introductory footage looks fuzzy on both.

The live-action introduction is fun for fans of the show, but the few live-action sequences in the game's interior are not enough to keep little ones happy. The Kratt brothers are charming hosts of the television show but we don't see enough of them in this game. After the introduction children see a pan-and-scan version of Animal Junction populated with twenty-six clickable animals, each representing a different letter of the alphabet. When kids click on one of the animals, they receive a "page" with a picture and an assortment of facts about that creature, though in eight instances a child is presented instead with a game (more about these later). Confusingly, when a game is finished we hear Zoboo say, "That was great! Here's your animal page. Do you want to play again?" Instead of seeing an animal page, kids get a Yes-No choice. If they choose Yes they go to a game repeat. If they choose No they then go to the appropriate animal page. Did they beta test this at all?

Finally, the games are neither well-explained nor are they well-designed for children. Penguin Pong, even at the lowest of three difficulty levels, moves slowly and, in the vein of the classic game Pong, you have to knock out 49 blocks. It takes forever and kids get bored. Similarly interminable, the letter scramble is also a mess. A child must rearrange letters to form the name of a pictured animal, then click on a virtual spinner to advance Zoboo 1, 2, 3 or 4 spaces on a "game board". First complaint: when a child uses a letter from the scramble list it remains active, which is confusing for little ones. Second complaint: the game board is 35 spaces long -- it takes at least nine scrambles, and usually many more, for Zoboo to get to the end. Third complaint: when Zoboo does finally reach the 35th square, nothing interesting happens, unless you count that now-familiar non sequitur, "That was great! Here's your animal page. Do you want to play again?" What's the lesson here -- lowered expectations? In the Noodle Hut game, Zoboo asks for a letter and your child is supposed to click on it amid a field of noodles, each with a letter on it. But even at the lowest difficulty level, there are multiple examples of letters, again confusing to little ones. If there are three "R"s, which one should they click on? Also, some of the letters are presented at a three-quarter view which makes them less recognizable. Why would you do that to young children just learning their letters? My final complaint, and an important one, is that the games are not presented within any story or context to make them either interesting or meaningful.

I could continue to find fault with each of the other games, but why bother? This is lazy, sloppy software that is not good enough for your child. Instead, buy Blue's Clues or Franklin or Reader Rabbit software -- consistently well-designed and well-written. It is strange and disappointing that PBS, long considered THE leader in creative educational children's programming and products, seems to be faltering in the wake of recent competition.

Our family will continue to watch and enjoy the Zoboomafoo television show, but this software is a loser.

Your Favorite Lemur Is Back
Animal kids is here now on CD.
On this game you must collect 26 pages for your animal book.
There are also 8 great games.
They include penguin pong,the mud pit,and Wiggys noodles.
There are many other games too. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Disney's Animated StoryBook: Toy Story is a CD-ROM adventure where you bring the story to life. With the click of a mouse, you'll enter a wacky 3-D world where toys come alive. As you read along, it's up to you to help Woody and Buzz escape bad-boy Sid, catch the moving van, and become best buddies. Every page is packed with fun surprises, plus music and 3-D graphics just like the movie. In fact, there's plenty of new animation for a nonstop reading adventure worth getting all wound up about! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Please help me with this. -
My 4 year old son absolutely loves toy story. He has 3 toy story CD Roms, and every toy, tape, and cd that can ever go w/ it. The problem is, I have been trying for months to get the Animated Storybook cd rom to work properly. I know it has something to do with quicktime, I am pretty sure. I think I have a newer version of quicktime, and it wants to install and delete it, but the pc won't allow it to. Well, I get as far as Ham telling you how to play, press on the play icon and it dies on me. Always w/ a message regarding qtc or pixo, both having to do with quicktime. Once I actually got all the way to the claw game, what a dissapointment that was to my 4 year old. The first day I put it in months ago, it worked great, the next morning, it never worked past Ham at the beginning again. Any ideas? Please, help, my son will grow out of his love for these characters before I know it, and I would love for him to be able to enjoy this cd rom. Thanks

My son loves it
We got this for my four year old son for Christmas. He is big into Toy Story and just loves it. He will play hours at a time without a peep. With its different levels I expect he will be entertained for some time to come. Even his older sister, who is 7, enjoys playing the game. I would recommend it highly. Keep them coming Disney!

Toy Story Animated Storybook
My two-year-old son loves this animated storybook. He has been asking to play with the CD everyday since we first got it. I bought four other animated storybooks along with Toy Story. However, this is his favorite out of all of them. The pictures are vivid and colorful. The navigation of the pages are simple compared to the others. He is able to navigate it with a mouse all by himself from the beginning to the end. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Never face another rained-out ball game with this stunning simulator just for kids. Backyard Baseball 2001 lets you manage your own team through sunshine, hail, and hurricane. Whether you want to enjoy a single pickup match or maneuver through an entire season, this game will let you put the players you want on the field of your choice before pitting them against the toughest young players the Major Leagues have to offer.

Play in Backyard Baseball 2001 can be as simple or as difficult as you want it to be. While it is definitely useful to know a few simple statistics about your team members, it is not required. During play, batters may choose between power hits, line drives, bunts, and grounders as they try to hit the fiendishly clever pitches of the opposition. Once a hit is made, players direct runners from base to base. Unlike the earliest baseball simulators, where many decisions were made by the computer, this one puts the user in control of everything, encouraging a good sense of baseball tactics and discouraging rash play. (Stealing bases with a player who is not a good runner, for example, is a quick road to an out!) When pitching, players select from a menu of pitches and then give the pitcher a target within the batter's box for their throw. A hit transfers play to a wider view of the field, so you can direct the ball to whichever base the runner is headed for.

Backyard Baseball 2001 is an upgrade of an earlier game, and players familiar with the original Backyard Baseball will find that it is very similar in design and structure. Your favorite players (and their color commentators) have been carried over wholesale from the first game, complete with the same signature animations as they come up to bat. At first glance, in fact, the program may seem like it hasn't been spruced up much at all. However, the newer game allows players to join Major League ball teams, such as the Toronto Blue Jays, or to create their own team names and uniforms. Players may recruit or play against youthful versions of current sports superstars, such as Mark McGwire and Tony Gwynn. They can even create customized team members to shore up weaknesses in their outfield or custom-tweak an even deadlier pitcher. Another very welcome upgrade is Internet play, which takes the players on the virtual road, pitting them against teams managed by other players online.

The game design in Backyard Baseball 2001 is absolutely stellar. The interface is easy to use and entertaining. The eight ball fields each come with advantages and disadvantages to be puzzled out and exploited. Players themselves come from a pleasingly multicultural palette with a good age, gender, and ability mix. This game also carries over and expands on the original Backyard Baseball's zany sense of humor: a drinking-box gauge shows how much "juice" the pitcher still has, the patter of the commentators is pleasing and surprisingly nonrepetitive, and successful play is rewarded with power-ups for both pitcher and batter. These power-ups are hilarious--a hot pitcher can throw Fireballs, for example, which literally burn as they zoom past the luckless batter. Batters who do manage to hit these special pitches earn the right to try Crazy Bunts, which carom randomly around the field, or the (literally) Screaming Line Drives.

Young baseball enthusiasts will love this program, which combines entertainment and sports education in seamless combination. So put your team together, suit up, and play ball! --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (54)

THE BEST BASEBALL GAME OUT THERE, EVEN FOR GROWN-UPS!
If you want baseball on the computer, get this game. Backyard Baseball 2001 has 31 Major League stars as kids (2 from the Reds, 1 from each other team) and 30 other players that you can pick for your team. You can play as any MLB team or pick from a list of custom names. You can even create your own player! But the most surprising part of all is that on Backyard Baseball 2001, Frank Thomas is an amazing pitcher (even better than Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling). In fact, he is so amazing, I pitched a perfect game with him once! The only downsides of this game is that you can only pick 9 players for your team (no subs) and that there are some players that you can't pick for your team that other teams can pick. This game is so good, maybe I'm even gonna start a BYB2K1 webpage! Get this game. It's worth the price.

This game is a must
Backyard baseball teams up with Major League Baseball and The Major League Baseball Players Association to bring real-life baseball pros to the neighborhood baseball diamond...as kids! They have players from Mark McGwire to A-Rod,Ivan Rodriguez,Randy Johnson,Larry Walker,Chipper Jones,Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa,Ken Griffey Jr.,and much,much more! As well as all major league teams. And you can play people on the internet. Theres game modes like season,single game,and batting practice. Plus you not only get the game but you get baseball cards with the game and its a whole lot of fun for anyone.Enjoy!

They Should Make More Games Like This!
I've had this game for a long time now, and I've played it more than any other game I own and it's my all-time favorite game. It has tremendous replay value because of its wide selection of modes like single game, season, internet play, practice, and T-Ball mode. I especially like internet mode because it allows you to play with other kids on the net. Parents, don't worry! The internet mode is safe and secured and monitored by the company themselves! I say it is a great game because you can choose from 30 Backyard Baseball player kids and 31 MLB players as kids! That's 61 kids in all to choose for your team! Awesome! But that's not including the custom characters you can make! The controls are EASY! I never experienced anything that was so easy! Just point and click! There are many special pitches and batting types in the game, from spitballs to fireballs and from crazy bunts to aluminum power bats! The special pitches: spitball, fireball, corkscrew, big freeze, zig-zag, slo-mo, and elevator. The special batting types: crazy bunt, aluminum power, under-grounder, and screaming linedrive. Bottom Line: Get this game! It's GREAT! Tip: If you have the game, here's how you can play as Mr. Clanky, the untiring robot with sizzling pitches! Just point your mouse or controller on the robot at the main menu and click on him while holding the shift key!

Great game... for the younger kids
this is a very fun game. Great graphics, smooth gameplay, and, as i said, lots of fun! you can choose from a bunch of pros, such as arod, nomar, bonds, giambi, beltran, and sosa. and the backyard kids, like pablo sanchez, dante robinson, jocinda smith, etc.

but, as my title says, it's made for the younger kind. The game gets really easy really fast, and on the hard mode with errors off, i beat the other team 44-1.

I would borrow it from a friend, see how you like it, and go from there, but don't buy it right away.

"You'rrrrre Out!"
This game consists of picking players for your team by learning a bit about each player, what they are good at or not good at in baseball. Then you can choose your team's name, colors, and whether to play one game or a season. You tell your pitcher what pitch to throw & where to throw it - or, if you are up to bat, you tell your player when to swing.
It is a fun game, however I strongly recommend it for ages 7 and up. There is some reading necessary - and you must be able to comprehend what defines a "good" baseball player. For the older child - it can be hours of entertainment - and satisfying when you pick a winning team! ... Read more

Features

• Arthur must run, jump, and fly through Elwood City to recover lost pets
• Pet Chase has 5 worlds, each with 6 levels of difficulty; kids experience 30 unique environments
• Games build critical thinking, problem solving, spatial relations, logic, and other skills
• Kids can play both games independently--demo movies provide kids with help
• For kids ages 5-7