Amazon.com Product Description

Arthur's Computer Adventure helps children (ages 3 to 7) to develop reading, math, vocabulary, and other important skills. Through following Arthur through his interactive world, get hooked on his favorite computer game. Arthur's Computer Adventure lets you play to learn important facts and skills. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Lasting entertainment
My two boys (currently 6 and 4) have enjoyed this game for 2 years now....and still do! It's the only good "deep dark sea" adventure I've found that captivates them. Plus, the other little games are good and educational too.

My daughter LOVES this game!
My 9 year-old son and my 3 year-old daughter both love this game. They play it together taking turns with different parts of it. My daughter still needs help in the store making change to buy the different clothes and some times will get frustrated when adding ingredients to make the recipes, but luckily her big brother helps her with this part. It isn't difficult, but you need to be able to count things out. The recipes ask for 3 eggs, etc so all you need to do is find the group of eggs (and there is exactly the amount the recipe asks for) and drag them into the mixing bowl. This game has several different things to do in it, both fun and educational. It is also set up like a story book so you go through different pages and click on certain objects and they do funny things. The kids LOVE that!

Quality Learning and Laughing With Grandchild
My Grandchild has this marvelous game. While visiting we spent several hours playing and interacting. I was impressed with the amount of information and most of all, the fun she enjoyed while using this computer game. The characters are cute and have enough naughtiness to entertain a child. There is positive reinforcement as each level is reached. Oh, how I wish that I had been able to have the wonderful tools to use when my own children were growing up. I must add.....How important it is to have the parent's interest and interaction, as well as the toys. So very important..! gramma Char

Top-quality game
We've looked at most of the popular software for our four-year old daughter. For the most part, the selection and quality has been disappointing. "Arthur's Computer Adventure" was a welcome departure from the poorly produced Macromedia Director numbers that other companies are selling out there. The entire product was enjoyable from start to finish. The best feature is the play while you read portion of the software that allows the kids to follow-along while the book is read, then interact with the many amusing clickable areas of the pages. Captivating, well-designed, and at the top of my recommended list. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

This two-disc set is packed with 15 educational activities covering math, reading, creativity, and more. Arthur's 2nd Grade teaches a full year's worth of second-grade skills and entertains your child in the process.Plus, kids can track their progress with the Goal Checker and enjoy the three new reward activities after successfully completing the learning activities. (Ages 6 to 8) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Arthur's Second Grade
This is a good game that will prepare your child for the 2nd grade.

A Good Buy
Arthur's Second Grade is a fun, challenging CD for 1st and 2nd Grade Children. Auto leveling (which challenges the child upon completion of a section of the CD), options to turn on and off the printer and background music, as well as suprises and rewards along the way make the CD experience interesting, stimulating and educational. My only complaint would be that the child's reading skills sections are uneven: sometimes too challenging, while in other places too easy, and that some math techniques could be more clearly explained. However, this CD is well worth the money and should provide hours of educational fun for your child. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Arthur's teacher trouble
Much enjoyed by a 3-year old. Easy to manage. Should be of interest to youngsters 3-8+

Poor
Paid for and never received order.....putting in a claim to get money back

Fun for kids and parents!
We purchased this software for my daughter when she was younger and she adored it. Now that she's older, our 2 year old son has discovered her Living Books collection and he loves them, too! The story is wonderfully written (as are all of Marc Brown's "Arthur" tales) and translates well to the computer screen. I think I get just as many laughs out of the hidden objects as my son does! He was really excited when he found that some items, like Mr. Ratuburn's suit, show different results each time you click!

A wonderful cd-rom for your child. Enjoy!

Great edutainment software!
Excellent education/entertainment package. Both of my kids love to click the screen (almost anywhere) and watch the action.

Arthur's fear of Mr. Ratburn (his new third grade teacher) is put to rest as Arthur begins to prepare for the spelling bee. Reading and spelling (as well as Spanish) are taught in this beautiful, exciting package that your kids will love.

Arthur's Teacher Trouble was the first "Living Books" title we purchased. We now own about a dozen, but this is by far the favorite.

Arthur's Teacher Trouble - Excellent trouble!
This CD is not only ingenius for kids, but parents will have just as much fun playing with it. The graphics are great and very clever. The best Living Book that I've seen to date. ... 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

Features

• An exciting learning adventure with Arthur and his friends
• Climb steep mountains, explore forests, and search for hidden surprises
• Develop critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Different adventure-style activities every time you play
• For kids ages 3 to 7

Reviews (3)

Am I missing Something?
My boys (ages 5/6) could not get past level one on this game. Some of the items that needed to be found, never made their appearance. I even tried. Perhpas we got a bad copy.
I must say from a parent's point of view the music drove me nuts!!! Same little tune, played over and over....it never changes.

Endless fun
My six and nine year olds have a blast with this. At first they were a bit confused about what to do but once they figured it out they loved it. There are different scenarios, much like the Freddi Fish games so it is never boring.

Fun Camping Adventures
Our 4 year old has had a blast playing this game. It is loads of fun exploring around the campsite, climbing up (and sliding down) Mount Rockslide, and looking for helpful objects which will allow The Brain to construct a signalling device.

There are simple, yet challenging activities, like constructing a tent, which have been fun, and all of the Arthur characters, with their trademark personalities are there to help. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Arthur's Math Games invites kids to join Arthur and the gang at the carnival and have fun while learning math. There are six fun-filled activities and five difficulty levels to keep the challenges fresh. Kids learn a number of essential math skills, including counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, basic geometry, simple fractions, memory skills, problem solving, and patterns and sequences. There are also art and music activities for extra fun. (Ages 4 to 7) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

It's ok but dont expect your child to learn math...
I was disappointed with this CD. There are only 5 or 6 activities on this CD (Other CDs offer more). In a specific game you quickly get through all the options and start soon with reputations. The differences between the levels is too steep so my kid cant really use them all or progress through them. For example: The first level of a game, the child was shown a shape and had to say how many sides there were. The last level was multiplication and division problems. That's a span of 2-9 year olds! I guess its good if you have kids with a wide range of ages. My son wasn't so happy that he couldn't do the last level but was very bored with the first and second level. Children can't actually learn math here on their own. It doesnt offer those kind of games. Theres a painting game (math?!), a maze, a find an object by hints. I was expecting adding and subtracting but there is very little of that. No classic math, maybe math prep.. The good pointer is that the games are fairly easy to play so children can get on their own and of course it IS Arthur...

A win2000 note: although it does work, the sound gets cut all the time so you get partial sentences. It doesnt bother playing.

Arthur Teaches Math and Makes it Easy...
I think by using Arthur, who is a favorite character of my grandchildren, they will always learn easier from a character they like. Also, this book makes it simple and easy to learn and fun to learn. It is a great learning tool. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Arthur and his buddies enthusiastically take over a library, using video walls, gigantic books, and funky contraptions to teach basic reading skills. Maybe they should have paid a bit more attention to one ingredient that all libraries have in abundance: interesting information.

Arthur's Reading Games contains five reading activities that deal with spelling, word construction using parts of words and individual letters, whole-word recognition, and story building. Kids can also take a break from the world of words by visiting the Dance Theater, where they can program Arthur to boogie along to his theme song, and paint different backdrops for the stage he dances on. The same activity can be found on Arthur's Learning Games.

Francine's "Word-O-Matic" is one of the better games. Francine has built a machine that turns a vat of green goo into parts of words. The invention intones the word to be spelled, and hands over the first letter, and players must decide which blob of goo will complete the word. A writing activity gets laughs with the nonsensical options it offers kids, who must fill in the blanks to complete a one-page story in a big book Buster has discovered. At level one, the options are pictures (toilet, tiger, liver) that get plugged into the story. At level five, kids get written lists of adjectives, verbs, and other parts of speech to choose from. The goofiness of the choices occasionally gets in the way of good grammar. We managed to create many wacky, yet incorrect, sentences such as: "It takes special tiger to shop for a nice outfit."

Favorite Arthur characters lead each of the five activities, yet they do not remedy the plainness of some of these offerings. A "guess the word" game that left us wanting more featured Arthur's little sis, DW, standing on a ladder in the stacks and demanding kids spell a word she's thinking of by clicking on letters on the spines of books. If the correct letter is clicked, the book gets moved onto the library shelf, and when the word is eventually built (the only clue DW gives players is the number of letters) DW repeats the word, and all of the books go back to the cart for another round. When we spelled "COB" the word wasn't used in a sentence, no book about corn flew out of the stacks, and the library remained indifferently silent. Arthur's Reading Games doesn't exploit the creative possibilities of its setting, nor does it effectively explore the wonders that reading can unlock, which is a shameful waste of any library. (Ages 5 to 7) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Features

• Arthur works with The Brain to build a special sand castle-building machine
• Printable newspaper story features the child's name and the castle they create
• 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

Amazon.com Product Description

This program aims to start kids off on the path to creative learning and problem solving. Lovable characters Arthur and D.W. are on a family picnic, and they need kids' help setting a nutritious meal on the table. Other fun learning activities include hosing down gophers, decorating a house, and matching words with pictures. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

if you have windows xp - don't waste your money
my daughter is interested in the game, but as we have windows xp, she cannot play the game. i have contacted the learning company and have tried to install it using the windows program compatibility wizard and the 16-bit version. nothing works. the learning company's reply is that it will not work on windows xp - end of story. and i'm out of luck!

Correction - doesn't run on XP still...
It turns out I was wrong.... the 32 bit version definitely doesn't work on XP and the 16 bit version starts but faults in several places on XP even with the compatibility settings to run like 9x .... if you want to use this software seems 95/98/ME & NT4 seem to be the limit for now. Sorry !

A bit of fun and learning with a hitch.....
The kids seem to love this learning software.

My child keeps saying DW is silly or naughty for not eating properly, so I suggest the message does reach the mark.

Yes there is a bit of squirting pesky gophers with water from a hose (note neither the hose or any other object is used to strike or injure the pests) so don't panic violence is not the theme and with proper parental guidance this software is certainly not a negative role model.

You could certainly do worse.

Re it doesn't work on a modern OS, well the 32 bit DW_32.exe certainly wouldn't run for me on XP (generates a Media Player crash), however if you run the DW_16.exe it runs fine....

I'm sure TLC/BroderBund could fix this so have logged a fault call. Usually successful.

Play with your child whilst they use this software and watch and enjoy as they learn and play.

Pity it doesn't run on any modern OS
Just don't make the same mistake I did - only 2 of these Arthur games actually support NT/2000/XP. So unless you have the archaic 95/98 OS, fuhgedaboutit. Pity, because our son loves to play these at our local library.

WHAT??? - a learning title that teaches cruelty to animals??
"Other fun learning activities include HOSING DOWN GOPHERS" ??? Hello!!! that kind of activity is neither educational NOR related to the supposed nutrition learning theme NOR an appropriate model for kids interacting with wild animals. The realities of pest control are neither necessary nor appropriate knowledge for a young child, AND studies show that violence toward animals is the first step toward violence toward other people. Now a "learning title" is going to teach VIOLENCE toward animals is a "FUN LEARNING ACTIVITY"????

I am really disgusted with both the Learning Co. AND the Arthur folks. (I was a previous customer of both, but obviously plan to look elsewhere in the future) ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great game, my daughter is already sassy anyway
Great story with lots of interactive stuff to click on to keep youngsters interested.

The reading race game is excellent, however the authors did not include nearly enough words in the game to keep it interesting long term. A real shame, as the game itself is motivating and educational and would have real value in teaching spelling and word recognition skills if only the dictionary was larger.

The previews of other games are a great addition - good advertising for the publishers and very entertaining in their own right.

Arthur's Reading Race
This is a good game that will help your children to learn to read. This game will work with Windows XP Home Edition if you run it in compatibility mode.

Our kid's ask for it
I read a reviewer claim that this CD-ROM game has taught her daughter to be a "sass mouth". D.W. certainly has a vocab beyond her tender years, but she behaves no differently than she does on the popular kids show.

Having said that, this CD is fun. You can either read along with the story (words are highlighted as they are read), or play games with Arthur and D.W. "I Spy" is a favorite of my kids. Each pag of the story has pictures and items that can be clicked on and they come to life! A great tool for helping kids to learn how to use the computer mouse. Also comes with sample games for older kids.

Review of Reading Race
My son loves this CD and honestly so do I. While it is not going to teach your child to read, it will help them with word recognition some. On each page of the story there are several items to select for interesting surprises. You can either have the program automatically continue after each page, or stop and let you explore the page and its contents.

I think there is not any overt rudness in the program that is above and beyond the book series itself and the interaction between Arthur and DW.

fun and some learning
This CD is just plain fun. Anyone buying this program because they want to teach their child to read may be buying the wrong product. But it does help early learners to "see" words, and connect word/object relationships ... at least somewhat. And that in itself makes it worthy of some educational value. But the best value in this is the fun. The prizes are fun too .... weird flavored ice cream. My own feelings are that if you want to teach your child to read, you shouldn't depend on software, for the most part software is just a way to practice what they learn via actual instruction. This is a great, fun, and easy to play CD. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

With tons of spelling and vocabulary words and silly pictures to click on, Arthur's Teacher Trouble introduces kids to the Spanish language with the help of their favorite aardvark. This interactive storybook form introduces us to Mr. Ratburn, Arthur's new teacher, as he advances to the finals of a spelling bee, trying to win an elusive trophy.

The 24-pagestory can be read aloud with no computer skills needed beyondclicking on the arrow at the bottom of the page and at the start of thestory. (Parents or older children can choose whether the story will be readin Spanish or English.) For children with slightly more advanced mouseskills, every scene has multiple points that can be clicked on for hilariousthings to happen--you never know what you might find lurking in the trashcan! With the graphics so true to the original books' satisfying amount ofvocabulary-related activities, this award-winning storybook is bound to be abig hit with any Arthur fan. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Arthur's Teacher Trouble
Marc Brown creates the Arthur adventure, Arthur's Teacher Trouble with a moral in mind. Also it proves that if you work hard and give it your all, you'll be more successful. The book is told for children to understand that a little hard work gets you somewhere. With no effort at all, you won't come out with your best.

Arthur gets stuck with a hard teacher. The teacher starts out tough on the students, assigning homework right away. Arthur isn't very confident in himself and isn't used to the work and extra effort that he has to give to 3rd grade. With all of his hard work he actually gets awarded with something even better...and by reading this book you'll be sure to find out!

Arthur is my favorite character in this particular Arthur book. He isn't very confident in himself, but we all relate to that. And in the end we sometimes get surprised by unexpected turns.

Neat!
This game is great for young computer-users! Each page has at least 15 "interactions" -- i.e. clicking on the salt shakers in the kitchen makes them dance. The story can read itself to you are you can read it silently. Even clicking on one word makes the computer say it. Great for children just learning to read. However, using it TOO many times can get tiring...after all, it is just a computerized book. Great value for the money!

I learned from Arthur's Teacher Trouble.
I learned to do my best, but that if my best isn't better than everyone else's best, it is okay. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

This two-disc set invites kids to join Arthur and the gang for learning and fun. It's packed with 15 educational activities covering math, reading, creativity, and more. Arthur's Kindergarten teaches a full year's worth of kindergarten skills, and entertains your child in the process. Kids can track their progress with the Goal Checker and enjoy the three new reward activities after successfully completing the learning activities. (Ages 4 to 6) ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Good product
Great software program for kids in kindergarten or maybe even a little younger.

No refunds from Learning Company
This product did not work. I returned it to The Learning Company months ago and haven't received a refund or any response. Buyer beware.

Good source for a starter
It was a good start for my son who moved from London to the US to learn the ways of the schools etc.Arthur has captured his fancy from the Pbskids and the books in schools.This does the same and I am sure will help him to get to speed here in the US. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Arthur, D.W., and friends welcome kids ages 4 to 7 to a carnival of math discovery. Six fun-filled adventures develop essential early math skills including counting, addition, subtraction, simple multiplication and division, logic, and even geometry. From making correct change at D.W.'s lemonade stand to sorting creepy critters during Francine's Amazing Bug Show, Arthur and friends show kids just how much fun math can be. Plus, five progressive skill levels keep the learning fresh and challenging, while extra art, music, and printouts enhance the learning fun. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Nice, but can be improved
This Arthur math game is nice for first grade. However, not second grade or above. The math problems are too easy. For example, the most difficult calculation is still on the 1-digit base. For some more math calculation problems, I recommend a website: http://www.....com They have randomly generated worksheets, which provide your children enough practice to do math quickly.

The rest of the game are pretty good. The sorting, hunting treasure parts are interesting. You get what you pay. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

The six activities in Arthur's Thinking Games encourage critical thinking and logic, and we had our problem-solving skills further tested by an inadvertent bonus activity: troubleshooting an audio problem that had characters dropping the ends of their sentences. Fortunately, this problem only occurred with one of the computers we tested on. The program's help function suggested making an adjustment to a default setting. We did that, yet the usually consistent Arthur characters still coyly refused to complete their sentences on a Pentium III system with an up-to-date sound card and more than the required 8 MB of RAM and 20 MB of hard disk space.

When we explored this CD-ROM on an older system that for some inexplicable reason gave us good audio, we found an affable little program. In one activity, kids use a catapult to launch water balloons at a castle in order to drench a dragon. As the dragon moves around, kids adjust the catapult's distance and angle of attack to hit their target and put out his fire. Another task involves helping a mummy work his way through a maze-like pyramid. In another deductive game, Arthur's dog Pal gets lost in what looks like the Roman Coliseum, and players can decipher Pal's whereabouts by clicking on windows and listening to hints. A musical jungle allows kids to compose then play short tunes with the help of some musically gifted animals. A game that's structured like a quiz show gives kids an opportunity to listen to clues and pick the correct answer from three choices. Finally, Arthur leads kids to a stage activity where they can use stamps and paints to customize a backdrop, then program Arthur to do a series of dance moves up in the footlights. Each of these activities, with the exception of the Dance Theater, can be adjusted to five different levels.

There are no strokes of genius in Arthur's Thinking Games, nor is anything particularly awful. We do think that the box is claiming a bit much by saying kids learn "history" and "geography" with this program. Apart from the game settings (a pyramid, a coliseum, a castle), we didn't find a scrap of history or geography unless those elements were lost in some of that missing audio. (Ages 3 to 7) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Not for MacOS
We just purchased this and recived a version that is NOT compatible with the MacOS. Perhaps there are newer versions that work with the Mac, but be aware that some of the used ones may NOT be Mac compatible.

Extremely Disappointing from an Arthur Fan
Like other reviewers, I find this game to have very little educational content..or content period. My sons (2 and 3) tire quickly of its few games, and really just enjoy the regurgitating sound the garbage can makes in the painting section.

Save your money for better quality games.

Fun. My three year old likes it!
Two things are wrong with this CD which is why I gave it four stars instead of five.

1- There are only five activities on this CD. This is a problem when many of the other CD's you can buy have many more activities. I was a little bit dissapointed by this aspect.
2- The games a little too arcady for my taste. However having said that- I'm not the one playing it and my three year old son enjoys this CD.

I think that this would be too easy for a child that was five or six. I think this is really directed towards three to five year olds. For my three year old the games develop skills like problem solving, understanding directions and more. I was amazed at how quickly he caught on to the game of hot and cold to find something in one of the games on this CD. Now we play it around the house.

This is a fun CD that does develop thinking skills in younger kids. Be warned though that although the games can be leveled to higher and higher levels, there are only five games. That gets kind of old after a while, even if the level gets harder.

My Daughter loves this Game!
My Daughter is 4 and she loves this game! While there are only 5 different activities (the reason for only 4 stars), each does have 5 different levels of difficulty, unlike Reader Rabbit, which only has 3. As an Added bonus this box included another CD, Arther's Reading Race. These CDs combined are comparable to Clifford Reading and Clifford Thinking Games. (Sold seperately and thus twice the price.)

Another bonus is that this CD will run on a windows NT platform (normally used for business purposes) While some games will also run on this platform, most don't list the NT platform as being compatable. It was wonderful to have peace of mind when purchasing this game, I KNEW this game would run rather than having to guess that it might. I'm really impressed with the value this game provided.

A Little Thin on Content
Normally, the Arthur series of educational CDs for children are enjoyable, educational and engaging. It was for this reason that I purchased this CD for my 6 year old child. However, when we recived it, the "Thinking Games" turns out to have only 5 or 6 activities, and no automatic leveling (where the CD challenges the child when the child correctly completes an activity. Further, the games that are used seem more like arcade activities, with very little actual "thinking" necessary on the part of the child. While my child enjoys it, I would much rather have them playing with Arthur's First or Second Grade CDs which are challenging, interesting and multifacited. As both the "grade" CDs and the "Thinking Games" CDs are the same price, go for the grade ones -- you will get a lot more for your money! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Arthur, Francine, Baby Kate, and a host of other familiar faces are on hand to give children a guided tour of the preschool curriculum in Arthur's Preschool. This educational game is designed to give early learners some practice in basic concepts such as counting, shape recognition, the alphabet, and more. By helping Arthur's friends in these drills, players create pictures, build robots, and complete half-built puppets, just to name a few.

Children who don't mind straight-up education drills are the definite target of this game, aimed at the 3 to 5 years age range. Arthur's Preschool places a heavy emphasis on learning over play. The various activities--whether identifying letters by the sounds they make, choosing a particular shape in response to a verbal cue, or doing simple counting--offer, essentially, an electronic version of old-style educational flash cards. Each activity is designed to maximize learning and has a built-in scale of escalating difficulty. They will challenge users to harder tasks if they ace the first level of toughness.

For players who want their learning activities sugar-coated with a little arcade play or humor, Arthur's Preschool is certain to feel a little dry. This is not a flaw, though, so much as a difference in approach. Thegame provides learning statistics for parental review and offers one "achievement certificate," complete with a connect-the-dots game, for each academic subject. The game also offers a series of creativity-oriented games--arts, crafts, and musical activities--in addition to its more hard-core subjects.

With so many games and activities, it is safe to say this game is genuinely trying to pack everything but a teacher and school friends into its school-in-a-box. Arthur's Preschool takes itself seriously, true, but children who take it seriously, too, are sure to learn a great deal. --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great software!
This application is a bit older, and I don't think the publisher has upgraded it to XP or 2K. But that was not a problem for me, I have a bit older system.

My kid loves it! It's great. She is a big fan of Arthur and they really captured the essense of all the Arthur characters. Some of the activites are skewed a bit young, but for my 3 and a half year old, that was fine. It's the fist thing she asks to do if she sees me sitting at the computer. Highly recommended.

Windows Incompatability Problem-Very Dissappointed!!!
This CD-Rom is not compatable with Windows XP and it should be stated clearly somewhere on the packaging. The whole thing froze my computer. Extremely dissappointing!

Not Compatible with WIndows 2000 or XP
I'm a bit disappointed that it doesn't work on Windows XP and Windows 2000.

Excellent as a first preschool CD
My three year old really enjoyed all of the games and skill areas. The ladybug bridge activity was especially good for spatial skills. I would highly recommend this for 2 - 3 year olds as a first software program for preschool skills, but most of the games are too easy if the child has already mastered basic preschool skills using another program. My son had already mastered Elmo's Preschool before we tried this, and therefore it was mostly too easy and not as effective.

Good games, marred by bad implementation
My son has been using this for the last two months. He's 2 & 8 months, slightly under the recommended age for it.

As a game, it should have a lot going for it. For a new user, there are a variety of skills tested, from counting (using baseball), to alphabet (using a robot builder), to shape sorting (using piggy banks of different sizes & coins to match).

However, it is quite flawed in many ways. In most games, the instructions on what letter to select, will stop abruptly if a key is pressed or the mouse is clicked.

For example, in the alphabet game, Arthur will say something like, "Hand Brain the upper case letter A", & there are 5 choices. If however, my son happens to click anywhere on the screen, Arthur will stop before the sentence completes & my son will click at random. It's tough to pick a letter if Arthur doesn't say which one is to be picked!
That sort of thing happens in many of the games, so for us, quite a few of them are un-playable.

If you play the games more than a few times, there's not much variety in the games. The almost exact same things happen each time, even if they were completed correctly the last time.

Quite soon, I'm not sure if my son is learning new stuff or simply remembering the game's prompts from previous experience.

Bottom line : Good game with possibilities for a month or so, will become old hat after that. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

As ladybugs cha-cha across the bottom of the screen, and the always-game Francine whacks balls into the outfield, kids will feel like part of Arthur's gang of pals as they explore the world of Arthur's Preschool. The feeling is reinforced, thanks to a personalization feature that causes Arthur to name players by name and reference things such as their favorite color or animal throughout the program. Be forewarned: if your child has an unusual name, Arthur may not be able to pronounce it. He discreetly ignored the name Rosalind in our trials.Each activity is based around a character from the Arthur television show. Kids can help Brain build a robot by handing him boxes containing the letters he asks for. They can help Muffy design a Mount Rushmore-like sculpture of her snooty family by choosing photos whose faces match the emotion she's looking for. Or they can pick up and count the baseballs Francine hits at batting practice. There are eight activities in all. Three levels of difficulty and Arthur's helpful suggestions to up the level when play becomes too easy ensure that kids won't get bored. Also, Arthur patiently instructs kids on how to use the mouse and gives a "how-to" demonstration whenever a new player encounters a game for the first time.There's a second CD-ROM in the boxed set that has a music-making station, a place to make greeting cards, and printable activities--all rather second fiddle compared to hanging out with Arthur and his buddies.We've never been able to figure out exactly what kind of bespectacled, round-eared, sincere animal Arthur is, but we no longer care, since we've discovered he's a wonderful and benevolent early-learning coach for preschoolers. (Ages 3 to 5) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent program for 3s
My 3-year old daughter first used the computer with this game. She appreciates that Arthur says her name and I appreciate that it self-adjusts to her skill level. This is a 2-cd set with a variety of activities. There are games, learning adventures and a *wide* variety of programs to choose from. If you buy just one to start this is the one.

My 3 year old loves it
I bought this for my three year old daughter, and she really loves it. It holds her attention, she learns but it's while doing fun things and it has repeat value. On MY end, my favorite part is each challenge automatically adjusts the level based on how well your child is doing. You don't have to go in and change it from, let's say, level one to 2. The levels are always listed on the top corner. You can also change it from there if you like by clicking on the level color. She is very good at using the mouse and understanding the computer, but it is very kid friendly. And the challenges aren't too hard where she gets frustrated, as, right now, in the Jumpstart series where you really need to have a better grip of the alphabet, etc. I definitely recommend it.

very pleased
Finding out what my daughter was learning in school made me want to reinforce her learning at home. We choose Arthur because she really likes all the characters in their show. All the activities have three levels of difficulty and will also track the scores. The best part was after accomplishing a few games in each activity my child was awarded a dot to dot certificate, which is now her favorite. She found all the activies very fun and rewarding. She was also very excited when they wished her a happy birthday! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

This two-disc product invites kids to join Arthur and the gang for learning and fun. Arthur's 1st Grade is packed with 15 different educational activities, teaches a full year's worth of first-grade skills, and entertains your child with limitless fun and learning. Plus, kids can track their progress with the Goal Checker and enjoy the three new reward activitiesafter successfully completing the learning activities. (Ages 5 to 7) ... Read more

Reviews (3)

3 year olds
Easy to install software, but unfortunately too easy for the age range. My son is 5. He mastered this software completely including the bonus games in 2 days. He is now bored, not a good thing for a 5 year old. Buy the Stuart Little software instead, it's challenging and keeps the attention.

okay, but a little boring
I bought this for my 7 year old daughter & she quickly bored of it. It's not that it's a BAD game...just didn't hold her interest for long.

Learning and Play blend well together
Our family truly enjoys Arthur's Learning Series. Several "lessons" (presented more like a game) are offered, each with 3 levels of difficulty. A Goal Checker is available for parents who like to keep track of their child's progress, and a Certificate of Achievement can be printed out once the child gets a good grasp of all the concepts. Of course, none of this matters unless your kid finds the CDs fun, right? :o) My six year old often spends more than an hour playing with her Arthur Learning CDs, so I think it passes the "fun" test in our house. If your child is an Arthur fan or just likes to monkey around on the computer, I highly recommend this series. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Start kids off on the path to creative learning and problem solving with this clever title from The Learning Company's Creativity Collection. Lovable pals Arthur and D.W. are on a family picnic, and they need help setting a nutritious meal on thetable. Additional fun-filled activities include hosing down gophers, decorating a house, and matching words with pictures. (Ages 3-7) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Very Fun
My son really enjoyed this game when he was three and four. In this CD D.W. hates new foods. She is a picky eater. Through the story D.W. learns that new foods taste good and she becomes a better eater. There are some games that have logic, sequencing and grouping all based around a food theme. In one for instance you have to provide D.W. with the type of food she is naming- she might name a fruit and you have to pick a banana or an apple off the table. You can also put 'stickers' in place of words to make a story with rebus pictures. This enables your child to begin some prereading skills as well.

My son enjoyed this. There are not a lot of games, however there were enough tied into the story that it kept him interested for a long time.

Enjoy.

Neat!
My mom bought this for me and it was fun! I liked going on the adventure's but after 2 hours I wanted to play a different game because I didn't want to go on anymore adventures! ... Read more