Features

• Enjoy Story Time with Blue and her friends -- create and act out stories by choosing props
• Choose new dance moves with Boogie Woogie
• Figure out new words through birthday games with Blue and Frederica
• Fun learning games with Polka Dots, Doodleboard and Roar E. Saurus
• Print out exclusive Blue?s Room activities -- print out coloring pages, Doodleboard and Dictionary game for Blue's Room

Features

• Have fun with Blue while discovering school is cool
• 3 levels of learning for extended gameplay
• Familiar songs from the TV series
• Promotes creative expression through music and art
• Ideal for children aged 3 to 6

Amazon.com Review

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

Amazon.com Review

Blue's Play Time contains two separate, previously released Blue's Clues games: Blue's Art Time Activities and Blue's Treasure Hunt. This bundle entertains and teaches preschoolers and kindergartners with the sweet nature and delightful complexity we've come to expect from Blue.

About Blue's Art Time Activities

Incredibly easy to navigate and perfect for independent exploration, Blue's Art Time Activities is appropriate for kids of all skill levels. By helping Blue and friends participate in The Really Big Art Show, players learn basic art fundamentals such as color mixing, design, and layout. Along the way kids meet up with a cast of colorful characters including Chalk Girl and Marky Marker, Color Drops, Blue's new friend Periwinkle, and Al Luminum, the Mayor of Recycle Town--and, of course, Steve and Blue.

Chalk Girl lives in a geometrically challenged Chalk World, where children can manipulate shapes with rotation tools, click-and-drag them to complete murals, and store their creations in an art portfolio. Chalk creations magically transform into lively animations as kids complete their unique artwork. Once their masterpieces are created, players can tell the world about The Really Big Art Show by creating a stylish invitation at the craft table. Here kids help Marky Marker decorate an invitation using virtual paint, glitter, gems, and feathers while adding borders and learning layout and composition.

Playing the multilevel playground color game is an excellent way for children to learn about primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Here they'll mix and match colors along a hopscotch path, while taking turns seeing who makes it to the finish line first. Wonderfully animated Color Drops teach kids how to make colors such as purple, orange, green, and brown, and they can earn up to 10 ribbons for their efforts.

Once kids complete all the activities, Steve asks them to choose one of their favorite projects for The Really Big Art Show; they can also select one of the ribbons to place on their prized artwork.

About Blue's Treasure Hunt

As Steve explains how to play "Blue's Treasure Hunt" during the opening sequence of this game, he widens his eyes and states: "That's a lot!" There is a lot to this two CD-ROM game, where Steve and Blue are on a treasure hunt.

Treasure Bug has hidden three treasure chests in Blue's house, the park, and the school. Once these chests are unlocked, they will reveal keys that will unlock the door to the Land of Great Discovery. But, in order to unlock the chests, players must first find scrolls, read the hints on the scrolls, and deliver them to the right person, plus find three Blue's Clues per chest. And of course, those all-important blue paw prints only reveal themselves when players have done a bit of nosing around and helping out. As kids click screen edges, doors, and pathways to explore, they may discover that Green Kitten needs leaves to complete the school's bulletin board. Then they must remember that tree they saw back at the park with the leaves drifting to the ground. This program inspires connectivity on an elemental level: Steve and Blue assume the player already has a clue.

All of the activities have to do with helping someone or learning more about another character, making this the most avarice-free treasure hunt we've ever been on. Kids help unscramble paintings in the "Kitchen Art Museum," help Shovel and Pail illustrate letters to their friends, help replace the numbers that ran away from the Hickory Dickory Dock clock, and help out in countless other ways.

Finally, when kids make it to the Land of Great Discovery (and we guarantee this will take a while), they get to indulge themselves by creating stickers and paintings to decorate the landscape with, and in making their own treasure hunt computer game, a simple activity that's actually teaching very complex problem-solving and sequencing skills. There are eleven activities here and so many other problems to solve, clues to find, and scrolls to decipher, that every step through Blue's world is an activity of some sort. This game sounds ridiculously complex when distilled down to a description, but it works delightfully. Perhaps it's the "use your mind to take a step at a time" philosophy of Blue's Clues at work. (Ages 3 to 6) --Tina Velgos and Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (3)

This is a fun one!
I'd recommend this one for you Blues Clues fans! My 4 1/2 year old really likes this game! (It surpasses the Art one in our house by a long shot!

one flaw
Our kids are two. We do the mouse, but they tell us what to do, or we consult. They really love the Treasure Hunt game, but it's LONG. And you can't save it and come back to it, so every time we play we have to start at the beginning. By the time we get to the second disc, they've had enough Blue. I'm sure by the time they're three, they'll be able to get to the end, but a way to save the game would be nice.

High quality children's software
I was VERY impressed by both titles in the Play Time collection, especially Blue's Treasure Hunt. There are countless clickable surprises to discover as you, Steve and Blue range through the game world. (My 3 year-old was utterly delighted to spend half an hour clicking some blocks to stack them up, then clicking a toy car to knock them down.)

One of the things I most appreciated about this and other Blue's games was the control and gameplay were designed to be maximally child friendly. The feedback level is effective and appropriate for little attention spans (e.g. if you misclick while trying to match a shape, a little buzz sounds and you're allowed to try again... no long sound or video tracks to wait through).

Overall, a fantastic deal on two very high quality software titles. ... Read more

Features

• For Windows 95 and 98 PC
• For Macintosh PowerPC System 7.1 or higher
• Explore abstract and traditional art forms, color, texture, and composition
• Strengthens word recognition, listening comprehension, and early reading skills
• Teaches essential early learning skills in children ages 3 to 6

Amazon.com Product Description

Explore the world of letters, sounds, and words with Blue and her friends in this activity pack filled with multilevel learning games. Identify letters, build vocabulary, practice phonics, and create rhymes as you collect words to help Blue build silly stories in her Word Book. The more words you collect, the more stories you can create and print out! (Ages 3-6) ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Lots of learning fun
My son started playing this game when he turned three. He loved it then, and still loves playing it at age four. I should say, however, that I believe the optimum age for this game to be between 2-4 years. Handily, there are different level settings, so children who are more advanced or less advanced in activities can still enjoy the fun. For example, my son does well in mathematics and reading, so the library and the play store are high level activities. On the other hand, hearing sounds and repeating them (the triangle goes 'ting', so you must then hit the triangle) is harder for him, so we use the easiest setting for the music store.

He has spent up to two hours playing in just the present store, picking out presents for friends within the money limit allowed. He loves choosing the wrapping paper and matching bows, as well.

As the game features many different activities (reading, mathematics, sound repetition, vocabulary, shape-sorting), it is a win for parents interested in educating their children in a fun way. I'm planning on purchasing it for my nephew, as well, and if I had more relatives with children, they'd be getting it for Christmas, too.

The main down side would be Joe, as compared to the beloved Steve, but he plays a very minor role, and is only seen when the child is switching between activity centers (library, grocery store, music store, bakery, present store). The other would be the lack of actual reading in the library. As my son can read, it would be more fun on the highest level if he could sort the books according to title, instead of just with the beginning letter. However, he still has a lot of fun with it, and the mathematics in the present store are great.

Pass, unless you really love shelves.
This Blue's Clues game looks like it was rushed through development. With the show's old host Steve gone, they now have to quickly replace Blue's old computer games so that the new host, Joe, is in them. Most of the simplistic activities have a recurring theme: taking and putting things off and on shelves. Here's a list of what to expect:

Activity 1: Go to the bakery and pick items off shelves.

Activity 2: Go to the library and put books where they're supposed to go, by matching the book with the letter on the shelf.

Activity 3: Go to the Toy Store and help customers buy presents by picking from a shelf full of items.

Activity 4: Go to the grocery store, and help Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper select groceries by taking food items off of ... you guessed it, shelves.

The only activity that is different, is a mediocre music activity, where you match what Purple Kangaroo does. Eh.

Sounds pretty exciting, doesn't it! Well, not really. The only reason this game will sell like crazy is because it has Blue in it. If it wasn't for that, no one would pay attention to it. The activities are simplistic and rapidly become boring due to the recurring and unimaginitive "shelf" theme. Worse, the program doesn't really explain anything to your child. It just jumps right in and says "Match the letter on the book, to the letter on the shelf." Your child may likely ask, "What's a letter?"

The show is good, but this game isn't. Pass, unless you really love shelves.

LALALALALALALALA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
La la land is a place I have been to many times in my life time. They have ponys you can sit on. And they dance! And sing! And poop! And giant slugs slither on you until you get really, really, really, really, really ,really ,really, really, really, really, really, really ,really ,really, really, really, really, sticky.And you can fly with dragons that speak Italian...And warrior bunnies attack with feathers made of soap.And Green Bay Packers fans wear cheese on there heads. Which bring flying monkeys that only eat cheese! And gwakamoli rains from the heavens.And you can grow a beard that climbs all the way around the earth and chokes zombies to death!!!(...) And sticky mummies walk around in circles until they burn holes in the floor!!! I JUST LOVE THIS BLUES CLUES GAME!!! IT'S THE BEST GAME I'VE EVER PLAYED!!!!!!!!!!!! THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END!

It was ok
I played with my almost four year old nephew with this and I found it very hard for him to follow. First of all, was he supposed to know when to click? I could hardly tell when the arrows were slighted changed.

Good, but not great
We've had this disc since my son was 3. Other reviewers have expressed the thought that the game is more suitable for toddlers. I don't entirely agree, particularly given that there are three distinct levels for each task.

The Grocery Store - level 1 directs children to put specific items in the basket. Higher levels direct children to items based on their relative position (e.g. the item below, or to the right of, bananas).

The Music Store - I admit that I find this one tiresome. The player repeats a pattern of beats on a variety of instruments. Each level increases the number of beats and instruments used.

The Bakery - Children choose items that are specific shapes. Level 1 uses only the most common shapes. Level 2 introduces lesser known shapes, like the crescent. Level 3 has the child look for objects that combine shapes - the task may be to find an item containing 1 circle, 1 triangle and 2 rectangles, which the child will find arranged as a cookie shaped like a little girl.

The Present Store - Here the child is asked to find one item that cost a specific number of "blue dollars". The number of dollars is displayed on the gift table and each item's price is displayed beneath it. The child places the item on the table and then counts out the appropriate number of dollars. In the higher levels, the child is given an amount, but they must find a combination of 2 or more objects that equal that total (probably the most complex activity in the game).

The Library - ok, I can't defend this one. It is ridiculously easy on any level.

All in all, it's not a bad game. It does move a little slowly and you do have to adjust the difficulty of each activity to the appropriate level for your child, but holds appeal for kids a variety of ages and gives them a chance to play with a favorite character. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Aimed at preschoolers and kindergartners, Blue's Art Time Activities is one of the best creativity programs we've seen. Incredibly easy to navigate and perfect for independent exploration, this CD-ROM is appropriate for kids of all skill levels, whether they're computernovices or young graphic artists. By helping Blue and friends participate in TheReally Big Art Show (sponsored by Blue's school), players learn basic artfundamentals such as color mixing, design, and layout. Along the way kids meetup with a cast of colorful characters including Chalk Girl and Marky Marker,Color Drops, Blue's new friend Periwinkle, and Al Luminum, the Mayor of RecycleTown--and, of course, Steve and Blue.

Chalk Girl lives in a geometrically challenged Chalk World, where children canmanipulate shapes with rotation tools, click and drag them to complete murals,and store their creations in an art portfolio. Chalk creations magicallytransform into lively animations as kids complete their unique artwork. Oncetheir masterpieces are created, players can tell the world about The Really BigArt Show by creating a stylish invitation at the craft table. Here kids helpMarky Marker decorate an invitation using virtual paint, glitter, gems, andfeathers while adding borders and learning layout and composition. A handyeraser and a variety of brushes and stickers heighten the fun and the creativeoptions.

Playing the multilevel playground color game is an excellent way for children tolearn about primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Here they'll mix and matchcolors along a hopscotch path, while taking turns seeing who makes it to thefinish line first. Wonderfully animated Color Drops teach kids how to makecolors such as purple, orange, green, and brown, and they can earn up to 10ribbons for their efforts. Recycle Town is yet another creative place toexplore. Children check out blueprints and follow instructions like youngarchitects. After reading the blueprints, kids go on a scavenger hunt andcollect the necessary items to construct a cool diorama. Using glue and scissorshas never been this neat and easy!

This program also introduces Blue's brand-new friend, Periwinkle the cat. Kids can help her illustrate a variety of tiny storybooks in one of the CD-ROM's best activities: players use crayons and stamps to fill in the pages ofeach book, then save their work and print it for away-from-the-computer fun.Finally, it's time to get the show on the road. Once kids complete all theactivities, Steve asks them to choose one of their favorite projects for TheReally Big Art Show; they can also select one of the ribbons to place on theirprized artwork. Two paws up for this blue-ribbon software program. (Ages 3 to 6)--Tina Velgos ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Can you say "FRUSTRATING"???
Just took this one out of the box and even with a college education I can't figure out how to make it work!!! My 4 year old little boy clicks around aimlessly trying to make something work, to no avail! Unless I'm totally missing something, there are no real instructions as to what to do to get things going, there's only a big to-do about the art show and portfolio.

Blue's Art Time Activities
I brought this product for my son who is 2 years 11 months. The format of the program is similar to the TV show with Steve talking/singing and providing instructions. The software is well put together and graphically appealing, but most the activities are a bit too complicated for my son. Having said that, he loves the chalk girl and will happily spend an hour on that section alone. This game has really helped him in his use and coordination of the mouse. Also, the che game involves rotating shapes to fit a template, it is fascinating to watch as your child discovers how to do this.

In summary, I would say that this is a good game, but 3 is probably too young for most of it

Great Game
My two year old son loves this game and it is very interactive!

Just the thing for Blue-obssessed kids!
My daughters, ages 16 months and four years, LOVE Blue's Clues. The 4 year old went nuts when I loaded up this program. She and my eight-year-old sister (who, by the by, insists that she's "too old" for Blue's Clues) quite grudgingly took turns with it (and I mean QUITE grudgingly), and ended up playing for hours. I could barely pry them away from it, even for lunch. It was all I could do to keep them from eating at the computer.

In the program, your kids travel around the art center with Blue, as she helps her friends get ready for the Really Big Art Show. Each friend does something different (there's Chalk Girl, Marky Marker[augh!:)] at the paint table, Al Luminum making projects out of recycled materials, etc.) and each one needs help finishing their projects. After they're done, your kids can use the same materials to do projects of their own. Then it's outside to play a color mixing game on the playground, that starts with mixing primary colors to make secondary colors and progressing to mixing a primary and a secondary to make a tertiary (they even use the proper words, no talking down) to gather ribbons for judging the art show. Once everything on the portfolio checklist, faithfully toted by Blue, is done, it's time for the Art Show, and the kids get to be proud of a job well done.

I picked this particular software because my eldest daughter loves art, and I knew this would give her an excellent educational head start. If you have preschoolers and haven't tried Blue's Clues, what are you waiting for? It's the best kind of educational software, that gets them talking and pointing and participating, and-best of all-learning. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Perfect for 3 year olds!
To easy (and slow) for 5 year olds, but perfect for 2.5 to 4 year olds. This game would also work for kids who are first learning how to use the computer. At 3 they love the fact that Steve talks alot, and that the game moves at a much slower pace. The wonderful thing about the game is the complexity of the story, and how many levels there are. I think of all the games that my two boys have played this one still sits near the top.

I think age needs to be considered for this one...
The previous reviewer mentioned that the 5-year-old playing the game found it too slow and very disappointing in terms of being interactive and engaging. I think that this is a reasonable point to make but I think the game shouldn't be sold out based on this point alone. I have a 3-year-old who is really into the game, and I think that the age level makes a huge difference. She is very much into reading and into pointing out specific details so even if the game slows a bit while traveling from point to point there is always something there for her to find and comment on. She in particular enjoys how much there is to click on with every screen. I think if she were a couple years older this wouldn't be the game for her. Perhaps the age suggestion on the game (3-6) should be changed to apply mainly to preschool children. Blue's Clues could certainly offer (and probably does offer) games for the slightly more advanced school-age child.

A Disappointment
My 5 year old son loves to watch the Blue's Clues TV show, and we have the Blue's Clues Treasure Hunt movie. But the computer game leaves a lot to be desired. When you first start the game, Steve does a lot of talking - so much so that my son asked, "Is all we get to do is watch?". Finally we get started, but there is still too much waiting in the game - waiting for Steve to talk, or catch up. Also, when you are doing the activities, you don't know how long you have to do them to earn the clue. Finally you quit the activity in frustration, and there's the clue waiting for you. After this happened a couple of times, we realized we can do the activity as long (or as short) as you want, and still get the clue.
We enjoyed playing going on the treasure hunt, but at times we shut down the game because we were frustrated and didn't want to wait any more. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

It's time for an exciting neighborhood adventure with Blue and friends from Blue's Clues. Miss Marigold has a long checklist of places for kids, ages 3 to 5, to visit. Adventure with Blue to the grocery, gift, and music stores, as well as to the bakery and the library. Each venue offers something special for Blue and kids to bring back to Circle Time. Use listening, memory, and sequencing skills to help Blue play back Purple Kangaroo's tune at the music store. Help Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper select the right groceries by listening closely for size, colors, and spatial relationships. Recognize, identify, and match letters to help Blue and Orange Kitten sort and shelve books in the library, and much more. In Blue's Clues: Preschool kids learn essential preschool skills and build confidence while playing with Blue and friends. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Lots of learning fun
My son started playing this game when he turned three. He loved it then, and still loves playing it at age four. I should say, however, that I believe the optimum age for this game to be between 2-4 years. Handily, there are different level settings, so children who are more advanced or less advanced in activities can still enjoy the fun. For example, my son does well in mathematics and reading, so the library and the play store are high level activities. On the other hand, hearing sounds and repeating them (the triangle goes 'ting', so you must then hit the triangle) is harder for him, so we use the easiest setting for the music store.

He has spent up to two hours playing in just the present store, picking out presents for friends within the money limit allowed. He loves choosing the wrapping paper and matching bows, as well.

As the game features many different activities (reading, mathematics, sound repetition, vocabulary, shape-sorting), it is a win for parents interested in educating their children in a fun way. I'm planning on purchasing it for my nephew, as well, and if I had more relatives with children, they'd be getting it for Christmas, too.

The main down side would be Joe, as compared to the beloved Steve, but he plays a very minor role, and is only seen when the child is switching between activity centers (library, grocery store, music store, bakery, present store). The other would be the lack of actual reading in the library. As my son can read, it would be more fun on the highest level if he could sort the books according to title, instead of just with the beginning letter. However, he still has a lot of fun with it, and the mathematics in the present store are great.

Pass, unless you really love shelves.
This Blue's Clues game looks like it was rushed through development. With the show's old host Steve gone, they now have to quickly replace Blue's old computer games so that the new host, Joe, is in them. Most of the simplistic activities have a recurring theme: taking and putting things off and on shelves. Here's a list of what to expect:

Activity 1: Go to the bakery and pick items off shelves.

Activity 2: Go to the library and put books where they're supposed to go, by matching the book with the letter on the shelf.

Activity 3: Go to the Toy Store and help customers buy presents by picking from a shelf full of items.

Activity 4: Go to the grocery store, and help Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper select groceries by taking food items off of ... you guessed it, shelves.

The only activity that is different, is a mediocre music activity, where you match what Purple Kangaroo does. Eh.

Sounds pretty exciting, doesn't it! Well, not really. The only reason this game will sell like crazy is because it has Blue in it. If it wasn't for that, no one would pay attention to it. The activities are simplistic and rapidly become boring due to the recurring and unimaginitive "shelf" theme. Worse, the program doesn't really explain anything to your child. It just jumps right in and says "Match the letter on the book, to the letter on the shelf." Your child may likely ask, "What's a letter?"

The show is good, but this game isn't. Pass, unless you really love shelves.

LALALALALALALALA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
La la land is a place I have been to many times in my life time. They have ponys you can sit on. And they dance! And sing! And poop! And giant slugs slither on you until you get really, really, really, really, really ,really ,really, really, really, really, really, really ,really ,really, really, really, really, sticky.And you can fly with dragons that speak Italian...And warrior bunnies attack with feathers made of soap.And Green Bay Packers fans wear cheese on there heads. Which bring flying monkeys that only eat cheese! And gwakamoli rains from the heavens.And you can grow a beard that climbs all the way around the earth and chokes zombies to death!!!(...) And sticky mummies walk around in circles until they burn holes in the floor!!! I JUST LOVE THIS BLUES CLUES GAME!!! IT'S THE BEST GAME I'VE EVER PLAYED!!!!!!!!!!!! THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END!

It was ok
I played with my almost four year old nephew with this and I found it very hard for him to follow. First of all, was he supposed to know when to click? I could hardly tell when the arrows were slighted changed.

Good, but not great
We've had this disc since my son was 3. Other reviewers have expressed the thought that the game is more suitable for toddlers. I don't entirely agree, particularly given that there are three distinct levels for each task.

The Grocery Store - level 1 directs children to put specific items in the basket. Higher levels direct children to items based on their relative position (e.g. the item below, or to the right of, bananas).

The Music Store - I admit that I find this one tiresome. The player repeats a pattern of beats on a variety of instruments. Each level increases the number of beats and instruments used.

The Bakery - Children choose items that are specific shapes. Level 1 uses only the most common shapes. Level 2 introduces lesser known shapes, like the crescent. Level 3 has the child look for objects that combine shapes - the task may be to find an item containing 1 circle, 1 triangle and 2 rectangles, which the child will find arranged as a cookie shaped like a little girl.

The Present Store - Here the child is asked to find one item that cost a specific number of "blue dollars". The number of dollars is displayed on the gift table and each item's price is displayed beneath it. The child places the item on the table and then counts out the appropriate number of dollars. In the higher levels, the child is given an amount, but they must find a combination of 2 or more objects that equal that total (probably the most complex activity in the game).

The Library - ok, I can't defend this one. It is ridiculously easy on any level.

All in all, it's not a bad game. It does move a little slowly and you do have to adjust the difficulty of each activity to the appropriate level for your child, but holds appeal for kids a variety of ages and gives them a chance to play with a favorite character. ... Read more

Features

• Every one of these places has something Blue must bring back to Circle Time -- help him find it so he can share with the others kids
• Kids will adore the fun learning games with characters like Purple Kangaroo, Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper, and Blue and Orange Kitten
• Multiple difficulty levels plus special Parent Areas show adults how tokeep the learning fun happening, even when the kids aren't playing with Blue!

Amazon.com Review

The phrase "teaches early math skills" can translate into "steer clear" for a numbers hater. But as Blue, the dog, accompanies your youngster through this backyard carnival, visiting snack booths, pattern parades, and souvenir stands, she (and her inimitable squeak) turns the dread phrase into a series of enjoyable activities.

The seven activities in Blue's 123 Time are all designed to encourage counting, pattern recognition, and deduction. Real-world applications abound here: kids can put objects on a scale and weigh them in Bell's Souvenir Stand; save, spend, and count money in the Prize Tent; and develop card-sharking capabilities playing Baby Bear's Card Game. In fact, since successful completion of each activity pays off in Blue Dollars to spend in the Prize Tent, parents who frown on gambling may raise an eyebrow at the little felt bear dealing a deck. But there's nothing like a good game of cards for fostering pattern recognition and counting skills!

Fear not, Blue won't lead your preschooler down a path of vice. Everyone here is benign, encouraging, and comfortably two-dimensional, just like the television show. The games subtly increase in difficulty as they're played, easing kids into fairly complex concepts like sets, subsets, and estimation. The activities teach on an almost subliminal level, with enough counting out loud and positive reinforcement to make numbers friendly to any child. --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (12)

We Love you Blue!
Our 3 year old son loves this game! He has been able to play it all by himself with just a little help the first couple of times. He enjoys figuring new things out each time he plays and he is progressing rapidly in his abilities to figure the computer and programs out all by himself. This a very well-developed game.

I have found a wonderful teaching tool in the game that I never expected. My little son is learning to take turns talking! Since he cannot do anything on the game while the characters talk, he is learning to really listen to what they say. It is delightful! He has started really listening to what Mommy says, instead of dashing off to do something else. He is even learning to show more patience to his baby sister! I had never thought that a computer game would be teaching manners. Kudos to the programmers!

My kids like it
My 3 year old daughter, who seems to literally have fear of a computer mouse, would actually put her hand on the mouse to play this game. I think Blue was her motivation! There are good thinking games that get progressively challenging. It was fun to play them with her and ask her questions. What surprised me most was that my 8 year old daughter keeps asking me if she can play it!

Excellent and Educational
This is a fun cd with several games all aimed at teaching a child math skills. There are sorting games where a child has to sort out items into two sets of like items. There are games that encourage number, color or shape recognition. There are games that encourage measurement (in that something is bigger or smaller than something else) and weighing. As children play games the games get progressively harder. Also, as children play they earn blue dollars that they can later spend.

By little four year old boy still enjoys playing with this game. We bought it when he was three.

This is a fun computer game. It is easy to use and required very little input or direction from me as my son learned how to play the games. It grows with the childs skill level. This computer game makes math fun.

Enjoy.

Loved by my 4-year old
My wife and I purchased a computer for my (then) 3-year old's Christmas present. We also purchased some educational software for him to use, and Blue's Clues 123 Time Activities was one of the titles selected.

The software installed easily on his Windows XP-based HP computer. He was up and playing in "no time flat."

Game play is intuitive, and his favorite game is a Crazy -8s-based card game that he plays against one of Blue's Clues charming characters, a little bear. All of the games progress in difficulty depending on the child's level of success.

After winning or successfully completing a task, the player is given a certain amount of "Blue Dollars," which can be used to buy items at the prize tent. These items are accumulated and are put together (by the computer, not by the child) to form a neat object like a toy boat or toy car.

My now 4-year old still enjoys the game, and has experienced a limited amount of frustration. His mom helps to guide him often, and he also helps to guide me through some of the activities!

Great Fun
This is great software for kids. My two year old plays it with me and it's one of his favorites. His favorite characters from the show all have fun activities in the game. I love it because it doesn't get boring for me. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Explore the world of letters, sounds, and words with Blue and her friends in this activity pack filled with multilevel learning games. Identify letters, build vocabulary, practice phonics, and create rhymes as you collect words to help Blue build silly stories in her Word Book. The more words you collect, the more stories you can create and print out.

Blue and her friends help strengthen early learning skills, including initial letter recognition, upper and lowercase letter discrimination, alphabet recognition and sequencing, phonics, visual and auditory discrimination, consonant blends, word formation, early vocabulary, and rhyming. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

buggy software and confusing play
I wanted to like this software. I think very highly of the Blue's Clues franchise and the products they usually put out, but this game has been a nightmare.

We are running this on a PowerMac G4 with OS 8.6 and 384 MB RAM. We've never had any problems with kids' software, and made the supreme mistake of installing the game while our son waited to play. Four times in a row, with no other applications running, the cursor locked up and we had to reboot the computer while our two-year old howled in frustration. Later, alone, I looked at the README file, which suggested I turn off all extensions except QuickTime and the CD drive, which I did. It worked for a while, but then the cursor disappeared. I then accessed the developer's web site but found no FAQ or patch there, and no way to contact them.

From what I could see of the game it was interesting and fun. I think that explanations of gameplay are sometimes wordy without being illuminating to a young child, but once the child understands the individual games and the Word Book it would be enjoyable...

Fun & Challenging
This was one of my daughter's first Blue's Clues software games. The game can be a bit confusing at first. So it should be played first by an adult to get the feel for game and instruction style. Once I did that, I then played it with my daughter a few times. Now she can play it by herself and loves it! We enjoyed it so much we've purchased all the Blue's Clues software games.

Fun & Educational, with Lots to Do
This game has many activities that are great for learning letters, phonics, rhyming, and more. It has been one of my son's favorites since he was 2-1/2, and now he's 4 and still loves it. As he gets older and understands more he gets different things out of it, both with regard to education and entertainment. And I like how it works, because you can skip through animations and load times are quick as you move from one activity to another (unlike many other preschool games out there). And you can save games to pick up where you left off.

Captures attention
I purchased this software for my 3 year old son. At the time of purchase he was 2 1/2 and I needed some software that would keep his attentionlong enough to learn some basic preschool concepts. Since he was a big fan of Blue's Clues I thought it would be perfect. The program did capture his atttention right from the start. The characters all had their own versions of play and covered seperate concepts. The games were a little to simplified at times and some of them seemed to be to hard for he age of my son. I feel that the program would have been better if skill levels could have been altered for the different age groups of 3-5. Overall the software was definately worth the cost and just as importantly it made learning fun for my child.

Not her favorite, but useful
I bought this software when my daughter was 3. She doesn't love it and never asks for it, but if I put it in, the games hold her interest. I don't think she understands the overall scheme of making a "word-book," and she can't do everything the games will let her do. However, after a few frustrating times playing the spelling game, I was surprised that she could construct the pictures using the shapes provided and put the letters in their places to spell the words. From just this game she learned how to drag and drop with the mouse. And something clicked in her mind about reading. I saw a direct transfer of her putting letters in already-made places to her trying to make words with magnets on the refrigerator and learning to read words on paper. I think she also got a better idea from this game about how to guess a word based on the clue of the picture. All the words from the game quickly became sight words for her. My daughter's not 4 yet, but can sound out words and knows words by sight because of games like this. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Are you ready for the Thinking Chair? It's Blue's birthday, and thatmakes for lots of mystery-solving fun. Formatted to resemble the populartelevision series, children have to find three clues to solve the biggermysteries: What does Blue want to give as party favors? What games will herguests play at the party? And what kind of cake does she like?

There's a whole slew of new characters to meet in Birthdayland, many games toplay within the party planning, and four different places to "skidoo" to.This is the most fun we've had with deductive reasoning in a long time. Withthree levels of difficulty that can be set for individual players during thesame game, it's entirely possible the toddlers will be the first to solve themysteries. As a guest at Blue's party, each person can also select a specialgift for Blue and design his own card. Grab your own Handy Dandy Notebook andjoin the fun. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Blue's Clues fans should really enjoy this!
My 2 year old son enjoys this game a great deal. It has a huge amount of content---with 4 complete Blue's Clues games. Along with that, there are little side games like finding noisemakers, drawing pictures, and completing puzzles. Some of those you have to hunt a bit for, but that's part of the fun! Steve is a big part of this game, which is nice, as a lot of Blue's Clue merchandise doesn't include him, and that always disappoints my boys---they are big Steve fans! I would say the age guidelines (ages 3-6) are just about right, but my 2 year old enjoys it anyway---just doesn't totally get how to hunt for clues. You can set the level of how hard you want it to be to find clues. Certainly worth the reasonable price!

3 Year Old Independent Fun...Forget the Clues!
I bought this for my son right before his 3rd birthday. After playing this game once, he has figured out how to navigate through the program and the computer without help.

Forget actually finding the clues because the fun part is clicking on the background objects in each scene to see what they do. (My son cracks up every time he clicks on the pig to see him dump his face in the mud and go "oink oink") Even the balloons pop if you click on them. Some of the games are appropriate for even a 3 year old too.

My son is learning how to use a computer and playing with his favorite character, Blue too. Maybe he'll get to the clues next year but for now, this keeps him well entertained when I'm cooking dinner or just needing a break!

The best game for prescholers!!!!!
I have a 3 year old and a 4 year old. This game will keep thier attention for hours, taking turns and working together. It is great because EVERYTHING does something when you click on it. It keeps thier attention and they don't even realize they are learning. I am currently looking for more comperable games. Any suggestions?

Love it, but a few gliches
My daughter (2 1/2) is an avid Blue's fan, and this was our first computer software purchase for her. While she enjoys it immensely, she is also frustrated by the wait time (she keeps telling Steve to hurry up and move into the next scene.) I am not very pleased with the sound quality. The songs go much faster than the graphics, thus Steve is finished moving well before the music is finished playing. Overall I find it engaging for her level and if you have the extra cash recommend it if your child likes Blue.

My son loves this!! Very educational / never dull
My 3 yr old son loves this 2-cd rom game. It's very educational and it keeps his interest. He gets so excited when he finds the clues. Everytime I look he's playing this game. His alphabet & number comprehension has improved alot. 5 stars from me!! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Periwinkle is going to start school soon, and the thought is making him quite nervous! Playing kindergarten at home seems just the way to alleviate his anxieties. In Blue's Clues Kindergarten, Blue, Tickety, and Joe do just that, setting up classrooms all over the house.

This game lets young players show Periwinkle the early-education ropes, guiding him through math, science, reading, and time-telling drills in a cheery game environment. Players select rhyming fridge magnets to build language skills, eventually making poems of the words they identify correctly. Counting and adding activities in the sandbox make elementary computation a snap, while a poster of the solar system provides a gateway to fun and interesting facts about all the planets orbiting the sun. Children can adjust the difficulty level of gameplay, adapting each exercise so its degree of challenge is just right. Successful learning is rewarded with printable activity pages, providing opportunities for learning and entertainment away from the computer.

There are only so many ways to bundle up basic education drills, and the core content of Blue's Clues Kindergarten is not radically different from most preschool learning programs. Its tone is bright and friendly, though, making it one of the most genuinely playable games of its type. With appealing characters and well-designed activities, it delivers its educational content gently, mixing it with a solid dose of low-key humor. And for players who need a short break from the learning action, there is a hide-and-seek game. The prospect of tracking down a lurking Joe provides just the right breather for kids before they return to the task of showing Periwinkle what kindergarten is all about. --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Lots of learning fun
My son started playing this game when he turned three. He loved it then, and still loves playing it at age four. I should say, however, that I believe the optimum age for this game to be between 2-4 years. Handily, there are different level settings, so children who are more advanced or less advanced in activities can still enjoy the fun. For example, my son does well in mathematics and reading, so the library and the play store are high level activities. On the other hand, hearing sounds and repeating them (the triangle goes 'ting', so you must then hit the triangle) is harder for him, so we use the easiest setting for the music store.

He has spent up to two hours playing in just the present store, picking out presents for friends within the money limit allowed. He loves choosing the wrapping paper and matching bows, as well.

As the game features many different activities (reading, mathematics, sound repetition, vocabulary, shape-sorting), it is a win for parents interested in educating their children in a fun way. I'm planning on purchasing it for my nephew, as well, and if I had more relatives with children, they'd be getting it for Christmas, too.

The main down side would be Joe, as compared to the beloved Steve, but he plays a very minor role, and is only seen when the child is switching between activity centers (library, grocery store, music store, bakery, present store). The other would be the lack of actual reading in the library. As my son can read, it would be more fun on the highest level if he could sort the books according to title, instead of just with the beginning letter. However, he still has a lot of fun with it, and the mathematics in the present store are great.

Pass, unless you really love shelves.
This Blue's Clues game looks like it was rushed through development. With the show's old host Steve gone, they now have to quickly replace Blue's old computer games so that the new host, Joe, is in them. Most of the simplistic activities have a recurring theme: taking and putting things off and on shelves. Here's a list of what to expect:

Activity 1: Go to the bakery and pick items off shelves.

Activity 2: Go to the library and put books where they're supposed to go, by matching the book with the letter on the shelf.

Activity 3: Go to the Toy Store and help customers buy presents by picking from a shelf full of items.

Activity 4: Go to the grocery store, and help Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper select groceries by taking food items off of ... you guessed it, shelves.

The only activity that is different, is a mediocre music activity, where you match what Purple Kangaroo does. Eh.

Sounds pretty exciting, doesn't it! Well, not really. The only reason this game will sell like crazy is because it has Blue in it. If it wasn't for that, no one would pay attention to it. The activities are simplistic and rapidly become boring due to the recurring and unimaginitive "shelf" theme. Worse, the program doesn't really explain anything to your child. It just jumps right in and says "Match the letter on the book, to the letter on the shelf." Your child may likely ask, "What's a letter?"

The show is good, but this game isn't. Pass, unless you really love shelves.

LALALALALALALALA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
La la land is a place I have been to many times in my life time. They have ponys you can sit on. And they dance! And sing! And poop! And giant slugs slither on you until you get really, really, really, really, really ,really ,really, really, really, really, really, really ,really ,really, really, really, really, sticky.And you can fly with dragons that speak Italian...And warrior bunnies attack with feathers made of soap.And Green Bay Packers fans wear cheese on there heads. Which bring flying monkeys that only eat cheese! And gwakamoli rains from the heavens.And you can grow a beard that climbs all the way around the earth and chokes zombies to death!!!(...) And sticky mummies walk around in circles until they burn holes in the floor!!! I JUST LOVE THIS BLUES CLUES GAME!!! IT'S THE BEST GAME I'VE EVER PLAYED!!!!!!!!!!!! THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END!

It was ok
I played with my almost four year old nephew with this and I found it very hard for him to follow. First of all, was he supposed to know when to click? I could hardly tell when the arrows were slighted changed.

Good, but not great
We've had this disc since my son was 3. Other reviewers have expressed the thought that the game is more suitable for toddlers. I don't entirely agree, particularly given that there are three distinct levels for each task.

The Grocery Store - level 1 directs children to put specific items in the basket. Higher levels direct children to items based on their relative position (e.g. the item below, or to the right of, bananas).

The Music Store - I admit that I find this one tiresome. The player repeats a pattern of beats on a variety of instruments. Each level increases the number of beats and instruments used.

The Bakery - Children choose items that are specific shapes. Level 1 uses only the most common shapes. Level 2 introduces lesser known shapes, like the crescent. Level 3 has the child look for objects that combine shapes - the task may be to find an item containing 1 circle, 1 triangle and 2 rectangles, which the child will find arranged as a cookie shaped like a little girl.

The Present Store - Here the child is asked to find one item that cost a specific number of "blue dollars". The number of dollars is displayed on the gift table and each item's price is displayed beneath it. The child places the item on the table and then counts out the appropriate number of dollars. In the higher levels, the child is given an amount, but they must find a combination of 2 or more objects that equal that total (probably the most complex activity in the game).

The Library - ok, I can't defend this one. It is ridiculously easy on any level.

All in all, it's not a bad game. It does move a little slowly and you do have to adjust the difficulty of each activity to the appropriate level for your child, but holds appeal for kids a variety of ages and gives them a chance to play with a favorite character. ... Read more

Product Description

Periwinkle is nervous about going to school and to help him overcome his fears, Blue and Joe transform Blue’s house into a pretend kindergarten classroom where the games are all about science, telling time, rhyming, art, creativity, math and more! Play Refrigerator Rhymes in the kitchen, tell time with Tickety, play a math game at the Sand Table with Shovel and Pail, and at Peri’s fort - it’s Super Science! Features the new Blue’s Clues™ host, Joe, who loves to play Hide-and-Seek throughout the game!

Features:

• Lots of surprises and educational clickables
• 3 difficulty levels that can be set to challenge each child
• Includes Print and Parent Areas with ways to continue the learning off the computer

Features

• They'll love to read, learn and play with the Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too Animated Storybook
• Help Blue and her friends write stories for the Big News Gazette, with Blue's Clues Reading Time Activities
• Play fun memory games and enjoy over 40 great activities with Little Bear Rainy Day Favorites
• Transform furniture into rockets and pirate ships as you restore order to a messy household with Rolie Polie Olie -The Search for Spot
• A complete set of game activities that develop skills with letters, numbers, logic, music and creative thinking

Reviews (1)

Bad choice - get something else
I bought this set of 4 games thinking they would be educational and fun for my 23-month old (the box says it's for 1 1/2 to 3 year olds). After previewing them, I can't recommend this software package. Here's the breakdown:

1 - The Blue's Clues game is too advanced for the stated age group, unless you have a child who is a really early reader. Definately too advanced for a child who is 1 1/2 - 3.

2 - The Winnie the Pooh game is not very educational, less interaction and more movie for your child to watch. Also, it reset my screen resolution every time I played it. HOW ANNOYING!

3 - The Rollie Pollie Ollie game doesn't even pretend to be educational. It's just an interactive cartoon. Ditto on the screen resolution - because both these disks are made by Disney, I guess. This game is also too advanced for a young toddler. It would probably be ok for a 3-4 year old.

4 - The Little Bear Game is fun, cute and age-appropriate. However, 1 out of 4 acceptable games in this package doesn't make it worth buying. If you can find the Little Bear game seperately, I would go for that. ... Read more

Features

• Periwinkle is nervous about starting kindergarten, so Blue, Tickety and Joe teach him about it by playing a game
• Peri will learn about basic science, math, reading and telling time, to prepare him for a day of learning
• Kids will play games while learning to count, add and explore the solar system
• Tons of fun surprises and educational clickables as kids learn what kindergarten is really about
• Ages 3 to 5

Amazon.com Review

Hit the beat with cuddly canine Blue and fill the empty newsstand withissues of your own paper. While Steve minds the store for Cash Register, you andBlue travel through a series of five learning activities designed to strengthenlistening comprehension and writing skills, as well as word and letterrecognition. Each activity becomes a hot news story for the Big News Gazette, but it's up to you to decide if a story makes it into thepaper, or where in the paper it will appear.

Blue's pursuit for all that's fitto print takes kids through the library, where they meet up with lots of Blue'spals. Help Green Kitten and other feline friends write and illustrate stories,jump into a dictionary and match missing words to their definitions, or playWord Match with Magenta, Mrs. Salt, and Mr. Pepper. Create your own stories withFan, or choose from words and pictures to help Blue find missing items. As kidsparticipate in each activity, they earn stories to fill the paper and thenewsstand.

The quality of the learning activities is excellent, a smoothintroduction to a concept that can often be overwhelming. In addition to readingskills, kids sharpen their memories, vocabularies--even their decision-makingskills, by selecting which stories to feature and how the articles should belaid out. The characters are charming, the graphics are sharp and brightlycolored to hold kids' attention, and the light dose of humor and bluesy music woven throughout make this program a delight--even for thoseunfamiliar with the television show that made Blue a star.

There are someextra-nice touches: word cards that sound themselves out when clicked on appearthroughout the game, and unlike some children's programs that can leave kidslost with a lack of direction, here kids are prompted with instructions fromparticipating characters if they wait too long to take action. The program evenincludes a copy of Blue's ABCTime Activities for kids to further hone their language skills. (Ages 3to 6) --Leah Ball ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excellent game, lots to interest a 3 yr old
This is my daughter's favorite CD, she can spend hours playing the different games. Very good for teaching the use of the mouse (make sure you slow the movement down first!)

Some of the games took a while to find so make sure you explore the library well.

Excellent for teaching reading
I used to rate this as four stars but today I had to upgrade it to five. It says it is for children aged three to six but when my daughter was three she didnft enjoy this game nearly as much as the other Blues titles. Of course, she could handle the difficulty level when she was three. She made her own newspapers and won the game when she was three. But now that she is four she just loves it. Her reading skills are much higher and she gets addicted to playing with words. I highly recommend this game for children who are currently interested in simple reading. All the Blues PC titles are worth buying.

Grows with your kids!
In this game, your child and Blue work together to build a newspaper to hang for sale at Steve's newstand. To do this, you must collect six articles, which you do by completing various tasks of widely different skill levels. When we first purchased this game my kids enjoyed the "play" aspects of a few of the challenges. Now that they are older (and learning to read), they can play and understand much more of the game, and are learning as well. The graphics are simple but entirely consistent with the minimalist TV show. The kids loved this game when we first got it and love it now--a span of over 18 months. Astonishing now that I think about it. Highly recommended.

Well-made, FUN learning for kids
Like all the "Blue's Clues" software products, this is a beautifully made, thoughtful program that teaches kids the fundamentals of learning. The best thing about this program is that it presents information in a way that younger kids understand and can enjoy, so that they don't get frustrated by their lack of success or progress. I've seen a lot of kids' CD-ROMs, and this is one of the best I've come across recently. You won't be disappointed; Blue is so adorable! The only bad thing is that you can't click out of Steve's song at the end.... You get pretty sick of hearing it if you play the game enough. But that's my only complaint. Great product. ... Read more