Amazon.com Review

This fantastic program will have your brain working as hard as a mandrill on a conveyer belt with bananas dangling in front of it. Don't worry, we'll explain. The Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions gives players dozens of tools that perform an action: balls that bounce, cats that chase (and don't bounce), pulleys, ropes, generators, and yes, mandrill baboons on conveyer belts, bananas a-dangle in front of them. Then players are given a problem to solve with all of this crazy energy. Here's an example: in one puzzle called "Wood is Good," players must get three balls into a box, make wooden toast, and wood-smoke a hunk of gouda cheese for a mouse. Among the tools available to accomplish this task are a bike pump and an antigravity pad. And this is one of the easy puzzles.

There are 250 gizmos to build here, some designed for single players and some designed for head-to-head puzzling competition. There is also a field where players can design their own Rube Goldberg Machine from scratch. The vast amount of projects and their complexity make this a program with staying power. Mercifully, there is a tutorial that takes rookies and right-brainers in hand. Players can choose four levels of difficulty: easy, which is quite challenging; to expert, which is insane. Mitigating the challenge factor is a function that turns the cursor into a question mark, and allows players to inspect gadget elements and get in-depth information about what each object and surface does.

This game does a great job graphically. The well-rendered objects all perform as they ought, and form never hinders function. A thoughtful extra is a place where mad scientists can mess with their invention's appearance and background music: nice final touches for folks who want to take their custom-built games online to challenge others who are addicted to The Incredible Machine. This program's biggest strength is that it manages to put a humorous and creative spin on physics and engineering. They're not just giving you levers and weights to work with, they're giving you bottle rockets and alligators. A final wonderful point: there is no "right way" to build your contraption. If you scrabble something together that achieves the goal, it's right, no matter if you used the antigravity pad on the cat or on the bowling ball. No age rating given; we recommend ages 8 and up. --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (9)

I love it! It's a great thinking game!
This game is soooooooo 3D!
You won't find silly cartoons stick poeple etc in this game!
I love making my own contraptions and letting my mom play!
If you want your kid to now a lot about physics then this is a great game!
It has a lot of new stuff like a monkey and a jack in the box.
It keeps all the old contraptions the same so don't worry about losing contraptions in the old game that you liked.
The gears are made easyer so you don't need to take them out then put them back to get them working unlike in the first game.
It is very compatiple with most computers I heard it works on Mac and I had a Windows me wich it worked on and now I have a XP and it works even better on that.
This game is not like most games that you complete in weeks, months, days, or even one day this game takes years!
But it's not too hard so you won't need to wory about not beeing able to complete one contraption.
The tutorial level is to get started and to learn the basics.
The easy level is to get you to understand the controls and to get your brain runing and any other stuff it also gets you better at reading the real hints and knowing those things that might trick you like extra parts.
This game is a great buy!
But there is some things like harming animals but what I do is say thay are just robots.

5 Year Old Loves it!
We got this game for my five year old son thinking it would be a great game to do together. That is an understatement! He is actually spending hours doing and completing contraptions on his own and is up to the harder levels. Definitely not a game for the mechanically uninclined but not as difficult as a previous review stated. My son is actually helping ME complete them. Tons of fun and learning!

Great program and runs on Mac!
It's a very fun game for kids or adults. It allows you to build Rube Goldberg-like contraptions on your computer, and then watch them in action. You can also "solve" existing (partially built) contraptions by figuring out what pieces to put where to make it accomplish a specified goal. And you can build contraptions for other people to solve. Very cool!

There's little to criticize about it. The directions aren't as clear as they could be (typical: they describe how to do things instead of *showing* you) but you'll catch on quickly, since its very simple, and anyone who has used a computer will understand their cartoon-like interface (take normal computer widgets and make them big and cartoon-like and colorful: take a look at the screen shots to see what I mean). So if you have very young kids who haven't used the computer before, you might want to play it and let them watch: they'll catch on quickly. My first kid is still 4 weeks away, but I still can't wait to play this with him: we'll both enjoy it.

Another criticism is that you have a very small space in which to build the contraptions, so they can't be as big as your screen (unless I just didn't find this option). That is annoying and limiting, but it's still lots of fun.

The level of reality is cartoon-like, fitting the Rube Goldberg theme (many of Rube's contraptions wouldn't actually work because everything wouldn't fall perfectly into place) but that's good, of course.

Save your money
This game is very difficult (even the easy level.) It has a lot of bugs. Clicking Help on the main screen freezes my computer. The objects are difficult to manipulate when they overlap anything. Everything has to be in perfect alignment for the puzzle to be solved, which is very difficult to do. I am returning it to Sierra for a refund.

Excellent thinking game
This is a good, clean game that will provide hours upon hours of entertainment. It has a lot of puzzles at various difficulty levels that make it fun for beginners and those looking for a challenge. The game is very addicting, guaranteeing that you'll get your money's worth out of it. An excellent way to exercise your brain and have fun at the same time. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

The Tonka Dig'n Rigs Playset is one of those very rare products thatreally does educate and entertain on a parallel level. As much toy as it is apiece of software, the digger controls (steering wheel, ignition key, horn, andthree control levers) will amuse little hands for hours, while the CD-ROM worksby presenting children with a number of "jobs" or activities, and getting themto complete tasks and interact with the onscreen action. This not onlyencourages youngsters to react to instructions, but also enhances hand-to-eyecoordination and fosters an understanding of cause and effect.

It is also a superb way of introducing youngsters to the PC and keyboard. Chunky, imaginative, and, more importantly, possessing ultimate play appeal forchildren (what child ever tires of pushing buttons, turning wheels, and pullingand pushing levers?), it is a fantastic way of refining gross motor skills tothe finer level required for mice and keys.

But probably the best thing about this set, from a parental point of view, isits ease of installation and portability. Just place it over the keyboard and itslots into place. A belt then straps around the keyboard to hold it in placewhen your toddler inevitably gets excited. And, when it becomes the favorite toyof the moment, it is easy to pop in a bag and take to Grandma's (whether she hasa PC or not!). It is a superb toy and developmental aid that kids will love andparents will feel good about. --Lucie Naylor ... Read more

Reviews (83)

Great Game for Kids
My son is almost 3 1/2 and he loves this toy. We had to return the first one because when you turned the wheel to the right the button that touches the keyboard didn't come down far enough but it was exchanged without a problem. Overall it's pretty sturdy, has some great games and is very easy to use. It teaches directional words like up/down, left/right, etc. and colors and really is a lot of fun. The only problem is trying to limit his time using it because he likes it so much. My 20 month old like it too even though he doesn't understand it he can "drive" the truck when it's on an open road. I'm sure this will get easier for him in no time as well.

A real pleaser for your little trucker
My almost 5 year old has loved this since he was 3. The controls are easy to use, and as long as you tighten the strap attached to the controller base securely to the keyboard,it remains in place with no problems. My son just loves tonka Joe and he still sings to the theme song every time it comes on. He especially likes being able to choose which truck he's going to drive each time, whether it's the excavator, dump truck or one of the others. We did have a little problem with the disc being scratched after the first year of play, but you can just go to the infrogrames website download their address, send in a check for a nominal amount for a replacement disc and within 2 weeks he was back to truckin'. Or you could just make a copy of the original disc as a back up before you begin play, which is what we did after receiving the replacement disc. I can't wait from my next little one to have lots of fun with this game as well!

One of the best PC games for little kids!
We bought this game for my son when he was 3 1/2 years old. He'll be 6 next month, and he still loves to play it. You must have a desktop PC with keyboard...can't play it on a laptop. Once you clip the dashboard onto the keyboard, Tonka Joe is ready to go! My son could play this for hours if we didn't limit his computer time so that he'll do other things rather than just sit in front of the computer. I can't say enough good things about this PC game. Little boys (and girls!) will absolutely love it! Very, very durable!!

Dig a hole and bury it
Not 5 minutes after setting this up for my son, the control lever inside the steering compartment broke. On receiving a replacement, it broke as well. I have a very heart-broken 4 year old.

The best toy ever!
My son who is 2.5 loves this game, and it is excellent in developing hand and eye coordination. He also has learn skills that involve left and right movement! Far better than watching TeleTubbies. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

6 year old is fascinated by this program!
Our six-year-old and his four-year-old brother have spent hours with this program. They love creating their own contraptions. We often hear them laughing with glee about the funny chain of events that they have created. The program looked complicated at first, but it has a very good set of tutorial challenges which teach you about how the various components work (gears, lazers, mandrils on conveyor belts, vials of nitroglycerine, etc.). Our six-year-old is now able to solve most of these challenges without any adult help. Not every child will enjoy this program, but if you have a youngster who is intrigued by technology and how things work, give this program a try. You may be surprised about how much they can learn from it at a young age.

A Delightful Brain Teaser
With me being a fan of Sierra and the original DOS version of The Incredible Machine, I had to get this one. I was not disappointed. With many new gadgets, better graphics, and fun animations, I was as pleased with this version as I was with the original. There are tons of puzzles to keep your brain working well into the night - and beyond! Puzzle fans will really like this game.

The Best game ever
The game is one of the best game that has been ever made. The goal of the game is to build machines. A'm sure ypu will love this game ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Droid building
You get to build droids even ones in existence like artoo-detoo and c-3po. It uses the Jediknight Dark Forces II engine. The real object for missions is to test your droids on sandy surfaces. The whole game takes place on Tatoonie and it has many dangerous parts. Like falling off a fifty foot drop might explode the droid. I say its great for all ages.

A five-star game!
Star Wars Droidworks has been one of the most addictive games I have ever played. The plot goes like this: The Empire has started the prodution of assassin droids. Assassin droid are tough droids armed with huge blasters and a taste for torture. However, they are dim-witted. Your job is to build a droid to reprogram the assassins into harmless droids. Before doing this, you must build droids to complete eight training missions three times to prove you're worthy and to be rewarded with droid parts. These missions are also to teach you about the science concepts used in the missions. Once all are completed, you get access to the four secret missions. In three of them, you must collect the three Information Crystals, one in each mission. In these three missions, assassin droids are lurking, so you must be careful. After that, you must activate them in the Data Information Facility to get the Data Disk, as well as the location of the Hidden Droid Factory that is producing the assassins. With the Data Disk, you must enter the Hidden Droid Factory, and insert it into the reprogramming slot to reprogram the assassins into harmless dancing droids.

the game is awesome
this game is great you get to build your own droids from star wars and then battle them.

Great game!
This is a great game! A lot of people make the sound mean by talking about the "asassin droids", well all they do is walk up and try to break your droid, there is no shooting or anything in it. First you only have a little bit of droid parts to build with. But first thing's first, you need to go in the Jawa Training thing first. In the Jawa training thing you will learn how to control your droid and make your droid do cool things, you also learn how your droid reacts with the things around it. After you have learned the basics test your skill at the training missions, when you win a traingng mission you get a new droid part. You need to complete each training missions ( I think there are 8) 3 times to get all the droid parts you will need. After you have completed each training mission at least 1 time you will get secret missions (But you should complete all the training missions 3 times so you will get all of the parts you need), you will need to complete all of the secret missions aleasts 1 time to get all the infomation crystals, after you have done that you will need to go to a place were you can seek the infomation inside the infomation crystals by reflecting light into them, after you have done that you will need to go thru the hidden droid factory and reporgram the assassin droids, in the Secret Misions you will find Assassin droids that you will need to outsmart.

Cool things:
1) This is good for education, did I talk about the index? There is a Index thing that is like a cool sceince book! It's really cool!

2)There are really funny jokes in this! Why do Jawas live in the dessert? Because they were looking for a hot spot!

3) There are really great suprizes, Do you know what you can reprogram the assasin droids to do? I am not telling! Your just have to find out for yourself!

4) When you bump into Assasin droids you don't destroy them, you outsmart them!

5) Much much more!

Thinking and fun for boys and girls
Our 8 year old son is the one who wanted it, but we all play with it. The child is the designer of "droids" that he sends on missions. Each droid must meet special mission criteria specifided by the program, but there is plenty of room for innovation, and if the mission fails, well, he can re-design and try again. When he successfully completes a mission, he is rewarded with more and better parts to include in his future droids. As he propgresses, the missions get harder. Unknowingly he is learning about physics, how machines works and about material properties while improving his problem solving skills.

It is fun to be a droid designer and to see one's creations put to work. Kids like it, and we, parents, like it for the creative thinking and learning. So, let them fight over the computer! ... Read more

Features

• Join Tonka Joe in cool rescue missions
• Become a hero with police officers, firefighters and rescue workers
• Drive 13 cool rescue vehicles including a rescue boat
• 12 random rescue missions, activities and driving practice
• For 1 player

Amazon.com Review

Games seem less susceptible to sophomore slump than movies or books.Quite often, when a game sequel comes out, it has everything you liked from thefirst game, and some more, too. Happily, LEGO Racers 2 is just such asequel.

When the game begins, you get a chance to build your own car, and even build andname your own racer from "people" pieces. Building cars is fun without evenplaying the game. If you're not happy with a car you've built, or just want tobuild more, the main menu lets you build all the cars you want with a hugevariety of virtual bricks.

Though at heart it's a racing game, LEGO Racers 2 offers more than justracing. A large solo adventure game lets you explore five worlds. The worldsrepresent some of LEGO's lines that you might already have bricks for, such asLife on Mars and Arctic Explorer. Each world has places to explore, withminigames to discover and power-ups that will improve your car's performance orsmash the other cars in a race. And, of course, there's plenty of racing, evenin the adventure game.

Once a world has been unlocked in the adventure game, you can access the worldfrom the race menu. From there, you can race for time, or against a friend intwo-player mode. Two-player mode also allows you and a friend to battle eachother, racing around the worlds looking for power-ups to smash your opponent'scar.

Adults and kids will have fun playing this game--together or separately, itdoesn't matter. LEGO Racers 2 is varied enough to appeal to differentkinds of game players, and fun enough to offer repeat-play value. This racinggame definitely belongs in the winner's circle. (Ages 6 to 12) --Jeff Quick ... Read more

Reviews (18)

No hype, just real fun.
I will make this simple. This game is fun. Easy interface. Nice graphics. All ages may apply. Better than the first in many ways. Very detailed levels. Runs smooth on a moderate system. Don't miss this. It won't be available forever! It works on my xp system as well!

LR2 is SO much better than the first one
Lego Racers 2 is such a great game! You travel to exciting new worlds: Sandy Bay, Dino Island, Mars, Artic and Xalax, the ultimate racing planet! You start out on Sandy Bay, a lively and cheerful island. You just wish you could leap right into that Lego world. Then, later, you travel to exciting Dino Island, where there are T-rexs, Stegosauruses, Triceratops and Pteronodons running around. Then you go to Mars, a bizzare world where you can talk to aliens. Next is the Artic, which is a world so cool, it's frozen(really!). And last,but not least,is Xalax, the most incredible world of all! The only weird thing is Rocket Racer is real easy to beat. But you feel so excited to see millons of Lego guys cheering and screaming in huge stands around the tracks. All these worlds have fitting music. It's just such an awesome game. When you play the game as long as I have, you start to get really good at it and you make up your own unique tricks.
There are also battles, which is a two player game. You and another player start on a world with no tracks. You can go wherever you want. The object of the battle is to knock all the bricks off the opponent's car. My brother always wins:(
There are two player races also.
Here are a few tips for beating the bosses: With Sam Sinister, just avoid oil and don't slow down. With the alien on Mars( I forget his name),take the shortcut in the waterfall. With the Berg, take the shortcut to the left RIGHT after the 2nd checkpoint. With Rocket Racer, avoid the walls and jumps and you'll win! Oh, one tip: LR2 might not work on some laptops: you need a numberpad to build cars and usually laptops don't have numberpads. :(
If you don't have LR2, you're downright nuts. GET LEGO RACERS 2!!!! *dramatic music* :)

Lego Racers vs. Lego Racers 2
If you think after reading these reveiw that the sequel is terrible, let me tell you something.

When the first came out, it was very suitable for little kids. The tracks were playful, with walls so it was easy to stay on track, and power ups so that if it got to hard, you could cheat a little and get back to having fun.

So the lego people thought, "Hey, they like it. Let's make a sequel and REALLY impress them!" They thought that if the game was fun currently, it would be much more fun with better AI, cooler bosses, destructible cars, etc. They boldly sent the game into perfection. The result, though, because it lacks the cuteness of the original, is less apealing to kids.

There are no walls on the tracks, just a green direction arrow and some signs and checkpoints to mark out the track. This means you can get off track, so the racing seems more real. The cars can slide, shunt, skid, and spin, so they behave cooler. Little kids ran out and bought it, then began racing, realising, to their horror, that the racing was more complex and harder.

To the kids who liked racng games, though, the sequel was a major improvement. The random power up thing increased strategy and tactics.

In short, a great game if you like racing, but not as good as the first if you like the charming lego and cuteness.

A major improvement
I undertsand why people would think Lego Racers 2 is not as good as the first. I have played both and I think the second is wa better. The first one was more playful and you listened to silly music while you steer your car aroun and listen to him make funny noises when you crash. you are either behind everyone or in front of everyone.

In the second, the game has a better racing system. Little kids who like the original will be disapointed that the racing is more difficult. To me, that makes it better, because you go to more exotic places, have the option to explore and chat with people, play hidden bonus games that come in two levels, and upgrade your car.

First off, the cars behave realistically, shunting each other and skidding as they turn corners. The opponents are not perfect drivers like in the first, but the tougher ones like cassiopia and Mr. Cunningham are. Then, there are the worl bosses. This includes Sam Sinister, a superfast driver who drops oilslicks, Reigel, the martian king who drives a giant mech robot that is indestructable, and The Berg,a crystallic ice monster who cheats and raises giant stalagmites behind him.

The adventure mode is more plotted out. You hop from world to world, paying for passage with golden briks, which you win by winning races or finding them hidden in the worlds. On each world, you race on five tracks, then take on the boss.

In the actual races, the system is much better. Your car gets damaged as it slams into things, and if you are not careful you could lose your car altogether and end up running! Luckily, uou have pit stops, which repair your car. You have a new and powerful variety of powerups, and each one is chosen at random, so you don't know which one you are getting! Each of these is an improvement on the ones from the original. This includes the lethal bloodhound homing missiles, the swift powerdisks, the powerful drill missiles, the slippery tornadoe, which doubles as a super sheild which protects your car, the awesome Storm Cloud, which has double use for if you are in the back or the lead, the invaluable invisiblity, which allows you to sneak past other cars like warp did in the original, or steal their powerups. And lets not forget the almighty Dissolve Car, the most powerful, with absolute domination of the track.

You also get speed ups. It's called a brick boost, earned as your car is damaged.

You can go to Arctic World, Dino Island, Mars, Xalax, or the lego town of sandy Bay.

The two player mode is much improved. You can do a leage race, like in the original curcuit race, or a standard race, or even a battle, where there are no tracks and the goal is to destroy the other guy's car! In one player, you can race on any track with up to seven other racers, or do a time race against yourself as a ghost car!

The builder has been improved, featuring racer parts from every new world, and a significantly upgraded car builder, allowing you to put up to 20!!! bricks on your car, as opposed to the meager builder in lego racers 1, which only allowed 10 bricks. In addition, your car drives better depending on weight and balance, so building a car can be educational!

In addition, any driver can go on any car, leading to almost limitless racer configurations. Also, you can practice a test run on any track, and the computer will determine which car is fastest by way of lap time! The bonus games are fun, and you can use them to win car upgrades for power, grip, and sheilds. They range from serving as taxi driver on sandy bay to collecting fuel cells for the astronauts or training on Xalax. Watch out for the guard cars!

The tracks are much more difficult, with no walls but checkpoints and a direction arrow to maintain a track. Race over a rickety bridge, run from a dinosaur in the jungle, explore a fiery volcano, but don't fall in! Race up a raging river,Dodge molten rocks as you cross the magma lake on Mars, and watch out for giant mech robots! Explore the icy caves up north, and a trapped ship in the ice, a cave inhabited by an icy monster, and go over loop de loops and ramps or power rings on Xalax as you race against ramas in a crazy stunt ralley!

Includes a new catch up mode, so there is always a challenge in every race depending on your skill!

In short, a major improvemt, with the only drawback being there are some steep requirements.

VERY ADDICTIVE !
The boys loved the 1st version of this game and were totally thrilled to get this 2nd version. It's a load of fun for them but way too addictive. I also don't like it because it doesn't work perfectly, even after tinkering with the settings and computer drivers (just like the first one), and the boys don't learn anything from it. I guess I'm asking too much from it... ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

With 3-D Ultra Lionel Traintown Deluxe, you can build theultimate railroad system without cluttering up the entire basement. Constructa maze of rail lines for freight and passenger trains to ship goods and peoplefrom place to place, become the engineer of a steam engine, or even manage severaltrains at once as they pick up and deliver needed goods to the factories near the track.

The game begins with a series of tutorials that outline the basic functions ofplay--driving trains, moving from track to track, and managing loads--beforepresenting a series of timed puzzle scenarios. Younger players may find even thesimplest of these scenarios too challenging, and may prefer the options that allow them(or their parents) to lay out train routes on their own. The electronic element alsoallows for some creative settings, such as scenarios set on the moon or the North Pole,or ones that include dinosaur farms.

Despite these fictional elements, the program's best feature is the level of realisticdetail it provides on the nuts and bolts of train systems. Each train car has a specificfunction, prohibiting players from loading inappropriate cargo. Track repairs, coupling anddecoupling cars, refueling, track switching--all of the basic concepts that rule the railroadsare covered in 3-D Ultra Lionel Traintown Deluxe.

Though its approach is low-key, it's also very educational, developing in young players anappreciation for how trains and railroads work--not to mention how food gets from the farmto the local grocery store. 3-D Ultra Lionel Traintown Deluxe may well be everythingboth a parent and a child could want. It's engaging, well designed, and informative. Best ofall, playing it is a lot of fun. (Ages 7 and older) --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (6)

My 4 year old loves this game!
My little boy loves trains. When I came upon the Traintown Deluxe CD I thought I'd give it a try. He loved it. And now at 5 he still plays the CD and has truly excelled at the different levels. I reccommend this CD for any train enthusiast at any age. Its the best money I've spent on a CD game in a long time.

Want A Real Train Game Try Trainz!
Don't touch it. This is the most horrible excuse i've ever seen for a train game ew! This a bad game for kids to get into trains oh i love Lionel but they are not so good at games stick to the O gauge stuff. But seriously folks don't waist your money on this game. How about Trainz very good game awsome! well fell free to SEE MORE ABOUT ME Bye!

You Should LOVE This Too!
I've played with trains, train sims, and even fixed Lionel trains once or twice, and I can say how wonderful this game is to me! It has wonderful train music, and 3D sound, 10 worlds from a regular living room to a fantasy land, and the models in this game look just like the real ones! There are over 80+ puzzles from super-duper easy to brain-twisting hard! There are EVEN cheat codes if you just can't solve the puzzle. I surely reccommend this game to everyone! I LOVE it and you should too!

Excellent!
This is an awesome game for train lovers of all ages. It starts of with simple tasks, memory games, and thinking puzzles. The difficulty increases and becomes more challenging, even for adults. There are jobs to build your own train yard, deliver freight to their destinations, or to keep the train from crashing. There's math puzzles, sorting skills, and even some alien invaders. This is MUCH better than Lego's Loco.

Perfect
I haven't seen a program that's more fun for a train buff than this one. I haven't hit the big time with it yet, but I can't get over the simplicity of use and the graphics it has. I'm amazed at how complete it is and find new things to enjoy each time I start it up. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Shovels to the ready! It's time to help Bob and friends in 12 fun activities. Join Wendy, Bob's business partner, and his energetic machine crew--Scoop, Muck, Roley, Lofty, and Dizzy--in helping Bob design a park that can be viewed in different seasons, repair a skateboard track so that Spud can perform cool tricks, assemble dinosaur bones into a huge skeleton, collect food for animals and help them find their home, and much more. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Entertaining game
My 3 year old grandson completed this game to the end by himself and enjoyed it. Just alittle guidance one time and he mastered the game to enjoy the fireworks show at the end. He felt he helped Bob do the park all by himself. He has played it over four times and he knows he can do it by himself without getting bored or unable to do it. It is worth the money to let kids be successful playing the game by themselves and do all the jobs correctly.

Bad graphics, confusing and boring
I am so sorry I bought this game, its such a waste of money for us. My 3 1/2 year old likes Bob and has videos and toys so I thought this would be good for him. But the games are very limited so they get boring quickly, moving around is very confusing and even the graphics are very bad. There's much better stuff out there for the kids. Reader Rabbit is the best we've found so far.

But I disagree with the age range
My son is an expert on this game and he is 3. In today's world, with kids so much more computer-literate, this game is really quite simple. Great for a 2-3 year old that loves Bob.

Unsophisticated
~My three-year-old son loves Bob the builder. That is the reason I bought this game. However, this product is just blow the bar. Poor graphic quality and boring game design. Compared with the kid software made by Disney or other company, this product is not refined enough and gives people home-made feeling. I gave it 3-star instead of 1-star because it is still a Bob the builder and my son likes to play with it. If you want to buy a Bob the builder PC game, this is one of the only two on the market.~~ If you just want to get some really nice pc game for young kid, look for something else.~ ... Read more

Features

• A magical place where every girl can use her imagination
• Decorate the dollhouse and play with Cinderella and her friends
• Adorn rooms with lavish combinations of furniture, fixtures, and accessories
• Animated characters from the beloved movie come to life
• Unlimited surprise animations make decorating exciting

Reviews (2)

Not for limited users on XP which kids should be.
I also should have read the reviews on this however, my Daughter loves this game. I do not have the problems with sound or graphics as they are very clear on our system. However, my 4 year old now has to have Administrator rights on the system in order to play this game. I bought XP so I could allow the kids functionality on the computer without me hovering over them. I studied how to set the system up for limited users and Administrators (which can do everything), but now all that work and the money for the product are gone. I have made my complaint with Disney as they are the ones that informed me that they have no intention on changing this product.

Worst... Kid's Software... Ever.
Believe me, kid's software in general is not that great (though there are some notable exceptions.) So it is a pretty big deal for me to say that this is the worst kid's software I have ever seen. It literally kept my kid busy for about half an hour, and when I looked at it I saw why; no challenge, no interest, very little content.

The premise of the game is that you go to all these different rooms from the Cinderella mythos (the basement, Cinderella's bedroom in the castle, etc) and drop furniture, characters, and objects onto them. Sometimes these objects will interact with each other. Kind of like the excellent Catz! series, except for way more static and non-interactive.

First of all, even if this was enough to carry a game, which it's not, there's hardly any decent content. There are like 5 rooms total, and maybe 6 or 8 characters, and probably 30 total furniture and object items to throw on there. And then, your kid is done playing.

My daughter (5) summed it up nicely; she said "Daddy, this game is boring."

Avoid, avoid, avoid. A waste of money at any price. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Remember those bright orange Hot Wheels racetracks you used to slide together as a kid? Racing tiny hot rods using just gravity and imagination? Hot Wheels Mechanix cars are PC powered (sorry Mac users), but imagination still plays a small role.

Hot Wheels Mechanix is a typical single-player race game. In the beginning, players can access three easier tracks: Tiki Jungle, Urban Wasteland, and Pluto Mines. Winning first place or collecting enough tools opens up the other tracks: Moon Base, Construction Site, and Beachway. Finally, mastery of all tracks opens up the unforgiving Asteroid Belt, a narrow strip that dangles somewhere out there in space. Successful racers are rewarded with vroomy new cars with names like Speed Machine and Radar Ranger. Here's the added gearhead touch: players can make their new Hot Wheels even hotter by adding modifications like spiked tires, bigger engines, even wings! Those wings we added to our speedster on a whim came in quite handy when we drove our car off the track in the Asteroid Belt: they popped out and we soared safely to a lower level of the track.

It's fairly easy to advance to higher levels and better cars with this game. Use a joystick, a game pad, or a racing wheel to control the action. Your keyboard will work, if you don't mind sliding into a lot of walls. The different tracks had some good obstacles--trains, moving walls, red-hot lava--but the environments were sparse on the visuals. And we really, really wanted the bonus race to be an orange plastic track with a loop-the-loop running through a kid's filthy bedroom, just for old time's sake. (Ages 6 and older) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Very decent software
Easy to install, easy to use. My 5 year-old figured how to play quickly, but the different levels of play are keeping him challenged. Dad likes it too.

Fun Game
This is one of the Best Hot Wheels Racing Games available for kids... You can practically drive anywhere, even fly!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

LEGO Soccer Mania lets you play soccer the way you want. Customize your own LEGO mini-figure teams and challenge the opposition. Use amazing power-ups in hilarious matches across action-packed, theme LEGO environments. It's an adventure that takes you from the frozen Arctic to the rugged Wild West, and even to the rocky, red deserts of Mars. No matter where you are or what planet you're on, this game will test all your soccer skills and strategy. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Soccer Mania
Soccer Mania is highly entertaining game for soccer and Lego fans. Lego characters are really cool-looking and fun. Flaws for this soccer/Lego game are the controls(hard for first-timers). Otherwise really good game.

Here's a list for my ratings of the game Soccer Mania,
1(horrible) to 10(perfect).

Controls 6
Graphics 7
Characters 9
Arena 9
Overall 8

This game is cool!
LEGO Soccer mania is an awesome game because it combines the fun and adventure of all of the other LEGO games with a fantastic sports gameplay. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Armed with pizzas, a skateboard, and a cool attitude, Pepper Roni--a freckle-faced pizza delivery boy--must save LEGO Island from a bad guy called the Brickster. Our hero dude travels from the depths of the sea to the outer limits of space (to Ogel Island... get it?) in pursuit of his man in this engrossing CD-ROM.

Boasting a whopping 18 subgames scattered throughout an intricate realm of islands, undersea worlds, deserts, and space, LEGO Island 2 focuses more on adventure and less on construction than previous LEGO titles. Players assume the identity of renaissance dude Pepper: pizza delivery, deep sea diving, astronaut training, and jousting are just a handful of the well-rendered experiences that await adventurers. The arrow keys get quite a workout as the game progresses, as they control everything from speedboats to parachutes to tyrannosaurs as Pepper changes modes of transport. Pepper churns through this world fending off the Brickster's henchmen robots, collecting pages of a "Constructopedia," and mastering various challenges in order to progress. Subgames must be completed in a sequence, and can then bere-accessed from Pepper's house. Players must work to build Pepper's pad, find the subgames, and chat with other characters for clues about how to move through this LEGO landscape. Players who want it all handed to them on one clickable screen will be frustrated: LEGO wants you to work for your pleasure, and get some calluses on those fingertips.

The charm of this impressive Windows-only program lies in the attention paid to detail, dialogue, and creative fun. The undersea game doesn't just have fish--it has narwhals and rowdy pirate skeletons growling curses. A knight straight out of Monty Python and the Holy Grail intones "Nay, nay, nay, one-who's-name-is-a-spice" when Pepper asks for help. Creators put a skateboard park on the island just for the heck of it. LEGO Island 2 provides both great game play and ample opportunity to freestyle. Also, the fluid detail of this program belies the chunky origins of LEGO life as we know it.

That detail comes with a price: it takes some time to load the subgames and scene changes even if your system meets the game's requirements. If LEGO Island 2 were one of Pepper's pizzas, it'd be an ultra mega deluxe, piled high with mummies, pterodactyls, and renegade robots. It'd also take a longer time to bake than your plain cheese, but the wait would be worth it. (Ages 6 to 99) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (20)

OK Game, but...
This game has much better graphics and you have more freedom of movement than the original, but as for the gameplay, it is not something you want to play over and over again. While in the game, you have an objective at any given time, and whenever you talk to someone, they tell you your objective and point towards it. In other words, you really have to complete the objective unless you just want to go swimming or something. The freedoms and graphics may have not been that great in the original LEGO Island, but the gameplay is much better, and you can choose what missions you want to do when you feel like doing them. If you can, rent it or something and beat it in the 2 days it took me and then give it back, since I dont think it was worth the $... i paid for it.

Sweet game!!!!
This game is one of the best lego games yet! It's so fun even if you're not in a mission. The graphics rock although the loading is a bit slow but it's worth it! But when I bought my game, one level was messed up and I needed to buy another one. I would've gave it a 5 but it didn't work. Overall, it's still fun!

To robelaine From South East Michigan
I purchased Lego Island 2 for my daughter for Christmas, my computer didn't support the game either, so I attempted to return the game to Toys R Us and of course that was pointless, however I did call Lego Media myself and they told me to send them the game back to them with a note stating that the game was not compatible with my computer and the receipt, and they would send me a refund. The consumer affairs information is on their website, check it out!! You don't have to be stuck with a product you can't use.

Lego Island 2
This product has really cool graphics, however it takes way too long to load!!! For each individual area of the game you want to enter, you have to wait for the game to load. Infact, you even have to wait for it to load if you want to "Quit" the game too. It could be a really cool, but for my 6 year old daughter, it was just frustrating. I sent the game back to company for a refund and purchased the game for the Playstation instead.
I personally don't recommend this product.

Check the system requirements
I didn't check my video card memory and I have 6 MB and it needs 8 MB. My system is only 1 1/2 years old. I now have software that I can't use and I can't return (Toysrus policy). I don't want to upgrade, but my son wants to play the game. He keeps reading the box and telling me all the things he could do. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Very good
My 11 year old received this game a couple of years ago. He still plays with it every now and then, but prefers to play it on Gameboy. But now his five year old brother is thrilled with the playing the computergame. He alternates between this one and Digs n Rigs. We are definitely getting our money's worth out of this one.

Good - But NOT a software for Dig-N-Rig unit
We bought this software hoping, but not clear, that this would be additional software for the Tonka Dig-N-Rigs game. If you are not familiar with Dig-N-Rigs, its a GREAT game that comes with a dashboard unit that mounts on your computer keyboard. You load the software and then all of the controls are on this dashboard, like the steering wheel, crane levers, key, and horn. It is a 5-star game and my 4 year old son said, after playing for a few moments that he would be playing the rest of the day and the rest of his life. We'll, just realize that Construction 2 is not a supplement to that game and you just use your mouse. Its still a good game but not near as gratifying as Dig-N-Rigs, and I hope they eventually come out with supplemental software to that game.

other review isn't accurate
I haven't played this game in awhile but that other review isn't right. There isn't a news van, docks or warehouse. The game encompasses a bunch of activities. The meat of the game is the city activity where kids can tear down old buildings, dig holes, pour foundation and build a new building. Its really cool because you can customize how everything looks and there are a lot of add-ons (windows, doors, roofs, trees, bushes) that you can add to your building. I think most kids will have a lot of fun with this activity, the other activities are mostly fillers.

Tonka Construction 2
This sequel to Tonka Construction takes kids back to Tonka Town to tackle all-new construction projects using 14 Tonka vehicles in six different landscapes - Quarry, Desert, Mountains, City, Warehouse and the Docks. Kids also have infinite building and customization options, enabling the little engineers to design, build and personalize their very own Tonka Town. Kids visit Tonka Joe in the Construction Trailer to punch their time cards and to get an overview of the jobs that require assistance, and if they find the News Van each time they play, Jenna Pressly will send kids on a surprise mission. With beefed up vehicle functions and movement, infinite building and construction as well as plenty more fun activities and print functions, Tonka Construction II is sure to be a hit with little engineers. ... Read more

Features

• Experience the excitement of being a real firefighter
• Unique 1st-person view that puts kids in the driver¿s seat
• Control a pumper truck, ladder truck, fire dozer, and fire copter
• 12 important rescue jobs, each with 3 levels of difficulty
• Missions vary each time game is played; for kids 3 to 6

Amazon.com Product Description

When movie moguls pick LEGO Island as the location for their new action-adventure film, they sign Pepper Roni as their lead stuntman. In five action-packed extreme stunt games, kids play as Pepper Roni and race to each shooting location on a skateboard or in one of 14 LEGO vehicles--if they've passed all their driving tests. Kids can build all LEGO Island Xtreme Stunts vehicles from real LEGO pieces, and customize all the game's environments and characters.

In LEGO Island Xtreme Stunts kids perform all kinds of extreme stunts, like nailing skateboard grabs and grinds, racing through heavy traffic, catching big air on a dirt bike, making waves on a turbo jet ski, surfing the clouds on a skyboard, and flying a stunt plane roller coaster-style. All the while, kids must foil the Brickster's getaway, avoid crashes, and guide tourists to safety. Plus, there are all sorts of subquests and puzzles to solve, as well as arcade and multiplayer modes to unlock. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

really cool game, works great!
this game was awesome!! the different sub-games are exciting and exploring the island was cool. the only problem was that it's not possible to delete games that are maessed up. otherwise, this game rocks!

Lego Extreme Stunts
We were very displeased with this product! We could not get it to run. We contacted the Lego Company about the problem with no response. My son loves Legos and enjoys his Lego Racers 2 game. We were very disappointed that the Extreme Stunts would not work.

GREAT GAME...NEEDS MORE LEVELS!
This game excels in graphics, but it lacks in the number of levels it offers. The main point of the game is to go from film shoot to film shoot to build an action stunt movie and you, Pepper, are the main stunt man! This game allows you to fly, drive, and jet-ski, which is great but it just isn't long enough to suit a big gamer like myself. I am glad I spent money on it, because it is very enjoyable and addictive.

Super Fun Game!!!
It's so much fun!
You play as Peper (a lego guy) and you go through
the game with a choice of walking around lego island talking
to differnt pepole, or making scenes in a movie (that Peper stars in) by completing levels that he must drive cars,boats,and a plane! But the best thing is he can skatebaord
whenever he wants! And he can do tricks with it!
He can also through pizas in pepoles face!
If you like fun and a chalenge this game is for you!!!

One of the most innovating games yet
I totally disagree to tanis1111's review of this excellent title.

Keeping in mind that I played literally hundreds of games so far, (some good, some bad), I've become quite spoilt with games; so far, out of 50 games I play, I usually only like one or two to the extent of me actually playing on and on to complete them. Usually, I get fed up by the annoying gameplay, or the repetitiveness of the game in general.

Having played several other LEGO games as well, I found that LEGO Island Xtreme Stunts successfully combines a lot of different genres, to bring the LEGO world to life. I found this title quite refreshing; not only can the character walk and swim around this unique island; he can also use his skateboard, or drive/fly/sail using vehicles found on the island. Additionally, the stunts really do combine a lot of genres: race and trash the opponent on land, sea or even in the air! Solve interesting logic puzzles or just use your skateboard to go about the island, performing neat tricks as you go.
Whereas I found other PC game titles like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, The Need for Speed and Crazy Taxi a bit boring and repetitive, LEGO Island Xtreme Stunts manages to combine all these games, and successfully place it in a world based on the LEGO universe, balancing the game so it never becomes boring.

I caught myself playing this game for hours. IMO, the bottom line for this game is the fact that it's a great deal, figuring the graphics are OK, the sound rocks ('radio'-music along the lines of GTA3 is present), and the gameplay never gets old. I'd recommend this game to anyone, seeing this package offers a great mixture of a lot of games, yet being very well priced. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Stranded in orbit around an unchartered planet, the crew of the LMS Explorer must establish a base camp beneath the planet's surface. Take command of the entire Rock Raiders team and all their sci-fi vehicles so you can collect enough energy crystals to power the ship's engines back home. But beware--danger lurks deep within the dark tunnels of the planet's mysterious underground world. Avoiding lava flows and rock fall are the least of your worries as you mine for precious energy crystals that the treacherous Rock Monsters jealously guard. Designed for kids ages 8 and older, this exciting adventure title challenges players to lead the Rock Raiders in completing their thrilling outer space mission. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

great great great
I got this game a loooong time ago in Christmas 2000 so I dunno why I'm writing a review of it 3 years later, but...it's a great game,with tons of awesome stuff, like high-tech vehicles and buildings, monsters made of ice, lava, and rock, laser guns and sonic blasters to kill the monsters, teleportation, and other cool stuff. I've completed every single level except for the last one.

Lego Rock Raiders: A thinking game disguised as fun
The Lego Rock Raiders are member of the LMS explorer star ship. They need to beam themselves and mining equipment down to a planet to collect energy crystals for their damaged ship. This is made clear in the introductory video.

The game offers training missions and actual missions. In the training missions, the player is trained for the basic activities.
Much of this game is making tradeoffs with time and resources. For example, you need a fixed number of engergy crystals to complete a level. You can use some of them to obtain drilling vehicles, or special buildings to supply air and food, or help locate crystalls. Rock Raider can hold a fixed number of tools. You can have some of them carry weapons to defend you mining base, but then they can't hold as many tools.

This is an interesting game that gets increasingly challenging and makes you think at times.

One of the greatest LEGO games!
LEG0 Rock Raiders is a cool game. Here is what it is like:

LEGO + mining in caves + Pikmin + Your Computer = LEGO Rock Raiders!

It is fairly easy, and you can get different views, and there IS a first person view by clicking on the button to the right. Keep clicking on things and it wil be easy to play. Sadly, the second or third level is very hard and until this day, I have never completed it. There are too many levels, and if you happen to manage through them, you must've counted 5 months. There should be a money prize for completing this difficult task of completing the entire game! Anyway, just point and click on your Rock Raider to do a certain command, and away he goes! Sometimes, they are busy doing something else, so just wait until he is done. There are many fun features:

View(first person, above view, ect.)
Feed Rock Raider
Name them!
Upgrade them
Put on an alarm!

And you can even make em' drive, but I have not got to there yet, but you can.

It is a good-buy for a cheap price of this.
Overall, pretty fun game, but challenging.
The graphics are good, (pretty impressive, I'd say), the sound is a 4.0, the music is 3.5, the control is a 4.0 for when RR's don't listen, and everything else is okay.

So, buy it, it is worth a cheap price, and you will be there for hours on the challenging level, so have fun with the new LEGO game!

Excellent! a definate must buy!
This is a surpurb game created by lego but let's get more specific and let me give you some ratings

Graphics: these graphics are some of the best I have seen and I have seen a lot of graphics believe me, Overall I would give them a 5 out of 5

Sound: The sound is great. There is some cool music but when no music is on you hear water dripping in the cave and voices from your lego men echo. Overall I would give the sound a 5 out of 5

Controll: the controll is excellent. There is not a first person view, but a sky view of all your lego men walking around in the cave. All you have to do is click on them and tell them what to do, and they do it immediately. I would give the controll an excellet 5 out of 5

Difficulty: This game is intermediate in difficulty. There are some times while playing this game you think that you can not progress any further and right before you are about to go insane you find an answer that is quite obvious.

I hope this review was helpfull. A definate must have! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Games seem less susceptible to sophomore slump than movies or books. Quite often, when a game sequel comes out, it has everything you liked from the first game, and some more, too. Happily, LEGO Racers 2 is just such a sequel.

When the game begins, you get a chance to build your own car, and even build (and name) your own racer from "people" pieces. Building cars is fun without even playing the game. If you're not happy with a car you've built, or just want to build more, the main menu lets you build all the cars you want with a huge variety of virtual bricks.

Though at heart it's a racing game, LEGO Racers 2 offers more than just racing. A large solo adventure game lets you explore five worlds. The worlds represent some of LEGO's lines that you might already have bricks for, such as Life on Mars and Arctic Explorer. Each world has places to explore, with minigames to discover and power-ups that will improve your car's performance or smash the other cars in a race. And, of course, there's plenty of racing, even in the adventure game.

Once a world has been unlocked in the adventure game, you can access the world from the race menu. From there, you can race for time or against a friend in two-player mode. Two-player mode allows you and a friend to battle each other, racing around the worlds looking for power-ups to smash your opponent's car.

Adults and kids will have fun playing this game--together or separately, it doesn't matter. LEGO Racers 2 is varied enough to appeal to different kinds of game players, and fun enough to offer repeat-play value. This racing game definitely belongs in the winner's circle. (Ages 6 to 12) --Jeff Quick ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Fabulous Game!
This game is great! it is also funny when you blow people up. Plus , it gives you driving skills. If you like cool, funny, and racing cds, this is the game for you!

Pretty good
This game is ok, but the races in each world are really similar, so you really only get 5 tracks. It is challenging, though. I haven't beaten it yet, but that's partly because I play my other games more.

If you don't already have the first one, Lego Racers, I recommend getting that instead. I like it better. It has 17 exciting races that are very different from each other. The building mode is easier and has better pieces and cars. Also, to my surprise, I found that the grapics in LR2 are not as good as they are in the original.

One good thing about Lego Racers 2 is that it's partly just adventure--you can explore the world you're visiting. I was also surprised at how big they made each world. As you're exploring, sometimes an inhabitant will give you a clue to help you in your search for the precious golden bricks, which buy you your way to other worlds. There are also bonus missions, 1 on each world (2 if you count the hard and easy levels you need to complete). In each one, you do a certain task around the area. For example, in the first world, you drive people around to different places, kind of like taxi service. You have to serve a certain amount of people in a certain amount of time.

Overall, I like this game, but I can certainly live without it.

Perfect #2! Thank you Lego!
This game kept me playing all Christmas Day and for two days after; until my parents said "Aren't you going to play with any of your other gifts?!" I really liked the graphics! What a pleasant sequel to Lego Racers 1.

Absorbing, addictive racing game
The first Lego racers is fantastic and like others I rushed out to get this expecting more of the same. In fact the game has a very different look and feel which makes it easy to conclude that it is not as good. To get the bad news out of the way: Lego Racers 2 is more demanding on hardware, somewhat harder to play, only supports one saved game, and lacks the some of the friendly-fun appeal of the first.

On the plus side though, this game is far more absorbing. The various locations are complete little worlds, with villages, inhabitants you can chat to, and exotic terrain that you get to know really well. In order to progress you have to beat certain characters, like Sam Sinister who deposits slippery oil behind his car: it seems impossible at first, but as you get to know the track you gradually get better.

It's a more sophisticated game all round. The idea of bricks coming off your car every time you crash, and replenished by the pit stops, is great and adds excitement. The landscape has lots of interest, such as drive-thru waterfalls, cliff-side roads you can fall off, ice mazes, volcanoes with molten lava, wobbly rope bridges, and ... well, you get the idea.

Looking for a first racing game for a kid? Lego Racers 1 is it. But for sustained, compelling interest, Racers 2 is light-years ahead.

Great game
Wonderful game. The graphics are surprisingly good for a game involving legos. The speed of gameplay is moderate. The special part of this game is that you can actually blow up the other people's cars and make them run the end of the race. The unrelistic part though is that the lego people run 50 M.P.H.! If you want fun with out gore this is the game for you. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Imagine an island where you can build, race, fly, jet ski, skateboard, and, of course, just hang with friends. That's LEGO Island, where there's no lack of cool things to do, unless... the Brickster accidentally gets out of jail. Once he's out, kids better catch him quick or else he'll destroy the town brick by brick. 35 animated LEGO characters inhabit the action-packed 3-D world of LEGO Island. Plus, multiple difficulty levels offer players a range of challenges, while randomized animations keep this island adventure fresh and fun. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Boring game
This game is pretty fun at first, but it gets old very fast. You are called to do a certain task around the island, which is cool, until you get through the tasks and do the same ones over and over again. The car race was really exciting. I wondered why Lego Racers couldn't have any races like that. But overall, compared to the other Lego PC games, this one is quite boring.

AWESOME GAME!!!!! BUY NOW!!!!!
This game rules! I used to have the right computer for it, but we got a new monotor that dosn't run the game! :( Anyway this game rocks the house! You can deleiver pizzas(only if your Pepper), help at the hospital, help at the gas station, go in races, and more! But if you give a pizza to the evil brickster, he esaces! And you have to catch him! It's pretty hard though. But you have to buy this game! It's a true LEGO classic!

Paul the great. :)

Quick words
Game "Lego Island" by Mindscape, 1997, original does come with a configuration program before the game loads so that it does, in fact, run with Windows XP. Ages 6-12, but 4 year old kids that know how to use a mouse and a joystick have been seen using both (i.e., racing buy walking lego-people while clicking on their heads with the mose to turn their hats into flowers and race car helmets.) You visit rooms to bulid pre-set vehicles that kids have to cycle through parts shelves and drag on to the correct place. Legos can be colored, should is snappy, and my only beef is that there is no give in the movement. You go too far to one side of the road and your car just stops, no chance to travel onto the grass or the water. Ramps and inclindes snap the screen back in place very quickly. Good struts, or old game. There is enough to explore to give kids about a week of play now a days, but if they can read and are interested there is a lot of hidden easter eggs that will keep them busy.

jake wilkes8
it's kinda good but i am not sure if its very fun the problem is there isin't very much actiuon but if you have a slow computer don't get lego island 2 you will just have a ga,me that doesnt work so if you have a slow pc get this if your pc is fast get lego island 2

Kinda boring
I agree with some of the reviewers on here: this game is BORING. All you do is walk around the island doing pointless stuff that doesn't help you get farther in the game. And there are annoying lego people who keep getting in your way, talking to you and dismantling themselves. There is a bug(at least with us): When you build a vehicle, you have to click in the EXACT right spot to pick up a piece. And the dumb annoying lego guy ALWAYS gets in your way when you're trying to click on the right spot.
To "win" the game, you have to on purpose set the Brickster loose, than catch him again, then everyone calls you a "hero". There are no challenging things to do. What a pointless idea.
The graphics are okay, but there was this on time when the street was colored like the ocean and the grass was colored like the street. Lego Island 2 is MUCH better. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Bob the Builder is an animated handyman whose mantra is "Can we fix it?Yes we can!" Maybe someone should turn this chipper guy and his tool belt looseon his own computer program with the mandate "Can we improve this? Yes wecan!"

This Windows-only CD-ROM begins in the office where Wendy, Bob's helper, worksfielding construction orders from the computer, phone, and fax machine. It's apromising start: a whopping 13 games can be accessed from Wendy's office, andall of the games have three levels of difficulty. Also, the animated setups thatlead into each game will delight any fan who watches Bob the Builder ontelevision. A handful of the games are construction oriented: Radiator Riddle,Fix the Leaks, Tunnel Time, and two bridge-building games will probably satisfyjunior contractors. The mouse becomes everything from a wrecking ball to aplumber's wrench and the "fix it" urge is briefly sated with these simple gamesthat emphasize matching, spatial skills, and sequencing.

The other games include some heavy equipment racing, herding crows andporcupines, popping troublesome bubbles in the new cement Bob just laid down,and celebrating Wendy's birthday by programming her to do some line-dance movesand decorating her cake with tractors and sprinkles. Also, there's a ubiquitousFind Pilchard activity that's present in five different activities, and doesn'tinvolve much more than scanning the screen for glimpses of where the blue cat ishiding, then clicking on it, and being rewarded with the same animatedcat-feeding sequence.

This game will doubtless please very young kids who love Bob the Builder.But kids with some computer experience will plow through this program like agrader on full throttle through gravel. Could some of these games have a bitmore to them? Yes they could! (Manufacturer recommends 3 and older: we say 3 to4.) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Unsophisticated, Disappointing and Boring
My son is 3 1/2 and loves Bob and playing on the computer. This CD was a huge disappointment. It does not meet the standards of most quality Windows 95/98 CDs for this age group. Most of the movement through the games is done with the arrows on the keyboard rather than the mouse - primitive at best. My son likes to see the characters that he knows and loves but is bored with the program after about five minutes. Graphics, music, voice assistance are all out of date. Too bad. We bought this program in the U.K. Was hoping that the U.S. version would be something different but from the picture of the cover that Amazon is showing it appears to be the same CD ROM that I have. Too bad.

perfect
This is the best piece of music i have ever heard. Music perfection in my eyes. It is based on a crap tv show but still this is the best song ever made.

Does not work on anything newer than Win98
This program does not run at all on Windows XP.

The canned response from THQ "support":
"THQ does not offer support for any of our products running on Windows XP, 2000 or NT, unless otherwise stated on the packaging. Many of our products that were designed for Windows 95/98 will not detect other operating system, as an optimized operating system, and therefore may not properly install or run."

Why are they still selling games that will only run on Windows 98? That OS is over 5 years old! How can THQ justify selling software that will not work on a current OS? (Windows XP has been out for nearly two years.) Worse yet, how can they justify taking our money for it just to dissapoint our children when it won't run. If they insist on selling this outdated junk, they should put a warning sticker on it and make the limitations prominent on the packaging. Shame on you THQ.

Sorry - this didn't give me or my boy Value.
Yes, it seems evefrytime I buy a THQ product - it happens again. I buy a lot of software for my 3 year old and it really is true. I have 2 machines - a 2.0 GHz running XP and an old 250 MHz running Win 98 and I was so disappointed not to be able to run Bob the Builder last year and then finally I managed to get it to work and poof! it was horrible the way the interface worked to get to the games etc. I'm so glad Dr Seuss saved the day and DK Series and Blue really helped ease the pain of not having Bob share my boys daily computer learning. You really don't need to waste your time.

Terrible Software
This is without a doubt the worst piece of software I have ever purchased. It requires you to install a direct X component along with windows media player. Then of course restart your machine...mine crashed. I found the user interface non-intuitive and confusing not to mention the numerous intro screens the user has to navigate through just to play a game. I don't know anything about THQ but certainly would never purchase any software made by them again. Sorry, just had to vent. Save yourself the aggravation and money... ... Read more