Amazon.com Review

The ClueFinders series of educational games takes children throughseveral years of development, so they can learn as they get older following theadventures of familiar characters. ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures isaimed at the youngest age group, and is suitable for children aged 7 to 9years.

The game scenario is easy to follow. Dr. Pythagoras, the uncle of one of theClueFinders, has disappeared from the rain forest. Animals are going missing,too. The young adventurers need to find the keys to an ancient city to work outwhat is going on, and to free Dr. Pythagoras. The keys are hidden in puzzles intwo corners of the rain forest.

As our adventurers progress through the rain forest, they encounter thesepuzzles and more, which they must solve if they are to be successful.ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures teaches skills in math, logic, languagearts, science, and geography, though it firmly wraps its educational content inthese puzzles so you hardly notice that you are learning while you play.

There are four difficulty levels, and a document for parents explains how eachof the puzzles works at each difficulty level. As an added bonus, a second CD,the Adventure Kit, provides a range of additional software, including a kit forsetting up your own friends' adventuring club. --Sandra Vogel ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Didn't Pay Attention To The Details
My daughter - 2nd grade - enjoys playing this game, but when watching and helping her through some of it I am really surprised by the errors in the game.

One example - the child must solve a math riddle involving the calendar in order to get supplies to solve the next riddle... the calendars are all 31 one days regardless of what the Month is. Um, hello? February does not have 31 days and yet there it is. It's little things like that make me not recommend this game. If this is supposed to be a teaching tool for kids then they should be paying attention to all the details in the game and not just the specific ones for the math puzzles.

Great Product
Last week my son announced that he "hated" math. This week, his school sent this software home for summer use. My son's last words as I put him to bed tonight were "Can I play Cluefinders as soon as I get up in the morning?" AND he thinks the math section is the greatest! We've tried a variety of educational software over the past 4-5 years and I can't remember any that my sons have enjoyed more!! This is a keeper. I would highly recommend it!!!

Mathra Mystery
My children all enjoyed this game.
The puzzles are well designed and have a wide skill range and a wide variety. There are 22 different puzzles which cover a wide subject range.
The only fault I could find was the fact that when you completed a puzzle you had to move to the next screen and then back again to be able to play it again, especially as you need to complete each puzzle two or three times.
The other fault was that when you completed a game unless you started a new game immediately you would find the levels were set back at easy.
It is an excellent game which the children enjoy, the highest levels are hard enough for an adult to enjoy, while younger children can cope well with the easy levels.
Children do need to be able to read reasonably well to play.

Cluefinders 3rd Grade Adventures
Our daughter's school recommended this program for children entering 3rd grade. My child and I spent all summer working on this together. It was great quality time for her and me. More importantly, it was something she looked forward to doing (which is a tall order for an 8-year old on summer vacation). It focused on sharpening thinking and problem solving skills. I was pleased with the simplicity of the graphics as it kept the computer speeding along and time was not wasted loading glitz and glitter. I can't recommend this enough to parents concerned with their child's education. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Spelling's what it says, and spelling's what you get from thisstraightforward CD-ROM. Kids visit three sites in this underwater scenario:a cave, a giant clamshell, and a sunken pirate ship. A visit to the caveprovides kids with a list of eight words to spell. They can click on aword, hear it read, and then hear it spelled. After studying the spellinglist (it's even arranged vertically, in classic spelling-list style), kidscan begin the game. During the game, the spelling word appears and a voicereads and spells it, then the word vanishes. The spellers either click onletters or use the keyboard to spell the word themselves. If all eightwords are spelled correctly, a captive fish is set free. Now, there'snothing wrong with this game, except for the fact that visiting theclamshell and the sunken ship yields the exact same game. The scenery andthe spelling words are the only things that change. Heck, even the fishbeing freed begin to look recycled after awhile.

The box boasts over 1,700 spelling words, and that's about the extent of thevariety in Spelling. We encountered where, seat, andnothing while cycling through the spelling words at the program'sbeginning, and after successfully getting though all three of the areas, we wereworking on compounds like shortstop and grandfather. The programautomatically adjusts to the player's ability, yet there is no way to save aspelling session or register individual users, so if your child worked his orher way up to offhand on one day, the next day it's back to seat.Customizing the spelling list isn't an option here; spellers must take whateverwords these denizens of the deep float their way. This program could supplementan early spelling education, and wouldbe a decent match for kids who love undersea themes, but there are otherprograms out there that provide more fun, variety, and control. (Ages 6 to8) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (1)

First Grade Teacher's Opinion
Each day my students have "center time" which is structured independent study time through different activities. One of the choices is use of the computers. Spelling 1st and 2nd Grade is by far the best program that I have used. The children love playing it and it concentrates more on the subject of spelling and phonics than on the games. Too many educational software titles I have used are more game oriented than educational. I am always happy when the kids have a game that uses the skills that they are learning, but too many titles have some type of joystick game with very few subject questions to even win or proceed to the next level. ... Read more

Features

• Fun games teach children about counting and numbers
• Puzzles give children stronger thinking abilities
• Expand your child's creative skills with Coloring & Creativity

Reviews (1)

Multiple Problems
I got Caillou's Kindergarten for my daughter who will start kindergarten in the fall. There were multiple problems with the product. First, when you start the CD, the voice says "Welcome to Caillou's Preschool" (instead of Kindergarten) and then vocally gives options to select games about the alphabet, colors/shapes, and coloring. Yet, the actual options (the ones written on the screen) are for Caillou's Counting, Thinking Skills, and Coloring & Creativity Part 2. Nowhere on the CD can you select the options that were given vocally. I contacted the company and they said they will not fix the problem because it doesn't effect the game play. Yet it completely confuses the consumers since they can't choose the options mentioned. My daughter wanted to play the colors/shapes games, and no such games existed on the CD! I actually returned the product to get a replacement, thinking it was a bad disk, but the next CD had the exact same problems.

Additionally, the written menu said "Coloring & Creativity Part 2". There is no Part 1 on the CD, yet another confusing aspect. Also, there is only one game in that section, whereas the other two sections had numerous games to choose from, leaving the parent wondering if there were supposed to be more.

Only the Dad's voice is heard in the English version, a disappointment to those hoping to hear one of the many other characters speak. The designers of the software could have done so much more with this product but chose not to.

Finally, the product was way too easy for my daughter, who has not yet started kindergarten. This CD is much more appropriate for preschoolers. Overall, it is a poorly created, overpriced CD that I would not recommend to others. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Disney Learning Toddler featuring Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh is an early-learning tool that enables children to learn age-appropriate skills with their favorite Disney characters. Whether your child is visiting friends in Mickey's neighborhood or exploring the Hundred Acre Wood, they'll learn important skills that enhance memory, observation, and listening. Other exercises will teach them letters, numbers, colors, shapes, and music--all in an atmosphere of gentle encouragement and fun. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Good fun
my cousin loved this book. She is 2 and learnt her alphabet, numbers and can begin to write through books like these. I enjoyed showing her the bright pictures, and the large fun text. thank you disney and amazon. ( I also enjoyed it too, even though i would never tell anyone that i love toddlers' winnie the pooh books! i advise parents to have a read too! :)

Great for young toddlers!!!!!
This game is great for young toddlers!! My 20 month old LOVES it. When ever she hears the music starting it up, she comes running. a few of the games have children drag the mouse over "hidden" letters. This is great for children who do not know how to click. It would be great if you had a mini mouse. they are meant to be used with notebook compters, but are smaller, so little kids can use them easier! This is a great program for teaching children how to use the comptuer.

Wish I hadn't bought it
I bought this for my two year old son after he fell in love with, and practically wore out, Winnie the Pooh's ABCs. This game, however, turned out to be very dissapointing.

First - it has issues running under Windows 95. For starters, it requires you to run in 256 colors instead of 16 bit color, so it is necessary to change video modes every time we switch in or out of this game. Also - the sound track is not very high quality - it has scratchy moments, and some sounds don't play at all.

Second - the game just isn't as good as other childrens games out there. It isn't as educational as Winnie the Pooh's ABC's or 123's. Its more like a bunch of little animated movies that occasionally have clickable things to do.

I wouldn't advise purchasing this game - I'd suggest getting instead Winnie the Pooh's ABC's and/or Winnie the Pooh's 123's. Blue's ABC Time Activies is also a much more interactive and educational game.

Fun but software issues
The game seems fun for your toddler however, it's fairly easy to master even for a two year old. I also found that I had problems with certain sounds and images with my Microsoft ME. Certain sounds could not be heard and certain images never appeared. The technical support that we called was not helpful to the task.

Great first computer game
My son is two and loves this game. It was amazing how quick he gained control of the mouse to pop the balloons and move from game to game. This is a great starter! ... Read more

Features

• Design the settings of all-time great stories with hundreds of objects kids can choose from
• Hundred of pre-made characters are available, or they can use the Character Creator to fill out the character with their own imagination
• Kids will have a great time designing slide shows and animations based on these classic tales
• They can also print out copies of their fairy tale and make them into comic books, cut-out dolls and puppets
• Stories include -Aladdin's Lamp, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Robin Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and The Tin Soldier

Amazon.com Review

Welcome Scooby and the gang--Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy--who have been called in to solve a puzzling problem in the Kudzula County Museum of Natural History.

A strange Glowing Bug Man has been seen roaming around the halls of the museum: things start to happen, property is wrecked, specimens get mixed up, and all sorts of other devilment occurs. Who is this man? Where has he come from? Is he the one creating havoc? The museum must stay closed while the pandemonium and ransacking continues. Help Scooby and the gang find out what's happening. Assist them in restoring the exhibits and spotting clues to solve the case. And never fear, help is always on hand from Nigel Nightwatch, head of the museum's security department.

This CD-ROM is aimed at children ages 5 to 10 and covers a large range of abilities. The broad age span is accommodated through three levels of difficulty, thus creating the appropriate challenges for a particular age or ability. The activities offered are full of fun and excitement and allow players to investigate by using logic, critical thinking, research, deductive reasoning, matching, and sorting--all necessary to encourage the development of thinking and problem-solving skills (and your children won't even realize they're learning!). Some of the activities can be printed out so enjoyment can continue even after the PC has been switched off.

Accompanying the package is a simple leaflet explaining installation, but it should be noted that the excellent user's guide, which is clear, concise, and comprehensive, can be accessed from the main menu. This should be read before beginning, and help may be needed for younger players. --Susan Naylor ... Read more

Reviews (8)

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

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

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

Enjoy.

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

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

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

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

Enjoy.

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

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

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

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

Reviews (2)

School Zone does it again!
School Zone's Spelling Puzzles CD-Rom is an excellent home teaching aid. It features 30 different spelling worksheets. The program grades the child's work, tracks the child's progress and allows the child to correct answers. The worksheets are interspersed with humorous cartoons of 'cheerleaders' doing victory dances and making encouraging comments. In between worksheets, the child plays one of three computer games. My child became very excited about this program and completed the worksheets at a single sitting. I am duly impressed -- this CD is very well done. School Zone should be proud of itself. The worksheets themselves are very similar to the printed paper worksheets used in first grade classrooms. My son shows almost no interest in the paper worksheets handed out at his school but eagerly attacks School Zone's electronic version. This proves, once again, that inspired packaging and presentation make a difference.

Fun program
This game is really fun. It's not particularly deep, but it gets kids practising spelling and reading in a very exciting (not overstimulating) environment. The game contains sets of 30 worksheets that kids fill in, and they get rewarded with games (that are hard to master, but the challenge is actually motivating). Good, especially for the price, and there's a workbook included with the CD-ROM. ... Read more

Features

• Calendar Software
• Enter your due date and watch your pregnancy develop.
• Nine months of helpful information and pictures of your growing fetus.
• Easy to use, updates automatically.
• Get a window on your pregnancy.

Reviews (3)

For expectant mothers, fathers, and siblings
I wish ExpectantSee had been available when I was pregnant with my first child. What a great way to "see" what is happening from day to day-- not only for expectant mothers, but for expectant fathers and siblings as well!

It's Better than Going On-Line
This screen saver is really great. It's similiar to those pregnancy calendars that you see on-line, but without all the hassle and advertisements. ExpectantSee really made my pregnancy more enjoyable because I could just SEE my baby...as if she were really on the screen. It provides helpful information, too, so I've given it as a gift to all of my expecting friends. We all love it!

A Unique Gift for Moms-to-Be
ExpectantSee is the perfect gift for any expectant mother and family. It allows the viewers to literally "see" the growth and develpment of their baby in utero from conception to birth on a day-by-day basis and provides important information about this miraculous process. Whereas many popular pregnancy books have provided this type of information in print, it has never before been available in the form of a dynamic screensaver, personalized in conjunction with the baby's approaching due date. ... Read more

Features

• Kids will enjoy Garfield -It's All About Math Readiness -- great number and counting games help children to face math problems
• With Garfield -It's All About Thinking Skills they'll play 15 thinking games to develop matching, pairing and ordering activities
• In Garfield -It's All About Phonics they'll enjoy 15 activities that teach the basics of phonics, vowels and consonants, while promoting memory and concentration
• Ages 4-5

Amazon.com Product Description

Ariel returns to the sea with her curious daughter Melody in Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. Kids join Ariel, Melody, Sebastian, and new hosts Tip and Dash on exciting adventures in the underwater world of Atlantica.

Five activity areas feature arcade play, music, and creative fun. Kids dive to daring depths with Melody and Sebastian in a hunt for precious gems. Choreograph underwater dances, sing along with a selection of sea-themed karaoke activities, and more. Three undersea environments and 15 levels keep kids challenged and entertained. Plus, the cool purse makes it easy to share the fun with a friend. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

My Girls Love It!!
My daughter received this for her fourth birthday and she plays with it everyday. It is also interesting enough that my 8 year-old also plays with it. I had to help the 4 year-old quite a bit in the first week or two, reinforcing where to click, how to get from screen to screen, etc., but she's able to navigate the program herself now. I wouldn't recommend it for younger than 4 though, it has a lot of features that can get confusing for the little ones. My 8 year-old uses the program to its full potential, making picture scenes with props, sounds and colors, choreographing characters in an acrobatic show, playing a "pac-man" style maze game starring Melody and playing a diving game as well. For the price, I was surprised that it had such good features and pretty straight forward directions and navigation. It's a hit at our house! ... Read more

Features

• Develop critical learning skills for better academic performance
• Provides a greater understanding of elementary math concepts
• Teaches history, geography, reading, literature, and science
• Helps elementary-school students achieve higher grades
• Award-winning software features 35 CD-ROMs on 5 DVD-ROMs

Reviews (6)

Reader Rabbit is MUCH better!
I can assure you that this game is not worth the money. My child is 2 and is pretty good at the mouse and keyboard and he loves Sesame Street. But he hates this software. It is very difficult to get to the different games and it is very confusing for the child. Get Reader Rabbit toddler....there is no need to use the clicker on the mouse instead the keyboard or the movement of the mouse is the interaction.

Best Toddler Game for 12+ Months
My daughter loves this game and plays it almost every day. She started when she was about 12 months old and was able to do a lot of the activities.

The games are divided into mouse-based and keyboard-based games. What's nice about the mouse games is that she can wiggle the mouse around and get positive feedback. The mouse games consist of unwrapping presents and simple coloring games (just moving the mouse colors things in.)

All of the original Sesame Street characters and actors perform the voices in this great game. There are sing-along songs, letters shapes and numbers, and lots of other educational activities.

As far as pressing the Windows key, there is a shareware program called WinKeyKiller that you can get from download.com that you can run before playing this game that will prevent the problem other reviewers are complaining about.

You'll get sick of this one awfully fast!
This was our 14 month old's first computer game. At first we were so excited to watch her learn to use the keyboard, and thought the games were cute. One month later we are SO sick of this game, and our daughter gets bored with the games very quickly. The software has bugs that cause loud static during some of the games. There is not much variety, or creativity to the game design or writing. Unfortunately this seems to be the case with most of the sesame workshop products (other than videos) that we have tried. Spend your money on something else.

decent but buggy
My 16mo son likes the keyboard games such as Peek a Boo. Most games are for slightly older children. It works OK but the MS keyboard button causes the program to halt when accidently pressed.

entertaining
My 16 month old loves the keyboard interaction with some of the games. He'll need to grow into a few of the others. If you have a keyboard with the MS logo button it, for me, causes the program to stop working when the child presses it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

A package of three educational titles. In JumpStart Reading for Kindergartners kids are invited to help Hopsalot the Bunny discover thesecret of the lost carrot-patch treasure. They'll travel around the worldvisiting family and friends, searching for clues to the treasure'swhereabouts. Meet Frankie the Dog in JumpStart Learning GamesNumbers. Frankie loves his dog biscuits. The problem is he has eaten everylast one. Kids help Frankie find more tasty biscuits by blasting asteroids,dueling in the Old West, and searching for buried treasure. The magic andharmony of the Land of Music is threatened by Sir Sour Note in JumpStartLearning Games Music, and the instruments need the user's help. Collectthe sour notes scattered about the land by playing games and learningimportant music skills. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Jump Start Software
Jump Start software is one of the best educational/fun softwares there is for young children. My kids both learned a lot about computers and prep for school from this software. Now I am buying it for our niece. You can't go wrong! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Designed to make learning fun, Franklin the Turtle Goes to Schoolis a set of two CD-ROMs filled with games and activities that don't require anyreading, making it perfect for younger players. Concentration and listeningskills are crucial, however, as all instruction is provided verbally.

Areas for play on the first disk include the schoolhouse, theater, andplayground. Each features three fun activities, found by moving the cursoraround the area. (It changes from an arrow to a star when you've found a game.)Every game's difficulty level can be set individually, and once each game ismastered at each skill level, players get to attend an official graduationceremony with Franklin and friends. Basic preschool- and kindergarten-levelskills are reinforced, including counting, measuring, sorting, identifyingcolors, practicing phonics, recognizing words, and learning the alphabet.

The second disk in the set is mainly for parents. It includes a list of skillseach game is designed to teach, as well as nearly 30 pages of printableactivities, which kids will love to color when computer time is over. A shortsynopsis of each of the books in the Franklin series is also available, as areinterviews with the creators of the series.

The activity CD-ROM installs painlessly, and many children won't have a problemnavigating around the screens by themselves after the first couple of visitswith an adult. No installation is necessary to access the second, moreinformational disk, so you can pop it in when you have the time. A freeJumpStart activity disk is also included in the package, and its simple learninggames geared toward the same age group should provide a few additional hours ofentertainment. (Ages 4 to 6) --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Buy this for your little one!
My first reaction was that this program might be too difficult for my 4 year old ~ she'd rather swing from the chandelier than sit down and learn her letters. Much to my surprise, she LOVES this CD! In fact, after sitting down with her only 2 times to perform the various tasks, she is now able to work through the program herself. The highest skill level is still too hard for her, but she is learning her upper/lower case letters, numbers and is following directions nicely. My 8 year old also requests time with this CD simply because it's fun.

Wonderful software!
I bought this for my four year old grandson for Christmas, and he loves it. This provides hours of entertaining education.We check his progress report,collect stickers from Mr. Owl, sing with Franklins friends and have silly fun. This is a must have software game.

Freakin' Franklin Is Friggin' Fun!
What can I say, I play it for hours after my kid goes to sleep. Man...I dig that school play stuff. Its so crazy, it make me want to laugh some more! =)

MORE! MORE! MORE!

The Best Game My Kids Have Played. EVER!!!!!!
This is such a wonderful piece of kids software. I can't believe that such a magnificent treat for children exists. My kids love Franklin the Turtle and the just can't get enough of this game. It's extremely nice to know that amongst all the crap on the shelves these days (and believe me, I've purchased my share of stinkers...ahem...Disney), that there IS quality software for kids out there. And knowing that this game comes from the developers at Nelvana, a company that truly cares about fun and learning for kids, is a real assurance that I'm dropping my hard earned cash on something worthwhile. I'm going to buy the other Franklin game now for my kids for Christmas, your kids will love it too! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

PC Users Don't Deserve the Actual Game?
Spiderman 2 for the PC is without a doubt one of the most misleading and ridiculously simplified games of the year. It is more difficult to put into words my frustration with this game without using profanities then it is to finish the title. The pitfalls of this game are numerous and quite damaging; enough to make you quickly return it to whence you bought it.

The most important aspect about this game to note is that IT IS NOT THE SAME AS THE CONSOLE VERSION. If you scan the box closely you will notice that this game has been given the ESRB rating of 'E', and is geared towards children of the ages eight and up. If you were taken by the similar box art and title, you may have noticed upon installing it that the controls are horrendously simplified and the gameplay is lackluster at best. The crosshair is a spider icon that, when readying an action, will display what you are attempting to do - whether it be 'zipping' from buildings or 'swinging' from the preset swing icons next to buildings. It is a game for children, and it does not try to hide it. The voice acting is terrible and the story is extremely linear and choppy, jumping from each boss to the next without much explaination.

Since I must keep this short, I'll conclude by adding that Activision should be ashamed for putting this kind of 'bait and switch' title on the market. ... Read more

Features

• 10 activities that sharpen thinking, counting, and language skills
• 3 adjustable levels to ensure children are comprehending
• Automatic help allows for independent play
• See and hear the characters and voices from the hit TV show
• For kids ages 4 to 6