Amazon.com Review

Reader Rabbit Toddler is part of a curriculum-based system that is designed to keep children learning all through their elementary school years. Simple, brightly colored graphics and classic sing-along songs make all these activities a sure hit with toddlers.

This pack gets kids off to a great start with an introduction to letters and numbers, matching and patterns, music, and mouse skills. In "Follow-Me Theater," children take a physically active role with finger plays and singing along, while in "Baby Animal Bingo," sounds are matched to help parent animals find their babies. The characters of Reader Rabbit and his sidekick, Matt the Mouse, are funny and friendly--and always ready to help if your child needs a hint.

Because these characters are in every unit--all the way to sixth grade--and the basic format for each level is similar, children can dive right in to the new curriculum skills without the distraction of different graphic styles or character guides. This pack includes the next step--Reader Rabbit Preschool--as a free bonus. You'll see quickly why this series is so often used in schools, and we're sure your toddler will love it as much as her future teachers already do. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Absolutely Wonderful
My grandson just turned 3. He loves this CD. It is easy for him to use because he doesn't need to click the mouse. It is still difficult for him to hold the mouse steady when he clicks. If the mouse moves, he doesn't get a response and then gets very frustrated. This CD eliminates that problem. The activities are great fun for him. He likes the coloring and the "bubble castle" best. I highly recommend this CD.

Toddler is Great - PreSchool sucks
Imagine my surprise when I realized my 20-month old had suddenly developed pointing and clicking skills! We started him early with Reader Rabbit's Toddler (he was simply TOO interested in helping mommy "work"), and he was so delighted to be able to bang on the keys and watch stuff happen. By now (2 1/2) he can navigate through the entire program, and now amuses himself by interacting with the characters in ways the creators never imagined (he waits and waits until the mouse appears to tell him what to do, then scares her away with the pointer). Moving on, however, is a challenge - nothing quite lives up to this. We prefer Geoffrey Goes to the Fair and even JumpStart Preschool to RR Preschool, which requires endless busywork before getting rewards - even I don't have the patience!

The BUNNY GAAAAAME!
What would you like to do right now?

The Bunny Game.

It's a nice day out, wouldn't you rather come outside with me and play

The Bunny Game!

Let's go to the park instead, sweety.

The BUNNY GAAAAAME!

This is my major complaint of the game. The scene above is not an every day battle or anything, and my be a result of my daughter's personality rather than any addictive qualitys of the game. However, when she has decided to play it, well, I had better sit down with her to play.

My daughter, who just turned 2, sees Mommy and Daddy cook, so she likes to cook. She sees Mommy and Daddy clean up the kitchen, so she likes to clean up the kitchen. She sees Mommy and Daddy use the computer.... so, having a game that lets her use the computer, I think, is mostly a good thing.

I think we got the game for her right around when she was the recommended 18 months old or so, and when we first started to play it with her we had to help her with most of the activities. I am not sure that she even really understood that she was controling the action. It was, I think, lots of pretty pictures and songs. The game is set up so that your budding computer expert doesn't have to click the mouse to make things happen; a child only has to move the mouse to play any of the games. Still, some of the games are harder than others. Some of the games will reward your toddler with a song for just ramdomly moving the mouse, while others will require a good deal of concentration, which is an asset of the game. Your 18m-3year old will be able to play the games. The hardest skill to master, and what casues the most frustration (for the toddler) is the screen where they choose which game to play.

Notice that I said that When we sit down to play the game. As I already said, your 18Month old will require help, and as you continue to help your child, they may come to expect it, and suddenly playing this game will become a bonding experience if you are that kind of parent, or a chore, if you are another kind of parent, or both if you are somewhere in between. I don't know if I want to leave a 2 year old incharge of $2000 worth of hardware, and what ever else I forgot to back up on the hard drive anyhow. 2 might be a better age to start them on this game, however, from both a cognative and a motor skills perspective. I am not sure that an 18 month understands what is expected of them by the game. You might be better off to surf Tele-Tubbie Websites with them if they want to use the computer with Daddy.

Excellent learning package for up to age 3.
My son received Reader Rabbit Toddler as a gift and we are sold on it's ability to help him learn while having fun. He loves to do all of the tasks and is learning colors, shapes and a host of other skills. The true test of a software program is the willingness to buy the next level - we are doing just that by upgrading to the Preschool program.

My Preschoolers Loved It
With its easy point and click at the pictures approach, even very young preschoolers in my day care could navigate this program. They loved the variety of activities - coloring, nursery rhyme theater, matching animals to their mother, counting and more. I loved it too - it was a great educational tool that was fun for them to explore. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Cluefinder's Math (Ages 9-12)
Cluefinder's Math : Ages 9-12
• Grades 3-12
• Mathematics
COMMENTS:
Students can build math skills as they solve mysteries. There are 15 games at 10 different skill levels, which build more than 25 key math skills, including number computation, fractions and decimals, tables and graphs, and early geometry. Logic and problem solving skills are used as the student attempts to piece together clues to deduce the answers to the mystery.

ClueFinder's Math includes exceptional graphics and animation and a great storyline. I would not recommended ClueFinder's Math for the struggling student who needs instruction and practice with math skills, but for an average or above-average math student who enjoys fast-switching games and wants to work at quick-thinking and multi-tasking. I also do not feel that the three levels of play cover all basic math concepts for children ages 9-12 and at some levels there are both extremely easy as well as extremely difficult problems. Additionally some students may become frustrated with the speed at which they are required to respond as they solve problems.

CLASSROOM CONNECTION:
I would have students work individually to work their way through the village, solving math puzzles in the eight activity locations, and earning clues in an attempt to discover what treasure was stolen, where it is hidden, and who stole it.

A fun and intresting game
The Cluefinders' have all sort's of games out. Some of the games are a little easier to figure out but the math game is still really fun. It teaches all sort's of math that gears you up for 5th grade. It is fun and intresting. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Preschoolers (ages 3 to 5) discover core learning skills in this delightful age-appropriate learning environment featuring Reader Rabbit and friends. Kids help Reader Rabbit bring back the sparkles, requiring a trip to the Land of Sparkalot to find out what is blocking Mount Brill, the source of sparkly stars. Explore six fun activities full of adventure and discovery. Along the way, Reader Rabbit and friends guide kids through prereading, counting, math, and language activities that will help your child shine like a star.

Reader Rabbit Preschool 2002 is part of the award-winning Reader Rabbit children's educational software series. Learning activities include Lighting Bug Matchup, Sparkle Rocket Math, and Create-a-Dancequake. Kids also enjoy this title's fun music, stories, movies, and characters, while the program's progress reports let parents see just where their child is advancing and where they might need some help.

So that you're never without Reader Rabbit, Reader Rabbit Preschool 2002 comes with the bonus CD-ROM Reader Rabbit's Dreamship Tales. It's bursting with added activities, videos, tunes, and more than 100 printable games and activities--a great way to keep the fun going after you've turned the computer off. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

good for preschoolers if you want them using the computer!
This program doesn't teach anything special that is not easily taught outside of a computer game. Success at the game will be had most quickly if the child already knows the skills needed to play the game (see below, i.e. already knows their basic shapes). If you want your child using the computer during the preschool years then this is a safe and good bet. If your child doesn't know everything this program covers already then they are sure to learn it quickly if they like the game and are not discouraged. There is much more to phonics than this program covers, of course.

We held off introducing our son to the computer until he was almost 4.5 years old. We strictly limit what he can do on the computer and he does not use it much, sometimes going 2 months or so without using it. We purchased this program when our oldest just turned 5, at which time he already could start up the computer, open a program, change CDs and close the entire system down all by himself. I thought it best to buy an easier Reader Rabbit game and see how he likes it rather than start off with the Kindergarten or the phonics Reader Rabbit. If you have a 3 or a 4 year old (or even a 2 year old) that you want using a computer game then this one is great (see section on phonics for a possible difficult part though).

Being unfamiliar with children's computer games I was surprised that much of this is almost like a video on television, there are songs that seem to be about 3 minutes long and very graphic and long introductions to the program every time it is started and before each game. The characters on screen tell the user what to do. I was disappointed it did not come with written instructions, as when my son needed help there was nothing I could turn to. Goodness knows I am not sitting with him all the time watching him play, so I miss the already-spoken instructions for the overall game. Instructions for the mini-games that they play can be repeated by simply clicking on a certain character on the screen.

I sat down to play it as a new user and we played for over an hour. I was annoyed that the instructions are not clear. Specifically, the program has the user doing a little job to earn a gem called a brillite. They wanted 5 yellow brillites to start. We did all the jobs but there was a missing brillite. There was no instruction as to how to get this missing brillite so we re-explored every area on the program's map and began repeating jobs because we didn't know what else to do. That began earning us different colored brillites. It is a little unclear to me as to how to win this game, they say to gather brillites but we really don't know how many of each and how to exactly get them except play in a random manner repeating the games. I'd much prefer them to say "repeat all the games to earn the blue brillites in order to earn the missing yellow brillite" or some other such informative instruction.

This is truly geared for preschool age (3 or 4) or for any age that already knows the 6 colors of the rainbow, circle, square, oval, triangle, diamond shapes, if they can count to 10 and follow oral directions. The hardest part of the game, which may be difficult for preschool aged children and may cause frustration, is the phonics portion. An object comes along on a raft and there are 3 sparkle shakers above it and the user must choose which sparkle shaker (with a letter on it) represents the first letter of the object. The first go round has the word written under the object (i.e. violin) but after that round is won the object comes out without a word. Shame on them for showing a giraffe and giving both a g and a j as options! Bad choice for beginners to phonics! The user will be told if they make an incorrect choice and they can narrow it down by process of elimination. The game with the train and matching the object shape is more of a fast paced game to improve hand and eye coordination and fast mouse-usage than a true matching game-if they pick the match right after the fast changes they are doomed. On the box it says this does drawing and coloring but that is a stretch: the kids are told to paint a certain shape a certain color and they simply click once on the proper color and click once on top of the shape and it is instantly colored in. There is nothing about drawing going on there! The only math here is counting up to 10 (it is advertised as having math on it).

There is nothing offensive or questionable about this game, the language is clean, etc.

This is a fun game for preschoolers (I found it too easy for my just turned 5 year old). It is very entertaining in that it has interludes in between games and songs with a few minutes of on screen entertainment. The songs are catchy. The graphics are very good compared to the old days of Space Invaders and such!

Good Program
I purchased this program to help my 3 year old son sharpen and develop his basic preschool skills. I found this program to have a good theme and my son was very interested in the character's various actions, songs and dances used to accompany the instruction. Skill levels can be chosen to pace the progression dependeing on the need of the child. The program is very user friendly to an adults helping their children. Progrmas are easily exited out of and information can be saved to log the progress of the children users. I recommend this software to parents who want to help their preschoolers get a head start on Kindergarten education.

Skip this one
My son (now almost 4) is pretty academically bright and pretty good with a computer mouse. We bought this game for him just before he turned 3 last year. What a disappointment! Now, we are a big computer game family, and our son has played a few other titles which we have loved (Little People Discovery Airport, Ollo Saves the Fair, Putt-Putt, and a few others). We loved Reader Rabbit Toddler and Reader Rabbit Baby, which were designed very well. Unfortunately, Reader Rabbit Preschool did not stack up.

As usual, the game has a creative story behind it, and there is a goal that involves collecting things. These are wonderful motivators. However, the game skill levels seem either much to easy (matching bugs) or pretty advanced (counting out just the right number of bugs to fill a rocket, including addition and subtraction as the game increases in difficulty) for a "typical" preschooler. I should add that I used to teach preschool and kindergarten, so I have an idea of what is developmentally appropriate. This game ranges from boring to frustrating with very little in between. Some activities, such as the "painting" activity at the waterfall, require very very good mouse control, as the shapes tend to be very small, and the child must click in just the right areas.

I highly recommend skipping this game. Our son is now happily playing Reader Rabbit Kindergarten (the Summer Camp one)with very little trouble.

Too much advertisement and lacks parental controls
I had previously purchased Reader Rabbit for baby and toddler and was thrilled with the product. However, I cannot say the same of the Reader Rabbit Preschool. This CD launches with a page that gives my [child] 6 choices of where to go. Only one is the educational program. The others are advertisements for Star Flyers, Clue Finders, Zoombinis, the Oregan Trail, and Carmen Sandiego. Each of these plays a short movie and gives my [child] the option of launching the internet to download more. I certainly do not want my child on the internet, and I did not purchase the CD so that the Learning Company could target my ...child with advertisement. I wanted him to learn something. It quickly became a fight to keep him in the educational portion of the CD. I called Broderbund, and after waiting 25 minutes to speak with a technician, was told that there was nothing that could be done. There are no parental controls. I asked to speak with a supervisor to discuss my concerns, and was told I could go to the web site and e-mail them. I would not recommend this CD.

They've got it almost right
This is the most educational of the programs I've found for the preschool set, but there are still disappointments. I wish they would do more with the alphabet - they need more variety of words, a combination of small letters and capitals. My three-year-old mastered the top level within a few weeks, simply because he memorized the words they were using, and then quickly grew bored. The musical numbers are cloying and irritating. But the rocket counting game is terrific -- a real help teaching small kids the meaning of numbers. Overall, I've yet to find better, but I hope the designers of the Reader Rabbit series keep trying. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Pirate's plunder rewards players who discover all of the hidden objects and decipher the riddles in I Spy Treasure Hunt. But there's also a bounty of booty on the path to that treasure as players discover this captivating world where closer inspection invariably reveals a new surprise.

This program is based on the award-winning I Spy books written by Jean Marzollo and photo-illustrated by Walter Wick. From the very beginning, this program immerses players, just as the books do: as a train pulls into the station in the town of Smuggler's Cove, the point-of-view is from inside the passenger car, looking out the window. Once off the train, this quaint seaside town with a secret is yours to explore. Potential riddle spots reveal themselves when a cursor sweep causes an object to respond with movement and sound. A tackle box, a deserted ruin, and a lighthouse are just a few of the 20 spots ripe for discovery. Scenes change swiftly, considering the vast amount of detail each contains. When explorers find a riddle area, a cluttered panorama appears onscreen and a child's voice reads the sentence below that always begins with the phrase "I spy...." Then players must find and click on the objects listed in the sentence. This isn't as easy as it seems; for example, finding three "fours" sounds simple, right? But the task gets complex when one numeral is hidden in the grain of a wooden tabletop, the other is written out in letters on a menu, and the third is a pair of dice showing a three and a one.

Successfully finding all the "I Spy" items in a scene yields a scrap of a treasure map. But building the map doesn't automatically reveal the treasure--that'd be out of keeping with this game's complex character. There are three different treasure-hunting scenarios, and each requires gathering a completely different set of clues around the town of Smuggler's Cove. The attention to detail that the books are famous for is abundantly present here: sound permeates the different "sets," from waves breaking on the shore, to the slow tick of a clock in the general store. Find and click on a skull-and-crossbones--it scowls and growls. Find and click on an oil lamp--it flares up briefly and then goes out with a delicate puff of smoke. And no, you can't cheat by just holding down the mouse button and scanning over a picture hoping to hit a required item. I Spy Treasure Hunt is a wonderfully absorbing program that slyly sneaks in a vast amount of learning. Mapping, reading, rhyming, and problem solving occur incidentally as players are drawn into the mysteries of Smuggler's Cove. And it's the only program we've ever encountered that elegantly illustrates that "four" and "4" and "." + "..." all equal the same thing. (Ages 6 to 10) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (39)

A Treasure to Find!
After playing I Spy Haunted Mansion at the Musuem of Science, my nephews and I purchased it at Amazon.com. It was a great game. But the Treasure Hunt is even better, and why....3 games. When you finish the first, you have two more to go. We love the I spy books, and even own a I spy board game. All my nieces and nephews play the PC game. Their ages are from 7-11. All have had fun with it. I've played too!! I love it. None of them have found it too easy. There are just enough complicated hidden treasures to make it the..."Auntie Lynn, can you help me find this?". I would highly recommend this PC game. I can't wait for the next!!

Game play over in 3 days
I am very disappointed in this product, especially after reading all the rave reviews.

My son recieved I Spy Treasure Hunt for Christmas and, within 3 days (one game each day) he played all the game scenarios. I disagree with the reviewers who state that although there are only 3 games, the games are all different. It is true that the clues (riddles) are different, and the player has to find different items to get to the treasure map. However, the pictures are the same in each game and are easily memorized from looking for the hidden objects in a previous game. Once the hidden objects are located, the treasure is easily found because there are only three treasure maps. The child will be able to know exactly where the treasure is depending which map is being constucted as riddles are solved.

Kids love the product theme, and the game has potential for being fun for all ages. I hope Scholastic updates this product to include more scenarios for longer-lasting gameplay.

Bottom line: Boring after 3 games. Not worth the money. However, Scholastic has a good customer satisfaction guarantee!

Great game
This is the best game of the three software titles, very challenging and fun. Both of my daughters love to play it and solve the puzzles. Good value for the money.

Fun Game!
This is a fun game for little kids. My grandchildren (ages 4, 7 and 8) totally enjoy it. Yes, they do eventually play all the games and hear all the clues, but when they've not played it for a while, they enjoy going back to it. It's colorful and a bit challenging when they first get it. It doesn't take long for the older ones to master it, but they still enjoy playing it. I'd recommend this game.

witty, educational and entertaining!
Good visual design, witty writing, well chosen music---a good exercise for the imagination! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Kids (ages 5 to 7) discover core learning skills in this delightful age-appropriate learning environment featuring Reader Rabbit and friends. Find and repair the Dreamship before pilfering pirates get their first. While traveling to and exploring Mount CheesEmore Island, kids adventure through seven fun activities full of discovery and gooey cheese. Along the way, Reader Rabbit and friends cover grammar, reading, science, fractions, telling time, and more. It's a thrilling and filling adventure.

Reader Rabbit 2nd Grad 2002 is part of the award-winning Reader Rabbit children's educational software series. Learning activities include Insect Builder Science, Fondue Falls Vocabulary, and Final Duel Fractions. Kids also enjoy this title's fun music, stories, movies, and characters, while the program's progress reports let parents see just where their child is advancing and where they might need some help.

So that you're never without Reader Rabbit, Reader Rabbit 2nd Grade 2002 comes with the bonus CD-ROM Reader Rabbit's Dreamship Tales. It's bursting with added activities, videos, tunes, and more than 100 printable games and activities--a great way to keep the fun going after you've turned the computer off. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

good for preschoolers if you want them using the computer!
This program doesn't teach anything special that is not easily taught outside of a computer game. Success at the game will be had most quickly if the child already knows the skills needed to play the game (see below, i.e. already knows their basic shapes). If you want your child using the computer during the preschool years then this is a safe and good bet. If your child doesn't know everything this program covers already then they are sure to learn it quickly if they like the game and are not discouraged. There is much more to phonics than this program covers, of course.

We held off introducing our son to the computer until he was almost 4.5 years old. We strictly limit what he can do on the computer and he does not use it much, sometimes going 2 months or so without using it. We purchased this program when our oldest just turned 5, at which time he already could start up the computer, open a program, change CDs and close the entire system down all by himself. I thought it best to buy an easier Reader Rabbit game and see how he likes it rather than start off with the Kindergarten or the phonics Reader Rabbit. If you have a 3 or a 4 year old (or even a 2 year old) that you want using a computer game then this one is great (see section on phonics for a possible difficult part though).

Being unfamiliar with children's computer games I was surprised that much of this is almost like a video on television, there are songs that seem to be about 3 minutes long and very graphic and long introductions to the program every time it is started and before each game. The characters on screen tell the user what to do. I was disappointed it did not come with written instructions, as when my son needed help there was nothing I could turn to. Goodness knows I am not sitting with him all the time watching him play, so I miss the already-spoken instructions for the overall game. Instructions for the mini-games that they play can be repeated by simply clicking on a certain character on the screen.

I sat down to play it as a new user and we played for over an hour. I was annoyed that the instructions are not clear. Specifically, the program has the user doing a little job to earn a gem called a brillite. They wanted 5 yellow brillites to start. We did all the jobs but there was a missing brillite. There was no instruction as to how to get this missing brillite so we re-explored every area on the program's map and began repeating jobs because we didn't know what else to do. That began earning us different colored brillites. It is a little unclear to me as to how to win this game, they say to gather brillites but we really don't know how many of each and how to exactly get them except play in a random manner repeating the games. I'd much prefer them to say "repeat all the games to earn the blue brillites in order to earn the missing yellow brillite" or some other such informative instruction.

This is truly geared for preschool age (3 or 4) or for any age that already knows the 6 colors of the rainbow, circle, square, oval, triangle, diamond shapes, if they can count to 10 and follow oral directions. The hardest part of the game, which may be difficult for preschool aged children and may cause frustration, is the phonics portion. An object comes along on a raft and there are 3 sparkle shakers above it and the user must choose which sparkle shaker (with a letter on it) represents the first letter of the object. The first go round has the word written under the object (i.e. violin) but after that round is won the object comes out without a word. Shame on them for showing a giraffe and giving both a g and a j as options! Bad choice for beginners to phonics! The user will be told if they make an incorrect choice and they can narrow it down by process of elimination. The game with the train and matching the object shape is more of a fast paced game to improve hand and eye coordination and fast mouse-usage than a true matching game-if they pick the match right after the fast changes they are doomed. On the box it says this does drawing and coloring but that is a stretch: the kids are told to paint a certain shape a certain color and they simply click once on the proper color and click once on top of the shape and it is instantly colored in. There is nothing about drawing going on there! The only math here is counting up to 10 (it is advertised as having math on it).

There is nothing offensive or questionable about this game, the language is clean, etc.

This is a fun game for preschoolers (I found it too easy for my just turned 5 year old). It is very entertaining in that it has interludes in between games and songs with a few minutes of on screen entertainment. The songs are catchy. The graphics are very good compared to the old days of Space Invaders and such!

Good Program
I purchased this program to help my 3 year old son sharpen and develop his basic preschool skills. I found this program to have a good theme and my son was very interested in the character's various actions, songs and dances used to accompany the instruction. Skill levels can be chosen to pace the progression dependeing on the need of the child. The program is very user friendly to an adults helping their children. Progrmas are easily exited out of and information can be saved to log the progress of the children users. I recommend this software to parents who want to help their preschoolers get a head start on Kindergarten education.

Skip this one
My son (now almost 4) is pretty academically bright and pretty good with a computer mouse. We bought this game for him just before he turned 3 last year. What a disappointment! Now, we are a big computer game family, and our son has played a few other titles which we have loved (Little People Discovery Airport, Ollo Saves the Fair, Putt-Putt, and a few others). We loved Reader Rabbit Toddler and Reader Rabbit Baby, which were designed very well. Unfortunately, Reader Rabbit Preschool did not stack up.

As usual, the game has a creative story behind it, and there is a goal that involves collecting things. These are wonderful motivators. However, the game skill levels seem either much to easy (matching bugs) or pretty advanced (counting out just the right number of bugs to fill a rocket, including addition and subtraction as the game increases in difficulty) for a "typical" preschooler. I should add that I used to teach preschool and kindergarten, so I have an idea of what is developmentally appropriate. This game ranges from boring to frustrating with very little in between. Some activities, such as the "painting" activity at the waterfall, require very very good mouse control, as the shapes tend to be very small, and the child must click in just the right areas.

I highly recommend skipping this game. Our son is now happily playing Reader Rabbit Kindergarten (the Summer Camp one)with very little trouble.

Too much advertisement and lacks parental controls
I had previously purchased Reader Rabbit for baby and toddler and was thrilled with the product. However, I cannot say the same of the Reader Rabbit Preschool. This CD launches with a page that gives my [child] 6 choices of where to go. Only one is the educational program. The others are advertisements for Star Flyers, Clue Finders, Zoombinis, the Oregan Trail, and Carmen Sandiego. Each of these plays a short movie and gives my [child] the option of launching the internet to download more. I certainly do not want my child on the internet, and I did not purchase the CD so that the Learning Company could target my ...child with advertisement. I wanted him to learn something. It quickly became a fight to keep him in the educational portion of the CD. I called Broderbund, and after waiting 25 minutes to speak with a technician, was told that there was nothing that could be done. There are no parental controls. I asked to speak with a supervisor to discuss my concerns, and was told I could go to the web site and e-mail them. I would not recommend this CD.

They've got it almost right
This is the most educational of the programs I've found for the preschool set, but there are still disappointments. I wish they would do more with the alphabet - they need more variety of words, a combination of small letters and capitals. My three-year-old mastered the top level within a few weeks, simply because he memorized the words they were using, and then quickly grew bored. The musical numbers are cloying and irritating. But the rocket counting game is terrific -- a real help teaching small kids the meaning of numbers. Overall, I've yet to find better, but I hope the designers of the Reader Rabbit series keep trying. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

With brain-teasing graphics and puzzling riddles to solve, this spooky addition to the I Spy series will keep elementary-agestudents occupied for hours at a time. A skeleton host rewards players with a secret message puzzle piece upon successful completion of each riddle. Those clever enough to collect all the pieces can solve the bigger fun house mystery.

With ten different rooms ranging from an inventor's laboratory to a library--and text that is written entirely in rhyme--the world created here is utterly absorbing. No matter how many times you explore a room, there's always new details and creepy clickables you hadn't seen before. Particularly well done is the attic, where you can explore in the dark with only a flashlight to light your way.In the study, you can even create your own riddles to send to your printer!

This software concentrates on critical-thinking skills,problem-solving abilities, and acute observational techniques that are centered around a mansion. This software takes a well-loved series to a whole new level--it's perfect for the die-hard fan or as the first member of what we're sure will become a large I Spy collection. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (33)

A Family Favorite
My son is only three and a half, so my husband bought the game with the intention of saving it until our son was older. I got it out for him, and even though it is rated for ages 6-10, it is one of our son's favorites. Given that he can't read, I had to help him at first, but once I showed him where to click to get the riddles read to him, he could play independently (for hours on end). I keep two different user files -- one of a completed game so that he can make all seven ghosts (which requires completing the game); and one uncompleted, so when he completes puzzles the skeleton gives him new puzzle pieces. Other reviewers said that the game was not interesting once played through, but we have not found that to be the case. Our son was _more_ interested in the repetition once he'd got the hang of it. Also, of all the games we have, this is the most pleasant and interesting for the adult helping the child.

Great education and entertainment value
My son had loved the "I Spy Junior" game so I thought he might enjoy trying this challenge, recommended for ages 6-10. He's 5 but a very strong visual learner with great memory skills. The beauty of this game is it not only plays to his strengths but encourages building lesser skills with words on many levels. My favorite aspects: beautifully detailed graphics, a fun laboratory animation with 7 ghost experiments, and the concentration games which are a challenge at many levels. You get the sense that the creators enjoyed making this product. I find the best children's computer games (eg. Learning Company's Cat in the Hat series) reach parents as well making shared learning opportunities a joy!

My students enjoy it!
I am a pediatric occupational therapist who used this game as a fun way to develop eye-hand coordination, visual perception, thinking, and reading skills. They were so motivated! Unfortunately after you "win" the game that is all there is; not another more challenging level to explore.

Spooky Mansion...unrevisited!
Santa brought this game for my 6 yr. old for Christmas. She and I and her 3 1/2yr. old brother opened it the day after Christmas. It is very interesting with 10 rooms to explore and 26 riddles to decipher. After completing each riddle, you're given a piece to the final puzzle which in turn instructs you how to finally get out of the mansion. My daughter stuck with it for the first 13 riddles, and suprisingly my 3yr. old wanted to keep playing until the end. We received the "certificate of completion" that very day. When we signed back on to play a "new game", we were soooo disappointed - there isn't any new game. Same 26 riddles to solve. We'll have to wait a year or so, in the hopes that we'll forget where everything is. (Or just give it to all our neighbors, family, shool chums etc.). Obviously, the I Spy books have limitations, but the software could and should give many additional games/levels.

Very clever
Purchased for my grandson's 5th birthday. Incredibly clever, well designed, plays without a hitch on iMac. He played for over 2 hours the first time out of the box and is still loving it. The adults are fighting over a turn. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Designed for third and fourth graders, ages 8 to 12, this two-CD-ROM set teaches kids everything they need to know to put them at the head of their class. It features the Awesome Animated Monster Maker Math and Step into Reading & Creative Writing titles. With eye-catching graphics, lively music, and captivating animation, these titles transform learning about reading, creative writing, and math into an adventure. Filled with more than 50 stories and poems as well as interactive math lessons and even a dictionary and spell checker, 3rd & 4th Grade Excelerator will provide your child with an excellent learning experience. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Dig deep into sixth grade skills on a mystery-solving adventure in the empire of the plant people. Go underground to find the missing ClueFinders, and take on an army of mutant plant warriors to save the town above from certain doom. Kids will need all their smarts to tackle this title's tricky challenges. From cleaning up toxic pollutants to building bridges, every activity brings kids closer to solving this underground mystery, while mastering essential sixth grade skills.

Explore 15 interactive games and exercises designed for kids, ages 10 to 12 and older. Build more than 150 key sixth grade skills in math, language, science, social studies, and problem solving. Four levels of difficulty and a variety of tricky challenges keep ClueFinders 6th Grade Adventures 2002: Empire of the Plant People fun and fresh. Detailed help features guide kids throughout, and built-in progress reports help parents navigate their child's learning fun.

In addition, an all-new for 2002 bonus CD-ROM doubles the mystery and clue-finding fun. In ClueFinders: Mystery Mansion Arcade, our adventurers are lured into a spooky mansion by an ingenious mastermind and his four villainous henchmen. Kids help the ClueFinders escape by choosing the best ClueFinder for each arcade-style hazard. Speed through the Ultimate Deep-Dish Pizza Skate Park, stay cool through the High-Voltage Circuit Zone, and much more. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The Clue to Making Learning Fun
I purchased Cluefindes 3rd Grade Adventures about 6 weeks ago, and since have watched my child use it to completion. She has played it 4 times and will probably play it again in the future. In the meantime, she has moved onto the 4th grade game.

Setting up the game is pretty easy, and the directions are clear. Starting up is a cinch as well. You have the options of taking the test drive which is a placement test. It is not as much fun as the actual game, but it is not too boring either and it gets the child started at a challenging level. The first time my child "played" it she started at the beginners level, and finished it in two days. The second time, I set it to level two and it took her a week to complete. The third time I had her do the test drive. This is where the real value came in.

When she started the game on the lowest levels she was basically reviewing what she had learned the previous year, which is a good thing. But, when she played the game after the placement test, she was truly challenged to learn more. I never imagined in a million years that a child would follow me around begging to be taught long division. She could not cross a bridge in the game without being able to divide. So I taught her and she practiced and cemented the skill by playing the game.

As a homeschooler leaning towards self directed learning, I found this game to be invaluable. It gives me the freedom to wait for a child to be ready to learn a skill while at the same time ensuring that such comes quickly through constant challenges. After all, the best time to teach a child a skill is when they want to learn it. This game provided that want for me.

This game does not teach skills your child must know, but provides challenges. The way I use it is to wait for a challenge to be presented, and then teach that child whatever they need to succeed and overcome that challenge.

The only problems I had with this software is that each time the child finished the game, they had to start again with a new member name, it would not let us back into the game as the same person. This did allow me to compare the membernames records to check for progress which was evident.

If you purchase the 2 cdrom version of this game, with the personalized learning center, you will be able to print worksheets according to your childs strengths and weaknesses and to see where the child needs more practice. You will also be able to spot where your child may be gifted.

The personalized learning center disc, however is not formulated to give a child a "grade" based on how well the child did in the program, but to show progress over time. Therefore, If you are a homeschooler and grades are important to you, you will want to "test" the child separately perhaps using the worksheets or making up your own exams.

Great teaching game
We are a homeschooling family. I bought this game along with the fourth grade and fifth grade versions for my nine year old. She sailed through the other two, but found this one challenging. It is great for reinforcing math, introduces chemistry, addresses the pollution problem, history, spelling, vocabulary and reading comprehension. There is a level selection area in which you can choose how hard or easy the game is, but this is also handy for letting parents know where your child may need some help in or where they excel. It has a practice mode where the child can just do the activities without having to play the game. I found this great for reinforcing some of those areas my daughter needed more help in.
Even though my daughter has finished all three games, she still plays these.

Never Too Old To Play!!
It's great I'm 14 going on 15 in a month but I don't care
because that doesn't stop me from having fun. It's the greatest game. I've only played the 3rd and 4th grade one but they're still and always be my favorite software. If you've never played any of these games and you love computer games; buy this then even if you're older then me. Who cares? Just remember HAVE FUN!!! You won't regret it!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Could you make one for 10th graders or do you already?

Thank You

Cluefinders 6th Grade Adventures
This product provides an excellent source for preparation or reinforcement of what a 6th grader is expected to know. Players are put into a mystery situation where they have to solve clues in order to figure out the answers. Various aspects of the 6th grade curriculum are covered, and the computer adjusts for the skill level of the player, making the games increasingly more challenging. Areas covered include logical thinking, mathematics, science, geography, social science, and language arts. The games are fun, and since they get progressively harder as the student masters a skill, they do not get boring. At times the transition time from one activity to the next can be a bit long, and instructions are repetitive, but this seemed to bother adults more than children; this should not deter the buyer, however, as the positive aspects of this game far outweigh the negatives. Graphics and sound are excellent, and help includes a map and a reference section. Levels can be set manually, or the program can be adjusted to automatically determine when to advance to the next level as a skill is mastered. On the whole this is an excellent product, and a great way to make learning fun. Highly Recommended. Reviewer is a teacher and a librarian.

Cool
This game is fun and VERY educational... I even forgot I was
learning while playing it! The games are fun and have different levels, so if one level is too easy you may make is
harder and more challenging. It explains the mini-game
and how to play. The charactors are click-able and they seem to talk and help you throughout the whole game.
You meet cool alien type things, and in order to survive, you must figure out the answer to the mini-games.
The backround music is pretty cool, but it may get annoying
you can turn off the music, too! before you begin the game, it shows a mini movie of what's happening and it tells about
your mission.I love this game! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

It had to happen: software is now being bundled for your little bundleof joy. Reader Rabbit Playtime for Baby & Toddler will never be asubstitute for the tactile joys of real life, but this software does manage tocapture infants' and toddlers' attention with bright, happy images and a formatthat responds well to chubby, not-so-coordinated hands.

In Playtime for Baby, a game of tag between Reader Rabbit and Mat theMouse ends with Mat hiding in a toy box. With Mat's help, each of the 10 toys inthe box leads the baby into a new experience: singing, manipulating shapes,playing hide-and-seek, discovering body parts, reading storybooks, and (oh joy!)rummaging in drawers to make music. Your baby controls the action by hitting anykey on the keyboard (or just hitting the keyboard, as they are wont to do) orsimply moving the mouse. No clicks are required. The cursor is a big fat starthat leaves a trail of twinkles. Brushing it against an object onscreen willelicit anything from a childlike giggle to a kerplunk to the appropriateanimal noise.

The only critique of this CD is that the artwork is simplistic. It would be niceto see more depth and smoother movement, if only to make the program moreenjoyable for the adults who must guide their babies through it. Other thanthat, by developing cupboards with no locks, personalized storybooks with pagesthat don't rip, and farm animals willing to engage in endless games ofhide-and-seek, the creators of Playtime for Baby have managed to tap into a baby'swildest dreams.

Playtime for Toddler has a lusher look than Playtime for Baby.Again, mouse movements or keyboard pokes inspire action in nine activities thatinclude things that send most toddlers into fits of joy. One of the better gamesis Bubble Castle, where your toddler "pops" bubbles with animals in them, andthe freed creatures gallop into a castle and peep from the windows. This simplepayoff engaged one 2-year-old tester for many minutes, shouting "Bye-bye,animal!" each time she liberated a critter. Pop and Play Place teaches matchingand music as toddlers activate three jack-in-the-boxes until whatever pops outmatches, upon which they are rewarded with a song ("We are mice, we are nice. Wesay please when we want cheese!"). In Follow Me Theater, Reader Rabbit acts outhand-motion hits like "Eensy Weensy Spider" and "I'm a Little Teapot." Otheractivities include a puzzle and color tutorial called Sky Shapes; PeekabooJungle, where kids investigate animal noises with a flashlight cursor; a MusicalMeadow; an ABC Train that teaches letters with the help of slick animation andaudio; and Baby Basket Bingo, a cute bit of business that requires toddlers toreunite baby animals with their parents based on the tiny roar or peep thatcomes from the creature hidden in the basket. Rainbow Rock is the only loser inthe bunch, a coloring program that doesn't even attempt to teach colors.

One of the best features of Playtime for Toddler is that younger babiescan bang on the keyboard and automatically get "correct" results, while olderones can use the mouse to drag the cursor in a mode that involves more trial anderror. Both options are available at once; no settings need to be changed.Clicking does nothing here, which may puzzle some tykes who have alreadydiscovered that clicking gets results in grownup programs. Overall, this is adecent bundle for babies, with Playtime for Toddler being the stronger,more realistic offering of the two. (Ages 1 to 3) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Excellent educational program!
I bought Reader Rabbit Baby and Toddler for my son when he was about 15 months. He's been using it for 6 months and still loves it! There are so many different activities; we haven't even gotten to all of them yet. He has a few other CD's - but still loves "Mat the Mouse" best!

The program focuses on the basics and seems to emphasize "child interaction". For example, one of the activities is a coloring book. An outlined drawing comes on the screen (fish, dinosaurs, frog and an elephant in a boat, etc.) and my son colors in the drawing just by moving the mouse back and forth. He was able to do this very early on, but still loves the activity. Once drawn in, my son is rewarded when the drawing "comes to life". For example, the frog and elephant sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

The author has also done an excellent job with extras. I can print out each of the drawings individually (to be colored in with crayons) - so my son doesn't have to be sitting in front of the computer to play the game. He clearly associates the printed pages with the online game - feels like a two-for-one!

The program was easy to install (Windows 2000 Pro) and we have not had any trouble using the program. From an educational standpoint, he has learned everything from music, counting and colors/shapes to sing-a-long's and animals (there are 3 different activities with animals!). One of the best activities is a sing-a-long of Intsy-Winsty Spider, I'm a Little Teapot, Wheels on the Bus and others - simply awesome!

Highly recommended from a dad and his son after six months of use!

The Best First Computer Program For Any Child
This is an amazing product. My 2-year old took hold of the mouse for the first time 10 days ago and hasn't let go since. During that time he has mastered every game on the CD, requiring some rather complicated matching and sorting, as well as precision mouse movements that I didn't think he was capable of. Since the activities as well as the main menu are all "click-free," my son has been free to roam and explore at his own pace -- his Dad and I haven't lifted a finger to help him. As a result, he has grown increasingly more interested in the increasingly more complicated activities. (We have probably shot 1 hour of video of this boy using the program and screaming with delight as he discovers a new ability)! More amazing still, the strides he's made with these games have translated into a greater sense of confidence and "control over his environment" away from the computer as well. I would recommend this program to any parent!

they'll catch right on
my sweetie will be 2 in 4 weeks. she loves "rabbit". begs for him!!! it took less than 3 sessions for her to "get" the mouse skills...now she is learning to click as well...
good starter program.

A program that grows with your kids!
I like this program because it is easy for small ones to use. I have a 20 month old and a 4.5 year old. They both love this game.

I've seen better
I have to say, I let my son since before he was walking to play on my old 586 133 computer. After having the Fisher Price Keyboard and three stage game, I was very dissappointed with this game. First off, it says it only needs DirectX 4 but it comes with DirectX 7 which would not install on the machine. One must have an updated computer to run this game, or have a copy of DirectX 4 lying around. Now since my son has been using a computer for as long as he has, he has learned that keys do different things and every key has an association with the Fisher Price game, and in general computer usage. With this game, everything is controlled. The key strokes do commands that the program wants to run, and completes tasks FOR the child rather than initiating them to complete the task by pressing the correct buttons. My son gets bored with this game since it doesn't matter what key he presses it does what the program wants to do, not what my son wants to try, and the game stops and sings and won't let him do anything. My son is used to more control. The Fisher Price game actually associates the letter A with the letter A for example, so I believe he is actually learning more from a straight keyboard than this game. My son is now 20 months old. When we got this game he was 18 months old, and he was off and away on the Fisher Price keyboard at 13 months. I was looking for another game just as good if not better, or more interactive to help him grow, but I would rather see an old fashion typing game that teaches him the letters on the keyboard or something more interactive that lets him control the game, not the game controlling him.

And according to the system requirements my computer should be able to run the game, but I am still having a hard time finding DirectX get the computer game to run :( ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Think your way through a series of puzzles, logic problems, and mazes. Dr. Brain transferred too much of his brain to Rathbone, his lab rat, in an experiment mishap. Your mission is to repair Dr. Brain's brain and restore Rathbone to his ordinary cheese-loving state. This game has unlimited playability--it generates new puzzles each time you play! Options are available for novice, expert, and genius levels. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Mind Bending
This puzzle game truly bends your mind. Each puzzle is challenging, even on the easy level. Three levels of play would even give those at Mensa a difficult time. The three dimensional work has helped me picture things for my geometry homework more easily. Although the game does not actually focus on parts of the brain, it focuses on all aspects of logic and reasoning skills. Definently worth buying for all young puzzl solvers.

Seven Intelligences/Brain Damage
I gave this puzzle to a friend who works with brain injured children. Not only did the kids help Dr. Brain get his mind together again, but the puzzles helped the kids to regain some of the ground lost with their injuries.

The organization of the puzzles echos much of the theories of the seven intelligences.

Best of all, it's a lot of fun!

PLAY THIS GAME!
This game is relly fun eny time at sochol and I the best game in it is train of thoght

The one and only puzzle game.
Dr. Brain holds a special place in my... well, brain._Castle_, _Island_, and _Lost Mind_ of Dr. Brain present puzzles toyou, Dr. Brain's assistant, under several different bizzare premises - in this one, the great Doctor has accidentally exchanged brains with his lab rat, and you must set things right.

These games are stocked with the best variety of puzzles ever seen, covering algebra, classical music, art history, scientific measurement, logical sequence, jigsaw puzzles, engineering, language skills, and so much more. What's even better, these games can be played over and over again, at varying levels of difficulty. As usual with Havis Interactive, the actual age level for this game extends above and beyond what's printed on the box. This is a game worth getting, because a young child can keep playing it through many years. If only they sold the whole series! _Castle_, the oldest, is by far the best... END

neat!
i played this game when i was in 6th grade and i still play it in 8th. its a challenging game that keeps the mind boggling and constantly thinking. its cool. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The Best Game Ever!!
This is the best game for a child in third grade. It has addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and also solving problems.
Polly probably mixed up the past, but give this to your child. They can fix the problems in a snap. And if you have a boy, it would take the time away from game boy. When they are done with the game (which will take a long time) your child will take over third grade. (It will help prepare).

When I was in third grade, I loved this program.
My freind and I played this program as much as possible when we were little, and I still remeber how much fun it was to try beat this game. I learned so many things I never new, and I never got tired of the game. If your child is anything like I was, I know they'll love it!

Almost a Great Product but Ruined by Bratty Character
I find it very disappointing that the creators of this product don't realize that an unspeakably bratty animated character ruins this product. The Jumpstart team is so loaded with technical talent and teaching savvy, but apparently they don't think that social skills matter, since the whole product is centered around a loud and sassy girl who is bad company for any child. The marketing team at Jumpstart apparently believes that their product won't sell if animated characters are courteous and supportive. I never buy their products anymore because I don't want to have to spend time reminding my son never to imitate the appalling behavior portrayed on Jumpstart.

A pleased father
This game is wonderful for any child starting 3rd grade! It gives your child opportunities to make learning fun, because children usually try to think of learning as boring or "stupid". The wonderful characters take your children back in time to stop the robots from changing history. All the characters and challenges help your child prepare for the future as all children need to be well prepared for the rocky road ahead. Botley is also a great way of showing that anyone can accomplish anything no matter who you are. He also teaches your children that no matter who you are believe in yourself and that is the first step to responsibility is by accomplishing your goals and not giving up. It also teaches your children to go against the odds, and not to let anyone no matter who no matter what stand in your way. It may be tough but you must stand tall and bold, like a warrior who has just won a battle. Like all those great accomplishers, some day they might just be one of them, one of the greats. Like Neil Armstrong they may too someday walk the moon, invent something, and most importantly go out and live! It also teaches them not to take drugs. It helps not only their ability to live but their grades. It shows your childs progress in every skill reading, english, math and many many others so you can see your childs improvment every step of the way.

All in all it's not just the math or english that make this software program so great, it's the confidence, and isn't that the most important factor of all?

It started out good
At first this software was very fun for my 7 year old, challenging, colorful, and not boring while teaching. The problems started when she got towards the end of the game, and discoved that there is no way to beat part of it, as if we were missing some extra software or something. Even my husband and I tried to figure out what was wrong, but to no avail. So the game did not work for us unfortunately. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Kids sharpen their math skills as they trek high in the Himalayas with the ClueFinders. Join the ever-adventurous ClueFinders on a quest to find missing ancient treasures. Kids will need all their wits to hunt for clues. From purchasing supplies in the village store to building a yak corral, every activity integrates a math learning challenge. Solve the mystery and kids will bring home the greatest treasure of all--math confidence.

Explore 15 interactive games and exercises designed for kids ages 9 to 12 and older. Build more than 25 key math skills, including number computation, fractions and decimals, tables and graphs, and early geometry. Ten levels of difficulty and a variety of tricky challenges keep Mystery of the Himalayas fun and fresh. Detailed help features guide kids throughout, and built-in progress reports help parents navigate their child's math accomplishments.

A bonus CD-ROM doubles the mystery and clue-finding fun. In ClueFinders: Mystery Mansion Arcade our adventurers are lured into a spooky mansion by an ingenious mastermind and his four villainous henchmen. Kids help the ClueFinders escape by choosing the best ClueFinder for each arcade-style hazard. Speed through the Ultimate Deep-Dish Pizza Skate Park, stay cool through the High-Voltage Circuit Zone, and much more. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

cheap disks, cheap software
1) Broderbund appears to use consistently cheap disks: there appear to be visible defects on the surface. My cd-rom drive (which is finicky) does not like their disks.

2) My eight-year old did not find the game challenging.

3) The software did not interact well with other hardware and software on my system. CleanSweep thinks that the software is installing when trying to play the game; after changing my cd-rom drive, this program no longer starts up on my computer.

Great Game For Math Lovers
Nice game but the bad guy gets away. I would have rated it 5 stars if the avalanche had destroyed the guy in the yeti suit or at least been arrested. This is the only complaint I have, the math is challenging and it is fun to solve the mystery.

Excellent help fot math
Is a very good game that help the children to make mental calculations and solve very differente puzzles.

They can practice with decimal numbers, and fractions and they use logical thinking to solve the clues and find the suspects.

I really recommend this software that will work for at least three years. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

The ever-versatile Magic School Bus shines its high beams into thewatery world of whales and dolphins with this lightly educational and moderately entertaining CD-ROM. The format should be familiar to anyone who owns any of the other Magic School Bus programs: players explore inside the bus with Ms. Frizzle's guidance, or go outside the bus, this time into the briny deep, to learn more about whales.

This program dutifully provides a plethoraof whale factoids, but some of the activities lack inspiration. "CetaceanRotation" is a puzzle game with a fancy name. "Spot That Whale" is a simplisticpoint-and-click matching game where speed counts more than memory. Rescuing ababy beluga from a maze riddled with fishing nets and hungry orcas is quickwork. A drawing station with minimal creative options merely takes up space.Despite three levels of play, older kids are likely to churn through parts of this program like a blue whale churns through krill. Games that engage the brain a bit more include "Whale Scales," where players can compare the weight and length of cetaceans to other objects and critters (one blue whale equals 30,000 house cats) and "Spout Off," a game show with questions that will stump some parents. Other bright spots include gorgeous still photos, and video and audio clips of sea mammal wonders like humpbacks echo-locating and Dahl's porpoises arcing along the bow of the boat--all narrated in Ms. Frizzle's know-it-all trill, of course.

Graphically, MagicSchool Bus Whales and Dolphins looks better than some of the other MagicSchool Bus offerings, and the program ran quickly, with no glitches. But if your10-year-old wants some cold hard facts about whales for a research paper (like how many pounds, not house cats, a blue whale actually weighs), they may need to dive a little deeper than the Magic School Bus does in this program. (Ages 6 to 10) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (4)

excellent learning tool
My daughter is a dolphin fanatic. She has been in love with
these magnificent creatures since the age of 3 (she is now 7).
She is also very into science and loves the entire magic school
bus series. We have 3 magic school bus cdroms and this is by far her favorite. As with all of the magic school bus books,
videos and cdroms it teaches the children in a fun way.
they think that they are just playing, but they are learning.
This was proven when my son, then 3, told his whole pre-k
class about the differnces between toothed whales and baleen whales and also informed everyone that dolphins and whales use
echolocation to find food! This is a great game!

My 7-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter both love it
My two children play this together, have a lot of fun, and come up with interesting facts about whales and dolphins. I even saw the two of them looking at a book about whales and quizzing each other on the type of whale shown in the pictures. We thought it was a good value, and it convinced me to buy more of the MSB software.

Poor Value for Money
Don't be deceived. This is not a full-fledged Magic School Bus CD, but is just an activity center. The Magic School Bus CDs fall into two categories: full-fledged exploration programs and activity centers. The full-fledged programs are excellent and represent good value for money. My oldest (age 6) spends hours exploring with MSB Oceans, Animals, Solar System, and Dinosaurs. They are great. On the other hand, he is quickly bored with the Activity Centers, such as Whales and Dolphins, Flight, and Mars. They simply present one screen with things to click on. Since a full-fledged MSB CD has half-a-dozen or more places to explore, the activity centers represent less than 1/6th the value of a full-fledged MSB CD. Don't buy them unless you get them for less than 1/6th the price of the full-fledged CDs, which means don't pay more than [price] for them. They are not worth more.

MAGIC SCHOOL BUS IS A TV SHOW AND IN BOOKS AND ON SOFTWARE!
I watch The Magic School Bus every day and i have 2 Magic School Bus Books. But i did not know that The Magic school bus was on software! I love the Magic School Bus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

With this deluxe two-CD-ROM software set from JumpStart, kids learn essential kindergarten skills and then take off to faraway worlds of fun in an adventure around the world. AdJust-for-You Learning Technology automatically adjusts to your child's pace. Kids learn prereading, the alphabet, letter combinations, counting, quantities, similarities and differences, sequencing, problem solving, shapes, colors, phonics, word recognition, time concepts, world geography, and cultures of the world.In disc one, join Mr. Hopsalot, the rabbit, as he invites your child to explore an interactive kindergarten classroom, where fun, music, and games are the reward for curiosity. Disc two lets children climb aboard the next boat, plane, train, or zeppelin and take off to faraway worlds of fun on the all-new Around the World CD-ROM. Kids can play four different games and visit 12 different cities, where they'll learn phrases in different languages, hear music of other lands, and collect souvenirs. Access is provided to four bonus downloads over the Internet. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Another solid effort from Knowledge Adventure
This is the second title we purchased from Knowledge Adventure. The first, JumpStart Spanish was a good investment, and loved by our boy.

JumpStart Kindergarten is another solid effort. Our son thinks that he is playing games, but he is really honing his skills. Basic skills, like counting, phonics, and telling time are included. These skills are critical building blocks for any child's future academic success.

The interface is typical for this type of program. Kids enter a virtual "schoolhouse" and click on items that represent the activities to hone/learn particular skills. For example, users click on a clock to go to the telling time activity.

One thing we appreciate about the game is that it teaches a skill that we may overlook at times. It is very important for the child to listen to instructions prior to undertaking many of the activities. For example, in a game that teaches counting, users find themselves in a garden with Hopsalot, the rabbit who is the guide. Hopsalong tells users that he needs a certain number of a certain item growing in the garden ("I need 7 red roses."). Initially, our son was not paying attention, and he would be caught off guard when the game started. We kept telling him that he had to be quiet and listen to the instructions. He now listens attentively so that he can complete his task correctly.

We will definitely consider purchasing other titles from Knowledge Adventure. We've been pleased with the 2 products we own thus far.

Jump Start Kindergarten
Rather than approach learning as an enjoyable experience, this cd presents a structured environment that screams of lessons not games. This cd is successful however, in presenting a balance between pressure, judgement and success vs. failure. Additionally, the skill level is more for preschoolers. Edmark Millie and Bailey Kindergarten is a much better route to take for your childs enjoyment.

Not as good as the older preschool version
Since my daughter really enjoyed the older preschool version, I was excited about getting this cd rom. The difference is drastic. There isn't a reward system like the older version. Some of the activities aren't clearly explained. The '99 version for preschoolers was much better. My daughter rarely uses this version.

Jump Start Kindergarten
My child loved this cd program. He can't get enough of it.

JumpStart Kindergarten woes
After using the Jumpstart Preschool program very successfully to teach my autistic grandson basic skills, we looked forward to the Kindergarten version. We were not prepared for the radical change in format and teaching style, and the lack of an enjoyable "reward" after successful completion of task. While it may be an enjoyable program for some children, I wouldn't recommend it for any child that requires a lot of stimulation. Two other children (a kindergardener and a slow-learning first grader say it is boring.

The video that came with it, however, gets raves and the attention of all the children. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Hop aboard the Magic School Bus as it dives into an interactive deep-sea adventure to explore the wonders of the ocean. Kids can tour seven ocean zones, conduct science experiments, and follow clues to find sunken treasure. Drive the bus and voyage into the depths of kelp forests, coral reefs, and much more. Based on characters from the book series and TV show, Scholastic's The Magic School Bus Explores the Ocean teaches key science concepts in a fun and age-appropriate way. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Great fun with the Frizz
My daughter (age 6) loves the Magic School Bus television series and she loves the computer games also. These games mirror the educational series while adding a great deal of interactivity and fun/educational games for children. My daughter saves her allowance in order to purchase these titles on her own. They are great fun.

Spotty
This is not the jewel in the crown of the Magic School Bus CD series (Animals, for example is much better), but it does have some good features. In particular, the activity on ozone & the greenhouse effect is excellent- our 2nd grader really grasped the concept after playing with it for a while.

The plot, however, is to find Ms. Frizzle, which our kids found frustrating. You get clues by earning tokens from an arcade-type game- the only MSB title we've seen that requires you to play an arcade game in order to complete it. It may be that the Microsoft progammers figure that space=boys=arcade game, but our kids were annoyed about it. They were even more annoyed when they worked out from the 1st clue where she was and found out that you have to get all 3 clues anyway.

On the other hand, kids who like arcade games might be induced to learn a bit about the solar system.

MSB does the ocean... not as well as I'd hoped!
I am a MSB fan and am trying to get my young children interested too. The Ocean was the first MSB software we got, and I'm afraid it will be the last. It's ok, but I'm disappointed that the software doesn't load correctly (on 3 different computers and 2 operating systems (win98, XP)! None worked right!). It will start, but it is very difficult to navigate the first few times until you "learn" where things are. Finding out where to go and what to click on is trial and error for the most part. Maybe I just haven't "found" the good stuff yet, but I was hoping for better!

Dinosaurs Never Looked So Interesting...to a small child!
For the price. For the value. For the impact. For the utlility. For your child. Buy it....

Rainforest!!?
The rainforest comes alive with this MSB issue. Microsoft shows us why most of the cures for our maladies, etc. comes from rainforests. And, why we shouldn't keep destroying them. Kids learn all about the value of a rainforst. My seven year old played the heck out of this selection, and when we visited a real rain forest in Nov. 2003, he knew what to expect. And, of course, MSB helped... ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Reader Rabbit Kindergarten 2002 packs an astonishing number of activities into a two-CD-ROM set, enough to keep nearly any child in the 4 to 6 age range glued to the computer for hours. With glitzy graphics and plenty of songs to sing along with, not to mention a clever plot, this high-quality educational program helps kids practice a range of skills, from counting, reading, and listening comprehension, to recognizing colors and shapes.

The adventure begins when Reader Rabbit and Sam the Lion are stranded in Balloon Town and must rescue the Dreamship, which has been encased in bubble wrap and locked in the Pointy Palace. In order to wake up the sleeping bull that guards the palace, the player must locate five musical instruments. Each time the player completes an activity, an instrument magically appears. For a program aimed at kindergartners, the instruments take a lot of persistence to earn--kids must complete a staggering number of problems at each activity site and this can quickly become very repetitive.

The program itself is well thought out and comes with many user-friendly features. The software automatically adjusts to your level and shows how you're doing at each activity. It's also possible to save games for up to 99 different players, which makes the software suitable for use in a classroom or other group setting.

The CD-ROM set includes three other activities--calendar making, painting, and music playing, all of which are engaging in their own right. It also comes with a collection of more than 100 age-appropriate activities that don't have to do with the computer, as well as Reader Rabbit songs that can be played on an audio CD player.

As with other Reader Rabbit software, the biggest concern with this program is that there are so many things to do, children may eventually have to be dragged away, kicking and screaming, from the computer. Perhaps a laptop is the answer--at least that way they can play outside. --Molly Masland ... Read more

Reviews (17)

good for preschoolers if you want them using the computer!
This program doesn't teach anything special that is not easily taught outside of a computer game. Success at the game will be had most quickly if the child already knows the skills needed to play the game (see below, i.e. already knows their basic shapes). If you want your child using the computer during the preschool years then this is a safe and good bet. If your child doesn't know everything this program covers already then they are sure to learn it quickly if they like the game and are not discouraged. There is much more to phonics than this program covers, of course.

We held off introducing our son to the computer until he was almost 4.5 years old. We strictly limit what he can do on the computer and he does not use it much, sometimes going 2 months or so without using it. We purchased this program when our oldest just turned 5, at which time he already could start up the computer, open a program, change CDs and close the entire system down all by himself. I thought it best to buy an easier Reader Rabbit game and see how he likes it rather than start off with the Kindergarten or the phonics Reader Rabbit. If you have a 3 or a 4 year old (or even a 2 year old) that you want using a computer game then this one is great (see section on phonics for a possible difficult part though).

Being unfamiliar with children's computer games I was surprised that much of this is almost like a video on television, there are songs that seem to be about 3 minutes long and very graphic and long introductions to the program every time it is started and before each game. The characters on screen tell the user what to do. I was disappointed it did not come with written instructions, as when my son needed help there was nothing I could turn to. Goodness knows I am not sitting with him all the time watching him play, so I miss the already-spoken instructions for the overall game. Instructions for the mini-games that they play can be repeated by simply clicking on a certain character on the screen.

I sat down to play it as a new user and we played for over an hour. I was annoyed that the instructions are not clear. Specifically, the program has the user doing a little job to earn a gem called a brillite. They wanted 5 yellow brillites to start. We did all the jobs but there was a missing brillite. There was no instruction as to how to get this missing brillite so we re-explored every area on the program's map and began repeating jobs because we didn't know what else to do. That began earning us different colored brillites. It is a little unclear to me as to how to win this game, they say to gather brillites but we really don't know how many of each and how to exactly get them except play in a random manner repeating the games. I'd much prefer them to say "repeat all the games to earn the blue brillites in order to earn the missing yellow brillite" or some other such informative instruction.

This is truly geared for preschool age (3 or 4) or for any age that already knows the 6 colors of the rainbow, circle, square, oval, triangle, diamond shapes, if they can count to 10 and follow oral directions. The hardest part of the game, which may be difficult for preschool aged children and may cause frustration, is the phonics portion. An object comes along on a raft and there are 3 sparkle shakers above it and the user must choose which sparkle shaker (with a letter on it) represents the first letter of the object. The first go round has the word written under the object (i.e. violin) but after that round is won the object comes out without a word. Shame on them for showing a giraffe and giving both a g and a j as options! Bad choice for beginners to phonics! The user will be told if they make an incorrect choice and they can narrow it down by process of elimination. The game with the train and matching the object shape is more of a fast paced game to improve hand and eye coordination and fast mouse-usage than a true matching game-if they pick the match right after the fast changes they are doomed. On the box it says this does drawing and coloring but that is a stretch: the kids are told to paint a certain shape a certain color and they simply click once on the proper color and click once on top of the shape and it is instantly colored in. There is nothing about drawing going on there! The only math here is counting up to 10 (it is advertised as having math on it).

There is nothing offensive or questionable about this game, the language is clean, etc.

This is a fun game for preschoolers (I found it too easy for my just turned 5 year old). It is very entertaining in that it has interludes in between games and songs with a few minutes of on screen entertainment. The songs are catchy. The graphics are very good compared to the old days of Space Invaders and such!

Good Program
I purchased this program to help my 3 year old son sharpen and develop his basic preschool skills. I found this program to have a good theme and my son was very interested in the character's various actions, songs and dances used to accompany the instruction. Skill levels can be chosen to pace the progression dependeing on the need of the child. The program is very user friendly to an adults helping their children. Progrmas are easily exited out of and information can be saved to log the progress of the children users. I recommend this software to parents who want to help their preschoolers get a head start on Kindergarten education.

Skip this one
My son (now almost 4) is pretty academically bright and pretty good with a computer mouse. We bought this game for him just before he turned 3 last year. What a disappointment! Now, we are a big computer game family, and our son has played a few other titles which we have loved (Little People Discovery Airport, Ollo Saves the Fair, Putt-Putt, and a few others). We loved Reader Rabbit Toddler and Reader Rabbit Baby, which were designed very well. Unfortunately, Reader Rabbit Preschool did not stack up.

As usual, the game has a creative story behind it, and there is a goal that involves collecting things. These are wonderful motivators. However, the game skill levels seem either much to easy (matching bugs) or pretty advanced (counting out just the right number of bugs to fill a rocket, including addition and subtraction as the game increases in difficulty) for a "typical" preschooler. I should add that I used to teach preschool and kindergarten, so I have an idea of what is developmentally appropriate. This game ranges from boring to frustrating with very little in between. Some activities, such as the "painting" activity at the waterfall, require very very good mouse control, as the shapes tend to be very small, and the child must click in just the right areas.

I highly recommend skipping this game. Our son is now happily playing Reader Rabbit Kindergarten (the Summer Camp one)with very little trouble.

Too much advertisement and lacks parental controls
I had previously purchased Reader Rabbit for baby and toddler and was thrilled with the product. However, I cannot say the same of the Reader Rabbit Preschool. This CD launches with a page that gives my [child] 6 choices of where to go. Only one is the educational program. The others are advertisements for Star Flyers, Clue Finders, Zoombinis, the Oregan Trail, and Carmen Sandiego. Each of these plays a short movie and gives my [child] the option of launching the internet to download more. I certainly do not want my child on the internet, and I did not purchase the CD so that the Learning Company could target my ...child with advertisement. I wanted him to learn something. It quickly became a fight to keep him in the educational portion of the CD. I called Broderbund, and after waiting 25 minutes to speak with a technician, was told that there was nothing that could be done. There are no parental controls. I asked to speak with a supervisor to discuss my concerns, and was told I could go to the web site and e-mail them. I would not recommend this CD.

They've got it almost right
This is the most educational of the programs I've found for the preschool set, but there are still disappointments. I wish they would do more with the alphabet - they need more variety of words, a combination of small letters and capitals. My three-year-old mastered the top level within a few weeks, simply because he memorized the words they were using, and then quickly grew bored. The musical numbers are cloying and irritating. But the rocket counting game is terrific -- a real help teaching small kids the meaning of numbers. Overall, I've yet to find better, but I hope the designers of the Reader Rabbit series keep trying. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Introduce your little one to the wonderful world of learning with JumpStart Baby. Designed specifically for children 9 to 24 months old, JumpStart Baby encourages important developmental skills in an atmosphere of fun and musical merriment. Visit the friendly, inviting nursery as you explore eight different learning activities with Teddy, your animated host. With this program, your baby will discover shapes, music, colors, clothing, animals, and cause and effect. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

after a comparison.......
I first bought the reader rabbit series from the Learning Company, my 20 month old loved it. The activities are interactive and the music is very catchy.

I recently purchased thejump start baby. My child was bored and disintersted. She kept asking me for "Reader Rabbit".

I noticed after installing the jump start baby software my computer started acting weird and malfunctioning. I should have been more aware, as I purchased a copy of jump start baby about six months prior and it crashed my windows 98 system to the point of no return.

After uninstalling jsb and all its subcomponents it seems my system is back to normal reliability.

And that is my review!

Excellent first software
I'm a bit baffled by the negative reviews listed here. I used JumpStart Baby with my first son (now 4) and found it to be an excellent introduction to the world of computer software. The "dress teddy" and "color train" games provided months of fun. The fact is, babies can't mouse around (as in JumpStart Toddler) -- the best they can do is hit the keyboard and that is exactly how the games are designed to function: to respond with the next logical action when the keyboard is pressed. The comments regarding "waiting" are off-base.... if you think children hate to wait then this game is not nearly as frustrating as LeapPad products which are all "sit and listen" and very little "interact." I have just begun introducing the game to my 7 month old and he loves it! But's it's only appropriate in small doses at the beginning... still, with this softare, even before age one your child can learn that playing with computers is fun and that "something happens" when he/she presses buttons on the keyboard. What more do you want from a baby? (Note: I never encountered any of the installation problems mentioned by other reviewers.)

My kids ages 1 and 3 love it!
This is the second time I'm purchasing this software (the first disk got scratched). I bought it 3 years or so ago for my son. He used it from ages 9 months and now my daughter loves it. She loves the songs, animals and putting teddy "night-night," which makes it easier to stop playing when mom's had enough. My son enjoys helping his sister play the games now, which are simple enough to do on their own.

Would Not Install
Quite simply, the software would not install. Auto-run would run correctly, but clicking 'install' from the Jumpstart welcome screen resulted in nothing happening. A complete waste of money, since I threw out the packaging some time ago.

Limited Fun for Baby, Nightmare for Mom
JumpStart Baby Deluxe Edition was the first CD-ROM that I bought for my daughter when she was almost a year old. She found it fascinating the first handful of times that we played it together, but it seemed to get old pretty fast for her. She did learn basic cause-and-effect via keyboard banging, but she lost interest in the games quickly and some were actually quite confusing.

As lapware, this was not a fun program to use. With lapware, the child sits on the parent's lap while they both attend to the game. It's a way for the parent AND child to interact together so that the computer doesn't act as a babysitter per se. However, I found the graphics very stilted and unappealing. Teddy was much too talkative and the animals were downright scary-looking. The baby performing fingerplays and dancing in the song section was nightmarish. I don't know what the JumpStart team was thinking when they released this version of JumpStart Baby. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Help adventurous teens Zack and Jess save the planet from crazy computer mayhem in JumpStart Adventures 6th Grade. Start in the ultra high-tech Earthquest command center, where you play games and solve puzzles to outsmart the computer while learning math, history, language arts, science, and more. Play as either Zach or Jess--two intrepid teenage heroes, each with their own special abilities and personalities--and use your 6th grade skills to navigate games riddled with perilous obstacles. Travel from the Great Barrier Reef to the Appalachians to protect the earth and its inhabitants.

Calculate A.R.T.'s exact location using basic geometry and robot clues, and save Earth's greatest monuments from destruction by filling in the correct historical facts and avoiding Scorpion-bots. Help eliminate the contagious Viro-bots that are invading the bodies of endangered animals. Correct and complete sentences to diffuse the pollution-filled eco-mines and save the water supply. Crack the locks on the tree bands by using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and shut down the toxic waste factory by deciphering higher math problems. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Jump annoying
Sure, it's 6th grade, but most of the infromation on the CD happens to have around a 85% chance that the topics are even in your schools, at least not in MO.... so I'd rate this at *** stars at best.

Jumpstart 6th Grade
I've played this game over many times already and I think it has very exellent graphics, it combines a semi-realistic background with animated characters. As for the game itself you can set the difficulty level and- its a very humorous game that tests the brain in diffrent subjects. I recommend this not just for sixth graders but, for children of all ages.

Jump Start 6th Grade
I played this game when I was in fourth grade and it was very hard. You have to be smart to play it. I am in fifth grade now and I'vee already beaten one robot and I have almast got two. I am turning 11 soon.

Excellent, exciting, and intelligent
Bought this for my 6th grader and I were so impressed with the program! It was a bit like Sci-Fi meets Who Wants to Be a Millionaire...the graphics were terrific, alot like the current anime cartoons that are so popular. I am glad I purchased this. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Don't let the word advanced in the title scare you. It doesn't mean that your child must be a genius to enjoy this program. It does mean that JumpStart has worked hard to create a program that delivers a specialized educational experience that will both challenge and engage kids. JumpStart has abandoned the unimaginative classroom setting of earlier versions of JumpStart 1st Grade and instead opted for a hipper venue: a scooter race. The makeover isn't merely cosmetic. Unique additions include seven learning buddies who can tutor your child based on his or her skills: your budding Picasso might do best with the artistic Kisha as a helper; your active child could get coaching from sports-star Casey, whose help is more movement oriented.

A kid could get lost in all of this audio, visual, and educational stimulation. There is simply a lot going on here: a quiz to match learning styles with the appropriate buddy; another quiz to set difficulty levels; a collapsible toolbar that changes game levels, reveals progress reports, stores power-ups, and accesses learning buddies; eleven games with activities ranging from pizza-making (fractions!) to news reporting (writing!); plus power-ups to collect, tracks to build and scooters to customize, all leading up to the big payoff--a scooter race to end all scooter races.

Fortunately, designers did a good job with the flow of this program, and it is easy to forgo the quizzes and just get on with playing games, collecting rewards, and building the best scooter in the universe. JumpStart Advanced 1st Grade assumes fluency in counting, spelling, and reading. Also, this is not a good first program for a kid who has never used computer software before. Concepts like fractions, decimals, sentence building, punctuation, and science are explored here. There's a place to create printable artwork and compose save-able tunes, but the strongest emphasis is on the three Rs. (Ages 5 to 7) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Features

• Provides superior interactive game play tailored to each child's individual learning style
• Fun activities that encourage active learning through movement games
• Skill leveling that automatically adjusts game play and content to each child¿s growing abilities
• Enhanced motivational game reward structure
• Advanced curriculum to better prepare kids for the next grade

Reviews (1)

The Jumpstart "Advanced" products are a keen investment.
I think the thing to keep in mind is: what a child may have no knowledge of today they can pick up tomorrow, next week, next month. That said, Jumpstart _Advanced_ Grade One assumed a lot. And I far prefer that than for them to dumb it down so it's easy to beat quickly, and a big waste of money to you.

To me, Jumpstart Advanced Grade One *is* advanced. It's got Grade Two cirriculm coming on strong. But so what? The child playing it doesn't know the difference between grade one and two 'ideals' so they play, and the game naturally advances as they do. And that's what's great about these Jumpstart Advanced, they do, in fact, *advance*!

Without partental supervision or help, this is a CD for a child who can now read (or at least take a shot at sounding out) 'See spot run' and has a basic grasp of phonics. Having watched my 5 1/2 year old child play it over the last month, I have not noticed *any* phonics in it. But she plays the Reader Rabbit Phonics CDs and the Jumpstart Phonics CD, in addition with this one. If your child has no phonics skills, get a phonics CD ("Reader Rabbit I can Read! with Phonics" is good)I can sit beside them while they play and help them out while i do the laundry. It's astounding how fast they learn if you teach them to sound things out.

This particular CD, the Jumpstart Advanced 1st Grade is a very full, rounded CD. It's teaching them fractions (they build pizzas and have a list: one half pepperoni, one quarter green peppers, etc), reading, addition, subtraction, grouping, analyzing, etc.

It's entertaining. It assumes. But far better that then them have played it out in 3 weeks or become bored of it because it's too easy.

Worth the money. I plan on getting *all* the jumpstart Advanced products. I have the Jumpstart phonics one, and the Jumpstart Advanced preschool which was a huge hit.

Jumpstart Advanced (no other previous Jumpstart products *but* the Advanced) has thoughtfully included an assement test your child can take over and over again and which will automatically reset the levels of learning they are at by the score results - you can also take the test then adjust them manually if you like. There's also a report card of sorts that allows you to see which parts of the game they are playing and how many right answers they score. I never mention what they are scoring to them, but it is interesting to see what they do and what they like and what needs work.

Great product. Well worth the pennies. ... Read more