Amazon.com Product Description

It's time for beach fun with Barbie and her friends: build sandcastles,scuba-dive, throw a beach party, water-ski, learn the hula, and dress upfor a souvenir photo. Along the way, earn cool items like fireworks, tikitorches, and beach umbrellas. There are dozens of cool beach outfits tochoose from, including swimsuits and sundresses. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Fun, but will lose interest quickly
My 6 (almost 7) yr old got this game for Christmas, and she loves it. However, I can see that some of the games are getting old already. I don't see this as a game that she will want to play over and over for a long time.

Barbie Beach Vacation - CD Rom game
Both girls (7 & 10) love this game. They play it over and over! The graphics are very cute and it has plenty of games to keep them entertained.

From the mouth of my 5 yr old girl
This game is great. Surfing and dressing up my barbies are my favorite parts of the game. I wish all my friends could have this game.

wanting to buy it
I really want beach party because it looks like a really great game for me.If just my parents will buy it for me,than I would realy be happy.I would have bought it my self if it was cheeper.I don't have enough money to buy it my self so that's wy I need my parents to by it for me. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

After a storm breaks the radio tower on Birdwell Island, Clifford the Big Red Dog and his master, Emily Elizabeth, decide to make music with friends Charley, Cleo, and T-Bone. Kids join them in the fun by making instruments, singing songs, sorting shells, dancing with the dogs, and more. The program's 19 age-appropriate activities challenge children (ages 4 to 6) to develop their memory, logic, and early-math skills. An automatic help tool allows for self-guided play, while all activities progress according to children's skill level. Once they've assembled all the instruments, kids get to create their own music with Clifford and his very big band. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

for the most resistant reader
My 4.5 yr old son would much rather play nintendo than try to learn phonics, thanks to the influence of two older sibs. He received this game yesterday and already has spent countless hours on it playing the games and inadvertantly learning phonics. This game uses letter groupings as well as phonics, which is the method my other kids used with great success. This game definately requires parent participation in the early stages, but it's been fun watching him become more and more independant in his reading skills even though he is not aware of it. Only complaint is that the reward system is limited, so beware if your child is reward-oriented.

Clifford the Big Red Dog: Phonics
I bought this for my 3 year old daughter for Christmas this year. It was the first computer learning game she ever tried and it has been great in teaching her the basic mechanics for moving the cursor around the computer screen and using a mouse. But now, just 3 months later, I find that she is bored with the game. There are only a handful of games at the carnival to play. She seems more interested in decorating the float with the prizes she's won from these games instead.

some reviews below refer to "Thinking Adventures"
Note: Some of the reviews here (the 3-star one entitled "very easily bored with it" for instance) refer to a different product--"Clifford's Thinking Adventures".

The Phonics title is a completely different game, released in July 2003. If the review says at the end "refers to an ALTERNATE VERSION" check the link--might be a review for the other game. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Buzz Lightyear and friends turn Andy's bedroom into a fun and interactive classroom for first graders. Disney's active-learning games and activities promote creative thinking and problem-solving skills, while building self-confidence and teaching more than 40 developmental skills.

Perfect for kids ages 5 to 7, Learning 1st Grade will expand your child's learning galaxy. Kids rocket to an adventurous, age-appropriate learning environment of exploration, discovery, and creativity. A two CD-ROM set, Learning 1st Grade is packed with detailed graphics, exciting transitional sequences, and updated educational games designed to support first grade fundamentals, along with a stellar set of print activities featuring Buzz, Andy, and the gang. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Slick but a bit buggy--and not that much fun
Nicely done and a good bit of variety, but we found it buggy in places (wrong answers, mostly). It's also quite hard for a first-grader: from the second level on up it's got tough multiplication and and three-digit subtraction. More to the point, the six-year-old proclaimed it boring, and I have to agree.

Not too bad
My six year old got this game last year and loved it. It's a lot of fun, but only marginally educational. I think the Jumpstart series is much better. He does have fun with it though, and it does help reinforce skills such as math and geography. It doesn't help much in the language arts area. ... Read more

Features

• 6 fun learning activities teach creativity and self-expression
• Learn how to follow directions in a fun-filled environment
• Puzzles teach shape matching and recognition skills
• Follow the instructions of the narrator or play each activity individually
• Games combine music, sound effects, and graphics

Reviews (5)

Gotcha Gopher Is Great!
This is the best software purchase I have ever made! My son is 2 1/2 years old and loves this game. In a very short time, he has learned all major colors, can count almost to ten, knows when and how to use a drill, hammer, and screwdriver, and how to follow directions (to name only a few!). I am a high school math and science teacher and am very picky about educational games for my children. This is a wonderful game to start with. The graphics are great, the sounds are pleasing, and the fun never ends for my child!

FUN, FUN, FUN!
My three year old twins had not been anywhere near a computer when we introduced them to the computer with this game. This game is so appealing to children, and easy to follow and understand. It has several clear choices of games, based on real Fisher-Price toys, which all children are familiar with. Instructions are given verbally to the kids, with the objects blinking to demonstrate at the same time. In no time at all my kids learned to move the mouse and click on the toy of choice. After the pointing and clicking was learned, minimal parental help was needed. The program continues to give verbal and visual prompts and reminders, and the set-up is clear. Since this program also has several different games to choose from, any interest or skill can be used, keeping the short attention span of children stimulated. My kids love all the choices, from the vehicles used to get from point A to point B, to baking cookies, to working with tools, to matching shapes to fill in/build an object of choice (such as a castle), to building their own working car, to drawing or doing crafts, and on and on... This is a fantastic program for young ones. So fun, in fact, that I now have to limit computer use!

Our Favorite Program
This program is the favorite program in my Early childhood Special Education classroom. It is easy for the 3-5 year olds to do independently and they like how it relates to toys in the classroom. Our special favorite is the workshop where you get to hammer and drill to make a toy.

Fisher Price Learning In Toyland CD
This is a wonderful program for children who are just beginning to use the computer and they enjoy it after they develop this skill, too. Children as young as three can master the program. I find it is very good for my beginning kindergarten students. It gives a lot of good practice in using the computer's pointing device. Children learn to follow directions and improve thinking skills. Plus, it is FUN!

Gotcha Gopher
There is a lot of variety in this program featuring Gotcha Gopher he holds the kids attention, you can build things,paint and color,follow directions and even print out what you make.great for kids 2-6. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Barbie helps you design thousands of different outfits on the computer. Special printer-compatible fabric goes through your laser or ink-jet printer so you can make clothes for Barbie. Design party dresses, career outfits, wedding gowns, and even something special for a romantic date with Ken. It's up to your imagination.

The software package includes lots of art supplies so you can decorate your new outfits. No sewing is required--just cut out the pattern, then use adhesive seam stickers and hook-and-loop tape to put it together.

The package includes the CD-ROM software, eight sheets of printer-compatible fabric, tulle (fabric for veils, tutus, and other items), 4 color markers, sequins, ribbons, rosettes, glitter fabric paint, seam stickers, hook-and-loop tape, five pairs of Barbie shoes, and a user guide. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

really weinerdog-rific
I've had this game for about 7 years and i used to play with it ALL THE TIME. It's great designing the clothes, but barbie likes to boss you around on what things you can put together, like you can't wear a scarf& wedding dress, and the clothes have gone out of style. You were only allowed to use a few colors at a time. But making the tabloid cover is really fun and i used to make them for EVERYONE. the 3d is really cheezy, and the fashion show thakes FOREVER to load(but the countdown with shoes is really cute).I think i once saw a newer version somewhere, but it might have been another barbie game. weinerdogs rule!

It's Fun!
I think it's fun because you can make magazine covers and pages for a little magazine for your friends. You can design clothes for your Barbie, you get to color them, and put them together. It's fun because you can put shoes on it.

DO NOT BUY THIS GAME ***
This is such a boring game ! It doesn't have too many clothes to choose from and not too many colors and designs ! If you want to buy a Barbie CD-ROM , buy Barbie Pet Rescue !

Barbie's fun, but this game could be better
I got this game about 4 years ago, when I had one of the world's slowest computers. It worked just fine, but the fashion show took forever to load, so I never got to see that. Anyway, it was a lot of fun designing outfits for Barbie; the problem was, you were really limited. Like, you couldn't have a Barbie wear certain shirts (like bikini tops) and certain pants at the same time. Or you if you had a certain scarf, it would limit the other accessories you could have. But that was easy to overlook. My other complaints were that the patterns were kind of silly looking (flowers were okay, bows and hearts were kind of weird), and you didn't get very many colors to work with. Also, the only Barbie available was a blond. But I really enjoyed playing it and printing out magazine covers, until one fateful day when the CD malfunctioned and hasn't worked since (and I even have a brand new computer, so ... oh well. Rest in peace.) Oh yes, and you can print the outfits on special paper and make actual clothes for your Barbie. But they look really unrealistic. It would be like a real person dressing in a gunny sack and calling it fashionable. But hey -- if you have a Barbie fanatic in your life, consider this CD-rom for hours of fashion fun. :)

Sorta Cool...
This is great when you first get it! Design a variety of barbie outfits for any occasion and watch her model it. Then print out a magazine cover or the outfit for you to make. Sounds cool right? But there are some hidden downsides...Number one, the outfits don't stay together too well! Number two, the outfits get repetitive and boring and there aren't enough pattern or color choices. Also, some new barbies would be nice! I'd try Cool Looks before this one! Oh yeah and for some reason there is a saving problem when you save your designs...Still if you wanna try a new angle on Barbie games try this one or Cool Looks to create cool Barbie clothes, until you get sick of the game! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

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

Reviews (4)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Features

• In Putt-Putt Travels Through Time, kids will play with Putt-Putt & use their skills at logic and sequencing to help Putt-Putt as he tries to get back to his time period
• Putt-Putt And Pep's Dog On A Stick is a fun game where Pep, the dog on a pogo stick has to collect as many goodies as possible in 100 fun fantastic levels
• Putt-Putt's One-Stop Fun Shop is a new world of artist creativity and self-discovery

Amazon.com Product Description

Playhouse Disney brings The Book of Pooh: A Story Without a Tail to life in this engaging, early-learning game for children ages 3 to 6. Preschoolers immerse themselves in the unique and enchanting world of Winnie the Pooh and his beloved friends from the Hundred Acre Wood. Interactive activities and educational games--featuring puppet versions of Pooh and friends--develop early-learning and critical-thinking skills. Children also practice their keyboarding and mouse abilities, all under the gentle guidance of that delightful and comforting "silly old bear." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Five Stars With A Caveat
If your child is into the daily Pooh show on the Disney channel, he/she will enjoy this game. As with all the other Pooh software, this is entertaining and educational. My son loves it.

With that said, I will also say that the game does not run properly on my son's PC. This machine is pretty new, and its components meet or exceed the game's requirements. The game runs slow, and the sound comes out in an "echo" fashion. The game works just great on my PC though!

Both myself and my son were a bit disappointed that it did not work as all his other software does. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

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

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

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

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

Amazon.com Product Description

Disney Learning Preschool featuring Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh is an early-learning tool that enables children to learn age-appropriate skills with their favorite Disney characters. Whether your child is visiting friends in Mickey's neighborhood or exploring the Hundred Acre Wood, they'll learn important skills that enhance memory, observation, and listening. Other exercises help young children gain an early understanding of letter and number recognition, phonics, sequencing, and more. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Pooh - 6 stars, Mickey - 2 stars. Buy it for 2-4 YO!
Pooh CD is really great for 2-4 year olds. It offers several 6-7 (!) various activities. All of them are interesting and useful in some way. Each has 3 different difficulty levels, so your child can grow with the program. The visual quality is extremely high and this software can work on older PC. I run it on my old PIII 350 without 3d card and was very happy.

Mickey CD has a couple of activities, but they are either not challenging enough or, when challenging, are too boring. I doubt your child will be using it much.

Overall, the Pooh game is so good, it makes the whole package worth the money.

Good luck!
Copyrighted by me

excellent, cohesive, glitch-free software for your toddler
This is a terrific package of toddler software, featuring one disc of Winnie the Pooh Toddler and one disc of Mickey Mouse Toddler. Activities are inherently interesting to children -- colorful, musical problem solving and play -- and generally have three difficulty levels in order to customize the experience.

In Winnie the Pooh, each activity (involving letter recognition, sorting, counting, music, sequence completion and painting) occurs in one of the main characters' houses, and children use a navigation screen showing all the houses situated in 100 Acre Wood. As each activity is completed, that character is free to attend Eeyore's birthday party. When all of the activities are completed, your child can attend the party and watch the story ending. This kind of cohesive play is sorely missing from most kids' software.

In Mickey Mouse Preschool, the navigation screen is set at a diner and gas station run by Goofy. Activities include music, design, arcade shooting, following directions, opposites and games. Most are car-oriented, which is especially fun to many children. While this game doesn't have an overarching goal like that in the Winnie the Pooh game, it is lively and fun.

The two discs make a terrific combination for your 2- to 4-year old. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

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

About Blue's Art Time Activities

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

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

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

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

About Blue's Treasure Hunt

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

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

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

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

Reviews (3)

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon.com Product Description

Kids adventure with the tiniest member of Winnie the Pooh's Hundred-Acre Wood family in Piglet's Big Game. Help Piglet make a soup to share at a special celebration. Journey with Piglet through the enchanting Hundred-Acre Wood. Along the way, brain-teasing puzzles and creative activities build age-appropriate learning skills. Each Winnie the Pooh themed activity features colorful graphics and beloved characters. Puzzle through Pooh's broken honey pots, navigate Piglet safely across a large lily pond, mix colors with Eeyore, and help Owl find his spices for Piglet's celebratory soup. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Super for kids age 2 - 4
I hadn't noticed this game because I find most Disney software to be lesser quality than several other brands; but then I read that Disney contracted Hulabee to design this program and I immediately purchased it. My four-year-old daughter who is an avid educational game player loved it. She finished it in less than an hour. The graphics are excellent; the game's design is Hulabee quality--both engaging and rich in problem solving education. The only problem was it was too easy for my girl. I recommend it for ages 2-4. However, despite it being too easy, by daughter continues to play it. It's a hit!

Super for kids 2 - 4
I hadn't noticed this game because I find most Disney software to be lesser quality than several other brands; but then I read that Disney contracted Hulabee to design this program and I immediately purchased it. My four-year-old daughter who is an avid educational game player loved it. She finished it in less than an hour. The graphics are excellent; the game's design is Hulabee quality--both engaging and rich in problem solving education. The only problem was it was too easy for my girl. I recommend it for ages 2-4. However, despite it being too easy, by daughter continues to play it. It's a hit!

Little Piglet, BIG Job
Piglet's Big Game is based on the movie, but has nothing in common with it. (Except for the title) This game is all about how Rabbit & his friends are going on a picnic, and Rabbit needs Piglet's help to go and gather ingredients for his soup, such as acorns, vegetables, pepper, "hunny", etc. Although, Rabbit thinks that Piglet is too small for such a big job. So Piglet sets out to prove himself. Along all of the winding paths & such, you will find acorns, needed for the soup. You need 10, but you can keep some extra ones... for a snack. You will encounter fun activities, such as The Pond Maze, Sorting Spices, Eeyore's Painting (my fave), and much more. This game is made by Hullabee Entertainment, which is the same company that made Mike's Monsterous Adventure. Really this game is just Mike for a younger audiance, but this has more activities and, when you love the Pooh gang, you just can't resist. You must be thinking to yourselves, if I liked this so much, why did I give it 4 stars? Well, they won't let you skip through the dialogue that you might already know about, and that can get annoying. But it's not that big a deal. Well, that's it. I hope this review has helped you and encourages you to get this CD-ROM.

Short and Sweet
This is worth the purchase. The graphics are good, and the story is cute - but it only took about 40 minutes for me and my 5-year old to complete. He hasn't played it since completing it. The ending was a little disappointing - there's really not much to do after collecting the needed materials for the big soup. But again, it was cute, a nice tie in with the movie, and a good amount of fun for straight 30-40 minutes. Child could complete almost entirely on his own. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Yay! Elmo is on an adventure in Grouchland, tracking down his best friend--his blanket! It's slipped out of his hands down Oscar's trash can, and he--like Alice following the White Rabbit--has to meet interesting characters and finish several missions in order to be reunited with it.

This software holds vibrant primary colors, sweet Sesame Street songs, and lessons on values that everyone can agree with. Parents will appreciate the conflict resolution skills that Grouchland builds, but kids will just love Elmo singing and dancing.

Installation was simple, and once in the program, frankly, we wished every navigation system was this intuitive. The program distinguishes the elements you can click on by having them sparkle when you move your cursor over them. And, no matter where the child is in the game, there's a green arrow that can lead them to the next spot. Throw in the Sesame Street humor (Elmo visits the Bad Humor sardine-ice-cream cart), and it's clear why this one is a winner.

A particular stand-out feature of this software: there's no wrong answer. When building a bridge to get Elmo across a mine shaft (yes, Oscar's got a mine shaft in his trash can), kids can choose from a series of different options, but none will be rejected. When he climbs a mountain at the end of the adventure, some of the ledges he needs to get to are occupied by sheep, but there are always plenty more to pick from.

One note of caution: Elmo in Grouchland has only a few scenes. We would have preferred that the gameplay go on and on, although we can also see the reward for young players in winning the game--getting Elmo his blanket--within a session or two.

Grouchland's core is its terrific messages within the storyline--much like the television show on which it's based. Elmo meets some sweet junkyard weirdos, for example, and they all wind up singing that "Beauty is where you find it." Elmo enchants through scenes like this, with his high-pitched voice calling to reunite with his beloved blanket. --Jennifer Buckendorff ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

"P" is for "Pooh," and preschoolers, too! Kids join Winnie the Pooh and friends in the Hundred Acre Wood to learn their letters. Disney's "Winnie the Pooh: ABCs features age-appropriate activities focused on the ABCs. Kids can cook alphabet soup in Kanga's kitchen as they master their letters and much more. Winnie the Pooh: ABCs stimulates preschoolers' imaginations, builds self-confidence, and develops valuable social skills. Plus, kids will love charting their progress on the printable tree house. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Teacher Recommended!
I teach kids on a K-4 level and they all love this game! Phonics, letter reconision, even ABC order. My students fight over this one. Better for younger students/children just learning to read or with a minimum reading background.

Good choice for learning letter
My 3-year-old son really enjoys this. It's easy to navigate, colorful and fun. AND it does a nice job of teaching ABC basics.

disney reading abc/disney math 123
The six demo discs mentioned in a review were not sent with my order nor is there any indication that they will be coming. Also the disc appears to be the same as a previous disc I purchased entitled Disney's ready for Reading/Math. This is a great disc, but reviews and titles were deceiving which accounts for my disappointment.

A One Hundred Acre Wood Full Of ABC Fun!!!
Winnie The Pooh ABC's is a wonderful, educational way to learn, and have fun with Pooh. ABC's is adopted from the original Ready To Read With Pooh, but even if you already have that, it will still be a blast. As you begin Pooh will greet you with his cheerful "Here We Go Floating" song. Then, he will land right in front of your tree house, and he will say so. After which, Gofur will give you one of his mailboxes and you get to put your name on it.
(Be sure to check your mail every time you come back to your tree house, because there will be letters from Pooh's friends that you can print.) Every direction around the tree house will be a game. To the west, there is Roo's Sandy Pit. Roo wants to play with his friends, but they are all to busy. So, Tigger makes friends from the sand for Roo to play with. Now it's time to imagine. First, you pick a sand friend, then an object from the sand, and then
Roo will imagine the rest. He likes to imagine at least five times, so you will keep track with flowers by the sand pit. Afterwards, Gofur will dig up a hole from the pit and reveal your prize. Take my word for it, this is the best game in the CD-ROM. If you go in an eastish direction, you will find Tigger's Jack In The Boxies. Tigger wants to play with all his jack in the boxies, but he forgot to label all of them to tell what sound they make. That's going to be your job. You need to click on all of the boxies, and see what sound they make. Then you need to take the letter off of a log and put it on that boxie. After that the boxie will open and show you something that starts with that letter. After all four sets are complete, then another boxie will drop from the sky. Gofur will be in it with your prize. Finally, if you head "due north, by northwoodly", you will come to the game Eeyore's Book. It was another blustery day in the Hundred Acre Wood, and poor Eeyore's book was torn to shreds. It is up to you to put all the pictures back on each page. There are twenty-six pages on level one, and twelve on levels two and three. After each book is fixed, Eeyore will give you bookmarks to print and color, and the prize from Gofur will be the book that you completed. Speaking of prizes, you're probably wondering where they are going. Well, back to your tree house of course. Prizes will appear on the outside and inside of your tree house.

So far it sounds like a great game, but wait it gets better. Also included are six, that's right, six demo games. There's Winnie The Pooh Toddler, Preschool, and Kindergarten. The same with Mickey Mouse. In Pooh Toddler and Mickey Toddler, help Pooh and friends get down to the ground after hanging on balloons, and help Minnie look for shapes all around her house. Toddlers don't even have to click to play most of it!!! Then, in Pooh Preschool and Mickey Preschool, help Pooh think of words to say to the magic tree to hear it in a different language, and help Goofy make 100 percent goof cars. Finally in Pooh Kindergarten and Mickey Kindergarten, make Tigger act out actions using wacky sentences, and learn the alphabet while keeping Goofy falling off the edge of a not-yet-completed building. Other titles in the Winnie The Pooh Learning Series include Pooh 123's, Spelling, Ready To Read, Ready For Math, Preschool, Toddler, and Kindergarten. You think I'm done? Yes, I am. Well that's it. I hope this review has helped you and encourages you to get this CD-ROM. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Reader Rabbit and his friends need your help to throw a surprise birthday party for Sam the Lion. There are plenty of fun things to do, from making cookies to practicing party games. And the fun and learning doesn't stop when you leave the computer. Make customized workbooks and printable activities to take with you in the car or on the bus. Progress reports will help you keep track of which skills you've mastered or are in need of improvement. Children can learn at their own pace with Reader Rabbit's ADAPT Learning Technology. It constantly monitors the child's abilities, helps develop skills, adjusts difficulty levels, provides help, and tracks progress. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Great Educational Fun!
When my 6 year old was struggling with new math concepts, I bought a lot of software. I wanted something for her that was both educational, and fun. This program is by far the best we've tried. You can set the difficulty levels, so kids don't get frustrated, but also they don't get bored. The characters are really cute, and because there is an overall goal of building the boat, kids want to keep playing! For each 3-5 question activity they complete, they get a boat part as a reward. The various activities cover all math basics, including fractions, money, and time.

With other programs, my daughter would play, and then get bored or overly frustrated very quickly, but because of the ability to customize this game to your child's skill level, she played for hours and hours. The skill levels on it vary widely, so it can teach concepts from a 1st through 3rd grade level, unlike so many games that are only relevant for one grade. My daughter's gotten tons of fun math practice out of this game, and she's still playing! I'd recommend it to anyone.

A kid favorite!
My sons will be in 2nd and 3rd grade in the fall. They just love this game and would rather play it than any of their other games. I hope to find a sequel for they will be done with this game before long.

we love it
We got this software for our five year old daughter and she loves it. At first she needed some parents' help. But soon she likes to play by herself, occasionally asks some questions. She got it a few weeks ago and has already learned so much from it. Her favorite parts are actually pretty challenging for a five year old -- fraction, money and time. She will need to learn some more from school to play the difficult part of this game, but she can already "play" most of it. she enjoys play and learn at the same time. we are very happy about this game. Our daughter is a very advanced five year old who joins 2nd grade reading group in her school everyday. This software helps her catch up with the math part and really enjoy it.

Reader Rabbit 2nd grade Rules!!!!!!!!
I'm a 2nd grader and my friends and I play Reader Rabbit 2nd grade at school and we love it! Everbody in the class says, hey can I go on the computer. It is fun and educational. I asked my mom to get it for home, so I could play more.

I LOVE THIS GAME!
Okay, I'm in sixth grade- a little old for a second grade game, but I DON'T CARE! This is a really great computer game that features my favorite Reader Rabbit character, Sam the Lion. He's so strange. And if any of you get stuck in the skillways because you can't get past the trapdoor (this happened to me), you can jump OVER the trapdoor by pushing the Up arrow and the LEFT arrow. (Many thanks to my eagle-eyed little sister for discovering this.) In short, this is a really great game that is not just for second graders. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Reader Rabbit 1st Grade Classic delivers learning fun for ages 5 to 7. Kids take a joyful journey with Reader Rabbit and friends, during which they adventure and play through 12 activities and learn 14 sing-along songs. Three difficulty levels help kids develop reading comprehension and problem-solving abilities, while building spelling, phonics, and basic math skills. In all, 90 age-appropriate skills are covered, making for unforgettable educational fun with Reader Rabbit. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Great Educational Fun!
When my 6 year old was struggling with new math concepts, I bought a lot of software. I wanted something for her that was both educational, and fun. This program is by far the best we've tried. You can set the difficulty levels, so kids don't get frustrated, but also they don't get bored. The characters are really cute, and because there is an overall goal of building the boat, kids want to keep playing! For each 3-5 question activity they complete, they get a boat part as a reward. The various activities cover all math basics, including fractions, money, and time.

With other programs, my daughter would play, and then get bored or overly frustrated very quickly, but because of the ability to customize this game to your child's skill level, she played for hours and hours. The skill levels on it vary widely, so it can teach concepts from a 1st through 3rd grade level, unlike so many games that are only relevant for one grade. My daughter's gotten tons of fun math practice out of this game, and she's still playing! I'd recommend it to anyone.

A kid favorite!
My sons will be in 2nd and 3rd grade in the fall. They just love this game and would rather play it than any of their other games. I hope to find a sequel for they will be done with this game before long.

we love it
We got this software for our five year old daughter and she loves it. At first she needed some parents' help. But soon she likes to play by herself, occasionally asks some questions. She got it a few weeks ago and has already learned so much from it. Her favorite parts are actually pretty challenging for a five year old -- fraction, money and time. She will need to learn some more from school to play the difficult part of this game, but she can already "play" most of it. she enjoys play and learn at the same time. we are very happy about this game. Our daughter is a very advanced five year old who joins 2nd grade reading group in her school everyday. This software helps her catch up with the math part and really enjoy it.

Reader Rabbit 2nd grade Rules!!!!!!!!
I'm a 2nd grader and my friends and I play Reader Rabbit 2nd grade at school and we love it! Everbody in the class says, hey can I go on the computer. It is fun and educational. I asked my mom to get it for home, so I could play more.

I LOVE THIS GAME!
Okay, I'm in sixth grade- a little old for a second grade game, but I DON'T CARE! This is a really great computer game that features my favorite Reader Rabbit character, Sam the Lion. He's so strange. And if any of you get stuck in the skillways because you can't get past the trapdoor (this happened to me), you can jump OVER the trapdoor by pushing the Up arrow and the LEFT arrow. (Many thanks to my eagle-eyed little sister for discovering this.) In short, this is a really great game that is not just for second graders. ... Read more