Amazon.com Product Description

When the Rugrats set sail on the trip of a lifetime but end up on Island Uninhabited, there's only one family that can help them out: the Wild Thornberrys. Based on the upcoming Rugrats Go Wild feature film, this thrilling adventure has the babies trekking treacherous rainforest paths, taking on bug-eating plants, and staring down dangerous animals while solving "wild" puzzles to salvage their family vacation. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

We have loved it!
This is a great, nonviolent, game for children who have a wide range of skills on the computer. There are a lot of different levels to keep it interesting. It helps the 2-year old with mouse coordination and the 6- and 9- year olds like the challenge of getting bonus levels. We bought an extra copy for Grandma's house so that the other grandkids could enjoy it as well. I highly recommend this as a fun game for kids.

The great educational game for my child
Extra graphics, sounds and many, many more good things. ... Read more

Features

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

Reviews (2)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Features

• In Spy Kids 3D you'll help Juni save Carmen from the evil Toy Maker. Blaze through 4 wild 3D levels and 12 challenging levels
• Use your wits and reflexes to make it past The Platform, The Robot and the Lava Bubble Game
• In Spy Kids Mega Mission Zone, you'll help Carmen and Juni find a new recruit to help defend the world
• Prove you're good enough to join their team, by using high-tech spy equipment and infiltrate enemy bases
• Solve puzzles, defuse booby traps & avoid security systems as you fight to stop teh Transmooker

Amazon.com Product Description

Kids travel to an alien planet and adventure through an unearthly land to reach Bioscopia, a deserted research station filled with exotic plants and trees and menacing robots. The player's mission is to rescue a young scientist, who's trapped in the station and seriously injured. To complete the mission and escape Bioscopia, kids have to learn about biology and apply that knowledge to solve Bioscopia's clever puzzles. Designed to advance and challenge children's biology acumen, Bioscopia entertains while teaching with out-of-this-world graphics, thrilling sound clips, and a BigBrain learning section that teaches and tests children's wits. All the while, parents can rest easy and kids will delight with a game where science conquers evil. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Just Skip This One and Go On to 'Chemicus'
My wife and I, unfortunately, played the three existing 'science edutainment' titles from Tivola, 'Physicus', 'Bioscopia', and 'Chemicus', out of order from their release sequence. We first played 'Physicus' and enjoyed it but felt that it could have been much better. We then played 'Chemicus' and felt that it truly was a much-improved game over 'Physicus' in nearly every aspect (see my two reviews of these other games). Then we went back and played 'Bioscopia', which is actually the middle game of the triumvirate. We now wish we hadn't gotten spoiled by jumping to 'Chemicus' first, because 'Bioscopia' is a whole lot more like its predecessor 'Physicus'.

'Bioscopia' is a graphical, first-person adventure game (a la Myst, etc.), with an intended educational value added in by way of incorporating principles of Biology to its puzzles and game play ( with Physics and Chemistry obviously being the scientific genres of the other two games). 'Chemicus' did such an outstanding job of basing most of its entire game play around all facets of Chemistry. 'Bioscopia' (and the earlier 'Physicus') barely attain that same distinction. Most of the biological tie-in for this game is realized with an on-going requirement of keeping your 'key card' charged up by answering multiple-choice Biology questions. This key card is then used to gain access to many of the large labs that encircle the game's main environment. Other than that, there is really only one main Biology puzzle to the entire game, which is to eventually create an antidote that will cure the stricken heroine of the story.

The graphics of the game are about its only redeeming virtue. The designers obviously spent a great deal of time and effort in realizing a lush and intricate environment to explore. But, like 'Physicus', the environment seems fairly closed. You're basically just exploring one large segmented fortress where you have to find successive keys to gain access to new areas. This type of game design only works if the new areas are different enough to keep the player interested. Here, the new areas aren't all that different. 'Oh, gee, look! Another large, weird-looking building to go into.' And, the paths leading to and from the buildings are just a waste of time.

One other key element to any successful adventure game, which is missing here, is rewarding the player, when he completes a particularly key or difficult puzzle, with some type of 'nugget', usually a visual cut-scene that advances the main story along. The only cut-scene found here is the game's finale, which is really pretty lame once you finally reach it.

The user interface also leaves much to be desired. There are way too many different directional icons for the navigational pointer. They are so confusing that it affected our ability to solve several of the puzzles in the game. The 'look down' and the 'turn around' icons are virtually the same and are both typically in the same area of the screen. Plus, there is one icon, an open hand, which is meant to signify that some activity can be performed here. Only, there are several places where you have to perform an activity, yet the pointer does not change to this hand. This is just a result of very sloppy programming and testing, but leads to a frustrating and unplayable game. We needed to peek into the supplied walk-through on several occasions just to see what we missed because of the poorly designed interface.

If we had played this game prior to playing 'Chemicus', then I might have been a little more forgiving. Now, I just wish all three of these games could have been on the same level as 'Chemicus'. At least, they are learning from their mistakes as they go. So, any future games (I hear they have a 'Chemicus II' in the works), will hopefully keep getting better and better. For now, if you are doing these games in order, just skip this one and go on to 'Chemicus'.

Worked for me and was way cool.
Bioscopia worked on my computer running Windows XP.....I don't know what happened with other people....This game is awesome! Such cool graphics and totally fun to play.

Beware Windows 2000 and XP users
I have purchased Tivola software and it will not work on any other operating system then the ones listed. So if you are still running a Microsoft Wintendo OS then go ahead and get it.

An adventure with a little more...
Unlike most titles that have educational content, this game is really fun! Beware it is not easy, and will take a considerable amount of time to complete, but for those who like a challenge, this is a great title! The graphics and music are super, and the puzzles are hard enough to keep regular gamers and even science-minded adults occupied for hours and hours. (There is a helpful pdf file with graphics located on the disc 1 that will help you if you get stuck.) Similar adventure titles cost much more, and Bioscopia has the added bonus of making you feel like you learned something. I recommend this title, for anyone who likes adventure games, or has an interest in biology. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

FUN FUN FUN!!!
This is a great game for young kids and adults alike. The player gets to control SpongeBob as he travels through various locations on his way to Neptune's Paradise Amusement Park. The player collects all kinds of inventory objects and must figure out how and where they need to use them. You can also select your own dialogue choices creating some hilarious conversations with other characters during the game.

Spongebob is great!
I HIGHLY recomend this item.IF u want to know if it's good, well, it isn't good. IT'S GREAT! Trust me! This is the funnest game ever! I Love Patrick Star! HE's the best one in the game!

very fun, yet disappointing
This was so fun, but the worst part was the fact that it ended so quickly! I would have enjoyed it more if the game were longer, however it was exciting while it lasted! The characters' dialogue is witty just like the television show, however the graphics are strange if you care about that sort of thing.

Engaging challenge for 7 or 8 year olds
My 7 year old stuck with and solved this game in about 4 hours with minimal help. The game rewards perseverance and requires some thought. Observing my child play, I thought it was a well designed game. If scenarios varied each time the game were played, it would be even better.

This game is really cool!
In this game you have to beat four chapters and you have to pick up things and drop them off for people. Sometimes it's hard, but it's fun. Buy the game--you will have fun with it! It's a game for all ages. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Can you help Fred, Velma, and the gang solve the mystery behind thePhantom Knight and his dragon? Scooby-Doo: Phantom of the Knight offerslaughs, pretty good animation, and a series of challenging puzzles to entertainyoung children for hours. Since the villain and clues change with each newadventure, replay is just as much fun as the very first game. Set up much likean episode of the classic television series, the program puts players in an old,castle-themed amusement park to explore for clues to its haunting. Some of thescarier areas will require feeding Scooby or Shaggy to coax them in; snacks canbe obtained by several tests of skill along the way.

Once enough clues have been collected, players decide who's to blame, then checkto see if the guess is right in an action sequence that closes play. Threelevels of difficulty are available, and each offers increasing pressure in theform of red-herring clues and harder challenges to acquire Scooby Snacks.Installation is very simple, and the CD-ROM comes with several Scooby-relatedgoodies like a printable poster and online previews of upcoming movies. (Ages 5to 10) --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (16)

hard but no replayability
I brought this for my daughter and played it myself first. I enjoyed the difficulty that the game play provided but was extremely dissappointed to find that the second time I played was exactly the same, all the items in the same place, the game play the same, it was easy. The only thing that really changes is the villan and the clues.
The kids have played once, with helpful hints from me to get them going when they got stuck. They havent been back which dosent surprise me as they tend not to replay games that do not have some varability.
It could have been a great game as it has the difficulty but without varibility it is not as good as it could be.
Solving the villian and clues does not play a big enough part in the game to make it replayable.

Great fun & learning
My 5-yr-old LOVES this game! With an age range being 5-10 I thought it'd be too hard for her, but after I showed her how to play, she can solve the mystery with her favorite characters. Yes, it is basically the same mystery over & over, but that's what she likes about it (It's like reading a favorite book again & again). There's alot of logic & sequencing needed & builds memory skills. You have to remember how to get to all the different rooms through many secret passages and find the clues in a certain order. This is loads of fun. We will be getting the rest of these mystery adventures.

Parents Cheapsheet for this potential Frustrating game.
It took me an hour to realize that to get past the first suspect and clue, you needed to give the "feather duster" to the old lady. That opens the locked door and makes the most of the other suspects appear. For the other locked door in the town, listen carefully to the Jester's rhyme after you give him the first ball.

With these two hints, the game is just like the "Jinx at the Sphinx". Without them, you will want to throttle the programmers. I played the game myself before I let my 5 yr old play. Since I knew the tricks, he enjoyed it completely.

Good Luck.

Disappointing Waste of Money
Bought this program for my 7 year old son. (The product says ages 5-10). What a piece of [...] this is! I have had other programs from the Learning Company that perform rather well. While installing this program you are forced to install lots of other junk "tag-a-long" programs (AOL, Quick time etc.)just to complete the install. Finally getting the program to run I, the 36 year old adult could not figure out how to make any progress in the game at all. How can I expect my son to figure it out? It was Impossible to even get to the games in which you earn "Scooby Snacks" that are needed to get around in the Castle. Printed out the entire "Book" of instructions and still could not get anywhere. I wish I would have read the other reviews first, I would not have bought it. My son doesn't even want to try it anymore since it's so frustrating.

Not for Little Ones
I bought this for my 5 year old and were BOTH stuck! He has played it several times and can't get past the first clue. He became frustrated with this game and stopped playing it. I too thought maybe it was me, but I am apparently not the only one out there who wasted their money on this game. I can only hope the other games for Scooby fans are better, as my son now wants a new one since "this one won't work". ... Read more

Reviews (7)

My 8 yr old loves I spy!
For those who say this is boring, maybe your kids should just stick to video games. My son is loving the books and the computer games. He conquers them pretty quickly and we have to buy more but hey, it's getting his mind working looking for hidden items. We went for an open house at his school a few months ago and the teacher picked up an I Spy book and said that it was the main thing all the kids fought over in class. We love all the books, computer games and the gameboy game that is out. Good investment for little thinkers out there!

Can't find 12th ladybug!
I really like this game but I am annoyed that I can't find the last ladybug in the find me game. I can find no game hint support sites either. Has anyone else had this problem? Is it a bug (ha ha) in the program? I have spent weeks looking but always find the ones I've already found. Can anyone out there help me? I am not a child, but my daughter can't find it either. Apparantly the game will not finish until all bugs are found because I have found all the treasures. Does this game not have more than one complete game to play? I thought it had 3 like treasure hunt.
Thanks,

Will Keep You Thinking....
My 6 year old daughter loves this game. It is not easy and keeps her thinking. I some times find some of the items hard to find but with persistance you will find them. It is never boring. The whole family enjoys this software.

Elementary Kids Love It!
I am a computer lab teacher in an elementary school. Last year, I used this software for quite a few weeks when my Kindergarten through Grade 3 students came in for activity period. Students in grades 4-6 would beg to get a chance to use the software when their assignment for the day was completed.

It was a stretch for Kindergarten to find some of the items, because they did not recognize some of the items in the riddles, but I made sure to point these out in lessons and then circulated to help them more.

It was exciting to watch as students became absorbed in this activity, and most of them grew in their visual and verbal awareness. Children in grades 1-3 could either click to hear the descriptions or read for themselves.

Yes, it is on the shelf this year, but will taken out to be used in two years. This year I bought I Spy Spooky Mansion for use, and next year hope to get the Î Spy Treasure software if I can find the funding.

I Spy School Days-big bore
My six year old great nephew completed all of the activities within two hours. He was moderately interested in the beginning and bored by the time he finished. I watched as he played, and thought they were boring, too. ... Read more

Features

• Play 8 battles that lead up to and include the battle of the Alamo
• Exciting and engaging RTS gameplay with historical characters
• Reference section with photos, timelines, and battle facts
• 8 missions plus 3 secret "change history" missions
• Zoom in and out of the playing field; 360-degree camera rotation

Reviews (1)

Another Alamo to Forget
To top it off - the Texans win the battle of the Alamo in the video game.
Despite the History Channel logo on the box there is no history in this video game. The Alamo backdrop could just as easily have zergs from StarCraft fighting Davy Crocket.
ALSO: the game is buggy and the controls are terrible.
The game does sell for a discounted price of 20 bucks but if you are an alamo fan save your money. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Zoinks! The Mystery, Inc. gang is hungry for a snack, but there's notmuch to be had in Los Burritos, a ghost town where they've stopped to look for food. This follow-up to Mysteryof the Fun Park Phantom pits Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, andGreatest-of-all-Danes Scooby against the Faceless Rider, a mysterious spirit (or is it?)haunting the town. Thankfully, they're all back with the same groovy clothes,lingo, and music--plus the goofy humor--that made their '70s TV show so much funto watch.

To get to the bottom of what's spooking Los Burritos, the group must explore thetown and talk to everyone who crosses their path, all the while looking out forclues to help them solve the mystery at hand. To uncover the right information,players must perform semi-educational activities like setting a clock to theproper time, putting a puzzle together, and recalling details from the gameitself. There are also fun challenges throughout (Scooby takes on the FacelessRider in a pie fight to the finish, and later plays a mean game of horseshoes)to earn Scooby Snacks. These prove important when you want Shaggy and Scooby toenter an especially scary area--you'll have to bribe them with Scooby Snacks toget them to cooperate. The fun activities and puzzles, paired with all the crimesolving, push kids to use problem-solving skills and deductive reasoning. Whoknew Scooby could make you smarter?

In addition to being just plain retro fun, the game offers some help in solvingeach mystery (we found several in our gameplay): click on the Mystery, Inc. vanto review the clues you've collected, check your Scooby Snack count, or askScrappy for help. And to keep the games challenging as kids grow (or perhaps foradults to enjoy), players can select from three "spookiness" levels thatincrease in difficulty. Also included are very thorough gameplay instructionsand a Groovy Goodies section that includes fun tie-ins to the video- andDVD-only release, Scooby-Doo and theAlien Invaders. (Ages 5 and up) --Leah Ball ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Scooby Doo, Through and Through!
Ignore the negative comments in any review of this game. More care went into creating it than into some of the original series episodes!
Scooby and the gang havea mystery to solve. There are Scooby snacks, train chases, clues and villians. What else can you ask for?
This game is a lot like a Putt Putt or Freddy Fish game. If you like those, or like Scooby Doo, you'll like this game. PS, you should be under 10 years old, but who's counting?

This game is great!
First, I'd like to say that all the people that have reviewed this game are adults. Next, this game isn't for adults!! It's for kids!!
My sister and I REALLY enjoyed playing this game, it's simply a matter of opinion, some kids will find it fun, others just need more challenge then this game can give. I'm 12, and I still like playing this game, though I am starting to look for more of a challenge. This is one of those games you play for a while, then forget about it for a few months, then go back to it and refresh your memory on how it play it.
I love this game!!!

Fun first time only
Our 3 children love computer games, (ages 6,7,&8) but this one they only wanted to play once. The game is too repetetive, and not very challenging.

Only for the REALLY YOUNG!!
I bought this for a family get together anticipating the kids would have a fun afternoon. They are all die hard Scooby fans!
We had problems from the start. We had to go to 3 websites to find the patch needed to run the game with Direct X 8. Although the graphics and animation were great, the kids solved the hardest level in just 30 minutes! The villian was the same and so were the clues. Even the video sequences were recycled on each level.The repetitive nature and the installation problems made us regret buying the game.

Scooby Doo Showdown in Ghost Town
My 5 year old loves this game. He needed a little help getting started, but once figured out the navigation, he was on his way. He has played it on his own numerous times, and is ready to try more Scooby games! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

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

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

Amazon.com Product Description

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

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

Reviews (1)

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

Amazon.com Review

SPY Fox is out to save the world again in his latest thriller,Operation Ozone. In this episode, the iniquitous Poodles Galore haslaunched a giant can of hairspray into space, and the aerosol is slowly blastingaway at the ozone layer. Unless SPY Fox can outwit Poodles, the citizens of theworld will be forced to buy Poodles's super-powerful SPF 2001 sunscreen toprotect themselves from the ravaging sun.

Anyone who loves SPY Fox games won't be disappointed. The meat of the mission isto collect the ingredients for a Congeal Pill that will put a literal stop toPoodles's hairspray space satellite. To accomplish this, SPY Fox travels allover the world and meets up with an amusing and witty cast of characters. You'llnotice here the thoughtfulness that went into creating the game. From BobbyLlama, a Marlon Brando-esque recluse à la Apocalypse Now, to RogerBoar, an undercover agent with a penchant for new hairstyles, the characters arenothing short on character.

And, of course, SPY Fox comes armed with a double-breasted jacket full of spygadgets to help him outwit Poodles and her goons. The most charming include theSticky Stun Bun, which explodes caramel and nuts all over enemies, congealingthem into one tasty mess. Other favorites include the Grappling Granny, SpyMint, and Canned Laughter.

Gameplay is slightly complex, but it's nice to see a game that actuallychallenges kids to think, instead of hand-feeding solutions. Operation Ozone requires that kids pay attention, as clues are dropped left and rightthat will be of use later in the game, and strong logic skills are certainly anasset. We only got slightly frustrated by the exactness expected in clicking. Ifyou're trying to use a spy gadget, you must move that gadget to exactly theright place or SPY Fox will tell you that's not the right tool for the task.

However, that quibble aside, this is a SPY Fox game not to be missed. In fact,you'll probably be disappointed when you finally finish the mission. But don'tfret, there are multiple mini-missions and endings within the game, encouragingreplay. In fact, it's so entertaining that parents--and older kids--might evenfind themselves playing along as well. (Ages 5 to 8) --Ara Jane Olufson ... Read more

Reviews (20)

We Were In There Like Swimwear!
My daughter and I have worked our way through just about every Humongous title on the market, so we were eagerly anticipating their latest release. "Operation Ozone" didn't disappoint. We found this one slightly less challenging than the first Spy Fox (and the first Pajama Sam, for that matter), but we enjoyed the scope of this game much more than earlier Spy Fox titles. There are more locations to go to, and more situations encountered. Another fun and well-done offering by Humongous!

Operation Funzone!
This newest game of SPY Fox's is really great. Poodles Galore is destroying the ozone layer so that everyone will buy her newest sunscreen. SPY Fox saves the day, after solving many puzzles. It's for older kids than the other SPY Fox games, but I don't know why. There's also a weird but neat soundtrack of eleven songs that can be played inside the bowling alley on the jukebox in the game, or on a CD player in the real world. This game teaches kids thinking and problem solving skills, but is also lots of fun to play. If you liked this game, try Freddi Fish, Putt-Putt, Pajama Sam, and other SPY Fox games ("Dry Cereal" and "Some Assembly Required").

Very Fun!
I just bought it today and couldn't stop until I solved the mystery...I have all 3 and have enjoyed all 3. I am 11, but this game still made me think, but still have fun. It's vibrant and colorful, the characters humorous as well. They should have a Spy Fox television show!

Great Game!
This was a great game. I'm 12 and I still enjoyed it and it still made me think! Give it a try, it is very fun!

The best ever work by Humongous
I really like this. Spy Fox is just the coolest spy ever. He beats them all, James Bond, Solid Snake, Austin Powers (maybe not him). The game is targeted for the pre-pre-teen age group, but anyone can sit down and enjoy it. I have every Humongous
game ever made, and I can safely say that Spy Fox is their best creation ever. The first one was great, the second was great (but it felt rushed out), and OpOz is even better. I am killing myself waiting for the fourth installment! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Childhood gaming chestnuts like Old Maid and Snakes & Ladders get sospiffed up on this CD-ROM, adults may find themselves indulging in these gameswhen the kids aren't busy with them. The multilevel appeal of Hoyle Kids'Games is best illustrated by their version of Hangman: not only can playershang 'em high in settings that range from the Wild West to a sandy beach, but atthe advanced level, the game throws players words like dysprosium.

There are 15 games to play on this Mac- and Windows-friendly disc, and up tofour players can compete at once. The standards are: Tic-Tac-Toe, Old Maid,Crazy 8s, War, Hangman, Snakes & Ladders, Chinese Checkers, Checkers, Go Fish,Battling Ships (similar to Battleship), and Memory Match (a.k.a. Concentration).New games include Bump 'Em (imagine Aggravation with cars and oil slicks),Placer Racer (an aiming game that requires spatial skills and strategy), TheMusic Game (hearing and repeating musical sequences), and Speedy Racer (type theletters that are rapidly falling out of the sky to save the houses of the ThreeLittle Pigs). In addition, this game has the best "build your own face" functionwe've ever seen. Realistic noses, eyes, and mouths coupled with arrow functionsthat allow players to stretch necks, slide mouths, and widen eye spacing turncharacter creation into engrossing mad-scientist fun. The characters the programprovides as opponents aren't too shabby either. Among them are Ethel the granny,Roswell the alien, and a pup named Pepper who whines, "This is worse thanobedience training!" when he's losing at War.

Technically, it's all here. Graphics are great, games can be interrupted fordinnertime and saved in mid-play, and nothing takes too long to load. An optionto play the game in a window allows use of the computer's other functions whilethis program runs. Folks who have forgotten how to play Checkers (you know whoyou are) will appreciate the many different helpers at the bottom of thescreen--they range from a genie who reads the rules out loud to various cop-out buttonsthat will give hints or do your next move for you. And, of course, upper-levelGo Fish players can get rid of the help bar, and simply immerse themselves inthe Zen of casting for the perfect card. (Ages 5 and older) --AnneErickson ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Adults will love it too
This is a great computer game! My 3 year old loves to play "Battling Ships" and my 5 year olds favorites are "Go Fish" and "Placer Racer". The computer characters are fun to play with (we especially love Marvin) and you can also play against another real person at the computer. They list the appropriate ages for this product at 5-12 but I confess to sneaking a few games of "Chinese Checkers" by myself and enjoying a game of "Bump Em" with the kids. there are different levels of play from easy to very difficult to keep different age levels happy. Gotta have this one!!

Wonderful CD
I have bought a number of Hoyle CDs since they began coming out with this type of game compilation. This one I play with my duaghter who is two but she likes trying to figure out the games. She does like Tic Tac Toe and Crazy eights though she can't understand what she is suposed to do yet.
I liked the characters that play the game with you. I think they are friendly and not too irriating like some of the Hoyle personalities in other games.
I like the format of how you choose the games; where it is like your bedroom and you click on the shelf to pick something. That is how Hoyle used to configure their games till you got so many one one cd. They increased how many games were on the CD each year.
Bump "em is like Aggravation. It is my favorite game; better than Parchisi. I like how they make games seem whimsical like using frogs as Checker pieces; using a goldfish to make Xs and Os for Tic Tac Toe; using little men to climb a treehouse for Snakes and Ladders.
The games are kid friendly but they are classics that grownups can enjoy playing even when the kids aren't around. I think that board games teach kids things like rules, strategy, counting, and cause and effect. So this is a good way of teaching kids how to play and master these games.

THIS IS GREAT!
I BOUGHT THIS CD FOR WHEN MY GRANDCHILDREN COME TO VISIT. THEY HAVE ALL GIVEN A "THUMBS UP" TO IT. I PLAYED EACH GAME WHEN IT FIRST GOT HERE SO I COULD SHOW THEM HOW. I NEED NOT HAVE BOTHERED! IT IS SO EASY TO LEARN THE CONTROLS AND BUTTONS. THE KIDS HAD A LOT OF FUN MAKING THEIR OWN FACES. I WOULD RECOMMEND TO ANYONE! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

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

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

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

Reviews (2)

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

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