Features

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

Amazon.com Review

Here's your chance to reunite online with the entire undersea gang.The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea brings Ariel, her daughterMelody, Sebastian, and all the other characters from the two Disney filmsstraight to your computer, in a package of games and activities certain toplease young players.

Return to the Sea features two arcade games--Melody's Daring Dive and TooCool!--and a trio of creativity-oriented activities. In the first game, Melodydives for jewels and pearls while dodging sharks and other hazards. In thesecond, she collects gems in an effort to thaw out a trident, which she mustthen use in battle with the nefarious Morgana. Both games are fast paced andwell designed, boasting 20 levels of difficulty. Unlike some games for this agegroup, these genuinely get harder, ensuring significant replay potential.

The noncompetitive activities include Aquabatics, where players design anunderwater dance show; Mermaid Memories, an interactive sticker book; andMelody's Melodies, a karaoke program featuring two songs from Disney's newestLittle Mermaid film. Setting up the routines in Aquabatics is a lot offun; players can flip and spin their favorite characters in a variety ofswimming twirls. Though almost all games for girls include a program likeMermaid Memories, the one featured in this game is put together extremely well.The backgrounds are flexible, the graphics meld seamlessly into the scenery, andplayers can even add sounds and movements to the scenes they create. Finally,Return to the Sea comes with a second CD-ROM, Ariel's StoryStudio, a gateway to even more undersea adventure.

The one real disappointment of this package is Melody's Melodies, which onlyfeatures two songs and a few simple options for singing them. Kids learning toplay musical instruments might also notice that the presentation of the musicisn't correctly laid out on the staff. However, the program's other delightsmore than compensate for this weakness. Broad enough in scope to ensure wideappeal, and of the highest quality to guarantee player entertainment, Returnto the Sea provides hours of fun for the whole family. --AlyxDellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Dive Into A World Of Adventure With Melody!!
I LOVED IT!! I don't know what I would do without it. Now let me tell you about the CD-ROM. In the beginning, you type in your name and after that there is a magical pendant in the shape of a shell. It is open. The top half is games and the bottom half is the credits and stuff like that. Move your curser into the pendant and you will see something. When you click on it, it will take you to an activity.

My favorite game is Too Cool!! It is so much fun!! It is a little bit hard. In this game it's kind of like a maze. You try to gather all of the power crystals to melt the ice around the magical Trident & and zap Morgana through levels 3-20!! Tip: use your snowballs & mermaid potions. But be careful, Morgana only has a LIMITED number of mermaid potions, so don't waste them!!

In Melody's Daring Dive, you need to collect a certain number of gem's to have Melody make different types of jewelry. There are three places you
Can dive at. There's Hope Reef. This is the best place to go diving. Believe
Me I know!! Then there's Quaky Caverns. This is a little harder because there are rock avalanches, bubbles that could blow Melody off course, kelp
That could make you go slower, barracudas, and electric eels!! Then there's
The hardest and scariest of them all, Pirate Point. Here there are all the things that I mentioned before, plus octopuses (but not Morgana and Ursula), and sharks!! But don't worry. When you're riding a dolphin, you can pick
Up a cannon ball and drop it on the shark by hitting the spacebar. Then it will not return.

At Aquabatics, you can pick your own dance moves, designs to put the dancers and moves on, and dancers including Ariel, Melody & Flounder to put on your own show!! Tip the penguin and Dash the walrus are your hosts
in this fun game. You need to create six acts to make you own performance for the merpeople of Atlantica!!

In Mermaid Memories, you can create your own pictures to tell the story of The Little Mermaid 2: Return To The Sea, or just any pictures of the land and sea. You can add your own backgrounds, characters, props, even sounds!! And last, but most certainly not least, Melody's Melodies. Here you can sing along, sing by yourself, or record your own voice to 2 of the songs from the movie. One of them is "Down To The Sea", and the other is
"For A Moment". This isn't one of the better games in here, but if you love to sing like me, than this is the one for you.

This CD-ROM was way more than what I expected. Take my word for it. If you liked Ariel's Story Studio & The Little Mermaid Print Center, you will absolutely love this!!

Awesome game!
I loved this game. It's completely awesome. This game is wonderful for anyone who loves the Little Mermaid and games that take place in the water. The first game is Melody's Daring Dive and sports 3 levels. The first is Hope Reef which is easy. Next is Quakey Caverns which is a bit harder. An finally there is Pirate Point which is the hardest. The game is introduced by Sebastian. You need to help Melody collect gems below the sea while avoiding sharks, eels, and falling rocks. The next game is Too Cool and is introduced by Ariel. You need to help Melody collect gems in order to unfreeze the trident and zap Morganna. Tip and Dash throw snowballs for you to use to temporarily freeze Morganna and her cohorts. This is a great arcade style game that has twenty levels. The next game is Aquabatics which is introduced by Tip and Dash. This is my favorite game in which you get to organize an undersea dance extravaganza. You pick the dancers, the patterns, the stunts and the music. You can put up to five dancers in at a time. Your dancer choices are Ariel, Melody, Flounder, a turtle, and a dolphin. Next is the picture album where you get to make the scene. You pick the characters, backgrounds, sounds, props, and even special wallpapers. You can then print your picture. The last game is Melody's Melodies and is Karioke style. There are only two songs to choose from but it can be a great learning tool for people who want to learn how to play music as it shows all the notes on a standard staff paper setting. This game rocks and if you think it is only good for kids, let me tell you I am 26 and love it. It's well worth buying.

Down To The Sea We Go...
Forteen years ago, Walt Disney Pictures released the ever-popular, (will come out on DVD in 2004) The Little Mermaid. Then, ten years after that, they released the sequel, The Little Marmaid 2: Return to the Sea. Though it could never over-take the original popuarity-wise, it did score this great CD-ROM. Though maybe, & then maybe not, better than the original Little Mermaid CD, Ariel's Story Studio (see my review), this has five entertaining activities. First, there's Melody's Melodies. Here, you can sing all your favorite songs, with or without the characters. There's really not much else to tell about this one, so let's move on. In Aquabatics, you choreograph your own underwater play, with some of your favorite characters, sea turtles, dolphins, Flounder, (how'd he get in there?) and much more! Then, in Mermaid memories, you can create your own sticker-book, and decoraate the pages with scenes from The Little Mermaid 2! I alwayas loved those kinds of games. Next, we have Melody's Daring Dive. Here, help Melody collect jewels, pearls, and all sorts on good things. You better watch out though, for as you progress through levels, it gets harder to find things, you have to go up to get air more often, and there's the ever-looming danger of sharks. Finally, we come to the "piece of resistence." Too Cool! is a maze game where you have to collect crystals to melt the ice surrounding the trident. Once you free the trident, you have to use it to chase after and, oh, how can I put this... FRY Morgana! This game is especially fun, and even more enjoyable and/or challenging as you progress. Overall, this is a great game, but the movie is not as good as the CD-ROM, though. Well, that's it. I hope this Review has helped you annd encourages you to get this CD-ROM.

the best of the bunch
This came in a pack with three other princess games. Of the four it is the best with enough different activities to keep the kids amused. There is diving for gems, which has you diving down and having to collect air bubbles to breath while you also pick up gems until you have enough. An arcade type in too cool, a sticker game where you make a picture and the singing which only has two tunes that you can play. The last and probably most interesting was designing the dances and then watching the show, then are several dance patterns that you can add different movements too and two mermaids and three sea creatures that you can choose to dance.
Overall its quite a good game.

We love it!
After Little Mermaid, my two girls couldn't get enough of this swimmer. We've had so much use of this CD that it is worn out and will be purchasing another. My 5 yr old especially loves the chase around the iceberg game. The 3 yr old just loves seeing Melody during any of the games and hearing her voice. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

This deliberately paced program takes place in Charlie Brown's world,where kids dress the same day after day and the only character with attitude isa beagle. Players who persist through this CD-ROM's slow start will be rewardedwith games and scenarios that emulate what it's like to live in the middle of a"Peanuts" cartoon. This is a good thing for kids who like the strip and thehandful of "Peanuts" TV specials in existence. But kids who prefer the morefrenetic pace of modern cartoons might find Where's the Blanket, CharlieBrown? a bit too placid.

The mental workout this program provides is excellent. More than any other gamemanufacturer, Tivola has mastered the art of setting up a problem, then quietlyletting the player figure out how to solve it. Linus's blanket is lost, andplayers can either assume the identity of Charlie Brown or Lucy and find it.Once the problem is presented, players must navigate around Charlie Brown'shouse and use their powers of observation to get the game moving. This segmentcan make players feel like they're trapped in "Peanuts" purgatory, as they arrowCharlie Brown from room to room, desperately searching for a means out of thehouse and into the rest of the game. The on-disc Help file spells out exactlywhere players must look and what they must collect to move on--resist thetemptation to look at the Help file. You will miss the challenge and charm ofthis game if you lose patience and cheat.

As the story line leads from Charlie Brown's house to a library to Schroeder'spiano room to a supermarket with many other stops in between, games areunlocked. The nine games are short, smart endeavors. Some of the standoutsinclude a game in which Schroeder plays a short melody on his piano, and kidsmust click on sequences of actual notes that match the melody. Another greatgame requires kids to put poor, scrambled Peppermint Patty back together aftershe is magically rearranged by the Great Houndini. This descrambling has someadded twists that push it far beyond typical match-the-parts games. Each of thenine games has two levels of difficulty, and once they are unlocked, they can beinstantly accessed for repeat play.

On the way to these games are numerous other minigames, opportunities forproblem solving, and goodies you can feed Snoopy to keep his Snoopy meter onfull. Players can play this game in German as well as English. Where's theBlanket, Charlie Brown? probably won't hold up to a lot of repeat play byolder kids, but the gentle way this program forces players to use their entirebrains to find that darn blanket is remarkable. (Ages 4 to 102 according to themanufacturer; we say 4 to 8, although hard-core "Peanuts" fans of any age willalso enjoy it.) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Fun and Humor at a Great Price!
I love Peanuts and I just loved this game. The characters were drawn exactly as they are in the comic strips and the game remains true to the Peanuts legacy. I really enjoyed my interactive Peanuts fun - and it's a great price for such a wonderful time!

dialog may not be the greatest for younger children
I purchased this game at Target as a gift for my 5 year old daughter. I noticed that it had won some sort of Parents Choice award and she is a big fan of the Peanuts "specials". The game has a charming detective game at its base which is a bit too difficult for her to figure out. She would be happy to continue trying but I am just going to throw this one in the garbage. My problem with the game is the constant negative talk that Lucy and Charlie Brown spew as they search for the blanket. Lucy is even more bombastic on the software than she is on the specials--constantly calling people stupid and putting them down. Charlie Brown is virtual stream of negative self-talk. I am aware that much of the Peanuts humor relies on negative humor and putdowns but it seems really excessive in this software. Even though I threw the game out and definitely didn't get my moneys worth I gave the it two stars because the basic game seems challenging and fun. Definitely not a good choice if your trying to teach your child to be kind and upbeat. I

HELP!!!
My daughter is trying to beat the game and is stuck at the supermarket level...i can't seem to figure it out either... of course it could be because i'm not that great at video games but if someone could just post a thing on here and let me know how to get past it i would really appreciate it!

Thanks

Great game, and good for German students, too!
Where's the Blanket, Charlie Brown? is a fun game all Peanuts fans will enjoy. The pace might be a little too slow for the younger set expecting constant action, and a four-year-old might get easily frustrated not being able to exit the Brown household, but all-in-all it is an appealing game with lots of nice extra features. The reviewer who mentioned the fuzzy graphics probably installed the game on the Quick Install method - if you use Full Install, the graphics are crisp (although it does take up a bit more disk space)! Finally, the game is also great for German students, such as myself, as it provides more exposure to the language in an entertaining way by playing the game in German.

Mostly fun & addictive game for Peanuts Fans!
This game is fun for Peanuts fans of ANY age to enjoy. Don't be put off by the marketing, which touts this as a game primarily for young children. I am an adult (also a gamer) and I thoroughly enjoyed this game. It's interesting because there are games within the game you unlock. These are not challenging in and of themselves but it's fun to have these pop up randomly. The game is true to the spirit of the Peanuts characters, with Lucy being the fussbudget she is and Charlie Brown being resigned and wishy-washy. Although, it's not a Mensa workout for adults by any means, I think children will find it challenging and engaging and even adults may find themselves stymied by the sheer simplicity of the game, i.e. I sometimes found myself "thinking too hard" and missing obvious solutions because I'm a grown up. The only gripes I have, which is why I didn't give it 5 stars are the graphics and sound. The drawings are a bit ragged around the edges and the sounds don't always match the action (and the words don't always match the mouth movements). Additionally, the sound is set too loud (the lowest setting was still too loud at least on my iMac). Other than the few technical glitches, overall, this game is just as fun as the Sims and it's nice to play a game that doesn't involve violence. Besides, who doesn't love Snoopy and the gang? If you're a parent, this is a good game for kids and if you're a Peanuts fan, you'll love it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Disney's Animated Storybook Collection is a three-in-one package thattakes new readers to familiar Disney stories. Along the way, it helps them learnto read those tales on their own. The collection offers three storybook versionsof some of its classic cinematic releases: Toy Story, 101Dalmatians, and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too.

Each follows a relatively straightforward format--a pared-down version of thestory is presented to users along with an interactive illustration. As the storyis read aloud, the words being read are highlighted so children can, withrepeated viewings, learn to recognize them. This reading practice isinterspersed with animations and games. In one such activity, players help putaway Andy's toys before a hoard of children descends upon his room. In another,Roo of the 100 Acre Wood plays tic-tac-toe with you.

This package provides a pleasant diversion for preschool children who arealready interested in learning to read. The amount of text provided is far fromoverwhelming, and the vocabulary is kept simple. There are enough distractionsfrom the educational content to keep the program from becoming drudgery, and thefamiliar Disney content should pose little challenge to most users. As childrengain reading proficiency, though, they may become frustrated with the games'insistence on playing out the lengthy animations. There is little scope forplayers to skip ahead, in other words--even if Pooh has explained the gamenavigation menu to them 40 times, children will have to sit through theinstructions again.

This aside, Disney's Animated Storybook Collection is ideal for Disney fansages 4 to 6. --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not very interesting, even for a 2 year old
We have had an older Pooh storybook for years. Both my kids loved it. There was a lot to see and do -- songs, funny things that happened if you clicked on the picture, and nice graphics. So when that storybook finally died, I ordered this one. We were so disappointed! The graphics are simplistic, the storyline choppy, there are no songs, and very few fun things happen when you click on different parts of the picture. When you click out of the story, you have to endure a slow listing of options before you can get back to where you were. This seems to have been put together quickly and cheaply and is not worth the money. Even my Pooh-crazy 2 year old was bored silly and disappointed.

Great for your kids!
I own a lot of Disney Learning Series CDs, like Kindergarten, Preschool and 1st grade. My kids love them all! I got this one a few months ago and both my kids love the story books!! I'm very happy with them and better yet my kids are having fun and learning to read at the same time. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

This program is designed to help children learn to read. Based on the School Zone Start-to-Read! series, this interactive software has two animated stories. "Jog, Frog, Jog" tells how a frog escapes from a big dog. "Nine Men Chase a Hen" is a humorous story about cooperation and friendship. Repeated and rhyming words, audio guidance, and picture clues encourage reading success. Children can get creative with pictures, art, and words in Create-a-Story. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Disney's Animated StoryBook: Toy Story is a CD-ROM adventure where you bring the story to life. With the click of a mouse, you'll enter a wacky 3-D world where toys come alive. As you read along, it's up to you to help Woody and Buzz escape bad-boy Sid, catch the moving van, and become best buddies. Every page is packed with fun surprises, plus music and 3-D graphics just like the movie. In fact, there's plenty of new animation for a nonstop reading adventure worth getting all wound up about! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Please help me with this. -
My 4 year old son absolutely loves toy story. He has 3 toy story CD Roms, and every toy, tape, and cd that can ever go w/ it. The problem is, I have been trying for months to get the Animated Storybook cd rom to work properly. I know it has something to do with quicktime, I am pretty sure. I think I have a newer version of quicktime, and it wants to install and delete it, but the pc won't allow it to. Well, I get as far as Ham telling you how to play, press on the play icon and it dies on me. Always w/ a message regarding qtc or pixo, both having to do with quicktime. Once I actually got all the way to the claw game, what a dissapointment that was to my 4 year old. The first day I put it in months ago, it worked great, the next morning, it never worked past Ham at the beginning again. Any ideas? Please, help, my son will grow out of his love for these characters before I know it, and I would love for him to be able to enjoy this cd rom. Thanks

My son loves it
We got this for my four year old son for Christmas. He is big into Toy Story and just loves it. He will play hours at a time without a peep. With its different levels I expect he will be entertained for some time to come. Even his older sister, who is 7, enjoys playing the game. I would recommend it highly. Keep them coming Disney!

Toy Story Animated Storybook
My two-year-old son loves this animated storybook. He has been asking to play with the CD everyday since we first got it. I bought four other animated storybooks along with Toy Story. However, this is his favorite out of all of them. The pictures are vivid and colorful. The navigation of the pages are simple compared to the others. He is able to navigate it with a mouse all by himself from the beginning to the end. ... Read more

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

"Thank you, thank you, Sam-I-Am! How we love Green Eggs and Ham!" Whether you prefer the straight read-aloud storybook or the silly games hidden throughout, your children will enjoy the software version of Dr. Seuss's classic Green Eggs and Ham as much as you enjoyed the book.

While Sam's story is best suited for toddlers and preschoolers, older siblings can still enjoy playing the included games for a time or two as well. Required mouse skills are basic, so even younger users should be able to play on their own. Clear, bright images are nearly identical to the original book illustrations, with the simple animations providing new excitement as the story builds to its "surprising" climax.

With Dr. Seuss's excellent combination of phonics and word repetition, your children will receive a great introduction to crucial early-reading skills. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great Green Eggs and Ham!
My 3.5 year old loves this game. It enabled him to master the mouse and now we leave him alone to play at his own pace and length of time. He constantly is calling me or my husband in to see some funny or fascinating tid-bit that is hidden in the picture. The memory game is his favorite and he's up to level 3! I now am looking into getting the Cat in the Hat for him.

Great Learning Tool!
My 2 1/2 year old son learned how to use the mouse by using this program. He loves the "Let Me Play" option. It keeps him entertained for a long time and is an alternative to watching TV. When we first got Green Eggs and Ham I even enjoyed playing with it for awhile. There are so many different things to click on that it could literally keep a kid entertained for hours (if they could sit still that long!) I highly recommend it.

superb motivator
This was the third cd-rom my three year old son was exposed to, and for the last four weeks, far and away his favourite (first two were Thomas Festival Adventure and Blue's ABC). This is the CD-rom that taught him to use the mouse independently - to go to the next page at his own pace, after he had had his fill of seemingly endless repetition of favourite click points. He now spontaneously recites entire passages of the story, himself or to get us to do it in dialogue with him. He spends longish periods of time looking at the book, and then either asking to play again (sort of like the book looking is a preparation to the computer screen activity), or else comes to point out to me what happens on the computer when he clicks on X aspecct. The part I liked the best were the clever, non-disruptive additions that have been added to the original Suess text (the ending is especially humourous - won't give it away).

It doesn't matter what parents or educators think will be an engaging piece of software - the crunch is what the child wants to spend time with. This was worth every penny. The only quibble I have (and which made me withhold that last review star) was that it sometimes takes a long time in the "play" (as opposed to "read to me") mode for the child to be able to actually play. The program always goes through the whole text on that page before they can get down to business. This should be more of an option.

Great for toddlers!
My son (2 1/2) adores this game. He giggles out loud at the silly antics on the screen. He especially enjoys playing the rhyming game. I was surprised at how much he learned about rhyming in such a short period of time. My 5 year old daughter also enjoyed it, but once she played a couple of times she was done with it. I would highly recommend it for ages 2 - 4, but 5 is probably too old.

Sam Loves This Game!
My son Sam loves this game. He's 2 and a half, and he practically has the story memorized. The play-along portion keeps him entertained for hours! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The 101 Dalmatians storybook is a fun way to improve children's reading, vocabulary, and problem-solving skills. As kids read along with Pongo, Perdy, and their adorable pups, they get to move the story along by taking part in four interactive learning games, six sing-alongs, and hundreds of surprise animations. There's even a thesaurus that allows kids to substitute synonyms into the story text and a dictionary that defines words with poetry. With so many innovative features, the storybook promises that learning has never been so doggone fun. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

101 Dalmations Animated Storybook
The 101 Dalmations Animated Storybook is remarkable! It makes my nephew's day when he can come over and play with it. His eyes light up when he sees the puppies on the screen. I think this is an EXCELLENT program and would recommend it to anyone. The print studio is another EXCELLENT bonus to this program. Coloring pictures that are printable are my favorite. Overall, I think that this program is one of the best available. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Cat is back--Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat that is, and so are Thing One and Thing Two, his mischievous sidekicks. Kids play along with Tommy and Sally, and their rainy afternoon gets a big boost when the Cat in the Hat "steps in on the mat." Filled with fun activities, kids can turn the house upside down and inside out playing three games: The Balancing Act, The Clean-up Machine, and Pop-Up Activities. Designed to delight ages 3 to 7, children also expand their vocabulary, develop word recognition, practice reading, and more.

In The Balancing Act, kids interact with the Cat in the Hat by balancing his load as he holds up just about every household item imaginable. Children add things or take them away from each side to keep the Cat from falling, and, when he falls, it's no small crash. In The Clean-up Machine, children help clean up the mess created by clicking on objects around the room and directing the arms of the Clean-Up Machine. Other fun activities appear as clickable objects in Pop-Up Activities. Click and throw a basketball, design a portrait, and more. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Perfect Introduction to Computers for Young Children!
I bought this CD-Rom a year ago, in preparation for my young son's inevitable interest in computers. I had no idea what it did, what games it had, etc. When my 4-year old son put it in the computer for the first time, I was blown away. It is so much more than the review indicates. This core of the disc is the Cat In The Hat story, but the level of interaction is awesome. On each page, you first hear/see the story. When the narrator is finished reading (or the characters are finished talking) on that page, you get to play. You can click on every single image on the page and it does something creative and entertaining. And not just the characters. I'm talking the floor, the doors, the window shades...even the stairs. Long after my son and I had started playing and I'd been through each page dozens (maybe hundreds) of times, he discovered new things to click on that were even more enteratining than those I'd shown him. For example, in the page showing Thing 1 and Thing 2 flying their kites in the hall, if you click on the stairs it starts moving like an escalator, mall "muzac" starts playing, and Thing 1 and Thing 2 appear on the escalator as shoppers, saying, respectively, "I've sure got a lot of things to return," and "I've sure got a lot of things to destroy." This program is absolutely darling, and you grown-ups won't mind being called over to the computer repeatedly when your little one announces, "Mom, look what happens when I click on the Cat's hat!"

In terms of age-range, it's perfect for a first-time exposure to computers, yet I believe it would appeal to older children as well. My son, who just turned 4, had never used a computer before, and yet in no time he was navigtating by himself and clicking on everything in sight. He even found out how to shut the program down before it ends, whereas I had been using control-alt-delete! At the same time, my boyfriend's 10-year old and his friends can't keep from looking over my son's shoulder and excitedly telling him to "click on the fish! click on the bed!"

Graphically, I don't have a lot of experience with this type of software, but the program is completely animated. It's not just static pictures of the story-book pages. The animation is along the lines of the 1971 Cat In The Hat Original TV Series DVD (which tells a different story, but is another must-have!).

Educationally, I can't give an opinion because my son hasn't started to read yet and isn't too interested in the words yet. But I do know that it seems to have the same abilities and features as Leap Pad books: it shows the written storybook as it narrates the animation, highlighting each word as it is read, and it repeats the words if your child clicks on them (with some funny variations).

All in all, a wonderful, entertaining program for both children and their parents who will endure its endless repetitions!

Cat in the Hat
Have used Dr Suess books, especially Cat in the Hat, to teach English to young learners. With the animation and learning support offered by this excellent CD-rom, language development is readily stimulated. The children beg for it day after day!

Really good buy
I first saw this software in my local library and immediately decided to get one for my 3 year old. The program is as good as I expected. It installs very easily, runs well, has some animation while reading with different voices for the characters. It is a fine job overall, and my son loves it. The whole story lasts 15 minutes, and so far he has spent an hour or two a day watching it without me prompting him. There is also a part of the program where one can click the items on the screen and make it do something, but my son doesn't know how to manipulate the mouse yet. I suspect he will enjoy it later. Considering the fact that the book itself costs around $7, 10 bucks for a whole CD doesn't seem out of line at all. There is one small drawback: there is no direct way to quit the program in the middle of the book -- no "Esc" or "F1" key can bail you out of there. I got out once by pressing the windows key and then close it in windows, which is not the proper way to close a program and I felt guilty doing it. They should have designed a way to quit at any time gracefully, I think, but this is not a big problem. Overall, I am very happy I bought it.

Terrific Value. Young kids love it.
I've spent a lot more on kids software that got a lot less use. My 3yo loves it and plays with it over and over again. He loves to show it to his friends, who are all extremely engaged. Terrific value.

Nice but boring
My 3 year old is a big fan of The Cat in The Hat so I was thrilled to find this software. While it's amusing both he and I were very quickly bored. The book is "read" to you and then you get to interact with the images on the page, but there are very few actual "games" and even those are uninteresting. Objects and characters move, speak or do silly things when you click on them but nothing is challenging or requires any thought. There are a few exceptions (on one page you can rearange a portrait on the wall, on another make the cat balance more items...) but it's just nothing interesting and there's not enough... ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

This program aims to start kids off on the path to creative learning and problem solving. Lovable characters Arthur and D.W. are on a family picnic, and they need kids' help setting a nutritious meal on the table. Other fun learning activities include hosing down gophers, decorating a house, and matching words with pictures. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

if you have windows xp - don't waste your money
my daughter is interested in the game, but as we have windows xp, she cannot play the game. i have contacted the learning company and have tried to install it using the windows program compatibility wizard and the 16-bit version. nothing works. the learning company's reply is that it will not work on windows xp - end of story. and i'm out of luck!

Correction - doesn't run on XP still...
It turns out I was wrong.... the 32 bit version definitely doesn't work on XP and the 16 bit version starts but faults in several places on XP even with the compatibility settings to run like 9x .... if you want to use this software seems 95/98/ME & NT4 seem to be the limit for now. Sorry !

A bit of fun and learning with a hitch.....
The kids seem to love this learning software.

My child keeps saying DW is silly or naughty for not eating properly, so I suggest the message does reach the mark.

Yes there is a bit of squirting pesky gophers with water from a hose (note neither the hose or any other object is used to strike or injure the pests) so don't panic violence is not the theme and with proper parental guidance this software is certainly not a negative role model.

You could certainly do worse.

Re it doesn't work on a modern OS, well the 32 bit DW_32.exe certainly wouldn't run for me on XP (generates a Media Player crash), however if you run the DW_16.exe it runs fine....

I'm sure TLC/BroderBund could fix this so have logged a fault call. Usually successful.

Play with your child whilst they use this software and watch and enjoy as they learn and play.

Pity it doesn't run on any modern OS
Just don't make the same mistake I did - only 2 of these Arthur games actually support NT/2000/XP. So unless you have the archaic 95/98 OS, fuhgedaboutit. Pity, because our son loves to play these at our local library.

WHAT??? - a learning title that teaches cruelty to animals??
"Other fun learning activities include HOSING DOWN GOPHERS" ??? Hello!!! that kind of activity is neither educational NOR related to the supposed nutrition learning theme NOR an appropriate model for kids interacting with wild animals. The realities of pest control are neither necessary nor appropriate knowledge for a young child, AND studies show that violence toward animals is the first step toward violence toward other people. Now a "learning title" is going to teach VIOLENCE toward animals is a "FUN LEARNING ACTIVITY"????

I am really disgusted with both the Learning Co. AND the Arthur folks. (I was a previous customer of both, but obviously plan to look elsewhere in the future) ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

With tons of spelling and vocabulary words and silly pictures to click on, Arthur's Teacher Trouble introduces kids to the Spanish language with the help of their favorite aardvark. This interactive storybook form introduces us to Mr. Ratburn, Arthur's new teacher, as he advances to the finals of a spelling bee, trying to win an elusive trophy.

The 24-pagestory can be read aloud with no computer skills needed beyondclicking on the arrow at the bottom of the page and at the start of thestory. (Parents or older children can choose whether the story will be readin Spanish or English.) For children with slightly more advanced mouseskills, every scene has multiple points that can be clicked on for hilariousthings to happen--you never know what you might find lurking in the trashcan! With the graphics so true to the original books' satisfying amount ofvocabulary-related activities, this award-winning storybook is bound to be abig hit with any Arthur fan. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Arthur's Teacher Trouble
Marc Brown creates the Arthur adventure, Arthur's Teacher Trouble with a moral in mind. Also it proves that if you work hard and give it your all, you'll be more successful. The book is told for children to understand that a little hard work gets you somewhere. With no effort at all, you won't come out with your best.

Arthur gets stuck with a hard teacher. The teacher starts out tough on the students, assigning homework right away. Arthur isn't very confident in himself and isn't used to the work and extra effort that he has to give to 3rd grade. With all of his hard work he actually gets awarded with something even better...and by reading this book you'll be sure to find out!

Arthur is my favorite character in this particular Arthur book. He isn't very confident in himself, but we all relate to that. And in the end we sometimes get surprised by unexpected turns.

Neat!
This game is great for young computer-users! Each page has at least 15 "interactions" -- i.e. clicking on the salt shakers in the kitchen makes them dance. The story can read itself to you are you can read it silently. Even clicking on one word makes the computer say it. Great for children just learning to read. However, using it TOO many times can get tiring...after all, it is just a computerized book. Great value for the money!

I learned from Arthur's Teacher Trouble.
I learned to do my best, but that if my best isn't better than everyone else's best, it is okay. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

In Caillou: Magic Playhouse, kids help Caillou and friends discover hidden treasure in a fun-filled adventure! The play begins with Caillou's babysitter, as she creates a scavenger hunt in the house. Children choose from four exciting themes and then set out on an adventure through the house with Caillou, his cat, Gilbert, his sister, Rosie, and all his friends.

Kids search the house room by room, clicking on items to find the hidden treasure. As they succeed, kids can watch their treasure collection grow. Along the way, they'll find eight laugh-out-loud activities and challenging puzzles. And, for a change of pace, kids can print fun projects to take with them or even make snacks with Caillou.

Designed to build children's preschool and kindergarten skills, Caillou: Magic Playhouse matches a unique set of learning activities with each of the title's four themes. Throughout gameplay, children are encouraged to develop their early spelling and phonics abilities, along with counting, pattern recognition, and computer mouse skills. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Cailliou On Computer
Cailliou Magic Playhouse has its ups and downs.For starters, it has the features and cuteness of the cartoon on PBSkids but not reaching the point that other preschool games reach that keep them playing for hours.Ciallou has the game strategies that your young one needs but they outgrow it and get bored of it faster than your average preschool game.All in all,if you want a game on the preschool level,the Fisher Price (Petshop or Rescue Heros for example)are a better educational and imaginative choice.It meets the requirements kids need and kids even above their age range appriciate the games as well as within the range of 3-6 for the range printed on the box's sake.

Only for children under 3
Caillou Magic Playhouse is very disappointing. The pictures are cute but the games are not challenging. This item says that it is for a 2-6 year old but all except one of the activities is for a child of 2 or younger. My daughter is 3 checked out all the games and except for a run of the mill advanced reading and math game could do all of the games on their hardest settings the first time. She immediately declared this game boring after the first and only time she played with it. Games like Freddie Fish, Madeline and many others she is still playing with after many months because they have challenges, which grow with the child's ability. For example the matching game in Caillou only goes up to 10 pictures which is 5 pairs. A good game, which is challenging would have more pairs as an option. Don't buy this game.

fun (and stable) software for little Caillou fans
Mommy and Daddy are ging out for the evening and Julie is babysitting Caillou and Rosie. Your little one will enjoy wandering through the rooms of Caillou's house, finding clickable objects, 6 treasure hunt objects and 8 activities. Before playing, you select a "theme" -- Sports, Music, Sun & Sand or Nature, which only minimally affects game play, such as the drawings found in the Crafts area.

The games, most of which have three difficulty levels, are: (1) Crafts. You can make pictures or puppets, and choose coloring pages or connect-the-dots, and then print them out. (2) Music. Julie taps a tune on a xylophone and your child repeats it. Difficulty levels vary the number of notes (1, 3 or 5). (3) Cloud Shapes. As the three watch clouds float by, click on those that have a distinctive shape. Difficulty levels vary the number of clouds and whether or not the shapes are partially hidden. (4) Matching. Eight dresser drawers are shown. Match pairs by opening the drawers. Difficulty varies from solid color socks to simple versus more complex patterns. (5) Sing and Dance. Your child can choose from among several songs, then place a dancing Caillou image along the bars of music. When you press 'Play', Caillou dances along to the song. (6) Building Blocks. Use given shapes to construct a toy, then identify the object. Difficulty varies how the object is identified -- by clicking on a picture, overlapping letters of the given name or constructing the name from a jumble of letters. (7) Silly Stories. Determine a story by choosing a character, a place and two objects, then click the 'Play' button to have the story read aloud. Words are highlighted as the story is read. (8) Fly By Butterflies. Catch butterflies in a net by clicking on them. Difficulty level determines whether the butterflies are solid or have a simple or more complex pattern.

I like that the game begins with the familiar song and introduction from the television series, that it is very stable and seamlessly incorporates animated and puppet sequences into gameplay. I also like that these scenes can be interrupted with a mouse click. Instruction screens precede each activity and are clear, though too lengthy for little kids to take in. From any screen you can access help or instructions, or easily back out of an activity, and it's easy to change difficulty levels.

Little ones will probably learn mouse and navigation skills more than they will learn math or reading from this game, but it is entertaining for Caillou fans. Because the instructions can be lengthy, it's important that you sit with your child and play through the game at first. This title is very similar to Caillou Birthday Party -- identical format, different activities.

Great for Toddlers
I found the ability to change the skill level very appropriate for toddlers between 3 and 6 years. I needed to change the speed of my mouse, and suggest that you do also. This allows the little ones to become used to the mouse and allows them the interactivity of this game. It is for those little ones who are fans of Caillou.

Wonderfull Game
I bought this game for my four year old who gets bored easly. I love this game and so does my son. I found that I didn't need to help him at all with this game, the instructions where easy. I think the game over all was great. I even found myself wanting to play it. I like how it was also musical. My 18 month old likes to watch my son play this game. I would recomend it to anyone who wants there children to learn and have fun at the same time. Great Game!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Without you, there will be no happy endings! In Disney's Villains' Revenge you must journey into Disney's most famous stories to restore the happy endings before the villains take over forever. With Jiminy Cricket as your guide, your missions include rescuing Dumbo from the Ringmaster and a band of evil clowns, breaking the evil Queen's spell to save Snow White from eternal slumber, restoring Peter Pan's youth by dueling Captain Hook and his cutthroat pirates, and helping Alice in Wonderland escape the dastardly hedge maze of the Queen of Hearts. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The grand Villain's Revenge
"Find the happy endings" is the subject on this grand game.
For me I loved it. It is a game to get together and try to save your happy heros. it is also dark so if your scard of any Villain (like me with the the Snow white queen)be carefull. As lovebull Jimmy crickete is your giude you will save the Disney hearos.Fun for the whole famliy.You'll love it.

Save The Stories!!!
Adventure, action, romance -- this is the one. Disney's Villains' Revenge is a wonderful game and is a must-have for kids constantly glued to the computer screen. Here's the situation. Jiminy Cricket was trying to entertain you by reading a few classic stories out of the book. He thought that this was so dull, however, that he (very unwisely) chose to tear out the happy ending pages of the stories. A violent storm & a gust of wind emerge inside the bedroom. Very mysteriously, the book starts flying around the room. It opens. Out of nowhere, The Ringmaster, Captain Hook, The Wicked Queen, & The Queen Of Hearts emerge, grabbing the happy ending pages. And then, just as if nothing had happened, the book lands lightly back on the table. Jiminy, (obviously in shock), was speechless. Then, The Blue Fairy comes, explaining to Jiminy that by removing the happy ending pages, in the story, the heroes were left in peril, and the villains put in control. She explains that, to fix the stories, you must travel into them to defeat the villains. The Blue Fairy then leaves. After an encounter with The Doorknob's cousins, In & Out, you're on your way. Then you can choose to confront one of the four villains. In Alice's Topiary Maze, you need to find Alice's head. To do this, you need to follow Alice's voice. When you come to a clearing, you need to choose the path where Alice's voice is the loudest. Once you have found Alice's head, you need to follow the White Rabbit to get out of the maze. Beware. There are obstacles in you way that will hurt you, including: pocket watches, cheshire cats, cloud animals, & guards. In the Snow White Spellbook game, you need to mix four magical potions to save Snow White from eternal slumber. To do this, first you need to cast the spell to refill Gust Of Wind. Then you need to cast the spell to refill Thunderbolt. Then you need to cast the spell for the poisoned apple. Then you need to cast the spell of true love. And presto, Snow White is saved. Beware. You need to cast the spells in the spellbook from the bottom up, and in the order you see the ingredients in the spellbook, also from the bottom up. In the Save Dumbo game, you need to move three clowns, a beach ball, a cannon, a lion, a fire hydrant & a sand bag in order for the little elephant to escape. In the Hook Swordfight game, your goal is to knock Hook off the crow's nest three times, along with being attacked by climbing & swinging pirates, in order to win. Beware. Seven hits from Hook, & you're out of the game. Now that you've saved all of the stories, Jiminy was going to put the happy ending pages back in, but then he discovers... they're gone!!! Now you must confront the villains once again in a final battle that we like to call, The Final Confrontation. Fight the harder battles first, like The Ringmaster or The Wicked Queen. Once you've defeated them all, then all of the stories are saved, & the happy endings are back. The Blue Fairiy comes back, and rewards you with four magical games that are about what happens after happily ever after. For Clown Fever, you need to keep up with Bumpy The Clown's dancing moves to win. In the Seven Dwarf's Gold Rush, try to get to the bottom of the mine to where all of the gold is, while avoiding obstacles. This is the best one. In Wonderland Maze, help a little caterpillar find his way home. Last, in Pirate Block, you need to block six of Captain Hook's moves & make a straight line of pieces to win. And even after you've defeated the villains, just for fun, you can go back and confront them again. Well, that's it. I hope this review has helped you & encourages you to get this CD-ROM.

THIS GAME IS OKAY!
You and your friend,Jimmy Cricket must travel into 4 stories to and defeat the evul villians.Travel through Snow White,Peter Pan,Alice in Wonderland,and Dumbo.Beat the Wicked Queen,beat Captain Hook,defeat Queen of Hearts,and throw a pie on the evil ringmaster.After beating the IV tales,you must fight the villians and set the stories right againg.

Complete with cool music,graphics,and just good Disney fun.This game I think is for kids 4-12.A great game to enjoy over and over.Help Snow White,Peter Pan,Alice,and Dumbo put the bad guys where they belong! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Whether you've got a picky eater at home or you're just a fan of the irresistible aardvark family, this activity pack is sure to be a huge hit. The package starts off with an interactive storybook, featuring Miss D.W. herself as a picky eater who won't try anything new--until she has a big surprise at her Grandma's birthday dinner. The story has tons of funny clickables and graphics that look identical to Marc Brown's awesome illustrations from the book.

At the end of the book, kids can go hang out with D.W. in her bedroom, where there's five different learning activities waiting for them. One great activity is the Story Maker; users choose the themes, pictures, and phrases for their stories and then click the Print icon to save them for posterity! There's also a fun way to help build some early reading skills by replacing words from the storybook with 30 different picture stickers. It can be quite a challenge for prereaders, and a fun matching activity for those who've already mastered that skill.

Just for fun, there's a dollhouse to decorate, and it's got all the details to make a house a home. As with all of the activities here, kids can print pages with a monochrome printer for some great coloring opportunities! From hand-eye coordination and mouse skills to word recognition and nutrition, there's an amazing amount of learning packed into this program--and it's all an awful lot of fun. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very Disappointing
We were very disappointed with this game. Its basically a read-along story combined with a few games. My preschoolers were bored with this one right away. I wouldn't recommend it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Join Caillou and all his friends for a fun-filled birthday celebration! Kids get to help Caillou make it the best birthday ever! They start by choosing from four party themes, complete with their own unique learning activities, presents, games like musical chairs, and, of course, cake! Kids also get to print Caillou party accessories that can be used when their birthday comes along!

Designed to build children's preschool and kindergarten skills, Caillou: Birthday Party's eight fun-filled activities also include puzzles that encourage pattern and shape recognition as well as problem solving. Music and celebratory songs round out the fun with Caillou and friends. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Annoying game with a few positive points
This game could so easily have been better with the slightest bit of effort. Unlike most games this game doesn't remember any of the settings for a particular child. It's not clear to me why they even bother having them sign in. The instructions where played for every game, no matter how many times the game has been played. The next problem was that it doesn't remember what level of the game the child last played at and starts over at level one every time. This is bad for two reasons. One is that many children get comfortable at a level and don't want to move on to the next, more challenging level. The parent ought to be able to change it once and not have to keep changing it every time. Not only that, you have to go into the game to change the level and then it plays the instructions yet again for the next level. It's true that you can click through all that but it's very annoying. Also, what is the point of having the confirmation every time the child leaves a game? It's not like they're going to lose some valuable data. They can just get back in if they want. Being asked all the time is also annoying.

On the positive side, there are enough activities in the game. And there were a few sound-oriented games that I thought were pretty nice and unusual. However, the art project was totally lame. No creativity at all. Just picking things from a menu.

fun and stable software for little Caillou fans
Caillou's friends will be arriving soon for his birthday party, and your little one will enjoy wandering through the rooms of Caillou's house as he gets ready for the big event, finding clickable objects, 6 party hats and 8 activities. Before playing, you select a "theme" -- Sports, Music, Sun & Sand or Nature, which only minimally affects game play.

The games, most of which have three difficulty levels, are: (1) Sound identification. Caillou shakes a present and you determine what it is by choosing from three objects represented. Difficulty level varies whether you select from a set of pictures, words or pictures with words. (2) Melody Match. Create a free-form song or listen to a progressively longer song then recreate it by clicking on the appropriate characters and pictures. (3) Crafts. Design and print party hats, invitations, cards or placemats. (4) Bubble pop. As Caillou takes a bath, you are asked to pop specific bubbles. Difficulty determines whether the bubbles depict colors, shapes or numbers. (5) Rhyming. Grandpa reads a two-line poem with the last word missing, and you choose from among three words to make it rhyme. Words are highlighted as the story is read. (6) Make a cake. Use given layers and decorations to construct a cake, then identify who will get a piece of it. Difficulty varies the number of layers and how the recipient is identified -- by clicking on the full name, overlapping letters of the given name or constructing the name from a jumble of letters. (7) Musical Chairs. Caillou and his three friends are dancing. You click on the person that corresponds to a given color, shape or number. (8) Number Chase. This is a game that Caillou plays against a chosen character. Die are rolled and the difficulty level determines whether Caillou counts, no one counts or two dice are rolled.

I like that the game begins with the familiar song and introduction from the television series, that it is very stable and seamlessly incorporates animated and puppet sequences into gameplay. I also like that these scenes can be interrupted with a mouse click. Instruction screens precede each activity and are clear, though too lengthy for little kids to take in. From any screen you can access help or instructions, or easily back out of an activity, and it's simple to change difficulty levels.

I didn't like that the Number Chase game was confusing and that, during cake construction and name building, the pieces must be placed in order; in the former case, the order is not always intuitive. Also, it would be nice if there were a printed instruction booklet. Little ones will probably learn mouse and navigation skills more than they will learn math or reading from this game, but it is entertaining for Caillou fans. Because the instructions can be lengthy, it's important that you sit with your child and play through the game at first. This title is very similar to Caillou Magic Playhouse -- identical format, different activities.

Excellent!
Keeps the child busy for a long time. They learn but most of all they have fun - what a 3yr old should be doing!

confusing!
I was so very disappointed in this software! My 3 year old who enjoys many different types of software and loves Caillou was disappointed. The pathways from one activity to the next is confusing. In the middle of acitvities he would tap a wrong key and end up in some other activity. Don't buy it.

Eight fun activities and four fun themes
In the Birthday Party, young players join Cailou and all his friends for the perfect birthday celebration entertainingly enhanced with an engaging combination of animation, puppets, music, dance, and live action. The eight fun activities and four fun themes, along with printable "Family Time" projects make for a wonderfully self-directed, game-based, learning experience. The learning of preschool and kindergarten skills was never so much fun! This Calliou gaming CD-ROM package operates on either Windows or Macintosh platforms, and are based on the popular charecters of an award winning PBS KIDS series. Ideal for daycare center, kindergarten, and homeschooling curriculums for children ages 2 to 6. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

This playful software is animated with hundreds of sketches, new scenes, surprises, and activities. Your child directs the action with just a click of the mouse; littler ones can choose the Read-to-Me mode. Children will build important skills while playing games such as Mouse in a House, the Wacky Food Concentration Game, and the Silly Rhyming Sentence Machine. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Another Seuss Winner from Learning Company!
This is my third CD-Rom purchase from The Learning Company, and I can't give them high enough ratings. The first time my 4 year-old son played the Green Eggs & Ham CD (after having devoured their Cat In The Hat game -- see my review of that CD-Rom for more details), I thought it was a let-down. Shows what I know. My son wanted to keep playing it, and after one or two times, he discovered in this game the same level of depth, creativity and imagination as we found in the Cat In The Hat CD. In fact, this CD even allows you to select more difficult levels of play for the matching game (at which my son, at the highest level, is much more adept at than I am -- apparently I need to stick to the first level!).

Like the Cat In The Hat story, this one allows your child to decide whether they want the story read to them or they want to interact. For those who want to interact, it provides different levels of varying, interesting interaction; I didn't realize it until my son showed me, but many of the story items do something different every time they're clicked! And it's not like the items just move a little bit when clicked; the animate objects either do an elaborate dance or deliver a clever little Seussian rhyme about their situation, and the inanimate objects...I can't even describe the type of fun they demonstrate. You'll have to take my word for it. It really seems like Dr. Seuss created this software himself! I can't recommend it highly enough for children from their first introduction to computers to about 5 or 6 years old (when everything becomes dumb).

Entertaining Education!
I purchased this software for my 4 year old son because I was getting tired of renewing it over and over again at the library! He would sit at the computer playing with this software for hours, if I would let him! A juice box and a bowl of goldfish and he'd be all set. :-)

As big fans of all of the Learning Company titles, we knew we would love this one, too. Besides the wonderful rhymes from the beloved Dr. Seuss, there is sheer enjoyment to be had clicking all over the screen. The results are hilarious!

To show you the software's appeal, my 10 year old daughter always seems to find an excuse to be near the computer when my son is playing this game, and the next thing you know, they're sitting in the chair together, having a wonderful time.

An excellent piece of software, and I highly recommend it!

My 3 year old loves this game!
We had to buy this for my son because he couldn't stop giggling when he played it at the library... and it's hard to maintain an "appropriate library noise level" with all that giggling :)

There's just something about the little "things" you can do (like click on the car horn to make it beep) that he finds incredibly entertaining!

Green eggs and ham
This book is a classic! If you never read this book you should ,and this book is great for all ages! Even if your 100!
Little kids will laugh .... You will love it and everyone else will to. So go and buy it!And soon, because you will read it over and over....

It's fun to "gooble up" Green Eggs and Ham!
This has given MANY HAPPY HOURS of fun and learning to my class of three-year-olds. Their day begins and ends with this program. It is great for cooperative learning, for often there are many others around the computer as one child is playing. Most of the children have learned all of the words. The interactive portion brings gales of laughter, especially when the green eggs are twirling the lasso toward the green ham.

I am buying it for my grandson's Christmas present and getting a copy for me, too! It's fun to be young at heart and laugh while learning, no matter what the age of the "child." ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Travel on a fabulous journey through magical Oz to save Dorothyfrom the Wicked Witch of the West's evil clutches. Based on the beloved tale by L. FrankBaum--perhaps better known as the timeless classic film of the samename--this interactive CD-ROM puts a new twist on the familiar story:Dorothy is seized by the winged monkeys and imprisoned in the Witch'scastle; in order to free her and get the heart, courage, andbrain they respectively long for, the Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow mustfind jewels hidden throughout Oz to activate the key to the Witch'slair.

Players collect jewels by participating in nine learning activitiesscattered throughout four virtual environments drawn from the originalstory (Emerald City, Land of the Munchkins, and more); in addition, fun(and, of course, educational) puzzles pop up everywhere to liven up thejourney and involve kids in the story. Remember the field of poppiesthat put Dorothy to sleep? Here players must figure out how to wake theCowardly Lion from a poppy-induced slumber, challenging theirproblem-solving and creativity skills while making them feel like one of thegang. Kids can easily navigate through Oz on their own, or by clickingon a map of the city that tells them where they are and where they'vebeen. And, if they ever get in a real bind, there's a magic mirror theycan use to get help from Glinda the Good Witch.

The activities challenge a variety of skills, and most have beenthoughtfully created to echo the feel and flavor of Oz and the kinds ofthings and people you'd expect to find in such an enchanting place. Forinstance, players must help a disgruntled and very vocal tree get ridof its itchy bugs, cleverly disguised as fruit, by choosing the fruitthat doesn't belong with the others--a great practice in patternrecognition. At another stop, kids help an amnesiac munchkin regain hermemory by concocting a fruity potion of just the right proportions--toomuch apple or not enough pear, and you won't get the jewel that rewardsthe right mixture; here players hone their grasp of measurement andfractions. Three different levels of play adjust the difficulty of theactivities, so kids can continue to enjoy the game even as they growolder and better at many of the challenges.

Though the learning activities emphasize many of the same skills asother educational software for kids, it is the quality of the graphicsand the heart of the story that distinguish Oz from the pack ofcompeting products; the characters are richly illustrated and givenreal personalities, which adds to the feeling of adventure and purposeplayers gain as they work through the activities. And the story itself,so familiar to many of us and yet still so compelling, is hard totop--who can resist the chance to throw a bucket of water on the WickedWitch? --Leah Ball ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Oz: A Magicial Adventure
This is a wonderful game! Together with the Scarcrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion you or your child travels through three different countrys in the Land of Oz, in search of 9 magical jewels which will help you open the door to the Wicked Witch's castle and free Dorothy! This amazing game helps children with math, building on problem-solving skills, and development on critical thinking skills...While haveing a lot of fun at the same time! And, if the bronze level is to easy for your child, then move up to silver, or gold. This game is based on L. Frank Baum's original story that your child or even you will enjoy. My favorite part of this game was melting the Wicked Witch in the end..every child will enjoy it!

Oz-TMA --Great Fun
My 4 year old loves this game. Dorothy is captured by the Wicked Witch and the Scarecrow, Tin man, and Lion must save her. Good for boys, too, since the user is following the male characters to rescue Dorothy. Glinda is the help guide. The child must find nine jewels before the game is over. Each jewel is the reward for solving problems in three different areas. No reading is needed but math, logic, and spacial relationship skills are. The three levels of difficulty will keep your child coming back again and again. My four year old can complete the 1st (Bronze )level on her own but needs help in some areas of silver and gold so it's still challenging. Big plus is that your child gets to melt the Wicked Witch at the end.

Awesome graphics!
Check out the screen shots of this product on Amazon.... The graphics are so well done--they beat almost anything I've seen.

Oz: The Magical Adventure
My daughter (4 1/2) absolutely loved this cd-rom. She sat for over an hour the first time having so much fun. She wouldn't stop until she collected all the gems and was able to rescue Dorothy in Emerald city! She was problem-solving, sequencing, doing maizes and improving her thinking skills and she did't even know it! There are 3 difficulty levels (she started on easy), so she will be able to play this one for a long time. All her favorites- the scarecrow, the tinman, the lion and of course the yellow brick road! This is the best and most creative/educational cd-rom I've seen. I'm going to buy several and give them for all the 5 year birthday parties coming up! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

A great way to learn the alphabet--from Aunt Annie's alligator to the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz--Dr. Seuss's beloved word play and fanciful illustrations are brought beautifully to life through this software. Each page has multiple hidden places to click, along with pictures, actions, and songs just waiting to surprise you.

For a great activity for more advanced readers, have them pick out just the verbs or nouns on each page. Younger siblings can learn to recognize both capitals and lowercase letters. Sound effects and talking characters add depth and humor to the basic alphabet, and Seuss's version of the "ABC" song will become a permanent sing-along favorite. The CD can even be played on your regular home music system--a great bonus when parents need their computer back!

Required mouse skills can be as simple as clicking one icon to turn the page; kids can also discover clickables no matter what level of coordination they have. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Can't find one better!
My daughter has loved this book since she was born. I've literally been showing it to her since she was only a couple months old and she still can sit through the whole book (about a half hour or so) every day! I think it's better than the others because (1) it's read in kid's voices, (2) every page looks different unlike many of these software books, and (3) it has lots of nice music and song effects. And I don't feel so guilty for using a computer book since it's somewhat educational. I wish I could find another she likes half as much because I've seen this one a thousand times! (By the way, hitting the space bar while it's in reading mode stops it.)

Artistically great but there are some practical problems.
This is a very nice animated adaption of the old Dr. Seuss book which my 3.5 yr-old liked for about 8 minutes and that's where the problem came in. There is no apparent way to stop it! In fact the mouse is disabled until the entire book has read itself. Nothing in the instructions about how to interrupt it either. My son ejected and restarted the CD before I had a chance to stop him, the program re-launched, consumed the rest of my memory and I had to hard boot my PC. Whatever changes the program made to the settings (x2) made my PC fail to boot the first 2 tries. Be careful using this and be prepared to let it play itself out without you!

Good, but too much belching
This was the first software that we bought for our sons. They enjoyed it from about 2 1/2 years old. My youngest, at 4 1/2, wouldn't now reach for it, but would do it if it was set up. My only complaint is that the characters can't seem to eat anything without belching.

Excellent Software for Toddlers
This was the 1st piece of software we purchased for our daughter and before we knew it she was both singing and reciting her ABC's. It will not only teach your children their ABC's but will also help their hand eye coordination with the mouse. In addition, it will keep your child captivated with all the silly things we love and hold dear from Dr. Seuss.

Grows with your child
Our daughter has been enthralled by this CD since she was 14 months old and simply watched as the book was read to her, letter by letter. As she's become familiar and proficient with the mouse, she keeps coming back to discover new characters, words and activities. It's given us all hours of enjoyment. ... Read more