Reviews (2)

Pretty Good.
If your child knows all the rules of addition, substraction and the multiplation table, but he/she is just slow; this software can be helpful. This software can create a random set of exercises at various difficulty level and challenge the child to do as much as he/she can in one minute. Pratice makes perfect. It works.

Olympic Winner
My 8 year old daughter had struggled with math since first grade. She loves the practices and challenges of the Olympic games and she especially loves winning the medals. My husband loaded the game and she was able to take it from there with no assistance. She is having fun and learning her math basics. The game is well worth the money. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Math skills come in handy when playing this mystical, mathematicalAladdin adventure. By solving math problems that test skills ranging fromaddition and subtraction to patterns, estimation, and logic, children can savethe day and rescue Aladdin and his friends from the forces of evil. A wickedgenie named Bizarrah has escaped from her lamp and has captured Jasmine, Abu, and Aladdin in Agrabah. Players must do the math to put an end to Bizarrah,once and for all.

Movie-quality animation and an astounding number of multilevel, age-appropriatemath games make this software a classic. Whether kids are playing the DungeonGames, Agrabah Games, Magical Carnival Games, or Pyramid Games, they'll love thechallenging gameplay and adventure this unique software offers.

Games range from Yazoul's Number Wall, which has kids making mental computationsby using addition and subtraction skills, to a fast-paced virtual marble game,Square Up, where geometry and logical reasoning rule as kids race the carnivalbarker by being the first to create squares in a challenging grid screen.Noflying carpet required, just bring along your math skills for hours ofchallenging math fun. (Ages 6 to 9) --Tina Velgos ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Excellent math practice
My son received this when he was 6 years old. He played with it constantly. He helped his 5 year old sister play with him. Today he is 8 and still loves playing at a higher skill level. The attraction for my kids is that their goal is to get the pieces of the magic lamp from which Bizarra escaped. Once they get the pieces, they can capture her. To accomplish this, they have to play various math games to free their friends and get the pieces. They get basic math skill practice and have fun doing it. Even after they've accomplished their goal, they can come back and play any game they want or start a new game. They get practice in basic addition, geometric shapes, sequences, matching patterns, etc.

Pretty but limited
I bought this for my almost 7 year old and played it a little alone first. I thought the graphics were great, and the games seemed interesting enough... BUT.... I didnt realize there was so little to the game. My quick peek at it actually was almost to the end of it. Basically there are only 14 games (I think that's right) and once you've played them... its over. It took my son less than 2 hours to play this game (would have been faster but it was sometimes a bit slow changing screens, and we have a 1gig/Athalon pc.) He liked it cuz he's goal oriented, and solving the story makes it more interesting to him than the ones where you do tasks for no particular reason. But ... what now? A few more hours at different levels and we'll be done with this game....

Does run under NT 4.0
While the package says it is for Win 95/98, it does install and run under NT 4.0 (saying its NT 3.0 and I might have problems with NT) on my Dell 7500 laptop. The installer does want you to change to 256 color mode, but runs okay in 65,536 (16-bit) color mode.

My 8 year old son loves this program.

Do math in Aggrabh
I am horrid at math, and still enjoy this game. While it can be hard, once you get used to it you won't want to quit. You'll want to keep going so you can save Aggrabah from the evil genie who has been unleashed. The only problem is that there is no refrense whatsoever in the plot here to the plot of the movie.

Great thinking skills!
This CD helps kids build a variety of math skills, including addition and logical thinking. The different levels are good, but what I really love is how you can move around and play your favorite games again and again. The only negative is there is no subtraction practice. But kids learn without even realizing it. This is great. I wish there were more like it! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

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

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

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

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

Reviews (16)

Can't run software on a computer with 1GB memory
I have the same problem on a computer running Windows 2000 with 1GB memory. The software won't start and gives me the error message "Director Player 6.0 - This program requires at least 3MB of free virtual memory to run". I know there is more than 3MB of free virtual memory on my computer. I tried different virtual memory setting and found that setting virtual memory to 128MB would cause the software to run. It is obvious that the software has mis-calculated the available virtual memory. It interprets virtual memory > 1GB as less than 3MB virtual memory. I have sent email to the technical support at Encore and are waiting for their reply. I share the previous reader's opinion that setting the virtual memory to a lower setting is not an acceptable solution.

However, after I started the program, I like the interface and graphic. The software is better than "Mind Power Math Middle School" from the Learning Company. I also like that it has a game where you can test your skill.

I will write an update after I receive a reply from Encore.

Way around memory problem
Haven't tried this software but had same problem with some other software, the error message: "Director Player 6.0 - This program requires at least 3MB of free virtual memory to run". The only fix is to change your virtual memory settings to something below 500mb or to exactly 4000mb. Of course, I chose 4000mb since I have a large hard drive and almost 1 gig of memory on this pc.

So the full fix is:
From the Windows XP desktop, select the Start button, right-click on the My Computer icon, and select Properties from the resulting menu.

Click on the Advanced tab to bring it forward, and then select the Settings button within the Performance section.

In the Performance Options window, click on the Advanced tab to bring it forward, and then select the Change button in the Virtual Memory section.

Click the Custom size button...
Change the Initial size (MB) setting to 4000
Change the Maximum size (MB) setting to 4000

Select SET to accept the change, which will close the Virtual Memory window. Select OK to close the Performance Options window. And select OK to exit the System Properties window.

$40 + junk = angry customer
This is a faulty and buggy piece of software. It will not run on my PC (XP Home)without me changing my Virtual Memory from 1000 mb to 200 mb...what an absurdity! The developer offers no solution other than to change my VM everytime I want to use their software.

Well, forget it. They're not the only game in town.

It's Great!!
I have the Elementary Advantage, and I'm about to go into Middle School Advantage. I find these programs are excellent. I am a homeschooling parent, and the Elementary Advantage suite have done a great job in assisting me with teaching my child. I've learned a lot myself. My son is about to enter middle school grades, and as I explore the the Middle School Advantage suite, I marvel at how well its put together. I have not run into answers that are wrong as was the claim of one reviewer. But, that does not bother me because you will find wrong answers in educational books written by the best educators. I focus on the how well I am taught the subject. If I can catch the wrong answers then I was taught well. I paid only $24.99 for each suite. I also have a Dell Dimension 4600, and the programs run fine. For all those having a problem running the program. You better get a Dell, Dude! For the money, IT'S GREAT!

Not Recommended
If this program can confuse X and Y intercepts I can only imagine what else may be wrong with it. I just purchased this for my son today, but will be returning it tomorrow. He has a placement test in 2 weeks and I don't want him to blow it because of this faulty software. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

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

Reviews (3)

These are very fun!
These games are very fun because it's a game of strategy and a lot of work! I think you should play this game because it's fun going into caves to find pufferfish and gems and getting on different levels, which means getting different treasures. It's fun to go back and see your treasures any time you want. And I like listening to the music and trying to avoid the gobberfish.

Two Great Games! Both Educational AND Fun!
As an elementary school computer teacher, I can attest that Treasure Cove is one of the most popular "free time" activities at my school for grades 2-5. With sound and question reading turned on, however, kids as young as kindergarten can enjoy this game. I purchased both games for my 8 year old daughter for the summer, though I also got caught up in playing them! The games are quite lengthy in order to "win", but are engaging enough to keep kids wanting to play that long. Also, after "winning", kids can continue to play for as long as they want. Of the two, I definitely prefer Treasure Cove for its ease of play as well as the questions; Treasure Mountain appears to be more of a "vintage" game with less fluid graphics, awkward controls, and questions that are more confusing, even for an adult. Treasure Mountain also requires that your monitor resolution and color depth be changed, which is a hassle to do every time the game is played (though it's a great opportunity to teach your kid how to change their own monitor settings!) All in all, the games are quite educational and fun, especially combined in such an inexpensive bundle!

Great for Kids of all ages!!!!!!
This game was my favorite growing up.!!!!! It was so fun my mom would play with us sometimes!!!!!! It will help your child to develope good skills.!!!!!!! Fun Fun Fun ... Read more

Features

• Carnival Chaos takes the Cyberchase kids to the rides, games, attractions and food stands of a carnival, for a new mystery
• Search for the powerful Mega Bolt and find it before the evil Hacker does
• Cyberchase -Casablanca Quest takes the kids into a mystery, where they'll use their math skills to follow clues and find out whodunit
• Help the kids save Cyberspace and fight the contamination of the Motherboard, to stop the evil plans of the Hacker
• Jackie, Matt and Inez will present important concepts to kids, and show them how these concepts are used in real life

Features

• In Ready To Read, kids will enjoy great word activities while exploring the Hundred Acre Wood
• As they visit with Piglet, Tigger & the rest, they'll learn about rhyming, sentence construction, word recognition, problem solving, and deductive reasoning
• In Ready for Math, kids will enjoy seven activities that test their numerical skills
• They'll develop important skills like counting, number tracing, arrange sequences and more
• Kids will be rewarded by getting seeds and watching them grow -- they'll love it!

Reviews (1)

The 3 kids love it!
We have three children ages 3, 3, and 5. All of them love it and I even enjoy taking a turn or two :). The games teach excellent skills for school and stress math and reading in a fun and interesting way. The kids love earning items to be put in their garden and contraptions to be added to their treehouse. We have to set the timer so everyone gets a turn.
I highly recommend Disney's Ready for Reading and Math with Pooh. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Based on the School Zone workbook series, this program incorporates critical math lessons with interactive activities and fun games. Carefully designed curriculum, audio guidance, and clear examples help your child master counting, shapes, telling time, and other skills. The program randomizes problems and provides engaging games for study breaks. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Easy to follow directions and still gets the point across!
I bought this program for my son when he was in kindergarten. It helped him to recognize the numbers and to associate them with amounts and so forth. The directions are not complicated and very easy to follow. It is set up like several workbook pages. If they get the problem right then they get a big star. If not, they get a big red check mark but are able to re-do the question and get a big star so they don't feel so bad. It is basic, so if you want something more complicated then this is not it. This program is great if they have had little exposure to numbers . My child did not expereince any frustration when operating this program. He asks to play it and it keeps him busy. He also has a good hold on his numbers now (which is great!) ... Read more

Features

• Story-based math games for grades K-2
• Explore the city using real-life math skills
• Do fun activities to earn money to play arcade games
• Colorful graphics and fun sounds
• For one player

Reviews (3)

Highly Motivating Learning Tool!
I was impressed with the animation and graphics for this game and even more so the storyline and tasks that motivate kids to want to reach the goal - doing every task in the "city" (to help the merchants with math) so the arcade can open and the player can spend the money he or she has "earned" to play games. My daughter(5 yrs.)is so hooked and her math skills really improved. You can even track your child's progress. My only criticism is that it was a tad bit hard to navigate and figure out how close to the goal she was.

Engaging and makes practical math fun.
My four year old daughter loves this game and would play it every day for hours if I let her. She has really developed some advanced skills just by having a good time. Some of the games require more support from me than others, but overall she is able to do more and more by herself and is definitely learning. I usually type in a new name each time we play so she has to start over with all the math games before she can use the arcade. She loves it so that's no problem. One extra is that there are girl characters on the program, which I appreciate for my daughter.

Amazing software.
Excellent, challenging, fun software for kids! Get this for your first or second grader, and only if your kindergarten child is pretty advanced in math. Offers lots of practice and contains bright and fun graphics that draw kids in. The "mission" also helps keep them playing. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

The devious M&M Minis have taken over the candy factory, and it's up toyou to help Yellow get a grip on this candy-coated calamity. Bubbling vats ofchocolate, messed-up machinery, and revved-up robots are only some of the manyobstacles you'll face in this wild driving, surfing, running, and flyingadventure game.

The Lost Formulas puts kids in the driver's seat as they engage in threelevels of play per game, but it's not all fun. There's an "edutainment"component that allows players to practice multilevel math drills (coveringtopics ranging from basic number recognition to addition, subtraction,multiplication and division), all the while going bonkers searching for the lostformulas hidden by the mischievous Minis. "I could play this forever," raved our8-year-old tester as he expertly manned the up-, down-, left-, and right-arrowkeys for the ride of his life. To turbocharge the fun, our tester suggestspressing the ALT key (Command or Apple key on the Mac) to help Yellow "do hisspin attack."

Players can earn extra lives in bonus rounds and play eight zany levels,including:

Get Out of Town: The best arcade driving game we've seen. Here, kids raceYellow and his car through superbly animated cities and suburbs to arrive at thecandy factory. This game makes demolition derbies seem tame.

Milk Chocolate: Vats of bubbling chocolate and crazy robots could spelltrouble for Yellow. Be sure to jump the chasms and land on the platforms withthe correct math answers that match the clues.

Oh, Chute!: Cleverly named, this behind-the-scenes look at the chocolatefactory has kids negotiating conveyor belts, moving machinery, and openingchutes as they boost their math sequencing skills.

Candy Colors: Watch out for the flying color blobs while you fly your waythrough this colorful mess.

Stampin' and Sortin': Dodge the stamping and sorting machines as you run for your sweet life in this cool down round of game play.

Pack It In: Jump on the right candy boxes or else you could be indangerous trouble. This part is what disaster management is all about.

Warehouse Woes: Who says driving a forklift is work? What a hoot!

The Shocking Truth: Get the skinny when you go behind the factory's powercircuits. But don't get zapped in the electrifying final round of game play.

In a nutshell, this fast-paced, cutting-edge CD-ROM plays like a video game, butincludes math drills as an added incentive. Grab this software and a bag ofM&M's for some yummy fun for the whole family. (Ages 5 to 10) --TinaVelgos ... Read more

Reviews (17)

GREAT GAME
I think this game is great for kids 7-13 its a very fun game that builds math skills and helps you learn your addition subtraction and multiplication i recommend this for kids its great

Excellent, Creative Game ****************
I bought this for my son's 4th birthday because he loves the M&M's characters. This is such a cool imaginative game. The graphics are excellent, it's challenging without being too tough, and the music is nicely put together with the different levels. Very entertaining. My son is now 4 1/2 and he has taught me a few things about the game that I even missed. The math levels are also a great thing to get kids to learn without knowing they are. Also, it's very refreshing from some other games that are too violent or serious that are marketed to children.

THE BEST GAME EVER!!
I do not have a copy of this game for myself, but I have played it a lot before. It has great graphics. It's also an awesome game. Explore the M&M's Factory with Yellow as you try to catch all the mini M&M's you can. Run on conveyor belts, hop on crates, dodge evil robots and machines and try your best to beat all eight exiting and fun-filled levels of the game!!!

One of the best!
This is one of the best computer games I have ever played. It isn't easy - that's for sure - but it is so much fun. My 7 year old son is the only one in the family who has gotten through all of the levels - including the bonus levels - but we all enjoy the game. The driving in "Get Out of Town" is a blast!! Well worth the money. This game is a lot of fun. The whole family will enjoy playing it again and again.

DO NOT PURCHASE if you have WIN 2000
I love this game! It's worked wonders for my daughter in speeding up basic math facts. Reccomended for Grade 2+
It IS fast, work with flash cards with your child or else they will be discouraged in not playing this game with the math. Make sure your Graphics/Video Card is UPDATED with drivers, max-out on your memory too really helped.
This game works great on Windows 98 - it does require some tweaking - PLEASE read the Read Me file for solving them.
Now the downside - my husband had to upgrade our system to Win 2000 for his software, and Simon & Schuster does not have any patches for this game.
I emailed them and this was their reply:
Thank you for contacting Simon and Schuster Interactive Technical Support

Unfortunately, this program is not supported on NT or Windows 2000 which is an NT platform. Because of the driver structure of NT, very few programs that use video compression programs such as this one are even rated on NT. I think you would find that the problems would be solved if you installed the program on a 95/98/ME system.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to e-mail us or call the technical support number listed in the documents that came with our product.

Sincerely,
D. L. Monson
S&SI Tech Support ... Read more

Features

• Join the Ham-hams to find Penelope
• Helps build addition and subtraction skills
• Geometric shape recognition
• Phonics
• Ages 4-7

Reviews (2)

Very cute. A little better than most.
Having a 13 yr old and an 8 yr old who have both grown up in front of the computer, I have owned a lot of "educational" computer software. My 8 yr old daughter is a huge fan of Hamtaro and had this game on her Christmas list. It really is made for younger children, but my daughter has enjoyed playing it. Mostly because she can interact with the Hamtaro characters. She was able to complete the whole game in a couple of hours, but has played it through many times since we got it. Her only complaint is that the characters don't have the same actors' voices as they do in the show... Heck, I couldn't tell the difference!

So it is definitely cute, fun, and Ham-Fans will enjoy interacting with the Ham-Ham characters.

Educationally speaking: it is on the same level as most of the BETTER academic software designed for this age group. The instructions are easy to understand and the activities don't become boring 2 seconds into them. Keep in mind that once any of these kinds of 'educational' games are mastered, the child isn't really learning anything more from it. Though with repeat play they are cementing those skills acquired. And this game does seem to have more replay value than most. Considering my daughter is unwilling to let me sell it yet!

I think it is worth the cost of the software, especially compared to the cost of other "less useful" educational games.

Fairly Academic
Before I review this I must say that I live in Japan and there are no quality educational software programs for sale in Japanese. It's ironic that this popular Japanese cartoon has made an educational game only in English. That being said, I found this game was above average but not spectacular. My four-year-old daughter completed the game in about four hours of play. She loves the Hamutaro character in Japan and was excited to play it. She took two sessions to complete it. This game pushes acaedmics fairly well without being boring. There are some counting exercises, animal matching and sequencing exercises, and beginning reading exercises--just to name a few. I recommend it if your pre-schooler likes Hamutaro. ... Read more

Features

• Based on the hit PBS television series
• Fun math adventures for ages 8-11
• Kids use problem-solving skills to outwit the villain
• Full screen animation and video footage from the Cyberchase TV show
• For 1 player

Amazon.com Product Description

Renegade spy Max Masters has unleashed an army of minions that are carrying out his devious schemes to get revenge on the Spy Masters team! Now it's up to you to put a halt to his villainous deeds. Create your own secret identity by choosing your "cover" from head to toe, then earn the state-of-the-art spy gear you'll need to accomplish your missions. But don't forget to claim your gear; you'll need the power to defeat the villains. The more missions you solve, the more spy gear you earn. Then take all the spy gear you've earned into each new Spy Masters title.

Navigate your way through 3-D worlds with underwater caves, an eerie pirate ship, a submerged secret lab, and beyond. Play more games in the Spy Masters series and unlock more of the 3-D worlds. Also play online! Start a team of your own or join one--use the spy gear you've collected to snag your rival team's flag. Get to work saving the day while using your knowledge of science, logic, math, and language arts. ... Read more

Features

• Garfield -It's All About Math builds your child's abilities in basic math operations -Addition, multiplication, subtraction and division
• Garfield -It's All About Reading & Phonics has replayable games that will build knowledge of words, word sounds and pronunciation
• In Garfield -It's All About Writing & Grammar helps kids improve grammar, writing, memory and concentration skills
• Garfield -It's All About Vocabulary and Spelling offers 20 activities for superior phonics and vocabulary
• Ages 6-7