Features

• 4 complete CD-ROM titles for the price of 1
• Hours and hours of exciting game play and education
• Includes characters both parents and kids love
• Plus ClueFinders mystery-adventure novel free inside
• Fun learning for kids ages 8 to 12

Amazon.com Product Description

Based on the I Spy book series by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick, I Spy Junior: Puppet Playhouse features puppets, games, and riddles to promote listening and problem-solving skills. An interactive story about a princess and a sneaky dragon strengthens rhyming and other word skills, a puppet-making workshop teaches kids to follow directions, and a magical animated tree helps promote early reading skills. Seven play areas in all offer a variety of fun learning activities. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Boring...
This was so heavily hyped, I had to have it for my five-year old twin girls. What a bore. They're either too old for it, or there is the outside chance that Scholastic really didn't put a lot of effort into this. It would bore a three-year old. Compare to Spooky Mansion or Treasure Island - can't compare with these gems. I'm 50 and play the latter two.

The best children's software I've seen yet
I have never taken the time to review a product, but I love this CD so much I felt I had to. It is the best software that I have bought for my kids so far. The colors, the characters and the graphics are terrific and even manage to hold mom's attention!! Never mind, that my daughter really loves it too. Another thing that was good about it is that it's teaching my daughter basic mouse skills and there are quite a few different activities to play so kids won't get bored easily. I'll be looking for more software from this company as I find that most of the stuff out there for kids is a big waste of money.

Not perfect, but very good
My 2 1/2 year old son has really taken to this. It's a really great idea and it's well executed. You have four puppet shows and three games. The graphics are very well done and very realistic, with no cartoon-like figures. Everything is a scan of a real object. The games are building your own puppet, building your own still image from a puppet show, and sorting. Sorting really is what early math is all about. I'm glad they have it.

The puppet shows are where you will spend most of your time. Each show is composed of four or five scenes which have a dozen or so clickable objects. A riddle appears at the bottom and you have to find the three or four objects that are in the riddle. When you click on a riddle object, it does something and advances the story. Each scene has two riddles and when you have gone through all the scenes, your done with that show. A kid might eventually learn the locations of all the objects in a particular show, but with four shows, it will take a while.

There is only one real problem I have with it, based on several sessions of lap play with my son. Because there are about a dozen objects in each scene, but you only need 3 or 4 for the riddle, the rest of the objects don't do anything when you click on them. I think every object should do something (wiggle, glow or zoom, at the very least) when it gets clicked, not just the riddle objects. This has led to my sons newest vocabulary word: "doesntwork". If not this, then at least the riddle objects from the first of the pair of riddles for a particular scene should still be active for the second of the pair. So, when you click on a riddle object from the first riddle, it should still do something, if not it's original action, when you are finding the objects from the second riddle. As it is now, my son tries to click on the objects which were just active in the previous riddle, but they "doesntwork".

But, overall, I'm pleased with it. There is no violent action and it is pretty exploratory and creative, as advertised.

A Decent Game for Kids Under 5
This is a good choice for children under 5. I was impressed that the graphics and game play were appealing, and utilized the latest features from Macromedia.

I get SO tired of childrens games that look and play as though they were made for a Windows 3x machine, circa 1994. This game will not disapoint. ... 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

Features

• Fun games teach children about counting and numbers
• Puzzles give children stronger thinking abilities
• Expand your child's creative skills with Coloring & Creativity

Reviews (1)

Multiple Problems
I got Caillou's Kindergarten for my daughter who will start kindergarten in the fall. There were multiple problems with the product. First, when you start the CD, the voice says "Welcome to Caillou's Preschool" (instead of Kindergarten) and then vocally gives options to select games about the alphabet, colors/shapes, and coloring. Yet, the actual options (the ones written on the screen) are for Caillou's Counting, Thinking Skills, and Coloring & Creativity Part 2. Nowhere on the CD can you select the options that were given vocally. I contacted the company and they said they will not fix the problem because it doesn't effect the game play. Yet it completely confuses the consumers since they can't choose the options mentioned. My daughter wanted to play the colors/shapes games, and no such games existed on the CD! I actually returned the product to get a replacement, thinking it was a bad disk, but the next CD had the exact same problems.

Additionally, the written menu said "Coloring & Creativity Part 2". There is no Part 1 on the CD, yet another confusing aspect. Also, there is only one game in that section, whereas the other two sections had numerous games to choose from, leaving the parent wondering if there were supposed to be more.

Only the Dad's voice is heard in the English version, a disappointment to those hoping to hear one of the many other characters speak. The designers of the software could have done so much more with this product but chose not to.

Finally, the product was way too easy for my daughter, who has not yet started kindergarten. This CD is much more appropriate for preschoolers. Overall, it is a poorly created, overpriced CD that I would not recommend to others. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews (2)

Great Learning Tool
Excellent game, which provides children hours of entertainment. I would encourage parents to get this game for children...It is even enjoyable for the adults to try their skills..

I SPY
My children spent hours solving these brain building puzzles. There are 8 areas which are virtual theme parks. There are puzzles which they solve to finish the riddle. They search for objects in Nature, Wood block city, and Chalkboard....There is a crack code department. Balloon popper kept my 8 year old daughter busy and interested. Can even make your own I Spy picture riddles. Great Game. ... Read more

Features

• Kids will enjoy Garfield -It's All About Math Readiness -- great number and counting games help children to face math problems
• With Garfield -It's All About Thinking Skills they'll play 15 thinking games to develop matching, pairing and ordering activities
• In Garfield -It's All About Phonics they'll enjoy 15 activities that teach the basics of phonics, vowels and consonants, while promoting memory and concentration
• Ages 4-5

Amazon.com Review

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

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

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

Reviews (33)

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon.com Product Description

In Busytown, children meet all their favorite characters from the Richard Scarry books, television programs, and videos. Together with Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, Mr. Frumble, Dr. Diane, Mr. Fixit, and many others, they explore 11 playgrounds rich with real-life experiences.

Give your child the thrill of learning by doing, across a wide range of early-cognitive skills. Busytown meets the guidelines set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, guidelines that emphasize learning through play. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great Idea But Full of Programming Bugs
My three yr old loves Richard Scarry's Busytown so it was a natural choice for him. However, he was very disapointed to find one of the games (the garage) did not work at all and several of the others have programming quirks. If the cursor isn't positioned just right the game doesn't work. My advice is to select something else or wait for another imporved version.

disappointing
I brought this because I loved richard scary as a child but was totally disappointed with the game. There is no replayabilty with the only variation in the game being in the gas station and the parcel delivery. But the children soon got bored. The best part is playing with the wind. The mouse control is very poor ending up with frustrated children. The only way to get into the gas station was to put the whole game onto the hard drive.

Bustown 2000 CD-ROM
I started with Busytown Software back in 1995 with our first son when it ran on DOS and barely on Win95. The program worked well. After reading about BT 2000, I was reluctant to buy it. I did buy it this past week, had the same problem with the gas station and within 24 hours, SSI Tech support emailed the file to copy from the CD to the Hard Drive. About a 30 second fix and the game functions flawlessly. If your child loves Richard Scarry books and videos, this is a must have to compliment what they read and view to give them hands on interaction that is unlike any other application that I have seen. My first son is now almost 7 and is teaching his 3 year old brother how to play the game.

My son loves it.
The Busy Town CD-ROM is educational and fun. There are a lot of different activities and for a 3-4 year-old to play with on his own. But you do have to have a fast computer. One of our computers was too slow and it was impossible to play the program on it. Our other computer was fast enough. We had problems getting into the gas station game. I sent an email to technical support and received a message explaining how to copy a file from the CD-ROM to my hard drive and now it works great! We are very satisfied with it. It was definitely worth the price.

Great if you can get it to work
I understand the complaints of the previous reviewers. I could not get this program to run on the PowerMac and it also had a lot of problems when I ran it on the iMac while networked to the PowerMac. But once the iMac stood alone, I only had minor problems with this program. It is a big memory hog.

It's a really super program if you can get it to run. I'd pay special attention to the system requirements before buying.

There are 12 different activities which teach your child all kinds of things. It's great for pretend role play also. Pump gas, serve customers in a deli, build a house, get a ship ready for sea, etc.

It's too bad this title has compatibility problems with so many systems, because it really is a beautifully done program. ... Read more

Features

• 4 complete CD-ROM titles for the price of 1
• Hours and hours of exciting game play and education
• Includes characters both parents and kids love
• Plus Mighty Math sticker sheets free inside
• Fun learning for kids ages 5 to 9

Reviews (1)

Learning and challenging all in one!
It is amazing to think of what all a student can learn and do with this piece of software. I have used this program with students with and without disabilities, integrated it into a History/Social Studies Unit where students travel around the world and learn about different cultures. Students learn how to think ahead, can play the computer, or can play against another student. There are different difficulty levels, that I found myself as an adult being challenged. I found this to be fun and engaging, and a great way to get kids thinking! ... Read more

Features

• An exciting learning adventure with Arthur and his friends
• Climb steep mountains, explore forests, and search for hidden surprises
• Develop critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Different adventure-style activities every time you play
• For kids ages 3 to 7

Reviews (3)

Am I missing Something?
My boys (ages 5/6) could not get past level one on this game. Some of the items that needed to be found, never made their appearance. I even tried. Perhpas we got a bad copy.
I must say from a parent's point of view the music drove me nuts!!! Same little tune, played over and over....it never changes.

Endless fun
My six and nine year olds have a blast with this. At first they were a bit confused about what to do but once they figured it out they loved it. There are different scenarios, much like the Freddi Fish games so it is never boring.

Fun Camping Adventures
Our 4 year old has had a blast playing this game. It is loads of fun exploring around the campsite, climbing up (and sliding down) Mount Rockslide, and looking for helpful objects which will allow The Brain to construct a signalling device.

There are simple, yet challenging activities, like constructing a tent, which have been fun, and all of the Arthur characters, with their trademark personalities are there to help. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Your brainpower is needed all across the galaxy. Develop logic, sequencing, and decision-making skills as you organize Fripples in space, experiment with special-effects tools, and program a half-time show at the Intergalactic Rocket Bowl. Plus, alter gravity and motion in a virtual metal world. Throughout the program you'll be challenged to learn to think ahead, test hypotheses, observe results, and draw valid conclusions. Additional Web-based challenges are available to keep the fun and learning going. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

A mysterious villain called the Prankster and his battalion of robots are causing out-of-control weirdness everywhere you turn! You've been recruited to join the secret Spy Masters team to stamp out the trouble. 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.

You must stop the Prankster, using your cutting-edge gadgets to halt his slick tricks and army of trouble-making robots. Navigate your way through 3-D worlds with ancient cities, abandoned amusement parks, the robot factory, and more. 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 history, geography, math, and language arts. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This game deserves ten thumbs! ( if you have ten thumbs that
Ok ok I can't really say I've had the pleasure of buying this game (frankly I think it's a bit over priced ) but I can say I've purchased Knowledge Adventure's previous merchandise before it has always had complete satifactory. I've bought a few of there items in the past and they were very educational and benifitial .Knowledge Adventure trys to make there software educational and fun . That's what's important right? You wanna teach your children and help them to learn yet try to catch there attention with something at a children's level. This spy idea sure did catch MY attention ! I think it's one of the best ways to teach children instead of forcing facts in to there heads with telvision shows all the time and work books. In conclusion I'd like to say this item sounds like a good way of teaching your children langauge , math facts and so on . Go ahead and buy it!

great game
This game was challenging even though I'm a strait "A" student in 8th grade I learned alot from it. If you want to learn or your parents want you to buy a fun educational game this is the one. ... Read more

Features

• Fun, interactive learning for kids in The Land Before Time
• 6 engaging learning activities; 3 different skill levels
• Age-appropriate skill sets are woven into activities
• Kids earn exciting video clips from all 5 The Land Before Time videos
• Rich and highly interactive animations and sound components

Reviews (1)

My four year old son loves this game!
This is my sons first computer game and he asks to play it all the time. I showed him how to play each game and then he stayed busy for hours! I would reccomend this for ages four and above. I also have the Land before time preschool adventure but this one has funner games. The creative art game is really cute we laughed when we first tried it, first you pick a background scene, then you pick different characters and items which all do different things, like bubbles of water popping, Sarah jumping around in circles, birds flying and skeletons dancing, you can add as many as you want and its very entertaining. All the games are FUN learning activities. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

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

Reviews (20)

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

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

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

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

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

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