Amazon.com Review

Buzz Lightyear uses arc lasers, hoverboards, and old-fashioned SpaceRanger muscle power as he attempts to save the universe from Emperor Zurg andhis vile minions in this multilevel action game. The mission: chase bad guys,then defeat them.

The game has 14 primary missions that take place in nine different 3-Dlocations. Most of these locales are worlds: Jo-Ad, a pastoral planet; Karn, aswampy world where the ooze slows the action; and Flamar, a planet where playersmust dodge molten lava hazards, are just a few of the wild planets Buzz mustvisit. Players must help Buzz complete each mission before moving on to thenext.

There are two levels of difficulty: Cadet and Space Ranger. As Buzz racesthrough these strange worlds, there are shields, wild modes of transportation,and even teleport machines to help him on his way. The weaponry in this gamewould make Charlton Heston's day: there's a standard issue laser gun, homingplasma guns, iceguns, Gatling guns, arc lasers, and various grenades androckets. We didn't know Buzz was such a shoot 'em up kind of guy!

Though the myriad missions take place in different settings, with differenthazards, this Windows-only game can become boring, since the basic nature ofeach mission is chase and destroy. It's possible to win medals for rescuinglittle green men, and one of the two bonus levels involves finding all of theparts of a robot character (XR) who's been blown to bits, but even these extraelements are still just chase scenes with different motivations.

Attention to detail is missing on this program: Commander Nebula repeats missioninstructions on an endless loop unless the player hits a space bar to interrupt,and even on the highest resolution setting, this game lacks that smooth,flawless Toy Story look. Also, the keyboard user interface wasserviceable for game play, but it was counterintuitive and frustrating when weneeded to change options. We think some of Zurg's minions may be to blame. (Ages8 and up) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (3)

To a great game...and Beyond!
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is a game that follows the old formula:nab the villain and get the points. But oh,how they do it! Weapon names like Blasters and Plasma Ray Gun make me want to pull the trigger. Colorful villains like The Fixer,Nos4A2 (my favorite) and the Evil Emporer Zurg ("Curse you,Buzz Lightyear (for making an excellent game that everyone loves)) are there for the chasing. Animations from the animated TV show spice up between-level time. What more could you want from a Disney game?

This is a cool game!
I really like this game a lot. I am almost 8 years old and love the Disney Action game series. There are 14 fun levels of game-play. Also, you get to defeat the evil Zurg in the final battle. The graphics and 3-D animation are great, but it's kind of hard to figure out how to get past some of the higher levels. Overall, this is a really fun game for fans of Toy Story 2 or the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command cartoon.

Boring
My 71/2 year old grand-niece played it and said it was easier than the 1st grade version. She said it was too simple and boring. My 4 year old grandson played it and it was too hard, but he did enjoy putting the marble track together with help. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Greetings, space rangers! Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear and theplaythings that inhabit Andy's bedroom will change your definition of"educational toys" as they make light work of some fairly advanced learningmaterial. Andy is gone, and Buzz takes it upon himself to rally the toys forsome teaching and fun. "Are you ready to exercise your romping skills?" he asks,gesturing grandly across the bedroom.

Nine activities provide a full curriculum of early-learning challenges: math(including fractions), music, geography, spelling, reading, and telling time.Disney's designers didn't forget the fun factor, either: kids build theirvocabulary and spelling skills by helping Buzz shine his flashlight around thedark bedroom, looking for items that match the words and images on another toy'sscreen. And for a geography lesson, Buzz helps kids place continents on theglobe.

The music area is a real standout. There's a full four-octave keyboard completewith reverb, and exploration yields click-and-drag cassettes that transform theboard's sounds into anything from a rock concert to a circus tent. Musicallyinclined kids will have hours of fun in this spot alone.

This CD-ROM takes full advantage of the audio and visual possibilitiescomputer-based learning can offer. Listen for background music composed specifically forcertain activities, and watch for the shadows that the precisely renderedcharacters cast. (Ages 5 to 7) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not a strong effort
I bought this software for my son, he is 4, because the other kindergarden software I had bought was not interesting enough. Some of the games he was simply not old enough, that is not the fault of the software. The games he could do, he finished off very quickly and wanted more than the software provided. There was nothing tracking his progress from session to session so he had to keep doing the same thing over and over. When trying to play the Jessie game he kept accidentally clicking the icon to go back to the main screen. There is no confirmation dialog so he had to go back and repeat what he had just done. He was very frustrated by that. Maybe an older child would not face those problems.

For a younger child we found the Blues Clues 1-2-3 Activities to work much better. The games get incrimentally more challenging and there is a better variety.

I had to call customer support and get a patch to run this on my PC and could not install it at all on my Mac because I had to install it on the boot volume even though I had pleanty of room elsewhere. Over all, I was disappointed. We are all big Toy Story fans here.

Fun and educational
My in-laws bought this game for my 7 yrs. old son. The day he unwrapped and put it into PC, he was on the computer for nearly five hours. We couldn't get him downstairs for lunch. We could hear him laughing the whole time, with his 4 yrs. old brother. My younger one enjoyed play some of the games as well.

The software teachs spelling, math and writing with children's favour charactors. I'd strongly recommend it for boys 6 to 8. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Headquarters alert: Zurg forces are trying to take over a peaceful planet. Buzz Lightyear and kids are called into action. It's a long journey, and refueling will be necessary. Buzz's interplanetary ship requires four different fuels, each with its own color. Kids must make sure Buzz's fuel reserves never run dry, which requires an adventurous journey into Buzz's ship. Along the way, kids have to pass challenges designed to build their second and third grade-level math, reading, and language skills. When fuel is plentiful, kids get to navigate the galaxy and unlock arcade-style games. Friends can play along--that is, until the fuel runs out--then the challengesbegin anew. ... 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

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

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

Reviews (2)

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

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

Amazon.com Review

Though it may not appeal to many adult gamers, Disney's Toy Story 2 Action Game is a solid arcade game. The title combines the style and humor of the movie with 3-D platform-game elements you would normally find in a video game. In fact, the exact same game is also available for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 game consoles, and its video-game roots are often clearly visible.

Players take control of Buzz Lightyear in his quest to rescue Woody from the evil clutches of Al, the toy collector. The game is played from a third-person perspective and is more like Super Mario 64 than Tomb Raider. Many of the 15 levels--most of which revolve around actual locations from the movie--are straightforward, but offer numerous bonus items and secret areas to explore. In order to make it through the entire game, Buzz has to perform many difficult jumps, climb trees, zap evil toys with his laser, and interact with all of his toy pals to get clues.

Much like the movie, the game's primary audience is kids (ages 8 and older); adults may tire of the arcade-style jumping and climbing action in short order. Still, for parents searching for a family-friendly computer game--and one that wonderfully re-creates the environments and characters of a great Disney movie--Toy Story 2 Action Game is a great bet. --Michael E. Ryan

Pros:

• Includes video clips from the movie
• Lots of fun for fans of the movie, especially kids
• Good graphics

• Graphics are good, but they are not cutting-edge
• May be too simplistic for older players

Reviews (17)

Disney Toy Story 2 -Pc version
The 3 D action is similar to other games of the same genre, e.g croc and croc2, except the play area is much larger. Better graphics than Mario 3D, by far. Bright color schemes are top notch. Play is initially difficult, but improves as one learns what is improtant and what is not.

Some small annoyances:

1) 3D rendering is not done as well as in other games: Edges appear in walls, and far obects are partially rendered until you get close to them

2) Non-standard controller movement for reverse. In the game the main character does not back up, but instead turns around when the down arrow is pressed, and then the viewpoint then rotates behind the player. Very annoying when one just wants to move back a slight bit. This is very non-standard as all other 3d games just have the character backup slightly when the reverse button is pressed.

3) The gamepad direction movement is coarse. Hard to line up the player for a specfic jump using the buttonpad or joystick. Luckily, there are additional keys on the gamepad to allow you to rotate slightly to the left or the right. I've switched to using these buttons for turning around rather than the reverse button as the change in perspective (see above) is annoying.

4) Documentation/menu selection is negligible. This is the worst part of the game. There is apparently no way to pull up a menu to charge computer game settings. It's also not clear how to save the game; many times the only way to exit the game was to reboot the computer. The documentation supplied with the game is useless in this regards; it says to press the `start' button' which does not do anything. A series of pop-up menus linked to the ESC key is definitely missing here, and is a fatal flaw in the program.

Overall the idea is good, the game is enjoyable, the play situation and puzzles are intersting and challenging, but not excessively difficult to make it impossible for younger players. The main problem with the game that not enough attention has been paid to the details of game management and the interface to the rest of Windows. Perhaps this was just automatically translated from the playstation by a computer program, where one doesn't really care if one just hits the system reset button to exit the game. This game type of programming is about 10 years behind the times, and really shouldn't be have to be tolerated by windows game users anymore.

Programming for Playstation doesn't play well on PC
This is a great looking game with beautiful colors, graphics, and backgrounds. The levels are challenging and extensive. Our favorite Toy Story characters are all here (although Woody doesn't show up until near the end). The puzzles vary in difficulty from kindergarten to adult.

The problem with the PC version is it's extreme awkwardness to control. The controls operate relative to where the character is, not the angle the the player is watching from. With a constantly adjusting camera angle, this makes for difficult navigation. Another tricky thing is the 3-D rendering. Most objects aren't visable until you are right next to them, which made finding them difficult.

This game is suggested for ages 8 and up. Some of the puzzles are appropriate for this age group, but I can't imagine an 8-year old getting past some of the levels. Some of the "missions" are so difficult that even an adult has to try them over and over and over to finish them. (Perhaps this is a plus for adults, though?)

Although this game was hard to get used to in terms of maneuvering (one never does "get used" to it exactly), and it was obviously created for use on a game system, and not on PC, it was a great-looking game with plenty of challenge to keep even adults busy for days. The bonus movies are a treat, and the hilarious clips make you WISH the movie was out on DVD already.

an ok game
toy story 2 is ok but it's kind of hard for me.
i'm still stuck on alleys and gulleys!

Made for PlayStation, not PC
I saw one review here that said" buzz is extremly hard to control" and "I can't see an 8 year old getting past it." I agree! Buzz IS extremly hard to control, it's probably easier on a PlayStation, and I'm 13 and this game is even hard for ME! I usually get used to a new game in no time, but this was real hard.
Other than that, pleasant music, good graphics and fun levels. Get it if you like unbelivably hard games.
Oh, PS. I noticed most of you give it one star because"it keeps shutting down". IT'S NOT THE GAME! IT'S YOUR COMPUTER! You need to update it.

Same as the N64 game
I bought this at a 'going out of business' sale at a local store. My kids were about to upgrade to Gamecube and this was one of the games they didn't want to lose, but would. I was pleasantly suprised that this is the exact same game! I was only hoping to kind of fill the gap, not completely! It is difficult to play on the computer without a gamepad controller though, not a big deal. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

This action game spawned from the movie Toy Story promises "40 hours of gaming so wild, it's out of this world!" in its promotional material. Forty hours is far too long to spend with a game like this.

Playersassume the identity of the gangly cowboy Woody, rescuing good toys and fighting bad ones in a world that's as flat as an Etch A Sketch drawing. On the plus side, this game only takes up 8 MB of hard disk space, according to the box, which certainly explains that flat feeling. Tasks are assigned on each of the 17 levels by, yes, an Etch A Sketch, which redeems this game somewhat since kids must read directions, then memorize and carry out the orders. But expect frustration when Woody can't accomplish a simple room-cleaning assignment in the allotted time because a chair is in his way and he's designed to need 50 tries to hop onto and over it. Poor Woody doesn't have much of an arsenal, either--just his bullwhip and that dubious ability to hop over things.

This game can be playedin Windows or full-screen mode. Full screen is the recommended setting, but we found that mode chunky looking, and opted instead for a sized-down Windows screen. Gamers who want complexity, three-dimensional detail, and that "gee whiz" factor won't find it in this game. But fans of Toy Story will find Buzz, the Green Army Men, Rex, and the rest of the gang. Just don't expect them to move as fluidly as they do in the movie. (Ages 6 and older) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Not very good...
The Toy Story movies are two of my favorite movies. But the game however, is not too good. The graphics are awful, they are very flat. The graphics in the Toy Story Activity Center are WAY better. The game play is ok, but there are some levels that are impossible to beat. Save your money and get the Toy Story 3 disc set on dvd.

Too Frustrating for Kindergartner
FRUSTRATING! My kindergartner -- a reasonably bright 5 1/2 year old -- has been working on this game for several days. Yet he has been able to play only the first 2 of the 17 games. Each game must be successfully completed before one can access the others. In many, many tries, he has only been able to complete the first game once. Being able to pursue the many promised adventures is but a distant dream, colored by too many tears. I do so wish this one had never entered our home!

Toy Story Power Play
***Beware*** This product is not compatible for Windows XP, and according to Disney Interactive, there are no plans to assist with compatible files...Return if you can, or in my case, use it as a coaster because the store would not take it back once opened....

Needless to say, our 4 yr old was very disappointed, and didn't quite understand why our computer was "too new" for his game...

Good Movie, Bad Game
You can't play the game in Windows full-screen mode,(I played it on a new Windows 98) The graphics look like 1973 (if thay had games back in 1973)

Buy The Tarzan Action Game Not This One

As good as the movie
If your kids liked either one of the Toy Story movies then they will love this video game. The graphics are as good as the ones in the movie and the game is interactive and fun. ... Read more

Features

• Help your kids learn while playing with their favorite Disney characters
• Winnie The Pooh And Tigger Too takes kids on a tour through the Hundred-Acre Wood
• 101 Dalmations puts you in charge of helping the Dalmations beat Cruela DeVille & her henchmen
• Toy Story takes Woody & Buzz on a fun new adventure across the neighborhood
• Ages 6 & up

Amazon.com Review

Hey howdy hey, all you deputies out there! Now you can have as much fun as Andy does with Buzz and Woody in this activity pack that's chock full of arcade games and printable art. Most of the games have a theme found within the movie; you'll even get to play "dodge the traffic" hidden inside road cones! There's also a hilarious trek through the luggage carousel with Buzz on a hunt to rescue Woody, and it's trickier than you might think.

All the games have adjustable levels of difficulty (so kids can play at more advanced levels, while you putter around as a beginner, 'cause let's face it, they're better at these things than parents are!). One of the elements that kids can print is a fantastic colorable comic book featuring all of Andy's toys. Even those goofy three-eyed aliens put in an appearance! Also ready-to-print are posters, stickers, and greeting cards; a birthday party could easily be decorated with the stuff within Activity Center.

Whether kids see themselves as a space ranger or identify as a cowpoke, there's plenty of fun for a rainy afternoon or two in this game pack. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Won't install under Win XP
The disneyinteractive.com customer support section has an entry for the problem but no solution. Calling their 888 number you learn that you need to send your CD-ROM (with a receipt) in to Disney for a swap. Apparently the problem is so ingrained in the software that it can't be published on the internet as an update. What a drag!

ALL of my kids love this game!
I have three kids who LOVE this game. (A 5,7 and 9 year old.) It is fun and entertaining for all of them! My 7 and 9 year old girls especially like the "Comic Book Creator" My 5 year old son likes all the games,especially "Traffic Cones" and "The Toy Shelf" I have caught him laughing and having lots of fun when he plays! Based on my childrens reaction I Highly recommend this one! If you are looking for a fun game and love Toy Story, BUY THIS!

Don't Buy It!
I'm with the majority on this one. This is a TERRIBLE program, well below the standards you would normally associate with the Disney brand. My 4 year-old, who is well-versed in children's computer software, lost interest almost immediately. The games are boring, lack depth and replay value, and are difficult to operate--most use the arrow keys to navigate instead of the mouse or track ball which we use. The printing projects lack choices, although they do produce nice output. All in all, a major disappointment.

On the other hand, the Lion King 2 Activity Center program which we bought at the same time is excellent. I think that the reason for the inconsistency is that while these programs are commissioned and marketed by Disney Interactive, they are actually produced by different independent developers who apparently have a great deal of latitute in determining what goes into the finished product. Disney needs to exert more control on product definition and quality control if they want to avoid another black eye like this one.

Fun and challenging!
I can't believe anyone had anything negative to say about this game - it's GREAT!!!! It has four fun games, and each one has three levels of difficulty. The games all relate to the movie, which my son really likes. It's a bit too advanced for my 3-year-old at this point, but he can do the easiest level of the cone game (getting the cones across a street while avoiding oncoming cars), and I help him play the other games. I think when he's about five he'll be more able to play it. It's VERY educational in the sense that the games require good memory, logical thinking, and strategy, anticipating the next several moves you should make. I'm 35 years old and no dummy, but the luggage game (a series of 10 mazes) took me about 30 tries before I could win! The first few mazes were easy, but they got progressively harder, with booby traps and decoy cases. Each time you play, you have to remember which way was the right way to go in each maze, or you can get trapped. Honestly, it's a LOT of fun! The "critter corral" game is a bit like checkers. The first level is easy, level two is more challenging, and level 3 is VERY hard - again, I'm an adult, and it's taking me lots of practice to learn how to beat it! The Toy Shelf game is a fun arcade game. The only weak spots are the two art sections, but all in all, I think it's definitely worth the money for four fun, challenging games that are entertaining for kids OR adults. We got the game four days ago, and my son still asks for it immediately when he wakes up in the morning, and wants to play it three or four times a day.

Loser
My 4 year-old (who is great at playing cd games) lost interest in 10 minutes. This is a badly designed game with minimal graphics and no story. There are a few games like "print" where you click on something and it prints...you don't even get to choose the character. The cone crossing game uses the arrow keys, not the mouse. And it crashes badly on the Mac. It is very un-Mac like. Too bad, we are such great fans of the movie. But save your money here. ... Read more

Product Description

With Buzz as host, your second grader can create, interact, and solve problems in more than 40 essential learning skills. Your child will be learning and having fun at the same time. Activities include: telling time, music composition, addition, subtraction, spelling, rhyming words, vocabulary, fractions, geometric shapes, multiplication, nouns, verbs, punctuation, brain teasers, and much more! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Georgia Mom
This product is so-so. My five year old daughter laughs at Jessie's math maze(even though it does not challenge her). She did learn the basic concept of multiplication by using this program. Overall, she is already bored with it after just a few hours of play.

Buzz Lightweight
I'm sorry I bought this program BEFORE reading the other reviews here, because they're generally right on.

"Buzz Lightyear 2nd Grade" is just a superficial money-maker cranked out by people who either don't know or don't care about child education.Most of the "activities" are so brainless and boring that I was secretly ashamed to be encouraging my child to "enjoy" them.

Plus, the installation on my plain Windows 98 PC was a nightmare.I'm a very knowledgeable user but it still took me almost two full evenings.The setup program is at once unforgiving and stupid.My existing version 4.0 Quicktime just HAD to be upgraded to v4.01, for example - and this launched itself (involving a major download) right in the middle of the main program installation.This had predictable results.

Other issues were files installed with the wrong attributes (which later stopped the program), an uninstall file given a wrong extension (which prevented an uninstall), beta test messages popping up, and an almost unsolvable conflict with msvcrt.dll (a common problem).This last would crash the program whenever an activity was exited.

I was ready to give up when I found mention on this site of an available patch.

Running this patch finally got me going, although the speech is often totally garbled, especially in the intro screen.

My advice - save your money.Don't reward efforts like this.We could have had so much, much more from a Disney / Pixar collaboration.

learning is fun too !!
While my son enjoys playing "his software", he is particularly interested in the Toy Story themes.With Buzz Lightyear as his favorite, he is naturally drawn into hours of learning fun with this Disney Interactive program.I have been surprised at his knowledge in geography and his reading skills.Jessie's math maze has expediated his math abilities.There are enough game options to keep his interst level up and his computing skills sharp.I also get the benefit of having my son sit on my lap while helping him through the tougher games.Certainly a purchase well worth the price. ... Read more

Features

• While taking a guided tour through Andy's room from Toy Story, your 2nd grader will solve problems and learn 40 essential learning skills
• Take a look through Andy's scrapbook to build reading comprehension skills
• Do Coloring and cut-out activities with scenes from the movie, to build creative skills
• Other skills taught include -Grammar and vocabulary
• Multiplication and fractions

Features

• The games and activities included here entertain kids while strengthening their skills with math and reading
• With the Toy Story 2 Activity Center, Buzz and Woody will take kids on 6 wacky adventures -- from a game of Chinese checkers to creating their own comic book
• Freddi Fish -The Case of the Hogfish Rustlers of Briny Gulch, children explore Wild West locations and investigate clues with Freddi
• Help Pepper Roni save LEGO Island from destruction in LEGO Island 2 -The Brickster's Revenge
• Join Reader Rabbit for a day of interactive storytelling, withReader Rabbit -I Can Read With Phonics!

Amazon.com Product Description

Take learning to a new dimension with eight mind-challenging activities, featuring your favorite Toy Story characters. With incredible 3-D animation--just like in the film--it's a learning experience that's out of this world! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

mindless, but good mindless
My kids have spent many many hours playing on this program. OK, it has no redeeming value educationally whatsoever, but what the heck. I prefer them to be engaged rather than passively sitting in front of the TV. There are a variety of games, they are easily understood, and visually striking. And now that it is at reduced price, it is a great deal.

Recommended. ... Read more