Amazon.com Product Description

Disney's Magic Artist Studio lets you draw, paint, and create animations with your favorite Disney characters. Create, animate, and print your images with tools and paints that burst onto your screen. Roses sprout from your canvas, and butterflies soar through 3-D paintings virtually dripping with color. Disney character images dance to disco, rock, classical, and island beats. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

My Little Artists
Magic Artist Studio was purchased for a graduating kindergartener. And, she absolutely adores this program! Most computer programs only keep her attention for a little while, but this creative outlet keeps her imagination and creativity flowing. She "dances" in her chair while listening to the music and making "masterpieces". Goofy and Donald Duck stamps make her giggle. Even her older brother (9) and baby sister (2) enjoy the program. I couldn't resist trying it out one day, and found it to be above quality compared to regular paint programs. I would reccommend this program for any child interested in art and computers.

I'm an artist!
And I can't even draw a straight line! Now both my 3 year old and I are drawing cartoons to music! This program has it all. There are tons of typical drawing tools yet each one has a myriad of options and surprises that allow for endless hours of fun with your own imagination. There is a section with instructions for making simple animations plus the ability to make your own (very primitive animations, though.) There are also 15 seperate scenes which you can cut and paste to your hearts delight to create real Disney characters dancing around to music. Then you can take those scenes and change them in numerous ways to suit you using the drawing tools. You can save, create a slide show and even put your own picture into whatever you are creating. This is truly a great game for the whole family!

Excellent, but not for XP!!!
This was one of my childrens' favorites computer programs, until we upgraded to an computer with Windows XP. The install warned that it was designed for 95 (which means it would work on 98), and it might not work on our new system. And it didn't!

The description above lists the platforms with which it is compatible (proper leaving off XP), but I thought I would mention it since so many have XP now and not everyone thinks to check this point.

Be Creative
This game was really fun to play. It lets you use tons of fun things like bugs, sparkles, spray paint, chalk and even popcorn to your master pieces! I loved it's drawing lessons by the pro's. I have never seen a creative game let you add sound and movement to a work of art! I even made coloring sheets for when I babysit! I loved it and you shuld too!

A great game
I really liked this game because you get to paint pictures that you can't do on other painting games. I like it because you get to do this animation thing that looks really cool!... ... Read more

Reviews (9)

In terms of value, best productivity suite available
Like some of the other reviewers, I'm rather surprised at the number of negative reviews that Appleworks has received. While it is true that Appleworks is not as powerful as Microsoft Office, it is much less expensive and clearly represents a better value. The word processer part of it (the part that most people will use) is more intuitive and easier to use than Microsoft Word. True, Word is more powerful; but it costs $350 and requires a manual to use. I have never needed to use a manual to use Appleworks. You have complete control of your documents and you don't have to summon up the help application to figure out how to do common tasks like formatting paragraphs or adding links. Those who have mastered the complexities of MS Word and who require its special features may not like Appleworks. But for the rest of us, it more than meets our needs.

Also, one thing more: I have never had any trouble with Appleworks' translators from cwk to word format. I'm not sure why so many people have reported having trouble with it. I translated an entire book from Appleworks to PC MS Word, preserving the formats and special lettering instructions without any trouble at all. In any case, this wouldn't be a problem if people would show more courtesy to non-MS users (Macs and Linux) and not insist on sending them doc formatted files. PDF and rtf are far better cross-platform alternatives.

What's not to like?
Ok, I'm am sure that there are features in Word or Excel that some of you might use and the key word is might, but for the other 98% of us. Apple Works is a complete program that is full featured and easy to use. It can save and all of latest Microsoft Office file formats and that is half the battle most of the time with some of the attachments that I receive. Other than that I've been using it for about two months now and it has done everything that I have asked it to do and done it with ease. I have no problems with crashing or quiting unexpectedly under OS X. I start it and it runs and runs and runs. It's a great value even if just to open and looks at an Excel spreadsheet or Word doucument.

Chris

Great Value Suite of Software
I have been using computer word processors extensively since 1986. In 2001, I switched from being primarily a PC user to being a Mac user. And Appleworks is one of the programs I use the most.

I cannot understand the reviews on this page which slam Appleworks (especially the OSX version) for not being compatible with MS Word. I covert files back and forth from PC to Mac with no problem whatsoever. The best printer I have access to is on a PC at work. I usually write documents at home, convert them to a MS Word document, and email them to myself at work. Then at work the next day I print them. No problem.

There seems to be one glitch if you save files as a rich text file. The translator doesn't know the following characters: " '

But if you save it as a MS Word for Windows 98, 2000, ME file, you don't have this problem.

Apple, keep up the good work. The average Joe or Jane should not have to pay hundreds upon hundreds of dollars to get a solid word processor.

Tom Paine
Benton, LA
ATPaine@Lycos.Com

AppleWorks is crap
I have hoped and prayed for a Microsoft alternative. Unfortunately it is a Microsoft world, if you want to communicate with that world on a Mac use Office for Mac, it is brilliant. As much as I tried to move towards Works, I purchased it first, I could not, the spread sheet program in Works alone leaves you on a deserted island.

Save your headaches if you share any files than jump up to Office for Mac, however much that disgusts me to admits, it is a superior product.

why upgarde
Editorial review claims Appleworks 6 will translate Word documents with Dataviz translator. Last phrase is the key. Appleworks 6 does no more translation than did Appleworks 5. If you want to manage in the PC world, either buy a PC or buy Dataviz Maclink Plus. Appleworks 6 offers nothing special for compatibility in spite of the misleading editorial review. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Designed specifically for preschoolers, Elmo's Art Workshop provides hundreds of ways for children to create beautiful artwork and fun creative projects. Paint pictures and add your favorite Sesame Street characters. Create birthday cards, finger puppets, masks, posters, and more! Oversized buttons and helpful creative hints from Elmo ensure that every effort leads to a masterpiece. (Ages 2-6) ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Hours of fun!
This has been a great game for my 3 year old daughter--she loves to draw and color and this game seems to tickle her creative interests. It has been an exceptional, inexpensive purchase and one she can play over and over with new challenges. I guess I'm writing this review because we have purchased some duds and it is always nice to see a ringing endorsement of something that really works! Hope this helps you.

Elmo is a Winner
Of all the software, our five-year old likes this program the best. It's 'user friendly' and can entertain for a long period of time. Projects include Stickers (where the child can complete a picture using point and click), Costumes (dress up characters in outfits and outrageous accessories), and Coloring Book scenes with an 'automatic fill' feature. These can be painted or colored, rubber stamped, or personalized and can be printed out. Hours of fun. Wonderful graphics. The sticker pages include scenes for both boys and girls: outer space, picnics, birthday parties, snow scenes, beach, etc. I highly recommend this software.

SS Art Workshop enhances a child's creativity.
Sesame Street Art Workshop (SSAW)is one of the best loved CD-ROMs in our collection. SSAW enhances a child's artistic ability by having activities a mouse click away that would otherwise be limited by the child's fine motor coordination. The strengths of the program are that it is easy to use by a pre-reading child and offers numerous activities including coloring, stamping, and free drawing. Some of the more clever pages include finger puppets and birthday cards. The weakness of the program is that it does not allow color mixing as, for example, the Madeleine Classroom Companion does. This is a great starter program for ages 2 on up and one you will not regret buying. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Magic Wardrobe combines clothing enthusiasts' favorite activities with history, for a product that both parents and players will adore. The game lets players hear historical facts about clothing and accessories from 12 historical periods. Players can also color and decorate clothing, accessories, and environments, using 72 Crayola crayon colors and 84 stamp decorations. Players can even write letters on stationery from the different historical periods. (Ages 6-12) ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great, creative, Fun
My 4 year old daughter loves this program. After spending time with educational programs she needs a fun break. She has created the most beautiful horses of every color, style and breed. It's easy to use and she hasn't gotten bored. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Join your favorite characters from A Bug's Life, Toy Story, Tarzan, Mulan, Winnie the Pooh, and The Little Mermaid as they turn your computer and printer into a home printing studio. Disney Classic Print Studio Collection is a package of six titles with everything you need to create fun art projects, as well as cards and other projects for holidays, birthdays, and family traditions. The programs are all designed to be easy for kids to use, but pack a surprisingly powerful array of features for editing images to get just the look you want. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A theme a day takes crankiness away (uh. . . . sometimes).
With this delightful software, a child explores art and discovers that their imagination is only a click away. They are the creators, and this takes them into the stories and pictures of the characters they love. The graphic menu display the text of what each will create which is a good tool that helps teach associations. The help file lists all six. A bonus is the Disney interactive preschool that allows you to access disney.com with special options such as games and coloring pages for 102 Dalmatians, Aladdin, Atlantis, Beauty and the Beast, Dinosaur, Emperors New Groove, and more.

A very fun aspect of this program is that multiple pictures can be added to a single item. So, what can you make?

(1) Banners -- your printer must be able to print banner paper.
(2) Bookmarks -- you will need to cut them apart for little ones, and heavy stock gives the best quality.
(3) Calendars -- a child can make a calendar, but I could not find a way to insert text into each of the dates. You will have to help the little ones fill it in with their activities for the month. This is a learning aspect as they realize day and events correlate.
(4) Certificates -- You were good in school today, a successful potty training day, I love you, or this is good for one trip to your child's favorite place.
(5) Envelopes that also use the theme
(6) of greeting cards.
(6) Growth charts -- again, check the printer to see if you can print a five-foot banner that has been magically turned into a growth chart for your little one. With the sophistication of some youngsters, this growth chart might be how much they have accrued in their financial portfolio.
(7) Create invitations to a party, perhaps to their imaginary friends or toys.
(8) Letterhead that clearly says, "This is me!" is thrilling to the little children.
(9) Name tags for all of their toys, family, and friends.
(10) Place mats that can be coloring pages for a party.
(11) Postcards for best friends, traveling parent, or themselves.
(12) Additionally, there are surprises within each of the separate programs: disk labels, note pads, diary, calling card, photo frames, stickers, and more.

These items are typical for most graphic programs, but not generally combined into one dynamic package that also allows you to add a digital picture inside a variety of frames. This was the most exciting part to the three-year-old who was in awe as she "played" with the program. Each package contains an item (puffer fish, honey pot, etc.) that slides to the various pictures that are stored in the program. Once a photograph is selected from any of the programs, it is available to all of them.

Some of the issues that I found are:
(1) the exit from each of the six software packages is not consistent in appearance, but Exit, Photo, New, and Save are in the same location;
(2) children love the sounds. However, if I am creating a card, I turn the sound off at the system level. I have been unable to find a way to toggle this on and off within any of the six programs. Sound must be managed before loading the program because there is no way back to the Windows tool bar.
(3) each of the six programs must be individually installed, but they will be in a single folder;
(4) if switching from one to another you have to exit the current one.

I do not think any of these items are significant. I am happy with the program, and the reaction of the children. It is also one of the most incredible bargains I have ever found. It is five stars of fun!

Victoria Tarrani ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

After a storm breaks the radio tower on Birdwell Island, Clifford the Big Red Dog and his master, Emily Elizabeth, decide to make music with friends Charley, Cleo, and T-Bone. Kids join them in the fun by making instruments, singing songs, sorting shells, dancing with the dogs, and more. The program's 19 age-appropriate activities challenge children (ages 4 to 6) to develop their memory, logic, and early-math skills. An automatic help tool allows for self-guided play, while all activities progress according to children's skill level. Once they've assembled all the instruments, kids get to create their own music with Clifford and his very big band. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

for the most resistant reader
My 4.5 yr old son would much rather play nintendo than try to learn phonics, thanks to the influence of two older sibs. He received this game yesterday and already has spent countless hours on it playing the games and inadvertantly learning phonics. This game uses letter groupings as well as phonics, which is the method my other kids used with great success. This game definately requires parent participation in the early stages, but it's been fun watching him become more and more independant in his reading skills even though he is not aware of it. Only complaint is that the reward system is limited, so beware if your child is reward-oriented.

Clifford the Big Red Dog: Phonics
I bought this for my 3 year old daughter for Christmas this year. It was the first computer learning game she ever tried and it has been great in teaching her the basic mechanics for moving the cursor around the computer screen and using a mouse. But now, just 3 months later, I find that she is bored with the game. There are only a handful of games at the carnival to play. She seems more interested in decorating the float with the prizes she's won from these games instead.

some reviews below refer to "Thinking Adventures"
Note: Some of the reviews here (the 3-star one entitled "very easily bored with it" for instance) refer to a different product--"Clifford's Thinking Adventures".

The Phonics title is a completely different game, released in July 2003. If the review says at the end "refers to an ALTERNATE VERSION" check the link--might be a review for the other game. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great for all ages
This game is great for everyone. The kids that I watched over the summer had a blast finding ways to create different creatures and loved printing them out for later. The adults all loved trying to outdo each other by making stranger and stranger monsters. I highly recommend this game for anybody with an active imagination and a love for graphics and interactive games. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Birds twitter, didjeridoos moan, and an excited Ms. Frizzlehits the high notes as she explains the science of sound and teacheskids to listen creatively. On the bus, kids can hear what different sounds do in differentlocations with the Acoust-O-Matic, play Name That Noise with MikeyMicrophone, or learn how sound travels in the Wild Waves experiment;there's even an ultrasound and an oscilloscope onboard. Outside thereare more activities, and the kids take the concert stage with variousinstruments they play and explain.

The program hums, roars, and ooompas right along. Sound is everywherein this inspired, informative bunch of racket: jets whoosh above in thesky, and thunderclouds grumble. Two ingenious touches are a microphonekids can drag about the set to record sounds (it even produces feedbackif you brush the cursor against it) and a pair of click-and-draggoggles that show how different sound waves look when they're laid overan instrument.

Don't buy this expecting a music theory class--there's not a trebleclef to be found unless you count the one on Ms. Frizzle's skirt--butfor a child who's all ears, curious about how tape recorders work andwhy bats squeak, it's sure to hit just the right note. (For ages 6 to10) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Magic School Bus in Concert
The Magic School Bus in Concert is a good game, except the voices are different than the hit TV show, and Arnold, Wanda, Tim, and Dorothy Ann aren't included in the game. I am 10 years old, and I collect Magic School Bus computer games. I would recommend this game for 6 to 10 year olds who want to improve their music skills.

Great for the Imagination
My seven year old seemed to enjoy this more than my 9 year old. Perhaps just because she enjoys music more. Still a wonderful game, allows players to create their own scores and teaches them about ultrasound. It definately allows them to put their imagination to work. Not so much an educational game but definately fun!

The memory game, Sound Off, was a little hard for her, but that would probably vary from kid to kid. ... Read more

Features

• Enjoy the fun of freeform painting, or color in one of the many coloring pages
• Follow step-by-step instructions to draw animals, plants, robots and more
• The full-featured Print Shop offer you hundreds of project templates for everything from greeting cards to personal stationary
• Multimedia tools for creating music shows -- kids will make the screen come to life
• Mia's always around to offer tips or add a joke here & there

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

Join Hopsalot on an enchanting adventure through the four different lands of Music World. The magic and harmony of the Land of Music are being threatened by Sir Sour Notes, and the instruments need your help. Help Hopsalot restore the Royal Orchestra to King Harmony's kingdom by collecting the sour notes scattered about the land. Along the way, you'll play games that teach important music skills such as beat, rhythm, tone, and melody. (Ages 5-8) ... Read more

Reviews (4)

My child was frightened by Sir Sour Note...
My 5-year old was frightened by Sir Sour Note, and to this day (over a year later) she refuses to play this software. Now my four year old won't either because of the first child's fright. It is a shame that Jumpstart couldn't find a way to encourage a child's exploration of the wonders of music without this 'Hollywood' gimic of good and evil. Shouldn't an introduction to music be a joy, not a traumatic experience?

Fair
My 5 year old is using this program, but he won't put it in and go on his own. I have to keep after him to do the rhythms, would rather just go on and explore. Doesn't hold his interest at this stage, more like school work. I see a lot of merit in it, however, and am using it as part of his homeschooling curriculum.

piano instructor
JumpStart Music is a great program. I am a piano teacher and I use this program as supplementary learning. I have students of all ages and they all really enjoy JumpStart Music. It teaches them to follow rhythmic and melodic patterns at a level they can understand and the animation is great. I recommend this product to all children who have a liking for music.

Hurtful not helpful
Between the character Sir Sour Note actually frightening my child and the goat which leads the rhythm section insulting my child's attempts ("That's BAAAAADDDDDD"), I was very disappointed that Jump Start would release such a product. What should have been an enjoyable introduction to music was actually a very negative experience. By the way, the goat also reprimanded my attempts to repeat his rhythms and I've been playing the piano for 30 years! Imagine a 5 year old thinking they can't get it right and giving up. VERY DISAPPOINTING piece of software. ... Read more

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

Amazon.com Product Description

This package includes two great software titles from Crayola: Print Factory and Make A Masterpiece. Print Factory is the all-in-one art and print studio for every child. The software lets players draw, color, and paint with tons of tools, 88 Crayola crayons, patterns, and text. User tips for each activity stimulate creativity and provide new ways to have fun with the product. Premade designs and layouts allow users to personalize or just print out their creations.

Make A Masterpiece features incredible animated art tools and expert creative guidance so every child can create a masterpiece. Traditional tools include Crayola watercolor, oil paint, chalk, and markers; wacky tools include popping popcorn, foaming shaving cream, flickering neon paint, and animated stickers. Users can import photographs and graphics, then export their work. They can also read about famous artist's artwork, learn about art styles and techniques, and write in journals that feature artwork from The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. (Ages 5-10) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Crayola--Make A Masterpiece
This was a gift for a special little girl, age: 6yrs. old. I don't know who enjoyed it more, myself or the child! It is a fabulous program that allows your creative side to just go nuts!

Make a Masterpiece-a great paint\create software for kids
The Make a Masterpiece is great...both my kids (ages 4 and 7) love the variety of tools, colors, wallpapers, sounds, and effects. They especially love to "blow up" their creations in a variety of ways when they are done. This is the best paint-brush type software we have used. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Games, toys, stationery, and tons of other craft ideas created for young minds will provide hours of fun. Enhanced artistic ability and the opportunity to print work will provide your children a satisfying and enthusiastic learning and creating experience. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Some familiar and beloved storybook icons go electronic in Curious George Paint and Print Studio, an interactive sticker album aimed at children between the ages of 3 and 8. This easy-to-use program lets children create pictures featuring the Curious George characters and other graphics, all in the style of the originals, created by Margret and H.A. Rey.

Paint and Print Studio provides users with a number of ready-made backgrounds to decorate, everything from Curious George's home to a circus. Within these environments, users can choose from a wide palette of graphical stamps, placing Curious George and his friends on the page. The user has total control over the scene; with toys, tools, and cartoon-style special effects, children can fill out any possible tableau. And, after illustrating your own Curious George epic on the computer screen, it is also easy to save favorite pictures or to output them on a color printer.

A simple program with one or two relatively sophisticated options, Paint and Print Studio allows users to alter the angle and size of the prepackaged images before inserting them into the scene. If you want a tiny George on a massive pile of blocks (or an enormous George balanced on tiny blocks), you can have it. This little bit of flexibility allows for the creation of some enjoyably surreal images. There are also preset borders and some paint-program basics that permit further tweaking, such as the addition of lines, circles, and other shapes--even chunks of text. The archive of graphic stamps, while not exhaustive, is large and varied. What's more, some of the stamps are animated--when users set him onto a page, Curious George might dance, fall down, or fly a kite. These random animations will delight young players.

Too strictly dedicated to Curious George to be useful as a more general paint program, Paint and Print Studio is nevertheless an excellent introduction to graphics-design software and the creative potential such programs can unlock. --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Super-easy fun with art
This is the first CDRom I have purchased for my 12 month old. I popped in the CD with him on my lap and immediately began creating fun pictures. ALthough it will be awhile before my son can actually navigate it himself, he laughed and laughed as I stamped George and his friends on various backdrops. It is a very imaginative, colorful program with fun music and oodles of options. Great value for the money. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Hang out in the mall and get to know the Diva Starz. Alexa, Nikki,Summer, and Tia are all ready to chat and play; each of the Divas wants tobecome your friend--as long as you pay attention and learn what they're reallylike.

Diva Starz has a simple premise: the better you understand your Diva pal,the more fun the two of you can have together. Players can go with a Diva to the Music Spot, where they'll learn to combine instruments with othermusical elements such as melody, beat, and sound effects to create differenttypes of tunes. When you mix one that your Diva friend absolutely loves, sherewards you with tokens you can use in the arcade.

If music isn't your thing, you can pick an outfit that matches your chosen Diva pal's tastes in the Fashion Spot, or whip her up a trendy new hair-do inStyle Spot. The key to each challenge is using the selected Diva's personalityto guide the choices you make; not all of the girls like dance music, longdresses, or having their hair pinned up. Fortunately, players can ask themquestions by using a miniature chat interface; the Diva's responses to variousquestions yield clues to help with the music mixer, fashion decisions, andhairstyle choices.

And though the game places an unfortunate emphasis on girls' appearance anddress, the chat sessions give the Divas a chance to reveal other, moresubstantial facts about their lives. Asked about career goals, Tia responds thatshe wants to be an Internet entrepreneur. The Divas also tell players, in briefbut positive terms, about their mothers' jobs.

After earning a handful of tokens, it's off to the arcade, where players can trythe games that await. With a range of activities intended to serve a variety ofages, Diva Starz's difficulty level is all over the map. Some of thechallenges are fairly tough; in contrast, the arcade games are extremelysimple--one of them is a version of tic-tac-toe.

Diva Starz has a pleasingly circular format. Winning the arcade gamesearns players even more information about the Divas, as well as more options forclothing, hairstyles, and music mixes. By making wise choices, you'll find outstill more about your Diva friends. The distinct personalities of the fourcharacters are emphasized, encouraging girls to consider the idea that differentpeople have vastly different personalities. In Diva Starz, they alsolearn that listening and understanding these personalities can be enormouslyrewarding. (Ages 6 and up) --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Diva Starz Allikki
I made a Diva Star named Alikki on this game! She has purple eyes and blond hair. That's why I named her Allikki. She has Alexa's hair and Nikki's eyes. I made her from Nikki at the hair game. You can also go to a place where they just talk, a clothes place, a music place, and the arcade. You can play with Alexa, Nikki, Summer, and Tia, but not Miranda. You get money for the arcade after you give the Divas clothes, hair, and music they like. You can play three arcade games with it, then you'll get money to buy them new clothes, hairdoes, and music. But after a while when you get a bunch of money, you can buy everything and there's nothing else to buy. When you put the special red $50 clothes that make the mirrors light up on the Divas, they tell you secrets!

Ok
This game is not all that fun. I got this a few weeks ago. It was fun the first few days I played with it, but it gets boring really easily. In the game, you can pick a Diva to go off and play games with. The Diva will tell you about themselves, then you can interact with the Diva in a series of activities; make your Diva a cool tune, style your Diva's hair, or mix and match fashions. The Diva's are different though; Alexa will love it if you give her plaited hair, but give Nikki plaits and she will NOT like you! Every time you complete an activity, you earn some tokens. You can take the tokens to the arcade and play some games. Completing the games will you more hairstyle and clothes options, and a secret fact about the Diva. And that's it. You're finished. If you like, you can do it all again with a differen't Diva, but the clothes and things are very similar, and once you've got all the secrets and things, it's boring. Someone under 6 might enjoy it, but also may find the games fiddly unless she has help.

Ok...its fun for a while
This game is fun to mess with their hair and stuff... but after u get all the prizes and new stuff..it isnt fun any more

OK
This item is ok, and can use some work. Once you get all of the gifts for your Diva Starz, you can't get anything else, and it's not all that fun.

A really cool game!
My mom bough this game for my ... sister for Christmas. I loved it to even though i am .... I love the music. It is so awesome! The hair and clothes are so neat. I would recommend this game to anyone between the ages of 4-15! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Aimed at preschoolers and kindergartners, Blue's Art Time Activities is one of the best creativity programs we've seen. Incredibly easy to navigate and perfect for independent exploration, this CD-ROM is appropriate for kids of all skill levels, whether they're computernovices or young graphic artists. By helping Blue and friends participate in TheReally Big Art Show (sponsored by Blue's school), players learn basic artfundamentals such as color mixing, design, and layout. Along the way kids meetup with a cast of colorful characters including Chalk Girl and Marky Marker,Color Drops, Blue's new friend Periwinkle, and Al Luminum, the Mayor of RecycleTown--and, of course, Steve and Blue.

Chalk Girl lives in a geometrically challenged Chalk World, where children canmanipulate shapes with rotation tools, click and drag them to complete murals,and store their creations in an art portfolio. Chalk creations magicallytransform into lively animations as kids complete their unique artwork. Oncetheir masterpieces are created, players can tell the world about The Really BigArt Show by creating a stylish invitation at the craft table. Here kids helpMarky Marker decorate an invitation using virtual paint, glitter, gems, andfeathers while adding borders and learning layout and composition. A handyeraser and a variety of brushes and stickers heighten the fun and the creativeoptions.

Playing the multilevel playground color game is an excellent way for children tolearn about primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Here they'll mix and matchcolors along a hopscotch path, while taking turns seeing who makes it to thefinish line first. Wonderfully animated Color Drops teach kids how to makecolors such as purple, orange, green, and brown, and they can earn up to 10ribbons for their efforts. Recycle Town is yet another creative place toexplore. Children check out blueprints and follow instructions like youngarchitects. After reading the blueprints, kids go on a scavenger hunt andcollect the necessary items to construct a cool diorama. Using glue and scissorshas never been this neat and easy!

This program also introduces Blue's brand-new friend, Periwinkle the cat. Kids can help her illustrate a variety of tiny storybooks in one of the CD-ROM's best activities: players use crayons and stamps to fill in the pages ofeach book, then save their work and print it for away-from-the-computer fun.Finally, it's time to get the show on the road. Once kids complete all theactivities, Steve asks them to choose one of their favorite projects for TheReally Big Art Show; they can also select one of the ribbons to place on theirprized artwork. Two paws up for this blue-ribbon software program. (Ages 3 to 6)--Tina Velgos ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Can you say "FRUSTRATING"???
Just took this one out of the box and even with a college education I can't figure out how to make it work!!! My 4 year old little boy clicks around aimlessly trying to make something work, to no avail! Unless I'm totally missing something, there are no real instructions as to what to do to get things going, there's only a big to-do about the art show and portfolio.

Blue's Art Time Activities
I brought this product for my son who is 2 years 11 months. The format of the program is similar to the TV show with Steve talking/singing and providing instructions. The software is well put together and graphically appealing, but most the activities are a bit too complicated for my son. Having said that, he loves the chalk girl and will happily spend an hour on that section alone. This game has really helped him in his use and coordination of the mouse. Also, the che game involves rotating shapes to fit a template, it is fascinating to watch as your child discovers how to do this.

In summary, I would say that this is a good game, but 3 is probably too young for most of it

Great Game
My two year old son loves this game and it is very interactive!

Just the thing for Blue-obssessed kids!
My daughters, ages 16 months and four years, LOVE Blue's Clues. The 4 year old went nuts when I loaded up this program. She and my eight-year-old sister (who, by the by, insists that she's "too old" for Blue's Clues) quite grudgingly took turns with it (and I mean QUITE grudgingly), and ended up playing for hours. I could barely pry them away from it, even for lunch. It was all I could do to keep them from eating at the computer.

In the program, your kids travel around the art center with Blue, as she helps her friends get ready for the Really Big Art Show. Each friend does something different (there's Chalk Girl, Marky Marker[augh!:)] at the paint table, Al Luminum making projects out of recycled materials, etc.) and each one needs help finishing their projects. After they're done, your kids can use the same materials to do projects of their own. Then it's outside to play a color mixing game on the playground, that starts with mixing primary colors to make secondary colors and progressing to mixing a primary and a secondary to make a tertiary (they even use the proper words, no talking down) to gather ribbons for judging the art show. Once everything on the portfolio checklist, faithfully toted by Blue, is done, it's time for the Art Show, and the kids get to be proud of a job well done.

I picked this particular software because my eldest daughter loves art, and I knew this would give her an excellent educational head start. If you have preschoolers and haven't tried Blue's Clues, what are you waiting for? It's the best kind of educational software, that gets them talking and pointing and participating, and-best of all-learning. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

With Kid Pix Deluxe Third Edition, your child can use his or hermouse, voice, and wildest imagination to create masterpieces on the computer.They'll go beyond mere virtual painting to smear, gloop, and smudge colors on acanvas that can be smooth, rough, or lizard-skinned. They'll use animated clipart, find psychedelic backgrounds, and even add music or sound effects to theircreations. Then you'll send your kid to bed and start playingwith Kid Pix yourself. It's that good.

The program can feel a bit incomprehensible at first. After a quickinstallation, users encounter a screen with the usual icons--paintbrush, paintcan, pencil. But there's also a cake mixer, a stick of dynamite, and a bald guy.All of this oddness is explained in the user's guide, but it's better to justjump into the right-brain spirit of this program and start clicking. Explorationreveals that the bald guy erases, while providing a running commentary, themixer mixes colors, and the dynamite ignites, splutters, and then blows up thewhole picture. Every tool here clanks, splooshes, orkerplunks, which makes Kid Pix Deluxe as close to tactile as acomputer-painting program is ever going to get.

On the practical side, there are templates for maps, charts, and reports thatcould be useful for school projects. Kids can also import their own photographsinto the program, and tweak them as they see fit. Finished works of art can beput in a "slideshow," where auteurs can mess around with dissolves, fades, andmore sound effects to complete their creations.

One of the program's most unique features allows users to "paint" with theirvoices. Clicking and dragging while whispering and hollering into amicrophone (not included) adds an interesting "performance art" element to the onscreensquigglings. Just be careful. We woke up our kids when we decided to see whatour shouts looked like. (Ages 4 and older) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (37)

My son couldn't stop talking about this!
My 6-yr-old son mentioned Kid Pix every day for about a week after using it at school. I had seen this software many times but just thought it was another one of those coloring book kind of things that just about every kid web site has - for free. So I broke down and bought it. Now I can't wait for my son to go to bed at night so I can "play" with this software. It's wonderful! It has elements of Powerpoint (slideshows - even the frame timing and sounds), Photoshop (filters like blur, noixe, pixelate, render, adjustments like brightness, contrast and even color filters!), word processors (adding text in installed fonts, sizing), vector programs (like Illustrator that allow you to place a vector image (clipart) and resize), and even hundreds of music selections/genres, clipart, scenery, artwork, textures, patterns, maps, and it will even read the text he types in. I obviously highly recommend this product.

Family Fun
I just bought Kid Pix Deluxe 3rd Edition. I bought it for my 3 year old son and he loves it. It is simple enough for him to use. We have only had it for 2 days now and he already knows how to change the brushes,colors, etc. This product also keeps his attention. There are amazing sound effects to go with every action. My husband and I have fun with the more advanced features, paper texture,adding sounds and personal pictures,etc. The best part of the product is the e-mail component. It let's you send your creations to friends and family. This product is a great entertainment for the whole family, from the littlest to the oldest. I highly recommend it.

I spend all day with this product!
I almost stayed all day with this product when I did not have XP yet.I have XP now but I like to remember the good times on Windows 98!Soime people say that it is not very good on XP.I wonder if it's true?Can somebody tell me?Anyway you can make your own pictures that comes with sounds that are,so,so,Funky that you'll laugh and enjoy!Plus,Much much much more to do!In only the day I bought this CD I knew how to do it all!

Very good Cd game!

Melisaa

Not for XP!
Please, if you have a XP computer, DO NOT GET THIS!! it runs horrible! slow! glitchey!nothing you would want to buy! even my 20 year-old brother could not fix that!!

XP COMPATIBILITY
Not really compatible. Will work with Win Xp cmpatability wizard set to Win 98 and visual themes disabled. BUT, the desktop will not return to original settings upon closing and Kid Pix 3 leaves programs running in the background which must be manually closed through Win Task Manager. A sad situation in a K-12 education setting attempting to use up to date Windows and preserve their software investment. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

The problem with sculpting in clay is the mess, and if you're a parent,it takes nothing more than hearing excited voices shouting, "Play-Doh!" to raisethe hairs on your neck and send you scrambling for the cheap tablecloth. Theidea, then, of a virtual clay studio is appealing--all the creative freedom kidswant, with none of the mess.

Disney's Magic Artist 3D satisfies that creative hunger, at least to alarge degree. Designed for the younger set, this basic 3-D modeling tool letskids build shapes of their own, apply textures, group objects, and manipulatethem onscreen. It also includes a modest library of such prebuilt shapes as acow, dog, couch, doghouse, fence, wagon, etc. Any shape can be added to anyscene, and then colored in a variety of ways--by using a paint bucket and acolor of your choice, or by selecting a predefined pattern. Adding a stripeddesign to a 3-D cow is always fun, especially when it's standing on acow-patterned couch.

The highlight of the program comes by adding Mickey Mouse himself to a scene.While this isn't an animation program, Mickey has some animated actions of hisown--adding him to your creations and pressing the play button makes him dothings like throw sparkles into the air.

The soundtrack and sound effects are first rate--good speakers make a nicedifference, too. Interesting and fun sounds reinforce the selected tool, helpingyou to remember which tool does what by differentiating it both visually andaudibly.

If you've got a little one that's dying to make things with his or her hands,Disney's Magic Artist 3D may be just the creative outlet you're alllooking for. (All ages) --MikeCaputo ... Read more

Reviews (5)

not the best for the money
Like many of the previous reviewers, this software is interesting but not worth the money. After playing with it for alittle while, you'll want to move on. I accidentally bought it thinking it was Magic Artist Classic or Magic Artist Studio (which I still plan to get). Like someone else wrote, wait until they come out with a future version (#2 or #3...).

Disney 3D Magic Artist isn't all it's Cracked up to be
When you are in the store and you see this software... IGNORE IT! It is so limited. The box says you can draw a 3D object, but that object turns out to be a wall about one inch thick. Also, it does not allow you to layer the things you draw. The only semi-cool thing you can do is create a mickey mouse that has no eyes or fingers. This product is really for kids at the age of six or below. So if you go out thinking that you are getting a good deal for 3D animation/drawing tools, you are way off. All in all, on a scale from one to five, I give it a negative five, but that was not a choice in the ratings so I had to pick one. So in conclusion, IT STINKS LIKE ROTTON EGGS!

Fun 3D excitement
We've had lots of fun with this game - it's neat to sculpt in 3D and play with a 3D mickey mouse. It's not exactly like the other cool Magic Artists, this is maybe good for older kids because they can understand how neat it is to create art in 3D!

Go for the 2D version instead
My daughter was a veteran of Disney's Magic Artist Classic and the current Disney's Magic Artist. She unfortunately had problems with this program and the problem is translating the user-interface into something kids can understand. The 2D versions of Magic Artist followed the lead of programs like Kai's Power Tools by using image metaphors for the tools. Want to spray-paint your canvass? Pick up a can of spray paint. Want to have a crayon-like texture? Pick up a crayon. Alas, there are no metaphors which work well in 3D artistry so the buttons and tools in this program are not immediately intuitive. You REALLY have to read the manual to understand how to use the program. 3D Artist is also a bit of a resource hog. Even with 128MB of RAM, the program will stop us in the middle of a creation to tell us that we've run out of memory (Yikes!). You can also add only 1 color and 1 texture to each element of an object. You can color Mickey's head and his nose but you can't paint eyes on him or draw his face-mask. Animation of objects is also limited to a few sets of actions (spinning, hopping, zig-zagging, etc.). I should note that my daughter and I managed to deal with these problems and limitations because I've done 3D PC art before. My advice to you is to wait until Disney Interactive comes out with version 2 of this program.

Disney has some problems
After installing this software, an error occured. After about 2 hours of searching Disney's website for some answers, the best they could come up with was "return it for a refund". Apparently, this software doesn't work with certain sound cards and video cards. The website of course couldn't tell you which ones. What major disappointment. My children were so excited to make Mickey and I had to explain to them that there was no way to make it work. Thanks for nothing Disney. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Putt-Putt's One-Stop-Fun Shop provides everything you need to design your own character creations. Create party supplies, personalized stationery, toys, and even paper airplanes. Choose from hundreds of interchangeable pieces of artwork or create your own, then develop and print an interactive coloring book featuring your favorite characters and scenes. You can also make your own adventure stories in a similar fashion, or use the Putt-Putt-o-matic to design your own Putt-Putt. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Terrific!
This program lets children create their own Putt-Putt stuff for any time. There's a printer output limit, and the soft backround music includes new tunes to my knoledge. It's really easy to use and fun. ... Read more