Amazon.com Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews (17)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews (7)

The Best Game Ever!!
This is the best game for a child in third grade. It has addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and also solving problems.
Polly probably mixed up the past, but give this to your child. They can fix the problems in a snap. And if you have a boy, it would take the time away from game boy. When they are done with the game (which will take a long time) your child will take over third grade. (It will help prepare).

When I was in third grade, I loved this program.
My freind and I played this program as much as possible when we were little, and I still remeber how much fun it was to try beat this game. I learned so many things I never new, and I never got tired of the game. If your child is anything like I was, I know they'll love it!

Almost a Great Product but Ruined by Bratty Character
I find it very disappointing that the creators of this product don't realize that an unspeakably bratty animated character ruins this product. The Jumpstart team is so loaded with technical talent and teaching savvy, but apparently they don't think that social skills matter, since the whole product is centered around a loud and sassy girl who is bad company for any child. The marketing team at Jumpstart apparently believes that their product won't sell if animated characters are courteous and supportive. I never buy their products anymore because I don't want to have to spend time reminding my son never to imitate the appalling behavior portrayed on Jumpstart.

A pleased father
This game is wonderful for any child starting 3rd grade! It gives your child opportunities to make learning fun, because children usually try to think of learning as boring or "stupid". The wonderful characters take your children back in time to stop the robots from changing history. All the characters and challenges help your child prepare for the future as all children need to be well prepared for the rocky road ahead. Botley is also a great way of showing that anyone can accomplish anything no matter who you are. He also teaches your children that no matter who you are believe in yourself and that is the first step to responsibility is by accomplishing your goals and not giving up. It also teaches your children to go against the odds, and not to let anyone no matter who no matter what stand in your way. It may be tough but you must stand tall and bold, like a warrior who has just won a battle. Like all those great accomplishers, some day they might just be one of them, one of the greats. Like Neil Armstrong they may too someday walk the moon, invent something, and most importantly go out and live! It also teaches them not to take drugs. It helps not only their ability to live but their grades. It shows your childs progress in every skill reading, english, math and many many others so you can see your childs improvment every step of the way.

All in all it's not just the math or english that make this software program so great, it's the confidence, and isn't that the most important factor of all?

It started out good
At first this software was very fun for my 7 year old, challenging, colorful, and not boring while teaching. The problems started when she got towards the end of the game, and discoved that there is no way to beat part of it, as if we were missing some extra software or something. Even my husband and I tried to figure out what was wrong, but to no avail. So the game did not work for us unfortunately. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

It's Clifford the Big Red Dog's birthday, and Emily Elizabeth has a longlist of tasks to accomplish before she can throw a party for her colossal caninepal. As the original "big dog" wreaks havoc--then comes to the rescue--throughout this program, it's easy to see why the affable Clifford has been ahit with early readers for nearly four decades. Kids strengthen recall,problem-solving, and creativity skills as they travel through town with Emily Elizabethand Clifford, getting ready for the party.

The program begins with the efficient Emily Elizabeth explaining all that needsto be done to prepare for the party: groom Clifford, decorate a birthday cake,pick up a present from the post office, build a birthday-dog collar, and cleanup the backyard. As the duo sets out to accomplish these tasks, guided by yourchild, unplanned events and Clifford-caused accidents throw them off task,giving them additional problems to solve. A knocked-over grocery display casemust be put back together before decorating the birthday cake, the neededpackage isn't at the post office, and the only dog groomer in town refuses toservice the gigantic specimen. This program does a great job of encouraging thenonlinear thinking that's sometimes necessary to get through real life.

There are seven places to visit and explore in town, ranging from the beach tothe home of the crotchety Bleakmans, elderly neighbors with a large swimmingpool (hint, hint). In addition to the overall task of figuring out how to getready for the big bash, there are also eight activities that can be played usingthree difficulty levels. One of the standouts is a game in which Clifford mustdeliver cars safely home after causing a traffic jam; it teaches spatialreasoning and how to follow directions, and there's just something delightfulabout seeing Clifford with a minivan in his mouth. Other activities range frompurely creative (decorating the cake, grooming Clifford) to the game-like(helping Clifford dodge seaweed and refuel by eating fish sticks as he swims outto sea to rescue a doggy pal). The overall concept of the program is strongerthan the individual games--a 6-year-old game whiz may find that Cliffordmoves a bit too slowly. We think disciples of the Big Red Dog will love it, asit features everything from Clifford's helpful heroism to Emily Elizabeth's oddcircular kneecaps. (Ages 4 to 6) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Favorite of the kids
Our kids have used many products. This became their favorite because of it's content as well as having Clifford which they knew from the books we have. This CD is pretty much what the title suggests - it's a thinking game. It gets them to remember items they saw on other screens and bring them to other screens to solve problems. I was pretty impressed at the success it had getting the kids to think - without our help. They sometimes play for hours till we tear them away. Both our 2 1/2 year old and 4 year old love it. I'd say that 3 year olds can probably start using it on their own if they are familiar with using programs of this type & the mouse. 2 year olds will need help solving some problems but love the graphics, painting and games. The box says ages 4-6.

Woof Woof!! Excellent For Kids, Fun For Adults, Too!
Although Clifford's Thinking Adventures is rated for children ages 4-6, my 3 1/2 has been playing with it, loving it, and learning (without knowing it!) since we received it from Amazon a week ago. There are three difficulty levels, and even on the Easy setting I have been impressed with the level of thinking my daughter has shown in figuring out the puzzles and also in the long term goal of getting Clifford to his birthday party.

When you play, you first choose 4 jewels for Clifford's collar, which show up along the way as you explore the game and work on the more difficult, multi-part tasks which must be completed before Clifford's birthday party may begin. These tasks involve your putting together various items you find in the game to solve problems. For instance, one of the tasks is for Clifford to get a bath and brush so he will look spiffy for the party. Fair enough, but this task cannot simply be accomplished by going to the dog groomer's shop (Clifford is too big to get through the door!). Later, as the game is played, you will find that the groomer, who previously closed his shop at the mere sight of the humongous Clifford, is taking a balloon ride in the park. What do you do when his balloon gets stuck in the tree and he can't get down? Think think think...how about using that rope ladder we saw earlier by the fire station? When the groomer gets down, he is so greatful that he gives Clifford a grooming kit he can use, if he can find enough water to bathe in. Where is there enough water? Think think think...was that a swimming pool I saw on the map??

There are plenty of games and puzzles along the way to the party as well. For instance, when Clifford accidentally knocks over the stand in front of the grocery store, you have to piece the broken sign back together (puzzle - spacial relationships) and put the grocery items back on the proper shelves in a certain order (following directions, counting).

I have noticed that the games and item locations can change from game to game for repeat playability. The game is also automatically saved wherever you happen to be, even if you do not close out of the game properly. This is a nice feature for small kids.

I have very few criticisms of the game. Actually moving Clifford around on the map in the game where you take people (and their cars) home according to their directions ("I live in the yellow house next to the three apple trees") can be a little bit tricky to master. Also, I first thought that it was a little annoying that the game does not give you a cursor to click until the characters in the scenes stop talking. I now think that this is a good idea, because it forces you to listen and to think about what the characters are saying instead of just clicking away as on an arcade game.

I changed my sound card a few nights ago, and went into Clifford to test it after my daughter had gone to bed. I ended up playing an entire game myself using one of the more difficult modes. About halfway through my wife walked in and started giving her suggestions over my shoulder. Yes, we really enjoyed Clifford too!

Surprised and very pleased.
This is my very first childs software game. I was quite amazed with it. Our 4 yr had never touched a mouse before, yet she (faked) a cry when she had to stop playing after her first 40 minutes. She needed only occasional help learning the game and of course it's even more fun if your nearby to share her excitment at the many surprises presented.

Really Great!
Our children, 2, 3 & 4, are just getting to know the computer. We've tried a couple different programs and this is by FAR the best. Our 4 year old is enthralled. He loves it, and I don't mind playing with him. The younger kids play it, but not as independently as the oldest. I think this means its a program we'll be playing a year from now. Can't say that about any of the other programs we have.

Motivational and a Positive Influence
My four-year-old plays more than 30 educational software games on a monthly basis (sometimes three a day before school in the morning and before bed at night). This one is a favorite of hers and so it is at the front of the CD-ROM Album. She started at the easy level more than a year ago and now she always does the hard levels. I (father) like the music and the navigation is much simpler than most programs provide. It still surprises me that she chooses to play it even though she mastered it long ago, but I can see that it teaches her good manners and sensitivity to others so I am happy to have the "Clifford influence" in her upbringing. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Kids sharpen their math skills as they trek high in the Himalayas with the ClueFinders. Join the ever-adventurous ClueFinders on a quest to find missing ancient treasures. Kids will need all their wits to hunt for clues. From purchasing supplies in the village store to building a yak corral, every activity integrates a math learning challenge. Solve the mystery and kids will bring home the greatest treasure of all--math confidence.

Explore 15 interactive games and exercises designed for kids ages 9 to 12 and older. Build more than 25 key math skills, including number computation, fractions and decimals, tables and graphs, and early geometry. Ten levels of difficulty and a variety of tricky challenges keep Mystery of the Himalayas fun and fresh. Detailed help features guide kids throughout, and built-in progress reports help parents navigate their child's math accomplishments.

A bonus CD-ROM doubles the mystery and clue-finding fun. In ClueFinders: Mystery Mansion Arcade our adventurers are lured into a spooky mansion by an ingenious mastermind and his four villainous henchmen. Kids help the ClueFinders escape by choosing the best ClueFinder for each arcade-style hazard. Speed through the Ultimate Deep-Dish Pizza Skate Park, stay cool through the High-Voltage Circuit Zone, and much more. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

cheap disks, cheap software
1) Broderbund appears to use consistently cheap disks: there appear to be visible defects on the surface. My cd-rom drive (which is finicky) does not like their disks.

2) My eight-year old did not find the game challenging.

3) The software did not interact well with other hardware and software on my system. CleanSweep thinks that the software is installing when trying to play the game; after changing my cd-rom drive, this program no longer starts up on my computer.

Great Game For Math Lovers
Nice game but the bad guy gets away. I would have rated it 5 stars if the avalanche had destroyed the guy in the yeti suit or at least been arrested. This is the only complaint I have, the math is challenging and it is fun to solve the mystery.

Excellent help fot math
Is a very good game that help the children to make mental calculations and solve very differente puzzles.

They can practice with decimal numbers, and fractions and they use logical thinking to solve the clues and find the suspects.

I really recommend this software that will work for at least three years. ... Read more

Features

• Travel to the ends of the earth in search of a lost history in this epic adventure
• Stunningly realistic 3D replications of the world's most mysterious sites
• Real-time environmental effects with full 360-degree environment exploration
• Over 50 hours of immersive gameplay with puzzles and challenges throughout
• Animations, video, and cut scenes, with in-game, real-time animations and video

Reviews (2)

Childpay
This is a logic game, but is tedious if you are looking for a brainteaser. It is an endless saga of clearing mini-puzzle after mini-puzzle , most that are predictable and simple. A few are more challenging. This game could be good for 8 to 12 year olds, but older people may lose interest. Simple, but acceptable graphics. Point and click to play.

New Adventure Game for the Mac (Panther)
I just received my copy of DreamCather's "The Omega Stone" for Mac OS X. I've only just started the game so this review is about my initial reaction to gameplay in general and not about the game itself. Hey, so far so good. The graphics are first rate as well as some nice background Egyptian-like music. My Mac is an iMac 17" FP, G4 800 MHz, 768RAM and OS X (10.3.2 Panther). No problems whatsoever. Downloading the game was a snap, just a simple click and it installs into your Applications folder. I have a feeling that I will be playing this game for a long while. Lot's to explore. It's been awhile since DreamCatcher has made a video game for the Mac. This is to my knowledge the first game by them for the Mac that's actually native to OS X. My other 2 DreamCather games, Dracula's Resurrection and Dracula:The Last Santuary both had to be played in OS 9.2. Nice job Dreamcatcher and thanks for supporting the Mac. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

I loved MOHAA & Spearhead...but, this is only ok...
This expansion has some clever additions, new weapons and vehicles, new terrains and all...I was really looking forward to this, but I gotta say, it was buggy, froze up at a couple of points where I had to enable the 'maps' cheat to advance beyond...had to crank down the visuals to baseline to succesfully run it....very disapointing (I am running a single proccesor G4 @ 1.25 mghtz and over a gig of ram, not the biggest out there but no slouch either.) 10 bucks for the pc is one thing, but 25 bucks for the mac...put it this way, if I had to do it over again, I would get Call of Duty for twice as much and I think, enjoy more gameplay for the dollars. I will have to think long and hard about buying any future additions to this franchise.

More of the same...
... which isn't exactly a bad thing. I loved Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Spearhead was short but fun, but with this the second expansion pack, the game play is looking and feeling a bit dated. (One look at Ghost Recon and you can see how behind MOH is.) The enemies are very stupid and, at some point, you begin to wonder how you have single-handedly plowed through hundreds of Nazis and Italians. I've been playing on the hardest level and you have to conserve ammo in a big way. There's just barely enough to do the job.
The addition of the multiplayer "liberation" game is nice. But my frame rates are lower with this expansion.

Ausgezeichnet!
I played a Beta version of this game and, true to the Medal of Honor form, it is wonderful. I mostly played it on a LAN network with about 10 people, and didn't get to sample the missions much, but from what I see, it looks great! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Greatest Hits CD-ROM collection gives children ages 3 to 8 an opportunity to explore and learn with their favorite Humongous Entertainment characters, including the peppy purple convertible Putt-Putt, underwater supersleuth Freddi Fish, and the world's youngest superhero, Pajama Sam. The Greatest Hits series features three software adventures: Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo, Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds, and Pajama Sam in "No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside".

Putt-Putt and Pep help get the Cartown Zoo ready for the grand opening inPutt-Putt Saves the Zoo. Kids explore the zoo and rescue baby animals with Putt-Putt while practicing critical-thinking, memory, and sequencing skills. In Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds, Grandma Grouper's kelp seeds have disappeared, and without them all of the sea creatures will go hungry. With the help of Freddi and Luther, kids explore underwater caves, deep canyons, colorful reefs, and more to solve this deep-sea mystery using critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. In Pajama Sam in "No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside", kids help Pajama Sam find his way through a world of talking trees, dancing furniture, a giant tree house, and a sunken mine on his way to face his fear of the dark. Players discover that clever thinking, teamwork, and problem solving are keys to success and that Darkness isn't so bad after all. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A fantastic bargain for three wonderful kids titles!
My three year old daughter started out with Freddi Fish number 2. We now own all five Freddi Fish titles. This great pack comes with three cd's. Each cd is number one in the series for each character. All three main characters are really cute and easy to follow. The graphics are great on all the cd's, and each adventure has some great fun songs in them. In each scene, there are a lot of things to click on so that the kids really get good mouse practice. This is a great set to get for a child who is just starting out on the computer. An experienced user will love it too. Each title is good for a boy or a girl.
We have over 20 kids games, and this set is by far the very best.

Great games, great buy
My 5 year old son loves all of these games. We had a different Pajama Sam game which he loved and I couldn't pass up the deal offered here. I'm sure glad I got it. Humongous does a great job creating fun games with staying power. They are just hard enough to keep your attention, but easy enough not to be frustrating for a 5 year old. At this age, its unnecessary to get the newest games, as long as the games are new to the kids, that's all you need. These 3 games will provide months of entertainment at a great price.

Humongous Fun
We bought this set for my son before he was 2 and he learned all the tricks in the Putt Putt game right away with me moving the mouse for him. Now he's a bit over 2 and he's learned how to use the mouse so he can do Putt Putt and Fredi Fish by himself. He doesn't always get everything right but he loves to play. The games are very creative and if the child doesn't click on the right thing, lots of funny things happen to whatever they click. He's still too young for Pajama Sam but some older friends of his love it. This is a terrific set at a great price. One tip: make sure you click on the topiary creatures before you go in the zoo in the Putt Putt game - there's a very cute song and dance they do.

Just as much of a success as the Junior Arcade series!
My 5-year old and his 3-year old sister have thoroughly enjoyed the Junior Arcade series which in many ways are HE's homage to classic arcade games (Defender, Breakout, Q*Bert, etc.)

But after reading numerous reviews especially here on Amazon I realized that I had to pick up one of the Adventure series as my kids love the characters, and would be working on some problem-solving and observational skills, among other things. Plus I knew the humour would make the grown-ups laugh along with the little ones.

Boy was I right! Just picked up this little value pack today, and they wouldn't go to bed until we finished the Pajama Sam title! It's true that the puzzles are hard enough to be challenging, but not frustratingly impossible to figure out (the carrot-fridge connection was so obvious that it never occurred to me for the longest time!)

I love knowing my son can play it again a second time with some of the puzzles changed, and a few "hidden" sections awaiting as well! It has better replay value than many games out there for the grown-ups!

I highly recommend this collection, as well as any of the other Pajama Sam/Spy Fox/Freddi Fish/Putt-Putt titles for parents looking for wholesome, challenging, and occasionaly laugh-out-loud enjoyable kids games! I get a chance to relive my own youth (this title reminded me of playing King's Quest 1 and 2 back in my teens) while encouraging my kids to think creatively rather than just go through the same repetitious routine again and again like most games out there... What more could you ask for in a kid's game?

Great entertainment, and good learning too.
This is a great set of games. They're hard enough that solutions aren't always obvious (even to the adult), but easy enough that with time and effort even a 3 year old can master them eventually. They're also fun enough that the 3 year old in question was more than willing to put in the time. In fact it was hard to pry him away from them. The characters are engaging, and there are a lot of small games internally that can be played regardless of what's going on in the larger game. All three are very good, and our son plays them all pretty equally, switching back and forth between them. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Get behind the controls of U.R.V., the Ultimate Robotic Vehicle, in Rescue Heroes: Tremor Trouble. An earthquake has hit the amusement park, and animals and people are in need of quick assistance. Players ages 4 to 7 can stop a runaway roller coaster, save animals from a flooding river, retrieve a downed submarine, and restart stalled high-wire trolley cars in this four-part adventure!

Even with three levels of difficulty, the activities in Tremor Trouble are simple, and children will have no trouble completing the game's tasks. The activities are basic skill builders. To put together the animal bridge, players must match up logs of varying lengths; to restart the stalled trolley, they match up gears of varying colors within its motor. One pleasing aspect of the game is that each of these four activities comes in two parts: the educational matching drill and an arcade game. To save the roller coaster, for example, U.R.V. must first put out the fires threatening to burn its structure. Only then can players sort out the machine pieces needed to rebuild the damaged ride.

It is a shame that, despite the fact that its animal-rescue component is certain to appeal to female gamers as well as to boys, Rescue Heroes Wendy Waters and Ariel Flyer don't appear in Tremor Trouble. What's more, the game's learning component is very basic, unlikely to seriously challenge players more than once or twice. These complaints aside, Tremor Trouble is bright and cheerful, and parents will appreciate the nonviolent structure of its storyline even as their kids delight in the fast-paced adventure format of its activities. The easy-to-follow instructions and tons of hearty encouragement served up by the Rescue Heroes team are sure to build player confidence... all while offering plenty of fun. --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (26)

mediocre software for avid Rescue Heroes fans only
Meteors have hit the planet, resulting in a series of widely scattered emergencies that require the Rescue Heroes to intervene -- and they need your help!!

The graphics are good, the intro is exciting .... but after that the game is totally mediocre. Four activities have three levels of difficulty, but they are quite tedious no matter what level you play. (1) Move around a water maze to rescue people in a flooded movie studio, and shoot a life preserver over a moving line of floating objects. (2) Navigate a maze on a rock face as you rescue stranded climbers while avoiding vicious eagles and snakes. (3) Aim a hose at brush fires so you can find and rescue animals on an African preserve. (4) Snowboard down a ski slope without hitting the shrubbery so you can dig people out from under an avalanche.

The hype is here, but the games are very boring. Your child has little flexibility or independence when performing tasks, and those tasks probably use only 2% of your child's brain power. For example, in order to dig people out of the avalanche, you click on the snow cave over and over, it doesn't matter where, until the person trapped within tells you how great you are -- and every time it's the same person in the snow cave. Each game is rather mindless in this way. There is little reasoning required and no skills acquired.

This is lame software that has neither educational value nor excitement. When there are so many worthwhile children's software titles out there, don't waste your money or your child's time on this lazy stuff. It may be worthwhile for the truly avid Rescue Heroes fan, but even that is doubtful. This was our first Rescue Heroes title. It is also our last.

Lava Landslide
I gave this game to my son as an early birthday present. He's almost four and loves the Rescue Heroes. The reviews I read were mixed so I decided to buy it anyway. I'm really glad I did. Sure it's challenging, but it's a good excuse for the parents to get involved. First I did the hard parts for him, to show him what needed to be done. Then I guided him through them and finally he ended up doing it all by himself. He was so proud when he accomplished the hard tasks that he couldn't do at first!

Unlike most computer games this one requires the use of the arrow keys instead of the mouse. Well, it's always nice to learn new skills.
I can't wait to give my son the two other RH games I baught for his birthday. I have no doubt he'll love them too.

Inaginext Pirate Raider
I gave it a 1 because they did not have a 0, to give. I bought this game for my son and I try to install it and it tells me that it has encountered an error. I go to the web site and it tells me what to do with that error, but after I do what it told me it does the same error thing again. My son and I both got so frustrated and finally gave up. I am returning it to the place where I purchased it for a full refund. Good luck for those of you that also bought this Horrible Game.

Frustrating game for my almost 5 yr. old
I agree with other reviews that the mouse clicking is very difficult. It's difficult to maneuver the men around. My son tried for a few minutes, became so frustrated, I finished the one mission, but couldn't get him to do any more. Would recommend the I Spy software - ages 6-10, but he loves it! Don't have to know how to read.

Yeah Pirate Raider!
My 7-year-old LOVES this game. He'd play from sun up to sun down if I let him. I hear him cheering and clapping in the other room and he's having so much fun!
I'm VERY anti-violence, so when he got this game I was concerned. I was pleased to discover that although the ships sometimes fire on each other, no people are ever involved. This makes it so much more abstract and less about killing. When you capture forts, you fire on canons only and never see people. When you capture other ships, your knife is used only to chop up fruit that's thrown at you by skeletons. Once you capture their gold, you're on your way to fulfill another mission.
Frankly, this game is so much fun I have to admit to playing it myself! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The missing System Requirements
Please disregard the stars rating, I haven't played the game.
Here's the System Requirements:

Mac OSX 10.2.5
800 MHZ PowerPC G4 or better
256 MB RAM
32 MB Radeon 7500 / GeForce 2 class 3D hardware acceleration required
64 MB Radeon 9000 / GeForce 4 Titanium or better recommended
2 GB free on Hard Disk

If Adventure has a name.....
...it must be Indiana Jones.

There are dozens of games featuring Indiana Jones, and this seems to be best of them so far. The puzzles are challenging, with enough twists and turns that you can shake a stick at. All of the moves/items Indy uses are action packed full of fun. Obviously, it gets harder the deeper you get into the game, but that's what makes it an adventure. My sister and I just love it!!

Highly Recommended for Indiana Jones Fans
If you like Indian Jones movies (and who doesn't?) and have a Macintosh, this is the game that's hard to beat. I've read that some don't like the control scheme, but after a little practice I found it fairly intuitive--just point Indiana with the mouse and press 'w.' My only gripe would the lack of a 'walk' mode. This is purely an esthetic however since there is a 'stalk' mode that is the equivalent. The best part about the game is the combat engine. All of Harrison Ford's characteristic moves are well modeled and the enemy AI is relentless and clever. I have an iMac 1.25 Ghz with 768 MB ram and was able to play in the high resolution mode with no trace of slow down. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Awesome Game!
Wow! I am really suprised over how long we had to wait for this damn game. But needless to say, I still had all the fun with it as I did on the PC version. Stunning visuals and probably THE BEST online gameplay ever. This game is for the hadcore FPS fan only, if your not a fan of the genre...STAY AWAY! There are tons of maps to choose from...over 20. Plus you can download mods, maps, and extras online. But, this game is EXTREMELY DEMANDING! You do need the latest top-of-the-line gfx card to play this and a good processor to. I would say a 1.2 GHZ with a Radeon 9700 will do good. For the best gameplay, a 2.0 GHZ with a Radeon 9700 will keep the game running very smooth.

excellent game!
as long as you can get it to run adequately(which shouldn't be a problem), this game is the best FPS on the market. singleplayer tournament can be incredibly challenging on the mid-high difficulties, and singleplayer botmatches never get old... and then theres multiplayer, the replay value of which is infinite. definitely worth picking up if you enjoy this kind of game.

One of the best.
Unreal 2003 is unlike many other games out there. The older Unreal Tournament in my opinion had amazing graphics, 2003 seems to have carried this tradition. It almost seems as if you were in an animated motion picture. For example I love how to grass moves in this game. Small things like this really make a game better. The requirements are steep though. On my dual G4/500 the game was almost unplayable (unless you turned off a bunch of settings). It is much better to run this game with a high end video board. About all the machines ship with a good video card though, even the Radeon 9200 in the iBooks handled this game well.

An incrediable game
The first day I got this game I installed it and started playing online. After a while I started feeling hungry and realized that it was 2:30 in the morning already! The single player campaign is pretty bad, so I'd only recommend this to people with internet connections to play online. It does take a decent machine to run it well, but I got it running extremely smoothly on my powerbook 12" 867 simply by turning world detail and model detail down. The game looks fantastic, even with reduced settings. This game also has an incrediable online community that is constantly churning out new maps and mods that transforms it into a completely different game. All in all, I love this game. In my opinion it is one of the best first person shooters avaliable right now. Highly reccomended

it's ok
i liked it it had everything going for it BUT the size of the game was minute i finished it in 1 hour and with the unreal tornimant the first one it looks like it was slaped together in minits ... Read more

Features

• 3 fun Princess games in a free keepsake box
• Design a magical collage with Disney Princess Fashion Boutique
• Dive into an ocean of activities with Ariel's Story Studio
• Create a personal, 3D model in Disney's Magical Dress Up
• For kids age 6 or older

Amazon.com Review

Reader Rabbit Kindergarten 2002 packs an astonishing number of activities into a two-CD-ROM set, enough to keep nearly any child in the 4 to 6 age range glued to the computer for hours. With glitzy graphics and plenty of songs to sing along with, not to mention a clever plot, this high-quality educational program helps kids practice a range of skills, from counting, reading, and listening comprehension, to recognizing colors and shapes.

The adventure begins when Reader Rabbit and Sam the Lion are stranded in Balloon Town and must rescue the Dreamship, which has been encased in bubble wrap and locked in the Pointy Palace. In order to wake up the sleeping bull that guards the palace, the player must locate five musical instruments. Each time the player completes an activity, an instrument magically appears. For a program aimed at kindergartners, the instruments take a lot of persistence to earn--kids must complete a staggering number of problems at each activity site and this can quickly become very repetitive.

The program itself is well thought out and comes with many user-friendly features. The software automatically adjusts to your level and shows how you're doing at each activity. It's also possible to save games for up to 99 different players, which makes the software suitable for use in a classroom or other group setting.

The CD-ROM set includes three other activities--calendar making, painting, and music playing, all of which are engaging in their own right. It also comes with a collection of more than 100 age-appropriate activities that don't have to do with the computer, as well as Reader Rabbit songs that can be played on an audio CD player.

As with other Reader Rabbit software, the biggest concern with this program is that there are so many things to do, children may eventually have to be dragged away, kicking and screaming, from the computer. Perhaps a laptop is the answer--at least that way they can play outside. --Molly Masland ... Read more

Reviews (17)

good for preschoolers if you want them using the computer!
This program doesn't teach anything special that is not easily taught outside of a computer game. Success at the game will be had most quickly if the child already knows the skills needed to play the game (see below, i.e. already knows their basic shapes). If you want your child using the computer during the preschool years then this is a safe and good bet. If your child doesn't know everything this program covers already then they are sure to learn it quickly if they like the game and are not discouraged. There is much more to phonics than this program covers, of course.

We held off introducing our son to the computer until he was almost 4.5 years old. We strictly limit what he can do on the computer and he does not use it much, sometimes going 2 months or so without using it. We purchased this program when our oldest just turned 5, at which time he already could start up the computer, open a program, change CDs and close the entire system down all by himself. I thought it best to buy an easier Reader Rabbit game and see how he likes it rather than start off with the Kindergarten or the phonics Reader Rabbit. If you have a 3 or a 4 year old (or even a 2 year old) that you want using a computer game then this one is great (see section on phonics for a possible difficult part though).

Being unfamiliar with children's computer games I was surprised that much of this is almost like a video on television, there are songs that seem to be about 3 minutes long and very graphic and long introductions to the program every time it is started and before each game. The characters on screen tell the user what to do. I was disappointed it did not come with written instructions, as when my son needed help there was nothing I could turn to. Goodness knows I am not sitting with him all the time watching him play, so I miss the already-spoken instructions for the overall game. Instructions for the mini-games that they play can be repeated by simply clicking on a certain character on the screen.

I sat down to play it as a new user and we played for over an hour. I was annoyed that the instructions are not clear. Specifically, the program has the user doing a little job to earn a gem called a brillite. They wanted 5 yellow brillites to start. We did all the jobs but there was a missing brillite. There was no instruction as to how to get this missing brillite so we re-explored every area on the program's map and began repeating jobs because we didn't know what else to do. That began earning us different colored brillites. It is a little unclear to me as to how to win this game, they say to gather brillites but we really don't know how many of each and how to exactly get them except play in a random manner repeating the games. I'd much prefer them to say "repeat all the games to earn the blue brillites in order to earn the missing yellow brillite" or some other such informative instruction.

This is truly geared for preschool age (3 or 4) or for any age that already knows the 6 colors of the rainbow, circle, square, oval, triangle, diamond shapes, if they can count to 10 and follow oral directions. The hardest part of the game, which may be difficult for preschool aged children and may cause frustration, is the phonics portion. An object comes along on a raft and there are 3 sparkle shakers above it and the user must choose which sparkle shaker (with a letter on it) represents the first letter of the object. The first go round has the word written under the object (i.e. violin) but after that round is won the object comes out without a word. Shame on them for showing a giraffe and giving both a g and a j as options! Bad choice for beginners to phonics! The user will be told if they make an incorrect choice and they can narrow it down by process of elimination. The game with the train and matching the object shape is more of a fast paced game to improve hand and eye coordination and fast mouse-usage than a true matching game-if they pick the match right after the fast changes they are doomed. On the box it says this does drawing and coloring but that is a stretch: the kids are told to paint a certain shape a certain color and they simply click once on the proper color and click once on top of the shape and it is instantly colored in. There is nothing about drawing going on there! The only math here is counting up to 10 (it is advertised as having math on it).

There is nothing offensive or questionable about this game, the language is clean, etc.

This is a fun game for preschoolers (I found it too easy for my just turned 5 year old). It is very entertaining in that it has interludes in between games and songs with a few minutes of on screen entertainment. The songs are catchy. The graphics are very good compared to the old days of Space Invaders and such!

Good Program
I purchased this program to help my 3 year old son sharpen and develop his basic preschool skills. I found this program to have a good theme and my son was very interested in the character's various actions, songs and dances used to accompany the instruction. Skill levels can be chosen to pace the progression dependeing on the need of the child. The program is very user friendly to an adults helping their children. Progrmas are easily exited out of and information can be saved to log the progress of the children users. I recommend this software to parents who want to help their preschoolers get a head start on Kindergarten education.

Skip this one
My son (now almost 4) is pretty academically bright and pretty good with a computer mouse. We bought this game for him just before he turned 3 last year. What a disappointment! Now, we are a big computer game family, and our son has played a few other titles which we have loved (Little People Discovery Airport, Ollo Saves the Fair, Putt-Putt, and a few others). We loved Reader Rabbit Toddler and Reader Rabbit Baby, which were designed very well. Unfortunately, Reader Rabbit Preschool did not stack up.

As usual, the game has a creative story behind it, and there is a goal that involves collecting things. These are wonderful motivators. However, the game skill levels seem either much to easy (matching bugs) or pretty advanced (counting out just the right number of bugs to fill a rocket, including addition and subtraction as the game increases in difficulty) for a "typical" preschooler. I should add that I used to teach preschool and kindergarten, so I have an idea of what is developmentally appropriate. This game ranges from boring to frustrating with very little in between. Some activities, such as the "painting" activity at the waterfall, require very very good mouse control, as the shapes tend to be very small, and the child must click in just the right areas.

I highly recommend skipping this game. Our son is now happily playing Reader Rabbit Kindergarten (the Summer Camp one)with very little trouble.

Too much advertisement and lacks parental controls
I had previously purchased Reader Rabbit for baby and toddler and was thrilled with the product. However, I cannot say the same of the Reader Rabbit Preschool. This CD launches with a page that gives my [child] 6 choices of where to go. Only one is the educational program. The others are advertisements for Star Flyers, Clue Finders, Zoombinis, the Oregan Trail, and Carmen Sandiego. Each of these plays a short movie and gives my [child] the option of launching the internet to download more. I certainly do not want my child on the internet, and I did not purchase the CD so that the Learning Company could target my ...child with advertisement. I wanted him to learn something. It quickly became a fight to keep him in the educational portion of the CD. I called Broderbund, and after waiting 25 minutes to speak with a technician, was told that there was nothing that could be done. There are no parental controls. I asked to speak with a supervisor to discuss my concerns, and was told I could go to the web site and e-mail them. I would not recommend this CD.

They've got it almost right
This is the most educational of the programs I've found for the preschool set, but there are still disappointments. I wish they would do more with the alphabet - they need more variety of words, a combination of small letters and capitals. My three-year-old mastered the top level within a few weeks, simply because he memorized the words they were using, and then quickly grew bored. The musical numbers are cloying and irritating. But the rocket counting game is terrific -- a real help teaching small kids the meaning of numbers. Overall, I've yet to find better, but I hope the designers of the Reader Rabbit series keep trying. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Time to Play Pet Shop gives kids the chance to feed and care for animals in an interactive setting. They can choose names, groom and bathe the animals, and play pet vet. There are nine activities in all. Along the way, they will learn about over 40 species of furry, feathered, and scaly animals while enjoying paw-stomping original songs. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

a great activity
My daughter, 5, loves to play this game. She dresses up the animals in very creative ways and feeds them too. The game holds her attention over many other "fancier" type programs. She loves to bathe the dogs and give them a check-up too. She even prints out her creations. Best of all, this is a game that she can do by herself. A lot of other games seem to be a bit difficult for her age. This one is truly for young kids.I would say that this game is worth the money.

3&7 year old love this game
My 7 year old daughter got this last year for christmas and she still sits and plays it all the time. You pick your own animals and set up your pet shop, then you care for your pets, groom them, and dress them up. Her favorite thing about this I think is the music she is always singing along with it. My 3 1/2 year old son likes this too it's easy for him to play it all by himself.

I buy this for all my kids friends
I'm actually buying a replacement CD. My oldest daughter loved this, now my youngest daughter loves it but it got too scratched. It's great because it's so easy for them to learn and they can play it without getting frustrated (and I don't have to bail them out!) The song is nice, it's not violent, it teaches compassion and both of my girls now want to be veterinarians. My youngest was 3 when she first played this, now she's 5 and has a lot of other newer computer games but still likes to go back and play this one -- hence, the replacement CD.

Love this game!
I got this game last year for my 3 year old son. He loved it so much. ... My 7 year old daughter really enjoyed playing the game too.

A Great Game
My daughter has had this game for a little over a year, and she has never tired of it. It remains one of her favorite games. She is a big animal lover, so it is right up her alley. It is simple to use, yet allows her to be creative and use her imagination. A great game for boys or girls. ... Read more

Features

• Have fun with Blue while discovering school is cool
• 3 levels of learning for extended gameplay
• Familiar songs from the TV series
• Promotes creative expression through music and art
• Ideal for children aged 3 to 6

Reviews (4)

Horrible game - The victim is you and the perp is Aspyr
This is about the worst piece of software that I have come across in recent times. It is reminiscent of the early days of software development when all manner of quirky, buggy junk used to make it onto the shelves of retailers.

But that was 20 years ago. Since then software development has matured considerably and although there are bugs they don't impede the general purpose of the game - which is to challenge and entertain.

Well there's no entertainment here. The graphics are dreadful. The sound is non-existent and there's no way to exit out of the game without having to reboot the computer. Something our Windows cousins are well accustomed too but is a very rare occurrence on the Mac these days with the release of OS/X.

So how does a lame piece of rubbish like this get on the shelves of respectable ret retailers ? That's a good question. I guess that with all the software out there it is difficult to check every game out. Retailers probably look in the box figure out that there is a CD and a manual and assume everything is ok.

It is ironic that a company that sells this type of software calls itself Aspire - misspelled ASPRY - it should more aptly call itself DSPYR for despair.

All I think of is that in the end of all of this process you - the buyer - are the victim in this transaction if you buy this game and the perpetrator the company called ASPYR. Hopefully the good people in Law & Order will catch on to this con and throw ASPYR's arse in the clinker.

Don't Buy This Game
I've tried to get it to work on two different platforms, a G3 Macintosh running the lastest Jaguar and a G4 running the latest Panther. Aspyr technical support is absolutely no help. Don't buy this game until they fix the bugs (freeze-ups and virtually no sound). It's a $40 ripoff.

Doesn't work
This game doesn't work. It freezes up. I tried to work with Aspry and when it still didn't work after all their suggestions, they said that it must be a problem with my system. Some other program must be interrupting play, which of course wasn't tremendously helpful. I recommend not buying this game until or unless Aspry discovers a solution.

Worthless
I bought this game for my dad as a Christmas present. Unfortunately it's not much of a gift since it doesn't work. Even after making sure our system software was completely up-to-date, it locks up constantly and is basically unplayable. I even attempted to install it on my own system with the same results. Aspyr doesn't offer any solutions to this problem which seems to be widespread. Don't buy this game until Aspyr offers a patch. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Introduce your little one to the wonderful world of learning with JumpStart Baby. Designed specifically for children 9 to 24 months old, JumpStart Baby encourages important developmental skills in an atmosphere of fun and musical merriment. Visit the friendly, inviting nursery as you explore eight different learning activities with Teddy, your animated host. With this program, your baby will discover shapes, music, colors, clothing, animals, and cause and effect. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

after a comparison.......
I first bought the reader rabbit series from the Learning Company, my 20 month old loved it. The activities are interactive and the music is very catchy.

I recently purchased thejump start baby. My child was bored and disintersted. She kept asking me for "Reader Rabbit".

I noticed after installing the jump start baby software my computer started acting weird and malfunctioning. I should have been more aware, as I purchased a copy of jump start baby about six months prior and it crashed my windows 98 system to the point of no return.

After uninstalling jsb and all its subcomponents it seems my system is back to normal reliability.

And that is my review!

Excellent first software
I'm a bit baffled by the negative reviews listed here. I used JumpStart Baby with my first son (now 4) and found it to be an excellent introduction to the world of computer software. The "dress teddy" and "color train" games provided months of fun. The fact is, babies can't mouse around (as in JumpStart Toddler) -- the best they can do is hit the keyboard and that is exactly how the games are designed to function: to respond with the next logical action when the keyboard is pressed. The comments regarding "waiting" are off-base.... if you think children hate to wait then this game is not nearly as frustrating as LeapPad products which are all "sit and listen" and very little "interact." I have just begun introducing the game to my 7 month old and he loves it! But's it's only appropriate in small doses at the beginning... still, with this softare, even before age one your child can learn that playing with computers is fun and that "something happens" when he/she presses buttons on the keyboard. What more do you want from a baby? (Note: I never encountered any of the installation problems mentioned by other reviewers.)

My kids ages 1 and 3 love it!
This is the second time I'm purchasing this software (the first disk got scratched). I bought it 3 years or so ago for my son. He used it from ages 9 months and now my daughter loves it. She loves the songs, animals and putting teddy "night-night," which makes it easier to stop playing when mom's had enough. My son enjoys helping his sister play the games now, which are simple enough to do on their own.

Would Not Install
Quite simply, the software would not install. Auto-run would run correctly, but clicking 'install' from the Jumpstart welcome screen resulted in nothing happening. A complete waste of money, since I threw out the packaging some time ago.

Limited Fun for Baby, Nightmare for Mom
JumpStart Baby Deluxe Edition was the first CD-ROM that I bought for my daughter when she was almost a year old. She found it fascinating the first handful of times that we played it together, but it seemed to get old pretty fast for her. She did learn basic cause-and-effect via keyboard banging, but she lost interest in the games quickly and some were actually quite confusing.

As lapware, this was not a fun program to use. With lapware, the child sits on the parent's lap while they both attend to the game. It's a way for the parent AND child to interact together so that the computer doesn't act as a babysitter per se. However, I found the graphics very stilted and unappealing. Teddy was much too talkative and the animals were downright scary-looking. The baby performing fingerplays and dancing in the song section was nightmarish. I don't know what the JumpStart team was thinking when they released this version of JumpStart Baby. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Help adventurous teens Zack and Jess save the planet from crazy computer mayhem in JumpStart Adventures 6th Grade. Start in the ultra high-tech Earthquest command center, where you play games and solve puzzles to outsmart the computer while learning math, history, language arts, science, and more. Play as either Zach or Jess--two intrepid teenage heroes, each with their own special abilities and personalities--and use your 6th grade skills to navigate games riddled with perilous obstacles. Travel from the Great Barrier Reef to the Appalachians to protect the earth and its inhabitants.

Calculate A.R.T.'s exact location using basic geometry and robot clues, and save Earth's greatest monuments from destruction by filling in the correct historical facts and avoiding Scorpion-bots. Help eliminate the contagious Viro-bots that are invading the bodies of endangered animals. Correct and complete sentences to diffuse the pollution-filled eco-mines and save the water supply. Crack the locks on the tree bands by using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and shut down the toxic waste factory by deciphering higher math problems. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Jump annoying
Sure, it's 6th grade, but most of the infromation on the CD happens to have around a 85% chance that the topics are even in your schools, at least not in MO.... so I'd rate this at *** stars at best.

Jumpstart 6th Grade
I've played this game over many times already and I think it has very exellent graphics, it combines a semi-realistic background with animated characters. As for the game itself you can set the difficulty level and- its a very humorous game that tests the brain in diffrent subjects. I recommend this not just for sixth graders but, for children of all ages.

Jump Start 6th Grade
I played this game when I was in fourth grade and it was very hard. You have to be smart to play it. I am in fifth grade now and I'vee already beaten one robot and I have almast got two. I am turning 11 soon.

Excellent, exciting, and intelligent
Bought this for my 6th grader and I were so impressed with the program! It was a bit like Sci-Fi meets Who Wants to Be a Millionaire...the graphics were terrific, alot like the current anime cartoons that are so popular. I am glad I purchased this. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Putt-Putt and Pep are on their way to the circus, and they're looking forward to three rings of fun. Unfortunately, a hungry goat eats their ticket, so the car and his canine pal must earn their way to a ringside seat. Fortunately, the circus owner has some serious problems, and he enlists Putt-Putt to solve them. The reward--if he succeeds in getting the circus up and running--is a free lifetime ticket to the big top.

Putt-Putt Joins the Circus is a role-playing adventure for children between 3 and 8 years of age. The various circus performers are all refusing to do their shows, and Putt-Putt must change their minds, either by finding a lost item or winning a simple arcade-style challenge. The puzzles and arcade games are easy and straightforward, and users will find extensive animated sequences sprinkled throughout the story. Along the way, they can help out a number of talking vehicles and friendly circus animals. One word of warning: older players may find the animations too lengthy, and the simplicity of the challenges means they will finish the game quickly.

Putt-Putt is an appealing character and he shines in this game, which features large, colorful graphics, great sound, good humor, and a nice mix of storytelling and problem solving. Putt-Putt Joins the Circus also comes with a parent/teacher guide, which suggests methods of reinforcing the lessons of teamwork and kindness that are the game's themes, a nice supplement to the gaming experience. --Alyx Dellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (10)

excellent software for young game players
If your child has played beginning software like JumpStart and is ready to move on to more advanced gameplay, Humongous Entertainment's Putt-Putt series (and Freddi Fish and Pajama Sam, as well) are an excellent choice. These titles take the cognitive tasks up a notch as children must accumulate specific items, navigate a number of locations, and use their problem-solving skills to help their friends and achieve larger goals. Along the way, kind and gentle Putt-Putt and his dog Pep will meet a number of nice characters, visit a variety of interesting locations and play games as they complete the larger tasks.

In Putt-Putt Joins the Circus, the overarching goal is to earn a ticket to the show by performing a variety of tasks and helping the various acts prepare. You must get a nose for the clown, help the organ arrange her pipes, get a power drink to the strong-van, find a new tent for the fleas, etc. There are quite a few locations and objects, so it would be a good idea for you to help your child for a while. Eventually they will probably want to play on their own. The characters are lovable and there is a lot of humor here. We run it on a Mac and have had no problems at all -- very stable and easy to install.

This is one of the best titles in a great series.

Why no positive reinforcement?
I'm a parent of 2 children, 5 and 2. Both find this, as well as all Humongous software, quite a bit of fun. My problem, as a parent, is that after working on clues and spending as much as an hour getting through the game, all the positive reinforcement goes to the onscreen character, (Freddi Fish/Putt-Putt) and the child is left empty. Why on earth doesn't Putt-Putt acknowledge the child as the reason the game was solved? Accolades are heaped on Putt-Putt, while my five year old looks on with an expression frustration hoping someone onscreen will talk with her. Great games from Humongous, but they need to work more directly with the children playing them.

Putt-Putt is great
I got putt putt with a computer that i had bought as one of the disks included. My son was 2 at the time and loved playing this game with me looking for missing clues and helping to put them together. now at 3 yrs of age he plays all by himself with it and knows exactly where to go each time he starts over.

Great for Young Kids Age 4 to 7
Add this one to the list of great (young) kid's games produced by Humongous, including the Freddi Fish & Pajama Sam series. Although my grandson has outgrown these titles, my great nieces and nephews are now playing them. They are both entertaining and educational.

A fun, fun game!
Both my 3 1/2 yr. old and my 6 yr. old girls play this game. They both truly enjoy this game. In fact, I have to get them some of the other Putt-Putt games, because they enjoy them so much! This is a delightful game that teaches problem solving and memorization in a very fun way. It is a great game for either boys or girls. I would recommend this and any other Putt-Putt games. ... Read more

Product Description

You want more bonus games? YOU GOT IT! Phantom EFX’s third title in the wildly successful Reel Deal Slots series, NICKEL ALLEY is packed with slot after slot all featuring fun and exciting Bonus Games!

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