Amazon.com Review

Don your tiara and pick up your wand, for only true, good princesses can enter the enchanted world of Barbie as Rapunzel.

Rapunzel and Prince Stefan have organised a masked ball, but they didn't invite the local wicked witch, Gothel. When Gothel finds out, she is furious and promptly casts an evil spell over the castle and its inhabitants. The prince is turned to stone, the jewels from his crown are scattered around, and the enchanted castle is immersed in darkness. When Rapunzel and her trusty purple--and very cute--dragon friend enter the doomed castle, they are challenged by the witch to find the jewels in order to rescue the prince and restore the castle to its former glory.

One of the most magical, creative packages on the market, this interactive adventure really is superlative. The graphics are fantastic and pixels do not stick between screens. The movement is fluid and controlled and the sound is excellent.

This package also develops basic PC skills, creativity, and imagination, and encourages colour recognition, shape matching, hand-to-eye coordination, and cause-and-effect recognition skills. The accompanying music completes the magical experience.

Barbie as Rapunzel is accompanied by a clear, comprehensive instruction booklet that should probably be read by a parent before commencing. That said, instructions are given throughout the quest in a clear, slow voice and objects flash onscreen to reinforce the message. The help section can also be accessed at any time. The manufacturer recommends this package for children ages 5 and older, and though help may be required to begin with, a computer-literate 5- or 6-year-old will soon get the hang of things and be able to play alone. All in all, a superb package that kids, Barbie fans or not, will just love. --Susan Naylor, Amazon.co.uk ... Read more

Reviews (26)

very entertaining and worth the money
I bought this software for my 5-year old daughter for Christmas. She and her twin sister, along with their 4-year old sister, LOVE this game!!! They love everything about it, from the theme song at the beginning, to finding Prince Stefan in the maze at the end. I will admit, it's not super educational, but it does keep them entertained and it's nice to have a "fun" game once in awhile that doesn't require them to think too hard! It's also nice because they can leave the game midway, and return back to where they left off by clicking on their name. The names can also be deleted so that they can start a fresh game. They can restore the castle over and over again and have it be different every time. I think it was totally worth the money.

A fun game for younger Barbie fans
My three year old adores this game. The game only takes 2-3 hours to complete in one sitting, but my child has played it over and over, and still loves it. The box recommends this game for ages 5 and older, but my daughter can play this game by herself with ease, except for the maze (which is fairly easy, but she needs help working the arrow keys). This game is mostly a "paint" type game, where you decorate different rooms in a castle in order to save Prince Stephan and the castle. You paint and place different decorations about the castle, as well as "build" a planter and a mosaic tile. The game and the decorations are quite cute, and easy for young Barbie fans to do independently. I feel it does have some educational value as well, in that my daughter seems to have improved her mouse skills from playing this game, has grasped concepts like clicking a "done" button when she has completed a task, and seems to have become better at listening to directions. My one and only complaint is that I wish there had been just a couple more rooms in the castle to decorate. Still, for a fairly short game, it has lots of replay value in it, and the length is just right for a young attention span. I would recommend this game to people with young children who are Barbie fans, especially if their kids aren't quite ready for the more advanced thinking that games geared for older kids have. Don't get me wrong, I think older Barbie fans will like this game, too, if they want to play a game that mostly centered on decorating. I've had problems finding games that my daughter can play independently at her age, plus she's a huge Barbie fan, so this game was perfect for us.

Awesome computer game for a 5 year old
Just bought this for my daughter she loved it so much she played the game twice in a row.
She loved decorating the castle and saving the Prince.
Don't hesitate to buy this Barbie game she'll love it too

Rich and great for ADD girls
I bought this very rich program for my bright 4 year-old who has significant problems with patience and focus/attention. She likes the video very much. This video has been very helpful in rewarding her for working patiently and methodically. At the same time it is great for teaching shapes, use of color, and fine motor control.

Definitely enjoyed!
This was a gift for my 6 yr old daughter. She is a big Barbie fan as well as loves to use the computer. She is still enjoying this game. She completed it in a few hours which worried me at first, but she loves to do it over and over again. The music is enjoyable and the colors are vibrant. It seems to be very user friendly also....my daughter has not really needed my help to use it once she started it the first time. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Graced with the most adorable voice since the animated Linus, Mercer Mayer's Little Critter has become one of the most popular interactive storybook characters around. In this classic title, L.C. and his Dad head off on a multimedia camping trip that features dozens of clickable images, merry songs, and a 22-minute, Critter-made video.The staying power of this quiet, technically unremarkable CD-ROM lies in the consistent, reassuring message it delivers. On each page, there are both adorable clickables (dancing chipmunks, sunbathing mice) and surprising and/or spooky ones (volcanic eruptions, rearing sharks, burning logs that launch skyward like rockets). As well, Little Critter's own internal world is a mixture of eager joy (tents! hiking boots!) to huge, looming fear (of the legendary "Big Paw"). In the company of his dad for the weekend, however, Little Critter undergoes an important shift. By story's end, his fearfulness has been gently replaced by newfound confidence and acceptance. A must-have classic for all families. (Ages 3-8) --Jean Lenihan ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Just Me and My Dad
This item is rated for 3-7 years old. However with this age group it does not automatically run when placed in the CD Drive. This make it impossible for the younger this age group is to use on their own. It seems an auto run command should be used on software used for children to provide them with hassle free use of the product.
If it does't run what use is it no matter who the writer is. I have Windows 2000.

doesn't work on XP
Just me and my Dad is an excellent children's book, and this software version does an excellent job of reading it. I bought it mainly to help my 5 year old son learn to read, and I find it very useful. However, it gave me tremendous frustration at first when I couldn't get it to run at all on my one year old Windows XP machine. I own many children's software, such as the Magic school bus series, Jump Start, Reader Rabbit, DK software, and other Living Book series such as the Cat in the Hat, and they all run well or at least partially on my machine. This one doesn't open AT ALL, and every trick I used that worked in the past failed. Luckily, I was able to borrow a friend's computer with Windows 98, and it runs beautifully. My son particularly likes the little movie on it. It is surprisingly well done and captivates his attention. Highly recommended for those who can downgrade.

Grandma & Me at the Beach
Someone purchased this cd by Mercer Mayer for me. My grandson who is 3 years old today just loves this story. He also enjoys the stickers and playing in the sand. I have looked all over the place for other cds by Mercer Mayer along the same line. Everyone seems to have heard of them but do not know where to purchase them. Could you help me with this. How many cds does Mercer Mayer have besides Grandma & Me at the beach and Just me and my Dad.

Lots of fun!
My 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 year olds both love this one. A fun story with lots of funny hidden surprises. Only one complaint: the movie shows up too small. Otherwise it's perfect.

Terrific interactive story!
Little Critter is a sweet, sometimes mischevious, well behaved little critter. In this story, Little Critter and his dad go camping. The software is easy to play with and each page is loaded with fun things to click on. It also contains the hidden animated image then will have your child laughing when he or she pushes the button. All of the Mercer Mayer software, Me and My Mom and Me and My Grandmom plus the books and even movies are terrific. This is a great piece of software to read with your child. Girls will also enjoy it. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Here's your chance to reunite online with the entire undersea gang.The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea brings Ariel, her daughterMelody, Sebastian, and all the other characters from the two Disney filmsstraight to your computer, in a package of games and activities certain toplease young players.

Return to the Sea features two arcade games--Melody's Daring Dive and TooCool!--and a trio of creativity-oriented activities. In the first game, Melodydives for jewels and pearls while dodging sharks and other hazards. In thesecond, she collects gems in an effort to thaw out a trident, which she mustthen use in battle with the nefarious Morgana. Both games are fast paced andwell designed, boasting 20 levels of difficulty. Unlike some games for this agegroup, these genuinely get harder, ensuring significant replay potential.

The noncompetitive activities include Aquabatics, where players design anunderwater dance show; Mermaid Memories, an interactive sticker book; andMelody's Melodies, a karaoke program featuring two songs from Disney's newestLittle Mermaid film. Setting up the routines in Aquabatics is a lot offun; players can flip and spin their favorite characters in a variety ofswimming twirls. Though almost all games for girls include a program likeMermaid Memories, the one featured in this game is put together extremely well.The backgrounds are flexible, the graphics meld seamlessly into the scenery, andplayers can even add sounds and movements to the scenes they create. Finally,Return to the Sea comes with a second CD-ROM, Ariel's StoryStudio, a gateway to even more undersea adventure.

The one real disappointment of this package is Melody's Melodies, which onlyfeatures two songs and a few simple options for singing them. Kids learning toplay musical instruments might also notice that the presentation of the musicisn't correctly laid out on the staff. However, the program's other delightsmore than compensate for this weakness. Broad enough in scope to ensure wideappeal, and of the highest quality to guarantee player entertainment, Returnto the Sea provides hours of fun for the whole family. --AlyxDellamonica ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Dive Into A World Of Adventure With Melody!!
I LOVED IT!! I don't know what I would do without it. Now let me tell you about the CD-ROM. In the beginning, you type in your name and after that there is a magical pendant in the shape of a shell. It is open. The top half is games and the bottom half is the credits and stuff like that. Move your curser into the pendant and you will see something. When you click on it, it will take you to an activity.

My favorite game is Too Cool!! It is so much fun!! It is a little bit hard. In this game it's kind of like a maze. You try to gather all of the power crystals to melt the ice around the magical Trident & and zap Morgana through levels 3-20!! Tip: use your snowballs & mermaid potions. But be careful, Morgana only has a LIMITED number of mermaid potions, so don't waste them!!

In Melody's Daring Dive, you need to collect a certain number of gem's to have Melody make different types of jewelry. There are three places you
Can dive at. There's Hope Reef. This is the best place to go diving. Believe
Me I know!! Then there's Quaky Caverns. This is a little harder because there are rock avalanches, bubbles that could blow Melody off course, kelp
That could make you go slower, barracudas, and electric eels!! Then there's
The hardest and scariest of them all, Pirate Point. Here there are all the things that I mentioned before, plus octopuses (but not Morgana and Ursula), and sharks!! But don't worry. When you're riding a dolphin, you can pick
Up a cannon ball and drop it on the shark by hitting the spacebar. Then it will not return.

At Aquabatics, you can pick your own dance moves, designs to put the dancers and moves on, and dancers including Ariel, Melody & Flounder to put on your own show!! Tip the penguin and Dash the walrus are your hosts
in this fun game. You need to create six acts to make you own performance for the merpeople of Atlantica!!

In Mermaid Memories, you can create your own pictures to tell the story of The Little Mermaid 2: Return To The Sea, or just any pictures of the land and sea. You can add your own backgrounds, characters, props, even sounds!! And last, but most certainly not least, Melody's Melodies. Here you can sing along, sing by yourself, or record your own voice to 2 of the songs from the movie. One of them is "Down To The Sea", and the other is
"For A Moment". This isn't one of the better games in here, but if you love to sing like me, than this is the one for you.

This CD-ROM was way more than what I expected. Take my word for it. If you liked Ariel's Story Studio & The Little Mermaid Print Center, you will absolutely love this!!

Awesome game!
I loved this game. It's completely awesome. This game is wonderful for anyone who loves the Little Mermaid and games that take place in the water. The first game is Melody's Daring Dive and sports 3 levels. The first is Hope Reef which is easy. Next is Quakey Caverns which is a bit harder. An finally there is Pirate Point which is the hardest. The game is introduced by Sebastian. You need to help Melody collect gems below the sea while avoiding sharks, eels, and falling rocks. The next game is Too Cool and is introduced by Ariel. You need to help Melody collect gems in order to unfreeze the trident and zap Morganna. Tip and Dash throw snowballs for you to use to temporarily freeze Morganna and her cohorts. This is a great arcade style game that has twenty levels. The next game is Aquabatics which is introduced by Tip and Dash. This is my favorite game in which you get to organize an undersea dance extravaganza. You pick the dancers, the patterns, the stunts and the music. You can put up to five dancers in at a time. Your dancer choices are Ariel, Melody, Flounder, a turtle, and a dolphin. Next is the picture album where you get to make the scene. You pick the characters, backgrounds, sounds, props, and even special wallpapers. You can then print your picture. The last game is Melody's Melodies and is Karioke style. There are only two songs to choose from but it can be a great learning tool for people who want to learn how to play music as it shows all the notes on a standard staff paper setting. This game rocks and if you think it is only good for kids, let me tell you I am 26 and love it. It's well worth buying.

Down To The Sea We Go...
Forteen years ago, Walt Disney Pictures released the ever-popular, (will come out on DVD in 2004) The Little Mermaid. Then, ten years after that, they released the sequel, The Little Marmaid 2: Return to the Sea. Though it could never over-take the original popuarity-wise, it did score this great CD-ROM. Though maybe, & then maybe not, better than the original Little Mermaid CD, Ariel's Story Studio (see my review), this has five entertaining activities. First, there's Melody's Melodies. Here, you can sing all your favorite songs, with or without the characters. There's really not much else to tell about this one, so let's move on. In Aquabatics, you choreograph your own underwater play, with some of your favorite characters, sea turtles, dolphins, Flounder, (how'd he get in there?) and much more! Then, in Mermaid memories, you can create your own sticker-book, and decoraate the pages with scenes from The Little Mermaid 2! I alwayas loved those kinds of games. Next, we have Melody's Daring Dive. Here, help Melody collect jewels, pearls, and all sorts on good things. You better watch out though, for as you progress through levels, it gets harder to find things, you have to go up to get air more often, and there's the ever-looming danger of sharks. Finally, we come to the "piece of resistence." Too Cool! is a maze game where you have to collect crystals to melt the ice surrounding the trident. Once you free the trident, you have to use it to chase after and, oh, how can I put this... FRY Morgana! This game is especially fun, and even more enjoyable and/or challenging as you progress. Overall, this is a great game, but the movie is not as good as the CD-ROM, though. Well, that's it. I hope this Review has helped you annd encourages you to get this CD-ROM.

the best of the bunch
This came in a pack with three other princess games. Of the four it is the best with enough different activities to keep the kids amused. There is diving for gems, which has you diving down and having to collect air bubbles to breath while you also pick up gems until you have enough. An arcade type in too cool, a sticker game where you make a picture and the singing which only has two tunes that you can play. The last and probably most interesting was designing the dances and then watching the show, then are several dance patterns that you can add different movements too and two mermaids and three sea creatures that you can choose to dance.
Overall its quite a good game.

We love it!
After Little Mermaid, my two girls couldn't get enough of this swimmer. We've had so much use of this CD that it is worn out and will be purchasing another. My 5 yr old especially loves the chase around the iceberg game. The 3 yr old just loves seeing Melody during any of the games and hearing her voice. ... Read more

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

Without you, there will be no happy endings! In Disney's Villains' Revenge you must journey into Disney's most famous stories to restore the happy endings before the villains take over forever. With Jiminy Cricket as your guide, your missions include rescuing Dumbo from the Ringmaster and a band of evil clowns, breaking the evil Queen's spell to save Snow White from eternal slumber, restoring Peter Pan's youth by dueling Captain Hook and his cutthroat pirates, and helping Alice in Wonderland escape the dastardly hedge maze of the Queen of Hearts. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The grand Villain's Revenge
"Find the happy endings" is the subject on this grand game.
For me I loved it. It is a game to get together and try to save your happy heros. it is also dark so if your scard of any Villain (like me with the the Snow white queen)be carefull. As lovebull Jimmy crickete is your giude you will save the Disney hearos.Fun for the whole famliy.You'll love it.

Save The Stories!!!
Adventure, action, romance -- this is the one. Disney's Villains' Revenge is a wonderful game and is a must-have for kids constantly glued to the computer screen. Here's the situation. Jiminy Cricket was trying to entertain you by reading a few classic stories out of the book. He thought that this was so dull, however, that he (very unwisely) chose to tear out the happy ending pages of the stories. A violent storm & a gust of wind emerge inside the bedroom. Very mysteriously, the book starts flying around the room. It opens. Out of nowhere, The Ringmaster, Captain Hook, The Wicked Queen, & The Queen Of Hearts emerge, grabbing the happy ending pages. And then, just as if nothing had happened, the book lands lightly back on the table. Jiminy, (obviously in shock), was speechless. Then, The Blue Fairy comes, explaining to Jiminy that by removing the happy ending pages, in the story, the heroes were left in peril, and the villains put in control. She explains that, to fix the stories, you must travel into them to defeat the villains. The Blue Fairy then leaves. After an encounter with The Doorknob's cousins, In & Out, you're on your way. Then you can choose to confront one of the four villains. In Alice's Topiary Maze, you need to find Alice's head. To do this, you need to follow Alice's voice. When you come to a clearing, you need to choose the path where Alice's voice is the loudest. Once you have found Alice's head, you need to follow the White Rabbit to get out of the maze. Beware. There are obstacles in you way that will hurt you, including: pocket watches, cheshire cats, cloud animals, & guards. In the Snow White Spellbook game, you need to mix four magical potions to save Snow White from eternal slumber. To do this, first you need to cast the spell to refill Gust Of Wind. Then you need to cast the spell to refill Thunderbolt. Then you need to cast the spell for the poisoned apple. Then you need to cast the spell of true love. And presto, Snow White is saved. Beware. You need to cast the spells in the spellbook from the bottom up, and in the order you see the ingredients in the spellbook, also from the bottom up. In the Save Dumbo game, you need to move three clowns, a beach ball, a cannon, a lion, a fire hydrant & a sand bag in order for the little elephant to escape. In the Hook Swordfight game, your goal is to knock Hook off the crow's nest three times, along with being attacked by climbing & swinging pirates, in order to win. Beware. Seven hits from Hook, & you're out of the game. Now that you've saved all of the stories, Jiminy was going to put the happy ending pages back in, but then he discovers... they're gone!!! Now you must confront the villains once again in a final battle that we like to call, The Final Confrontation. Fight the harder battles first, like The Ringmaster or The Wicked Queen. Once you've defeated them all, then all of the stories are saved, & the happy endings are back. The Blue Fairiy comes back, and rewards you with four magical games that are about what happens after happily ever after. For Clown Fever, you need to keep up with Bumpy The Clown's dancing moves to win. In the Seven Dwarf's Gold Rush, try to get to the bottom of the mine to where all of the gold is, while avoiding obstacles. This is the best one. In Wonderland Maze, help a little caterpillar find his way home. Last, in Pirate Block, you need to block six of Captain Hook's moves & make a straight line of pieces to win. And even after you've defeated the villains, just for fun, you can go back and confront them again. Well, that's it. I hope this review has helped you & encourages you to get this CD-ROM.

THIS GAME IS OKAY!
You and your friend,Jimmy Cricket must travel into 4 stories to and defeat the evul villians.Travel through Snow White,Peter Pan,Alice in Wonderland,and Dumbo.Beat the Wicked Queen,beat Captain Hook,defeat Queen of Hearts,and throw a pie on the evil ringmaster.After beating the IV tales,you must fight the villians and set the stories right againg.

Complete with cool music,graphics,and just good Disney fun.This game I think is for kids 4-12.A great game to enjoy over and over.Help Snow White,Peter Pan,Alice,and Dumbo put the bad guys where they belong! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Whether you've got a picky eater at home or you're just a fan of the irresistible aardvark family, this activity pack is sure to be a huge hit. The package starts off with an interactive storybook, featuring Miss D.W. herself as a picky eater who won't try anything new--until she has a big surprise at her Grandma's birthday dinner. The story has tons of funny clickables and graphics that look identical to Marc Brown's awesome illustrations from the book.

At the end of the book, kids can go hang out with D.W. in her bedroom, where there's five different learning activities waiting for them. One great activity is the Story Maker; users choose the themes, pictures, and phrases for their stories and then click the Print icon to save them for posterity! There's also a fun way to help build some early reading skills by replacing words from the storybook with 30 different picture stickers. It can be quite a challenge for prereaders, and a fun matching activity for those who've already mastered that skill.

Just for fun, there's a dollhouse to decorate, and it's got all the details to make a house a home. As with all of the activities here, kids can print pages with a monochrome printer for some great coloring opportunities! From hand-eye coordination and mouse skills to word recognition and nutrition, there's an amazing amount of learning packed into this program--and it's all an awful lot of fun. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very Disappointing
We were very disappointed with this game. Its basically a read-along story combined with a few games. My preschoolers were bored with this one right away. I wouldn't recommend it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Ariel's Story Studio lets you dive into an ocean of activities swimming with fun. You create, learn, and play in a world filled with games, activities, and surprises. Explore an amazing story and build skills in reading, writing, and problem solving. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An Under The Sea Adventure!!
Ariel's Story Studio is a fun filled, action packed adventure as Ariel, Sebastian, and Ursula the sea witch take you through the story of The Little
Mermaid. King Triton's seahorse of a henchfish is your guide, as well. Whenever you click on him, he will let you either go to the pick a page screen, or quit the game. Whenever you click on Ariel's, Sebastian's, or Ursula's bubble when there is a star in the top left corner of the bubble, then that character will read the text again. If you click on Ariel's, Sebastian's, or Ursula's bubble without a star in the top left corner of the bubble, then they will say something to you.

On every screen there will be a special message in a bottle. When you click on it, it will show you a very special sticker that will go into your storybook,
more about that later. On other, certain screens, you can play fun games. In Rolling Plates, help Ariel store all of her china plates in a treasure chest. In Scuttle's Spyglass, you can take a close up look at Eric's ship. At Ariel's Shelf, help Ariel put all of her things back on the shelves. Along with Ariel's Shelf, there is the Statue Puzzle. King Triton has destroyed Ariel's statue of Eric! Ariel needs your help to put the statue back together. In Dig For Little Treasures, There will be a crab (but not Sebastian) to help you dig under the lumps in the sand and find little trinkets. To get the crab, click on the biggest
Lump in the sand. In Spell Making, Flotsam & Jetsam will tell you what colored bottles to put in Ursula's cauldron, so you can see clips from the movie!!

Whenever you click on a starfish, it will take you to an activity. There are three in all. There is the Make Your Own Music activity. That will allow you to create your own musical numbers and have different groups of fish sing your song using the number keys on your keyboard. There are instructions on what to press and when in the program manual. There is also the Make Your Own Grotto activity. You know Ariel's grotto, right? Well now you have your own! You can invite fish and plant sea shrubs. When you
Click on the camera, then you can click on anything else to find out fun facts
About that thing. The last activity relates with the first game I told you about
Earlier. The Make Your Own Storybook activity. This activity lets you write, illustrate, and color you own book about the story of The Little Mermaid. If you see a bottle with a half wrinkled note in it, that is all the special stickers you found throughout the story.

This is just like an Animated Storybook, only better. There are no other Story Studios besides Ariel's. Note: this CD-ROM is in no possible way scary. Even though Ursula is a witch, she is not a scary one like some other
Witches in the world. Well that's it. I hope that this review has helped you and encourages you to get this CD-ROM. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Tootle software
Our family was excited about receiving this product, but were rather disappointed with it upon its arrival. The story of "Tootle" was read with the same two repeating sound effects- very monotonous. The games are limited in their ability to challenge our 4 year old. He has a love of trains, and Tootle, so he does continue to ask to play this game. He would rate it higher than the grownups of the house! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Disney's Winnie the Pooh & Tigger Too Animated Storybook lets kids play and learn with beloved Hundred Acre Wood characters. Kids can read along or listen to the story of Tigger discovering that his friends have tired of his bouncing ways. There are also fun skill-building games that let kids earn their learning stripes. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not the best of the Disney animated storybooks
This program errors continuously on our 2 year old computer, and hitches on our 4 month old computer. Some of the animation and sound effects are redundant. The on-page activities are limited and one of the games isn't very intuitive. My 2 year old son, however, couldn't care a less. He likes it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Kids love Millie, Bailey, Sammy, and Trudy, the characters from Edmark's award-winning Early Learning Series. Now they can feature these and other Edmark characters in their very own animated storybooks, building spelling and writing skills and expanding creativity along the way. This fun-filled program from the educational software experts at Edmark gives kids the power to build stories that come to life right on screen. They can also make alphabet and counting books, write letters, and much more. Kid-tested tools, large buttons, spoken help, and friendly characters make creating animated stories easy and fun for readers and nonreaders alike.

Choose from more than 300 stickers. Record your own sound to make characters talk, sing, and laugh. Click on the Sticker Spelling Book to see and hear the spelling of a favorite sticker. Animate characters with the click of a button. Click on Stanley to get fun ideas for stories. Print your stories in color or black and white. Play back your story and watch it come alive on screen. Add a musical introduction to any page or narrate your story. Type words and sentences to add to your story. Stickers get bigger as they're dragged to the front of the scene, and shrink as they're moved into the background. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Simple small serene
This interactive game has 3 sections. One part reads the Poky Little Puppy story with highlights. The second part has activities -- coloring, memory cards with 5 levels, puzzles, and counting. The third part is an explore section where if you click on the pictures on the book, they animate and talk. The narrator's voice is very pleasant. The music soundtrack is repetitive but pleasant. This is a pleasant, soothing game that is a little challenging, mostly fun to play at the same excitement level as reading a book to a child or coloring a picture. Not as frenetic as Freddi Fish. Similar to I Spy. Appears to be rendered in Macromedia Flash and may run slow for the puzzles activity on Pentium 133s; everything else ran smoothly. Recommended for 6 and under that can handle mouse dragging. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Queen Amidala's ship has been badly damaged, and R2-D2 is busy on theoutside trying to fix the shield operator. Your job is to repeat the pattern oflights and sounds as you see and hear them as it helps generate the power forthe shields.

This is one of the many games you can play in Jar Jar's Journey. Each one is clearly narrated and easy to follow. There are plenty of others,including Jar Jar's coloring center, where you can turn your cursor quickly intoa paintbrush.

But, if you don't fancy playing any Star Wars-themed games, you can sitback and listen to a story. In his inimitable way, Jar Jar tells you how he wassaved by a brave Jedi after the battle-droids tried to take over his planet.Click on underlined words and you hear amusing songs or reveal hidden characterswho fly through the air.

As you would expect from George Lucas, this is a high-quality software title.The strong characters, special effects, and richly illustrated designs make thisa highly enjoyable game for young Star Wars fans from 4 years up. It'sentertaining for adults as well. At the start, Jar Jar sticks out his longtongue and eats an exclamation mark off the computer screen. "It tastes likechicken," he declares with a grin. The lovable creature from the planet Naboo islikely to become the undisputed star of children's CD-ROMs. --Justin Hunt ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Definite waste of money!
I should have listened to the review by Children's SoftwareRevue and not purchased this software for my 3 1/2 year old daughters.The activities are very shallow and not well done at all. Thecoloring book: Most children's software lets children flood-fillcertain areas w/ color to make it easier for them to use. This justhad points of color that obviously would not stay within the lines.The alphabet: the words to follow were all in lowercase and theletters to choose from were all in uppercase. It would have beenbetter to have 2 skill levels and had an option to have the same caseletters on both sides. They also should have read the word to thechild to make it more educational. Tic-Tac-Toe: It would have beencheaper to let the kids have a piece of paper and a pen...Follow-along: Should have been more obvious. My daughters usuallymissed seeing the very miniscule movement of the stars and could notfollow it. My recommendation: Save your money and spend it onsomething that won't just sit on the shelf.

Toddler Test
I ordered the Mother Goose Golden Book for my extremely active 2 year old. He is very interested in books and the computer. The only problem is he doesn't know how to use the computer appropriately. For this item he didn't have to. The book is read to him. The best part is he sits and listens instead of banging on the keyboard. He can even recite some of the lines. ... Read more

Features

• Through a set of exciting games and puzzles, they'll pick up important learning skills
• Inspire their imaginations and help them build reasoning skills
• Hours of skill-building fun as the story progresses
• Kids will improve their coordination, as well as their matching and identification skills
• Beautiful illustrations can be printed out so they can be taken anywhere

Product Description

The Berenstain Beasrs encounter some beary scary situations! But, through four short stories and activities the little bears discover that things arent as scarey as they seem. Mama, Papa, Brother, and Sister Bear gently help children explore some childhood fears and learn that there's no need to be scared when fears are confronted. Kids will enjoy hours of fun with the charming and funny family, all while learning one of life's little lessons. ... Read more

Features

• Four short stories
• Four story-related activities: Thinking puzzle, arcade-style game, sorting puzzle, creative craft activity
• Help children exaimne childhood fears
• Promotes teamwork with two-player option
• Adjustable levels of difficulty

Amazon.com Product Description

Now Raymond Briggs's award-winning children's classic The Snowman comes to life on your PC. Kids journey with James, a carrot-topped boy, and a warmhearted snowman on a magical adventure that explores the nature of friendship and the power of imagination. Choose from seven games, including Follow the Mole. Kids can create their own snowman and even watch The Snowman movie on James's television. Children and adults alike will enjoy this gentle tale's brilliant animation and beloved music, making it a memorable addition to your home's holiday celebrations. ... Read more