Amazon.com Review

The Jolly Post Office is an original and delightful CD-ROM, withall the charm of Janet and Allan Ahlberg's bestselling Jolly Postman books.

The child has been left in charge of the Jolly Post Office. It's a very busy daywith much to do, letters to sort, parcels to weigh and stamp, broken packages tomend, and where's Jack? Jack has to be found. The post office is a very popularplace, with visitors coming and going, and a lot for the child to do andexplore. There are six games, and each game has three levels of difficulty. Thelevel can be adjusted by using the selector on the yellow telephone.

The program starts at the post office counter, and there is a choice of whetherto send postcards, sort letters, swap stamps on the Internet, help customers,mend parcels, or personalize stationary. The child can send postcards to Jack onhis travels around Europe, learning all about maps, flags, and differentcountries. When sorting the jumbled letters, children can give the Jolly Postmanhis cup of tea and, if they are really quick, can catch him sleeping and watchhis dream. There is a World Stamp Book available on the Internet. Players candesign their own stamp, start a collection in their own stamp album, and entertheir designs in the World Stamp Book, collecting other children's designs fromaround the world. By weighing the parcels belonging to the Jolly Postman'sfairytale friends and calculating the correct postage, the children are helpingthe customers. Some of the packages get broken in transit, and the child isasked to put them together again so that they can be delivered. Last of all,there is personalized stationery. Children can make and print their own letters,cards, and invitations. There are over 100 different clip art designs from whichto choose.

Children will love helping in the post office, and with so many educationalgames and activities, they'll be learning as they play. --Lynne Unwin ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wish I had passed on this one
As much as we love the Jolly Postman book we were really looking forward to this software. We were very disappointed and found little in the way of activities. The few activities there are did not hold my daughter's attention for very long. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Wonderful vocab and spelling booster
My First Incredible Amazing Dictionary is exactly what I was looking for to teach my 5 year old reading and vocabulary. It is a straight forward but well designed list of about 1000 first words. The words are presented in a list with pictures, and when he clicks on the picture the word comes out. The dictionary pronounces the word, pronounces the entire explanation, then shows an animated picture that demonstrates the meaning of the word. It is wonderful for homeschooling or just to give the child an edge in school. My boy spent about 10 hours clicking around it when I first showed him the game. Now, I am currently making him go through 16 words a day, in alphabetical order, to write each word down as he listens to its pronunciation and meaning. I give him a small candy as a reward afterwards, and he doesn't mind doing it because the animated pictures are very interesting, and all different. I think this is an excellent idea from DK and definitely wonderful teaching tool. Besides the dictionary, it also has word games, but my son isn't ready for it now. He will be!
Highly recommended for homeschoolers. But if you are just looking for a game, this is not really a game and your child probably won't play it too long, compared to other computer games.

Outstanding Vocabulary Development Software for pre-k to 3rd
Dorling-Kindersley's My First Amazing Incredible Dictionary is an absolute delight! Pre-readers up through 3rd graders (or so) will find this software easy to use and intriguing. The graphics, animation, and sounds are mesmerizing. Any child who can point and click can easily entertain himself for at least 30 minutes at at time. After clicking on a letter of the alphabet, the child is taken to a page with pictures of words for that letter, arranged in dictionary format. A click on any picture sends the child to the page for that word. The child then has the option to click on the word itself or the word's definition, which will result in voicing of the text. The child can click on the large colorful photgraph or cartoon drawing depicting the word. The fun is in discovering what will happen with this click. Will it be animation of the picture, a sound or both? Whatever the case, children are usually delighted. The vocabulary items include the obligatory concrete nouns, but also abstract verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and prepostions. There are easy links provided for words with the same spelling but different meanings. I have used this software with hearing impaired, speech impaired, and learning disabled children at work as a speech/language pathologist. All of them loved it. Besides the dictionary, there are games that children will find fun to try alone or with a friend. Enjoy!

Good for early learners
This program introduces children to more than 1,000 words andtheir meanings through pictures, sound effects and spoken words. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Kids Love Animals is a learning resource that takes kids on a fascinating exploration of exciting and interesting pets, while using interactive educational tools to develop needed critical thinking skills. With the CD-ROMs Lovable Dogs, Curious Cats, Majestic Horses, and Colorful Insects, children will discover amazing facts about their favorite pets. Observe the speed and endurance of the horse, uncover the mysterious lifestyle of the cat, study the wild ancestors of the dog, and be amazed by the remarkable ingenuity of insects. Including vibrant photos, animations, detailed illustrations, audio clips, and multimedia tools, this interactive, easy-to-use four CD-ROM suite is valuable for any curious child.

Ever wonder why dogs turn around in circles before sitting down? Well, they're not chasing their tails. They inherited this trait from their ancestors, who would repeatedly turn around to create a hollow of cool dirt to sit in. Lovable Dogs lets kids dig up other amazing facts about man's best friend. Being the most mysterious of all pets, cats will curl up on a lap one minute and sneak out for a nightly prowl the next. Curious Cats explores all the exciting characteristics of felines.

From the treetops of tropical jungles to the moist underside of rocks, the planet is swarming with millions of insects. Take a fascinating journey through the amazing and colorful world of butterflies, stick bugs, grasshoppers, beetles, and more with the interactive CD-ROM, Colorful Insects. What do rhinoceroses and horses have in common? They're relatives. It may seem strange, but it's true. It is also believed that horses can feel the presence of a coming storm or earthquake. Majestic Horses uncovers all sorts of amazing tales about this beloved animal. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Wildlife of the World offers four educational and reference CD-ROMs. From the Alaska Wilderness to the California Desert, learn from interactive programs, extensive photographs, screen slides, movies, and more. Alaska: The Wildlife offers a look at the last frontier; Life in the Desert provides insight into the flora and fauna of the world's deserts; Wildlife in Danger: Threatened Species and Wildlife in Danger: Kids' Explorer explores the challenges our world's endangered species face. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Atlas
This product is very useful. I used it many times, that I kept on using it again. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Big Thesaurus is Not for Kids
If you are a writer or ever just need to grasp a new or different word, Big Thes 2.1 is for you. It's an interactive thesaurus and a great writing tool. It is set up as a Mac 9.X system extension and is always available onscreen, via a small menu drop-down at the top of the screen.

To use, you highlight a word in ANY program - Word, Office, Pagemaker, Quark - it doesn't matter. Then reach up and click on the Big Thes drop down menu, highlight "lookup selection" and bam -- you get nouns, verbs, adjectives and everything else.

It has 1.4 million combinations, organized by meanings, and up to 40 different definitions per word.

When you find the one you want, you hit "replace" and keep on writing.

It's nifty.

I gave it only 4 because they have not upgraded it to system 10 for the Mac. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

World Discovery Deluxe is an interactive global geography and history program that tests your knowledge of geographical, political, and historical people, places, and events. This fun and educational program contains more than seventy-five maps from around the globe. Each colorful map can show countries, states, cities, mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and much more! Explore these maps with 12 interactive and challenging games and activities. You can also find national anthems and state and national flags. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

GREATEST GEOGRAPHY TOOL EVER!!
WOW!! I can't believe this product has been discontinued. It is the greatest, most fun way to learn U.S. and world geography I've found. I'm trying to find a second CD Rom because the thought of not having one if ours gets ruined, practically gives me hives! My first child learned her states, capitals, countries, and flags by playing against me or the clock when she was in 4th grade. My second daughter is in 4th grade now and we're still using this tool. She has 90% of the world's countries and regions memorized and can beat anyone she challenges. We don't even look at this as school (we homeschool), but more as a game. The whole family plays. We've recommended it to friends and teachers and everyone loves it. Please, please, bring it back.

Great learning tool for Middle/High School Geography
My older son used this software to learn maps of the world for tests in middle school World Geography. I started looking for it again when by younger son started the same class 4 years later, we wanted an updated version. I am stupified that this product isn't on every educational software site because it is SO WONDERFUL.

My older son is ADD and trying to get him to study hard copy maps for hours on end, learning countries, capitals, rivers, mountains etc. was more than a chore - it was painful. This product was recommended by his teacher. It turned this into a game, but one without extraneous activities. Carmen San Diego may be fun, but it is too easy to get off task. World Discovery Deluxe is like a map version of concentration in a computer game. My son actually reached the point where he could mouse click on every country in Africa with 100% accuracy, without any country borders drawn on the continent. This software challenged him to beat his own time records.

I understand that the use is very specific, more general textbook information is not included in our 1996 version, i.e. commerce, political structure ... But you will not find a better tool to teach a child in middle school or high school map information. ... Read more