Features

• Explore fantasy worlds and engage your brain
• Three fantasy worlds: Undersea, Outer Space, and Dragon's Lair
• Nine different adventures with 54 I SPY riddles
• Designed for kids age 6-10
• For one player

Reviews (12)

I Spy will keep you busy for hours
I was looking for a non-violent computer game for my grandsons. I found this one and decided to check it out before I released it to them. I played, and played, and played. I really liked it.

I Spy Fantasy
My children are 6 and 8 and love this program! We are looking for another game for the next birthday. It has helped them cooperate and share. Wonderful!!

fun without violence
My 5 year old daughter plays this game again and again. I love that it is difficult enough to challenge her to think outside of the box. (Seeing the three on dice verses written out.)She is learning without having to play the usual educational games that are childish or annoying. This is also a game for me to play with her that doesn't require me to master a sword.

fun for all ages
I have bought more than 30 computer games for my 4 1/2 year old son over the last 3 years. I have to say that this one has the best graphics of all the games I have seen so far. My son has been into I Spy books ever since he was barely one year old (the board book version at first). I was afraid that this game might not live up to his expectations. However, it was that and much more. I get bored watching him play his other computer games sometimes, but I can actively participate in this one. I even installed it in my computer at the office so that I can play it when there is a lull at work. Excellent in terms of building their vocabulary as well.

Good, clean fun for all ages!
An excellent compromise between my son (age 7) and me. He sees it as a fun computer game, I see it as a rated-G brain-squeezing activity that we can do together. It's a great way to spend some time with your kids, doing something you'll both enjoy.

The graphics are beautiful and vivid. The game is very easy to maneuver through. It even increases in difficulty so you can keep playing again and again! All in all, it's good, clean fun for everyone. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Pirate's plunder rewards players who discover all of the hidden objects and decipher the riddles in I Spy Treasure Hunt. But there's also a bounty of booty on the path to that treasure as players discover this captivating world where closer inspection invariably reveals a new surprise.

This program is based on the award-winning I Spy books written by Jean Marzollo and photo-illustrated by Walter Wick. From the very beginning, this program immerses players, just as the books do: as a train pulls into the station in the town of Smuggler's Cove, the point-of-view is from inside the passenger car, looking out the window. Once off the train, this quaint seaside town with a secret is yours to explore. Potential riddle spots reveal themselves when a cursor sweep causes an object to respond with movement and sound. A tackle box, a deserted ruin, and a lighthouse are just a few of the 20 spots ripe for discovery. Scenes change swiftly, considering the vast amount of detail each contains. When explorers find a riddle area, a cluttered panorama appears onscreen and a child's voice reads the sentence below that always begins with the phrase "I spy...." Then players must find and click on the objects listed in the sentence. This isn't as easy as it seems; for example, finding three "fours" sounds simple, right? But the task gets complex when one numeral is hidden in the grain of a wooden tabletop, the other is written out in letters on a menu, and the third is a pair of dice showing a three and a one.

Successfully finding all the "I Spy" items in a scene yields a scrap of a treasure map. But building the map doesn't automatically reveal the treasure--that'd be out of keeping with this game's complex character. There are three different treasure-hunting scenarios, and each requires gathering a completely different set of clues around the town of Smuggler's Cove. The attention to detail that the books are famous for is abundantly present here: sound permeates the different "sets," from waves breaking on the shore, to the slow tick of a clock in the general store. Find and click on a skull-and-crossbones--it scowls and growls. Find and click on an oil lamp--it flares up briefly and then goes out with a delicate puff of smoke. And no, you can't cheat by just holding down the mouse button and scanning over a picture hoping to hit a required item. I Spy Treasure Hunt is a wonderfully absorbing program that slyly sneaks in a vast amount of learning. Mapping, reading, rhyming, and problem solving occur incidentally as players are drawn into the mysteries of Smuggler's Cove. And it's the only program we've ever encountered that elegantly illustrates that "four" and "4" and "." + "..." all equal the same thing. (Ages 6 to 10) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (39)

A Treasure to Find!
After playing I Spy Haunted Mansion at the Musuem of Science, my nephews and I purchased it at Amazon.com. It was a great game. But the Treasure Hunt is even better, and why....3 games. When you finish the first, you have two more to go. We love the I spy books, and even own a I spy board game. All my nieces and nephews play the PC game. Their ages are from 7-11. All have had fun with it. I've played too!! I love it. None of them have found it too easy. There are just enough complicated hidden treasures to make it the..."Auntie Lynn, can you help me find this?". I would highly recommend this PC game. I can't wait for the next!!

Game play over in 3 days
I am very disappointed in this product, especially after reading all the rave reviews.

My son recieved I Spy Treasure Hunt for Christmas and, within 3 days (one game each day) he played all the game scenarios. I disagree with the reviewers who state that although there are only 3 games, the games are all different. It is true that the clues (riddles) are different, and the player has to find different items to get to the treasure map. However, the pictures are the same in each game and are easily memorized from looking for the hidden objects in a previous game. Once the hidden objects are located, the treasure is easily found because there are only three treasure maps. The child will be able to know exactly where the treasure is depending which map is being constucted as riddles are solved.

Kids love the product theme, and the game has potential for being fun for all ages. I hope Scholastic updates this product to include more scenarios for longer-lasting gameplay.

Bottom line: Boring after 3 games. Not worth the money. However, Scholastic has a good customer satisfaction guarantee!

Great game
This is the best game of the three software titles, very challenging and fun. Both of my daughters love to play it and solve the puzzles. Good value for the money.

Fun Game!
This is a fun game for little kids. My grandchildren (ages 4, 7 and 8) totally enjoy it. Yes, they do eventually play all the games and hear all the clues, but when they've not played it for a while, they enjoy going back to it. It's colorful and a bit challenging when they first get it. It doesn't take long for the older ones to master it, but they still enjoy playing it. I'd recommend this game.

witty, educational and entertaining!
Good visual design, witty writing, well chosen music---a good exercise for the imagination! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

"Not too long ago, Zoombinis enjoyed the good life. Though they alllooked slightly different--different eyes, noses, hair, feet--such differencesmeant nothing to the Zoombinis. And so they lived happily on Zoombini Isle,making small, useful products, which were prized the world over." So begins anunsuspectingly addictive CD-ROM, featuring uncommonly fun reasoning games thatrequire serious problem solving and math-thinking work. Yet the perils that facethis cheerful society are not as fearsome as the amount of time you'llpotentially spend on this pursuit. Beware the chubby, chattering Zoombinis ifyou don't want to get hooked to your computer for at least 90 minutes asession!

Adored by educators and parents alike, Zoombinis Logical Journeychallenges children to employ such basic fundamentals of mathematical thinkingas organizing information, reasoning of evidence, finding and making patterns,and systematic testing of hypotheses. The journey follows four puzzle-filledtrails, each exploring related mathematical ideas. The fundamental data andvariables for all this work are the variations in the Zoombinis' features. Their"feet," for example, can be shoes, skates, whirligigs, or coiled springs (thesound effects for these items are particularly great), while their "eyes" may beheavily lidded, enhanced by eyeglasses, blocked by dark shades, or limited tojust a single eyeball. Sorting and arranging these variables in order to solvepuzzles requires concentrated effort from the players, and the game rewards themwell with inventive scenarios that evolve in fabulously curious ways as skillsare gained. This may not sound like much, but when Arno the Pizza-Eating TreeTroll, who has been yammering for the perfectly topped pizza his entirelifetime, suddenly demands a perfectly topped ice cream sundae, too, it is astaggering, giddy surprise.

The product is full of so many little joys, it's hard to demand improvements.Still, it'd be a great thing if version 2 would feature something other than themonotonous, ping-ping-ping soundtrack that's featured here. But that's minor. Inthe end, the creators' promise that this CD-ROM will "encourage kids to developa lifetime habit of associating fun with learning" is dead-on. (Ages 9 andolder) --Jean Lenihan ... Read more

Reviews (65)

Love, love, love this game...
I was introduced to this game while helping out in an elementary school computer class (yeah, I'm technically a grown-up). It's an engaging way to teach logic skills, and the puzzles are a lot of fun. I agree that there are a LOT of Zoombinis to save (the purpose of the game)and that once you've mastered the higher levels it's a bit tedious to keep playing the harder versions of the puzzles, especially if there are any you don't like to begin with.

On the other hand, this game is wonderful for a variety of age groups (some of the younger kids may need some help figuring out the logic behind the puzzles), for different ethnicities (the Zoombinis are blue), and genders (most of the characters are somewhat ambiguous on gender, and the Zoombinis are all equal). I've seen it played solo, and in groups, with equally enjoyable results. And there are a number of resources available for educators, parents, etc. to help your kids make meaning from the games they are playing.

All in all, this is a must for any elementary/middle school computer educator, and a highly recommended for parents who want their kids to use computers as a tool as well as a toy.

One of the best logic games, all in a fun package
I'm a 13-year-old boy, I loved Zoombinis ever since it came out about 7 years ago, and I still love it now. Zoombinis is a great education game, it teaches logic and mathematical skills essential to learn, and also lets children (and adults) have fun while doing it.

Zoombinis is set apart from so many other logic games by adding characters that are enjoyable and funny to a 2nd grader, while not being so annoying or childish that a 7th grader cannot enjoy or laugh at them as well.

Another way Zoombinis excels is in the way it adjusts to the user's ability. The game will start out easy and teach more simplistic concepts, and after the user is comfortable with that, it will move on to more complex problems.

A nice thing about this game is that it will encourage someone to learn and keep going. It can all happen because the game is both educational and fun, and the child will get a sort of self-satisfaction when they accomplish something. Whenever a puzzle is completed, the user gets a little bit closer to the goal of saving all the Zoombinis, and this gives them something to work for.

Zoombinis consists of 12 different puzzles for the user to go thru, and one of the factors that have made it so successful is how it makes the user actually think. Instead of letting you just guess the answers, Zoombinis has you think about why a certain answer does or doesn't work, then lets you come up with some sort of practical method to solve such problems, which can later be applied to more advanced levels of education (I am currently taking geometry, and I still use many of the methods I learned here to help me solve problems).

In all, Zoombinis is one of the most valuable and fun game (educational or not) that I have ever used. It is a great product, and I would certainly recommend it.

Nice Game, but just a little hard
I got this game with a multipack and it rocks!!! But just kind of a little hard but I like it.

My kids loved it!
Not only fun but a great logic builder! The best peice of software I've bought for my kids!

What a great surprise!
We love this game! When I was searching for new games for my girls, 8 & 11, I came across this game, but made the mistake of not ordering it. One day, my daughter came home from her computer class and raved about this game - I ordered the Logical Journey and Mountain Rescue...I am so glad that I did. My 8 year old and I enjoy playing Logical Journey together - its a little more basic and easier for her to understand. My older daughter prefers the Mountain Rescue - the graphics are a little more advanced and she enjoys the games more. I would recommend these games to anyone looking for fun, safe, and mentally challenging entertainment! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

My 8 yr old loves I spy!
For those who say this is boring, maybe your kids should just stick to video games. My son is loving the books and the computer games. He conquers them pretty quickly and we have to buy more but hey, it's getting his mind working looking for hidden items. We went for an open house at his school a few months ago and the teacher picked up an I Spy book and said that it was the main thing all the kids fought over in class. We love all the books, computer games and the gameboy game that is out. Good investment for little thinkers out there!

Can't find 12th ladybug!
I really like this game but I am annoyed that I can't find the last ladybug in the find me game. I can find no game hint support sites either. Has anyone else had this problem? Is it a bug (ha ha) in the program? I have spent weeks looking but always find the ones I've already found. Can anyone out there help me? I am not a child, but my daughter can't find it either. Apparantly the game will not finish until all bugs are found because I have found all the treasures. Does this game not have more than one complete game to play? I thought it had 3 like treasure hunt.
Thanks,

Will Keep You Thinking....
My 6 year old daughter loves this game. It is not easy and keeps her thinking. I some times find some of the items hard to find but with persistance you will find them. It is never boring. The whole family enjoys this software.

Elementary Kids Love It!
I am a computer lab teacher in an elementary school. Last year, I used this software for quite a few weeks when my Kindergarten through Grade 3 students came in for activity period. Students in grades 4-6 would beg to get a chance to use the software when their assignment for the day was completed.

It was a stretch for Kindergarten to find some of the items, because they did not recognize some of the items in the riddles, but I made sure to point these out in lessons and then circulated to help them more.

It was exciting to watch as students became absorbed in this activity, and most of them grew in their visual and verbal awareness. Children in grades 1-3 could either click to hear the descriptions or read for themselves.

Yes, it is on the shelf this year, but will taken out to be used in two years. This year I bought I Spy Spooky Mansion for use, and next year hope to get the Î Spy Treasure software if I can find the funding.

I Spy School Days-big bore
My six year old great nephew completed all of the activities within two hours. He was moderately interested in the beginning and bored by the time he finished. I watched as he played, and thought they were boring, too. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

If you haven't yet been charmed by the adventures of Max, then Maxand the Magician will surely charm you silly. It's a game with asurprisingly simple premise, and you can tell the creators put more thought intodelighting kids than they did into coming up with a complicated story line. Andthat's fine by us.

The plot is simple. Max, the dog with the precocious little boy's Englishaccent, is sent to deliver a package to Mervin the Magician by his Uncle Pong. However, when Max arrives at the castle, he discovers that Mervin has beentransformed into a toilet brush by the vindictive witch Hagabelle. It's your jobto find the pieces of the spell that are hidden around the castle--once puttogether, Mervin can turn back into his normal self.

Like most Max adventures, the immediate task is only a small part of the fununearthed in the program. As you move from room to room in the castle, clickingon various objects to find the spell pieces, you'll uncover some amazing things:cackling witches, a chest full of magic brooms, transforming walls, and aspell-casting machine. And pointing and clicking is made especially easy for kids. Forexample, when you move your cursor over a clickable object, the small Max iconturns into a hand; when the cursor is over an object on which you can cast aspell, a magic wand appears. The game also lends itself to repeat play--eachtime you play, the pieces to the spell are hidden in different places.

Once again, Tivola has created a great Max game for young kids. Though it movesslowly at times, it has an appropriate pace for kids of this age group, whoappreciate a simple task coupled with whimsy and a sense of discovery andaccomplishment. (Ages 3 to 7) --Ara Jane Olufson ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Pirate's plunder rewards players who discover all of the hidden objects and decipher the riddles in I Spy Treasure Hunt. But there's also a bounty of booty on the path to that treasure as players discover this captivating world where closer inspection invariably reveals a new surprise.

This program is based on the award-winning I Spy books written by Jean Marzollo and photo-illustrated by Walter Wick. From the very beginning, this program immerses players, just as the books do: as a train pulls into the station in the town of Smuggler's Cove, the point-of-view is from inside the passenger car, looking out the window. Once off the train, this quaint seaside town with a secret is yours to explore. Potential riddle spots reveal themselves when a cursor sweep causes an object to respond with movement and sound. A tackle box, a deserted ruin, and a lighthouse are just a few of the 20 spots ripe for discovery. Scenes change swiftly, considering the vast amount of detail each contains. When explorers find a riddle area, a cluttered panorama appears onscreen and a child's voice reads the sentence below that always begins with the phrase "I spy...." Then players must find and click on the objects listed in the sentence. This isn't as easy as it seems; for example, finding three "fours" sounds simple, right? But the task gets complex when one numeral is hidden in the grain of a wooden tabletop, the other is written out in letters on a menu, and the third is a pair of dice showing a three and a one.

Successfully finding all the "I Spy" items in a scene yields a scrap of a treasure map. But building the map doesn't automatically reveal the treasure--that'd be out of keeping with this game's complex character. There are three different treasure-hunting scenarios, and each requires gathering a completely different set of clues around the town of Smuggler's Cove. The attention to detail that the books are famous for is abundantly present here: sound permeates the different "sets," from waves breaking on the shore, to the slow tick of a clock in the general store. Find and click on a skull-and-crossbones--it scowls and growls. Find and click on an oil lamp--it flares up briefly and then goes out with a delicate puff of smoke. And no, you can't cheat by just holding down the mouse button and scanning over a picture hoping to hit a required item. I Spy Treasure Hunt is a wonderfully absorbing program that slyly sneaks in a vast amount of learning. Mapping, reading, rhyming, and problem solving occur incidentally as players are drawn into the mysteries of Smuggler's Cove. And it's the only program we've ever encountered that elegantly illustrates that "four" and "4" and "." + "..." all equal the same thing. (Ages 6 to 10) --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (39)

A Treasure to Find!
After playing I Spy Haunted Mansion at the Musuem of Science, my nephews and I purchased it at Amazon.com. It was a great game. But the Treasure Hunt is even better, and why....3 games. When you finish the first, you have two more to go. We love the I spy books, and even own a I spy board game. All my nieces and nephews play the PC game. Their ages are from 7-11. All have had fun with it. I've played too!! I love it. None of them have found it too easy. There are just enough complicated hidden treasures to make it the..."Auntie Lynn, can you help me find this?". I would highly recommend this PC game. I can't wait for the next!!

Game play over in 3 days
I am very disappointed in this product, especially after reading all the rave reviews.

My son recieved I Spy Treasure Hunt for Christmas and, within 3 days (one game each day) he played all the game scenarios. I disagree with the reviewers who state that although there are only 3 games, the games are all different. It is true that the clues (riddles) are different, and the player has to find different items to get to the treasure map. However, the pictures are the same in each game and are easily memorized from looking for the hidden objects in a previous game. Once the hidden objects are located, the treasure is easily found because there are only three treasure maps. The child will be able to know exactly where the treasure is depending which map is being constucted as riddles are solved.

Kids love the product theme, and the game has potential for being fun for all ages. I hope Scholastic updates this product to include more scenarios for longer-lasting gameplay.

Bottom line: Boring after 3 games. Not worth the money. However, Scholastic has a good customer satisfaction guarantee!

Great game
This is the best game of the three software titles, very challenging and fun. Both of my daughters love to play it and solve the puzzles. Good value for the money.

Fun Game!
This is a fun game for little kids. My grandchildren (ages 4, 7 and 8) totally enjoy it. Yes, they do eventually play all the games and hear all the clues, but when they've not played it for a while, they enjoy going back to it. It's colorful and a bit challenging when they first get it. It doesn't take long for the older ones to master it, but they still enjoy playing it. I'd recommend this game.

witty, educational and entertaining!
Good visual design, witty writing, well chosen music---a good exercise for the imagination! ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

With brain-teasing graphics and puzzling riddles to solve, this spooky addition to the I Spy series will keep elementary-agestudents occupied for hours at a time. A skeleton host rewards players with a secret message puzzle piece upon successful completion of each riddle. Those clever enough to collect all the pieces can solve the bigger fun house mystery.

With ten different rooms ranging from an inventor's laboratory to a library--and text that is written entirely in rhyme--the world created here is utterly absorbing. No matter how many times you explore a room, there's always new details and creepy clickables you hadn't seen before. Particularly well done is the attic, where you can explore in the dark with only a flashlight to light your way.In the study, you can even create your own riddles to send to your printer!

This software concentrates on critical-thinking skills,problem-solving abilities, and acute observational techniques that are centered around a mansion. This software takes a well-loved series to a whole new level--it's perfect for the die-hard fan or as the first member of what we're sure will become a large I Spy collection. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (33)

A Family Favorite
My son is only three and a half, so my husband bought the game with the intention of saving it until our son was older. I got it out for him, and even though it is rated for ages 6-10, it is one of our son's favorites. Given that he can't read, I had to help him at first, but once I showed him where to click to get the riddles read to him, he could play independently (for hours on end). I keep two different user files -- one of a completed game so that he can make all seven ghosts (which requires completing the game); and one uncompleted, so when he completes puzzles the skeleton gives him new puzzle pieces. Other reviewers said that the game was not interesting once played through, but we have not found that to be the case. Our son was _more_ interested in the repetition once he'd got the hang of it. Also, of all the games we have, this is the most pleasant and interesting for the adult helping the child.

Great education and entertainment value
My son had loved the "I Spy Junior" game so I thought he might enjoy trying this challenge, recommended for ages 6-10. He's 5 but a very strong visual learner with great memory skills. The beauty of this game is it not only plays to his strengths but encourages building lesser skills with words on many levels. My favorite aspects: beautifully detailed graphics, a fun laboratory animation with 7 ghost experiments, and the concentration games which are a challenge at many levels. You get the sense that the creators enjoyed making this product. I find the best children's computer games (eg. Learning Company's Cat in the Hat series) reach parents as well making shared learning opportunities a joy!

My students enjoy it!
I am a pediatric occupational therapist who used this game as a fun way to develop eye-hand coordination, visual perception, thinking, and reading skills. They were so motivated! Unfortunately after you "win" the game that is all there is; not another more challenging level to explore.

Spooky Mansion...unrevisited!
Santa brought this game for my 6 yr. old for Christmas. She and I and her 3 1/2yr. old brother opened it the day after Christmas. It is very interesting with 10 rooms to explore and 26 riddles to decipher. After completing each riddle, you're given a piece to the final puzzle which in turn instructs you how to finally get out of the mansion. My daughter stuck with it for the first 13 riddles, and suprisingly my 3yr. old wanted to keep playing until the end. We received the "certificate of completion" that very day. When we signed back on to play a "new game", we were soooo disappointed - there isn't any new game. Same 26 riddles to solve. We'll have to wait a year or so, in the hopes that we'll forget where everything is. (Or just give it to all our neighbors, family, shool chums etc.). Obviously, the I Spy books have limitations, but the software could and should give many additional games/levels.

Very clever
Purchased for my grandson's 5th birthday. Incredibly clever, well designed, plays without a hitch on iMac. He played for over 2 hours the first time out of the box and is still loving it. The adults are fighting over a turn. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Think your way through a series of puzzles, logic problems, and mazes. Dr. Brain transferred too much of his brain to Rathbone, his lab rat, in an experiment mishap. Your mission is to repair Dr. Brain's brain and restore Rathbone to his ordinary cheese-loving state. This game has unlimited playability--it generates new puzzles each time you play! Options are available for novice, expert, and genius levels. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Mind Bending
This puzzle game truly bends your mind. Each puzzle is challenging, even on the easy level. Three levels of play would even give those at Mensa a difficult time. The three dimensional work has helped me picture things for my geometry homework more easily. Although the game does not actually focus on parts of the brain, it focuses on all aspects of logic and reasoning skills. Definently worth buying for all young puzzl solvers.

Seven Intelligences/Brain Damage
I gave this puzzle to a friend who works with brain injured children. Not only did the kids help Dr. Brain get his mind together again, but the puzzles helped the kids to regain some of the ground lost with their injuries.

The organization of the puzzles echos much of the theories of the seven intelligences.

Best of all, it's a lot of fun!

PLAY THIS GAME!
This game is relly fun eny time at sochol and I the best game in it is train of thoght

The one and only puzzle game.
Dr. Brain holds a special place in my... well, brain._Castle_, _Island_, and _Lost Mind_ of Dr. Brain present puzzles toyou, Dr. Brain's assistant, under several different bizzare premises - in this one, the great Doctor has accidentally exchanged brains with his lab rat, and you must set things right.

These games are stocked with the best variety of puzzles ever seen, covering algebra, classical music, art history, scientific measurement, logical sequence, jigsaw puzzles, engineering, language skills, and so much more. What's even better, these games can be played over and over again, at varying levels of difficulty. As usual with Havis Interactive, the actual age level for this game extends above and beyond what's printed on the box. This is a game worth getting, because a young child can keep playing it through many years. If only they sold the whole series! _Castle_, the oldest, is by far the best... END

neat!
i played this game when i was in 6th grade and i still play it in 8th. its a challenging game that keeps the mind boggling and constantly thinking. its cool. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Based on the I Spy book series by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick, I Spy Junior: Puppet Playhouse features puppets, games, and riddles to promote listening and problem-solving skills. An interactive story about a princess and a sneaky dragon strengthens rhyming and other word skills, a puppet-making workshop teaches kids to follow directions, and a magical animated tree helps promote early reading skills. Seven play areas in all offer a variety of fun learning activities. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Boring...
This was so heavily hyped, I had to have it for my five-year old twin girls. What a bore. They're either too old for it, or there is the outside chance that Scholastic really didn't put a lot of effort into this. It would bore a three-year old. Compare to Spooky Mansion or Treasure Island - can't compare with these gems. I'm 50 and play the latter two.

The best children's software I've seen yet
I have never taken the time to review a product, but I love this CD so much I felt I had to. It is the best software that I have bought for my kids so far. The colors, the characters and the graphics are terrific and even manage to hold mom's attention!! Never mind, that my daughter really loves it too. Another thing that was good about it is that it's teaching my daughter basic mouse skills and there are quite a few different activities to play so kids won't get bored easily. I'll be looking for more software from this company as I find that most of the stuff out there for kids is a big waste of money.

Not perfect, but very good
My 2 1/2 year old son has really taken to this. It's a really great idea and it's well executed. You have four puppet shows and three games. The graphics are very well done and very realistic, with no cartoon-like figures. Everything is a scan of a real object. The games are building your own puppet, building your own still image from a puppet show, and sorting. Sorting really is what early math is all about. I'm glad they have it.

The puppet shows are where you will spend most of your time. Each show is composed of four or five scenes which have a dozen or so clickable objects. A riddle appears at the bottom and you have to find the three or four objects that are in the riddle. When you click on a riddle object, it does something and advances the story. Each scene has two riddles and when you have gone through all the scenes, your done with that show. A kid might eventually learn the locations of all the objects in a particular show, but with four shows, it will take a while.

There is only one real problem I have with it, based on several sessions of lap play with my son. Because there are about a dozen objects in each scene, but you only need 3 or 4 for the riddle, the rest of the objects don't do anything when you click on them. I think every object should do something (wiggle, glow or zoom, at the very least) when it gets clicked, not just the riddle objects. This has led to my sons newest vocabulary word: "doesntwork". If not this, then at least the riddle objects from the first of the pair of riddles for a particular scene should still be active for the second of the pair. So, when you click on a riddle object from the first riddle, it should still do something, if not it's original action, when you are finding the objects from the second riddle. As it is now, my son tries to click on the objects which were just active in the previous riddle, but they "doesntwork".

But, overall, I'm pleased with it. There is no violent action and it is pretty exploratory and creative, as advertised.

A Decent Game for Kids Under 5
This is a good choice for children under 5. I was impressed that the graphics and game play were appealing, and utilized the latest features from Macromedia.

I get SO tired of childrens games that look and play as though they were made for a Windows 3x machine, circa 1994. This game will not disapoint. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

My 8 yr old loves I spy!
For those who say this is boring, maybe your kids should just stick to video games. My son is loving the books and the computer games. He conquers them pretty quickly and we have to buy more but hey, it's getting his mind working looking for hidden items. We went for an open house at his school a few months ago and the teacher picked up an I Spy book and said that it was the main thing all the kids fought over in class. We love all the books, computer games and the gameboy game that is out. Good investment for little thinkers out there!

Can't find 12th ladybug!
I really like this game but I am annoyed that I can't find the last ladybug in the find me game. I can find no game hint support sites either. Has anyone else had this problem? Is it a bug (ha ha) in the program? I have spent weeks looking but always find the ones I've already found. Can anyone out there help me? I am not a child, but my daughter can't find it either. Apparantly the game will not finish until all bugs are found because I have found all the treasures. Does this game not have more than one complete game to play? I thought it had 3 like treasure hunt.
Thanks,

Will Keep You Thinking....
My 6 year old daughter loves this game. It is not easy and keeps her thinking. I some times find some of the items hard to find but with persistance you will find them. It is never boring. The whole family enjoys this software.

Elementary Kids Love It!
I am a computer lab teacher in an elementary school. Last year, I used this software for quite a few weeks when my Kindergarten through Grade 3 students came in for activity period. Students in grades 4-6 would beg to get a chance to use the software when their assignment for the day was completed.

It was a stretch for Kindergarten to find some of the items, because they did not recognize some of the items in the riddles, but I made sure to point these out in lessons and then circulated to help them more.

It was exciting to watch as students became absorbed in this activity, and most of them grew in their visual and verbal awareness. Children in grades 1-3 could either click to hear the descriptions or read for themselves.

Yes, it is on the shelf this year, but will taken out to be used in two years. This year I bought I Spy Spooky Mansion for use, and next year hope to get the Î Spy Treasure software if I can find the funding.

I Spy School Days-big bore
My six year old great nephew completed all of the activities within two hours. He was moderately interested in the beginning and bored by the time he finished. I watched as he played, and thought they were boring, too. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

In Busytown, children meet all their favorite characters from the Richard Scarry books, television programs, and videos. Together with Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, Mr. Frumble, Dr. Diane, Mr. Fixit, and many others, they explore 11 playgrounds rich with real-life experiences.

Give your child the thrill of learning by doing, across a wide range of early-cognitive skills. Busytown meets the guidelines set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, guidelines that emphasize learning through play. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great Idea But Full of Programming Bugs
My three yr old loves Richard Scarry's Busytown so it was a natural choice for him. However, he was very disapointed to find one of the games (the garage) did not work at all and several of the others have programming quirks. If the cursor isn't positioned just right the game doesn't work. My advice is to select something else or wait for another imporved version.

disappointing
I brought this because I loved richard scary as a child but was totally disappointed with the game. There is no replayabilty with the only variation in the game being in the gas station and the parcel delivery. But the children soon got bored. The best part is playing with the wind. The mouse control is very poor ending up with frustrated children. The only way to get into the gas station was to put the whole game onto the hard drive.

Bustown 2000 CD-ROM
I started with Busytown Software back in 1995 with our first son when it ran on DOS and barely on Win95. The program worked well. After reading about BT 2000, I was reluctant to buy it. I did buy it this past week, had the same problem with the gas station and within 24 hours, SSI Tech support emailed the file to copy from the CD to the Hard Drive. About a 30 second fix and the game functions flawlessly. If your child loves Richard Scarry books and videos, this is a must have to compliment what they read and view to give them hands on interaction that is unlike any other application that I have seen. My first son is now almost 7 and is teaching his 3 year old brother how to play the game.

My son loves it.
The Busy Town CD-ROM is educational and fun. There are a lot of different activities and for a 3-4 year-old to play with on his own. But you do have to have a fast computer. One of our computers was too slow and it was impossible to play the program on it. Our other computer was fast enough. We had problems getting into the gas station game. I sent an email to technical support and received a message explaining how to copy a file from the CD-ROM to my hard drive and now it works great! We are very satisfied with it. It was definitely worth the price.

Great if you can get it to work
I understand the complaints of the previous reviewers. I could not get this program to run on the PowerMac and it also had a lot of problems when I ran it on the iMac while networked to the PowerMac. But once the iMac stood alone, I only had minor problems with this program. It is a big memory hog.

It's a really super program if you can get it to run. I'd pay special attention to the system requirements before buying.

There are 12 different activities which teach your child all kinds of things. It's great for pretend role play also. Pump gas, serve customers in a deli, build a house, get a ship ready for sea, etc.

It's too bad this title has compatibility problems with so many systems, because it really is a beautifully done program. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Learning and challenging all in one!
It is amazing to think of what all a student can learn and do with this piece of software. I have used this program with students with and without disabilities, integrated it into a History/Social Studies Unit where students travel around the world and learn about different cultures. Students learn how to think ahead, can play the computer, or can play against another student. There are different difficulty levels, that I found myself as an adult being challenged. I found this to be fun and engaging, and a great way to get kids thinking! ... Read more

Product Description

Travel to a remarkable new world and treat your brain to an outlandishly fun and challenging adventure. Embark on a dangerous trek strewn with mind-bending puzzles. Learn important life skills and more as you lead the Zoombinis to freedom in Zoombinis Logical Journey! ... Read more

Features

• Designed for Windows XP

Features

• An exciting learning adventure with Arthur and his friends
• Climb steep mountains, explore forests, and search for hidden surprises
• Develop critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Different adventure-style activities every time you play
• For kids ages 3 to 7

Reviews (3)

Am I missing Something?
My boys (ages 5/6) could not get past level one on this game. Some of the items that needed to be found, never made their appearance. I even tried. Perhpas we got a bad copy.
I must say from a parent's point of view the music drove me nuts!!! Same little tune, played over and over....it never changes.

Endless fun
My six and nine year olds have a blast with this. At first they were a bit confused about what to do but once they figured it out they loved it. There are different scenarios, much like the Freddi Fish games so it is never boring.

Fun Camping Adventures
Our 4 year old has had a blast playing this game. It is loads of fun exploring around the campsite, climbing up (and sliding down) Mount Rockslide, and looking for helpful objects which will allow The Brain to construct a signalling device.

There are simple, yet challenging activities, like constructing a tent, which have been fun, and all of the Arthur characters, with their trademark personalities are there to help. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

This CD-ROM game is based on the award-winning I Spy book series. The game engages children with clever and colorful scenarios and builds learning skills through riddles, puzzles, and games. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Gotta love I SPY!
We love all of the I Spy software and books. This one was not a disappointment. All of the I Spy games are simple for the very young child... So long as they can click the mouse, they can play the game. Clues are read to you so that reading is not necessary. This particular I Spy game is NOT as good as the others in the series, however it is a must have for any I Spy fan!

Perfectly suited for preschoolers
My son just turned three and this program is perfectly suited to his skills. The six differect games within the program provide a good variety of activities. There's even one game where you can create you own I Spy page to print out. The oral directions are very clear and simple for little ones who cannot yet read.
I believe this game is time well spent on the computer. The program presents challenging thinking games and not just mindless flash. We also like the music that introduces and ends the program.

Very Cute.
This is a very cute set of games all based on the I Spy books. In one game the kids search for items just like in the book, in another game they sort objects into venn circles. My two going on three year old son enjoys playing this for about a half an hour at a time. This helps develop visual discrimination among other things.

Having said all of that, this is one of my least favorite computer games to watch him play. Compared to some of the others he has, I find this one to be a bit boring. But it's not me that is playing it. I'd rate it a high four or low five because of this one reason. Otherwise I think it's a fine set of games.

The pictures are excellent. The skills that children learn in these games are good pre reading skills and that is good.

Enjoy.

No legs
This game is great. My 46 month old really enjoyed it ... for about two or three hours, when she had played it out. There are a very limited number of "screens," and they don't even randomize their arrangement.

It's a shame, because the puzzles with the circles (think Venn diagrams from elementary school math) are a wonderful twist.

Therefore, I have to say the game "has no legs."

Does not Work on Windows XP
This game would not run on Windows XP out of the box. Scholastic support did not have a solution but I found it would run in compatibility mode.

My son loves the games and puzzles. This was a truly great learning game for kids. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Your brainpower is needed all across the galaxy. Develop logic, sequencing, and decision-making skills as you organize Fripples in space, experiment with special-effects tools, and program a half-time show at the Intergalactic Rocket Bowl. Plus, alter gravity and motion in a virtual metal world. Throughout the program you'll be challenged to learn to think ahead, test hypotheses, observe results, and draw valid conclusions. Additional Web-based challenges are available to keep the fun and learning going. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Reader Rabbit and his friends need your help to throw a surprise birthday party for Sam the Lion. There are plenty of fun things to do, from making cookies to practicing party games. And the fun and learning doesn't stop when you leave the computer. Make customized workbooks and printable activities to take with you in the car or on the bus. Progress reports will help you keep track of which skills you've mastered or are in need of improvement. Children can learn at their own pace with Reader Rabbit's ADAPT Learning Technology. It constantly monitors the child's abilities, helps develop skills, adjusts difficulty levels, provides help, and tracks progress. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Great Educational Fun!
When my 6 year old was struggling with new math concepts, I bought a lot of software. I wanted something for her that was both educational, and fun. This program is by far the best we've tried. You can set the difficulty levels, so kids don't get frustrated, but also they don't get bored. The characters are really cute, and because there is an overall goal of building the boat, kids want to keep playing! For each 3-5 question activity they complete, they get a boat part as a reward. The various activities cover all math basics, including fractions, money, and time.

With other programs, my daughter would play, and then get bored or overly frustrated very quickly, but because of the ability to customize this game to your child's skill level, she played for hours and hours. The skill levels on it vary widely, so it can teach concepts from a 1st through 3rd grade level, unlike so many games that are only relevant for one grade. My daughter's gotten tons of fun math practice out of this game, and she's still playing! I'd recommend it to anyone.

A kid favorite!
My sons will be in 2nd and 3rd grade in the fall. They just love this game and would rather play it than any of their other games. I hope to find a sequel for they will be done with this game before long.

we love it
We got this software for our five year old daughter and she loves it. At first she needed some parents' help. But soon she likes to play by herself, occasionally asks some questions. She got it a few weeks ago and has already learned so much from it. Her favorite parts are actually pretty challenging for a five year old -- fraction, money and time. She will need to learn some more from school to play the difficult part of this game, but she can already "play" most of it. she enjoys play and learn at the same time. we are very happy about this game. Our daughter is a very advanced five year old who joins 2nd grade reading group in her school everyday. This software helps her catch up with the math part and really enjoy it.

Reader Rabbit 2nd grade Rules!!!!!!!!
I'm a 2nd grader and my friends and I play Reader Rabbit 2nd grade at school and we love it! Everbody in the class says, hey can I go on the computer. It is fun and educational. I asked my mom to get it for home, so I could play more.

I LOVE THIS GAME!
Okay, I'm in sixth grade- a little old for a second grade game, but I DON'T CARE! This is a really great computer game that features my favorite Reader Rabbit character, Sam the Lion. He's so strange. And if any of you get stuck in the skillways because you can't get past the trapdoor (this happened to me), you can jump OVER the trapdoor by pushing the Up arrow and the LEFT arrow. (Many thanks to my eagle-eyed little sister for discovering this.) In short, this is a really great game that is not just for second graders. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This program would not work on any of my 3 computers!
This program seemed to start out fine, but consistently froze up and caused my computers (all three of them-I tried each!) to shut the program down. This program looks as though it would be really fun if I could get it to run!
If anyone knows how to solve the Windows QuickTime 32 Error that shuts the program down please let me know. I tried to contact the makers of the program, but they seem to have fallen off the face of the earth-emails returned undeliverable, website no longer up and running, etc.

Quite disappointed so far!

Uncle Albert's Magical Album a real gem
I love to buy and play software games with my girls. This was
really a challenging game for kids and adults to play. Some of the puzzles were complex yet they gave you enough clues to help you figure it out (eventually!). But besides the fun complexity of each puzzle, there was something to learn about for every animal and plant you encountered. I give a big thumbs up for this one! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Your child is a perfect example of how kids are smart in many ways, from music and creativity to science and logic. Adiboo: Discover Mazes, Numbers & Puzzles is designed to complement your child's natural talents and curiosity. The many hours of activities include solving mazes to help a thirsty cactus, figuring out puzzles at the park, developing patterns to help a little tortoise build a path of planks, and sorting materials at the laboratory to make candy. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Adiboo is a lot of fun for my 2 kids!!!
One will play the music, the other will dance, then they take turns! This is really quite darling. I would so recommend this. Age on box says 3-6, although my 7 year old has fun with it too! Lots of fun, we have this music one and the planet one also! If your looking for a childrens program that has lots of different things to do....this is a great title! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Based on the I Spy book series by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick, I Spy Junior: Puppet Playhouse features puppets, games, and riddles to promote listening and problem-solving skills. An interactive story about a princess and a sneaky dragon strengthens rhyming and other word skills, a puppet-making workshop teaches kids to follow directions, and a magical animated tree helps promote early reading skills. Seven play areas in all offer a variety of fun learning activities. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Boring...
This was so heavily hyped, I had to have it for my five-year old twin girls. What a bore. They're either too old for it, or there is the outside chance that Scholastic really didn't put a lot of effort into this. It would bore a three-year old. Compare to Spooky Mansion or Treasure Island - can't compare with these gems. I'm 50 and play the latter two.

The best children's software I've seen yet
I have never taken the time to review a product, but I love this CD so much I felt I had to. It is the best software that I have bought for my kids so far. The colors, the characters and the graphics are terrific and even manage to hold mom's attention!! Never mind, that my daughter really loves it too. Another thing that was good about it is that it's teaching my daughter basic mouse skills and there are quite a few different activities to play so kids won't get bored easily. I'll be looking for more software from this company as I find that most of the stuff out there for kids is a big waste of money.

Not perfect, but very good
My 2 1/2 year old son has really taken to this. It's a really great idea and it's well executed. You have four puppet shows and three games. The graphics are very well done and very realistic, with no cartoon-like figures. Everything is a scan of a real object. The games are building your own puppet, building your own still image from a puppet show, and sorting. Sorting really is what early math is all about. I'm glad they have it.

The puppet shows are where you will spend most of your time. Each show is composed of four or five scenes which have a dozen or so clickable objects. A riddle appears at the bottom and you have to find the three or four objects that are in the riddle. When you click on a riddle object, it does something and advances the story. Each scene has two riddles and when you have gone through all the scenes, your done with that show. A kid might eventually learn the locations of all the objects in a particular show, but with four shows, it will take a while.

There is only one real problem I have with it, based on several sessions of lap play with my son. Because there are about a dozen objects in each scene, but you only need 3 or 4 for the riddle, the rest of the objects don't do anything when you click on them. I think every object should do something (wiggle, glow or zoom, at the very least) when it gets clicked, not just the riddle objects. This has led to my sons newest vocabulary word: "doesntwork". If not this, then at least the riddle objects from the first of the pair of riddles for a particular scene should still be active for the second of the pair. So, when you click on a riddle object from the first riddle, it should still do something, if not it's original action, when you are finding the objects from the second riddle. As it is now, my son tries to click on the objects which were just active in the previous riddle, but they "doesntwork".

But, overall, I'm pleased with it. There is no violent action and it is pretty exploratory and creative, as advertised.

A Decent Game for Kids Under 5
This is a good choice for children under 5. I was impressed that the graphics and game play were appealing, and utilized the latest features from Macromedia.

I get SO tired of childrens games that look and play as though they were made for a Windows 3x machine, circa 1994. This game will not disapoint. ... Read more