Educational
Thinkin’ Things Collection 2, Edmark Corp., for ages 6-12, $42. (Macintosh and Windows/MS-DOS). Once upon a time, society viewed intelligence as a single measurable factor that would predict an individual’s success. Modern educators believe human potential can be based on a composite of multiple intelligences, including musical/rhythmic and visual/spatial. This program offers five engaging activities that embrace memory, critical thinking, problem solving and creativity. Kids will enjoy composing or selecting music and graphics to accompany each learning segment. Throughout the holiday season, Edmark will throw in a free KidDesk menuing and accessory program (a $40 value) with purchase of this software title.
Mary Stevens, Desiree Decker (age 7) and Derek Decker (3)
Word City, Magic Quest, for IBM compatibles, DOS or Windows, for ages 3-9, $49.95. Food for thought, this language arts game incorporates spelling, vocabulary, alphabetization and reading comprehension skills. Players pit their word skills against alien “Snorkelers” who would devour Word City. They can choose to answer questions related to such themes as sports, science and stories. Each correct answer seals off three city blocks to pen in the Snorkelers, which can randomly challenge players to vocabulary, rhyme and speech duels. Decline or lose the challenge and another Snorkeler is set loose. Skill levels range from Prodigy, for ages 7-10, or Ace, designed for ages 10-12.
Donald Liebenson
Follow the Reader, Disney Software, IBM and compatibles, ages 5-8, $49.95. Even the youngest reader can follow the adventures of Mickey Mouse and friends at the beach, because Follow the Reader’s point-and-click interface doesn’t require a keyboard. The program, a follow-up to Mickey’s ABCs, comes with a 15-page guide for parents and teachers to help youngsters think for themselves and not simply repeat what they see on screen. For instance, adults are encouraged to ask the child questions in which answers aren’t spelled out on screen, such as “What season is your story set in?” The program also is designed to be supportive, so, as Disney says on the box, there are no wrong answers a child could give.
E.G.
Master Snoopy’s Math, Image Smith, ages 3-10, $19.95 (IBM and compatibles with Windows and 4 MB RAM). The concept of making math fun seems debatable; let’s say that the Peanuts gang makes math tolerable, if not terribly interesting. This program has three screens to choose. A dart game with Snoopy and Woodstock teaches addition, with levels ranging from preschool to one that would challenge adults. Cookie time asks kids to multiply or divide piles of cookies, and Linus throws pumpkins onto a scale for adding and multiplying. Animation is simple, and like math class itself, has few surprises that would keep kids intrigued.
J.G.
Math Age, Magic Quest, for IBM compatibles, DOS or windows, for ages 3-9, $45.95. The Global Math Archives is counting on you to contain a virus that would devour the works. Players must use their skills to build a shield to trap it. For every correct answer to a math-related question, a robot character named Bit-Bot stamps three virus-proof chips on the game board. But the virus can multiply through “duels” that require prowess in such concepts as graphs, probability, coordinates and plane geometry. A real plus is Smart Lab, a self-paced tutorial that allows players to practice on the problems they missed. Grade and skill levels and the virus’s appetite (Picky Eater, Hungry, Starving) are also the same as Word City. A nice addition.
D.L.
Real World Math: Adventures in Flight, Sanctuary Woods, Mac and IBM compatibles, ages 8-12, $39.95. This educational program makes learning fun by amalgamating key math concepts with a nice jaunt through the aviation world. Children encounter real-life math problems in the cockpit, control tower, repair hangar, service zone and passenger cabin. They earn flight time by successfully answering math quizzes related to the airport areas. With enough certification, they get to print out model plans for airplanes like the Boeing 747 and the Concorde. Now you have a quick answer for that inevitable question, “Why do I have to learn this?”
Janita Poe
Treasure Galaxy!, The Learning Company, IBM and compatibles, DOS or Windows, for ages 5-9, $45. Zoom around Crystal City on a space scooter in search of precious crystals hidden by the Master of Mischief. Math curriculum-oriented and critical thinking skills are called upon to retrieve them. Not exactly out-of-this-world graphics, but the true measure of this game is the many interactive activities that incorporate such real-world concepts as measurement, fractions, shapes and calendar dates.
D.L.
Sammy’s Science House, Edmark Corp., ages 3-6, $32. (Macintosh CD-ROM or Windows/MS-DOS). Five playful activities help young children absorb basics of natural and applied sciences. Kids learn about weather conditions, seasons, wildlife; how to sort and classify objects by looking for common characteristics; and how to construct machines and toys using blueprints or pure imagination. Cute characters, silly sound effects and positive feedback are very kid-friendly. The Field Notebook is a great vocabulary-expanding tool for unusually bright or older kids (perhaps ages 5-8) but requires reading and pronunciation skills beyond most preschoolers.
M.S., Desiree D., Derek D.
Animal Safari: Professor Iris’ Fun Field Trip, Discovery Communications Inc., CD-ROM, for IBM and Macintosh, age 3 and up, $49.95. This electronic field trip lets your child learn the names, sounds and looks of animals native to Africa; review words like “habitat” and “zoology”; and even hear 10 verses of a tale in French, Spanish and Japanese. Following along the adventure is easy for kids, especially if adults help them get started. The trip begins with a similated blackboard where children can click on red chalk to go forward, purple chalk to reverse and an eraser to choose any activity. The board also has puppet icons that let children access videos, documentaries and a painting area.
J.P.
Mario’s Time Machine, Mindscape, age 7 and up, $49.95, Mac diskettes (also a deluxe version on CD-ROM for IBM compatibles). Just about any adventure that features the lovable plumber is sure to be a hit. Though the emphasis is on education-world history no less-there are enough mystery doors and arcade action to lure any kid (and many adults). Mario’s job is to “time surf” to return stolen artifacts to famous people such as Johann Gutenberg and Galileo. Mario must collect tidbits of information about the notable person in order to fill the missing words in his history book. The information learned about the famous figures is more than most adults will know. And the authentic music and detailed architecture and costuming of each period Mario visits give a real sense of being there.
Byron P. White
Adventurous kids
Be Our Guest, Disney Software, IBM and compatibles, age 7 and up, $24.95. There’s a ball tonight, and you’re invited. But first, you must help the Enchanted Objects prepare the Beast’s castle for the gala event based on Disney’s blockbuster animated film “Beauty and the Beast.” Help Cogsworth the clock find just the right notes for his musical score. Feather Duster needs your help to clear the snow-covered garden and find a bouquet of flowers for the ballroom. Other characters you’ll help are Mrs. Potts, the teakettle; Lumiere, the candelabra; and Wardrobe, the, um, wardrobe. The games are straightforward because the point-and-click interface means kids can dig in and start enjoying Be Our Guest right away.
E.G.
Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds, Humongous Entertainment, MPC, ages 3-8, $39.95. A not-so-feminine female fish is the hero in this CD-ROM program that teaches the value of working together. Freddi Fish helps Grandma Grouper find the stolen seeds. Freddi and pal Luther go on a deep-sea adventure in undersea caves, oyster beds and coral reefs, with two sharks to add to the excitement. Graphics are beautiful and the marine life moves in a graceful, lifelike manner. Humongous titles are also available on the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer.
E.C.D.
The bookshelf
A Merriam-Webster Family Dictionary, Mindscape, MPC, age 8 and up, $49.95. A print dictionary could never be this fun. This CD-ROM features ’50s-style graphics that illustrate 500 of the 32,000 words. Extremely useful are the instant words searches, cross referencing and audio word pronunciations. Monster in a box and alphabet soup are just a few of the learning games. Warning, the host for the last game is a wise-cracking cockroach. Gross!
E.C.D.
The Cartoon History of the Universe, Putnam New Media, MPC, $39.95. The two-CD set, adapted from Larry Gonick’s book by the same title, is a fun-filled romp through the ages. It’s an entertaining, if passive, way to find out just how much you don’t know-from how the universe started to Alexander the Great’s exploits. You can take a time machine to the various ages. It’s like flipping through the pages of a book, except the cartoon panels come to life. There are enough corny and clever sight and sound gags to keep you “reading” for a while. If you get bored, you can go to three locales to play games-Maze of the Minotaur (yes, a maze), The Pyramid of Cheops (puzzles) and The Acropolis (construction).
Geoff Brown
Shelley Duvall Presents Digby’s Adventures, Sanctuary Woods Multimedia Corp. (now Mindscape), ages 3-7, $39.95. This sequel to Shelley Duvall’s trailblazing It’s a Bird’s Life includes the beleaguered-little-creature story lines-here it’s a 1-pound Yorkshire Terrier-the hip wit and the sweet, easy songs that characterized the original. The graphics are more detailed, colorful and animated, there are three stories that a child can enter at any point through a frame with changing pictures, and the games are innovative. But content isn’t as fantasy-fresh, songs aren’t as winsome and dialogue isn’t as goofy and sassy as in the birds’ tale. As with many sequels, production values dominate story values.
J. Linn Allen, Benjamin (age 14) and Rebecca (8)
The Cat Came Back, Sanctuary Woods, ages 7-10, $39.95. With beautiful illustrations and soft colors, this game is a lot like reading your favorite storybook. But it offers more than the simple tale of old Mr. Johnson’s yellow cat who “just wouldn’t go away.” Children can create their own story to fit the pictures, keep a diary of the cat’s adventures and solve mysteries of the cat’s whereabouts. A music mode features the catchy title tune in English, Spanish and French and it can be played by exotic instruments including tubular bells, a pan flute and steel drums. Children can even record themselves singing and play it back. The program can be difficult to manipulate, however, and it does not acknowledge when you actually solve the mystery questions. Still, it is delightful and it will entertain even pre-readers.
B.P.W.
AnnaTommy, IVI Publishing, MPC, age 8 and up, $49.95. The Mayo Clinic turns an anatomy book into a gameplaying adventure on CD-ROM. Anna and Tommy take a rocket ride through the body on such missions as fighting cavities, increasing white blood cells and destroying dust in the nasal passages. A joystick is a must as the games portions require quickness that can’t be achieved with a mouse or cursor/space bar combo. There is also real footage of major organs and systems.
E.C.D.
The Secret Garden, Sound Source Interactive, MPC, ages 3-8, $24.95. This is the first in a series of CD-ROM movie books or “boovies” produced by Sound Source, and it is quite enjoyable for children who have seen the popular film as well as those who have not. The tale of “The Secret Garden” is told with a simulated open book that has a smattering of images and movie sceens woven throughout the text. By pushing the appropriate buttons, children can call up digitized clips from the movie and trigger sounds like glass shattering or visuals like an old man crying. For inexperienced readers, there is a “read-for-me” option that narrates the text in either a boy’s or a girl’s voice.
J.P.
