Finding just the right gift for a kid can be a challenging experience. Will she like it? Will it fit? Is it too complicated for a kid his age? Too babyish?
If you’re buying for kids who have access to a CD-ROM-equipped computer, finding a just-for-you gift is as easy as walking into a store that carries software.
Even though the only piece of information you need here is for the question “what kind of computer does the child have?” today’s CD-ROM program is not a one-size-fits-all purchase.
New CD-ROM programs come with so many activity choices, intellectual levels, games and subject matter that even the most finicky kid–from preschool to pre-teen–will be able to personalize the way it is used. And all educational benefits will amount to individualized instruction.
We’ve sampled just a few of the hundreds of new CD-ROMs aimed at kids to help you find just the right ones for those special young people on your holiday shopping lists:
Thinkin’ Things Collection 3–The newest of Edmark’s creative thinking series for children has a practical bent–each of the five activity choices gives kids practice in some pretty complicated real life activities.
The emphasis is on abstract reasoning, problem-solving and analysis, but you don’t have to be an egghead to have fun with TT3.
Kids can get a taste of what it’s like to be a commodity broker by trading items with foreign brokers (who say hi in their native languages) to reach their “portfolio” goals. A “Stocktopus” manages the trades, the results of which can be complicated–it takes some high-level strategy to accumulate the right combination of items.
One section, Half-Time, lets kids position football players, cheerleaders and marching band members on a field, determine in which direction each group (which makes its own sound) will move and let them go at it. The times we tried this resulted in a noisy electronic version of bumper icons, but it was hilarious.
In the Fripple House, kids use clues and other information to place diversely dressed “Fripples” where they belong in each of the house’s rooms. Sounds easy, but it takes a lot of concentration and deduction to solve this mystery.
The most abstract activity is the Carving Blox section, which lets kids dabble in physics by drilling holes in virtual metal, choosing gravity and friction levels and letting the balls roll. This one is like computerized pinball gone mad.
Most of the activities in TT3 can be customized for ability levels and all of them are challenging, especially for grownups. Edmark; Windows, Mac; ages 7-13; $40.
Disney’s Animated Storybook: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree–Take one classic children’s tale, add a liberal dose of Disney music, fold in some games with Piglet, Tigger and the 100-acre-wood gang and season with a variety of learning aids to create an interactive book that is a true imagination builder.
This is the ultimate storybook–its read-along text teaches basic word-recognition skills. There are hundreds of action clickables, sing-alongs and 17 story screens. In addition, kids can get early foreign language exposure–with the click of the mouse, the audio and visual tests can be switched to Spanish. Disney Interactive; Windows, Mac; ages 3-8; $30-$38.
Schoolhouse Rock: Grammar–There’s no sentence diagramming in this lively CD-ROM based on the Emmy Award-winning cartoon series “Schoolhouse Rock,” but there’s a whole lot of learnin’ goin’ on in the Conjunction-Junction Diner, the Pronoun Pets Shop and other stops along Hudson Street. Added to that are ability-customized, “beat-the-clock” drills in the parts of speech, games and wacky cartoon guides. All that results in a program that accomplishes what English teachers have dreamed of for centuries–a lesson plan in grammar that kids actually like. Creative Wonders; Windows, Mac; ages 6-10; $39.95.
Destination: Ocean–The latest addition to Edmark’s “Imagination Express” series joins three other “destination” titles– “Rain Forest,” “Castle” and “Neighborhood”–in the quest to nurture kids’ creativity. Like its predecessors, “Ocean” helps kids express themselves through story telling. Besides colorful backgrounds, characters, sound and a “zoom” background that automatically puts visuals in perspective, “Ocean” is equipped with a movie-making tool that sets kids’ stories in motion.
In addition, there is an “Ocean Fact Book”–which functions like a marine encyclopedia–full of information on the ocean environment and its inhabitants, exploration and naviga–tion. Kids also can find addresses of organizations that champion environmental concerns. Edmark; Windows, Mac; all ages; $35.
“The Escape of Marvin the Ape”–This interactive adventure of an ape on the loose in New York is based on the children’s picture book by Caralyn and Mark Buehner. It comes to life via the narration of Jonathon Winters, a matching game, “hot spots” that adds humorous asides, beautiful illustration and an electronic paint box. Kids can read or be read to at their own pace in any of four languages–English, French, German and Spanish. VroomBooks; Windows, Mac; age 3 and up; $19.95.
Trudy’s Time and Place House–“Trudy’s” is the fourth in Edmark’s Early Learning House series, which is dedicated to providing young children with a sound background in basic learning skills.
“Trudy’s” tackles two of the toughest concepts for young children to understand–time and geography. The characters here are friendly, the music bright and the learning activities practical. Kids go at their own pace as they practice identifying directions, using map symbols, identifying landmarks, the seasons and–now necessary in this age of digital clocks–how to tell time the old-fashioned, analog way. Edmark; Windows; Mac; ages 3-6; $40.
Jan Pienkowski’s Haunted House–Pienkowski’s literary vision comes to life with whimsy and clever, ghoulish surprises. The sound effects alone make this a keeper, but as kids try to solve the house’s spooky mysteries, spiders, black cats and other creatures lure them into an adventure rich with music, color and some pretty creepy creations. Philips Home and Family Entertainment; Windows, Mac; ages 4-8; $39.95.
