Baum's original tale of the Wizard of Oz is adapted to create the story of Oz. The story is made up of 18 beautifully illustrated pages of a book, each being depicted on the screen with the words, and the animated characters coming to life as the story, is told. With the aid of this storybook options can be set to either have the tale read to the child, or for the child to read themselves with the text being highlighted along the way. As the story is completed on each page the characters come to life and act out a short scene before a new page is opened. The storybook has the facility to be fully customised to your child's ability. Early readers can have just a few words to each page, and this can be increased as their reading capacity grows. With clear text, and bold, bright animation the child's interest is captured making reading an enjoyable, fun pastime. A comprehensive glossary allows new words to be investigated and knowledge to be expanded, and observational skills are also developed by working through the screens. With the capacity to develop as reading skills grow, and the friendly characters you will meet along the way, this truly is a magical way to learn! -Mandy Wood.

Making hand puppets, creating your own farm yard and helping owls catch scurrying mice are just some of the activities you'll find inOscar the Balloonist-My Creative Workshop. As the action in this title gets underway, Oscar the Balloonist flies in and invites you to play with his imaginative creative workshop. Following the simple instructions, you are shown how to open Oscar's chest so you can quickly start playing a whole host of entertaining games. Oscar the Balloonist-My Creative Workshopis full of fun interactive activities. If you click on the apples picture, you can help Oscar pick some fresh fruit from a nearby tree by stacking up individual boxes for him to stand on. The game gently encourages counting and an appreciation of the natural world. There is a colourful snake game where you are asked to spot the difference between two similar-looking pictures. In another game, a bunch of young owls are hungry and you can help their parents swoop down and catch the mice that are scurrying quickly around the countryside. The further you explore the workshop, the more things there are to do. You can create your own stationery, calendar pages or visiting cards. [+]

A terrible storm has knocked out power in Jurassic Park and the huge dinosaurs are on the rampage. As a member of the elite Dino Defender squadron, it's your job to capture as many dinosaurs as possible while you try to restore power in this dramatic and exciting CD-ROM game. The adventure starts once you type your name and accept the mission, and then you must climb, leap, run and jump using your keyboard or game pad control. Be aware that the big dinosaurs take a while to emerge-at first you're followed by a few small ones that make strange squeaking noises. But on the way you can stop and look for supply boxes of gear such as tranquilliser canisters and distractor flares. The scenes are very atmospheric and the tension builds quickly as you're never sure when the dinosaurs are going to put in an appearance. When they do, it's quick and you have to be fast with your controls to survive. The accompanying booklet is well-designed and points out all the navigation and movement skills required to take on the dinosaurs. However it's worthwhile spending time in the game's excellent interactive training academy. Quick to install and well-explained by the narrator this is a first class adventure game which will keep children and adults alike occupied for hours. [+]