Price: £19.99
Review Adiboo I Can Read, I Can Count, Years 4 & 5 / Knowledge Adventure:
RRP: £19.99
Price: £12.99
Review Adi Maths & English: Year 3 / Knowledge Adventure:
Review Disney's Reading Quest with Aladdin / Buena Vista Home Video 1370101:
RRP: £19.99
Price: £15.00
Review Adi Maths & English: Year 5 / Knowledge Adventure:
Price: £9.99
Review Smurfs My Printing Workshop / Europress:
RRP: £19.99
Price: £2.49
Review Thunderbirds FAB Action Pack & FREE Mouse Mat / SCI:
Price: £19.99
Review Adi's Complete Learning Pack: Year 4 / Knowledge Adventure:Adi's Complete Learning Pack is a 2 CD-ROM package combining work and play in line with the new National Curriculum for English and Mathematics. Adi is the alien host who guides the child through all the activities available. The learning element follows the same approach as classroom teaching. Firstly, there is an activity to assess the child's knowledge. Next, a tutorial leading to activities allowing them to practice what they have learnt. And finally there are slightly harder exercises to extend their skills. Children also have access to short educational games, including memory tests, dictation and mathematical challenges. It includes all of the topics covered in the classroom, and provides a good opportunity for the child to consolidate what they learn at school. To keep children interested there is much to explore in the program, including Music and Science activities, and games that they can "buy" with points earned from completing the learning tasks. Children can keep track of their progress through a results board, and a parent's information point allows parents or teachers to do the same. [+]The program can be used in conjunction with the internet (for a small fee) where parents can book "virtual classes" and children can join clubs and e-mail friends, all controllable from the parent's information point. Adi's Complete Learning Pack is both child and adult friendly. There is enough guidance for children to use it independently, as well as the option for parents or teachers to track and control learning. It can be used either at home or in the classroom to compliment the National Curriculum and to enhance children's ICT skills as well as Mathematics and English. Available for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. -Kelly Battes.
Price: £9.99
Review Little Monsters Perfect Prudence / Ransom:
RRP: £9.99
Price: £6.99
Review Oscar The Balloonist: Flies Into The Mountains / Tivola:Oscar Flies Into The Mountains is a gentle and accessible introduction to nature. The information on the CD-ROM is provided in a humorous way, and there is a good mix of familiar animals such as bears and cows as well as lesser-known members of the animal kingdom like wood grouse and whistling marmots. Once you've chosen your own rucksack you can join Oscar the balloonist as he flies high through the cold mountains. Oscar's balloon is decorated with the four seasons of the year. If you click on the winter picture, you are quickly taken to a snowy landscape where the animals introduce themselves. A couple of eagles talk about the joys of flying and show you pictures of their newly hatched children. The stag, Randolph the Red, talks in an upper-crust accent about his favourite does and admits to having several girlfriends. Unfortunately he knows that one day he will no longer be the leader. Depending where you click, he will talk proudly about his antlers or how his coat keeps him warm when it snows. Each time you choose an animal, the screen goes dark and you are given a few verbal clues about what they are and where they live before they are revealed. [+]The animals talk in a friendly, good-humoured way and provide a brief insight into their lives-where they live, what they like to eat, who they like and what makes them afraid. (Ages 4 to 8). -Justin Hunt.
RRP: £49.99
Price: £39.97
Review Barbie Photo Designer with Digital Camera / Mattel:
Price: £19.99
Review Batman Activity Centre / Play Zone:Get into the minds of a criminal, or 11 to be exact, with the Batman Activity Centre The development of logic and memory skills, as well as powers of deduction and strategy underpins a series of matching, colouring, elimination and logic games. Collect coloured fluid in vials, guide Batman through the perilous Gotham City and help the tireless sidekick Robin catch a whole host of baddies while the Batcomputer tallies your success. Younger children may find this activity centre difficult to use at first, as deductive powers are called on to a rather high degree. However, with a little guidance even the youngest Gotham intern can get something out of the experience. Suitable for children aged five and above. -Sophie Lowe.
Price: £19.99
Review Enid Blyton: St Clare's Friendship Kit / Ravensburger:Enid Blyton is well known for her tales of boarding school fun and adventure, and these are brought to life in the interactive Enid Blyton: St Clare's Friendship Kit. Explore the famous boarding school with twins Pat and Isobelle, meet the other girls Alison, Carlotta, Roberta and Hilda and join in the team spirit. Build your own friendship kit, play games, create projects, make a diary for school and home, join St Claire's club, take part in a quiz, design and print personal stationery and keep your secrets safe. Boarding school life always feature secret parties; so it is at St Clare's, but if you want to come to the feast, you must fill up the party box first by finding specific items as you explore the nooks and crannies in the school. Accompanying the CD-ROM is an excellent pamphlet, which explains everything about the kit. It should be read before beginning. Installation is comparatively easy, but younger girls may need help. The graphics are bright and colourful and the accompanying music is very catchy. There is no recommended age but a minimum age is set at 8-9 years. The package consists of three completely different CD-ROMs which complement each other, offering many and varied experiences. [+]-Susan Naylor.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £0.24
Review Bill & Ben / BBC Multimedia:
RRP: £9.99
Price: £6.99
Review Great Games Compendium 3 / Tivola:
Price: £19.99
Review Mickey's Learning Series PreSchool Adventures / Disney Interactive:Disney's Pre-school Adventures with Mickey is a great CD-ROM developed for 2 to 4 year olds. The action starts with Mickey and Minnie happily driving along in an animated sequence. They run out of petrol and stop to fill up. This is where the fun starts, as the place they stop is full of activities. The emphasis is less on education than it is on fun. For example in Goofy's Body Shop you can build a car bringing the different parts together and painting your creation. Later you can sit in Huey, Dewey and Louie's car playing around with windscreen wipers, fiddling with the glove compartment and indicators, tooting the horn at passing Disney characters and so on. There are also more traditional learning activities. Pop into the cafe, and you'll find matching games, activities that teach about relative size, naming games and more. Several children can register to use the software, and it tailors itself to their particular needs, so that the more adept won't get frustrated by repeating tasks they've completed successfully. [+]There is plenty for parents here too including on-board information pages explaining the reasoning behind each activity, listing the skills it teaches, and providing instructions on how to work with in each activity. Disney's Pre-school Adventures with Mickey is well worth a look. It is neatly designed, its activities have been thoughtfully put together, and the help for parents is a real plus. -Sandra Vogel.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £9.99
Review Mickey's Learning Series Get Ready for School / Disney Interactive:Mickey Mouse takes the role of a newspaper reporter in Disney's Get Ready for School with Mickey. Aimed at four to six year olds, the activities on the CD-ROM mix fun and learning, and the child's progress is monitored to make sure it does not either bore or over-stretch its users. Parents can access information screens that provide instruction on how to use each activity and the skills it teaches, which will help them ensure their children get the most from the software. The action begins on a night-time street, with Mickey searching for a news story. Click all around and you'll find various activities. Mickey crops up during these from time to time to take snaps for the paper. You can access his work and use it as a source to print extension activities to do away from the computer. Among the many activities Hide and Seek is good fun. A weasel ducks into an alley, and a policeman is there to help you find the weasel by letting you know the kind of object the weasel is hiding behind and what it sounds like. You then click around until you find the weasel who then pops out, taunts you, and runs to hide again. [+]A favourite part of the software is sure to be the Neon Puzzler, a freeform drawing area in which you place differently shaped strips-like neon lights-onto a board to make pictures. There are templates to follow, or you can create your own designs. -Sandra Vogel.
RRP: £24.99
Price: £1.75
Review Disney's 3D Creations / Disney Interactive:Disney's Magic Artist 3D counters half the problems associated with sculpting in clay-if you're a parent, it takes nothing more than hearing excited voices shouting, "Play-Doh!" to raise the hairs on your neck and send you scrambling for the cheap tablecloth. The idea then of a virtual clay studio is appealing-all the creative freedom children want, with none of the mess. Disney's Magic Artist 3D satisfies that creative hunger, at least to a large degree. Designed for the younger set, this basic 3-D modelling tool lets kids build shapes of their own, apply textures, group objects and manipulate them on-screen. It also includes a modest library of such pre-built shapes as a cow, dog, couch, doghouse, fence and wagon. Any shape can be added to any scene, and then coloured in a variety of ways-by using a paint bucket and a colour of your choice or by selecting a predetermined pattern. Adding a striped design to a 3-D cow is always fun, especially when it's standing on a cow-patterned couch. The highlight of the program comes by adding Mickey Mouse himself to a scene. While this isn't an animation program, Mickey has some animated actions of his own-adding him to your creations and pressing the play button makes him do things like throw sparkles into the air. The soundtrack and sound effects are first rate-good speakers make a notable difference. [+]Interesting and fun sounds reinforce the selected tool, helping you to remember which tool does what by differentiating it both visually and audibly. If you've got a little one that's dying to make things with his or her hands, Disney's Magic Artist 3D may be just the creative outlet you're all looking for. -Mike Caputo.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £37.99
Review Barbie Jewellery Designer / Mattel:
Price: £14.99
Review Barbie Cool Looks Fashion Designer / Mattel:If your child loved Barbie Fashion Designer, this upgrade will be a definite hit. Running along similar themes, it allows children to choose outfits for their real and virtual Barbie (and friends) dolls. Once the doll has been chosen, the next decision to make is where they're going. shopping, office, beach, and so on. Then the serious work begins-assembly in the dressing room. Once an outfit has been assembled and accessorised, it can be viewed on-screen, modelled by Barbie, or it can be printed out on fabric paper, meaning kids can make real clothes for their doll. (All necessary assembly items are included, even the now iconic Barbie shoes). Teaching your children to be creative, Barbie Cool Looks Fashion Designer doesn't really develop beyond its obvious function of dressing dolls, but it does teach children to follow instructions, and the upgrades give them more to go at than before. [+]A definite improvement, and perfect for ensuring though Barbie may have nowhere to go, she will always be dressed up! -Lucie Naylor.
RRP: £9.99
Price: £5.98
Review Max and the Magician / Tivola:Max and the Magician is a richly creative title for three to seven year olds. At the beginning of the CD-ROM, to get you in the mood for the magic that follows, you are invited to click on a multi-coloured hat and immediately a rabbit jumps out. Offbeat and entertaining magical events spring up throughout the story as you click on objects like floating magic wands. Chuckling frogs appear at windows and mice pop out of drawers. There is even a shelf in Mervin's house for spells that went wrong. Ignoring the circling bats, Max goes deep into the dark forest to find Mervin the magician. But something terrible has happened. He discovers that Mervin has been transformed into a toilet brush. Mervin (who can still talk) bounces around and explains angrily that it is all the work of a wicked witch. Your job is to help Max find all the bits of the magic formula-which are scattered around the house-to break the spell. [+]To find them, you enter a world of interactive magic books and are given the chance to test out Mervin's impressive spell machine. Occasionally it is difficult to know how to help Mervin and you find yourself stumbling around with your mouse button clicking on tables and drawers for spells to happen. However the fact that it is not always obvious where to go adds to the adventure. Gently illustrated and available in English, German, French or Spanish, Max and the Magician is likely to appeal to young budding wizards everywhere. -Justin Hunt.
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