Math
Software:
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Math Missions: The Race to Spectacle City Arcade Grades K-2
"Set in a humorous,
cartoon city, this program features innovative activities
that include working with pattern blocks, counting change,
weighing and measuring, sorting, and more. Children strengthen early mathematical thinking
skills in an unusually fun environment.
There is no force-feeding of academics in the game, yet it
remains challenging and educationally valuable." -- The
Review Corner. 
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Math Missions Grades 3-5
"Set in a humorous,
cartoon city, this program features a set of inspired
activities that involve working with weights and measurements, fractions, logic,
graphing, and more. The game rewards
children with the opportunity to own an arcade once they
have reached a set game level." -- The
Review Corner.
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Zoombinis Logical Journey
"Children are drawn to this journey that has them deducing,
sorting, and hypothesizing while leading endearing little creatures to freedom
- without ever feeling like they are developing mathematical thinking. This
fabulous exercise in logical thinking is a must-have classic software title."
(Ages 8-up) -- The
Review Corner.
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Mia's Math Adventure: Just In Time!
"Math exercises and problem solving are expertly equated
with fun in this content-rich software sequel. The math activities are incorporated into the storyline
but can be accessed independently as well. They are meaningful and attractive when played in the context
of the adventure. Activities feature a nice range of math skills at four different
challenge levels. The story — complete with cute characters and
"bad guys" kids love to hate — will appeal to most children. The program's
top-quality movie introduction easily sweeps children up into Mia's world, and
as the game advances, the mouse-eye view of the world continues to feature visuals
that are stunning. Ages 8-10." -- The
Review Corner.
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Math Blaster: Master the Basics "With
schools focusing more on problem-solving
skills than they are on math facts, it's
often up to families to help their kids build
math facts at home. With Math Blaster: Master
the Basics, kids can do just that—even children who
are not enthusiastic about the whole process! Arcade-style and platform-based games present an
engaging format for practicing and drilling math facts. This program is ideal
for boosting confidence in mental math at home. Ages
6-12." -- The
Review Corner. 
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SET: The Computer Game
"The
popular board game, SET, is available for the
computer. As players attempt to identify logical sets
of three cards by scrutinizing symbols, numbers,
colors, and shades, they develop their visual
perception and logical thinking skills. The
computerized version of the game allows for different
levels of play and the ability to play the game when
no one else wants to play! Pleasantly addictive game
that has educational value., Ages 7-up." -- The
Review Corner.
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I Love Math
"Exceptional for its range of options that allow parents
and kids to customize the game to suit their needs, I Love Math! presents
math concepts in an enjoyable way.The Challenge mode is excellent — kids (or their parents) can select
topics they need to practice. Children testing the software were generally pleased with it, and their parents
found the educational value of the game to be quite high. All in all, this is a nice-looking and interesting mission with
plenty of great
options to customize the experience for different kids.
Ages 7-11." -- The
Review Corner.
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Math 3
"Workbook pages dressed up with colorful animals
and fun arcade-style games given as rewards help take some of the tedium out
of math exercises in this sensible skill-building software title. A math workbook alone may not be enough to convince kids to practice math at
home, but if it is presented in a multimedia format with fun games as rewards,
third-graders will want to jump right in. With fresh graphics, clear
audio and printed instructions, animations, and arcade-style game breaks, this
software title helps make kids more willing to practice essential math skills at
home. Ages 8-9." -- The
Review Corner.
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Math 2
"This economical package provides a pleasing method
for second-graders to practice math skills at home, both on and off the computer.
While it doesn't do a lot of teaching, it does provide children with an engaging
format that allows them to practice some serious skills.
There's simply no escaping the fact that certain fundamentals
of math require loads of practice and drill. Parents often turn to workbooks designed
for home use as supplements to their children's schoolwork. Now they have the
opportunity to get much of the job done on their personal computer. Math Grade 2 presents electronic
worksheets with just the right amount of bells and whistles to make practicing
math facts, dare we say, fun! Ages
7-8." -- The
Review Corner. 
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Best
Language Arts Software:
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Jumpstart Reading With Karaoke "Children
learn to sound out small words with this innovative
software program that seamlessly incorporates speech
recognition into the learning experience. Children
learn songs, word by word, and then sing them
karaoke-style in a jukebox activity. Strong
educational content, and appealing to children ready
to read.
Ages 5-7." -- The
Review Corner.
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Clifford the Big Red Dog: Phonics
"Beginning readers will
find nothing in this phonics program that is intimidating or overwhelming.
A gentle pace and solid free-play activities, as well as a likable theme, are
this program's strengths. Although appropriate for any emergent reader, this
game is especially useful for children who are reluctant to go further simply
because it is pressure-free and encouraging. Ages 4-6." -- The
Review Corner.
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Spelling Puzzles 1
"Parents looking for an
age-appropriate program that will help their first-grader practice language arts
skills will be pleased with this electronic workbook that is packaged with a
companion printed workbook. Good for reinforcing and practicing basic phonics
and spelling at home, and reasonably priced too. Perhaps more aptly considered an early-reading skills
program, this "electronic workbook" provides solid workbook-style practice for
first-graders. Children work through a series of exercises that include filling
in missing letters to spell basic words, identifying words with long and short
vowels, and working with simple rhymes. Ages
6-7." -- The
Review Corner.
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Flash Action Phonics Made Easy
"This cheerful and bright program provides children
with an encouraging environment for honing phonics skills. Excellent practice
for children in first and early second grade.
Clever games and bright screens enliven phonics activities
in this encouraging program that helps children develop essential phonics skills.
Ages 6-8." -- The
Review Corner.
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Best
Creative Arts Software:
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Kid Pix Deluxe 3rd Edition
"This deluxe version of a tried-and-true art program
provides all the tools kids need to create on the computer - whether they are
producing serious charts and presentations for school projects or expressive
freeform art just for the sake of fun. In the right hands, this program provides
rich opportunities for self-expression through multimedia art. Ages 4-up." -- The
Review Corner.
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Alice In Vivaldi's Four Seasons - Music Games Intl
"Looking for something different, fun, and educational?
This CD-ROM works children's brains in fantastic ways as they learn to distinguish
sounds and musical instruments. Featuring musical puzzles and
games based on Vivaldi's Four Seasons, this fresh software
title allows children to play and learn about music and musical instruments
in innovative ways. Ages 6-up." -- The
Review Corner.
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Cosmic Blobs: Lab Rat Edition "This revolutionary 3D graphics software for
children presents endless opportunities for creativity. The program is
educationally valuable for its open-endedness and for encouraging and
developing kids' visualization skills. Cosmic Blobs is imaginative and
inspiring. Impressive! Best
for ages 8 and up." -- The
Review Corner.
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Music Ace Deluxe
"Music Ace would make a perfect
supplement to any beginning music student's studies. Its simple but engaging
format is impressive, with a focus on music reading, listening, and composing
skills. Maestro
Max guides users in this music tutorial that introduces the fundamentals of
music. Appropriate for beginning music students of almost any age over 8 years,
Music Ace is designed to complement music lessons for students of various
instruments. This title is self-paced and contains musical "sessions" with a range of topics. The Music Doodle Pad is
also included and acts as a creative composition tool. Ages 8-up." -- The
Review Corner.
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KUTOKA Click & Create With Mia (Windows/Macintosh)
"Original design and
content are some of this software's strong points. Although it has a slightly
difficult learning curve, this art and creativity game holds children's
attention. This interesting program offers players five
different ways to discover and create: Projects, Paint, Shapes, Draw, and
Multimedia.
Whether or not children have experienced Mia through such excellent adventure
games as Mia Kidnap Caper or
Mia
Just in Time, they will enjoy Click and Create with Mia if art and
creativity software appeals to them. Ages 7-11." -- The
Review Corner.
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Best
Early Learning/ Preschool Software:
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Blue's Room: Blue Talks
"The activities in this graphically-rich early
learning software game are original, and offer preschoolers the chance to
exercise their deductive reasoning skills in simple but effective ways. Ages
3-5." -- The
Review Corner.
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Dora the Explorer: Fairytale Adventures PC Play Pack
"A pleasing variety and number of activities are
featured in this engaging software for young Dora the Explorer fans. The
learning challenges are on-target for the suggested age group. Ages 4-6."
-- The Review Corner.
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Best
Deals in Software:
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StarFlyers Alien Space Chase
"Though it could have been a little more educational,
this program is especially entertaining and does require some thinking skills.
This title features plenty of arcade action that is never intimidating, some
logic puzzles, and a fantastic story line. Ages 6-9." -- The
Review Corner.
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StarFlyers Royal Jewel Rescue
"This program is one of two titles that mark the launch
of an excellent new series of children's software. Well-developed characters
and an engaging story provide the framework for super activities that exercise
logical thinking skills. Ages 6-9." -- The
Review Corner.
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Best
Software Bundles:
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Adventure Workshop Famous Friends "Four
older titles for the price of one. Rugrats
Munchin Land is mostly entertaining, but a
Review Corner favorite (see
review here). Where in the World is
Carmen San Diego? is a highly educational game
that boosts geography skills. The other two
titles are: Lilo & Stitch Hawaiin Adventure
is mediocre but sound (see
our review) and Monsters Inc.
Bowling for Screams is pure arcade. Ages
8-up." -- The
Review Corner.
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Adventure Workshop 5: Preschool-1st Grade
"This set of 4
older CD-ROMs is a virtual playhouse for
young children that is educational as well as
fun. Reader Rabbit Thinking Adventures is an
excellent early logic program, and the bundle
also includes Arthur's Reading Games, Dr.
Seuss Preschool, and Arthur's Math Games.
Excellent deal. Ages 3-6." -- The
Review Corner.
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Lion King Classic Collection
"This
bundle of three programs includes the excellent
Adventures in Typing with Timon & Pumbaa, a fun
"learn to type" program for kids, as well as
two fun activity center games. A great deal. Ages 7-9." -- The
Review Corner.
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Best Foreign Language Software for
Children:
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Eazyspeak Spanish Levels 1 and 2 (PC & Mac)
Eazyspeak French Levels 1 and 2 (PC & Mac) "A
foreign language learning title that's fun— even compelling? Very hard to
find...until now. This foreign language software title is as
effective and appealing as it is offbeat. It's a little risqué (read details in
the review), and a whole lot of fun. Highly recommended for children who are
bored with standard foreign language software fare. Excellent supplement to a
French/Spanish language course. Ages 10-up" -- The
Review Corner.
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KUTOKA Mia's Language Adventure (Windows/Macintosh)
"This content- and graphic-rich program offers children an unforgettable adventure and practice with either Spanish or French vocabulary.
The detailed and immersive graphics in
The Kidnap Caper are a trademark of the series. Kids are truly transported into a fantasy world where human-like mice and rats have arranged elements from the human world to create their own personalized environments. Cute details abound in this miniature world, such as the chess pieces that decorate the art gallery. The activities explore early vocabulary, including animals, positions, professions, the alphabet, and numbers. Children get acquainted with simple dialogues and learn to build sentences in the featured second language.
Ages
7-10." -- The
Review Corner.
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KidSpeak
6-in-1
"This program is loaded with activities and learning opportunities —
40+ interactive activities and 700+ words and expressions in authentic,
native speech. The approach to language learning is an immersive one — words and phrases
in the foreign language are not translated. Research has shown that this is
a highly effective way to teach people a foreign language, and even more so
for children. Children are free to try different responses without being told they are wrong
— instead, the real answer is spoken naturally. There is a tremendous amount of reinforcement
going on in the program, and it seems to be highly effective. This program will be especially helpful for children who are entering into,
or are currently involved in, foreign language study at school. Ages
6-9." -- The
Review Corner.
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Rosetta Stone Spanish Explorer (Latin America)
"This easy-to-use, straightforward program carefully
builds confidence in learning a foreign language through lessons supported by
vibrant photos and clear speech. This program is unique in that it is appropriate
for many different ages and skill levels. This program is effective because the immersion approach matches most children's
natural learning styles. Instead of explicit grammar lessons and translations,
users absorb vocabulary and sentence structure in a manner that is natural and
unforced. Most users will improve their listening, reading, speaking, and writing
skills in the featured foreign language. Advanced students of the language are
unlikely to find much challenge in the program, and very beginners might struggle
a little. Rosetta Stone Explorer titles are best for intermediate students." -- The
Review Corner.
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Best Reference Software for
Children:
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World Book Encyclopedia "This is a fabulous electronic encyclopedia for elementary-age
students. The content is relevant and never overwhelming; the reading level
is appropriate; and the program's creative features nourish children's innate
curiosity and desire to learn. Because first experiences with information gathering can be vital
to a child's attitude towards research, parents will want to choose research tools
that make the process enjoyable. With this latest edition of the electronic encyclopedia,
World Book remains an outstanding reference software for children entering
the world of research. Elementary-age children will find relevant articles and
multimedia that can help them with school projects. Additionally, users of the
software will find plenty of creative features that encourage them to satisfy
their thirst for information, simply for the sake of knowledge. It is important to note that children beyond elementary age will likely need
more information than that contained in World Book. However, for young
researchers, World Book offers a positive and useful introduction to
research and information gathering." -- The
Review Corner.
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Microsoft Encarta
"This electronic encyclopedia and reference suite
features superior navigation and an exceptional mix of multimedia and user-friendly
features. This is an excellent reference resource for students ages 9-10 and
up that helps them with their homework and encourages exploration simply for
the fun of it. This beautifully integrated suite of reference software
is appealing, user-friendly, and thoroughly handy. Included in the Encarta
Reference Library is the Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe, Interactive World
Atlas, World English Dictionary, Thesaurus, Book of Quotations, Encarta Africana,
and a set of excellent research and learning tools and games. While other
encyclopedias contain valuable
content, Encarta has a distinct edge: its rich use of multimedia and
games keep kids (and adults) in the program above and beyond their basic school
needs. It is a
very contemporary and thriving encyclopedia with its frequent updates and seamless
editors' web links picks. This new edition adds an exciting feature designed
for children's research needs: Encarta Kids." -- The
Review Corner.
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Best Logic/Games Software for
Children:
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Crazy Machines: The Wacky Contraptions Game (PC & Mac) "Children
build 'wacky' contraptions along with their
thinking skills in this fascinating,
addictive game of brain-teasing puzzles.
Players are assigned tasks that start out
simple and become increasingly complex as
they advance. They need to unlock puzzles as
they go. Hard to stop playing, and an
excellent workout for the brain." -- The
Review Corner.
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Learn to Play Chess with Fritz and Chesster
"This CD-ROM for aspiring masters of the game of chess
combines instruction, games, and challenges in a unique animated adventure that
is both brainy and fun. This CD-ROM makes an excellent introductory chess program.
Ages 8-up." -- The
Review Corner.
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I Spy Fantasy
"Problem-solving and
language arts skills get a boost as kids take up the many challenges this
enjoyable game has to offer. Replayable content and brain-building fun are
featured.
Ages 7-10." -- The
Review Corner.
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  Zoo Tycoon 2 "Significant opportunities for learning
are simply part of the fun and challenge of building a thriving zoo in this
absorbing simulation game. Ages 8-up." -- The
Review Corner.
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