children's software review
Blue's ABC Time Activities
 Rating: 
Ages: 3-6 Subject:
Early Learning Brand: Humongous
Entertainment
Review Sections: Product Overview
Entertainment Value Technically
Speaking Design Skills
Covered Replayability
Educational Value Dollar
Value
Product Overview
Based on the Blue’s Clues show by Nickelodeon, this title is
designed for preschoolers just learning their alphabet. There
are 7 activities in all:
- Word Puzzles with Felt Friends: make words and pictures with
shapes and letters.
- Alphabet Maze with Shovel and Pail: follow an alphabet trail
while learning about sequencing of the alphabet.
- Snacktime with Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper: help find snacks
(like zucchini) that begin with certain letter sounds.
- Safari Snapshots with Lion Prince: walk through the jungle
and find jungle animals that begin with a certain letter of the
alphabet.
- Mailtime with Mailbox: repair pages of Mailbox’s delivery by
identifying upper and lowercase letters.
- Bathtime Rhymes with Slippery Soap: help Blue and Slippery
create rhymes.
- Blue’s Word Book: This is played throughout the game, as
kids play the six activities above, earning words to help finish
Blue’s Word Book.
All of the activities are
nicely done. Navigation is easy. This title should be the
definition for the word "edutainment" as it seamlessly combines
education and entertainment. There is a general theme that
reading is FUN, and the games provide gentle encouragement for
kids to learn their alphabet. It is a quiet game — very
unhurried. Great for kids who are enamored by the TV show, and
those who just like alphabet games (or both, of course)!
Technically Speaking
Blue's ABC Time Activities is a Win 95/98 /Macintosh hybrid
CD-ROM. It requires a P90 or higher, 16 MB RAM, 4x CD-ROM. For
the Mac, a Power PC is required, with 16 MB RAM.
Humongous games are generally very easy to install, and this
game was no exception. With Windows 95/98 AutoPlay, it is a
breeze. No glitches have been encountered, and graphics and
audio are superb. Some "printables" are included, and printing
can be turned on or off at the parent’s discretion.
Skills Covered
pre-reading, early vocabulary, word recognition, phonics, auditory
discrimination, alphabet sequencing, letter and shape
recognition, upper and lower case letter discrimination,
recognizing rhyming words
Educational Value
Excellent. All skills are covered well. Entertainment Value
Although not as upbeat as some other titles, it remains highly
entertaining and appealing for preschoolers. Design
Almost flawless! The only thing I miss is the ability to adjust
difficulty levels. Navigation is intuitive.
Replayability
I expect the program to have good replay value. The games are enjoyable, and
the mission to collect Blue Dollars and exchange them for prizes is motivating.
Dollar Value
This program is certainly worth the suggested retail
price of $20.
The Bottom Line
This is a wonderful title for any preschooler keen on learning
the alphabet, particularly Blue’s Clues fans! Lots of learning
and fun packed into a small-priced package.
Released: 1998
Blue's ABC Time Activities is now bundled with Blue's 123 Time Activities in
this title: Blue's Clues Preschool Learning System 2007 .
(Note this new bundle also offers a Reader Rabbit DVD - good deal).
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