children's software review

dora the explorer: fairytale adventure

Rating: 

Review Sections: Product Overview  Technically Speaking  Dollar Value    

 Product Overview
Kids follow a "Dora the Explorer" story and participate in engaging, educational activities as they do in Dora the Explorer: Fairytale Adventure PC Play Pack.

This CD-ROM features a good variety of enjoyable games that focus on early learning concepts. Although it can hardly be labeled a bilingual program, the addition of the occasional Spanish word seems spontaneous and natural. At the very least, it helps to promote the concept of bilingualism to young children, and some of the words spoken will most certainly "stick".

In a spoof of Sleeping Beauty, Boots the Monkey has unwittingly eaten a magical banana and has fallen into a slumber. The only way to wake him from the spell is a hug from a real princess! Dora can become a true princess, but she'll need to perform a number of tasks, including teaching rocks to sing and finding magic rings, in order to do so.

For those children who prefer to play the games outside of the adventure format, there is an option that allows them to select any activity they want. (See picture at right). The activities are just right for preschoolers, with focus on logic and problem-solving skills (for example, a maze activity that involves planning a route ahead of time), comparing objects (bigger, smaller, and so forth), and basic counting, color recognition, and shape recognition. Many of the activities feature multi-level challenges.

Technically Speaking
Minimum system requirements are Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP; Pentium II 300 MHz or higher, 32 MB RAM and 64 MB RAM for XP, 90 MB hard drive space.

Educational Value
Educational content is diverse and solid. The strongest activities help develop logical thinking and problem-solving skills, and the multiple levels of difficulty cater well to the different learning levels of the suggested age group.

Entertainment Value
This is a very enjoyable game, featuring bright and colorful graphics and a truly engaging story line.

Design
The design of the game makes it easy for young children to play without assistance. Two ways to play (follow the story or free choice) are offered, and many of the activities include 3 levels of difficulty.

Replayability
The program contains a satisfying number of activities, and its length is just right. After completing the story, most children will want to return to the activities (or play the story-adventure again).

Dollar Value
This program carries a suggested retail price of approximately $20 US.

Score: 8.9 out of 10

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