68

125. Kid Pix Studio
Brilliant Broderbund product used in many Primary
Schools for generation of computer presentations using childrens own voice
pictures etc.
Very Easy & fun.

162/163/164/165/166 Computer Classroom
5 Individual CD's (NOT a set but a follow on from each other)
These are Australian written educational CD's that covers all areas of the
cirriculum for each of the grade levels (to Grade 5 at the moment).
They are brilliantly produced, super easy to use, handles up to 40
individual students, has over 25 units covering areas such as -
reading,writing, comprehension, time, fractions, length, volume etc etc.
They use superb multimedia and clear instruction to get children of
all ages up and running in seconds. Can be used for individual weaknesses
and strengths or can be used to supplement the whole cirriculum. Level 1
is for ages 4 to 7 whereas levels 2 through to 5 are loosly connected to
the individual grade levels. (Note - The grade levels are what I would to
be of a good standard - consequently if you had a struggling Grade 4
pupil Level 3 would probably be a better starting point.) There are 5
CD's in all one for each of the grade levels. Simply the best and most
educational software I've ever for Australia that is also fun
and easy to use !!

168. MAGIC WORLD OF ABC's
The Magic World of ABC's is a delightful animated "dictionary"
type program. The child simply clicks on a letter of the alphabet and is
presented with a list of words beginning with that letter. Click on a word
and the program displays video or
animated footage of that word in a real world situation.
With an accompanying sentence where each word spoken is highlighted and
the main word reinforced. The footage can be played over seperately
as can the sentence as well. Requires absolutley zero computer
knowledge to run (excepto move and click a mouse)and is a perfect
program for pre school, kinder, prep and even grade one for word recognition.
Educational and fun !!

169. Blinky Bill's Balloon Adventure
Brilliant Pre School, Kinder, Prep. read and play book.
Great story and activities, easy to use, educational and heaps of fun.
Very Australian - an absloute delight in every way.

186 WHERE IN TIME IS CARMEN SANDIEGO . 2CD
Another brilliantly
conceived "Carmen" This time solve the case involving historical characters.
Great general knowledge ,edcational and mega fun. W95, 486-66 or better,
8mb ram min. MAC PowerPC sys 7.12+

188. LEGO ISLAND
Lego island is crammed with 3D action ! It is an adventure all to do with Lego.
Build, ride , visit and adventure your way through hours of fun.
Select various characters which have different powers. All in all its a lot
of fun, its educational and its exploration. Lego Island is suitable for ages
6 to 12 and is beautifully presented.
Requires - Win95, 16mb ram, 20 mb free hard drive and supports 3D video cards.
221. PHONICS ALIVE - THE SOUND BLENDER 2
This is a superb Australian written program that deals
specifically with the blending of sounds. It is ideal for
Prep to grade 3.
It is written and produced in a fun way to enhance learning
as well as make it interesting and fun.
Super easy to run !!!
Top Aussie Educational software.

223. A DAY WITH THE WIGGLES
This is a brilliant interactive CD designed for the fans of the "Wiggles"
Vibrant colours, easy to use interface, snap to install and a whole lot of fun.

224. BANANAS IN PYJAMAS - IT'S PARTY TIME !
Brilliant CD for the young Bananas fans. Super easy setup, easy to use with mouse, colourful, entertaining and educational as well. Lots of fun activities as well. Superbly made and
targeted for the preschoolers.

238. AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS PROJECTS
This CD has been designed to help Australian School students in
a variety of subject areas with this CD.
There are 5 major areas .
1.Information and Text Files
All about Australia,1000 famous Australians, Highlights of Aust. History,
World Factbook and Earth and Space.
2.Pictures and Maps
Images of - Australia, World, Nature and Space plus Maps
3.Childhood Classics
This section contians the full works of 18 classics such as
Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe etc.
4.Australian Literature
Containing works from Banjo Patterson, Henry Lawson & Adam Lindsay
Gordon.
5.Educational Shareware
Basically each section is NOT an encyclopedia BUT is very to the
point and factual. I could see this as being a very valuable aid
for Aust. School children at all ages !!

275 Blinky Bill Play and Learn Preschool
Suited for Ages 3 to 5
Based on the TV character Blinky Bill. This fantastic Australian
Koala Bear and friends are used on these CD's to introduce a whole
host of activities that are great fun for the young BUT there is a heavy
emphasis on learning as well. Also it Australian through and
through. Australian bush, animals, language is at the forefront of
Blinky Bills Play and Learn series. Graphics and games are
excellent for the respective ages. Simply this is great software
for the young - heaps of fun, graphically excellent, easy to use -
just a mouse is required and very relevant. Highly Recommended.
No installation needed either !! It doesn't get any easier.

276 Blinky Bill Play and Learn Kindy
Suited for Ages 4 to 6
Based on the TV character Blinky Bill. This fantastic Australian
Koala Bear and friends are used on these CD's to introduce a whole
host of activities that are great fun for the young BUT there is a heavy
emphasis on learning as well. Also it Australian through and
through. Australian bush, animals, language is at the forefront of
Blinky Bills Play and Learn series. Graphics and games are
excellent for the respective ages. Simply this is great software
for the young - heaps of fun, graphically excellent, easy to use -
just a mouse is required and very relevant. Highly Recommended.
No installation needed either !! It doesn't get any easier.

277. Blinky Bill Play and Learn Year 1
Suited for Ages 5 to 7
Based on the TV character Blinky Bill. This fantastic Australian
Koala Bear and friends are used on these CD's to introduce a whole
host of activities that are great fun for the young BUT there is a heavy
emphasis on learning as well. Also it Australian through and
through. Australian bush, animals, language is at the forefront of
Blinky Bills Play and Learn series. Graphics and games are
excellent for the respective ages. Simply this is great software
for the young - heaps of fun, graphically excellent, easy to use -
just a mouse is required and very relevant. Highly Recommended.
No installation needed either !! It doesn't get any easier.

288 Sound Reading
Excellent Educational CD that targets reading deficiencies with fun activities
And educational structure. Probably best suited for remedial middle / upper Primary.
There is a heavy emphasis on phonic attack skills.

306 Hyperstudio About Hyperstudio
This is a brilliant educational program that is used in primary schools everywhere. (Grade 3 to 6)
HyperStudio is a multimedia authoring tool that allows you to easily and effectively communicate and deliver your ideas on diskette, CD-ROM or over the Internet.
This multimedia authoring systems offer the ability to bring together text, sound, graphics and video. Only HyperStudio provides its own innovative approach in the following ways: accessing data
on the Internet, the ability to create and edit QuickTime and AVI movies, built-in image capture with AV Macs and/or Digital cameras, Mac-Windows-Web project compatibility and the
widest range of file type compatibility for graphics and sound. It is a brilliant concept BUT the way it encourages learning through the use of multimedia is superb.It really is a case of kids having a
ball - but having to structure thier thoughts and ideas into fluid concepts to present to others.
Exceptional !!!!

308. The Wiggles--The Wiggly Circus
This is another classic Wiggles entertainment fest for the young children who love the Wiggles.
The CD is packed with activities for the and uses a super simple point and click interface to get things done.
If you can use a mouse you are in - and having a "ball" with all your favourite Wiggles characters.
There is absolutely NO installation necessary as it runs straight from the CD.
Fantastic entertainment for ALL Wiggles fans.

Do you have children 3 to 6 years old ???? Then read this !!

Dorling Kindersley have produced an outstanding range of CD rom based
Programs for children aged 3 to 6.

Each CD is beautifully presented and designed for the young children to use on their own.

Animations, speech and educational concept are superbly "pitted" to interest, amuse, foster and enthrall users of these excellent CD's

Many children can use the same CD. The program keeps track of what child has done what and parent's can easily call up report charts on the child's progress.

There are special areas for parents to assist in the learning progress and keep them informed as to the goals of each of the CD's.

Possibly one of the best features of the CD's is the ability to print out worksheets on associated topics for further learning (and fun) experiences--to reinforce what they have already done.

Each of the CD's contains numerous graded activities as well as 3 levels of expertise.

Each of the CD's are independent of the others covering different topics.

Around 70% of all learning is achieved by a child by the time they 4 years old ! The more input and experience a child has in those years play a huge part in future successes.

These series of CD's are excellent in every respect. Every moment spent "playing" will be valuable moments indeed.

Apart from their educational merit--probably the best thing about this interactive learning is that they are really designed for the children to have fun !!
The learning is really designed to quite incidental !!

The CD's are usually sold in a party plan type situation costing in the vicinity of $60 each. This is money well spent !!!

382. My First Maths Adventure Counting and Sorting
383 My First Maths Adventure Adding and Subtracting
384. My First Reading Adventure
385. My First Amazing History Explorer
386. I Love Spelling.
387. The Amazing Human Body

Minimum spec's
A multimedia PC, with 486DX/33MHz or higher microprocessor, 8Mb, MPC-compatible double-speed CD-ROM drive and sound card, mouse, SVGA 256 colour display, loudspeakers or headphones, and Microsoft® Windows® version 3.1x or Windows® 95.

387. Lego Loco Review
BUILD RAILROADS !!! and roads and stations and put little people in there, points, rail yards, trees etc etc etc.
Who wants to do that ? Little kids - who else !! WRONG !!!!
I spent too much time on this already - actually made a great little town though.
Now I know - it's for little kids AND big kids too !
However there will be problems - who plays first !!
It really is a top program and although it's pretty easy to build your railway - it takes a lot of thought and planning to get it right - without trains colliding. (Actually that was the fun bit) OK a few train wrecks are ok !!
Great entertainment for ages 4 to "4 score". AND you don't loose those little blocks either. Animation and sound excellent.
Go for it !!

388. Lego Land Info/Review
Design, build and manage your very own LEGOLAND Park on your computer,
using elements from LEGO SYSTEM themes: Western, Adventurers and Castle. 'Free Play Mode' allows you to build freely with access to a wide variety of attractions. 'Game Mode' poses a slightly different challenge in that your Park's success relies totally on the actions you take. Make your Park a success and you'll receive rewards and surprises, including special Park attractions and the famous Minilands.
Yet another Lego masterpiece. This Lego software really is very good. This one yet again is so totally different from the others but with the same friendly user interface. Great for children aged 6 and up. Gives excellent guided tutorials on how to develop there own Legoland, and eventually they can go it on their own.
Apart from being the Lego version of the likes of Railroad Tycoon, Sim City etc. It really is very educational in that development of your "Land" requires structured thinking, organisation and planning to make it work.
Good Fun, educational and once again--no lost pieces !!
Can be played from the CD or installed to hard drive (quicker) and requires 250mb of hard drive space.
(My 8 yo son has just taken it - Who knows when I'll see it again !!)

409. Nickelodeon Nick Click Studio
Although designed for the Nick Click Digital Camera this CD is chock full of great things to do with pictures from any source.
It is designed specifically for young children to turn their hand to wonderful and wacky artistry and games revolving around the Nickelodeon characters - such as the Rugrats etc. The CD will import any .jpg or .bmp files to play with.
The "Lobby" is the place to get started. There are 4
to go to. F/X - Where you can manipulate your photo to star in a video game and use the image editor to change your photo.

PROPS - where you add body parts of Nick toons characters
and backgrounds to make your own hilarious people.

DIRECTOR'S STUDIO - This is the area where you can make
your photos into a mini movie.

PUBLICITY DEPARTMENT - Where you can create posters,
postcards and ID cards featuring your photos and Nick Toon
characters.

This is NOT Photoshop !! It is designed for young children to experiment and have fun with photos. With a little dabbling, you can produce some hilarious photos. It is easy to manouvre through and very intuitive. I could imagine this being suitable for
children as young as 4 right upto the "big kids" just "foolin" around. Great fun and a great intro to picture manipulation.
Req's P100, 16mb ram,13mb hard drive, 16 bit Sound, 2mb
graphics card.

416. X Word Crazy
This is the mother of all Crossword programs !!
Contains - Crosswords, Crypto's, hangmans, Word Searches, Word Matches and Telephone Scramble.
Options , options and more options
In each category - "billions" of choices - make your own ,
print them out, different styles, sizes, etc. etc. etc.
If you are a crossword "freak" and never want to be without--then this is the one !!!!
I've seen lots of X Word programs--but this one seems to have it all !

436. Fisher Price Doll's House--Time to Play
Delightful program for the 2 to 6 yo children. (I guess it is aimed at girls but it would be a lot of fun for boys as well).
Beautifully presented in every respect. All activities just need a mouse.
You are presented with a Doll's House, where each room contains activities and fun things to do.
Basically, a lot of fun, educational, colorful and a top program for the preschooler.

Now you can race your own TONKA trucks on courses that you design!
Choose from four different types of terrain - Desert, Frozen Tundra, Jungle and Country - for tough, rugged racing.
Course variations are virtually limitless and, because you select and place obstacles wherever you want, crashing has never been more fun!
Features
Race dumps trucks, front loaders, and awesome truck/car hybrids
Choose from 4 terrain types - Desert, Frozen Tundra, Jungle and Country
Design and customize your own race course
Select from 30 3-D default trucks or choose to race your own custom vehicle
Race the custom vehicles you built with TONKA Garage CD-ROM
Win new parts to permanently upgrade your vehicles
Print racing certificates, trophies, and course designs
Race in 1 or 2-player mode
Challenge a friend or any of 24 TONKA Town characters

Requires Pentium® 90 MHz CPU SVGA 8 Bit Color 16MB RAM Sound card
35MB free hard drive space DirectX® required (included)

438. Lego Stunt Rally Details
Select a track and your character, choose your opponents, customize your car, and head out to the track to enjoy the ultimate LEGO Stunt Rally!
LEGO Stunt Rally consists of a world of four different environments, City, Desert, Jungle, and Ice. Each environment consists of four races and one Boss. You must win each race to progress. As you win the races, additional pieces and themes for the Construction Mode become available so you can build your own Stunt Rally track!
Features:
5 Zones for competition
Verbal help commands
Create your own race tracks
Single and Multi-player races
Power-ups for special abilities
Real-time Racing
Race on! These tracks have hazards, power-ups, and all sorts of hidden features that will thrill and delight children. There are power-ups that give you great handling around corners, turbo rocket boosts, bumper car mode that will destroy other cars, and even a freeze ray that will stop a car for a few seconds to allow you a quick getaway.
This game has been a hit in our household! All 3 of my children (ages 12, 6, and 5 years) are enjoying this game. My 12-year-old, after beating Mr. X, is now having a great time creating the "ultimate stunt track". (Another reviewers comments)
Req's PII 233, 8mb video ram, 350mb hard drive, 32 mb ram.

440. The Magic Pudding Activity Centre Details
Based on Norman Lindsay's Australian children's classic and the hit animated movie starring John Cleese as The Magic Pudding and Geoffrey Rush as Bunyip Bluegum, this entertaining CD-ROM offers hours of fun for children aged 6 to 12. There are addictive games like Escape from Buncle's Cave and Sink or Swim and there are fun activities like painting, jigsaw puzzles and challenging mazes.
You can even watch some hilarious highlights from the movie!
Beautiful sound and graphics make this "Aussie" production a
delightful choice for children.

441. Hi 5 Activity Centre Details
Join in fun and games with the Hi-5 gang - Kellie, Tim, Charli, Nathan, Kathleen, Chatterbox and Jup Jup! Children will find hours of fun and develop important learning skills as they play with their Hi-5 friends in this exciting CD-ROM activity centre.
Hi-5 Activity Center will challenge, entertain and educate everyone who enjoys the music and games from the Hit TV series. With 10 educational games including plenty of musical activities you can play, paint and explore with all your favourite Hi-5 stars.
Educational Benefits
* Practice critical thinking skills.
* Develop important social skills.
* Learn word recognition skills.
* Explore dance and movement.
* Experiment with music.
* Improve memory.
* Encourage creativity.
Terrific Aussie production--graphics, sound/music and range of activities are excellent. Really liked the "Learn to Dance" part as well. All in all - excellent - especially for fans of HI 5 !!

450. Sesame Street Toddlers Deluxe
This CD is home to an Art Workshop with more than 50 art projects, ranging from
stickers to costumes; the latter project offers 12 scenes in which kids can dress their
favorite characters. And if kids need extra help, Elmo is there to lead them through.
Also contains Parent's guide if needed.
The CD is pitted at the age group 18 months through to 4 years old.
Great introduction to the PC using the well known Sesame Street Characters.
Fun and educational !!
Platform: Windows® 95/98 Media: CD-ROM CPU : 486/66Mhz or better RAM : 8MB
Hard Drive: 5MB CD-ROM: 2X or better Sound : Windows compliant sound device
Mouse : Compatible Other: 16 MB RAM recommended, 256-color display, with a 640x480 resolution (16-bit color recommended)
Also runs on Apple PowerMac.

451. Magic School Bus Explores Bugs INFO
Oh no! Each terrarium created by the students in Ms. Frizzle's™ class is missing one of its bugs! Shrink down to wee-bug size and help find the missing bugs with Scholastic's The Magic School Bus®! Wahoo!
This wonderful look at insect life is just so typical of the Magic School Bus series.
First class learning and fun for 6 to 10 year old audience.
Brilliant as usual !!

P133, Win 95 or better ,NT, 16mb ram, 15mb hard drive space, 4x CD, 256 colours, mouse,
16 bit Sound, printer optional.
Macintosh iMac, iBook, or PowerPC with 233 MHz or higher

457. Fisher Price - Learning in Toyland Review
It is simple, bright, and very upbeat. Ideal for 3 to 6 year olds
The 6 activities are based on popular Fisher Price toys, and hosted by Gotcha
Gopher and Bippity Bug in Toyland:
3 in 1 Creativity Table: There are 3 different creativity modes - Paint & Draw, Build with Blocks
Talking Smart Street: The real toy that this activity is based on is an electronic smart toy with lots of lettered and numbered buttons to press, and Make Crafts
Flip Track Mountain: Help Gotcha Gopher deliver packages to his friends by boat, helicopter, car, or train.
All in 1 Kitchen Center: This is a real hoot! Kids can either bake with Bippity Bop and practice following directions as they use the recipe to make yummy treats, or choose their own ingredients and quantities by selecting the "Baking by Myself" option.
Big Action Garage: Kids can either build a vehicle according to Gotcha Gopher's instructions or make their own.
All in 1 Workshop: Assemble a pre-designed woodworking project, or build your own toys. Here kids must first drill holes with an electric drill, click and drag screws to the holes, drag nails and hammer them, etc.
Bottom Line-TOP software, Creative, educational, fun and very interesting in every way. Absolutely brilliant for 3 to 6 year old children !!

463. Barbie's Story Maker Review
This is a great CD to assist children 7 years and up to create fantastic stories.
The Barbie Storymaker CD-ROM allows youngsters to bring Barbie stories to life
on the computer.
By choosing settings, props, characters, directing each character's movements and dialogue, exciting stories can be created and viewed.
Screening Room, Editing Studio, Scenes Studio, Paint Studio, Information Booth and Studio Pass Room. The Information Booth will help children figure out where to begin their story.
All in all a great CD to generate ideas and use of computer to structure and create
stories. Educational, fun and terrific especially for the Barbie fans !!

494. Tiffy's Magical Tales - The Tinderbox A series of beautifully told stories designed for young children from 2 y.o. to around 7 y.o. In it's simplest form the children can just watch and look at the lovely (and funny) animations whilst being told one of these famous stories.
If the child is older there are many options - such as playing inside each story page, travelling to different parts of the book at will, turning on and off Tiffy - the rather cute fluffy green caterpillar who hosts the stories.
The series is similar to the legendary Living Books series, with animations not quite as good, but slicker interactivity for the children. Excellent software for the young, requires NO hard drive space as they can be run straight from the CD and perfect educational entertainment for young children !!

It's tempting to say nothing about this program - I'm not sure words could describe it's excellence !!!!!!!!
Many years ago in the days of DOS Putt Putt and Fatty Bear were a BIG hit with young children - the programs were just that good. NOW it's Windows turn to have the BEST in children's entertainment and educational content.
Putt Putt is back bigger than ever. First of all no installation - just pop in the CD and away you go.

The graphics, music and animation are superb !!!
BUT the game play is absolutely brilliant in EVERY respect.
Fun, challenging, funny and it goes on and on.
This program is simply one of the best ever for children aged 3 to 8 years old - and the adults can have a bit of fun as well.
It is a program to enrich the child in every respect - from mouse skills to problem solving, to just plain fun.
If you have children in that age bracket then you owe it to them to see this program. Putt Putt Joins the Circus should be the benchmark for all children's programs.
HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The CD also contains demos of other Humongous Entertainment programs.
Req's P90 and 16mb ram. Also runs on Macs.

Absolutely delighted to review another of the Putt Putt series by Humungous Games. This is another typical example of excellence in children's programming. All the usual features with a superbly thought out plot to challenge and delight young children. HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The CD also contains demos of other Humongous Entertainment programs.
Req's P90 and 16mb ram. Also runs on Macs.

505. Madeline Thinking Games Stunning educational and fun program from Creative Wonders !
It is ideal for children aged 4 to 7. Derived from the enourmously
successful TV series, it is all class and should set standard for
children's educational programs. Highly Recommended.
Over 30 puzzles
11 activities
3 difficulty levels
Madeline!
5 music videos from the Madeline TV series (full-length)
Will run on just about any computer from a 486 - 66 with 8mb
of ram and better !

Normally I'm not a fan of board games transferred to the computer - they lose their interactive fun. However Trivial Pursuit has done a great job with this one. Apart from the graphics, commentary which are great - they have included options that enhance the computer version to a greater height than than the original board game.The key to the success of this program is the options.There are 3 different games - Classic, Party and Point - each with their own purpose in mind. Beyond this you can answer questions in three formats - Multiple Choice, Type in lose format or type in exact format. This will appeal to some of the smarter Trivia "buffs" There are options for up to six players (as is the case with the board game) BUT and it's a big but - 1 person can play the game !!! This is fantastic ! Instead of the good old solitaire / freecell / mahjong scenario - when you have some free time, you can Trivial Pursuit yourself to all hours of the morning !!! (For better or worse) Games can be saved at any point and there is also an option for network play as well. All in all a great board game turned into an even better computer game (for once). Operating System: Windows® 95/98 Processor: Pentium® 166 MHz Memory: 16 MB RAM Hard Disk Space: 50 MB disk space for installation CD-ROM Drive: 4X Speed Video: 2 MB Win95/98 compatible SVGA video card Sound: Win95/98 compatible sound card
DirectX: DirectX 6.0 or greater (the installer will install DirectX if necessary)

This program is a fun and comprehensive way to ensure a successful start in school. Children join Madeline to develop skills in phonics, reading, early maths, shapes, colours and creativity. They can also explore French and Spanish words and World geography. The Madeline series is developed overseas and uses the hugely popular Madeline cartoon character as the basis for the programs. Often "education" programs can be a little hit or miss as far as their specific learning capabilities go - especially some from overseas. However the Madeline series is first rate in every respect. Like Putt Putt is the benchmark for children's adventure games, Madeline can claim fame for it's activities, interface and learning is quite incidental - because the children will just have fun !!! This is the best way for them to learn All the Madeline series come Highly Recommended Suitable for Children in early primary school.

Brilliant program from the Madeline series !! Join Madeline on an incredible train trip through Europe. The fun begins in Paris where a mysterious stranger has a stolen magic lamp. Help Madeline track him down as you travel from Paris to Switzerland, Italy and Turkey. Each of the four adventures enriches the children's problem solving, logic and critical thinking skills. Another fantastic Madeline program - the children will have a bundle of fun and learn and develop many skills along the way. Build spelling and vocab skills. Learn over 100 French and Spanish words. Paint and print out beautiful scenes. Enhance memory and sequencing abilities. Learn the names and spelling and flags of 10 European countries. And have fun whilst doing it !!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !

From Humongous Entertainment the makers of Putt Putt and Fatty Bear !!! That should really be enough! Those who have seen any of the above games will know that this CD from this company make the BEST EVER games for 3 to 8 year old children. Freddie Fish 5 is no different. Absolutely first class in every respect. The perfect blend of game, strategy, information, story, puzzle and activity make Freddie - like Putt Putt absolutely brilliant for the young children. Requires no installation - runs straight from the CD too. Highly, Highly Highly recommended !!! In fact if you have children on that age and a computer then it would be a crime NOT to get at least one from the series to try out.

A raging typhoon has knocked down Jurassic Park’s electric fences and dinosaurs are roaming wild. As a member of the Dino Defenders, an emergency task team, it's up to you to restore order and save the dinosaurs from destroying each other. The mission: trap or tranquilize renegade dinosaurs to save the island. This is a game that is based on 2 premises - learn about dinosaurs and have fun doing it !!! Really is excellent for Primary aged children with an interest in Dinosaurs - although the game is good fun with multiple levels, puzzles within games, 3D world of scary dinosaurs etc. etc. It also by design or default teaches you heaps about dinosaurs, habitat, types, and nature. Very good game and a great lessons about dinosaurs !!! Runs on PC or Mac

Mac G3 and above
MAC OS 8.1, 8.6, 9.1, OSX
32MB RAM, 64MB rec.
24x CD-Rom Drive
Internet connection rec.

PCProcessor: 233Mhz or better
64MB RAM
30MB free HD space
SVGA card (no hardware req.)

A violent earthquake has rocked Jurassic Park, nearly destroying InGen's supply of dinosaur DNA. Dinosaurs may become extinct all over again! Jump into your 4x4 SUV and get into the action. Go at it alone or take turns with a friend as you take on tons of hair-raising, pulse-pounding challenges on your journey to replace the missing DNA. Discover the secret of Jurassic Park before time runs out!

Whilst Dino Defender is more in the style of missions, Danger Zone is very much more an action arcade game with many twists and turns totally different to Dino Defender. You can play against the computer or a friend, dozens of hazards and 15 mini games, travel through Jurassic Park. Basically the same premise as Dino Defender ! Have fun with a great game and whether you want to or not learn heaps about the Dinosaurs and their environment as you go.

For any primary school aged child who loved the movie and loves Dinosaurs either of these games would be fantastic. Two different games with the same idea - fun and learning. Runs on Mac or PC .

Mac G3 and above
MAC OS 8.1, 8.6, 9.1, OSX
32MB RAM, 64MB rec.
24x CD-Rom Drive
Internet connection rec.

PC Processor: 233Mhz or better
64MB RAM
30MB free HD space
SVGA card (no hardware req.)
Internet connection rec

You may have noticed that Freddie Fish 5 was reviewed first and now there is 4. The reason is the Freddie Fish 5 was soooo good (and I didn't realise it was from Humungous games which make brilliant software for children) I had to get FF4 and check it out as well !!

As usual BRILLIANT, for children aged 4 to 8 this is real software to challenge and delight ! Highly Recommended. Runs straight from the CD - no installation necessary.

This program is used to make greeting Cards , Calendars, Posters etc.

Req's
P166, Win 95 - XP, 32 mb ram and a Printer must be installed
to run the program.

There’s plenty of opportunity to fix all kinds of things in Bob’s first interactive title, whether its rebuilding walls with Muck, knocking down a bridge with Lofty, or plumbing a house. There’s also a great racing game with Travis, Scoop and Dizzy and line dancing with Wendy. Bob even finds time to decorate a cake (with your help) for Wendy’s birthday. Great fun for builders of all ages.

The above is the blurb from the website ! I had a play with the game (about my level I reckon) and it is very bright and colorfully represented. I think it has been aimed very well at the age group that Bob has been targeted for !

Pentium 200 Processor with 32MB RAM
Eight Speed CD-ROM Drive
High colour (16 bit) display
Sound Blaster 16 or 100% compatible sound card

A program that utilizes a PC for, perhaps it's true unadulterated worth - mathematical computations !!

Mathcad provides hundreds of operators and built-in functions for solving technical problems. Use Mathcad to perform numeric calculations or to find symbolic solutions. It automatically tracks and converts units and operates on scalars, vectors, and matrices.

Total Training programs teach you how to use your software more effectively and create better work faster.

With the Total Training "Watch it, Do it, Review it" approach, you'll receive copies of the project files used in your training course, so you can follow along on your own system and do the exercises as our instructor demonstrates them.
Our instructors are top quality professionals with national reputations such as Brian Maffitt and Deke McClelland

This is a very full featured training course. Totally multimedia in it's presentation it is like having a tutor on hand with you at all times. These courses normally run in at around the $200 us price but are worth every cent if you are going to eke out the most of a $1000 program such as Photoshop !!! Highly Recommended !!

Well somebody has seen a need and decided to do something about it !!
Explinator for Word 2000 is like have a little voice over your shoulder.
You know how it is - you have a problem and "help" in Word is often not quite helpful as you would like !! Well no more!
When you load Explinator so does Word (2000) actually 2002 works fine to (I'm assuming it opens any word.) It stays a a little box in the corner BUT when you need help - boy is HE good. I say He cause there is no written help (apart from the search box and extensive list of topics).
The rest is verbal. He normally tells what you to do at a good pace but if he is a little fast you have full control over his speed - much like a tape recorder etc.
It really is a great program and if you feel you need a little more help than is available in the program this a really, really good idea .

This is a set of three games from Humungous the maker of Fatty Bear, Freddie Fish and Putt Putt !!! This 3 set containing Putt Putt Goes to the Moon, Putt Putt Joins the Parade and Fatty Bears Birthday Surprise (plus demos). These games are quite old - in fact Fatty Bears Birthday Surprise was the first game I got for my daughter when she was 2 or 3 . (She is 13 now) When she saw it again she remembered it with a big smile on her face !! Rightly so too - all the Humungous games are brilliant and I have always been a huge advocate of these titles as they are as educational as they are fun. If you haven't seen one before they are interactive adventure/puzzle stories - that challenge, amuse and delight children.

It's great to get these programs on the one CD, but even better is they run under Windows. Back in the old days these were DOS games - but they are now Menu driven and meant for Windows OS's. I can't recommend these programs highly enough - there age is irrelevant as they are just great educational games - 8 years ago, now or in 10 years time. So if you have a young child - don't hesitate - I guarantee you will have as much fun as they will working through these masterpieces. They will run on just about all computers !!

Kid Pix Deluxe 3 offers a computerized approach to creative art projects. Like its predecessors, it allows children a dazzling variety of ways to draw, paint, color, create pictures with tools that resemble real oil paint, airbrush, crayon, marker, pencil and more! Special effects include the mixer, paper textures, fill buckets, the rubber stamper, sound art, wacky brushes to name just a few. Users can import and edit their photographic pictures or email their artwork to others. There are templates for maps and flags and other school projects, backgrounds for pictures to jump-start your creative spirit, stickers and animation sequences to embellish wherever your creative spirit leads. The possibilities outstrip most imaginations and its unlimited potential make boredom an impossibility. This is a great program for kids and quite easy to use just by exploring. Click the question mark and click any button you have questions about to receive a simple explanation of how to use it. The array of kid friendly, goofy features is endless. Various tools have been added to make it more Internet and photo-friendly as well as school project-friendly when compared to earlier versions.

Although I haven't reviewed Encarta 2003 yet - I have to say Britannica as a reference really will be hard to beat.

As the most complete reference resource from Encarta, Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003 continues Microsoft's tradition as a leader of integrating technology and education. Encarta
Reference Library 2003 is a student reference resource on CD-ROM that combines current and complete information with innovative powerful homework tools that allow students to spend less time searching and more time learning. Encarta integrates leading vast multimedia reference content with the best of the Internet, delivering a rich variety of trusted information all in one place. Its collection of up-to-date content, combined with its innovative homework tools, makes Encarta a powerful source for learning and exploration at home and in school.

So which is better ???? Hmmm Ahhh well There both good - couldn't go wrong with either !!

Fantastic game based on the movie of the same name and pitted at exactly the right age group who would like the movie. Brilliant game, vibrant graphics and a whole lot of fun !! A must for the kids who have seen the movie and want more of the same at home !

Huge new Dictionary from Merriam Webster. Can install the lot on your hard drive and interlink it with MS Word.

Couldn't resist - 28 of Hi 5's Hottest hits (music CD) - great pressie for the littluns (including my neice :-) )

Brilliant interactive children's Nature encyclopedia for ages 6 to 10. As is typical with the MS education range of software they are first rate in every respect - east to use, informative and most of all fun !!!

This title will run on virtually any computer (down to a 486 with 4 mb ram !!) and takes virtually no drive space and installs in seconds. This is a great gift for the daughter / grand daughter / niece - whomever !!!