Children's Software Review:    JumpStart Study Helpers: Spelling Bee

Frankie the Dog is ready to help kids practice spelling with 3 arcade activities. Part of a new "Study Helpers" line, JumpStart Study Helpers: Spelling Bee not only contains 1700 pre-programmed spelling words, it's customizable so that kids can actually add their weekly spelling lists into the program and play games that help reinforce the words they need to learn. 

The games are rather fun, but there are only three of them. Children who prefer lots of variety in their software might find this title wanting. However, the games are rather fun. One, pictured at right, involves moving Frankie left and right so that he catches the fish carrying a correctly spelled word. "Distracters" are misspellings of the words and should be avoided. Another game involves shooting bubbles at letters that correctly complete a given word, and the final game also requires children to find letters to complete words in an arcade-style racing game.

As far as customizing the game with personal spelling lists goes, parents should probably enter the spelling lists for their kids. The reason for this is distracters must be added for each spelling word that is not already programmed into the game. So if one of the words is "cannot", parents might add in "canot" as a distracter. 

The game features plenty of difficulty levels, ranging from first to fifth grade content. The program will adjust levels automatically as children play, and an option to find the most comfortable starting level is in place. The program includes content that covers basic spelling rules and is very easy to use.

[For more information, user reviews, or to buy: JumpStart Study Helpers Spelling Bee]

 

Pros: Nice personalization features. Easy to use. Effectively turns spelling practice into a game.

Cons: Only 3 different types of activities to choose from.

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Buy JumpStart Study Helpers Spelling Bee  for $19.99 US or less at Amazon.com

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