|  This
package includes two learn-to-read software titles: I Want to
Read! for ages 3-5, and Now I'm Reading! for ages 5-7.
Reading
Explorer Deluxe looks very promising, at first. Its animated
guides are a great big polar bear and a little penguin, and the
setting is winter. The graphics are quite lovely and cute, but
beware: this program has some serious flaws that make playing the
games a painful process for many young kids! First
off, the activities presented could have been very worthwhile if
the program as a whole wasn't so slow-moving. The polar bear guide
not only speaks slowly and excessively, kids are unable to bypass
most of the chatter. Instructions for each activity are long and
drawn-out, which may help kids who need detailed help, but other
children will be squirming in their seats, or scrambling to find
the quit icon.  Smart
features are here and commendable -- when a child is doing well,
the program moves him or her up a notch, for example. There are
also three difficulty levels to choose from.
The
activities have a lot of potential: kids find the odd one out,
learn alphabetic order, find objects that begin with a given
letter sound, find rhyming words, enjoy storybooks, and more.
Printable worksheets and progress reports are available. Kids
patient enough to sit through the game will get a chance to
develop skills with lowercase letters, phonics, and more. However,
although many kids can sit and watch a video without complaint,
when they are playing a computer game, they want far more control
than this software allows.
Pros:
- For patient children,
the activities and graphics are good.
- Smart features and
multiple difficulty levels.
- Age-appropriate content.
|
Cons:
- Painfully long
instructions and feedback that can't seem to be bypassed
seriously hamper the program's educational and
entertainment value.
- Slow-moving.
|
Back
| For Win/Mac |
By: DK Multimedia |
Ages 3-7 |
Published: 2001 |
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Reviews of other learn to read software titles:
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