Backyard Baseball is a great game for the young baseball fan. Children become the coach of their own team and choose their own colors and name. They choose the players on their team and assign positions and batting order. Choose from different skill levels, such as regular little league or tee-ball. This game was kind of hard to understand at first (that's the only reason it doesn't get rated a 5) but once you get the hang of it it's great. It's up to you, the coach, to get the victory for your team, but don't forget to substitute your players before they run out of 'juice'. This game helps develop strategy, like putting the best batters first instead of the worst to reduce the chance of strike outs at the beginning therefore not scoring any runs. Also, each player has their own strengths and weaknesses so be sure to assign them to an appropriate position according to their strength. Overall this game is great for developing strategy skills and is a lot of fun.

Come young, come all to join Carmen Sandiego in this easy to use geography program. Hunt down the sneaky Carmen using visual clues as you track your way around the world. Kids ages 5-8 can really participate as clues are visual rather than text-based and...is it just me, or are the bad guys easier to track down as well?

Learn about other countries while pursuing the criminals. Using early map reading skills is a plus as this critical thinking skill is the basis for solving problems in real life. Sequencing, matching and important memory skills are also utilized in this likable mystery title. Although the game is frequently inturrupted for explanations from a long-winded "helper", overall this cd-rom is well constructed and your elementary school child will have a great time.

I’m a librarian and we have this game at our children’s workstation in the kids department. What a hit! I have parents ask me all the time where they can find this title for purchase. With a focus on math, logic and reading puzzles this game is well suited for kids just getting used to the computer. Learn your letters, colors, shapes and more – all while having fun! While on Birdwell Island you can help Clifford the big red dog and his friends, T-Bone and Cleo. Assist them in earning scrapbook pictures by helping neighbors with everyday activitiesand sort trash in the recycling center. Order numbers while fixing a broken slide on the playground so everyone can play and help Jetta find rhyming words in the sky. You can change your level at any time and the game remembers you each time you play. The only negative I noticed was that new users needed help on getting the dog through the maze. Your little one will LOVE this one!

Enjoy an adventure with Cluefinders. You will travel throughout Ancient Eqypt with Santiago, Leslie, Joni, Owen and Socrates in search of the Professor. He has been taken by Alester Loveless. Together you will work as a team to complete a variety of tasks in Math, Reading and Geography Map Skills. The objective of the game is to earn 12 Cairoglyphs in order to get assistance from one of the shopkeepers in solving a riddle. With each of the tasks you complete, another part of the riddle is revealed. As you complete the tasks you get one step closer to rescuing the Professor from the evil Alester Loveless. There are several levels to challenge your thinking. The Professor is waiting for your help.

Software Review: This game was extremely quick and easy to install which was a big plus! Within 2 minutes my students and I were enjoying the game. Cluefinders really challenged their math skills by having them find equivalent fractions, trading off and grouping numbers. Students were forced to pay attention to details through the reading of Egyptian history in order to answer the questions. The variety of Geography questions were also great. Students were asked a series of questions regarding continents, bodies of water, islands and directions in respect of one location to another. When playing this game you will need the help of an adult and plenty of time. This is not the game to play if you only have a few minutes. The math tasks are a bit involved and definetly require some assistance from an adult. My only complaint with the program is that it was a little time consuming to complete the tasks and the character's language became very redundant. Overall, this was a great game and I would give it 4 out of 5 stars. The animations were nicely done and the game really hooked the kids.

We are avid fans of Dora the Explorer on television and my kids loved being able to get involved using the software at home. My 3 year old couldn’t believe it when Boots said, “Excelente” to him when he completed a task! This excitement soon faded as we played a few times.

Although we enjoyed the game, my 5-year-old is of average intelligence and found the game lacking in learning skills. While the 3-year-old doesn’t request this game to play, he will still play it during the rotation of games that we use. His favorite activity is the Paint-By-Number, although we wish there were more pictures to choose from.

Some of the activities are a little boring, even with the level changes. All 3 difficulty levels are almost the same and the whole game is so repetitive. I think this game would be suitable for ages 2-4.

This program is great for pre-readers as it teaches the alphabet while entertaining with classic Dr. Seuss humor. Using interactive pages filled with colorful graphics and catchy music, children are apt to "pick up" all 26 letters without even realizing that they are being taught!

With a "Read-to-Me" Mode, even children who are unable to use the computer on their own yet, can get involved and learn electronically. Reading begins with letter recognition, rhyming and phonics which are addressed the "Dr. Seuss way" with this well-loved Living Books title.

This game is a great choice for students needing a little extra help in spelling. Fun games are in different sections allowing the student to choose which area they need to work on. Or, if you are a typical 5-8 year old, you will play the games over and over that are the most FUN. Start with Section 1 and use clues to fill in the blank letters to make vocabulary words. Section 2, use your reasoning skills to find the missing letter in a series of three. For example, what letter is missing in this series..."m_p, _pe, pl_y. Yep, click and drap an "A" to all three and you did it. Then use the letters from the puzzles you just filled in to solve the clue word. Section 3, create your own compound words using pictures, Section 4 - 10 teaches decoding words, homonyms, deduction, schedules & timetables, crosswords, decoding pictures, and vocabulary exercises using word pyramids.

I found that my child didn't just go through the lessons sequentially, but skipped around initially and then, after gaining confidence, went back to those that she didn't get the first time around. Some of the activities get harder as you progress which is a plus. One game was my favorite...it might shows a picture of a "fist" - T + H = ? Then type in "fish" to see if you're right. We really enjoyed this picture game as it requires minimal typing. Overall, this software gets an A+!

This Living Books title is in English and Spanish so kids can switch back and forth with just a click. Kids as young as 3 can begin to learn the basics of reading by watching as the words are highlighted. As the story moves from page to page, kids can click on a word to hear it pronounced, click on the house to see a scary cloud or click on Stinky to see him catch a pop fly. This cd is also cool because you can play all nine original songs on your home or car stereo. Follow along as Harry D. Rabbit smacks a baseball deep into a haunted house, he and his friends must go find the ball. The house is empty but there are strange noises inside. More an interactive story than a game, this title helps develop reading skills by pronouncing and spelling words throughout the adventure. Younger kids can play along using the "Read to Me" Mode.

Turn science frustration into science fun with this virtual scientific laboratory!  Pop in the cd and watch as your child's science grades begin to soar.

What could be more fun than experimenting with electricity, tracing food chains back to their origins, building simple machines and uncovering the makeup of crystals? How about exploring the planets, sun and moon and the water cycle for starters?

Children from grades 2 -5 can complete over 100 experiments, 1,000 science problems and much more...all from the safety of a computer. Experimenting in the "virutal lab" can be quite a welcome change for the students who needs to brush up on their science skills. Tracking your progress so you can keep track of where you've been and what you've done is a major plus with this software. Everyone can find something to enjoy with this adventurous cd!

Jay Jay needs your help! The mission in this game is to gather all the necessary ingredients to help the Sparkleberry tree of Pangabula island "sparkle" again. Pick your location and fly on over to complete the learning tasks - all the while using the map to collect everything needed. Listen to Jay Jay or you will get it all wrong. Three skill levels for ages 3 to 7 offer more options. From letter recognition in the clouds at King Cloud to mixing the perfect soil at the local quarry. Six activities in all, along with several videos snippets from the series. When you complete the activities and the tree is healthy you can click on the fruit to make music. Record songs and play them back with the click of a mouse.

Kid Science's Human Body is a great program that helps kids learn about bones, muscles and body systems. It explains what each system does and how it works. This software shows kids how their body functions through simple activities and experiments. This program includes video and audio clips along with text to explain various activites. Kids can use materials at home to immitate experiments shown in the videos. It also includes a printable glossary with scientific and medical terms. I did an experiment with muscles in your arms showing how the different muscles (bicep and tricep) are used when pushing up and then down on the bottom of your desk. The narrator really helps when explaining experiments and helps to "liven up" what would normally be a boring experience

This software is awesome! Our 6th grader loved everything about it. It’s great to have a title so configurable to my individual child's needs. The pages in the evolving textbook were colorful and contained exciting characters that interact.

As we went through the activities, the difficulty level increased. Fraction Fireworks was our favorite activity - it really helps kids to see problems presented in concrete, tangible ways. The Probability Machine let us test our ideas to see how they would work. Quizzo is set up like a game show and lets you compete against other imaginary or real contestants. Fun stuff, even for parents!

It’s really nice to see a manufacturer, Edmark, create something so fun that actually teaches children above the ages of 5.

Oregon Trail 5 is a welcome addition to the strand of Oregon Trail games that we have grown to love. Don’t we all have fond memories of gathering around the 386 computer in middle school, each vying for a chance to “lead” the expedition? Captain Jed Freedman heads the gang out West to learn more about history, geography, map reading and common sense skills.

Organizing and naming the members of your party is fun. Choose your commodities carefully while loading up, too many items causes the wagon to easily overload and the game halts until you sell back some of the items. It helps to remember that even a well-equipped crew can find peril.

Once on the road, consult your guidebooks, read maps and study the landscape to find the best route. You can even read the journal of the Montgomery family or keep your own. Unlike the past versions, this one allows you to fish and gather fruits and vegetables instead of hunting all the time. This helps teach kids to recognize different plants and look up which ones are edible and fishing allows kids to learn about the different fish along the trail.

Surviving the dangers of the journey includes dodging raging rivers, buffalo stampedes, sickness and more. True life lessons to help kids today appreciate life as we know it in the 21st century!

Overall, this game is a bit lacking on the graphics, but nonetheless a fun and intriguing adventure which keeps the best features from the past versions and knows what to toss.

We give this game a high score because learning about the 1800s and making it fun is a nearly impossible task – but, Oregon Trail 5 does it!

Looking for adventure?

Join Paddington on a trip to visit his Aunt Lucy in Peru on her 100th Birthday. Help Paddington pack his suitcase with items like a magnifying glass to read details on the map, a camera for snapping photos on his journey, and an album for storing souvenirs.Meet Mr. Gruber at his antique shop, find the map and test your geographical knowledge by locating cities and their landmarks.

Then off you go to Lima only to discover that Aunt Lucy is not there.Finish her embroidery to unveil a clue as to her whereabouts. Travel to over 60 locations including Australia, Paris, New York City, Hong Kong and London in your search…where will Paddington Bear take you next? In the end you realize that Aunt Lucy won a round-the-world trip and has been one step ahead of you all along!

Whether choosing the best route up a ladder or hammering nails into a board, Paddington World Mystery Tour delivers over 30 activities designed to teach children to understand and follow simple oral directions. Kids develop rhythm as they search for a trombone, then move the mouse at the correct speed to play the instrument.

If you're searching for something that will hold your child’s interest, this is a great choice!

It's the grand opening of the Cartown Zoo and Outback Al needs your help. Some of the baby animals are nowhere to be found and the zoo can't open until they are safely back with their mothers. Guide Putt Putt around the zoo and keep and eye open for animals on your list. If you don't know what to do Putt Putt is there to give you hints. Find a toolbox and match wrench shapes to open a waterway for Sammy the seal. Look for a rope to lift Kenya the lion up from the waterfall ledge. This game is great for developing logic and critical thinking skills.

I still remember playing Putt-Putt games in elementary school. Putt-Putt Travels Through Time is an exciting game that includes fun and learning while exercising many useful skills. Your child will travel through prehistoric and medieval times, along with the old west and even the future. This game requires critical thinking and problem-solving skills and can be difficult for younger children. I remember needing my mom's help on some parts of the game. Putt-Putt Travels Through Time is definitely more difficult and a bit more confusing than the other Putt-Putt games. This game is probably more enjoyable to the 5-8 age group rather than ages 3-8 as it says on the CD-ROM case. Overall this game is challenging and really fun once you get the hang of it.

This installment of the Reader Rabbit series focuses exclusively on beginning phonics and reading. Users join Reader and his friends as they embark on the roadmap to reading. Each stop along the way includes two books to read or hear, some funny diversions, and an activity that strengthens a particular set of skills such as rhyming, synonyms, homonyms, and antonyms. Etc. It’s fun, educational, and leveled appropriately for the emergent reader. Our family recommends it primarily to first and second grade children but our soon-to-be kindergartner is finding some value in it, although much of it is above his level.

Many educators describe the path to reading success as a journey, and this title uses this metaphor literally. Reader Rabbit, the main character, and his friends are in a car on a road to reading. Each stop requires the user to complete certain tasks before she can move on to the next stop. Progress is displayed on a map graphic that shows all the stops along the way and the distance traveled. In this way, the user van see how far she has to go to get to the end, when presumably she wins. One can also check on the skills addressed and mastered as progress is made along the route. This is especially useful to parents tracking their child’s progress. Other useful components include the ability to choose to have the books read aloud or to let the user read it herself; if you have a microphone on your computer, it even allows the child to record and play back her own reading, a nice touch.

The Reader Rabbit series is particularly good at creating adventures that add a bit of urgency and fun to the educational activities. Our daughter enjoys this series specifically because there is a sense of excitement and the educational components are creative, clever, and fun. What is missing here, however, is that urgency. You can travel the road to reading at a leisurely pace if you so desire; there is no sense of saving Reader Rabbit from Pie-Rats (as in the Reader Rabbit 2nd Grade title), or other adversaries. And this is a long road; nobody here has reached the end as of this writing. At first, this proved a deterrent and she didn’t take to the program. Luckily, the clever activities won her over and she has been enjoying it after giving it a little more time at our urging.

SUPER game, any kindergartner will love playing "Bounce Down in Balloon Town"!

Learning is a great adventure with Reader Rabbit and Sam the Lion. Children love choices, and they have plenty. Navigate to different areas on the island and choose the activity that you are in the mood for. Each time an activity is completed, you receive an instrument for one of the animals in the band. Gather all the instruments and you can wake the guard in front of the gate and get into Pointy Palace. Just a few more "mind-building" activities and you win the game, transporting Reader Rabbit and his friends back into the Dreamship so they can return home.

Parents will love the Progress Report as it allows you to "check in" on your child's work, assessing where they need work and in which areas they are excelling. Don't worry, this game gives plenty of self help and affirmations for children that are left unattended at the computer.

Help solve the mystery with Sherlock Hemlock and his helpful dog Watson! Visit Sesame Street in this delightfully colorful neighborhood filled with fun things to do. Homeschooling skills like problem solving, shapes & colors, reasoning, following directions, memory & sorting, and more are covered.

Original Sesame Street songs invite your child into a familiar place where learning real-world skills and logic comes natural. Choose the easy, medium or hard skill level and begin finding clues with Sherlock as he leads you into the innards of the neighborhood. Learn food groups and numbers at Grover’s Furry Arms Hotel while delivering food to customers on different floors. Search the castle with the Count as you piece together a stained glass window, find an object hidden in a picture, and travel in secret passages. Oscar the Grouch needs your help recycling glass, paper and metal. Learn all about occupations and play a matching game with Big Bird in the Finders Keepers Store. Find all the missing things so everyone can have a party!

Reap the full educational benefits that Sesame Street Search & Learn Adventures software has to offer with over 20 educational activities. It’s so fun they won’t even suspect they’re learning!

Cool, cool, cool! This has to be some of the best software for kids out there. I have a 3 year old that loves Thomas so you can only imagine how excited he was when he had the chance to interact with him on the screen. Makes a great "first game" to introduce the computer to your youngest. His favorite part was washing the trains to get them ready to do what Sir Topham Hat requires. There are seven different activities as well as videos bytes throughout which gives more effect. You can even print out "Certificates of Completion" when you complete an activity. Save your game if you need to quit, the game will remember where you left off. Haha, try getting your toddler off the computer.

This software game was fun. My seven year old son enjoyed it overall, the graphics and music are “cool” (his words). Utilize your mouse skills to equip the rescue helicopter with supplies. Go on a test flight using your mouse to guide the helicopter through the obstacle course. Uh oh, there’s the siren – they need you to stop what you’re doing to rescue the people from the river! After you’re done rescuing, you can rebuild the neighborhood with houses, bushes, benches, etc. It’s like a mini architect program. Many times he was told something new to do and as soon as he asked, “how do I do it?” the Tonka Joe announcer chimed in with the easy to follow instructions. Children can earn and print out certificates of achievement and even continue where they left off last time.

Now, for the cons…This game is probably better for preschool and kindergarten aged children developing motor skills and coordination as there is no reading ability required. They really are obsessed with keeping things clean – it seems that we spent 20% of our time washing and buffing the rescue vehicles. This game is not very educational. You can decorate a car which is fun, but there are not many color choices.

WOW! This is by far the best typing software I have ever seen for kids! I have two children, ages 6 & 8 that I started using this software with about 1 month ago and I have seen tremendous results.

When they first started they learned where to put their fingers on the "home keys" and were typing very slowly. I was a little skeptical when I saw that my youngest was only getting 5wpm and I heard the announcer say that they have to get 15wpm to go to the coveted "Typer Island". If your kids are anything like mine, they give up easily - but I have been astonished that day after day, they keep on playing. In fact, they fight to play the game! Okay, maybe that's not anything to brag about, but I am proud of them.

The game has a set of hands that demonstrate finger placement and highlight which key/finger to use as you type. The software mostly consists of what I would call typing tests that take about a minute to complete for each lesson. After you type the letters shown on the screen, you get to see your results. It actually gives you the WPM (Words per minute) typed and the accuracy (which has to be 90% to proceed). You can repeat the lesson or move on to a game which uses the same letters you just learned.

You signin each time and can start where you left off. Another great feature is that once you install the software, you can put the disc away. It runs off the harddrive.

To date, my daughter is getting 27wpm and 95% accuracy. My son is getting 12wpm with an accuracy of 99%. For a couple of kids who were pecking at the keyboard and calling for me to help them find the letter "Q" last month...I am impressed.

Oh, we even had an adult friend try this software who cannot type and went through a few lessons eagerly. I know he'll be back.

Carmen Sandiego has sent her associates to steal things all around the globe! It's up to you to follow clues and travel to different countries to gather information from witnesses in order to figure out where to go next and solve the case. There are eight ranks and 40 cases to solve. This game tests your knowledge of geography, history, & culture. Use problem solving and critical thinking to figure out riddles. This program is very interactive, fun & engaging. The people that you have to ask for clues move fast, so it was fun to catch them by clicking on them to find out more information. Great sound effects & quality. Includes a guide, country database, and 3D globe that shows you where you're going. It's almost like a modern day Oregon Trail in that you play the game as a whole and your adventure is different every time.