If you have a computer around the house or are planning to put one under the Christmas tree this year, you might be puzzling over what software to buy, especially for the kids.
CD-ROM games make expensive gifts, from $20 to $50 or more, and there are literally thousands to choose from. Unlike books or toys, there's no way to examine the goods before you buy. So you're never quite sure what you've got until you pop it into the computer.
Before heading out to the store, visit some Web sites that rate kids software. The Newsweek Parent's Guide to Children's Software http://www.newsweekparentsguide.com
reviews more than 600 software titles. An Editor's Choice area lists top titles.
Other sites offering reviews are The Review Zone
http://www.The ReviewZone.com School House Software http://www.worldvillage.com/wv/school/html/scholrev.htm
and ZDNet http://www.zdnet.com.
Teens generally know what they want - usually based on recommendations from friends. Younger children are tougher. If the child isn't hooked in the first five minutes, the game is forgotten.
My experience with my own three children is that games are enjoyed more by kids at the upper range of recommended ages. In other words, a game rated for ages 3-8 will probably be enjoyed by kids 5-8, even older.
Spend some time playing the game yourself before letting the child attempt it. This way, if the child gets stuck, you can quickly help him move along. If you're both fumbling with the game, the child might lose confidence in his ability to play it.
Before buying any games, check the box for a rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board
http://www.esrb.org This independent industry group rates software according to violence, language and sexual content.
Also, check the box for computer requirements. Many new games are available for Windows 95 only.
With so many software titles available, I could only mention a couple in this short space. But here are some companies that produce high-quality titles:
Humongous Entertainment
http://www.humongous.com The CD-ROM adventure games featuring Putt-Putt and Pep, Freddi Fish, Pajama Sam, and the newest character, Spy Fox, are excellent choices for young children. Good story lines, hand-drawn animation and puzzles that change every time the child plays the game make these long-term winners.
Titles in the Junior Adventure series, in which the child helps the characters solve a mystery or complete an adventure, have consistently garnered top ratings in computer magazines.
The Junior Arcade series offers classic arcade games using characters from the Junior Adventure games, and the Junior Field Trips series gives a cartoon tour of a farm, jungle and airport. The company also has two new series: Big Thinkers, which provides learning games for early elementary students, and Junior Sports.
Broderbund Software http://www.broderbund.com;
http://www.livingbooks.com
Broderbund's Living Books Series are modern classics that combine popular children's titles with interactive animation. (If your child's school has computers, he's probably seen one or two.) Mercer Mayer's Just Grandma and Me, the first and most popular in the series, was improved this year.
Also popular is the Carmen Sandiego series, which teaches geography, history and vocabulary (in the new Carmen Sandiego Word Detective).
The Learning Co.
http://www.learningco.com The Reader Rabbit series has been teaching children basic reading skills for several years, and new titles are aimed at children as young as 18 months, teaching 21st-century skills such as using a mouse. For older kids, the Comptons Home Library series includes an interactive encyclopedia, Bible, world atlas, dictionary and even a cookbook. Compton's offers a complete reference collection for $50.
Disney Interactive
http://www.disneyinteractive.co The Goliath of children's entertainment repackages its popular movies (Aladdin, Hercules, Pocahontas and Toy Story) into CD-ROM titles that teach reading, math and basic computer skills. As you'd expect, the characters and animation are the real stars.
E-mail Charles Brewer with questions, comments and suggestions at CBrewer@enquirer.com
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