Editorial Review

The 26 letters of the alphabet equal 26 opportunities to explore,listen, and learn in Read more

Features

• CD-ROM
• PC: Microsoft Windows 95/98 or higher, 24 MB RAM, 640x480 16-bit Color Video, 16-Bit Sound Card 486 DX-66 MHz or faster processor,
• 40 MB free disk space, 4x CD-ROM drive
• MAC: Mac OS System 7.5.5 or higher, 24 MB RAM, 640x480, 16-bit Color Video, 16-Bit Sound Card, 40 MB free disk space, 2x CD-ROM drive
• School Zone Interact
• Mac and PC

Reviews (10)

Alphabet Express PreSchool
Alphabet Express is a wonderful learning tool for preschool children. My grandsons, ages 3.5 and 5, love it and are capable of using it without any help. They especially love the coloring.

did not work at all
Will not start up at all on any of my 5 home computers or any of the 34 lab computers that I run. Not the first time I have had problems with this manufacturer.

Still a little tough but fun
I bought this for my 3.5 year old and he still has trouble recognizing his letters (hence, the purchase).He enjoys the mazes and with help really likes the game, but he does need quite a bit of help to be able to play.We have not explored all the aspects of it yet (there is quite a bit to do), so I think that it is well worth the money.I have to push him to play this however - it is not his favorite.... ... Read more

Features

• Motivating reward system keeps children engaged
• 4-CD set helps children practice and build essential kindergarten skills
• Activities address 50+ skills from math and reading to music and art
• Based on state educational standards; auto leveling adjusts to child's pace
• Learning Profiler determines child's learning style and adjusts play

Features

• CD-ROM

Reviews (2)

Oregon Trail CD-Rom review
The kids and I had fun playing the game.It's educational and fun at the same time.It makes you try to think and plan ahead.There are some tough choices to be made in order to survive.

Fun fun fun
I was very happy with this game- it took the bets parts of the previous Oregon Trail incarnations and wove them together for a good overall product. I can appreciate a company which recognizes both the weaknesses and the strengths of their products and uses this information to get better. In this Oregon Trail you can once again chose how many you will travel with and name them (for some crazy reason this feature was eliminated in the 4th Oregon Trail edition), but you can also CHOOSE the times you stop to collect wild fruit or fish, instead of these circumstances just happening randomly (which does not make as much sense). To me, these were the biggest changes to previous games, but they were improvements.
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Features

• CD-ROM
• Join Clifford and his friends at the Birdwell Island carnival
• Participate in lots of different activities and carnival games
• 100+ interactive and printable stories
• Win up to 18 different prizes that you can use to decorate a float for the big parade
• 3 levels of play that automatically adjust to your child's progress

Reviews (8)

Trick your kids into learning
This game was purchased for a young girl aged 4 years 8 mo.She had very little computer experience, and a little phonic work in Pre-K.This game was right up her alley.Some of the tasks were easy, giving her a sense of mastery, but the difficulty level increases nice and slow and she didn't even realize.They mix in fun non-learning activities as a reward (decorating the float).As a result, her reading skills have significantly improved in the past month and so have her computer mousing skills.Haven't found a good typing game for a 4 year old yet, that's next.

Great Learning Game
This game is awesome and teaches kids phonics, letter recognition, matching, numbers, and they don't even know they are learning becuase they are having fun.They complete tasks and get fun prizes that boost self confidence.It helps kids navigate on the computer and gets them comfortable with a mouse.

My daughter loves this software game!
My daughter just turned 3 years old in October and she loves this game.It's very educational and fun at the same time. She was able to navigate through the carnival games right from the start so it's very user friendly.While she's known all her capital letters and the sounds each letter makes for some time now, she's learning to recognize the lower case letters and to spell 3 and 4 letter words from using this game.She's only had it for a few days but I can already see she's learning a lot from playing with it.I highly recommend this one for it's educational value. ... Read more

Features

• CD-ROM
• Experience a learning travel adventure with Dora the Explorer
• Valuable skill development for preschoolers, including colorful puzzles
• Popular Dora songs from the TV series--perfect for singing and dancing
• Classic storybook tales throughout Fairytale Land
• Includes bonus Dora figure for kids to take on their own adventures

Reviews (5)

Very simple!
This is simple and mindless.Luckily, I only paid $6.99 because it's not worth more than $5.I got it at a regular store, and it was the regular price.It wasn't on sale.$6.99 is their regular price.I only bought this because my kids like Dora.

Collect the stars
My almost five year old loves this game.She needed help in the beginning figuring out the controls, but as time goes along she's learning more and more about the computer.I worried that the gaming aspect would be over her head, but it isn't.She follows the story quite well and there are plenty of other activities on this disk to keep a child going for a while.
Keeps child's attention!
We got this for our 4 1/2 year old daughter for Christmas.She was able to figure out how to play all of the games without any help.I recommend this game to any parent with a child who loves Dora and loves to play games on the computer.It's more than just a "game", as it's educational, too.It keeps my daughter's attention and she hasn't gotten bored with it yet! ... Read more

Features

• CD-ROM
• Teaches essentials skills like arithmetic and logic
• 11 engaging activities and 3 unique adventures
• 3 levels of play automatically adjust to child¿s progress
• Starring popular characters and voices from hit TV show
• Automatic help allows for independent play; for ages 3 and up

Reviews (5)

Good beginner game
My son has been playing this since 2 1/2 year old.He can play it by himself, although he does use some trial and error, especially the pattern game and the what's missing game.My 5 year old daughter who loves Dragontales shows, is not interested in this game, which suggests that the game is too easy for her.I like that the program automatically advances levels, unlike many of the other software we have.

Better for the younger set
This game markets itself as appropriate for 4-6 year olds.I bought this for my 5 year old and she beat it in less than 30 minutes.The game itself is extremely short - only 6 activities.This may be better for 3 and 4 year olds just learning to count and learn shapes.But for those already competent or even familiar with them, its a waste of money.

Fun and Educational
My four year old enjoys this.The look and sound of the software is the same as the PBS show.Some of the activities my four year old can do by himself while others require some help from mom or dad.The software gives directions for your child to follow.There are activites such as counting and shape sorting and other activities that require an understanding of bigger/smaller, up/down, etc.We have about four computer games.In order of preference our son likes Dragon Tales followed by Little People Farm/Airport, then Clifford Thinking Adventure and then Finding Nemo.Overall, Dragon Tales Learn to Fly is a good value that runs well on my older Windows 98 system.
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Features

• CD-ROM
• Dozens of new challenges are here for any child between the ages of 5-9 to explore
• With more than 1600 object-and-word searches in hundreds of clever pictures. Your kids will learn many new words and how to use them
• Play with riddles, puzzles, and games to develop your child's thinking skills
• As they play, children develop important learning skills such as reading, matching, and problem solving
• I Spy School Days challenges kids to use their heads

Reviews (16)

Avoid at all costs
I agree with the reviewer who urges you to stay away from this and other Scholastic products if you run Windows XP.I received School Days and Spooky Mansion today but can't get either to run on XP, even though I am generally quite adept at working with computers.I will never buy another product from this company, even if it works well on XP.These products say they work with "Windows 95, 98, 2000 or later."Don't believe it.

Not Windows XP Compatible
I just tossed this one in the trash. It looked like a good game for my girls but unfortunately Scholastic doesn't believe in updating or supporting their products. I'd be very leary of buying any software from this company since software returns are difficult to negotiate. I would appreciate a list of truly Windows XP compatible children's software titles. Windows XP has been around for at least a couple of years now. I don't understand why compatibility is such a problem. Their support site cites that the problem is "you have too much installed RAM." Well, for most software, that is not a "bad" thing.

I spy school days! FUN!!!
Just a great fun game with so many rooms and levels. My 7 year old loves it and it helps in learning to concentrate! I like watching her play. There is a room where she can make her own clues for an I spy game. How fun is that and gives a child the room to invent and create!! Buy!! ... Read more

Features

• CD-ROM
• Exploring Clifford's fun-filled neighborhood, children discover reading activities
• 7 adjustable levels that continually introduce new letters, sounds, and words
• Over 100 reading lessons; 15 printable activities; interactive and printable bonus books
• Kids practice reading aloud by recording stories in their own voice
• Progress report allows you to track your child's development; for kids ages 4-6

Reviews (4)

Great software for my 3-year-old child!
This Clifford Reading software is really great for my 3-year-old child. She is able to play all the games herself and navigate around the screens easily without me helping her, which is great for when I have other work to do. We had a problem with the Richard Scarry software; there was just too much going on visually (great for books, confusing for click navigation) and this one is better in that regard.It is visually more obvious where you are to click or what to do, and the narration by Emily Elizabeth is clear and helpful. The games are cute. She loves the T-shirt stamper animation after correctly spelling a 3-letter word. Second favorite is "pop the balloon that says 'xxx'" and you have to correctly pop several word ballons that float by in order to dunk Clifford in the carnival dunk tank. What kid doesn't love being allowed to pop a bunch of balloons and then making a dog swim?This software makes learning the words really fun instead of frustrating. The beginning level is challening but not too hard; she can still win the prize tickets and get a prize/present from the big carnival claw-grabber prize bin. The prize/present unwraps itself and is a printable item like a coloring page, abc dot-to-dot, colorable finger puppets, etc. You can color these on-screen and/or print them out, and they are automatically saved for you in case you want to print them out later. Overall, I really love this software, it was a great purchase, and I am definitely buying it for all of the other kids I know as well as checking out all of the other Clifford titles. Great!!

Great first reading progam for pre-schoolers and kindergarten
As well as all the games which my 5 year old kids find addictive, there are also 26 mini lessons on each letter of the the alphabet and lots of mini stories to read. So there is some hard core education for parents to assist children and its not just all easy peasy games pitched at very young children.
Good...but...
My 5 year old daughter is enjoying this package, BUT...be aware that on Windows XP and Windows 2000 that the program has to be installed AND run as a user with administrative rights. Not exactly the kind of account I would choose to setup for a small child.
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Editorial Review

Zoombinis are little blue guys and gals that inhabit a kingdom reminiscent of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, and ingeniously teach math principles using puzzles instead of numbers. In Read more

Features

• CD-ROM
• Solve 9 perplexing puzzles, such as binary addition dilemmas when playing Boolie pinball
• Develop skills in algebraic thinking, data analysis, logical reasoning, graphing and mapping, pattern finding, problem solving, statistical thinking, and more
• Learn advanced concepts like binary numbers, binary computing, networks, and permutations
• Puzzle reformulation gives you a new game each adventure
• 3 levels of difficulty

Reviews (30)

Really Fun
My daughter(7) and I had alot of fun playing this game. Teaches thinking and logic, but in a fun way with great graphics!

hard to get to work
This is a very fun game, my kids love it.However, it took hours of research and trial and error to get it to partially work on my computer.Any newer computer, with newer color qualities will not work easily.You can eventually turn enough stuff off that it works, but then the sound is difficult to understand.Then when you are done playing, you have to go back into your system and turn things on again.

Zoombinis Mountain Rescue
I just purchased this game last week and it has taken me until today to figure out how to make it run on my Windows XP computer.I think I have a solution for some of you.1st go into the systray and close all unnecessary programs that are running in the background (especially the virus software).Then click on the start button and scroll down until you find the Mountain Rescue program then right click on the actual icon and scroll down to Properties.Click on the Compatability tab and then check the box that says Run this program in compatibility mode for: click on the tab on the right side of the textbox to get the pull down menu and select Windows 98/Windows Me then click OK.Your program should now run.Hope this works for you. ... Read more

Features

• Bonus DVD further enhances learning with exciting educational video content
• Fun, educational software designed to teach essential preschool skills
• Huge variety of stimulating play scenes, lessons, and exciting games
• Proven learning techniques; familiar environments and magical settings
• Build critical preschool skills in phonics, math, problem solving, and more

Reviews (1)

Classic Mac, not Mac OS X
Unfortunately, this application includes only a Mac OS 9 (not the Mac OS X as advertised) version.I cannot review the cds in general, as I cannot run them.Why did they re-publish the 1998 software in 2006, again in Mac OS 9?Frustrating! ... Read more

Editorial Review

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Reviews (7)

love it!
i have two kids ages 6 and 4 and we have had this game for over 4 years. we love it! we have had numerous other computer games but this one is right up there in our top two. my 4 year old still loves all the games (bubble castle and baby basket bingo are favs), and my 6 year old is still into the alphabet train. i love making music, the little ducks are my favorite! adorable sights and sounds in this game. beware though, the tunes from this are going to get stuck in your head for days, but are cute so it's worth it.:)

From a Grandmother's point of view
This program is totally interactive.My grandson -- who is two and a half and has a two and a half year old's attention span spent 25 to 30 minutes at a time playing with the shapes and bubble castle.A wonderful experience

Absolutely Wonderful
My grandson just turned 3.He loves this CD.It is easy for him to use because he doesn't need to click the mouse.It is still difficult for him to hold the mouse steady when he clicks.If the mouse moves, he doesn't get a response and then gets very frustrated.This CD eliminates that problem.The activities are great fun for him.He likes the coloring and the "bubble castle" best.I highly recommend this CD. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. colors, shapes, counting    2. alphabet, early reading    3. early math, logic   

Editorial Review

Take off with the StarFlyers on a brain-building alien quest where clever thinking saves the day. It's intergalactic election time, and villainous Vexar is up to his evil stunts. Join the StarFlyers on a colorful quest to find the missing alien ambassadors and foil Vexar's scheme. Along the way kids encounter out-of-this-world challenges, like racing down the universe's largest slide and navigating the twists and turns of Planet Pipeworks. From a rendezvous with the Fun Police to a brush with the bouncing Hairballs, kids never know what to expect on a StarFlyers adventure.Read more

Features

• CD-ROM

Reviews (4)

Entertaining and challenging.
My 4year old loved this game right away and so far she has only completed level one.(kept her interested for hours)Lots of variety.Style of the game is similar to "Freddi Fish and the stollen conch shell."

Solid education and fun but lacking Pizazz
My four-year-old daughter likes this program but it is not one of her favorites.I'm at a loss as to how I should criticize it because it seems to be missing a polished edge quality that is hard to explain.It's as if it is trying to be cool but... The activities are educational, the graphics are captivating, and usually "space" is an exciting backdrop for an adventure.I think, however, that it's missing some punch which would allow me to give it five stars.It is certainly worth playing if your child needs many choices of computer games like my girl does.

A Real Treat
The back story is always grounded in a real disastrous event in Katherine Diane Cadell's life. Quicker than you can say, "Oh, no!" her imagination creates a related adventure with the Star Flyers and her as Katie Cadet - leader of the pack. And the pack includes AJwho has special powers for each mission, Io, a fire breathing dog and Klanker, a very strong robot.Read more

Features

• CD-ROM
• Pajama Sam faces his fears in this educational adventure
• Cartoon-quality environment--you choose where the characters go
• Fun learning to improve listening, memory, and good social skills
• Explore exciting locations; the adventure changes each time played
• For 1 player age 5 to 8

Reviews (5)

This game is fricking pimp.
Dude, this game rules.
I like Pajama Sam
It was a bit scary when you get into Darkness'room. The two door guards were nice and it was a very nice game my mother and I played. -child age 6
This game is fun even for adults!
I love playing this game with my 4 1/2 year old. It is a challenge even for me, we both have to think about things a lot and figure out what to do. Each time you play it has different tasks and challenges. There are many layers to this game and it takes a lot of steps, done in the right order, to "win"...Darkness surprised my son in that he was thinking he would be scared and was not since Darkness was just his shadow. Fun!! I highly recommend this game for a 4-5 year old. ... Read more

Features

• Motivating reward system keeps children engaged
• 4-CD set helps kids practice and build essential preschool skills
• Activities address 50+ skills from math and pre-reading to music and art
• Based on state educational standards; auto leveling adjusts to child's pace
• Learning Profiler determines child's learning style and adjusts play

Reviews (2)

GREAT!
We bought this for our 3 year old, and she was able the pick up on it very quickly!It has helped prepare her for preschool tremendously!We are going to get her the Kindergarten one for Christmas this year.

This is a total waste
For Christmas, I purchased this item for my two and half year old son, who is fairly advanced for his age. The program is reccomended for 2-4.I was totally disappointed in this product.Before you begin to use the product, the child is given an assessment test, which was fairly good.However, it gave you the illusion that the program would be like that, when it is not.Your child is scored and based on the score, the questions are supposed to be geared toward the skills that the child does not know or needs improvement on.First of all the programs were difficult to understand for most adults (my husband and I are both college educated).Both my husband and myself sat down with my son and could not figure out the concept of the games.My son was easily bored with the product and seemed disinterested.He seemed to prefer some of his other computer software, (School Zone(preschool) and Disney for Toddlers.I would tell anyone to invest their money in another software. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A popular magazine is looking for a special community of dogs to feature in their next issue, and Clifford, T-Bone, and Cleo want to make a big impression. Children develop important skills with Clifford and friends as they travel around Birdwell Island helping their neighbors and playing fun learning activities. Kids complete a scrapbook containing snapshots of their skill-building adventures--making posters, building a playground, completing a rhyming poem, and more. The software teaches important skills like pattern recognition, classifying and sorting, and addition and subtraction. There are 10 entertaining activities in all, providing hours of fun. Three adjustable levels and an automatic help feature allow for independent play. A comprehensive parent's guide is also included. ... Read more

Features

• CD-ROM
• Your child will learn word recognition, sentence structure, classifying, sorting, matching, spatial reasoning, addition & subtraction, counting, critical thinking, sound patterns, logic and reasoning, and more
• 10 entertaining activities and three adjustable levels
• Features popular characters and voices from the hit TV show
• Automatic help allows for independent play
• Printable Clifford posters

Reviews (6)

Great for 3 to 5 year olds
Easy to use, educational and fun game for 3 to 5 year olds.My son, 7, is too mature for this game now, but he used to play it a lot and learned patterns, letter sounds, rhymes and counting. My daughter, 4, is very much into it and is learning the same things too.

This is my 3 yr old daughter's favorite CD game
This is a really neat CD for kids. It is challenging, yet the game is very easy to navigate for kids. I can sit my daughter down, let her play, and not have to worry about her getting stuck because she cannot navigate. This is not some cheap game that is similar to the freebies online either. There are plenty of activities that really challenge my daughter. Plus, the activities get progressively harder. I have Blue's Clues, Stanley, Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Dinosaurs, and a few other games for her, but she likes this one best - even after some of the "newness" has worn off.

Very Educational & Fun for 4-5 Yr Olds for Maths & Reading
The Clifford Big Red Dog CDs for Maths & Reading are exceptionally educational & Fun for the growing Child. My daughter started saying words & sentences within 2-3 times of running the CD lessons & started to put Patterns & Numbers in Sequences, Spatial Reasoning also rather quickly.Read more

Features

• CD-ROM
• Grade-based software teaches essential developmental skills
• Combines learning techniques and complementary learning aids
• Multi-subject CD with dozens of fun games and lessons
• Printable-activities CD with more than 100 projects
• Sing-along CD with original songs; 50+ flashcards and stickers

Reviews (1)

Very educational for the kids
This program can be used with very little, if any, adult intervention. Graphics are large, clear and attractive, and the goal-oriented storyline is easy to follow and compelling. My kids were impressed by the many animal characters included in the program, and were often observed giggling at and speaking to them. Activities are easily understood and complete, but become a bit tedious, and their repetitive nature may annoy the less patient player. Featuring a "summer camp" theme, Reader Rabbit's Kindergarten is an entertaining, fully animated adventure in which the user must help friends Reader Rabbit and Mat the Mouse gather supplies for the campfire party at 'Camp Happy Tails'. As with the younger age titles in this series, to achieve this goal, the child must master 4 sequential levels of each of 4 skill-building activities.
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Features

• Fun, educational software for kids age 2 to 4
• 10 irresistible interactive puzzles, games, and play areas
• Covers 30+ skills including letters, numbers, shapes, and colors
• Colorful classroom bursting with animation and song
• Guides include Casey Cat, Kisha Koala, Pierre the Bear, and others

Features

• Over 250 different activities
• Learn 34 math strategies to boost your problem solving power
• Thousands of math problems and over 400 word problems
• Strategy Guide with hints and tips
• 3 levels of difficulty

Reviews (1)

My Nine Year Old Son Couldn't Stop Playing It
I was very happy to find that my nine year old son loved playing this CD.It's running on our Windows XP and we had no installation or operation problems.It was challenging for him but so much fun for him too!I'd buy it again definitely! ... Read more

Features

• Kid Pix Studio Deluxe is the most widely used creativity program in schools Grades K-8
• Packed with fun tools and unique projects, Kid Pix Studio Deluxe encourages them to develop their creative and artistic skills
• Wacky tools, 2,500 stamps, over 1,200 graphics, cool sounds, special effects and much more

Reviews (3)

Funnest Software for any kid!
This game was so much fun! There where tons of pictures to make! They has brushes, Background Images, and soo much more! I loved this! I had to get ride of it cuz we thought it messed up our pc. But then when we got ride of it we found out about spyware that was doing it. If you could buy this again I would :(. This software is best for sges 6- 13. I loved it growing up. And your kids will love it too!

I love this game!!!!!
My pal gave this cd to me & i loved it! I made slideshows of my cartoon character (If i still had my site, i would give you a link.), But my stamps got DESTROYED!!!! NOOOOOOO!
Bad Buy
Frist I had a hard time getting the game to run,Even though the box requirements said my computer was compatible.I finally got it to run yet after alittle while of use it would close.Apparently I'm not the only one with this problem because on their website in their Support they have a troubleshooting section just for this game.I wish I had passed this by. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The brightly structured world of Thomas the Tank Engine and his friendswill appeal to the orderly side of preschoolers as they help rescue a derailedengine, put it back on the tracks, spiff it up, and get it back to work. If yourolder toddler glows when told he or she is helpful or a hard worker, this CD-ROMwill put them in junior train-engineer heaven.Read more

Features

• CD-ROM

Reviews (24)

Good Game, not malware
Another respondent has suggested that "Thomas the Tank Engine: Trouble On The Tracks" destroyed his computer.I seriously doubt this.It sounds like he unknowingly bought a pirated version that had a virus on it; or, more likely, this was just a coincidence of the person installing the Thomas CD, just when a virus was set to detonate.
This is a great game
This is the 3rd time I have purchased this game for my children.I have not had any trouble with the game, it's just that little hands aren't always careful with it.My 6 and 4 year olds have been playing it since they were 4 and 2 both of them love it.I Highly recommend this game.

We love it!
I can't believe this product is getting such bad ratings.Our 3 year old Thomas fan loves this game!We had minimal work at teaching him the navigation of the game, he easily figured it out himself through the verbal directions.It has continued to entertain him for the last two months.As well, it was easily installed on an XP operating system with absolutely no complications. ... Read more