- Security & Firewalls
- Finance & Accounting
- Microsoft Excel
- Fisher-Price
- Databases
- All Sage Products
- Utilities & Virus Protection
- French
- English
- Personal Finance & Tax
- A Level
- Mattel
- Little Misses & Mr Men
- Password Management
- Teletubbies
- Career & Personal Development
- Programming & Web Development
- Windows 95, 98 & ME
- Children's Reference
- Driving
- Operating Systems
- English
- Macintosh
- Organisers & Address Books
- Thomas the Tank Engine
- CD & DVD Creation
- Student Educational Centre
- 3-D & CAD
- Software and Games
- Web Page Editing & Effects
- Watches
- Home and Garden
- UK Electronics
- UK Books
- Health and Personal Care
- UK Sporting Goods
- Clothing, Shoes and Accessories
- Electronics, Gadgets and Computers
- CDs and Music Downloads
- UK Software and Video Games
- UK Toys and Games
- UK Home and Garden
- UK Video Games
- UK Baby Clothes and Accessories
- Books On
- German Electronics
Software and Games : GSP : Children's Fun & Learning
-
BBC Multimedia
-
Avanquest Software
-
BBC Multimedia
-
Avanquest Software
Don't let the title Beauty or the Beast fool you--this is a point-and-click adventure game, for children aged 7-11 years, based on the original fairy tale of the handsome prince trapped in the body of a beast by a wizard's spell and the girl whose love frees him. The "or" in the title refers to the game's most original twist, that you can play either as Beauty or the Beast and depending on which character you choose, enjoy an entirely different game, wrapped around the same plot line.The game follows the classic format of the point-and-click adventure. You guide your chosen character round the castle using the mouse, gathering objects such as keys and parchment maps that appear useful (these are popped into your inventory at the top of the screen) and using them to solve puzzles. These are a good mix. Some require dexterity with the mouse (dragging pesky bats off the bucket in the well so it descends properly) while others require problem-solving skills (deciphering the clues on a parchment or finding the right key). You can save the game at any time, get help by clicking on your guide, Horace Finefeather the owl, and review your progress by checking on the map of the castle.
Hardened puzzle-game players at the upper end of the target age group may find all this a bit easy, but younger children (or those less addicted to console games) will love it. The graphics are great, the animations very effective and the video-style introductory sequences a reminder of when companies really cared about producing quality multimedia. --Rob Beattie
-
Avanquest Software
Once again, the BBC has produced a superlative software package for youngsters aged between three and six years old.Though this is a fairly large age gap to bridge, the content on Pingu: A Barrel of Fun achieves it effortlessly. For the younger end of the age group, there are shape-sorting, number- and letter-matching, sound- and colour-recognition puzzles to crack. For five- and six-year-olds, the "hard" rather than "easy" skill option will give plenty to amuse. For example, in the easy letter game, players must choose the initial letter of a given everyday object, whereas in the hard version, players must spell the whole word. (Hover over the letter and you get the name of the sound; once you've placed it, the voice-over tells you the name of the letter--an extremely sound educational approach.)
The sound game, a real highlight of the package, is an aural pelmonism, where players must match sounds to make the symbols disappear. In the harder version, the organ grinder plays a tune and players must match the sounds in the correct order. Though most sounds are everyday (telephone, cow, pig) there are some more exotic sounds (lion) that children may not recognise, but they can match them to the pictures shown.
For older players, there is a selection of five games to choose from, each with an easy, medium and hard skill option. In "Ice Flow", you must get Pingu across the water without wetting him so he can deliver birthday presents: a kind of basic Pingu Frogger! "Snow Maze" is reminiscent of a simple Pac-Man, but the added bonus is picking objects up along the way that you can build up into your own original picture at the end. "Fish Tennis" is bordering on the surreal--a kind of elementary tennis reminiscent of the original Atari game, but with Penguins not paddles and fish not balls! "Building Blocks" sets players a puzzle not unlike those in the Krypton Factor--matching shapes together to build up an overall object within a template. In the easy version, each shape is cut into three pieces; in the medium version it is four or five pieces and in the harder one, seven or eight. The only let-down to the game section is "Music Time", a recording synthesiser which allows you to play nursery rhyme tunes, sing along or record your own composition. Though the idea is great, the mouse dexterity required to make it work effectively is probably beyond the target age group, and the resulting sound quality on a home PC is poor.
That said, this is a minor blip in an otherwise fantastic package. It is easy to load, has great graphics that perfectly reproduce the TV programme, and while younger players may require supervision and help, they will still enjoy their favourite character, even if mastering the finer points of the package is beyond them. Whether your child is a fan of Pingu or not, there is plenty for him or her to get their teeth into. From early learning to elementary gaming skills, Pingu: A Barrel of Fun will definitely last the three years of the target age range and players will continue learning all the time. And, once your children has turned six, a simple and effective Uninstall option means your hard drive won't be clogged up forever. --Lucie Naylor
-
Avanquest Software
-
BBC Multimedia
Hey, Hey, are you ready to Play to the Music with the Tweenies? An amazing 50 per cent of pre-school children in the UK watch the loveable characters on TV, and this new package picks out the element they love the best: singing action songs. When the Tweenie clock stops on "Dance Time", Bella (as usual!) takes the lead, and youngsters can either help Fizz copy Bella's moves, or they can boogie along, copying the steps on the dance mat (included, with a microphone). In the "Music Garden", you must help Judy and Jake grow a song bush, whereas in the "Tunearoonie Maze" your task is to guide the Tweenies around a maze and collect musical notes. But beware of the dinosaurs, or you could be singing the blues sooner than you think. Meet the "Tweenie Band", find out what instruments they like by trial and error and then sing along with the tunes they play. These somewhat prescriptive activities are fantastic for the target age group: they improve colour recognition, musical awareness and singing ability, basic mouse and PC skills, as well as artistic awareness, concentration, hand-to-eye coordination and finer motor skills. But the real fun comes in the more open activities, where children can plug in the microphone and sing along with the Tweenies. The special video clips included are taken from the live, sell-out shows of early 2001, TV programmes and the Tweenies' unforgettable appearance on Top of the Pops. Karaoke wannabes can even record their voice and become a real Tweenie pop star themselves. If this all sounds a bit raucous, concentrate on the educational value: BBC production values mean this is fun, entertaining and wonderfully designed, but it also stays true to the underlying developmental slant of the TV show. Following the success of the Tweenies: Ready to Play (which sold around 330,000 copies and topped the UK software retail charts for 35 out of 54 weeks after launch) this package is simply fantastic, but if you still need convincing, just remember: millions of three-year-olds can't be wrong! --Lucie Naylor
-
Avanquest Software
-
Avanquest Software
-
Avanquest Software
-
Avanquest Software
-
GSP
-
GSP
-
GSP
-
GSP
-
Avanquest Software
-
Avanquest Software
-
BBC Multimedia
-
Avanquest Software
-
BBC Multimedia
