Computing With Kids: Top
Edutainment Titles Combine Learning, Fun
by Jinny Gudmundsen, Battle
Creek Enquirer, December 6, 2003
After testing hundreds of new titles this year, here's our "Best Picks for
the Holidays" in the category of children's "edutainment" titles.
Edutainment software combines entertainment and learning.
‘Clifford Phonics'
Kids play with Clifford in a special carnival that teaches phonics. It's
as fun as it is educational. Scholastic,
www.scholasticstore.com, ages
4-6, $20, Windows/Macintosh.
‘Alice in Vivaldi's Four Seasons: The Music Game'
Children play 12 music games with the whimsical characters of Lewis
Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" while being cocooned in the
exciting music of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons." A brilliant title! Music
Games International,
www.KidsMusicStage.com, $19.95, ages 6-up, Windows.
‘I Spy Fantasy'
This software packs 54 visual "I Spy" puzzles into three exciting fantasy
adventures. Scholastic,
www.scholasticstore.com, $20, ages 6-10, Windows/Macintosh.
‘Learn to Play Chess with Fritz and Chesster"
Kids learn how to play chess by going on an adventure in the Kingdom of
the White King during which they play mini-games that teach how each chess
piece moves. Viva Media,
www.viva-media.com, $29.99, ages 7-12, Windows.
‘Mia: The Kidnap Caper'
A magical adventure set in a truly amazing graphical world seen from the
perspective of Mia Mouse. In it, children learn either Spanish or French
as a second language. One of the year's best! Kutoka,
www.kutoka.com, $20, ages 6-10,
Windows/Macintosh.
‘Math Missions Grades 3-5'
As tweens zip around Spectacle City helping mathematically challenged
store clerks with their math problems, they earn money to buy their own
arcade business. Scholastic,
www.scholasticstore.com, $20, ages 8-11, Windows/Macintosh.
‘Scooby Doo! The Scary Stone Dragon'
Kids join Scooby and the gang in China to solve a mystery involving a
stone dragon that appears to have come alive. A great mystery with fun
logical thinking games. The Learning Company,
www.learningcompany.com,
$24.99, ages 5-10, Windows.
‘Zoo Tycoon: The Complete Collection'
This fabulous bundle includes the original zoo-building simulation "Zoo
Tycoon," expansion packs "Marine Mania" and "Dinosaur Digs," and the new
bonus pack "Endangered Species." Microsoft,
www.zootycoon.com, $29.99, ages
10-up, Windows.
