Kid Tested

For reviews of the latest games and educational programs for kids, we decided to go to the experts. We asked 16 sixth-graders from two public schools, the Easton Area Middle School in Easton, Pennsylvania, and the Mott Hall School in New York City, and one private school, the Dwight School Foundation, also in New York City, to review a variety of kids' software packages and some Web sites. The boys and girls, all age 10 or 11, were asked to rank the software Great, Good, OK, or Bad and to do the same for the Web sites. The students themselves chose the titles they would review from a wide array of the latest editions of computer programs. (Interestingly, many of them bypassed the more entertaining programs and opted instead for the science and math software.) All the software packages reviewed here promise a range of educational benefits to increase language and reading development, spark creativity, and improve problem-solving skills. And as you'll see, there was no shortage of fun either. Here's what our young critics had to say.

Mickey's Stickers & Stuff Printing Fun Kit

• CD-ROM for Windows 3.1 and 95
  
  
• Avery Dennison, 800/525-7064
  
  
• Price: $19.99 Ages: 3 and up
  
  
• Rating: OK
  
  

This program contains a Windows CD-ROM from Disney Interactive featuring such Disney characters as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto, plus eight sheets of sticker supplies. Using over 250 Disney character poses, colorful background patterns, and text, kids can design their own stick-on ID or business cards or create party invitations.

"At first I didn't like the software because it was for Windows only and I have a Macintosh. I ended up using a school PC, but when I installed the CD-ROM, it was very hard to operate. When I did get it set up, everything was interesting. This CD-ROM is for fun only. I think kids will find it interesting, but they should let their parents set it up. I liked it."

Reviewer: Chayanee Ubol, Dwight School

Imagination Express Destination: Rain Forest

• CD-ROM for Mac/Windows 3.1 and 95
  
  
• Edmark, 800/362-2890
  
  
• Price: $19.95 Ages: 6-12
  
  
• Rating: OK
  
  

Destination: Rain Forest is the third edition in the Destination series, following Destination: Castle and Destination: Neighborhood. The program explores a Latin American rain forest complete with richly illustrated backgrounds of exotic plants, flowers, trees, and native dwellings; music and sound effects; and a variety of indigenous animals, insects, plants, and people.

"This game is for ages 6 and 7. It is very interesting for younger kids but kind of boring for older kids. It was a little too easy for me, but the graphics were pretty good. I would recommend it for younger kids."

Reviewer: Paul Ni, Mott Hall School

Imagination Express Destination: Ocean

• CD-ROM for Mac/Windows 3.1 and 95
  
  
• Edmark, 800/362-2890
  
  
• Price: $19.95 Ages: 6-12
  
  
• Rating: Great
  
  

The fourth title in the Destination series, Destination: Ocean features moviemaking technology to allow students to create their own interactive movies. It focuses on the underwater world of the Channel Islands and contains animation, music, sound effects, and sea-life stickers.

"I liked this game a lot because it has really cool graphics and sounds. The program was very fun. The only thing I disliked is that the game says it's for kids six through 12, but I think it should be for kids eight through 12 because six-year-olds are too young for moviemaking. My six-year-old brother tried it and said it was fun but hard. Overall, I really liked the game."

Reviewer: Ana Gak, Dwight School

Lego Island

• CD-ROM for Windows 95
  
  
• Mindscape, 888/432-2742
  
  
• Price: $39.95 Ages: 6-12
  
  
• Rating: Great
  
  

Lego Island is a dream come true for conventional Lego fans. With this virtual game, kids can make their own Lego vehicles and race around in 3D splendor.

"I think this is a great game. The graphics are terrific. You can play in race cars, fly in helicopters, drive an ambulance, and ride on jet skis, motorcycles, and skateboards. The races are the best you've every played. You can play them over and over and never get bored. You can also go on missions. You will not find a lot of games better than this one."

Reviewer: Edmund Anstey, Dwight School

Math Invaders

• CD-ROM for Windows 95
  
  
• Simon & Schuster Interactive, 800/983-5333
  
  
• Price: $34.95 Ages: 9-14
  
  
• Rating: OK
  
  

The third title in Simon & Schuster's Action Learning Series, Math Invaders is a 3D, arcade-style adventure game designed to improve a child's math skills. Players must solve a series of mathematical problems to rescue a space ship from invasion and return it to Earth.

"I liked many things about the computer game Math Invaders. The graphics were very good. I could see the screen, even without my glasses on, very clearly. I also liked the weapons. The blasters, X guns, and the multipliers were cool. The movements (up, down, left, right, forward, and backward) made me dizzy. The controls were very hard. I died trying to walk. I did not like the levels. I did not even pass the first level! Also, I did not get a math question from an alien. My friends think the game is dumb but I might recommend it to another person."

Reviewer: Andrew Lee, Dwight School

Microsoft Creative Writer 2

• CD-ROM for Windows 95 or NT
  
  
• Microsoft, 800/426-9400
  
  
• Price: 34.95 Ages: 8 and up
  
  
• Rating: Great
  
  

Microsoft Creative Writer 2 is a desktop-publishing program enabling kids to create their own Web pages and send greeting cards or letters via e-mail. It contains musical themes, borders, backgrounds, special effects, and clip art.

"I think Microsoft has really outdone itself with Creative Writer 2. This program includes a very nifty project maker and a neat painting program. With the project maker you can make newspapers, Web pages, and greeting cards. There are awesome backgrounds, lots of clip-art images, and even a music library, so you can make stories with soundtracks. If you think your children are too old for this, you're wrong. As an 11-year-old boy, I loved this program. My 9-year-old sister liked it too."

Reviewer: Matthew Eckstein, Easton Area Middle School

Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition

• CD-ROM for Mac/Windows 95 or NT
  
  
• Microsoft, 800/426-9400
  
  
• Price: $79.95 Ages: 8 and up
  
  
• Rating: Great
  
  

This latest edition of the Encarta multimedia encyclopedia features two CDs containing over 32,000 articles and 900 sidebars featuring text from famous documents and speeches, guest essays, and articles from newspapers and magazines.

"Encarta 98 rules! It has all the great features of the old Encarta, plus a lot of new topics. For example, there are 15 new Inter-activities, which are games that teach you things, and many new video, music, and picture bytes. I think MindMaze is fun. You navigate a maze while answering questions about any topic in the encyclopedia. It's also easy to find good information for reports. Encarta's Pinpointer searches the entire encyclopedia in a flash."

Reviewer: Matthew Eckstein, Easton Area Middle School

Mighty Math Astro Algebra

• CD-ROM for Mac/Windows 3.1 and 95
  
  
• Edmark, 800-362-2890
  
  
• Price: $29.95 Ages: 12-14
  
  
• Rating: Good
  
  

Mighty Math Astro Algebra teaches basic algebra using a spaceship to guide kids through over 90 missions and assist aliens from around the galaxy. Kids learn how to graph functions and translate word problems into solvable equations.

"After playing the game Astro Algebra, I felt that it was a good program because I liked the graphics, sound, and the way it presents math problems. This program is excellent for people who need help in algebra. The program makes learning algebra fun and easy. I learned about equations, percents, decimals, and proportions. It was a pleasure playing the game."

Reviewer: Qinyuan Liu, Mott l School

Mighty Math Calculating Crew

• CD-ROM for Mac/Windows 3.1 and 95
  
  
• Edmark, 800/362-2890
  
  
• Price: $29.95 Ages: 8-12
  
  
• Rating: Good
  
  

Mighty Math Calculating Crew teaches children about multiplication and division, number-line concepts, 3D shapes, and money trans-actions. Kids recover hidden treasures, examine 2D shapes and 3D solids with a scientist, and help math heroes save their city from destruction.

"This program is easy. The graphics are great and colorful. It is nice how the Calculating Crew can talk to you and help you in the games. The program is fun and creative. My favorite part in the game is when you have a spaceship and you have to collect treasures underwater. But in order to collect the treasures underwater you have to choose a number from the number line. At the end they show you your score."

Reviewer: Francisco Peña, Mott Hall School

Mighty Math Cosmic Geometry

• CD-ROM for Mac/Windows 3.1 and 95
  
  
• Edmark , 800-362-2890
  
  
• Price: $29.95 Ages: 12-14
  
  
• Rating: Great
  
  

In this CD-ROM adventure, kids travel to a planet where they are guided through five different activities. Players explore shapes and solids, 2D and 3D coordinates, and the relationship between length, perimeter, area, and volume. The difficulty level rises as players succeed, offering more challenging problems.

"I like this program because it has a lot of graphics and it teaches you about everything in geometry. The age group listed is appropriate because it was challenging and it has a section where you can search for anything about geometry. There also is a section where you can learn about graphs and two- and three-dimensional figures. The other sections involve a maze where you have to answer angle questions, as well as explore shapes, patterns, and symmetry."

Reviewer: Darnell Moore, Mott Hall School

Scholastic's The Magic School Bus Explores the Rainforest

• CD-ROM for Windows 95
  
  
• Microsoft, 800/426-9400
  
  
• Price: $34.95 Ages: 6-10
  
  
• Rating: Good
  
  

The Magic School Bus Explores the Rainforest is the sixth title in Scholastic's Magic School Bus series. Like the previous programs, this one features science teacher Ms. Frizzle and her class. It includes five new interactive features.

"I thought that this program was good because it is very educational for ages 6 through 10. I liked it because, even though it is not for my age, I learned things that I did not know before, such as the sounds that forest animals make. I strongly recommend this program for children and even adults interested in science. It teaches the different parts of the rainforest and the animals that live there."

Reviewer: Joselyn Tejeda, Mott Hall School

Strategy Challenges Collection 1: Around the World

• CD-ROM for Mac/Windows 3.1 and 95
  
  
• Edmark, 800/362-2890
  
  
• Price: $19.95 Ages: 8 and up
  
  
• Rating: Great
  
  

In Strategy Challenges Collection 1, kids play three games from ancient Africa, Egypt, and Japan either against each other or against on-screen Game Masters. The games teach students how to identify and analyze problems, look for patterns and sequences, and predict outcomes.

"I think this software has great challenges for children. It isn't too easy or too hard. I am certain that when other kids try this out, they won't want to stop using it. It has different Masters that challenge you, and you pick them according to how good you are in the game. It also teaches about games used in the past and that not only children play games but adults do too."

Reviewer: Johanna Marmolejos, Mott Hall School

Strategy Challenges Collection 2: In the Wild

• CD-ROM for Mac/Windows 3.1 and 95
  
  
• Edmark, 800/362-2890
  
  
• Price: $19.95 Ages: 8 and up
  
  
• Rating: Great
  
  

This program helps children develop strategic-thinking and problem-solving skills. Kids can play three games, either against each other or against six on-screen opponents. The game's goal is to teach kids to anticipate obstacles and consider alternative outcomes and points of view.

"Strategy Challenges 2 is a good game because it expands your knowledge in making decisions. In Tablut you have to capture the king or help him escape. In Jungle Chess you have to get to the other person's den without getting eaten. In Surakarta you have to get rid of all your opponents before being captured yourself."

Reviewer: Torrie Edwards, Dwight School

The Day the World Broke

• CD-ROM for Windows 3.1 and 95
  
  
• Houghton Mifflin Interactive, 800/829-7962
  
  
• Price: $44.95 Ages: 9 and up
  
  
• Rating: Good
  
  

Players find themselves in the center of the Earth, which is being run by a malfunctioning machine. To fix it, players must use logic and memory to bring the world back from the brink of disaster. The program features 22 locations, 3D characters, and an interactive interface allowing players to talk to the ancient Mechanimals.

"I think the Day the World Broke should be rated Good because it is not too easy and not too hard. I had to go into the Tip box once in a while, but it was just like filling up a car with gas. Once I got some tips, I was moving at a good speed. I found the graphics interesting because they were between reality and fantasy. I learned some facts about our Earth too."

Reviewer: Sophia Kim, Mott Hall School

Thinkin' Things Collection 3

• CD-ROM for Mac/Windows 3.1 and 95
  
  
• Edmark , 800/362-2890
  
  
• Price: $29.95 Ages: 7-13
  
  
• Rating: Great
  
  

In Collection 3, kids use Stocktopus and other characters to make trades with brokers from around the world, analyze information, and explore elementary computer programming concepts.

"I thought playing with Thinkin' Things Collection 3 was a very interesting experience. I liked it because it helped me be more creative in school. There are many things to do and different ways to learn. The program wasn't too hard or too easy. It was perfect for my age. The graphics were about 20 times more than what I had expected. The sounds were fantastic. Yes, the program is outstanding. It is like an exercise machine for your mind."

Reviewer: Jessica Alcantara, Mott Hall School