Amazon.com: American Girls Dress Designer: PC: Video Games

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by Cornelia Caroline Funke

4.3 out of 5 stars (82) $12.97

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Product Description

From Children's Software Revue® -- "Subscribe Now!"
If you've got a new computer, this creativity program is a real winner, perfect for American Girls fans and for kids who like paper dolls. Pass this one by, however, if your processor is a 266 MHz model or slower- the software won't run well at all. We tried it on three machines, and the only one we achieved any success with had the following specs: 366 MHz, 64 MB Sync DRAM and a 32x CD-ROM drive. Run on the right system, the software is really great, packed with creative opportunities and little history lessons that are easy to swallow. Girls begin by picking one of the six American Girl dolls and are transported to her room where they can click around to learn about the girl and the customs of the day. The real heart of the program is, of course, the design center, where kids can pick a dress pattern and change its fabric, ornamentation and so on. Girls can choose accessories, too, and then print out their creations in the form of paper doll clothing. Six paper dolls are included, period music plays in the background, and there are lots of chances to be creative-- kids can even design their own fabric which then appears as a choice for dressmaking. If you have a newer computer, a printer and a doll lover all in the same house, get this program.
Teaches: creativity, history
Age Range: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Copyright © 2000 Children's Software Revue

Amazon.com Review
If you're a grownup looking for educational and inspiring role models for a girl, look no further. The popular book series has made the jump to software, providing historical background on girls throughout history, from the life story of a freed slave to a bobby-socks wearing daughter of the 1940s who can't imagine any president other than FDR.

The software centers around the dress designing shop, where kids can create historically accurate outfits from boots with spats to frontier bonnets, with the option of hearing the stories behind each item. The dresses can be saved, and even printed, to play with after the computer has been shut down (the game includes paper dolls of each of the six characters).

The concept behind this project is a knockout, and the importance of sewing and seamstressing as women's work--both in financial and social terms--receives excellent treatment. The only thing holding this program back is the small scale of the graphics and the flatness of the color and movement. The art in the software prevented us from really becoming immersed in the world that the girls described. Instead, we were given few choices, with only face-on views of the dresses designed.

In spite of these disappointments, The American Girls Dress Designer offers a great deal for the game's players: the chance to have fun with fashion through the ages as well as the ability to identify with girls from colonial times to the middle of the twentieth century. --Jennifer Buckendorff