Berenstain Bears: Little Bears Make Big Helpers

by Sound Source Interactive

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000206DV
• Media: CD-ROM
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,831 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From Children's Software Revue® -- "Subscribe Now!"

Part of a new Berenstain Bear series of programs, this one focuses on the theme of cooperation. Here's what you get: a short narrated story, four activities, a multiple user option and adjustable difficulty levels. If you were hoping for the full version and text of the original Berenstain Bears' story about helping others, you'll be disappointed by the short retelling. The accompanying activities are standard fare. One, for instance, has kids helping Mother Bear make quilts by matching patterns. Children can make their own printable quilt designs when they've finished, but the art tools available are too limited. Unfortunately, even though the pro social theme is great, this CD doesn't have much shelf life- our testers played it once and that was about it.
Teaches: social skills, cooperation, logic, creativity
Age Range: 4-6 Copyright © 2000 Children's Software Revue

Amazon.com Review

The venerable Berenstain Bears are back for more family fun in this interactive CD for the preschool set. Storybooklike animation and simple, goal-oriented activities help teach ideas about cooperation and helpfulness.

The familiar faces of the Berenstain Bears should put any 4 to 6 year old (the game's targeted age group) at ease in front of the computer, and most of the activities use easy hand-eye coordination to move the mouse around to do things like collect honey or vacuum a room.

Little Bears is a multichild aware game, allowing separate logins for different children. Progress for each child is tracked even between games, and the goal is to earn a printable certificate saying what a great helper cub the child is, with his/her name on it. It can also be played as a two-player game on one computer, getting children used to the idea of sharing and cooperating within the game itself.

There are four categories, one for each bear. Your child can help Papa Bear collect honey, or Momma Bear make a quilt, or one of the bear cubs run errands or clean their rooms. What's especially nice is the steady, low-key soundtrack (an acoustic guitar loop that wasn't annoying) and the constant, positive chatting of the particular bear section your child is in. After helping all four bears and earning all the awards, your own little cub can print out a final certificate with his or her name on it.

The games are uncluttered and straightforward. The preschool or kindergarten set should find them interesting and challenging. There were no technical problems, although at times the dialog seemed to fall out of sync a little from the animation. --Mike Caputo

See all Product Description