Caillou Four Seasons of Fun

by BRIGHTER MINDS

Product Features

• Dress Caillou for each seasons and explore a world of activities as you collect items
• Clickable games encourage creative and logical thinking
• Fun lessons and songs for better self-expression
• Ages 2 to 6

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006OAQY
• Item Weight: 5 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: October 22, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,165 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #40 in Software > Outlet
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

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Third in the series of programs based on the Caillou PBS TV series, this title bases its eight multilevel activities around the four seasons. Unfortunately, it's one of the poorest programs we've come across in a long time. The license and theme are strong-- children help little Caillou get dressed for the weather, collect items for a nature book, sing songs and print out things to make away from the computer. Other activities include letter- matching, rhyming games and counting challenges. Sadly, almost every one of these activities is fraught with design and content flaws. The obstacle course race is timed, but you can't make Caillou ride his skateboard faster, and the scale balancing game makes no sense even after you listen to the directions several times. The dressing and "what's wrong with this picture" activities are too rigid and give children very ambiguous choices (Why is a snow shovel okay in the spring picture but not a rake? Why can't there be a squirrel in a spring picture?). It's one thing to be directive when you provide kids with clear-cut right and wrong answers, but another thing altogether to present them with ambiguous options and then "punish" them for not being able to read the software designer's mind. Shame, shame, shame! All this and lost clicks, too. Run away from this one as fast as you can.

Product Description

Caillou Four Seasons of Fun is a fun set of educational activities that helps children understand the four seasons!

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars weakest of the three Caillou software titles, February 7, 2003

By 

audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Caillou Four Seasons of Fun (CD-ROM)

We own the other two Caillou software titles and have enjoyed them both, but we are disappointed with Four Seasons of Fun, to a great extent because the potential is here for a really fun game; that potential is not realized, however, due to rigid and sometimes confusing navigation, bugs and less interesting activities.

Whereas the two earlier Caillou games involved wandering around Caillou's house, this title starts inside but spends the rest of the game outside moving around the neighborhood. The look of the area and the activities change according to the season initially selected by the player. So far, so good. However, our iMac freezes about 25% of the time during the dressing segment and, like other reviewers, we find this section confusing -- it's not often apparent, for instance, what specific shirt or coat a child should choose.

Unlike the earlier titles, there is less freedom of navigation. Players proceed in a rigid, linear progression between activities, and game play is not always smooth. Some of the activities are: (1) Race-along, an obstacle course that Caillou must navigate on his skateboard. Your child has to decide whether Caillou should jump over, duck under, or go around various objects. This segment is compelling for preschoolers, but Caillou moves VERY slowly, and if the player doesn't press the appropriate key at precisely the right time, Caillou will have risen from his crouch or come down from his jump too early. At the same time, feedback is not really salient; our little one doesn't recognize that Caillou's "spinning" is a bad thing, and since the player must continue until 7 objects are successfully navigated, this can go on and on. (2) Caillou rakes his way through a letter maze. Tedious. (3) Bouncing ball rhyming. Unimaginative. (4) Snowman Builder, in which the player copies another snowman. First of all, why stifle creativity? Also, when we are in the "Fall" and click on the rake, the narrator still says "Snowman Builder" even though that's not the activity that will follow. Was this beta tested?

All-in-all, we were predisposed to enjoy this game but were ultimately disappointed with it. We will certainly not rush to buy another Caillou title. Better bets for your preschooler are Reader Rabbit, Little Bear, Franklin or Winnie the Pooh offerings. Interestingly, we have found the same inconsistent quality with Zoboomafoo software, another PBS franchise. What gives?

Pros: familiar, beloved characters; interesting premise in a promising setting; seamless cutscenes; multiple levels of difficulty; simple navigation

Cons: rigid, sometimes confusing, navigation; no written instructions; no keyboard volume control; fewer, and less interesting, activities; less stability

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly Designed, December 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Caillou Four Seasons of Fun (CD-ROM)

I bought this software for my 4 year old grandson & I to have fun with--we are both computer savy and usually have no problems with software, the internet, graphic programs, etc. The description on the box looked like it would be fun, have appropriate activities for his age, and be something he easily could do. I thought the instructions were vague, very hard to find certain activities (especially the ones we wanted to do the most), and overall, we found it too frustrating and wished we could return it. Right off the bat I was amazed at how poorly the first activity for each season was set up: before Caillou goes outside to play, you are to pick the appropriate clothes for that season. Living in the Midwest we are well acquainted with differences in seasons and clothes you wear for each. I found there was no distinction among the choices of coats or pants for Caillou to wear. If I, an adult, couldn't see any differences, how could a small child? My recommendation is this: save your money on this software and buy the Caillou activity books for ...and have a less frustrating time.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Rediculously slow on my new Macintosh, October 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Caillou Four Seasons of Fun (CD-ROM)

This title runs rediculously slow on my new Macintosh. Some of the mini-games take 10 minutes or more to complete (race-a-long, for example)!!! Stay away from this dog.