"Why can't you go for a ride on the bus?" is the first question kids ask when they play with this collection of eight activities. It's a good question. Unlike previous Magic School Bus titles, there is no mission or overall goal to the activity, and there is no relationship between the activities. Instead, children explore two screens filled with items that lead to games or that launch short lessons on sounds and music. The activities are generally solid, and vary in their depth, fun, and educational value. One of the best is Central Stage, where children can hear and learn about instruments in the orchestra, as well as view their sound waves. Also innovative is the Acoustimatic, a machine that lets children place sounds into different environments (like underwater) to see how the sounds change. But one game, "The Power of Sound," is merely a fun shoot 'em up game with no relation to music. Guess where testers spent most of their time? Great features include a closed caption option (hurrah for Microsoft!) that makes the program usable by hearing impaired children. Also nice is that four of the activities have different challenge levels that the kids can set on their own. Despite its shortcomings, this program succeeds in its goal of giving children a playful environment to learn about sounds.
Teaches: music, the physics of sounds, memory, pitch, instruments, sound waves, mixing sounds
Age Range: 6-10 Copyright © 2000 Children's Software Revue
Amazon.com Review
Birds twitter, didjeridoos moan, and an excited Ms. Frizzle hits the high notes as she explains the science of sound and teaches kids to listen creatively. On the bus, kids can hear what different sounds do in different locations with the Acoust-O-Matic, play Name That Noise with Mikey Microphone, or learn how sound travels in the Wild Waves experiment; there's even an ultrasound and an oscilloscope onboard. Outside there are more activities, and the kids take the concert stage with various instruments they play and explain.
The program hums, roars, and ooompas right along. Sound is everywhere in this inspired, informative bunch of racket: jets whoosh above in the sky, and thunderclouds grumble. Two ingenious touches are a microphone kids can drag about the set to record sounds (it even produces feedback if you brush the cursor against it) and a pair of click-and-drag goggles that show how different sound waves look when they're laid over an instrument.
Don't buy this expecting a music theory class--there's not a treble clef to be found unless you count the one on Ms. Frizzle's skirt--but for a child who's all ears, curious about how tape recorders work and why bats squeak, it's sure to hit just the right note. (For ages 6 to 10) --Anne Erickson
