Well, time to break the tie! I mean, this product has received 3 Five-Stars and 3 One-Star reviews from customers [As of the date this review was first written]. I think it's time to weigh in to one side rather the other.
First let me share the System Requirements as provided on the product cover (and no where else to be found on the product listing!!!) :
PC users: Windows XP (Home & Pro) SP3, Vista SP1, Win 7, Pentium 4 (2.4 GHz or higher), 1 GB of RAM (2 GB RAM for Vista & Win 7 users), 300 MB free hard disk space, DirectX 9.0c graphics card w/128 MB or more video memory, 24-bit color monitor, 1024x768 resolution, CD/DVD-ROM drive, Windows compatible sound card, mouse, keyboard, speakers, Internet Explorer (7 and later) or Firefox (3 and later) browsers, Internet connection, Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Mac users: OS X 10.5 & later, PowerPC G5, Intel Core Duo or newer, 1 GB RAM, 300 MB free hard disk space, 24-bit color monitor, 1024x768 resolution, CD/DVD-ROM drive, Mac compatible sound card, mouse, keyboard, speakers, Safari (3 and later), or Firefox (3 and later) browsers, Internet connection.
There you have the minimum requirements to dig into. But before we move on with tis review it maybe helpful to know that I'm using this software on a Lenovo Edge 14 laptop which runs on Windows 7 Professional 64-bit with Intel Core i3 (M350 @ 2.27 GHz), 4 GB RAM, & screen res. of 1366x768.
Pros:
* Ease of Installation: Set up was a breeze. Just pop the CD into your drive, follow the on screen prompts & voila!
* No online activation is necessary. It asks you if you'd like to register your product but that's your call. You don't have to.
*Unlike older versions, you don't need the CD to start the program. Once installed onto your computer, you can access it by double clicking its icon on your screen.
*Activities are rather short, for me at least, fun and effective. I'm sure they'll be as appealing to kids as they are to adults.
Cons:
Nothing as of the date of this posting.
Very IMPORTANT NOTES:
* PC vs Mac users: Based solely on the customers reviews posted in relation to this product, I'd definitely take caution & make a careful consideration as to whether or not buy the Mac version. Simply because two out of the three negative reviews given to this product were written by Mac users. One customer at least mentioned there's a persistent problem with this product even with older versions so :-( ?!
* Technical Support: Sucks! But here's why: I've never had a problem with my order & so never had to deal with their Customer Support but like other customers have noted Tech Support is made so out of reach it's ridiculous. I've googled them a little and come up with this link for those of you who wants to reach them (Tech Support phone # is provided at the bottom of the page):
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Bottom Line:
I've used Mavis Beacon products before & liked & so as I upgraded to this version I knew what to expect, and it lives up to my expectations. It has improved over previous versions and it works great on my system. I'd definitely recommend it to a PC user (Kids & their parents alike!) But I won't recommend it to a Mac user.