ITZABITZA

by Sabi Inc.

Product Features

• For children ages 4+
• Uses Sabi's Living Ink experience to bring children's creations to life
• Provides a fun and safe way for struggling readers to read sentences
• Evolved from an incubation project started at Microsoft Corporation
• Based on a three-year collaborative effort with learning researchers and reading specialists

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001JTIM24
• Item model number: 860589000019
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 31, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,692 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)

Product Description

With ItzaBitza from Sabi Games, little eyes light up as a child sees his or her own drawings become the central focus of the game. Suddenly, their art is alive with possibility. Children will delight in the action-packed house they just drew or gasp as they watch their very own rocket blast off to a faraway planet. And it's all framed within a playful approach to reading that not only leads children to new discoveries, but also gives them a feeling of accomplishment. ItzaBitza is based on a three-year collaborative effort with learning researchers and reading specialists that was started at Microsoft Corporation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kids of all ages will love this game, December 15, 2008

By 

Matt "Gamer" (Hopedale, MA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ITZABITZA (Video Game)

ItzaBitza is a terrific game - I've been a game developer since 1994 and I've made and played many games for kids, and there are very few titles with the innovation and craftsmanship of ItzaBitza. I have three kids aged 13, 9 and 6 and all three of them played the game through to the end and enjoyed every minute of it. It's refreshing to see a game that is built on a genuine understanding of how a kid thinks.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet little game uses creativity, helps with reading, April 14, 2009

By 

Kirkland mom (Kirkland, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: ITZABITZA (Video Game)

My five-year-old daughter loves this game. It is so sweet and simple. She draws pictures for each scene and they come to life. For example, she draws the barn and door for the farmyard scene, and then chickens come running out. The drawings don't have to be good, but they are HERS. The best thing about this game is the instructions!! As she goes to each area, the words appear and she clicks on the ones she doesn't know. A child's voice pronounces them. She knows exactly what to do without coming to get me every two minutes (THANK YOU!!!), without sitting through the same instructions over and over, and she learns about words, reading and word order.

I waited to write this review because she seemed to finish the game so quickly, and I was afraid she wouldn't use it any more. But she keeps coming back to it every few weeks. I think the game is very appropriate for 3-7 year olds, with reading abilities from clueless (they'll learn that sentences read left to right and each word has its own sound) to reading on their own. Clever, and cute!

(disclaimer: a friend who works at the company gave us this game. I am thrilled to be honestly able to write a good review!)

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and stimulates creativity, April 5, 2009

By 

Bookphile (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ITZABITZA (Video Game)

As my daughter has grown, I've become more open to the idea of allowing her more time on the computer--provided I can find high-quality educational games that will also be fun for her. My real problem with electronics for children has been that I feel they are either too stifling of creativity or try to masquerade as "educational" when they, in fact, have no real educational value. I'm glad to say that Itza Bitza falls into neither of these categories.

The game itself is very simple. Your child begins by choosing a "Sketchy"--either male or female--and then is asked to draw various objects for the Sketchy using the mouse. The game helps not only with mouse-handling skills but it also allows children to refine their technique. Regardless of how the objects look, the Sketchy will adapt them to his or her own use, either growing or shrinking in order to fit properly into the house your child has drawn, for example.

In addition to the artistic aspects of the game, it also encourages problem-solving skills. Sketchy will issue simple instructions to your child and then it's up to your child to figure out how to complete the task that Sketchy has set. The directions that Sketchy issues are not always explicit and I've even found that I occasionally have a hard time figuring out what Sketchy wants done. For example, once your child has drawn a tree for Sketchy, the child will be asked to find ten baby birds. It may take a few tries until your child learns that the baby birds can be created by clicking on the birds flitting around the tree, which causes them to drop eggs that then hatch into baby birds. This can lead to some frustration but it also encourage persistence. When my daughter is finally able to figure out how to complete a task, she feels a real sense of accomplishment and victory. I'm especially pleased with this aspect of the game because my daughter has a tendency to get frustrated with things and give up too easily. Sometimes she does have to walk away from the game and won't come back to it until weeks later but she ultimately has figured out how to complete every task.

With each task the child completes, they will be awarded a star. Once they have accumulated enough stars, a new area will be unlocked. It's always exciting for my daughter to be able to explore a new area with her Sketchy and to find new tasks but that doesn't stop her from going back to the old areas and trying new things. There are plenty of areas to appeal to a wide variety of interests--everything from a camping area to a space adventure to a haunted house.

The game also helps with some basic reading skills. The Sketchy has several bubbles that pop up and as your child points at the words, the Sketchy will say them. Once an option is picked (for example, "House" in the starting area), a larger bubble appears with instructions. As your child moves the finger-shaped cursor over each word, the Sketchy says it. This encourages your child to look at the words as Sketchy is saying them and will help your child identify simple and high-frequency words. This also helps your child understand that in order to read, they need to follow the words from top to bottom, left to right.

Itza Bitza is not only interesting for my daughter, it's also fascinating for me and my husband. In fact, I've considered installing it on my own PC and playing it. It's fun to watch the Sketchy interact with the objects your child draws and it's fascinating to try to figure out how to complete the various tasks given.

My daughter has played a variety of educational games from companies like Jump Start and, while I like several of these, Itza Bitza is my favorite because of the sheer variety of skills it helps teach and because it's simply so well put together. Hopefully more software publishers will take note and create more high-quality children's software in the vein of this wonderful game.