Toddler Play And Learn (4 CD-ROM)

by TOPICS Entertainment

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005LPYZ
• Item model number: cs-091
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 5, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 1.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,918 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Do you feel it's important that your 3-year-old learn the word buttocks? Some software designer out there does. Mediocre to miserable best describes the range of options within this four CD-ROM suite of toddlers' software. Some of the programs have one or two decent elements, but the good bits are drowned in a sea of puzzling design, technical glitches, and surreal elements that would be hilarious if they weren't being marketed at your child. Here's a breakdown of the madness:

BabyWOW! is the first CD-ROM. This selection mimics DK Learning's style with photographic images, and a noncluttered format that takes on the basics like colors, words, shapes, and counting. The problem with BabyWOW! is that on some systems the program lurks on the lower right side of the screen, half-inaccessible, even with the correct settings. The technical support page mentioned in an installation guide ([e-mail]) didn't exist when we searched for it, a BabyWOW Web site offered no hints, and there was no troubleshooting guide on the disc itself. Once we found a system that allowed us to access most of the program's introductory screen, we found a benign educational program with 10 activities that can take place in eight different languages. BabyWOW! manages counting to 10, and labeling images of cheese, sand, and trains accurately. However, the program fails in the colors department--it will tell your child with some authority that the brownish color on the screen is in fact red. Parental guidance is suggested.

The second CD-ROM is Buddy Brush and the Painted Playhouse. Buddy is a mop-headed, nonspeaking paintbrush that inhabits a clickable playhouse. The best thing about Buddy Brush is its musicality. The original score is playable on a regular CD player, and the harp flourishes, woodwind trills, and guitar twangs will engage young ears. The worst thing about Buddy Brush is that his playhouse is random yet boring. Exploring the house by using the mouse yields changeable pictures, couches with patterns kids can manipulate, musical instruments, and the ubiquitous click-and-paint scenes. Buddy Brush's creators probably made this program devoid of spoken or written words to facilitate freeform exploration, but the playhouse contains dead ends and repetition. The escape key was the only way out we could find once we tired of painting with our six color choices.

The third selection in this set is the CD-ROM equivalent of Styrofoam shipping peanuts. This filler is promisingly entitled The Elephant on Aisle Four. It appears to be a home page for a singer named Lisa Atkinson. Here you and your eager kid will find a printable maze and two printable pictures to color--wow! Plus a few MP3 clips: a poem and two kids' songs that have absolutely nothing to do with elephants. The marketing material that describes this CD-ROM lists songs galore, but we didn't find them. Instead we found a link to a catalog, and we didn't want our toddler to go shopping so we moved on.

And we found buttocks. Imagine Pokémon going educational and you've the fourth CD-ROM. Smiletown is from a company called Gakugei in Japan. A handful of cute critters--including a yellow thing that looks like an earless Pikachu--guide kids through 12 activities with names like ABC Dance, Number Fun, and Lots of Words. In Body Parts, kids are told that characters are hurt on certain parts, and they must identify and click on said part, after which a healing Band-Aid is applied. Sure enough, someone needs a Band-Aid on the bottom, and a bright computer voice intones "buttocks!" when the proper spot is clicked. Smiletown is a surreal little place: the graphic for choosing English as one of the four possible languages is a backward American flag. Phrases like "Let's go to the disco!" abound. A cute squirrel fishes a jellyfish from a pond and kids must decide if it's a car, a doll, a hamburger, a yo-yo, or a jellyfish.

Toddler Play & Learn is a great way to teach your child where his or her buttocks are. That's about it. (Ages 2 to 4) --Anne Erickson

Amazon.com Product Description

Toddler Play & Learn is designed to teach your child early-learning skills. It is an educational suite of four CD-ROMs featuring more than 75 individual lessons and 200 activities. Each program is uniquely designed to help kids learn basic skill sets. Your children will grow with confidenceas they master letters, colors, and more.

• BabyWOW! offers a special learning environment in which your child canexperience colors, shapes, and words that come to life onscreen. Avocabulary builder teaches more than 400 words using both audio and visuals.Real photos help children learn in a familiar setting. This program is bestused by a child with the help and companionship of an adult.
• Buddy Brush and the Painted Playhouse lets your child pick up abrush and plunge into Buddy's interactive, musical coloring book. Childrencan dabble and design with 14 different coloring pages, 33 musical puzzles,and 15 paint mixtures. You can also play this CD-ROM in an audio CD player.
• The Elephant in Aisle Four is a lighthearted collection ofentertaining songs on the themes of family and community. Songs include"Katie the Kangaroo," "Puppy Kisses," "Butterfly," "The Elephant in Aisle Four,""Starlight," and 12 more.
• Smiletown is a language-learning adventure. Join Andy and hispals as you listen to letters and words and their sounds. Interactivelessons build and reinforce vocabulary and spelling skills. Puzzles andgames enhance each experience. Activities include the ABC Magic Show,counting with penguins and seals, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Coasters!!, March 30, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Toddler Play And Learn (4 CD-ROM) (CD-ROM)

Three words - "Piece Of Junk", "Don't Buy It" unless you'd rather have "Four New Coasters". Not at all user friendly - even to the computer literate. Content is not at all captivating to the young ones, hard to navigate and there is NO HELP! After I tried to play it for my kid, I thought at least one of the four CD's may have something worthwhile - no such luck! The only reason I gave it one star is because that is the lowest I can go!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money, December 5, 2002

By 

Qteeq (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toddler Play And Learn (4 CD-ROM) (CD-ROM)

I was extremely dissappointed by this software. My 2 year old son loves the computer and he loves to play games, however he just did not "get" these games. The box says it's supposed to be educational, but I just don't see how. I would not recommend this software to anyone with a toddler.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money, January 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Toddler Play And Learn (4 CD-ROM) (CD-ROM)

I bought this as the first software for my 2 year old. I can't even figure out how to use it. As the others have said, don't waste your money. There are no instructions with the materials.