Tonka Workshop Playset

by Atari

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002971J
• Media: CD-ROM
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,854 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From Children's Software Revue® -- "Subscribe Now!"

Preschoolers went wild over this innovative playset that snaps onto a standard keyboard without extra wires or plugs. By manipulating the playset's screwdriver, hammer, drill and saw, kids can build onscreen robots, toy houses and spaceships. A "Tool Olympics" tests their tool skills and helps kids earn their Master Tool license. The program's sole focus is on construction. All kids do is saw, hammer, drill, and use screwdrivers to fix and construct objects. Testers didn't seem to mind the narrow focus. They could select projects from The Barn to build step-by-step, or go to The Cellar where they could decorate a piece of wood with nails and paint. Children also enjoyed fixing the broken-down fence and bridge and playing the Simon-like activity in The Tree House. Using the tools on the playset feels and sounds a lot like the real thing. The screwdriver turns with the right amount of friction and, when the hammer hits the nail, it seems like it is actually going into the wood. Testers played heavily for three straight weeks, a pretty good track record. As you consider purchasing the program though, be aware that there is very little skill involved. Kids simply move the tool in the correct fashion and something dramatic happens on the screen. Nonetheless, both boys and girls aged three to six loved this unique program.
Teaches: logic, following directions
Age Range: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Copyright © 2000 Children's Software Revue

Amazon.com Review

Forget the garage. Now you can strap a workshop onto your computer keyboard and build log homes, rocking horses, and UFOs. The Tonka Workshop gives you all the fun of an acetylene torch with none of the singed eyebrows. This plastic tool bench straps onto any rectangular computer keyboard, and through mechanical means, transforms it into a handyperson's heaven.

The tool bench has a drill, hammer, screwdriver, sander, saw, and a sprayer that serves as everything from paint gun to welding torch. A nice touch is that kids must move the tools realistically. You swipe the sander back and forth, screw with the screwdriver, and pound a big plastic peg with the hammer. Move a tool, and it moves a knob beneath it, then that in turn executes a keystroke. The only technical thing about installing the Tonka Workshop on your computer keyboard is making sure it's properly aligned.

The Tonka Workshop CD-ROM begins with Tonka Joe exhorting "Hey kids! It's time to get the job done!" This is a game with a work ethic. Kids can go to the barn, where blueprints and Tonka Joe will help them build skateboards, roller coasters, and even computers. Then there's the storage shed, where kids can create sculptures. There's also a tree house with three simple games, and a cellar for free-form tool-time chaos. However, the real "get the job done" place is the pickup truck. Click on that and Tonka Joe drives kids out into the country, where all kinds of problems are waiting to be fixed with that handy virtual toolbox. Boy Scouts should get community service badges for playing this game.

This Windows-only program is great for showing kids how things are built, teaching sequencing, and building spatial skills. And kudos should go to Tonka for not turning the Tonka Workshop into a big fat ad for their toys. (Ages 3 and older) --Anne Erickson

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hours of creative fun !!, August 24, 2009

By 

mbbookworm (Knoxville, TN) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

My daughter loves this game. From the ages of 4 to 7 she has enjoyed the building and fixing projects, finishing them with different color options. It helps in learning to following directions and think logically. She really felt like she was using real tools to make the projects. She's not ready to get rid of it yet !

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Computer Game Ever-For Toddlers, January 9, 2012

By 

Shteve - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tonka Workshop Playset (CD-ROM)

Along w/ Tonka Dig'n Rigs, this game has provided hours of fun for both my sons. My oldest played Dig'n Rigs avidly from age 4 to 7. We lost the disc & bought a new game for my other son's 5th birthday- for Xmas he got Workshop & he loves both of them. they are a great way to introduce a child to the computer when they're not ready for mouse & keyboard work. Just hope that all available units haven't been bought by price-goughers. Have seen it at $149.99- whew! 40 TO 60 bucks is plenty.