Amazon Maximum Age: 4 years Amazon Minimum Age: 60 months Binding: CD-ROM Brand: The Learning Company EAN: 0772040780531 ESRB Age Rating: Everyone Format: CD-ROM Label: The Learning Company Manufacturer: The Learning Company Model: RTG3744AE Publisher: The Learning Company Sales Rank: 888 Studio: The Learning Company
Amazon.com Review: An exciting new set of learning games featuring the ever-playful Reader Rabbit and friends, Thinking Adventures provides tons of activities designed to get kindergartners mastering all kinds of important skills. The goal is to throw a party for Sam the Lion, and there's a lot to do to get ready--matching, sorting, patterning, memorizing, and problem solving all play a role here.
As always with this series, the difficulty level adjusts automatically, and there's lots of printable worksheets and certificates. Reader Rabbit is always ready with helpful hints, which is great for kids who like to play without parental assistance. This is a great accompaniment for other Reader Rabbit titles--kids love the characters, and this title is more about general learning and entertainment than other programs that focus exclusively on math or reading. Younger kids will have a great time exploring with the easier skill levels--nearly every scene has lots of fun clickables, and many games can be easily handled by preschoolers. Reading isn't necessary, but good listening skills are--more easily distracted kids may need some assistance in understanding game instructions. You'll appreciate the progress reports--and knowing in which areas your child excels or needs some extra help. --Jill Lightner
Amazon.com Product Description: Reader Rabbit and his friends need your help to throw a surprise birthday party for Sam the Lion. There are so many fun things to do, from making cookies to practicing party games. This game was designed for ages 4 to 6. The fun and learning don't stop when your child leaves the computer. Customized workbooks and printable activities travel with your child in the car or on the bus. And progress reports will help your child know which skills deserve praise or need improvement.
Learning is a journey, and each child learns at a different pace and has a unique set of abilities. Reader Rabbit's ADAPT Learning Technology constantly monitors your child's abilities, helps develop skills, adjusts difficulty levels, provides help, and tracks progress.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Takes a while to get into it
My 4.5 year old was intimidated by a lot of the activities but he really wanted to get to the birthday party so he kept at it, much to my surprise. The games are very educational and quite difficult. A parent's guidance is definitely needed for at least the first few repetitions of each activity.
I thought that the payoff came after too many repetitions, though. You have to do all 6 activities, 24 times each to get to the birthday party. It took us weeks of playing to finish. Many kids would give up long before then. When we finally got to the birthday party, I found it to be extremely anti-climactic, although my son didn't seem to think so. Also, I couldn't believe the incredible progress he had made by the end of the game.
Rating: - Too confusing for 4 years olds!
I had always heard great things about Reader Rabbit software but I was very disappointed in this one! My four year old got frustrated after 5 minutes and gave up. She found the instructions to be too difficult to understand because they were very detailed and spoken too quickly. The premise is that you're supposed to gather items for a surprise party. You need to obtain a specific amount of each item and it goes into an empty room once you gather enough for the party. You need to go to different areas to make cookies, wrapping paper etc. I don't know how a four year old could do this without adult supervision. This software will sit on the shelf until my daughter gets older. Hopefully then she'll enjoy it.
Rating: - Uninspired and dull with clunky interface
There is one part of this game where the main character enters a room that is entirely empty except for a carpet, a few drapes, and blank walls. It's like someone forgot to work on the scene. There are other parts where the animated characters do the same things over and over and over, and the tasks are extremely repetitive. Other scenes are equally dense or unimaginative. The artwork is awkward and ugly. The interface is non-intuitive, as is the flow of the story. There's also this Blob thing that lays on the ground to help you with navigation, and he's a depressing little thing.
So, this title is not recommended. Try Freddi Fish or Puttputt or SpyFox. Avoid this turkey in disguise.
Rating: - Not very impressed
My kids did not find the games very interesting and neither did I.
Rating: - The Rabbit Rules
My daughter received Thinking Adventures on Saturday afternoon and we installed it shortly thereafter. For the next three days she spent at least three hours at a time finding the various party items. The program is one of the best I have seen for children. It takes something special to keep a 5 year old glued to a computer for that amount of time and you've found it!! Thanks!
- Too confusing for 4 years olds!
- Uninspired and dull with clunky interface
- The Rabbit Rules
