There's little quality software for young children these days. Of the hundred-some titles behind my desk, I'd recommend maybe four, and all of those are for older children school age or up. A new standout for the younger set is My Make Believe Castle, which is recommended for kids 4 to 7. No reading is required. You place animated characters into different castle scenes and change their behavior with icons. Put a ladder in front of the princess, and she'll climb up. A spring, and she'll jump forward. A banana peel, and she'll slip.
Too much educational software these days is like boot camp or a standardized test: do what you're told when you're told, and get a reward. My Make Believe Castle is open-ended. There are puzzles to solve like figuring out how to use the spring to get Nicky the dragon to jump on the teeter-totter to fling the watermelon at the target. Or, you just might enjoy making the king shrink and spin like a top. This CD-ROM may not teach reading or math, but it does something even better it encourages creativity, analytic skills, and giggling.
My Make Believe Castle for Mac and Windows: US$39.95. Virtual Entertainment: (800) 301 9545, +1 (617) 449 7567, on the Web at www.virtent.com/.
STREET CRED
New Wave PuritansAutomatic Friend Maker
Big Fun for Little Kids
