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Barbie As Sleeping Beauty

Mattel
Mattel What's Her Face

Knowledge Adventure

What's Her Face is an up-to-the-minute software package that brings the new fashion dolls from Mattel to life for the first time. Join the friends Hip, Glam, Cool and Sweet as they star in a new TV Show "Ultimate Adventures".
Choose two friends and help them to select fabulous wardrobes and favourite fashion looks from tops, trousers, footwear, and accessories. Do their hair and make-up, seek out exciting locations and decide where each adventure takes place: will it be a beach in Hawaii, a hot new disco, or a faraway jungle? You can decorate the scene with funky props-sandcastles, balloons, kittens, trees, fireworks and much more. As each episode begins, direct the actions and begin to add music.
Give your stars a voice by recording your own voice using a microphone (not included) or there is pre-recorded dialogue available for use. Once all the preparations are complete, get your What's Her Face friends into action: roll the cameras and complete your episode so your friends and family can be treated to a world premiere.
Accompanying the CD-ROM is an excellent, black-and-white pamphlet that explains everything in great detail. It is well set out and easy for adults to follow, but it may be necessary to give guidance to younger users. Creative children will love this CD, and without knowing it they will greatly enhance their PC skills while playing the game: creating adventures, making choices, clicking, highlighting, typing and so on. Suitable for children aged 5 years plus (though a good deal of help and guidance will be required for the youngest) this is a package aimed fairly and squarely at girls: not a bad thing, as this is the age group many girls leave the PC to boys, in favour of other pursuits. --Susan Naylor
Barbie Jewellery Designer

Mattel
Barbie Cool Looks Fashion Designer

Mattel

If your child loved Barbie Fashion Designer, this upgrade will be a definite hit. Running along similar themes, it allows children to choose outfits for their real and virtual Barbie (and friends) dolls. Once the doll has been chosen, the next decision to make is where they're going ... shopping, office, beach, and so on. Then the serious work begins-assembly in the dressing room.
Once an outfit has been assembled and accessorised, it can be viewed on-screen, modelled by Barbie, or it can be printed out on fabric paper, meaning kids can make real clothes for their doll. (All necessary assembly items are included, even the now iconic Barbie shoes).
Teaching your children to be creative, Barbie Cool Looks Fashion Designer doesn't really develop beyond its obvious function of dressing dolls, but it does teach children to follow instructions, and the upgrades give them more to go at than before. A definite improvement, and perfect for ensuring though Barbie may have nowhere to go, she will always be dressed up! --Lucie Naylor
Barbie Digital Makeover

Mattel
Barbie Pet Patrol

Mattel

Forget the kitty litter, all-hours dog walks and outrageous vet bills; Barbie Pet Patrol features some of the most realistic, adorable animals we've ever seen in a computer program--and without all the work involved in owning a real-live pet. Visit Barbie and her little sister Stacey at the Pet Rescue Centre, where you'll wait for rescue missions, explore in the playrooms, or tend to pets in the Care Centre.
Rescue missions come in over the phone or via e-mail; after learning which pet is missing where, travel with Barbie on her scooter to one of three different environments in which to search for one of eight lost pets. In many missions, you'll have to use your wits to work out how to entice scared animals to come to you, or how to retrieve pets trapped in trees or other sticky situations. If you get stuck yourself, Barbie's full of helpful hints to send you on the right direction. With each successful mission, you'll receive a printable Paw & Purr Award that hangs on the PRC wall.
Rescued pets come back to the Pet Rescue Centre with you and Barbie to wait for their owners and receive a little TLC. Nurse them back to health in the Care Centre, where you'll give recovered pets water, treats, vitamins--even baths and brushings; sometimes you may also need to bandage a hurt leg or pick burrs from ruffled fur. After creating a file for them in the computer and giving them a name you select from a list of suggestions, the animals go to one of two playrooms to wait for their owners.
In the meantime, you can play with them, plus all the other pets already in the playroom--a kitten, bunny, hamster, puppy and even a turtle--in what is perhaps the best of the game's activities: petting! Select which animal you'd like to pet, then use the cursor to stroke an animal's head or back, or perhaps scratch her under the chin. The animals respond to your attention as they might in real life, by licking, rolling over, purring or barking. It's the next-best thing to a romp in the park with a real-live kitten or beagle.
There is a related game for each kind of animal--Kitten Keepaway, Puppy Treat Toss, Hamster Trail, etc.--and if you do well enough, you'll see the animal do something especially cute. A few of the games test children's logic and spatial aptitude, but mostly they challenge players' mouse mastery and hand-eye co-ordination; a speedy "click" finger yields frequent success.
Our only complaint: once players have completed all eight rescue missions and the activities in the playrooms, there's not a lot more to do. It's always fun to pet the animals, but it's not likely to hold kids' attention for frequent replay. That said, this graphically rich program is a real treat for any animal lover. We plan on keeping this game around for those moments when we really wish we had a dog around. (Ages 5 and up) --Leah Ball, Amazon.com
Barbie Magic Fairy Tales: Barbie as Rapunzel

Mattel
Barbie Riding Club

Mattel
Hot Wheels Custom Car Designer

Mattel
Hot Wheels Stunt Track Driver

Mattel
Caterpillar Construction Zone with Keytop Controller

Mattel

Got anyone in your house fascinated with construction work? Here's a chance to operate those exciting giant machines--and save the day while doing so! After customising your hard hat (safety first!), head off to the training yard where you've got your pick of six different big machines, from Excavator to a Lexion Combine. You can practise here as long as you like (we found the forestry swing machine the trickiest, for example).
With simple-to-use controllers, most infants won't find the movements problematic. After you've completed training, the real fun begins--click on the job board to receive your first assignment. As you complete each job, they get more complex--complete several to fulfil a bigger mission like "feeding a nation" or "preventing a natural disaster"!
The graphics do a great job of showing what shiny-clean big machines look like. Realistic construction vehicles coupled with the chance to save the world ensure that children will enjoy this software. As an added bonus, you'll finally know all the right names to call each type of machine when you pass them at a real construction site! --Jill Lightner
Rugrats Mystery Adventures

Mattel

While it can't be considered educational or particularly redeeming (the babies' grammatical errors are amusing, but atrocious), there are few games that are as utterly addictive. This game is terrific, borrowing from adult-oriented games to include lengthy movie-like introductions for each mystery.
Kids get to play various games to win candy bars to be used as bribes for schoolyard informants. The games are simple enough, although the decision to use the arrow keys--rather than the mouse--means that this is a game that requires good keyboard coordination. (Children younger than six will most likely be frustrated.) There's nothing informative and no lessons to be learned in this game, it's just pure entertainment--which is why it's likely to be a household favourite.
The scenarios are witty and fun, with a little bit of bathroom humour that will crack kids up. Detective Tommy is searching for the "poop-atrator", who is going to be sent to the "big house" (Mom and Dad's) for the "biggest time-out ever". The wordplay in this game, as in the TV series and movie, will make kids laugh, but more than that, the structure of the game itself is sound. A truly immersive experience, the well-crafted animation makes this one of the best games we've seen. The creative team behind Rugrats Mystery Adventure clearly knew what they were doing.
Barbie Photo Designer with Digital Camera

Mattel
Fisher Price Imaginext Battle Castle

Mattel
Barbie Ocean Discovery

Mattel
Fisher Price Imaginext Pirates

Mattel
Sesame Street Music Maker

Mattel
Barbie Jewellery Designer Refill Kit

Mattel
My Scene

Mattel
Barbie Fashion Show

Mattel