Software and Games : Software Categories : Children's Fun & Learning : Ages 9-11

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...Children's Fun & Learning

Become A Human Body Explorer

Dorling Kindersley
Play and Learn: Reading & Counting

Dorling Kindersley

Early learning through play! Simple, fun, and effective games to help children read and count. 101 games to help your youngsterread and count including phonics, number, shapes and memory puzzles. Ages 3 to 5. Windows 95/98.
Become A World Explorer

Dorling Kindersley
Learning Ladder Year 6

Dorling Kindersley

Learning Ladder Year 6 is another excellent CD-ROM from Dorling Kindersley. It's aimed at children aged 10-11 and structured so that children listen to a lesson and then carry out exercises that help to consolidate the literacy and numeracy they are learning as part of the school curriculum. This CD-ROM would be invaluable for any child in Year 6 who is preparing for their SATs.
Exercises can be done at five different levels of difficulty, so that children are challenged and continue to make progress. For every 400 points that a child scores, they are rewarded with new pictures to use with the printing machine. As they gather more pictures they can enjoy designing their own cards, invitations and labels, which can be printed out.
Children can also have lots of fun navigating around Science City and learning lots of facts along the way. For example, they can find out about animals, food chains and gravity. The progress tracker clearly shows how each child is getting on with a system of green and red lights. This would quickly show parents where more help is needed. --Amanda York
Learning Ladder Year 4

Dorling Kindersley

Learning Ladder Year 4 is a fantastic CD-ROM aimed at Year 4 children. It is structured so that children listen to a lesson and then carry out exercises that help to consolidate the literacy and numeracy they are learning as part of the school curriculum.
Exercises can be done at five different levels of difficulty, so that children are challenged and continue to make progress. For every 400 points that a child scores, they are rewarded with new pictures to use with the printing machine. As they gather more pictures they can enjoy making their own cards, invitations and labels, which can be printed out.
Children can also have lots of fun navigating around Science City and learning lots of facts along the way. For example, they can have a go at the science quiz and find out about roots, leaves and flowers. The progress tracker clearly shows how each child is getting on with a system of green and red lights. This would quickly show parents where more help is needed. --Amanda York
Play and Learn: Science Experiments

Dorling Kindersley

Play and Learn Reader Rabbit products are designed specifically to encourage your child's development. Since 1984 Reader Rabbit has helped more than 10 million children learn to reading, number and general skills. Includes multiple difficulty levels Tutor Technology with progress reporting. Windows 9x/ME/XP.
Learning Ladder Year 5

Dorling Kindersley
Art Attack Double Pack (Art Attack Original & Make It Double Pack)

Europress
Play and Learn: Writing & Calculating

Dorling Kindersley
Nancy Drew: Treasure in the Royal Tower (PC)

Her Interactive

Nancy Drew: Treasure in the Royal Tower is a captivating game--the fourth adventure in the Nancy Drew series from Her Interactive finds Nancy on holiday at an old ski lodge. But, as usual, trouble is afoot. The library has been vandalised and a violent storm means that everyone has been snowed in. You must play as Nancy to unravel the mystery.
Similar to the other Nancy Drew adventures, you get to step into Nancy's shoes and explore the old lodge to uncover clues through objects you pick up along the way and conversations with the other guests. Things heat up when Nancy learns that the lodge contains an old tower that has been sealed off. You quickly learn that the tower was brought over from France, and was Marie Antoinette's hiding place in her final months before her beheading during the French Revolution. Could Marie's famed treasure be hidden in the tower? Is that why the library was vandalised? And why is everyone acting so suspiciously?
This game gives young girls an outstanding female role model, the likes of which haven't been encountered in any other kids' games to date. Playing in senior detective mode is challenging--even for adults. It moves quickly and is satisfying enough to keep anyone playing for long stretches.
Other outstanding things about Treasure in the Royal Tower include gorgeously designed backgrounds and 3-D environments, smooth gameplay, interesting and amusing characters and the ability to use the Second Chance feature to go back before you made a fatal mistake. If you're stuck you can ask the knowledgeable audience on the message board of the Her Interactive Web site for hints or clues that might help you out of a jam. --Ara Jane Olufson
Become A Science Explorer

Dorling Kindersley

Become a Science Explorer is another excellent CD-ROM from Dorling Kindersley aimed at children aged 6-10 years old. Children will love the challenge of going on a mission and trying to become a Science Explorer.
Fizz, the helpful ball of energy, guides children around the different environments where children can carry out activities, answer questions or look at information screens. The graphics are excellent and there is a wealth of scientific information for children to find out in a variety of interesting ways. Children's learning is also cleverly extended when they're given further explanations once they have answered a question.
Children are rewarded with prizes, badges, stickers, rosettes, medals and the ultimate prize of becoming a Science Explorer. They can use their Science Workbook to make scientific observations, answer questions and collect stickers--guaranteed to turn any child into a budding scientist.
There is a range of science experiments that can be printed out and undertaken. These would be ideal for parents to go through with younger children using the comprehensive parents' guide. There are also some very good worksheets, which would help to consolidate children's learning.
Become a Science Explorer is a fantastic CD-ROM that really supports the science curriculum in schools. This would be an excellent buy for parents or teachers of children aged 6-10 years old. --Amanda York
Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion (PC)

Her Interactive

Step into the stylish shoes of teen supersleuth Nancy Drew to crack the case of the Message in a Haunted Mansion. As Nancy, you'll hang your hat in San Francisco where you've been invited to help a family friend renovate a historic Victorian home. Some strange things have been happening in the old house--could it be spirits from the past? Or just shifty characters on the make? Use your magnifying glass to search the place from top to bottom for clues. You'll find trap doors, personal papers, keys, tools--all sorts of spots and items to explore or hang onto for later use. You never know when you might need a paint scraper or crowbar to help you out of a bind. To fill in some of the gaps, talk to characters in the game and choose your responses to their questions based on what you want to know.
Play Message in a Haunted Mansion in one of two modes: new or younger players can sign in as junior detectives for more simplified play, while old pros can log in as senior detectives for serious sleuthing. Once you're in, you may never want to leave--the graphic detail of the Victorian-mansion setting is stellar. The Chinese-influenced décor is authentically and exquisitely reproduced, and many elements can be highlighted to better focus on the level of detail. Also realistic are often-overlooked touches that add a true-to-life ring, such as photos of family and friends on the wall, and sunglasses kept in the kitchen drawer. The sound effects further add to the sense of realism and heighten the air of suspense. You'll hear doors and cabinets creak open and shut, haunting cries, and loose chandeliers swaying overhead.
This title in the popular Nancy Drew interactive series is successful not just for its design and production, but for its thoughtful features that keep players hooked, even as things start to feel hopeless. When you're in a bind, you can call home for old friends Bess and George to help. And if you make a game-ending decision, simply pick up right where you left off before the terminal mistake by utilising the Second Chance feature. There's even a self-updating journal in Nancy's suitcase that records clues as you find them, to help you keep track of all the facts you unearth. And, of course, you can save your game after each session--no backtracking through clues you've already found, or conversations you've already had.
Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion takes some time to instal but once you're in the game and can see the wealth of what awaits, you'll realise that it's worth a lengthy installation. A nice improvement over previous games is the inclusion of a tutorial to explain gameplay to new users. (Ages 10 and older) --Leah Ball
Disney Learning: Adventures in Typing with Timon & Pumbaa

Softkey

Gentle jungle murmurings overlaid with Robert Guillaume's gleeful voice give the solid, well-conceived typing program, Adventures in Typing with Timon & Pumbaa, an unusual degree of appeal and staying power. While the program will have your child smacking bugs, catching grubs and scampering away from dangerous enemies, children are actually practising the same fundamental skill-based keyboard activities as covered by such adult titles as Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.
Some terrific components of this program include shadows that display which finger should be used to hit each key, a timer that counts the seconds in each two-minute game and the blissful fact that hitting the space bar will fast-forward you past the opening and closing credits. The mysterious, leafy jungle setting is delightfully alive, yet you'll probably need to turn the brightness on your monitor way up to see all the vital buttons hidden in the dark corners of the scene. Be forewarned: to truly conquer touch-typing, you need to drive those keyboard strokes deep into the body's muscular memory. Endless repetition is the only proven method for this. That means that while this program boasts five unique activities (for example, Rafiki gives "lessons" while Timon and Pumbaa play "games"), it is all keyboard practice, again and again. Kids receive encouragement with an enticing visual environment, progress reports, certificates and frequent enthusiastic comments from Guillaume but it is ultimately going to fall upon the parents to see that their children continue with this when the going gets, well, boring. Don't expect your child to see this through without your support. Stay involved and they will. (Ages six to 10) --Jean Lenihan
Nancy Drew: Secret of the Scarlet Hand (PC)

Her Interactive
Disney Hotshots Toy Story 2: Cone Chaos / Toy Shelf Showdown

Avanquest Software

Woody has been abducted by toy collector Al McWhiggin and his Toy Story pals are off to rescue him. In Toy Story 2--part of the Disney Hotshots series--the toys are camouflaged as traffic cones and you have to guide them across the road to find their kidnapped friend.
Using the arrow keys on your keyboard you can quickly move the cones to the left and right as they make their way across the busy road. The fate of the likes of Mr Potato Head, Slinky Dog and Rex are literally in your hands as big lorries, racing fire engines and cars hurtle towards you.
As the Cone Chaos game gets progressively harder, the traffic speeds up. If it gets too tense, you can always take cover at a manhole. Overall this is a quick-paced game which is easy to learn and entertaining to play.
In the second game in this title, Toy Shelf Showdown, you help Buzz take on and defeat the evil Emperor Zurg. The task is to assemble a rocket ship while avoiding hostile robots and lots of bouncing balls. This is an action-packed game with lots of different twists and turns. Buzz can stun the robots with lasers and if you run out of shots, you have to find a battery for recharging.
Both animated games are introduced by Buzz and Woody and there are good clear instructions with the title on how to play and where to get help. This is your chance, as Buzz says, to go to "interactivity and beyond." --Justin Hunt
Babyz

Focus Multimedia Ltd

Make way for Babyz! Adopt an adorable virtual kid in this amazing, playful CD-ROM simulation of child rearing from the company that brought you Catz and Dogz. Each Babyz (that's singular, too) is darling and unique--choose one of 15 to adopt or, if none of them is just right, check out their Web site with plenty more to pick from, changing every day.
You can have up to three in one house, and then the fun begins. Name your Babyz, clothe them, give them toys, feed them, watch them play in the backyard, or just give them a tickle when they look bored. The software runs both like a normally selected program and as a screensaver--if you're not careful, the Babyz will take over your screen when you're not looking!
The graphics are playful and imaginative, the costumes are cute, and the house itself is full of stuff for the Babyz to explore. The package comes with voice-recognition software so you can even talk to your Babyz--or teach them to speak. Short, simple words will start yammering back at you before long, and you'll wonder how you ever lived without a babbling Babyz in your computer. --Rob Lightner
Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned for Danger (PC)

Her Interactive

Nancy Drew has always been a great heroine, but she seemed kind of, well, stuffy. No more: Nancy gets down to the dirty work of crime-solving in the excellent and engaging Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned for Danger. Nancy's job is to investigate death threats coming to Rick Arlen, a hunky TV soap star. The plot is straightforward enough; what the software does really well is ambience: the first-person perspective puts you in the centre of the crime scenes and the inventive game design lets you pick up objects for investigation and keep notes on things you've found.
Occasionally you come across another person, and it can often be surprising. In the style of Choose Your Own Adventure, you're given a choice of questions to ask and what you choose affects what you learn. The people seem a little stiff in conversation (and, to be honest, in the graphics), but in a strange way, it helps increase the creepiness factor--an uptight verbal response makes sense, considering subjects are being interviewed about a serious crime.
There's real excitement in finding key elements and extracting just the right piece of information from an unwitting witness. Nancy Drew, first created as a female version of the Hardy Boys in 1929, has weathered fashion and tastes well through the work of Her Interactive. Girls who are too old for "kids' stuff" will find that Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned for Danger can help fulfil their need for adventure. --Jennifer Buckendorff
Sabrina The Teenage Witch: Brat Attack

Vivendi Universal

Help your favourite teenage witch recover the Beanie of Ultimate Power in Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Brat Attack, a magical adventure game. It all starts with a package that should have been delivered to someone else. In it is the all-powerful propeller beanie, and Sabrina's cat, Salem, gets locked in a cage when her cousin Amanda decides she simply must have that hat. It's Sabrina's job to recover the cat and the hat from the Other Realm and defeat Amanda and her brat pack.
The "Labtop" contains all of Sabrina's spells, and throughout the game, you can store new magical ingredients and spells for later use. Also, make sure to stock up on plenty of energy along the way or you could get sent back to Limbo in the laundry cupboard!
There's five different worlds to explore: Sabrina's house, the Spelleria, Amanda's Arena, Mars, and Sabrina's high school. If your own teenage (or preteen) witch enjoys the television show and has fun solving mysteries, this game should be right up her alley. It's not every day a girl gets to blast her enemies away merely by pointing a finger. With Sabrina at her side, we bet she'll find this problem-solving adventure game truly... spellbinding. --Jill Lightner
Catz 5

Focus Multimedia Ltd

If you're not able to own a real pet, especially a Cat or a Dog then Catz 5 could be the answer! Adopt a virtual pet, let it live in your PC, run across your Desktop, let it visit faraway Playscenes or play at home in the kitchen, backyard or salon, or create your own tailor-made Playscenes.
You can feed it, play with it, love it and breed it. Adopt as many as you like, but you must take care of them all--neglected Catz run away and then you're in trouble. Did you know Catz have tails to help them balance? That their fur is soft to keep them warm and encourage owners to pet them? They have large, expressive eyes, twitching whiskers and they have agile paws for jumping, climbing, stalking and running. Catz are little kittens when you first adopt them and then they grow up over time into adult Catz.
Although aimed at young children, this package is most beneficial if they can read, in order for them to follow on-screen directions. This program is therefore most suitable for a minimum age of 7-8 years. Installation takes a while, and help may be needed from adults as monitor settings may need to be adjusted, and it's necessary to make sure Acrobat Reader 5.0 is installed so that the excellent User Guide can be accessed. It is absolutely essential to study this before playing with Catz 5 and it is a good idea to print it out for easy access. The excellent manual makes it easy for children to understand the package.
Now comes the fun! Choose from one of 15 breeds of Catz, from Alley Catz to Tabbies, from Persians to Siamese, with all their different personalities, likes and dislikes--but don't adopt too many, as they all have to be exercised, fed, loved, medicated when sick, brushed, played with, rewarded for good behaviour and squirted with water when they misbehave. Train them to do tricks, and allow them to earn toys as rewards (balls, pillows, stuffed parrots and so on). If you become confused remember to click on the Help Menu Bar.
Included is a Web Fun Pack, containing Petz clipart, animations and backgrounds, all Internet-ready to enable you to create your own Web pages. This particular version contains new features, but owners of previous Catz can bring their adopted Petz into Catz 5. This is compatible with Dogz 5, allowing your Dogz and Catz to play together, to create more breeds, win more toys and, ultimately, have more fun. --Susan Naylor
Lego Creator: Harry Potter and The Chamber Of Secrets

Electronic Arts

Combining imagination, creativity and the enduring appeal of LEGO building bricks, LEGO Creator: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is an exciting CD-ROM that allows Muggles to create and build their own magical Harry Potter universe.
Explore the world of Harry Potter and master the advanced building techniques, and you can create, progress and ultimately control your adventures. Accompanying the CD-ROM is an excellent black-and-white pamphlet that should be read and fully absorbed before playing. Because of this, and the need for computer literacy, this reviewer thought the package suitable for children aged 8 years and above, though help may be needed for the less PC literate even at this age, or younger players who can't wait to get going.
Welcome to the second year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Set in three different environments--the world, the workshop and the mini-figure builder--the first things to be mastered are the gameplay controls that allow players to control the characters and the camera the game is viewed through. Next, discover portals, (magical LEGO archways that transport you to other areas of the game), collect chocolate frogs, find LEGO treasure chests, cast spells, (remember: you must have a wand) control your characters and make them fly, change the weather, create other pupils to attend Hogwarts, take snapshots--the list seems endless, but continue and complete exciting challenges and open even more play worlds.
Graphically superb, the package flows easily and is of the high quality anyone has played LEGO Creator games before would expect. With all the fun of a PC Game, and the educational content of a software package, parents should be as comfortable buying this as their children are playing it. In fact, children--beware of parental Muggles who love Harry Potter and also remember the joy and pleasure of building with LEGO, for you may have to work hard to keep them away from the controls. --Susan Naylor