AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
CHILDRENS CHOICE
BEST BETS

1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002| 2003

what's the buzz | toy chest | gold stars | keep in touch
toy report | join us | main menu

***AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 1999***

Kids adored doggie computer pal Frankie and his quest to save the carnival folk, all the while teaching young detectives reading skills at three levels of complexity. When players answered five questions correctly, they earned tickets that could buy clues to help Frankie. Meanwhile, children learned about vowel sounds, spelling, grammar, synonyms and antonyms, nouns, verbs, adjectives and other language skills. The songs on this Windows and Macintosh CD-ROM could also be played on a conventional CD player, and the program included printable progress reports and a 32-page workbook. Our testers found it "captivating".

***AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 1999***

This is an educational software program with multiple subjects and 22 interactive modules to make learning fun. Our testers enjoyed learning about our solar system, musical scales and many math concepts, such as addition, subtraction, carry over, odd and even numbers, etc. Our testers loved learning money skills (i.e. making correct change) and playing music in the jukebox. Unfortunately, testers complained that American money and geography were used throughout the program.

***AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 1999***

So good, it's scary! On this CD-ROM, players journeyed across Haunted Island by correctly answering math, history, geography, science and art questions--all offered up in spooky settings. Its eerie theme was a big hit with our testers, who had to negotiate a maze, measure out "potions" in an enchanted forest, play a grammar word game in the graveyard, match facts in the mummy's tomb, and more. No complaints about "too much like school" with this program! Playable on Windows and Macintosh systems.

***AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 1999***

With lots of goofy characters and thirteen activities, our testers found this CD-ROM, playable on both Windows and Macintosh systems, to be fantastic. As with all software in this series, it's important to have children of the appropriate age and skills use it. This software combined adventure and action with information and educational games, which had our testers investigating geography, history, math, language arts and art history (the crossword game at the museum was deemed tedious but most learned how to bypass it). All in all, kids had so much fun they didn't realize they were learning.

***AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 1999***

Oh baby! Our testers had lots of fun with this well thought-out, nicely designed CD-ROM. The software featured eight different activities teaching shapes, colours as well as cause and effect in a fun, musical atmosphere, providing a lot of variety and hours of enjoyment to children aged one year and up (manufacturer's recommended age of 9 months was too young). The graphics were colourful, clear, large and simple; a single click of the mouse resulted in an effect onscreen. Playable on both Macintosh and Windows systems.

***AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 1999***

Was kindergarten this much fun? Welcome to a child's perfect classroom, full of friendly characters and challenges. Lead by Mr. Hopsalot (a teaching rabbit), children can explore pre-reading skills, numbering, time, colours, shapes and problem solving. Colourful, realistic graphics and good quality sound make the learning experience enjoyable. Our testing families would have preferred a version with Canadian holidays and spelling. School was never this much fun!

***AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 1999***

Mr. Hopsalot is one smart bunny! In this CD-ROM game, Mr. Hopsalot gives players clues to finding the rabbit patch treasure, all the while helping kids learn to read through seven interactive skill-building games, six phonics practice activities, 32 printable activity pages, 350 phonics vocabulary lessons, six sing-and-learn songs and 27 other games and crafts. Our testers were impressed by the fact that levels of difficulty would automatically adapt, or could be customized for most activities. Plus, a handy progress report tracked children's progress. Our kids found it just plain fun. Playable on both Windows and Macintosh systems.

***AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 1999***

The cheerful animal folk inhabiting the fanciful town of this CD-ROM made reading, phonics, memory development, counting, shapes and more appealing and fun for our testers. Basic computer skills (like using the mouse) were required to fully enjoy the 10 interactive play areas, so younger kids required some parental assistance. However, our testers quickly figured out the easy point-and-click interface and all found the program delightful. Playable on Windows and Macintosh systems as well as regular CD players (eight sing-a-long songs can be heard).

***AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 1999***

Double the fun! This deluxe CD-ROM package is made up of both the excellent Preschool and Pre-K programs so popular with our testers. Children were presented with 20 activities (three levels each) as well as 18 songs, all of which teach valuable skills like alphabet, letter sounds, numbers and shapes. The lessons were wrapped up in a colourful world of animal friends who help kids build preschool basics and later advance to pre-kindergarten levels. Playable on Windows and Macintosh systems. Highly recommended.

***AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 1999***

Computer software for the diaper set! Our young testers loved being able to press any key on the keyboard and initiate an activity like singing with the animals, playing peek-a-boo, or uncovering dozens of funny characters. Still, these simple games provided playful introductions to important skills like learning the alphabet, numbers, shapes, colours, words, music and eye/hand coordination. This CD-ROM proved to be a great way to introduce kids to the computer. Playable on both Windows and Macintosh systems.

***AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 1999***

Our enthusiastic builders could create three figures - either bad-guy Cosmic Invaders or good-guy Blue Crew - to conquer the world of K'NEX. Our testers enjoyed making figures of various sizes and incorporating them into their built K'NEX models.

***AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 1999***

Start small and build 'em all! Our testers enthusiastically constructed the 20 models illustrated in the instruction booklet accompanying this colourful 175-piece set. Whether it was a pinwheel, butterfly, dinosaur, roadster or other configuration, kids found building was as simple as snapping together connectors and rods. This set, which allowed our testers to easily progress from 2-D to 3-D models, proved to be a terrific first building kit that provided hours of creative play.

***AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 1999***

Start small and build 'em all! Our testers enthusiastically constructed the 20 models illustrated in the instruction booklet accompanying this colourful 175-piece set. Whether it was a pinwheel, butterfly, dinosaur, roadster or other configuration, kids found building was as simple as snapping together connectors and rods. This set, which allowed our testers to easily progress from 2-D to 3-D models, proved to be a terrific first building kit that provided hours of creative play.