Alphabet Express

Description:

All Aboard the Alphabet Express

Alphabet Express teaches children ages 3-6 the alphabet in a fun and entertaining manner. Sure, the alphabet is easy to adults, but it can be challenging for children to recognize each letter, the names of the letters, and identify letters in words. Alphabet Express meets all these goals in an entertaining and thoroughly engaging way. This title reminded me of Sesame Street (tm) in its simplicity and presentation. This title offers several activities to keep the little one interested for weeks.

Activities Galore

This title offers plenty for parents who want to actively participate in educating their children. This isn't a "put them in front of the computer while I clean the kitchen" CD. For a parent to get the maximum out of this title, they need to take advantage of the assortment of activities contained in this program. For the very young children, just clicking on the letters of the alphabet and saying their name is fun enough. For the older children who can move around mouse, the on-screen coloring book is a great tool.

The List

The easiest way to describe this title is to go down the list of activities.

• Alphabet Song

  .No, this isn't the song you grew up with, but it is a song just the same. I didn't really enjoy listening to this song much and it wasn't all that entertaining, but then again, neither is Barney. After the song plays, the child can click on a letter to hear its name. I only wish they would let me interrupt the song so I didn't have to listen to the whole thing.

  Letter Scenes

  A letter scene is a picture with objects that begin with a chosen letter (objects starting with other letters don't react to clicks). A click on an appropriate object results in either a short animation or the object's name being spoken.

• Firehouse

  Firehouse is a game of matching objects to a specific letter. Match enough correct objects and the fire is extinguished.

• Coloring Book

  This is a coloring book that children can color on-screen. Fun and easy to use. The old children's game standby. Yes. A coloring book. OK, do we even need to say that a children's title includes coloring books? Don't they all? Oh, sorry, back to the review.

• Dot-To-Dot

  In this, a child connects the dots by following the letters of the alphabet to create a picture. Nicely done and suitable to younger children. They went the extra mile and reward the child with a full color image with plenty of detail once the drawing is complete.

• Mazes

  In the maze, a child must click on an object and find the letter that corresponds to the first letter of the object's name (the explanation is much more confusing than the game). Click enough objects and clear a path to the end of the maze.

  Hidden Letters

  Children view a scene and attempt to find the hidden letters. This is notable because it has 3 levels of difficulty. At its easiest level, only 3 letters must be found; at its hardest, 5 letters.

• Movies

  The least interactive portion of this title, Movies allows children to watch educational mini-movies that show cute animals and the such.

From A to Z

This is a terrific title and should become a favorite of children and parents. I strongly recommend this title to any parent with children between the ages of 3 and 6. Most of the activities are relevant for the 4-5 year olds, but it has plenty to offer the entire age range. To get the most from this title, a parent must be involved with the process. To help that along, the game includes a Parent Guide to assist parents in using the title. Included in this guide is a list of books that may enhance the learning experience. How novel- actually recommending a book instead of another computer game. For parents looking for a way to occupy their kid's time, buy a Nintendo. For parents who want to participate in the education of their children, buy this game.