Cluefinders: The Incredible Toy Store Adventure
Reviewed by Carma Stewart
Published by The Learning Company

Age Group: Age 8 and Up
Type: Language Arts, Math, Thinking Games, Science
Price: $25

Requires: P166MHz+; Win 95+; 32MB HD for ClueFinders and 7 MB to install Adobe Acrobat Reader; 32 MB RAM; 8x CD-ROM ; 16-bit color; sound card

Description:

Joni, Owen, Leslie, Santiago, and LapTrap are off on another adventure in The Incredible Toy Store Adventure. In this series, they have been shrunk and are making their way around a toy store, collecting parts to fix an unshrinker machine. They encounter eager rats, crocodile bridges, an operatic bug taxi and other entertaining critters. Whether you are navigating the globe or sliding in a pipe organ, catapulting old tires at a load of junk or riding Taxini, ClueFinders: Incredible Toy Store Adventure offers hours of four-star edutainment.

Features:

  • Math - addition, subtraction, multiplication & division
  • Science - physics experimentation, basic ecology facts
  • Language Arts - spelling, grammar
  • Geography - navigating with maps, following directions
  • Logic - critical thinking skills, sequencing and patterns
  • Progressive Levels - tracks mastery, difficulty, and automatically advances (can be manually set)
  • Practice Mode - lets you play any of the 8 activities whenever you like
  • Demo - lets you explore other ClueFinder adventures

Technical Aspects:

Installation was so easy, our nine-year-old did it without help! As we have come to expect from The Learning Company, this is top quality and user-friendly. The settings include an option for turning on dialog boxes. Even without sound, this game would be fun and not too difficult to figure out. There is a user guide on the CD, but we have not needed it so far, nor have we needed to call for support.

Report and Conclusions:

Typical of the ClueFinders series ... FUN!!! How often have you found educational software worth its price? This program is so good your child will find exercises in sequencing, geography, grammar, spelling, and math irresistible! Our son fixed the unshrinker in two days and started a new game the third. The Incredible Toy Store Adventure also helped me, as a homeschooler, to identify specific strengths and weaknesses. ( Not only that, I found it hard to keep my hands off the mouse myself.)





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