JumpStart Baby with Baby Ball

Age Group: Beginners Type: Keyboard Bangers, Puzzles/Memory, Thinking Games, Music Price: $30

PC version requires:
Windows 98/98, 486/66 or faster, 2x CD-ROM, 16MB RAM, 15MB HD, SVGA 256 colors, MPC-compatible sound, Mouse, Available serial port for Baby Ball

Mac version requires:
PowerPC/100 MHz, 4x CD-ROM, 8MB RAM, 15MB HD, 256 colors, 13 inch monitor, System 7.5

Description:

Knowledge Adventure presents a whole new concept to the Baby Software world with JumpStart Baby with Baby Ball. The ball is big and sits on the desk in front of your child. Rather than clicking a mouse or striking a key on the keyboard baby pushes down on the oversized ball and gets the same effect.

Rise and shine, Teddy the Bear is waking up and wants to play. Teddy will show you his mobile and explain that each shape is a different activity they can play together. Baby simply pushes on his/her ball when the mobile shape lights up that they want to visit. The parent sitting with them may choose to have mouse in hand to navigate also. Both the ball and mouse will function at the same time allowing baby independence while giving parents the opportunity to remain in control or lend a helping click when desired.

Color Train- Click on the cupboard and an object appears that can be loaded onto a train car that it matches in color. When all three cars are full the train will roll off the screen and a new train will appear.

Let's Make Music- Teddy's on the drums, Monkey plays the flute, Bunny toots the horn and Kitty plays the violin. They've joined together, on stage, to play music.

Connect the Stars- With every click a line appears from star to star until the final connection makes the object or creature fill with color and come to life.

Puzzle Time- With a push of the ball the puzzle falls to pieces. Each push thereafter restores the puzzle a piece at a time. 15 puzzles in all.

Where's Teddy?- Find Teddy hiding in the garden or in one of the rooms of the house.

Picture Fun- Add color to black and white drawing with every push of the ball. 16 pictures to color in all.

Dress Teddy- It's raining, can you help Teddy get dressed? Children learn to discriminate between different kinds of clothing for different kinds of weather and/or circumstances.

Down on the Farm- Push on the ball as animals pop up all over the farm and listen to the sounds they make.

Features:

• Baby Ball
• Playtime Tips
• On screen words for singing
• Playable on audio CD player

Technical Aspects:

The Baby Ball plugged into an empty port in the back of our computer. With absolutely no glitches getting it up and running, installation proved very quick and easy to do. The program comes with an adapter for Mac users.

Report and Conclusions:

Within 10 minutes time she grasped several concepts: cause and effect, question and answer and began interacting with Teddy. She will sit and play by herself for 15+ minutes. She will play with her older, 5-year-old, brother allowing him to guide her on when to click and she feels like a big girl with her very own "mouse". No more fighting over whose turn it is. If daddy or I sit with her, she'll stay until one of us decides to leave; the fact that we don't have to wrestle the ball away from her, to help her, has opened up a whole new world for our peace of mind and her independence.

I am so impressed with this Ball!!! I think it would be a great asset to JumpStart Toddler also, and I would be ecstatic if it could interface with other Baby/Toddler programs as well.

If you want your baby on the computer this is the title to buy, and as far as I am concerned, it's worth more than it's $30 price tag :D