Reading Blaster Vocabulary Ages 9 to 12

PC version requires:
486/66, 16 MB RAM, 4X CD-ROM

Mac version requires:
Power Mac, 16 MB RAM, System 7.5.1, 4X CD-ROM

Description:

Republished as split programs in Reading Blaster 4th Grade and Reading Blaster 5th Grade.

Your goal is to become a full-fledged member of the BIA (Bizarroville Intelligence Agency) and you are given the chance to prove yourself by helping to solve a series of mysteries that have been troubling Bizarroville. In order to do so, you must play word games with the party guests at the mansion on the hill. When you are successful, you earn clues that will help solve the mystery at hand. Your Detective Kit comes complete with a map of the mansion, records, a glossary of the current word list, and adjustable difficulty levels. Your handy Detective Notebook provides a work area to collect and organize clues and contains a helpful "suspect grid" that is similar to a logic puzzle in design.

There is an activity or "game" in each room of the mansion. Match words to the correct category in the parlor, go to the living room to play "What's My Meaning?" and complete crossword puzzles in the sitting room. In the dining room, the Anagram Challenge activity requires racing against the clock to form as many words as you can using the letters of two of the words from your word list. Join the Mouse Party in the kitchen and complete sentences with vocabulary words, and move on to the corridor to play Horsing Around with Words, in which your goal is to build the longest word possible without being the first player to complete it. Once you've gathered all the clues, you can advance to the Library to meet with the suspects and solve the mystery!

A Blaster Sticker Maker is an added feature that, quite simply, involves designing then printing out stickers of goofy characters and objects. There is a choice of 4 different sizes and shapes of stickers, a large selection of colorful backgrounds and objects, and the ability to write your name or any other text on each sticker. Also included with Reading Blaster Vocabularyis a Blaster Channel that is designed to transform your computer's screensaver into an "automatic Internet news and information service for parents and children", which of course requires an Internet connection. It contains different educational games and ideas, as well as links to kid-friendly web sites, and can be updated daily with news.

Features:

• Over 2000 words for 4th, 5th, and 6th Grades
• Includes Blaster Sticker Maker
• Includes Blaster Channel - a screensaver/Internet information service
• 2 Modes of Play - Mystery Mode and Explore Mode
• Adjustable difficulty levels
• Word List Editor
• Record-keeping allows you to track your progress
• Parent Tips section full of hints and ideas

Technical Aspects:

Installation is straightforward. You will be asked whether you want to install the Blaster Channel screensaver. I had some difficulty running this feature, and couldn't find any help in the manual or in the Readme file. The first problem I encountered was a technicality - I couldn't advance beyond a certain point, and finally I realized that, in the registration process, the program didn't like my Canadian Zip Code (which includes letters in addition to numbers). When I typed in a random all-number Zip, it was accepted. When I got the service to run, I had frequent errors and freezing. When printing stickers in the Blaster Sticker Maker, remember not to use sticker sheets in a laser printer - they are designed for ink jet (bubble jet) printers.

Report and Conclusions:

I'm very impressed with Reading Blaster Vocabulary! I tested it on 2 boys, aged 11 and almost 8. As the suggested age range is 9 to 12, my son (the younger of the 2) needs some assistance to get through the game, which I am quite happy to supply. I thoroughly enjoy playing the games, and my son is learning loads of new vocabulary words and their spelling. The characters are great, and the idea of solving mysteries went over really well with both children. The 11 year old found it fun and challenging, although he would have preferred one longer mystery instead of the many mini-mysteries found in this game. It was his only disappointment, as he thoroughly enjoyed the activities, especially Horsing Around with Words. Anagram Challenge is great fun - the easy level is perfect for my son, and I even enjoy the advanced level.

The option to add your own vocabulary words is nice, but I somehow doubt I'll use it much because it is quite tedious - it requires entering exactly 20 words along with their definitions and 2 sentences that contain the vocabulary word for each of the 20 words. The Blaster Sticker Maker doesn't seem to have anything to do with the game, but it is a nice bonus and is quite popular with my son. We had too many problems with the Blaster Channel to be of much use to us, but it does seem to contain some interesting links and ideas.

This game has lots of nice options that I appreciate, such as the ability to easily adjust difficulty levels, to skip through intros and speeches, and to choose between playing the mystery or simply going straight to the activities in Explore Mode. With over 2000 words and 3 difficulty levels, this CD is loaded with learning opportunities. Kids who enjoy word games will be especially fond of Reading Blaster Vocabulary - I wish I could have played this game when I was young!