Reader Rabbit's Math Ages 6-9

PC version requires:
486/66, 16 MB RAM, 20 MB hard drive, 4X CD-ROM

Mac version requires:
Power PC 66 MHz, 16 MB RAM, 20 MB hard drive, 4X CD-ROM

Description:

Reader Rabbit and Sam the Lion are lost at sea in a terrible storm, and become shipwrecked on Pirate Island. They meet Penelope the Parrot who serves as their guide (and your child's helper) on the island that is populated with lots of conniving "pi-rats". Children must help build a new boat for their shipwrecked friends by playing 9 different math activities to collect boat parts.

Three activities are arcade style and are designed to reinforce basic math facts, including addition & subtraction, multiplication & division, and inequalities. In the 6 exploratory activities, kids do such things as making pizzas for monkeys, constructing sails, and digging for treasure. They cover skills like geometry, fractions, time telling, place value, number lines, and money math.

There are 6 difficulty levels for the activities, and "autoleveling" can be kept on, or turn it off and choose your own levels! Not only that, you can adjust the speed of the arcade games. All of the activities are not accessible at the outset - activities open up as children progress, as do pirate flags which appear near the pirates' hideout and kids can click on them to hear the pirates sing. At any point during the adventure, the progress being made on the new boat can be viewed.

Features:

• 9 math activities - 3 arcade style, 6 exploratory
• Printable Math Activity workbook
• Adjustable game speeds for arcade activities
• Leveling can be automatic or adjusted manually
• Pirate songs also playable on audio CD player
• Practice mode option
• Progress report
• Bonus CD: Interactive Math Journey 1-3

Technical Aspects:

This game installed easily and we didn't encounter any technical problems. The graphics are cartoon-style and bright.

Report and Conclusions:

This game is loaded with nice features. I like the fact that it contains some arcade games that often appeal to this age group, but their speed can be adjusted so that it's not just a game of reflexes. Kids who don't have as much hand-eye coordination don't have to be penalized. There is a mix of 3 arcade activities and 6 exploration activities that are unhurried. This seems to be recognition of the need for some drill and memorization to reinforce basic math skills, but also the need for children to explore and experiment in order to understand math concepts. There are plenty of motivators throughout the game, including printable certificates, game points and rankings, watching the new boat being built, as well as pirate songs. The fact that autoleveling can be turned on or off is wonderful, and the 6 levels of difficulty provide a broad range.

We printed out the math workbook and I'm really impressed with it! The activities are inventive and fun. We owned the bonus CD, Interactive Math Journey, before we had this game and found it to be great for exploring math concepts as a stand-alone program. Its addition makes this package all the more worthwhile. This is one of those titles that will appeal to both children and parents. When asked which game is his favorite, my 7 year old son says he can't decide - he likes them all! He is reinforcing math skills and picking up new ones as well. Best of all, he thinks it's great fun.