Reviews of software, tech toys, video games & web sites. for learning
Volume 15, No. 3, Issue 84

March 1 2007

Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 plus Premier Elements 3.0 Avatar: The Last Airbender (Console Version) Break'em All Charlotte's Web Storybook Creator v.1.2.9 ClickStart My First Computer ConceptDraw MINDMAP Professional Edition 4 Diddy Kong Racing DS Digital Blue QX-7 Microscope Disney XD Disney's Cinderella's Dollhouse 2 Easy Link Internet Launchpad Electronic Test Tube Aliens Fritz & Chesster's Chess for Winners Gadget I Can Play Guitar IM-ME JumpStart World Kid Works Deluxe Kidizoom Camera Las Parabolas Interactivas LEGO Mindstorms NXT Little Mermaid: Magic In Two Kingdoms, The (GBA) Made for Me MP3 Player Phil of the Future Pixie Power Tour Electric Guitar Quamble QuickCam Ultra Vision webcam Rubik's Revolution Scene It? Deluxe Marvel Edition Sid Meier's Pirates (PSP) Sims Life Stories, The (PC) Strawberry Shortcake Strawberry Land Games Tonka On the Job Totally Spies! 2 (DS) V.Flash Home Entertainment System V.Smile Keyboard V.Smile SmartBook VTech Wiz Kid Learning System Wii Play WordLaunch Worksheet Station Yoshi's Island DS Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force
When Moores Law Meets Toys
WordLaunch from Leapfrog, coming in August, page 6
Highlights from the 2007 American International Toy Fair

March 2007

CTR is published monthly in laser print and PDF formats.
EDITOR Warren Buckleitner, Ph.D., (warren@childrenssoftware.com) [WB] MANAGING EDITOR Bobbie Nester (bobbie@childrenssoftware.com) REVIEWERS Deena Cassella [DC]

Lessons from Silly Putty

SOFTWARE LIBRARIAN Lisa Della Fave (lisa@childrenssoftware.com)
This year at the recent American International Toy Fair, I wandered by an exhibit of classic toys put together by the Strong Museums National Toy Hall of Fame (http://www.strongmuseum.org/NTHoF/NTHoF.html).
CIRCULATION & CONFERENCES Chris Grabowich (chris@childrenssoftware.com, 800-9939499)
Inside a set of showcases was a collection of classic toys like Slinkies, Silly Putty, Crayons and Lincoln Logs. It was fun to watch how people reacted to these classic toys, as they undoubtedly brought up fond play memories.
As we evaluate the merits of the new technology-based toys, starting on page 5, it is useful to think about why some toys are noted to be timeless classics today. Take Silly Putty, for example a flexible, durable open-ended substance that can tranfer newsprint, snap when quickly pulled into a string, take the shape of a container or bounce when made into a ball. Or the Slinky; a simple spring that could walk down the stairs, or make fun sounds when pulled tight. Both are incredibly simple to use, yet they can do complex things. We must always ask ourselves if microprocessors contribute to or perhaps even take away from the sense of childhood empowerment offered by some of these classic toys. I wonder if any of the products in this issue will someday be in a showcase 50 years from now. We hope you enjoy this issue. Sincerely,

Digital Blue QX-7 Microscope: A better computer microscope (finally)
This is the long-awaited update to the QX line of computer microscopes. We've been told that this QX-7 will have 1.3 megapixel resolution with the ability up to 300x. In addition, a new $150 "Pro" version will come with an AC adapter, a 3 megapixel camera, an SD card slot, and metal finish. Both ver-
* Moores Law: In 1965, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore famously noted ".(T)he first microprocessor only had 22 hundred transistors. We are looking at something a million times that complex in the next generationsa billion transistors. What that gives us in the way of flexibility to design products is phenomenal." His prediction, called Moore's Law, states that the number of transistors on a chip doubles about every two years. http://www.intel.com/technology/mooreslaw/index.htm 4
Two guitarsTwo Very Different experiences
Power Tour Electric Guitar (Tiger/Hasbro) Featuring styling by guitar maker Gibson, this is the best pretend guitar to date based on first impression. It uses a touch sensitive fret board and motion sensing strumming area, making it easy to pretend to be a rock star so you can play classic songs like "Frankenstein." Unlike I Can Play Guitar (right), it is easy to have a powerful first experience. As you run your finger along the fret board, your fingertips cause each of the 14 note regions to light up and play an associated note. There are no actual strings which makes the process very simple. To bend a note, you simply shake the guitar, and motion sensors change the pitch. The sound comes from an internal speaker, or sound can be exported to any speaker system. There's a tutorial mode, so that if the player gets the segment wrong, the guitar will play back the example a little slower. This cycle will continue until the segment is mastered. There are four modes: metal, punk, rock or indie. Runs on four AA batteries. There's an extra (optional) $50 amp. Coming in August. Details: Tiger Electronics (Hasbro), www.hasbro.com/tiger/. Price: $70. Ages: 10-up. Teaches: music, the mechanics of playing the guitar, rhythm. I Can Play Guitar (Fisher-Price) You really cant compare this guitar with the Power Tour Guitar. Based on the same teaching principle as last year's Learn to Play Piano, this toy guitar plugs into the AV ports of your TV, and runs on batteries. Instead of strings, the fret

V.Smile Keyboard & SmartBook: adding more functionality to the S.smile
Net Jet: Turning the Internet into a limitless hard drive
VTech Wiz Kid Learning System
Children slide one of 40 page-sized activity cards into a holder. They can then touch the page to hear words read aloud or pictures described. The pad can be connected to a computer to play activities, have their progress tracked, or print new sheets. Software includes Wondertown Whizware, a focused reading program. Additional software titles cost $20 each. It runs on batteries; no TV required. Details: VTech Electronics North America, www.vtechkids.com. Price: $50. Ages: 3-6. Teaches: reading, logic, counting, math. By combining tangible magnetic letters with TV graphics, Leapfrog's new WordLaunch system allows children to play with word sounds, much the way they would with regular blocks. After the batteries are installed and the device is plugged into the video port on your TV, children turn on the device to see three games, built around 300 preschool and kindergarten words. The kit includes 32 letter tiles and an alphabet tray for organizing and storing the letters. There are three single-session games that automatically increase in challenge as the child plays. In Bumper Cars, children put together words like "cat" and "dad." Each bumper car is a letter. In order to make the cars crash together, they must combine the correct letters to spell out words. Also, in the hardest level, a child might have to add the silent "E" to words, such as turning the word kit into kite. So can you turn a TV into a phonics teacher? Look for a review in early August, when WordLaunch is released to the market.Details: LeapFrog, www.leapfrog.com. Price: $50. Ages: 4-6. Platform: TV. Teaches: reading, spelling, phonics, letter recognition. % 6
WordLaunch: Phonics exploration on the TV
Smart Cycle: stretching the definition of TV toy
Squawkers McCaw: Hasbros latest living robot
Following last years success with Butterscotch the robotic pony, Hasbro has announced several new furReal robots includ-

MARCH 2007

Break'em All

Feature Reviews

Ease of Use Educational Entertaining Design Features Good Value

ESRB Rating: Everyone

This is a complex breakout-style game with a wide variety of game play options, including a multiplayer mode for up to eight other players. Breakout is one of the oldest forms of a video game; an evolution of "Pong" where you use a paddle to deflect a bouncing ball. Each time the ball hits a brick, it breaks earning you points and extra time. The game can be addicting. This version offers three modes of play, each with a complex number of settings (up to five must be selected prior to starting a game). There's a wide variety of setup options, including the size of the paddle, speed of ball, laser, bomb, etc. For example, in Survival Mode, you must choose between a single player game or play two to eight players through wireless hook up. During this mode you need to dodge balls and try to protect your paddle. This is a challenging process that is not easy to setup. As a result, it is not a good choice for younger players. The best parts are the power ups, which add variety to the game, and the wireless game play options. High scores are saved, but games are not. A new game is started when the system is turned back on. Developed by Warashi for D3Publisher. Details: D3Publisher of America, Inc., www.d3publisher.us. Price: $20. Ages: 10-up. Platform: Nintendo DS. Teaches: puzzle solving. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 3.4 stars. Review date: 6/28/2006. [DC]

FEATURE REVIEWS, MARCH 2007

Diddy Kong Racing DS

This true-multiplayer adventure racing game is playful and fast-paced, and was quickly crowned (to quote 11-year-old Colleen), ".the best DS racing game ever! Soooooooo much better than Mario Kart!" Now if you've ever played Mario Kart, you know this is a pretty strong statement. One reason is that it is so easy to succeed, plus there's a lot of variety in the tracks, and interesting characters to talk to. Players can use the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection to go online and race against up to five other players from around the world. The game also features an eight-player multi-play mode, by way of the DS download play option, or via local wireless play. Content includes 38 tracks, including four new tracks that were not in the N64 version. There are also three different vehicle types: cars, hovercrafts, and planes, with plenty of customization options. Comments from Daniel (age 7): "I love this game and would definitely buy it. It's the best racing game for DS." Details: Nintendo of America, www.nintendo.com. Price: $35. Ages: 6-up. Platform: Nintendo DS. Teaches: racing, spatial reasoning, problem solving, classifying, planning, fine motor. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.6 stars. Review date: 2/8/2007. [WB]
Ease of Use 9 Educational 8 Entertaining 10 Design Features 10 Good Value 9
ESRB Rating: Everyone, Mild Cartoon Violence
Disney's Cinderella's Dollhouse 2
Beautifully illustrated but loaded with narration that can't be skipped, this royal Educational adventure asks children to help the Fairy Godmother decorate Cinderella's castle, in this Entertaining follow-up game to Cinderella's Dollhouse. Children begin by visiting a village where they select what should be decorated first. They can visit the Floral Shop to select flowers, Design Features vases, garland, ribbon, or potted plants. The Print Shop is where children can make the Good Value invitations. The Bakery Shop is for decorating the cake, and The Palace has many rooms ESRB Rating: Everyone to explore and help prepare for the wedding. You can save at least ten of your designs for the wedding celebration and visit them at any time from the main menu. The graphics are great, and the narration is right out of the movie. Once the decorating was complete, however, it was unclear how to see it at the celebration. But the biggest problem with this game is all the narration, which can't be skipped. If your child has the patience and enjoys the Cinderella theme, this is a good title to borrow at the very least. Details: Buena Vista Games, www.buenavistagames.com. Price: $20. Ages: 4-6. Platform: Win XP. Teaches: creative play, matching, patterns. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4 stars. Review date: 8/7/2005. [DC]

Ease of Use 9

LEGO Mindstorms NXT
Back in 1998, the LEGO Mindstorms robotics kit set the standard for children's programming activities, both at home and at school. Lego Mindstorms NXT is a major upgrade to the original kit. While the function to build rolling or crawling robots is similar, the technology in this kit is much more powerful, due to the battery-powered, BlueTooth-enabled, 32-bit NXT controller brick. Using a graphical programming language, children can first program their robot on a PC or, for the first time, on a Macintosh and then transfer the code to the computer, thanks to the Bluetooth or the USB 2.0 cable. The kit has 519 parts, including three interactive servo motors with rotation and speed sensors, a movement detector, a sound sensor that can react to patterns or tones, an electric eye that can discriminate between colors or light intensity, and a touch sensor. For more information, visit www.mindstorms.com. Each kit costs $250, with group discounts available for schools. Details: LEGO Americas, www.mindstorms.com. Price: $250. Ages: 10-up. Platform: Windows XP, Mac OSX. Teaches: logic, deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, problem solving, spatial reasoning, classifying, mathematics, programming, instrument use, taking things apart, building, planning, organizing activities, reviewing, evaluating, working cooperatively, interpersonal problem solving, fine motor. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.6 stars. Review date: 1/5/2006. [WB]
Ease of Use 8 Educational 10 Entertaining 10 Design Features 9 Good Value 9

Phil of the Future

With a theme straight out of the Disney show, this is an explore-and-shoot game, Educational featuring 15-year-old Phil. In the story, Phil and his family are stuck in the present time. Entertaining Players must overcome numerous obstacles and challenges to help Phil and friends capture the "blahs" using dance moves, laser guns or agility to avoid trouble. Along the Design Features way, there are 20 new gadgets to find that are saved on the cartridge. There's a lot of Good Value reading in this game. For example, for every move that a character makes, there are as ESRB Rating: Everyone many as 10 screens of print representing dialog between Phil and his father. This wasn't an action game of constant playing. There are a series of Mini-Games to be played that are more arcade-like but other boards need to be completed before playing them. If you are familiar with the show, then this game may be more appealing to you. Otherwise pass. Developed by Handheld Games Corp. for Buena Vista Games and based on the popular Disney show of the same name. Details: Buena Vista Games, www.buenavistagames.com. Price: $29.99. Ages: 6-12. Platform: Game Boy Advance. Teaches: some logic, reading, problem solving. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 3.5 stars. Review date: 10/10/2006. [DC]

Looking for a solid drawing program for Mac or Windows computers? Pixie is a classroom friendly, no-gimmicks creativity drawing tool that will work well in a school setting despite a few rough spots (described below). You start with a blank page, surrounded by icons for text, paint brushes, an eraser, lines, shapes, fill, an image scrambler, an eyedropper for sampling colors and a smearing tool for blending colors. There are 256 color options displayed on the bottom of the screen along with a library of stickers that can be dragged onto the picture and resized. Each option is also available as a standard drop down menu, which is nice. To add text, you first select the text insertion tool which creates a text box on the screen, that can be edited at any point. We liked how it is possible to go back and reposition text and sticker elements. It is also possible to record sounds with a picture, if you have a microphone. Importing JPG photos for altering is easy, and you can also export work in five common formats, including JPG and BMP. So this is a versatile graphics utility. Weaknesses include some sluggishness when switching between menu items on the Mac OSX version, and there are no text-to-speech options. Also, when you resize a brush using the slider bar, the process isn't WYSIWYG. In other words, there's a bit of guess work involved which adds to the complexity of the interface. Missing also are advance art features such as different textures. Like early versions of KidPix, this program makes it easy to make slide shows out of children's work, and there's a nice variety of classroom ideas. For example, if you are focusing in on the Science Curriculum, you may want to choose Nutrition. Your background picture will be a place setting and then children can choose nutritional food from the sticker gallery. All in all, this could be a useful classroom tool. We tested both the Mac and Windows versions, with no glitches. Details: Tech4Learning, Inc., www.tech4learning.com. Price: $45. Ages: 5-10. Platform: Windows XP, Mac OSX. Teaches: creativity, art. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.3 stars. Review date: 11/27/2006. [DC]

This is the first release in a new line of standalone games called The Sims Stories that is designed with more flexibly, for play on a variety of platforms. Again, let us repeat -this is not an expansion pack, although the design is very much like the other Sims 2 products. Our testers found the game to be just like a regular version of the Sims. Some liked the idea of an external story, but most wanted the standard Sims open-ended format. The game features two themes. The first features Riley, a young adult who is starting a new life with new friends. The second features Vincent, high tech whiz who's unlucky in love. The game also features a Classic mode which lets you create your own Sims' stories. As in other Sims, it is up to you to create their Sims, design their dream homes and tell their stories. There are two different tutorials for either the novice or experienced player, and the game also features a new Auto Save function so you can start and stop anywhere, making it easier to play on the go. All in all, this is a nice addition to the Sims lineup. Parents, take note that while there is no explicit or bad language, there is no shortage of implied sexual relationships, as you might expect in an open-ended simulation of a young adult's life. Details: Electronic Arts, Inc., www.ea.com. Price: $40. Ages: 12-up. Platform: Windows XP. Teaches: creativity, logic. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.4 stars. Review date: 2/21/2007. [WB]
Sid Meier's Pirates (PSP)
Ease of Use 8 Educational 8 Entertaining 10 Design Features 9 Good Value 9
ESRB Rating: Teen, Violence, Sexual Themes, Crude Humor
Strawberry Shortcake Strawberry Land Games
Designed for younger children, this game features a cast of dessert-theme characters (Strawberry Shortcake, Pupcake and Blueberry Muffin) in a variety of games that focus on the value of friendship. Children play as one of the characters, moving them down a cookie path toward four event fields where they can play games such as Black Licorice Leap and Berry Boarding, as well as complete three activities and mini-games. Black Licorice Leap has children clicking and dragging licorice drops onto a pond so their virtual cat or dog can hop from one to the next until it reaches the other side. Berry Boarding requires them to get to the bottom of Sundae Mountain as quickly as possible while doing snow board stunts. Children need to zigzag, speed up and slow down. Courses become more difficult as they progress. There is also a two-player version of Berry Boarding using the WiFi multiplayer function. The timed Berry Cherry mini-games are easier, rewarding children with a number of tickets depending on how well they do. Berry Tap has them tapping strawberries as they pop out of holes in the ground (similar to Whack -A -Mole), and Berry Bounce requires them to tap a sequence of berries represented on the top screen. Note that the berries don't have to be tapped in the same sequence as they appear, making the game easier for young players. Berry Tiles lets children move Pupcake over 16 tiles so that they all match. The earned tickets can be used at the Dessert Booth to whip up treats that will reenergize their character during game play. We liked the fact that the Berry Cherry Games were simpler for younger players, while the other games began at easy levels that progressively became harder allowing both younger and older children to participate. The characters and content are wellmatched to a five- through eight-year-old audience, but note that reading is required throughout the game. Children will need to be able to read words like "bouncing", "location" and "activity" if they are using the game on their own. Also, as you might expect from any Strawberry Shortcake-licensed product, the instruction booklet smells like strawberries! Details: The American Game Factory, Inc., www.gamefactorygames.com. Price: $30. Ages: 5-up. Platform: Nintendo DS. Teaches: logic, problem solving, counting, patterns. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.1 stars. Review date: 11/27/2006. [AH]

Tonka On the Job

This one-player GBA cartridge looks fun, but unfortunately employs a clumsy control scheme that requires reading, potentially confusing younger players. Your mission is to drive one of 15 tiny construction vehicles through a maze of roads or construction sites to dig, dump and demolish. In Job Mode, players must control the vehicles and finish the jobs they start (creating a trench, digging foundation, etc.). In Sandbox Mode players have access to all of their favorite vehicles for unlimited construction and destruction in dirt yards, cities, gravel pits and forests. Players can save the day by putting out yard fires, rescuing injured workers and hauling vehicles out of the crew's way. The menus require reading, and are not easy to figure out. For example, the game uses a password save system, with passwords like 030VCG8T1S. Still, once you master the first few levels, the game could be potentially be fun. Even one of our 18-yearold testers found it to be interesting. Designed by Webfoot for THQ. Details: THQ, Inc., www.thq.com. Price: $20. Ages: 5-up. Platform: Game Boy Advance. Teaches: spatial relations, some problem solving. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 3.8 stars. Review date: 1/2/2007. [WB]
Ease of Use 8 82% Based on the same-named Cartoon Network animated show, this challenging game Educational 7 allows children to play as one of three female high-school secret agents (Clover, Alex or Entertaining 9 Sam) trying to complete missions and defeat the evil Geraldine. Operating out of a secret room under the Beverly Hills High School, the girls are Design Features 9 equipped with gadgets such as a Laser Nail File and a Wind Tunnel 9000 LaserGood Value 8 Tornado Blast hair dryer to help them complete their missions. For example, when ESRB Rating: Everyone 10+, Cartoon Violence their adversary, Geraldine, unleashes a tornado, you have to run from it and jump over debris while waiting for your hair dryer to charge so you can blast it. On another mission, you have to dissect a flower by dragging its seeds through a maze in the body of the flower without touching the sides of the maze. After you complete one such maze, a more difficult one replaces it until you have dissected all the flowers. Our 11-year-old tester found Twister Sisters and Guard Distraction to be two of the most challenging mini-games because they require you to do several things at once. For example, in Guard Distraction children have to tap on icons (such as a telephone), while simultaneously blowing into the microphone to activate it and watching the screen to make sure the guard doesn't see them. At the end of the mission, they have to answer five questions in the Confessional quiz, requiring them to hold the DS sideways. There are five missions to complete, each containing four mini-games with enough space to save three of the games. Fans of the series will probably want to pick this one up. There is enough variation in the mini-games to keep it interesting, and all the buttons are used in clever ways. There is also a two-player wireless DS (single-card) download option. Our gripes? We didn't like the fact that all three girls look more like Charlie's Angels than normal high-school students, and some of the gadgets leaned toward the ridiculous rather than clever. We felt that the gas mask that looks like a stuffed teddy bear is a bit much. Developed by Mistic Software, Inc. for Atari. Details: Atari, inc., www.atari.com. Price: $30. Ages: 8-up. Platform: Nintendo DS. Teaches: logic, memory, problem solving, patterns. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.1 stars. Review date: 11/29/2006. [AH] Ease of Use 8 90% Nintendo's collection of nine new Wii games vary in quality, but have enough value Educational 8 to merit the $50 price tag, especially considering that an extra Wii Remote is included in Entertaining 10 the box. Each game needs to be unlocked before it can be played, which is a bit unfriendly (unlike Wii Sports). Fortunately, the unlocking process is easy, and progress can be saved Design Features 9 so this is a one-time process. Good Value 10 Each game can be played with either one or two players, and some require the extra ESRB Rating: Everyone, Mild Cartoon Violence Nunchuk peripheral. Games include: Billiards - players use the remote as a pool cue in a nine-ball game of pool (fun); Find Mii - players scan the crowds to find the right Mii (fairly fun); and Pose Mii - the player moves his Mii on the screen, rotating it and changing its pose to match the silhouettes inside the falling bubbles (not fun). The player must pop the bubble by matching its pose before the bubble hits the bottom of the screen. Other games include Tanks! players command a toy tank on a miniature battlefield in 100 missions (very fun) and Table Tennis where players rally the ball back and forth, shooting for the longest sustained rally (fun). In Multi-player Mode, players compete to score points. Additional games include: Fishing - players must catch the fish indicated at the top of the screen (fun); Laser Hockey - players move paddles on an air hockey table, trying to hit the puck past the opponent's goal (fun); Shooting Range, a target-practice game in the style of the classic Duck Hunt where players shoot down targets ranging from clay pigeons to ducks to UFOs (very fun); and Charge! - the player controls a charging cow, guiding it into scarecrows and knocking them down by holding the Wii remote like a handle bar (silly and fun). If you're getting tired of Wii sports, this is a good addition to your library. Details: Nintendo of America, www.nintendo.com. Price: $50. Ages: 6-up. Platform: Wii. Teaches: cooperative play, fine and gross motor movement, sports. Rating (1 to 5 stars): 4.5 stars. Review date: 2/20/2007. [WB] Wii Play

Ease of Use 8 Educational N Entertaining 10 Design Features 8 Good Value 8

MARCH 1, 07

New & Future Releases
V.Flash Home Entertainment System Think V.Smile for older kids and you have the idea of this new 32-bit system. This stand-alone gaming console is designed to play specially formatted educational disks, called V.Discs. Content was formed with some relationship with The Princeton Review. There are now nine titles (six at launch and three in 2007) sold for $15 each. Out testers found the games to vary in quality. While they are significantly less fun than any video game, they do a good job at embedding skills into tried-and-true arcade-like settings for a reasonable price. Note that games can be saved if you have a $15 memory card. Details: VTech Electronics North America, www.vtechkids.com. Price: $100 ($30 for disks). Ages: 6-10. Platform: V.Smile. Teaches: math, reading, social studies -- basic skills. Review date: 2/15/2006. Avatar: The Last Airbender (Console Version) Based on the Nickelodeon TV show Avatar, children play as Aang, Katara, Haru or Sokka as they develop their team's magic and martial arts skills. Children can customize their bending powers to help them master the four elements (Earth, Air, Water, and Fire) as they journey through the various nations of the Avatar world. Available platforms include: GC, PS2, PSP and Xbox ($39.99 each), PC ($19.99), Wii ($49.99). Developed by Studio Oz for THQ. Details: THQ, Inc., www.thq.com. Price: $39.99. Ages: 6-11. Platform: PlayStation 2, GameCube, Wii, Xbox. Teaches: logic. Review date: 9/8/2006. Las Parabolas Interactivas Designed for religious education, the Interactive Parables is a Windows-based game with 24 lessons from Jesus' parables grouped by theme. Children complete each lesson to win a crown. Available in English and Spanish. Details: GraceWorks Interactive, www.graceworksinteractive.com. Price: $10.00. Ages: 12-up. Platform: Windows XP, Windows 98. Teaches: Bible stories, religious education. Review date: 9/11/2006. Little Mermaid: Magic In Two Kingdoms, The (GBA) This maze-like GBA adventure lets children explore Ariel's undersea world, following a format that has been used in dozens of other GBA titles. As they explore, children encounter eight games. For example, in Defend the Ship, they try to hit Ursula's tentacles by dropping items on them. Note that reading is required. Our tester, age four, found it was helpful that there was a demonstration on what needed to be completed for each game. For example, When Ariel and Flounder were searching for treasure, Flounder became transparent, and he showed you what you needed to do to rescue the treasure. Then it was up to you to make the real Flounder do it and retrieve the treasure. No scores are kept. Once he was able to get past the intro, our tester enjoyed the games. Overall the game was fun to play, and not too difficult for young children providing they have some coaching at first. Developed by Gorilla Systems Corporation For BVG. Details: Buena Vista Games, www.buenavistagames.com. Price: $20. Ages: 4-6. Platform: Game Boy Advance. Teaches: following directions. Review date: 11/15/2006. Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force Players begin their adventure at the Duel Academy by entering one of the three dorms, Ra Yellow, Obelisk Blue, or Slifer Red. The school is holding a different tournament this time; players now have a tag team partner to help them duel. Practice dueling with your friends, find the best partner, and if you win the competition, you will be allowed use of the duel Academy Island for a day. The game features new characters, monsters and cards from the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX world, tag team wireless dueling, and also comes with three exclusive trading cards. Details: Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., www.konami.com. Price: $30. Ages: 7-up. Platform: PSP. Teaches: reading, strategy, logic. Review date: 11/27/2006.

OTHER NEW & FUTURE RELEASES MARCH 1, 07 Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 plus Premier Elements 3.0 If you know an older child that is interested in creating with digital pictures or video, you need to know about Adobe's answer to iMove and iPhoto. Designed only for Windows, this combination pack contains two powerful but complex products for photo and video editing. They are a logical bundle, because it is common to use still photos in your video productions. New features of Photoshop Elements 5.0 include the ability to convert color originals to black and whites; make customized photo creations using themed layout options for albums, postcards, scrapbook pages, and more; as well as string together a series of still photos in a flipbook that creates a sense of motion. Images can be saved in JPG, TIF, PDS, PDF, BMP and GIF formats. If you want to prepare professional EPS images in CMYK format, you're out of luck with Elements, and will need to purchase a full version of Photoshop instead. New features of Premier Elements 3.0 include the ability to edit and view your movie in a single location the Monitor window where you can drag one scene onto another to create picture-in-picture effects, trim and split clips and type text onscreen. Other new features of this package include the ability to capture a single video frame, add text, graphics, or other enhancements and then put it back in your movie for a freeze frame effect. According to the company's press materials, the process for transferring video straight to DVD has been simplified. We have yet to test all of these features. A fairly complete users guide is included in the box; one for each program. Details: Adobe Systems Incorporated, www.adobe.com. Price: $130. Ages: 12-up. Platform: Windows XP. Teaches: art, creativity, digital photography and video editing. Review date: 2/21/2007. Power Tour Electric Guitar The best pretend guitar to date, Tiger/Hasbro's stand alone Power Tour Guitar uses a touch sensitive fret board and motion sensing strumming area, making it easy to pretend to be a rock star to play classic songs like "Frankenstein." It is very easy to get started. As you run your finger along the fret board, your fingertips cause each of the 14 note regions to light up and play an associated note. Unlike I Can Play Guitar (Fisher-Price) there are no actual strings. To bend a note, you shake the guitar and motion sensors change the pitch. The sound comes from an internal speaker, or sound can be exported to any speaker system (a $50 toy amp is also sold). There's a tutorial mode that teaches twelve songs. For example, if you get a segment wrong, the guitar will play back the example a little slower, which is continued until the segment is mastered. If only real guitars had this feature! There are four modes: metal, punk, rock or indie. Coming Coming August 2007, powered by four AA batteries. Also see the Fisher-Price I Can Play Guitar and Guitar Hero. Details: Tiger Electronics (Hasbro), www.hasbro.com/tiger/. Price: $70. Ages: 10-up. Platform: Smart Toy. Teaches: music, the mechanics of playing the guitar, rhythm. Review date: 2/26/2007. Easy Link Internet Launchpad Best described as a children's Internet portal, this is a software/hardware product that bundles free Internet content. It makes it possible to direct preschoolers to pre-selected sites, like Sesame Workshop or Dragon Tales. First, you plug the cradle into the USB port of your web connected Windows computer. Three figurines come with the cradle, and others will be sold separately. There are just three characters. You can buy additional figurines for more sites. It is not clear yet how this will work with your browser, and how it will prevent children from going to other sites, but we assume there is some software that will need to be installed. There are nine websites, including Fisher-Price.com. Details: Fisher-Price, Inc., www.fisher-price.com. Price: $30. Ages: 3-6. Platform: Windows. Teaches: a children's Internet portal. Review date: 2/26/2007.

OTHER NEW & FUTURE RELEASES MARCH 1, 07 JumpStart World Like Playhouse Disney Preschool Time Online, this is a subscription-based web-delivered personalized learning system that is divided by grades (K, 1 and 2). Children can explore in a 3D park, where they find games, quests and missions. As they play, children earn badges, while their progress is recorded in a parent report. New content is available as a download each month, along with parent tips and new adventures. Activities include sorting plants, designing billboards and adopting a virtual pet to play with and take care of. Children can eventually "graduate" to the next year's level. Coming Spring 2007. Details: Knowledge Adventure, Inc., www.knowledgeadventure.com. Price: $call. Ages: 5-7. Platform: Internet Site. Teaches: math, reading, logic. Review date: 2/26/2007. V.Smile SmartBook This $30 peripheral for the V.Smile TV Learning System (not included in the price) uses a tethered stylus to let children touch pictures or words to see the animation on the TV screen. The book plugs into one of the controller ports on your television. Three book/cartridge titles include Toy Story, Spider-Man and Dora. Details: VTech Electronics North America, www.vtechkids.com. Price: $30. Ages: 3-6. Platform: V.Smile. Teaches: reading, language. Review date: 2/26/2007. V.Smile Keyboard This $30 peripheral for the V.Smile TV Learning System (not included in the price) is designed to turn your TV into a child's first typing tutorial. Note that there is a bit of controversy about the developmental level that children should be at before they start keyboarding. Other V.Smile peripherals include the V.Smile Jammin' Gym Class, V.Smile Art Studio and the V.Smile SmartBook. Details: VTech Electronics North America, www.vtechkids.com. Price: $30. Ages: 5-8. Platform: V.Smile. Teaches: typing/keyboard tutorials. Review date: 2/27/2007. VTech Wiz Kid Learning System Children slide one of 40 page-sized activity cards into a holder. They can then touch the page to hear words read aloud or pictures described. The pad can be connected to a computer to play activities, have their progress tracked, or print new sheets. Software includes Wondertown Whizware, a focused reading program. Additional software titles cost $20 each. Runs on batteries; no TV required. Details: VTech Electronics North America, www.vtechkids.com. Price: $50. Ages: 3-6. Platform: Smart Toy. Teaches: reading, logic, counting, math. Review date: 2/27/2007. Gadget Shaped like a large walkie-talkie with a color LCD screen, the Gadget combines eight gadgets into one device, for $100. It is a low-quality digital camera (.3 MegaPixels), a movie maker, an MP3 player, an FM radio tuner, and a digital recorder, with voice messaging abilities. The color screen is 1.8 inches in size, for displaying pictures. It will be interesting to see how easy the Gadget is to use. Details: VTech Electronics North America, www.vtechkids.com. Price: $100. Ages: 6-up. Platform: smart toy. Teaches: creativity. Review date: 2/27/2007. Kidizoom Camera Like last year's Fisher-Price Kid Tough digital camera, this camera also makes it possible for a younger child to shoot an endless supply of photos. The end result is low quality (.3 Megapixels), so don't expect professional results. Children can also shoot video. It stores 120 photos or five minutes of digital video on the built-in 16 MB of memory. An SD expansion slot is also available. Like the Fisher-Price camera, the Kidizoom uses a dual-eye viewfinder. Details: VTech Electronics North America, www.vtechkids.com. Price: $60. Ages: 3-up. Platform: smart toy. Teaches: creativity, digital photography. Review date: 2/27/2007.

OTHER NEW & FUTURE RELEASES MARCH 1, 07 Quamble This clever memory toy turns short phrases like "follow the yellow brick road" into a timed memory game. The console consists of five colored balls and a cradle, along with 250 common phrases stored in memory. After hearing the phrase, the words are scrambled, with each part represented by a ball. To win, you must put the balls/parts of the phrase in correct order as fast as possible. The result is a strong language learning experience. Details: Radica USA, www.radicagames.com. Price: $25. Ages: 12-up. Platform: Smart Toy. Teaches: auditory discrimination, language, listening, memory, logic, grammar. Review date: 2/27/2007. IM-ME This IM-ing device looks like a BlackBerry (with a small QWERTY keyboard and an LCD screen). It comes with a USB 900 MHz transmitter that is a bit larger than a flash drive. You first install software and then plug in the transmitter to broadcast text messaging throughout your house. In other words, your child can leave the computer, go up to his/her room and escape the prying eyes of a parent or perhaps a younger sibling. There are no additional monthly fees. Details: Radica USA, www.radicagames.com. Price: $65. Ages: 10-up. Platform: Windows XP. Teaches: writing, communication, IMing. Review date: 2/27/2007. Digital Blue QX-7 Microscope Finally! An update to the QX line of computer microscopes with some new features. We've been told that this QX-7 will have 1.3 megapixel resolution with the ability to zoom 100x larger, up to 300x. In addition, a $150 "pro" version will come with an AC adapter, a 3 megapixel camera, and SD card slot, and metal finish. Both versions feature LED lighting. Details: Digital Blue, www.playdigitalblue.com. Price: $100. Ages: 5-up. Platform: Mac OSX, Windows XP. Teaches: science, observation. Review date: 3/1/2007.