5 stars (School Zone does it again!) - School Zone's Spelling Puzzles CD-Rom is an excellent home teaching aid. It features 30 different spelling worksheets. The program grades the child's work, tracks the child's progress and allows the child to correct answers. The worksheets are interspersed with humorous cartoons of 'cheerleaders' doing victory dances and making encouraging comments. In between worksheets, the child plays one of three computer games. My child became very excited about this program and completed the worksheets at a single sitting. I am duly impressed -- this CD is very well done. School Zone should be proud of itself. The worksheets themselves are very similar to the printed paper worksheets used in first grade classrooms. My son shows almost no interest in the paper worksheets handed out at his school but eagerly attacks School Zone's electronic version. This proves, once again, that inspired packaging and presentation make a difference.
4 stars (Fun program) - This game is really fun. It's not particularly deep, but it gets kids practising spelling and reading in a very exciting (not overstimulating) environment. The game contains sets of 30 worksheets that kids fill in, and they get rewarded with games (that are hard to master, but the challenge is actually motivating). Good, especially for the price, and there's a workbook included with the CD-ROM. |
