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Skip this one

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 115 / 149
Date: October 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

My son (now almost 4) is pretty academically bright and pretty good with a computer mouse. We bought this game for him just before he turned 3 last year. What a disappointment! Now, we are a big computer game family, and our son has played a few other titles which we have loved (Little People Discovery Airport, Ollo Saves the Fair, Putt-Putt, and a few others). We loved Reader Rabbit Toddler and Reader Rabbit Baby, which were designed very well. Unfortunately, Reader Rabbit Preschool did not stack up.

As usual, the game has a creative story behind it, and there is a goal that involves collecting things. These are wonderful motivators. However, the game skill levels seem either much to easy (matching bugs) or pretty advanced (counting out just the right number of bugs to fill a rocket, including addition and subtraction as the game increases in difficulty) for a "typical" preschooler. I should add that I used to teach preschool and kindergarten, so I have an idea of what is developmentally appropriate. This game ranges from boring to frustrating with very little in between. Some activities, such as the "painting" activity at the waterfall, require very very good mouse control, as the shapes tend to be very small, and the child must click in just the right areas.

I highly recommend skipping this game. Our son is now happily playing Reader Rabbit Kindergarten (the Summer Camp one)with very little trouble.

good for preschoolers if you want them using the computer!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 59 / 69
Date: October 18, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This program doesn't teach anything special that is not easily taught outside of a computer game. Success at the game will be had most quickly if the child already knows the skills needed to play the game (see below, i.e. already knows their basic shapes). If you want your child using the computer during the preschool years then this is a safe and good bet. If your child doesn't know everything this program covers already then they are sure to learn it quickly if they like the game and are not discouraged. There is much more to phonics than this program covers, of course.

We held off introducing our son to the computer until he was almost 4.5 years old. We strictly limit what he can do on the computer and he does not use it much, sometimes going 2 months or so without using it. We purchased this program when our oldest just turned 5, at which time he already could start up the computer, open a program, change CDs and close the entire system down all by himself. I thought it best to buy an easier Reader Rabbit game and see how he likes it rather than start off with the Kindergarten or the phonics Reader Rabbit. If you have a 3 or a 4 year old (or even a 2 year old) that you want using a computer game then this one is great (see section on phonics for a possible difficult part though).

Being unfamiliar with children's computer games I was surprised that much of this is almost like a video on television, there are songs that seem to be about 3 minutes long and very graphic and long introductions to the program every time it is started and before each game. The characters on screen tell the user what to do. I was disappointed it did not come with written instructions, as when my son needed help there was nothing I could turn to. Goodness knows I am not sitting with him all the time watching him play, so I miss the already-spoken instructions for the overall game. Instructions for the mini-games that they play can be repeated by simply clicking on a certain character on the screen.

I sat down to play it as a new user and we played for over an hour. I was annoyed that the instructions are not clear. Specifically, the program has the user doing a little job to earn a gem called a brillite. They wanted 5 yellow brillites to start. We did all the jobs but there was a missing brillite. There was no instruction as to how to get this missing brillite so we re-explored every area on the program's map and began repeating jobs because we didn't know what else to do. That began earning us different colored brillites. It is a little unclear to me as to how to win this game, they say to gather brillites but we really don't know how many of each and how to exactly get them except play in a random manner repeating the games. I'd much prefer them to say "repeat all the games to earn the blue brillites in order to earn the missing yellow brillite" or some other such informative instruction.

This is truly geared for preschool age (3 or 4) or for any age that already knows the 6 colors of the rainbow, circle, square, oval, triangle, diamond shapes, if they can count to 10 and follow oral directions. The hardest part of the game, which may be difficult for preschool aged children and may cause frustration, is the phonics portion. An object comes along on a raft and there are 3 sparkle shakers above it and the user must choose which sparkle shaker (with a letter on it) represents the first letter of the object. The first go round has the word written under the object (i.e. violin) but after that round is won the object comes out without a word. Shame on them for showing a giraffe and giving both a g and a j as options! Bad choice for beginners to phonics! The user will be told if they make an incorrect choice and they can narrow it down by process of elimination. The game with the train and matching the object shape is more of a fast paced game to improve hand and eye coordination and fast mouse-usage than a true matching game-if they pick the match right after the fast changes they are doomed. On the box it says this does drawing and coloring but that is a stretch: the kids are told to paint a certain shape a certain color and they simply click once on the proper color and click once on top of the shape and it is instantly colored in. There is nothing about drawing going on there! The only math here is counting up to 10 (it is advertised as having math on it).

There is nothing offensive or questionable about this game, the language is clean, etc.

This is a fun game for preschoolers (I found it too easy for my just turned 5 year old). It is very entertaining in that it has interludes in between games and songs with a few minutes of on screen entertainment. The songs are catchy. The graphics are very good compared to the old days of Space Invaders and such!

Not horrible, but far from great

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 39 / 52
Date: December 05, 2002
Author: Amazon User

First, I loved Reader Rabbit Toddler -- I thought it was cute, suited a large range of (toddler) skills and interests, fast paced and not annoying. I can't say the same for Reader Rabbit Preschool. My 2 1/2 yr old likes the three minute music videos lauding the joys of "Spark-a-lot" -- I think they're insipid, annoying, and pointless. They're not given as a reward for completing an activity and they don't reinforce anything but the storyline. As for the storyline -- winning a complete set of brillites in order to start a fountain, rescue a ship and save the stars -- was way beyond my 2 1/2 year old.

Game play is confusing -- both for me and my son. It's very dependent on being able to listen to the directions upfront. As a parent being called in to rescue a frustrated child, I had a hard time figuring out what the goal of the game was at times. I also still haven't gotten my son to sit and listen to the directions by himself -- he just likes the games where he's already learned the set instructions like the mining game where you have to match gems of a certain shape and color. Some of the games were just too long, and most of them got old fast. I just don't see the point of counting out a set number of astronauts twenty times just so you can win a brillite. Again, if you're child already knows the skill -- counting, letters, matching colors and shapes -- then they can practice. If they don't know the skill, the game won't teach it. As is mentioned in other reviews, the game won't remove extra choices or highlight the right answer to help, it just keeps repeating the same instructions. So if your child needs more than: "You need a blue brillite." "That's not a triangle." or "Try again." than get ready to do a *lot* of helping.

As for winning the game, there didn't really seem to be a rhyme or reason to the winning of brillites and I had a hard time figuring out what they were for. One set of colors started a fountain; another color set was needed to free the ship; and I never quite figured out what the third did -- some areas of the game allowed you to use them, but I'm still not sure if the rat popping up for a couple of seconds was the sole reward. Trying to get complete sets can be frustrating as you're never told what you need to do to get them. I also don't see the point of a game you can win for preschoolers -- it's just too long of a reward delay for young, and seems to be used in place of greater variety.

It's not a horrible game or anything -- just not particularly great.

Fun program, nice songs

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 21 / 23
Date: February 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

It is quite a stretch to call this 'pre-school'. My 4 year old quickly became bored with it, and the math sequence is interminable and goes on for what seems like forever.
My 2 1/2 year old took to the challenges more readily, learning mouse skills, colors and shapes, and some basic words. This doesn't attempt to teach reading or the alphabet.
The whole story about 'Pirats' (sic) - space faring rats - is rather fun, and my kids really enjoyed the songs

OK for the younger set

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: October 18, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Reader Rabbit Preschool has 5 games and one additional game that you earn. Although there is a game that focuses on letters and sounds and one on numbers and counting, the other three are all color and shape (with patterns in the bugs game). The games allow your child to practice skills they have, but doesn't do as much to help them learn as it could. If they don't know the skill, they might get frustrated with a game. It does increase difficulty with success (more colors, patterns,...) and tracks progress. From a programming stand point, the game functioned well on my PC with Windows ME.

In Bug matching, baby bugs are dragged up to their matching parent. The bugs are irregular shapes with colors and/or patterns. The baby bug won't release unless you have it with the right parent, but it doesn't appear that the number or choices is reduced.

In Rainbow Falls the child is ask to fill a particular shape (and later a particular sized shape) with the color. If the child picks the wrong color or shape, they are told what color or shape they picked, but the program never resorts to actually showing the child what shape or color they need to pick.

The third color/shape game has the child picking matching gems in the Mining game. If they pick the wrong one, they get a horn, but no further help.

In the number game they are shown a rocket with the number and number of dots equal to the number of "sparklenauts" needed in the space ship. The child is told he has too many or too few but isn't actually told to add or remove "X" number of "sparklenauts". Every successful launch fixes a cloud, but there are way too many clouds, so this game tends to drag.

In Rushing river, an object floats down in a raft and waits for the child to choose the matching letter from the 3 choices above and shake glitter over the item. The beginning letter and object is named if you click on the object. The letter choices above are not named. If you choose the wrong letter, it will tell you that, but it never reduces your choices or gives hints.

The bonus game is has the child string movements together to create a dance.

There isn't enough variety or difficulty for my son that just turned 5. My son that just turned 3 is challenged by the letter and numbers section, but not the 3 color/shape sections. I would recommend JumpStart Advance Preschool for more variety and challenge.

Too much advertisement and lacks parental controls

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 23 / 34
Date: September 18, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I had previously purchased Reader Rabbit for baby and toddler and was thrilled with the product. However, I cannot say the same of the Reader Rabbit Preschool. This CD launches with a page that gives my [child] 6 choices of where to go. Only one is the educational program. The others are advertisements for Star Flyers, Clue Finders, Zoombinis, the Oregan Trail, and Carmen Sandiego. Each of these plays a short movie and gives my [child] the option of launching the internet to download more. I certainly do not want my child on the internet, and I did not purchase the CD so that the Learning Company could target my ...child with advertisement. I wanted him to learn something. It quickly became a fight to keep him in the educational portion of the CD. I called Broderbund, and after waiting 25 minutes to speak with a technician, was told that there was nothing that could be done. There are no parental controls. I asked to speak with a supervisor to discuss my concerns, and was told I could go to the web site and e-mail them. I would not recommend this CD.

Great for 2.5 year old new to computers

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: January 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This and Little People airport are my 2.5 year olds favorate games. She can play them herself and they seem to hold her interest much better then other software including Jumpstart preschool. She has about 10 programs and only stays with Little People and Reader Rabbit for any lenght of time.

Love Reader Rabbit

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: November 17, 2002
Author: Amazon User

My 3 1/2 yr old son graduated from rr baby & toddler to this a few months ago and it's been great. He needed help at first but caught on really quickly. I just wish they would provide a parents' manual with it because sometimes he gets frustrated because he hasn't got enough crystals to do something and I can't help as I haven't actually played the game through myself. But he now knows how to use the mouse to point, click and drag without really having been shown and without having spent hours playing - he spends maybe an hour a week on the computer.

Reader Rabbit Preschool

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: October 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is a great product. I recently bought this for my kids (twins - 3years and 6 months) and they love it. Not only has ot helped them to develop preschool skills but they learnt how to use the keyboard and mouse. The software is well layed out so the kids could easily navigate through the program. Now I only need to get the porgram started. The kids know how to navigate from there onwards.

This is a must buy for all who want to get their kids develop computer skills early whilst learning.

Preschool Best

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: June 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

My 3 1/2 year old grandson loves this program. It is great for little ones first learning to use the computer. It is sometimes hard for them to click the mouse. These programs allow them to play some games just by moving the mouse over the targeted picture.

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