Expert Guidance on Children’s Interactive Media May 2009 Volume 17, No. 5, Issue 110 Bugsby Reading System Cate West: The Vanishing Files Circus Games Crayola Colorful Journey Curious George’s Dictionary DanceDanceRevolution Disney Grooves Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Elizabeth Find, MD: Diagnosis Mystery Emergency! Disaster Rescue Squad Excitebots: Trick Racing Faceland Free Realms Grand Slam Tennis Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Hell’s Kitchen Intel ClassMate Convertible PC Jewel Master: Cradle of Rome Kids Collection DVDs LEGO Education: WeDo Robotics LEGO Rock Band M&M’s Beach Party Madden NFL 10 Mortimer Beckitt and the Secrets of Spooky Manor NCAA Football 10 Nitro Jr. Notebook Nitro Tunes Desktop PuttingPutting thethe OMG! High School Triple Play Pack Paper Show PebbleGo APTOP PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop ““LL”” Penguin Cold Cash Professor Heinz Wolff’s Gravity Ride & Learn Giraffe Bike Rosetta Stone Version 3, Level 1: inin OLPCONE LAPTOP PER CHILD Italian OLPC SCRABBLE The Atom Powered Intel ClassMate Convertable PC Secret Saturdays Sims 3, The Step & Count Kangaroo DDR Disney Grooves, Help for Baby Animals, Curious George on an iPhone, Talking Pens and more.... Super Secret (www.supersecret.com) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 TouchMaster 2 Up! V.Smile Smartridges for 2009 One Laptop Per Doctor “Mr. Buckleitner?” My doctor peered into the waiting room, juggling a battered HP Laptop TM in one arm. The computer was clearly both a nuisance and a necessity that had earned a May 2009 proper place in the medical routine. Volume 17, No. 5, Issue 110 As the blood pressure monitor tightened EDITOR Warren Buckleitner, Ph.D., around my arm, I asked about the laptop. “It’s ([email protected]) [WB] been great,” she said. “But, I’ve been told that MANAGING EDITOR Bobbie Nester we’re getting some new tablet computers next ([email protected]) [BN] week that will let me make instant referrals.” Our test computer came with REVIEWS COORDINATOR Lisa Della MIT’s Scratch, pre-installed. Fave ([email protected]) [LD] Chances are, she’ll be getting a computer simi- lar to the one on this month’s cover — the CIRCULATION $500 Intel ClassMate Convertible PC. The big picture significance of this MaryBeth Griffith computer for children must not go unnoticed. The Classmate is one of a ([email protected], 800- growing number of six-hour netbooks that will give teachers and students 993-9499) (and doctors) the tools they need to deliver a Flash-based curriculum (keep ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONS cost $30 for the an eye on Waterford’s Central Park, as one example), Skype with colleagues, electronic issues only, $64 for electronic issues or make paperless assignments. One can easily imagine a multi-touch only with a password for the database and back “MacTablet” in the not too distant future. issues, $108 for print & electronic issues including online database access. Issues are sent monthly. Send payment to Children’s Technology There’s a lot of software news in this issue, with a first look at EA’s Fall line- Review™, 120 Main Street, Flemington, NJ up in the New Releases section, a first look at VTech’s Bugsby Reading 08822 or call 800-993-9499. Other subscription System, as well as these 12 Editor’s Choice titles: options are available, including Print, Electronic, Site Licenses and Top 100 reports. Visit Bugsby Reading System, www.vtechkids.com www.childrenssoftware.com, or call to learn Cate West: The Vanishing Files, www.destineerstudios.com more. DanceDanceRevolution Disney Grooves, www.konami.com PRODUCT SUBMISSIONS. Send two products, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, www.nintendo.com with release information to Lisa DellaFave, Excitebots: Trick Racing, www.nintendo.com Reviews Coordinator, 120 Main Street, , www.do2learn.com Faceland Flemington, NJ 08822 (Phone: 908-284-0404) Free Realms, www.soe.sony.com Intel ClassMate Convertible PC, www.intel.com EDITORIAL GUIDELINES. We want our readers Penguin Cold Cash, www.edven.com to know that there are no ulterior motives behind Professor Heinz Wolff’s Gravity, www.deepsilver.com our reviews. CTR follows a set of editorial Rosetta Stone Version 3, Level 1: Italian, www.rosettastone.com guidelines found at TouchMaster 2, www.midway.com (www.childrenssoftware.com/editorialguidelines. html). Highlights include: • We don’t sell software or profit from products Video content in this issue inclues some new thinking about Wii controls that we review. Review copies of software are with an EA designer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpdoV45NOP8. donated to Mediatech, a non-profit public technology center. Finally, for this month’s LittleClicker’s column, we explore what you should • We don’t distribute/trade or sell subscriber do if you come across a baby wild animal, a common occurance this time of information. • There is no advertising content. year. PUBLISHER INFORMATION Children’s I hope you enjoy the issue. Technology Review™ (ISSN 1555-242X) is pub- lished monthly for year by Active Learning Associ- ates, Inc. Send address changes or new subscrip- tions to Children’s Technology Review™, 120 Main Street, Flemington, NJ 08822. Use of this publication for any commercial publishing activity without prior written Your Key to 9024 Reviews permission is strictly prohibited. Your paid $64 or $108 subscription to CTR includes exclusive Readers are subject to the TERMS OF USE found at password access to the Children’s Software Finder (TM) www.childrenssoftware.com/disclaim.html database—a collection of reviews going back to 1985. If you’ve Entire contents © 2009 by Active Learning Associates, Inc. All Rights Reserved. lost or forgotten your password, please call 800-993-9499 9024 between 9-3 PM EST. 2 Directory Full and future releases are grouped by estimated developmental ability Babies & Toddlers Free Realms, www.soe.sony.com, pg. 13 LEGO Education: WeDo Robotics, Ride & Learn Giraffe Bike, www.LEGOeducation.com, pg. 19 CTR Editor’s www.vtechkids.com, pg. 21 LEGO Rock Band, Choice Selections, Step & Count Kangaroo, www.warnerbros.com, pg. 19 May 2009 www.vtechkids.com, pg. 22 Mortimer Beckitt and the Secrets of Spooky Preschool & Kindergarten Manor, www.realarcade.com, pg. 14 Bugsby Reading System, SCRABBLE, www.ea.com, pg. 22 www.vtechkids.com, pg. 8 Curious George’s Dictionary, Super Secret, www.supersecret.com, pg. 16 Cate West: The Vanishing Files, www.scrollmotion.com, pg. 9 TouchMaster 2, www.midway.com, pg. 17 www.destineerstudios.com, pg. 8 PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop, Middle School DanceDanceRevolution Disney Grooves, www.peeweepc.com, pg. 21 www.konami.com, pg. 10 , V.Smile Smartridges for 2009, Grand Slam Tennis, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat www.nintendo.com, pg. 10 www.vtechkids.com, pg. 23 www.easports.com, pg. 18 , Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Excitebots: Trick Racing Early Elementary www.nintendo.com, pg. 12 www.ea.com, pg. 18 Faceland, www.do2learn.com, pg. 12 Bugsby Reading System, Hell’s Kitchen, www.ubisoft.com, pg. 18 Free Realms, www.soe.sony.com, pg. 13 www.vtechkids.com, pg. 8 Jewel Master: Cradle of Rome, Intel ClassMate Convertible PC, www.destineerstudios.com, pg. 14 Circus Games, www.ubisoft.com, pg. 18 www.intel.com, pg. 13 Crayola Colorful Journey, Madden NFL 10, www.easports.com, pg. 19 Penguin Cold Cash, www.edven.com, pg. 15 www.cravegames.com, pg. 9 NCAA Football 10, Professor Heinz Wolff’s Gravity, DanceDanceRevolution Disney Grooves, www.easports.com, pg. 20 www.deepsilver.com, pg. 15 OMG! High School Triple Play Pack, www.konami.com, pg. 10 Rosetta Stone Version 3, Level 1: Italian Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (Wii Edition), www.legacyinteractive.com, pg. 20 www.rosettastone.com, pg. 16 Professor Heinz Wolff’s Gravity, www.nintendo.com, pg. 10 TouchMaster 2, www.midway.com, pg. 17 Kids Collection DVDs, www.deepsilver.com, pg. 15 www.organa.com, pg. 19 Rosetta Stone Version 3, Level 1: Italian, M&M’s Beach Party, www.rosettastone.com, pg. 16 www.zoogamesinc.com, pg. 19 Sims 3, The, www.ea.com, pg. 22 IN THE NEXT ISSUE.... Nitro Jr. Notebook, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, www.vtechkids.com, pg. 20 www.easports.com, pg. 22 As we go to press, we’re testing the titles below for next month. Have you used them? Nitro Tunes Desktop, High School www.vtechkids.com, pg. 20 We welcome feedback: [email protected] PebbleGo, www.capstonepub.com, pg. 21 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii), Secret Saturdays, www.easports.com, pg. 23 Command & Conquer Red Alert: Uprising www.d3publisher.us, pg. 22 Driving Kids (www.drivingkids.com) Up, www.thq.com, pg. 23 Schools EA Sports Active Fight Night Round 4 Upper Elementary Faceland, www.do2learn.com, pg. 12 Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings Intel ClassMate Convertible PC, inFAMOUS Lights, Camera, Color! Cate West: The Vanishing Files, www.intel.com, pg. 13 www.destineerstudios.com, pg. 8 Major Minor’s Majestic March Paper Show, www.papershow.com, pg. 21 My Electric Guitar Elizabeth Find, MD: Diagnosis Mystery, Penguin Cold Cash, www.edven.com, pg. 15 My Tiny Planets www.valusoft.com, pg. 11 NCAA March Madness ‘09 Emergency! Disaster Rescue Squad, Skate2 www.destineerstudios.com, pg.11 Waterford Central Park Excitebots: Trick Racing, Wizards of Waverly Place www.nintendo.com, pg. 12 Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair An inside view of the Mediatech Foundation, where we test and archive our software. Visit http://www.mediatech.org for more information. Acknowledgments Thanks to the following individuals, including the members of the Mediatech Foundation, who contributed their valu- able feedback during the testing process. Alese Maniragaba, 12; Lorele Bennet, 15; Jenna Buckleitner, 13; Sarah Buckleitner, 17; Jared C., 2; Tyler C., 4; David Carr 12; Daniel Della Fave, 9; Nick Della Fave, 13; Kelly H., 11; Thomas H., 14; Mohamed (Mo) Farid, 14; Caleb, H.