>>Review of Letter Adventure...
ELMOs Letter Adventure GOLD Star Review. "...There's a new kid on the block who's really cool! That's New Kid Co., and they're coming in with a bang with new video games for young children – even preschoolers – featuring big name characters.
Elmo's Letter Adventure was much anticipated, and it has finally arrived! We snatched it up right away, and have fiddled around with the game enough to be able to share our experiences.
Firstly, I have to mention that my just-turned 5 year old daughter has been watching her older brother play video games for some time, but she has always been somewhat intimidated by the whole Playstation thing. Elmo's Letter Adventure has changed all of that. In fact, she now considers the PlayStation as her toy as well. Before she began to play, she asked me "Are there any bad guys in this game?" She was quite relieved when I said "no".
My 2 year old has also adopted the PlayStation, and she too enjoys playing Elmo! She has caught on easily to the controls and she happily (and proudly) maneuvers Elmo through the 3 different worlds, collecting letters along the way...Everything seems to be designed to make things easy for preschoolers. There is a clear visual display of the number of letters that have already been collected and how many are still required. The picture of the controller appears on the lower left screen to help with verbal directions. If a wrong letter is chosen, it simply falls on its side and kids continue their adventure (provided they still have "lives" left). The Sesame Street hosts are very encouraging and say things like "Keep searching -- you are doing a terrific job!" and "I saw the letter 'N' nearby -- I'm sure you'll find it!" In between screens, push an action button repeatedly to see random letters of the alphabet appear onscreen, or push the directional arrows to see them disappear one by one. Some dialogue can be skipped simply by clicking an action button.
The music is fun, repetitive, and relaxing, and each world has its own appropriate soundtrack. There are also cute sound effects (like rocket ships taking off, and the sound of bees buzzing around their hive).
The instructions and encouragement are plentiful without being intrusive or annoying. We found gameplay to be very relaxing. In stark contrast to most video games, Elmo's Letter Adventure doesn't pressure or intimidate a child.
Skills covered: upper- and lowercase letter recognition, beginning letters of 3 and 4 letter words (early spelling).
Education: Elmo's Letter Adventure presents a fun way to reinforce letters of the alphabet in an encouraging and unpressured environment.
Entertainment: Bursting with "kid appeal", this game is extremely fun for little ones to play, especially for children with older siblings who play games on the Sony Play Station. The graphics are pleasing and bright and the characters, of course, are tried and true.
Design: Maneuvering Elmo is easy as long as you keep pressing the forward button (or pushing the analog controller straight ahead) and thus follow the pathway. If you want to pick up gems, or go back because you missed a letter, it becomes a bit tricky. The underwater world seems to be a bit more difficult to navigate. However, kids adapt easily, and my 2 and 5 year old children are able to play with ease! The difficulty levels are easily adjusted and provide a nice range of challenge, and help is always readily available. The thought that has gone into this game is evident in all areas.
Replayability: I expect this game will have an excellent replay value in the long term.
Value: As a PlayStation game for preschoolers, this game is unique. I consider it to be very valuable and particularly nice for boosting the confidence of my younger kids who get to feel like "big kids".
Overall: <GOLD STAR> Highly Recommended
The Bottom Line: Using popular Sesame Street characters and mesmerizing 3D environments, Elmo's Letter Adventure is a wonderful video game that helps preschoolers feel confident about console game controls, and helps to familiarize them with letters of the alphabet..."
Software Evaluation Criteria:
It can be tricky rating software, mainly because there are so many factors involved that determine whether a game is worthwhile or not. Also, kids vary greatly, and any given software program may be tremendously appealing to one child, and a total turn-off to the next. This is why I considered not rating games at all. However, having a rating system does have its benefits, as I will explore.
Software ratings are handy when comparing titles for potential purchase. They sum up a software quite fast, but don't forget to check out the reviews to see if you might fall into a side category. For example, some software may be penalized for doing too much "drill" instead of actually teaching new skills. However, you may feel your child really would benefit from some drill, and might otherwise look past this software.
Ratings also help readers attach a quantity to reviews that can sometimes be hard to interpret. For example, "this game is excellent" can be used for 2 different products, and the statement is descriptive, but if one is rated 8.5, and the other scores a 9.2, readers can easily determine which one has the "edge".
The year a software was made is extremely important as well! A game made in 1995 that is probably considerably cheaper in price may not score too well in some of the categories, but overall, the value is good.
We have tried to be very objective about rating software, and I have a software evaluation form (below) that is used for each and every software game for determining the Overall Rating. However, every software game is different and the body of the review will be even more handy!
We have chosen a software review format that we feel accomodates different readers' requirements. Each review can be quite lengthy, describing content (for example, activities and games), features (including things like progress reports, difficulty levels, etc.), as well as reactions and conclusions. We have found that some readers enjoy these details. Others prefer to see the main points, conclusions, and summary. That is why we have picked out important points and put them in bold text. We have also summarized the software title into important categories, and provided a "Bottom Line" summary as well.
Software Evaluation Form:
Educational Content:
•Does the software effectively teach the user new skills? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 •Are the learning activities original and innovative? If not, are they classic but still well done? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 •Are the learning games age-appropriate – not too easy, yet not too hard? 1 2 3 4 5 •Are children given the opportunity to explore and experiment as a means of learning new skills? 1 2 3 4 5
Entertainment Value:
•Does the software have "kid appeal" in general? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 •Are learning games made to be fun enough that kids want to try them again? 1 2 3 4 5 •Are there funny and/or engaging scenes and characters? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Design:
•Are there challenge levels that are relatively broad in range? If so, are they easily adjusted? 1 2 3 4 5 •Is the interface well designed so that kids can play (and exit the game) intuitively? 1 2 3 4 5 •Are there appropriate help files/ manual/ on-screen help? 1 2 3 4 5 •Has a lot of thought gone into this game? 1 2 3 4 5
Replayabilty/Shelf Life:
•Do you expect kids will want to replay the game in the long run? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 •Does the game have enough content and levels to have a decent shelf life? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 •Can this be played by more than one age of child? 1 2 3 4
Value:
•Is it worthwhile for the suggested retail price? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 •Is this title a valuable one to add to your collection? 1 2 3 4 5
Overall:
Add up the scores and divide by 10. This will determine the rating out of 10.
7.5 or more is recommended
8.5 or more is outstanding and receives a Gold Star
source: © 1999 The Review Corner geocities.com |
