Mia: The Kidnap Caper - E

Kids are exposed to Spanish or French as a second language by playing games.

Publisher: Kutoka Category/Genre: Computer Software - Educational Platform: Mac/Windows Price: $20 Graphics: Amazing! Playability: Very easy to play Reading Level: 1st grade and up Release Date: 11/24/2003 ESRB Rating: E

Common Sense Note

Many parents are looking for ways to expose their children to foreign languages. By going on an adventure with Mia, kids learn either French or Spanish as a second language.

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Jinny Gudmundsen

If there were an Academy Award for children's software, Mia: The Kidnap Caper would win.

Mia is a little mouse who is cute, courageous, and creative. In this, her fifth title, Mia heroically rescues her Grandma Mimi from kidnappers.

The story is told with spectacular graphics, the likes of which are only found in full length animation movies.

Kids assume the role of Mia and control her movements in real time. They look at the world from Mia's point of view as they travel through a miniaturized environment full of discarded human objects. While looking for clues about Mimi's kidnapping, kids will play 15 excellent games that teach Spanish or French (players choose) as a second language.

This software has real depth. The story is so complex that it spans 2 CD-ROMs. Kids feel like they are part of a beautiful interactive movie that is humorous but exciting.

Offered on three levels of difficulty, the foreign language games are cleverly sequenced to immerse children in a foreign language without overwhelming them. By using both visual and verbal cues, kids can easily begin to learn a second language. Players will learn the alphabet and letter sounds in the second language as well as hundreds of vocabulary words. They will learn about adjectives and verbs, and create sentences.

And the Oscar goes to: Mia: The Kidnap Caper.

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