 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Didi & Ditto Preschool: Mother Nature's Visit
- Windows, Mac
- Price: $19.99
- Genre: Edutainment
Common Sense Media says
A charming critter romp with 16 fun learning games.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know
that this is a good introductory computer game because it provides preschoolers
with many opportunities to practice at using a computer mouse. Its learning
activities can be played within a story context or as stand-alone activities
and in each scenario, they are available on three levels of difficulty.
What's it about?
In DIDI & DITTO
PRESCHOOL: MOTHER NATURE'S VISIT, preschoolers go on an adventure with either
Didi (a girl beaver) or Ditto (a boy beaver) during which they encounter 16
learning activities. Didi and Ditto live in Smart Valley
with their animated animal friends and are excited about Mother Nature coming
for a visit, so they decide to throw a party. Preschoolers jump into help with
the party planning by exploring eight locations in Smart Valley
and at each they play two learning games. The games cover pre-reading,
pre-math, science, music, and art skills.
As kids explore each
location by moving their computer mouse over the lush scenery, they will find
two flag poles leading them to the learning activities. In addition, they will
also find numerous other hidden hotspots. When the mouse changes from purple to
yellow, and kids click, these hotspots launch enchanting animations that are
sometimes silly (like watching a bear breakdance) and sometimes educational
(where two birds appear carrying pictures of a group of eggs, and the player is
asked to click on the group with the most eggs).
Is it any good?
Didi & Ditto
Preschool has most of the key ingredients of great preschool software.
Instructions are easy to learn and spoken aloud. The learning activities can be
explored on three levels of difficulty and you can raise or lower the level at
any time within the game. If you are confused about what to do, if you click on
the beaver characters, they will offer suggestions. The characters you play
with are charming, supportive, and even express ideas about how to help the
environment and eat healthy foods. The graphics are some of the most beautiful
found in children's software.
The 16 games are all
age appropriate and not only teach early-learning concepts, but also give
children who are new to the computer, plenty of opportunities to practice using
the mouse. Preschoolers will learn to look at a picture of a musical instrument
and then find the component parts, They will learn to identify alphabetical
letters by fishing them out of a pond or learn to count by finding mushrooms in
a cave. A minor complaint is that when a child has repeatedly selected the
wrong answer, instead of eliminating that answer and highlighting the correct
one, the game simply tells you to try again. Given this structure and that this
is a game for young children, Didi & Ditto Preschool is best played by a child
and parent together. Once your child has outgrown this one, there are two more
games in the series featuring the same characters: Didi & Ditto
Kindergarten and Didi & Ditto First Grade.
What families can talk about
Families can talk
about why Zolt, the wolf, got jealous when he was not put in charge of the
party. What do you think Zolt should have done when he felt left out? Which
activity did you like best?
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title below.
| Platforms: | Windows, Mac |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Edutainment |
| Developer: | Kutoka |
| Release date: | November 18, 2008 |
| Price: | $19.99 |
| ESRB rating: | NR |
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