 | 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. |
Dora the Explorer: Backpack Adventure
- Windows, Mac
- Price: $18.99
- Genre: Educational
Common Sense Media says
Sweet game for preschoolers lacks depth.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a charming first software title -- but don't expect great depth.
What's it about?
In her computer debut, DORA THE EXPLORER: BACKPACK ADVENTURE, Dora embarks on an adventure to return books to the public library. Preschoolers can choose to play the game as a story or they can jump directly into the activities. In either mode, the seven activities have three levels of difficulty, and kids earn stickers for printable art activities.
As in the "Dora the Explorer" television show, Dora solicits kids' help on her journey. At her house, Dora asks youngsters to find the library books by colors (in levels 2 and 3, Dora uses Spanish in her requests). After collecting the books and storing them in her pal Backpack, Dora and her friends make their way to the library by traveling through six locations. To pass over Grumpy Old Troll's bridge, preschoolers have to recognize and complete patterns with shapes; other locations provide opportunities to explore number recognition, problem solving, visual tracking, and classification.
Is it any good?
This software was a big hit with our preschool testers. Its learning exercises are simple and provide a lot of mouse practice. It cocoons little ones with help when they are confused.
Swiper, the troublesome fox in the TV show, periodically sneaks up and must be banished by clicking the mouse. In addition, the program entices kids to explore (and thus use the mouse more) by hiding tons of clickable animations throughout the program.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about their own library adventures. Kids: What types of books do you like to get at the library? How do you find them?
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AGE
give it to 4 and over and 7 is good
my son just loves dora and why not she is pretty good at teaching kids.
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AGE
OK, but gets old fast
My kids liked this game, but quickly mastered all of the parts. There are about 5 different "games" to play. It does have 3 levels, so there's a bit of room for growth, but even the highest level stuff isn't very challenging. Our 3 year old is whipping through the 2nd level.
As a parent, I find bits of it boring and repetitive. Not a lot of creative thinking going on. The 'skills' are pretty basic (matching, shapes, etc.) -- but then I don't have my kids play computer games to teach them things, they're for fun.
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| Platforms: | Windows, Mac |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Educational |
| Developer: | Infogrames |
| Release date: | August 18, 2003 |
| Price: | $18.99 |
| ESRB rating: | EC |
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