Dora the Explorer: Fairytale Adventure (Windows)

In DORA THE EXPLORER: FAIRYTALE ADVENTURE, Dora must become a princess so she can rescue her best buddy Boots, who has been turned into "Sleeping Boots" by an evil witch. Kids either help Dora in the fairytale escapade or they can bypass the adventure and go directly to the 10 multi-leveled games. If children opt for the adventure, Dora tackles four tasks to gain the status of a "true princess." She asks players to help her get magic rings from a dragon, teach rocks to sing, turn winter to spring, and bring the moon to the King and Queen.

Fairytale Adventure is a good choice for families wanting to encourage bilingual speech because Dora speaks in both English and Spanish. In addition, the software has three fairytale storybooks that can be read aloud. In the game, youngsters play learning activities that teach colors, shapes, counting, and logical reasoning.

Dora and her friends encourage a child's participation by looking out and talking directly to the child. Because the activities are available on three levels of difficulty, the software is replayable. The software offers hints and help when a child is struggling -- a hallmark of good preschool/kindergarten software. The adventure is exciting because Dora interacts with a witch, a dragon, a giant, and even singing stones.

Available on: Windows
Not available online
Genre: Preschool
Developer: Atari
Released on: November 9, 2004
Price: 20
ESRB Rating: E