I Spy Spooky Mansion Deluxe (Windows, Mac)

I SPY SPOOKY MANSION DELUXE expands by 50 percent the original content found in the 1999 release I Spy Spooky Mansion. This software features 39 I Spy-type puzzles and two fast-paced logic games that are presented in three treasure hunt-style adventures.

Puzzles challenge children to solve clever riddles and then find objects hidden in the crowded pictures. Kids may encounter riddles such as "a face with no eyes" where the answer in the picture is a clock. Players solve puzzles in order to find one of three ways out of the spooky mansion. The first time you enter, solving the puzzles reveals 15 pieces to a final clue that divulges the exit; the treasure hunts are different the next two times, as are the riddles for the puzzles.

This title is a winner because it combines two things kids love: I Spy puzzles and treasure hunts. The riddles challenge kids to think about the multiple definitions of a word, and the visual puzzles require careful study of details. The three different hunts give the software good replayability.