CNN Technology

Educational doesn't always mean boring

Kids' software can can be both fun and instructive

Little Samurai

December 21, 1995
Web posted at: 9:30 p.m. EST

From Correspondent Kathy Nellis

ATLANTA (CNN) -- Part of the fun for families that own a home computer is occasionally livening things up with one of the latest software programs.

Naturally children want the latest games and parents tend to lean toward the educational side. To placate both sides, we tracked down a number of CD-ROM packages that can be both entertaining and enlightening at the same time.

One example is a program that lets kids learn about and create their own music. Morton Subotnick's "Making Music" from Voyager does for music what a word processor does for sentences. Children learn how to compose music by learning basics like melody, rhythm and instrumentation.

"The Little Samurai," the latest in interactive children's software from Davidson, has taken selected stories from all over the world to make a new collection of electronic books for children. Based on the charming, musical Japanese folk tale, the program uses spell binding graphics and rich sound to keep children entertained.

Lion King

Disney Interactive has released another animated storybook based on last summer's blockbuster film "Pocahontas." Also new from Disney is "The Lion King Activity Center" which features puzzles, games and creative art activities.

Just in time for Christmas, the "Toy Story" screen saver has just arrived on store shelves. Finally, the last fun title from Disney is "Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games."

Virtual Reality Bird book

We found two products from DK Multimedia will likely please animal lovers. "Virtual Reality Bird" lets you explore the world of feathered flight. Users can visit a virtual museum and soar high with the eagles or get down to earth with penguins. This CD-ROM is the premier guide to the world of birds. (884K QuickTime movie)

Cat lovers might be interested in "Virtual Reality Cats." From domestic little ones to the very wild, big ones, almost everything you want to know about cats can be found on this CD-ROM.

Both products give users the chance to visit the museum store and choose from many beautiful animal images for your Windows desktop.

Parents who find it hard to answer typical children's questions such as what causes dreams or headaches will like the new CD-ROM from ADAM Software called "Life's Greatest Mysteries." Resident expert Bob Winkle answers dozens of difficult questions about the human body and mind with detailed animations and medical illustrations.

With hundreds of high-quality educational titles available, the toughest question may just be which ones to buy.



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