Classic word puzzles like Hangman and Letter Shoot teach nearly 2000 words ranging in complexity from "coat" to "bureaucracy." Words are grouped by topic or spelling pattern. As kids play, they score points, which are recorded in a high score list. Cartoon-like graphics and humorous banter from onscreen characters keep the game lively. In terms of design, the games are solid but nothing new. In Aquatica, children race the clock to pop letter bubbles to spell words. In another activity, kids play a game of hangman in a jungle setting. The main drawback to this program is a general lack of purpose. Once kids earn the points, there's no where to spend them- which decreases their motivation when playing the game. Navigating the activities is also confusing- children must go through a short maze to get a game started. But the primary weakness of this program is its inability to customize word lists making it impossible to focus on spelling words from school lists. Strengths of the program are its excellent graphics and use of humor and the set of options that allow parents to customize the game's timing, adjust the amount of feedback, or pick from upper and lower case letters. Test families with more than one child appreciated the two-player option that lets kids play at different levels. They also liked the way that the program keeps a spelling word file based on the child's mistakes. On the whole, this is a solid spelling program. 
Teaches: spelling 
Age Range: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Copyright © 2000 Children's Software Revue

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