Should be called Some 4 Kids, Some 4 Parents.
Written: Nov 13 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun for all ages. Huge variety of games.
Cons: Vague rules, some high score board glitches.
The Bottom Line: I recommend this game for adults especially, because I love playing it. My 4-year-old likes some of the games, too.
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| lydia_rain's Full Review: Top 30 Games 4 Kids for Windows |
Why I Bought this Product:
At age 3, my son Henry loved to play on the computer, and when I was Christmas shopping last year, I saw that Office Depot had their computer games on sale--buy one, get one free. They were $9.99, so I thought $9.99 for 2 computer games was a great deal. I got Top 30 Games 4 Kids and a kid's math game. They were both rated "E" for everyone. On the front of Top 30 Games 4 Kids, there is a cartoon choo-choo train with giant letters and numbers popping out around it, so it looked perfect for a 3-year-old. Also, on the back, it had some brief information about how the cd-rom included games that would "familiarize my child with computers, as well as teach numbers, ABCs and shapes, instill good safety rules and test his or her memory." It also stated that there was a word processor included on the cd, which I thought my son would have fun typing different letters in different fonts and colors.
My Experience with this Product:
I put the math game in my son's stocking last year, and it turned out to be the most boring, multiple-choice math quiz that required the player to be able to read. My son's disappointment was enough to deter me from getting this other game out of my closet. A couple months ago, I cleaned out my closet and found Top 30 Games 4 Kids and decided to try it myself to see if my son could play it. I waited until he was at preschool, so he wouldn't want to play it without me. I played with Top 30 Games 4 Kids all day. When my son came home from school and saw me playing, I told him that this one was a "mommy game" and he wouldn't like it.
What I Like About this Game:
After double-clicking on the icon (after initial installation), Top 30 Games 4 Kids has a pop-up menu with 30 games from which to choose. It has all those games that I loved playing as a child. The first one I tried is called "Slide Puzzle", in which you can select a picture from your computer--the game divides the picture into different sections, then mixes them up, taking out one section. You have to slide the pieces around, until you get the picture how it belongs. When you succeed, the missing piece returns, and it tells you how many moves it took you to finish. There is a "Code Breaker" game in which you guess the 4-digit code as it gives you clues as to how many you got right and in the right place. "Copy Cat" has 4 different colored light bulbs that light up and play a tone, and you try to mimic what you see and hear. There is the "Crazy 8's" card game. "Dragon Trap" is very similar to Hangman, although when you guess incorrectly too many times, the dragon escapes from his trap and attacks the wizard. "Hex Trap" is very similar to Minesweeper, and "Killer Bees" is similar to Space Invaders, although you are shooting descending bees with a can of bug spray. "Lock Out" is a fun marble game in which you move your marble around the board with the arrow keys while trying to avoid getting struck by the 5 other marbles bouncing around the board--the most challenging part of this game is that you must not only avoid getting your marble struck, but also the trail that you are making. My favorite game is called "Runaway Train". A train moves around a track as you lay the pieces of the track down. You get points for each new piece of track the train rolls over without derailing, and you receive extra points for going through railroad signals and stations. The pieces go all different directions, so you have to be careful how you lay them out to avoid derailing--I can play this game for hours--it is that much fun.
My Son's Experience with this Game:
I finally came clean and told my son (who is now 4 1/2) that some of the games were not "mommy games". I sat down with him at his computer and clicked on some of the games geared toward younger players. With minimal help, he could play "Alphabet Quiz", "Counting Caper", and "Shape Quiz". He was also pretty good at "Copy Cat". He liked playing "Runaway Train" because he saw that I played it all the time, but he thinks the object is to fill the whole screen with railroad tracks no matter what shape they are, so he derails pretty quickly every time.
Henry likes playing this game when is bored with his other games, but he prefers his other preschool games that are geared more toward his age and abilities. He doesn't need any help with his preschool games, and I needed to be right there for Top 30 Games 4 Kids.
What We Haven't Tried:
We never tried the Word Processing program, as it looks more like an actual word processing program like Word, not like a game in which my son could play with colors and fonts. There are other games that we haven't tried, because they just don't look interesting to me, like "Safety Quiz" and "Animal Quiz".
What I Dislike:
My complaints about Top 30 Games 4 Kids are minimal. The high score board on "Runaway Train" doesn't work correctly. Most of the time, after I enter my name with my high score, the next time it shows the high scores, there are no names. It doesn't really matter, since I'm the only one who plays this game, but still I'd like some of the glory of seeing my name on those great scores. The rules are not very clear on several of the games, so you have to play them several times in order to figure out the object.
Overall:
I think Top 30 Games 4 Kids is a bargain, especially for $9.99 (or half of that if you count the other "buy one, get one free" game that we don't play). It's fun for both me and my preschooler (and sometimes I let my husband play).
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lydia_rain
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Member: Robin Roberts
Location: Tennessee
Reviews written: 39
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
I am a stay-home mom to Henry who was born 3-22-00.
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