April 2004

Cyber News and Reviews is a monthly column published for parents, teachers & business owners featuring kids educational software reviews, business software reviews (small business & home business), games and entertainment articles, a free resource since 1995.

 

Pianomouse Goes to Preschool from Pianomouse Productions, Inc., Barbie Mermaid Adventure and Barbie Swan Lake The Enchanted Forest from Mattel, Inc. and Vivendi Universal Games

By Howard Berenbon

Pianomouse Goes to Preschool from Pianomouse Productions, Inc. 

Pianomouse is the perfect program to introduce your preschool kids (ages 3 to 5) to everything you wanted them to know about music and music theory.  The program offers kids interactive music learning, with animated graphics, music and sound effects and voice narration, throughout.  Also, the games offer 3 levels of play.

After a quick installation from a single CD, you and your preschooler will have access to the Pianomouse main menu with 12 activity areas to select using the mouse.  You’ll meet Clara, Pianomouse, Khachaturian, Puccini and Hopscotch and even the composers Bach, Handel, Mozart and Beethoven as you learn music and music theory.  The activities include Bounce: catch the moving musical symbols matching the symbol displayed on the notepad; Meet a Famous Composer: Bach, Handel, Mozart and Beethoven; Instrument Parade: click on an instrument for a description and hear its sound;  Pianomouse’s Music Workshop introduces notes and the clefs with a game; Muscial ABCs lets you hear the sounds of the notes A through G;  Pianomouse Concentration: select composers, musical instruments or symbols and play the game; Clara in the Concert Hall: find instruments;  Khachaturian’s Keyboard: learn the piano keyboard; Pianomouse Coloring Book; Puccini’s Musical Hopscotch; Pianomouse Coloring Book; Apple Note Farm and Gone Fishing (for instruments).

This is a perfect program for parents who want their kids to learn some important facts about music, even at the preschool level.  Kids will learn beginning music theory with notes and symbols, hear some famous tunes and even learn about some of the most famous classical composers in history.  I only found one minor problem: the program requires using the mouse to run the activities.  However, some 3 to 5 year-olds may not have the mouse mastered. Those children will definitely require a parent’s guidance.

Pianomouse Goes to Preschool sells for  $19.99 and will run on any multimedia PC, Pentium 300 MHz or faster processor, 32 MB RAM with Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP/NT 4.0 and a 24x CD-ROM drive.  It will also run on any Macintosh G3 or faster with 32 MB RAM and a 24x CD-ROM drive.  For information contact Pianomouse Productions (http://pianomouse.com).

Barbie Mermaid Adventure and Barbie Swan Lake The Enchanted Forest from Mattel, Inc. and Vivendi Universal Games

Vivendi Universal Games and Mattel, Inc. have introduced two new Barbie software titles for girls who love their Barbie dolls.  Barbie Mermaid Adventure and Barbie Swan Lake The Enchanted Forest are two more titles for girls only.  In the past, it was difficult to find software designed for girls.  Parents of girls (I have two) will be happy to hear that several manufacturers continue to support that important software market.  Mattel and Vivendi have supported girls for years with the Barbie line and my daughters love them.

Girls will find great graphics, music and realistic sound effects on their interactive adventures with Barbie.  If you and your girls love Barbie products, then you can’t go wrong with these two new software titles.

Barbie Mermaid Adventure from Mattel, Inc. and Vivendi Universal Games

After a quick installation from a single CD, and signing in, kids (ages 4 and up) will enter the world of Mermaid Barbie under the sea.  Girls will help Barbie and the seahorse Samika prepare for a big undersea celebration.  However, before the party can begin, they have a few problems to solve.  Among the tasks, they need to restore the light from the magic shell before the event.  However, the rainbow dolphins are the only ones that can restore the light.  The solution is to help Barbie search the ocean kingdom for the dolphins.  You’ll also help Barbie with the party invitations, decorations, designing jewelry and writing a song for the celebration.

Barbie Mermaid Adventure sells for  $19.99 and will run on any multimedia PC, Pentium II 266 MHz or faster processor, 64 MB RAM with Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP/NT 4.0 and a 24x CD-ROM drive.  It will also run on any Macintosh G3 600 MHz or faster with 64 MB RAM and a 24x CD-ROM drive.

Barbie Swan Lake The Enchanted Forest from Mattel, Inc. and Vivendi Universal Games

Barbie Swan Lake The Enchanted Forest is an enchanting adventure that girls (ages 5 and up) will enjoy.  After installation from a single CD, and you sign in, you’ll join Barbie (as Odette) and Lila the unicorn in The Enchanted Forest.   But you’ll soon find that Lila accidentally released the forest’s magic and they need your help.  You’ll travel to six different locations to explore and restore (using your magic wands), and then get ready for the Moonlight Picnic.  In your journey, you’ll find several areas and activities including the Magic Vault (to make your wands), Swan Lake, Unscramble the Lake Reflection, Fairy Valley, Paint Magical Murals, Swan Nursery, Hatch the Baby Swans, Flower Tree, Make Magical Music, Crystal Door and Light the Fairy Lanterns.

Barbie Swan Lake The Enchanted Forest sells for  $19.99 and will run on any multimedia PC, Pentium II 266 MHz or faster processor, 64 MB RAM with Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP/NT 4.0 and a 24x CD-ROM drive.  It will also run on any Macintosh G3 300 MHz or faster with 64 MB RAM and a 24x CD-ROM drive. 

Software Companies Mentioned

Pianomouse Productions
4120 Douglas Blvd. #306-224
Granite Bay, CA 95746
Phone: 1-888-287-3380

Vivendi Universal Games
4247 S. Minnewana Ave.
Fresno, CA 93725
Phone:  310-649-8004