Disney Key Stage 1 The Jungle Book (Reading, Spelling, Maths, Science)

Interface and programming: the product appears to have been designed in France, and this country's different animation design culture may explain the non-Disney-esque visuals. The aesthetics, while mostly excellent, are possibly too ambitious and an interface more like the other excellent Disney learning products might have been better. In particular, the 3D Mowgli and Baloo characters constantly bob up and down in an irritating and slightly unrealistic manner, as if the designer was saying "look - I can do 3D" (or as if Mowgli had a bowel problem). The primary menu screens are too many and rather slow to work through. Fortunately there is an alternative quick-map allowing fast access to the activities. My child (5 years, experienced) found and preferred the quick-map. A few transient bugs were found in the software, but nothing which recurred or seriously interfered.

Educational value: excellent, but you are recommended to have already given your children the Disney Interactive learning software for pre-school children (there is a lot of it; the Pooh series is excellent). A first-timer might well get stuck in the menu system. Most of the activities are immediately accessible, and cover numeracy, literacy and scientific skills corresponding to the National Curriculum. Successful completion unlocks additional activities, and completion of (e.g.) numeracy AND literacy activities unlocks new activities which combine these skills. The educational architecture of the software is fascinating, for educationalist and child alike. All the activities adjust fast and well to the child's ability. The depth and variety of exercises is incredible - but you have to actually watch your child for days to appreciate just how much there is. Beware of judging the software during the first 20 minutes of use, because the nature of the activities radically and automatically changes as the child progresses. There is a detailed "parental" monitoring system so that you can check your child's progress - but my child uses it for self-monitoring and additional motivation.

Fun value: the product appears to have been specially developed for the more serious European market. This is not Mickey Mouse culture! It is a very serious attempt to combine fun and learning. The atmosphere is gentle and relaxed, with constant encouragement and hints. The rewards system is hugely motivating - but might be overwhelming to a child not yet ready for this. I have watched my 5-year-old go right the way through this programme, and while there were certainly periodic screams of delight and cries of frustration ("help me with this!"), the picture was primarily one of motivated concentration - a child having so much fun with learning that it could not stop. In terms of the ability of the programme to captivate the child, this is one of Disney's most successful learning products - but I would (yet again!) emphasize that this is strongly dependent on the child's prior experience with such software.

Buyer recommendations: (i) the cover says 5 to 7, but a 7-year-old with no previous learning software experience will get nowhere with this, while a 5-year-old with plenty of computer experience will be able do everything (with some parental help in places); (ii) don't judge the software for at least a week after buying - it has real depth and needs time to be appreciated.

Manufacturer recommendations: (i) get rid of the 3D figures, (ii) improve the speed/clarity of the primary menu system so that children starting out with the programme don't wander around the jungle endlessly, (iii) add some better purpose to the peanut/banana/coconut collecting, such as by increasing the rate at which Mowgli and Baloo get hungry, (iv) the in-between activities (i.e. the one-off special activities offered at key progress points) should be included on the quick-map and the child should have the opportunity to replay variants of these independently once the activity has been unlocked, (v) otherwise more of the same!