Dr Seuss ABC: Amazon.co.uk: Software

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Amazon.co.uk Review

ABC by Dr Seuss has to be one of the most entertaining ways for your child to learn about the alphabet. Derived from the timelessly popular Dr Seuss books with their special brand of humour, rhyme and illustration, this CD-ROM will provide endless fun and laughter, not only for the three- to seven-year-olds it is aimed at, but the parents too. Presented as pages of a book, the product is easy to use, animated throughout and highly interactive.

In the section "Read Me", Ichabod and Izzy guide your child through the alphabet, introducing them to Aunt Annie's Alligator, the Fiffer-Feffer-Feff and many more. Each letter of the alphabet has its own page and is shown in both upper and lower case. A zany scenario develops using that letter consistently. Even the goodbye on each page reflects the letter being worked on--Adios, Farewell Friends, Next and so on.

In the section "Play and Learn", the fun really begins. There are an amazing 400 alphabetical surprises hidden in the 26 pages of the ABC book and your child will want to find all of them! Mouse control will improve in this section as clicking almost anywhere produces mini sketches and songs. Your child will be enchanted by such sights as the barber playing boogie-woogie bass and the brief appearance of the Cat in the Hat.

The soundtrack is excellent throughout and your youngster can sing along with Ichabod and Izzy to the catchy and well-known ABC song.

Altogether this CD-ROM is a rare treat. (Even the animated credit titles under the Options menu are worth viewing.) It combines learning and fun in such a subtle way that it will be difficult for your child to distinguish between the two.

Unique, unpredictable, stimulating, surreal--the extraordinary world of Dr Seuss will prove to be an unforgettable experience. --Tracey Hogan

From Children's Software Revue®

From Aunt Annie's Alligator to the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz, this 26-screen alphabet book lets children click on words, phrases or pictures to see them come to life. Each page contains a wealth of animations- about 15 to 30 skits per letter. On the letter Z page, for example, children can count the number of Zs in the name of Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz or watch the letter Z zoom around the screen, zapping things. A cute pet named Zed makes an appearance, and clicking on "What starts with Z?" shows a zipper, zebra, or zucchini. By the end of the page, children really get the idea that this is the place for Zs! Scattered among the pages are 14 original songs which, along with the wide variety of animated routines, result in a perfect setting for children to begin making letter/sound associations. Testers liked the playful characters- the large talking alligator and mice humming in the moonlight- and parents were impressed by the original jazz and range of vocal styles.

A few design quirks lower the program's rating. For instance, a teacher using the program in her classroom wrote "There were no specific spots for children to click on so it took a while for the children to get the hang of it." This finding was confirmed by our home testers, whose initial enthusiasm for the program faded rather quickly. The design would benefit from an easier way to flip through the pages and a more responsive interface. Despite these minor problems, the wide range of routines, musical styles and clever letter-related puns make for fun exposure to the alphabet and the humorous Dr. Seuss characters.
Teaches: early reading, letter and word recognition, music
Age Range: 3, 4, 5, 6 Copyright © 2000 Children's Software Revue

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69 of 69 people found the following review helpful

Dr Seuss's ABC 24 Nov 2000

By A Customer

This is the best piece of software for young children that I have seen. It runs smoothly and easily on Windows or Mac. The drawings and animations are done in Dr Seuss's own surreally playful spirit. The surprises are charming and the music enchanting.

My daughter got this software when she was two and a half. She is fascinated by Ichabod and Izzy, loves Albert (Aunt Annie's alligator) and sings along enthusiastically with the ABC song. Unreservedly recommended - every home should have one.

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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful

Dr Suess ABC 17 Nov 2000

By A Customer

My children were given this as a present a while ago and it has proved to be a delight for the entire family. Its educational, funny and full of surprises. Even after using it over and over again my children are still finding things they've missed before. Great value, great fun and very good for learning mouse control. Anything thats educational, giggle worthy and entertaining for the onlooking adult has got to be worth every penny.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

fantastic fun 23 Jan 2003

By A Customer

Everyone in our family thinks this CD is absolutely fantastic.

The animation is great, the music has you tapping your feet and there are so many wonderful little surprises along the way that it remains entertaining for months and months.

This CD was my 3 year old daughter's first introduction to using a computer and she was so taken with it in less than an hour she could control the mouse as well as me! Infact after a week or so we had to start limiting the amount of time she could spend playing with the CD as she just doesn't want to switch it off!

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