Step-Up to SATS Year 6

The second CD-ROM allows children to practice their literacy and numerical skills by entering the English or the Maths space station, each of which is divided into three areas. The Learning Capsule consolidates work that is carried out as part of the Year 6 curriculum at school. Children can either choose which exercises to carry out or Adi, who takes into account their progress, can guide them. Teaching points are explained and children are given tips if they get the answer wrong. Children can also look at multi media documents and animated lessons if they need further explanations. Exercises include work on all areas of the English and Maths curriculum; for example, work on rhymes and homophones, grammar and spelling and work on ratio and proportion and equations. Children and parents can keep track of how they are doing by looking at the results sheets. As a reward, children are able to "buy" games to play when they have scored enough points.

The Teaching Capsule provides children with challenges against the clock and memory games. This capsule is not quite as well matched as the Learning Capsule to the Year 6 curriculum, as some of the questions are a little easy, but children would really enjoy trying to beat the clock.

The Resource Capsule gives excellent explanations of all the areas covered on these CD-ROMs. There is a glossary so children can look up difficult words and they can access all the photos and video clips that they have seen.

Despite the repetition with the other CD-ROMs in this series, Step-up to SATs Year 6 would be an excellent purchase for a Year 6 child. The Learning Capsule provides excellent consolidation of work that is carried out in school in preparation for children's end-of-year SATs tests. Children can work independently through a brilliantly structured range of exercises and activities. --Amanda York

This is a comprehensive study program for the full school year. It fully supports the national curriculum for English and Maths through a unique one-to-one tutoring system. Step-Up to STATS includes over 2000 questions and over 200 exercises, developed together with teachers and education specialists, and complemented with revision and research tools including a glossary, encyclopaedia files, and interactive dictation exercises.