Richard Scarry's Busytown
Reviewed by Cynthia A. Sorrels
Published by Simon & Schuster Interactive

Age Group: Age 2 to 5, Age 4 to 8 Type: Thinking Games Price: $19.95 US

PC version requires:
286, 640K RAM, VGA, MS DOS 3.3, CD-ROM

Mac version requires:
LCII, Color monitor, 2M RAM, System 6.07, CD-ROM

Description:

Richard Scarry's Busytown was the first in the series of computer programs for kids, and was the 1993 Parent's Choice Award Winner. Yes, that reads 1993, as this is an older program - but it compares favorably to some of the titles on the market today. Kids will enjoy playing on the twelve playgrounds, each having real-life play.

Features:

• Basic math skills
• Reading
• Body parts
• Directions
• FUN!

Technical Aspects:

Busytown is an MS-DOS program, and I experienced some problems with configuring the sound card to allow the voices. After a call to tech support, I set the options to Soundblaster Pro and there were no further hassles.

Reports and Conclusion:

Truly innovative programs stand well to the test of time. Busytown is one of these - you'll notice that the movements the characters make are stilted, but the gameplay more than makes up for it. It's designed for ages 3-6, and kids will love pumping gas, putting out fires, and so much more. Mine are pestering me to play with it!

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