I Spy
Reviewed by Cynthia A. Sorrels
Published by Scholastic Inc.

Age Group: Age 4 to 8, Age 8 and Up Type: Puzzles & Memory, Thinking Games Price: 29.95

PC version requires:
486-66, 8 M RAM, 5 M HD, x 2 CD-ROM

Mac version requires:
Version not available.

Description:

Scholastic has done a fantastic job of translating the much loved I SPY books into an interactive, multimedia format. The riddles have been designed to develop thinking and reasoning skills and include seven themed areas for exploration. This title does not require reading abilities, which makes it great for parents and kids to play together. Additionally, once the child's name is registered, the program will use that name in some of the puzzles. We couldn't believe how difficult was to spot some of the objects, and one game can be played as you play all the other areas - Can You Find Me? - where you look for a certain object in all the screens throughout the entire program. Clever? Oh yes!

Features:

• Seven themed areas with more than 40 different layouts.
• Over 1300 object-and-word searches built in.
• Incredible graphics - unlike anything we've seen!
• Animations and hot spots with music, sound effects.
• Parent's guide is included.
• Develops a variety of essential skills.

Technical Aspects:

I SPY works with Windows 95 Autoplay, and ran with no problems. We did note that there's a limit to how many objects can be placed on the screen in the section of "Make Your Own I SPY." The only other thing noticeable is that the response time once the mouse is clicked is a bit sluggish, taking a couple of seconds to respond.

Reports and Conclusions:

It's tricker than it looks! There is a magnifying glass to use, and you're likely to need it. Wood Block City is a lot of fun - you can change the view to look behind the 3-D buildings. The Balloon Popper is broken - if you can find the missing pieces, though, it's fun to work. In Break the Code, you unravel 3 clues to lead to answering a riddle. Oops Hoops focuses on classifying objects into sets and subsets. Chalkboard has two levels and there are screens for 9 months which include information such as holidays and events in history. And if you get bored with that, head off to Make Your Own I Spy.

This title is designed for kids ages 5 to 9, but younger children will enjoy watching, and older kids may like it as well. My four year old daughter was humming a happy song as she deftly moved objects into the correct hoops, and enjoyed the various areas within the program. The packaging of this title is an excellent representation of the product.

I SPY will help your child develop the critical thinking skills that seem to be so lacking in today's educational processes. As Richard Robinson, President and CEO of Scholastic puts it, "Knowing how to think is an essential ingredient for success in learning and life."

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