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Wimzie�s House By Pam Gleichman Tribune Media Services Wimzie�s House Play Along with Wimzie is the first program in a series of fully interactive episodes based on the "Wimzie�s House" PBS show. You will join the entire Wimzie gang � set in a home day-care environment � to play five learning games. These games will help develop important thinking and social skills, including memory, logical thinking, identifying feelings and understanding people�s personalities. In The Book of Feelings, Wimzie and her brother, Bo, ask their mother, Graziella, for a story. Graziella opens up a photo album and you are shown video clips. After each clip, you must identify which emotion matches the scene. You�ll choose among faces depicting happiness, sadness, fear, love and anger. In Wimzie�s Family Portrait, Yaya is cleaning up and makes a game out of it. She picks up an object and describes the personality of the person it belongs to. You then click on the correct face of the person at the bottom of the screen. Each activity has three levels of difficulty. Our testers liked the program and it kept their attention for a short time. I doubt whether it will hold a child�s interest for an extended amount of time, however, or that children will routinely select it. Although the graphics are beautiful to look at, the program lacks content. Kids kept clicking on the pictures and objects, hoping something would happen. The only object on each screen that does anything when clicked is the one that leads to the game. On the positive side, Wimzie�s House Play Along with Wimzie is the only program I�ve seen, that deals with social skills like understanding personality and emotions. I recommend this program for 4- or 5-year-olds. Although the content is very easy for young children, the program�s interface is best suited for older children. Publisher : Simon & Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10012, (212) 698-7000, http://www.ssinteractive.com . Category : General learning. Age : 3 to 5. Installation : Easy. Use : Children had difficulty with the interface. They must first choose a game-from five pictures � and then they must choose a level. This process confused them. They also had difficulty switching between activities. Graphics : Exquisite! Written Materials : Written materials are included on the CD jacket. System Requirements : Windows 95 or 98, Pentium 90 or higher, 16 MB RAM or more, 4X CD-ROM drive, Monitor with 16 bit high color. Macintosh � PowerMac or better, 16 MB RAM or more, 4X CD-ROM drive, Monitor with 16 bit high color. Tested Version : Windows 95/98/Power Macintosh CD-ROM. Cost : $19.95. Rating : Two and a half stars. Wimzie�s House Play Along with Wimzie is a mildly entertaining program for young children. Children familiar with the Wimzie show will have a greater interest in playing. WEB SITE OF THE WEEK ASK JEEVES FOR KIDS http://www.ajkids.com Ask Jeeves for Kids is a fast, easy and safe way for children to find answers to questions. Children type in their question and are given a list of Web sites. There is also an Ask Jeeves knowledge base of questions and answers already asked and mega-searches of other sites for children. All Web sites included are "G" rated. DEAR PAM : I am looking for a good United States geography program for my 11-year-old. Can you give me any suggestions? DEAR READER : Two good programs come to mind. They are Road Adventures USA from the Learning Company (800-716-8506) and Where In the U.S. is Carmen San Diego Deluxe? from Broderbund (800-521-6263) RATING KEY : ***** � Outstanding; **** � Very Good; *** � Good; ** � Fair; * � Not Worth Purchasing. Pam Gleichman welcomes questions/comments from readers. Write to Pam at Tribune Media Services, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1400, Chicago, Ill. 60611. Send e-mail to [email protected] . © 1999 Tribune Media Services, Inc. Techno file index Mail Tribune Copyright © The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA