TDmonthly's ToyFair 2006 Preview--Software Product Category

Reel Deal Slots "Mystic Forest" by PHANTOM EFX INC.

This game takes players on a magical ride through a mystical forest packed with extraordinary slots that are brand new and loaded with special features, bonus rounds and surprises. Extra attention has been given to each slot to ensure design, sound, art, and realism takes players to an unprecedented level of excitement. And an all-new Prize Vault system leads to hidden realms. Launch date: September 1, 2006. 11/2/2006 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Graphic Tablet With Click & Create CD-ROM by KUTOKA INTERACTIVE

Draw on the graphic tablet with the special pen and see the results on your computer screen. This graphic tablet uses the same technology as those of the professional graphic designers. The included CD-ROM, Click & Create with Mia, allows you to explore your creativity through 5 sections: drawing, shapes, paint, projects and multimedia. Richard Vincent, CEO and creative director of Kutoka Interactive, said the graphic tablets his company produces are the only ones for children, and professional models cost “twice as much.” In spring 2007, the company plans to unveil tools that function with graphic tablets to help children learn how to read and write. 8/29/2006 (Price: $54.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Mia's Language Adventure (The Kidnap Caper) by KUTOKA INTERACTIVE

Designed for ages 6 to 10, Mia's Language Adventure is an introduction to French or Spanish as a second language. The topics covered include: basic vocabulary words from everyday life (numbers, animals, fruits and vegetables, professions, family members, etc.); adjectives, verbs and prepositions; dialogues and sentence structure, etc. The software offers three levels of difficulty: beginner, intermediate and advanced. 8/29/2006 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Mia's Math Adventure (Just in Time!) by KUTOKA INTERACTIVE

Designed for ages 6 to 10, Mia's Math features a story, a quest, an exploration, as well as educational activities. A variety of curriculum-based lessons are covered, including geometry, fractions, arithmetic, weight, estimations and much more! The child is asked to solve equations, identify geometry shapes, work with number sequences, and answer various questions cleverly integrated into the plot. 8/29/2006 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Mia's Science Adventure (Romaine's New Hat) by KUTOKA INTERACTIVE

Mia's Science Adventure is an interactive animated story that is also a learning adventure. Targeted for 6 to 10 year olds, the software includes a variety of educational activities all of which focus on science: animals and their habitats, the human body and its systems, plants, fossils, the solar system, electricity and magnetism, etc. 8/29/2006 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Mia's Reading Adventure (The Search for Grandma's Remedy) by KUTOKA INTERACTIVE

Mia's Reading Adventure, designed for children ages 5 to 9, is a story-based interactive adventure that features exciting activities all of which focus on literacy skills: spelling, vocabulary, early reading, phonics, and more. It includes four distinct levels of difficulty and helps the player to develop logic, memory, observation and concentration skills. 8/29/2006 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Webs to Whales Nature Tales series by BLOCK PUBLISHING

Interactive CD-ROMs focus on science literacy. Each CD includes a fictional illustrated ebook; narrated, interactive lessons and games; and printable activity sheets. Kids can view a spider's spinnerets close up or watch a humpback whale breach and dive in the ocean. They can mix rainbow colors, match whale flukes, and put together puzzles. The Rainbow Web CD-ROM won an iParenting media award for Best Products of 2006. 7/28/2006 (Price: $17.95) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

JingleSpells – 20 Songs to Spell By by TALKING FINGERS INC.

 6/1/2006 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

The K-4 Reading Bundle by TALKING FINGERS INC.

The Read, Write & Type Learning System and Wordy Qwerty are both rich, multi-sensory, multi-modal software programs on their own. But together, they also make an engaging and effective reading enrichment package for grades K-4. Children who have learned to touch-type with the Read, Write & Type Learning System, will have the advantage of and the opportunity to practice their keyboarding skills while learning more advanced spelling and word-building skills with Wordy Qwerty. 6/1/2006 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Wordy Qwerty by TALKING FINGERS INC.

Wordy Qwerty helps 2nd through 4th grade children develop a deeper understanding of how words are constructed in English. It provides reading and writing activities with helpful feedback in order to increase fluency and comprehension in reading and writing. There are 20 lessons, each teaching a spelling rule with a lively Karaoke song to help children remember the rule. Six activities help children recognize familiar patterns in words, identify outlaw words, learn word families and homonyms, and build fluency as they read interesting short stories and fill in missing words. 6/1/2006 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Read, Write & Type Learning System by TALKING FINGERS INC.

The Read, Write & Type Learning System, is aimed at early readers (grades K-2). It teaches them to identify the individual sounds in words (phoneme awareness) and to associate those sounds with letters (phonics). It also, as a bonus, teaches them to use the keyboard correctly to help their fingers do the talking. At the end of 40 lessons (one for each phoneme), most 6-7 year olds are able to read (decode) any regularly spelled word and write (encode) any word they can say. A second CD, Spaceship Challenge is played between the ten levels of Read, Write & Type. It monitors a child’s progress in phonemic awareness, reading comprehension and spelling and provides prescriptive help for children who need more practice in a particular skill or phoneme. 6/1/2006 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Crazy Machines: The Wacky Contraptions Game by VIVA MEDIA

Turn the crank, rotate the gears, push the levers. Us the catapult, explode it, or fly it. From grilling sausages with a pulley, gears, rubberbands and a candle, to firing a cannon with a basketball, these wacky brain-teasers will light a child's imagination with creative and addictive fun. This game “provides quality education while also being entertaining and fun for kids,” Project Manager Beatrice LaBarge told TDmonthly. It received a Greatest Products of 2005 iParenting Media Award. Launch date: October 2005. 12/29/2005 (Price: $19.99)

Watch & Learn With Professor Toto Starter Kit (French, Spanish, Italian, German or Chinese) by THE LANGUAGE WORKSHOP FOR CHILDREN

WATCH & LEARN is available in French, Spanish, Italian, German and Chinese. Each 5-1/2 x 7-1/2” shrink wrapped package includes 1 DVD (60 Minutes made up of Professor Toto Animation - Part 1, 30 minutes of target language and 30 minutes of English), 1 Complete Script (Target language + English), and 1 Parent’s Guide. 12/14/2005 (Price: $29.95)

Alice in Vivaldi's Four Seasons by MUSIC GAMES INTERNATIONAL

“Brilliantly conceived and radiantly executed.” – San Jose Mercury News.

Brimming with contagious fun and countless surprises, Alice in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons offers an engaging story and dozens of educational games, puzzles and riddles.

From the moment Alice enters the broken clock left behind by the White Rabbit, kids understand that they are in for a fascinating adventure as they try to repair the clock and free Alice. There is literally no end to the kind of musical experience kids will have using this program - from understanding how music is made to identifying the unique sounds of different instruments to detecting tunes played in alternate styles.

Alice is a winner of Parents’ Choice Award, USA Today’s Best Pick for the Holidays selection, Parenting Magazine’s Software of the Year Award, CBS News Top Children’s Software Pick, etc.

Each CD-ROM contains:
· 7 Music Games · 19 Musical Jigsaw Puzzles ™ · 8 Truly Twisted Music Riddles ™ · The Orchestra Game ™ · An Animated Encyclopedia of Musical Instruments · Vivaldi’s Biography · The Complete Four Seasons Recording by Hamburg Chamber Orchestra 11/29/2005

Mozart's Magic Flute The Music Game by MUSIC GAMES INTERNATIONAL

Based on Mozart’s incomparable masterpiece, this CD-ROM is an exceptional introduction to music in general and to the life and work of the great composer. In the Magic Flute Music Game, children meet Mozart when he is just a boy. Wolfie, as he was known, falls asleep and dreams the fantastic story of "The Magic Flute" opera. Players join Wolfie inside his dream to participate in the story of the Queen of the Night stealing the Sun. Throughout their travels, kids are treated to beautiful sights to go with the rich, orchestral sounds. Scenery as well as game settings are rendered in lush, watercolor-washed animation, a perfect accompaniment to the otherworldly escapade, creating an unforgettable and one-of-a-kind musical experience kids will want to revisit again and again. A winner of The Parents’ Choice Gold Award, Parenting Magazine’s Software of the Year Award, Instructor Magazine’s Teacher Raves Award and many others, The Magic Flute Music Game features different games, music puzzles and riddles, an animated encyclopedia of musical instruments, Mozart's biography, music trivia and more. 11/29/2005

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker The Music Game by MUSIC GAMES INTERNATIONAL

“This is a decidedly unique software game with enormous educational value….Kids will enjoy playing again and again.”- DiscoverySchool.com

This Holiday classic title gives children an outlet for exploring their own appreciation of music, while sharpening their listening and problem-solving skills and improving understanding of the basic concepts of music. The Nutcracker Music Game is an interactive adventure that celebrates music by challenging kids through participation and exciting game play.

“What is so impressive about this CD-ROM is how much fun kids had while really putting their musical ears to the test”-The National Parenting Center report.

In addition to its engaging and educational musical games, puzzles and riddles, the program features an animated Encyclopedia of Musical Instruments, an extensive Listening Room, Tchaikovsky's biography, the Nutcracker story, a History of the Nutcracker ballet, Music Trivia and more.

Nutcracker Music Game won the Distinguished Achievement Award from AEP (the Association of Educational Publishers), Dr. Toy’s 10 Best Children’s Software Products award, and Parents’ Choice Gold Award, among many others.

Each CD-ROM contains:
· 5 Music Games · 16 Musical Jigsaw Puzzles ™ · 8 Truly Twisted Music Riddles ™ · The Orchestra Game ™ · An Animated Encyclopedia of Musical Instruments · The Finest Music Trivia · The Complete Nutcracker Suite (London Symphony Orchestra) · Tchaikovsky’s Biography · A Brief History of the Nutcracker Ballet · The Nutcracker Story in a Nutshell 11/29/2005