CD-ROM Reviews: January, 2005
-- School Library Journal, 1/1/2005
Multiple Skills
Didi & Ditto.1 CD-ROM. Systems: Win 98 & later, Macintosh. Prod. by Kutoka. Dist. by Library Video Co. 2004. $19.99.
K-Didi and Ditto are colorful, adventurous beavers; one of them is caught by a very hungry wolf in a hilarious video at the beginning of the game. The good news is that the wolf is a vegetarian, and he would willingly surrender the captured beaver for some fruits and veggies. Children can play as either the boy (Ditto) or the girl (Didi), and their challenge is to complete the 12 activities that are hidden in the forest, waterfall, village, and pond in order to earn fruits and vegetables and free the sibling. The games reinforce skills that are typically taught in kindergarten, such as alphabet recognition, phonics, counting, sequencing, shapes and patterns. What makes the game fun are the hidden, clickable surprises. A goofy mosquito shows up in every location with a ridiculous riddle, a silly bear hides in the strangest places, and a rabbit pops up in every level instructing kids on directions and spatial relations. The only drawback is the lack of instructions. The game can be played on three levels of difficulty, and favorite activities can be repeated, although they only earn the edible reward the first time through. Each game is saved when it is ended, and saved games are easily loaded. A visit to the activities page shows which activities have been completed and which are still waiting, hidden in the quirky village. There is enough activity in this game to keep kids exploring and learning for quite a while, and it's so much fun that they will want to play again and again.-MaryAnn Karre, Horace Mann Elementary School, Binghamton, NY
Social Studies
National Geographic Maps: The War Series. 1 CD-ROM. Systems: Win 95 & later. National Geographic. 2003. ISBN 1-59150-341-8. $9.99.
Gr 7 Up-The National Geographic Society is to cartography what Henry Ford was to au-tomobiles, and this remarkable product shows us why. The core component consists of more than 30 wartime maps from the earliest days of the magazine's publication at the end of the 19th century up to the 1991 Gulf War. Included are maps from both World Wars and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, as well as copies of U.S. Civil War maps inserted in the magazine's celebration of that war's centennial. If users follow the clearly stated directions, the program offers a variety of manipulations of the maps including a useful searching feature. A "Help" prompt is always available as well as the ability for multiple users to bookmark areas of interest. Other features include a link to the broader National Geographic's map collection via the Internet as well as an introductory segment on the historical milestones in map-making. A must-purchase for collections of any size.-Dwain Thomas, Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL
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