CD-ROM Reviews: March, 2005

-- School Library Journal, 3/1/2005

Business & Economics

My Horse Farm: The Tycoon Game for Horse Lovers. 1 CD-ROM. Systems: Win 98 & later. Viva Media. 2004. ISBN 1-932174-53-2. $29.99.

Gr 3 Up–This delightful game should appeal to all children who have wanted a pony of their own and to those who want to become wealthy tycoons. The goal of the simulation game is to manage finances and create a successful business by taking good care of horses in order to make money and win the championship. Players can outfit the riders by choosing from an array of clothes, accessories and hairstyles; breed, train, and purchase horses; or just ride for fun down the beach. However, they must spend time and money wisely, make good decisions, and train the horses to become world-class champions. Those who succeed will become rich and famous. In addition to the business aspect of the game, the gentle horses and relaxed pace encourage players to take good care of the horses and to earn their trust. The program doesn’t have a precise goal that must be reached in order to win and to end the game. In fact, the game will go on and on, and players can choose to play for fun or to reach goals. Graphics are a bit flat, and the game does require at least a Pentium III 500 MHz processor. The instructions are vague in places. For example, it is not explained that certain items are provided in the stall with the first pony, while others must be purchased from the town. Although some tips are provided by the narrator and through pop-up explanations, reading the written instructions is a must. Still, most players will find enough activity to keep them busy. The thrill of owning a horse farm and watching it grow into a championship stable is well worth the work, and will teach real lessons of responsibility and commitment.–MaryAnn Karre, Horace Mann Elementary School, Binghamton, NY

Foreign Languages

Eazyspeak Spanish, Levels 1 & 2. 1 CD-ROM. Systems: Win 98 & later, Macintosh OS 10.2. Kutoka Interactive. 2004. $24.95.

Gr 5 Up–Presented in game format and set in futuristic Doki City, the program uses situations that students would encounter when traveling, such as packing, eating out, going to the store, or checking into a hotel. The software coaches by repetition of a particular question to which users must respond. For example, a scenario on packing first focuses on a scene in a hotel room. By directing the mouse to various items, the appropriate word appears onscreen and is pronounced. Proceeding through the lesson, a young woman appears and requests that various items be packed—sunglasses, towels, articles of clothing. Players must then drag the item to the suitcase. Dragging the wrong item results in a firm "No!" while a successful identification gets a adulatory "Muy bien!" Numerous exercises are available, and users can choose the level of difficulty. Given the game-like structure and the attractive, if slightly quirky, animation, students will find the program engaging despite the repetition. Users will be intrigued by the introductory material which does a good job of providing instructions on using the program’s features. The animation is clean and colorful, and the voices are clear and easy to understand. While the software loads easily on the Windows platform, it requires OS 10.2 or higher to run on Macintosh. Since many Mac labs, even those with OS X machines, have not had the latest upgrade, this is potentially problematic. Student progress can be evaluated through monitoring both student performance on directed tasks and rapidity of response to spoken commands. The only potential problem for use in schools is the buxom nature of some of the women, but as they are cartoon in form, this may not be a huge limitation. Eazyspeak enhances instruction of basic conversational Spanish. For school and home use.–Ann Welton, Grant Center for the Expressive Arts, Tacoma, WA

Browse the January CD-ROM reviews