Bear & Penguin's Big Reading Adventure
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List Price: ££9.99
Our Price: ££2.40
Your Save: £ 0.00 ( % )
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Manufacturer: Dorling Kindersley
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: CD-ROM
Brand: DK
EAN: 5016488105477
Label: Dorling Kindersley
Number Of Items: 1
Platform: Windows 95
Publisher: Dorling Kindersley
Release Date: 2000-06-18
Studio: Dorling Kindersley
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Failed Christmas Present
Comment: The initial loading of the program is frustrating and I certainly didn't expect to be downloading fixes on a new product. The screen does not maximise to the full size of the monitor and this cannot be fixed as mentioned buried in the help text. I would have expected both of these things to be mentioned in the advertisement of the cd rather than being hidden within the cd itself. I would expect better performance from D.K and indeed Amazon. This is the first time that I have used the internet to purchase presents and I will consider more carefully before doing so again. I will be returning this product as unfit for purpose.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Buggy Software
Comment: This software has been so frustrating for my 5 year old daughter to use; like other reviewers we experience the constant hanging of the program. Yes the workaround is fairly simple but this is a problem that should be fixed. I contacted the technical people at Dorling Kindersley, however they said they are aware of the problem but have no intention of fixing it. This is not what I would expect from a service orientated company and I would not buy a DK product in the future based on this experience.
That said, we have found the software to be somewhat limited, this was an experiment for us and I would have to say that learning to read is much better achieved the traditional way!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fun and learning
Comment: This CDROM really manages to combine fun and learning in one. I bought it at the same time as I got Jump Ahead Year 1 (for age 5-6) and I and my son much prefer this one. Bear and Penguin's Big Reading Adventure has a much more modern feel to it and the navigation is much more convenient. The little introductory sequences are easy to follow; the characters speak slowly and clearly, but at the same time they are appealing and funny.
Children actually have to read words (and even understand sentences) to win, they can't just use guesswork or wait until a voice reads it out to them. In each game you can see that a child will actually learn or practise something; they are not just for fun. But they aren't all hard work by any means; my son is not that enthusiastic a reader, but the games were good enough to make him forget that for a while! His big sister also wanted a go.
The words and sentences are age-appropriate and the font is the kind used in schools (a handwriting font). The voices and spelling are British.
The reward system works very well: my son wants to get all the snowflakes by playing a game several times, and then was really pleased to get a virtual "sticker" in his album, then wanted to fill the album to win a song.
We had the same problem others have mentioned with the game getting stuck, and having to use Alt+Tab to make it go on. I would have given it half a star less in the rating, but this CDROM is so much better than any others of this kind we've got that I didn't have it in my heart to take off a whole star just for that.
Customer Rating:
Summary: One Very Satisfied Customer
Comment: Couldn't agree more with all the other positive reviews. This is pure play for our 3, 5 and 8 year olds. The encouragement given by the characters is very warm and motivating. There are three levels and each has effectively three levels of difficulty within those as well. It has much more than you'd expect for the price. A long user life to it.
The bug another reviewer mentions is a shame but it is overcome by simply clicking out of the activity/CdRom window and back in again. Nothing too inconvenient even for the smallest children. Also, clicking anywhere on the screen moves the sequence forward, passed any introduction you may have heard before.
The CdRom, and equally so for their Big Maths Adventure too,Big Bear and Penguin, are not the passive, 'thin' characters. Frequently, they are a little comedy duo keeping the atmosphere light and enticing. All Fabulous stuff.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Looks great, one bug
Comment: My six-year old loves this game - she has filled in all the "stickers" and loves to get it right.
The only problem is that there is a fairly basic bug in the software. Sometimes it stops dead when it should be asking the next puzzle. The DK website gives a temporary solution (Alt + Tab away and back again) but not a patch. Come on guys, this is not exactly a complex bit of software, I would expect more from the Dorling Kindersley brand.
That said, it's cheerful and a genuine aid to learning reading, as well as being appealing and easy to use.
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Editorial Reviews: |
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Failed Christmas Present
Comment: The initial loading of the program is frustrating and I certainly didn't expect to be downloading fixes on a new product. The screen does not maximise to the full size of the monitor and this cannot be fixed as mentioned buried in the help text. I would have expected both of these things to be mentioned in the advertisement of the cd rather than being hidden within the cd itself. I would expect better performance from D.K and indeed Amazon. This is the first time that I have used the internet to purchase presents and I will consider more carefully before doing so again. I will be returning this product as unfit for purpose.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Buggy Software
Comment: This software has been so frustrating for my 5 year old daughter to use; like other reviewers we experience the constant hanging of the program. Yes the workaround is fairly simple but this is a problem that should be fixed. I contacted the technical people at Dorling Kindersley, however they said they are aware of the problem but have no intention of fixing it. This is not what I would expect from a service orientated company and I would not buy a DK product in the future based on this experience.
That said, we have found the software to be somewhat limited, this was an experiment for us and I would have to say that learning to read is much better achieved the traditional way!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fun and learning
Comment: This CDROM really manages to combine fun and learning in one. I bought it at the same time as I got Jump Ahead Year 1 (for age 5-6) and I and my son much prefer this one. Bear and Penguin's Big Reading Adventure has a much more modern feel to it and the navigation is much more convenient. The little introductory sequences are easy to follow; the characters speak slowly and clearly, but at the same time they are appealing and funny.
Children actually have to read words (and even understand sentences) to win, they can't just use guesswork or wait until a voice reads it out to them. In each game you can see that a child will actually learn or practise something; they are not just for fun. But they aren't all hard work by any means; my son is not that enthusiastic a reader, but the games were good enough to make him forget that for a while! His big sister also wanted a go.
The words and sentences are age-appropriate and the font is the kind used in schools (a handwriting font). The voices and spelling are British.
The reward system works very well: my son wants to get all the snowflakes by playing a game several times, and then was really pleased to get a virtual "sticker" in his album, then wanted to fill the album to win a song.
We had the same problem others have mentioned with the game getting stuck, and having to use Alt+Tab to make it go on. I would have given it half a star less in the rating, but this CDROM is so much better than any others of this kind we've got that I didn't have it in my heart to take off a whole star just for that.
Customer Rating:
Summary: One Very Satisfied Customer
Comment: Couldn't agree more with all the other positive reviews. This is pure play for our 3, 5 and 8 year olds. The encouragement given by the characters is very warm and motivating. There are three levels and each has effectively three levels of difficulty within those as well. It has much more than you'd expect for the price. A long user life to it.
The bug another reviewer mentions is a shame but it is overcome by simply clicking out of the activity/CdRom window and back in again. Nothing too inconvenient even for the smallest children. Also, clicking anywhere on the screen moves the sequence forward, passed any introduction you may have heard before.
The CdRom, and equally so for their Big Maths Adventure too,Big Bear and Penguin, are not the passive, 'thin' characters. Frequently, they are a little comedy duo keeping the atmosphere light and enticing. All Fabulous stuff.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Looks great, one bug
Comment: My six-year old loves this game - she has filled in all the "stickers" and loves to get it right.
The only problem is that there is a fairly basic bug in the software. Sometimes it stops dead when it should be asking the next puzzle. The DK website gives a temporary solution (Alt + Tab away and back again) but not a patch. Come on guys, this is not exactly a complex bit of software, I would expect more from the Dorling Kindersley brand.
That said, it's cheerful and a genuine aid to learning reading, as well as being appealing and easy to use.
Bear and Penguin's Big Reading Adventure is another excellent program developed by Dorling Kindersley. It is aimed at children aged 5-7 years old and helps to develop a wide range of literacy skills through four fun games. There are very clear instructions and each game is initially demonstrated, so children will quickly be able to develop confidence and independence. The games, which can be played at three different levels, have been carefully developed to practice the skills that children are learning as part of the literacy hour in school; for example, spelling words by choosing the missing sounds and putting words in the correct order to create a sentence. There are also two storybooks that children can choose to read together or alone. If children want a break from the games there is also an excellent printing section where children can make their own stationary and create lists, cards, writing paper and signs. This is a brilliant way to encourage children to write for a range of different purposes. As children play the games they collect snowflakes and they are then rewarded with a sticker for their sticker album. When all the stickers have been collected they can print out a certificate and listen to the reward song. There is an excellent guide for parents that discusses the skills the games are developing. The child profile shows parents how many times children have played each game and at what level and also suggests follow-on worksheets that can be printed out and used with children. Bear and Penguin's Big Reading Adventure would be an excellent buy for parents or teachers to use with children aged 5-7 years. --Amanda York
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