Adiboo 3 Reading & Maths 4-5

In Adiboo's garden children have the opportunity to plant virtual trees. You simply select what kind of tree you want to plant. It could be an apple or cherry tree and you plant the seed and water it. If you try to harvest the fruit too quickly you are told to be more patient and all the time birds are flying around hoping to eat the seed. The land also provides a games dome which is packed with creative tasks. You simply click on the toy box and choose what you want to play. There is a fun game with wizards who battle it out with the potions you give them.

There are two CD-ROMs in this title; the first is located in Adiboo land and the second takes children to places like the colourful Kingdom of Hotchpotch where you can feed a variety of animals. To help your children become familiar with objects, they are asked to feed bread to blue unicorns and grass to deer. There's also an area of magical machines including one that flies with feathers. But first you have to repair the feathers, identify the missing ones and restore them in the right order.

These titles are a bit like a trip to an entertaining amusement park. They are packed with layers and layers of tasks which teach young children elementary reading and maths. And the imaginative settings mean that children will quickly forget they are being asked to practice their homework. --Justin Hunt