Spark Island Reading Games 5-7

Children choose activities from a map and are introduced to the games by a range of helpful characters from Sparklantis, a submerged city. Children are rewarded with megahops at the end of each activity and they can keep track of their score and also print out a certificate.

There is a choice of six games that develop a range of skills. Photo fun requires children to put a set of named photos in alphabetical order. This is also a very good activity for developing children's control of the mouse, as they have to click and drag the photos to the correct place on a list. Children have to distinguish between vowels and consonants when playing Letter Bubbles. Seaweed Supreme challenges children have to complete words by finding missing pieces. This activity consolidates reading and spelling strategies. Younger children may need adult support with this activity. Syllabubbles tests children's knowledge of the number of syllables in a range of words. Pinball Pairs involves the children finding pairs of words with the same meaning. Children can try to outsmart the Wise Wizard, by choosing an animal and then answering a range of questions, so that he can guess which animal they have chosen.

There is an outstanding guide for parents, which goes through the games listing the skills that children will be developing and how parents should approach the activity with their child. Ideas are given for follow-up activities and there are even materials that can be printed out and used with children to consolidate and extend the activities.

All, in all this CD-ROM would be an excellent purchase for children aged five to seven. --Amanda York