Buddy Brush and the Painted Playhouse
© 1999 ITP Entertainment, Inc. (Ideas That Play)
This "interactive painting adventure" can be fun to play around with but is marred by design flaws and limitations. There are three main areas to play in— one houses music "puzzles" where children click on instruments in order to make certain graphics match up. Another play area lets kids mix paint colors, and the third area gives children the opportunity to paint 14 scenes. As the paint is added, layers of music are combined, giving the child a playful, creative music and art experience. On the positive side, the program's graphics are bold and appealing as is the music. Unfortunately, the software misses opportunities for teaching in that colors and instruments are not labeled via text or narration. In the color mixing activity, you can only grab one blob of a color at a time. To be in control of the mixing you must be able to click and drag with the mouse— a difficult skill for many two and three year olds. In the painting activity children's color choices are limited to six and there is no mixing option. Other design flaws include confusing icons (a toolbox marks the exit) and a difficult printing process.
$34.95, Win 95, 98; Mac OS (CD-ROM)
Teaches: creativity