Sesame Street Sports
© 2001 NewKidCo
A better name for this game would be "Sesame Street Skating." That's because the primary activity consists of steering one of the Sesame Street characters through a race track. What you end up with is a fun, easy to use activity that does a nice job of giving preschoolers a successful PlayStation experience. But don't expect much depth in the learning department. There are three levels of play, six muppets to choose from, and four different courses, all presented with clear, simple menus. An exercise room waits off to the side of the main screen, where children can press any button to lead a muppet through an exercise. As they do, they hear a chorus of children reciting color words, or counting as Elmo does his jumping jacks. This labeling is an effective way to reinforce these words. But the heart of the program is the skating, where children steer their muppet through a track, earning points by hitting targets. As they race, the program reinforces direction words ("Elmo went around the jump"). Weaknesses include a bit of mushiness to the controls. Children wanted to turn Elmo around and go back, which is not possible; they also asked to be able to race against other muppets or another player (a good illustration of how competitive even young children can be). Remember that these are the older PlayStation graphics which can be a bit disappointing if you're getting used to your PlayStation 2. All in all, while a bit limited, there's a lot to like about this first PlayStation experience.
$19.99, PlayStation
Teaches: letters, colors, counting, shapes, directions words (left/right, around)