Jay Jay Sky Heroes to the Rescue

$19.99, Win, Mac

Teaches: letters, sequencing, logic, music

CTR Review

Jay Jay, the adorable airplane from the PBS series, is now starring in this pleasant but somewhat disappointing CD. Though the version we looked at wasn't final, the parts were in place, and we noticed right off the bat that the designers have underestimated what kids can do. The biggest weakness is the tendency to over-instruct and not allow children to interrupt. It's assumed that kids won't be able to figure out what to do if they click through the directions. The simple, strong interface of this program is intuitive enough that the intros could have easily been skipped. Along the same lines, the program over-reinforces correct responses, delaying the game's general responsiveness. On a more positive note, many of the activities are nicely designed with lots of opportunities for practicing skills like letters, alphabetization and remembering sequences. An overall "save the tree" theme saves the game itself (at least for one session), as testers enjoyed collecting items needed for an ailing Sparkleberry tree. After the kids solve the game once, however, the adventure is complete and aside from three levels of difficulty, the game is the same with each replay. We'll wait for the final product to assign a rating. A second title, Jay Jay Earns His Wings, is also in the works. (Note: These titles are distributed by The Learning Company.)