Madeline and the Magnificent Puppet Show

$32, Windows CD-ROM

Teaches: problem solving, French & Spanish vocabulary

CTR Review

In this beautifully illustrated CD, kids help Madeline raise money for her neighbor, Monsieur Benet, who is about to be homeless along with the animals that he cares for. To raise money, Madeline intends to put on a puppet show and needs special materials to do so. She must find five balloons, her cape, and a chain, and must also decorate invitations, paint backdrops and dress three puppets. To collect the necessary items, kids help Madeline search through six scenes (Madeline's house, the park, Monsieur Benet's house, the town, etc.) while playing activities. (In addition to invitations and backdrops there are typing and concentration-like vocabulary games.) Once the appropriate items are located, the puppet show begins. One test family reported being very impressed by the quality of the illustrations and number of animations. However, the children became frustrated when they couldn't find the all necessary items and felt slowed down by the animated routines that couldn't be interrupted. Because of the large number of animations to click through, one tester gave up soon after he started the game. Also, once all the items were found, the children were disappointed to learn that all the items were always in the exact same location each time the game was played. The test family also reported that while they appreciated the sign-in feature that automatically saved the game, they found the music "somewhat bothersome" as it could not be turned off. The testers generally enjoyed the activities (their favorites were making the invitations and backdrops).