Dr. Seuss's ABC Mac OS X Edition
© 2005 Software MacKiev
Updated in 2005 for Macintosh (you can still find the original 1995 Mac/Windows XP version in the bargain bins) this interactive alphabet book features the core content of the original release, with an improved navigation system. 600 clickable routines are scattered among the 26 letter-themed pages -- from Aunt Annie's Alligator to the Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz. Children can click on words, phrases or pictures to see them come to life. Each page contains about 15 to 30 skits per letter. On the letter Z page children can count the number of Zs in the name of Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz or watch the letter Z zoom around the screen, zapping things. A cute pet named Zed makes an appearance, and clicking on "What starts with Z?" shows a zipper, zebra, or zucchini. By the end of the page, children get the idea that this is the place for Zs! This is the perfect setting for children to begin making letter/sound associations. Testers liked the playful characters— the large talking alligator and mice humming in the moonlight— and parents were impressed by the original jazz and range of vocal styles. The designers at Software Mackiev, a company known for mac-tweaking old classics like Kid Pix, fixed some of the design problems in the original version. It is now possible to use the keyboard to jump directly to any letter, and animations can be bypassed by pressing the RETURN key. You can instantly page through the book using the arrow keys. There is also a new "KidVideo Player" feature, making it easy to access the original musical selections from the book. One thing they didn't change was the screen size -- the screens appear in the center of the screen, with a large black boarder. The wide range of routines, musical styles and clever letter-related puns make for fun exposure to the alphabet and the humorous Seusseun characters. Too bad there is no Windows version.
$24.95, Mac OSX
Teaches: early reading, letter and word recognition, music