American Girls Premiere 2nd Edition

Copyright KBkids.com

The American Girls Premiere 2nd Edition has recently hit the shelves. This new version includes a few technical upgrades, but mainly introduces a new character. Josefina is the newest Pleasant Company doll. Her second series of books has just been released, and it was high time she was included in the popular computer program. She is a Hispanic girl, growing up in New Mexico in the year 1824.

Other than the addition of the new character, parents will not be overwhelmed with this upgrade. A few additions, including historical background, and script printing have been added, but the original program stays basically intact. This program is appropriate for girls ages 8-12, but will be difficult for those under ten. They can produce plays, but will need adult supervision and tutoring at first. There are many buttons to learn, and your child must also learn to record each action in order to produce the play. A very good tutorial is included, but it contains a vast amount of information, and may take time for younger kids to grasp. If your child chooses to use the text to speech mode for dialogue, spelling must be fairly accurate as well. A microphone is highly recommended for this program. Testers did find this version slightly easier to use than the original, but it is still rather complex. This complexity, however, allows for a wide variety of plays and ideas, with very professional results.

Once a character is selected, the production is ready to be created. You can still not mix characters from different periods in the same play. This is historically accurate, but girls everywhere play with each of their dolls simultaneously, regardless of their historical period. Your child will also need to select one of the characters outfits. These can not be mixed and matched in the same production. Once selected, this may limit the choice of actions. Props, scenery, music, sound effects, and lighting can all be adjusted for each scene. There are play starter ideas for those who need an idea booster. Characters and props etc. are accurate, and based on those your child has seen in the book series. In each scene, your child must decide what will be included on stage, what actions each character will make, and what will be said. Then these actions must be recorded. It is fairly easy to record, edit and change your scene once your get the hang of how all of the icons work, but this will take time. Any program with many options will take some time. This program is no different, and has a slightly higher than average learning curve.

Girls who enjoy the American Girls series will enjoy creating their own plays. This is an activity which has been a part of the doll series for years. Now these plays can be produced on your computer. When you consider how expensive those American Girl costumes are, the cost of this program seems insignificant! Your girls will still want to produce real plays with their friends, but this program now offers them an alternative they did not previously have. One of the main purposes of this doll series is to teach girls about American History in a way which involves them totally. Producing their own historically accurate plays is a great way for girls to learn about our country's history.

Bottom Line: New upgrade contains little in the way of technical improvement, but includes new Josefina doll. A fun program for those determined enough to learn how to create these computerized dramas.

Ratings: (based on KBkids.com's 4 star rating system)

Overall: 3

BrainGain: 3

FunFactor: 3

EasePlease: 2 1/2

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