Captain Kangaroo: Life's Lessons #1

Copyright: KBkids.com

While it may have seemed strange watching the original Captain Kangaroo replaced by this fellow with a dark beard, the new television show has been a great success. A new CD-ROM series presents some of life's important lessons in a fun manner with the Captain as host. Adventure #1 covers helping, caring and responsibility.

Your preschoolers will join the Captain in his Treasure House for story time. The Captain has misplaced five items, however, which must be located before the story can be read. Your child must search the Treasure House, the garden, and workshop in order to find each of the missing items. Hints are available at any time. Copernicus P. Digit will tell your youngster where to look for each item. Once all items are located, the Captain will tell your child a 'choose your own adventure' story. At certain spots, the story stops and your child must decide what will happen next. The stories change each time a new 'game' is played. Each story deals with responsibility, caring, and helping.

Throughout the Captain's place, there are hot spots and other activities. Mr. Moose, and Bunny have a pet hamster named Higgins. They need your child's help to take care of their pet. He lives in a maze, with trap door throughout. Your child will need to help him find his water, his food, or perhaps some entertainment. A meter at the side of the screen tells your child how happy Higgins is, similar to a virtual pet. This game can be played over and over. Each time they visit Mr. Moose and Bunny, the hamsters needs, and the maze, change slightly.

In the garden, they will find Mr. Green Jeans. He will show your child how to plant, and take care of a seed. Virtual tools allow your child to dig a hole, plant a seed, water the seed and watch it grow. Once it is 'over grown,' it needs clipping. As the bush is clipped, a surprise animal sculpture appears. This animal sculpture changes with each visit.

In the workshop, Joey the Kangaroo is preparing the Ping-Pong ball washing machine. Mr. Moose still loves to tell his knock-knock jokes, but needs clean Ping-Pong balls. This contraption has a few missing pieces, which your child must put together. The pieces match corresponding blank spaces in the machine, much like a jig saw puzzle. Once the pieces are in place, the machine cleans the balls, and a new knock-knock joke is told. As with other activities, this contraption changes with each visit.

The lessons taught here are valuable. Your preschoolers will learn about patience, cleaning up, listening carefully and more. While the age recommendation is 3-5, many five year olds will find this program much too easy. Stick to the lower end of the age scale with this series. It is great for preschoolers who are gaining computer skills, but still are not terribly adept with the mouse, or with complex computer simulations. There is not as much depth here are you will find in other preschool programs. On the other hand, it covers areas of learning which are all but ignored in other programs.

Bottom Line: A good preschool program. Not as much depth as other preschool programs, but teaches valuable lessons.

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

Overall: 3

BrainGain: 2 1/2

FunFactor: 3

EasePlease: 4

Amazon does not currently have this title available, but you can find it at www.cdaccess.com