I Love Spelling

There have been few new spelling programs in the last year, so it was refreshing to see a new title! This is a good spelling program, but not one of the best. I would still opt for one of the Spell It programs. Kids who like to play games, and are being coerced to use a 'spelling program' may do better here, however. The game atmosphere is a bit less threatening, and feels a bit less like 'spelling.'

You will join Marty Wordblaster, a very corny game show host, in an intergallactic spelling game show. Several spelling games are included, which help develop proof reading, speed, and accuracy. You can not add your own words in this program. You must choose from one of the groups of words included. Three skill levels start at a mid-2nd grade level.

Although it appears there are three areas to visit, two are duplications. This was a bit annoying. Astro Adventure and The Incredible Space Challenge actually include the same four activities. Therefore, the program looks a bit meatier than it really is. Four planets are visited, each with it's own spelling activity:

Amphibia- Here you will play a version of hang man. Perhaps not the best spelling game, but gets your kids thinking and is non-threatening.

Anagrama- Scrambled word activity. Again, not a great teaching tool, but helps kids think about how words are spelled rather than rambling them off.

Aquatica- A timed activity where you must pop bubbles which contain the correct letters to spell a given word. A bit stressful for kids who are struggling.

Arachna- Spell the word you hear while helping a spider 'wrap up' her dinner. Fun for bug lovers, and perhaps the only traditional spelling activity included.

There is one last area which you can access from the main menu. Both The Incredible Space Challenge, and Astro Adventure contain the above activities. Word Attack is an arcade game where your child must shoot down the correctly spelled word. This is a great proof-reading activity which forces your child to recognize words quickly. May be too stressful for slower readers.

I would not suggest this program for slow readers, or those with serious visual problems. There are too many proof-reading activities, which I do not recommend for these kids. They are just as likely to remember the incorrectly spelled word at this point as the correct one.

The game as a whole was pretty good, but nothing to jump up and down about. The interface was clumsy, requiring you to exit to the sign in menu to choose another game. There were enough activities, but the duplication in two areas felt 'tricky.' Why not just have one area with the four games?

Educational Value: 4

Entertainment Value: 3

Replay Value: 3

Ages: 6-10

See Both Win/MAC versions of I Love Spelling at Amazon!