As a parent of two young girls, ages three and seven, I've regularly struggled with what brand or type of educational software to pick up for them. Over the last few years, I have to admit the track record of this type of software has been hit and miss, but the JumpStart series from Knowledge Adventure has been one of the most consistent vendors we've run across.
So when I saw a chance to review JumpStart 3D Virtual World: My First Adventure, which is geared towards ages three to five, I saw it as a perfect opportunity to see how my youngest daughter would do with it. She often "helps" her sister when she's playing her "big girl" games on the computer, but we haven't had a chance to pick up any software specifically for her.
The box for JumpStart 3D Virtual World: My First Adventure has a cool holographic picture that changes as you move it (the kids in the boat wave, a dog jumps, and the dog in the water swims). That alone was enough to capture the attention of my three-year-old.
Installation was a bit more involved than I expected, requiring an initial installation from the CD-ROM, sign-up through the JumpStart Web site, and then a pass through a second installation to pick up any software updates. The JumpStart Web site allows you to add multiple children to the list of users, which is nice for tracking more than one child's progress on the computer.
For inexperienced computer users, this whole process may be a bit of a challenge as they wonder why all of these steps are required to get their tykes up and running on the computer. However, the steps are pretty straightforward.
Once we actually ran the program, we were brought to an initial configuration page. This is, again, not a page for the children who will actually use the game, but intended for the adult configuring the software. On this page, you can further customize the game for the children you signed up for on the JumpStart Web site. By adding birthdays, which holidays are celebrated (for example, not every family celebrates Christmas, Haunukah, or Kwanzaa), and personalized photos, you can really make this game fit into your world a bit more. I did not try adding actual photos, but would expect them to show up in the game further down the line if I had.
Article comments
1 - paul
Thanks for the comments. In addition to the PC games that are available at retail locations, JumpStart just launched an online version of our adventure-based learning games. We invite everyone to go to www.jumpstart.com and experience the first immersive 3D virtual world for kids. We also have created Fan Clubs on Facebook and MySpace to help parents connect with others and share their thoughts and experiences about their children's success at school and at play.