The Great Word Adventure 1
by Shu Tong

The Great Word Adventure 1 from 7th Level is a CD-ROM that uses interactive games to reinforce and enhance the word skills of children ages 6-9. My children, 7.5, 6.0, and 4.5 never had so much fun with categorization, synonyms, antonyms, homonyns, rhyming, and compound words. They really enjoy this program.

Min. Hardware Requirements: 486 33 MHz/greater IBM compatible computer with at least 8MB of RAM; a 256 color display; Microsoft-compatible mouse; an MPC-compatible CD-ROM drive, sound card, and amplified speakers/headphone; Windows 3.1 (including Windows 95) , and DOS 3.3/higher. Hard disk space requirement: 500KB to run on CD, 330 MB to run on hard disk.

Test System: Win 95 on the following hardware: 16 MB RAM, 4xCD-ROM, Pentium 75 MHz, SVGA 640x480(256 colors), mouse, sound card, and amplified speakers.

The installation instructions were simple and easy to follow. (This was my first time installing a program.) After installation, the program lets you choose between a guided tour or free play (exploration on your own)

We let Lil'Howie and Stinky (our cartoon chaperones) lead the way. All tours begin at the Maze- where you are assigned to alphabetize three words, then press a yellow button to begin your adventure into the various game rooms. A nice feature of the guided tour is that although the tours begin at the maze, you are led into the rooms in a different order on each adventure.

The game rooms are as follows:

Stink Gun Game- point and shoot at appropriate words/letters that fly across the screen. (my 6 yr. old's favorite)
The Ballroom- help the characters finish their sons by choosing the correct rhyming words.
Peanut Scale Game- play a version of hangman by guessing 5 words correctly to get Stinky (the cartoon skunk) dunked into a bath.
In The Attic- improve deduction and memory skills by sorting objects and repacking items in order. (my 4.5 year old can play this game by himself)
The Cheese Game- my kids had to think and act quickly as they were allowed to whack rats holding up words to reinforce various word skills. (All my kids rated this game highly.)
Scary Story Room- find all of the words in a wordsearch puzzle in order to hear a spooky tale.
Compound Word Game- rotate cards to form compound words and to complete a puzzle.

This program keeps track of each player's scores and increases in difficulty as player gets better (during guided adventures) A certificate can be printed at the end of a tour.

My children also experimented with the free play and the short cut options which are definite pluses in this program. The free play option allowed them to design their own adventures and the short cut option allowed them to go into any game room immediately. Overall, my 4.5, 6, and 7.5 yr. olds all agree that this Word Adventure program deserves a thumbs up.

Price: $29.99 list at Comp USA, Alamo PC membership discount applies.

Company: 7th Level, Inc., Richardson, TX 75081
(214)-437-1746

The Great Word Adventure 1 by Shu Tong

The Great Word Adventure 1
by Shu Tong