Children's Software Review of:
Reading Blaster 
for Kindergarten 

This program is one of many in the Blaster series. They offer 10 titles all together from grades kindergarten to 5^th. These also include the Math Blaster programs. The software was extremely easy to load and even easier to get to know how to use. After loading the software and watching the 2 minute introduction movie I was cast under the sea along with Blaster and G.C. This game offers several underwater games that help the small child learn about phonics and reading, word building, shape recognition, and beginning sounds. This game rewards the child with all sorts of different treasure in their quest for success. 

The first game is seahorse racing. In this game the child has to match shapes to move the horse they are riding along the ocean floor. For every shape they match the horse moves further along until they cross the finish line. This is a fast moving game that makes the child react very quickly but it also encourages them to recognize and memorize the shapes needed to succeed in the race. If they win the race they get a starfish prize. 

The next game is the letter bubbles. In this game the child is given a series of letters and they have to pop the bubbles in the order they are given to advance. If they continue to move up into different levels of this game they will try to pop bubbles of letters that are missing in a string of letters. This game is loads of fun for the child and teaches them the alphabet and pattern recognition in the process. If the child completes three strings of letters they receive a starfish prize. 

The sanddollar game is a memory game that requires the child to listen to the phonetical sound of a letter and try to match that sound with the picture of the letter. The game is accomplished by setting up sanddollars and making the child turn over two sanddollars at a time and listening for the matching sounds. When they complete the match Blaster and G.C. give a rousing wahoo to the child. They continue this until all matches have been made. After each round they are given a starfish prize. This game is real challenging to the child but it teaches them how to sound out their letters which is a great help in teaching them to spell. This game captured the attention of my daughter very well because she is at the stage of trying to spell words by using phonics. 

Word Building is done by going to the shellfish game. This game has three oyster shells with crabs sitting on top of them. Inside the shell is a letter or letters needed to build a word. Blaster asks the player to spell a word by using the letters under the shells. If the player puts the letters in the wrong position it gives them a hint by using phonics of the letter that needs to be placed. This game is a hit with a little person trying their darndest to learn how to spell. After they get a few of the words right they are rewarded with a starfish prize. 

The following game teaches the child beginning sounds by showing them a puzzle. The child must select pictures that match the clue at the bottom of the screen. Clicking on the right pictures will reveal the picture below the puzzle. Once this is done they move to the next clue and so on. Starfish prizes are awarded after they expose the picture underneath the clues. This game is easy for most children and they advance along to new levels very quickly. But little do they know they are learning at the same time. 

After the player is awarded five starfish prizes they get to go on a treasure hunt with Blaster. This is the pinnacle of all the hard work they did while playing games. They must follow a maze to the treasure chest but will need help from some colored sea friends to get through different colored doors. As the games progress the maze gets a little harder each time. After they get the treasure they can opt to print it out. But, if your child is like mine they will have pages all over the place from all the treasures they collect. After they get the treasure they can go to the treasure room for more activities. The treasure room looks like Shamu except the player goes inside to look at their treasure. There are several more things to do here, including flash card printout, message board, stories, B-mail and star chart. For every treasure they find they get a B-mail from someone. This is just a note that says how good they are doing and also gives them a joke to try to remember. Get ready for lots of silly jokes from your child comedian after they read their B-mail. All mail can be read to them if they don’t know how to read by clicking on a megaphone at the bottom of the screen. The star chart is something you need to go to every so often to track their progress. This chart tells you what games the child has mastered and what level they are at. 

All in all this game is a great teaching tool. With everything game my child plays she is learning something new. If you are worried about boredom, don’t be. There are 5 game with five levels each. In order to advance up one level the child must earn 8 stars. This is not easily accomplished in one or two nights. I give this game a rousing two thumbs up. If you find it and you have a child or grandchild that can use it, then get it. I don’t think you or your child will be disappointed with this one. Besides, it can follow them all the way to 5^th grade. 

The minimum system requirements are Windows 98/95 on a minimum Pentium 90 machine. It uses 16 MB of RAM, 32 MB is recommended, and you will need at least a 4x CD ROM. A decent sound card is needed along with a printer. No big deal for most users. It will also run on Macintosh with System 7.5.3 and 32 MB RAM. 

This game is available at all the software stores for around $25.00. It is well worth the money. Knowledge Adventure puts out this product and their mailing address is 4100 West 190th Street, Torrance, CA. 90504. If you want to go to a website to order it, look up www.knowledgeadventure.com. You can also call them at (800) 542-4240. Technical support is provide at (800) 556-6141, however I don’t believe you will need it. What’s even more amazing about this product is that they offer a one year money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. What a deal.