Title: Reader Rabbit's 4th Grade Adventure
Overall Rating: A
Source: The Learning Company
Playing Time: 35-40 min first time experience
Date: 2-12-99
Cost: $19.95  http://www.shoptlc.com/
Number of Players: 1
Special Equipment/Facilities Needed:
Subject Area: Math
Objectives: build upon recognizing patterns and relationships, be able to read and create simple graphs, and multiply and divide more fluently.
Brief Description: A group of kids stumble upon an old scroll.  To figure it out they must go on an adventure collecting hieroglyphics, which they can only get through solving different mathematical problems.  There are also Social Studies, English, and Science problems.
Entry Capabilities Required: fourth grade math and reading skills, basic social studies and science skills, able to use a mouse

Rating: (1-5)

Strong Points: Good information built into story so that children learn without even realizing it. Discipline linkage -not only math but english, science, logical reasoning, and social studies skills.  Progress reports, level change - tells you what level you are on, what you have mastered, what you have difficulty with, and allows you to change levels.  This is great because a student can practice and get feed back all on their own. It also allows you to focus in on a specific area of practice, without taking the time to go through the story and all that jazz.
Weak Points: A lot of the problems are root memorization problems, not a lot of higher thinking going on. The first problem had to do with picking a jeep with enough gas to go 100 miles.  It was an estimation problem but it was very confusing to me because I was looking for an answer that would equal 100.  20 times 6 happened to be the correct response but as a fourth grader one might assume, even though it is suppose to be estimation, that 20 times 6 = 100.
You can leave a place without solving the problem and go back later, but when you go back you have a new problem.  This is good sometimes but may teach students to avoid all hard problems and just do ones they know.
Reviewer: Heather Colbert
Position: undergraduate
Date: 2-12-99
Computer System Reviewed on: Macintosh PowerPC 6500/250, 32mb ram.