This box set has four games for preschoolers up through first grade. Each CD focuses on a different set of skills at a different level. All games are easy to use; if you can use a mouse, you can play the game. This makes the games ideal for young children (or their adults) who have limited computer experience.

Below I have reviewed each game in the set. If you want an easy to use game that will grow with your child then Super Scholar is for you.


Pencil-Pal Software Preschool

Pencil-Pal Software has games and activities for preschoolers to do.

Dot-to-Dot
Preschoolers can do dot-to-dot games using numbers, capital letters or lowercase letters. The starting point of each game flashes red, making it easy for preschoolers to find. When the preschooler clicks on each number or letter, they hear it said.

The dot-to-dot game greatly appeals to preschoolers with its fun pictures and built in rewards. Once the dot-to-dot is finished correctly, the picture appears to come alive.

Movie Theater
The Movie Theater has several short videos that appeal to preschoolers.

Coloring
Preschoolers can pick and color a simple worksheet and then print it out. The fill tool eliminates accidental coloring outside of the lines, but it also limits creativity by allowing only one color per area.

Drawing
The drawing area allows preschoolers to draw with the mouse, use stamps and fill areas with a color or pattern.

My so loved the coloring and drawing area. He had no trouble figuring out how to use the tools to create what he wanted. In less then 10 minutes he had created and printed four masterpieces to hang on the refrigerator. His only complaint was that there were not more pictures to color.

Barn Game
Preschoolers are shown a picture of a letter, number, color or object and then two or more objects on the left side of the barn. The preschooler then moves the object(s) that fit the criteria to the right side of the barn.
The Barn Game was perhaps the most difficult activity for my son to learn to use. He wanted to drag the correct object to the bottom of the screen and place it on top of the item he was trying to match. He became very frustrated with the game and even after I explained what to do he would not have any part of it.


Alphabet Express

From the main screen, the kids can either click on a letter, activities or listen to a version of the alphabet song.

Each letter has a page where the kids click on items that begin with that letter. That page links to three coloring sheets. One has the letter in capital and lower case surrounded by pictures that start with that letter. Another is the picture the kids clicked on to find items that start with that letter and the last is a handwriting practice sheet. The kids color the pictures and print it out to practice writing the letter.

Another option is a silly matching game. The kids help a fire fighter dog and a silly elephant put out a fire by matching letters to a picture that starts with that letter or matching the capital letter to the lower case. After three correct answers, the fire fighter dog tickles the elephant and the elephant puts out the fire.

My son loves the matching game because it is silly. He loves that sometimes the elephant sneezes to blow out the fire or maybe he will throw a pie to put out the fire. The only problem he has is when the game becomes more difficult and he does not want to put forth the effort.

The ABC Activities page has four options mazes, hidden letters, dot-to-dot and movies.

If they want to play a maze game, they get to decide which character they want to help through the maze. Navigation is a bit tricky. First click on an object and then click on the letter the object starts with.

The hidden letters game is well done and not too overwhelming for preschoolers. The game starts with only three hidden letters and gradually builds up and becomes increasingly difficult. After each successful completion, there is a very short, silly clip.

As in Pencil-Pal Software Preschool Alphabet Express has Dot-to-Dot and Movie Theater. Unlike Pencil-Pal the Dot-to-Dot in Alphabet Express can not be changed from letters to numbers. It does switch from capital letters to lowercase and the pictures come alive when completed.


Wonder Words


Featuring, Ace the Wonder Rabbit, Turbo the Wonder Snail, Tinker the Wonder Turtle and Rex the Wonder Dog Wonder Words allows a choice of sight words or pictures in playing the games. Wonder Words has a built in predictable reward system. After the child completes five educational games, they get to play a fun game.

My son is not reading, yet he wanted to play the sight words even though the games were too hard for him. I finally managed to convince him to play with pictures but he still needed help playing the games. He had a lot of trouble with this game and needs constant help with it.

Even though he has so much trouble with the game, it is his favorite. He is always asking to play it. There are several parts of the game that are wonderful for pre-readers.

This game is great for preschoolers going into kindergarten, kindergarteners and first graders.


Transition Math

Transition Math is an advanced game. In order to play this game preschoolers will need to know how to count to 20 and be able to recognize the numerals. Transition Math is the most structured game in the set. Each activity is graded, stars for a correct answer and a red check mark for a wrong answer. For every two activities the child completes there is a game. The game has several pages to print out follow along with the program.

I liked the game because it explains basic math concepts such as addition in a practical way that he understood. I also liked that it clearly shows what the child has done and still has to do to be finished.

However, I found the game difficult to play with my son because the easier activities such as finding shapes in a picture and finishing a pattern were towards the end of the game. By the time, he reached the easier activities he was frustrated because he had received so many red check marks.

I think Transition Math would be a good game to supplement a first-second grader, but it is to advanced for most preschoolers.