September - October 2000

Cyber News and Reviews is a monthly column published for parents, teachers & business owners featuring kids educational software reviews, business software reviews (small business & home business), games and entertainment articles, a free resource since 1995.

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PokéROM Gotta LEARN 'em all! from The Learning Company and Mattel Interactive

Okay, Pokémon fans (ages 5 to 11), are you ready for some fun while you're learning with your favorite Pokémon characters? Then you need to catch all of the new pint sized educational CDs from The Learning Company and Mattel Interactive (and Nintendo).  They're filled with math and reading (and more), educational exercises hosted by some of your favorite Pokémon (Japanese for pocket monsters) pals.

Each new mini CD offers quizzes, questions (200 plus) and puzzles with one of ten popular Pokémon characters including Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Pikachu (he's so cute), Meowth (part of Team Rocket, one of the few Pokémon who talks, and with a New York accent), Psyduck, Poliwhirl, Gengar, Eevee and Mewtwo (a very powerful Pokémon).  I happen to know all about the Pokémon craze because my two daughters, Sarah and Becky, enjoy collecting and playing the card game and watching the cartoon videos.  Besides providing Pokémon themed educational exercises, they also allow you to view your Pokémon in its own environment (at the Observation Lab).  And there's even a slide show you can view of your Pokémon having some fun.

You'll meet Professor Oak, the Pokémon expert (actually, Sarah says he's a researcher), to guide you through your Pokémon training program.  With his help, you'll play the Brain Trainer Exercise at the Training Center for a match game with math and reading questions.  Once completed, you'll want to visit the Pokémon Sanctuary for the trainer races, with up to three opponents and 5 delectable levels (grades 1 through 5).

For more information, or to order, visit PokéROM Gotta LEARN 'em all! sells for street price of $7.99 and will run on any multimedia PC, Pentium 166 or faster running Windows 98/95 and a Power Macintosh 8500/120 or better.  Both computers require 32 MB RAM and a four-speed (4x) CD-ROM drive.

Play With The Teletubbies for the PlayStation from Knowledge Adventure

If your kids are young enough to love The Teletubbies show from the BBC and PBS television, and you own a Sony PlayStation video game console, then you may be interested in Play With The Teletubbies, a new educational game title from Knowledge Adventure.  Kids, ages 2 to 4, will have tons of Teletubby fun, and without the need to learn the game controls.  Any button pressed will get a positive response from the Teletubbies and their environment.

The activities include Chase The Noo-noo (chase the vacuum cleaner), Tubby Toast (make the toast and help the Teletubbies eat), Tubby Custard  (make a mess with the pink custard and watch the Noo-noo clean up), Control Panel (press buttons for lights and sounds), Hiding Game (get the Teletubbies back together for a group hug), Favorite Thing (help a Teletubby play with a favorite item), What's That? (notice and name a far away object to hear a nursery rhyme), Magic Drum (flowers and rabbits appear), TV Receiver (watch a video on a Teletubby's tummy), Train Event (control a train) and Cloud Game (play music in the clouds).

Play With Teletubbies for the PlayStation game console sells for a street price of $16.99 and will run on the Sony PlayStation video game machine. 

Howard Berenbon

Software Companies Mentioned

Knowledge Adventure, Inc.
19840 Pioneer Avenue
Torrance, CA 90503
Phone: 1-800-545-7677
URL knowledgeadventure.com

The Learning Company
6493 Kaiser Drive
Fremont, CA 94555
Phone: 1-800-716-8506
URL learningco.com