Boasting more than a dozen different games on just one CD-ROM, Hoyle Kids Games is the ultimate software for kids who love to play games. But these are definitely not your little brother's games: there are no game pieces to lose, and no instruction manuals to find and attempt to understand. Unlike many traditional card and board games, this software is easy to use--and even more fun to play. First, go to your room. It's not a punishment--the program's main screen is the bedroom, where kids can access games including checkers, go fish, crazy eights, war, snakes & ladders, hangman, old maid, battling ships, memory match, chinese checkers, tic tac toe, speedy racer, placer racer, and the music game. Play them all and watch your collection of trophies on the bookshelf grow.
Unlike old-fashioned games, here you can play against an entire cast of zany, animated characters who like to engage in lively banter. Or, you can play single or multi-player games with your family and friends. Games are easy to save and play later, and most can be customized--including the player settings, which allow kids to change what they look like onscreen, who they play with, whether computer players talk, and music settings for each game.
If kids aren't familiar with game rules, there's a helpful genie who reads the rules aloud. Abundant help features include What Now, which gives kids a little help; Show Me Where, which provides more help; and Show Me How for maximum help. You can even leave your mouse on top of an item for a few seconds and a clickable question mark appears for additional help. If you're a gaming pro and don't like to hear the genie's instructions, just click on him and he'll vanish into his lamp. Although he won't talk to you, the lamp may rattle occasionally if he really wants to help you with something.
The bottom line: this software won't succumb to technological obsolescence--it's destined to become a software classic. With more than 12 games to play, Hoyle Kids Games is a a must-have for any family's software collection, and a bargain to boot. (Ages 5 to 12) --Tina Velgos
