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This product lives up to its name. It defines 1,000 words and illustrates them through sound and movement. As with most Dorling Kindersley products, the graphics, both cartoon and video image, are superior. Images remain clear and detailed even in motion. People from all ethnic groups are represented in the entry illustrations. The fine sound quality adds to the presentation as well. It does an excellent job of representing whole concepts and linking related ones. For example, in the entry for dog, when the illustration is clicked on, different breeds and sizes of dogs appear, relaying the idea that all these different creatures fall under the category of dog. Relationships such as part to whole and opposite are shown. In the entry for earthquake an icon appears for the related concept natural disasters. Three quiz games are included. In What's That Noise?, players need to match the noises to the animal or object. The Spelling Game can be played at three levels: more letter spaces are filled in at the easier levels. The player gets six tries to fill in the remaining letter spaces. Guess What is the most fun. In it players are asked questions about dictionary entries and must click on the correct answer. In some ways this game rewards even wrong answers. If a player answers that squirrels have sunglasses instead of tails, they do not receive cheers, but are "rewarded" by a picture of a tail-less squirrel donning a pair of sunglasses. The games are just a bonus; the real star is the dictionary itself. This CD-ROM is in the perfect format for a dictionary for very young children. It reads the definition to the child, illustrates the concept, and allows for the repetition children require. Any young child possessing mouse skills can use and enjoy it. The interface is easy to use; a child can just click on a letter and a pictorial index appears. Once inside an entry, a child can page forward and back or call up a random entry by clicking the "surprise me" icon. For older children there is a "Quick Search" option in which they can type in the word or find it a listing. |
