Sitting in the Driver’s Seat

Some children’s software educates, some entertains and some empowers by letting kids accomplish tasks impossible without the computer. “Thomas & Friends Railway Adventures” and “Bob the Builder: Can We Fix It?” give youngsters a sense of power by allowing them to become railway rescuers and fix-it heroes.

“Thomas & Friends Railway Adventures”: Combining software and a keyboard attachment that looks like television’s Thomas the Tank Engine, “Thomas & Friends Railway Adventures” puts kids at the controls of a train.

Children become Thomas’ engineer and drive Thomas around the Island of Sodor, helping him be a “useful engine” in four adventures.

In one, kids direct Thomas to pick up some stranded passengers of Bertie the Bus. In another, they work with Harold the Helicopter to fix a broken bridge. There is mail to sort and supplies to deliver in the remaining two adventures.

As engineers, kids use the throttle to move Thomas along the track. They switch tracks with the action lever. The whistle control has many purposes, including scaring things off the rails and coupling cars. Frequently, children have to figure out the correct sequence to move Thomas to the right place and in the correct direction.

In addition to the four main adventures, the package includes four mini-activities and several videos from the television show.

“Railway Adventures” is exciting. The wonderful three-dimensional graphics make children feel as if they are sitting in the driver’s seat. Characters from the show appear throughout the game. And the adventures and other activities are appropriately challenging. They require children to listen and follow directions, solve logistical problems and make decisions.

“Bob the Builder: Can We Fix It?”: Fans of the popular BBC show “Bob the Builder” will enjoy this smashing computer debut of fix-it man Bob and his partner, Wendy. Kids help Bob and his crew in 13 games--from knocking down damaged pillars with a wrecking ball to building a tunnel for a family of porcupines.

Most activities can be played on three levels of difficulty.

“Can We Fix It?” continues the positive and encouraging environment developed in the television show. Graphics are big and bold, the characters are supportive and the talking machines are a riot.

A tiny ding in this shiny armor is that some of the games are shallow. Children use logic to match pipe shapes to complete a plumbing job, but running around a yard to gather up porcupines is not that intellectually challenging. That said, the sheer number of activities means children will find plenty to keep them busy.

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Jinny Gudmundsen is editor of Choosing Children’s Software magazine. She can be reached at jinny@choosingchildrenssoftware.com.

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The Skinny

“Thomas & Friends Railway Adventures”

* Price: $40

* Ages: 3 to 7

* Platform: PC

* System requirements: A Pentium 233 with 32 MB of RAM and 60 MB of available hard disk space

* Publisher: Infogrames

* The good: A fun play set that sits on the keyboard

* The bad: Feedback is too repetitive

* Bottom line: Great whistle-blowing, train-driving adventures

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“Bob the Builder: Can We Fix It?”

* Price: $20

* Ages: 3 to 6

* Platform: PC

* System requirements: A Pentium 200 with 32 MB of RAM

* Publisher:THQ

* The good: 13 activities

* The bad: Some are shallow

* Bottom line: Fabulous fix-it fun