Review: Jump Start World 2008 1st Grade CD-ROM

I've got a bone to pick with the creators of Jump Start World. Ever since their software arrived on Friday, I haven't been able to wrestle my computer back from my five-year-old for more than five minutes at a time. I've been subscribing to an online lesson service for some time, and it's like pulling teeth every day to make the child (whom I strongly believes has ADHD, but I refuse to have him diagnosed for fear of attempts to medicate him) sit down and complete his lessons. However, after making the mistake of installing the software on my computer instead of his, I actually had to make the child quit the game to go to bed. Saturday morning, as soon as his little eyes fluttered open, our conversation went something like this:

"Is that new computer game my homework now?"

"I guess so."

"Yay! I like that homework! I'm going to get started on it right now. I'll turn the sound down so it won't wake Mark up."

For the past few days, I have had to beg, plead, and threaten to get my computer back long enough to write some reviews. As soon as I head out of the door to go to work, he's back on my computer to put in a nine hour shift. I've never seen anything like it.

When the child begins the game and enters Jump Start World, he is given a range of characters to choose from, like a video game. The software works much like a video game, offering a fantasy world to traverse and levels to complete. There is an entire town to visit, and each building or attraction has different activities. The world contains its own store, and to purchase items from the store, the player must have earned gems, which serve as money. To earn gems, the child plays games in the number or letter arcade. Of course, these games are actually lessons, teaching the student important skills. My personal favorite works much like Frogger while teaching letter recognition.

As the child earns gems and plays the game, he works toward earning the keys to knowledge, which represent each level. The further the child progresses, more areas of the world become accessible. The child is assigned a cabin and is given tools to decorate it. A pet area opens that allows the child to adopt a pet, purchase supplies to take care of it, and train the animal. There is an art studio, a parade area, a park, and so much more. The graphics allow the child's avatar to climb up a mountain and view the town from above, and I never found an instance where the graphics ran out or the computer glitched and the child ran into pixels of nothingness, as is typical of simulation type games. The game is very thoroughly constructed and I am very pleased with the quality.

All this sounds like so much fun for the child, but what part does the parent play? When you initially install the software, the parent is prompted to set up a Jump Start account online that interacts with the game, recording the child's progress and offering a subscription service that will continue to open new worlds in the game long after the original ones on the software get repetitive. The parent will receive regular emails notifying them of the child's progress and the skills that have been acquired while playing the game. So even if you have to go out into the real world and earn the rent, you'll still be able to keep track of exactly what your child's been doing.

I am extremely pleased with the quality of this software. It is engaging, interactive, and exciting. The graphics are colorful and fun, and the activities are challenging and grade appropriate. My only complaint is that Jump Start World ends with second grade, so while there are Jump Start programs for older children, they don't look like the have the appeal of Jump Start World, so I am hesitant to buy. Even adults love an interactive simulation style game, so I don't see the need to end it with second grade. But I am seriously considering subscribing to the additional worlds for my five-year-old. If something can hold his attention, I'm going to provide him with as much of it as I can. I'm not very tech savvy, but the box indicates the software is intended for high speed connections, and I was informed that it would likely not work on my son's computer because it is an older computer without the needed memory. The game does require a decently powerful computer to run properly.

Technical requirements:
*Pentium III (or equivalent) 1 GHz or faster
*3D video card with 32 MB dedicated memory w/DirectX 9.0c-compatible driver
*256 MB dedicated RAM (512 MB recommended) 1 GB RAM for Windows Vista
*24X CD-ROM drive
*1.4 GB available on hard drive
*16-bit color
*800x600 screen resolution
*DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
*DirectX 9.0c (included with install)
*Quicktime 7.1 (included with install)
*Windows Media Player 10 (included with install)
*Broadband Internet Connection

If you would like the chance to try this amazing software for yourself, here it is. Respond with a comment to this review by midnight EST, Sunday, December 2nd. Blog about this giveaway with a link to Breeni Books and let me know about it for a second chance. One winner will be randomly chosen from the entrants to receive Jump Start World 2008 1st Grade. Please be sure to include an email address where you can be reached if you do not have contact information accessible on your Blogger profile. Good luck!

And don't forget to enter to win more great prizes offered right here on Breeni Books:

Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese
Do Not Open: An Encyclopedia of the World's Best-Kept Secrets by John Farndon
The Misadventures of Ori Tang by Sandra E. Stern

If you like what you read, subscribe to my feed!