Description:
Lowly the worm and Huckle the cat guide pre-readers through Busytown, a place that truly deserves its name; the myriad letter games, phonics exercises, and object-identifying tasks will keep beginning readers busy for a long time. Lowly and Huckle gather stories for a newly built Storymobile by visiting the farm, campground, beach, market, and school. In each of these spots, there are three chores they can help out with, tasks such as finding marshmallows to roast on the campfire by clicking objects that begin with a certain letter, or stacking hay bales in the barn by deciding whether spoken words rhyme or not; completing each chore yields a story to help fill the Storymobile. Activities run the gamut from simply matching letters to reading and writing stories. Most of the activities favor beginning readers, coaxing them gently along with familiar Richard Scarry characters in everyday settings. (Though Scarry's illustration style is consistent throughout, the animation is somewhat crude.) The stories that kids can "win" are a great motivator; this age group seems to love having a big goal. Considering the abundance of activities, five areas with point-and-click identifying games, and a spot where kids can write their own stories, this CD-ROM deserves its self-aggrandizing title, especially if the user is a fan of Scarry's brand of whimsy. (Ages 4 to 7) --Anne Erickson
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