Topics Entertainment Presents: The Human Body

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: These observations pertain to three CDs in this set: Journy into the Brain, The Human 3D, and Interactive Human Body. These CDs are aimed at a range of age groups (from school-aged to adults looking for much more detail). I was looking for something that would appeal to my boys, ages 9 and 11, so these comments reflect that view. One of my boys has a heart condition, and I hoped that this would help him understand what is going on. These comments reflect about an hour's worth of exploring the contents of the first three CD, so I would call this initial feedback. They also reflect my background: I am not in the medical field.

Overall, I am disappointed. There was far less animation than I was expecting; in this department, the software seems several years behind software games my boys have been exposed to. The diagrams were not that easy to see on the screen. While I could have printed them out, color ink is not cheap and good reference books would be far more useful. (I like the Dorling Kindersley book on The Human Body.)

Journey into the Brain appears to be designed for school-aged children. This one is a game centered around a girl of age about 9-11. It is narrated by a seemingly younger girl whose high-pitch voice appealed to neither my younger son nor me. It takes you to the brain's stem cells in an odd way--the stem looks like a tree that is tended by a couple of manish-looking amphibians. We were trying to figure out what do to--hints are given but they didn't get us anywhere. The girl's first emergency is that she has a frog stuck in her throat. (There is in fact a frog stuck in a pipe in the screen featuring the amphibians and stem.) I plan to ask for my money back.


Rating:
Summary: great
Review: wow!
well worth the money. great graphics. very easy to understand.
made learning the human body fun.