Description:
Tivola breathes life and whimsy into the alphabet by giving each and every letter a personality of its own. As become a heavenly choir, singing "ahhh" in perfect harmony as keys are stroked or the mouse is dragged. T becomes a kite with a tail, fluttering through the air and making a papery whap! when it crashes to the ground. An i scuttles across the screen, so scared it occasionally leaves its dot behind, while Cs crash cacophonously into one another. A book by artist Kveta Pacovská inspired Alphabet--the artwork is blocky and abstract, with a lot of reds, oranges, and dark greens. Though these graphics are an unusual contrast to the slick, bright world of mainstream children's programs, don't let the offbeat look of Alphabet scare you. We saw Nintendo-loving preteen boys and nonartistic adults fall under the siren spell of this program. Alphabet is designed for both PC and Macintosh users, and folks with microphones will enjoy the interactive audio element that allows them to blow letters across the screen or frighten poor i even more by shouting. Operating in Alphabet is simple: clicking on the upper left of the screen makes letters of the alphabet appear in random order, as children's voices recite them. Keyboard strokes will call up whatever letter is hit, while dragging the mouse over the letters renders hypnotic, dance-mix-type audio ("zed, zed, zed"). A click on the upper right corner explores the possibilities hidden within each letter--this is where you find your singing As and crashing Cs. Alphabet is a rich sensory experience--don't expect detailed instructions, games with goals, or even lessons in this land of letters. This alphabet's main strength is that it doesn't spell things out--explorers must discover the magic on their own. Tivola isn't engaging in public relations puffery when it says the appropriate age range for Alphabet is 3 to 102. This CD-ROM is a work of art that will tickle young and old alike. --Anne Erickson
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