Children's Toy Review: Counting Bunnies Puzzle 23

In this day and age store bought toys are a dime a dozen and their designs and novelty are temporary if not fleeting. Even the quality is not as it once was, with giant companies racing to cut over head by outsourcing to factories with shaky safety records, hoping to turn a lucrative profit.

But do toys really matter any more? When video games and electronic devices such as cell phones and ipods , have consumed the culture of most of the civilized world's daily existence, and become the most wanted items - echoed in the fashions and advertising campaigns that flood our televisions and printed media. Do seemingly "dull" toys of yesteryear have a needed place in our children's lives? I, among a growing movement of parents , educators and specialists, believe the answer is yes.

There have recently been many studies compiling findings that support the theory that moving our children into the digital age has not come without a price. People are cluing in to the fact that children are slowly loosing out on make believe play, which is critical for language and problem solving development within their growing brains. Articles such as The End Of Make Believe featured on Newsweek.com, site that technology and entertainment are NOT tools used to stimulate imaginative play, no matter what their clever advertisements may lead you to believe.

In order for a child's brain to be stimulated to encourage proper make believe play , the toys he or she plays with need to be very plain and basic in nature (always wondered why your children enjoy the box the toys came in, more than the toy it's self?) - without all the flashing- beeping- digital goodness that floods store shelves. Wooden blocks and other basic toys are open ended - meaning there is no set outcome or plot, these toys can be anything the child imagines and the potential for creativity is limitless.

One of the toys I am reviewing today falls into the category of those reminiscent of toys of yesteryear.

Counting Bunnies Puzzle is offered by Imagiplay.com, a company that believes in selling toys that are eco-friendly and that inspire the imagination.

Counting Bunnies Puzzle Specs:

• Hand-crafted & hand painted with child-safe paints. Made from plantation-grown rubberwood, an environmentally-friendly hardwood.
• Non-toxic, eco-friendly, educational puzzles that teaches numbers, colors, dexterity and fun!
• Fair Trade allows artisans a fair wage to support their families.
• 10 puzzle pieces (8 bunnies, 2 carrots) 1 wooden puzzle base.
• 
• Ages: 3+
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 4 x 14.5 inches ; 1 pounds
• ASIN: B0016HPLK0

Pros:

This puzzle is sized very nicely, perfect for a child's hands. The pieces are larger than other similar puzzles I have seen on the market, they also have rounded edges. It is nice to have a puzzle that offers a 2 dimensional feel instead of the typical one-dimensional, painted-on-one -side-only puzzles you find elsewhere.

The Counting Bunnies Puzzle's design is very sweet with momma bunny watching over her babies as they race to get to the large carrots, all numbered to encourage your little one's counting skills. The way the bunny pieces are positioned will help your child to learn about balance and sharpen his or her's dexterity. It is a nice feeling knowing that the designer used child safe paint when decorating the puzzle pieces, so many toys are made without forethought into the ingredients that will be used.

My 5 yr old daughter liked the way the pieces fit into the base and thought the carrot theme was "so cute!". Even my 18th month old little boy was drawn to the bright colors and different shapes.


I was happy to know that this purchase is supporting fair trade ^W artisans and that the wood used to create this puzzle is rubberwood - which can regenerate new growth that is usable fairly quickly, so the harvesting process is very eco-friendy.

Con's:

The only slightly negative thing I can say about Counting Bunnies Puzzle is that because it is eco-friendly the puzzle came wrapped in shrink wrap, so there is not actually a container to house the pieces - which was a little inconvenient. My kids had the pieces all over the place in no time.

Overall Impression:

The Counting Bunnies Puzzle is well constructed by hand out of environmentally sustainable wood and supports Fair trade workers in disadvantaged countries. Not only will your children love the cuteness factor of the puzzles design, but this puzzle is educational and something that will last for years to come, and would make a great toy to pass on to future generations.

Related Posts:

• Encourage Your Little Chef, while Encouraging Listening Skills
• Product Review: I-Spy Memory Game
• Product Review: See Me Read Kit - Complete
• Book Reviews: Let's Get Ready Series

Children's Book Review: Sunny's Adventures 57

I love to find children's books with a baking tie-in. It gives me such joy to expose children to the wonderful warmth and quiet passion that is following a recipe. In todays world, not as much time is spent watching the skilled rhythms of well versed hands whipping up tasty baked goods in the well used kitchens of our homes, at least not as much as in my childhood or those before me.

...Kid Mystery?

Sunny's Adventures
will intrigue
your budding Sleuths...

Sunny's Adventures delivers that warmth that only
whispers of childhood could bring forth. The words
upon the page awaken the innocent ramblings and
romping we all shared with our neighborhood
friends on bright sunny days. When our back-
yards were jungles. And time spent with
family baking was a special treat.

Book Specs:

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Paperback: 52 pages
• Publisher: Jabberwocky Books (June 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0980245605
• ISBN-13: 978-0980245608
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.2 inches
• Author : Leketha Marie Johnson
• Author website: http://www.sunnysadventures.com/
• Author's blog entry: New Book - Sunny's Adventures

Contents:

Sunny's Adventures has 5 chapters, or 5 mystery stories within the main story. Even though the reading level claims to be for 9-12 year olds, I was able to read this to my 5 yr old and it held her attention - with a bit of enthusiasm and voice play on my part.

The main character Sunny, is a young girl, determined to get to the bottom of every mystery that unfolds around her. From missing puppies, to turtles to diamond rings and dolls - she gets the clues and leads her friends to the scene of the crime. And once solved she finds herself a big helping of her grandmother's cake, a tribute to her grandmother's seeming tireless baking.

I especially liked the 3rd chapter "The Mystery of The Cooking Contest", where Sunny and her grandmother enter a pie contest, and the pie ends up missing!

My daughter loved the animals and the fact that this girl was solving mysteries by putting the clues together and baking too.

There are quizzes at the end of the 5 chapters to encourage critical thinking, and my 5 yr old was pretty excited to come up with the answers.

There are black and white illustrations throughout the book that are very whimsical and kid friendly. My daughter couldn't get enough viewing them and connecting them with the words being read in parts of the story.

Summary:

Sunny's Adventures is a wonderful children's mystery which celebrates the joys of baking with family and the value of friendships. Your children from ages 5yrs+ will delight in following Sunny on her journey to find clues and solve each mystery, all aided with whimsical illustrations, and chapter specific quizzes which will stimulate your child's critical thinking and problems solving abilities.

The view expressed here are mine & mone alone. I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Parent Reviewers on behalf of Leketha Marie Johnson. In addition, I received copy of Sunny's Adventured in exchange for my honest feedback.Please read more about Renaissance Culinaire's Disclosure Policy

Product Review: I-Spy Memory Game 20

Many occasions on long car trips you may have played I-spy as a child or now play it with your children or grandchildren. Calling out the familiar phrase "I spy with my little eye...", hoping to baffle those trying to figure out what exactly it is that you do spy. Then the triumphant "I know ..." was sounded, signaling your "secret" spy is no longer a riddle any longer, and all at once you are out a turn at spying, and your role becomes the questioning, searching finder.




I Spy Memory Game by Briarpatch captures the thrill of those car games, and magically condenses that spirit into card sized fun.

When I first received this game, I opened the box and was surprised that the cards were not pre-cut. There are sheets of thick card stock that you must push the scored cards out of. The process over all was not to tedious, and my 5 yr old daughter enjoyed seeing what I would pop out next. While doing this I noticed that there were two types of cards:

1. Elaborate Image cards with a blue text background on the bottom.(Memory Cards)
2. Text cards with a red text background on the bottom (Riddle Cards)

These cards are important because there are different options to play the game, depending on your player's skill levels in reading.

If the player is not skilled at reading there is an option to play with just the memory cards themselves. The instructions have a detailed list of images you are looking for to match in pairs, to be read off before the game is started.

This is the option we opted for, as my daughter isn't quite at reading confidently yet, as she will be starting kindergarten this fall.

It seemed a bit overwhelming for my 5 yr old at first, she was really exited to just get to the playing of the game, but once she found her first match she really took to the game. In fact she got the most matches between me and my husband combined.

We all enjoyed this time as a family, and our youngest toddler even got into the spirit of things by holding onto my "matches" pile.

If you are playing with older players who are skilled at reading then the riddle cards will come into play.There are 8 options total to play this game. You are also encouraged to make up your own riddles.

Game Specs:

Number of Players: 1-6
Age range: 5 yrs to Adult

Contents :

• 60 Memory Cards
• 15 Riddle Cards
• Game Instructions

Game Play:

• Option to play memory matching with younger players who aren't proficient at reading.
• Riddles included for older players who are skilled at reading.
• 8 ways to play this game total

Quality:

• Cards are made with very heavy grade matte card stock
• Images are lively and well done
• Instructions are very detailed.
• Riddles are quick to grab players interest.
• Briarpatch will replace missing game pieces w/ description and $1.00 to cover shipping costs.
• I Spy was awarded a Parent's Choice Gold Award.

Over all I would say that this game is a real gem. It promises to create a fun environment for your friends and family. I spy encourages attention to detail while stimulating creativity and problem solving abilities. Fun for all ages. I would highly recommend I Spy.

Book Review : How to Survive the Real World 2

Once the familiar feelings and memories of your college life have started to fade away, replaced with more pressing matters, and the feeling of accomplishment has toned down a bit after graduation - you may find yourself in a panic about leaving your comfort zone and getting out into the world.

.....New Grad?

How To Survive The Real World
honest
advice will school
you...

How To Survive The Real World by Hundreds of Heads is a collaboration of tips, stories and quotes by grads who did survive, they give advice on what they learned out in the real world.

Book Specs:

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Hundreds of Heads Books (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933512032
• ISBN-13: 978-1933512037
• 103 Tips on How to Win a Job and Impress Your New Boss
• 24 Ways to "Get Out and Get On With It"
• Info on Starting Down The Right Financial Path
• Advice on Office Dating
• Basic Survival Skill: Etiquette, Cooking and Buying a Car

I am always a little skeptical of guides like this. I never pick up those

"for dummies" books, Maybe it's a bit of a put off for me to purchase

a book that tries to teach you so condescendingly. But apparently these

books are helping some people - because thousands upon thousands

of "dummies" books have been sold.

How To Survive The Real World surprised me. When I picked it up and

started to read through the pages - I found it pretty enlightening and rather

humorous. It wasn't like reading from some boring manual penned by a

stuffy, elitist professional, such as allot of these types of books are, that are

geared towards grads.

How To Survive The Real World is like sitting down to chat with your
best friends - the ones you can pour your heart out to and that won't make you feel completely idiotic. The friends who you secretly admire for their guts and grittiness because they always seem to have no fear when it comes to tackling difficult situations , and who have the crazy stories to prove it. And it's these same friends who you always have the happiest and enthralling times with.


How would you like to have 774 friends like this? This book combines real, sometimes brash, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, advice from the grads who set out before you and I, to conquer their destinies - but surprise, their grand visions didn't always match their real life situation.

This book is full of really useful tips and advice for just about any situation the college grad might find themselves in. Here are just a few examples - a guide to stocking your first kitchen, resume dos & don't(s), email etiquette - this is great material to have at your disposal. I would highly recommend How To Survive The Real World.

Product Review: See Me Read Kit - Complete 6

Have you wished there was an educational product out there - one you could add your child's pic to, that would help him/her get better at reading ? See Me Read  is a product aimed at helping early readers succeed. After seeing her success from working with her own son - Lori Albert Luke , worked with childhood literacy expert Lynette Frentte to create the See Me Read^TM kit, a program that features personalized whole-word learning tools.

See Me Read Kit
Completely customizable...

The Product Specs:

I received the complete kit. The kit includes:

1. Laminated Reader Cards (24 words)
2. Reading Books Level 1 and Level 2
3. Labels (24 words)
4. Writing Pad
5. Parent Guide on encouraging reading and
   tips for success

When you go to the See Me Read site , you
have 3 options, or kits, to choose from.
The largest kit is the complete kit.
You have the option to "Buy now,create
later" or "create now".

When you create your personalized kit,

You will be asked to choose 24 words out

of 39 words - the words are people,

objects, animals or places(such as dad,

or bathroom) . You will then be instructed

to take pictures of your child or upload

pictures you already have, that match

the what each word

describes (such as a picture of Ella stand-

ing in"Ella's room " or "Ella's cat"). These

are the words your child will be learning

to spell and read.

If you have selected the full kit you will also

need to fill out a questionnaire because the

Reading Book Level 2 has more advanced

sentences that need to be personalized to

fit your child's kit.

This process will take anywhere from

45 minutes to an hour. So prepare to have

some time freed up if you will be ordering

this complete kit.

The selected kit will then be shipped out and you

should receive it via USPS in 2 weeks.

Product Pros:

1. Flash cards are large and heavily laminated, and are put on a jump ring - this is great because I know with my kids they loose anything cards related, having these cards on a ring ends having to pull them from every which corner and crevice in our house months after the fact.
2. The Labels, Flash Cards, Reading Books 1 & 2 are all written in large print , and are not to busy or distracting, making for kids friendly reading.
3. This kit integrates learning to read into your child's environment so everything your child is reading about is familiar and welcoming - there is no instance for your child to feel overwhelmed by being in a strange environment, so the learning is natural and at your child's own pace - SO much so that your child will wake up wanting to learn more.
4. By using your own child's name and pictures on these tools, this encourages your kids to embrace themselves in a new light - one that will boost self esteem and confidence
5. The kit is designed with pre-school and kindergarten curriculum in mind
6. This kit is easy to use, and your child will practically teach him/herself.
7. The included notebook has exercises to stimulate your child's creativity and fine motor skills by encouraging your child not only to read the object but to also draw the objects she/he has been learning to spell out.

Product Cons:

1. The parent guide mentions putting the labels on the object they are describing (such as a dresser), at your child's eye level to encourage them to read wherever they are and learn through association. But I can't help but wish the labels were laminated like the flash cards.

Hint: If you purchase the kit I would recommend you take the labels into Kinko's to get them laminated - especially if you will be using with younger siblings later on.

Conclusion:

The See Me Read Kit Complete is an excellent tool to help get your little one on the right track to reading regularly. I would definitely recommend it.

Book Reviews: Let's Get Ready Series 8

I am excited to review 2 wonderful children's books that are geared at readying your little ones for Kindergarten and First Grade. My daughter will be entering kindergarten this Fall, and these books couldn't have come at a better time.

Out of all the "get ready" books I have seen so far, the Let's Get Ready Series from Cedar Valley Publishing are the most engaging for kids and made from materials that are kid friendly.

Both books are paperback, with thicker than average paperback pages - that are laminated! What a great feature, this allows you to let your children, or even their younger siblings handle the book without worrying too much about the book getting torn.

These books aren't just work at home books - they teach the curriculum that is found in your child's kindergarten and firstgrade classrooms.

Plus 10% of the profits are donated to literacy programs.

Let's Get Ready for Kindergarten! (Let's Get Ready Series)
is written by Linda Desimowich and Stacey Kannenberg . Illustrated by Joyce Babel-worth.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Cedar Valley Publishing (March 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1933476001
ISBN-13: 978-193347600

Mrs. Good , the books fictional teacher guides you and your little reader through the skills needed to prepare your child for her kindergarten class: telling time, recognizing money, making a calendar, colors and shapes, body parts, counting to 100, learning 5 senses, rhyming words, opposites, seasons and much more.

From reading, to recognizing money, to learning which hand is left or right , the fictional classmates in the book show your child learning IS fun. My daughter was begging me to teach her with this book.

The illustrations are very lively and fun. With great colors to keep little ones interest on each page you share.

This book not only will give you the tools and confidence to teach your child in an engaging, age appropriate way - But will also give you tips on how to ready your child for school days, and coach her on classroom issues such as bullying.





Lets Get Ready For First Grade!(Let's Get Ready Series)
Written by Dori Schmitz and Illustrated by Tracey Jackson.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 44 pages
Publisher: Cedar Valley Publishing (March 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1933476109
ISBN-13: 978-1933476100

Mrs. Best, the books fictional teacher, and fictional classmates, will help you teach your child important academic milestones to learn for first grade : Writing full name & number, recognizing upper and lower case letters that out out of sequence, adding & subtraction, numbers 1-30, counting to 100, recognizing patterns, skip counting by 5s, 10s to 100, know money and value, reading basic sentences, under standing weather and so much more.

The illustrations are still fun and inviting, but are much more detailed in this book, sure to interest more motivated first graders.

Lets Get Ready For First Grade! really details first grade classwork. You will feel right at home teaching and following along with the book.There are also tips for fostering self esteem and proper ways to handle sensitive issues.

Overall Let's Get Ready Series are great books that will having you wondering why you didn't find them sooner. Your children will enjoy having the time spent with you and learning the cool skills in these books. I highly recommend them!

Product Review : Screen, Inc's Tween Screen 2

As an eczema sufferer and a very allergy prone person, I am always weary of trying new lotions or creams - afraid of the onslaught of terrible itching a wrong ingredient will send my skin reeling from. Most of the time I loath even "sensitive skin" formulas because they usually cause even more irritation.

But I was pleasantly surprised when opening Screen Inc. The lotion was very lightly scented with a tropical smell. There are no heavy perfumes or chemical smells.

When I applied the lotion - my eczema was not even affected a little. I didn't get any hives or itchiness. This is pretty big considering my history with lotions and allergies.

A little of the Tween Screen went a long way to cover a larger area. The sunscreen when applied to skin was very light, and there was no greasiness whatsoever. The sunscreen went on smoothly and absorbed quickly into the skin - it didn't need to be worked in and massaged diligently like some major brand sunscreens.

Plus there are allot of botanical ingredients I felt were nice to see when going through the list of ingredients. Screen Inc. Sunscreens are all made in the USA.

Tween Screen is geared toward daily use on the face. It has a SPF of 16+. That SPF is pretty standard for facial sunscreens.

Higher SPFs are available and are recommended - but that day I forgot my sunscreen and this was handy in my purse.


Overall I felt this would be a sunscreen I could be comfortable recommending - especially for people with extremely sensitive skin - who are prone to eczema , and for tweens who are at that stage when they are just approaching puberty - this will not clog pores, or feel to greasy on their skin - and if has a very pleasant scent.

Screen Inc. Also has other sunscreen products such as Man screen, Chick Screen (for us women folk) and Teen Screen (for the active teen). You can even purchase the screen in bulk.

Custom Invites , Fast Service 2

Do you value fast service? Most people would answer this question with a resounding yes. In an age when convenience is king, customer service sometimes gets left at the wayside. But apparently not at izzyprints.com. They will ready your invites within 2-3 days and ship them to you as fast as possible. If you find an error or have a problem with your order - they will go above and beyond to help rectify it and make sure your needs have been met.

...Invites in A hurry?
Need
..birth announcements..

...party invitations...
Kwanza?...

Here is one of their baby shower designs:

Click on the above image to view the product page.

On reviewing the website, I was pleasantly surprised at the layout. This site is customer very customer friendly.There are no itty bitty fonts, or hidden links - everything is within your view. The navigation is straightforward and logical, with all their products linked via text link, under six specific holidays or celebration categories in the right sidebar, or on the horizontal drop down menu below the header. The site search and customer service number are well defined at the top of the page.

Everywhere you look there is a navigation link - so forget about getting lost in a sea of webpages. Kudos for the website's usability.

The graphics are not drab. Images are easy on the eyes, and not over done. When you click on an item link, the product page layout is great. All the info you could possibly need about an invitation is right there in an organized format. Their are no cluttered links or images to distract your attention - just an image of the invitation design it's self.

This is a site I would recommend to anyone based on user friendliness alone - so grannies get your glasses, you will feel technologically uplifted when ordering this years Holiday seasons greetings.

The prices are reasonable and the card designs are really cute. Izzyprints.com present their product well and seem to regard their businesses reputation, as well as the customer's satisfaction very highly.

From the Site:

Izzyprints is dedicated to bringing you a quality
service at affordable prices, while ensuring fast
turnaround times. We strive to make your life
easier by simplifying the online design and
print process while allowing you to share your
memories with the world around you.

What products do we offer?

* Birthday Invitations
* Birth Announcements
* Party invitations
* Thank You cards
* Christmas cards
* Hanukkah cards
* Religious Invitations
* Baptisms
* Christenings
* Religious Celebrations
* Bar Mitzvahs
* Baptism Party
* Christening Party
* Baby shower Invitations

I was really interested to find a invitation category for Quinceanera (W) and also for Kwanzaa(W). Those holidays aren't as mainstream (yet) as they should be within other businesses sites.

Overall I can say this website gets an A+ for navigation, readability and usability .
All logos / product designs , pictures are © 2008 Izzyprints. All Rights Reserved.

Uncommonly Cute : Infant & Toddler Clothes 18

Uncommonly Cute is an infant and toddler clothing e-store run by a husband & Wife team hailing from New York. They pride themselves on cute & cool apparel that is unique, which expresses your baby's individual personality. I am especially enamored with the site because they support two great causes :
R Baby Foundation (proceeds of 50% from this page go directly to R Baby Foundation) and Room To Grow. It is great when businesses give back to their community or country.

...Got A Bun
In your tum?
...soon to arrive

Freshly Baked?
Get this tee for your New Arrival.

This website is what the name implies.
A fabulous line of newborn, baby onsies and toddler
tees, that will make you smile. Baby clothes come
in size newborn - 2T. In a choice of gender
specific colors.

I especially liked the newborn onsie that has
"freshly baked" across the chest. For a baker
such as myself, not only is it funny but very cute.

Many a joke has been had at a pregnant
girl's expense referencing her "bun in the
oven". This simple statement is both endearing
and laughable. Your child is an Artisan made
creation, after all. Celebrate your handy work!

And for the geek in you - why not
check out this "famous on facebook"
tee, Deck your child out in some Social
Networking vanity goodness.

The funniest tee I saw was the"Elmo is my homeboy" shirt. Hilarius. This would go great with some Infant / Toddler Adiddas or maybe Infant / Toddler K-swiss .Teach your baby to embrace his or her's dopeness.

And for those political types, infant and toddler tees & onsies that say "I'm a Democrat" or "I'm a Republican". 2008 is an Election Year after all , babies may not talk - but they sure can scream and what is better than a screamer ? A screamer who supports his or her political party! Aww the magic moments of parenting.

To see the above tees and more...Visit the website to view all the baby goodness.

Family Game Review : The Tuttles Madcap Misadventures 5

I am reviewing this The Tuttles PC Game, in hopes to spread the word for a worthy cause. Proceeds of the $20 dollar purchase price is being donated to Starlight Star Bright Children's Foundation. Fifty percent of the retail proceeds from game sales and 75 percent of the proceeds from the downloads at http://www.tuttlesfamilygame.com/ go to Starlight.

...Play for pleasure

Purchase
The Tuttles Madcap
Misadventures
Help a worthy cause..

Game History:

This game is a first of it's kind -
a game designed specifically with
a charity in mind. Starlight Star Bright
Children's Foundation Partnered with
Legacy Interactive to come up with
a new way to drum up funds for a chari-
table cause . Legacy Interactive just got
done rolling out a Facebook "Friends"
promotional contest designed
to help spread the word about The Tuttles
Madcap Misadventures: Starlight Charity
Challenge. The animated arcade-style game
is being sold with a first-of-its kind national
fundraising campaign benefiting children
with chronic and life-threatening illnesses via the Starlight Star bright Children's Foundation

The Tuttles Madcap Misadventure was voted "2007 Kids Game of the Year" by Game Tunnel,
and received a Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award 2008; and Iparenting Awards "2008
Excellent Product/Video Game".


Produced By: Legacy Interactive.

Legacy Interactive is a leading developer and publisher of casual games for people of all ages. Entertaining customers since 1998, the company has built a reputation for developing intelligent, realistic and engaging games for a broad audience. Located in Los Angeles, Legacy is known for its TV-branded games, such as Law & Order and The Apprentice, as well as for its popular simulation games Pet Pals: Animal Doctor,
Emergency Room and Zoo Vet.

Legacy has ongoing distribution, marketing and content strategic partnerships with a number of companies, including Vivendi Games, Universal Studios, Ubisoft, Mindscape, Majesco Entertainment, and Scholastic.

Developed By:

Legacy Interactive http://www.legacyinteractive.com/

Divo Games http://www.divogames.com/

Animax http://www.animaxent.com/

An original comedic script and characters designed by Emmy Award-winning Dave Thomas and Starlight. In addition to being a well-known actor, writer and director, he’s also creative director and co-founder of Animax Entertainment, which has a long history of working with Starlight. Animax developed the award-winning “Coping with Chemo” webisode series for the organization, and most recently helped redesign its online social network for seriously ill teens called Starbright World.

All of these companies have worked on major gaming platforms, and have produced industry leading content for some time. Their great work on other kid friendly content within other projects is what ties these companies together, enabling them to create a game that both graphically and intellectually interests both kids and adults.

Game Specs:

Game Play: This game plays very smoothly, there is enough action and humor to peak anyones' interest. You can choose to play as any of the 4 characters in the Tuttle family. They all have their own unique game scenarios and experience. There are 40 levels that you must over come and these levels are divided between 6 main themes - Island, desert, mountain, Under Sea, tropical jungle, and sky.

Game Interface: The Download of The Tuttles Madcap Misadventures was seamless. It installed well on my pc. My operating system is Windows XP, with Service Pack 3.

The desktop icon is pleasant and easily seen. When clicked, you are taken immediately to a
full screen, where you can watch the story of The Tuttles family unfold.

There is both keyboard or mouse support. I chose to use my mouse, it was more comfortable. The characters are controlled by pointing the mouse cursor in the direction you want your character to go. If you want the character to crouch down, you move the mouse toward the bottom of the screen. If you want your character to jump you move the mouse upward. And so on. The artificial intelligence communicated well with my mouse cursor. There was a learning curve however, to familiarize myself with exact positioning of my character. When I chose to be the mother character, I especially liked being able to wallop anything that was in my path with my purse - it packed a powerful punch!

Everything is very visible - the option icons, help points and save points, required objects and objects that rack up points - all are very clearly defined, and almost larger than life.

Artificial Intelligence & Enemy Specs: The artificial intelligence of this game is pretty relentless, I could liken the enemy element to many popular platforms of arcade style games, more specifically Nintendo's Super Mario Brother's. Each Level has it's own that are suitable to the environment - for example the desert is littered with swooping bald eagles, stinging scorpions and poison cactus. There is something always raining in from the sky, crawling up from the ground or rolling in to your character, so you need to be on your toes constantly.

Most levels have a predetermined amount of special items you must find, before you can pass the level. There is also an abundance of points that are decided by the environment of the level you are in, such as a first aid kit for extra life , you find in the desert.

You get 3 lives for each level. Each enemy or hazard removes points from your life. There are special items you can pick up that will boost your life - they aren't always apparent - so look hard. Each level has special save points, resembling a book, which allow you to pick up where you left off when you restart the game.

Game Plot: The main plot of the game is The Tuttles family trying to make it to their vacation via road trip to The Alamo (not limited to travel on the road, but also through their specialized van equipped with jet propulsion and wings for flight, and a submergeable body for deep underwater adventures) . Along the way they encounter many hazards, such as their beloved van crashing, deep jungle skirmishes and under sea foibles - all the while sticking it out like a loving family would. The mantra for the game is "getting things done, by doing good".

Each family member is a hero, in their own right : the goofy father Barry, the spunky mother Barbara, the typical teen age, social obsessed daughter Jess and young Zach, who can't wait to be grown up. With each character choice you gain a unique perspective into the dynamics of the game. The Tuttles Madcap Misadventure is a linear game - meaning 3 bad mistakes and your game level is over. Each character must use their wits to defeat enemies and hazards both environmental , physical or animal related. As the game progresses - the difficulty and level of hazards increases.

Game Graphics: The graphics are flash based, and comic book like. They are designed with a kids perspective in mind. I found the color scheme to be very likable and there were no overwhelmingly garish colors, the designers stuck to earthy,warm natural tones. They looked lively on my 17 inch 1280 x 1024px resolution, 32 bit CRT monitor. I have a VIA/SG3 UniChrome IGP.

Visually the level scenes have allot going for them. There are plenty of details in the foreground, which sucks you into the game, making the setting believable. The terrain is textured and they hazards are very detailed. When a player's character encounters an hazard - the character wavers from opaque to semitransparent, alerting you to the fact that contact with the hazard has been made.

You have 6 nicely rendered settings: desert, ocean , jungle, island , sky and mountains.

Animation: The character animation is not quite true to life. The characters are whimsical and a little goofy. Their actions and interactions are pretty lifelike though. You can see a character gripping for a ladder, or jumping to reach a save point etc. Scorpions move like in real life, eagles glide.

Some more whimsical features of the game include Special objects that levitate in mid air. Spiderwebs become bounce able trampolines that allow you to jump out of spear lined pits; Once enemies have been defeated (by being stomped or walloped) - they disintegrate into nothing and become bundles of money / gold or a character specific reward (i.e a "worlds greatest dad" trophy for Barry).

Come to think of it I thought that Barry (the dad) looks very much like Max Weinberg, the drummer from Late Night with Connan Obrien.



Theme Music: The theme music is pleasant. Each character has their own specially catered theme. Each level has a specific theme based on the environment the level takes place in.

Character Voices: The amazing cast of characters can be heard sharing witty one liners
and carrying out the crazy adventures of The Tuttle family : Bob Saget voices father Barry,
Jamie Lee Curtis is mother Barbara, Ashley Tisdale plays teen daughter Jess, and Dominic Scott Kay voices young son Zach. Other characters include Dave Thomas as The Australian, Dave Coulier as The Islander and William Shatner as the voice of the souped-up mini van that transports the family. The voices are very well suited for each specific character. They make the game a very fun experience.

This game is full of witty banter and parent vs. child humor. This game never wanes with a comedic script written with 300 lines, from the creative genoius of Dave Thomas.
There are mini shorts throughout the game featuring humourous interaction between the Tuttle family.

Sound effects are true to life. The rumbling of the van's engine, the hissing of a snake, the thundering echo of a rolling boulder, these are all concrete examples. Each level has it's own charm. And the characters each have their specific sounds, if running you hear gasping, or if hurt you hear wincing pain - all in keeping with the games momentum. I found the mother's exclamation of "Oh we NEED that" or "scratch that off the list", while in the mall were very funny and almost too realistic.

Game Utilities: All games are managed by player name - you are asked to enter your name when you start a new profile, and your top score is saved. When the game is loaded you choose your specific player profile. The game memory is only limited by your amount of hard disk space.
There are no options for difficulty. The game merely increases difficulty as the game progresses. This is a one player game.

Game Rating:E for everyone. Has mild cartoon violence.

Over all this has been a real fun gaming experience. I let my 5 yr old watch me play, and I felt the violence was mild in comparison to many other popular kids geared games. I look forward to much more game play with The Tuttles in the future. If you are looking for an engaging game for your children, that isn't too violent and that promotes family - this is a great choice.

Purchasing this game helps a great cause.

System Requirements :

OS: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista - there is a Mac version available (see below)
CPU: 600 Mhz RAM
Downloads:

You can Download The Windows Version Here: Windows Download



There is a Mac compatible version available here: Mac Download


Starlight Star Bright Children's Foundation : When a child or teenager has a serious medical condition, everyone in the family is affected. For 25 years, Starlight Star bright Children's Foundation(TM) has dedicated itself to helping seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities.

Starlight's programs have been proven to distract children from their pain, help them better understand and manage their illnesses, and connect families facing similar challenges so that no one feels alone. Through a network of offices, Starlight provides ongoing support to children, parents and siblings in all U.S. states and Canadian provinces with an array of outpatient, hospital-based and Web offerings. Programs are also delivered internationally through affiliates in Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom. To learn more visit http://www.starlight.org/.