SuperKids Software Review of Social Studies Software

SuperKids Educational Software Review. The parents' and teachers' guide to educational software

Social Studies Software

The Big Picture

SuperKids looked at four Social Studies software packages this month. The term "Social Studies" encompasses a number of subjects, and we tried to capture that breadth in our selection of review titles. In addition to content/topic differences, the programs also took different educational approaches: two were essentially multimedia CD reference tools, and two could be more properly classified as interactive textbooks.

Should you buy these programs for your children? The answer depends on their academic needs and intellectual interests. Read below for brief descriptions, then click on the titles that interest you to see what our parent, teacher, and kid reviewers had to say.

The two multimedia reference titles we evaluated this month were:

Time Traveler CD [ages 10 and up] by New Media Schoolhouse. Designed as a multimedia history reference guide, it is suitable for searching for answers to specific questions, or for thematic browsing. Although a CD Encyclopedia might contain much of the same information, Time Travelers ability to follow a thread across time and geography offers advantages. Time Traveler is best for fourth to seventh graders interested, or in need of, a history reference text.

Prehistoria [ages 10 and up] by Grolier, is an explorable reference CD built around a database of 500 prehistoric animals. A nice search engine is complimented by video clips with paleontologists and animations to produce a broad resource for those truly fascinated with dinosaurs. Your child not interested in dinosaur details? Then this one's not for them.

The two interactive textbooks our reviewers tried out were:

World Discovery Deluxe [ages 8 and up] by Great Wave Software. This is the broadest geography title we found. World Discovery is a highly interactive tool for learning and reinforcing geography facts. World Discovery is a good choice for any student with an interest in, or need to know, basic world geography. Kids who like jigsaw puzzles will be infatuated with this program!

How Would You Survive? [ages 7 to 12] by Grolier. This interactive, multimedia history textbook focuses on three early civilizations: Egyptian, Aztec, and Viking. Something of a cross between an animated storybook and a textbook, this program allows young students to explore many aspects of the lives of people living in these civilizations. How Would You Survive is a good choice for budding history buffs.

Take a look at the ratings tables here, then click on the titles of the software you are interested in to see the complete review, or check out their prices we found in our latest price survey.

Can't find one that meets your needs? Check out other Social Studies programs we've reviewed.

Social Studies Software for 7 to 14 year olds

SuperKids Ratings

Title Publisher Education
Value Kid
Appeal Parent
Friendly Buyers Guide
(Price Survey)

Time Traveler CD New Media
Schoolhouse * * * * * * * * * * * * PC
Mac

World Discovery
Deluxe Great Wave * * * * * * * * * * * * * PC
Mac

How Would You
Survive? Grolier * * * * * * * * * * * * * PC
Mac

Prehistoria Grolier * * * * * * * * * PC
Mac

Oregon Trail MECC * * * * * * * * * * * * * PC
Mac

Where in World
is Carmen... Broderbund

PC
Mac

Where in the USA
is Carmen... Broderbund

PC
Mac

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SuperKids Ratings
Title	Publisher	Education Value	Kid Appeal	Parent Friendly	Buyers Guide (Price Survey)
Time Traveler CD	New Media Schoolhouse	* * * *	* * *	* * * * *	PC Mac
World Discovery Deluxe	Great Wave	* * * * *	* * * *	* * * *	PC Mac
How Would You Survive?	Grolier	* * * * *	* * * * *	* * *	PC Mac
Prehistoria	Grolier	* * * *	* * *	* *	PC Mac
Oregon Trail	MECC	* * * * *	* * *	* * * * *	PC Mac
Where in World is Carmen...	Broderbund				PC Mac
Where in the USA is Carmen...	Broderbund				PC Mac