Can We Play It? Yes We Can!

My three-year-old son is a huge fan of Bob The Builder. Parents, you know what that means...I have found myself watching it over and over again. Since he is at a critical age for learning, we decided to take an opportunity to introduce him to some of the computer games that are on the market. It offers a great way for my son to learn to use the mouse and the keyboard, and have fun too! So we found the Bob The Builder: Can We Fix It? game by THQ. It has been a big success.

The games are pretty simple, as you might imagine. The box says that there are a total of 13 different games on the CD. Of these 13, there are really only six different games - some of them are different variations of the same game. For example, you may drive Travis the Tractor in a race, or choose to drive Scoop or Dizzy instead. To THQ, that is three games; to me, that's only one. But even narrowed down to six, there is plenty of entertainment available.

Your child will be delighted to "play" with his favorite characters in this game. You can be Bob as he goes through a house fixing leaky pipes (with Wendy's help, of course). Another game allows the player to be Spud the scarecrow, running around and scaring the crows away. The race game features Travis, Scoop, and Dizzy racing around a field. Another game lets you search for Pilchard the cat.

The strangest game on the CD is Wendy's Birthday. The premise is that it is Wendy's birthday, and she and Bob are going to a party. The player selects a series of line dancing moves for them to do. When finished, you hit play and watch Bob and Wendy dance your routine. To this point, my son has no interest in this. I have to wonder why anyone would enjoy this...but then again, I'm not ages 3 -6 either.

In the game, you have little touches that make for a lot of fun for the youngsters. The media play is very good, and the kids will get to see the beginning of the Bob the Builder cartoon as well as hearing the theme song. The music in the game is consistent with the style of music featured in the television show. I thought that the graphics were pretty good, as all of the characters look just like they do on the show. To my son, the best part is hearing the characters "talk" to him while he is playing the game. This interaction allows his imagination to take over while he plays.

Beyond the fun of the game play, this game is a nice bridge to introduce the computer to young children. Each game allows play with either the mouse or the keyboard. This will help the child learn the hand/eye coordination necessary to work with the mouse. They will also become comfortable with the mouse and the use of the buttons. I am amazed at how quickly my son has taken to the mouse, and how confident he is in playing the games by himself. When the game ends, the menus on the screen feature voices that tell the player what each button says. That way a child that cannot read can re-start his game by simply following Bob's directions.

This is a game that is very sweet, and can be fun for a child. There are enough different games to hold attention for a while, and to keep the game from quickly becoming stale. We have been very pleased with this purchase, and look forward to getting more software for our son. I would encourage this game for parents who are ready to ease your children into computer use.