Interactive TV games combine learning with fun for kids

 

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Score: 4 stars (out of 4)Rating: EC (Early Childhood)Best for: Ages 3-6Publisher: Microsoft, www.xbox.com/en-US/KINECTPlatform: X360 running KinectCost: $29.99 (each episode can be downloaded for $4.99 (400 MS points)Kinect Nat Geo TVEqually as good as Kinect Sesame Street TV, Kinect Nat Geo TV is hosted by wildlife expert Casey Anderson, whose love and awe of nature is infectious. In these eight special episodes, Casey invites kids to "reach in and explore" nature as he takes them on trips into the wilds of the United States. Kids will learn about bears, mountain lions, wolverines, owls, and more as they interact with episodes from America the Wild.The game offers more sophisticated interactivity than that found in Kinect Sesame Street TV. Here, kids watch the screen for visual cues, such as paw prints, to alert them that they can trigger an interactive "sidetrack activity." These specially filmed activities place kids inside what is happening. Casey may challenge them to take a close-up photo of a Great Horned Owl by shouting the word "snap." In another game, players appear on screen as a mother owl, tasked with grabbing crickets out of the air and feeding them to the baby owlets. Kids see their face sporting an owl mask and their arms covered with feathered wings. This game relates to what Casey has just shown viewers about how abandoned wild owlets are nursed back to health by naturalists dressed up to look like owls. Casey Anderson makes these Nat Geo TV episodes fascinating as he shows kids animals in their natural habitats. By adding the extra element of letting kids play with the animals inside each episode, this TV is compelling. Cleverly, every few minutes, Casey invites the audience to participate -- in taking photos, answering questions and playing mini-games. Kinect Nat Geo TV is a brilliant blend of realistic TV and fanciful games that teach as they entertain.Because the filming includes animals in their natural predator/prey relationships, and a little blood can be seen when animals hunt for their food, this game earned an E10-plus rating from the ESRB. Judge your child's ability to handle these sequences when deciding the appropriateness of this program for your child. Included in the game package is a one-year pass to Nat Geo Wild episodes on-demand on Xbox live via the Nat Geo TV app.Score: 4 stars (out of 4)Rating: E10-plus (Mild Blood and Mild Violence)Best for: Ages 10-upPublisher: MicrosoftPlatform: X360 running KinectCost: $29.99 (each episode can be downloaded for $4.99 (400 MS points)Gudmundsen is the editor of Computing With Kids magazine (www.ComputingwithKids.com). Contact her at techcomments@usatoday.com.