Game Review: Go Diego Go: Wolf Pup Rescue
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this is good edutainment for
children ages 4-6. The software weaves learning games into an
adventure about rescuing a missing wolf pup. The 10 activities
can be played repeatedly, however, the overall adventure does
not change. Because Dora and Diego are bilingual, kids will
learn some Spanish.
Families can talk about the wide variety of animals found in the rainforests around the world. In the game, kids help Diego look for animal tracks. Kids might want to look for animal tracks in their own backyards. The wild animals in this software appear to be friendly. Parents might want to remind kids why they should never approach wild animals. Families might want to discuss how pets have been tamed and how they differ in temperament from animals in the wild.
Common Sense Media Review
Diego, Dora the Explorer's cousin with his own
TV
show, loves animals. He shares his animal smarts and thirst
for adventure with preschoolers in GO DIEGO GO: WOLF PUP
RESCUE.
This computer software works well because kids seamlessly learn about animals as they go adventuring with Diego and Dora. Your preschooler joins Diego as he searches for a wolf pup lost in the rainforest.
The search takes kids to 10 locations on the way to the rainforest. At each, they play a game or solve a puzzle to help Diego. At one location, Diego needs help tracking the trail of the pup. When the path divides, kids analyze the different paw prints found on the possible paths. By comparing a picture of what a wolf print looks like to those left on the paths, kids can choose which one to follow. In another activity, kids will be asked to match animals to their pictures, but the pictures only reveal part of the animals. This is an excellent way to encourage kids to look for details.
As kids complete each activity within the rescue mission, it unlocks so that they can play it independently from the mission. Kids also earn a printable, color-able Animal Fact Card when they complete the activity. One fact kids learn while they color in each animal: the Three-Banded Armadillo can "curl into a ball and roll on the ground -- like a bowling ball!"
For families looking for good preschool edutainment on their computer, Go Diego Go: Wolf Pup Rescue is an excellent choice. The activities are all age-appropriate and offered on three levels of difficulty. The software doesn't teach young kids how to use a mouse, but the activities are uncomplicated and provide good mouse practice for computer newbies. The game looks like Diego's TV show, and because Diego and Dora reinforce certain concepts in English as well as Spanish, preschoolers learn a little Spanish as they play. Kids also learn a lot about animals. One particularly clever activity even teaches preschoolers about the concepts of "left" and "right" as they steer Diego and Dora down the river in a raft.
While most preschoolers will enjoy finding the wolf pup more than once and will like playing the activities, the game includes only one mission; so the longevity of the software is somewhat limited.
For other good edutainment software for ages 4-6, check out Dora the Explorer World Adventure and Dora the Explorer Fairytale Adventure .
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
