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Amazon.com Review
The 26 letters of the alphabet equal 26 opportunities to explore, listen, and learn in Alphabet Express Preschool. Add to this a handful of added-on games, imaginative short films, and freeform activities, and this CD-ROM has both appeal and staying power.

As a trainload of critters chugs around the onscreen alphabet, kids click on a letter, and uppercase and lowercase versions fly, bounce, or pour onto the scene in a Sesame Street moment. The letters dissolve to a garden scene for G, an orchestra for O, and so forth. Click on the onion in the orchestra pit, and a kid's voice intones "Onion!" while the squirrel holding the thing begins to cry piteously. There are similar scenes for every letter of the alphabet--though designers cheated a bit and combined X, Y, and Z. Kids can also paint different alphabet-emphasizing pictures, play a sounding-out/letter-matching game, and look at instructions on how to write each letter. A separate section of activities includes find-the-hidden-letter games, dot-to-dots that teach alphabetizing, and mazes that must be conquered by matching objects to their beginning letter. Finally, and most delightfully, there's a movie theater where kids can watch a couple of priceless animated shorts: one is a James Brown-esque ditty belted out by a chicken, listing the (alphabetized) items that make Hearty Chicken Alphabet Soup so special. Anchors, basketballs, and carburetors are a few of the secret ingredients.

The animation in Alphabet Express isn't smooth, but the audio is lush: O's orchestra section is replete with the dissonant sound of strings tuning up before the symphony; the tired old ABC song gets a hip-hop makeover; a host of different (and non-annoying) kid and adult voices pronounce letters and guide visitors. Even if this weren't a strong CD-ROM, it'd be worth checking out, just to learn the remaining ingredients in Hearty Chicken Alphabet Soup. (Ages 3 to 6) --Anne Erickson

From Children's Software Revue®
This bundle of three older Disney programs makes a nice package for preschoolers. The better programs are Mickey Mouse Preschool and Winnie the Pooh Preschool, two activity packs that playfully reinforce a variety of preschool skills. Weaker is the third disk, Stanley Tiger Tales, an animal themed logic adventure. Still, this is a strong set of programs that will keep preschoolers entertained and learning for hours.Copyright © 2001 Children's Software Revue

From the Manufacturer
The JumpStart Advanced Preschool three-CD set uses inspiring music and exciting word games to build essential preschool skills!

Disc One--Fundamentals: explore shapes, colors, and patterns and develop counting, phonics, and vocabulary skills.
Disc Two--Language Club: explore the cultures and customs of four different countries, including new languages, music, food, clothing, and more!
Disc Three--Art for Fun: Enjoy hours of creative playtime! Make your own storybook, create a card for a friend, or design hands-on crafts!

Features:

Learning Profiler determines child’s learning style and adjusts play
Automatic leveling adjusts to child’s pace
Motivating reward system keeps children engaged
Based on State Educational Standards

Product Description
JumpStart Advanced Preschool has more fun and enriching learning activities than ever in its travel themed three-CD set designed to prepare your child for Preschool and beyond. Disc One - Fundamentals Explore shapes, colors and patterns and develop counting, phonics and vocabulary skills. Disc Two - Language Club Explore the cultures and customs of four different countries, including new languages, music, food, clothing and more! Disc Three - Art for Fun Enjoy hours of creative playtime! Make a storybook, create a card for a friend or design hands-on crafts!