Berenstain Bears: Little Bears Make Big Helpers - PC Games

The familiar faces of the Berenstain Bears should put any 4 to 6 year old (the game's targeted age group) at ease in front of the computer, and most of the activities use easy hand-eye coordination to move the mouse around to do things like collect honey or vacuum a room.

Little Bears is a multichild aware game, allowing separate logins for different children. Progress for each child is tracked even between games, and the goal is to earn a printable certificate saying what a great helper cub the child is, with his/her name on it. It can also be played as a two-player game on one computer, getting children used to the idea of sharing and cooperating within the game itself.

There are four categories, one for each bear. Your child can help Papa Bear collect honey, or Momma Bear make a quilt, or one of the bear cubs run errands or clean their rooms. What's especially nice is the steady, low-key soundtrack (an acoustic guitar loop that wasn't annoying) and the constant, positive chatting of the particular bear section your child is in. After helping all four bears and earning all the awards, your own little cub can print out a final certificate with his or her name on it.

The games are uncluttered and straightforward. The preschool or kindergarten set should find them interesting and challenging. There were no technical problems, although at times the dialog seemed to fall out of sync a little from the animation. --Mike Caputo