After signing in and selecting one of 4 birthday party themes, kids set out to explore Caillou's home, one room at a time. As they do, they collect 6 hidden party hats and uncover the program's activities. Each time they find a hat, they are presented with a screen that lets them go directly to any of the 8 activities in the game.

While the program is not designed to teach kids to read, a few of its activities are fine pre-reading skill-builders. Some help kids develop an awareness of print, such as one in which kids spell their favorite characters' names; another involves completing Grandpa's rhymes; and another game requires matching words with the sounds the objects make (for example, a frog to a "ribbet" sound) using both pictorial and text clues.

Pre-math activities are plentiful as well. Our favorite activity, entitled Number Chase, is a board game in which players choose to play as one of the program's puppets (including Caillou's cat, Gilbert). Playing against Caillou, kids roll the die or dice in order to advance along the game board. They need to count the dots on the dice, and then the spaces on the board. On level three, two dice are rolled. Arrows are found on special game squares—landing on an arrow bumps players either up or down (Snakes-and-Ladders-style). Other games reinforce number sequences and encourage children to extend patterns. In Pop the Bubbles, kids "pop" Caillou's bath bubbles according to instructions. On level one, they look for specific colors of bubbles; on level two, they discern between different bubble shapes; and level three features identifying bubbles shaped as numerals.

Each activity begins and ends with a short video clip that together form a complete story. Activities open with animated clips that tell the story of Caillou's birthday. After completing a game, kids are rewarded with a segment from the live-action puppet portion of the Caillou television program. At any time, children can simply click the mouse to interrupt these cut-scenes, though most fans of the show will want to view these engaging video rewards.

The program is encouraging when kids make an incorrect choice—Caillou is always on hand with a cheerful, "try again—you can do it!" Help screens introduce each activity and are narrated by the voices of characters in the showÐsuch as mother, father, and Grandma.

Birthday party crafts involve personalizing printable, ready-to-color placemats, party hats, birthday cards, and invitations. These can be printed for kids to assemble and decorate. Whether preschoolers use these "printables" to create a pretend birthday party or for a "real-life" Caillou-themed party, this activity is a nice way to extend learning beyond the computer.

This program is a natural extension of an excellent preschool show. Its design is well thought out, and its activities are valuable on both educational and play levels. Another title in the series, entitled Caillou's Magic Playhouse, offers a similar format with different games and themes. We enthusiastically recommend both titles for preschoolers as young as 3.

Technically Speaking
Minimum system requirements are Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP, Pentium II 233 MHz, 64 MB RAM, 20 MB hard drive space, and 4X CD-ROM. Mac users require a PowerPC 200 MHz, System 8.1-9.1, 64 MB RAM, 32 MB hard drive space, and 4X CD-ROM. A printer is optional.

Skills Covered
Kids work with letter recognition, rhyming, matching, number recognition, counting, simple addition (by counting), colors, shapes, pattern extension, sound recognition, following directions, music and songs, and creativity.

Educational Value
This refreshing program presents straightforward, multi-level activities that feature learning challenges neither too great nor too basic for the preschool crowd. Kids practice matching, color and shape identification, and more, as they play simple games. The program doesn't demand too much on an academic level. Rather, it gently introduces kids to valuable pre-reading and pre-math concepts.

Entertainment Value
The main attraction of this title lies in its bright and inviting presentation, the appeal of Caillou and friends, and its age-appropriate games. However, we'd venture a guess that whether preschoolers are Caillou fans or not, this title will have plenty of appeal.

Design
The program makes it easy for children to access its activities directly and/or through exploration of Caillou's home. Most activities have three levels of difficulty. These are defaulted to the easiest level, but can be changed at any time players are ready for new challenges. Instructions for playing each activity are clearly presented in both text and audio formats.

Replayability
We expect this CD-ROM to receive a fair amount of attention over time. Unlike some programs on the market, the challenges offered in the activities' different levels are distinct and appropriate. As a result, children at varying levels of development can enjoy the program, and many will grow along with it.

Dollar Value
This CD-ROM carries a suggested retail price of $19.95 US.