The Alphabert has been in our family for nearly five years.  My middle child used it starting at age two and now my baby adores it.  They see my wife using our laptop and they want to type away, too.  When they get that urge, it's nice to have something they can use--that doesn't delete or destroy anything we're working on--and that they enjoy.Watching my middle one grow from banging on the keys to hear a sound to actually spelling Word Scramble words correctly.  We both get a kick out of hearing the congratulatory, "You got it!" when he gets the right answers.  Even after he spells the word right, the computer spells it again out loud as a reminder.There are 14 different games the kids can play including: - Alphabet Order - Word Groups - Word Scramble - Word Search - Hangman - Memory Challenge - Hear a Song - Missing Vowels - Sounds of Words, and more. Alphabert couples sight with sound.  It has a small 7 or 8 inch screen which displays the various games.  It also has a keyboard lettered alphabetically (no QWERTY).  The vowels are red letters and consonants are green to help kids make the distinction and learn.  Each letter also has a picture and word to help with association (ex. the "a" key has a picture of an ape and an ant and both words.  The voice helps children hear the instructions and lets them put the sounds with the words and letters.  There are also rewarding and "try again" sounds as they work their way toward a goal or winning a game.No computer is complete without a help button.  For the Alphabert, the help button gives them extra hints.  Too see my kids' eyes light and ears perk up when the signature ditty plays when you open the keyboard is a real joy.  They're looking forward to learning.

brenviewer

Dayton, OH