Review of Caillou Four Seasons of Fun

We own the other two Caillou software titles and have enjoyed them both, but we are disappointed with Four Seasons of Fun, to a great extent because the potential is here for a really fun game; that potential is not realized, however, due to rigid and sometimes confusing navigation, bugs and less interesting activities.

Whereas the two earlier Caillou games involved wandering around Caillou's house, this title starts inside but spends the rest of the game outside moving around the neighborhood.The look of the area and the activities change according to the season initially selected by the player.So far, so good.However, our iMac freezes about 25% of the time during the dressing segment and, like other reviewers, we find this section confusing -- it's not often apparent, for instance, what specific shirt or coat a child should choose.

Unlike the earlier titles, there is less freedom of navigation.Players proceed in a rigid, linear progression between activities, and game play is not always smooth.Some of the activities are: (1) Race-along, an obstacle course that Caillou must navigate on his skateboard.Your child has to decide whether Caillou should jump over, duck under, or go around various objects.This segment is compelling for preschoolers, but Caillou moves VERY slowly, and if the player doesn't press the appropriate key at precisely the right time, Caillou will have risen from his crouch or come down from his jump too early.At the same time, feedback is not really salient; our little one doesn't recognize that Caillou's "spinning" is a bad thing, and since the player must continue until 7 objects are successfully navigated, this can go on and on. (2) Caillou rakes his way through a letter maze.Tedious.(3) Bouncing ball rhyming. Unimaginative. (4) Snowman Builder, in which the player copies another snowman.First of all, why stifle creativity?Also, when we are in the "Fall" and click on the rake, the narrator still says "Snowman Builder" even though that's not the activity that will follow.Was this beta tested?

All-in-all, we were predisposed to enjoy this game but were ultimately disappointed with it.We will certainly not rush to buy another Caillou title.Better bets for your preschooler are Reader Rabbit, Little Bear, Franklin or Winnie the Pooh offerings.Interestingly, we have found the same inconsistent quality with Zoboomafoo software, another PBS franchise.What gives?

Pros: familiar, beloved characters; interesting premise in a promising setting; seamless cutscenes; multiple levels of difficulty; simple navigation

Cons: rigid, sometimes confusing, navigation; no written instructions; no keyboard volume control; fewer, and less interesting, activities; less stability



Click Here to see more reviews about: Caillou Four Seasons of Fun