How To Buy Educational Software That Your Child Will Love Using

Writen by Simon Ronald

When shopping for educational software for your child, it is important to realize that not all educational computer games are created equal. For example, Donkey Kong Jr. Math is still known as one of worst selling games in the Nintendo Entertainment System empire. Built on the same concept as the popular game Donkey Kong, many children found it belittling and boring. This game forced players to answer math questions before they could proceed to the next level. The problem was, the educational component was so obvious and so intrusive to the game that most players simply put the game aside after a few attempts.

More recently, Jerusalem, part of the Adrian Blake Trilogy, has come under fire from players and reviewers alike for being one of the more didactic and uninteresting educational games on the market. This game attempts to teach players about Christianity, Islam, and history by talking players on a role-playing game. The problem is that the acting, scenes, and plot lines tend to be stilted in order to fit in the educational content. Many players simply find the game uninteresting.

Parents can learn valuable lessons from these manufacturer letdowns. When shopping for educational computer games, it is important to always try out games and to select games that are fun to play as well as instructional. Better yet, parents should have their children try out games in order to ensure that the games are fun for children to play. Parents will want to stay away from games that interrupt play in order to ask questions. This is often too much like a "test" in school and makes players give up games quickly.

Buying Educational Games

Once you have decided to buy some educational computer games, shopping will not be difficult. Most computer stores and major toy stores now carry large selections of educational titles. Many online retailers now carry educational games as well. Ebay, for example, always has a good selection of unopened and unused educational computer software at great prices. Parents can order any title they wish online and have the games shipped directly to their door.

When buying computer games, it is often best to buy new games and unopened games. While used educational games are cheaper, they are also riskier. Used games often carry no support and no technical help. If you have trouble installing the game, you may simply be out of luck. Many used titles may also be damaged or older versions that will not work well on a newer computer. Worse, used versions of educational games may be illegal, pirated copies which could expose you to legal risk. Illegal versions of games may even carry viruses or bugs that can affect your computer. The small savings are not worth it. For inexpensive games, try online educational games or wait for sales on popular titles at your favorite store.

In general, when shopping for educational titles, you will want to try games before you buy. Ideally, you will want to ask your children's opinions about which games to choose. That way, your children will be able to select games that they will actually enjoy playing. You will also want to select games that will build a variety of skills. You may want to buy several titles that build several skill sets and give your children some variety as well.

Dr Simon Ronald is the CEO of RocketReader(http://www.rocketreader.com), the company that makes reading improvement software for all ages. For more information about effective reading strategies, visit http://www.speedreading.com Also check out http://www.freeonlinebooks.org for a free online books collection that makes reading practice fun!