Thomas & Friends Railway Adventures Playset

With this playset, kids can actually drive Thomas the Tank Engine, toot his horn, switch tracks, link him to other trains, and engage in all manner of Usefulness, the chief currency of the Island of Sodor. The Thomas-shaped plastic playset straps easily over standard keyboards (not ergonomic ones or laptops). A red throttle moves Thomas forward or backward along the track. A green lever switches tracks to change direction. A yellow whistle noisily announces Thomas's arrival and also helps him link and uncouple with other trains. Finally, Thomas's smiling face is a button that can be pushed to get hints and friendly patter. These four simple controls make this an inspired CD-ROM that will suit a wide range of ages. Toddlers will love simply throttling Thomas around the tracks, while older kids will enjoy games that encourage spatial skills, decision making, and problem solving.

The four main games are wonderful, involved exercises. They all involve Thomas being helpful: finding "Important Supplies"; locating the "Missing Mail Truck," then helping to sort its mail; rescuing stranded passengers in "All Aboard," then making sure they are properly ticketed and delivering them safely to their destinations; and rebuilding an avalanche-damaged track in "It's a Landslide!"

These games are somewhat complex: in the landslide game, kids must switch tracks, couple Thomas with the Troublesome Trucks, haul rocks up mountains, signal Harold the Helicopter to unload the rocks, then deliver the empty trucks to James for hauling away. Thomas's water supply must be watched and replenished during this strenuous work. And after the rocks are in place, there's still work to do! Only after kids go to another screen to collect flatbeds and track pieces from Cranky the Crane, then deliver those parts to the mountaintop, is the job done. Phew!

Also, if players abandon a game without completing it, they can't access any of the four mini games (which are mazes and races), and Sir Topham Hatt will chide in his chipper manner: "There's still a lot of work to be done!" This is not a CD-ROM for the lazy, and fortunately, the folks who made it didn't use any shortcuts either. Older systems without a lot of storage space may have trouble digesting this graphics-heavy program, but for us the program chugged along like Thomas himself, and the action on the screen corresponded smoothly with whatever control was being used on the playset. "Builds a work ethic" isn't one of the features mentioned on the box, but this diligent program and playset could put youngsters on the right track. (Ages 3 and older) --Anne Erickson

Kids can now play engineer and operate the controls on Thomas the Tank Engine. They can blow the whistle, work the throttle, and switch tracks. By using the controls on the playset, kids can help deliver passengers for Bertie, repair landslide damage with Harold, and find and sort the mail. They'll love traveling with Thomas through four fun adventures, each filled with activities, games, and cool print features for off-computer play.