Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
Join Reader Rabbit on a joyful journey to build reading confidence and success! Develop essential reading skills while exploring 26 Letter Lands filled with fun phonics activities and engaging storybooks. Practice language arts skills while playing with four fabulous word-making machines at the Word Factory. From letters and sounds, to words, and spelling, and on to reading comprehension.

Amazon.com Review:
A diaper-clad rhinoceros, a troupe of Incredible Performing Hamsters, and a mambo-dancing moose are just a handful of the many light-hearted elements that make Reader Rabbit: Learn to Read with Phonics an engrossing early-reading program that puts some much needed fun in phonics.

The program starts with Mat the Mouse singing a complaining song because she can't read well enough to take full advantage of the carnival she wants to attend. This alone is a stroke of genius: it's easier for kids to relate to poor confused Mat than some know-it-all character who already knows how to read (that would be Reader Rabbit, but he serves a purpose as Mat's guide). When her wish for "no more words to read" comes true, Mat realizes a world with no words simply won't work, and sets out on a journey to decode a message that will allow her to make a counterwish and get words back.

The occasionally flat animation is remedied by the volume and variety of early-reading activities. Two approaches to the program help customize it to your child's learning style: Road to Reading is the more structured approach, where kids lead Mat on a path to 26 different lands associated with each letter of the alphabet, and help decode her counterwish. Pick and Play is a nonstructured method of exploring the program that allows kids to directly access the various activities found along the alphabet path. Word Factory is another program element that has nothing to do with Mat's quest, but introduces four more word-building and memorization activities to an already brimming program.

Designers paid attention to details that are important for learning: characters meticulously pronounce words and sound out letters in clear children's voices. Each activity can be played on five different levels, and kids can check their progress and print study words. The program introduces sight words for memorization as well as words that must be constructed by sounding out. Some of the virtual books in this program are more entertaining and engaging than actual phonics texts we've seen. Even the Parent's Guide information was useful, and taught us a thing or two about how kids learn to read. Perhaps most importantly, this CD-ROM's clever wordplay and constant comedic surprises will keep kids interested as they develop the nuts-and-bolts skills that will lead to a lifetime of enthusiastic reading. (Ages 3 to 6) --Anne Erickson

Amazon.com Product Description:
Your child is invited to go on a learning journey with Reader Rabbit. Learn to Read with Phonics is designed to teach reading one step at a time, from letters and sounds, to words and spelling, and, eventually, to reading simple stories. This reading program is designed to help children build skills, confidence, and a solid foundation for success in reading. Come along and discover the joy of reading with Reader Rabbit.

Rating : - Difficult to Use
I tried 3-4 Reader Rabbit Programs. They are hard to use. The navigation is not good. It takes significant learning effort to get used to the programs. I work in Software from 10 years. If its difficult to navigate for me, the kids definitely will not be able to navigate freely. It will not allow you to skip something. If the kids are using the same thing again and again and They want to skip the things they are bored of they are out of luck. It will not allow skip. Apart from that the program is educational. Another negative: The program does not install on computer. Every time you need to put the CD in to run the program.

Instead of struggling with Reader Rabbit, I would highly recommend the Leapfrog Letter Factory and Math Circus. In fact I bought all Leapfrog DVD titles one by one after seeing the difference the Frog makes to kid's learning. My Kids 5 and 3 yrs love the frog.

The designers of Rabbit should keep in mind that its going to be used by little kids. Usability is the most important. Learn from Leap Frog.