Vtech - V.Smile - Thomas the Tank: Engines Working Together 36 Months - 5 Years by VTech List Price: $19.99 $19.32 At Amazon on 12-7-2008.

Features Lay the tracks for early learning with Thomas & Friends: Engines Working Together. Compatible with: V.Smile, V.Smile Pocket, V.Smile PC Pal, V.Smile Cyber Pocket and V.Motion gaming systems. Teaches core curriculum for the earliest learners Education based software helps your child learn while playing with their f characters. Be sure to check out other popular titles available here on Amazon.com! Manufacturer Description Thomas and Friends?, are Really Useful Engines. Today will be a busy day for the engines on the island of Sodor and they will need your help to show how useful they are. Learn important school skills by working together with Thomas, Harold, and Bertie. Let's make tracks! Product Description Choo, choo! Hop aboard the learning express! It's another big day for Thomas and Percy. As they travel along the railroad tracks, many mysterious adventures await them. As little learners help Thomas and Percy solve their missions, they'll discover the alphabet, colors, shapes and logic problems. For use with the V.Smile TV Learning System, sold separately. Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism The other reviewer did a fine job of summarizing many of the features of this game cartridge. What they didn't mention was that the graphics are terrible. The pixelation is so bad that if you didn't already know the engines that you might not be able to recognize them. [For example, there is a station labeled Tidmouth *something*. Neither my husband nor myself can make out what the second word is.] That said, knowing how Thomas fans are, nothing we've said will keep you from purchasing this cartridge because your child, like my 3.5 year-old son, will probably like it regardless of how lame it is. So let me tell you more... There are four areas: Learning zone, Learning Adventure, Engine Depot and Options (music on or off). In the *Learning Adventure* area you help Thomas and the rest of the Steamies do their jobs. Children are supposed to learn about Letters, Object Identification, Colors and Counting. [Four games and Four subjects.] In general, all games require the joystick. Most games have some sort of obstacles, but on easy level hitting obstacles doesn't end play. *Learning Adventure* zone: Calling All Engines - drive Thomas and pickup letters to spell a name. ---- Bonus Game - drive through a cave and collect coins before you time out Flying to the Rescue - fly Harold to the hospital and other locations using a map in the upper left hand corner to figure out where you are. (object identification) Cargo Catch-up - fly Harold and drop cargo into freight cars of same color Bertie Beats the clock - Bertie needs to get children to various stations. When at the station, you are supposed to count the children getting off. ----also in this section `Take a Break' - counting/matching/odd one out *Learning* zone: In the *Learning Zone* there are four games which focus on different skills. Children are supposed to be able to learn about Size Sorting, Classification, Counting and Puzzles. Size Sorting - use Percy to sort minerals into correct sized freight cars (big boulders go into big trucks; small rocks go into small cars) Recycle Challenge -Troublesome Trucks are nearly full of recycled items. You need to grab the same type of item with a hook and move it to the right car. Count the Engines - count while engines pass by Fix the Tracks - Thomas is coming and the tracks are `not right'. Using the joystick you rotate through a variety of track options. Some tracks are too big, others to small or just not correct. When the correct tract appears to push the big orange button to confirm. *Engine Depot* In the *Engine Depot* area (rather lame) you can read Thomas and Friends profiles. You can also blow their whistles or in Berties case, blow his horn. For the gaming area you can choose from Easy and Difficult options. For example in the Learning Adventure area, in Game 1 (`Calling All Engines') on the easy setting children find 3 engines and collect letters on the tracks that spell the name of an engine (such as `Toby'). On the difficult level they still find 3 engines, but this time the letters for a long name (such as `Edward'). We just opened the game so that I can't tell you too much more about the action and game play, except that my son and daughter (and husband-LOL) seems very interested. Four Stars. Old fashion (read poor graphics). The true Thomas fan will probably not care as they will get to `drive' Thomas and his friends (including Harold) around Sodor. As for age range, many of these games will be beyond the abilities -physically and intellectually-of a 3 year old [map reading comes later]; but that should allow them to `grow' into the game at a latter point. Vtech - V.Smile - Thomas the Tank: Engines Working Together Available from Amazon Updated on 12-7-2008.

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