Thinkin' Things Collection 3

When the product description says it's mac compatible, it should be mac compatible. But it's NOT. Unfortunately it won't open on any of our macs so our son has a useless disc. I guess I could wander to the app store to download their app (at $18.99) but I won't.

I guess most of this kind of thing has moved to the tablet/phone app scene. We have android tablets, but some of the PC applications are still considerable. I bought this along with a half-dozen other outdated, obsolete software titles. It's still good! Really the worst thing about all this old software, is that you can easily run into trouble with the installers. Unfortunately, the software doesn't get updated at all -- so if you want to install it on Windows 8 - 64 bit, you could run into errors even though it can still be made to work. The other problems are these PC software typically use Quicktime or some other garbage (so plan on installing it in a computer you can afford to hose up with a lot of proprietary bloatware). Sorry I can't remember if this title used Quicktime or not. Still, I wouldn't install proprietary software on anything but a "burner" PC (like a burner phone).Really the best thing would be if this older software were not proprietary or if it were republished under a freedom software license, so the installer and the supporting code could be maintained and it would still work as PC's move beyond Windows XP.Among other things, the marching band applet is a cool introduction to basic programming. It's just like a little Scratch app, and as long as you don't need 1080p at 60fps to be entertained, it can be fun and educational.

In the midst of PS2 and Nintendo DS and whatever other handheld child mind zappers are out there, it is nice to know there are a few computer products worth your money and your child's time. This is one of them. This product gives your child five ways to THINK using a computer. There are two parts of the program that allow open-ended creative thought. (Try that on an arcade game!!!) Only the MOST perceptive of children will figure out this is educational (read: yucky) the greater majority will just have lots of fun playing with five different features that focus on pattern recognition, physical science and pre-algebra among other skills. Great for my seven-year-old, my four is just starting to get it, but still having fun. A little money well spent. Also check out "Crazy Machines."