Title: Snap Dragon
Overall Rating: B
Source: ImagiNation Network
Playing Time: 20 minutes
Date: 1995
Cost:  $14.95    Snap Dragon (PC/Mac) - from CD-
Number of Players: One
Special Equipment/Facilities Needed: mouse, sound card for music
Subject Area:  math, science and reading
Objectives: To develope early learning skills for math, science and reading
Brief Description: Snap Dragon is a program for todlers that offers them the ability to play with pictures presented on the screen.  If offeres the capability to set different gravity setting and see things sink, and the ability to save you own designs.
Entry Capabilities Required: Use of a mouse

Rating: (1-5)

       Relevance to objectives: 3.5  This program says it will develope early-learning skills but I don't see exactly where.  I thought that the anchor setting, and the cloud setting (refering to gravity applied on the picture) was an interesting idea, but no explanation went along with it.
       Provides practice of relevant skills: 2.5.  For toddlers this program is exciting and colorful, but it is more of a coloring book come to life than anything else.  It doesn't seem to offer much educationally.
       Likely to arouse/maintain interest:  4.0  Toddlers will be interesting in this program for a while.  There are numerous objects to click on and color in and each one makes a different sound.  The kids will enjoys playing with the animals and hearing the sounds as they move things around.
       Likely to be comprehended clearly:  3.0  The program doesn't have much to comprehend.  If a parent of teacher showed the student the difference in the "anchor" setting apposed the the "cloud" setting and the student saw that things sunk or floated, he might gain a little from this.  I don't think that a toddler would have a problem using this program.
       Technical quality (durable, attractive): 4.0  The program is definately colorful, and interesting to play with.  It offers different setting in which animals and objects are in, and the user can click on clocks that make noise, or open chests.  The attractivness of this is great.  I would have loved it as a child.
       Game: Winning dependent on player actions (rather than chance): This doesn't really apply to this program.  There is no game being played to win or lose, simply playing with objects on the screen.
       Simulation: Validity of game model (realistic, accurate depiction): 3  For a toddler I feel the program is realistic enough.  For example if you drop something over a chest, that objects dissapears as if it fell into the chest.  There are many other similiar things which are realistic.  The program is for toddlers and there are all animals acting like people in each picture.
       Evidence of effectiveness (e.g. field-test results): No evidence of Field Test Results were found.
       Clear directions for play:  5 The directions are self explanatory.  There isn't too much to the program.  You can either clik on something with the mouse, or if you are coloring, click on a color and then and object and it will be that color.  I don't think anyone will have a problem explaining this program to a toddler.
       Effectiveness of debriefing: This also doesn't apply to this particular program.  Their is nothing to be debriefed about.

Strong Points: The program is a colorful and exciting peice of software for a child to explore and play with.  It interacts with sounds and movement of objects on the screen as the child clicks on it.  It not only offers the child to play with a scene, but it also has a coloring book for the child to color in pictures.  The program is also very easy to understand and user friendly.  It seems like a good program to get a child interested in using computers.
Weak Points: Although the program is intersting, it doesn't really offer that much educationally.  Small amounts of science and reading are applied, but the child could easily use the program just as a toy and ignore the educational aspects.  I felt as if the program could have offered a little more text or even reading to the student of the scenerio and what was happening.
Reviewer: Jonathan M. Cervoni
Position: Undergraduate at SUNY Potsdam
Date: 9/22/98
Computer System Reviewed on: Macintosh PowerPC 6500/250, 32mb ram.