If the idea of an animated text book of sums appeals to you and is your idea of the way to excite children with numbers then this could be for you. It isn't mine and I intend to use this program in very small doses indeed.

That said, what the program does it does very well and the help facility is an excellent feature. The program covers addition and subtraction only but has several difficulty levels and is presentation/answer styles. It is possible to select numeral output or word output, e.g. either 3+6 or three+six, and to accept either for input also. This too is a nice feature.

Using the help facility means the number line at the bottom of the scren is used to show the makeup of the answers. This is well done and gives the right sort of help. But there is a problem: if you get an answer wrong and then fail to get it right you are never allowed onto another problem. You spend all your time watching the explanation.

This is a programming mistake and should be remedied in some manner (my suggestion is that after, say, three attempts the program should stop until the wayward child gets some human help).

Think carefully before use and be prepared to step in to help when using this program.

D.C.