I have an 8 year old and a 10 year old. They really love to play Frogger and Frogger 2, which, against my better judgement, I bought for them. I have decided that the sky did not fall and that there may, just may, be some computer games out there worth buying for kids to play. They like to play, and though it doesn’t do a lot for me, I feel like, okay, they like it–good enough. Now, I think they’d love to get a cool new game or two for Christmas, but unfortunately I am clueless; and, they live so sheltered a life with me, [piano lessons and reading and stuff, ugh!] that they don’t really know what’s out there either. Can you give me a game suggestion that might be fun, maybe even a smidge educational, mostly non-violent, and different than Frogger? I would be really grateful, and I am sure my two girls would too. Thanks dopers.
I can think of many games they would like, but have to know what format of game you are talking about. Strictly computer games? Or perhaps is this about one of the hand-help devices?
If you’re talking about Playstation games (which is where I think the modern reincarnation of the Frogger games originated), you might want to look at the Spyro the Dragon series. Not precisely educational, and very mildly violent (in a bloodless, little-dragon-breathing-on-sheep-and-turning-them into butterflies kinda way) but all of them have a lot of replay value and are fairly amusing in a totally family-acceptable kind of way. The scenery is also quite beautiful, especially by PS1 standards.
Thanks for the reply. I am just looking fo computer games. Fund and/or educational. Educational in the disguise of fun, maybe. Again, thanks.
Ape Escape is possibily the greatest game for Playstation. Works for me (I played when I was around 16) and for the 5 year old neighbor kid.
Spyro series is cartoony and fun for old and young.
You might look for some of the old arcade compilations. Pacman, Midway Classics, Atari, Activision. All kinds of the first/second generation of home games on cd for the PC now. Usually non violent with simple yet addictive gameplay.
And dead boring to any kid born after 1980.
It’d help to know what sort of computer you’ve got. What’s its processor speed, and what sort of video card do you have?
the Sims. it was/is an inexplicably popular dollhouse game for girls.
Dude, it’s a Dell, and I have to say it’s been a pain in the ass about accepting or allowing games to be installed or played. I’ve bought a few things that just wouldn’t load. I have XP, and I notice most games at the store stop short of listing XP as an OS that the game is compatible with…so…? Thanks for your continued help.
Uh for girls? since when? The Sims is one of my favorite games and it never occured to me that it was for girls any more than any of the other simulation games from maxis.
ok, for boys too. 
but i always thought the game single handedly opened up a big part of the gaming market and updated women that there are more to games than playing that snake game on the handphone.
also because guys who play them invariably starve/burn/drown/electrocute/whatever the sims in boredom! 
Do your kids like Harry Potter? There are several Potter games out there which they may enjoy.
I can vouch for The Sims. Not only fun, but actually teaches some real life lessons (get a job or starve; don’t pay your bills, and get your stuff repossessed.)
You might want to watch out for the first expansion set, Livin’ Large, though, as this set activates the “play in bed?” option. It isn’t exactly sex, but is highly suggestive (ducking under the covers, giggling, and such).
I also don’t like the idea that you have to buy a certain bed before you CAN “play in bed…” but I suspect that’s beyond the scope of what you’re teachin’ your kids, right now.
Other than that, it’s a fantastic virtual dollhouse thing, and allows durn near unlimited creativity.
My kids love Harry Potter movies, but I have noticed that they don’t like the books. My oldest daughter, 10, is a great reader; devoured Lemony Snicket books, but found Harry Potter books tedious, I think. Would she still like the game?
You could get them boardgames on CD. I got Scrabble, monopoly,operation, and candy land in bags of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Also try the Monkey Island series. They are hilarious, may be a little difficult, but if you played along it could work.
You could get them boardgames on CD. I got Scrabble, monopoly,operation, and candy land in bags of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Also try the Monkey Island series. They are hilarious, may be a little difficult, but if you played along it could work. I just realized how little games I have for the PC, in general and that arn’t shooters.
Moonbase Commander is fun, quirky, easy, has tons of depth and strategy that come later on, and it’s kid-safe. A must for all ages.
I haven’t played the HP games myself but you can find reviews here:
Mailman, I run XP, and I’ve not had trouble running games. Are you maybe buying games that are five years old, or something like that? If the games are too old, they may require a lot of tweaking in order to run on current operating systems.
As for kid-friendly games, check out http://www.gamerdad.com/ – I’ve looked around the site only a little bit, but it looks just like what you need. Specifically this article recommends several current games according to age-group; 6-10 is one of the age groups, and they have eight games in this category.
Daniel
I second Moonbase Commander. It is a really easy game for kids to play yet challenging enough to keep an adult’s interest. Also it doesn’t require much in the way of a video card or processing power but it still looks pretty and runs great.