Customer Reviews
Best I've seen 
2008-03-22
My six-year old is an electronic junkie, and has played LOTS of computer games. This one is BY FAR his all-time favorite. Mine too, as it is very educational. He will play until I make him stop! It runs great on the computer, and can be personlized with fun things for your child. I highly recommend it!
Expensive but worth it.... 2008-03-11
First off, let me say that commonsensemedia.org gives a nice overview of the JumpStart World software. Second, after reading all the reviews I did not first purchase this disk, I bought the full download on the Knowledge Adventure website for a whopping $74.99, but we got all 12 units at once (although you must finish a unit to proceed to the next). I was getting tired of the non educational aspects of Webkinz and similar virtual worlds (littlest pet shop and myepets) so we gave this a try. Although my child is in Kindergarten, the year is almost over so I took a chance on the First Grade version and I'm glad I did. The game starts out pretty easy with pattern recognition, simple math, and letter sounds in Unit One. This unit took my child about 10 hours to complete. The second unit has her reading charts/graphs (something she has not had to do in Kindergarten so it's a little tough), solve word problems (that are read aloud), recognize math fact families, and tell time. Once in a while she does need help or for me to read something to her. So the games are appropriately challenging for my nearly 6 yr old and the "world" is fun...you can choose your character, dress it, and buy and care for a pet, create artwork anytime you want and have a parade. You can flip between exploring the "world" and playing the games as much as you like. Most activities are mouse-driven but some do use the arrow keys like a tricky tetris-style game. Kids are motivated to go back and play the games repeatedly b/c doing so gets them more jewels to buy stuff for their pet and virtual home. It's all very well done: the graphics are good, so far the music isn't too annoying, and it runs perfectly on VISTA (although we had one bug installing it that my husband had to google a fix for). All in all I asked my daughter, who has played a zillion computer and leapster games why she likes Jump Start World and she says "it's just awesome!".
Jumpstart World 1st Grade 2007-12-28
This product is excellent learning tool for kids. My son couldn't wait until he got next unit purchased to go and explore new places. This software gives kids an ability to play and learn at the same time and it's never boring. This game has a good balance of fun and learning activities. The only draw back is the fact that it was not made very clear that this box includes only 2 levels and to continue you need to purchase additional levels so the child can move to the next level.
But my son is enjoying this game very much.
So engaging 2007-12-19
I got this for my son who LOVES to play it. He has increased his skill and mastery in all academic areas. He loves having a pet to take care of, jobs to get done and new areas open up with each new accomplishment. There are a few learning games that challenge him and I'll sit with him and help him work on, but as he "gets it" he'll get so excited and give me a hug. The game has been such a hit that the neighbor's daughter comes over just to play the game. For the use that my children are getting out of it, SO worth the money.
Slow, needs internet connection, poorly thought out 
2007-09-29
This is the lousiest children's software I've ever seen. I think the previous reviews must be that of an earlier version. I am returning it to Amazon . Save yourself the trouble -- don't purchase it.
What are the issues?
(1) My kids use my old laptop -- a machine with 512 MB of RAM, Pentium-III 500 MHz CPU and 32 MB of video RAM. Not the greatest machine, granted ... but the software is slow as molasses on it.
(2) The game will not work unless the CD is the drive *AND* the
machine is connected to the internet. I'd rather not connect my
5-year old's machine to the internet. Thank you very much.
(3) Navigation in the game is not with a mouse but with arrow keys.
And if a kid presses an arrow key in a "disallowed" direction, there
is no beep or anything. So, the kid keeps pressing the key and gets
frustrated.
(4) Every 10 minutes or so, the software freezes with a "loading" message. Looks like the CD is not complete. It actually downloads
content from the internet each time. I suppose this is to prevent
piracy. But do you really want to support a company that doesn't trust
its customers and is willing them to let them endure long waits?
If I could give this game 0 stars, I would give it.
Good game IF you invest in all 12 "packs" 
2008-06-20
I bought this game as a compromise for my kindergartener and 2nd grader. For my kids, who don't have a play station or play a lot of computer games, this provides excellent, fun instruction on how to control an avatar and play a bunch of different types of games using both the keyboard and the mouse. It was hard for them at first because they kept getting lost in the Jumpstart "world," but now they have mastered it and have a lot of fun just visiting their favorite places. Most of the games themselves are pretty lame -- my kids only play them when they need to earn points to buy things, or at the end of a level to complete the required number of games to advance to the next level.
As a learning game, it takes awhile to ramp up to a challenging level. In fact, my kindergartener is in the 7th level and only now encountering academic challenges that are hard for her. For a first grader, I think I would recommend this only to reinforce things they already know and to strengthen computer skills. But, I give it 4 stars because despite the weaknesses that I see, it is a good wholesome game that my kids LOVE!
And while it annoys me that you have to pay an extra, hefty fee to get the full game, I think it is worth it. The kids blow through the first two levels, but the subsequent levels last much longer. My kids have been playing for more than 3 months and are only a little over halfway done!
problem not resolved for weeks. Customer support needs improvement!! 
2008-06-02
The games are good. My daugter who is 6 loves them. But after she finishes Unit 1, she keeps getting "here at jump start camp, we have a few more things to do before we start the next adventure, why don't you quit the game and start over?". We could not get rid of this no matter what we tried. Unit 2 never enables for us. Called their customer support, emailed them.......so far we were asked to send some files off our hard disk to them and no response after that........
We have been trying to get them to resolve this issue for weeks now.
Great software! 2008-05-21
We've had good luck with Jumpstart learning products in the past, so it was a no brainer buying this, and we're very impressed with how far the graphics have come! My 6 and 5 year old have such a great time trying to earn gems to buy different things, as well as winning trophies and keys for completing tasks. They are in head to head competition over who can get through the levels first, and are learning many different skills along the way from reading to math and problem solving...not to mention familiarizing themselves with the computer. Jumpstart makes it fun by allowing the kids to decorate their own cabin, get their own pet, and place the artwork they create around on the many billboards throughout town. It's very interactive, keeps their interest, makes learning fun...overall an excellent product!
A Must-Have Title for Your Children! 2008-05-19
My wife and I are very selective about the content of the "screentime" (our household term for the time they can have in front of the computer, TV, and/or Wii) we allow our almost five-year daughter and our six-year-old son (who is nearing the end of his kindergarten year), and thus we strive for a healthy mix of quality education, exercise, and of course, fun.
Suffice to say that our children absolutely love JumpStart World 1st Grade and it is almost always their first choice for their individual screentime. They faithfully work through the educational exercises to earn gems with which they can buy things at various venues in the intriguing 3D world. When they reach various milestones they enthusiastically announce to us what they've accomplished, which is a source of satisfaction and joy to us as well as to them.
As our children are ahead of the curve we did start them both on the first grade level package and don't regret that decision. Our eldest is progressing faster, of course, and after a month is on Unit 5 of 12 (which, as noted in other reviews, meant we spent the $64.99 for the additional 10 units, but were glad to do so), while our daughter is on Unit 2.
We highly recommend this series and place it at the top (by a wide margin) of all the PC children's titles that we have.
As an aside, if you have been frustrated by the annoying requirement of far too many children's software packages (including this one) that the CD must be in the drive, go to alcohol-soft.com and download their Alcohol 52% (bizarre name, I know...) which allows you to create virtual drives on your hard drive with images of the respective CDs. The free version allows up to 6 virtual drives, while the $27 full version handles up to 31. Works great, and frees you from the CD changing hassle.
An Evolutionary Leap in Education 2008-04-20
As a computer scientist, I believe this product is an evolutionary leap in education. It is well worth every dollar you spend on it. Jumpstart uses advanced computer graphics technology to create imaginative worlds that are fun, stimulating, and educational for children. My six year old daughter and four year old son have been playing jumpstartworld.com for nearly a year. My six year old is nearly complete with the second grade curriculm, my four year old is nearly complete with the first grade curriculm. Their progress is amazing, especially for my six year old who is mildly autistic.
Jumpstart is a great compliment to the school curriculum. It reinforces concepts taught in the classroom and in the case of my four year old introduces new concepts, and perhaps more importantly, stimulates his young mind by creating more neural connections at an age when it is critical to do so.
In reference to the review that complained about the internet connection requirement and having to continually pay to download new activities and games--this is part of the magic. The education professionals and computer scientists at Jumpstart are constantly creating new imaginative and educational worlds, and improving existing worlds. (In case your wondering I'm not affiliated with Jumpstart in any way.)
The Jumpstart worlds seem to appeal to a wide range of children. My four year old is very bright and picks up concepts easily. For the most part, the game taught him on the Kindergarten level. Now that he's on the first grade level for some activities he needs teaching / assistance from an older family member (my wife, myself, or 10 year old sister). The great part is JumpstartWorld has motivated him to want to learn and has taught him how fun learning can be. He seeks one of us out when he needs help--JumpstartWorld is that much fun! My first grader is mildly autistic (possibly Asperger's syndrome for those knowledgeable of autism). She loves this game because she can control where she travels in the imaginative worlds and is not impeded by the verbal communication and social challenges autism can bring. Her teachers tell us she is reading above grade level and does well in math and other subjects. I don't think this would have been possible without the combination of JumpstartWorld, great teachers, and parent involvement.
Many thanks to JumpstartWorld. This is a remarkable achievement.
