PC Game Review: JumpStart: My First Adventure
Filed under: — Computer Games
Written by: Ashtyn at 4:25 AM
Game Publisher: JumpStart
Platform: PC
Buy this at: Amazon for $5.75
Feel free to check out a video of our reviewer, Lil B, playing this Jump Start PC Game by Clicking Here.
From the moment we were approached by JumpStart to do a review of My First Adventure, I knew who would be handling the review. Four year old Lil B, is relatively new to computers. His parents both have one, so he knows what they are, but they generally do not allow him to play with them. I suppose one of greatest parts of being an Aunt is letting your nieces and nephews do things that mom and dad never let them do.
One of the reasons I was willing to do the review with Lil B is that I am pretty familiar with the JumpStart name. When my son was growing up I would buy him little computer games with various other Jump Start characters. As he has grown, it was a name that I didn’t pay as much attention to because I had no use for the games, but once Lil B got to the right age, it made sense to begin paying attention again.
It’s no surprise for me to say that it only took him a minute to gain interest in the game. He asked me what we were doing when I put the game in the player. I told him we were going to play a game and of course that caused the questions to begin flowing.
“What game are we going to play?” (My First Adventure)
“When is it going to start?” (As soon as I install it)
“Is it ready yet?!” (Almost)
As soon as the almost came into play the music for the game started up and Lil B quit paying attention to me and began watching the screen. The bright colors and colorfully animated characters will catch young children from the beginning.
From the start, I think one of the most fun things for Lil B was picking out his look for the character that he would play. He ended up going with blue hair and braces, and even though that isn’t really how he looks he seems to like it anyway.
Enjoyment/Fun Factor:
Lil B is just the right age for this game. I recommended it for kids between the ages of 3-5. He’s only played it twice so far, but when he comes over he points to the icon on my desktop and proclaims “I want to play the fireman game.” The reason that he says this is because the icon on the desktop has a child wearing a fireman’s cap. Even though it had been a few days since he had been over to play with it the first time, he immediately went to the computer asking for it again the second time.
He enjoyed the slide most of all. You see, the game is an animated world and town where the character gets to play games, interact with other characters and have plenty of fun. Part of the first area includes a huge lake and an even bigger slide.
I think Lil B has made his guy go down the slide about 50 times or more, so far. Sure, there is plenty to do, but he always goes for the slide first and then when he is stumped he goes back. He dances to the music and laughs as the guy goes down. If you tell him you like the slide, he proudly proclaims, “Me Too!”
Though it took him a few minutes and tries to understand some of the concepts, he really had a lot of fun and I never noticed him wanting to give up or getting overly frustrated. The music and the bright colors and fun activities will keep him busy for hours. Even with the game being small in some ways, it works out because parents can go online and subscribe to JumpStart in order to get other game worlds for the kids to explore.
Enjoyment/Fun Factor: 
Ease of Use:
The majority of the game can be played using the mouse. In order to go most places you follow the alphabet letters to your destination. Directions are given before each objective and there is a question mark at the bottom of the screen should any help be necessary. Of course, not much help was needed because everything is more or less pretty clear.
Occasionally, Lil B would have to try things once or twice, but generally he was up and moving within a few seconds after being told what to do and how to do it. Part of the reason that I think he liked the game so much was that he was able to play on the computer without needing help from an adult. Lil B is a highly independent child so when he is able to do something on his own he likes it even more.
Ease of Use: 
Visual/Audio Quality: Both the audio and video qualities looked great. Tons of bright colors, crisp scenery, and a happy looking pre-school world is available for your kids to enjoy. The quality of the art will initially get the kids interested, but the challenging and fun nature of the games is what will keep them wanting to play.
Like the colors and scenery, the audio sounds fabulous. Kids will love the friendly voices of the characters that are unique to each person in the game. Everything looked and sounded like something you would expect from a popular game series like JumpStart and it was certainly suitable and pleasing to the children for whom it was made. Just a word of warning to parents, some of the songs are incredibly catchy and will get caught in your head, so be forewarned.
Visual:
Audio:
Bottom Line: I’ve been a fan of JumpStart for years and though I have not had to purchase these PC Games in years I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the new titles for Lil B. My First Adventure is a title that he truly enjoys. He has a great time playing it and I have great fun watching him play.
If you have a child or are looking for a children’s gift for someone three or four years old I cannot recommend this highly enough. Not only is this a great way to introduce computer games to younger kids, it’s educational enough that you do not have to feel guilty about letting them have some fun on the computer.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Jump Start, Knowledge Adventure, Game, Educational, Pre-school, Kids, PC, Family, My First Adventure
Written by Ashtyn Evans - Visit Website
---
Ashtyn lives in her home state of Michigan with her life partner, Dominick, her 14 year old son, and her baby, the Shih-Tzu, Oliver Twist. Ashtyn is in college, going for a degree in Criminal Justice. She eventually plans to intern with the FBI, if she can. Ashtyn is an experienced and talented chef. She also excels at writing and has worked as a professional writer for the past five years. Ashtyn enjoys spending time with her son and four year old nephew, watching movies, listening to music, and writing works of fiction.
