Title Publisher	Elmo's ABCs / New Kid Co.
Genre	Kids Educational Game (Ages 3-6)
Features	GameBoy / Color GameBoy/ Super GameBoy Compatible
Reviewer	Valerie and her 3 year old nephew Andrew
Summary Gameplay	This game was specially ordered for my nephew Andrew and strangely, what he likes most in the game is the animated introduction screen which features the lovable Elmo walking towards a carnival to the tune of the Sesame Street theme song. Aside from that, the game consists of 6 mini-games which constitutes 6 progressive skill levels. Ultimately, the object of the game is to help a child recognize letters and words, match them up and do simple spelling. Each level is indicated by Elmo walking up a flight of stairs. The higher up he goes, the greater are the challenges that each child faces. Steps 1, 2 and 3 is letter recognition and matching. Elmo juggles alphabet balls and what the child is required to do is to match the letters from the balls with the ones that cover Elmo's tummy. There are 3 letters each round, and 3 completed rounds will give Elmo enough strength to hit the bell on the strength-o-meter for a fireworks display. Step 4 is word recognition and matching. The word will appear on Elmo's tummy and the child is required to match the alphabets from the balls in sequence to form a word. As above, it's also 1 try at the strength-o-meter for each completed round. Step 5 and 6 is for simple spelling. In step 5, the first letter of a 3-letter word is missing and the child must guess what it is. In step 6, however, the last letter of the word is missing. Letters in the juggled balls can make up several different words and it's here that the child will learn that how to substitute different letters to form a new word.
Verdict	This is an excellent game for kids. It is colorful, easy to understand and control. Most importantly, however, is that a child can learn to play it on his own without any guidance or supervision. There are enough puzzles and cute animation to keep a child interested, but ultimately, a child will learn better if the game is played together with a parent or adult. I didn't find anything wrong with the game, although my nephew Andrew had one minor complaint. In his own words, "Where's Ernie and Big Bird and Oscar?". His question sums up nicely the missing ingredient that would have made Elmo's ABCs a much better game.
Title Publisher	Elmo's 123s / New Kid Co.
Genre	Kids Educational Game (Ages 3-6)
Features	GameBoy / Color GameBoy/ Super GameBoy Compatible
Reviewer	Valerie and her 3 year old nephew Andrew
Summary Gameplay	Based on a cosmic theme, Elmo's 123s teaches a child how to count and do simple math. Stars is what's counted throughout the game and similar to Elmo's ABCs, each step up the ladder denotes a higher skill level. Step 1 is counting. Here a child must help Elmo count the number of stars that the star-ship lets off. Get it right and one of the 5 parts of Sesame Street lights up. Light up the entire street and you'll see how proud Elmo is of you. Step 2 is also counting. This time, the child must identify the number of stars in Elmo's Astro-beam that will help send his space-ship into orbit. Step 3 and 4 is simple math. It teaches addition and then subtraction. In the this game the child must watch the number of stars that happily zoom into their rocket-ship each time a section is completed. Get 5 correct answers, and it will help send Elmo's rocket ship home.
Verdict	This game is a good addition to Elmo's ABCs. Bought as a package, it will help teach 3 to 6 year olds some basics in spelling and math. Andrew didn't really like the cosmic theme of this game, since he prefers trains and railroads. As such, the addition of selectable themes in Elmo's 123s would have made it even better. Andrew says so, and we all know that kids know best.