Every parent wants the best for their child, but sadly trying to coax them away from their toys and towards something educational can be a feat of itself, especially with young children. Phonics Fun with Biff, Chip & Kipper: Volume 1 features characters from the Oxford Reading Tree curriculum books in a title that they will develop with as they go through school. Volume 1 starts at the very beginning of your children's reading and writing journey, with content suitable even for those in nursery and reception.
The game is split into three sections, Level 1, Level 1+ and level 2 dependent on the child's stage of development. Level 1 starts by building your child's vocal confidence by exploring the sights and sounds they are already familiar with, such as copying the mooing of a cow, and is perfect for those who are young or shy. Level 1+ focuses on the first phonics they will be taught while level 2 finishes the collection and begins to look at their first joint sounds such as -ck.
Your child is slowly eased into tasks at all stages as small levels break the exercise into chunks, making sure they are supported instead of being left to sink or swim. First exercises encourage your child to look and listen to the sound they will be working on. Rather than just being left with audio queues, the top screen shows pictures of the letter as well the the word being used to demonstrate the sound's use — for example a sun for s. It provides time for the task to settle in and you will find your child starting to join in alongside.
After their practice run, it's time to get to work. After hearing the first exercise again, your child will record their voice using the microphone and clearly marked pictures at the bottom. The microphone picks on their normal speaking voice perfectly so there is no need to shout, meaning they are learning in the tone they are meant to be using it. It isn't all work and no play and they can then listen back to their recording of themselves and hear what they sound like, which my little one found was the most entertaining part of the game.
To help them remember their new sound, there are objects in a picture that share the same sound e.g. game and green. As it is still at the early developmental phases, there is a handy microphone symbol to show them the words, though it cannot be obvious at first. They need to test their memory later in another activity where the word is spoken and they much find the corresponding part of the picture to press.
Writing isn't left out as it has its own exercise. After being prompted by the letter's sound the top screen shows the upper and lower cases of the letter with handy little arrows in the letter, showing how many lines should be used and what direction to move in. They then need to copy over a guide on the bottom screen to pass the test. The touch screen won't just recognize the shape that your child has made, but also the direction they made it; so if they form the letter incorrectly, it won't let them complete the task. While this task frustrated mine greatly as he tried to form g's by going the long way round, it forced him into the correct pattern which will hopefully stick.
Reading is covered in two sections — fiction and non-fiction — both featuring Oxford Reading Tree stories. Out of all the sections of the game, this is the one that will need the most parental input. In the fiction section there is a story-time option that allows the story to be read to them, a bonus perk for parents that need to spend a lot of time in work. In the reading section, however, the line they are meant to read is read out prior, like in earlier sections where they then speak and record their voice. Even though the writing is on the screen, being prompted beforehand could encourage them to simply copy rather than speak for themselves. The non-fiction section is the true test of reading and is simply the story book in its most basic format, allowing them to read independently and at their own pace.
While your child will be excited to learn with their familiar school friends, it is firmly an educational title that isn't disguised as a game. They won't play for hours burning themselves out, but will play for shorter sessions, perfectly matching activity length and ideal study periods. Constant encouragement is given, pushing them to more success; after every correct answer they are met with a good or excellent, and on the slightly longer tasks there is a small tree that grows on the top screen after each correct answer, a physical representation that they are moving forward. By doing all activities jigsaw pieces, collectable cards and stamps can be collected for just about everything, encouraging them to want to do everything. There is even a StreetPass option too, so they can show off how well they are doing to friends.
While parents are encouraged to participate with their child, regardless of your console experience you will feel comfortable offering support. In the corner of every screen is a little parent icon, which after pressing will not only tell you what to press to advance, but also explain each activity to you. For those wanting to keep track of progress, there is also a handy parent section on the main page that will let you check every aspect of your child's usage. It records the last time they played, their average session length as well as all the tasks they have done and how well they did on them. It's perfect for those whose child wants to be more secretive and to get an insight on what areas they may be struggling with.
Conclusion
Phonics Fun with Biff, Chip and Kipper: Volume 1 is perfect for those first starting school, a true rarity in the educational market. It covers all the main school focuses of reading, writing, speaking and listening. It isn't a title that your child will burn through, but will stay with them as they grow over their early school life, but if they struggle with studying, they won't be impressed that it is treated more as an education tool than a game. With the titles priced at the equivalent of a set of the read-at-home book series, it is an excellent buy to get all the added educational interaction as well as remaining accessible to all parents.
Comments 34
Remember naming my cat Scat, after a cat in a Biff, Chip and Kipper book when I was 6. She lived for 19.5 years!
I thought this would get a 4.....but an 8????????
Oh so it was published by Nintendo!!!!! no wonder!
@Artwark It was reviewed for it's target audience, by it's target audience. No free rides just because it is published by Nintendo.
@NicolaHayden As an editor you should be aware of the difference between "its" and "it's". You did not only confuse it in your comment in the comments section but also in the review.
You even used both of them the exact wrong way. Not just one of them.
If people in the comments can't use proper English, that's one thing, but PLEASE take care of your articles, Nintendolife...
Relieved that this seems good. .. might have to get this for my son when he inherits my 3DS after I upgrade to a New model... @Artwark - why were you expecting a 4?
When I was about 6 I named my rabbit after the dog in those books.
The rabbit got lost and killed after about 6 months.
What a shame.
What tis dis? A GOOD edutainment game?!?
As a primary teacher and the school IT coordinator, responsible for sourcing software for this sort of thing, this sounds like a great title. Thanks for the review. Being able to give a child, that doesn't engage with reading, a 3DS to use will be a great resource.
Reviews of the other 2 volumes would be greatly appreciated.
@KeeperBvK There was one it's / its error in the review that I missed, as proofer. Errors like that are always minimised but sometimes slip through; it's common as we're human beings and make mistakes — if typos can happen on The Guardian's website (as an example) then it's clearly just a fact of life. We always shoot to get things 100% right, but that's not possible.
As for questioning grammar in comments, these are often bashed out quickly, so I believe you're being a pedant in that sense!
@Artwark @Frapp I think he just meant that it's good because it was published by Nintendo, and Nintendo wouldn't publish shovelware. I don't think he was saying NL just gave it a good review just because it's a Nintendo game.
These books were fantastic when i was in junior school. I remember performing the red planet play from that series and enjoyed it. I expected no less from this series and the fact it's published by Nintendo is great too. Good work guys!
I never thought they were that good. (They were being piloted when I was at school. Mine was either the first or second year to use them).
My reading didn't improve until I started to try to play Ultima IV.
I would get this in a heartbeat for my 4 year old if it was released here in the states.
As both a primary teacher and a parent of a preschooler, this sounds like a great little piece of software for after the new 3DS released next year and my old one needs a home, and the occasional visit to work.
@KeeperBvK heil
Sweet review, Nicola!
Whoah, people will always complain about anything even a tiny one. Here's a link, it works wonders:
https://www.nintendolife.com/contact
So much hate and negativity today even on positive articles like this one:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/09/video_watch_these_teenagers_as_theyre_exposed_to_the_nes
I'm obviously not in their target demographic (anymore), but I'm really, really glad that software like this is being made, and even more so knowing that it has been published by Nintendo.
I hope that Nintendo will continue to publish/commission educational software in the future as educational games were among my favourites growing up, and I would like to see future generations using games as a means of learning a thing or two.
I only wish that The Learning Company were still around so that they could rerelease some of their classic titles on contempory hardware (such as the Super Solvers series and the like).
It's good to see NintendoLife reviewing his sort of game, I have young kids and have found it useful...
@NicolaHayden @ThomasBW84 Are there plans to review the other two volumes? I assume they are the same mechanics, just different content? Not sure what to get for my boy who has just started Reception and has done a bit of phonics in Pre-School...
Also, I'm guessing (hoping) the 3D mode isn't used on this title, given the target age?
@KeeperBvK I assume you've never made a grammatical error in your entire life, then? I've been writing professionally for a decade and I still make mistakes all the time.
@antonvaltaz The other two are coming this week but Volume 1 would be the one you are looking for.
This may be good, but there isn't a better education game that Frog Fractions. Admit it; it may be a Flash game, but it's the best out there!
Wow! A good educational game that's not a PC game!
The 3DS is an incredible tool for, Music, Art, Education AND Gaming!
Is there the slightest possibility that this could come to the States?
i hope this comes to usa
@NicolaHayden Welcome to Nintendo Life
I honestly have no idea what this series is and I'm English. :/
@antonvaltaz: Volume 1 is intended for children aged 3-6 and both volumes 2 and 3 are intended for children between the ages of 4 and 7.
And lack of 3D is a given for titles such as these as there is absolutely no reason why 3D would benefit software of this nature, particularly as it is aimed at the very audience that should not be viewing 3D images in the first place.
@Frapp ............where did I say anything about Nintendo life being low? If anything, the Nintendo Life reviewers are far better than the ones in Gamespot and IGN even( Triple Deluxe a 6 because of easiness? Shovel Knight gets a 7 from gamespot and nothing negative about it?)
I'm just one of those guys that first sees the score and then reads the article. I said that the fact that Nintendo happened to publish this game just shows that it managed to get an 8. I mistakenly thought that the pic itself would mean something that would not be considered a game that's worth anyone's time so I thought Nintendo Life would be kind enough to give it atleast 4 rather than just plain 1.
I guess I now learned my lesson to not judge a book by its cover.....I think.
But in seriousness though, A good edutainment game? That's actually a pretty good attempt! Now if this were to show up on smartphones and do it in a way to make kids buy Nintendo stuff............
@Artwark I actually had a look on iTunes after seeing this, to see if it was available on the iPad.
Turns out the books themselves are available for iPad, but they don't have all the interactive bits that this seems to have.
@sillygostly That's what I assumed about the 3D, but wanted to check first...
Is there a German version of this???
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