Alphabet Express Preschool

School Zone's Alphabet Express Preschool is a point-and-click educational game for children of ages 3 - 6. It's an interactive and colorful way for the young child to learn the shapes and sounds of the letters of the alphabet.

The game makes use of a train motif - the home screen is at the railroad station, where a friendly alligator signs the player in and explains how to use the mouse to board the Express or to exit the game. Once on board, the player can choose from a variety of activities; on the right side of the screen are the icons to select from:

• rainbow star, which will take the player to a group of alphabet-themed puzzles to connect-the-dots, mazes, find hidden letters or watch a movie
• musical notes, which take the player to the alphabet song
• alligator, who provides assistance
• crossroads, which exit the current screen

In the center of the screen are all the letters in upper and lower case. When the player chooses a letter, he will see a short animation and then go to a screen full of clickable characters and items - those that start with his chosen letter will be interactive.

The player can choose the paintbrush icon from the right and visit a coloring page that can be painted on screen or printed out and colored by hand. He can also pick the firedog and visit the firehouse, where letters are matched to pictures to enable the firedog to extinguish a fire. Another feature is the Movie Theater, where the player can choose from three alphabet-themed movies to watch.

There are many, many choices for the young player to make, supplying an experience that is never quite the same twice. Controls are very simple and easy to use and the characters are clear and understandable. The alphabet is introduced and reinforced in a number of kid-friendly ways.