What's the secret to great kids' software? You'll find the answer by clicking around this CD-ROM. It's the best science discovery program we've seen. What's the Secret? gives kids a real feel for doing ... and understanding ... and enjoying ... science.
What's the Secret? invites kids to explore the answers to 12 familiar but intriguing questions, plus a host of related ones: when a train passes by, why does the sound change? What keeps a roller coaster going? (Can it fall off? Why do I get queasy?) Why do bears hibernate? What makes my heart beat? (In answering that question, by the way, What's the Secret? does a far better job than any of the dozens of anatomy titles available.)
Playing with What's the Secret? is a little like taking a field trip. But when kids get interested in something, they can stick around (instead of sticking to the teacher's timetable) and delve as deeply as they want. Each topic holds a little universe of information that kids can explore in several ways. There's simple but accurate text to read. There are real-life scientists to listen to, illustrations to scrutinize, animations to probe, video clips to watch, and fun experiments to conduct, both on the computer and off. Along the way, What's the Secret? poses lots of related questions, so kids can take off on as many excursions as they want.
What's the Secret? does a great job of making meaningful connections between science and other disciplines. Take the What Makes My Heart Beat? area, for example. Kids might find themselves experimenting with the systolic and diastolic components of blood pressure. Or, they might find themselves reading about how (and why) the word "heart" pervades the English language.
The bottom line: the best software to get kids really excited about science. Based on the award-winning science TV show "Newton's Apple," What's the Secret? is part adventure, part live-action lab and 100% terrific. Volume 1 and 2 are both recommended.
 | for Learning | Wonderful questions invite science discovery |
| for Looks | Dynamic graphics help pique curiosity |
| for Longevity | There's always more to explore |
