This software helps kids practice reading, as they make their way through over 200 sight words key to early success. They'll match upper and lowercase letters, play with word families, master their consonants and vowel sounds, and practice reading aloud, all in the context of some pretty fun games-- from collecting "letters" for the mail truck (think alphabet, not envelopes), to sounding out words on a rotating clothesline. For each game kids complete, they collect a ticket, which can be redeemed later for a crack at the Karaoke machine-- where they'll get a chance to belt out 1 of 24 surprisingly catchy read-along tunes. With its small red microphone (included) and voice recognition capability, this software is a hoot for kids. If you find yourself rocking out to strangely addictive tunes like "The Big Cat Sat on One Little Mat", don't say we didn't warn you... (Knowledge Adventure, $19.99)