Elmo's World: My First TV Fun and Games from Techno Source is a one-player video game system that plugs directly into a television set. It features five games that teach shapes, colors and classification skills, which are all helpful educational tasks for children of kindergarten age.

While many preschoolers clamber to play their older siblings' video games, these games can be frustrating for young players, and they often contain content that is inappropriate for preschoolers. On the other hand, the Elmo's World system comes with a controller built for preschool hands, and it is easy to understand and use. The controls consist of left and right arrows and a round "enter" button. The five games include Elmo's Shape Jump, where kids help Elmo cross a river by matching shapes and colors, and Elmo's Shape Match, a puzzle game that requires kids to identify shapes and put them in the correct places to complete the puzzle. The bold graphics, engaging phrases and sound effects quickly grab the attention of the preschool set.

Parents will appreciate the plug-and-play ease of this Elmo's World system, as will the kids, as they won't have to wait for mom and dad to read complicated assembly instructions. However, once children have mastered the shape, color and match games, they'll be ready for more of a challenge than this toy can offer. Nevertheless, the Techno Source Elmo's World: My First TV Fun and Games educational game system is an entertaining way to help children develop school-ready skills.


Pros: Easy-to-connect plug-and-play system, teaches useful skills, simple controls
Cons: Kids may become bored after mastering the necessary skills