Latest software brings families closer together

Discount Store News, June 3, 1996

NATIONWIDE DSN REPORT -- "We didn't just spend $2,000 for a glorified Super Nintendo" is what parents seem to be saying about the millions of multimedia PCs that have found their way into households over the past three years. And software developers are looking for ways to give families more to do with their PCs and to make the PC fit more seamlessly into family life.

A few years back, when manufacturers were asked what uses consumers really had for a home PC, the answer usually was limited to handling personal finances and recipe storage. No longer. Uses are expanding rapidly, and the quality and utility of family computing titles are increasing exponentially.

As Creative Wonders director of marketing Louis Roitblat noted, the company's mission statement includes "bringing the family together." Its Sesame Street and Schoolhouse Rock titles, for instance, allow parents to monitor their children's progress in various subjects. And for older kids, all titles have a multiplayer component so kids and parents can compete or explore together.

For instance, a new series of ABC Newslinks (for kids ages 10 and up) provides the background of major news stories, then, through an America Online site, automatically updates selected topics on a daily basis. Families can then follow given stories, like the crisis in Bosnia, each day with a great deal more depth than would be found on CNN. "Families can develop their own projects and learn about important subjects with more perspective and insight than in any other way," Roitblat said.

As part of its family computing campaign, the company has purchased Echo Lake from developer Delrina and plans to relaunch the family journal program with a new name, easier operation and new capabilities, like an easy scanning service and templates for commonly used parts of the program.

That title will receive competition from Palladium Interactive's Family Gathering, an Internet-ready genealogy title that allows families to create their own home pages, research the family's background, develop and post a complete family journal (with photos, sound clips, video and narration), compile and print mailing lists, produce multimedia presentations and slide shows, and instantly access Lineages Inc., a major genealogy search firm.

Mattel will be making a major statement with its new interactive division, Mattel Media, and many of its products are aimed specifically at the family market. The Fisher-Price Parenting Guide, for instance, builds a customized reference library for new parents. Parents are prompted to enter information, ranging from health notes to significant growth developments. Then, related articles pop up, customized for each child.

For instance, if a series of ear infections were entered over a period of time, an article on care of chronic ear problems might show up after the third or fourth entry.

The software doubles as a baby album, a repository for medical records and a baby sitter emergency guide. The Parenting Guide is due in the fourth quarter and will retail for about $30.

The Barbie Fashion Designer, also due at Holiday at about the same price, lets children design their own clothes for their Barbie dolls, then prints the design out on a special fabric that can be fed through a printer. Kids and their parents can then sew their own shirts, slacks and accessories, all with a Barbie touch.

Cooking can be a great family activity. Two new interactive titles take that concept further with humorous and sometimes tasty results.

Allegro New Media offers Betty Crocker Cooking with Kids, a step-by-step cookbook with safety tips, skill building, nutrition tips, kitchen terms and the proper use of utensils. The software also contains recipe suggestions that are appropriate for a wide range of special events and holidays.

According to president Barry Cinnamon, the title will have 90 complete recipes, and an on-line contest sponsored by Family PC will pick the five best original recipes developed with the help of Cooking for Kids.

DreamWorks Interactive, the joint venture of DreamWorks and Microsoft, is taking an animated approach to the subject with the tentative title Now You're Cooking. According to one of the company's senior executives, Dan Kaufman, kids enter an animated kitchen populated by original characters developed by Animaniacs artists and voice talents (for instance, the stove and the microwave already can't stand each other, the refrigerator is a know-it-all, etc.). Kids can cook 50 dishes from scratch, then print out the recipes and try them out for real with the help of their parents. But it's wise to test new recipes on Taste Test IV, the local pooch. If you really blew it, he packs up his flea collar and water dish and moves out, muttering all the way.

According to Kaufman, humor is a necessary ingredient for all DreamWorks family titles. "We try to put in humor, like Animaniacs, that appeals to both kids and adults," he said. The music, he noted, is "good enough to bring along and listen to in the car," and production values are up to leading-edge animation. "We're trying to develop titles that kids would buy even if parents weren't already in favor," he said.