When shopping for educational software for your child, it is important to realize that not all educational computer games are created equal. For example, Donkey Kong Jr. Math is still known as one of worst selling games in the Nintendo Entertainment System empire. Built on the same concept as the popular game Donkey Kong, many children found it belittling and boring. This game forced players to answer math questions before they could proceed to the next level. The problem was, the educational component was so obvious and so intrusive to the game that most players simply put the game aside after a few attempts.

More recently, Jerusalem, part of the Adrian Blake Trilogy, has come under fire from players and reviewers alike for being one of the more didactic and uninteresting educational games on the market. This game attempts to teach players about Christianity, Islam, and history by talking players on a role-playing game. The problem is that the acting, scenes, and plot lines tend to be stilted in order to fit in the educational content. Many players simply find the game uninteresting.

Parents can learn valuable lessons from these manufacturer letdowns. When shopping for educational computer games, it is important to always try out games and to select games that are fun to play as well as instructional. Better yet, parents should have their children try out games in order to ensure that the games are fun for children to play. Parents will want to stay away from games that interrupt play in order to ask questions. This is often too much like a