Product Reviews

Giggles Computer Funtime is the first software we've reviewed aimed specifically at babies. Designed for six- to 24-month-olds, Giggles introduces them to the computer and to the concept of cause and effect while exploring colours, shapes, animals, nursery rhymes, numbers and the alphabet, depending on which of the four packages you buy. Each includes 10 main activities and four bonus activities. In the Shapes version, for example, animals jump out from hiding places, or shapes spin and whirl when the baby hits the keys. You can choose the type of music that plays in the background.

When you launch

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it, Giggles takes over the mouse and keyboard, allowing babies to tap any key or use the mouse without deleting your files or changing any system settings. Unfortunately, this also stops volume keys working, so you need to set the right volume on a laptop, for example, before launching.

We tested the software with a six-month-old baby, who enjoyed thumping on the keys and watching what happened on the screen. She quickly came to associate the laptop with entertainment, making Giggles an effective way of introducing very young children to a PC. Now the government is introducing computer skills targets for pre-school children, Giggles is a useful way to give yours a head-start.

One disadvantage of using Giggles on a laptop is the potential for the baby to dribble over it. We'd advise buying a cheap USB keyboard that you don't mind getting wet. Our 'tester' kept leaning on the keys, causing the background to flash with a strobe lighting effect. Another gripe is that Flopsy the dog shouts at you if you leave the program idle; we couldn't turn this off.

If you're after software that can introduce a young baby to computers, this is good value and achieves what it claims to do.