BACKYARD BASEBALL
Ages 5- 10
$19.99
Humongous Entertainment Item 9761
Teaches: Sports, Logical Thinking
Review by Kay Pluta
Backyard Baseball captures the fun and laughter of summer days spent playing sandlot baseball with the quirky kids from the old neighborhood. Backyard Baseball is sure to be a "hit" at your house, Regardless of the weather outside, your children can always have fun setting up their own baseball game inside with this software. Plus there is no danger of broken lamps or bumped noggins either, unless of course your little ball players get too excited!

There are enough options is the program to provide an endless number of games. Among the many choices you get to make are:

Field:
There are several selections ranging from a typical playground field to a vacant parking lot.

Players:
The Backyard Baseball gang is made up of kids of all colors, shapes, sizes, ages, and personalities. There are kids with thick glasses and poor depth perception, a kid in a wheelchair, a barefoot kid with a frog, and a kid who carries his own slide rule. Some of the kids are siblings. Although some players seem stereotypical, there is sure to be someone to appeal to everyone. The thing I like best, is that all the kids contribute to the team in spite of varying strengths and weaknesses.

Team Color and Name:
Be the Crazy Monsters, the Blue Giants, or any of the other dozens of choices possible by mixing colors and team names.

Play and Game Modes:

Spectator - the game runs automatically, no choices to be made. Just sit back and watch.

Batting Practice - choose a player and practice hitting balls. (A good choice for beginners).

Pick-Up Game - either your child can make the choices or the computer can randomly select the team for him/her.

Single Game - take turns with the computer choosing players from a random pool.

Season Game - create and manage the same team through a 14 game series. The computer generates the opposing teams. Can your team make it to the BBL playoffs, then the Super Entire Nation Tournament, and even to the ultimate competition, The Ultra Grand World Championship of the Universe Series?

Nitty Gritty Details - Choose batting stance, type of hit, and type of pitch. Select batting line-ups and field positions. There is also a Tee Ball mode which makes the game fun and easy for younger players.

Although the recommended age is 5-10, my 3 1/2 year old has a lot of fun playing tee ball. The rules followed in Backyard Baseball are a mixture of Major and Little League rules. A help file will provide you with all the details and additional information you need to make the most out of this title. I like this CD-Rom! It is sure to grow with my child, and I expect he and his brother will get many years out of this title (if they don't wear it out first.) On occasion my son enjoys a break from all the preschool, reading, and math titles we have, but I don't want him frittering away hours on mindless games. With Backyard Baseball, I know he is having to think and plan while he's having fun, and for that I give this title a winning score!

System Requirements:
WINDOWS: Pentium 60
16 MB of RAM
Windows 3.1 or higher
SVGA card (640X480, 256 color display)
Sound card
Quad-speed CD-ROM drive

MACINTOSH:
Power PC
16 MB of RAM
System 7.0 or higher
640X480
256 color display
Quad-speed CD-ROM drive