SuperKids Software Review of Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.

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all reviews > > > girls software

Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
Disney Interactive	Ages 5 and up

Rating Scale
5 = great, 1 = poor

Educational Value
3.0

Kid Appeal
3.0

Ease of Use
4.0

Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea Screen Shot System Requirements

PC / Mac Price Survey

Product Support

Believe it or not, Disney's aqua cutie is a mother, and her progeny is as inquisitive and rebellious as her mother once was. Not too surprisingly, landlubber Melody yearns for the ocean and the mysterious world hidden there under. In Return to the Sea girls are invited to join Ariel, Melody, and their friends as they explore many wonderful places and discover exciting things to do in a magical undersea world.

Activities include a dive to the depths of the ocean to collect lovely gems; a trident rescue attempt that pits Melody against her nemesis, Morgana; an underwater choreography session; picture making with characters and scenes from Disney's "Return to the Sea" movie; and a karaoke style sing-a-long. There is no story telling in this program, it's assumed that kids will have seen the associated video.

Educational Value

Games featured in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea are mainly of the fast-twitch, arcade genre. They involve only minimal problem-solving skills, and rely mostly on quick reflexes and familiarity with the method of play.

Creativity is a secondary focus of the program which features a choreography section with a clever twist, a formidable coloring section, and a sing-a-long that lets kids record themselves.

Kid Appeal

Despite the appealing graphics and well-loved characters, this program is a mediocre effort, leaning heavily on its association with the Disney video. Our young reviewers were disappointed by the fact that there was no story and not much dialog in the program, making it pale in comparison with the older Disney mermaid title (see Ariel's Story Studio)

Ease of Use / Install

Return to the Sea installs with ease. The games are fairly straightforward and build in complexity with each level of play, so that girls can attain mastery of the rules without too much difficulty. A program manual is also included for those who require in-depth explanation.

Best for... / Bottom-Line

Girls who loved "The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea" video can play a few associated games, create some colorful pictures and sing along to their favorite songs from the movie. Aside from that, this program offers little that is new or exciting.

See SuperKids' comparisons with other girls software titles, and the Buyers Guide for current market prices of the PC and Mac versions.

System Requirements

PC: Windows 95 or newer, Pentium 166MHz or faster cpu, 1 MB hard drive space (minimum install), 80 MB hard drive space (recommended install), 32 MB RAM, 640x480 16-bit DirectX compatible 2MB color video card, 8x or faster CD-ROM, 16-bit DirectX compatible sound card, QuickTime 4.1.

Mac: Mac OS 8.1or higher, iMac or G3 233MHz or faster cpu, 2 MB hard drive space (minimum install), 80 MB hard drive space (recommended), 32 MB RAM, Thousands or millions of colors video display, 8x displayor faster CD-ROM, QuickTime 4.1.

Reviewed on:
Pentium 450 with 128MB and 24xCD

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Disney's The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea

Disney Interactive

Ages 5 and up

See SuperKids' comparisons with other girls software titles, and the Buyers Guide for current market prices of the PC and Mac versions.