Did you know that Bob the Builder debuted in the United Kingdom 1998? The show was a rousing success and soon kids throughout the United States (in the year 2001 to be exact) were also chanting, “Can we build it? Yes we can!” In fact, Bob the Builder is so popular, the show now airs 240 territories.

Whether you love or loathe to watch children’s programming, you’ve got to agree on one thing: Bob is popular amongst many a child. And now that energetic builder has taken on a huge challenge - enter Bob the Builder, Can-Do Zoo.

As one blogger explains, “the story itself is fun: Bob must construct the Bobland Bay Zoo to house all the animals currently making their home in unexpected places. The monkeys are on the monkey-bars at school, of course, and the alligators are in the swimming pool. This topsy-turvy situation brought giggles to the boys.”

This same blogger enthusiastically continues, “The player must escort Bob through the planning and construction process of the zoo by mastering several tasks. Each activity brings the zoo closer to completion. The activities involve memory, sequencing, matching, color and shape recognition, and pattern completion. Each activity can be done in ‘easy,’ ‘medium,’ or ‘hard’ modes.”  

(And at the end of each completed challenge, “kids get a virtual sticker. Do YOU know any preschoolers who don’t love stickers? Me neither.”)

Can-Do Zoo is aimed at 3-6 year olds. But children a tad younger (and older) still got a kick out of the game. One reviewing mom writes, “Gigi is almost three and she found the EASY setting a good challenge (OK, I had to help sometimes) but once she masters that setting it’s nice to know she can still use the game with the medium and hard settings.” Another blogger contributes, “Spliggle is four and definitely in that target ability level. The Cat is seven (and a half) and found most tasks pretty easy, although there are still some activities in the “hard” level that provide a challenge for him.”

One blogger was hesitant but thought she’d give Bob a try.  “I haven’t ever seen Bubba watch Bob the Builder so I wasn’t sure that he would be attracted to the game, but I was wrong. He immediately knew who Bob was (How, I don’t know) and was very excited that he could “work on the computer like Mommy.”  She was also surprised to see that the various games “really reinforced areas that he has been learning in preschool, which helped keep his interest and make the game a lot of fun for him. I also see a slight improvement already with his mouse ability, which is useful in terms of hand-eye coordination and just general computer skills.”

A Mac-loving mama loved the ease of installation and early technical skill-building. “I’m a Mac user so the developers get major bonus points since it’s both Windows and Mac friendly. I had no problem installing it on my MacBook and it takes up very little space,” she says. “Kids get to work on their mousing skills. All games involve clicking on objects or dragging and dropping - all very useful computer skills.”

And speaking of ease, “this game doesn’t require internet connection so it can be played on any computer after installation,” a reviewer explains. “It’s perfect for overnight visits at Grandma’s house, too.” (Oh, and this is where we mention there’s only one disk to install!)

All in all, if this award-winning game is something your fledging builders, designers, and architects would find of interest, you can download a demo over at the Beanstalk site.