The WordSmart folks think they have scientifically devised the most effective vocabulary-building software available-and they might be right. Other than some out-of-this-world graphics and special effects, this game avoids the usual trappings of other edu-tainment titles-the cartoon characters, the forced story lines, the curriculum-based content. Instead, this straight-forward yet snazzy product takes players through 10-difficulty levels of word lists in five different modes of learning selected from the main menu-multiple choice, flash cards, column matching, sentence completion, and laser review.

The multiple-choice mode is where to start: While the problem appears on the screen, a voice reads it aloud. "The ground was soaked . . . " is the first problem. The screen and voice then present five synonyms. When you choose "wet," a brief fanfare goes off and the voice reads a complete definition of soak as well as long explanation of the word's meaning and origin (and if that's too much, clicking "exit" at any time delivers the next problem). The other modes retest the same words with different approaches: Column Matching requires you to click-and-drag the right synonym to the right word in a list; Sentence Completion uses the word in a sentence but you have to spell it, etc. And Laser Review is a real blast-- using Star Wars-like animation so you can aim and zap the laser cannon and zap moving asteroids, of which only one has the right synonym on it.

Option settings enable you to set the game for everything from "no sound" to the spoken words and sound effects, and set the mood with your choice of classical music or a funky bass-heavy beat background. And each player's completion rate is scored on the main menu and updated after each visit. Containing more than 2000 defined words that can be searched, browsed or found alphabetically aside from the play modes, this word builder can help to untie tongue-tied vocabularies in elementary and middle-school students. For older students, there are nine other volumes with age-appropriate vocabulary lists through the first year of college.