''Reader Rabbit'' (fully titled "Reader Rabbit and the Fabulous Word Factory" or alternatively known as "Reader Rabbit Builds Early Learning & Thinking") is a

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

video game and the first of the long-running ''

Reader Rabbit ''Reader Rabbit'' is an educational game franchise created in 1983 by The Learning Company. The series is aimed at children from infancy to the age of nine. In 1998, a spiritual successor series called '' The ClueFinders'' was released for o ...

'' edutainment series. It was made by

The Learning Company The Learning Company (TLC) was an educational software company founded in 1980 in Palo Alto, California and headquartered in Fremont, California. The company produced a grade-based line of learning software, edutainment games, and productivity ...

for Apple II and later for other computers. It also made use of the

KoalaPad The KoalaPad is a graphics tablet, released in 1983 by U.S. company Koala Technologies Corporation, for the Apple II, TRS-80 Color Computer (as the TRS-80 Touch Pad), Atari 8-bit family, and Commodore 64, as well as for the IBM PC. Originally ...

graphics tablet. The Connelley Group helped with the Atari 8-Bit conversion in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

. A Talking version was developed for the

Apple IIGS The Apple IIGS (styled as II), the fifth and most powerful of the Apple II family, is a 16-bit personal computer produced by Apple Computer. While featuring the Macintosh look and feel, and resolution and color similar to the Amiga and Atari ST ...

in 1989. An enhanced version was released for

DOS DOS is shorthand for the MS-DOS and IBM PC DOS family of operating systems. DOS may also refer to: Computing * Data over signalling (DoS), multiplexing data onto a signalling channel * Denial-of-service attack (DoS), an attack on a communicat ...

on 1991. A Deluxe version was released in 1994 for Macintosh and Windows 3.x. In 1997, the game was remade for Windows and Macintosh under the title "Reader Rabbit's Reading 1".

Development

''Reader Rabbit'' was originally conceived by the Grimm sisters; Leslie authored the game while Corinne and Cindy contributed the art. Version 1.0 of ''Reader Rabbit'', titled ''Reader Rabbit and the Fabulous Word Factory'', was released in late 1983 or early 1984 (and featured in the 1983 holiday special for ''

Computer Chronicles ''(The) Computer Chronicles'' is an American half-hour television series, which was broadcast from 1983 to 2002 on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) public television and which documented various issues from the rise of the personal computer from ...

''), while versions 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 were released in 1984. Development for an updated 2.0 version began at the start of 1984. By this time, Leslie Grimm had suffered a disc fracture but was able to develop the game while bedridden, thanks to a detachable keyboard provided by her colleague Pete Rowe. Many critics and gaming historians erroneously assert that the ''Reader Rabbit'' series officially began in 1986. In 1988, the first "talking" version of ''Reader Rabbit'' was released for the Apple IIGS and

Tandy 1000 The Tandy 1000 is the first in a line of IBM PC workalike home computer systems produced by the Tandy Corporation for sale in its Radio Shack and Radio Shack Computer Center chains of stores. Overview In December 1983, an executive with Tandy ...

computers. The game was remade as an enhanced version for

in 1991 to incorporate the 256-color

VGA Video Graphics Array (VGA) is a video display controller and accompanying de facto graphics standard, first introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in 1987, which became ubiquitous in the PC industry within three years. The term can no ...

mode,

sound card A sound card (also known as an audio card) is an internal expansion card that provides input and output of audio signals to and from a computer under the control of computer programs. The term ''sound card'' is also applied to external audio ...

option and mouse compatibility. Another remake was done as a deluxe version along with its two sequels and implemented digitized speech.

Gameplay

The game takes place in the titular Word Factory, which teaches reading and spelling in four different activities and has over 200 three-letter words and more than 70 pictures for learning. The following four activities are: *1. Sorter - the player is required to pick words that start with a chosen letter and discard the rest. *2. Labeler - out of a number of mixed up letters, the player must use those letters to spell words that match three objects on the screen. *3. Word Train - the player needs to select a word that slightly differs from the first. *4. Matchup Games - the player must match picture cards with corresponding word cards.

Reception

The Learning Company showcased the game alongside ''Number Stamper'', ''Word Spinner'', ''Addition Magician'' and ''Colorasaurus'' in the 1984 Winter Consumer Electronics Show. Dr. Ann Piestrup praised the game for its ability to aid young learners in overcoming the difficulties of reading and its word recognition.

References

External links

* * {{Reader Rabbit 1983 video games 1990 video games 1991 video games 1994 video games 1997 video games Children's educational video games Reader Rabbit DOS games Windows games Apple II games Apple IIGS games Commodore 64 games Classic Mac OS games Atari 8-bit family games The Learning Company games Video games about rabbits and hares Video games developed in the United States Single-player video games