Reviews

My daughter is using this lunchbox for the 2nd year. It still looks new. The inside is white, not the gray/silver lined type which I read can sometimes contains lead. I feel that my child's lunch is safe and she is not picking up lead from the inside of the lunchbox. She really likes it and hasn't asked for a new one. She'll probably use it next year as well.

This lunch box is adorable. It has held up really well for the last few months and my son loves it. He is 19 months and he likes to carry it himself. It has all of the planets with Pluto a little sad on the outside. I bought an astronaut straw sippy cup to match. Cool Twisties Cup - 9 oz - Outerspace My son likes the space theme. The lunch box has a zipper on one side and and a net to hold stuff on the other. It washes out well, which is good because, well... kids happen!

My son loved this lunch box and it really stood out among the others in class. Easy to wipe clean--even after my son left a half-eaten container of pudding in it! Zipper pouch in front is good for cold pack or milk money.

This lunchbox is so cute and brightly colored with a print of the solar system its great for little boys who are into that. It has enough room for a decent amount of food. I use this to tote my toddler's food around instead of a boring insulated food bag. It is lead/PVC/pthalate & BPA free so feel good letting your kids use this :)

This lunchbox is adorable. Beautiful artwork (we especially appreciate the tearful Pluto) and good craftsmanship. My daughter was the hit of her preschool with this thing. It's had it's share of spills inside and they were pretty easy to clean up. She's been using it for about 6 months now and it's in fabulous shape. Highly recommended for any wanna be astronomer!

Reviews

I wanted something to store our son's legos. This is perfect. It holds all of them, he can zip/unzip it himself, and it gives him a more even surface to build on than our carpet. We like it.

This ZipBin is perfect for carrying all of my grandson's Lego's. He loves all the fun inside (the city) and kids can put a lot of imagination into playing with this. His mom saves all the directions to his different Lego's and when he's ready to put one together, he just takes the parts he needs out. When he's finished playing, in the ZipBin they go. This ZipBin is great for several reasons and he loves it!

I bought this for my Lego crazy grandson for Christmas. I filled it with a huge assortment of Legos and he was thrilled. It zipped and unzipped easily enough for 4 year old hands and the colors were bright and clear. He was happy and so was I.

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We just bought this for our sons first lunchbox and he loves it! It's really cute, and nice if you're not crazy about boys having to be all about truck and sport prints. He loves looking at all the different sea creatures. It's also a great size for him. He's 2 and just started preschool. We bought the laptop lunches 2.0 brand bento style lunch box and it fits perfectly inside with an ice pack. The additional mesh pocket on the back, as well as the big zip pocket on the front are handy for snacks, etc. It's also insulated and keeps his lunch fresh and cool. Other mom's are alway complimenting (not that it's important). Very pleased!

Reviews

This movie sold me on the philosophy that you should build yourself up before starting a family so you have more to offer your kids. Everyone is afraid of (1) not having enough TIME with their kids and (2) not having ENOUGH money. This message that I derived from this movie has stuck with me since seeing the film many years ago. It's a fun movie that is good to watch with older kids during Christmas time but for me, it is better than fun. It's really made me think about how many nice people are considered working middle class who don't have a lot to show for it but they're not stupider than people who financially better off. So what's missing from our country's culture that there are so many working families when America is still known as the Land of Opportunity and the top pick for immigration? I think we should be specifically supporting everyone who is working poor or officially middle class to get their kids into the medical profession not the high finance and legal professions. Medical studies should be part of the core curriculum. It doesn't matter if kids take a shorter program in nursing if they don't feel confident about doing a long stint in medical school. If your son loves GI JOE, let him know that he can win more battles if he can perform triage on the battlefield. Nurses can make a low 6 figure salary. Doctors can make a middle to high 6 figure salary just as a private practitioner seeing 18.5 patients per day. I look around and I think Americans are too smart to not be earning more on average. We need more/most kids to become medical professions. It's the course of study that will enrich your personal life not just your professional one. Another thing that this movie made me think about is the good that China's One Child Policy brought about because when citizens simply don't enjoy the quality of life of the American Dream, people really shouldn't be thinking about making big families until the would-be parents are in a secure place in their own lives. It's terrible to have children in a struggling situation. This film is a companion piece to It's a Wonderful Life.

Nicolas Cage plays Jack Campbell, a successful, work-obsessed Wall Street businessman who "has everything he needs". However, when he intervenes in what looks like a store hold-up, the `hold-up man' (Don Cheadle playing the angel role, though it's never explicitly stated) gives him a `glimpse' into what his life would have been like if he'd married his college sweetheart Kate (Téa Leoni) thirteen years previously. And so Jack wakes up on Christmas morning to find himself married with two children, holding down a job as a car tyre salesman, and with a station wagon in place of his beloved Ferrarri... This being a Christmas feel-good movie, it's not hard to predict how the film is going to end, so the film has to stand or fall on how much fun you're going to have along the way. Fortunately, thanks to stand-out performances from both Cage and Leoni (previously wasted in the atrocious Deep Impact, this will hopefully lead to bigger and better things), The Family Man proves to be extremely enjoyable and even manages to avoid the pitfalls of cloying sentimentality that usually ruin films like this. Cage is superb in the film, which is just as well, given that he's in every scene. Wisely, he has reined in his -to put it politely- slight tendency to overact, and his reactions to his sudden predicament are believable and convincing.

Makes my top favorite movies...I love the message this movie offers....the stuff and status is not as important and keeping the ones you love close. Terrific movie for both men and women. Get it, watch it, love it!! Enjoy!!

A Wonderful, Superb, Inspiring Time Capsule Movie With Nicholas Cage As Leading Actor - Who Is A 5 STAR Actor Buy This Movie , You WILL NOT Be Disappointed I Am Sure You Will Watch It Over And Over Again, Like I Do

One of my favorite Christmas movies! But there's something wrong with picture in this release - after 1 h 52 minutes, for 2-3 seconds. I get another copy, and tried on different player - the same.

Reviews

Rated PG-13. 101 minutes. Most of us over the age of 45, remember a time of innocence and decency in our lives. Saturday morning television was our time. That was when they broadcast the tv shows that were made for us young kids. Their was H.R. Pufnstuf - The Complete Series (1969-71), Bugaloos Complete Episodes 1 to 17 (4pc) [VHS] (1970-72), Lidsville - Complete Series (1971-73), Shazam (1974-77), The Secrets of Isis - The Complete Series (1975-77), The Lost Saucer - Vol. 1 [VHS] (1975-76). One tv program that was a must-see on NBC was Land of the Lost: Complete Series (Limited Edition Gift Set) (1974-76), starring Specer Milligan, Wesley Eure, Kathy Coleman, Philip Paley. It was like a soap opera for kids. We couldn't wait to see the next episode next week. Sid & Marty Krofft tried a new Land of the Lost (1991) - Tasha/Something's Watching [VHS] in 1991-92 with a new cast and modern special effects. Now the Krofft's bring back Land of the Lost as a motion picture. Instead of the adventurers being a family, Will Ferrell is "Rick Marshall", a wacked-out paleontologist, Anna Friel as "Holly", a graduate student, Danny McBride as "Will", an owner of a roadside man-made haunted cave. Jorma Taccone (Saturday Night Live) is "Chaka". Option of Language: English, Spanish, French Option of Subtitles: English, Spanish, French Option of Descriptive Video Service Audio Commenty, 3 deleted scenes, 2 featurettes. Wesley Eure and Kathy Coleman did film a cameo appearance for a scene towards the end of the movie, however it was deleted from the movie and a new ending was filmed. This deleted cameo appearance is not on this DVD. Wesley Eure did not know they had done this until he saw the movie at the World Premiere. They did not invite Kathy Coleman to the World Premiere. Wesley Eure felt more shunning as he was invited to the 7th TV Land Awards (2009) to see a tribute to Sid & Marty Krofft. They did not reserve a seat for him to sit up front in camera range, but in the back, in the balcony. Due to the public outcry of this film, especially from the original "Land of the Lost" fans, Sid & Marty Krofft may have dumped their plans for a new "H.R Pufnstuf" movie and "Sigmud and the Sea Monsters" movie. We shall see. Leonard Nimoy's voice is "Zarn".

The Good: Will Ferrell and Danny McBride make the most of a bad movie. Their dialogue is hilarious, and they execute their jokes well. These two actors are the film's saving grace. The bad: The sets are both modern and retro. Some special effects are great, while others look like they were stolen from the original TV series. I'm sure the campiness is deliberate, but it just feels weird when combined with more modern special effects. The ugly: The film can't make up its mind. It's like they wanted to make a film that attracted adults but was still suitable for kids. The result is that they ended up somewhere in the middle - too much adult language and jokes to make it appropriate for kids, yet not enough substance to appeal to teens and adults. The film ultimately fails because it tried to make a modern adult version of an old kids show, and it was a half-hearted attempt. If you're a diehard Will Ferrell fan, you'll probably enjoy this. Otherwise, don't bother.

If you do, you'll have a ball watching this movie. I tend to be amused by Ferrell's absurd non-sequiturs delivered in his own unique straight man style. Therefore I laughed at this movie until my tummy hurt. My wife stared at me for most of the movie with a look of puzzlement on her face. LOL If you understand why its funny to eat dough-nuts with M&Ms inside so that you don't have to eat M&Ms after you finish eating the dough-nuts, then you've just passed the litmus test for whether you'll laugh at this movie. If you don't think the M&M thing is funny for any reason, give this a pass. Not everyone has to see and like every movie. Personally, I thought the special effects were very good, except for those that were intentionally cheesy to match the TV show, in good fun. The desert scenes were a real treat, with various objects from Earth (and elsewhere) sticking up out of the sand in various spots. I had a lot of fun just trying to spot all the odd objects scattered about those scenes. The characters have different relationships than the old show. Holly is "all grown up", and very pleasingly so. And someone bemoaned the character development? They should pay attention. Will's character goes from being a disgraced scientist on a self destructive eating binge to a successful, self confident scientist, his theories validated, who can tell Matt Lauer to "Suck it" and get away with it. What more in the way of character development can you ask for than that??? LOL Now, this isn't the great comedy of the coming decade, but if you like Ferrell, you will find amusement here. If you REALLY like Ferrell, you may be like me and get an ab workout while you watch. ;-)

hi Hate this remake why did they bother making this movie if they we're not going to do it right. thank god i only watched it on hbo i am so glad i didn't buy it Terry

The first time i watch this movie i was undecided about how i felt.. It was silly and kinda like oh my goodness.. But you know i watched it again because i love Will Ferrell as well as Danny McBride and this movie is truly great its funny and silly and just a joy to watch and i mean common if you take it seriously and cant laugh because you find it stupid then go read a book because life's to short if you know what i mean.. So let go of your serious movie watching expectation and prepare to enjoy a movie that is just great to watch..

Reviews

For all my reviews visit my website [...] I am NOT reviewing the DVD. Just the movies unless otherwise stated. Please note that the rating above might not accurately reflect my thoughts, you will see a rating sentence at the end of the review. But seriously folks, (count how many times I've said that so I don't haft to,) watching this movie over again is like going through ultimate nostalgia non-stop, however increasing you're knowledge. It's like reviewing 7th grade in 8th grade. Which is practically what 8th Grade Math was like. If you haven't figured it out now I absolutely loved this movie when I was a kid. It has layers. Like an Onion only in half-opposite. It tells more from repeated viewings. Before, I cared more about the visuals and the music more than the plot and character development. I still did back then, pretty much acknowledging what I have now. But now, that acknowledgment is too the 10th power. Also, take somebodies face. Not literally, look at one. Look at it close up, you'll see freckles, hairs, pimples, etc. Now look at it far-away. Now you just see the eyes and nose and stuff, but no details. This applies both good and bad in re-watching Jumanji. It plays noticing the nit-picky stuff you didn't even have a clue about when you were young. And then it also lets you on the little inside jokes, and symbols in the film. I also remembered a line from Robin Williams (one of the most underrated actors along with Steve Carrel,) "Things you can't even imagine" when he was talking about being trapped in the African Jungle. At the time, I thought he meant literally something you can't imagine. Now I know, that theory applies only to the young ones. It's a phrase to represent how big something is. I also wanted to know what is was like to imagine something you can't imagine. Even mature adults have this kind of dumb feeling. What would happen if you sneeze with your eyes open? I've hear that your eyes literally pop-out, but I seriously doubt that because wouldn't you feel pain? So, there's my Jumanji story in a nutshell. Well, there's probably more that is beyond words besides "youth," but that's just me. So, how would the movie play out if a teen or adult watched it as a virgin (DON'T GET ANY IDEAS MR. TWISTER!) Well, ever watched The Goonies (1985)? Of course you have, it's gonna be the 25th Birthday! (Along if Jaws who's 35th Birthday comes soon. And Jumanji AND Apollo 13 who's 15th Birthday come this year.) And if you haven't your missing out on some of the best of the '80's. The Goonies and The Gremlins are usually called the two CCG's (in my book at least,) stands for Copy-Cat G's. The two movies starting with The G that spawned many copy cats. Gremlins is obvious, ranging from who knows what. Goonies, never really talked about. Their usually discredited for being way too "cheesy" but lets be honest, everybody who loves the Goonies watched it as a young one, as did I. It was Cheesy, you just didn't see that at the time. You were in your youth. Triple Y! Triple H! I say, this is one of the most underrated gems out their. Nobody talks about it! When I try to start a conversation about it people say "it was good" or "I didn't like it...it was just..." why do we not live in a world of movie reviewers? You'll notice this is the longest paragraph of the review so far. It's the perfect formula for an adventure movie starring kids. It's both a tad scary, adventurous and quite smart actually. The movie doesn't dumb down for inpatient audiences. They just wanna see "roll dice-challenge-roll dice" continued, Well, here's what it really is and makes for quite an impressive movie. "Plot and character developmentX3/finding the game, roll the dice, challenge, plot and character developementX2+Finding the game+Challenge/3, roll the dice+challenge/4 or X2, and it never loops." It always changes the formula and this is only minutes of the movie summarized in that equation. This is something that is extremely innovative, yet nobody else seems courageous enough to write it in their script, and it is disappointing me a lot. Plus, this is how CGI should be used. Only when necessary or extremely convenient. Most special effects are real, it's just a few things that are CGI. Sparingly So their you go. The Rating? 4/5

It's so funny adventure, good for all the family. It was my first time to watch it in full when got the DVD because I never catched it from the beginning when showed in TV. & if you like Extras, this new DVD release is the best.

If you don't have this get it right now... I'll wait ...then we can talk about it.

This was a movie that I watched when I was a kid. I bought it remembering it as a good movie. While it is still a good movie, it was not as good as I remembered. If you have never seen it, it's worth at least watching it once, and if you have seen it before, I'd say it would be worth adding it to your movie collection even though it's not among the best movie made.

What do you get when you put robin williams in front of a game that comes to life. Chaos and Laqughter thats what you get in jumanji this movie is hillarious from start to finish. i recommend it fro eveyone

Reviews

This is a wonderful compilation of music.I havnt seen all the movies representing the music in the cd but like the producers of this cd said, even if you havnt seen the movies in this cd one should focus on the material at hand and not judge the music by the film that represents it and get ready for an enriching, delightful surprise at the wonders of the beautiful and distinct value of the music presented.Totally awesome cd.This is a must have and you will be glad that you purchased such a wonderful selection of music and the composers represented.

Released several years ago for the 25th Anniversary of Varese Sarabande, the entreprising label devoted almost exclusively to film scores, this inexpensive compilation is good way to sample many compelling scores from the last few decades of movies. I will run down through some highlights. The first disc contains much of the best music on this collection. Angelo Badalamenti's theme from David Lynch's "Blue Velvet". Also a selection from Maurice Jarre's score to "Witness". John Carpenter's simplistic yet creepy theme from his classic "Halloween". Charles Bernstein's sinister opening credits music to "A Nightmare on Elm Street". Howard Shore's beautiful and dramatic end theme to the Cronenberg film, "The Fly". One of my absolute favorites on this disc is undoubtedly the "Robocop" theme by the late, great Basil Poledouris which is one of the most inspiring action themes from the 1980s. Then we get the familiar march from "The Empire Strikes Back" by John Williams. I also love the all American score by Bill Conti composed for the film "The Right Stuff". Alan Silvestri contributes a selection from his score to James Cameron's "The Abyss", mixing orchestra with a grand choral contribution. It's strange that most of the best music at least to my ears is contained here on the first disc. The other three CDs have much less interesting material but how can one forget Poledouris again in the big march from "Starship Troopers" as well as a selection from Don Davis' score to the sci-fi blockbuster "The Matrix". It's clear that Varese Sarabande intended for this compilation to be more of a sampler to whet your appetite for the full scores instead of giving you much in the way of musical substance. Most tracks don't run much longer than four minutes but it's plenty enough to hold all the famous themes and melodies from these movies. Varese Sarabande has also released a 30th Anniversary Celebration recently with no overlap with this set whatsoever. I get a bang of having these themes in my library as most of the full scores aren't exactly great classics, so it's a great idea to have a compilation of all the winning and recognizable numbers together in one place. The very low asking price also helps greatly indeed.

I am enjoying Varese Sarabande right now as I write this review. It is a true stress reliever. Totally love it. I also play this CD and the 30th anniversary edition to my third graders. They recognize some of the music from movies that they have seen. What a wonderful learning atmosphere it helps to create in my classroom.

This collection is bound to capture your heart and evoke a tin ear on successive tracks. I found much to like and some duds - easy to skip over. Very good value.

Good mix of films! I'm a big fan of this soundtrack music and will be looking for more CD's like this.

Reviews

If you want your kids to sit and watch a movie with special effects, clean fun and outter space feel, this is it. My kids are always glued to the floor watching this one.

I heard the same author who wrote Jumanji also wrote Zathura and since I liked Jumanji I thought I would like Zathura. And I did. I especially like the line Josh Hutcherson asked Kristen Stewart if she still liked his eyes. If you don't know what I am talking about, buy the movie. Plus a friend wanted me to buy this movie for him just for Josh Hutcherson's acting. And he gives the movie a five.

The plot and movie actually aren't bad (for a kid's movie). It's very creative, much like Jumanji. BUT Hollywood's nearly 100% tendency to fill its "kids" movies with nasty brats and dysfunctional families ruins this film. They really push the envelope here. The jerky older brother (played irritatingly by Josh Hutcherson) gets so obnoxious that I end up not caring about his poor misunderstood childhood and want him to get eaten by the Zorgons (alien lizards). He treats his little brother like dirt and casually disregards everything that any adult tells him to do. His sister is likewise pushing-the-envelope obnoxious, but thankfully is asleep for 1/3 the film and gets frozen for another 1/3. The only "likeable" character is the little brother played by Jonah Bobo, who is the stereotypical Hollywood little-kid (precocious, long hair), but he also tends to disregard what adults say in a very irritating fashion. Of course there is maximum havoc and just as you think that all is lost (in space), everyone comes home safe-and-sound before the patsy Dad comes home. The big plot twist is how an astronaut boards their spacecraft home and surprise! turns out to be the older brother from the future. But about the only significant thing that I recall from thinking about watching this movie is the extreme obnoxiousness of the Hollywood family. I seem to remember the older brother callously calling his little brother "BEEYOTCH," which makes you want to reach through the screen and slap him on his head. QUESTION: can Hollywood EVER depict an intact American family that is not beset by divorce, death of one of the parents, spoiled brats out-of-control, and dysfunction?

I do not approve of the language used in this PG movie. One of the most helpful reviewers mentions that the language is language her children hear at home anyway. My children do not hear these words (dick, beyotch)at home and certainly do not call each other those things. I felt the need to discuss the language with my children who are 8 and 10. Neither one of them even know what they mean--thank goodness. We will not be watching this movie again.

If you like Jumanjii you will like Zathura. This is a great family movie about kids who start a game that takes place in space. It isn't cheesy and is exciting the whole way through. I gave it 4 stars because there is some inappropriate language in a few scenes.

Reviews

If you don't own all these Webber musicals individually already, this is a great over view of his best songs and works.

1 of the most complete Andrew Lloyd Webber box sets out there as far as what he has done. Every thing from Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, To Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coats. Disk one contains various hits from Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, Song And Dance. Disk two Contains various hits frim Starlight Express, Requiem, The Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of love. Disk three contains various hits from Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, By Jeeves, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down The Wind, The Beautiful Game Disk four Hits and more. Songs sung by other stars such as Cats Betty Buckly instead of Alaine Paige and Any Dream Will Do Donny Osmond isntead of Jason Donovan. Disk five are some rarities and never head songs don for these musicals. Some sond gorgeous and you wonder why they never made it and Andrew Lloyd Webber actual sings in 1 of the songs on this disk. Most product are dont from the west end or european casts but they still sound remarkible stunnung. A definate must get for any Andrew Lloyd Webber fan.

Between Amazone, Ebay and Napster, I don't usually buy CDs anymore, and I usually wait till I can buy them cheaper "new and used". When this set came out, I was excited, mainly by Disc 5, but wasn't going to spend $70 on it. I waited till it was cheap enough, and got it for Father's day this year. It was worth the wait. The concept is great. The packaging is great. The recording is great. Disc five is really cool for an ALW aficionado. There are a few real gems on it; my favorites are Petula Clark's "I Could Have Given You More" and "Benedicite." I've always thought "Gus the Theatre Cat" made a great medley on the piano with "Unexpected Song" and "I DOn't Know How to Love Him," but wished there was an alternate lyric to match the other two songs. Now that I know there *is*, and it's a good lyric, it's a dream come true. The melody of "Benedicite" is one of my favorites from _Sunset_ (the book mis-identifies it as "SUrrender"; it's actually "The Lady's Paying" and "Eternal Youth is Worth a Little Suffering"). The lyrics are the canticle from Daniel 3, which comes up every odd Sunday in the Divine Office, so it's nice to have cool music to sing it with. I haven't bought _By Jeeves_ or _THe Beautiful Game_ yet, to it was great to sample them. There are other parts of the CD taht aren't found in my collection. I like CD 4 "The Hits." But the selections on CDs 1-3 don't make sense. First, any self-respecting ALW fan has the Original London Cast of _Phantom_, so six tracks are totally useless. Why not draw from the Canadian cast with Colm Wilkinson? Or pull out some obscure recordings never published. Why two different tracks with Michael Ball singing "Love Changes Everything", yet they're hardly any different? On Disc 5 is "It's Only Your Lover Returning," sung by Julie Covington. It's an early draft of the song (Lloyd Webber and Rice went through several suggested titles) and quite nice. The very thing one expects on a Boxed Set. So why have the Julie Covington "Don't Cry for Me" on disc 1?? The only difference is a few words, but it's otherwise identical. Why not Elaine Paige or Patti Lupone or Madonna? The _Evita_ section is otherwise the best, choosing a sample from each major recording, though I'd have chosen slightly differently (as above). There is a great selection of "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" from the Sydmonton festival, using the original music that was changed when _Cats_ went to Broadway_. It would have been nice if they'd included more recordings from Sydmonton, like the original lyric of "All I Ask of You" shown on the second DVD to the _Phantom_ movie. With so many great actress-singers who've played Norma Desmond, why does the collection beat us over the head with Glenn Close? Paul Miles Kingston must be set for life in royalties, for the number of albums the original recording of "Pie Jesu" has appeared on. "Amigos Para Siempre" is nice, but it reminds me of Shari Lewis's "The Song that Doesn't End," especially when it's been used on so many compilations. In short, this is a great collection for the obscure material, if you can get it cheap. But for a boxed set, it's a poor sampling, drawn mostly from the most familiar recordings.

Please beware they made a mistake on this. It's actually the shortened Ray Shell version of STARLIGHT EXPRESS from the original 1984 London cast - NOT the El Debarge single from 1987 like it says on the box. I don't know how they let that goof pass. Sorry to Ray Shell. Having said that, this is an outstanding compilation of Lloyd Webber's greatest hits.

Regardless of the fact that some of his latest efforts (most notably, The Woman in White) are disappointing, there can be little doubt that Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the greatest composers ever to work in the musical theatre. Ever since his "Jesus Christ Superstar" hit the stage in the early 70-is, it was clear that the conception and perception of musicals are never going to be the same again. Many of his songs became standards not only in the theatre history, but also as tops on the charts. Even though he's British, his influence on the shape of the modern musical theatre expanded over the West End boundaries long ago and has thus made an enormous impact on Broadway. Two of his shows ("Cats" and "The phantom of the opera") hold the record as two the longest running shows in the history of Broadway. He has also been the only composer to have three of his shows running at Broadway concurrently. Some of his awards include three Grammies, a Golden Globe, an Oscar and a bunch of Tony awards. But perhaps most of all, Lloyd Webber is responsible for bringing the musicals and the theatre appealing to the wide audiences, who in different circumstances would not consider seeing a musical. The secret of his success is probably the mixture of beautiful and catchy melodies, interesting subject matter (though some, like Starlight Express, are too thin) and grandiose staging. Over the years many compilations of his work have emerged. In the late 80-is and early 90-is it was the "Encore" series and lately the one-disc collection called "Gold". The one in question here can be considered one of the best currently on the market. First, it includes a 3-disc selections from all of his shows, minus the latest one, i.e., "The Woman in White", which, considering the triviality of the score, is no great lost. The fourth disc covers some of his most known songs sung by the famous artists. Then, there is the fifth disc with previously unreleased material, most of which are the songs ALW wrote with Tim Rice for various artists during the 70-is. The disks are all neatly packed in a hardcover book that features 67 pages of pictures and text with information about each of ALW's shows. One of the other assets here is the perfect sound quality, since all of the tracks have been digitally remastered. Here are my basic impressions and comments regarding the material on the discs: * Disc #1 has the selections from "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Evita", "Cats" and "Song & Dance". The Superstar material mostly comes from the Concept Recording. Although the songs sound beautiful as always, their orchestration is a bit dated now. Only Steve Balsamo's "Gethsemane" from the 1996 revival cast has a modern rock sound. "Evita" comes with the material from all of the major recordings: London, Broadway and the movie productions, as well as the Concept album. No objections here; since this is one of ALW's most satisfying works, every song is just perfect, although Patti LuPone, the Broadway and overall the best Evita, is left with only a couple of lines. With the selections from "Cats", however, I have some doubts. A plus to the choice of the "Jellicle ball" impressive orchestral sequence from the 1998 movie version and "Mister Mistoffelees" from the 1981 London cast. One of the best known ALW's songs, "Memory", also comes from that album. It's a pretty version and Elaine Paige's rendition cannot be matched, but why include this when the definite version, featuring an 80-piece orchestra and Elaine Paige with much better interpretation, can be found in the same movie version. Thusly, one has to buy Elaine Paige's latest 2-disc compilation "Centre Stage: The very best of Elaine Paige" to get that one. And "Gus the theatre cat" is more a recital than a song, so there was not much point in including that. Marti Webb brings her vocal charm to the "Song & Dance" sequence, Sarah Brightman sings "Unexpected song" with her famous soprano, but as much as I like her version, Bernadette Peters, who was in this show on Broadway is strangely left out here. * Disc # 2 starts with "Starlight Express". This was never one of my favorite ALW's shows; the plot is even lighter than in "Cats" and the 1984 original cast recording is terribly dated. Yet, here we have one terrific duet, "I am starlight" from the original together with three songs from the later revivals and it seems that fresh orchestrations were just the thing Starlight needed. My favorite remains a touchy ballad, "Next time you fall in love". "Requiem" is the most solemn of all ALW's compositions, written in 1985 to commemorate the death of his father. Placido Domingo's tenor rides together with the chorus all the way through the strong "Hosanna", only to be joined by Sarah Brightman in the final moments of this song. She then gives an echoing deliverance of "Pie Jesu". What can be said of ALW's next show, "The Phantom of the Opera"? A phenomenon in its own right, it's easy to see from the six numbers included here why this is one of the best and most beloved musicals of all time. The cast, the music, the story - everything is perfect. Although "Aspects of love" was never a popular hit, it does have some of the most beautiful love melodies ALW has ever written. "Love changes everything" sung by Michael Ball is probably one of the best tunes ever about love. The rest of the selected material here has a dreamy love flavor and the melodies find their way into your brain in the best Lloyd Webber way. * ALW's first musical, "Joseph and the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat" was more successful in its revival form than the original from the 70-is. The three songs included here are sung by the show stars, Jason Donovan and Donny Osmond. Maria Friedman was not a lucky choice to play the narrator, as the track from the 1998 movie version shows. "By Jeeves" was ALW's only big flop when it came to the stage in the 70-is. The 1995 revival sounds much better though, full of funny numbers in the best manner of the musical comedy. "Travel hopefully" remains one of the show's highlights on this compilation. "Sunset Boulevard" comes next. "Sunset" remains for me one of Webber's best scores; lush and beautiful. I listen to the original cast recording with Patti LuPone all the time. However, here most of the songs are performed by Glenn Close. A big mistake. If you've ever listened the American premiere recording with her, you'll know what I am talking about. She may have a strong stage presence, but her vocal abilities are too limited, and her aggressive approach to the role lacks any subtlety. Therefore, the two big numbers from this show, "With one look" and "As if we never said goodbye" are ruined by the fact she can't sing. The same goes for the American Joe Gillis, who was played by Alan Campbell. Luckily, Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson, the original Norma and Joe from the London production, make their brief entrance here with the "Perfect year"; enough to show how better they are. The funny thing is, on the jacket and inside of it, Glenn Close and Alan Campbell are credited as performers in this song as well. If this was a mistake on ALW's part, it was a good one. The next ALW's show, "Whistle down the wind" was never a critic's dear and yet the audiences rushed in to see it in London. The score brings back ALW to his rock and roll roots of the seventies and the story is quite interesting. But the selections here are not the happiest, since the cast recording boasts with much better songs. And finally, "The Beautiful Game". Again, we have one of those ALW's shows that is worth in its individual parts rather than as a whole. "Our kind of love" and "Let us love in peace" are two catchy ballads. The latter is a nice amalgam version not available elsewhere. The two other tracks here I could live without. * Disc # 4 has the songs from all the above shows performed by different artists. The assembled tracks have their pros and cons. For example, we have some previously unreleased stuff, like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's operettic rendition of "The heart is slow to learn", or a stunning and epic "A kiss is a terrible thing to waste" from "Whistle down the wind", performed by The Metal Philharmonic Orchestra. Then again, what was the point in including almost identical tracks as the ones on the previous disks? So we have Michael Ball again singing "Love changes everything" with only a bit different orchestration; Sarah Brightman comes out again with the same Phantom duets, but only with the different male singers. It would be much more appropriate to include tracks from the Toronto Cast of the Phantom, with Colm Wilkinson. Other pop deliverances (Tina Arena's "Whistle down the wind", Barbra Streisand's "As if we never said goodbye", Boyzone's "No matter what" and many more) were wisely chosen. Patti LuPone is again nowhere to be found and Petula Clark's "With one look" sounds too worn-out. * The last disc is probably the one that will be of most interest to Lloyd Webber aficionados. It consists of entirely previously unreleased material ALW for the most part wrote for various artists during his early years, with Tim Rice. Some of these tunes, not successful as a singles, were later used in his shows. Thus "Down thru' summer" became "Buenos Aires"in Evita, "Try it and see", an unsuccessful attempt for the Eurovision was used for "King Herod's song" in "Superstar" and so on. Some of these songs are nicely made pop songs: "Make believe love", ALW's first recorded composition, for which he provided the lyrics; "Goodbye Seattle", sung by Paul Raven, who later became Gary Glitter; "Come back Richard, your country needs you", from a never made musical, sung here by Tim Rice, or Latin flavored "Magdalena", with Tony Christie singing. My all time favorite here is a song called "It's easy for you", sung by none other than Elvis Presley himself. Lloyd Webber and Rice sent him a demo recording that he accepted and recorded this live version a couple of weeks before he died. It's amazing to hear how his voice remained in the perfect shape. Also, there is a track of Andrew Lloyd Webber singing "Policle dogs and Jellicle cats" while plying the piano. His voice doesn't sound bad at all. Taken as a whole, this compilation makes a perfect birthday or Christmas present to any fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, or just anybody interested in some of the best tunes from the modern era of the musical theatre; despite the flaws I mentioned above. To the former, it may just be the final addition for the Andrew Lloyd Webber collection.

Reviews

We used this for about a week or two. And then we realized it's pointless and useless. Besides, cold wipes build character.

I love this product. Wipes are kept warm and never dries out. My baby loves the warm wipes. I like that it has dual adapter for car and home.

I registered for this travel wipe warmer and a regular size wipe warmer when I got pregnant. I received both this warmer and a full size one (of a different brand). THIS WIPE WARMER IS SERIOUSLY THE BEST ON THE MARKET. We take it with us everywhere we go. It keeps the wipes moist, warm and it is small and compact. The only down fall to this product is that since it is travel size it does not hold a full case of wipes. However, it does hold about 3 to 4 days worth. The thing I love about it is that it does not dry the wipes out like other warmers. It comes with a car charger and an outlet plug-in so you can virtually take it anywhere with you. We do not even use our regular size wipe warmer because it doesn't compare to this one. I would recommend this particular wipe warmer for any mother. It is an inexpensive but wonderful gift!

I gave this as a gift but the parents have not used it. She said she has a bigger warmer she uses in the home and has not had the need to use it. So my rating is it is a frivious gift that is rarely needed for moms in a rush. Although grand mothers would love to have it when they babysit.

This travel warmer doesn't have most of the problems I read about in other reviews of regular sized warmers (i.e, browning, spilling, not warming all of the wipes, etc.) The only downsides are that the clasp can be a little tight and requires two hands to open it, and it holds fewer wipes than the standard. However, I find that it is enough wipes to get us through 3 or 4 days which is worth it to avoid those other problems! I have since passed this down to my brother and his wife and they also love it too!

Reviews

Creative Kids Gift Basket I FORGOT MY GRAND DAUGHTERS BIRTHDAY. I NEEDED SOMETHING FAST, INEXPENSIVE ENTERTAINING, AND WORTHWILE FOR THE PARENTS AND THE KIDS. THIS GIFT FITS THE BILL FOR ALL MY REQUIREMENTS AND MANY MORE. A SUPERB GIFT THAT PLEASES PARENTS ANS KIDS ALIKE. CHILDREN SHOULD BE SUPERVISED SO THAT PARENTS AND CHILDREN CAN HAVE A SUPER TIME TOGETHER.

Reviews

These are for our Grand Son's DS Lites and are used constantly on family trips. They do a lot of baseball and each year take a long trip for a tournament. I understand these worked extremely well on the recent trip from Texas to Florida. Helped the kids endure a very long trip.

The item was used, it was a little loose fitting. But other then that...happy with the product.

My last charger stopped working so I bought this one and now my DS can be used again.

Well, it wasn't what I ordered. The listing states it is a DS Light TRAVEL Battery Charger. This is just a regular charger. The key word is TRAVEL, which means it adjusts the voltage, as described in the listing, for international TRAVEL. This is only a standard US charger. I wish sellers would read the listings before offering to sell their items. It is what we do as customers. I don't think it asking too much that they sell what they are listing.

I bought this because I couldn't, for the life of me, remember what I did with the original one that I had. The one that I got wasn't the one I was expecting to get. I was expecting the gray one with prongs that pivet in and out, but I got the black one with the prongs fixed in place. I guess that's what you get when you go solely by the picture shown and not reading the description. Anyway all that aside, the one I received works great. It arrived on time, and I've been using it ever since. Good stuff!

Reviews

Great product. Just what I needed. Case protects DVD player and DVDs well. Case also converted very easily so that it can be hung between two front seats for viewing to be enjoyed by all the kids in the back seat!

This portable DVD player case is very sturdy and strongly made. The DVD player fit perfectly and the case comes with a velcro strap to hold the player in place while it is being used. The case also comes with two straps which allow you to attach them to the back of the front seat and hook onto the case so that the case hangs. This is a great feature so that the case is not on our child's lap the whole time. You can also attach the straps to the backs of both front seats so that it hangs in the middle for multiple viewers sitting in the back seat. The straps were fairly easy to attach. The instructions were a bit confusing, but I followed the pictures provided, and I figured it out pretty quickly. There is plenty of storage in the case, but by the time you store the portable DVD player, the car adapter, the remote control, the battery charger, and the headphones inside, it's a pretty tight fit. I have to hold down the case to close the zipper. Since I don't want force these items in the case, I will no longer place the headphones inside so I can prevent the bulging that occurs.

Product was exactly what I expected. Worked great for our trip with a two year old in the backseat and I was able to move it as needed.

A good quality product. The only issue we had was that the clip fastening the straps snapped off, so we had to ask for another one.

This is a great little traveling case for the vehicle. Product is well put together and designed. The only complain we have is the straps are a little too long to for a Jeep Wrangler. In other words, it hangs a little low behind the seats. Otherwise, it fastens very easy and quick and make a great traveling case.

Reviews

Product received as advertised - for DS lite only, new in a box, and looked exactly like the picture. So far it works fine. Great for travel to countries with 220V outlet.

Seller was courteous and quick, product was exceptionally priced. Positive experience, happy to buy from them again.

This charger is great for when your gaming for long hours. This comes in handy when your DS charger starts to die.

Nothing much to say about a DS charger, apart from the super fast deliver time, and a price which put our local games store to shame! -Steve Crozier

Reviews

1 minute wind-up generates 30 minutes of continuous "Bright illumination". it does illuminate after 20 or 30 minutes, but the point is can we use this illumination to see things around us? well, for 5 minutes the answer is yes. The device is handy and rugged. For those who are interested to know how it works: There is a mechanical gear to increase the speed of your manual rotation. the gear is connected to a dynamo. The outlet of the dynamo is rectified, regulated, stored in 3 small NiMH batteries. I like the idea and the construction of the device, but the white illumination is not as good as it is stated. Besides, nothing defeats traditional torches.

I bought a few of these flashlights but was disappointed. After a few months the batteries seem to go bad so when you wind them up for the recommended time, either the light is too dim to be usable or if lasts only for a few seconds.

There are other "battery-free" flashlights on the market, but this one seems to out perform the other models I've seen. "The Illuminator" LED Crank flashlight is a very good item. I had previously owned one of those "shake" flashlights, but I must say that shaking them takes a lot of effort and the amount of light that you get from it is not very much and it fades away in only a few minutes. Therefore, after reading an article on how "crank" style flashlights can gather much more energy more quickly, and store it for a longer period of time, I decided to try "The Illuminator". I must say that I am very satisfied with the product. The flashlight gives you the option to illuminate 1 or 3 of the LEDs at a time, giving you two brightness settings. The 3 LED setting is very bright and easily illuminates an entire room in darkness. The instructions say to wind up for 1 minute to get 1 hour of light and winding is a pretty effortless task, so in theory you can have a care-free flashlight for a long time to come. I truly recommend this one! Now, if only I could crank my air conditioner for 1 minute to get it to work for 1 hour without electricity charges....

Unit offers very good light, easy to use, NO batteries is a nice feature. Tis a bit pricey, but it less here @ Amazon than I have found it else where. So if you are tired of replacing batteries all to often in a flashlight - this unit is for you. I have told all my friends about it.

Reviews

A friend introduced me to Banagrams about a couple of years ago. I love it. Best part is that you can play for 10 minutes or all day. Really important to get a Scrabble Dictionary to have on hand.

My kids and I love to play this game! They are learning while playing as well! I would recommend this game to anyone -- it's easy to learn and lots of fun!

Bananagrams was a great purchase!! Bought it as a gift and it has been very enjoyable! Very fun and makes you think. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys word games!

This is the most boring game EVER. I wish I had read the reviews first, I wasted my money. No point value, no competition, you play alone. Hated it. Play Scrabble, Upwords.......both fun. Wish I could give it a negative rating. And yeah Midwest GUY, I know it's for more than one person, you totally missed the point. You don't play against someone. You do all the forming of words for yourself, can't even play off of someone's words. Boring.

We travel on a 3 hour ferry ride. This game is very portable and fun for all ages. I do not live in Forks but in Southeast Alaska.

Reviews

I've played this roughly a dozen times now, with groups ranging from 2 to 5, and it's been fun every time. Probably my favorite board game.

I just had to get this for my birthday! I'm in my 20's but this game is appropriate for all ages. All of my friends find this game addicting and fun. The product itself came in great condition. I would use this seller again.

I bought this game in order to have some non-digital fun with my older children. We have a great time every time we play! We discuss strategies, organization, and indulge in a bit of harmless trash talk. I recommend this game to anyone who has older kids/young adults.

While researching games I stumbled upon Ticket to Ride, it sounded interesting and I thought I would give it again. It has become one of our favorite games to play. "Train game?" is a question we often here when we have company over. The game is easy to learn and lots of fun to play. It gives you a chance to try different strategies each time. It is also fun to make up little stories as you go along, such as why you are connecting two cities, what you think is going on in each city and paying attention to the "hubs" forming on your map. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys board games that make you think and plan out your next turn.

We started playing the European Ticket to Ride a few months ago. We got hooked the first night. It was a little complicated so it took a while to understand the ramifications of our decisions. After a month or so, we bought this version, the original Ticket to Ride of U.S. and Southern Canada. It is less complicated and has smaller cards...both features that I like very much. My advice is to buy this version first to see what it's all about and work your way up to the European version. We're going to buy the Scandinavian version to see what it's all about. The thing that pleases me most about these games is that you are in competition with yourself. Decisions you make have definite impact on your outcome. I truly have no interest in "winning" the game...I just want to be able to complete the routes that I choose. Even the "heavy" competitors in our group have calmed down and approach the game with less desire to "beat everybody". Even though our group started with the European version, we are all very taken with the simpler U.S. version and play both versions equally...depending on our fatigue factor. You have to have patience in the beginning and play one game with no interest in outcome in order to focus your attention on the decisions. Buy it, you'll love it.

Reviews

my grandson got one of these for christmas.. i think as he learns more about words and starts understanding about the written words more, he will enjoy them, and get more out of them.

My 3 year old loves this puzzle. If your child likes to work puzzles this is an excellent buy. Durable use it all the time.

I LOVE THIS PRODUCT MY SON CAN ASSOCIATE THE WORDS WITH THE PICTURES BOARDS AND ITS GOOD FOR WORD RECOGNITION AS WELL, MY SON JUST TURN FOR AND WITH THE HELP OF THIS TOY HE WILL SOON BE READING.

My son really loves this "toy"; it's more of a learning wooden puzzle for each word. I love that it has a picture of what it is "the sun" and then he can spell it out s...u...n. Good connection and thinking tool. It's extremely solid and quality. The only problem I have with it is certain letters are "tooled" to only fit one way and it frustrates the heck out of my 3, almost 4 year old. The "S" letter can only be inserted one way, not upside down. So it enraged him and we had a 5 minute tantrum about the letter "S"! Same for "u" and "n", they can't be used upside down, you have the find the correct letter and place it in the correct way - perfectly. This really frustrates, but other than that, GREAT TOY and learning fun! It has lots of lengthy potential. I can see him playing with this years from now. Thanks Mellisa & Doug you really made learning fun!

My 3 year old son loves puzzles and he loves playing with these. They make a great birthday gift for any toddler. I just wish they came in upper case letters as well.

Reviews

These worked well as party favors. We haven't used them enough to be sure, but I think they might be better for older kids (like 5-10 years old). Great idea and very durable. Hope to use them more.

These are a lot of fun and my kids have found many ways to play with them. Be warned that they may want to stick them on furniture!

Bought this for my 6 yr olds' birthday party gift bags and they're great. Fabulous individual packaging, great price, great value.

Before I purchased I wasn't able to figure out how many came in a package. So FYI there are 50 packs in the package. We purchased them for our 3 year-old's birthday party. Our kids love them, I'm sure they'll be a hit as a party favor.

We gave these to our guests at my daughters birthday party. There are so many of them you can use them for multiple parties or in your purse for children to do at restaurant.

Reviews

I ordered this wallet for my pre-teen daughter who STILL loves hello kitty(since age two)and was very satisfied with my purchase. This wallet has a billfold pocket for cash and a zipper-close pocket for change! It has compartments for cards such as student id, credit cards etc. The only thing it didn't come with was a photo holder, and I was surprised that it didnt. I love the colors on the wallet and the textures of the fabrics.(canvas sith 'satin' flowers, and hello kitty has'fur')really cute!

Reviews

I ordered from an Amazon Merchant and instead of the "Duracell Powerhouse USB Charger", they sent the inferior "Duracell Pocket USB Charger". They apologized and said there was a problem with UPCs. I reordered from Amazon.com directly and after a couple of days they sent me an email saying they would not fulfill my order due to a supply problem. Now, I look back at older reviews and see Amazon has been sending people the wrong item for months. I think I will try buying it somewhere else.

The smaller of the two is OK in a pinch, but the Powerhouse charges my Zen X-Fi2 or my Motorola Cell Phone more than twice as fast. From empty, it charged my Motorola i425 in TEN MINUTES, four times and it still had juice to spare. I was able to recharge my Zen X-Fi2 twice, and could have charged it more. I didn't have enough time to empty the player and recharge it to find out just how many. But it was obvious to me that it was going to meet the needs I bought it for. It took more than twice as long for the pocket unit to charge my phone, and did so only once. If you are buying one of these, I'd suggest the Powerhouse over any other.

I was in the market for the Duracell Powerhouse USB charger, so I placed an order for it on March 9th. Unfortunately, I didn't receive the 2000mH Powerhouse USB charger. I received the 500mH Pocket Charger. I wanted to buy this for an intercontinental flight I'm taking in two days. Called Amazon to get the order corrected, and now they tell me they're out of stock. Closer examination of this page leads me to believe that they have the product title and description swapped. It says 500mH on this page. But the product itself, what I thought I was ordering, is 2000mH. This needs to be fixed.

I purchased this as a simple power backup for my IPhone. It gives me half a charge which is exactly what I need in a pinch. On a IPod Nano it gives you a full charge which is great on those long trips. Bottom line, for the price and the power charge you get, it is a great deal. I'll update you when I try it on my IPod Classic.

See the Duracell manufacturer's web site for correct details. This is a 500 mAh unit. It has approximately half the capacity of the next larger model, which is an 1150 mAh battery. I do not have this device, so my three-star rating is not to be relied upon.

Reviews

Nice sturdy case, your PSP fits snug, has a belt attachment on the back with two sleeve like pockets inside that can hold 2 UMD's in each, plus the inside front cover has a small net across it allowing you to carry even more stuff. As mentioned in other reviews the rivet that the caribiner is attached to is exposed and will make contact with your PSP, I used a small piece of "SHAM WOW" (cloth)to cover it but anything will do. Don't let that stop you from your purchase this is a great case for the $$. If I needed another I would get the same one.

I find it strange that no designer thought of placing a simple belt clip on the case for a system that is supposed to be "portable". It's a no-brainer.

great deal for the price only issue is the button for the clip it can scratch the psp but i put and eye class cleaner to help protect it the clip it comes with is cheap and not durable at all it feels like its made from plastic but it does the job its supposed to maybe i'm just nit picky

The case is good, solid and seems durable as expected, it fits the PSP model and all specs in the page are as shown. However be aware that the strap that suppoused to keep the PSP on the case has a small area to attach it so there is a space of about 1/4 inch between the PSP and the cover and seems to weak that if you by mistake twist the case, it is possible that the weight of the PSP will make the strap to open and the PSP could fall.

The best feature about this case is easily the low price. As of this writing you can pick up this case for under $10, which is impressive since this case has a rigid shell and therefore better protects your PSP from the rigors of mobile gaming. Fortunately, in spite of the hard shell, the case remains sleek and slim. It will consume only slightly more space in your bag than the PSP itself. The case closes with a heavy duty zipper and features a carabiner hook, which is handy for securing the case to your bag, belt loop, etc. Apart from the hook, the outside of the case is matte black, smooth and simple, devoid of logos, patterns or textures. The average observer might not recognize this as a PSP case. Personally I would consider this a bonus since you probably don't want your PSP to grow legs and walk away on you. The interior of the case holds the PSP quite snugly. The device will actually sort of pop in and out of the case. This is generally a good thing except for an exposed rivet inside the case. If left alone this might wind up scratching a small corner of your PSP. It's a simple remedy, though, as I just popped in a small piece of Dr. Scholls pad. Apart from the PSP you won't fit much inside the case. The centre flap has padding on the PSP side to keep your screen protected. (Although I still recommend investing in a screen overlay). The upper side of the flap includes two fitted web slots for UMDs. The upper lid of the case has only a small elastic web. There is a little give to it so you can easily fit a couple more UMDs and a USB charge cable but don't plan on bringing your wall charger or AV cables. Memory sticks should be able to squeak in as well but pay care when opening and closing the case so as not to let them fall out. On the whole I doubt you'll be able to find a better case or a better price. If you plan to take your PSP with you frequently, I highly recommend keeping it safe with this case.

Reviews

Chrono Trigger never gets old. Although I've beat this game the experience was well worth it. The game is just plain good fun. The story is awesome and battling is actually..FUN! One of the best rpgs ever created hands down. Well worth your money especially if you've never played the original.

Having never played the original Chrono Trigger on the Super Nintendo, but having heard much about it, I was very excited for this product. Chrono Trigger did not go through very much change when it was adapted for the Nintendo DS. Several new endings were added, an update to the menus to make them less clunky, some extra touch-screen features for the DS (which I mostly did not use), a few extras, and a mini-game of sorts was added (called the Arena of Ages), but all in all the game retains the excellance that it had when it was originally released. Chrono Trigger has aged gracefully, and I highly recommend the DS version for those who have not yet experienced this story. For returning Chrono Trigger fans, it's up to you to decide if the streamlined menus and bonus features are worth the price tag. If you own a Nintendo DS, I emphatically suggest that you purchase this game.

I played the SNES Version it was and entertaining. The PS1 Version, same as the SNES and new options and animated cutscenes. Then the DS Version came, new features, touch screen options, the animated cutscenes of the PS1 returns and Re-Translated dialogs. Recommended to fans of Chrono Trigger or RPG fans.

I love this game so much I bought it all three times they released it. I honestly and truly think this is one of the greatest RPGs of all time. Now, as far as the new content is concerned... it's not worth 30 bucks. It's some kind of monster trainer and monster database. Neat, but not that cool. If you want portable AWESOME SAUCE than by all means, PURCHASE THIS GAME. If you don't care for portability and already own CT, you don't need to bother... though you should anyway. Now I shall pray for portable Chrono Cross or portable Secret of Mana (even though I already own the other two portable mana titles.) getitgeitgetitgetitgetit.

I know this review will be stormed by fanboys patrolling the page to make sure no one gives the game anything less than a 5, and vote 'no' on if this review is HELPFUL or not, which is always weird to check reviews for things you've already played. But this review comes from someone who loved Chrono Trigger when it first came out for the SNES. I had just finished Secret of Mana and Final Fantasy III/VI, and by that time, I was getting into RPGs big time. Chrono Trigger blew me away with its music, characters, time traveling story, and multiple endings. I played the bejesus out of that thing until it got to the point where I could beat the game and get the regular ending in 7 hours. But that was when I was 12. I've grown up since then. Don't take that the wrong way- I'm not saying I'm above it or anything, but these days, it takes more to hold my attention or keep me from rolling my eyes at melodramatic moments. Having played the DS port, I can only say that people who can still play through Chrono Trigger and enjoy it will get a good bargain of this version, and younger gamers (11-15) will probably enjoy it if they like the Final Fantasy series. For those who like deep stories and developed characters, look elsewhere. Chrono Trigger's plot is easy to summarize at first, but since it has a lot to do with time travel, things get crazy after the first couple of hours. You play as a teenager, Crono, who goes off to the Millennial Fair and literally bumps into a young girl named Marle. She ends up getting teleported to the past after a demonstration of a teleporting machine goes wrong. Crono risks his life and follows her. It's hard to say much more because of all the things that happen and what they lead to, but the story was very interesting for its time, and it went at a good, steady pace without moments of nothing really happening. You'll go back to the past and fight dinosaur-people that are trying to kill all humans, fight a powerful warlock trying to conquer the world by summoning Lavos (a giant creature that can destroy the world pretty quickly), travel to a time when magic was common and those that didn't have the power were reduced to hobo status, and you'll travel to the future where things are very bleak. One of the things I loved about Chrono Trigger back in the day was its cast of characters, which sadly don't do much for me anymore. Crono is the stereotypical silent hero, Marle is the stereotypical tomboy that doesn't want to live the lifestyle she inherited, Lucca is the default smart one, Frog is a cursed knight/master swordsman, Robo is your standard robot (and borderline emo), and Ayla is the generic 'me strong, me smash stuff' person. There's also another character you can choose to either kill or let join the party near the end of the game, and depending on what you do changes the ending(s) a little or a lot. Again, for younger gamers, these characters will probably be really cool. But after playing something like the Knights of the Old Republic titles and Valkyria Chronicles, the characters here just don't compare. The music is still great though, and I still have my 3 disc soundtrack for the game, and can listen to those tracks anytime. Gameplay was unique for its time, and still has some cool parts. In combat, you can have two or three characters attack an enemy (or a group if they're positioned right) with double and triple techs. These attacks are usually just plain awesome, and do huge amounts of damage. Like Final Fantasy III/VI before it, you can equip accessories that enhance your abilities in combat like reducing the amount of MP an attack costs, or raising your speed or Critical Hit %. Another thing the game had going for it was the New Game + feature. Once you clear the game, you can start a new slot using the cleared game data. A lot of games use this feature today, but as far as I know, CT started it. Using New Game + is the only way to see all of the different endings, which you can see by going to the final battle at specific points in the game via a special teleporation gate. A lot of the alternate endings are cool, and it's worth going through the game a few times to check them out. Ok ok, so what does the game have for the DS exclusives? Not a whole lot really. The animated cutscenes from the horrible load time-infested PSone version are back, but a little grainy looking. Character dialogue was changed a bit, and Frog no longer speaks in olde English. A lot of people made a big deal about this, and I can understand why since it made him stand out, but at the same time, he was the ONLY character in his time period to speak it, and in the Japanese version, he talked just like everyone else. There's also a totally new ending that, on one hand is pretty cool, but on the other is so forced to link with Chrono Cross that it's not even funny. Finally, there's a kind of Pokemon-esque monster raising mini-game that's pointless and I'd be surprised if anyone spent more than 10 minutes on it. When it comes down to it, if you still have your SNES copy, you might as well keep playing it, provided the internal battery's still working. Chrono Trigger DS doesn't bring enough new goodies to the table to make old fans part with their SNES carts. But newcomers to RPGs or those who just want to see what the 16-bit era had to offer will probably get their money's worth, and more, out of this. Again, I'm not going to let nostalgia blind me here. Chrono Trigger's good, but 'one of the best games ever made'?? Depending on how many games are allowed on such a list, I wouldn't put it on a top 50.

Reviews

Love this game - it's the same game as Oregon Trail II, with some goofy animation (that can be skipped) and an added gathering feature that I thought was neat. It says this program will run on Vista, but it only barely does. After installing, I had to search and download two patches. It runs now, but there are limits - don't open the guidebook or the diary, you won't get it closed again without ctrl+alt+deleting and closing your game. Don't save your game- it will make it so that you can't talk or trade with anyone, and can't visit forts and such along the way. You'll just have to leave the game open, and hope for the best at river crossings - there's no going back if you're not able to save! I did find that I could open the game twice, and keep one game open to the guidebook, the other as my active game, and flip between the two as needed when a guidebook reference was necessary. All in all, if you've got Vista, don't expect it to work very well. I wish they'd take Vista off the list of operating systems supported by the software, or at least provide a better patch that fixes all of these glitches!

This product was not compatible with any of my computers and when I attempted to contact the vendor for a return mail authorization#, they never responded to me.

I played this game a few years ago, thinking it would be like the one I played during the late 90's and it wasn't very fun. It's not very similar to the older versions. I think oregon trail 2 or 3 are the best. I don't remember which version I played in school.

I purchased the product and have not been able to use it with Windows 7. It will not Run. Is there a patch to make it Run. The purchase was a waste of money.

First of all, this is EXACTLY like oregon trail 2 except they add in some content from 3 and 4, plus the absolutely idiotic animation that has nothing to do with YOUR trip most of the time and just gets in the way. But besides that, its not too horrible. I've loved all the versions of Oregon Trail i've played, which is pretty much all of them, and this one is at least consistent with the series, although i think the designers ran out of ideas and just threw all of them together and called it the "5th edition". So, all in all, its ok, but i'd suggest getting the original version if you can find it, it's by far the best and works even on an XP and mostly likely on a Vista, and is the most fun.