Making learning fun is a magical combination. Mentor Interactive pulls it off with My Virtual Tutor Reading for the DS, in a big way. The demo we received was for K to 1st Grade but my 3rd grader had a lot of fun with the game. The game was fun, informative, challenging at times and will hopefully add to his reading comprehension, even at his level of reading.

The game is broken into the 4 areas: Books, Phonics, Quiz and Options. Through each area and level you are guided by a tutor, represented by a woman in glasses whose voice is kind and easy. Gentle music plays in the background creating a soothing environment in which to learn.

The Books section allows you to select from 7 different stories. Each story allows the player to listen to the story read to them, where the kind tutor reads the story audibly and the words light up on the screen for the reader to follow. Also, the player can explore the story which has the listener respond to questions about the story in an interactive manner throughout the story. Next the player can participate in the "I Can Read" section. In this section the reader responds to the tutor by reciting a sentence or phrase after it is read to them. Their audio response is then analyzed. Finally, there is a paint section that allows the listener to make a picture and color it while the story is read to them.

In the Phonics section, the player can participate in the Starts, Rhymes, Contains and Sound Out sections. These activities are broken into Tutor and Challenge activities that make learning fun and game like. For example, the Start section may ask the player to select words that Start with the "ch" sound as various words fly by. For Contains, it may ask the player to select words that contain a particular letter or sound. The activities are scored like a game and fun to play.

In the Quiz section, the game aspect comes alive. Players can select prizes to play for and to earn the prize, them must complete several activities to "uncover" the prize. These activities span all the learning areas and other activities and include creating words from a jumble of letters as well as some cognitive questions. This area feels much like a game where a player can get lost in learning.

The last section is Options and besides the typical sound and other audio level adjustments, it includes the Parent Mode section. This section allows parents to review progress and stats for the book and phonics sections. This is a great feature to allow parents to identify any areas that they can work on with their student.

One of the amazing things about this game is the overall positive feel of play. Players are encouraged throughout the activities and encouraged based on what they are doing which creates a great learning experience. This aspect alone would make the game well worth it for your young student, but the truth is that they will have fun, they will learn and that is a combination that makes for a great success. My Virtual Tutor can tutor my sons anytime.