Welcome to FamilyGames.com. The games and educational software on this site are by Nick Sullivan of AHA! Software. To learn more about happenings at this and our other sites, please read our blog, Half Notes. To discuss AHA! Software’s games and other products, our websites, or just about anything else, feel free also to join in the discussions on our message forum, The Salon.

News, announcements and specials

I Live At Santa’s House! wins FreeFunFiles ‘Editor’s Pick’

We’re honored that FreeFunFiles.com, a software site we hold in high regard, has for the second time in a year (see Alphen item below) conferred their monthly Editor’s Pick award in the Children’s Games category on one of our products. This time, appropriately for the season, FreeFunFiles is recommending I Live at Santa’s House!, our Christmas-time ‘activity center’ for little ones aged 3 to 7. It’s a peaceful game, but an involving one, as your child takes the role of an elf living and working with Santa at the North Pole. The original pastimes and activities in this seasonal favorite bring positive fun to Christmas-loving tykes everywhere.

CD — $16.00 USD + $5 shipping

Electronic Delivery — $16.00 USD

Download trial version

I Live at Santa’s House! offers kids the delightful fantasy of being an elf in Santa’s House, decorating the tree, baking cookies, wrapping gifts, testing toys in Santa’s Workshop, and more. Brigid Skelton’s gorgeous illustrations capture the timeless appeal of an old-fashioned Christmas all year long. Ages 3-7.

NoteCard 2.5 Available Now!

The latest and greatest edition of our popular NoteCard program is version 3 (see announcement below), but unfortunately it isn’t available for those users with Windows 95 and Windows 98. As a service to those users, we have now released the special freeware edition NoteCard 2.5, which is to be the culmination of the NoteCard 2 line. If you have Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, NoteCard 3 is the one to get, with its extra features and fun, but for the fast-vanishing remainder NoteCard 2.5 delivers the essentials of the old product in an all-new package. See our Freeware Lane page for details.

The Meadow, by Clicktoy Interactive

This looks like a terrific game for toddlers, and great value at just $20.

We quite often receive requests from other game publishers to list their products here at FamilyGames.com, but our criteria of quality, suitability and safety are hard to meet. All the more welcome then is The Meadow, a strong entry from Clicktoy Interactive that was released last year for Windows and is now available for Macintosh as well. Recommended for ages one through five, The Meadow has no competitive element, no scores, no winning or losing. Like our own activity game I Live at Santa’s House the software furnishes a safe but stimulating environment for children to inhabit and explore.

The pleasant outdoor setting takes in a variety of meadow and woodland scenes, complete with cheerfully animated animals and natural features. Your child interacts with this world by means of the computer keyboard. The keys are divided into groups, each with its own type of effect: for example, the function keys activate environmental features like clouds, rain and wind; while the ordinary letter keys are each associated with an animal behavior. This well-designed interface allows for plenty of variety yet is easy to use and understand. Just as importantly when dealing with such young children, it also blocks access to the desktop, so there is no danger of small fingers causing big problems for your computer during unsupervised use. However, as we often say of our own games, the best rewards emerge from moments shared, so be sure sometimes to sit down with your little one and together enjoy a brief but restorative excursion into the untroubled world of The Meadow.

Click here to download the trial version of The Meadow for Windows
Click here to buy the full version of The Meadow for Windows immediately
Click here to visit the Clicktoy Interactive website, which features an entertaining video about The Meadow

More NoteCard News — Version 3.1 Also Available Now!

We have just released a new update to NoteCard 3, which is nowadays our flagship version. NoteCard 3.1, featuring support for MIDI input instruments, is available through AheadWithMusic.com, or you can download it with this direct link. This is the most advanced NoteCard ever. If you or someone in your family is learning to read music, or considering doing so, why not let NoteCard show you how much it can help?

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Alphen is FreeFunFiles Editor’s Pick

FreeFunFiles.com, an attractive and well-organized software distribution site that’s always worth a visit, have awarded our Alphen game their Editor’s Pick award in the Children’s Games category for May 2009. We’re grateful, of course, but we would like to point out that Alphen isn’t just a children’s game. Not by any means. If you’re looking for an unusual and fast-paced word game, Alphen just might be for you too, whatever your age!