Educational computer games have always been a turn-off for youngers, simply because they're too boring. But US Gold is set to change all that with a whole series of games based on Walt Disney and Muppet characters. So now it's over to Donald Duck, Winnie the Pooh and Kermit...

Educational games have never really taken off because it's very difficult to achieve that crucial mix between learning and fun. You either learn and get bored or have fun and stay dumb.

US Gold obviously thinks it's onto a winner with its new Disney and Muppet series because youngsters (even oldsters) just can't resist old favourites like loudmouth Donald Duck, podgy Pooh Bear and that lovable lump of green felt, Kermit.

They are the product of exclusive licences between US Gold and Walt Disney Productions and Muppet Productions, which give US Gold the right to distribute existing American Walt Disney software produced by Sierra On-Line and create programs based on future films as well as the character licence of Walt Disney and Muppet characters.

The name of the game is 'edutainment', another grizzly piece of jargon which means that educational programs are presented in such a way that you don't realise you're learning while you're having fun. Let's load up the first game and see what Donald Duck is up to.

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Donald Duck's Playground is more obviously educational than the other two as well as being the best of the bunch. Donald's task is to build a playground for those three little brats, his nephews. But first he has to earn the money to buy the parts: swings, tyres, slides and lots more. Luckily, there are plenty of job opportunities in Disneyland so Donald can work for McDuck Airways, the product market, the toy store or Amquack Railways.

The entire range of activities involved in transacting money is designed to give kids an understanding of the various units, relative values of coins and notes, budgeting, counting money and working out change. Working in the airport involves matching sets of letters, while other areas provide simple memory tests and time-telling.

A sharp-eyed player will notice some very nice touches. One of these is that Donald looks both ways whenever he crosses the road. All the characters are very realistic, and the animation and use of sound are complementary - two aspects which are not always found in games for young children. They are essential to provide an incentive to use the program. There are also three levels of play if you want faster action and higher scores. And, of course, that's exactly what you'll want.

Let's roll back the curtain because, heeeere's Kermit, complete with the rest of the crazy Muppet gang. Described as a spin-a-word writing kit for kids of all ages, you build up sentences from words contained in an in-built dictionary which are then illustrated graphically on the screen.

First, though, you have to set the scene. There are twelve different backgrounds, all with their own theme tune, ranging from a cave, city, jungle, library and space. Then you choose a character from the 21 available - there's all the Muppets as well as several animals, a monster and a tuba! Finally there are 19 verbs including dance, spin, moo, fly or sleep. Once you have chosen the necessary words, it's time to animate them.

Length of sentences vary both in size and complexity. A short sentence might be: "The cow is on the moon", while the next page might have space for a longer one such as, "On the moon, Miss Piggy dances in the rocket away from the rat". Prepositions are added for you.

The seemingly complicated task of choosing names and verbs has been simplified by making the whole process joystick-controlled. You simply press the fire-button to make a selection. Then you turn over a page to create another story by moving a cursor to the far right of the screen. To move back you move the arrow off to the left of the screen. Finally, you can save your work on disk, play it back or correct it.

Children will have lots of fun composing scenes, though they might need an adult's help for some of the words. A complete list of words in the program, with illustrations, comes with the pack as well as instructions for saving stories.

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Perhaps the most charming of the three games is Winnie The Pooh In The Hundred Acre Wood, featuring the old honey guzzler himself. Very different from the other two games, this one is an adventure with all the features you would expect to find. It comes with a map of the thirty locations and you move between them using the instructions north, south, east and west.

Christopher Robin's playroom is the first scene. We read that the blustery wind was blowing in the night and that it was so strong that the wood's residents - Kanga and Roo, Eeyore, Piglet, Christopher Robin, Rabbit and Mr Sanders (alias Pooh) - have mislaid some of their belongings. It is your job to find the ten objects (one by one) and return them to their owners.

Accompanying information gives you lots of hints as to what belongs to whom. For example, you read that Rabbit is a keen gardener, so when you come across the hoe, simple deduction tells you it is his. You are also told that if you are stuck, Owl is there to help you out because, from the top of his tree, he can see everything going on in the wood - he's a right know-all.

Also provided is a map with all the locations on it. So if you find yourself with a balloon in the dead tree and thing that it belongs to Roo, you'll know to go north. Each time you play, the items are to be found in different locations, so there's always a new challenge.

There is a line or so of text on each frame. It could be asking you what you want to do next, an explanation why a site has a particular name (such as Where The Woozle Wasn't) and lots of other interesting facts and figures.

In this program, more so than the others, it is essential to be able to read. You also have to use the keyboard, but children soon learn where the letters are. Other than that, they will have no problems at all, and will find the style of the program thoroughly motivating.

There are very few educational programs written for children to use at home that are as nice as these. Mirrorsoft is the only other company that has managed to write good adventures for children. They are a refreshing change from many of the boring educational games that really don't deserve a second look. In any case, I'm a sucker for Kermit.

US Gold is planning to bring out more Disney and Muppet programs soon. First out will be Mickey Mouse and Gonzo programs followed, rather later, by games based on the Black Cauldron and Return To Oz films.