CD-ROM Roundup is a regular KidScreen feature that profiles CD-ROMs aimed at children anywhere from preschool to late teen that will be hitting retail stores in the coming months. By Andrea Haman (416-408-2300 (phone), 416-408-0870 (fax) or haman@brunico.com)

– Name, Publisher & Developer: Freddi Fish and Luther’s Maze Madness and Freddi Fish and Luther’s Water Worries; Humongous Entertainment, Woodinville, Washington

Release Date & Markets: February U.S., with Canada and Australia to follow shortly

Storyline: Freddi Fish and Luther star in their first Junior Arcade games from Humongous Entertainment. In Freddi Fish and Luther’s Maze Madness, Freddi Fish travels through more than 50 mazes collecting Grandma Grouper’s kelp seeds. In Freddi Fish and Luther’s Water Worries, Luther must pop bubbles in over 100 levels to free himself from a whirlpool with bubbles rising from below.

Platforms: Windows 95, Windows 3.1, Macintosh

Target Audience: 3 to 8

Promotion: -in the U.S., each of the titles will be bundled with an earlier Junior Arcade game-Freddi Fish and Luther’s Maze Madness with Putt-Putt and Pep’s Dog on a Stick and Freddi Fish and Luther’s Water Worries with Putt-Putt and Pep’s Balloon-O-Rama-and will be available for $19.95

Partial List of Retail Outlets & Estimated Street Price (US$): CompUSA, Computer City, Best Buy, Egghead Software: $14.95 each

– Name, Publisher & Developer: Banzai Bug; Grolier Interactive, Danbury, Connecticut; Gravity, Inc., San Francisco, California

Release Date & Markets: February- U.S., England, France, Germany

Storyline: Banzai and his fellow insects attempt to build a ‘stinkulator’ to force the human occupants, one of which works as an exterminator, out of their 1950s-style American home.

Platforms: Windows 95

Target Audience: 12-plus

Promotion: -in Egghead Software and CompUSA stores, customers can pick up free demo disks of the game and reserve copies by calling a number provided; customers who reserve the title will receive a $10 rebate with purchase

-in-store catalogue advertising

-co-op advertising with software distributors

-endcaps in retail outlets

-postcards sent to retailers

Partial List of Retail Outlets & Estimated Street Price (US$): Best Buy, CompUSA, Computer City, Egghead Software, Electronics Boutique, Software Etc., OfficeMax; $39.99

– Name, Publisher & Developer

Barbie Magic Fairy Tales: Barbie as Rapunzel; Mattel Media, El Segundo, California; name of developer not disclosed

Release Date & Markets

March U.S. and Canada, and is looking to distribute the title in some European and Asian countries

Storyline: In this twist on the classic fairy tale, Barbie takes on the character of Rapunzel, the story’s heroine, who must escape from the witch and save the prince. This is the first interactive storybook from Mattel Media.

Platforms: Windows 95, Windows 3.1, Macintosh

Target Audience: 4-plus

Promotion: -will continue its strategy of targeting girls directly, as opposed to their parents, which it began with Barbie Fashion Designer -television advertising

Partial List of Retail Outlets & Estimated Street Price (US$): CompUSA, Egghead Software, Toys ‘R’ Us, Target, Staples: $29.99

– Name, Publisher & Developer: Disney’s Ready to Read with Pooh; Disney Interactive, Burbank, California

Release Date & Markets: March U.S., Canada

Storyline: Winnie the Pooh takes children through nine activities that teach pre-reading skills such as learning the alphabet, letter recognition, drawing letters and spelling. This is the first product in Disney’s new Learning Series line.

Platforms: Windows 95, Windows 3.1, Macintosh

Target Audience: 3 to 6

Promotion: -not available

Partial List of Retail Outlets & Estimated Street Price (US$): CompUSA, Egghead Software, Software Etc., The Disney Store: $35.00 to $40.00