CD-Rom -- ''The Wanderoos''

"The Wanderoos" Optical Data Interactive (800) 887-0022 Windows, Macintosh $59.95 (or $49.95 without the Wanderoos puppet)

One of the nicest programs for the kindergarten set is "The Wanderoos Go To Town," by Optical Data Interactive of Warren, N.J. The software, which ties in with "KinderVentures," the company's classroom software, is targeted at 3- to 8-year-olds.

"The Wanderoos Go To Town" and its companion, "The Wanderoos Go Exploring," are the company's first ventures into the consumer market. They are so nicely done, one hopes they venture some more.

The Wanderoos, Pocket and Tails, are kangaroos with the world view of 5-year-old humans. They help lead the user to explore Wanderooville, a place where just about every mouse click offers some fun wrapped around some learning.

Places to visit include a doctor's office, a grocery store, a museum, a school and an auto shop. The educational content includes numbers, shapes, colors, picture puzzles, more than 100 full-motion video clips and 350 digitized pictures. There are all sorts of sounds, including four songs on the CD-ROM.

If you wish to think like a teacher, the curriculum areas covered are human biology, the senses, exercise, personal care, people, food and nutrition.

The animation is smooth, the voices are appropriate and the sound effects are aimed squarely at the target audience - lots of whizzing and whooshing. The screen art is done cleanly and simply,

with strong colors, again with the audience in mind.

Parents can adjust the software for easy, medium and hard skill levels.