It's usually a good sign when our pint-sized test subject doesn't require us to sit on his shoulder when testing out educational software. And that was the case for much of The Backyardigans: Mission To Mars, a fun adventure for fans of the show, targeting the over 3s.

It can be played as a journey, so you follow the Backyardigans on their mission, or in free play where you can jump into any activity of your choosing. And once you've input your name you're free to get on with things.

It didn't take long for our young recruit to get hooked in, attracted by the good production values and some early time with the stars of the show. Heading into the missions themselves, there are ten stages to battle through. For around half of these we needed to sit with him and explain what to do, but then he was happy to get on with things.

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Be it a game of Simon, sorting out different objects into colour coordinated lockers or finding a way around a maze, he was engrossed for large parts of it. Some elements he worked through without any guidance at all, including a particular favourite segment where he needed to work out the best route for a rocket to take, to enable it to negotiate a screen full of obstacles. The reward? A big whooshing rocket going across the screen; gold for a near-5 year old.

Not every activity worked, though, and one in particular caused some frustration. It involved fitting shapes into the right holes, and while he soon got to grips with it, it just didn't seem much fun. Furthermore, the occasionally fussy mouse control requirements also put a bit of a dampener on things.

But the upsides, nonetheless, are more bountiful. For the majority of activities here were greatly enjoyed, well explained and pushed different educational buttons. There are also the usual options to soak up some of your ink on assorted print-outs and many of the activities have replay value too.

On the downside, for £9.99 the main game didn't take too long to get through and was comfortably beaten in two 45-minute sessions. That's not great value, unless you really do take the package up on its replay functionality.

But still, there are more reasons to smile than grimace here, courtesy of a professionally packaged, engaging and bright collection of activities that are even better if the intended recipient has a liking for the Backyardigans too.

Some good, solid educational activities that are very well presented. Short-lived, perhaps, but the replay value will probably overcome that drawback.