We bought piano wizard and have been pouring through everything this week. It's a fantastic program.
I can't do a full review just yet, (will soon!) but since some of the objections to the program are the busy background and the colors, I want to clarify that it is very easy to turn the background off, as well as the colored notes. You can do either and/or both. You can customize a lot of things, import your own midi songs, and it's very user friendly. The kids hardly know they are practicing the same song because they can play it in the water, with dinosaurs, in outer space, and they can choose different icons to represent the notes. When you play the note correctly, it changes into a colorful animation, like eggs that hatch into a pterodactyl, or a rocket that shoots off. It's so fun, even for Mommy. I really love how it only rewards correct behavior (ie, playing the right note at the right time), and how my children are already developing a stronger sense of beat. My 5-year-old had struggled with it, but he caught on really fast with PW. You can make the images show fingering or letter names. My 2-year-old is very capable of playing the game, and even my 13-month-old has enjoyed the free-play mode, although I still maintain that SM is probably better for toddlers who are developing their fine-moter-skills. I really love PW's curriculum- it's well thought out and turn-key. My 4-year-old has responded very well to their sticker system. She is VERY motivated to earn more stickers, especially because it's a challenge. Piano Wizard is my shiny new toy so I wanted to share.
Soft Mozart and Piano Wizard are both fantastic programs. There are pros and cons to each.
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