I believe the old classic Hooked on Phonics concentrated way too much on the decoding aspect of reading and sounding out words and not enough time on actually learning twhat the words mean or comprehension.

Experts generally belive that phonics alone is not enough to teach reading to a child. You need to use an approach that combines phonics as a way to recognize words by letter sounds with a method to teach your child the meaning of those words.

Well the new deluxe reading program has taken care of this drawback as it now combines phonics with actual comprehension. With this new reading program, your child not only recognize words by the sounds of letter chunks, but he or she will be able to understand the meaning behind what they just read.

Here is an example. Instead of your child just pronouncing "Huh-aaa-tuh", with this new improved reading program, they will understand that "Huh-aaa-tuh" spells "Hat" which is a piece of clothing that people where on their heads,

Also included is a Parents' Toolbox which contains an Video of Introduction, an alphabet cassette, a guide, and various supplies to help child motivation including reward stickers.

There are reading road posters that are meant to hang on the wall. Along the "road" are the titles of the readers and the workbook stories. Every time a child reads a story or book, they can receive a sticker to place on the road.

The flash cards include Helper Word Cards which contain common sight words that don't follow the rules and therefore are challenging to sound out, as well as Word Play Cards that are used to play games found in the workbooks.

The workbooks are well done as well. They are colorful, and employ a variety of different activities to keep kids interested.

Children nowadays are so turned off by reading that it is important that parents introduce books that are not intimidating and will keep the child's mind from wandering. The books contained in the system are a great introduction to reading and they will nurture a love of learning that will follow your child throughout their school years.

Although this program of course requires some commitment on the part of both parent and child, it is very easy to use.

I have just found out that there are now several different Hooked On Phonics reading programs available depending on the needs of your child. For example:

• If you feel that your child needs to practice sounding out words or stumbles over words when he reads out loud, then the "Learn To Read System" is the program you will need to help him or her achieve the next level. This system is created for children ages 3 to 7
• Let's say that your child can easily read words like bring, skate, and crowd, then the "Master Reader" program can help he or she develop advanced phonics skills and take them up to a 6th-grade reading level. With this program a computer is necessary.
• Now if your child happens to be 9 or older and cannot read words like bring, skate, and crowd, the "Classic" program can help he or she develop reading fluency and can help them get back on track.