1984

Personal Computer News

Clare Gurton

Clare Gurton looks at some recent educational software, in particular an aid to studying Shakespeare. SPECTRUM SCHOLARS Shakespeare's Macbeth is among Penguin's newly-launched Study Software series featuring programs written by teachers to give CSE and O-level students the ability to study Shakespeare's plays 'by means previously impossible' - an impressive claim. DOCUMENTATION The documentation is sparse, as it's assumed you'll have a Penguin edition of the play to hand. The inlay tells you how to load the program and there are a few hints on how to use it. GETTING STARTED While the program loads, two title screens appear - the Penguin logo, and the illustration from the cassette cover. The program allows you to select themes and characters from the play and will search its database for relevant references. You can choose from seven characters and 24 themes. But you're limited to a maximum of three items, so you could search under one character and two themes, or vice versa. A search can be limited to a single act or the whole play. The simple single-key commands are easy to use and you can exit any process at will. IN USE During a search the screen is split into windows. You're reminded of the search topics, given a reference and a comment for each 'find'. Other themes or characters for consideration may appear where relevant. I decided to select Macbeth with the theme of prophecy. The first screen referred me to Act 1, Scene 3, line 50 - a little difficult to find when you're not using the Penguin text. I spent ages counting lines without knowing whether I was looking at the right quotation. For the first 'find' the program asked: 'Have the witches in their prophecy spoken Macbeth's secret ambition?' There are no easy answers in this study pack: the statements provided are thought-provoking, not simple cribs. At the end of a search you're given the number of references found in each act and a total. If your search has come up with nothing. It's politely suggested that you may be searching under combinations that will not help your understanding of the play. VERDICT The program has been given plenty of thought and the authors have chosen the most important characters and themes from the play. However, I was annoyed at having to look from book to screen; if only the relevant lines had been displayed. It's a great pity there's no option for printing the results of searches. Many of these might have been of value as revision notes and essay plans. Also, the program would be of no use to students unfamiliar with the text who could spend too much time searching irrelevant combinations. Less talented students might find some of the statements confusing rather than helpful. The program may offer an unusual way of studying Shakespeare, but to get the most out of it students really do need guidance, from either teachers or a good study text. Penguin's Shakespeare doesn't really live up to its more exaggerated claims but is an interesting use of micros in education. DILIGENT DUO From Amazing Games comes 1984, an O-Level revision package for George Orwell's novel. The program gives three out of four ways of revising the text with main menu offerings being: three example essays; plot summary; notes on the text; and quit. Once you've chosen one of these, you have to load data. The instructions tell you to rewind the tape. press play and 'be patient'... you have to be. There's a choice of three exercises: discussion essay, an essay requiring many references from the text, and tracing one main theme throughout the text. The plot summary examines each chapter's plot in relation to its contents. 'Notes on the Text' is a glossary of the words and phrases of 'Newspeak'; themes from the book such as Winston's ulcer are also explained. Some of the information in this program could be useful for O-level candidates, but it would be so much easier and quicker in book form. Cargo, from Sinclair and Macmillan, is a well-produced package in the Science Horizons series. It has the advantage of a readable booklet covering the program's use as a model and background information. All perhaps a little daunting for younger users, however. You have to load and sail a cargo ship. Points are scored for the safe delivery of cargo. You can choose ranks such as cadet or chief officer and the ports you wish to visit during the game. The screens are generally very good but the one for loading is complicated and requires you to have read the booklet first. Once sailing, all sorts of mishaps can occur. assuming you've managed to evenly load the cargo on to the ship to start with. High seas, gales and water salinity combine to make safe sailing hazardous. To survive mishaps, you must learn the principles of loading up, planning a safe journey, the importance of the Plimsoll line and so on. This is a good example of a game where learning is incidental, but will undoubtedly occur, and in this respect it holds advantages over run-of-the-mill formal practice programs.