Typing Tutor

Sinclair User

Gilbert Factor 6/10

John Gilbert 6/10

PUBLISHER: Computer One PRICE: £19.95 Typing Tutor is intended for people who want to start typing on the QL, with all eight fingers. The package provides an excellent piece of SuperBasic software which gives you tests of increasing complexity starting with the home positions on the keyboard and, in 10 lessons, moves through all types of letter combinations to the formation of simple sentences. The main test display shows a schematic of a keyboard and, underneath, tells the typist which keys to press and a message which informs them whether they have pressed the correCt key. If you press the wrong key the corresponding position on the schematic keyboard is circled and a warning beep is sounded, for those who have mastered the art of hearing QL sound. At the end of each test you will be given a report on your speed, the number of errors which you have made and your accuracy, worked as a percentage. The timings given may be a little suspect as the program is written in Basic and, using the system clock, cannot give a completely accurate word per minute calculation, but the time error is not large enough to greatly alter your chances of becoming a whizz at the keyboard. The QL keyboard is the other disadvantage in using Typing Tutor. The software could be treated more seriously if it was written for a machine such as the IBM PC or even the Commodore 64, but it is good fun and probably the first addictive program for the QL. Typing Tutor on the QL can be compared with the popular IQ and psychology tests of which schools are so fond. If you want a bit of fun with a reasonable piece of software buy Typing Tutor, but if you want to test your pinkies on a keyboard get an IBM PC or, better still, a typewriter.