Clever Clogs - Whizz Quiz

Crash

Rosetta McLeod

KIDS RULE OK? By Rosetta McLeod with Colin Burgess aged 12. Recently, I read a report on using micro computers in education which made the point that the computer has the power to develop and fulfil the human brain's creative impulse. The writer went on to say that while adults might stop and question the desirability of such power, children have no such reservations. Children, in fact, lacking the adult's awe of computers and possessing highly active imaginations, can teach adults a great deal. Constructive use of micros in an educational sense centres around three way communication - communication in all directions between the adult, child and computer. While the adult should direct and control the use of educational programs, (and will no doubt overcome computer-awe in the process), the child will not only learn from experience but also teach the supervising adult! Colin Burgess, a 12 year old pupil of mine, wrote the following diary entries for a week. I wonder how many Dads can identify with Colin's portrayal of his father? My New Home Computer (With acknowledgements to Mission Impossible) FRIDAY I was up in my bedroom trying to teach Hammy (my hamster) to do somersaults, with no results, when I heard my Dad come in. He started rabbling on about microchips and keeping up with the modern times. That's all I heard! SATURDAY I went into town in the morning and bough a comic and some jokes. My Dad got home and he was carrying a computer magazine. VERY SUSPICIOUS!!!!!!! SUNDAY I lay in bed until 12 o'clock. I got up and ate some breakfast. My Dad came through to the living room and did his morning workout, with Jane Fonda. What a bore. MONDAY I went to school. Got an A for science homework. In science we did an experiment with bunsen burners. TUESDAY I came home and found my dad had bought a home computer. I questioned him about it, and he said "Don't bother me now, I'm up to my neck in Peeks and Pokes". He then went on "You're supposed to get 64K RAM with this. I haven't seen a sheep yet"!!!! I hope I get a shot at it soon. WEDNESDAY After I explained ROMS, RAMS, PEEKs and POKES to my dad he wished that he'd stayed with his war comics. I think 'MY' computer is just amazing. THURSDAY My Dad has given up with the computer. I've got a game called 'Giggling Penguin Invaders From Outer Space in the Vicinity of Ursa Major'. I played the game several times. In my last game I had 99,999,999,785 points when a 250 point penguin waddled into my sights and then... the power failed. I was sick! WHIZZ QUIZ Producer: Argus Press Software Memory Required: 48K Retail Price: £7.95 Author: Clever Clogs Age Group: 7 and over As the title suggests, this is a quiz for up to four players, which uses the formal of a board game. The player has to answer a variety of general knowledge questions and move four chips around the board. As in most hoard games, you need a throw of 1 or 6 or a multiple of 6 to begin. The questions which have to he answered are quite varied, eg: Which number comes next? 3 6 9 12 We can cross the. sea in a - - - - How many legs has a bee? An excellent feature of the Clever Clogs series is the Parents'Page. By pressing CAPS SHIFT and Q when the message' Press P to play'comes up, the adult can reset the questions This. of course, means that the quiz can be used with children of varying ages and abilities, and gives the program immense potential for school use. The sensible notes which accompany the game gives some useful advice to parents: 'When resetting the questions. don't make them too difficult, but gradually increase the challenge. Add questions on your telephone number or address, link some into the spelling lists from school... that way you will keep them busy for hours, and learning basic skills.' Inventive parents and teachers could, I am quite sure, make extremely profitable use of this game. I intend to use it to help teach children Library Research skills through questions like: What dues the term fiction mean? Colin enjoyed this game though he felt, as I did, that the instructions could have been clearer and that the layout of the board could have been explained at the start, as it takes the player quite a while to become orientated. COMMENTS Control Keys: CAPS SHIFT/Q for Parents' Page; answers to questions typed out as normal Keyboard Play: good Use of Colour: simple and clear Graphics: confined to the representation of a games board

ZX Computing

Mike Edmunds

SPECTRUM LESSONS A mixed bag for Mike Edmunds to criticise and commend as he sees fit. Once upon a time if you wanted a game to play then you visited your local software shop. If you required something in the educational line you had to resort to mail-order or search out a specialist supplier. Nowadays, however, we find an increasing number of 'educational' programs rubbing shoulders with our favourite arcade game. Whereas the use of the computer as a valuable educational tool within the school is undeniable, does the rapidly expanding range of 'home learning' software successfully bridge the gap between home and school? This month some of the currently available programs are examined and assessed... WHIZZ QUIZ Spectrum 48K Computertutor, [redacted] £6.50 The second title comes from Computertutor, who can boast, as part of their family based team, reviewers co-designers aged from three to eight? The program is called 'Whizz Quiz' and is one of eight 'Clever Clogs' titles, this one aimed at children of 7+. Basically, this is a computerised version of Ludo with a selection of general knowledge questions appearing at random. An animated character, Clever Clogs, is the guide throughout the game. The computer throws the dice for each turn, however, don't play just against Clever Clogs - he seems to get very high throws and extra turns much more frequently than I did! The screen gets pretty crowded when four play and the hectic race around the board is obviously part of the appeal for children. Personally, I didn't like the randomness of the questions, but my class of 7-9 year olds loved it. There is an option for parents/teachers to change the questions but this is a time-consuming task! Nicely presented and fun for the home, but likely to be of less value within a class-room.