Note Invaders

Crash

Rosetta McLeod

CRASH COURSE By Rosetta McLeod MUSIC TO MY EARS For this, the first CRASH COURSE of the New Year, I have looked at a mixed bag of educational software. Three music programs landed on my desk, and it is good that this interesting area, enjoyed by both children and adults, is at last being given the attention it deserves by the publishers. The trio of programs, ranging from Theory of Music (a formal approach for those studying for music exams) to the lighter but no less valuable, Note Invaders and Pazazz, should appeal to a wide audience both young and old. The other programs reviewed this month are aimed at the 7-12 age group, and are representative of the increasingly wide range of software becoming available. From major publishers like HILL MACGIBBON to the smaller KEY SOFTWARE (run by a teacher), the programs cover a whole variety of skills ranging from teaching punctuation, spelling and fractions, to developing the more abstract concepts of logical thought and problem-solving. Next month I'll be looking at software from Granada Television to accompany their series of programs on The Micro At Work DON'T MISS IT! NOTE INVADERS Producer: Chalksoft Retail Price: £9.95 Age Range: Anyone learning music or an instrument I always like CHALKSOFT's software, and this package keeps up their high standard. Note Invaders contains three programs. Side One of the tape holds Note Invaders. a version of the shoot 'em down type of game, in which a note travels across the staff and you have to press the correct key for the note (A to G) to release a rocket before the note wipes you out! You can choose to have the notes on the treble or bass clef, and with three levels of difficulty, the game can become fast and furious. The quicker the note is recognised, the more points are scored, and the highest scores are shown on the screen. The second side of the tape contains two programs, Staff 1 and Staff 2. The first one teaches the basics of reading the staff, and helps the user learn the names of the notes. The clef is explained, together with leger lines, and the old mnemonic "Every Good Boy Deserves Football" is also taught, Staff 2 provides a test of twenty questions, and notes are shown on screen as a is heard. The teacher can choose to set questions on the treble or bass clef, and has the option of using the program with one pupil, or as a repeating test for a number of pupils. During the test, notes appear on the staff, and the pupil must name them correctly. If a question is answered incorrectly, the screen display reverts to the teaching mode, showing the named notes. If desired, the scores may be retained in memory until the teacher calls them up. This is a really excellent little program which all beginners should enjoy and benefit from. The game in particular, makes the mastering of the basics a fun task and is ideal for young learners. COMMENTS Control keys: kept very simple Keyboard play: very responsive Graphics: excellent Use of colour: very effective Sound: extremely good