Look Sharp!

Crash

Rosetta McLeod

CRASH COURSE By Rosetta McLeod CRASH COURSE is back with a roundup of educational software for the new school year. And ROSETTA MCLEOD, who runs computer-assisted learning for the regional council in Aberdeen, will take the class in Crash every three months from now on. So the next Crash COURSE will be in issue 47, on sale 26 November. Read it - after all, there's never anything else for teachers to do around that time of year. In the meantime you may talk QUIETLY among yourselves. LEEDS UNIVERSITY physics student R L Navin has designed a very interesting adventure/arcade game for the 10-16 age group. The player must visit a series of locations, solving a physics-related problem in each. I've seen part of the design, and it has some potential - now Navin is looking for someone to program it with a view to marketing this educational game commercially. Anyone interested can write to me at Crash, and I'll forward the letters. FOR EVERYONE who's asked about catalogues of educational software very good catalogues are available from Rickets Educational Media, [redacted], and from Micro-Jenn Software, [redacted] (if writing to Micro-Jenn, specify that it's Spectrum software you're interested in). FRACTIONS 2 Producer: Key Software, [redacted] Retail Price: £4 on tape, £5.50 on microdrive Age Range: 9 to secondary-remedial level The first two programs on this tape are leaching programs, and the last tests the player's knowledge. Are They The Same? shows that when the numerator and denominator are equal the fraction must equal one, and that fractions such as 2/4, 3/6 and 4/8 are equal. Work Them Out extends this to the numerical concept of equivalent fractions. And Match Them sets some fraction problems. Overall, Fractions 2 is an excellent package, and the teaching sequences make very good use of graphics. Keyboard play: good Graphics: extremely good visual representations and clear colours General Rating: A very effective and attractive method of teaching fractions; it'll give the teacher/parent good information on the child's grasp of the concepts, too. DECIMALS Producer: Key Software Retail Price: £4 in tape, £5.50 on microdrive Age Range: 11 to secondary-remedial level Decimals tests a pupil's understanding of place-value series and the multiplication and division of decimal fractions by ten and 100. A question might ask, for example, 'what is 3.7 x 100?'. If the child gets it wrong a help window appears and the process is taught clearly and graphically, using the example in which the mistake was made. This very useful little program can be used to reinforce understanding of decimal fractions and place-value series. Keyboard play: very good Graphics: clear graphical representations in the help window, attractive colour General Rating: The help window is a particularly useful feature of this valuable program. LOOK SHARP! Producer: Mirrorsoft, [redacted] Retail Price: £7.95 Age Range: 7+ Author: Widgit Written by a head teacher, the two programs in this package are aimed at sharpening observation skills and visual memory. The first, Old MacDonald's Farm, contains three simple games. Memory challenges the player to reconstruct a farmyard scene from memory; Odd-One-Out tests observation with a spot-the-difference game, and Snap is the old favourite for one or two players. Look Sharp's second main program, S.O.R.T. (standing for Space Observer Recruitment Test), measures the player's readiness for a space mission to the Spiral Galaxy. After some practice SORTs, SORT 1 tests visual perception: two columns each made up of three picture elements appear on the screen and the player must spot when elements match. The next SORT deals with visual discrimination. This time, six versions of the same picture are shown, one slightly different from the others - the player has to pick the odd one out. The pictures are quite small with lots of detail, so it's not an easy task. And the final SORT tests visual memory - I discovered mine isn't very good! A picture with nine different elements is shown, and when it vanishes the player has to reconstruct the picture from memory, putting each element in the right place. Keyboard play: fast, but single-key commands make it ideal for very young children Graphics: very nice indeed General Rating: Very good value for money, with a strong fun element. MYSELF AND US Producer: Key Software Retail Price: £4 in tape, £5.50 on microdrive Age Range: 7 to secondary level These two were designed to provide a simple introduction to graphs, but they can also be used separately. Myself is a very simple program which provides the child with information about himself derived from his date of birth - the Chinese year of his birth, his age in years, star sign, number of days lived and day of birth, and an appropriate extract from the rhyme Monday's Child. All this can be printed out on a ZX-type printer. In the second program, Us, the user chooses a graph from one of the following categories: Starsign, Day Of Birth, Favourite Pet, Favourite Colour, Letters in First Name, Favourite Sport. Rooms in The House and Spare (which can be used for a topic of the teacher's choice). Up to 36 users can input information in each category, and then a graph of this information is displayed. So the relationship between the facts and their graphical representation is strengthened, and Myself And Us not only allows children to enter data about themselves but can also give such information as the day of the week on which an event happened or the star sign of a famous person. Keyboard play: very last, with clear screen instructions Graphics: the block, line and solid graphs are all clearly shown, with effective colour General Rating: Excellent and enjoyable. READ-RIGHT-AWAY Producer: H S Software, [redacted] Retail Price: £7.95 Age Range: 5 - 8 The two programs here aim to teach children to read using the phonic method - sounding out each letter of the word. Splashdown involves completing three-letter words. It takes place at sea; each player has a boat made up of three-letter words with one letter missing. If the correct letter is chosen, an aeroplane collects the letter and bombs the 'word boat', which then explodes and sinks into the player's underwater store, providing a visual record of the finished word. The menu allows you to set the skill level, and choose sequences of words which are similar (eg three all beginning with c and ending with t) or completely different (eg s-t, p-d). The position of the missing letter can also be selected. Firefight involves completing words with pairs of letters. This time, the player has to rescue the heroine from the top of a burning building by bridging holes in the building's floor with letters' Again, there's a choice of skill levels, and the letter pairs can be selected. Both games are very nicely presented and fun to play while providing practice in useful skills. Keyboard play: fast Graphics: very eye-catching and attractive, with effective colour. General Rating: Two enjoyable programs with built-in flexibility, so you can cater for each child. COUNT WITH OLIVER Producer: Mirrorsoft, [redacted] Retail Price: £7.95 Age Range: 4 - 7 Author: Marmalade Software These two games introduce young children to the basics of counting and simple addition and subtraction. In Toyshop, Oliver asks the player to count the toys in a shop window. Three different kinds of toys appear in three colours, and the program introduces the idea of sets as well as numbers. Toyshop is structured very well, becoming more difficult only when correct responses show the child's coping well. Lollipop gets further into simple arithmetic. First the prayer has to help Oliver buy lollipops of various colours from the shop; then the quantities of lollipops are added or subtracted. The second time you play the game in a session, two-digit numbers are introduced. Keyboard play: responsive Graphics: simple but attractive General Rating: Two well-structured, easy-to-handle programs which children will enjoy. WORDS AND PICTURES Producer: Chalksoft, [redacted] Retail Price: £9.95 Age Range: 3 - 7 Words And Pictures contains four programs which should encourage children to read. It uses 47 words common in early-reading schemes, and deals both with words and with sentences. In the two words programs, four colourful pictures are shown and a word is printed underneath in lower-case letters. The child must match it to the right picture. The two sentence programs are similar. A nice feature for classroom use: you can store a list of names and scores, and the computer will call each child to the program when it's his turn. The booklet is good, too. Keyboard play: good; single-key commands Graphics: very appealing, with excellent colour General Rating: An attractive package, making excellent use of graphics and sound, suitable for home and school. HOTLINE QUIZ Producer: Chalksoft, [redacted] Retail Price: £9.95 Age Range: 8 to adult This is one of the best quiz programs on the market. The player must repair the hotline telephone link between the world's leaders by correctly answering up to 20 questions. The question sets cover topics ranging from Holidays to Words to Cowboys to Monsters to Pirates. They're graded by difficulty, and new questions can be entered and saved. 11 children are allowed to research and word the questions and answers themselves, they'll be involved in a very effective learning process. Keyboard play: good; single-key commands Graphics: limited but attractive, with good colour General Rating: An excellent and flexible program which can be enjoyed by all the family. SETS Producer: AlphaPlus Educational Software, [redacted] Retail Price: £8.95 plus 90p postage and packing Age Range: GCSE and GCE O level students Sets is the first program in a series of mathematical software from Alphaplus, presenting a new approach to maths education - helping students develop confidence and a deeper understanding of mathematics. The series is based on the GCSE and GCE O level syllabuses. This attractive package includes an extremely comprehensive and well-produced 47-page manual with examples and problems to solve. (No cheating!) The menu offers six options covering sets and Venn diagrams. For the option DRAW VENN DIAGRAMS, for instance, the manual sets 12 problems for the student to solve on paper before using the program to check the answers. Keyboard play: good Graphics: clear and effective, with colour used sensibly to aid understanding General Rating: A very good, comprehensive package developed by experts and aimed at the serious student. AUTO CHEF Producer: Cases Computer Simulations, [redacted] Retail Price: £5.95 Age Range: older student/adults In Auto Chef you become Managing Director of a restaurant chain. The object of this simulation is to quickly increase your £1 million capital to £25 million and take over Trust House Forte! You can up business information onscreen, ranging from a balance sheet to a bar chart summarising a survey of customers' eating habits. And you have to remember there's a greater gross profit percentage on restaurants and cafeterias than on fast-food outlets and takeaways. Menu prices, too, must be considered - but if prices are too high, customers will be lost. Bulk purchase of food and wine, advertising costs, wages, fixtures and fittings... all these have to be taken into account, and all the time you need to keep the shareholders happy or they'll force you to resign! Keyboard play: fast, with simple control keys Graphics: clear bar charts and histograms, but limited colour General Rating: For business studies students, excellent practice in reading accounts and balance sheets. QUICK THINKING Producer: Mirrorsoft, [redacted] Retail Price: £6.95 Age Range: 6 - 12 Author: Widgit The Quick Thinking , cassette contains two early-learning programs, Sum Vaders and Robot Tables. Sum Vaders, for one or two players, gives practice in adding and subtracting a number appears on an Invading spaceship and another on the alien robot which it drops, and these two numbers must be added or subtracted before the robot lands. A wrong answer leaves the world defenceless against the robot invaders' In Robot Tables the player controls a machine manufacturing robots and has to make sure components are assembled in the right order. Again, several levels of difficulty are offered, and it's also possible to control the speed of the machine. At the fastest speed and the most difficult level this is quite a challenge, and the player really needs to know their multiplication tables. Keyboard play: responsive, with simple control keys Graphics: very attractive to children, with clear bright colours General Rating: A good, value-for-money package. PHOTOSYNTHESIS Producer: AVP Computing, [redacted] Retail Price: £10 Age Range: O level students Photosynthesis is a major topic in all biology syllabuses, and this program aims to give factual information and help revision. The menu offers four options: The Structure Of A Leaf, Adaptations Of A Leaf, Photosynthesis Experiments, and The Chemistry Of Photosynthesis. In the section on leaf structure, the user has to label correctly the diagram of a transverse section of a leaf - but before starting he can choose to see a correctly-labelled diagram. When the labels have been entered, the computer does the marking and presents the option of trying again, going on to another section, or seeing the correctly-labelled diagram. The leaf-adaptations option shows how leaves are designed to perform their functions efficiently. Again, the computer will demonstrate the various adaptations and the student is asked to match each adaptation to the role it plays - absorption of sunlight, transportation of gases and so on. Before starting the third section the student should have seen demonstrations of several photosynthesis experiments. The computer demonstrates the apparatus used to test a leaf for starch; to show that light, carbon dioxide and chlorophyll are necessary for photosynthesis; and to show that oxygen is produced. Each stage of an experiment is outlined in simple terms and illustrated with graphics, and then the result of the experiment is clearly stated. The user must match the apparatus to the right experiment. The final section of Photosynthesis, The Chemistry of Photosynthesis, contains a very clear demonstration of the reaction equation, and again the computer tests and marks the student's knowledge. Photosynthesis is a wide and complex topic, so this program doesn't attempt to cover every facet - but it's a very useful aid for O level. Keyboard play: good Graphics: simple, but used to good effect; limited colour General Rating: A useful aid which makes a very difficult topic much more accessible.

Sinclair User

Gilbert Factor 7/10

Theodora Wood 7/10

RAINY DAY SOFTWARE Theodora Wood looks at a wide variety of educational games to keep you occupied during those endless summer holidays. Title: Mr T's Measuring Games Publisher: Ebury Software Memory: 48K Price: £9.95 Title: Look Sharp Publisher: Mirrorsoft Memory: 48K Price: £7.95 Title: Hotline Publisher: Chalksoft Memory: 48K Price: £11.25 Title: Startrucker Publisher: Widgit Memory: 48K Price: £7.95 Title: Zoo Publisher: L'Ensouleiado Memory: 48K Price: £4.85 Title: Castle Publisher: L'Ensouleiado Memory: 48K Price: £4.85 Title: Cortes Publisher: L'Ensouleiado Memory: 48K Price: £4.85 Title: Electronics Learners' Guide No 1 Publisher: ETST Memory: 48K Price: £9.95 Summer holidays are the time of the great outdoors, when activities centered on the computer seem less attractive than in the winter months. Rainy days, however, can be rather daunting, so this month I examine some packages to amuse and interest as well as being of some educational value, for all ages between three and 80. Mr T's Measuring Games from Ebury Software explores the concepts of size, taller/shorter, and higher/lower for children aged between three and six. Growing Races shows two objects on the screen; as the child watches, one increases in size and the object of the game is to press SPACE when their size is identical. Starting with two stationary objects, the game progresses to two moving objects, which makes it rather more difficult to assess the moment when the size is identical. Climbing and Growing displays animals on steps which can be made to shrink or grow, go up or down the steps until they fit the space exactly; the child has to press SPACE when they do that and, if correct, the animals are filled in with colour. For both games a menu can be reached by pressing Q, where difficulty levels can be set between one and nine and sound and colour turned on or off; otherwise the difficulty increases according to the child's skill. The booklet with the package contains plenty of hints for other activities and how to use the program with children of that age group. A useful feature is that CAPS SHIFT/BREAK does not crash the program, so little fingers can explore without fear of that. Measuring Games is attractive in its format and easy to use with very young children. Look Sharp from Mirrorsoft is another fine example of Gordon Askew's skill with graphics on the Spectrum, as seen previously in The Humpty Dumpty Mystery. New packaging provides an A5-size semi-hard cover. Two programs are provided, Old Macdonald's Farm and SORT. Old Macdonald's Farm tests visual skills in three areas - memory, odd one out and snap. For section one, memory skills are tested by showing a picture of four animals placed in different positions on a square; pressing any key makes the animals disappear and then the child has to press a key when a picture appears which matches the animal portrayed previously in that position. If an incorrect response is given, the whole picture is shown again. For odd one out, Macdonald moves along the top of three pictures; pressing any key will stop him above the picture which is the odd one out. In Snap, two pictures are shown, each changing in turn as in a game of Snap; it can be played either as a one- or two-player game and a picture of Old Macdonald is built. SORT presents a situation where a space cadet must pass observation tests, based on the visual skills found in Old Macdonald; the tests are visual perception, visual discrimination and visual memory. The main menu allows a choice of practice at any of those which can be easy or difficult, and the fourth choice is the full test. The visual perception test is a Snap game with a difference, for there are two rows of three pictures and the child has to press any key to indicate any match - of rockets, little spacemen and spaceships. Correct responses allow the blue rocket score to lift off while the red rocket indicates incorrect responses. Visual discrimination asks the user to pick the odd one out of the six pictures shown; that can be difficult and careful selection is needed. The last section, visual memory, asks the child to remember the nine pictures in their correct positions and the picture is shown again with 'press any key when ready' if an incorrect response is made. Quizzes can be an interesting way to pass an hour or two and there are two new programs, Hotline and Startrucker, which are both based on the quiz format. Hotline from Chalksoft is designed to appeal to ages eight to 80. One notable feature is the new approach to packaging shown by the glossy book-jacket-type cover and the accompanying booklet. Previously Chalksoft programs have been minimal in their packages, with a cassette supplied with inner cover, and the new-style packaging must reflect the growing professionalism of some of the smaller software houses, taking their presentation into line with the major publishing houses like Longmans. That obviously increases shelf appeal on the stands of W H Smith and the major retailers. The program is a quiz based on multiple choice of four questions. Once LOADed, there is a start menu which allows the user to play with the current set of questions or LOAD a new set of questions from the outer side of the tape; they are starred according to difficulty level, ranging from one-star (easy) to six-star (genius) covering much options as Cowboys, Pirates and Mastermind. Option three leads to the special menu, where seven more choices can be made. The number of questions in each set for a Hotline quiz can be limited between five and 20; new questions can be added to the current set or a completely new set could be created. The new sets can be SAVED for future use. Options for LOADing a new set of questions or returning to the start menu are also available. The provision of those options ensures that Hotline is versatile and lends itself to repeated usage. As such, the program does not depend for its range of difficulty levels on the questions provided, so that any child who is able to read would be able to use the program and any kind of question could be provided, although multiple-choice answers are not the best vehicles for odd-one-out type questions, which have to be unambiguous. The motivation scenario, however, requires a little more thought; the aim of the game is to answer a number of questions correctly - five to 20 - and complete the link between the two red telephones at the top of the screen. The penalty for failing to accomplish that is a flashing explosion and a skull appearing on the screen. The program notes explain the conceptual nature of the Hotline - "To maintain world peace, the Hotline telephone link between the world's leaders must be kept... but the line has broken and the world is on the brink of disaster... each correct answer repairs another section of the Hotline, until the White House and the Kremlin can speak together again." To be effective as a motivation scenario, Hotline relies on fear of world disaster; a thousand other scenarios could have been chosen as a quiz background which might have been more desirable; also £11.25 it a high price to pay for quiz facilities which can be found in such programs as Whizz Quiz and Jungle Jumble, by Clever Clogs and Computertutor. Aimed at the nine-plus age group Startrucker, from Clever Clogs, shows the same endearing qualities of a mixture of pokes and questions, on-screen happenings and keyboard use as of previous publications. The company has also smartened its packaging but the formula is roughly the same. The motivation scenario for Startrucker is to arrive in a position with the spaceship Jupiter near Earth with no points left and 100 credits. If the force field has also been built-up a leap into hyperspace is executed with flashing lights and colours. Points to buy credits and build up the force field are awarded by correct answers. One hundred questions are provided and they can be changed; Clever Clogs is also soon to release tapes of questions on science, arts or general knowledge, with 600 questions per tape with full compatibility with any of its quiz programs. Adventure programs can provide plenty of reading practice. Zoo from L'Ensouleiado Software, takes the form of an interactive storybook. As the title suggests, the subject matter involves a visit to a zoo; at each stage the child has to decide which animals to visit next. This zoo is different, however, as none of the animals is in a cage and hazards can include dozing snakes and hungry dolphins, as well as a donkey with a sweet tooth which refuses any food except chocolate. Illustrated with line drawings, Zoo simulates a day at the zoo with decision-making at every turn, suitable for seven and eight-year-olds, although not likely to retain interest over a period of weeks. It is an interesting formula, however, which could be developed for all kinds of scenarios. Castle from L'Ensouleiado Software is aimed at the age range 11 to 15. The text-only adventure game is located in a mediaeval castle, based on Walkworth Castle, and the user has to explore the castle and make a full plan of the layout, as well as locate the treasure. Before a move can be made the player has to identify the current location from the description given - a full list of terms and a grid map are provided - or answer a question about castles. If the answer is incorrect things can happen, such as being marched back to the main door by men-at-arms. Castle provides the user with a fascinating way of learning about medieval castles, as well as having the usual ingredients of an adventure game, with up to 84 locations. Good value for money, Castle could be the first of many history games in this format. A visit to a castle during the holidays could be a great deal more informed after using the program and it would be useful in school project work during term time. L'Ensouleiado Software continues the history theme in Cortes for 13- to 15-year-olds, which enables the user to role-play the part of Cortes, the Spanish Conquistador. The player has to make decisions on the information given and will gain or lose points according to those decisions. Equipment checks and crisis reports keep the player alert as to the state of the army and horses and also provide reminders as to the importance of such activity in leading an expedition, as well as illustrating the impact of an alien incursion on native culture. Maps of the area are also shown. The author is a history teacher at a comprehensive school in Cumbria. For those of a more scientific frame of mind, ETST Software has produced a package to teach the first stage of electronics. Learner's Guide No 1 makes no concession to enjoyment as it is a straightforward learning package aimed at those who feel a desire to learn about the subject. The subject matter covers material from the O level syllabus in control technology - the atom, the lattice, the P-N junction, functions of the P-N junction in the semiconductor diode, and Ohm's Law. A 24-page booklet in rather small print outlines the subject matter and each section ends with self-assessment questions. The explanations are clear enough and I found little difficulty in understanding the terminology. The computer program reflects the instruction given in the booklet, with the added advantage that the diagrams are animated, which is of great assistance in understanding such concepts as the behaviour of electrons in a doped silicon lattice and forward and reverse bias. One criticism, however, is that the screens of information scroll without user control and, although a re-run can be made, it would have been useful to have the facility to 'Press any key when ready' as technical information requires some study. The program is recorded on one side of the tape only and it would have been better to have had the SAQs on the other side, rather than in the booklet. The package has its practical side also, because with parts included it is possible to demonstrate the principles contained in the booklet and the program, forward and reverse bias, a continuity tester to test conductivity of household materials, an OR gate and an AND gate. It is the practical aspect of the work which really illustrates the working of the theory, as in a science lesson. Learning to wire the components and identify them is of great assistance in attaining a thorough understanding of the working of the theories and can form the basis of further practical work. My local electrician priced the components supplied at £3, so a price of £5 for components supplied by ETST to build an electronic communicator between different rooms in a house or to call up to seven people does not seem unreasonable and, having followed the learning package, is entirely feasible, as the circuit diagram is very clear and straightforward, once the components have been identified. It is not recommended for those who do not enjoy the idea of wires trailing round the house but would be an interesting project to follow when other pressures of study were less exigent. ETST is preparing another package to cover the transistor as the basis of Learner's Guide No 2. Looking back at these packages, from the most professional-looking design boxes to the simple cassette case, it is apparent that, as with books, you cannot judge a program by its cover. It would seem also that part of the reason for higher prices is the packaging which, although attractive on a shelf, does not necessarily mean that it is better value in educational terms.

Learner's Guide No 1

Mr T's Measuring Games

Old Macdonald's Farm