Fun School 4 for 7-11 Year Olds

Sinclair User

Overall 83%

It's back to school time again and although most of you may not like the idea lets face it, things could be worse... You could be facing a firing squad or being horribly tortured with some matches and a pair of pliers, or, even more terrifying, forced to watch a Bob Monkhouse TV show with special guest stars Bruce Forsyth and Jeremy Beadle. See, going back to school isn't THAT bad. Although Mr. Brown in 4C with the long nose, dandruff and bottle bottom spectacles might be a boring old fart there are in fact far more enjoyable ways of learning. One of which is right here on your Speccy - educational software. It's puzzling, informative and fun, and best of all, it gives you an excuse to play on your Speccy during time normally allotted for homework without incurring the wrath of your elders. (It also gives you a chance to slip in the odd arcade game for mental stimulation, though don't tell your mum I said this.) There are a wide variety of educational games available so here, to help you choose, is a selection of those currently readily available and a quick guide to their usefulness. FUN SCHOOL (7 - 11 year olds) Europress Software Phone: (0625) 859 333 Tape: £12.99 Disk: £16.99 Again, this version of the Fun School series introduces a new and even harder character, Sammy the Spy, also known as Agent Q. Sammy has to go on a number of missions around the world which test (to the limit in some cases) the user's knowledge of geography, history and mathematics. Again this is quite a difficult game for those who haven't done these subjects for a while but since these games correspond to the new National Curriculum the 7 to 14s should be able to cope. Again everything is very well planned and humourous and the standard of graphics in this Fun School series really is top form. Well done Europress Software.

Sinclair User

Overall 82%

Julian Watsham 82%

Label: Europress Software Memory: 48K/128K Price: £12.99 Tape, £16.99 Disk Reviewer: Julian Watsham With a general election clogging the T.V. channels at the moment, education is likely to be high on the agenda. And quite right too, but teaching can seem to be a little too clinical these days what with financing and budgets etc. Thus it's good to see a little bit of gun injected into the learning process because, as we all know, it's much easier to learn if you're having fun. The fun school series first began back in the mid eighties with Fun School 1, published by Computer Press. With Fun School 2, released in 1989 and Fun School 3 in 1990 selling impressively there was obviously a market for this sort of product, so now the much awaited Fun School 4 has been launched. It consists of three packs, each dedicated to a particular age group, each following current national curriculum guidelines and each retailing at the same price point. Parents take note, you might learn as much from these 'games' as your child. All of these educational packages are well presented and have good graphics which helps greatly, guiding you colourfully through the different learning stages. Bleeps and squeaks are merrily animated indicating whether you've got things right or wrong but sound isn't really over impressive. In general though Fun School 4 is an interesting educational aid. FUN SCHOOL 4 SEVEN TO ELEVEN Let's face it, the one thing that everyone hates about school is the teachers. If you step out of line, you've had it. That's the great thing with the Fun School series, there's no teachers, hoorraaahh! Now this is more like a game! Sammy the Spy (nice name!) goes to headquarters and picks up some instructions And. well, whadda you know they involve him working his way through many difficulties to Egypt and the stolen treasures of King Raram, which he must recover, solving all manner of puzzles along the way. The first test is one of proportions and this is where the whole thing begins to go down hill as you've now got to put your brain in gear and tackle the dreaded mathematics! I used to have nightmares about maths, but don't worry it's not that bad. The first couple of sections are fairly manageable, but the third, which deals with the even more dreaded subject of fractions is a bit on the tough side (just use a calculator when no-one's watching!). If you persevere you're given a 'secret message', which brings you into a general knowledge question round. If you ever go abroad you know you'll have to exchange currencv so here we go with the old mathematics again. This time it's multiplication and division and (shock, horror) you're actually allowed to use a calculator here, but don't use it too much, eh kids? Next up is a Geography test (as you travel to Egypt) and finally it's time for the History test before you get to see the Pharaoh treasure. Sounds like good fun or what? For my money Fun School 4, Seven to Eleven is a much more exciting game than either of the other two. It has more of an adventure element and to be quite honest some of the questions and problems actually put me to shame! Apart from Multi loading problems I would say this game will keep the young ones beneficially busy for quite a while.

Aggh! Proportions, some of this maths is pure hell, use a calc!

Working out foreign exchange can be quite difficult, can't it!

Your Sinclair

Life Expectancy 80%

Graphics 85%

Addictiveness 80%

Instant Appeal 85%

Overall 84%

Linda Barker 84%

Europress £12.99 cass/£16.99 disk [redacted] Reviewer: Linda Barker Being a bit of a girly swot, I really enjoyed school. I remember sitting on the little square of carpet listening to stories, reading to the headmaster, drinking warm milk and throwing up at lunchtime. Those were the days! Funschool 4 takes the place of the classroom quite effectively, as long as it's played with lots of kids screaming in the background. The graphics are clear and colourful and fun throughout, and the difficulty level is just about right for most of the games. There is a basic plot that links all the games together. Sammy the Spy has to go to headquarters and pick up some instructions. From there he has to work his way through all the puzzles, make his way to Egypt and find the stolen treasures of the ancient King Raram. Let's take a look at the games... ALL IN PROPORTION First, Sammy has to pass his proportions test. Yep, it's the dreaded lurgy, a maths game! The first two sections should be manageable but the third one goes into fractions and it's a tad difficult. Persevere and you'll be given a secret message, which leads onto a multiple choice general knowledge bit. The next scene sees Sammy in a travel agent's answering questions about exchange rates. This is all about multiplication and division, you're allowed a calculator but you shouldn't use it too often. After every three questions that Sammy answers correctly, he'll get a bit of his disguise. Once he's all dressed up, it's off to the airport. Suss out the timetable and then get ready for the best bit! Somehow Sammy's got hold of a plane and you've got to learn how to control it. As you fly around, you'll be told what ocean or country you're flying over. Remember these cos in the next level you have to travel to various locations in your fabby hot air balloon. You've got to do the same m a helicopter and a submarine, then you get asked questions like - fly to where the lions live. It's great fun! Pass this test and you can land your plane in Egypt. Here you have to answer loads of historical type questions about dead dudes and past events. These multiple choice questions start off quite easy as you only have to answer in centuries, it gets harder when you have to give exact years. Succeed and you're a winner. Well done! Funschool 4 (7-11) is enjoyable and rewarding. I got quite a kick out of it when I got things right! It's also big enough to keep children occupied for quite some time. The only quibble I have with it, apart from the fact that it's a dreaded multiload, is that some of the instructions are wrong. It won't take you too long to work out what are the right keys, it's just a bit annoying.

"Hey, matey-peeps. Wanna buy a top quality pairs of sunglasses, or an un-used pencil?"

Here's Sammy without his disguise and without his boots. Dig those groovy green socks!

Worra doddle! Come on Sammy, give that camel something to smile about!

Crash

Under 5's 86%

5-7 Yrs 86%

7-11 Yrs 85%

Overall 87%

Mark Caswell 83%

Mark Caswell 83%

Europress Software £12.99 cass (each) Two plus two equals... erm, seven. Oh dear, readers, I think the Crash team need to return to the classroom for a couple of days. Or alternatively, play the latest range of educational games released by our parent company (grovel, smarm). Mark 'Swotty Git' Caswell dons a mortar board and arms himself with a can to review the Fun School 4 packs... There are three game packs on offer, each containing six games. These are for under-fives, five to seven-year-olds and seven to eleven-year-olds. Quite why the Ed asked me to review these game I don't know, at 27 I'm an old crusty (I reckon its punishment for deserting CRASH). But with the Ed's stiletto heel two inches away from my groin, I'll start with the under-fives pack: First off we have 'Addition', where Teddy and five of his pals are sitting in front of a blackboard. Teacher Ted shows pictures and you press the corresponding number on the keyboard. Get it right and Teddy and his classmates are allowed out to play. 'Teddy Paint' allows you to become an Oli Frey acolyte for the day. By pressing different keys choose a variety of shapes and colours, so let your imagination run wild. In 'Fun Train', Teddy takes a train ride. All you do is match the picture on the Fun Train carriage to the one in the middle of the Fun Train ride. A bit of DIY (destroy it yourself) comes next as you help the decorators paint Teddy's house. Different parts of the house are highlighted and a range of colours are offered - if you want to paint the chimney yellow, go ahead. In 'Teddy's Karaoke', you help him pick, play and sing a selection of songs for his party. Finally, Teddy's Books'sees Daddy Bear reading a story to Teddy and his friends. All you have to do is identify the book Daddy Bear's reading. FIVE TO SEVENS The five to seven pack kicks off with 'Library', where Freddy The Frog offers to help out with a bit of book tidying. So you're presented with a pile of books that need sorting into alphabetical order. 'Basketball'sees Freddy join the Harlem Globetrotters (the first person in the office to whistle 'Sweet Georgia Brown' will be punched). Out on the basketball court you identify the missing letter; a correct answer lets Freddy lob a ball into the basket. Freddy goes to the supermarket next in 'Shopkeeper', our froggy hero tells you what he needs from the shop and you decide how much it costs (the price of milk these days, mutter, moan, whinge). Help Freddy build his log cabin in the game (unsurprisingly) titled 'Log Cabin'. Simple sums appear on the screen; if you provide the correct answer Freddy adds another log to his home (get it wrong and he dies of hypothermia). In 'Opposites', Freddy's wife wants to dive into a pond, but she can't until you answer some 'opposite' questions. Finally, Freddy wants to cross the pond, too, so answer questions to help him escape the crocodile. SEVEN TO ELEVENS Last but by no means least, we have the seven to elevens pack. In 'Proportions' you help Sammy The Spy work out decimals, fractions and percentages. Your general knowledge is tested in 'Spy Quiz'; if you succeed Sammy can carry out his mission. Next Sammy finds himself abroad, so in 'Exchange Rates' buy (and identity) five major currencies. In 'Spy Travels', help Sammy find the secret spy base. He travels across the world in various vehicles but can't navigate to save his life (thicky!). And in 'Desert Dates' help Sammy answer historical questions and discover the secret of the pyramids. Despite the fact I left school a decade or so ago, I greatly enjoyed playing Fun School 4. I was impressed with the presentation of all the games. The graphics are especially noteworthy - some are monochrome but others contain all the colours of the rainbow! These packs are excellent value for money. Parents and teachers alike could do far worse than look at the Fun School range of games (phew, I think my job is safe) (bloody creep - Ed). MARK 83%

Down at the basketball court. What a nicely drawn Europress logo!

What a strange bunch of geezers!