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^5                  R I C K ' S   R E V I E W S  I I.

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^1 The following reviews are from Rick Corbett from Bristol.  These are
^1taken from reviews he has written for MicroMart magazine.

^1 As  most  of  you  will  know,  we have titles on Deja Vu's Licensed
^1software  range  as well as one commercial release and other projects
^1which  will  be mentioned in future issues.  We did not think it very
^1fair  to write reviews on our own programs however much we like them,
^1but as Rick has written the following, we will include them - and no,
^1we  did  not bribe him to say what he has, the reviews are as he sent
^1them  to  us!!   Also  included  are  reviews of PollySoft's Licensed
^1Software.

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^5                     AMOS Educational Licenseware


^5                             Deja Vu Software.

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^7                        Play It Safe (LPD14)

^6 This program was written by Len (aka Sparx) and Anne Tucker to teach
^6children  about  dangers they may come across at home, in the garden,
^6street, car and in the park.

^6 When  the  program  loads  there's  an  intro  sequence  which shows
^6"beasties"  going into a house to make it unsafe.  The purpose of the
^6game  is to undo their foul deeds and make everything safe again.  An
^6option  screen  follows  where  the child is asked to type his or her
^6name  to  be  used later in a progress chart.  There's a picture of a
^6house  with  various  places  labelled  e.g.   To the kitchen, to the
^6bathroom,  to  the  park, etc.  The program moves on to a location of
^6the child's choice and the mouse pointer changes to a teddy bear.

^6 In  each  location  there  are 5 dangers to be found.  The child can
^6click  on objects and areas in each location using the teddy pointer.
^6The teddy will nod or shake his head and a description will appear in
^6the  window  under the picture.  If the child is right the teddy goes
^6to  get a cage with part of a "beasty" inside it.  When teddy is back
^6on  the  screen,  the child can click on a down arrow to a reason the
^6situation  was  dangerous.   The  dangers are chosen at random from a
^6larger  list  so that the game is different each time it's played and
^6the child will learn about different dangers.

^6 Each  location  has  option  buttons  below.  WAY OUT lets the child
^6leave  the  room  but this means the location cannot be entered again
^6until  a  new  game.   SCORE  shows  a progress chart to see how many
^6dangers  have  been found in each place and the overall score for the
^6current  game.  NEW GAME resets the score chart and restarts the game
^6without  having to reload from the start while QUIT exits the program
^6completely.

^6 The  entire  program  appears  well  written and bug-free.  A lot of
^6effort   has   gone  into  making  it  informative,  interesting  and
^6child-friendly.  The graphics are colourful, detailed and well drawn.
^6The animations are smooth and flicker free while the music, which can
^6be  toggled  on  and  off  using the "M" key, is bright and cheerful.
^6Criticisms?  I don't have any!

^7                         Work & Play (LPD8)

^6 Work  and  Play  is  the  title of yet another program by Len Tucker
^6using  his  pseudonym Sparx.  The program contains 3 games:- Funtimes
^6table,  Let's  Go Shopping and Click Clock.  The first game, Funtimes
^6Table  is  designed  to teach children their multiplication tables by
^6means  of a board game.  The child chooses how many players (1 or 2),
^6enters the names of the player(s), then decides whether the game will
^6be  easy  or hard.  A nice idea here is that the difficulty level can
^6be  set differently for each player.  After choosing which game piece
^6to use the player(s) move onto the game board.

^6 This  looks  similar to the familiar "Snakes 'n' Ladders" board with
^6100  numbered  squares.   Some  of the squares are plain, others have
^6coloured stars on them.  To the right of the screen is a set of dice,
^6a Start button and the playing pieces to be used.

^6 The dice are rolled by clicking on START and the game piece advances
^6up  the board by the number that is thrown.  If a game piece lands on
^6a  coloured  square  then  another  screen slides smoothly into place
^6showing  a  professor  in front of a chalkboard above a row of number
^6buttons.

^6 A  maths  problem  appears  on  the  board according to the level of
^6difficulty  chosen and the colour of the square.  It must be answered
^6by  clicking on the numbers below.  A "help" screen is available that
^6shows  a  number  of multiplication tables.  If the correct answer is
^6entered  then the playing piece advances a number of squares.  If the
^6answer is wrong then the player misses a go and stays where they are.
^6In  either  case  the  question  screen  slides out of sight again to
^6reveal  the  game  board  once more.  Play continues until one player
^6reaches  the  last  square.   The  game  can  then be played again or
^6another game chosen.

^6 The  second  game,  Let's Go Shopping, takes place in a village shop
^6where  the  child  can  learn  how to do simple sums by answering the
^6questions  on  the  screen.   The  screen  shows  a cartoon character
^6tending  a  till  on  a  counter  surrounded  by  shelves of tins and
^6cartons.   At  the  bottom  of  the  screen  is another set of number
^6buttons and three option buttons - NEXT SUM, HELP and EXIT.

^6 Click  on  the NEXT SUM button and a maths problem appears.  The sum
^6is  answered  once  more  by clicking the number buttons.  If you are
^6wrong,  you can either try again or you can choose NEXT SUM to go on.
^6HELP  gives  you  a  screen with multiplication tables to help you if
^6you're  really  stuck  while EXIT gives you your score and options to
^6play again or go to the main menu.

^6 Click   Clock   is   the   only  game  that  doesn't  try  to  teach
^6multiplication.   Instead,  as  the  name  suggests, the object is to
^6teach  children how to tell the time using either analogue or digital
^6clocks.

^6 The game screen shows both types of clock and the player is asked to
^6choose  which  one  to  use when setting the time.  At the top of the
^6screen  a  piece  of  cheese appears, guarded by a sleeping cat.  The
^6child  is  then asked to set their clock to the time shown at the top
^6of  the  screen by clicking on hours and minute buttons.  The time on
^6the  other  clock  changes  as  well  so  the  child  can compare the
^6different ways of displaying the same information.

^6 When  the child is satisfied they can check their answer by clicking
^6on  a  SET TIME button.  If they have set the clock correctly a mouse
^6appears, creeps past the sleeping cat and makes off with a portion of
^6cheese.   If  the  time  was  set  incorrectly  the  cat wakes up and
^6frightens  the  mouse  away before returning to sleep.  I was nice to
^6see  that  there was no violence, the cat merely frightened the mouse
^6away  and  did  not kill it.  After ten successful goes the mouse has
^6taken  all  the  cheese  so  the game ends with options to play again
^6using the same clock or a new one or return to the main menu.

^6 This  is  a marvellous program and shows how well the Amiga's sound,
^6colour  and  graphic  capabilities  are  suited to primary education.
^6However,  it's  up  to  the programmers to make the best use of these
^6facilities - as the saying goes "Garbage In, Garbage Out".

^6 Work  and  Play  demonstrates  not only the authors' programming and
^6graphics   skills   but   also   their  understanding  of  children's
^6development.   The maths problems are commensurate with the abilities
^6of  children  learning and practising their multiplication tables and
^6help  is  available at every stage of each game.  I particularly like
^6the  gentle  encouragement throughout.  Unlike many other games which
^6address  the  same educational themes there are no forfeits for wrong
^6answers which can lead to a child giving up too quickly.

^6 A  small  criticism  is  that  if the child gets the answer wrong in
^6Click  Clock it leads to a more entertaining sequence than getting it
^6right.   I  noticed  Laura,  my  nine year old daughter, deliberately
^6getting  the  time wrong just to see the cat spring into action.  She
^6said  it  was  more  interesting  that way.  Apart from this I cannot
^6fault  any aspect of the program and look forward to more in the same
^6line of primary education.

^7                          Big Top Fun (LPD29)

^6 This  program was also written by Len and Anne Tucker.  It comprises
^6a  set  of  four  educational games set in a circus for children with
^6varying  reading  abilities.   When  it loads, a title screen appears
^6followed  by  an options screen where the choice of circus act can be
^6made.

^6 The  first  act, WORD BALANCE, is suitable for children who are just
^6starting  to  learn  how to read.  A juggler on a unicycle rides into
^6the circus ring balancing a block with a word on it on his hand.  The
^6purpose  of  the  game  is  to  match  the word with one of the eight
^6pictures  shown  so  that he keeps his balance.  If a wrong choice is
^6made  he loses his balance and drops the block.  On the first level 3
^6to  4  letter  words are used.  On levels two and three the length of
^6the words are increased.
 
^6 The  second circus act, MATCHPLAY, is a "match the pairs" game using
^6cards.  Level 1 uses pictures on the backs of the cards, level 2 uses
^6words  and  level 3 uses a combination of words and pictures.  When a
^6card  is  clicked on it turns over for a quick glimpse of the reverse
^6side.   Each  time  a  match  is  made,  more  of the circus audience
^6appears.

^6 The  third  act,  SEAL-A-GRAMS,  is  intended  for  children who can
^6already  read  and is designed to help with spelling.  A clown throws
^6balls, with letters on them, for the seals to balance on their noses.
^6The  letters  are  in the wrong order so the child has to put them in
^6the  right  order to make a word by exchanging pairs of letters until
^6they are in the right order.  Clicking on the heads of two seals make
^6the  balls  exchange places.  Level one uses 3 to 4 letter words once
^6more.  On levels two and three the length of the words are increased.
^6A "Show Me" button can be used to have quick look at a picture of the
^6mystery word.

^6 The  last  act, BALLOON BURST, is also intended for children who can
^6recognise  words.   In this game a clown has a pop gun and must shoot
^6lettered balloons to make a word shown in the picture.  Fifteen words
^6need to be identified.

^6 The  clown  walks  continuously across the screen while the coloured
^6balloons float up from the bottom of the screen and line up along the
^6top.  The child has to burst the right balloons by clicking the mouse
^6when the clown is underneath the letter that is needed.  The balloons
^6do  not  have to be burst in the order that the letters appear in the
^6word.  Once again, level one uses 3 to 4 letter words and the lengths
^6of the words are increased on levels two and three.

^6 Every  effort  is  made throughout the program to retain the child's
^6interest by imaginative use of colour and animation.  Speech can also
^6be used during each act although this does have the effect of slowing
^6the  game  down.   User friendly options offer opportunities to see a
^6score chart and show how many words are left in the game.

^6 In  conclusion,  this  program  has  been well designed and does not
^6attempt  to  be  too ambitious by introducing any words longer than 6
^6letters.  It shows not only the programming skills of the authors and
^6their  command  of  AMOS  but also their understanding of how a child
^6learns.   Len  and  Anne Tucker appear to have a great deal of talent
^6for producing programs aimed at teaching primary education skills and
^6I  would  be  interested  to  see  whether  this  can  be extended to
^6secondary education.  Their work does not address National Curriculum
^6themes directly and I wonder whether this is a reflection of the fact
^6that, unlike the ageing BBC, Amiga's are rarely to be seen in Primary
^6Schools (as yet).

^6 It's  the  old chicken and egg situation again - primary schools are
^6unlikely to choose Amiga's to replace BBC's when programs adhering to
^6National Curriculum guidelines are few and far between.  (Yes, I know
^6BBC's  and  now Archimedes are subject to large educational discounts
^6but Commodore UK is trying to address that problem at the moment.) On
^6the  other  hand,  authors  are  unlikely to write for what is such a
^6small  market  both in terms of subject and machine, especially those
^6who depend on wages from, or commissions by, major publishing houses.

^6 Education  thus  seems  to  remain  the  forté  of smaller concerns,
^6including individuals releasing their products as licenseware or into
^6the  public  domain.   High  level  BASIC interpreters like AMOS have
^6certainly  helped  many  people  put their ideas into practice fairly
^6easily  (I'm  struggling  with  AMOS  myself  so I know it's not THAT
^6easy!) and, as a parent, I appreciate many of the results.

^6 On  the  other  hand  -  how  did  I end up with three hands?  - the
^6Tucker's  may  well  just  be  writing  for  their  own  children and
^6releasing  the  results  for  the  benefit  of  others.  Whatever the
^6reasons,  their programs offer consistently high standards, excellent
^6value and real educational benefit.

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^1                          PollySoft PD Education

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^6                       Classroom Maths (PS014)

 ^7 Classroom  Maths,  written  using AMOS, is a collection of 4 games -
^7Lift  Off,  Goal,  Rescue  and  Classroom Maths - that share the same
^7table  of maths problems.  A front screen lets you read instructions,
^7set  the level of difficulty, choose the theme and load, save or edit
^7the problems.

^7 Lift  Off  shows  a launch pad where correct answers launch a rocket
^7while  Goal shows a goalkeeper who misses or saves the ball depending
^7on  a  correct  answer.  Rescue involves saving people jumping from a
^7burning  building.   Correct  answers  let  you  position two firemen
^7holding  a  net by using a joystick.  Classroom Maths shows a teacher
^7and  a  chalkboard  where  the  problems  appear.   Answers are input
^7throughout  the games using a mouse to click on numbers at the bottom
^7of each screen.
 
^7 My  overall  impression  was  not  very  favourable.   I thought the
^7graphics  were  blocky  and flickered, the animations were jerky, the
^7spelling mistakes throughout the program were annoying, the teacher's
^7pointer  sometimes  obscured  the  answer  if it was a long number in
^7Classroom  Maths,  changing from mouse to joystick then back again in
^7Rescue  was  very awkward and it was impossible to change your answer
^7if you knew you had made a mistake.

^7 The  two  redeeming  features  were  the  good  quality  speech used
^7throughout the program and the ability to edit the problems supplied.
^7This  made  it  easy to match the level of difficulty to a particular
^7age  group.   These edited problems can be saved to disc and recalled
^7when  needed.  Finally, the author asks you to send a contribution of
^7£4.   In  return  you  will  receive an updated version.  I hope it's
^7better than this one!

^6                       Dizzy Funtime 1 (PS008)

^7 The  other PollySoft product, Dizzy Funtime 1, is another collection
^7of 4 games written using AMOS - Shapes, Keys, Clock and Picture - and
^7introduces  "Dizzy",  a  large colourful character resembling a giant
^7light  blue  Smartie.   Shapes is a picture recognition game.  On the
^7easy  level  a  blue  Dizzy stands on a ladder to one side of a large
^7blank  picture frame with a blank space for a title at the bottom.  A
^7picture  appears  in  the  frame and a word appears below.  Using the
^7mouse  the  word  must be moved towards the space for the title.  The
^7word is automatically grabbed as it approaches the space and is stuck
^7in place while Dizzy advances up the ladder.  On the hard level there
^7is  a  red  Dizzy  on  the  opposite  side of the picture frame and a
^7selection  of  words  appear below.  Using the mouse the correct word
^7that  describes  the  shape  must  be  selected and moved towards the
^7space.  Blue Dizzy advances up the ladder if it's the right word, red
^7Dizzy if it isn't.

^7 Keys  has  four levels, all set against a beautifully drawn backdrop
^7showing  Dizzy  stood in front of a wall next to an apple tree on the
^7top half of the screen while the bottom half shows a QWERTY keyboard.
^7The  first  level  tests  recognition of upper case (capital) letters
^7which slide along the top of the wall.  If you press the right letter
^7key  on the keyboard the letter shoots back again out of sight, Dizzy
^7grins and a caterpillar advances up the apple tree.  If you press the
^7wrong  letter  or  the  right  letter in the wrong case then a magnet
^7appears  from  the  top  of  the screen and grabs the letter from the
^7wall.   The  caterpillar falls to the bottom of the tree and you have
^7to start all over again.  Level two is the same format but adds lower
^7case  letters.   Beware  level  three!  It goes back to testing upper
^7case  recognition but this time the letters drop by parachute instead
^7and  a  red  caterpillar is added to the green one in a race.  If you
^7are  not  fast  enough pressing the correct letter or press the wrong
^7letter  the screen whites out in an explosion and the red caterpillar
^7advances.  Fast correct answers advance the green caterpillar.

^7 Level  4  substitutes  words  in  a  mixture of upper and lower case
^7instead of single letters.  A robot voice speaks the word as it falls
^7to  the  ground  and the word must then be typed in using the correct
^7case.   You must get it right first time because, surprisingly, there
^7is no backspace to erase mistakes.

^7 The  purpose  of  Clock  is to teach youngsters 12 and 24 hour time.
^7The  screen shows a large analogue clockface and a keypad on which to
^7enter  the time shown.  The first level concentrates on using 12 hour
^7time  and  is  very easy as it doesn't use any divisions of the hour.
^7The  hands  advance around the clockface.  When they stop you have to
^7enter  the  corresponding  time  on  the  keypad.   The  second level
^7introduces  the  24  hour  clock  and  shows  a  demonstration before
^7beginning  the  test.  Again, there are no divisions of the hour used
^7which  should  have  made  this  level  only slightly harder than the
^7first.   In  practise  there  is  no  indication  to show whether the
^7program  is  expecting  the  time  to  be  entered  in  12 or 24 hour
^7notation.  For example, I entered 1400 hrs when the clock hands stood
^7at 12 and 2 but was informed I should have entered 0200 hrs.

^7 Picture  is  a  "match the pair" game where Dizzy, standing under an
^7apple tree, shows you a number of closed cupboards.  Clicking on each
^7cupboard  opens the doors for a second showing the shape behind them.
^7An  apple  falls  off  the  tree  for each pair of shapes discovered.
^7Three  levels  of  difficulty  control  the  number of cupboards that
^7appear,  either  6,  12 or 14.  A requester appears at the end of the
^7game  asking if you want another go.  It doesn't matter if you choose
^7Yes  or  No  - in both cases you go back to the beginning of the same
^7game.   I eventually found I could get back to the game choice screen
^7by  pressing  ESC.   Whether  a  bug  or  deliberate, it's confusing.
^7Thorough testing at development stage or on-screen prompts would have
^7helped.

^7 In  conclusion,  the overall presentation is very good - screens are
^7beautifully  drawn,  animations  are  smooth  and flicker-free, sound
^7effects are used throughout, levels of difficulty are reasonably well
^7thought  out, keyboard response is excellent.  The use of a colourful
^7central  character  and  overall  use  of the same reward theme, i.e.
^7advancing upwards, to link the games has been used very effectively.

^7 The  overall  high quality of the program is slightly spoiled by the
^7poor  speech  and  a  lack  of instructions and prompts, particularly
^7useful  for younger children playing it.  There is also an occasional
^7small  screen  glitch.  However, in my opinion, it is still more than
^7worth  the £3 purchase price AND the £5 contribution requested by the
^7authors,  especially  if  this encourages them to write more of these
^7types  of  programs.   I  can  imagine  youngsters  returning to this
^7program  again  and  again  and  I am looking forward to seeing Dizzy
^7Funtime 2.

^4These  2  PollySoft  titles  can be obtained for £3 each inclusive of
^4post  and  packing from Unique Computing, 114 Salters Road, Gosforth,
^4Newcastle Upon Tyne NE3 3UP

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