[{"TitleName":"Countabout","Publisher":"Longman Software","Author":"Micromega","YearOfRelease":"1983","ZxDbId":"0010979","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 22, Nov 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-10-24","Editor":"Graeme Kidd","TotalPages":156,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Publishing Executive: Roger Kean\r\nEditor: Graeme Kidd\r\nTechnical Editor: Franco Frey\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nProduction Designer: David Western\r\nProduction Assistants: Gordon Druce, Matthew Uffindell\r\nSoftware Editor: Jeremy Spencer\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nSub Editor: Sean Masterson\r\nStaff Writer: Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: Chris Passey, Robin Candy, Ben Stone, John Minson, Mark Hamer, Gary Liddon, Julian Rignall, Gary Penn\r\nClient Liaison: John Edwards\r\nSubscription Manager: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\n©1985 Newsfield Limited.\r\nCrash Magazine is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions [redacted]\r\nEditorial/studio [redacted]\r\nAdvertising [redacted]\r\n\r\nColour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted]; Printed in England by Carlisle Web Offset Ltd (Member of the BPCC Group), [redacted].\r\nDistribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £14.50 post included (UK Mainland); Europe: 12 issues £21.50 post included. Outside Europe by arrangement in writing.\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced whole or in part without written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return any written material sent to CRASH Magazine unless accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material which may be used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates. The opinions and views of correspondents are their own and not necessarily in accord with those of the publishers.\r\n\r\nMICRONET:\r\nYou can talk to CRASH via Micronet. Our MBX is 105845851\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"A SOFTWARE SEXTET FROM LONGMAN\r\n\r\nA slightly different format this month, as I look at six programs from Longman Software in their Early Learning series. Longman have built up a solid reputation as respected publishers of educational book materials, and they are now attempting to extend their success into the field of computer software, aimed particularly at the home market. The blurb on the attractive packaging tells us that 'each program is based on well-tried educational theories, brought alive by the creative wizardry of modern technology. Your children will be spellbound... The wonder of the computer, the power of its appeal and the balanced variety of games and activities will keep your child fascinated, absorbed... and learning.'\r\n\r\nWell, this certainly sounds good, but do the programs live up to these claims? The six programs fall into two distinct categories: a,b,c,... Lift Off! and Wild Words aim to encourage word recognition and spelling while Countabout, Hot Dot Spotter, Sum Scruncher and Robot Runner try to develop counting and number skills. Each package contains a sheet of notes for parents giving easily followed instructions on loading the program and playing the game, as well as a very useful section, Other Things To Do, which suggests some additional (non computer) ways to encourage the specific learning activity.\r\n\r\nThe acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills is, of course, extremely important, and many parents, wishing to do their best for their children, purchase software which claim to stimulate children towards acquiring these skills. A word of caution for parents, however: you child's school is likely to have a carefully constructed syllabus for teaching letter and number work. If you are in any doubt about how to use a computer program to supplement this work. It might be a good idea to contact your child's teacher for a chat.\r\n\r\na,b,c... LIFT-OFF!\r\n\r\nThis letter and word-recognition program is in two parts. The alphabetic order game displays at the start a picture of an apple, the word 'apple' and the letter A. The player is then asked to press the next letter, and is rewarded with the picture of a bus, the word and the initial letter. Pressing ENTER changes the game to A. B, C Lift-Off' The screen shows a conveyor belt for loading crates onto a rocket The child has to match the object which appears on the conveyor belt with the correct word displayed at the top of the screen. If the word and object match, the S key (for Snap) is pressed, and when the rocket is fully loaded with its six objects, it takes off.\r\n\r\nThis is a simple but useful program which young children will enjoy, though the speed of the Snap game is too fast for the lower age range.\r\n\r\nCOUNTABOUT\r\n\r\nAnother number game, Count About attempts to give practice in addition and subtraction in the number range 1 to 9. A number of objects appear on the screen (birds, clocks, crocodiles etc) together with a simple sum. For example, if two objects are displayed on screen, the player might he instructed to 'Make 6: 2 plus ? equals 6'. If the correct number key is pressed, the equivalent number of objects appears on the screen together with the completed sum.\r\n\r\nVisually this game is much more appealing than Hot Dot Spotter, and the sort of structured reinforcement approach it involves is quite useful in achieving its limited objectives.\r\n\r\nWILD WORDS\r\n\r\nWild Words is a spelling game covering over 200 words which range from 3 to 14 letters in length. The menu offers 5 levels of difficulty - level 1 includes simple words like 'bur', while more complex spellings such as 'people ' appear at level 5. When the choice of level has been made, the target word appears for a short time at the bottom of the screen. During the game, the player can see the word again by pressing H. The game element involves the child having to use the horizontal cursor keys (or 5 and 8 on the Spectrum Plus) to move Microchimp and his wheelbarrow across the screen to catch the correct letters falling from the top. The letters must be caught in the right order to spell the target word. After each word is correctly spelled, the child is rewarded with a tune, and the flower on the right of the screen grows one step further.\r\n\r\nThe children who tried this game for me didn't think much of it and rapidly lost interest. The game was not strong enough to retain their attention, and they soon gave up, claiming it was 'boring'. From an educational viewpoint, the program seemed to me to be extremely limited and totally lacking in flexibility. Spelling is taught most successfully when the words have some sort of context for the child it would have been much better if the parent had been given the option of entering his or her choice of words for the child to spell, taken perhaps from a favourite hook, or if the package had included some reading material which used the target words in context.\r\n\r\nSUM SCRUNCHER\r\n\r\nObviously, educational software aimed at the 6 plus age group has to provide a fair amount of entertainment, but this game fails to provide much entertainment or education. This time, the arcade routine features a serpent-patrolled maze in which Microbug is trapped. There are thirty five gates with numbers on them, and the idea is that when the problem at the bottom of the screen is solved, the player moves Microbug, using the four cursor keys. to a position directly below the gate displaying the correct answer There are six levels of difficulty to choose from, ranging from easy addition and subtraction (though this 'easy' option includes sums like 59 plus 4 and 47 plus 7) to difficult division as in 56 divided by 7.\r\n\r\nA major flaw in the game is that the numbers displayed on the gates are all two digits so 5 is represented as 05 and Microbug has to be positioned extremely carefully, directly below and between the two digits, before the number is accepted. This game provides nothing more than mechanical, repetitive exercises and children are unlikely to want to play it again and again.\r\n\r\nROBOT RUNNER\r\n\r\nDo you remember chanting out your tables at school? I certainly do land I'm not that old!), though there was little emphasis on whether pupils actually understood what the recitations meant. Robot Runner gives children practice in the 2 to 9 multiplication tables. The player has to answer the sum correctly in order to move Robot Runner across the screen to retrieve the stolen treasure of Endor. There are, however, all sorts of obstacles to be avoided on the way. At the beginning, the menu allows you to choose which of the nine tables to practise alternatively you can opt for a mixture. Instead of having to press the number keys for the correct answer, the player uses the two vertical cursors to increase or decrease the runner's speed to the number wanted. Certainly, the game element in this program is much more interesting than in Sum Scruncher, and the game is quite a useful way of reinforcing the tables.\r\n\r\nHOT DOT SPOTTER\r\n\r\nHot Dot Spotter is a very simple number game. The player has to count the number of dots on a dropping ball and press the corresponding number key. The game starts fairly slowly, using low numbers, and as the players' skill improves the game becomes faster and more difficult.\r\n\r\nThe scoring system is dependent on how quickly the correct key is pressed, and the notes tell us that 'seeing your score mount closer and closer to the High Score as you successfully catch each ball is a great thrill'. Unfortunately, my team of testers didn't seem to think so! I'm afraid I found this game to be educationally sterile. There was little motivation for the player, and the number skills involved could have been practised to greater effect with dice and bits of cardboard.\r\n\r\nGENERAL RATING\r\n\r\nAll of the programs are well error-trapped but, with the exception of a,b,c... Lift Off!, they have little of real merit to commend them. This isn't to say that they are bad programs, but simply that they are no better or worse than other educational software which relies mainly on an arcade format to sweeten the drill/practice pill. They all run well, however, and are easy enough to use, but are lacking in flexibility and, generally speaking, belong more to the education system of the past than to the computer age.\r\n\r\nThe programs all cost £7.95 and will run on the 16 or 48K Spectrum.\r\n\r\n* Next month, I'll be looking at an outstandingly good series of early learning programs from Five Ways, entitled The Learning Box.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"84","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Rosetta McLeod","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"Title: A, B, C, Lift Off!\r\nEducational Aim: letter/word recognition\r\nAge Range: 4 - 8\r\nControl Keys: all letter keys used; S to snap\r\nUse of Colour: bright & attractive\r\nGraphics: in the letter recognition section, the pictures are rather small and a large part of the screen is unused\r\n\r\nTitle: Wild Words\r\nEducational Aim: spelling\r\nAge Range: 6 and over\r\nControl Keys: H to see the word again, then cursor keys\r\nUse of Colour: good\r\nGraphics: uninspiring\r\n\r\nTitle: Hot Dot Spotter\r\nEducational Aim: number skills\r\nAge Range: 4 - 8\r\nControl Keys: number keys only\r\nUse of Colour: limited\r\nGraphics: very dull\r\n\r\nTitle: Count About\r\nEducational Aim: addition and subtraction\r\nAge Range: 4 - 8\r\nControl Keys: number keys only\r\nUse of Colour: good\r\nGraphics: good\r\n\r\nTitle: Sum Scruncher\r\nEducational Aim: number skills\r\nAge Range: 6 and over\r\nControl Keys: cursor keys only\r\nUse of Colour: bright and clear\r\nGraphics: reasonably good\r\n\r\nTitle: Robot Runner\r\nEducational Aim: multiplication\r\nAge Range: 6 and over\r\nControl Keys: cursor keys only\r\nUse of Colour: attractive\r\nGraphics: fairly good"}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Personal Computer News Issue 30, Oct 1983","Price":"","ReleaseDate":"1983-09-30","Editor":"Cyndy Miles","TotalPages":90,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"CHARACTER SET\r\n\r\nEditorial\r\nEditor: Cyndy Miles\r\nDeputy Editor: Geof Wheelwright\r\nManaging Editor: Peter Worlock\r\nSub-Editor: John Lettice\r\nNews Editor: David Guest\r\nNews Writers: Ralph Bancroft, Sandra Grandison\r\nHardware Editor: Max Phillips\r\nPeripherals Editor: Ian Scales\r\nFeatures Editor: Richard King\r\nSoftware Editor: Bryan Skinner\r\nPrograms Editor: Ken Garroch\r\nListings Editor: Wendie Pearson\r\nEditor's Assistant: Harriet Arnold\r\nArt Director: Jim Dansie\r\nArt Editor: David Robinson\r\nAssistant Art Editor: Floyd Sayers\r\nPublishing Manager: Mark Eisen\r\nAssistant Publishing Manager: Sue Clements\r\n\r\nAdvertising\r\nAdvertisement Director: John Cade\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Duncan Brown\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Nic Jones\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Mark Satchell\r\nSales Executives: Christian McCarthy, Marie-Therese Bolger, Jan Martin, Julia Dale, Dik Veenman\r\nProduction Manager: Eva Haggis\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Jenny Dunne\r\nSubscription Enquiries: Gill Stevens\r\nSubscription Address: [redacted]\r\nEditorial Address: [redacted]\r\nAdvertising Address: [redacted]\r\n\r\nPublished by VNU Business Publications, [redacted]\r\n© VNU 1983. No material maybe reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\nPhotoset by Quickset, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Chase Web Offset, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Seymour Press, [redacted]\r\nRegistered at the PO as a newspaper\r\n\r\nCover illustration by Sid Hughes"},"MainText":"SYSTEM: Spectrum 16K or 48K\r\nPUBLISHER: Longman Software, [redacted]\r\nPRICE: £7.95\r\nFORMAT: Cassette\r\nLANGUAGE: Machine Code\r\nOUTLETS: Most high street dealers.\r\n\r\nBLACKBOARD BEEB\r\n\r\nNorman, Marcus and Jessica test family educational packages for the BBC micro.\r\n\r\nThere may be a Beeb in every school, but home is where the Spectrum is. So it could be a shrewd move for schoolbook publisher Longman to write its first three offerings for that machine.\r\n\r\nIf you bought a computer for the kids but the five year old hasn't yet shown the expected flair for programming, these could be just what you needed. Each program is designed for four to eight year olds at home, aiming at a combination of fun and the teaching of a basic skill.\r\n\r\nThe programs come in bright double-size boxes (so as not to be confused with big brother's arcade games?) together with a 'notes for parents' leaflet. The test team were my children Marcus (5) and Rebecca (8). The tapes are double-sided and all loaded first go.\r\n\r\nWhile the tape is running the three-masted Longman ship sails serenely across the screen (whoever designed that logo was far-sighted) and then you are welcomed to the program by 'Microchimp', who subsequently appears in one of the games.\r\n\r\nInstructions are all on screen in big easy-to-read lower case letters. We couldn't crash the program by wrong key presses, and the only function available apart from the required key is Break, which takes the place of NEW and clears the memory. This meant that we couldn't get inside the program to insert modifications while running. A tone sounds whenever a key is pressed, which is good for hesitant small fingers, and each new event has its accompanying tone or tune.\r\n\r\nMarcus was managing on his own within a few minutes of starting each new game. But parental involvement is still useful and suggestions for helping the child and supplementary activities are given. For parents wanting to know how much educational content they are getting for their money, the descriptions on the boxes are regrettably sketchy.\r\n\r\nA, B, C...\r\n\r\nThis teaches the alphabet and word recognition in two linked programs. First the whole alphabet is written out and then an apple is drawn in three colours in a box. Its title, 'A apple' then appears in another box. Pressing the next letter of the alphabet brings up the next image. Only the right key press works: it might have been useful to have an option of prompting with the next letter.\r\n\r\nPress Enter at any time and action cuts to the game. Packing crates are being conveyed to a rocket on its launch pad. An alphabet image is revealed in the crate. If it matches the word that then appears in a box. '5' for snap then loads the object, while a wrong snap unloads one crate. When a full load of six has been stowed, the hatch closes, the rocket lifts off in a spectacular shower of sparks and we hear the Close Encounters theme.\r\n\r\nAll the objects were easy to recognise and the children had fun trying to be first to spot which object was appearing. The match word is revealed for less than three seconds before the chance to snap is lost, but this didn't cause any difficulties.\r\n\r\nCOUNTABOUT\r\n\r\nHere's an animated 'Little Professor\" ... Addition and subtraction using numbers up to ten. Microchimp appears at the bottom of a banana plant and you choose addition, subtraction or a combination of both. A box is drawn, a door in one side flips open and in file a number of objects, say four red TV sets.\r\n\r\nHow many are needed to make a given number? Get it right and the extra ones file in or out and Microchimp hops one stage nearer his hand of bananas. Ten right answers and he grabs the bunch, slides down and devours it.\r\n\r\nThere are nine objects in any of four colours, again easily recognisable, although we just had to Christen one a crocoduck. Unlike the other games, there's no time limit on pressing the answer and attention can be fixed on the box or the written out sum underneath. Two wrong answers gives you a demonstration of what should have happened with no penalties. The objects form lines of five, which encourages estimation, and their movements are pure ballet.\r\n\r\nHOT DOT SPOTTER\r\n\r\nThat's right, dot not dog. This is a real action game with rapid number estimation providing the challenge. First you type your name, which comes back at you in those gratifyingly large letters. Soon the children were inviting whole strings of fictitious characters along to play, some with distinctly naughty names.\r\n\r\nA 'dropper' releases a ball inscribed with a random number of dots in a 3X3 matrix. Punch the right number and you score points according to which of the three zones of fall you got the answer in.\r\n\r\nGuess wrong or fail to guess in time and the ball hits the bottom, a croupier's rake scoops it off screen and one of your three lives is lost. Get the highest score so far and one of a variety of very laudatory messages flashes up.\r\n\r\nNumbers and rate of fall start low and then steadily increase, while a bleeping tone inexorably rises in pitch. The ball isn't exactly slow at the beginning and it's hard to follow the parental guideline of counting with the child and still get your keypress in in time.\r\n\r\nAlthough the concepts on screen are quite abstract, the kids soon showed an instinctive appreciation of what was going\r\n\r\nVERDICT\r\n\r\nThe colour, sound and graphics capabilities of the Spectrum are all exploited to the full. By using blocks of colour and selective scrolling, the screen never becomes cluttered. The screen images can be used in a variety of ways. The programs succeed in keeping up the interest level by providing very satisfying rewards. There are no options provided that might have extended the age range, such as changing the operating speed, but in return you get a reliable package that the kids can operate for themselves over and over again.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"27","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Norman","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Marcus","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Jessica","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"a, b, c... lift off!"},{"Text":"Countabout"},{"Text":"Hot Dot Spotter"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Lasting Appeal","Score":"3/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"5/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Use Of Machine","Score":"4/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall Value","Score":"3/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]