[{"TitleName":"Fun School 2 for the Under-6s","Publisher":"Database Educational Software","Author":"Peter Davidson, Wendy Mellor","YearOfRelease":"1989","ZxDbId":"0012367","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 130, Dec 1992","Price":"£2.5","ReleaseDate":"1992-11-18","Editor":"Alan Dykes","TotalPages":44,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Alan 'Kirk' Dykes\r\nDesign: Yvette ''Uhuru Nicholls\r\nSU Crew: Garth 'Spock' Sumpter, Steve 'Sulu' Keen, Philip 'Checkov' Lindey, Graham 'Vulcan' Mason, Pete 'Phaser' Gerrard, Gaz 'Klingon' Harrod\r\nAd Manager: Tina 'Bird Of Prey' Zanelli\r\nAd Production: Tina 'Warp Speed' Gynn\r\nMr Marketing: Mark 'Scottie' Swallow\r\nMarketing Ladies: Sarah 'Romulan' Hilliard, Sarah 'Transporter' Ewing\r\nPublisher: Mike 'Vulcan' Frey\r\nManaging Director: Terry 'Enterprise' Pratt\r\n\r\n(c)1992 EMAP IMAGES\r\nPart of EMAP PLC\r\nTel: [redacted]\r\nFax: [redacted]\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nColour by Colourtech\r\nPrinted by Kingfisher\r\nTypeset by Altyp Inc\r\nSubs [redacted]\r\nBack Issues [redacted]\r\n\r\nAbsolutely no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system or copied without the express permission of the publisher. Visual matter for Coin-Ops supplied by Electrocoin and Dieth Leisure, thanks guys. Special thanks is also due to Garth Sumpter who made a big impression on us with his knowledge of computers and Coreldraw. More thanks to Tom for feeding Philip n the evening of 28/10/92. He was very hungry. And, finally, of Jack Cawley ever reads this I would just like to say he a miserable git."},"MainText":"Label: The Hit Squad\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nPrice: £3.99 Tape\r\nReviewer: Philip Lindey\r\n\r\nFunschool 2 is a package of eight different educational games aimed at children under six. The intention is that under the supervision of an adult the child not only learns from the games themselves but also from using the computer. (And so does Philip - Al.)\r\n\r\nSNAP SHAPE is the first game, a simple shape recognition routine. Two shapes appear on screen and the child decides if they are the same or not. The second, FIND THE MOLE is probably the best game on the package. Five numbered mole hills are pictured on the screen and the object is to make a guess as to which number hill the mole is in. If wrong, the child is told that the correct number is either bigger or smaller than their guess, and so on.\r\n\r\nAmong the other games on this title are WRITE A LETTER, which is a program that allows those young fingers to experiment with typing and watching things appear on the screen. The cursor is a teddy bear, so by simply pressing the space bar the child can see the teddy bear move on screen. These are the best games, but in general all of them will be of useful for young children.\r\n\r\nFunschool 2 is a useful educational tool which will provide plenty of challenge for any child of six or under and a good opportunity for a parent or teacher to work with the child on reading, writing and other skills in a play situation.","ReviewerComments":["Not as sophisticated as its full price cousins - Funschool 4 but the Hit Squad have done young 'uns a service bringing this out on budget.\r\nAlan Dykes"],"OverallSummary":"One of the best features of Fun School is that the computer sets the level of difficulty by monitoring the child's responses. This is a very well thought out and presented package.","Page":"37","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Philip Lindey","Score":"82","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Alan Dykes","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"82%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 84, Dec 1992","Price":"£2.5","ReleaseDate":"1992-11-05","Editor":"Linda Barker","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"YOUR SINCLAIR\r\nABC 40,648\r\n\r\nEditor: Linda Barker\r\nArt Editor: Andy Ounsted\r\nStaff Writer: Jon Pillar\r\nEditorial Contributors: Craig Broadbent, Dave Golder, Tim Kemp, Simon Cooke\r\nArt Contributor: Nick Davies\r\nCover Artwork: Paul Kidby\r\nSenior Sales Executive: Jackie Garford\r\nSales Executive: Audrey Smith\r\nProduction Co-ordinator: Lisa Read\r\nProduction Technicians: Chris Stocker\r\nScanning: Simon Windsor, Jon Moore, Simon Chittenden\r\nPublisher: Colin Campbell\r\nPromotions Manager: Michelle Harris\r\nPromotions Assistant: Tamara Ward\r\nGroup Publisher: Greg Ingham\r\nCirculation Director: Sue Hartley\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair, Future Publishing [redacted]\r\n\r\nManaging Director Chris Anderson\r\n\r\nPrinters: Riverside Press [redacted]\r\nSubscriptions: Future Publishing Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\n©Future Publishing 1992. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the signed permission of Richard and David Darling.\r\n\r\nISSN 0269 6983\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair wobbles but it doesn't fall down with Commodore Format, Amstrad Action, Amiga Format, PCW Plus, PC Answers, Mega, Super Play, PC Plus, Sega Power, Amiga Power, Amiga Shopper, Classic CD, Needlecraft, Cycling Plus, Photo Plus, Mountain Biking UK, PC Format, Public Domain, ST Format, Total! and Today's Vegetarian\r\n\r\nToday's decoration - paper carnations... Fold some pink toilet paper in half and cut along the folded edge. Fold the tissue backwards and forwards like a concertina. Slide a hairgrip into the middle of the concertina. Fluff out the tissue above the hairgrip. This is the carnation. Honest."},"MainText":"A TASTY TRIO OF TAPES FOR THE YOUNGSTER IN YOUR LIFE!\r\n\r\nFUN SCHOOL 2\r\nThe Hit Squad\r\n£3.99 each cassette only\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nThere are eight programs on each Fun School tape. They're all written in BASIC and are easy to follow. All are specially designed to help children understand colours, shapes, numbers and letters. What's more, all the programs have been playtested by children both at school and at home. You can be sure that any child is not only having fun and learning how to use a computer - they are also developing, or polishing, useful skills.\r\n\r\nFOR THE UNDER-6S\r\n\r\nShape Snap - Simply press the space bar if the shapes are identical, or any other key it they're not. The shapes are bright and colourful making the whole exercise more like a game than actually learning.\r\n\r\nFind the Mole - A fun number game. The sweet little mole is hiding behind one of the five molehills on screen. Any child will have fun making him pop up.\r\n\r\nTeddy Count - Little teddies, nicely drawn, march around the screen and then stand in line. Simply count them. As with all the games m the Fun School series, if an answer is correct the reward is a little fanfare.\r\n\r\nWrite a Letter - Using the teddy bear cursor, the child can tap in whatever they want. Parents or teachers can then check it, or even print it out. The child can do nothing wrong on this one as there are no rules. As it's up to somebody else to check any mistakes, this program offers the chance for some interaction.\r\n\r\nColour Train - An exercise in colour. The train changes colour as it goes around the track and the child has to match the colour of the train with the colour of the station and press stop when the train passes the station of the same colour.\r\n\r\nPick a Letter - This is a more difficult version of Shape Snap, Using four keys, the idea is to find the match for the letter at the bottom of the screen from the rows of letters at the top of the screen. Using the keys, the little teddy is moved onto the matching letter and then carries it to the bottom of the screen.\r\n\r\nSpell a Word - The objects are simple enough for the age range and, as with all the other programs, success brings a sense of achievement.\r\n\r\nTeddy Bears Picnic - Using the keys, the child has to guide little teddy through the trees and bushes to his picnic rug at the bottom of the screen. The keys used are Z, X, K and M, but it might be a good idea to draw arrows on stickers and place them over the keys.\r\n\r\nFOR 6-8 YEAR OLDS\r\n\r\nNumber Train - A more difficult variation on the train game mentioned above. As well as matching up colours, the idea here is to work out how many people are on the train by working out the additions and subtractions that the computer displays on screen.\r\n\r\nShopping - A shopping list appears on screen, followed by a row of shops. The child has to go through the list, guiding the frog into the shop that sells the necessary item. This is an exercise that can easily be carried on outside with real lists and shops.\r\n\r\nMaths Maze - Here, the child has to guide the frog through the maze until the robot guards are reached. The guards then set a maths problem which has to be answered in order to continue.\r\n\r\nTreasure Hunt - As an introduction to co-ordinates, this is a very helpful program. The child has to guess in which square the treasure is hidden. The computer helps with clues of the hot, cold, very hot variety.\r\n\r\nBounce - Now I found this exercise in angles quite difficult. The idea is to shoot a ball so that it bounces off at certain angles and hits an apple. It's the same principle that guides a snooker ball off the cushions, and it's terribly tricky!\r\n\r\nPacking - The frog has to be guided onto certain shapes, pick them up and pack them into a central shape. Make sure that the child places them just right, if the shapes are just a little off-centre then the computer will insist they're wrong when they are in fact right.\r\n\r\nCaterpillar - it's hangman! if the word is guessed within the letter limit, the caterpillar gets a nibble.\r\n\r\nNumber jump - This program works as a multiplication aid. The frog has to reach the other side of the screen by jumping on certain lily pads. If, for example, the multiple is two the frog cannot jump on odd numbers. It's challenging and, like all the programs, perfect for the target age group.\r\n\r\nFOR THE OVER-8S\r\n\r\nBuild a Bridge - A shape fitting exercise which makes you think.\r\n\r\nPassage of Guardians - This is more my line - anagrams. I understand words. Parents or teachers can even add their own anagrams.\r\n\r\nUnicorn - A logical maze game that will tax those brain cells.\r\n\r\nLogic Doors - Oh dear, this is where it starts getting difficult. When it comes to maths and logic I am a complete dunce. This is a complicated game and I hope the over-8s are more logical than me.\r\n\r\nSouvenirs - Easier maths here. A good intro to foreign currencies.\r\n\r\nCode Boxes - This one seems to have something to do with binary number systems. Agh! Why wasn't I taught these things.\r\n\r\nMystery Machine - This is like one of those IQ tests where you have to work out sequences to get passwords. Erm, I think I'd better go and enrol in some evening classes. Sob!\r\n\r\nThe Fun School series is well worth looking into. In fact, it's very nearly a Megagame. Unfortunately, being BASIC, the programs are quite slow to respond to key presses, and, for young children, this could be very frustrating.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"44","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Linda Barker","Score":"89","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"As the blue train made it torturous way towards them, the blue people hoped and prayed that they'd all fit on together. They hated being split up."},{"Text":"Good old Teddy! Thanks to his valuable clue and the picture just above, we'll have this word spelt in no time at all it's obviously 'bop' (You're in detention. Jon)"},{"Text":"If you go down to the woods today, you''re in for a big surprise. If you go down to the woods today you'd better go in disguise. Why? Cos the teddy bears are having a picnic!"},{"Text":"It's a strange shopping list, this one. Especially the singular shoe lace. In fact, it's misleading - you can only buy shoe laces in pairs. Actually."},{"Text":"Well it's not carryt, or carret, or even carrst. Maybe it's carrat. No, no, no - I know! It's one of them long orange things - a carob! No, a carrot! Hurrah!"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"89%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]