Contents

Welcome to The Wild West on-line Help window. We've provided this Help file in case you don't have the Owner's Manual handy.

The following Help Topics are available for finding out more about The Wild West program.

If you get stuck when using the program, or need help using a certain function, the following Help Topics will provide you with more information about The Wild West. Click on any topic in green underline with the mouse to learn more about that topic.

Using the MAIN Screen

Using the EPISODE Screen

All About OPTIONS

     SCRIPT Screen

     BOOKS Screen

     MAPS Screen

     TIMELINES Screen

     HANGMAN Screen

     MUSIC Screen

     LYRICS Screen

How to Use The Wild West HELP

Clicking on How to Use The Wild West HELP above brings up a separate Help window that provides extensive information on how to get the most out of this Help window. Info about using Menu bar and Button bar commands is also covered.

To return to this window from any Help screen, click on the Contents button above.

To get out of this Help window and get back to the program, select Exit from the File menu.


Using the MAIN Screen

The Main screen is displayed after the Welcome screens. Think of the Main screen as your "home base" where the ten episodes of the program are selected.

Click on any function below - outlined in green - to learn more about that function.

For more Help with The Wild West, click on the Contents button above. This will take

you to the Contents window which lits additional topics you can select for more information.

To get out of this Help window and get back to the program, select Exit from the File menu.


Using the EPISODE Screen

The EPISODE Screen is used to view the episode you selected in the MAIN screen. The functions on this screen allow you to control the video's playback and volume as well as provide instant access to key topics and sub-sections related to the selected episode.

Click on any function below - outlined in green - to learn more about that function.

For more Help with The Wild West, click on the Contents button above. This will take

you to the Contents window which lits additional topics you can select for more information.

To get out of this Help window and get back to the program, select Exit from the File menu.


SCRIPT Screen

This sub-section supplements the episode with a written transcript of the episode's narration and dialogs.

Click on any function below - outlined in green - to learn more about that function.

For more Help with The Wild West, click on the Contents button above. This will take

you to the Contents window which lits additional topics you can select for more information.

To get out of this Help window and get back to the program, select Exit from the File menu.


MAPS Screen

To aid in understanding the geograpic setting of the selected episode, this screen provides one or more maps to help illustrate the information from that episode.

Click on any function below - outlined in green - to learn more about that function.

For more Help with The Wild West, click on the Contents button above. This will take

you to the Contents window which lits additional topics you can select for more information.

To get out of this Help window and get back to the program, select Exit from the File menu.


TIMELINES Screen

To aid in understanding the chronology of the selected episode, this screen provides a historical timeline to illustrate the sequence of events in the episode.

Click on any function below - outlined in green - to learn more about that function.

For more Help with The Wild West, click on the Contents button above. This will take

you to the Contents window which lits additional topics you can select for more information.

To get out of this Help window and get back to the program, select Exit from the File menu.


HANGMAN Screen

Want to test your understanding of the current episode? Hangman is the scene for a final exam where youre rewarded for your knowledge or penalized for your mistakes.

Click on any function below - outlined in green - to learn more about that function.

For more Help with The Wild West, click on the Contents button above. This will take

you to the Contents window which lits additional topics you can select for more information.

To get out of this Help window and get back to the program, select Exit from the File menu.


How to Use The Wild West HELP

Clicking the Help button on any screen opens this Help window. The Help window is context sensitive. This means that if you click the Help button from the "MAIN" screen, help for the MAIN Screen will be displayed; if you click the Help button from the "EPISODE Screen", help for that screen will be displayed, etc.

Once the Help window is open, you can select other topic windows and view all the Help information for The Wild West. The Help window will provide you with general and specific Help on using The Wild West.

By pointing to any function outlined in green and clicking once with the mouse, a pop-up window will appear that will give you information about that function. To get out of the pop-up window, click again with the mouse or press a key on your computer's keyboard.

A comprehensive help screen that describes how to use this Help window can be called up by clicking on the Help menu above and selecting the How to Use Help item. "How to Use Help" lists numerous topics that you can select that will teach you specific Help window techniques including Help Basics.

Below the Menu bar is a Button bar that will assist you in getting around The Wild West Help quickly. To learn how these buttons work, click on the Help menu above and select the How to Use Help item. At the very bottom of the window is a topic called Help Buttons that tells you how to use The Wild West HELP command buttons.


COPY Button

If you would like a copy of the displayed text - or just a portion of it - click the COPY button. The COPY dialog box will be displayed allowing you to save a copy of the entire text (click the "Copy ALL" button) or a range of pages (enter the first page of the desired page range in the first box and the last inclusive page in the second box). Click OK to continue or CANCEL to exit this function.

If you click OK, the "Save As" dialog box appears. A default file name appears in the File Name box; enter a new name if you want. You are also able to select a new directory and drive path* if desired. Click OK to save the transcript. It will be saved to the indicated path as a standard ASCII ".txt" Text File. Click CANCEL to exit without saving. Once the .txt file has been saved to disk, you can open it in most word processors. This enables you to edit the text, apply any formatting you like and print it if desired.

*  If you selected the Educator's Install when The Wild West

    was installed on your computer's hard drive, the default

    path is drive A:\ (floppy disk drive) and cannot be changed.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


BOOKS Button

Clicking the BOOKS button displays a bibliography of the selected episode's related works for further study.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


BACK Button

Clicking this button reverts back to the section of the program that was previously running.

For example, clicking BACK while in a TIMELINE screen, playing HANGMAN, viewing MAPS or reading a SCRIPT reverts to the EPISODE Screen; clicking BACK while the program is displaying BOOKS reverts to SCRIPT.

The BACK button avoids having to return to the MAIN Screen when you are finished using a sub-section.

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MAIN Button

Clicking MAIN takes the program back to the MAIN Screen where you can select another episode to view.

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HELP Button

Clicking the HELP button calls up the Windows on-line help screen that will assist you in using The Wild West in the event you need instructions and this manual isn't handy. Help is "context-sensitive": this means that clicking HELP from any screen will display the help information for that screen.

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QUIT Button

Clicking the QUIT button exits the program.

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FX Button

Normally, the program will play a sound effect when any of the function buttons are clicked with the mouse. If you would like to defeat this feature, clicking this button will turn off sound effects playback when a button is clicked. Clicking it again turns FX back on.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


Episode Title

The MAIN Screen depicts a map of the western region of the United States. The titles of the ten episodes are placed on the map over the geographic region where the episodes take place. Click on any title with the mouse to view that episode.

Episodes that play from Disk 1 are displayed in yellow;

Episodes that play from Disk 2 are displayed in blue.

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Video Window

When the EPISODE Screen is displayed after selecting a title in the MAIN Screen, the selected episode will begin to play immediately in this area of the screen.

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PLAY/STOP Button

This button allows you to play and stop the video. This function switches between playback and stop when clicked with the mouse. You can switch between play and stop anytime.

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VOLUME Button

To adjust the volume of the videos soundtrack, click this button with the mouse and a pop-up volume slider will appear. To change the volume level, click the slide knob and drag it upwards to increase the volume; drag it downwards to decrease the volume.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


Scrub Bar

During playback, the scrub button will advance from left to right along the horizontal bar as the video plays. At any time during play, or even when the video is stopped, you can click the scrub button with the mouse and drag it to the left or right. This is the equivalent to rewind (dragging to the left) and fast forward (dragging to the right).

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


Index Window

The index window provides a powerful search function for quickly viewing key topics - people, places and things - that appear within each episode. When an episode is selected, the index window will display a complete list of all the topics covered in that episode. To go to the point in the episode where a topic is featured in the video, click on its name in the index window. The episode will immediately go to that spot in the video and play.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


< Previous Button (EPISODES)
< Previous Button

If you go to a "next" appearance of a topic, this arrow button beneath the index window becomes active. Clicking the Previous button allows you to revert back to the last portion of the video where the selected topic appears. If there is another previous part of the episode that covers that topic, the < remains active. If not, the button goes inactive and becomes dimmed.

If a selected topic has only one occurrence in the episode, this button will be inactive and dimmed.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


Next > Button (EPISODES)
Next > Button

If the selected topic is mentioned more than once in the episode, this arrow button beneath the Index Window becomes active. Clicking the Next button takes the episode to the next spot in the video where that topic appears. If there is another part of the episode that covers that topic, the > remains active and can be clicked again to advance to the next occurrence. If not, the button goes inactive and becomes dimmed.

If a selected topic has only one occurrence in the episode, this button will be inactive and dimmed.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


OPTIONS Button

Clicking the OPTIONS button on the EPISODE Screen displays a dialog box that allows you to select one of five options that are associated with the selected episode.

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Letters

Solve the question by clicking on the letters you think make up the answer. You can also enter letters by typing them on your keyboard.

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Question Box

A question related to the current episode is selected at random and appears here. Your goal is to answer six questions by typing or clicking on the displayed letters that make up the answer before six wrong letters are picked.

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Answer Box

As you solve the question, correct letters picked from the screen or typed on the keyboard appear here.

A set of empty letter spaces comprising the words of the answer appears in the Answer box as a hint as to what the correct answer might be.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


Wrong Letters Box

As you solve the question, incorrect letters picked from the screen or typed on the keyboard appear here. If you pick six wrong letters before six questions are answered correctly, you lose and the game ends.

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Hangman

Every wrong letter entered as you attempt to solve the question causes one body part of the hangman to appear.

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Topic Title

The topic title - a person, place or thing that is significant in this episode - appears here.

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Picture

Each topic is illustrated with a picture and the year, or range of years, when it occurred.

For a description of the topic, click on its picture. A brief description will pop-up on the screen for you to read. When you are finished, click the OK button to close the text box.

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Map Window

The map or maps that pertain to the current episode are displayed here.

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Description Window

A brief description of the map that appears in the Map Window is displayed here.

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< Previous Map Button

If you go to a "next" map, the < Previous arrow button beneath the map window becomes active. Clicking the < button allows you to revert back to the previous map in the list. If there is another previous map, the < remains active. When the first map for that episode is displayed, the < button goes inactive and becomes dimmed.

If the current episode has only one map, this button will be inactive and dimmed.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


Next > Map Button

If the selected episode contains more than one map, the Next > arrow button beneath the map window becomes active. Clicking the > button displays the next map. If there is a third map, the > remains active and can be clicked again to advance to the next map. When the last map for that episode is displayed, the > button goes inactive and becomes dimmed.

If the current episode has only one map, this button will be inactive and dimmed.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


< Previous Button (SCRIPTS)
< Previous Button

If you go to a "next" appearance of a topic, the < Previous arrow button beneath the index window becomes active. Clicking the < button allows you to revert back to the previous page in the script where the selected topic appears. If there is another previous part of the episode that covers that topic, the < remains active. If not, the button goes inactive and becomes dimmed.

If a selected topic has only one occurrence in the episode, this button will be inactive and dimmed.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


Next > Button (SCRIPTS)
Next > Button

If the selected topic is mentioned more than once in the episode, the Next > arrow button beneath the index window becomes active. Clicking the > button takes the episode to the next spot in the script where that topic appears. If there is another part of the episode that covers that topic, the > remains active and can be clicked again to advance to the next occurrence. If not, the button goes inactive and becomes dimmed.

If a selected topic has only one occurrence in the episode, this button will be inactive and dimmed.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


Text Area

The written transcript of the current episode appears here.

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Script Index

When the SCRIPT sub-section is selected, the index window will display the same list of the topics covered in the EPISODE Screen. To go to the point in the episode where a topic is featured in the script, click on its name in the index window. The episode will immediately go to the page in the script where the topic discussion begins.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


Turn 1 Page Back

You can read the text at your own speed and can turn pages forward or back. To turn one page back, click once with the mouse here on the page curl.

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Turn 1 Page Ahead

You can read the text at your own speed and can turn pages forward or back. To turn one page ahead, click once with the mouse here on the page underneath the page you're reading.

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MUSIC Screen

This section of the program gives you the opportunity to hear the recordings of over 30 songs from The Wild West era.

Click on any function below - outlined in green - to learn more about that function.

For more Help with The Wild West, click on the Contents button above. This will take

you to the Contents window which lits additional topics you can select for more information.

To get out of this Help window and get back to the program, select Exit from the File menu.


LYRICS Screen

This screen plays the song you selected and displays the lyrics for you to read or sing along while the music plays.

Click on any function below - outlined in green - to learn more about that function.

For more Help with The Wild West, click on the Contents button above. This will take

you to the Contents window which lits additional topics you can select for more information.

To get out of this Help window and get back to the program, select Exit from the File menu.


BOOKS Screen

The BOOKS Screen displays a bibliography of the selected episodes related works for further study.

Click on any function below - outlined in green - to learn more about that function.

For more Help with The Wild West, click on the Contents button above. This will take

you to the Contents window which lits additional topics you can select for more information.

To get out of this Help window and get back to the program, select Exit from the File menu.


Piano Player's Comments

As the piano player waits for you to select a song, he has a few things to say. His remarks appear here.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


Song List

The titles of the songs that are related to the current episode appear here. To select a song to play, click on its title once with the mouse.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


 PLAY/STOP Button

This button allows you to play and stop the music. This function switches between playback and stop when clicked with the mouse. You can switch between play and stop anytime.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


 VOLUME Button

To adjust the volume of the music, click this button with the mouse and a pop-up volume slider will appear. To change the volume level, click the slide knob and drag it upwards to increase the volume; drag it downwards to decrease the volume.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


Lyrics

The written words of the song appear here.

Please note that some songs are instrumental only and no lyrics will appear when selected.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...


Bibliography

The list of book references related to the current episode appear here.

Click with the mouse or press a key to continue...