Your Choice 3

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Your Choice 3 / Your Choice Software Collection 3.iso / dos / usgeo / usgeo.doc < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1994-06-19 | 30KB | 620 lines

If You Want To Learn U.S. Geography You Gotta Have This Program! Copyright (c) 1994 KidStuff Software 6490 Dubois Rd. Delaware, OH 43015-8931 614-548-5043 Compuserve 71043,3706 "If You Want To Learn U.S. Geography You Gotta Have This Program!" is the solution to the problems today's students (and adults!) have with geography. The 11 activities of USGEO will soon transform even the most geographically illiterate into a geography wizard. The program effectively utilizes colorful VGA graphics, speech, and music. Hear the state and capital names spoken! The following activities are included with the program: 1. Color the Geographic Regions; 2. A geography Quiz including State Information and Attractions, Major Cities, and Professional Sports Teams; 3. Match Capitals to states on the map; 4. Select Matching Capitals from a list; 5. A Slap Jack Card Game to match States and Capitals, or States and Nicknames; 6. Match the State Flag to the correct state; 7. Display State Information such as State Bird, Flower, Tree, Song, Motto, etc.; 8. Select a state from the map when given its Bordering States; 9. Match the State Names to states on the map; 10. Select Matching State Names from a list; 11. Put together an electronic puzzle map of the U.S.A. by moving the states with the mouse to their appropriate locations. Shareware Registration Form - USGEO 1.0 [ ] $15.00 Registration fee for If You Want To Learn U.S. Geography [ ] $2.50 shipping & handling for orders outside the U.S. or Canada [ ] Sound Blaster/Adlib Version Disk Size: [ ] 3 1/2" [ ] PC Speaker Version [ ] 5 1/4" (Shareware versions of the following programs are available. See descriptions of these programs at the end of this file.) [ ] $3.00 "Sounds Like A..." [ ] $3.00 "Talking Number Machine" [ ] $3.00 "Preschool Pack" [ ] $3.00 "Masterpiece Menu" [ ] $3.00 "Talking Time Tutor" [ ] $3.00 "Ms. Piggy Bank" Benefits Of Registering: The registered version of USGEO provides sound files which include the names of all 50 states and capitals. The speech option is available in all activities, and the shareware screens are removed. You will also receive the most current version at the time of registration, support via phone or mail, and notification of and substantial discounts on program upgrades or new software from KidStuff. Payments may be made by VISA, Master Card, check or money order (checks must be for U.S. funds on a U.S. bank) to: KidStuff Software 6490 Dubois Rd. Delaware, OH 43015-8931 Name: _________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Phone: ________________________ Credit Card Information: [ ] VISA [ ] Master Card Credit Card Number: ___________________________ Expiration Date: ______________________________ Signature: ____________________________________ I received the shareware disk from: ________________________ Comments or suggestions: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS USGEO requires a 286 12Mhz or faster computer, 640K RAM, a hard drive, VGA color monitor, and a mouse. The speech works with either the speaker or Sound Blaster, Adlib, or compatible sound cards. Sound Blaster and Adlib support provided to registered users only. USGEO is not compatible with Microsoft Windows and must be run strictly from DOS. INSTALLATION Insert disk 1 and type A:INSTALL (or B:INSTALL). After installation you should have the following files: USGEO.EXE USGEO.DOC USGEO.GXL USGEO.INF USGEO.RSC Once installed, change to the USGEO directory and type USGEO to run the program. From the main menu screen you may press F10 to set the program options. ===================== USGEO INSTRUCTIONS ========================== MAIN MENU OPTIONS - Ship: exit USGEO and return to DOS. You may also press ESC to exit the program. - States: Click a state to hear its name and/or capital spoken. - 9 activity icons: begin one of the 11 activities. The activity icons are the fish or animals appearing around the map. The activities may also be activated by pressing the function keys F1-F9. - F10: Set the program options. PROGRAM OPTIONS: Press F10 from the menu screen for the Program Options window. Use the ENTER key to move to the next field, or the Up or Down arrow keys to move to the previous or next field. Press ESC when you have entered all desired information. The options are saved to disk. These options may be modified at any time. The first 9 options control whether the name of the state and/or capital will be spoken in that activity. Enter a 'Y' to turn speech on for that activity or a 'N' to turn it off. Speech On? Main Menu - State Name Main Menu - Capital Name Capital Match Flag Match State Information - State Name State Information - Capital Name Border States State Match U.S. Puzzle *** In the shareware version the speech is available for the Main Menu and State Information activities only, and speech files are provided for only the first 10 states and capitals (alphabetically) - Alabama through Georgia. This allows us to distribute the program more economically without the additional size of the remaining sound files, and we hope provides an additional incentive to order the registered version of the program. Other than the shareware reminder screens, this is the only difference between the shareware and registered versions of the program. *** The next 3 options control whether background music will be played during that activity. Enter a 'Y' to turn speech on for that activity or a 'N' to turn it off. (Music is available only on systems with a sound card installed). Music On? Main Menu Flag Match State Information The next options control whether abbreviations for each of the states will be displayed on the map for that activity. Enter a 'Y' to display the abbreviations for that activity or a 'N' to turn them off. Show Abbreviations? Geographic Regions U.S. Quiz Capital Match State Information Border States State Match U.S. Puzzle Other Options: Slap Jack - Easy or Hard (E/H) There are two difficulty levels for the Slap Jack game. Enter 'E' for the easier level, or 'H' for the harder level. Show Instructions? A 'Y' in this field will display brief instructions before each activity begins. After reading the instructions, click or press a key to remove the instruction window and begin the activity. After you are familiar with each of the activities, you can turn this feature off, by entering 'N' here. Speaker (1) or Sound Blaster (2)",340,230); USGEO provides support for either the PC speaker or Sound Blaster, Adlib or compatible sound cards. Enter a '1' to use the speaker, or '2' if you have a compatible sound card. If you change the sound output from speaker to sound card, or vice versa, you must exit and then restart the program in order for the change to take effect. Music Volume (1-15)/Speech Volume (1-15) These options allow you to control the relative volume levels of the voice to the music in the Sound Blaster version of the program. These options will have no effect on some sound cards. They will work on Sound Blaster Pro or similar cards. They will have no effect in the PC speaker version of the program. There is no way to adjust the volume of the PC speaker. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES: There are 11 different geography activities. The icons representing them are found on the main menu. The activities may also be activated by pressing the function keys F1-F9. The function keys correspond to the program icons beginning with the upper leftmost icon (the penguin), and moving in a counter-clockwise direction. See the Program Options section for information on setting the various options for each activity. For most activities you can determine whether you would like state abbreviations displayed on the map, and whether you would like to hear the state and/or capital spoken for that activity. Due to the irregular shapes of the states, when clicking on a state, clicks near the center of the state will register most accurately. For activities that use the timer, you will start with 100 points for each question or problem. The point value will decrease by 5 for each second taken to answer the problem. After an activity that maintains a score is exited, the scoreboard will be displayed. The high scores are displayed in the leftmost column and the current scores displayed in the rightmost column. Click or press any key to remove the scoreboard. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Activity 1: Geographic Regions Click - Icon 1: Penguin Key: F1 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Select a region by clicking a region name from the list at the bottom of the screen. A checkmark will appear beside that region and the mouse will change to the color of that region. Click all states that are found in that region. When a region is complete, a tone will sound. If an incorrect state is clicked, all states previously colored for that region will be changed back to white. The regions apply to the 48 continental states. Alaska and Hawaii are not included in this activity. SPACE - shows all states in the current region. ESC - exits the activity. The following regions are used in this activity. New England States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont Middle Atlantic States: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania Southern States: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Midwestern States: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin Rocky Mountain States: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming Southwestern States: Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas Pacific Coast States: California, Oregon, Washington, ------------------------------------------------------------------- Activity 2: U.S. Quiz Click - Icon 2: Fish with Bubbles Key: F2 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Select a category for the quiz from the three icons displayed. The categories include - 1.) State Facts and Information, 2.) Major Cities, and 3.) Professional Sports Teams. If you select category 1 or 2, you will be able to select the region or regions which you would like to work on. Click on the region name to check or uncheck each region as desired. Only questions for the selected regions will be displayed. Click OK or press ENTER when you have selected your regions. Depending on the category selected, you will see a fact about a state, a major city, or the name of a sports team displayed in the lower right corner of the screen. Click the state which corresponds to the displayed information. Each quiz "question" is initially worth 100 points. A timer is displayed at the top of the screen. The point value for the question decreases according to the amount of time taken to select the correct state. If the state clicked is correct, it will be briefly highlighted and the points appearing on the time clock will be added to your score. SPACE - shows the answer to the current question. ESC - exits the activity. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Activity 3: Capital Match/Map Click - Icon 3: Shark Key: F3 ------------------------------------------------------------------- After clicking the Shark Icon, or pressing F3, you will see two new icons at the bottom of the screen. Click the map icon to activate this activity. A state capital will be displayed in the lower right corner of the screen. If speech is enabled for this activity, the capital will also be spoken. Click the state for which this is the capital. If the state clicked is correct, it will be highlighted and the points appearing on the time clock will be added to your score. SPACE - shows the answer for the current capital. ESC - exits the activity. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Activity 4: Capital Match/List Click - Icon 3: Shark Key: F3 ------------------------------------------------------------------- After clicking the Shark Icon, or pressing F3, you will see two new icons at the bottom of the screen. Click the selection list icon to activate this activity. A state will be highlighted in red on the map. If speech is enabled for this activity, the state name will be spoken. Use the arrow keys or click the arrows displayed on the screen to highlight the name of the capital for this state. Press ENTER or click the capital name. If the answer is correct, the state will be displayed in yellow and the points appearing on the time clock will be added to your score. SPACE - shows the capital name. ESC - exits the activity. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Activity 5: Slap Jack Click - Icon 4: Frog Key: F4 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Select whether you would like to play states and capitals, or states and nicknames. Then select whether you would like to play against another player, or against the computer. Two cards will appear, one with a state name, the second with either a capital or a nickname. If the second card displayed is the correct capital or nickname for the state, you must "slap" the cards. Player 1 (rightmost player) uses the ENTER key to slap. Player 2 (leftmost player) uses the SPACE bar. The first player to slap a match receives 100 points. 50 points are deducted for slapping an incorrect match. ESC - exits the activity. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Activity 6: Flag Match Click - Icon 5: Fish with Flag Key: F5 ------------------------------------------------------------------- A screen displaying 18 state flags will appear with a state displayed at the center of the screen. If speech is enabled for this activity, the state name will be spoken. Click on the flag which belongs to that state. You will receive 100 points for each correct flag, and will lose 20 for each incorrect click. When all the displayed flags are matched, a new set of flags will be displayed until all 50 flags have been matched. SPACE - shows the correct flag. ESC - exits the activity. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Activity 7: State Information Click - Icon 6: Whale Key: F6 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Click on any state to display a window with information about that state. From the program options window, you may control whether the state name and/or capital are spoken in this activity. Click a second time to remove the information window. ESC - exits the activity. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Activity 8: Border States Click - Icon 7: Group of Fish Key: F7 ------------------------------------------------------------------- A list of states will be displayed in the lower left corner of the screen. If speech is enabled for this activity, you will hear the names of each of those states spoken. Click the state which is bordered by the states listed. If the correct state is clicked, it will be highlighted and the points appearing on the time clock will be added to your score. SPACE - shows the correct state. ESC - exits the activity. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Activity 9: State Match/Map Click - Icon 8: Fish beside Florida Key: F8 ------------------------------------------------------------------- After clicking the Florida Fish Icon, or pressing F8, you will see two new icons at the bottom of the screen. Click the map icon to activate this activity. A state name will be displayed in the lower right corner of the screen. If speech is enabled for this activity, the state name will also be spoken. Click the state which matches that name. If the state clicked is correct, it will be highlighted and the points appearing on the time clock will be added to your score. SPACE - shows the answer for the current state. ESC - exits the activity. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Activity 10: State Match/List Click - Icon 8: Fish beside Florida Key: F8 ------------------------------------------------------------------- After clicking the Florida Fish Icon, or pressing F8, you will see two new icons at the bottom of the screen. Click the selection list icon to activate this activity. A state will be highlighted in red on the map. Use the arrow keys or click the arrows displayed on the screen to highlight the name of this state. Press ENTER or click the state name. If the answer is correct, the state will be displayed in yellow and the points appearing on the time clock will be added to your score. SPACE - shows the state name. ESC - exits the activity. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Activity 11: U.S. Puzzle Click - Icon 8: Lobster Key: F9 ------------------------------------------------------------------- A state will appear at the bottom of the screen. If speech is enabled for this activity, the state name will also be spoken. Using the mouse, move the state to its correct location on the map. Once the state is in the correct position, it will automatically be "pasted" onto the map. (Do not click the mouse button). Each state is initially worth 100 points. The point value will decrease in proportion to the time taken to place the state. As each state is placed it will be highlighted and the points appearing on the time clock will be added to your score. If you are not able to place the state, you have two options. The interior states may be hard to place if some of their bordering states have not yet been placed. If you think you could place the state after other states have been located, click the RIGHT mouse button to skip over that state and return to it later. If you do not know where the state is located at all, you may press the SPACE bar to automatically place the state. RIGHT MOUSE - skip the state, but come back to it later. SPACE - automatically place the current state. ESC - exits the activity. ======================= TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE: ======================= USGEO will not run under Microsoft Windows. The speech will not work on a system slower than 12 Mhz. Programs using graphics and sound require large quantities of memory. If you are having trouble with the program, please free up all available memory. If you have any TSR's or memory resident programs loaded, they should be removed from memory. USGEO will access expanded memory if available. USGEO requires a color VGA monitor/video card. A mouse driver must be loaded via your config.sys or autoexec.bat file before using USGEO. See the documentation that came with your mouse. Sound Blaster/Adlib or compatible versions of each of these programs area available to registered users. ========================================================================= P R E S C H O O L P A C K ========================================================================= The colorful graphics, songs, and speech of Preschool Pack will be sure to capture the attention of your preschooler. From the main menu screen, which contains a cat which meows and winks when clicked, to the bee which frowns when a mistake is made in the matching game, you and your preschooler will appreciate the careful design and attention to detail of Preschool Pack. Through six different and entertaining activities your preschooler will learn about counting, number recognition, the alphabet, colors, matching, classifying, and memorizing his name, address, and telephone number. The activities include: "Animal Homes", where animals must be placed in their appropriate homes - either farm, forest, or circus. Most of the animals have an accompanying animation and animal sound! "Balloons", where the user must click on a color block matching the color of a rising balloon before it pops; "Matching", a memory game with an animated bee rewarding the user who locates all matches; "Counting", where the user counts along with the computer as a variety of colorful images, from dinosaurs to dolls, are displayed; and "ABC's" where the user must find all letters which match a displayed letter. "ABC's" uses speech to pronounce each letter as it is selected. In the last activity the child will learn to spell his name, as well as learning his address and phone number. All activities are reinforced with cheerful music and animation sequences. ========================================================================= S O U N D S L I K E A . . . ========================================================================= "Sounds Like A..." is a unique and entertaining game for children ranging in age from approximately 1 1/2 to 7 years of age. The program uses colorful graphics and a variety of high-quality sounds ranging from a clock "ticking" to a dog "barking". In the first of two games, the child must find the picture which matches a sound. Your child may hear, for example, a cow "mooing". He/she will then click on a square containing the picture of a cow. A game consists of 12 sound/picture pairs. As each picture is matched with the accompanying sound, parts of a larger underlying picture are revealed. The second game is a matching or memory game with a slight twist. The child must match a picture with the appropriate sound. For example, if the child clicks on a block revealing a picture of a donkey, he must find the block which contains the "Hee Haw" sound in order to make a match. *** An enhanced version of Sounds Like A... is available for Sound Blaster or Adlib systems that provides 36 MIDI songs in addition to the sounds of the standard program. Your child will hear a song and match that song to its corresponding picture. There are 12 children's songs, 12 Bible songs, and 12 Christmas songs. Also included in this version is a "tape player" where your child can play any of the sounds or songs in the program. ========================================================================= T A L K I N G T I M E T U T O R ========================================================================= "Talking Time Tutor" will have your child telling time in no time! Your child will hear the time spoken using high quality digitized speech. TTIME provides a variety of different time activities each with three skill levels. Activities include setting the analog clock to match the digital clock, setting the digital clock to match the analog clock, setting the analog clock to the spoken or written time, and setting the analog clock to a future or past time. Additional features are provided to entertain your child as he/she learns. Each of 6 analog clocks has its own animation routine. Pocket Watch Display minute count by fives. Owl Eyes move left to right. Bear Honey bee flies around. Santa Christmas tree with blinking lights. Cat Eyes move up and down. Dinosaur Munches on grass. Cuckoo Clock Cuckoos The colors of the band on the digital wrist watch may be changed. A bear on the screen tells time-related jokes or asks your child questions about time. Isn't it about time you invested in "Talking Time Tutor" for your child? ========================================================================= T A L K I N G N U M B E R M A C H I N E ========================================================================= The inspiration for "Talking Number Machine" (TNUM) came from my daughter Lisa, age 7. From the time she learned to read, she was continually asking me, "Mom, what's this number?". At the time she could not recognize numbers over about 999. After working with the "Talking Number Machine" she is comfortable with numbers up to the trillions. TNUM is designed to help children recognize, say, and write numbers from 1 to 9,999,999,999,999. TNUM uses high quality digitized speech to say the numbers which appear on the screen. Mouse and/or keyboard commands may be used. The program includes the following activities: Number Machine - Click on the Number Machine and the machine will produce an interesting fact containing a large number. The fact will be displayed in a frame, with the number highlighted, along with an accompanying picture. For example - "Americans eat 50,000,000 hot dogs a day." They may then choose to have the computer say the highlighted number, or have the computer display that number in words. The user may also choose to write the number in words by selecting from a list of number words (no typing is required). Help is available to display the next word if the user gets stuck. The registered version of the program contains 175 number facts. Enter any Number - The user may enter (calculator style) any number up to 13 digits. They may then choose to have the computer say that number or have the computer display that number in words. The user may also choose to write the number in words by selecting from a list of number words (no typing is required). Enter the Written Number - The computer will "think" of a large number and display that number in words, for example - nine million two hundred fifty one thousand three hundred seventy two. The user must enter the digits to make that number. Help is available to display the next digit if the user gets stuck. Count By - TNUM can also help your child learn to count (by increments of 1 to 10). If the user selects 2 the program will begin counting by 2's - 2, 4, 6, 8, etc. until you decide to stop. A utility program is included with TNUM which allows you to enter your own number facts for use in the program. ========================================================================= M A S T E R P I E C E M E N U ========================================================================= Masterpiece Menu is a menu program designed specifically for children. Even the youngest children will be able to run their own software using Masterpiece Menu. The painter "paints" each program icon on the easel. Click the easel or press ENTER to run the displayed program. The large, colorful program icons are standard PCX files. Setup is a breeze, simply press F10 to enter your child's program information. You can even set up separate configurations so each child can have his/her own menu. Masterpiece Menu runs in EGA or VGA mode and includes a "screen saver", calendar, and animated clock. ========================================================================= M S . P I G G Y B A N K ========================================================================= Ms. Piggy Bank provides an effective and entertaining way for children ages 6 to 10 to learn about money. Ms. Piggy Bank offers 6 different money activities, all using high quality speech and graphics, with full mouse support. The simplest activity teaches the names and values of coins and bills up to twenty dollars. Your child will quickly learn the value of each coin as they try to maneuver a piggy bank to catch falling coins. Your child will learn, for example, that two quarters are equal to a half dollar in the Money Equivalents activity. In the Total Money activity your child will enter the total of the displayed coins and/or bills on a cash register. The Select Money activity displays a total and your child selects the coins and/or bills which add up to that total. An entertaining board game for 1 or 2 players allows your child to put his newly acquired skills to work, earning money and an opportunity to visit the Toy Store where he can practice making a purchase and counting out the amount of change received. The program is easily configurable for children of various ages and skill levels.