500 Game Surplus/XSurplus.iso/570/PPK.DOC

Text File | 1997-01-31 | 36KB | 694 lines

                      Preschool Pack 4.0
             Copyright (c) 1995  KidStuff Software
             10619 Ketch Rd.  Plain City, OH 43064
                614-873-1374  [e-mail]

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, spelling his name, and memorizing his 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 phone number. All activities
are reinforced with cheerful music and animation sequences.



            Shareware Registration Form - PPK 4.0

 All registered users receive over 100 extra pictures for use in
 PPK, 12 or 24 cards in the matching game, count up to 25 in the
 number game, 13 additional animal animations and sounds, support
 via mail, e-mail, or phone, removal of the shareware screens, and
 notification of and substantial discounts on KidStuff Software.

 [ ] Sound Blaster/Adlib Version   [ ] PC Speaker Version

 (Shareware versions of the following programs are available)
 [ ] $3.00  "Sounds Like A..."       [ ] $3.00  "Kinder-Carton"
 [ ] $3.00  "Talking Time Tutor"     [ ] $3.00  "U.S. Geography"
 [ ] $3.00  "Talking Number Machine" [ ] $3.00  "Reading is Kids' Stuff"
 [ ] $3.00  "Ms. Piggy Bank"

 [ ] $2.50  shipping & handling for orders outside the U.S. or Canada
 [ ] $10.00  (Standard Registration, includes the above benefits)

 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   10619 Ketch Rd.  Plain City, OH 43064

   Name:    _________________________________________

   Address: _________________________________________

            _________________________________________

   Phone:   ________________________

     Credit Card Information:   [ ] VISA      [ ] Master Card

     Credit Card Number: _____________________   Exp. Date: _________

     Signature: ____________________________________

   I received the shareware disk from:  ________________________

   Comments or suggestions: ____________________________________

   _____________________________________________________________

   _____________________________________________________________

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Preschool Pack requires a  12Mhz or faster PC, 640K RAM, a hard drive,
an EGA or VGA color monitor, and a mouse. Two different versions of
PPK are available. One works with Sound Blaster, Adlib, or compatible
sound cards. The other works with the PC speaker. PPK does not run in
Microsoft Windows 3.1 or Win 95, but may be run by exiting those
programs and running from the DOS prompt.


INSTALLATION
Insert disk 1 and type A:INSTALL (or B:INSTALL). Once installed, change
to the PPK directory and type PPK to run the program. From the main
menu screen you may press F10 to set the program options.



PRESCHOOL PACK INSTRUCTIONS

F10 Program Options (from the main menu screen)
  Press ENTER or use the arrow keys to move between option fields.
  Press ESC when you have set all the desired options, to exit the
  screen. The options are saved to disk. They may be modified at
  any time. From the options window you may set the following:

   Speech On (Y/N) - Y to turn speech on, N to turn it off. "Speech"
     includes the animal sounds as well as voice.

   Music On (Y/N)  - Y to turn music on, N to turn it off.

   Computer Speed - Slow, Medium, Fast (S/M/F)
     This option primarily controls the timing of the animations
     in the program. Set it according to the following guidelines.
     You may need to adjust these for individual systems.

     'S' - 286 computer   'M' - 386 computer   'F' - 486 computer

   Music Volume (1-15)/Voice 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.

   Count From ?? to ??
     In the counting game you may set a range of numbers to be used,
     anywhere from 1 to 25. You may only want to work on the numbers
     1 to 10, 10 to 20, 1 to 25, etc. [The shareware version allows
     numbers 1-10.]

   Enter Numbers?
     Answer Y/N here to control how the counting game operates. If 'Y'
     a number of objects will be displayed in the counting game and the
     user will have to type in the number of objects. If 'N' a number
     will be displayed and the user will count along with the computer
     by pressing a key or clicking the mouse.

   Matching Blocks (12/24)
     This controls the number of blocks used in the matching game
     (12 or 24). [The shareware version allows 12.]

   Boy or Girl (1-6)
     Enter a number from 1 to 6 to display the pictures of the 3 girls
     (1-3) and 3 boys (4-6) used in the name, address, and phone number
     activity. After pressing ENTER the new picture will be displayed.
     Use the up arrow key to re-enter this field if you would like to
     look at a different picture.

   The remaining fields are used in the name, address, phone number
   activity. Please type in the information for your child. If you
   have ordered the personalized version of PPK, all of this information
   will be spoken. If not, the first name will be spelled and the
   telephone number spoken. All other information will be displayed
   only. You may enter the first names for up to 3 children.

MAIN MENU MOUSE CLICKS

 - Stop sign: exit PPK and return to DOS.
 - cat's head: meow and wink.
 - lower right corner of the screen: mouse runs across the screen.
 - upper left corner of the screen: doll waves from corner of sack.
 - 6 activity icons: begin one of the 6 activities.


PROGRAM ACTIVITIES:

   COUNTING:
   Click on 123 for the counting game. The counting game operates
   in two different modes - counting mode, or enter the number
   mode. Set the field Enter Numbers? in the program options
   window to Y/N to set the mode. If this field is set to 'Y', a
   number of objects will be displayed and the user will have to
   type in the number of objects. If 'N' a number will be displayed
   and the user will count along with the computer by pressing a key
   or clicking the mouse.

     Counting Mode:
     A large number will be displayed in the upper left corner, and
     that number will be spoken. For example the number 7 may appear.
     You should then click the mouse anywhere on the screen, (or press
     any key) 7 times. For each click a picture will appear on the
     screen. The program will count as each item appears. When you
     have clicked the correct number of times, the bear will dance and
     a song will play. You may stop the song at any point by clicking
     the mouse or pressing a key during the song. You may then continue
     with the next number or click on STOP to end the game. The child
     should be encouraged to count along with the program as the objects
     appear.

     Enter the Number Mode:
     In this mode a number of objects will be displayed. The user should
     type in the correct number of objects displayed. Do not press ENTER.
     If the correct number is typed, the number will be displayed and
     spoken, and the doll will dance and sing. You may stop the song at
     any point by clicking the mouse or pressing a key during the song.
     You may press the ENTER key or SPACEBAR to display the correct answer
     automatically. There is no song or dance if this "Help" method is
     used. After a brief pause the next set of objects will be displayed,
     continue with the next set or click on STOP to end the game.

   COLORS:
   Click on the balloons for the color game. You will see two rows of
   color blocks. A colored balloon will appear on the right side of the
   screen and begin rising to the top of the screen. Click on the block
   which is the same color as the balloon. If you click on the correct
   block, that balloon will appear at the bottom of the screen and a
   different colored balloon will appear. If you do not click the right
   color before the balloon reaches the top of the screen, that balloon
   will pop and a new balloon will appear. Play continues until the
   display of correct balloons at the bottom of the screen is full. You
   may click on the rabbit to speed up the balloon or on the turtle to
   slow down the balloon. Each time you click on the speed icons, the
   balloon will either speed up or slow down. A song will play when all
   the balloons are collected. A new game will be set up allowing you
   to play again, or click the STOP sign to return to the main menu.

   ALPHABET:
   Click on ABC for the alphabet game. You will see a letter in
   the upper left corner, and the name of this letter will be spoken.
   A grid containing various letters will be displayed on the right.
   Click on each letter in the grid which matches the letter on the
   left. As each letter in the grid is clicked on, the name of that
   letter will be spoken. If a matching letter is clicked it will be high-
   lighted. As each match is found, part of a butterfly will be displayed.
   When all matching letters are found, the completed butterfly will
   fly across the screen as a song is played.

   Below the letter in the upper left corner, you will see a box with
   [A a Aa]. Click on this box at any time to change the case of the game.
   Click on the capital 'A' to change to all upper-case. Click on the
   lower-case 'a' to change to all lower-case. Click on the upper/lower
   case 'Aa' to change to a mixture of upper and lower case letters.

   Click on the area between the Upper/Lower Case Block and the STOP
   sign to hear the ABC song. Click on the letter in the upper left
   corner to hear the entire alphabet spoken. Click the mouse or press
   a key to advance through the letters from A to Z. Press ESC at any
   time to end the speaking of the alphabet.

   The ABC game will continue until you click on the STOP sign or press
   ESC to return to the main menu.

   MATCHING:
   Click on the squares to play the matching game. Click on a square
   to reveal a picture, then click on another to find it's match. The
   bee will frown when a mistake is made and will smile when a correct
   match is found. Clicking on the bee will make him fly over the screen.
   The bee will fly and a song will play when all matches are found. A
   count of the number of tries used will be displayed under the bee. A
   new matching game will be set up allowing you to play again, or click
   the STOP sign to return to the main menu. Set the Matching Blocks
   field to 12 or 24 in the Program Options window to control the
   number of blocks used for the Matching game.

   ANIMAL HOMES:
   Click on the elephant to play the animal homes game. The next screen
   will display a barn, a circus tent, and a forest. In the lower,
   right corner an animal will be displayed. Some of the animals will
   have a sound effect, and/or animation associated with it. In the
   Sound Blaster version the sound effects and animations are performed
   simultaneously. Due to the limitations of the PC speaker, the speaker
   version performs the animations after the sound effects. Click on
   the displayed animal to repeat the animation. In the Sound Blaster
   version, the sound effect will also be repeated. [The shareware
   version provides one animated animal for each of the homes. The
   registered version provides 16.]

   After an animal is displayed, click on the picture that represents
   the correct home for this animal. The animals may only be placed in
   the correct homes. When the correct home is clicked, a full screen
   picture of that home will appear. You may click anywhere to place
   the animal on the screen. You may click repeatedly to move the animal
   to different positions on this screen. When the animal is placed where
   you want it, click STOP to return to the ANIMAL HOMES screen. A new
   animal will appear and you can repeat the above process. When all
   animals for a home have been placed, a song will play. When all
   animals for the farm, circus, and forest have been placed you will
   be returned to the main menu. You may also return to the main menu
   before all animals are placed by clicking on the STOP sign, or pressing
   ESC in the ANIMAL HOMES screen.

   The animals included are listed below. Animations or Sound effects
   are indicated by an A or S.

      FARM                     CIRCUS                  FOREST
      ---------------------------------------------------------
      Cow     [AS]             Seal     [AS]           Deer
      Pig     [AS]             Tiger    [AS]           Skunk
      Goat    [AS]             Lion     [AS]           Snake  [AS]
      Chicken [AS]             Monkey   [AS]           Fox
      Ducks   [AS]             Elephant [AS]           Owl    [AS]
      Sheep   [AS]             Horse    [S]            Raccoon
      Horse   [AS]
      Goose   [AS]

   NAME, ADDRESS, AND PHONE NUMBER:
   Be sure you have entered the information related to this activity
   by pressing F10 for the Program Options window (from the main menu).

   NAME:
   Click on the name bubble to hear the child's first name spelled.
   If you have purchased the personalized version, the child's name will
   be spoken also.

   ADDRESS:
   If you have purchased the personalized version, click on the mailbox
   to hear the child's first name, last name, and complete address spoken.
   Click on the dinosaur and he will mail a letter.

   PHONE:
   Click on the phone number displayed on the bottom of the phone to
   hear the phone number spoken. "Dial" the displayed phone number by
   clicking on the appropriate buttons, or by typing the numbers on
   the keyboard. If the number dialed matches the number displayed on
   the phone, the phone will ring and someone will say "Hello". If an
   error is made while dialing, click on the receiver to get a dial
   tone and start dialing over again with the first digit of the phone
   number.

=========================================================================
                  K I N D E R - C A R T O N
=========================================================================
Kinder-Carton contains a "carton-full" of 27 phonics, math,
and logic activities for the advanced preschooler to second
grader. The program utilizes colorful VGA graphics, and voice
files for the names and sounds of each letter of the alphabet,
twenty six blends and digraphs, as well as the numbers from
zero to one hundred. Phonics activities include: Letter Matching,
Letter Sequencing, Alphabet Book, I Spy, Blends & Digraphs,
Rhyming Words, 3 Letter Words, Amazing Words, and Word Race.
Math and Logic activities include: Lasso Count, Ordinal Numbers,
Greater Than/Less Than/Equal To, Manipulative Add and Subtract,
Hundred Board Add and Subtract, Arrows, Count Down, Missing Numbers,
Skip Count, Guess Number, Number Line Add and Subtract, Number
Problems, Mazes, Nim, Tic Tac Toe, Box Game, and Patterns.


=========================================================================
                  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
four activities, 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 activity provides 36 MIDI songs that your child will hear
and match to its corresponding picture. There are 12 children's
songs, 12 Bible songs, and 12 Christmas songs. Also included is a
"tape player" where your child can play any of the sounds or songs in
the program. The last activity 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.


=========================================================================
            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.



=========================================================================
               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.

=========================================================================
  If You Want To Learn U.S. Geography You Gotta Have This Program!
=========================================================================
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.


=========================================================================
          R E A D I N G   I S   K I D S'   S T U F F
=========================================================================
The ability to read well is one of the most vital skills required for
academic success. Once a child has been taught to read (phonetically),
the best way to ensure that they become accomplished "life-long" readers
is to continually provide them with well-written, interesting books so
that reading becomes a pleasurable experience.  "Reading is Kids' Stuff"
provides a database of over 750 popular children's books, selected
specifically for their high moral standards and their appeal to children.
With this software you will be able to select appropriate reading material
for each child.  Search the book database by Title, Author, Series Name,
Type, Subject, or Awards. Descriptions are provided for each book, as well
as the reading level, number of pages, and whether the book is Christian
in content.

The child can easily maintain a list of books that he/she has read,
optionally rating and entering comments for each book.  You may print out
a list of books read by each child, that includes the number of pages
read, average pages per book, average reading level, points earned, and
more.  If you need to read a book in a certain amount of time, READKS can
print a suggested daily reading schedule.  You may also print a list of
books to search for at the library, a "books to read" list, or a list of
books that you own.  In addition to all of these features, READKS is
totally expandable.  You may add or remove books from the database to
suit your own needs and preferences.


TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

Minimum program requirements:
* 25 Mhz or faster 386 or higher, IBM Compatible system
* VGA color monitor (TTIME, TNUM, PPK, and SLA speaker version
  will work on most EGA systems also)
* Hard drive with at least 1 to 5 Megabytes free depending on the program
* IBM Compatible mouse

DAMAGED DISKETTES
Error messages indicating a problem reading from the disk or from a
particular file on the disk usually indicate that the disk has been
damaged in some way.  Let us know your name, address, and the name
of the program and we will replace the diskettes.  You do not have
to return the damaged disks to us.

PROGRAM INSTALLATION
Each program may be installed by inserting the disk into the drive
and typing A:INSTALL (replace the A: with the appropriate drive
letter if other than A:).  This installation process temporarily
requires about 1 1/2 times as much space on your hard drive as the
program will normally consume.  The reason is that the compressed
files are copied from the diskette onto your hard drive, then the
required files are uncompressed.  When this process is completed,
the compressed files are deleted.  A minimum of about 5 megabytes
free should be adequate to install any of our programs (most require
much less than that).  Please note that a write error almost always
indicates either insufficient space on your hard drive or some other
problem with your hard drive (not the floppy disk you are installing
from).  If there is a problem with the floppy diskette, that will cause
some type of a read error.

RUNNING THE PROGRAMS FROM DOS
At the DOS prompt you may run any of the programs by changing to the
directory where the program was installed, then typing the name of the
program.  The file you want to run is the file listed in that directory
with a .EXE extension.  For example to run the program Preschool Pack,
you would type:
                  CD \PPK
                  PPK

RUNNING THE PROGRAMS IF YOU ARE USING WINDOWS 3.1
These programs are DOS programs and were not designed to run under
Microsoft Windows 3.1.  You cannot run the programs by clicking on
the Windows MS-DOS Prompt icon either.  It may appear that you are
out of Windows at that point, but you really aren't.  You must exit
completely from Windows by selecting File/Exit Windows from the
Program Manager Window.  [Then see the section entitled Running
the Programs from DOS]

RUNNING THE PROGRAMS WITH WINDOWS 95
These programs are DOS programs and were not designed to run under
Microsoft Windows 95.  You may install the programs by clicking the
START button, and under RUN type A:INSTALL.  When the program is
installed, you will be asked by the installation program if you
want to run the program.  You must answer 'N' here.  You may then
use either of the following two ways to run the programs with Win 95.

1. Simplest way
a.) Click START
b.) Select SHUT DOWN COMPUTER
c.) Select RESTART COMPUTER IN MS DOS MODE
After performing the above operations you will be at the MS DOS prompt.
[Then see the section entitled Running the Programs from DOS]

2. Alternate way to run from Win 95
This example shows how to run the Preschool Pack program PPK.
For other programs, substitute their names as appropriate in the
following steps.

a.) Open the "My Computer" icon.
b.) Highlight by clicking one time on the Drive C icon.
c.) Right click to open another sub menu, highlight Explore and left
    click, this opens up a tree directory.
d.) Find the directory PPK and left click to open it.  On the right
    side you will see all the files it contains.
e.) Left click to highlight the PPK.EXE file.  DO NOT double click
    (that would run the program).
f.) Right click to open another sub menu.  Highlight the bottom choice
    of Properties and open with a left click.  There are several things
    about the program file that you can change -
                    General - Program - Font - Memory - ...
g.) Click on Program.  On the bottom of the screen is a button for
    Advanced Settings.  Click on this to change the settings to MS DOS
    Mode, Warn before entering MS DOS Mode, and Use current MS DOS
    Configuration.
h.) Click OK and back all the way out.

Now you may run the program by clicking the START button and Run,
or by clicking the icon placed on the desktop, or by exploring and
double clicking the PPK.EXE file.  The computer will shut down to
MS DOS Mode and run the program.  When you exit, it will restart
Win 95 for you.

VIDEO PROBLEMS
The earlier versions of the programs did not display graphics correctly
with some video cards.  If your program files are dated prior to 3/95,
please call or write to request an updated version.  Let us know your
name, address, and the name of the program.

MEMORY PROBLEMS
Programs using graphics and sound require large quantities of memory.
Most DOS programs access primarily the first 640K of RAM.  You may have
4, 8, or more Megabytes of RAM, but you still need to free up as much
of that first 640K of RAM as possible. The PPK Alphabet activity
requires the most memory, so problems with it are the most frequently
reported.  Typing the MEM command at the DOS prompt will tell you how
much of this memory is available.  You should see a line that displays
something like "Largest Executable Program Size".  If you can get that
number up to about 570,000 or 580,000 then you should have no problems.

Freeing up this memory can be accomplished by loading device drivers
such as mouse driver, CD ROM drivers, etc.  into high memory through
your AUTOEXEC.BAT and/or CONFIG.SYS files.  Unfortunately I cannot
give you specific directions as to how to do this, because each
system is set up differently and uses different software.  If you
are fairly computer literate and confident, you can do this yourself.
Otherwise you should get assistance from a knowledgable friend or
perhaps the store where you purchased your system.

MOUSE PROBLEMS
Software called a mouse driver must be loaded via your CONFIG.SYS or
AUTOEXEC.BAT file before using these programs. The method for doing
this will vary with the type of mouse you have purchased.  Generally
it involves only adding one line to either of the two files mentioned
above.  If possible your mouse driver should be loaded into high memory.
See the documentation that came with your mouse. If you are fairly
computer literate and confident, you can do this yourself.  Otherwise
you should get assistance from a knowledgable friend or perhaps the
store where you purchased your system.  If you are not specifically
loading a mouse driver as described above, your mouse will not work
with these programs, even if the mouse works within Windows.

Sometimes what appears to be a problem with your mouse may actually be
a conflict with your sound card.  If your mouse cursor is visible, but
will not move and the system is locked up, that may indicate a sound
card conflict, in that case, see the following section.

SOUND CARD PROBLEMS
The programs attempt to automatically detect information about the
setup of your sound card.  If this is not being detected correctly,
you may experience some of the above mentioned problems.  In that
case you will need to run the program one time passing the address
and interrupt number used by your sound card. These numbers should
be found in a line similar to the SET BLASTER line below in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file (the autoexec.bat file should be found at the
root level of your C drive).
                SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4

The A220 gives you the I/O Address for your card, the I5 is the
Interrupt number. Your numbers may vary from these, so use whatever
numbers are listed after the 'A' and 'I' in YOUR FILE. When calling
the program use only the numbers, not the letters. For example, to
tell the Preschool Pack program which numbers are used by your sound
card, run the program by typing the address and interrupt numbers
after the program name, as in:
                                PPK 220 5

Again, notice that you use the numbers only, not the letters.
Replace the numbers above with your numbers if they are different.
The Address or 'A' number must be typed first, then the interrupt
or 'I' number, separated by spaces. This only needs to be done one
time as the settings will be saved to a .CFG file. After that you
can run the program by typing just the program name.

In most of the programs you may press F10 at the main screen to access
program options.  From this screen you may set the sound output for
the internal PC Speaker, or a Sound Blaster or compatible sound card.
You can also set the volume levels for sound and music.  Unfortunately,
not all sound cards respond to these software volume settings.  If,
after changing the numbers, you notice no difference in the volume of
your sound card, you will have to adjust the volume manually from your
speaker controls and/or the volume control on the sound card itself
(some sound cards have a volume control which can be accessed at the
back of the computer).

REFUNDS
I hope that these pages have provided the solutions to your software
problems.  However, a few systems or configurations just seem to be
incompatible with the programs.  If this is the case, and you cannot
get the software to run acceptably on your system, we will cheerfully
refund your money.  In order to receive a refund you must have
purchased or registered the software directly with KidStuff Software.
Please notify us of your name, address, the program(s) requiring a
refund, the invoice number if possible, and the nature of the problem
you experienced.

If you purchased a shareware disk from a shareware distributor, you
will need to contact them about a possible refund, as we do not receive
any income from shareware disks purchased from other vendors.