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- Xref: sparky misc.education:5720 misc.wanted:10642 misc.kids:31995
- Newsgroups: misc.education,misc.wanted,misc.kids
- Path: sparky!uunet!walter!att-out!cbfsb!cbnewsb.cb.att.com!rosen
- From: rosen@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (steven.b.rosen)
- Subject: TIPS ON EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE: SYNOPSIS [LONG!}
- Message-ID: <1993Jan8.214806.8686@cbfsb.cb.att.com>
- Followup-To: poster
- Keywords: educational software
- Sender: news@cbfsb.cb.att.com
- Organization: AT&T
- Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 21:48:06 GMT
- Lines: 775
-
-
- Wow,
- I never though I would get this kind of responce from an news
- posting. I got over 15 mail messages in under 24 hours. Since
- many of the messages were comments to prior postings, I only
- hope that I am quoting the true source of the following
- statements.
-
- Finally, I did get many requests to submit this file as part
- of a FAQ list that would be accessable to others via ftp. If
- the moderator of any group would please drop me a line giving
- the "ftp site of choice", I'd be glad to upload it.
-
- Thanks again to those who replied. Now on with the synopsis.
-
- ..steve...
-
- First, my original post/question; In misc.education I wrote:
- >Hi,
- > I'm looking for some decent educational software for
- > the 6 to 10 year old range. Shareware and Freeware is
- > perferred although I'd be interested in hearing any
- > feedback on any comerical package too.
- > I'd be glad to post a synopsis if I get any requests.
- > ...steve...
- >----------------------------------------
- >Steve Rosen rosen@cbnewsb.cb.att.com
- > srosen@attmail.com
- > attmail!srosen
- >----------------------------------------
-
- Cooments, suggestions and feedback follow:
- =================================================================
- Laura Walsh (lwalsh@nemo.life.uiuc.edu) wrote:
-
- I just bought a program called Math Shop from Scholastic
- Software (it cost ~$80, but I got the "teacher's edition",
- which was more expensive.) At any rate, the concept is
- that the student is a worker in any one of 9 different
- stores at the mall. He/she has to measure wood, melt
- gold bars, and "fix" calculators, in the 3 games I looked
- at so far. It is moderately difficult, which is nice
- compared to too simplistic games I have, which only
- require computation skills, not thinking. [NumberMaze
- is ok, but it is largely drill -- the math isn't the
- thing that is interesting, the maze is.] I found the
- reference for this program in a book I got at the library.
- The exact title I forget, but it was something like
- The Parents Guide to Educational Software. Despite
- being 3 years old, I found the book very helpful.
- We have lots of other commercial software: Outnumbered,
- KidsMath (good), KidsTime (good), Reader Rabbit (boring),
- SpellQuest (poor voice quality), Kid Pix (very motivating),
- Print Shop (fun and useful), Word Munchers (ok, good
- idea), Swamp Gas (I like this one myself), and Swamp
- Gas in Europe (this one, too), Carmen SanDiego (I must
- be one of the few people who do NOT like this one.),
- Oregon Trail (don't be put off by the recommendation
- for 10 years old and older. My 6 and 8 year olds
- like this one), SimEarth (difficult), SimAnt(easier,
- but doesn't appeal to me), Earthquest (not very interesting
- to kids), SimCity (some kids love it), Sim Life (I have
- it, but haven't tried it yet), Voyager (first version
- is what I have -- very difficult, but fascinating),
- Physics (the version I have is very old and rather
- boring -- I think it has since been markedly improved).
- I probably haven't mentioned them all.
-
- I would like to get your summary, if you do one.
- Thanks
- Laura Walsh (lwalsh@nemo.life.uiuc.edu)
-
- =================================================================
-
- larson@minerva.sws.uiuc.edu (Bob Larson) passed along a reply to
- a prior posting from bakken@cs.arizona.edu (Dave Bakken) that was
- appropreate. [Thanks also to Dave who sent his original post]
-
- In <29136@optima.cs.arizona.edu> bakken@cs.arizona.edu
- (Dave Bakken) writes:
-
- Dave---->I am getting a low-end 486 machine this week, and a major use will
- >be for educational programs and (educational!) games for my
- >daughter. However, I don't know where to start to find out
- >what would be good for her (she already types on my terminal
- >at home and knows almost all of her letters). I guess we
- >would be looking for some programs to help her with counting,
- >letters/typing, and basic reading skills. Also, games that
- >develop reasoning skills would be great.
-
- >The machine will have MeSsy DOS and Windows 3.1 and a soundcard,
- >in case it matters.
-
- >I've seen or heard about the following programs (titles from memory):
-
- > - Playroom (has games to develop reasoning skills)
-
- Bob---> We have playroom, and I don't think we gotten our money's worth
- out of it, although at first I thought it was pretty good. There
- was only one game which really got used alot. It does have a good
- mouse driven interface. Copy protection is by pattern matching with
- a picture on the back of the manual. My kids lost the manual about
- six months ago, but I was able to bypass the copy protection.
-
- > - Rabbit Math
- > - Reader Rabbit I
-
- Both are on my shopping list -- I've heard good things.
-
- > - Bearanstain Bears do Counting (she *loves* their books)
-
- I'd say this good *if* you get decent speach out of your internal
- speaker (which my pc doesn't). A wide variety of games.
- The interface isn't all that great - starting the game requires
- reading ability. I prefer mouse driven interfaces for younger kids.
-
- > - Kiddesk (locks kids out of parts of the file system)
-
- We just got this a few weeks ago. I (and my kids) really like it.
- They really hype up the ability to protect your files, which I
- consider a minor function of it. Besides, after all their hype,
- the adult's password is echoed to the screen - it took my
- 7 y.o. only a couple of days to learn mine. It supports alot
- of soundcards, but requires a soundblaster or sb pro for the
- kids to record messages - which my kids really enjoy. Also
- helps teach telling time and calender use. Buying KidDesk
- was probably the best money I've spent on my computer since
- 4dos, which BTW, kiddesk won't run under.
-
-
- >Can anyone comment on how good these are, or reccommend similar
- >ones? Also, if you've bought them, what is a decent price?
-
- A few comments on some other games:
-
- I don't like the disney games that we have tried (Donald's
- alphabet and some other one). The kids got bored with them,
- and pattern matching copy protection every time you run it.
-
- Seseme Street games: The coloring games are ok, Astro Grover
- is awful - requires a keyboard template! Ernie's Bathtub does
- also, but it's more tolerable.
-
- >Also, are there any mail order places that have a wide selection
- >of educational programs and also have reasonable prices?
-
- How about by anonymous ftp? The following are available
- from simtel and it's mirrors in the msdos/education directory,
- which actually has a lot of programs, but a lot of garbage.
- The following have gotten used in our house:
-
- AALPHA.ZIP B 485008 921026 Animated Alphabet for pre-school to 1st grader
- AMATH1.ZIP B 364071 921026 Animated Math: counting/addition/subtraction
- AMEM10.ZIP B 254102 921026 Animated Memory Game: aids kids' memory skills
- ANIMSHAP.ZIP B 294552 921026 Animated Shapes: shape & color identification
- AWCMP1.ZIP B 360428 920623 Animated Words spelling game for children, 1/2
- AWCMP2.ZIP B 346621 920623 Animated Words spelling game for children, 2/2
-
- My kids really like the animated series. Animation is done with
- Grasp and tends to really entertain the kids. Only 1 of the
- more recent ones supports soundcards, but the sound wasn't done
- very well. All in all, the animation more than makes up for the
- lack of sound quality. Registration is very reasonable, $10-15.
-
- ABC430.ZIP B 192306 920920 ABC Fun Keys: Teach children ABCs, v4.30
-
- This contains 4 games all designed to teach the alphabet and
- keyboard layout, but not touch typing. My kids enjoyed them,
- even after they learned the keyboard.
-
- ABCTLK25.ZIP B 273411 920820 Teaches children to talk, read/alphabet/spell
- 123TLK22.ZIP B 177314 911116 Talking Teacher: Child learns numbers/counting
-
- We are just now trying out these games. The shareware version uses the
- pc internal speaker; with registration you have the choice of
- versions which either use the internal speaker or a soundblaster. Both
- have a games for a wide range of skill levels. Registered version of
- ABC-Talk has the option of displaying words in cursive - rather unusual.
- My initial reaction is utter shock at the nag messages - both on-screen
- and VERBAL! "Please register your shareware" verbal messages on both
- ends. Almost deleted it right then, but I restrained myself.
-
- Another game which my girls liked.
- WRDGLRY.ZIP B 147908 900110 Match words with pictures, children ages 4-7
-
- --
- Bob Larson Illinois State Water Survey
- blarson@uiuc.edu 2204 Griffith Drive
- Voice: (217)333-7955 Champaign, IL 61820
- Fax: (217)333-6540
- =================================================================
-
- parnes@picasso.ocis.temple.edu (Sheldon Parnes) also replyed to
- Dave Bakken's post as follows:
-
- Dave--->: I've seen or heard about the following programs (titles from memory):
- : - Playroom (has games to develop reasoning skills)
- Sheldon>Playroom has a nice collection of games but a keydisk system for
- preschoolers
- is a really dumb idea. My three year liked this game but the disk is
- gone and so is the game.
-
- : - Rabbit Math
- haven't seen it
- : - Reader Rabbit I
- Probably the most helpful game in terms of teaching reading but
- actually not a lot of fun. It gets no play currently. My daughter
- may be too young but could play roughly half the games.
-
- : - Bearanstain Bears do Counting (she *loves* their books)
- don't know anything about this
-
- : - Kiddesk (locks kids out of parts of the file system)
- for $20 bucks at Egghead, this is probably worth getting. I certainly
- feel more comfortable with it running. Probably better for older kids
- (5 or 6), I suspect most kids will eventually figure out how to escape
- to the adult sectionsthe program looks good but does seem to have some
- stability problems.
-
- : - Kidpix (kid painting program)
- don't know
-
- : Can anyone comment on how good these are, or reccommend similar
- : ones? Also, if you've bought them, what is a decent price?
- Snoopy's Game Club is a very nice game (Sam's Club ($28.00)
-
- Learn the Alphabet by Topclass ($11.oo) EB and CompUSA better for
- younger children then Reader Rabbit, maybe better and a lot cheaper.
-
- Memory Games by Top Class ($11.00) EB and CompUSA a bunch of memory games
- like concentration, etc. simple and fun.
-
- =================================================================
-
- Next, was this comment from ncl@philabs.philips.com (Nai-Chi Lee):
-
- For young kids 3 to 5 years old, I strongly recommend PlayRoom by
- Broderbund. It can be bought from many mail-order places for around
- $28. A word of caution though, the version I have is very old (1989?)
- and does not behave well under Windows when using Sound Blaster. I
- heard that Broderbund had a newer version out with better sound
- support.
-
- For older kids (or for an extra-smart 4-year-old like my daughter ;-)
- TreeHouse is a good choice. Think of it as a new-and-improved PlayRoom
- from Broderbund. Also, KidPix (Broderbund, again) is great fun for kids
- from 3 to 10.
-
- Some shareware educational games are good, too. Try the Animated-Series
- (AWORD, ASHAPE, AMATH, etc) by Tom Guthery IV. Those are available from
- SimTel20 and other sites.
-
- --
- Nai-Chi
-
- Disclaimer: Broderbund did not pay me for this posting like it should.
-
- =================================================================
-
- lev@ipxed5.nswses.navy.mil (Lloyd E Vancil) wrote to say...
-
- I highly recommend the series of programs sold
- at radio shack. I have purchased a few of them.
- My 11 year-old loves MATH-Blaster. There are
- a couple of programs based on dinosaurs, and another
- few based on a mystery. None of these are yet windows programs
- but they use sound and the mouse or joystick.
- --
- |suned1!lev@elroy.JPL.Nasa.Gov|lev@suned1.nswses.navy.mil|sun!suntzu!suned1!lev|
- |S.T.A.R.S. The revolution has begun!| My Opinions are Mine mine mine hahahah!|
-
- --
- =================================================================
-
- kellee@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Kellee Noonan) forwarded the following
- to say...
-
- Playroom - my 4YO didn't like it she likes Manhole better.
- ******8
- We also have an early explorer software series called McGee, McGee's
- Day at the Fun Fair and Katie's Farm. She loves them. I thought they
- were a bit simple, but she likes to explore with them.
- ********
- No experience here with the others, except my daughter's 4YO friend
- has Reader Rabbit and she likes it but my 4YO is bored with it....
- no conclusive results there.
- ********
- KidPix, I can only say YES YES YES!!!!! It is great. Actually, my
- husband bought it for me and I let my kids (4, 11, and 14) use it
- if they are extra nice to me.
-
- The 4YO LOVES this program. It is the greatest kid program ever. The
- sounds, and images and variety are great. All the tools and stamps and
- everything keep all of us happy for long times creating pictures and
- screens full of stuff.
-
- *********
- Other games we have are the Mickey Mouse (game is ok, but it requires
- a separate sound source box to hear it. We already had soundblaster, so
- it is a pain to have another sound device)
-
- For older kids, we have Math Blaster plus, OutNumbered, and Star Trek.
-
- Hope this helps.
-
- =================================================================
-
- clare@nynexst.com (Clare Chu) forwarded this reply to the
- prior posting from kellee@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Kellee Noonan)
- [see above]:
-
- In article <4310232@hpcc01.corp.hp.com> kellee@hpcc01.corp.hp.com
- (Kellee Noonan) writes:
- Kellee-->Playroom - my 4YO didn't like it she likes Manhole better.
- >******8
- >We also have an early explorer software series called McGee, McGee's
- >Day at the Fun Fair and Katie's Farm. She loves them. I thought they
- >were a bit simple, but she likes to explore with them.
- >********
-
- Chare-> I'm going to try one of these.
-
- I don't know if Amy's Fun-2-3 is out for any platform other than
- the Commodore Amiga. But my son is entranced by it. To the point
- that we have to limit his time with the "doggie". This is basically
- a counting game. (Hey you out there who was worried that your
- daughter can't count! This is it!). Anyway there are four games
- ranging in levels of ability.
-
- The first game is a simple counting game. The kid doesn't have
- to do anything but position the mouse pointer on a number.
- Then a woman's voice says, "8" and then something happens
- 8 times, while the voice counts from 1 to 8, with an arrow
- appearing underneath a number as it is being said.
-
- The second game is a matching game. This one is fun even
- if your kids doesn't know the numbers yet. There is a slot
- machine where a number x appears in the middle, and then x fish
- on one side, and y apples on the other. (apples, fish are just
- examples, there are other objects too at random). If the
- child puts the pointer on the x fish, the little doggy gets
- a bone, otherwise it goes onto the next spin.
-
- The third game is a music game. There is a xylophone with
- numbers on the keys and a set of songs that you can choose.
- The numbers flash in a box, and you're supposed to hit the
- key with the number. The little dog dances around.
-
- The fourth game is a finger counting game. Here you must
- drop bricks on the correct number and the little dog
- puts up the number of fingers.
-
- Anyway I've noticed that my son can now recognize certain
- numbers and count his pacifiers (up to 3-4). We're not
- pushing him or anything, but he's enjoying the computer game.
-
- They're also supposed to come out with an Amy's Play-B-C in
- the future.
-
- The author can be reached on internet:
-
- David Alves
- devasoft@cup.portal.com
-
- p.s. for older children (including adults) interested in world
- history there is "Civilization" out for Commodore Amiga, IBM PC
- and Macintosh.
- =================================================================
-
- atkins@stimpy.CND.HP.COM (Brian Atkins) had posted a request
- similar to mine. For clearity (and because of its lenght) I
- placed bars `|' in front of Brians entire message.
- Here is his synopsis:
-
- |Here is a list of replies I got to both the question about Educational
- |games and sound cards (which seem to go well together).
- |
- |Thanks to all why replied. I finally got Treasure Cove by The Learning
- |Company (a very good source, which even has an 800 tech support number!)
- |
- |See a prior post/reply on this subject which has information on
- |"Software Reviews on File" at my public library.
- |
- |Brian
- |------------------------------------------------------------------------
- |Brian Atkins atkins@cnd.hp.com (303) 229-2114
- |Hewlett-Packard (MS102)3404 E. Harmony Road, Ft. Collins, CO 80525-9599
- |
- |In comp.sys.ibm.pc.games you [Brian] writes:
- |
- |>I am looking for a source of information on educational games for
- |>kids (for 386 IBM PC clones).
- |
- |>I bought Treehouse from Broderbund and am very disappointed.But before
- |>I exchange it, I'd like to bone up on the educational games market.
- |
- |>1) Are there any magazines/news letters which review educational games
- |> (CU, Parents, PC rags, etc.)?
- |
- |Only sporadicly, from what I have seen. A few books on the subject
- |have been written recently.
- |B
- |
- |>2) Are there any mailing lists and/or notes groups where this type of
- |> information is discussed (there are a dozen or so permutations
- |> of "games.ibm.pc" notes groups, and rather than try them all,
- |> I'd like a pointer)?
- |
- |All I have seen are a lot of posts similar to your own, mainly
- |in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games and in misc.kids (I think thats the group).
- |There doesn't seem to be enough traffic for a new group. I think
- |a mailing list is a good idea -- I might have to consider doing
- |that.
- |
- |What ages are your chidren? I have a 5 y.o. and a 7 y.o., so I'm
- |somewhat familiar with the software for those age groups. There is
- |some good shareware out there as well, but you really have to pick
- |through all the crap to find the few gems that are available.
- |
- |I did buy a piece of software recently that the kids really enjoy.
- |It's called KidDesk, and is essentially a GUI designed for children.
- |It allows them to launch other games from icons, and also has a
- |calender, clock, phone,and calculator on each kid's "desk". With a
- |Soundblaster, the clock talks, and each kid can leave verbal messages
- |to each other. I wasn't really all that excited about it, but the
- |kids really enjoy it.
- |
- |The other games which have been getting a lot of use in our house are
- |Apogee's Word Rescue and Math Rescue. Both are Nintendo-type games
- |Math Rescue is especially good - you can set the difficulty of the
- |math problems, and choose between number problems, word problems,
- |or a comination. My 7 year old can't get enough of it. Both
- |are shareware and available by ftp at wuarchive in the
- |mirrors/msdos-games/Apogee directory.
- |
- |There is a lot of stuff on wuarchive in the mirrors/msdos/education
- |directory, but like I said, a lot of it's crap. Let me know what
- |ages your kid(s) are, and I might be able to recommend some.
- |
- |=======================================================================
- |
- |Brian,
- |I too have treehouse, it is great with the soundblaster pro, I bought
- |the speakers from Fred Meyers store and they came with built in amp,
- |look good and even included the transformer, all for 24.97. The sound
- |blast pro I got from egghead for 135 and with my company discount
- |card I got additional 10% off.
- |
- |Why? Because it opens up a whole new dimmension to the child, the
- |good stuff like treehouse all have soundblaster support. I got my
- |kids 3 packages from "The Learning Company" 1. Treasure Cove, 2.
- |Treasure Mountain, 3. Treasure MathStorm. They have excellent sound
- |board support. I also have Zookeeper, Dinosaur Adventure by Knowlege
- |Adventure, once again excellent sound support. Reader Rabbit 2, once
- |again, well you get the picture. The list goes on! Its only starting
- |and with CD roms here, and getting cheaper, just think of the
- |possibilities, talking encyclopedias with real time video clips.
- |As I said its really getting cool for kids. Wished I had sound
- |support when I was a kid. I guess thats why.
- |
- |Hope this helps.
- |
- |--------------------------------------------------------------------
- |
- |Do you have access to anonymous FTP? There are a bunch of free and
- |shareware games available from simtel20.army.mil. Below I include an
- |11/10 copy of 00-index.txt from the pd1:<msdos.education> directory.
- |
- |I am in the same boat as you are I think. I just bought a computer
- |and would like to be informed about commercial education software.
- |Would you be so kind as to post a summary of the responses you get
- |and/or forward a copy to me?
- |
- |NOTE: This list was created on Tue, 10 Nov 92 02:17:07 MST.
- |Some files may have been added or deleted since that date.
- |See file PD1:<MSDOS.FILEDOCS>AAAREAD.ME for additional information.
- |
- |NOTE: Type B is Binary; Type A is ASCII
- |
- |Directory PD1:<MSDOS.EDUCATION>
- | Filename Type Length Date Description
- |==============================================
- |123TLK22.ZIP B 177314 911116 Talking Teacher: Child learns numbers/counting
- |AALPHA.ZIP B 485008 921026 Animated Alphabet for pre-school to 1st grader
- |ABC430.ZIP B 192306 920920 ABC Fun Keys: Teach children ABCs, v4.30
- |ABCTLK25.ZIP B 273411 920820 Teaches children to talk, read/alphabet/spell
- |AIRCOND.ZIP B 51268 910802 Airconditioning repair knowledge self-test CGA
- |ALGEBRAX.ZIP B 74670 891215 Professor Weissman's Algebra tutor, v1.50
- |AMATH1.ZIP B 364071 921026 Animated Math: counting/addition/subtraction
- |AMEM10.ZIP B 254102 921026 Animated Memory Game: aids kids' memory skills
- |AMYPRIME.ZIP B 45663 870914 Educational children's games
- |ANIMALS.ZIP B 28824 900120 Number games for children
- |ANIMSHAP.ZIP B 294552 921026 Animated Shapes: shape & color identification
- |AWCMP1.ZIP B 360428 920623 Animated Words spelling game for children, 1/2
- |AWCMP2.ZIP B 346621 920623 Animated Words spelling game for children, 2/2
- |AZMATH1.ZIP B 469655 920914 Pre-Calculus/Calculus math review
- |BABYDRAW.ZIP B 179651 901203 Simple drawing program for children
- |CAPFUN.ZIP B 31360 920314 DEMO: prog. teaches sentence capitalization
- |CGP20.ZIP B 68288 911006 Children's Graphics Paint program, v2.0
- |CIBOX.ZIP B 72616 870926 Good math educ. game for kids GR 3-6, C/G req.
- |CLOCKGAM.ZIP B 14718 900120 Teach clock to 3-5 year old children
- |COLORBK.ZIP B 121083 920427 EGA Coloring Cook for kids, w/mouse support
- |CORWP30.ZIP B 109420 911119 CoreWar Pro: Redcode program vs program battle
- |DANFIRST.ZIP B 79290 920825 Teachs children alphabet/music/computer keybd
- |DRILL.ZIP B 12443 870531 A school teacher for your kids
- |DROIDS10.ZIP B 127271 920629 Learn to program droids in BASIC. Need CGA/EGA
- |FUNNELS.ZIP B 43349 891118 FUNNELS & BUCKETS arithmetic game for children
- |FWLAW.ZIP B 100383 900119 Fun w/Letters & Words,educational game,age 2-6
- |GEO-MATH.ZIP B 129982 900903 Math tutor for grades 1-6. Includes BASIC src
- |GRADES27.ZIP B 138627 911021 Course grades/scores/GPA calc/grade prediction
- |GRAND.ZIP B 152288 920914 Tutorial on Unified Field Theory
- |GSH200.ZIP B 214436 920831 Gradebook program for college/university
- |HACKTST3.ZIP B 27210 920406 Program to administer the infamous Hacker test
- |KIDSWP.ZIP B 17575 870914 Shareware Child's Word Processor
- |LETTERFA.ZIP B 36104 891118 Falling letters game, children's typing tutor
- |LTBLIT31.ZIP B 119608 920512 Potato late blight management game for Windows
- |MARKV13.ZIP B 57734 911025 Mark V. Shaney, text paraphraser
- |MATHEASY.ZIP B 218351 920708 Math tutor, add/subtract/multiply/divide. EGA
- |MATHER.ZIP B 53718 920107 Moraff's math for prizes educational game
- |MATHSHOP.ZIP B 51581 870625 Math/arithmetic drills
- |MATHWO.ZIP B 353233 920526 MathWorkout 1.0: Arithmetic drill for all ages
- |MAZE2A.ZIP B 57225 890712 Generate/solve mazes on your PC, w/TC2.0 src
- |MBLDIV10.ZIP B 101376 910802 CGA Long Division Tutor with a new 'twist'
- |MBMULT10.ZIP B 136832 910802 Math education: Multiplication trainer
- |MCASTLE.ZIP B 123211 910522 Math Castle: Math-based adventure game
- |MEDTUTOR.ZIP B 76985 920914 Medical terminology tutorial
- |MEMMASTR.ZIP B 141088 901013 Improve your memory with this educational pgm
- |MINICOMP.ZIP B 46193 920914 Elementary computer math tutor for children
- |MOMS358.ZIP B 121465 920121 Game teaches music/art/spelling/english/math
- |NTUMIN10.ZIP B 298901 920505 Logic minimization pgm from NTU, w/TC2.0 src
- |ORIGAMI.ZIP B 147597 880304 Make paper figures
- |OTD_11.ZIP B 121594 911219 Tells what happened 'On This Day' in history
- |PCFTYP41.ZIP B 178782 911209 PC-FASTYPE/CGA v4.1 typing tutorial (ASP)
- |PEN2MINO.ZIP B 25762 901226 Game:Put 12 shapes of 5 squares into rectangle
- |PFIVE.ZIP B 167268 920720 Point Five quantitative data analysis/modeling
- |PLDIAG11.ZIP B 559278 920908 PD game for teaching plant disease diagnosis
- |PLNTGRO1.ZIP B 511873 920921 Describing and predicting the growth of plants
- |PRESQUIZ.BQS B 5376 861011 Quiz on U.S. Presidents. Written in BASIC
- |PWERSQR1.ZIP B 28480 910605 Makes squares, sides multiply to same product
- |RECALL1.ZIP B 154218 911209 Shareware vers of Total Recall educational pgm
- |ROO10.ZIP B 89453 920207 Advanced animated LOGO-like environment (EGA)
- |RSISTN62.ZIP B 127436 920512 Fungicide resistance mgmt. game for Windows
- |RUSEN125.ZIP B 238237 911211 Russian-English on-line dictionary (TSR)
- |SGNLS10.ZIP B 136234 920626 Illustrates signal processing concepts w/plots
- |SM2.ZIP B 91354 920312 Learning tool; automated repetitave study
- |SM97_10X.ZIP B 85015 920514 Philips/Fluke ScopeMeter 97 setup/data utils
- |SPELL110.ZIP B 192265 900403 SPELLBOUND! - spelling tutor package
- |SPELLING.ZIP B 39295 900425 Tutorial/exercises for h.s., college learners
- |STRING.ZIP B 41274 870222 Math game w/VENN diagrams & sets
- |TANDBACK.ZIP B 111872 920716 Increases skills of getting from here to there
- |TORG310.ZIP B 172682 920421 Organic chemistry ID of unknowns simulator
- |TP-ET.ZIP B 115774 911209 Thumb Print Software's Electric Typewriter
- |TRACER01.ZIP B 70981 920719 Game: Draw figures in minumum # of pen traces
- |TSGAME12.ZIP B 44319 890727 T.Salmi: First package of educational games
- |TSGMEB15.ZIP B 80345 910811 T.Salmi: Second package of educational games
- |TSGMEC11.ZIP B 82460 900818 T.Salmi: Third package of educational games
- |TSGMED12.ZIP B 82644 920526 Learn national flags as a game, T.Salmi
- |TSGMEE10.ZIP B 71674 901216 T.Salmi: 5th pkg of educational games, EGA req
- |TURING10.ZIP B 26375 920604 Turing Machine simulator with C source
- |TYPDOS40.ZIP B 56398 920530 Beginner's type-it quiz to MsDos with 66 tasks
- |TYPDR11.ZIP B 17906 900912 TypeDrill: Improve typing skills, w/TP src
- |TYPEFAST.ZIP B 91532 900912 TypeFast: Game stresses typing speed, w/C src
- |WNG.ZIP B 87267 910523 World Name Game: educational - guess capitals
- |WORDGEN1.ZIP B 98480 920430 Mega Mind Maze 1: Amazing word game for GENIUS
- |WORDWIZ.ZIP B 32277 870703 Hangman-like spelling game. Simple graphics
- |WRDGLRY.ZIP B 147908 900110 Match words with pictures, children ages 4-7
- |WRDLK11B.ZIP B 63084 910525 WordLock: Menu-driven crossword puzzle builder
- |
- |============================================================================
- |
- |There are a few good shareware educational games.
- |Apogee has done 1 or 2 recently
- |and Epic has done one. Graphics and sound are very good.
- |
- |Check ftp.ulowell.edu in msdos/Games/Apogee and msdos/Games/Epic
- |
- |============================================================================
- |
- |It's me again.
- |
- |In comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard you write:
- |
- |>I am thinking of getting a sound card (Treehouse from Broderbund, which I
- |>gave to my daughter for Christmas, requires it). I can get a Micro Concepts
- |>2.0+ Sound Blaster clone for $85 or $95 with speakers and a mic.
- |
- |>Is that a good deal? Are clones really clones, or is it best to stick
- |>with the name brand? Should I get the speakers and mic for the extra $10,
- |>or is it best to get them from a separate source? Are there other cards I
- |>could be looking at?
- |
- |I can't comment on the quality of the clones. As far as the mic goes,
- |the one you would get is probably worthless. I bought a mic for $20,
- |and it records my kids ok, but my not my voice (I assume because it's
- |lower). I tried a cheaper mic originally, and it wasn't sensitive
- |enough. My kids had to shout to be recorded.
- |
- |>I don't want to buy a sound card for one game (which has other problems).
- |>Besides zoom and shoot games, what are sound cards good for? I can think
- |>of only two reasons I would want one: CAE of Music/Musical Instruments,
- |>and other general educational games (like Treehouse).
- |
- |I mentioned in my previous message the use of the soundcard with KidDesk.
- |In some education games, all the sound card does is play music. In others,
- |it uses voice to aid in the teaching -- especially good at the age
- |when they are first starting to learn how to read. One thing that
- |you want to make sure of with a sounblaster clone is that it emulates
- |all of a Soundblaster's functions. I believe some do music but not
- |speech.
- |
- |I have found that getting a soundcard was well worth it. My kids get a lot
- |more enjoyment out of the computer, to the point where it's hard for me to kick
- |them off so I can use it.
- |
- |Also, in the future, multimedia educational programs are will be more available,
- |which is a good reason to get a Soundblaster Pro. A recent PC Magazine
- |article reviewed some of the cd-rom programs which are currently available.
- |
- |The only other use of a soundcard that I have found is to entertain my
- |compu-phobic wife. Whenever she starts Lotus, she hears 10 seconds of
- |the theme from Twilight Zone.
- |
- |============================================================================
- |
- |In article <2520030@stimpy.CND.HP.COM> you write:
- |>I am looking for a source of information on educational games for
- |>kids (for 386 IBM PC clones).
- |>
- |>I bought Treehouse from Broderbund and am very disappointed. But before
- |>I exchange it, I'd like to bone up on the educational games market.
- |>
- |>1) Are there any magazines/news letters which review educational games
- |> (CU, Parents, PC rags, etc.)?
- |>
- |
- |PC Magazing has an "After Hours" section but it is focused more on
- |general games than kids' software. I'm not aware of anything which
- |more directly addresses this market. I'm a writer and father of a
- |toddler and approached Parents with the idea of a "Kids and Computers"
- |column and was told they weren't interested. I've decided to try it
- |as a newsletter and am in the process of putting one together. If you
- |are interested, drop me a line with a mailing address and I'll send
- |you a sample when it's ready. I'll need critiques and if you like it,
- |I hope you'll subscribe. (Also, if you find that such a publication
- |exists (and I'd have competition) I'd appreciate hearing about it.)
- |
- |
- |>Brian Atkins
- |>
- |>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- |>Brian Atkins atkins@cnd.hp.com (303) 229-2114
- |>Hewlett-Packard (MS102) 3404 E. Harmony Road, Ft. Collins, CO 80525-9599
- |
- |============================================================================
- |
- |>I am looking for a source of information on educational games for
- |>kids (for 386 IBM PC clones).
- |>I bought Treehouse from Broderbund and am very disappointed. But before
- |>I exchange it, I'd like to bone up on the educational games market.
- |>
- |>1) Are there any magazines/news letters which review educational games
- |> (CU, Parents, PC rags, etc.)?
- |
- | Computer Gaming World just started a spinoff magazine called Kids &
- |Computers which you should be able to find on the newsstand. If you want
- |to subscribe, their number is 1-800-827-4450.
- |
- |>2) Are there any mailing lists and/or notes groups where this type of
- |> information is discussed (there are a dozen or so permutations
- |> of "games.ibm.pc" notes groups, and rather than try them all,
- |> I'd like a pointer)?
- |
- | I don't know of any. Also, I don't think they've split up the
- |comp.sys.ibm.pc.games group, so the traffic is still pretty heavy there.
- | BTW, what do you need to know about these games? I work with a mail-
- |order retailer who specializes in games and educational software.
- |
- |============================================================================
- |
- |If you discover anything, I would be very interested in hearing about it
- |(although I suspect my children are younger).
- |For younger children 3-5 the following are fairly good.
- |Snoopy's Game Club by Accolade - concentration, matching, and jigsaw
- |Learn the Alphabet by Top Class - various matching games, car race, others
- |Memory Games by Top Class - concentration, quick identification, satelite game
- |Playroom by Broderbund? - nice except that it requires a key disk
- |
- |ok
- |Learn to Count by Top Class - similar to their alphabet game but greatly lacking
- |Reader Rabbit I by The Learning Company -may teach reading if the kids will play
- |
- |bad
- |Mickeys ABC - hit a letter something happens (who cares)
- |
- |feel free to distribute this to anyone who is interested or post it if
- |their is a lot of interest
- |
- |--
- |-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- |Wayne S. Mery Systems Programmer Lehigh University Computing Ctr
- |WSM0@Lehigh.edu (Unix) LUWSM@IBM1.cc.lehigh.edu (VM)
- |
-
- ===================================================================
-
- WSM0@Lehigh.edu (Wayne S. Mery ) forwarded *LOTS* of material
- that has been included in this synopeis. He also sent me the
- following:
-
- Steve,
-
- Forgot one more thing which SHOULD be an excellent source, and
- now I've thought of another.
-
- 1) The k12. hierarchy (I can't get it here, wish we had it)
- 2) There are are few educational software BBSes, most notable ABC in CA.
- I'll get the phone number and get back to you.
-
- Wayne
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
- Wayne S. Mery Systems Programmer Lehigh University Computing Ctr
- WSM0@Lehigh.edu (Unix) LUWSM@IBM1.cc.lehigh.edu (VM)
-
- ================================================================
-
- Last but not least, kevint@hpsad.sad.hp.com (Kevin J. Taddeucci)
- passed this along:
-
- I found this on another group:
-
- John Meissen (puma.uucp!john@becca.rain.com) wrote:
-
- > I'm trying to locate any applications, especially games and paint
- > programs, that might be more suitable for raw beginners.
- >
- > Recommendations for anything, commercial or PD, would be welcome.
-
-
- The best Amiga program for 2-6 year olds I have seen is Amy's Fun-2-3
- Adventure from Devasoft (408-927-9645). It requires 1Meg of ram to run
- though. There is a demo avialable from any Aminet ftp site. It's named
- Fun-2-3-demo.lha. Sorry I can't remember the path.
-
- The following is a clip from one of the ReadMe files which comes
- with the demo:
-
- Devasoft is unleashing the first in its lineup of new educational
- programs for young minds. AMY'S FUN-2-3 ADVENTURE is the premier
- title to be released in a planned series of programs whose target
- audience is in the 2 to 6 year old age group. Each title will star
- a cute, playful little puppy named Amy, who helps make learning
- more fun and exciting.
-
- In Amy's Fun-2-3 Adventure, Amy introduces children to numbers and
- counting by taking them through a variety of entertaining activities.
- In much the same way as a quality video game is presented, each
- activity employs great graphics and smooth, detailed animation to
- get its point across. Digitized speech and sound effects further
- enhance learning and play action, making the program a joy for
- children to use.
-
- ----------------------------- ------------------------------------
- | Kevin J. Taddeucci | e-mail: kevint@hpsad.sad.hp.com |
- | Hewlett Packard Firmware QA | HPDesk: Kevin TADDEUCCI /HP5300/A0 |
- | Telnet: 794-4192 | HP Mailstop: 2LR-N |
- ----------------------------- ------------------------------------
-
- ================= END OF SYNOPSIS ==============================
-
-
- ----------------------------------------
- Steve Rosen rosen@cbnewsb.cb.att.com
- srosen@attmail.com
- attmail!srosen
- ----------------------------------------
-