GET A HEAD START AT HOME
Educational Software for the ST
BY KERRY WHELAN
Do you want to give your children an edge on learning? Do you want to ensure that they'll be computer literate in an increasingly high-tech society? Or do you simply want to help them acquire basic math, reading and language skills in an effortless, entertaining way? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then look no further than your ST.
Because of its exceptional graphics and sound, the ST is an ideal educational tool. By making learning fun, educational software for the ST keeps kids happy, motivated and absorbing basic academic skills. Even if your children aren't using an education-specific program, simply exploring the ST teaches them the computer literacy they will need for the future.
Many features of the ST literally turn learning into child's play. The GEM interface is so easy to use that my four-year-old can save pictures to disk without any trouble--although Mom gained a few grey hairs the first time he tried it.
Preschool and elementary school software for the ST incorporates beautiful color and expressive sound with instruction on language, music, numbers, time and spatial relations. Programs for older children offer study in math, science, geography, touch typing and foreign languages. At college, the student can use the ST to give papers that professional polish.
ST software is reasonably priced or, in the case of some excellent public domain programs, available for the cost of a download. There are dozens of commercial and public domain packages available; I'll get you started with the following thumbnail sketches of a few of my favorites. They're divided into skill categories: preschool, reading, arithmetic, science and foreign language. Take a look--you're bound to find a program to fit your needs and your budget.
PRESCHOOL
First Shapes, $29.95. First Byte Software, c/o Electronic Arts, P.O. Box 7530, San Mateo, CA 94402, (800) 448-8822 (U.S.); (415) 571-7171
(Canada)
Recommended ages: 3 to 5
Mr. Ted E. Bear introduces the preschooler to shapes in this full-featured program from First Byte. The friendly bear talks to your children, asking them to choose activities by pointing to large picture boxes and clicking the mouse. There are four games: a Concentration clone, changing shape sizes, designing toys out of shapes and choosing the right size shape.
Because of its many features, First Shapes is a good value. Concentration's difficulty can be set to any level; children can play against a friend or against Ted E. Bear. Kids can save toy designs and print the picture. Best of all, reward messages can be personalized with your child's name.
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| Kid's Stuff teaches pre-schoolers the basics. |
Kid's Stuff, $39.95. Stone and Associates, 7910 Ivanhoe Ave., Suite 319, La Jolla, CA 92037, (619) 459-9173
Recommended ages: 3 to 5
Kid's Stuff offers three activities from a picture-style menu: counting, letter recognition and free-style typing. Its charming graphics and gentle pace will appeal to the typical preschooler.
By counting correctly or typing the correct letters of a word, graphics on the screen come to life. The simple presentation of all three activities suits young children that are just beginning to figure out a keyboard and a mouse. To a limited extent, you can tailor the program to meet individual needs.
Tiffany's Barnyard and Seaside, Free/Public domain. On GEnie under the ST Roundtable Library #9 (Education) or #31 (Children's Applications); on CompuServe under the Atari Arts Forum
Recommended ages: 3 to 5
These two Concentration clones by Frank Hundley use color and action to increase memory skills and give young children practice with the mouse. Tiffany's Barnyard has farm animals hidden behind team doors; Seaside has sea animals hidden behind gates, with four levels of increasing complexity. Hundley is to be congratulated for the professionalism of these games--Seaside is particularly well done.
READING
First Letters and Words, $29.95. First Byte Software, c/o Electronic Arts, P.O. Box 7530, San Mateo, CA 94402, (800) 448-8822 (U.S.A.); (415) 571-7171 (Canada)
Recommended ages: 3 to 8
First Letters and Words uses voice instructions to guide the young user through its four games. The parent or teacher can control the content and level of difficulty.
Non-readers can learn the alphabet, both upper- and lower-case letters, while beginning readers can learn the names of the parts of a dinosaur's body or puzzle out the answers to an animal riddle game.
Read-A-Rama, $49.95. Unicorn Software, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121, (702) 737-8862
Recommended ages: 5 to 8
Read-A-Rama teaches children word recognition and spelling skills, using a colorful circus theme. Parents can customize the word lists.
First the child is presented with a picture and word (there are six different pictures in a number of different categories). To test reading, a memory game asks kids to find the objects from different categories. The child can be asked to type the name of the picture in the spaces provided.
MATHEMATICS
Algebra I, $29.95. MichTron, 576 S. Telegraph, Pontiac, MI 48053, (313) 377-8898
Recommended ages: 12 to 14
This introduction to algebra presents linear equations to junior high schoolers. It covers theory, gives examples, then asks students to solve algebraic equations and word problems.
Algebra I has five levels of difficulty and teaches using real-world problems, such as investments, percentage and motion. Its tutoring abilities are its best feature. The program walks students through problems, giving hints and facilitating conceptual understanding. Computer sessions can be printed.
Arrakis Advantage - Geometry II, $19.95. Atari Corp.,1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086, (408) 745-2000
Recommended ages: 16 to adult
Geometry II uses a quiz format, coupled with imaginative graphics and animation, to cover the basics of geometry. The program explains a concept, then asks a question, and gives a final exam. At any time, students can ask for a different concept, an example or a test. They can save their scores and position in the program. It runs in either color or monochrome.
A teacher and a good text are still needed to explain the subtleties and details of the subject. But as an introduction or review of geometry, this program is pure pleasure.
Magical Math 1, $29.95. Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086, (408) 745-2000
Recommended ages: 7 to 10
In Magical Math 1, part of Atari Corp.'s Bentley Bear Series, a math question must be answered so Bentley can accomplish his task. The number of digits in the operation, type of operation and amount of time allowed to answer the question can be changed.
It would be nice if there were more action on the screen and if input from the numeric pad or keyboard was allowed. But since so few educational programs will run in color or monochrome, it's a great resource for owners of monochrome systems.
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| Practical drills are the hallmark of MathBlaster Plus. |
MathBlaster Plus, $39.95. Davidson and Associates, 3135 Kashiwa St., Torrance CA 90505, (213) 534-4070
Recommended ages: 6 to 10
Updated for the ST in 1989, MathBlaster Plus introduces kids to basic math facts. The program is nothing fancy, but with its solid drill and practice functions, MathBlaster Plus could be found in any elementary school's computer lab. The manual for the program is detailed and clearly explains the five options available. With its editor, parents can design and print test papers. MathBlaster Plus includes a record-keeping function for teachers.
Math Talk, $29.95. First Byte Software, c/o Electronic Arts, P.O. Box 7530, San Mateo, CA 94402, (800) 448-8822 (U.S.A.); (415) 571-7171 (Canada)
Recommended ages: 6 to 10
Professor Matt A. Matics leads his students through both drills and games in Math Talk.
The game Table Talk presents your child with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division questions. In Mystery Number, he or she has to figure out the missing numbers in math problems. Parents and teachers can customize the drills, print questions and record the results. Children who do well in math may lose patience with Math Talk's slow response time.
Math Wizard, $39.95. Unicorn Software, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121, (702) 737-8862
Recommended ages: 6 to 10
The imaginative graphics and liberal use of color make Math Wizard appealing to children and adults. Wizards, dragons, trolls and elves will help one or two players through four different drills disguised as games.
A warning to parents: in Math Wizard, dramatic sound effects follow both right and wrong answers. Children may enjoy making mistakes as much as they like getting the answers right! To prevent any problems, children may need some supervision when playing.
Space Math, $14.95 (plus shipping and handling). Intracorp Inc., 14160 SW 139th Court, Miami, FL 33186, (305) 252-9040
Recommended ages: 8 to 14
Space Math is an adaptation of the popular arcade game Lunar Lander. Players must answer math questions in order to safely land a space ship on the moon. Black holes, meteors and the effects of gravity are combined with math equations so the higher levels are a real challenge; by Level 8 players had better know their math!
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| Arrakis Advantage-Biology Volume 4 explores the human circulatory system. |
SCIENCE
Arrakis Advantage - Biology Volume 4, $19.95. Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086, (408) 745-2000
Recommended ages: 16 to adult
Last in a series of four programs on human biology, this program investigates the circulatory system with text and animation. Students can begin anywhere within the blood stream. The program explains key circulation components, and defines unfamiliar words at the student's request. It also gives automatic pop quizzes. The student can ask for an informal exam, with feedback on review screens, or a formal, final exam.
LANGUAGES
French Verb Tutor and Spanish Verb Tutor, $49.95 (each). ASDE Inc., 151 rue Jolicocur, Hull Quebec J8Z 1C8, Canada, (819) 770- 7681
Recommend ages: 12 to adult
Beginning linguists can use the first of these programs' four levels to test themselves on regular verb conjugations. The advanced level provides fluent linguists with a reference dictionary of conjugations using all tenses and persons. The programs know conjugation rules for any verb, regular or irregular.
Linkword - French, call for price. Artworx Software Co. Inc., 1844 Penfield Road, Penfield NY 14526, (716) 385-6120
Recommended ages: 13 to adult
Dr. Michael M. Gruneberg designed this program to help students get a basic grasp of French quickly and easily--a thing it does very well. An audio disk and printed glossary help with pronunciation. The program covers basic grammar, leading to simple sentence translation.
The Linkword series is visually and phonetically based. For example, once I've imagined Mike Tyson carrying a deer on his shoulders, I'll remember that deer is masculine.
The program works like flash cards, giving students the option of a predefined lag time to visualize the word before it disappears. There is a lot of travel-oriented vocabulary in Linkword, which makes it appealing to the vacationer.
Independent Study
This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the commercial and public domain educational software. Do a little studying on your own and you'll find more excellent programs. Many of the companies mentioned here have a whole line of products and CompuServe, GEnie and Delphi devote areas to such programs. On GEnie look under the ST Roundtable Library #9 (Education) or #31 (Children's Applications); on CompuServe under the Atari Arts Forum; on Delphi under Groups Atari ST.
Entrepreneur Kerry Whelan has covered the Atari educational software market for Canadian publications for the last two years. This is her first article for START.
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START's Gallery of Educational Programs |
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| ST Commercial Educational Software, Compiled by Marta Deike, START Assistant Editor |
| PRE-SCHOOL |
| Abzoo $29.95. MichTron, 576 S. Telegraph, Pontiac MI 48053, (313) 377-8898 |
| Animals $34.95. Computer Keyes, 21929 Makah Road, Woodway WA 98020 (206) 776-6443 |
| First Shapes $29.95. First Byte c/o Electronic Arts, P.O. Box 7530, San Mateo CA 94402, (800) 448-8822 (U.S.); (415) 571-571-7171 (Canada) |
| Kid's Stuff $39.95. Stone and Associates, 7910 Ivanhoe Ave., Suite 319, LaJolla CA 92037, (619) 459-9173 |
| Kinderama $39.95. Unicorn, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas NV 89121, (702) 737 8862 |
| Memory Master $39.95. Stone and Associates, 7910 Ivanhoe Ave., Suite 319, LaJolla CA 92037, (619) 459-9173 |
| Mixed-Up Mother Goose $29.95. Sierra On-Line, Coursegold CA 93614, (209) 683-8989 |
| My Letters, Numbers & Words $39.95. Stone and Associates, 7910 Ivanhoe Ave., Suite 319, La Jolla CA 92037, (619) 459-9173 |
| ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Ages 5 to 11) |
| Adventures of Sinbad $49.95. Unicorn, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas NV 89121, (702) 737-8862 |
| Aesop's Fables $49.95. Unicorn, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas NV 89121, (702) 737-8862 |
| All About America $59.95. Unicorn, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas NV 89121, (702) 737-8862 |
| Bentley Bear Alpha Tutor $29.95. Atari Corp.,1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Bentley Bear Equation Builder $29.95. Atari Corp.,1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Bentley Bear General Store $29.95. Atari Corp.,1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Bentley Bear: Magical Anagram $29.95. Atari Corp.,1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Bentley Bear Magical Math 1 - 3 $29.95 (each). Atari Corp.,1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Bentley Bear Memory Master 1 & 2 $29.95 (each). Atari Corp.,1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Bentley Bear Spelling Bee $29.95. Atari Corp.,1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Bentley Bear Typing Tutor $29.95. Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Decimal Dungeon $39.95. Unicorn, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas NV 89121, (702) 737062 |
| First Letters & Words $29.95. First Byte c/o Electronic Arts, P.O. Box, 7530 San Mateo CA 94402, (800) 448-8822 (U.S.); (415) 571-7171 (Canada) |
| Fraction Action $39,95, Unicorn, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas NV 89121, (702) 737-8862 |
| Goldrush $39.95. Sierra On-Line, Coursegold CA 93614, (209) 683-8989 |
| Kidpainter $25.00. D.A. Brumleve, P.O. Box 4195, Urbana IL 61801-8820, (217) 337-1937 |
| Kid Publisher Pro $25.00 (Free demo on CompuServe, GEnie and Delphi). D.A. Brumleve, P.O. Box 4195, Urbana IL 61801-8820, (217) 337-1937 |
| Mathblaster Plus $39.95. Davidson & Assoc., 3135 Kashiwa St., Torrance CA 90505, (213) 534-4070 |
| Math Talk $29.95. First Byte c/o Electronic Arts, P.O. Box, San Mateo CA 94402, (800) 448-8822 (U.S.); (415) 571-7171 (Canada) |
| Math Wizard $39.95. Unicorn, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas NV 89121, (702) 737-8862 |
| Perfect Match $29.95. MichTron, 576 S. Telegragh, Pontiac MI 48053, (313) 377-8898 |
| QuizShare: Solar System $10. Mad Scientist Software, 13422 N. Bayberry Circle, Alpine UT 84004, (801) 785-3028 |
| QuizShare: World Geography $10. Mad Scientist Software, 13422 N. Bayberry Circle, Alpine UT 84004, (801) 785-3028 |
| Read-A-Rama $49.95. Unicorn, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas NV 89121, (702) 737-8862 |
| Read & Rhyme $39.95. Unicorn, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas NV 89121, (702) 737-8862 |
| Space Math $14.95 (Plus Shp/Hnd). IntraCorp Inc., 14160 SW 139th Court, Miami FL 33186, (305) 252 9040 |
| Super Kidgrid $25.00. D.A. Brumleve, P.O. Box 4195, Urbana IL 61801-8820, (217) 337-1937 |
| Tales from the Arabian Nights $49.95. Unicorn, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas NV 89121, (702) 737-8862 |
| Wonders of the Animal Kingdom $39.95. Unicorn, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas NV 89121, (702) 737-8862 |
| Word Master Vocabulary Builder $49.95. Unicorn, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas NV 89121, (702) 737-8862 |
| Young Math $39.95. Stone & Assoc.,7910 Ivanhoe Ave., Suite 319, La Jolla CA, (619) 459-9173 |
| JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL (Ages 12 & 13) |
| Algebra $29.95. MichTron, 576 S. Telegraph, Pontiac MI 48053, (313) 377-8898 |
| French Verb Tutor $49.95. ASDE Inc., 151 rue Jolicocur, Hull Quebec J8Z IC8, Canada, (819) 770-7681 |
| Magical Myths $49.95. Unicorn, 2950 E. Flamingo Road, Suite B, Las Vegas NV 89121, (702) 737-8862 |
| Spanish Verb Tutor $49.95. ASDE Inc., 151 rue Jolicocur, Hull Quebec J8Z 1C8, Canada, (819) 770-7681 |
| Typing Tutor/Word Invadors $34.95. Academy Software. P O Box 6277. San Rafael CA 94903 (410 499-0850 |
| HIGH SCHOOL (Ages 14 to adult) |
| Algebra I (Vol.1 & 2) $19.95 (each). Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Algebra II (Vol.1 & 2) $19.95 (each). Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Algebra III $19.95. Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Biology (Vol. 1-4) $19.95 (each). Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Chemistry (Vol. 1 & 2) $19.95 (each). Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Geography tutor $39.95. ASDE Inc., 151 rue Jolicoeur, Hull Quebec J8Z 1C8, Canada, (819) 770-7681 |
| Geometry (Vol. 1 & 2) $19.95 (each). Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Home Planetarium $49.95. Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing $49.95. Software Toolworks 19808 Nordhoff Place, Chatsworth CA 91311, (818) 885-9000 |
| Physics (Vol.1 & 2) $19.95 (each). Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Reader en Francais $50.00 (Canadian). N.I. Software, 1600 San Juan Ave., Victoria B.C. V8N 2L6, Canada, (604) 721-2919 |
| Statistics $19.95. Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
| Trigonometry $19.95. Atari Corp., 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086, (408) 745-2000 |
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ST WHIZ KIDS |
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