CompuNotes Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing April 19, 1998 Issue 114 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= To subscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SUBSCRIBE COMPUNOTES-L FirstName LastName To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SIGNOFF COMPUNOTES-L For Contact and Other Information See Bottom of Publication! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= CONTENTS My Notes: 1=> CompuNotes Notes, mailto:pgrote@i1.net 2=> This Issue's Winner! News: 3=> News of the Week, mailto:pgrote@i1.net Reviews: 4=> Product: Twinsen's Odyssey, game Reviewed By: Bobbi Averell, mailto:volfnat@slic.com 5=> Product: Teach Yourself Visual C++ 5 in 21 Days by Nathan and Ori Gurewich, book Reviewed By: Craig Bull, mailto:bull@udayton.edu 6=> Product: Webex, internet Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dhughes@wwdc.com 7=> Product: Webmastering for Dummies, book Reviewed By: Paul Baker, mailto:pbaker@facstaff.wisc.edu 8=> Product: Microsoft Windows 95: 6 in 1, book Reviewed By: Gail B.C. Marsella, mailto:gbcmars@enter.net 9=> Product: Word Heads, educational Reviewed By: Bev Walton-Porter, mailto:Scrybr8@prodigy.net --- BEGIN ISSUE 1=> CompuNotes Notes, mailto:pgrote@i1.net Nothing this issue. 2=> Winner! This week's winner: boenala@MINDSPRING.COM. 3=> News and Game Bits, mailto:pgrote@i1.net or mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com None. 4=> Product: Twinsen's Odyssey, game Reviewed By: Bobbi Averell, mailto:volfnat@slic.com Reviewed On: 6X86/166, 32 MB RAM, Windows 95 Requires: DOS-486DX4/100, 8 MB RAM, MS-DOS 6.22 OS or Windows-Pentium processor, 16 MB RAM, Windows 95 (including 32 bit drivers for CD-ROM drive, video card, sound card and input devices) MSRP: $49.95 Twinsen's Odyssey is a delightful game! I found it to be both intriguing and challenging. I followed the directions for installing in Windows 95. After trying several times to play the game after installation, I resorted to rereading the instructions and found an obscure note. In order to play the game you must ensure that under taskbar options/settings, the "always on top" box is UN-checked. The game absolutely will not run if this box is checked. There are two install options; "max install" which uses 120 MB of hard disk space, and "min install" which uses only 45 MB. I tried both. Because of the transfer of the voice files, the game sometimes will pause while these files are being transferred from the CD to disk. I found that, as strange as this might seem, the "min install" seemed to work better , with much less pausing during the game. The game can also be installed in DOS. I didn't try this option, but it looks like a straightforward DOS installation. The DOS option should be used by those whose systems do not support DirectX (at least a 486DX with 8 MB of RAM). This game will not run at all under Windows 3.1. I wouldn't recommend trying the game in Windows 95 with anything less than a pentium-class machine with plenty of memory. My 6X86 pentium-class machine still had the pauses every now and then while voice files loaded. Finally, the game fires up and off I go! The introduction to the story behind the "odyssey" is quite nicely done. It's a Direct-X movie intro and the graphics are very stunning. We get some background on what has happened previously, and who some of the characters are. It seems that Twinsen must rescue his world Twinsen from invading aliens. Okay, sounds simple enough.... There is no mouse action with this game. It is all played using the keyboard, which; if you're a veteran mouser like myself, can be rather frustrating at first. Once I got the feel for the arrow keys and the different key commands, I was zooming around in the game like an old pro. Twinsen finds himself in his house with a cute, pregnant, nagging wife and a sick DynoFly! Wow! So...off he goes to search for magical items, his robe, his magic ball, and lots of other things. The graphics in this game are awesome and the sound effects are very realistic and well implemented! The DirectX really lends it an authentic 3-D look. The characters in the game are unique to say the least! Whoever created these characters surely has a bizarre sense of humor. There are elephants with mushrooms, rat-like creatures with high heels, funny-looking shady men, a thief with an umbrella, and a little boy who sits on the edge of a building shooting rocks with a slingshot; to name just a few! The personalities of these characters is pretty funky, but interesting and enjoyable. Their antics caused many chuckles. Once, in the school room, just to see what would happen I had Twinsen beat up one of the children there. The child hollers "I will have my big brother beat you up for this!" As he departs the schoolroom, lo and behold; big brother comes and beats him to a pulp! I nearly fell off my chair laughing! So, here Twinsen is, in his little town, going into all of the buildings, asking everyone for help, searching around the cliffs, trying to find a cure for his injured DynoFly, some Gaelic acid so that he can read an ancient map, and most importantly of all, the weather wizard (who he needs to stop the storm so that he can get off of the island, so that the game can really start to roll!) Interestingly enough, the rainstorm that is happening in the beginning of the game is extremely realistic...even to the sound of the rain plopping on the ground, or the metallic ping of rain on rooftops. The sound effects are exceptional! I never made it off the island I am ashamed to admit. I played this game for many hours a day for at least two weeks, and I still couldn't get off the first island! It never got boring because it seems to change as you play it. If you turn one way one time, and do one thing, something happens. Then, it seems as if you do the same thing all over again, but maybe take one different turn, and darned if you don't arrive at a different place than you did the last time! Poor Twinsen; I had the fellow so confused that he didn't know if he was coming or going! Great fun! I found a website that might help in playing this game. It helped me find several of the items Twinsen desperately needs to continue on his quest. The site is at http://www.iaehv.nl/users/vangompe/lba2.htm. DrkSphere has written a pretty good "walkthrough" which helped me figure out some of the things Twinsen needs to do. I was able to find the Magic Ball, the Robe, and the Holomap. Now all I need to do is figure out how to use the darned things! I would highly recommend this game for anyone who likes a good adventure/puzzle solving game! It is a very intriguing game! It's also pretty difficult. It held my interest constantly, and I am now bound and determined to get Twinsen off this island so that he can rescue Twinsun, get the Lighthouse Keeper out of jail, and mend his injured DinoFly. Activision Software International http://www.activision.com/games/adventure/twinsen/index.html 5=> Product: Teach Yourself Visual C++ 5 in 21 Days by Nathan and Ori Gurewich, book Published by Sams Publishing Reviewed By: Craig Bull, mailto:bull@udayton.edu MSRP: $35.00 I should preface this review with a little about my C/C++ programming background. I have none. The last C program I wrote was in my Operating Systems class in college. We were only taught enough C in that class to be able to complete the assignments, which involved some modifications to code provided by the professor. I am not a C/C++ programmer. In fact, I don't do much programming at all. But I have had an interest in learning C++ for a while now. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to do that. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. The "Teach Yourself Whatever in X Days" series of books has been pretty successful over the last couple years. There is even a series now that will teach the subject in 24 hours. All claim that you don't need any real knowledge of the subject matter to take advantage of it. The idea is that you go through the chapters of a book a day at a time, each day learning a new concept. I have always been a bit skeptical about these titles. Most seem to address topics that, realistically, will take more than 21 days or 24 hours to learn. My experience with this book does not do anything, one way or the other, about my skepticism. Day 1 begins with writing your very first C++ program. The "Hello, World!" program has become a staple of introductory programming, and this book is no exception. This example creates a simple dialog-based application that presents a button which, when clicked, displays a simple hello message. In addition to the above, the first week covers controls, properties and events, ActiveX controls, mouse and keyboard input, menus, dialog boxes, and graphics. Week 2 covers displaying text and bitmaps, loading and displaying picture files, Single- and Multiple-Document Interface applications, multitasking, and file access and serializaton. Week 3 covers toolbars and status bars, creating classes and modules, creating DLLs, three days of creating ActiveX controls, and sound, animation and DirectX. Each chapter is heavily illustrated, showing how dialog boxes should be set as you progress through the steps. In fact, one of my complaints about this book is the abundance of illustrations. In my opinion, too many have been included. I really don't need to see before and after pictures of how a dialog box should be set. The after picture is enough. However, others may disagree on that. As you go through the various steps for each lesson, the purpose of the steps performed is explained. It would have been nice if a little more time and space had been devoted to these explanations. The lessons for each day are kept very manageable. The longest one was only about 40 pages. Each chapter can be completed in 60-90 minutes, which makes it easy to go back and review various sections. The sequence of the lessons is logical and allows for the gradual building of your skills. I have mixed feelings about this book. Part of the problem is my lack of C/C++ programming skills. I went into this hoping to start to learn the language. The book contains a three-section appendix which gives a very basic overview of the C++ language, including classes and structures. This is good as an overview, but unfortunately wasn't the type of thing I was looking for. Ultimately, I think if you already have some experience in C/C++ programming and are interested in learning about Microsoft's Visual C++ environment, this is a good book. But if you're looking to learn the C++ language, you may want to consider something else. Sams Publishing http://www.samspublishing.com 6=> Product: Webex, internet Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dhughes@wwdc.com Requirements: Windows 95/NT 4.0, LAN or Dial-up Networking connection to the Internet, Netscape Navigator 2.02. or above. Internet Explorer 2.0 or above, 3MB hard disk space (5-20 MB of hard drive space for downloading Web Sites), 16 MB RAM for Windows 95/ 24 MB of Ram for NT 4.0. (WebEx is not compatible with America On-line and CompuServe for Windows 3.1) MSRP: $50.00 U.S.A./ CAN Last fall I had the fortune to review and test drive two excellent software products, LapLink and WebEx by Traveling Software (see CompuNotes issue # 57, November 13, 1996). In the earlier review, I encountered one slight problem with WebEx. If you happened find a Web site that was using frames sometimes the computer would on occasion lock-up or hang at that point. In spite of this glitch, WebEX was a real performer, giving a customer their moneys worth. I jumped at the chance to review the product again, if for nothing else to satisfy my own curiosity, and see if the "frame-bug) was fixed. Traveling Software did not stop at fixing a minor glitch in version 2.0; they gave birth to a newer, faster, and better built program from the ground up. The computer used for this review and testing WebEx version 2.0 was a Pentium 100 MHz Intel CPU, 32-MB ram, and ATI Winturbo graphics card and a USR 28.8 Modem. Additional testing of WebEx was completed on our main computer a Pentium 133 MHz, 32 MB ram, ATI 3D Xpression PCTV graphics card with 4 MB ram, ACER 56K modem, running Windows NT 4.O. The WebEx software was supplied on three 1.44 floppy disks. Installation was a breeze with the total time from start to finish just under five minutes on both systems. What is WebEx and how does it Work? To quote Traveling Software: ...WebEx lets you download, manage, archive and search important Web information for reading when your not connected to a phone or LAN line...WebEx lets you read sites offline...faster, convenient, reliable way to review sites...share strategic Web information with colleagues, customers, co-workers...attach downloaded Web site files to an e-mail message and send them to colleagues...or post the sites to a network. In essence WebEx is an automated (or manual) retrieval service, that once set-up: will dial the net, log on to your favorite site, gather information, save the date to your hard drive, and disconnect from the Internet. WebEx is ideal for those users who have long commutes to work or need to have information available, but are not linked to a telephone line. A teacher or lecture could use WebEx to download a site and it's information, then use the collected data in a classroom without having to be linked to the net. Computer consultants, Internet providers would also benefit from WebEx as an educational sales tool to show prospective clients how an Internet link works, display Web Pages, etc, thus providing better services for their customers. The list of possibilities for utilization WebEx is almost endless. The power of WebEx rests in the program flexibility that allows the end user to match the retrieval settings their specific individual needs. Not all of us have the requirement to download the daily newspaper, computer news information, or check out the weekly horoscope. However, in today's competitive market place, information is the key to success, and WebEx unlocks the information doorway, permitting the end user to define the time and place to read the data. The advent of computers into the work place changed forever an individual or a company's ability to locate and retrieve information on a global basis's. The recent landing of Pathfinder on Mars and the one hundred, million hits on NASA's site in one day is a prime example of people from all over the world in search of information. With a few clicks of a mouse WebEx can reach out to the NASA site, download the latest Pathfinder updates, and save them on your hard drive, for later viewing. Using WebEx is easy, all one needs to do is launch the program and a small button bar appears at the top of your screen. Next you click on the large WebEx button, a pull down menu appears, and you can select from: 1. My Sites-these are sites installed during set-up from you book marks or favorites. 2. Recommend Sites-Pre-installed and contain...Computing, Entertainment, News, Search, Sports, Travel and Traveling Software's Site. 3. Submitted Forms-user defined for entering a form (free draw for example) off line then upload later. 4. Browse Sites-favorites etc. 5. Manage Sites-Cut & paste, set delivery time etc. 6. WebEx Setting-change general settings, browser, dialup etc. 7. Help-self explanatory 8. EXIT. In all WebEx has just six buttons on the bar: WebEx, Launch Browser, Off line (you can click this to go on-line), Site Manager, Deliver, and Store New Site. I really like the new interface Traveling Software designed for WebEx version 2.0. The interface is user friendly and uncluttered, making the usage almost goofs proof-remember I said almost. After I installed WebEx I clicked on deliver, pick a newspaper site from my favorite list, and pressed the deliver button. Like a well-trained obedient robotic servant, WebEx dialed my Internet service, logged onto the Site and downloaded the main level. Once the site is downloaded to you, computer you can view off-line, just as if you were still connected. Nice feature I thought but, I didn't get all of the articles I was searching for, so I decided to see what would happen if I increased the digging level to two, then 3, 4, 5. Bear in mind that I was logged into one of Canada's largest newspapers site, and digging like a miner with gold fever. I stopped the search after the counter said 3000 items had been downloaded-with several thousand more indicated to download. So a word of caution before set to deliver your favorite site, know how many levels you require. The only problem encountered during testing occurred between the keyboard and the chair, when I delivered the news site at digging level five, and forgot to set the boundary. To "Deliver" a site you simply open (My Sites-your bookmark or favorite) and pick the site. Then set the time you wish to have the site delivered or simply deliver now and WebEx will dial and download the site, then disconnect from the Internet. Once the site is stored on your computer, you can view it at your leisure. The "Store New Site" button allows the user to select option for the sites delivery by selecting: 1. General-sets the digging level and the amount of hard drive space to be used for the delivery. 2. Boundary-sets the width of the delivery (how to follow links etc). 3. Multimedia-here you select what embedded items to deliver, text, sound, graphics, and video). 4. Schedule-set the time the site is to be delivered. 5. Statistics-such as the number of items and the hard drive space used. If you have the need to download Internet information, and analyze the information later, then WebEx version 2.0, by Traveling Software is one piece of software you will not want to pass up. The software is first rate and it works equally well on Windows 95 and Windows NT. Traveling Software's WebEx, is a completely redesigned high quality product and well worth the money. An added plus for anyone considering purchasing WebEx or LapLink products, is their customer support services are exceptional and first rate. In addition, a special thank you to Ken Hammond and Tricia Horned of Traveling Software's Public Relations Department for their assistance and fast response to my queries regarding WebEx. Traveling Software http://www.travsoft.com 7=> Product: Webmastering for Dummies, book Reviewed By: Paul Baker, mailto:pbaker@facstaff.wisc.edu ISBN 0-7645-0171-2, 364 pages Publisher: IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. MSRP: $19.99 USA, $26.99 Canada Authors: Daniel A. Tauber & Brenda Kienan. Are you a Webmaster? Do you want to be a Webmaster? What exactly is a "Webmaster?" How about, "A visionary, an evangelist, a business strategist, a manager of expectations, and a creative implementer. The perfect Webmaster would have an MBA in marketing, two bachelor's degrees (computer science and multimedia design), and a minor in English or journalism. This person would also have five years of project management experience as well."Get real! How about, "The person who owns' a Web site--the person who has overall responsibility for running the thing"? Both definitions come from Daniel Tauber and Brenda Kienan, authors of "Webmastering for Dummies." Although you may not know anyone with the first set of qualifications, you probably do know people who represent one of the four Webmaster types: 1. The tech webmaster, who keeps the technical underpinnings of the site shiny and running smoothly. 2. The content webmaster, who creates and manages content. 3. The production webmaster, who may handle everything from overall site design to creating spot illustrations, creating page templates, producing HTML, scanning art, and maintaining tags that specify certain types of links . 4. The executive webmaster-- "the boss" who makes and tracks the budget, creates strategic partnerships, or makes business alliances. Sometimes the Webmaster is actually a team. If you're putting together a Web-site team and you can hire only two people, the authors recommend that those people be a techie person and a content person. And, "If you're really strapped and can hire only one person for your Web team, go for the content Webmaster. A lot of site maintenance can be jobbed out to your ISP, and design can be jobbed out to a design firm." If you or your employer are serious about developing a Web site, this book will show you how to do it, while tactfully pointing out all the things you don't yet know. If you're simply a hobbyist, you will probably want to dip into selected chapters. The key words here are planning and forethought. Long before you ever fire up your software and begin assembling pages you need an exhaustive plan that involves the same kind of forethought and commitment as launching a new magazine. The audience for this book includes * those with no experience who want to see what they're getting into, * those with some experience who want to see the bigger picture, and * those who want their site to compete against the best sites that are already out there. If you're serious enough to read this book and tackling the long list of "to-do" chores, then you may develop a good site. "Webmastering for Dummies" covers content development, design, production, technical stuff, and management stuff. "Above all," the authors write, "this book is about how to create a strategy, how to follow through successfully, and how to know you have succeeded." (Note the big-picture approach.) They go beyond how to create a great looking site to discuss hiring a team, jobbing out to Web shops, creating a budget, legal pitfalls, selling on the Web, and promoting the site. The authors are well qualified. Daniel Tauber holds a degree in computer science and has led technical development of Web sites for Fortune 500 companies and the publishing industry. Brenda Kienan has created and produced Web content for the publishing and search engine industries and has managed Web teams. Together, Tauber and Kienan have written eight books, including four that cover Internet topics. This book is meaty and substantial; it's almost encyclopedic in scope. Some sections more useful than other depending on your experience. Some seem painfully obvious. For example, the section on building a business budget is mostly a list of mundane platitudes. The book is well organized and indexed. It contains many URLs for useful "How To" sites. It is well written and well edited. The authors use a highly readable and friendly style. The book is text heavy and contains fewer illustrations than one might expect. The book's strength is its global perspective. For lots of detail on one or two Web related issues, for example, how to design attractive pages, you may want to go to other sources such as "Elements of Web Design" by Darcy DiNucci. A handy tear-out cheat sheet called "A Webmaster's Bookmark" lists URLs for helpful sites arranged under these categories: Professional webmastering, talking tech, look and feel, employment and contracting, quality assurance, selling on-line, business sense, legalese, and to market. Some potential Webmasters may by frightened off when they read about all the work that needs to be done to create a really strong site. And maybe that's not a bad idea. There are certainly more than enough weak sites out there. But for someone or some company who has made the commitment, it will be a useful guide. Here are the book's contents at a glance. Part I: Who you are and where you start 1. What webmasters do and where to find them 2. You site's goals define everything else 3. Selling on the web 4. Building a better budget 5. legal Bugaboos for the lay webmaster. Part 2: Planning a smashing Web site 1. Creating your site's framework 2. Beyond HTML and son of HTML 3. Jobbing out to a web-publishing shop 4. Quality assurance, document control, and the style constables who love them. Part 3: Under the hood: server, database, and search engine strategies 1. Under the hoods of a few good server options 2. Dealing with ISPs and IPPs 3. Databases for the masses. Part 4: Winning: promoting and assessing your site's success 1. Maximum exposure via search engines and directories 2. Promoting your site 3. Measuring success. Part 5: The Part of tens 1. Ten Web sites that'll save your life 2. Ten tools for jazzing up HTML 3. Ten types of live content you can use today. IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. http://www.idgbooks.com 8=> Product: Microsoft Windows 95: 6 in 1, book Reviewed By: Gail B.C. Marsella, mailto:gbcmars@enter.net Authors: Jane Calabria and Dorothy Burke, with Laurie Ann Ulrich and Susan Trost ISBN 0-7897-1385-3 MSRP: $29.99 Even those of us who have used Windows 95 for awhile can still learn more, so when "Microsoft Windows 95: 6 in 1" came by, I had several areas of interest. I still hadn't completely figured out the Dial-Up Networking features, for example, and I wanted to learn how to use the My Briefcase function for transferring files between home and office. Unfortunately, after reading the book, I still didn't have any more information on either of those topics. What I found was a book that works very well for the Win95 beginner for about 200 pages, and then spends most of the rest of its length on the Internet as seen from Microsoft's Internet Explorer. The "6" in "6 in 1" refers to the sections of the book: Essentials, Customizing, Networking, Internet, Active Desktop, and Real-World Solutions. Que books generally explain software much more clearly and completely than the original publisher, and for the first two sections, that's still true. There are well thought out lessons on windows, dialog boxes, shortcuts, applications, the taskbar, the Control Panel, utilities like ScanDisk, and so on. The lesson on device management is just about enough for the beginner who might need to consult a technical support line; the emphasis is on finding device information (and printing it) but not trying to change anything. The trouble starts with the Networking section. Networking isn't like device management, which pretty much works in the background. Networking either works or it doesn't: on or off. NO ONE WILL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO CONNECT USING JUST THIS INFORMATION IN THIS SECTION, either on a network on a dial-up line. It's not that it contains errors - the information presented is correct - but it lacks context and detail. Virtually every company with Win95 on a network has a customized version of this procedure, and it will differ somewhat from the facts presented here. Now granted it would be impossible to cover all these non-standard installations, but the authors don't even try to list common types of customization. They make no attempt to help the reader make any choices, or even list what those choices are. Call me cranky, but telling a na_ve user only half of what he/she needs to know is bogus. Networking only works if you do everything exactly right, and this book doesn't describe anywhere near everything. The authors do mention the connection wizard for a Dial-Up Connection setup, and show the steps to use it. In reality, however, you need pages of arcane data about WINS settings, server ID numbers and other TCP/IP settings to make a usable, reliable connection. Some additional information on connecting appears in the Internet section, but it shouldn't be separated by so many pages from this discussion, and it still isn't enough. The "Internet" section of the book has several good, basic lessons on using the World Wide Web, interspersed with lessons on installing, using, and customizing Internet Explorer 4.0. That emphasis on IE4 solidifies in the "Active Desktop" section, which is devoted entirely to the combined use of Windows and IE4. If you use Netscape or another browser, this section will not be useful (and will probably be confusing.) The final section, "Real World Solutions," is kind of oddball (I would have put the section on e-mail etiquette in the Internet chapter, for example, and I thought the advice about avoiding laptop theft was too obvious) but a lot of it is useful. There are good lessons on organizing a hard drive, avoiding and recovering from crashes, dealing with viruses, uninstalling software, and understanding OLE. In short, if you're a beginner at all this, will be using Internet Explorer 4.0, and have access to good technical support in your MIS department or from your ISP, this book might be worth buying. If you use Netscape, don't buy it; go to the library and read the first two sections for their clear Win95 introduction, the parts of the "Internet" section devoted to using the Web, and the practical advice in the final section. If you aren't a beginner at Windows 95, this probably isn't the book for you. Que http://www.quecorp.com 9=> Product: Word Heads, educational Reviewed By: Bev Walton-Porter, mailto:Scrybr8@prodigy.net Reviewed on: Pentium, 24 MB RAM, Windows 95 Requires: 486/66 MHz; 8 MB RAM (5 MB available RAM); 13 MB available hard disk space; 256 color VGA; double- speed CD-ROM drive; Windows 3.1 or Windows 95; 16-bit Windows-compatible sound card; mouse; speakers. MSRP: $25.79 What's the first thing you think of when you remember taking English in school? Dry, boring lessons? Daydreaming of your girlfriend or boyfriend instead of memorizing verb tenses? Well, thanks to Word Heads, English is no longer a dull subject. Through the hip, zany antics of characters kids design on their own, kids will not only learn English and love it -- they won't even realize that's the true objective! Designed with the aid of kids,teachers, educational experts and parents, Theatrix Interactive's software program, Word Heads, makes learning English more of a game than a chore. Although the software is for kids 10 - 14 years of age, my younger children (five and eight-years-old) had no problems learning how to play the various games, or channels, in Word Heads and now I usually have to fight to keep them off the computer every night so I can get some work done! And the best part is that they are strengthening English skills the whole time they're playing with the software. Education without agony. Word Heads features an interactive network. There are various channels on the interactive network, each channel representing a different way to learn. But before kids begin to surf Word Heads, they are urged to "Get A Head", or design their own character which will represent them during gameplay. The host of Word Heads is Ed Head, quite a witty and hip host. There is an option to choose one or two players. When choosing to "Get A Head", or character to represent themselves, kids begin by selecting a head, which may or may not be human. The head could just as well be a skeleton head, vegetable head, or jack-o-lantern head. Next, contestants select headgear (funny hats, wigs, crowns, or other headgear), the type of body they would like (female, male, gorilla, dressy, sporty, or just plain freaky), and finally, a name. Kids can use their own name, or simply type in whatever name they want to call their contestant. During the selection process, Ed Head encourages or discourages the players' selections with humorous comments. After selecting a character, players activate the remote control graphic on the screen at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. To preview the channels, kids choose channel two, which gives an overview of the activities available. Once you choose a channel, you can always come back to the preview channel to get an idea of what features are coming up. Apart from channel two, the preview channel, kids have the option of selecting Go Figure (channel three), Meet Your Match (channel four), U News (channel five), or Go Shopping (channel six.) Just click on the channel number or name in the list and the player's taken directly to that channel. On channel three, Go Figure is the game of choice. Luna, a female performance artist with sarcastic wit, is the host of this challenging game which teaches verbal reasoning and figures of speech. My kids absolutely love this game and choose this option more than any other. Designed in a tic-tac-toe format, the big board with squares feature nine smart alecky celebrity guests explain what they think is the correct meaning of a figure of speech or phrase, such as "The cat's out of the bag". Kids choose either to agree or disagree and use the spotlight on the left-hand side to determine how much money they can win. If they believe the celebrity is telling them the truth (and each celebrity speaks with a distinctive voice), and they are correct, that celebrity's square will turn either red or blue, depending on what the player's particular color is. Once a contestant chooses to agree or disagree, the program responds by displaying either "Correct" or "Incorrect". If the answer is "Incorrect", players can find out the correct answer and learn more about the figure of speech by clicking the "Why" button. Meet Your Match is found on channel four. Kat is your host for this game, and a dream date is waiting just behind a curtain -- but before players can meet their dream date, they must score their way up a platform notch by notch until the contestant is closer to their date. Each game has three rounds of play, and each round has four questions you must answer within 15 seconds. This is a little tough for younger kids like mine -- they just can't think and react quick enough -- but for ages 10 - 14, it will offer a challenge with plenty of time to choose a correct answer. If the contestant answers incorrectly, the player drops a notch. After three rounds if the player hasn't reached his or her date, the platform will drop back down to the floor and they'll miss out on meeting their date. As with Go Figure, contestants choose the dollar figure they'd like to earn per question. Of course, the more money they try to earn, the more difficult the questions are. Meet Your Match stresses prefixes, roots, suffixes, synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms. A word definition will appear in a window and players select the parts which form a word that matches the definition displayed. Once the contestant's platform reaches the top, a bonus round gives players the chance to earn more money by building as many words as possible in one minute. After meeting your dream date, kids can advance the channel to number five on the remote. This takes them to UNews, hosted by anchors Wit and Zoe. They present an incomplete news story and need players' feedback. Players can select word choices or sound effects to their liking. Once chosen, the news anchors will tell the news story including the words which have been chosen. This segment demonstrates vocabulary and how to use parts of speech. If a contestant wants to view a segment again, they can push "Say That Again". Segments can also be edited by selecting "That's Not What I Meant!" If players like the story they've built and want to watch it later, they can click on "File the Story!" where it can be accessed later in File Footage. Finally, a new story can be made by choosing "Let's Move On". Channel six features Go Shopping! After players have surfed the other channels and have built up dollars for their winnings, they can come here to get a new head, new gear, wacky word games, or choose a new set of questions for Go Figure. An on-screen menu is displayed and products will be featured which are for sale in a particular category. To select an item, just click on it. The description and price of the item will appear on the screen and you can Click to Order if you have enough money to buy it from your winnings. If your kids can't find the head they want in the program, Word Heads offers a Heads Creator which allows you to create player heads for any product in the Get A Head series. Included with the software is instructions on how to open Head Creator in Windows 95, Windows 3.1, and Macintosh. Each head will have six different expressions so it can respond to various events in the game. To create your own head, you can use the drawing tools in the Creator, use a digital camera, scan photos or drawings, or download graphics from the Internet using your favorite paint program to create the six facial expressions. You simply import the image and resize it to suit your fancy. +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Managing Editor: Patrick Grote -- mailto:pgrote@i1.net Assistant Editor: Writer Liaison: Doug Reed-- mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Assistant Editor: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com Archives: ftp://ftp.uu.net/published/compunotes/ Website: e-mail: mailto:notes@compunotes.com Want to Write for Us?: mailto:writers@compunotes.com fax: (314) 909-1662 voice: (314) 909-1662 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= CompuNotes is: Available weekly via e-mail and on-line. We cover the PC computing world with comprehensive reviews, news, hot web sites, great columns and interviews. We also give away one software package a week to a lucky winner for just reading our fine publication! Never dull, sometimes tardy, we are here to bring you the computing world the way it is! Please tell every on-line friend about us! 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