Typing Tutors



[DATAPRO]
DataPro# (Howard, Fred; $22) hones your typing skills for data processing
types of applications. For example, it times your entering of data into a
payroll type of application, automatically advancing to each field, just as a
program would do. It also drills you on use of the number pad for numeric
input. This is an excellent way to practice your data entry skills or, if you
are an employer, to test applicants. Also included are a warm-up program and a
typing skill game.

[FASTYPE]
PC Fastype/CGA 4.4 (Trendtech Corporation ASP; $28) is a typing drill program
for beginning, intermediate and advanced typists. It uses a graphics screen to
display a picture of a keyboard on the bottom half of the screen. The key you
should be hitting is highlighted on the keyboard while the word or sentence is
displayed on the top half of the screen. This is very handy for beginners who
might have trouble locating keys.

[FASTYPEV]
PC Fastype/VGA 1.1 (Trendtech Corporation ASP; $28) is an outstanding typing
drill program for all levels of skill. The program displays a 3-D image of the
keyboard and if you have trouble finding a letter, the key will go up and down
on the keyboard after a reasonable amount of time. Our only complaint is that
if you are typing quickly and miss a letter completely, instead of counting it
as one error, all letters that you type after that letter are counted as
errors until you get back in sync again. Otherwise, this is an excellent
program which we can highly recommend. Requires VGA, DOS 3.3+, 512K RAM and a
hard disk with at 800K of space.

[FASTMONO]
PC-FasType/Mono 1.4 (Trendtech Corporation ASP; $28) is a typing tutor program
specifically designed for laptops, portables, and systems with monochrome
monitors. Network support is provided, and an all-caps mode is available for
small children. Timed exercises of up to 20 minutes can be run.

[FINGERS]
Fingers (Bedford, Robert; $5) lets you practice typing.

[QUICTYP]
Quictype 2.01 (Ratcliff, Matthew J. W.; $5) is for polishing your touch typing
skills. The graphical interface, in which you must type a sentence as it moves
down the screen, and before it reaches the bottom, adds a nice flair to the
program. Features include a warm-up screen with graphical keyboard display and
a separate "no pressure" practice display with on-screen keyboard. You can
select different practice files from the game play menu. There are practice
files, with tutorial information on typing technique. On completion of a
practice session, it reports your typing speed and which letters you missed
the most. You can input your own text files for typing practice or use what
comes with the program.

[TENTUTR]
Tenkey Tutor (TNT Enterprises; $6) is an excellent excercise to increase your
proficiency in 10-key data entry. There is a basic drill and a sample data
entry screen for which your entry speed can be rated. (The authors are no
longer at the address listed in the documentation.)

[TYPEGAM]
Type Games 1.0 (TexaSoft ASP; $19) is an Olympic typing practice game. A
phrase is displayed on the screen, then you must type the phrase in an
allotted amount of time, or your opponent wins the point. There are three
levels of phrase difficulty, and 100 selectable speeds. The Olympic theme to
this game is fun, including the playing of the winning country's national
anthem. You can add your own phrases.

[TYPETIM]
TypeTim (Choudhry, Akber A.; $10) has two parts: a test of typing speed and a
practice drill. We found the program to be simple, but effective.

[TYPETMR]
TypeTimer 1.0b (KIS Systems; $10-$23) is a 25K TSR that turns your text based
word processor or editor into a typing test. It counts keystrokes for a
specified period of time and reports statistics. This program does NOT support
a graphics oriented or Windows editor.

[TYPETRK]
Type Trek 1.0 (Kretschmer, Joe; $20) is a typing tutor in Star Trek game
format. It introduces the keys on the keyboard, starting with the home row
keys, and adding more keys until the keyboard is mastered. Controlled drills
are provided by typing words that fire phasers and photon torpedoes, move the
Enterprise, dock and refuel, and more. Words-per-minute estimates are
displayed as you progress through each game.

[KEYPAD]
Keypad (Nathan Alan King; $8) drills you on touch typing on the numeric
keypad.

[LRN2TYPE]
Lrn2Type and Read-In (Pepper, Clement S.; $15) are typing training programs
for the beginning and intermediate touch typist. Lrn2Type helps the beginning
typist learn character locations. Read-In is for the typist who already has
some touch typing experience.

[PC_TOUCH]
PC-Touch is a touch typing practice program. Also included is LETTERFALL which
is a typing tutor program.

[TENKEYER]
Tenkeyer (ERSOFT, INC.; $20-50) trains and drills you on using the numeric
keypad, as well as the top row of numbers on the keyboard. This skill is
useful in data entry, accounting, using cash registers, etc.

[TTT]
Touch Typing Tutor (Gray, David P. ASP; $20) offers three different modes of
operation. The Teach Mode has eight graduated lessons and adapts itself
automatically to the user's skill level. Speed Mode is designed for
professional typists and secretarial agencies to measure a typist's speed.
Game Mode was added because all the commercial typing tutors seem to have one.
Five skill levels. The game also adapts itself to the typist's skill, forcing
the user to type faster and faster. Other features include a mouse interface,
tutorial statistics, lesson threshold speed and the ability to record mistakes
in tutorial and speed tests.

[TYPEMATE]
Typemate 5.20 (De Deugd Automatisering; $25) is a typing tutor for the
English, French and Dutch languages. It teaches finger positions, words,
sentences, capitals, numbers and six lessons in which the number of keys for
touch typing is gradually increased.