All this is well and good, but I've been wondering how we'll reach the next step. Learning to actually move a mouse to a certain spot takes a great deal of coordination and concentration. Even some adults have trouble at first. I've made some halfhearted attempts at mouse instruction, but we both get bored rather quickly.
Now I know what we'll use to get over this hump: My Very First Software, a group of lively but simple games and mini-lessons, all designed to teach basic computer skills.
The program is divided into three skill levels. Level One teaches kids to point and click; Level Two focuses on double-clicking and dragging; Level Three helps familiarize youngsters with the keyboard.
Navigating is easy and logical throughout, from game to game and from level to level. With the help of host Cybee-a space-age, peppy creature-users can play three different games in each level, plus hear a short and sweet tutorial. Need help? Just click on the ever-present Cybee. Lively sound effects enhance the action throughout.
For instance, in Level One, Flip Flop is a simple game that starts with 20 colored squares. Touch any of these squares with the cursor-no clicking required-and part of a hidden picture is revealed. Touch them quickly and they fly off the screen like rockets. In Peekaboo, invisible pictures appear when kids click on various hot spots.
In my favorite Level Two game, Color Stamps, click to paint a picture with a collection of stamps of several themes: fruits, space stuff, and outdoor items, such as ladybugs and grass. Drag a stamp across the page and leave a trail of color in its wake-this is wild, even for adults.
Level Three has more fun, including Juke Box Numbers, in which you click different numbers to hear songs like "Old MacDonald" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Hear them in several musical styles, as well: traditional, jazz, country and rock.
Learn to use the arrow keys with Key Sketch, in which the screen is transformed into a colorful Etch-A-Sketch pad. As with Color Stamps, choose from wacky colors and patterns.
This is a program to grow-and learn-with. Blessedly simple, it is colorful, lively and appealing. Once children have mastered all these games and skills, they'll be competent computer "drivers," ready to move on to more complicated software. My guess is, however, that they'll still want to return to My Very First Software from time to time. As a final incentive, the package includes a free mouse pad featuring Cybee in space. Even I couldn't resist this one-it's now a permanent fixture on my desk.
Alice Cary is a freelance writer from Groton, Massachusetts who can be reached at alice_cary@bookpage.com.
©1996, ProMotion, inc.