Software Reviews : World Geography Adventure Reviewed by: Anthony V. Williams,Pennsylvania State University Publisher: Intellectual Software,5 Chapel Hill Dr.,Fairfield,CT 06432 (telephone: [phone] or 203-335-0906) Year of Publication: 1984 Materials: Two disks and teachers manual. Price: The Americas,$59.95;Europe,$59.95 Machine Specificity: Apple II series;Macintosh;IBM PC;TRS-80. System Requirements: 48k memory,one disk drive.Effectiveness: Poor User-Friendliness: Good Documentation: Adequate to better-than-adequate

Abstract

This program is "designed to encourage students to master geographical relationships and details through repeated play and by providing an incentive to study." It uses a question and answer format with help/hints, scores responses, and has facilities for storing scores and for continuing interrupted lessons. The major problem with it is that it is boring. There are no graphics despite the Apple's capabilities in this area. And some of the hints are of doubtful utility to the intended audience of schoolchildren, 10 to 13 year olds apparently. As an example, in a question regarding identification of Argentina's southern region, the hint refers to what a servant told Pat Nixon just after Watergate. The goals of the program series are more than acceptable, but the implementation is puerile. Collaborators in this review included an 11-year-old boy, a 15-year-old girl, and two geography students with K through 12 teaching experience.