REVIEWS COURTESY OF ZXSR

Clever Clogs - Sam Safety
by Ben Edgington
Computer Tutor
1984
Crash Issue 17, Jun 1985   page(s) 87

Producer: Argus Press Software
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £7.95
Author: Clever Clogs
Age Group: 5 and over

This real-time adventure is aimed at teaching children about the Highway Code. The player must guide Sam across the town according to the instructions: 'Little Sam Safety wants to reach my house in time for tea. Can you walk him across town picking up prizes on the way to get points. To cross the road you must use:

The Green Cross Code
Zebra Crossings
Pelican Crossings
Footbridges and Subways

If a printer is attached, the player will receive a Road Safety Certificate on successful completion of the task.

This is a very carefully thought-out and friendly program which encourages the player to answer questions on road signs and traffic drill. The Parents' Page allows the adult to design the map and to insert the hazards which need to be overcome on the route. Crossings can be positioned at appropriate places, and cars can be parked on the left or right hand side of roads for instance.

The package comes complete with some fluorescent stickers which youngsters might use on school bags, hikes etc. All in all a highly recommended game.

COMMENTS

Control Keys: cursor keys (5,6,7,8) to move Sam, C for help crossing; L to look left; R to look right; M to look at map; X to end game; Caps Shift/Q for Parents' Page
Keyboard Play: quite responsive
Use of Colour: very well done. As accurate as possible on road signs
Graphics: very good representation of road signs


REVIEW BY: Rosetta McLeod

Summary: General Rating: A very useful prgram which succeeds in its aim of being both educational and entertaining.

Transcript by Chris Bourne

Sinclair Programs Issue 23, Sep 1984   page(s) 28

Next from Clever Clogs is Sam Safety, for children aged five and upward. This program is designed to teach road safety. The aim is to guide your character around town, crossing roads safely, and picking up prizes where possible. To keep your prize you must identify a road sign correctly. The animation makes this an enjoyable way of learning road safety, although it is extremely slow and the machine-code action promised on the cover fails to materialise. It would be important, though, to impress upon children that the aerial views shown on screen should be identified with real traffic lights, subways and bridges.

PITCHED TOO HIGH

The questions on road signs appear to be pitched at a rather older age group than 5+, for knowledge of road signs is likely to be of little use to children until they can ride bicycles on the road. The way in which the questions are presented is probably not the best way of teaching recognition of these signs. Multiple choice questions are fair enough, but when some of the answers are amusing, it is all too easy to remember the wrong, but amusing answer, and forget the correct answer.


Transcript by Chris Bourne

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