Wild Words
by Micromega
Longman Software
1983

Wild Words is a spelling game covering over 200 words which range from 3 to 14 letters in length. The menu offers 5 levels of difficulty - level 1 includes simple words like 'bur', while more complex spellings such as 'people ' appear at level 5. When the choice of level has been made, the target word appears for a short time at the bottom of the screen. During the game, the player can see the word again by pressing H. The game element involves the child having to use the horizontal cursor keys (or 5 and 8 on the Spectrum Plus) to move Microchimp and his wheelbarrow across the screen to catch the correct letters falling from the top. The letters must be caught in the right order to spell the target word. After each word is correctly spelled, the child is rewarded with a tune, and the flower on the right of the screen grows one step further.

The children who tried this game for me didn't think much of it and rapidly lost interest. The game was not strong enough to retain their attention, and they soon gave up, claiming it was 'boring'. From an educational viewpoint, the program seemed to me to be extremely limited and totally lacking in flexibility. Spelling is taught most successfully when the words have some sort of context for the child it would have been much better if the parent had been given the option of entering his or her choice of words for the child to spell, taken perhaps from a favourite hook, or if the package had included some reading material which used the target words in context.

GENERAL RATING

All of the programs are well error-trapped but, with the exception of a,b,c... Lift Off!, they have little of real merit to commend them. This isn't to say that they are bad programs, but simply that they are no better or worse than other educational software which relies mainly on an arcade format to sweeten the drill/practice pill. They all run well, however, and are easy enough to use, but are lacking in flexibility and, generally speaking, belong more to the education system of the past than to the computer age.

The programs all cost £7.95 and will run on the 16 or 48K Spectrum.

---

REVIEW BY: Rosetta McLeod

Blurb: Title: A, B, C, Lift Off! Educational Aim: letter/word recognition Age Range: 4 - 8 Control Keys: all letter keys used; S to snap Use of Colour: bright & attractive Graphics: in the letter recognition section, the pictures are rather small and a large part of the screen is unused Title: Wild Words Educational Aim: spelling Age Range: 6 and over Control Keys: H to see the word again, then cursor keys Use of Colour: good Graphics: uninspiring Title: Hot Dot Spotter Educational Aim: number skills Age Range: 4 - 8 Control Keys: number keys only Use of Colour: limited Graphics: very dull Title: Count About Educational Aim: addition and subtraction Age Range: 4 - 8 Control Keys: number keys only Use of Colour: good Graphics: good Title: Sum Scruncher Educational Aim: number skills Age Range: 6 and over Control Keys: cursor keys only Use of Colour: bright and clear Graphics: reasonably good Title: Robot Runner Educational Aim: multiplication Age Range: 6 and over Control Keys: cursor keys only Use of Colour: attractive Graphics: fairly good