The only thing wrong with the reader I have found, is that sometimes, it seems to randomly crash, the mouse still works, but nothing else will happen, and I had to reboot my machine to get it working again. This is another really well thought out programme from Brilliant, and an ideal use of IT to offer another approach to assist kids with skills to use away from the computer. Its software like this that makes British educational software the envy of all, and its really good fun as well. Practicing letter formation and learning to write them correctly is often a dull and unmotivatingtask for kids and a nightmare for those with co-ordination problems. Claud and Maud puts a new angle on it, the graphics and animation used in this pack offer the very best for maintaining interest without totaly distracting from the task at hand.
Loading is simple giving just a choice of letters to practice and then straight into the programme.
I have a lot of time for programmes that stick to a specific task without offering too many options and choices of configuration. I realise that these were designed for teachers to configure the programme for individual use and that these options are essential to make the programme suite a wide variety of kids, but it would be better for home users and busy classrooms if the option were chosen once and then retaind for that individual. With Claud and maud you can choose whether you want to make special configurations or not, and the default level is good fun for most kids. This is a very motivating activity for kids of all abilities This programme however comes into its own with the use of a touch tablet or a mouse pen which means that the child is actualy performing the task in the same way as they need to for writing on paper. The letter to be traced or the word to be completed is clearly spoken and a symbol is drawn on screen to act as a conceptual bridge to the meaning of the word thereby assisting with visual sight vocabulary and pronounciation, two definate subliminal advantages.