Watch With Micro | First Impressions | In Play | Verdict | Rating
Computer: BBC Micro (Generic)
Price: £4.95 (Cassette)
Publisher: Peter Gordon
Reviewer: Colin Cohen
Rating: 4/5

Watch With Micro

"Are you sitting comfortably?", the BBC Micro asks you. "Then I'll begin..." Call this a game, an entertainment or micro-education for one-to-six year olds, but whatever you call it, A First Book of MicroRhymes is one program which could leave you competing for your BBC Micro with even the very youngest members of the family.

It is simply a set of computer-based nursery rhymes written by a teacher and aimed at the very youngest micro users.

First Impressions

This is a self-documenting program, so simple that no instructions are needed. All you need to use are the Y, N, Space bar and ESCAPE keys - all the other keys are disabled.

There's a cheerful picture displayed while the rhymes are loading, then in large and clear lettering comes the very familiar question, "Are you sitting comfortably?" (If you aren't comfortable and hit N in reply, nothing further will happen! The program will simply wait until you decide you are comfy.)

In Play

Hickory Dickory Dock is the first rhyme - with the text nicely centred on the screen as there is a VDU command build into the program to correct the typical off-centre BBC display. A nice touch.

In each of the five rhymes, the text is written line by line, in time with the tune (perhaps a little fast!) and with additional sound effects such as the 'dong' when 'the clock struck one' or 'Humpty Dumpty had a great fall'. At the end of each rhyme, it can be repeated with the Space bar, or the next rhyme played by hitting ESCAPE.

I tested the rhymes on my four-year-old daughter. After the second rhyme, she had mastered the controls, and after the third she was reciting the rhymes as each line appeared on the screen; she then explained the controls to her mother. She loved Jack and Jill and said she would like to play it again, often.

Verdict

This is the start of a series of programs for pre-school children, written by a teacher with a child, now two-and-a-half, in mind. So far, this is not a market that is well provided for, so Micro-Rhymes makes a welcome addition.

It should provide entertainment for some time, if used intermittently.

Rating

Lasting Appeal 3/5
Playability 5/5
Use Of Machine 3/5
Overall Value 4/5

Watch With Micro | First Impressions | In Play | Verdict | Rating