| NAME OF PRODUCT: Twain's World |
| PUBLISHER: Bureau Development, Inc. |
| COPYRIGHT DATE: 1993 |
| Version Reviewed |
| Platform: WIN | Format: CD-ROM |
| Content Areas/Topics Covered: Literature, History,
Biography.
This CD-ROM contains the complete works of Mark Twain, including books, letters, speeches, etc. It also includes a timeline of Twain's life and information about the time in which he lives. |
| Intended Audience |
| Early Childhood (preschool-grade 1) | Adult Remedial |
| Elementary (grades 1-6) | Educator |
| Middle (grades 5-8) |
Special Needs |
| Secondary (grades 7-12) |
General Interest/Other |
| Please rate the software on each of the listed categories according to the scale given. After completing each section, please provide supporting comments for your ratings. |
| Content | Poor | Fair | Average | Very Good | Excellent |
| Developmental/Age Appropriateness | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
5 |
| Educational Value | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
5 |
| Accuracy | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| Interest Level/Appeal | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
5 |
| Interactivity | 1 | |
3 | 4 | 5 |
| Technical Quality (Audio, Visual, etc.) | 1 | |
3 | 4 | 5 |
| COMMENTS
It's obvious this CD-ROM was made before a lot of multimedia advances. It has some silly cartoon graphics in it (e.g., on the Tom Sawyer page is a cartoon of a boy whitewashing a fence in quick-time) and even the picture graphics are not unlike a coloring book. If you were a true Twain fan, these graphics make this CD-ROM look pretty elementary. There is some interactivity with a quiz that you can take after every reading, but I'm not sure how much kids would enjoy it, because again there aren't any really flashy graphics etc. The CD-ROM does appear to be quite accurate; the "About" page says that the authors "used expert advice of Twain Scholars and archive curators." It also has some videos of the time period. So, in terms of content, this CD-ROM appears pretty comprehensive, but the way it is presented would be disappointing to kids and Twain aficianados. |
| USE | POOR | FAIR | AVERAGE | VERY GOOD | EXCELLENT |
| Ease of Use | 1 | 2 | |
4 | 5 |
| Clarity of Instructions | 1 | 2 | |
4 | 5 |
| Quality
of Support
Materials |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| COMMENTS
It's fairly easy to use -- there is a navigation bar at the top of each page -- although it took me a while to figure out how to get to other videos rather than the one that comes up when you click on the "Videos" graphic. When you go to the Index button, it is merely a search engine, and without knowing what is on the CD it is somewhat difficult to search for information. There are no support materials. |
| FEATURES | POOR | FAIR | AVERAGE | VERY GOOD | EXCELLENT |
| Feedback | 1 | 2 | |
4 | 5 |
| Adjustability/Multiple
Levels Offered |
|
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| COMMENTS
The only feedback is during the quizzes; after you pick your answer (based on the reading on the screen), you get a "That's Correct" or a "That's Wrong" until you get it right. It is not adjustable and does not offer multiple levels. |
| OVERALL |
| Strengths
If you are interested in Mark Twain's life and works, this is a great reference for you. It is quite comprehensive, and even includes the full text of all of his works. There is a lot of trivia about Mark Twain as well as information about the time in which he lived. It even includes videos and photos of Twain's life and times and audioclips of people reading his works. |
Areas for Improvement
As I mentioned, some of the graphics are quite cheesy, especially since they are done as cartoons. It can be a little bit difficult to get around in, and the index is no help, since it is not a list of what's on the CD but instead merely a search engine. Since there is nothing flashy, I doubt that anyone except a true Twain fan or a high school student who has to do research on him would really get excited about this CD. |
