NB In order to see this demo at its best, copy !MBOOKDEMO and !MFILES_+- onto a floppy or hard disc.
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Limitations
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This demo version of MathsBook illustrates most of the features of the full version, but some have been disabled:
Printing
The full version can print out performance records and worksheets containing 'sums' of the kind the child got wrong for further practice away from the computer.
Saving
Although you can explore the options and change them for the example children provided, you can't save them. Neither can you add new children.
Promotion/Demotion
The full version of MathsBook can automatically move children up and down levels across sessions via its save feature. This is normally a slow and gentle process but you can get an idea of how it works within the limitations of the demo - see below.
Speech
In the full version all of the Help messages can be spoken using real speech provided that you:
- have a hard disc, or
- can use 1.6mb discs, or
- have at least 2mb of RAM.
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Using the Demo Version
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!MBOOKDEMO is only compatible with RISC OS 3. It will run from but not save to the CD, so the best way to evaluate it is to copy it onto a floppy disc or onto a hard drive. You must copy !MFILES_+- as well.
You can use any screen mode, but a 256 colour mode (15 or 28) is best.
Double-click on !MBOOKDEMO_+-. The program will load. After the title screen has gone away, double click on MFILES_+-. A window will opwn showing the files containing data on particular groups of children. Drag one of these onto the MathsBook icon on the desktop icon bar, then click on the MathsBook icon. (This operation is simplified in the full version.)
A window will open showing the names of the children we've invented for this group. Click on the box to the left of one of them, then click on OK. The main MathsBook window will open showing the sort of 'sums' that the child you selected is being asked to do.
The level at which children work can be configured via the Options window which you can access by clicking menu (middle mouse button) over the MathsBook icon. Go to the options screen, set the number of questions to 20 or 30,then reduce the number of right and wrong answers required to change levels. If you reduce these both to 1 you will get a very quick demonstration of the way MathsBook reacts. For more information about changing options for individual children and whole groups, see the MathsBook manual, extracts from which are supplied as an (incomplete) text file on this disc.
If the fonts draw slowly on the screen, use the Task Manager to increase your font size in steps of 32k until you find a value that suits your setup.
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The Full Version
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The full version of MathsBook costs ú35 single user and ú70 site licence. A PC Windows version is under development - same price. Please ring for details.
A multiplication and division version of MathsBook will be released mid '97, and will be available at half price to owners of the addition and subtraction pack
