Press To Play - Sports
by Gerry Kennedy
For MS Windows 95/98 and Apple Macintosh Computers
Press to Play Sports V1.0 from Don Johnston
This is a new title to add to the popular Don Johnston Press to Play Series of switch software. You can choose various options to match a user’s skill level. The major benefit in using the Press to Play software titles is that teachers, teacher aides, parents and therapists can set up the software for different users who access the computer with several input devices. The clearly spoken verbal cues, trains the student to use his or her device at the correct time. There are four interaction modes to accommodate different physical and/or cognitive stages. The Sports theme is a popular and practical one as all children love to be involved in sporting events and participate with their peers.
In order to play this fun program on a Windows computer you will require an 80486DX4/100 MHz, either Windows 95 or Windows 98 operating system, at least 6MB free space on your hard drive with 8MB RAM. Your colour monitor must be able to handle VGA or higher modes and you will need a SoundBlaster® or Windows 95 compatible sound capability. A CD-ROM drive is necessary for installation. Macintosh users will require a 68030 (or higher) processor with System 7.1 (or later), 8 MB RAM and 10 MB hard disk space with a 256 colour monitor.
Installation is straightforward. MS Windows 95/98 users need to load the CD-ROM, locate their CD drive and then click on Setup. Macintosh users simply need to load the CD, double click on the Installer and follow the directions. It is always advisable to turn off any virus protection programs. After you have installed the software, you will find on your hard drive the Press to Play Sports folder containing Sports (the application), a Readme.txt file, the Press to Play Manual.pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 4 is included on the CD) and an uninstall program. There is also a SportData folder and an ‘Xtras’ folder.
Speedy is a young boy who has an electric wheelchair. He is the main character in this series. In Sports, he has a number of experiences in various sporting events, competing against other wheelchair users or against obstacles, as depicted in a speed race around a series of cones. Children of all ages who use a switch, a touch screen, mouse, trackball, joystick or alternate keyboard will thoroughly enjoy playing with Speedy. The graphics and animations are clearly drawn. Each small vignette has something to ‘say’ about trying to achieve your goals. On some occasions, Speedy endeavours to win and he succeeds, greeted with applause from the crowd. At other times, he gets a flat tyre, or his basketball shot is blocked, or he loses the wheelchair speed race by hitting the cone. He shows his obvious disappointment in an appropriate manner.
The sound quality is excellent with male and female voices introducing the animated sequence. A voice also prompts the user to ‘Press’. The auditory feedback is ideal for children who have poor head control or who have difficulty attending for long periods. It cues the user to press his or her device in a timely manner. The drawings and backgrounds are not overly ‘busy’. The animations are cleverly programmed so that the movement is well defined and all animated effects are evident and do not play ‘too quickly’ and the sound effects are appropriate and engaging.
Speedy has quite a number of experiences to share. The software is ideal for all students, and especially caters to users who are wheelchair users themselves as they will identify with Speedy and empathize with his failures and fully appreciate his victories!
There is a Teacher’s Menu. It is an easy to use menu. You simply press “T” to invoke the menu. You customise the program to suit individual needs and set the playing conditions. Sound can be turned on or off. Speech can also be active or turned off. There are four modes including Cause-and-Effect, Simple Scan, Complex Scan and Point (suitable for touch window and mouse/trackball users). The scanning modes can be set to automatic scan or to step scan, with the direction being either horizontal or vertical. Scan speeds include slow, medium or fast. You can also limit choices to 2, 3 4 or 6 onscreen. This is ideal where a student requires limited choices (due to cognition or for practice) or to set more choices for more capable users.
The Press to Play Series makes switch training fun and entertaining, as there are four interaction levels. It caters to a range of student needs as you can set a level to match students’ cognition and switching abilities. ‘Sports’ provides incentives for students to practice and gain confidence with their switch (or other input device) as the bright, cheerful graphics and quality sound effects invite participation. The different sports depicted in the software are generic and suit Australian audiences. Speedy enjoys playing basketball, competing in wheelchair races and driving about an obstacle course, as well as tennis.