Published by T/Maker. This CD-ROM is a colorful and lively introduction to counting and music. Recommended for children ages 3-6. $49.95. For Windows or Mac.
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Clever and well designed, Stradiwackius: The Counting
Concert encourages children to practice counting and is an
appropriate introduction to music. The CD-ROM is divided into four
sections. One section is basically a multimedia counting book; in
it child narrators say each number, spell each number, and count
the dancing instruments. Each of the other three sections is
hosted by an animated worm, either Albert, Wendy, or Pablo.
Albert, who likes facts and fun, gives facts abut the different musical instruments. The instruments are initially depicted realistically and then become animated as they begin to play. Albert's section also includes various games, which cover concepts such as big and small, sets, counting, and addition and subtraction.
Pablo, the artist, gives the child a choice; he can either color in
a picture of an instrument or create one of his own out of
different objects. The child may create an unusual musical
instrument by connecting a bell, a saw, an aquarium, and a shower
head and hear its sound. Many fun combinations are possible.
Wendy enjoys words and language. In her section, she pronounces sentences which describe the instruments as a bouncing ball highlights each word as it is said. When the child clicks on the instrument at the bottom of the screen, a colorful grid appears and the child hears a scale played by that instrument. If the "jamomatic" button is pressed, the scale will be played again or the child may produce the notes himself by clicking in the grid.
The graphics in Stradiwackius are exceptionally
well done. A mix of computer animation, claymation, and real image
is used. Some images appear in 3-D. [Top of Page]
Audience
The CD-ROM is aimed at very young children, 3-6 years old.
The program allows for repetitive, but not monotonous, practice
with basic math and language. It introduces the child to music and
can also be used to expose him to foreign languages. Older
children, 7-9 year olds, can benefit from the language and music
aspects of the program and will enjoy using the paint feature and
creating their own instruments. [Top of Page]
Ease of Use
The interface is easy to use. The user can move around by clicking
on the forward and back arrows, any of the worms, or by using the
graphic index. There is one awkward feature though; the user
cannot view Albert's section straight through, he must go into the
games. Once shown how, children will be able to maneuver through
Stradiwackius alone and join in the animated fun.
A parent introduction is included as well as a user introduction.
It also offers several language options; the user can choose to
hear the program presentation in French, Spanish, or German. The
parent's guide and the written instructions are also available in
these languages. [Top of Page]
Installation Details
Installation is quick and easy.A multimedia PC with the following:
4MB of free RAM, 30MB hard disk, CD-ROM drive, sound card, 256
color VGA or VGA+ display, or an equivalent personal computer with
a Multimedia PC upgrade kit (a 486 Pentium or higher processor
with 8MB or RAM and a double-speed CD-ROM drive is recommended),
MS-DOS operating system version 3.1 or later, Microsoft Windows
operating system version 3.1 or later, headphones or speakers, and
a CD-ROM drive with MS-DOS CD-ROM extensions (MSCDEX) version 2.2
or later (provided with your CD-ROM drive)
[Top of Page]
Other Reviews
Grover, Christopher Forrest. "Stradiwackius: The Counting Concert." CD-ROM World. December, 1994. Page 88:
"Stradiwackius is a beautifully designed math-and-music
game for kids three and up."
"Reviews and News: Stradiwackius The Counting
Concert." Parents. February, 1995. Page
127:"****, [four stars]"
Reviewed by Jacquelyn Dimsdle,
graduate student at UT Austin.