Jumpstart Typing

Convoluted Instructions, not easy to follow.

We purchased these for our school in rural Swaziland Africa. Our school does not have access to the internet (they just recently got access to electricity!) and it was very difficult finding software that did not require the internet. THANK YOU very much for offering this so our orphans can learn!

I installed this on my child's PC running Windows XP Professional with a 17" CRT set at 1152x864 pixels. The games and other features look more suitable for an elementary school age child than Mavis Beacon. However, unlike Mavis Beacon, Jumpstart Typing 2003 is not designed to rescale its window or change the resolution of the screen. So, what appears on the screen is a tiny 640x480 VGA-sized window with tiny and difficult to read characters. I manually resized (the graphics card in the PC doesn't have one of those status bar applets that let you resize quickly) the screen to 800x600 (it does not have an option to go to 640x480) to get the on-screen letters large enough for comfortable reading. My other complaint is that like many children's software, it asks to install Quicktime. I knew that the version I already had on the PC was the most current and elected not to install the CD-ROM supplied version. However, it does not check for a current version and warn that you may be installing an older version over your current installation. Were it not for the screen issue, I probably would have given this product a 3-star (maybe even a grudging 4-star) review. However, there is no excuse for the lack of screen size (or re-sizing) management in 2003.

I ordered this because it was for Mac & PC (I have a Mac). When I received it, it was for PC only. I checked the descriptor in Amazon, and it had been changed to PC only, along with the product image, within the past few days. However, both links to the product from within Amazon, and reviews here, describe it as being promoted for both Mac and PC. It appears Galactica changed the description and image without changing it's associated Amazon product number, and now I have a product I didn't order.

Helped my 10 year boy improve his typing. But he eventually lost interest in it. Buy the latest version.

I purchased this program for my 9 year old granddaughter. I used to teach Computer Application at an elementary school and this program closely resembles the typing program we used. She will be learning and typing like a pro in no time. We have several other Jumpstart programs and the quality is wonderful in them as well. Thanks, Lauren

This product was to be used on a MAC.We selected this version of Jumpstart typing because it could be used both on a MAC and PC. However, it only works on a very limited number of MAC versions. Rather than send it back and go through that hassle, we installed it on my PC and have my son come to my office and use it there. My advice (for what it is worth) is to warn people that this software will not work on many versions of MAC software. Wes Weisenberger

Yes, this is a Mac product and years ago this was a wonderful program to have. I haven't found one available now for Mac that has the fun games this one does. Unfortunately, it just says it works on Mac computers. It doesn't show that computers have to be about 20 years old to work! It needs Classic 9. Does anyone remember that system??

I was unable to make this work on my current laptops , one year old because they were only able to work with Windows XP or Vista I cant believe they still get to sell it that way