Customer Reviews

JumpStart Typing

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I ordered jumpstart typing to teach my child to type. It seems it is only for practice. Immediately they have your child practice combinations of letters, and never introduce them one at a time. The children can not access the games until they demonstrate a certain level of competancy (they need to type letter combinations over and over- even I was bored and I can type.) I thought the games were supposed to help them learn. I am very disappointed in this software and do not recommend it to anyone

The graphics are high quality, but the interface, navigation system, and strategy are horrible and non-intuitive. Also, it seems to teach more letter recognition than typing. And of course, like most Jumpstart products, it does not completely install to the hard drive, forcing you to use the CD every time, which after a few handlings by children, quickly becomes scratched.

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.

Typing has become a basic lifeskill that everyone needs to function in this world. This game makes it fun and easy. My son begs to play it and competes against his own score. This program will accelerate your child in language arts. He types 13 words a minute which is ok for a 7 year old who HATES to write.

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

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

The shipping came much faster than I thought and the wrapping was very secure. The cd was brand new and not only does the cd include a typing test it also displays a report card for the children on their speed and accuracy. After a a certain level is completed on the typing test then they have games to reinforce what was practiced. I am very pleased and will be using this company again.

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

I've ordered this item twice. Both times telling me it was a MAC and PC compatible cd-rom. Unfortunately it didn't work on my Mac b/c my mac is 2011 and the cd-rom is an outdated 2009 version.

Don't you think I should get my $10 back. Especially since I ordered this product twice???

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.