Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 15 [OLD VERSION]

by The Learning Company

Product Features

• Explore 24 different lessons as you improve your keyboarding skills with the onscreen guide hands
• Adaptive Response Technology monitors your progress and presents you with more challenges as you go, to keep you learning
• Develop perfect typing technique for faster and more efficient work
• Complete set of 8 arcade-style games make learning fun
• Hear typing instructions in both Spanish and English

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006IFST
• Item model number: 381160
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 6, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,143 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #72 in Software > Education & Reference > Typing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From Children's Software Revue® -- "Subscribe Now!"

Here is yet another version of the already good Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. As with previous versions, the instruction begins with an assessment of the student's typing skills. Next, structured lessons are provided, always accompanied by a set of onscreen hands to model proper hand placement. Kids can visit the updated Media Center for video and instruction on ergonomic issues, or they can go to the Game Hallway for arcade-style practice with a variety of engaging games. The program is highly effective at improving both speed and accuracy. Features include bilingual Spanish/English instruction, an updated look for Mavis Beacon and her classroom, and an expanded dictation practice feature. There is also an onscreen manual featuring the One Hand Typing Method for typists with the use of only one hand. If you already have a recent version, don't bother upgrading. There's not much new, besides a Palm Pilot feature (to simulate text entry on a PDA) and a school version, which includes Mac compatibility. Copyright © 2001 Children's Software Revue

Product Description

With Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 15, you'll perform better whenever you're sitting in front of a keyboard! Track your accomplishments and stay motivated with tests, progress reports, and special certificates Develop the essential typing skills you need for school and career success, with a little help from Mavis Beacon!

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money..., January 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 15 [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

Especially if you are a beginner. There's no manual, no documentation, the lesson plans don't include drills, and the onscreen moving fingers on the keys are too opaque -- you can't tell which finger is on the desired key. Some simple coding to change the color of the finger along with the key would be really helpful.

The beginning lessons are too advanced (even if you tell the program you are in the children's age/lesson range,) and omit the very basic instructions that a true beginner needs. Add a few annoying installation quirks (manual placement of desktop icons, and a "personal coach" that automatically runs in the background) and you're left with software that is a total waste of time and cash.

The whole program is bulky and clumsy -- and if you are using Windows XP, expect to see momentary freeze-ups of your monitor as the program lurches in and out of execution.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Program Is Addictive, April 8, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 15 [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

I love this program, and have logged over (can you believe it) 14 hours of total lesson typing time so far (think about it, that is huge). I will probably double that before I stop using it. I am now typing between 22 words a minute for really hard lessons (lots of punctuation and numbers) to close to 40 for easy words and sentences. I am thrilled. I am nearly 40 years old, and to finally be able to type is really a dream come true. Thanks Mavis.

Here is the good and the bad.

Mavis goes a little fast in the beginning to learn the keys. You might need to open another user and just start over again to get more drill time before advancing. This is easily done, and no big deal. Anyway, more drill is always good.

Once I learned the keys, this is where Mavis really shines. Mavis encourages you with her sweet voice, and I like that. She always varies the lessons, so it stays interesting and challenging They really crammed so many different texts into Mavis, that there is always new material to learn. Riddles, Shakespeare, famous quotes, bizarre difficult word lessons, cute stories, and more. She is almost limitless in this regard. Sure some lessons get repeated, but there is SO MUCH material, I am always amazed that there is more and more new stuff I have yet to type and I have type a solid 14 hours so far. This is a Big Plus.

After time, Mavis get addictive, I really look forward to sitting down and typing. It stays fun, and this is key. By getting me to type a lot with it, I keep improving. No other program has as many lessons in it, and will stay as interesting. It is not really the best graphics of all the typing programs, but it really does have the most material to learn from, and done in a way that you slowly keep getting better.

I guarantee you this, if you are disciplined and do not look at the keys, and if you regularly sit down and work with Mavis for 10 minutes to an hour a day, you will become a typist for sure. I never though I could learn at my age, thanks Mavis!

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Mavis Becon has Defects, February 11, 2003

By 

"sunnystorm2000" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 15 [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

Firstly, This program has major flaws. If it were not for the fact that compusa pushes it then it would not have even as many customers. It has a defect that causes an 'ergonomic break' window to pop up when the program is not running (at least for windows XP). Second, the programmers at broderbound were too lazy to switch one of the internal screens/windows to say something '...Mavis Mecon 12' when in fact it is version 15. They put makup on an old program and are selling it for much more. The lessons are alright but I am sure that this program is not the best- It simply can't be.