6 of 7 customers found the following review helpful:
 Almost 5 stars...Reply to Bertha, 2003-02-21
We have really enjoyed this product. It is much more patient than I would be if I were the teacher! :) The program is very flexible and offers a lot of variety. I am reluctant to give it five stars because one of the games (piano metronome) is difficult to understand and use, and there is no option to remove it from the repertoire. Otherwise, it is really a great product. In response to Bertha's comment about period spacing. In the user settings (accessible at the welcome screen) you can choose whether you want 1 or 2 spaces following a period. I share her frustration with the change from 2 spaces to 1. I was taught the two space method, and it has taken quite some time to break the habit. Happy typing!
7 of 10 customers found the following review helpful:
 spacing after periods (reply to Bertha), 2003-01-26
...I, too, was taught typing in the days of manual typewriters when everything was the same width. In those days, it did make sense for two spaces to follow every period.However, the rules have changed. Typing Teachers who were trained in the last few years have learned that one space after periods are okay. As Brenda said, in the days of typesetting with variable spaced text, one space after a period looks great. Just look at any article in your newspaper, and I bet you'll see just one space after each period. It still looks good, though. In any case, we use Mavis Beacon at our Literacy Council ...and we think it's great. I do wish, however, that Mavis Beacon's programmers would ignore two spaces when someone like you types it. That would make the program even better. (I also think they should ignore errors like hitting return when the program expects a space). I'd give the program Six Stars if I could. John
Reply to Bertha, 2003-01-05
Two spaces at the end of a sentence is the rule for typewriters, which use monospaced text (each letter takes up the same horizontal space as all the others). But traditional typesetting, and now computers, usually employ proportionally spaced text, where (for example) a "w" naturally is allotted more room than an "i." There is no need to type two spaces after a sentence when using proportionally spaced type; a single space looks better than two. (My professional experience includes computerized typesetting and it's always a single space after a sentence.)
7 of 18 customers found the following review helpful:
 Spacing after punctuation marks, 2002-09-25
The Mavis Typing program should space two (2) spaces after the following punctuation marks: Period, Colon, Question Mark, and exclamation point. I have been teaching Office Occupations for over twelve (12) years and have been typing for over 40 years. The inventor of the typewriter has always placed two spaces after the above punctuation marks because it usually means a pause. When a student types on this program, an error mark shows if two spaces are used. Why can't Mavis use spaces the way typists have been taught over the years. I type over 100 words per minute and do not understand why Mavis has changed the way people type. Please respond.
31 of 32 customers found the following review helpful:
Great tool for typing, 2002-09-12
I purchased this from Best Buy for 10 bucks. My mom told me that there is no price for something you learn. I think about it, and I really agree. I mean, we waste so much money on games and then when something educational comes up we hesitate.This is a great learning tool for the whole family. I love the setup and graphics, they're simple yet neat. They are also appealing. This program can teach you how to type even if you never ever typed before. I am a fast typer (not bragging, 65 wpm on average) and I still use this program. My mom, who got it, is about 4 words a minute.
Mavis is very encouraging. She tells you to keep practicing. She gives you compliments and advice. There are fun games that enforce what you learn. These games include Penguin Crossing (where you type the words as they appear on floating icebergs), Chameleon (where you type words as the Chameleon eats them), and even Race (where your speed moves the car). I find these games fun. I don't know how to play the piano game , ragtime, correctly though. It has to do with a metronome. Even if you're a fast typer this program will find out your level. It game me a typing test, and cleverly found out my weaknesses. My weaknesses are numbers and symbols (e.g. 1243689()!@#$#$%^][{]}). It gives you tests like dictation and transcription (I don't know how to work that). If you want to practice your own lessons, you can do that too. All you do is create a text file in notepad, import it onto the program, and then type it. I think I can try that with funny text to make it a more enjoyable experience. In conclusion, this software is a great value. I don't think there is a better value out there. It can be used by multiple people, and is a very fun tool for learning. It's a keyboarding class in itself.
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Amazon Sales Rank:#2846