GAMZ Player CD 

Contact:

GAMZ, 
25 Albert Park Road, 
Malvern, 
Worcestershire, 
WR14 1HW, U.K.

Tel / Fax: 44 (0) 1684 562158
Email: support@gamzuk.com
Web Site: http://www.gamzuk.com

Program evaluation

Click  here to visit the GAMZ web site front page.
GAMZ Player is not compatible with the Vista O.S. but is with XP. Phone Bobbie Hill  to order - not available online now.

The SWAP and FIX card games from GAMZ have proved a favourite with our students - so much so that they voluntarily get out the cards and play in their lunch hour. Details of these games can be found here.

Java animation The GAMZ Player CD is based on these card games and is amazing value. For less than £50 you get a software package which makes word-level reading and spelling fun. Version 2 includes all that was good about version 1 but now has more games as well as a new Read, Hear and Spell activity AND the GAMZ Writer. .

GAMZ Writer allows you to make your own GAMZ games - and, unlike some spelling packages, the GAMZ Writer allows you to add speech to the games you create. This means that if you want to customise the games that come with the GAMZ Player to fit your own reading / spelling programme you can do so.

Once familiar with the Writer module, you could add your voice or the children's - itself a motivating and fun learning activity. All of this is in addition to the original GAMZ Player module and the great Wordsearch, Pelmanism and Slider games.

One of the very best. An essential software package for use with primary, secondary or adult learners.

It is hard to do the GAMZ range of programs justice in words, far better to see them in action. Both a downloadable demonstration version and an online SWAP game demo are available. The commitment of the GAMZ authors, Bobbie and Jethro Hill, to making learning both fun and powerfully effective seeps from every detail of their programs and card games. .

Highly recommended. 

Program Details

GAMZ say: "The GAMZ Player CD is a comprehensive software package, designed to simulate and support the SWAP/FIX card games at school, college or in the home."

The GAMZ Player CD is billed as a suite of 3 programs on 1 CD:  

"1. GAMZ Player based on the SWAP and FIX games.
2. GAMZ Writer to edit the GAMZ Player and print the card games.
3. GAMZ Word Search...use your own words"

In fact, there are also these additional literacy activities as part of the GAMZ Player:- Read, Hear and Spell, Match the Words, Match the Backs and Slider Puzzle. This gives a total of 6 activities.

The SWAP/FIX Games come with wonderfully clear pre-recorded speech plus optional music.

The activities are based on the 35 boxed SWAP/FIX card games with 14 extra games which feature more advanced letter strings and word endings.

The card backs, backgrounds, fonts, font colour and sound volume can all be selected and controlled.

The best way to appreciate the GAMZ Player module is to try the online demo. This is a very cut down version of the actual game but even so is very playable.

The Wordsearch module is similarly customisable. Grid size, font, word direction and number of words may all be specified. Plus the wordsearch may be played on screen or printed out.

Read, Hear and Spell is a multi-sensory, structured spelling program which uses words from the currently selected SWAP/FIX game. It is possible to further select specific word families from the current game.

Match the Words and Match the Backs are two Pelmanism activities to help with short-term memory and visualisation skills.

Slider is a fun activity involving visual sequencing and problem-solving strategies.

Finally, the program keeps printable records of each student's activities and profile - making your record-keeping easier.

Do visit the GAMZ site for latest details and prices - and try the demos.