Rich Friedman
WORDPERFECT 6.0 FOR WINDOWS, ClassAct Multimedia, 1121 South Orem Blvd., Orem, UT 84058, (800) 235-3276 or (801) 221-9400, $149.95 per title
However computer-savvy you may be, it's always a daunting task to learn the ins and outs of a major new application or computer language. Every scripting language is different. You have to invest a lot of time and effort to realize the rewards of knowing a powerful new spreadsheet macro language. Even becoming familiar with those ever-increasing toolbar icons can be a royal pain.
But when your company decides to standardize on a new word processor or database, you need a relatively painless way to get up to speed quickly. ClassAct Multimedia is producing some well-thought-out training CD-ROMs for major applications, OSes, and computer languages. Th
e material is organized in outline form. Thus, a computer neophyte will be gradually brought up to speed at his or her own pace, and an experienced businessperson can quickly find out how to add, say, shaded, snaking columns to a company newsletter using the latest version of WordPerfect.
Not only is the ClassAct material well organized and accessible, it reinforces what you are trying to learn in helpful ways. For example, a pleasant-sounding instructor talks you through the lesson as the program requires you to perform the necessary keystrokes and mouse-clicks to accomplish the tasks at hand. You work directly with the interface of the application you are trying to learn, though the actual application is not required for the training. Quizzes test how much information you've retained.
ClassAct CD-ROMs are licensed on a concurrent usage basis and are networkable. There are training CD-ROMs for most of the best-selling applications, including Microsoft Office 4.2, Novell PerfectOffice 3.0, and L
otus SmartSuite. Also available are Microsoft C++, Visual Basic 4.0, Lotus Notes 3.2 development and administration, and Novell NetWare 4.1. The company promises a version for Windows 95 as soon as Microsoft releases it.
Self-Paced Training
