Special effort has been taken to create the Preposition Pinball and Other Games' intuitive interface that makes it possible to use the software immediately without consulting a manual. Just by clicking the buttons, students and teachers should quickly understand how the software operates whether they are playing one of the games, taking a test, getting material from the Library pages, or doing anything else in the program. A lab full of students can be asked to start the program, and with no further direction they will soon be involved in the game and learning about prepositions.

To get the most from Preposition Pinball and Other Games, however, there are some tips and ideas that can help bring the power of the computer to bear on both learning and instruction. What appears here is what can be considered the Preposition Pinball and Other Games 1.0 Manual. Below you will see FAQs on the rules of play and explanations of program features. You will also see tips and ideas useful for both students and teachers.

Rules of Play
FAQ: What are the rules of play?
Answer:

1. Five Palms Preposition Pinball
As in most pinball games, the game starts with five balls and is over when all the balls have been lost. One ball is lost for each incorrect answer, and one palm tree disappears from the screen at the same time. If the user is doing well, however, the game gives back balls and palm trees from time to time and the game can continue indefinitely. Bonus points are awarded randomly.

2. Carp Derby
The user catches a small fish with each correct answer but loses one of the three large fish with each two mistakes. After six mistakes, the game usually ends, but if the player begins to do well for an extended period, the large fish are given back and the game can continue indefinitely.

3. Diamond Mine
The user finds diamonds with each correct answer but loses one of three mining picks with each two mistakes. After six mistakes, the game usually ends, but if the player begins to do well for an extended period, the mining picks are given back and the game can continue indefinitely. Red diamonds are worth $5,000, blue ones $1,000, green ones $500, and yellow ones $100. A total profit tally is continually updated.

Presentation of Material

FAQ: How is the material presented?
Answer: There are hundreds of questions, and all are presented randomly. The software will never repeat the same question until all items have been used up. In addition, there is always an option for an on-the-fly explanation for any item, and players can see mistakes and scores for the current session at any time.

The players also have a great deal of control over what material is practiced. It is possible to practice a single part of The Preposition Book or combine up to seven parts at once. Any combination is allowed. This makes the software appropriate for beginners and very advanced students alike.

FAQ: Do the games exactly match the parts in The Preposition Book by letter?
Answer: Yes.

FAQ: If I don't understand why my answer is wrong, what do I do?
Answer: Just click the Why button if you have any questions. You will be sent to the rule that explains the preposition in the sentence. The number of the rule will have a square around it. If you don't immediately see the exact explanation of your sentence, just scroll down a few lines. Clicking the Why button is an important part of learning with Preposition Pinball and Other Games.

FAQ: What is the GO button on the two type-in games for?
Answer: The type-in games (Carp Derby and Diamond Mine) are designed to be easy to use for touch typists. The GO button does the job of the RETURN or ENTER key on your keyboard. Clicking it will return your cursor to the typing field if it has ever moved and will give you a new question if you need one. Usually, however, just typing answers and hitting RETURN or ENTER is all you need to play the game.

FAQ: How do I turn the sound on and off?
Answer: On the screen for each game is a musical staff button. Click it to turn the sound on and off.

TESTING
FAQ: How does the Make a Test! button on the Main Menu work?
Answer: Just click the Make a Test! button on the Main Menu for complete directions. The tests are generated with random questions from any chapter or part of the book you select. It's easy to print out a neat 15-, 20-, or 30-point class test with this feature, and no test is ever exactly the same.

FAQ: How do you use the testing component in Preposition Pinball and Other Games?
Answer: There is always an option for a 20-point quiz in any of the three games. Learners simply click the Take a Test button anytime during play. Each test is automatically corrected and graded. The carefully corrected test shows exactly how the student answered and which answer or answers are correct. All completed tests are immediately available for printing or viewing on the game page and ALWAYS accessible from the main menu by clicking View My Tests. All test results are also recorded with the game scores, which are accessible by clicking the Records button on the current game screen or on the Main Menu.

FAQ: Can learners print out customized tests that focus on the areas with which they need the most practice?
Answer: Absolutely. Since the software records every mistake the users make, these sentences can be printed out as custom-made quizzes that focus on the very aspects of article use that each student needs the most practice with. They can also be printed out as study sheets with the answers included.

To view and print mistakes, students simply click the Records button (on the current game screen or the Main Menu) and choose the mistakes option. To print out a custom-made quiz, students print the mistakes without the answers. To create a study sheet, students print out their mistakes with the answers included.

Here is a step-by-step procedure for teachers who are working with students in a lab and want to create study sheets and custom-made quizzes for their students:

1. Have the students play a game.

2. After they have played, ask them to stop and click the Records button for the game. (They can also access these records from the Main Menu.) The students will have the option to see their scores and test results or their mistakes.

3. To print a study sheet, the students simply print their mistakes with the answers included. (Have them click the Answers button to include the answers with the list of mistakes.) For custom-made quizzes, students print their mistakes without the answers. In either case, the students should be instructed to click the Number button to get a neat, numbered print-out. Preposition Pinball and Other Games also requires students to enter their names whenever they print their mistakes, so in a lab setting it is conveniently clear whose quiz or study sheet is whose.

Records
FAQ: Does Preposition Pinball and Other Games record every mistake that is made?
Answer: Yes, automatically, and it always gives the user the option to record all game and test scores as well.

FAQ: Does Preposition Pinball and Other Games keep a record of my work after I quit the program?
Answer: No. Preposition Pinball and Other Games reverts to its original state each time it is launched. This fresh start is especially important in a lab setting. Take a moment to print your test results, mistakes, and game scores whenever you wish, or copy them to the clipboard and paste them into any word processing document. Remember, you can print or copy any data you see in Preposition Pinball and Other Games.

Library
FAQ: Where are all of the questions? Can I see them all at the same time?
Answer: Yes! Just click the Library button on the Main Menu. You will be sent to the Preposition Library and Archives page. There you can see every question from every Part (A-N) of the software. Just choose a part to see all of its questions. From this screen, you can also access your records and all of the explanations used in the software. On the Library page, you even can view and print the seven tests from the book along with their answer keys.

Technical Stuff
FAQ: I have a Macintosh. Is the Windows version of Preposition Pinball and Other Games different?
Answer: No. Preposition Pinball and Other Games is the same whether you have a Windows or a Macintosh machine.

FAQ: How do you install Preposition Pinball and Other Games?
Answer: There is no installation process aside from copying the program to your hard drive. Just copy  the Preposition Pinball and Other Games program from the CD to your desktop. Double-clicking its icon will launch the program.

FAQ: How do I uninstall Preposition Pinball and Other Games?
Answer: Just drag it into the trash and empty the trash (Macintosh), or drag it into the recycle bin and empty the recycle bin (Windows).

ORDERING INFORMATION
FAQ: How do I order  copies of Preposition Pinball and Other Games?
Answer: On this page or on the Main Menu, click the Ordering button.