The San Francisco Examiner from San Francisco, California • 74

ZAA2 S.F. EXAMINER June 1, 1983 Wonderful or worthless, videcH games just keep on wowing It By Steve Stecklow Knight News Service AN VIDEO GAMES be educational, or are they simply a fun but worthless activity? No doubt many parents are asking them i selves that question as their children devote more and more money and time to joysticks and television sets. players compete to complete words with missing vowels. Although the games may appear fun to aduhsVlwo parents whose children own at least one of them reported' that the games quickly proved boring and were no nYa'fich for action-packed, non-educational games such as'FrBf Bog (in which frogs must be maneuvered to catch flies), 61" Astrosmash (in which a player must do battle, withraf' asterokl showerl- 5 7, Even sadder, the' company's planned game offeliUgS for young children this year all non-educational include "KoolAid. Pitcher Man," a game that stars familiar smiling pitcher.

In its promotional literature" tor retailers, Mattel boasts that Kool-Aid is among "the kinds; of names young children can't 'resist" V4 'CTlf arent video game companies interested in offef" ing more truly educational games? One answer came from Coleco spokeswoman Barbara Wruck, who "recently plained her company's aversion to educational gamerttuV way: The bottom line is, the American public is jnterestecP in entertainment" --J- But Atari spokeswoman Ginny Juhnke dfeputectat statement and noted that her company plans to. introduce this year "Atari Kids' Library a series of: educatiohaf games for children ages 3 to The games purportedly reinforce such skills ping, counting, music, and numerical and letter recogrri tion. The games can be played on the Atari 2600. wftn a special, enlarged "Kids' developed tot. Jlre schoolers.

7, Despite the claims of educational value, a preview of one game, "Cookie Monster Munch," left me skeptical In, the Sesame Street-licensed game, the child must direct, the" Cookie Monster to pick up cookies in a series of, mazes and return them a cookie Promotional literature says the game "helps kids 3 to 7 become familiar with maze-tracing and the concepts of left right up Itodj down." -f" there does appear to be a bright ligfifon the horizon for parents. Although the major video game, companies largely have shunned, educational cartridges' for their game consoles, that is not the case" for home. Atari, for programs in foreign langyflg instruction for Jts.400 and BOO home computers. Andjwith Atari, Mattel and Coleco all planning ta introciure keyboards this year to convert their game consoles into Home" computers, it appears likely that educational sof twarjiJE also be Mattel has announced plans to mtroduce math'nd. spelling programs as well as a program to teach childf how to read and play music on a low-priced, 49ey njnsicc synthesizer.

In a market currently dominated by violent war gaB'e? and silly mazes, that is good news, It is a difficult question to answer. The industry itself has long argued that the games have merit because, they improve hand-eye coordination an asset in driving and other activities that require a quick response time. No doubt it is an important asset As a high school student 10 years ago, I remember being tested for hand-eye coordination in a driving simulator as part, of a driver education But even if one buys the hand-eye argument, one can' reasonably counter that there is only so much improvement a child needs in this area. Certainly there must be a threshold aftavsay, 10 games of Pac-Man. Moreover, the greatest hand-eye coordination in the world will not result in better grades on, a child's report card.

In fact, the opposite seems inevitable. As any parent will quickly point out, the more time spent in front of the TV playing Atari games, the less time spent doing homework. It might be a somewhat different story if video games' designed to teach basic educational skills such as math or reading were widely available. But the fact is the vast majority of home game cartridges are "Star shoot-andtin exercises, Pac-Man maze clones, or simulated sports games. And in the video arcades, where many of the; home game cartridges originate, the -situation is even worse; there are no educational games, period.

Only one major company, Mattel, has ventured into ithe educational video game field to date. Three years ago, the company introduced two cartridges for Intellivision, -the Electric Company Math Fun and Word Fun, that were developed in conjunction with the Children's Television Workshop. t. Math Fun purported to provide "an exciting and enjoyable way for children of elementary school age to improve their math skills." A player controls a gorilla that proceeds through a jungle, encountering math problems along the way. Answer them correctly and the ape progresses; Make a mistake and the screen displays the correct answer while the gorilla is forced into a river filled with crocodiles.

The ape remains in the water until a new problem is solved correctly. In Word Fun, the child has a choice of three games Crosswords, a two-player, Scrabble-like exercise; 5 Hunt, in which two players race to spell words from a series of random letters; Word Rockets, in which two 3 I 4 -w. Associated Press anyone? Pachinko, So you think we Americans have all the space invaders, aliens, Pac-creatures, frog types and other assorted video bad and good guys in the history of electronic elitism? Then think Toyota. In Japan, there's this endeavor called Pachinko, a Japanese-style pinball game that has held its own against video games and other amusements. Above, workers at a Nagoya machine factory hammer nails into a game board.

There are 13,000 Pachinko parlors in the country. Plug it in, but make certain it's safely perched CMOU SC3APE-UP! Now a total fitness program at an affordable price jnere no excuse By Margaret Farley New York Daily News HIGH POINT, N.C Americans are plug-: ging in their new home computers in droves, but precariously perching the sensitive ma- chines on card tables, kitchen counters and unsightly makeshift stands. The disadvantages of these arrangements go beyond aesthetics: Be it a $100 Timex Sinclair or a $5,000 IBM, no one who has invested in a computer wants to see all that circuitry go crashing to the floor. Help is on the horizon, though: Computer desks soon may become a household word, judging by introductions at the Southern Furniture Market here. Several well-known manufacturers showed groups of moderately priced, traditionally styled computer work stations.

Riverside, Singer, Mersman-Waldron and Bassett are among those that unveiled home-computer desks which coordinate, with their traditional casegoods. Moving cautiously into the electronics age, some manufacturers relied heavily on consum-. er recommendations. Singer, for example, styled its three computer desks partly on suggestions from 11 homecomputer owners in the Greensboro, N.C, area, says Alan Levanson, vice president of development: "They wanted locked drawers for privacy, concealed electrical cords and they wanted the keyboard at standard typing among other things," he says. The Singer group consists of a small student desk with riser that accommodates a terminal and keyboard (suggested retail $600); a work center with lockable storage space for floppy discs and a static guard a device to eliminate static electricity from reaching the computer and a companion printer cart Riverside's oak collection includes two flattop styles ($300 retail), and a deluxe roll-top desk for nostalgia buffs ($1,6001 Each has room for a keyboard, disc drive, monitor, printer and modem.

Special additions to the roll top are a telephone jack, digital clock and touch-control panel with secret access code. Mersman-Waldron's three models include a small roll top ($190 retail); a desk with a pull-out printer tray and a work station with concealed keyboard storage and printer space: Bassett has several configurations, starting at $160 retail for a student desk. A BRAND NEW ME IN '83 -HURRY! LIMITED TIME OFFER! ONLY i o77nn month VjISy" FOR A COMPLETE 3 UJ fi MONTH PROGRAM 0 IWWIOUAL INSTRUCTION NUTRITIONAL GUIDANCE umiMiTro visits EMtROSE CLASSES CLASSES A VAC ABLE OAHV) MODERN EQUIPMENT At ROBICS AtROBIC DANCE SAUNA SHOWERS HOURS: Mon -Fri AM lo 9 PM. Sal. 8 AM lo 4 PM.

Sua. 10 AM 10 3 PM TOvttd 4. PRICES GOOD THRU Aih WOMEN'S WORKOUT WORLD. INC' 1963 53 SOUTHGATE WESTLAKE SHOPPING TiHu7 SAUICJGS Mras 1641 TAJtAVAL 1655 NORIEGA 661-1235 564-6460 Mtk An.l iBiwa wiii nu 3810 GEARY BLVD. 75 1-0S73 Powerful Y2 hp Motor Ml mm Save now on civ: lift-A-Dor" rCT the pro machine.

NEW GENItfi GARAGE DOOR OPENER SALE PRICED A food processor so powerful that it has been listed for EL3W "(S3N3S- -GIVE 95 179 automatic garage door opener systems Model LAD-88O SALE restaurant use! The Pro the Cuisinart large feed tube stainless steel chopping blade a special dough blade shredding disc and improved slicing disc. The blades have snap off stems for compact storage DLC7 Pro Reg. -I IS 8UtORI3tiC garsgs doer opener systsm Model LAO-960 Reg. $22995 INSTALLATION EXTRA CrtHStlH t.Tsi.. SSftBQ 'WbUX-Otitsoml $12.89 Hncltnl gt tot.

$6.55 'ttimn $12.65 I.W. Hirwr 1 75i 110.99 'Mnrso ml $1.99 $5.09 $4.55 OM Crwr i m. 19.83 Hum irHTsoMt ....11.75 W. Tirtw 101 750 ml .19.99 Wlmm Own 750 ml $3.39 'TiWowttww vol 15.79 hMtCIH1H5t $2.99 lintirttwtt75L (13.49 HrtwllMHisL $2.99 Cattf tort 1 75 $17.99 12.49 6lwfllrt750ML $17.65 'TuflarClnMlnsL $2.49 J. Wiltr IN 750 ml $8.48 Km Iwytti tso ml $2.09 P.DmMiOL $5.99 KrnQiiMt750ML $2.09 Krtt CltfUrsoMi $2.09 CwmMirVSSfTsoML $17.93 UnjWilmTsoML $2.09 8.

Ewwrar750WL $8.05 'Sw. tti. tm tsoml S2.27 CtenwDn750ML $3.15 $2.89 ClHim Swwt 750 ml $3.15 'Iwctweafc Mm. 1 $2.89 CllriillrM.750ML $5.16 IttfMt Ctt. SlW.

750 ML $4.69 Cittl MW 750 ml $5.49 '9. M. C. tm. 750 ml $7.66 Crm ffnl750ML $11.59 'BilH CTirtlti 1 sl $2.29 nwn 0 7so ml 88.99 'Bifli H.

tin, is $2.29 itciril Ptft 1 75 $9.89 l.f iw Tht 750 ml 84.69 Ktrltlrii.75L 89.89 fWtrt. Vtfti 1 75L 86.99 'I UHtr 777S0ML $10.69 61llwltiiOL $4.35 8ii.Clitl!H40L... $4.76 Mtti 750 ml $3.84 8t. Irtfif 40 84.76 WrtfidwMl 1 75L 87.67 'Sit. CHHi 750 ml $2,34 iwfiitgr i.75L $16.55 'M.

trm wt750ML $2.34 twrttBivTst $8.67 8.r.M.wt 750 ml ...83.09 etlbmCUnoL 85.69 JnrW.Mi6L 83.29 Twgwrti 1 0 8 1 1 .99 her Crf. Itwt 1 $3.29 Cinwrl750ML $8.29 TrHrln.4.oL $4.29 89.86 Ttiw ttrttlt 0 $4.29 Prtt 7so ml 84.26 'fEptFt 750 ml 82.1 2 Drtwwt 750 ml 84.26 HtfurH 750 ml 82.12 86.69 UCwr 750 ml 83.73 rVw750ML 810.89 UCerWlilt7soML 83.73 Twct tso ml 813.99 1 'Wwtrl8wYii5L 83.19 $275.00 Rea. $229.95 95 SALE: $19900 Reg. $229.95 INSTALLATION EXTRA 1 DuPont Dymetrol Trac never needs lubrication. 1 Powerful 13-hp motor lifts heaviest residential door.

1 Convenient pull chain Work light. 1 Vacation shut-off switch. INSTALLATION EXTRA Exclusive Screw Drive Deluxe Lighting System Quiet Operation Powerful 13 hp Motor Genie Safety Features Digital Radio Controls I Exclusive Screw -Drive I Snap-Together Drive Shaft I Deluxe Lighting System -I Quiet Operation I Powerful 12 hp Motor I Digital Radio Controls TAKE IT HOME INSTALL IT YOURSELF THIS WEEKEND. Additional Savings 20 off Cuisinart Accessories But Hurry Quantity is limited and offer is good only as long as our present stock last. Sale ends June 15.

1983. Gourmet Housewares OAoto6 AL-TOtl 0IM3EAQ DOOii 2975 JUNIPERO SERRA BLVD. DALY CITY COLMA 755-3454 1 633 Clement Street 4- San Francisco, CA 941 18 (415)668-8484 SMALLER AD MIANS CREATE IAVINGI! WE WILL BEAT ANY CL'RRLNT BAY AREA ADVERTISED PRICE! BRINC AO IN FOR VERIFICATION!.