The minimum system requirements for ¡Arriba! are a 486, 66MHz computer or better, 8MB RAM, Windows 3.1, Windows 95 compatible, 2x CD‐ROM drive (4x CD‐ROM drive recommended), 256 color VGA graphics card, SoundBlaster or compatible sound card. The installation instructions are clear and easy to follow; and the installation does not require technical skills. The product comes with comprehensive and straightforward installation guides for both print and online. The program runs only on Windows 3.1 or Windows 95.
¡Arriba! is not cross‐platform nor networkable; and it requires installation which takes 526 KB of hard disk space. This application, written with Macromedia Authorware, could have been better engineered to run directly on both Mac and Windows platforms.
¡Arriba!, the companion CD for the Prentice Hall ¡Arriba! textbook, is a program for beginning Spanish language learners. It is designed to offer a balanced approach to both language and culture. It is rich in pedagogy and supported by carefully integrated supplementary materials. ¡Arriba! contains fourteen lessons, topically organized and designed to encourage communication and to offer insight into the language and culture of Spanish speaking countries.
The program is designed to offer a wide range of choices to suit individual curricula and student interests, making their learning experience more flexible, controllable, and enjoyable. It covers a vast area of learning activities like listening exercises, conversation, grammar, vocabulary, essay writing, reading comprehension, puzzles, etc. Language learners have full control over their learning process.
Each chapter begins with an interesting color movie acted by native speakers. The text can be displayed along with the movie. The recording system records the user’s voice, which can later be played and compared to the recorded voice of a native speaker. Activities can be used either with the movie or with voice alone; and scores are given for correct answers.
The writing exercise suggests a topic or guideline in English which relates to the chapter/movie; and the user is then asked to expand on it in Spanish. Reading comprehension is also included in each chapter, followed by relevant activities. The last section of the chapter deals with cultural aspects of the Spanish speaking country, reflecting its historical, cultural, and social outlook. A dictionary shows meanings in both Spanish and English; and the search engine allows truncation. The grammar section gives detailed information about words and their correct usage. A special feature of the activities is that users can save their work and e‐mail it directly to their instructor through the web site linked to the program.
There is a direct access to a local web site (file:///E|/WEB/index.htm) which is further linked to the Prentice Hall Internet site (http://www.prenhall.com). The links to Internet sites are appropriate and well maintained. They provide customer service, online help, technical support, and additional information about the product. The documentation provided includes: a user guide, text, an online help, a mailing list, and contact information, including email (tech_support@ prenhall.com), and telephone number ((201) 236‐3477). The support material is clear and easy to understand.
Learners at the beginning level would benefit the most from this product. ¡Arriba! is very easy to use. It offers clear directions at every step and is very interesting in terms of both text and graphic design. The software is geared toward both individual and classroom use, providing for useful activity support both inside and outside the classroom. It could very well be part of the reference material of a library with multimedia equipment. An error message (error code: 320) displays every time before the program runs. The volume of the recording system is very low. The structure of the program is very simple. I would suggest including a help section in the program itself to provide convenient and more direct help to the user. Overall, ¡Arriba!’s quality could be greatly improved with a few minor changes.
