Super Tutor Chemistry comes with a brief eighteen page manual which covers installation and operation very well. The recommended hardware base is a PC 486DX33 or better with a sound card, CD‐ROM drive, speakers, and an SVGA monitor with the fonts set at the small size. Windows 3.1 or better and MS‐DOS 5.0 or later are needed to operate the software. The main program needs 7 MB of hard disk space and the run‐time version of Asymetrix Multimedia Toolbook needs 5.4 MB of hard‐disk space to operate the multimedia parts of the software. The software works at a satisfactory speed on a 486DX2/66 equipped with a double speed CD‐ROM drive.
In many respects this product is very similar to the Super Tutor Physics CD‐ROMS. The product is an electronic book containing a comprehensive range of chemistry topics likely to be met by school pupils and college students up to pre‐university age and ability. Using the book metaphor to present information offers a “comfort factor” in allowing users to access the material in a familiar way. The material is supported by a series of questions linked to each of the topics covered. Information can be accessed through the Contents command button which yields the major topic headings. More detailed searches can be performed using standard Boolean operators. A departure from the printed medium is the inclusion of video clips and animations. The presence of a multimedia element is indicated by an icon on the page. The text can be read to the users but is really only of use to learners with reading and visual impairments.
The animations are of variable quality and do not support the text too well. Some of the animations do not reflect the reality of chemistry. For instance, the end points of titrations can be rather imprecise; and colour changes are gradual. The animations show these changes as a flip from one colour to another. Many opportunities to incorporate animations to illustrate points have been missed, giving the impression that the animations have been added as an afterthought.
There is a reasonable range of questions per topic. The user is expected to use a pen and paper to answer the questions and check them against answers provided by the software. Many of the questions are of multiple choice format which could be assessed and scored by the computer— another missed opportunity. The answers to the questions can be password protected. The answers themselves are often terse and would benefit from some exposition.
Copying information from the pages is performed through an intermediate editing window and does not follow the standard Windows cut and paste convention. The software manual is very explicit about the use of copied material and copyright law. Printing information is best performed by cutting and pasting several pages together, as the electronic book page occupies less than a quarter of a sheet of A4 paper. The text for each topic has hypertext links to an extensive glossary.
Accurate Research are prepared to customize the software to meet the educational needs of individual schools and education districts. Customization can include adding extra text, sound, video, and images. It is likely that this feature would have to be called upon to increase its worth. An extensive re‐write would be needed for use in the United Kingdom to reflect the demands of the National Curriculum.
Overall, Super Tutor Chemistry has some deficiencies because it delivers chemistry as a dry academic subject. The inclusion of real applications of chemistry to illustrate some of the topics would enrich the content and make it more accessible to learners. The product tries to target too many levels of attainment within its structure and would benefit from being segregated into basic and advanced concepts. It cannot be recommended as a stand alone product for unsupported learning or as a primary source for chemistry education. Many traditional texts provide more suitable and cheaper alternatives.
