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• Published by Sarah Greenland
• For PC Compatible computers running MS Windows 98/ME/2000 and XP
• Reviewed by Gerry Kennedy © – ICT Computer Trainer and Consultant in Education and Rehabilitation

Press It Now! is a recently released switch program created and published by Sarah Greenland. It is available in Australia from Spectronics (Queensland) and Regency Park Rehabilitation Engineering (SA) and is distributed by Inclusive Technology Ltd in the UK. The program is designed to enable users of any age to use their access device (particularly switch users) accurately with set timings. Users learning or acquiring understanding of Cause-and-Effect will delight in using this program, as the animation, music and colour are captivating and extremely motivating.

The main purpose of introducing or providing experiences with the software is to have children or adults react at the ‘right’ moment. If the user is too quick to react, the activity restarts. The action is ignored if the response is too late. The program is ideal for teachers, therapists and parents who need a catalyst for clients learning to control or direct more sophisticated devices or equipment (e.g. electric wheelchairs or communication devices). For people who are rehabilitating after a stroke, or who have acquired brain injury, it provides an interesting and challenging experience. Children and adults who have physical disabilities will enjoy the vibrant colour and engaging games. They can use existing or acquired skills, or transfer skills to or from other computer-based games and/or gaming environments.

What You Need

It requires a fast Windows based PC running Windows 98 (or later version including Windows XP), together with a high quality monitor and 8MB RAM graphics card, with at least 64MB RAM, a Pentium II 450 MHz processor (or higher), a high speed CD drive and a sound card with speakers or headphones. You may need 128MB RAM if you are running other programs (especially if you have computers running Internet/intranet connections at the same time). Another program, DirectX V7.0 is required as the software is designed using Fusion software.

The program does not require installation, as it operates directly from the CD or DVD drive (thus the need for a fairly recent PC with a fast CD ROM/ DVD drive). As with previous programs designed and lovingly created by Sarah Greenland, Press It Now! users can activate the program with a choice of access device, including one or two switches, mouse, switch adapted mouse, trackball, touch window or the very popular IntelliKeys. Keyboard users access the program via space and return keys.

Captivating and Beautiful

An extensive range of background choice is available for each activity, with plain colours or beautiful landscape scenes. They are muted and are sympathetic with the target figures used i.e. the butterfly, caterpillar, worm or spider.

The program can therefore be configured to cater for all ages and abilities of clients. It maintains interest due to the nature of the animations and associated music files. The butterflies and caterpillars can also be chosen from menus. There are eight (8) patterned butterflies and six (6) single colour caterpillars from which to choose before an activity.

Key Me In

To access the Options, simply press the ‘P’ key. You press ‘Q’ to quit the program. On the start up screen you will see an ‘i’ (information is voiced) and a ‘c’ (credits, also voiced). Apart from these keys, the software relies on users or carers setting parameters in the General Preferences menu(s). You will need a pointing device (mouse, touch window) to select your choices and set access modes, timings and delays. In any activity, you can jump to another activity immediately by pressing ‘B’ (butterfly), ‘C’ (Caterpillar), ‘S’ (Spider) or ‘W’ (worm). By pressing ‘P’ you can quickly go to the preference screen from the current activity.

In Options (or preference screens), you can set the access method, as well as delay. The General Preference screen is common for all four (4) activities. Each activity has additional screens (butterfly and caterpillar have two, worm and spider only one). Each activity can be set up to have a short or long introduction. The longer introduction time is ideal for users who take time to attend, as some young children find it difficult to lift their head, or move their body part ready to switch. Other users find it difficult to visually attend to the screen. The auditory cues are also very useful.

Action Windows

An Action Window is used in this package to describe the period of time when it is correct to hit the switch (or press the device e.g. if you are using an IntelliKeys, you would have set up an overlay with Space and Enter keys). This is also referred to as the ‘Window of Opportunity’. It can be set to ‘unending’ for some clients, or as used in demonstration mode.

After the action window, a Time Up Time begins. A visual warning is provided, together with an option of a sound prompt. If the user has not hit their switch by the end of the Time Up Time, then the activity fails.

The option of setting different time settings provides users with the opportunity to practise switching or access or their preferred device, according to their skill level and abilities. It is not threatening and there are no negative outcomes to be seen or are heard. After a pause, the activities simply start again. Therefore, Press It Now! is ideal for therapists and other professionals in early intervention, classrooms and in therapy sessions with adults – or simply as an engaging and soothing activity. A Start of Activity sound (usually music) can be chosen to indicate the commencement of an activity. This accommodates users who are vision impaired or who enjoy sound.

Cause-and-Effect and User Initiated Modes

For users who find the timing too difficult or challenging, the program can be set to Cause-and-Effect. This mode accommodates young children or people rehabilitating or learning to access the computer. Just by pressing their device once, the activity animates from start to finish. This is sometimes referred to as ‘errorless switching’. For user who can control two switches, the User Initiated mode provides the opportunity for them to start the activity (with one press of the space bar or switch) and react at the right moment with their second device (enter key or second switch).

Overview of the Activities

There are four colourful activities and each has its own set of backgrounds and music. In General preferences you set the options for each of the four activities:

• The Intro Time can be set to short to long time period.
• The Action Window set to 2, 3, 5 10 seconds, or to the unending mode.
• The Time Up time can be set to short, medium or long intervals.
• Three modes can be set including PC initiated, user initiated or cause-and-effect.
• Sound prompts can be used to alert or direct attention to the tasks. These include the start of the activity, the prompt to press the switch and the time up prompt.
• You can restore defaults to the original settings.
• Access methods can be set to touch window, single switch or two switches. The first switch is the space bar, the second switch the enter key, or set to use the two mouse buttons. Adapted mice can therefore be used with one or two external switches with the mouse button switch option. IntelliKeys users can use either the keyboard (with two keys programmed to space and enter keys) and/or the two switch ports programmed to these keys as well. This means that two or more users can play together, and take turns, interact and enjoy the activities. This is the ideal in an integrated classroom or inclusive setting. At home, siblings can participate or mum or dad can play with or instruct their child.

I would have liked to see a method of saving and loading settings for individual clients or homogenous groups of users. The program is extremely flexible and provides scope for customising an activity to match user needs, preferences and access methods. A way of storing commonly used settings would have been a bonus. As the software runs from a CD, this may have been difficult to program. It is a minor issue but a feature that is often requested and raised by practitioners, teachers and teacher aides who wish to initiate activities quickly, especially when working with children or adults who have minimal attention span or who are irritable.

• Butterfly

  You turn a clockwork butterfly into a living creature. As the clockwork butterfly enters the screen to rest on a magic flower, introductory music is played. It awaits a key press or switch hit so that it can drink from the flower. The activity provides the user with visual and auditory cues (i.e. flamenco music), in order to for the user to attend to the task at hand. As the butterfly lands, and then rests, a different sound is heard (i.e. chimes). When the butterfly stops moving, the user hits his or her switch, presses the space bar or touches the screen. A warning can be set (the butterfly gently flutters its wings) and or a helicopter sound plays (i.e. a rotating blades sound effect). If the time is up, the butterfly flutters off the screen. The activity starts over with the same flower. If the switch is pressed at the correct time, the clockwork butterfly drinks from the flower. Then for a few moments, it is magically transformed into a living creature! It is highly motivating and very soothing. Different backgrounds for the butterfly include – summer day, rain clouds, one enchanted evening, twilight and moonlight, or none.

  The background can also be set to any one of 24 single colours or you can even load your own digital picture. You can load .bmp (Bit Mapped Pictures), .jpeg or .jpg (Joint Photographers Expert Group – images that are compressed and take far less storage space than BMP images), or .pcx files. There are 16 preset images that are packaged with the CD ROM software. You can use any of these as well with any of the four activities. There are eight very colourful butterflies. You can test their visibility before you select them (as against the background you have pre-selected).
  

• Caterpillar

  A caterpillar appears (in one of six bright colours). The caterpillar waltzes down the twig towards the leaf. He turns to smile at you. Then the music stops. The user presses his or her device or switch when the caterpillar stops moving and the music ceases to play. Chimes will be heard when the switch or device is required to be pressed (i.e. if this feature is selected). If successful, the caterpillar moves forward to eat the leaf, thus the reward. If the user is too slow to react, the action window time is clearly shown by the twig beginning to break up. The twig also flashes. The poor little caterpillar falls. The activity will start again with the same colour caterpillar. Picture backgrounds include summer day, rain clouds, one enchanted evening, twilight and moonlight, or none. Initial music includes the Blue Danube Waltz, Robert Smith Waltz or random mode. The leaf colour can be chosen with three colours available including green, orange and red.
  



• Spider

  A spider sits and waits on a spider web. A fly gradually flies in and buzzes about, then lands in the centre of the web. The buzzing sound stops. Chimes will be heard to indicate that the user must react. When the user presses successfully, the spider advances and devours the hapless fly. An animation keeps the user attending to the activity, with surprising results! After a length of time (i.e. short, medium or long that you set for the user), the fly starts to buzz and flash. The buzzing sound serves as the Time Up prompt. If the switch or device is not pressed in time, the fly escapes the clutches of the hungry spider. Picture backgrounds include dawn mist, sea n’ sky, early evening, cloudy sunset and purple thunder. The web colour can be set to either morning dew, gold, silver or pink peril. The fly can be dark, sparkly or highlight in appearance.
  



• Worm

  A very colourful worm appears slowly, and progresses toward a tasty apple. The worm emerges slowly from the ground, with jazzy music playing. When the apple sways, the work looks up at the apple and the music stops, then the user must press their switch or device. If the timing is correct, the worm dives for cover! The apple falls from its branch to the ground, rolls about for a while, then stops. After a short while, you hear something devouring the crunchy apple. A small baby worm appears, accompanied by circus music. If the user misses the Time Up indicators (the apple sways with chimes playing), the apple falls and squishes the worm! The screen fades to black (with appropriate mourning time) and then the activity re-starts. Picture backgrounds include a beach scene, a dawn estuary, mudflats, bright heights and mystic heights. Roger’s reward or Sarah’s reward music can be selected. Note: Robert Smith composed all of the original music in this software. On failing to hit the device, the worm can either vanish or be squished!
  

Hardware Requirements

Press It Now! requires a PC running MS Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP running on a Pentium II, 450 MHz (or higher) with 64 MB RAM, a CD or DVD ROM drive, with a suitable sound card. The monitor must be able to display 16-bit colour in a 640 × 480 screen mode. The colours are vibrant and the sound quality is excellent, so any higher quality sound card and monitor will be a definite advantage. I suggest that you run this software on a fairly recent PC.

Installation

The CD has an Autorun file. The 18-page A5 user manual is well written and concise. All instructions in the manual and in the set-up screens are easy to follow and implement, with the program easy to master as it is so intuitive. The many variations with music, backgrounds and animations provide scope for continued use over a period of time with one or more users. Users will really want to press it – now.