THE CASSETTE insert for French is Fun claims that the program is designed for the student and the traveller, which reveals a basic flaw, since a less convenient and portable form of phrasebook could hardly be devised. Nevertheless, it is clear that a fair amount of thought and care have gone into the program. Attractive graphics accompany each of the various themes you can study, such as countryside, beach, cafe or street, and you can choose the method you want to use. In the picture-only mode, the French name for each element is given as it unfolds; there is also a picture and phrases mode, or pictures with a French-English or English-French test.
The test consists of filling in the word required, with the computer accepting only the letters it is expecting. Unfortunately, the computer's spelling of French is not entirely reliable and some of the words in its vocabulary are unusual, to say the least. These are faults in what might otherwise have been an entertaining and instructive program.
French is Fun is produced by CDS Micro Systems, 10 Westfield Close, Tickhill, Doncaster DN11 9LA.