by Greg Jewell
Drexel University, Philadelphia

On the box, TriplePlayPlus! is dubbed a "Foundation Course" for ages "8-adult," "Beginner to intermediate." While it contributes well to vocabulary, pronunciation, and basic reading foundations, an adult learner using the Japanese version would outgrow it upon reaching low-intermediate proficiency. This reviewer, a former eight-year resident of Japan who managed to pass Level 3 (intermediate) of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, notes the absence of Kanji (Chinese character) instruction as well as such necessary in-country functions as ordering from restaurant menus, using train and bus schedules, telephoning, mail, and banking. This software is more fun than all of that.

The packaging bears this description: "A game-based, immersion approach to learning vocabulary phrases, and conversations" which "features speech recognition." An eager learner might well become immersed in the many activities in TriplePlayPlus!, and will receive frequent performance feedback in spoken Japanese. However, true "immersion" involves coping with a wider range of lexis, functional challenges, and spontaneous interactions than most any software package could duplicate. And the buzz term "speech recognition" should be understood as speech evaluation; this Dragon Systems, Inc. software component is intended to train the learner to match the speech of spoken models--sometimes with painstaking exactitude.

TriplePlayPlus! Japanese does provide an impressive array of activities, consistently high-quality artwork and sound, and a mouse-driven interface. In addition to the CD-ROM, this winner of the 1996 Newsweek Editor's Choice Award comes with a microphone (use recommended), a paper bound Living Language bilingual dictionary (over 15,000 entries claimed, English alphabet only), a stand-up Kana card of the Hiragana and Katakana syllabaries to complement reading practice, English translations of the six conversations on the CD, a 20-page booklet of grammar highlights (also on the CD), and a 71-page user's manual. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee. It's a good buy for the beginner, although there are some drawbacks: 1. a potentially time-consuming troubleshoot of system settings for microphone input (experienced by this reviewer), 2. a critical shortage of on-line help, and 3. a few activities that are too easy, too difficult, or have slow animation.

Let's now take a more in-depth look at the software. On launching it, there is first a splash screen accompanied by soothing Japanese music backgrounded by gurgling water.

The main menu screen then appears and displays the complete set of options available: three basic skill areas, six subject areas, 18 games and six conversations. Starting an activity takes three preliminary steps: clicking on a skill area (Listening Comprehension, Reading Comprehension, or "Automatic Speech Recognition"), then selecting a subject area in which to practice the skill (Food & Drink, Numbers, Home & Office, Places & Transportation, People & Clothing, or Activities), then finally choosing a game or conversation (the method). When this final choice is clicked, its name is announced in Japanese and it opens.

The games are divided into "three distinct levels of linguistic complexity" (p. 8 of the User's Manual). Level I games, which practice individual words and short phrases, include "Concentration," "Memory Mania," "BINGO," "Match Up!", "City Map," "Country Map," "Sketch Artist," "Family Tree," "Jump!", "At Play," and "At Home." At Level II, most games use a description/response paradigm: "What food is it?", "What number is it?", "What is it?", "Who is it?", "When is it?" and "Word Building" (reading only). The Level III games are, in fact, the six conversations: "At the Cafe," "At the Market," "Looking for an Apartment," "Visiting a Friend," "Shopping for Clothes," and "At the Library."

Not all games are available from any skill-plus-subject choice; whatever the combination, the actual selection of games and conversations will only be those that remain highlighted. For example, combining "Speech Recognition" with "Food & Drink" will result in only the "BINGO" and "What food is it?" games plus the "At the Cafe" conversation. A learner should not feel shortchanged because the games omitted would not be appropriate anyway (e.g., "Food & Drink" is not relevant to the "Family Tree" game or the "Shopping for Clothes" conversation). The widest range of games is in Listening Comprehension, although there is no subject area for all games.

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System Requirements:
MS-DOS or PC-DOS 3.1 or Windows 3.1 or Windows 95: 386DX 33, 4MB RAM (8 recommended), CD-ROM drive, 256 colors, 16 bit sound card, speakers or headphones, microphone (included)

Version:
Latest: 1.2
Reviewed: 1.2

Availability:
Commercial software available from the publisher.

Quick Summary:
TriplePlay Plus! has a good deal going for it, but there are some minuses. It excels in listening comprehension and vocabulary development, and does well in Kana reading instruction and practice. It is, however, weak in grammar practice and provides explanations of uneven quality. Its greatest overall disappointment is the difficulty of its pronunciation training.

Screen Capture:
(Click for larger image)

"Main Menu" -- full-screen view (86K jpg)

"At The Market" -- full-screen view (129K jpg)