Mindstorm Software of Japan has released a CD-ROM for ESL/EFL students attempting the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication), an ETS exam. Although obviously marketed for the Japanese buyer, with its helpfiles and many choices in Japanese, the CD-ROM might still be a reasonable purchase for non-Japanese students who are planning a TOEIC studying strategy.

The introductory graphics (about 30 seconds of a 'reverse shatter' of the company logo, followed by a large 3D version of the acronym TOEIC with opening pocketwatch) give way to the "Contents" page with 7 sections represented. From this 'home page', a user can navigate amongst choices such as the actual test, expert tips, world-famous speeches,and a 3D game called MAZE.The navigational controls are fairly straight forward, though for the novice user a bit of trial-and-error may be required. The different sections of the CD-ROM seem to have been built by different graphic artists, so buttons' appearances will change, but the functions do not. As well, there are several spelling errors that I picked out through my two-day adventure with Mindstorm: preperation  and grammer   to name two. This is not something that instills confidence in a product.

The CD-ROM suffers a bit from poor quality 8-bit audio. At 502 megabytes (out of a possible 650), the disk as it is simply doesn't have sufficient space for CD-quality sound along with its graphics. (Most of the disk space seems to have been eaten up by the game MAZE). More care perhaps in the recording studio would have allowed for a more consistent quality throughout. All the voices can be understood well enough, and a user listening through an older Macintosh's built-in speaker wouldn't hear a 16-bit miracle anyway; it's just that it would have been nice to hear that crystal-clear digital sound that we expect in the mid-90's when blessed with external speakers and Power Macs.

The "About the TOEIC" section is clear and concise, and a beginning student in TOEIC testing will benefit from this part, which includes a choice of video in English or Japanese on TOEIC tips and tricks with test examples (and a 3D 'fly-through' for those in need of some catchy graphic action).

"Expert Tips" interviews veteran TOEIC test-takers from Japan. Once again the user can choose between the Japanese or English version of the digital-video clips. Opinions given are on the topics of approaches taken, problems encountered, and advice to others taking the test. I enjoyed listening to the four 'experts,' but again the CD-ROM suffers from amateur audio quality. Something beyond a camcorder with an inheritantly low-fidelity built-in microphone might have been worth the effort for all these interviews.

The "Sample Questions" section goes over the types of questions found in each of the TOEIC's seven parts with both sample audio and text-based information. Those familiar with the test may choose to opt out on this one.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE