Language Adventure

Language Adventure Questions & Answers

General

Will Language Adventure CD ROM run on Windows 2000, M, XP, Vista or Win 7?
Yes. Download the update >>
NOTE: Language Adventure CD ROM does not install on Vista and Win 7 64 bit.

How do I make the play console larger on my screen?
To make the Language Adventure console larger simply lower the resolution of the screen setting on your computer until it is optimal. See >>

Will Language Adventure run on Windows '98?
YES. We recommend 32 MEGS of memory.

What is the computer system spec for Language Adventure?
Language Adventure runs on Windows 95/98 /2000/ME/XP/Vista: CPU Pentium 90 MHz or higher. Memory 16 MB, 32 recommended for 98. 60 MB of HD storage per student. 4X CD-ROM drive. 16 bit sound card. Microphone and speakers or headphones.

Why would my child want to use Language Adventure; all other software I tried has failed?
Language Adventure captures the attention and motivation of children in the same way that good stories or movies do. This is where most other language learning software fails. Once engaged, the child is rapidly exposed to the foreign language through interactive exercises which unveil a gripping saga.

Why should my child learn a foreign language?
Other than the value of being able to speak another language per se, second language acquisition is considered one of the most powerful "brain builders" possible. Science, mathematics, logic and music all exist as symbolic forms and learning a second language increases the brain's capacity for handling such symbolic systems. It is not surprising therefore, that so many universities and colleges have learning a second language as a fundamental requirement and it has also become a 21st Century imperative of the American Government.

Why learn a language so young?
Research has shown that learning a second language is best done before the age of 10 when mimicking aptitude is at its peak and the neurological circuits of the cortex are not too far established. Few people manage to speak a foreign language like a native if they have learned it after puberty.

How to ?

How do I get detailed Help?
Language Adventure has an extensive on-line help manual which works just like any other. It can be accessed by going to the Language Adventure directory from Start/Programs/Language Adventure on the Windows TaskBar. Remember to have your Language Adventure CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.

I cannot install by using "Add/Remove Programs" from the Control Panel. What do I do?
Make sure the Language Adventure CD is in your CD ROM drive. Use your desktop explorer to browse to the Language Adventure CD-ROM. Then double click on autorunmgr.exe. This will bring up the install program. Click the Setup button and then follow the instructions.

What happens when I run low on hard disk space?
Each student requires approximately 60 MB of hard disk space when recording at the best quality. If you are running low on disk space when starting Language Adventure you will get a message "Available disk space is low. You may not be able to record or save your work." If you get this message you should immediately exit the program and free up disk space (by deleting files - make sure to empty the recycle bin so space is truly available). If you do not exit but continue to use Language Adventure and attempt to record you will again get the low space message. Also the control panel will be set in its black disabled state, to prevent you from going on without disk space. At this point, hold down the ALT key while pressing F4 on your keyboard. This will exit Language Adventure so you can delete files and make more space.

I tried to log-on as a student and I was asked for a password but I was never given a chance to select a password at registration. What do I do?
There is an update to fix this problem by disabling passwords.

The most likely thing that has happened is that the particular student folder name was changed with Explorer. The student folders can typically be found in \program files\instinct\language adventure\$students\student name. You should change the student name back to the exact original name used when you first registered that student. If you forgot the name, look in the "student.ini" file by opening it with Notepad. The "student=" keyword gives the name that was used when the student registered. This file can also be found in the student folder which is typically located at: \program files\instinct\language adventure\$students\student name.

As a general point no one should be in the $students folder in the first place, as any changes or deletions will cause trouble. This is true for most windows programs.

Can I view and print the scripts in Language Adventure?
YES. Browse through the CD-ROM with explorer along this path to the languages directory: La/movies/languages/. Then open the directory with the name of the language you wish to view e.g. French. The text files in that directory are the scripts. You can open them with any text editor or by double clicking the file.

Sound

How do I record with the microphone on my computer?
It is essential that sound levels are correctly set and recording is enabled on your computer before you use Language Adventure. You may check these settings through the Volume Control software on your system. The following sets the sound recording level and adjustments.

From the desktop:
Click Start
Click Programs
Click Accessories
Click Multimedia
Click Volume Control
When the recording control is shown, from the "Options" menu, select "Properties"
This displays the Record Controls Properties.
In "Adjust Volume For", select "Recording"
Make sure "Microphone" is checked in "Show the Following Volume Controls"
Click OK

In the Record Control:
Make sure "Microphone" is selected
Slide the level to the maximum setting. You can reduce this later if necessary
Enable automatic gain control: Some sound cards/drivers support this.

To enable automatic gain control:
Click the "options" menu
Make sure "Advanced" is checked (if it’s grayed you don’t have this feature)
Click on the Advanced button
If you see "Automatic Gain Control" make sure there’s a check mark next to it.
Click Close.

You are also able to fine tune the relative sound levels of recordings and music from within Language Adventure in Setup.

DEMO

I installed the demo but can't find it. How do I run it?
From the Taskbar Start go: Programs/Language Adventure/ Language Adventure Demo. Click on the red dog.

When I run LangAdvDemo.exe, it unzips some files and then requests "Please insert disk" of an entirely different program. Can you help me with this?
Our technical staff think the automatic launching of set-up is the problem on your system. We therefore provide the demo with out this feature so installing will be a 2 step process. Here are the instructions.

1) Click below to download this version of the demo: LangAdvDemoZip.exe
2) You can run it directly from the web or save it to disk, locate it using Explorer and then run it.
3) When you start LangAdvDemoZip.exe you'll see a dialog title "Win Zip Self Extractor", "Language Adventure Demo Installation". Click on OK
4) You'll then see a dialog "Win Zip Self Extractor. [LangAdvDemoZip.exe]". Click on the "Unzip" button. This will extract files to your temp directory (shown in the Unzip folder field). If you want to unzip it to another location, enter it there.
5) You'll get a message "13 file(s) Unzipped Successfully". Click OK
6) Using Explorer, go to the temp folder or folder where you extracted the files and locate the file "setup.exe". Run this program. This will begin the Language Adventure Demo Installation. Follow the instructions you see on the screen.

How do I register?
On starting the program you must register the student with a name and select the native and foreign languages. After clicking OK, the lesson movie will start and then stop at the first exercise. Record what you just heard by clicking on the microphone. Click it again to stop recording. If you are satisfied with your recording click the flashing advance button to go on.

How do I get a lesson?
Select the lesson by clicking the blue lesson button and then clicking the picture in the lesson library.

The lesson movie will start and then stop at the first exercise. Record what you just heard by clicking on the microphone. Click it again to stop recording. If you are satisfied with your recording click the flashing advance button to go on.

Can I just see the whole lesson without doing it?
Click the round purple button to the left and below the microphone while depressing the CTRL key on your key board. Under Play Options check Observer Mode and Click OK. Select the lesson again and when it stops, click on the blue Play Through button with a double triangle to the right of the flags. This will play the lesson right through without stopping at exercises.

Is there Help in the demo?
Click on the blue question mark (?) on the control panel for help on how to use the program. Click the green check mark button to exit help.

Why is the professor silent in the demo ?
The voice help files spoken by the professor are very large and so have not been included in the demo. In the CD-ROM version the professor helps you in all six languages.

I downloaded German but still get Spanish?
You must first install the Spanish-English demo and THEN install additional languages..

Related links: I Language Adventure Manual I