Power Barbie Laptop Instruction Manual 1 CONTENTS Installing Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Power Barbie Laptop Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Switching On and Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Using the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Using the Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Using the Directional Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Volume & Contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Activity Description: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 01. ABC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 02. Typing Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 03. Missing Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 04. Spelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 05. Memory Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 06. Word Scramble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 07. Correct the Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 08. Complete the Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 09. Add It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 10. Subtract It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 11. Addition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 12. Subtraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 13. Multiplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 14. Odd and Even Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 15. Quick Equation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 16. Next Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 17. Piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 18. Follow the Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 19. Music and Dance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 20. Puzzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 21. Pattern Match . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 22. Pairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2 INSTALLING BATTERIES Your Power Barbie Laptop unit uses four sized AA 1.5V batteries to operate. To install the batteries simply: 1. Open the battery compartment carefully using a screwdriver 2. Insert four AA 1.5V batteries making sure the polarity of the batteries correspond with the polarity indicated on the inside of the battery compartment. 3. Close the battery compartment. 4. Start the game. Do not recharge non-rechargeable batteries. Remove (if removable) rechargeable batteries from the toy before re-charging. Only recharge rechargeable batteries under adult supervision. Do not mix different brands of batteries, or new and used batteries. Only use batteries of the same or equivalent type as recommended in this manual. Always insert batteries as shown in the diagram on the inside of the battery compartment. Always remove exhausted batteries from the toy as they can cause damage if left in for extended periods. Remove batteries from the toy if it is not to be used for extended periods. Do not short circuit the power supply terminals. Please retain the packaging for future reference since it contains important information. NOTE: If your unit malfunctions or receives an electric shock, switch the unit off, remove the batteries and wait for 5 seconds before replacing them and restarting the unit. This procedure will reset your unit and enable continued play in most normal circumstances. If you experience low volume and contrast despite the volume and contrast being at a high setting, please change the batteries, as this is a sign that the batteries need replacing. POWER BARBIE LAPTOP UNIT 1 2 3 8 7 9 4 5 6 1. Volume Switch 2. Contrast Switch 3. Speaker 4. Directional Pad 5. Keyboard 6. Mouse 7. Activity Selection Panel 8. Power On/Off Switch 9. LCD Screen 3 SWITCHING ON AND OFF Slide switch towards "ON" to switch on the unit and slide switch towards "OFF" to switch off the unit. The Power Barbie Laptop will automatically switch off after 3 minutes of inactivity, in which case the power switch will remain in the "ON" position. You can resume play by pressing the `Game Code' key. USING THE KEYBOARD Function Keys The Power Barbie Laptop's keyboard shares some similarities to that of a personal computer keyboard. The keyboard consists of the standard alphabet and number keys with additional keys controlling special functions; these are detailed below: 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1. `Player' mode key Press `Player' mode key to toggle between one- and two- player mode. 2. "Player A" key Player A's `buzz-in to answer' button. 4 3. "Repeat" key Press to repeat the question. 4. "Erase" key Press to erase the last-entered character. 5. "Answer" key Pressing `Answer' key will reveal the correct answer for the last question asked. 6. "Player B" key Player B's `buzz-in to answer' button. 7. "Enter" key Press `Enter' to confirm your selection from menus, and answers in activities. 8. "Level" key Press `Level' to toggle between levels. 9. "Game Code" key `Game Codes' are the number associated with each activity. A list of the activity numbers can be found in the activity description section of this instruction manual and on the `Activity Selection Panel'. Press the `Game Code' key to switch to the activity selection screen and enter the activity number you wish to select (for the activities 1 to 9, you have to input a zero before the number e.g. 09). USING THE MOUSE Left mouse button The action is similar to pressing `Enter' key. Right mouse button The action is similar to pressing `Enter' key. Directional Pad Same function as the Direction Pad found on the keyboard. Up / Down / Left / Right Tip: To select, you can also use the mouse direction keys to scroll through possible answers, the mouse buttons can also be used as `Enter'. 5 USING THE DIRECTIONAL PAD Right (Enter) Key Left (Enter) Key Direction Keys VOLUME AND CONTRAST The volume switch located on the upper panel (by the LCD display) is used to adjust the level of sound. The contrast switch located on the upper panel (by the LCD display) is used to adjust the level of contrast. ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION Activity Status Display 1 2 PLAYER A PLAYER B 3 4 6 1. Indicates that it is Player A's turn to answer a question (after having buzzed in successfully). 2. Indicates that it is Player B's turn to answer a question (after having buzzed in successfully). When icons 1 and 2 are flashing together, the unit is waiting for either player to hit their player key to buzz in. 3. Three icons (`French Fries', `Soft Drink' and `Burger') represent the number of changes the players have remaining in which to attempt to answer the question. 4. The hourglass represents the remaining time a player has in which to answer a question. Activity Selection and Levels There are two methods of selecting an activity: 1. You can use the touch sensitive `Activity Selection Panel' ­ just press on the activity you want to play. 2. You can press the `Game Code' key and enter the two-digit number of the activity you want to play. Some of the activities have different levels of difficulty. To switch between levels, use the `Level' key to select the change level function and then press the appropriate number to select the desired level of difficulty. Scoring One Player Mode In a five-question session, the player has three chances to answer each question. Points for correct answers are awarded as follows: 20 points for answering a question on the first attempt 15 points for answering a question on the second attempt 10 points for answering a question on the third attempt For each incorrect answer, the player forfeits one chance. Two Player Mode In a ten-question session, each player has one change to answer each question, with 10 points awarded for each correct answer. If the first player to buzz in answers incorrectly, the second player is given the opportunity to answer the question. If both answers are incorrect, the correct answer is displayed on-screen. 01. ABC 1 Player Only. Learn to recognise and pronounce the name of numbers, and letters of the alphabet. On pressing a character key on the keyboard, the name of the letter will be pronounced and an animation will be displayed on-screen along with an example word. 02. LETTER INVASION 1 Player Only. Level 1 ­ 3 Learn how to type by recognising the position of the character key on the keyboard. The letters fall from the top. By pressing the corresponding character key on the keyboard, you win one point for every letter blasted away. To win the game you must score 100 points. For every wrong key pressed one point is deducted. If any of the letters reach the bottom of the screen, the game is lost. On gaining 100 points, the game automatically progresses to the next level. 7 03. MISSING LETTER 1 & 2 Player(s). A word is spoken by the unit and an illustrating animation shown on-screen. The word is then displayed again with a letter missing. The aim of the activity is to complete the word by entering the missing letter using the keyboard. 04. SPELLING 1 & 2 Player(s). A word is spoken and an illustrating animation shown on-screen. The word is then displayed onscreen with some empty spaces; each space represents a letter. The aim of the activity is to complete the word by entering the missing letters. 05. MEMORY WORD 1 & 2 Player(s) A word will be briefly displayed on-screen, followed by some blank spaces for you to fill in. The aim of the activity is to remember the correct spelling of the word and retype it correctly. 06. WORD SCRAMBLE 1 & 2 Player(s) A word is spoken and an illustrating animation shown on-screen. A scrambled up version of the word is then displayed. The aim of the activity is to unscramble the words and retype it correctly. 07. CORRECT THE WORD 1 & 2 Player(s). A word is spoken and an illustrating animation shown on-screen. The word is then displayed with a deliberate spelling error. The aim of the activity is to select the correct spelling of the word from three possible answers. 08. COMPLETE THE WORD 1 & 2 Player(s). A word is pronounced and an illustrating animation shown on-screen. The word is then displayed with a letter deliberately missing. The aim of the activity is to choose the correct letter to fill the gap from a choice of six possible answers. 09. ADD IT 1 & 2 Player(s) A sum will be displayed on-screen with the numbers represented by a series of `counters'. The aim of the activity is to find the correct answer to the sum by counting the total number of patterns displayed, and then typing the answer using the numbers on the keyboard. 10. SUBTRACT IT 1 & 2 Player(s). As above, a subtraction is displayed with the numbers represented by a series of `counters'. The aim of the activity is to find the correct answer to the operation displayed. 11. ADDITION 1 & 2 Player(s). Level 1 - 3 A picture of a weighing scale will be displayed on-screen with an addition sum consisting of two 8 numbers (e.g. 3+2) on the left side. The aim of the activity is to type the correct answer to the sum on the right scale using the number keys. If the answer is correct, the scales will become balanced. If the answer given is incorrect, it will tip the scales. 12. SUBTRACTION 1 & 2 Player(s). Level 1 - 3 You will learn how to perform subtraction. A weighing scale and a subtraction of two numbers e.g. 5 - 2 on the left scale will be displayed. Type the answer in the right scale and press `Enter'. If your answer is correct, it will balance the scales, though if your answer is incorrect it will tip the scales. 13. MULTIPLICATION 1 & 2 Player(s). A simple multiplication will be displayed in the top right hand corner of the screen with a numb ...