FUZOMA

To Make a Bootable Floppy:

1. Download and run the FUZOMA 1.3 Floppy Tool.
2. There is no step two. Enjoy your disk!

Note: USB floppy drives will not work for this.
Linux users can make disks from the FUZOMA 1.3 Floppy Image using superformat and dd.
If you already have a FUZOMA Floppy, CD, or USB stick, just boot it and click the Copy icon:

To Install to the Hard Drive:

1. Download and install D-Fend Reloaded.
2. Download and run the FUZOMA 1.3 Installer.
3. Start FUZOMA by double-clicking its D-Fend Reloaded list entry, which looks like this:
   

Windows 95 and 98 users can just extract the
FUZOMA 1.3 Floppy Image using 7-Zip, and then run INSTALL.BAT.
OS X, Linux, and other users can use the FUZOMA 1.3 Floppy Image with
DOSBox to emulate a disk, and can then run A:\INSTALL.BAT.

To Make a Bootable “Live USB” Stick:

1. Download the FUZOMA 1.3 Floppy Image.
2. Download and run UNetBootIn.
3. Tell UNetBootIn where the FUZOMA Floppy Image is, like so:
    
4. Specify which USB drive you want to use and click OK.

To Make a Bootable “Live CD”:

1. Download the FUZOMA 1.3 CD Image.
2. Download, install, and run ImgBurn.
3. Click “Write image file to disc.”
4. Tell ImgBurn where the FUZOMA CD Image is, like so:
   
5. Click the big “Write” icon to start the burning process.

Windows 7 users can use the built-in Disc Image Burner instead of ImgBurn.
OS X users can open and burn the ISO using the built-in Disk Utility.
Linux users can use cdrecord.

KIDSMENU
This is the home screen of FUZOMA. It’s a mouse-driven menu, customized with colorful ASCII art. Very easy for kids… no submenus, and useable for the pre-literate.

Freeware (source code is commercial), David Dunfield
[Direct Download: FUZOMA-exclusive newest 2003 version binaries]

John’s Animated Game
A fun “keyboard banger” for kids who have no idea how the keyboard or mouse work.  Every time a key is pressed, something happens on screen.  This particular program is vocab-centric, which makes it stand above other similar programs, and it does not simply rely on music to entertain.

Freeware, Flix Productions

Alphabet Memory Match
A two-player memory/matching game featuring all-uppercase letters.  No reading required, but it builds letter recognition skills.

Freeware, John Schnittker

Letter Fishing
Learn to control the mouse, to click, and reinforce some uppercase/lowercase letter matching along the way.

Freeware, Lou Duchez

Word Gallery
A great program for vocabulary exploration.  With the game in its most basic mode, kids can just click the pictures and the program colors them and shows the word.  It also features matching and spelling games.  The images are crisp and bright, and while later versions are a bit fancier, they lack the simple menu of version 1.0. 

Shareware: Additional words can be ordered via snail mail from KinderWare.
[Direct Download: Newest version 3.0]
[Older Version 1.0 used for FUZOMA]

Vocabumonkey
A picture/word matcher with a funny monkey as your host.  Adds more variety if Word Gallery gets boring.

Freeware, John Schnittker.
[Also see the open source online version]

Word Rescue Episode One
A highly appealing side-scroller in which a young boy (or girl) must avoid bad guys and lava and such.  To beat each level, words and pictures need to be collected and matched up.  The initial challenge is the lava, not the vocab, but once the kids get the hang of it, they learn the words just so they can keep playing.

Shareware: Additional episodes can be ordered from Redwood Games.
[Older version 1.0 used for FUZOMA]

Wordtrix! 
Spelling ad phonics are emphasized as you must complete the words to match on the pictures.  There are a few variations, including a level themed “words that have a silent e.”

Shareware: Bonus games can be ordered via snail mail from Tea Time Software / "Papa" Joe Kretschmer
[Direct Download]

Troll’s Tale
A simple graphical text adventure game.  The goal is to dodge the trolls and collect all the treasures.  It’s a “multiple choice” choose-your-own adventure game, so there is no typing.  Good English reinforcement for kids who are far enough along to at least read most of it.

Commercial-turned-Freeware, Al Lowe (Sierra).
[Also see the original CGA version with better colors.  Set DOSBox to “machine=cga” to see it in its full CGA composite glory.]

Billy
A chatbot gives the kids someone to chat with, even if it’s not a real human being! The artificial intelligence is silly, but amusing for the kids who can read and write well enough to converse with him. 

Open Source Freeware, Gregory G. Leedberg
[Also see the newest 3.31 DOS version]

Amy’s First Primer
Mostly about the alphabet, but it has some counting and logic games as well.  The frog maze is decent, as is the pattern recognition “truck” game.

Shareware: If you find this program useful you should register via snail mail with Rob Robinson.
[Also see older open source version & corresponding direct download]

Bozzball
A focus on shapes and colors, in addition to some other alphabet, vocab, and counting exercises.  The author recently removed the download link, but he promises that it will return soon… possibly even with a mobile phone version!

Shareware: You can order twice the number of lessons from Bozz Software.
[Also see old web site with broken download link]
[FUZOMA-Exclusive Direct Download]

Counting with Apples
This game encourages children to count with integers, small numbers, then big numbers.  It then reviews the English spelling of the numbers.

Public Domain, John Schnittker

Animal Math
Counting, number sequencing, addition, and subtraction, all with cute animal faces.  Great for kids who are still counting on their fingers.  Rewards are mostly musical but there are some basic animations that provide at least some visual feedback.

Open Source Freeware, Donald L. Pavia

Math Boat
Can you beat the raincloud to the island?  For each correct answer, you get closer.  For each incorrect answer, the cloud gets closer.  If you lose, the island get soaked before you arrive!  Simple arithmetic drills.

Public Domain, John Schnittker

Super Worms Math Arena
This is a Snake-like game in which worms need to eat the correct answers to math problems.  Two players can play simultaneously.  Version 1.4 was previously the most recent, but the author was kind enough to make a couple custom changes for me, and now a newer version is available here.

Freeware, Mike Wiering
[Also see pre-FUZOMA version 1.4]
[Direct Download: FUZOMA-exclusive version 1.5]

Super Worms 3D Racing
Like the worms from Math Arena? You can also race them or engage in battles!  Like Math Arena, two can play at the same time, so you keep two kids busy at each machine. This is a bonus game, and it will only launch after Math Arena if enough points were accumulated solving math problems.

Shareware: Extra tracks and powerups can be ordered from Wiering Software.
[Also see the oldest version available prior to FUZOMA: 2.2 (1999)]
[Direct Download: Even older version 2.0 (1996) -- FUZOMA-exclusive]

MathTest
Like Bozzball, these drills alternate with “fun time,” which in this case consists of shooting rockets and lasers or throwing rocks.  MathTest’s drills are unusual because they offer so much guidance for the individual steps in long division, etc, making them better teaching tools than usual.  The timer keeps the drills exciting, and the “review mode” forces kids to redo missed problems, which makes sure learning really happens.  Highly configurable.

Freeware, Kenneth Perrine

Number Munchers Tribute
The classic Number Munchers!  Prime numbers, multiples, inequality, etc.  This is good for the kids who have a mastery of basic arithmetic and need a bigger challenge.

Freeware, Nick Andren

Bali’s Calc
A scientific calculator that can be operated with the mouse or with the keyboard.  Works just like a good calculator should.

Freeware, Bálint Tóth

Tank Time
Up to ten people can take turns playing this artillery game.  In an attempt to blow up other tanks, each player must choose an angle and velocity of their tank’s attack.  It’s a good math-meets-physics lesson.  Tank Time keeps the controls and the interface relatively simple.  Weapon upgrades can be purchased, teaching basic financial math, but the game can be played without ever seeing that more complicated side of things.  The mouse and/or the keyboard can be used to play.

Shareware-turned-Freeware, Klaus Reimer

Time: Clock and Mouse
A simple game in which children are challenged to move the hands on the clock to match the time as displayed “digitally.”  Once the solution is found, a cat head appears and a mouse scampers out of the clock.  Unlike other similar programs, Clock and Mouse only lets you move the hands clockwise, which minimizes confusion.

Freeware, Donald L. Pavia

Rival Chess
A good-looking mouse-driven chess game.  Unlike other small chess games, Rival Chess is very clear, visually, when you attempt  illegal moves, which makes it good for beginners.  It also lets you configure your chess pieces, and it even includes a couple chess variations for any kids who are no longer challenged by “regular” chess.

Shareware (commercial source code)-turned-Open Source Freeware, Red Hot Pawn / Russ Newman and Chris Moreton

Donald Duck’s Playground
This was a big award-winner when it came out.  Children control Donald as he gets odd jobs around town in order to purchase an increasingly elaborate playground for his nephews.  (A depressing preview of adulthood?)  Kids like the direct control of the character, and if they play the game long enough, the game requires that they pay for the toys by selecting different coins as needed in order to produce exact change… good math practice.

Commercial-turned-Freeware, Al Lowe (Sierra/Disney)

Tater Head
Remember Mr. Potato head?  Well, this is basically him again, except you have six potatoes and lots of parts, including animated eyeballs.  On the surface this is a goofy make-a-face game, but underneath it’s a good exercise in mouse control, and specifically click-and-drag.

Freeware, Axelgraphics
[Direct Download]

Young Picasso
A drawing and painting program that uses the mouse.  It has a dockable toolbar and simplified “Open,” “Save” (aka “Get”), and “Undo” (aka “Oops!”) commands.  By default it didn’t include any pictures to color, so I took the opportunity to modify and include some American Sign Language alphabet coloring book pages from dltk-teach.com.

Shareware: If you find this program useful after 15 days you should register via snail mail with Blueview Software/Nick Onofriou.
[Direct Download]

Typing Master Games
A clever suite of touch typing games.  The variations of Tetris and especially Pac-man are unique, and “Numberfall” is hard to explain but good for variety.  Version 2 has introduced “Bubbles,” an upside-down falling letters game, and it simplifies the “Reaction” speed-typing game, making it more user friendly but less customizable.

Freeware, TMProductions/TypingMaster, Inc.
[Also see: Online Flash version]

Pacamaze
A first-person shooter.  You are Pac-man, and you need to avoid ghosts and eat pellets.  When you eat the big corner pellets, you can also shoot the ghosts.  This is a bonus game, meaning it can’t be selected from the main menu.  It will launch automatically if you finish Mr Keyman (pictured above) first.

Freeware, Måns Vestin

FUZOMA Edit
A mouse-driven text editor built just for this disk, with “undo,” word wrap, center/left/right formatting, a character map, viewable clipboard, built-in calendar and game, and resizable windows.  It’s a good introduction to modern user interfaces: blue/gray color scheme, task bar, clock in bottom right, etc.  I also included a starter document, a short “story” I wrote with some ASCII art taken from chris.com. This program also automatically opens your chat transcripts every time you exit Billy.

Open source Freeware, Paul Blair
[Direct Download: FUZOMA exclusive]
[Made with the help of Bob Ferguson’s Pascal Routine Library ]