Spellbound is a program for practicing and improving basic spelling skills. There are four activities to encourage children to master skills such as visual discrimination, visual and auditory word recognition, word recall, concentration, keyboard familiarity, and problem solving. Problem solving is based on developing strategies for solving word puzzles. There are four interactive activities: Word Search, Flash Card, Criss Cross, and Spelling Bee. The user is challenged to a Spelling Bee at the White House by the Master of Mischief. A special feature of the program is that the users can create their own spelling list (up to 3,000 words) to the game.

The content of this program is accurate and complete. While students are playing, helpful spelling hints flash on the screen. For example, "i before e except after c"; consonant and vowel digraphs are also displayed. These types of hints are very helpful to third through fifth grade students. The option to create your own word list is excellent. As a teacher, I can use words from different content areas and change or add these lists as necessary. Students will be motivated to create their own word lists to challenge their peers. The program is free of ethnic and gender bias. The Super Solver wears a hat/cap on its head. One can’t tell what gender it is. The robots are also gender neutral.

The program is easy to use. After an initial overview, most students should be able to use this program independently. A minimal amount of experience is needed to install the Macintosh application. Students can easily start the program on their own. The navigation systems are easy to use. Super Solvers sign in and choose a topic and difficulty level. The Spellbinder appears showing four activities as well as the chosen topic, current level, score, and the target score needed to play the next Spelling Bee. I enjoyed the program’s graphics, sound, and animation. The graphics and sound add to the enjoyment of the program and create the feeling of being at an actual Spelling Bee.

This application makes wonderful use of the computer as a classroom tool. Spellbound! provides an excellent way for students to practice their spelling skills in an environment that is motivating and challenging. The program offers the users the opportunity to create their own word lists. The game difficulty automatically increases as the players advance through the five game levels. The users may change the difficulty level, which determines how many points must be earned to compete in the Spelling Bee. This option also increases the number of words needed to win the Spelling Bee. The program lists all current Super Solvers’ names, their rank, and lifetime scores. A saved-game feature allows the users to continue the game where they left off.

Students are empowered by Spellbound! As a former first-grade teacher, I encouraged transitional spelling, at the same time I promoted conventional spelling of high frequency words. There are certain spelling strategies children must internalize (even in the informational age) in order to be good spellers. I would use Spellbound! as a peer tutor program. For example, I would pair a great speller and someone who needs spelling assistance. Oftentimes, children teach other children better than teachers. Students can create their own lists of difficult spelling words for themselves. Students can also generate spelling lists for their classmates. Spellbound! fosters and encourages children to become good spellers; therefore, this program helps students value the importance of good spelling.

The teacher has the option to customize the program by using the Word Manager. This feature is beneficial. Teachers can create up to 100 word lists using 41 words in each list. These lists can be edited. Content area words, weekly spelling lists, or even names of state capitals can be added. There is a school edition available. An LCD would be beneficial to show the program to the class before students use it independently.

This program fits into third through fifth grade. It can be used individually or by a pair of students. Early in the school year, I would promote student-generated lists of spelling words. For example, "Unforgivable Word List" (because, tomorrow, they, etc.) or content-area words lists (photosynthesis, chlorophyll) are some of the lists students can create. Another idea is to have an individual student or pair of students add the weekly spelling list. This is an excellent way to develop independent, responsible learners.

At first I wasn’t impressed with this program. The more I used the program, however, the more ideas I had about how it could enhance my spelling program. In addition, this program can encourage students to become excellent spellers and to gain confidence in their spelling ability.