Clicks/Software Reviews

YOU DONâ€™T KNOW JACK: LOUDER, FASTER, FUNNIER Maker: Sierra/Berkeley Systems Rating: 3 1/2 stars System: Windows 95 or higher/Macintosh Suggested price: $29.95 More information:

Monday, April 24th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

YOU DONâ€™T KNOW JACK:
LOUDER, FASTER, FUNNIER
Maker: Sierra/Berkeley Systems
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
System: Windows 95 or higher/Macintosh
Suggested price: $29.95
More information: 1-800-757-7707; www.sierra.com
Thereâ€™s nothing sadder than playing Jack solo and failing big time. Is it that Iâ€™m getting older, or are the questions in the new You Donâ€™t Know Jack: Louder, Faster, Funnier harder after three years of Jackâ€™s abuse?

For all of us, there are trivia answers lodged in crevices of the brain, but cracking open those crevices under such pressure can be mind-altering.

I knew that â€œJâ€™â€ was the last letter to join the Roman alphabet. Sure I did.

I also could have, if I had thought about it long enough, filled in the blank to the vintage TV commercial line "Revive with Vivarin."

The problem with Jack is that itâ€™s filled with information linked to clues and categories that donâ€™t necessarily click with everybody. Thatâ€™s the turnoff and the attraction of this addicting game.

The new Jack begins the insults from the time of installation. In the rounds, find the multiple-choice format, as well as other perennials such as Gibberish and the Jack Attack, formerly my favorite feature until this test round. I had to match up movies containing â€œNight ofâ€™â€ in the title with names and phrases as they flew across the screen.

One out of six correct answers is not bad - itâ€™s pathetic.

Two new categories are worth noting. One section features the trivia writersâ€™ way of getting back at the Jack malcontents who wrote in to complain about jokes and answers they believed were wrong.

Revenge is sweet here.

On the other hand, creators could have spent their time better than coming up with the confusing category Wenithapn.

In my sample, using The Tonight Show With Jay Leno as the marker, I had to decide whether other late night shows occurred before, never or after the NBC show. Way too mind-boggling.

Amid all the flash, dash and insults, though, this still is a learning game. Youâ€™re guaranteed to pick up new infobites in each round.

The brainy bunch will be fulfilled, the rest of us defensive.

To borrow from the insult leveled at me at the end of my round: Itâ€™s not that I did poorly, I did slightly better than poorly.

Parents, be warned: This program contains explicit language and is not recommended for children.

PRINTMASTER PLATINUM 8.0

Maker: Broderbund
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
System: Windows 95 or higher DVD-ROM
Suggested price: $59.95
More information: 1-800-358-9144; www.broderbund
If youâ€™re fortunate to have a PC with a DVD-ROM drive, you can appreciate the beauty of PrintMaster Platinum 8.0. The math is simple: 11 CDs vs. one DVD.

For an all-purpose art and creativity program the whole family can use, PrintMaster is more than respectable.

Its biggest appeal is its hefty collection of royalty-free original artwork from professional designers, illustrators and painters in a variety of styles, including watercolor, oil, cartoon and photography.

Those looking to originate their own artwork will find the standard design tools to make almost any project, including origami and animated 3-D cards.

A photo editor also is included.

Perks include access to an online art gallery in case the programâ€™s 170,000 pieces are not enough.

Also, there is a craft factory for kids and, one of my favorites, The Year You Were Born factoids, which are a treat for fashioning clever birthday cards.

Jean Nash Johnson is a Dallas Morning News staff writer. Send questions or comments to herJean Nash Johnson at Personal Technology, The Dallas Morning News, P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, Texas, 75265, or send e-mail to jnjohnson@dallasnews.com. Ms. Johnson is unable to reply personally to each letter.