Hark the Sound 2
Administrator Manual

Where can I get Hark the Sound 2? (back to top)

You can download the game free from this web site. The download is about 18 megabytes and unfortunately does not include everything you need. Detailed instructions are included below for downloading the components and installing them on various versions of Windows. When you are prompted during the installs described below, it should always be safe to just click on the Next button.

We have CDs with everything you need on them. We understand that downloading over 30 megabytes can be awfully difficult for many potential users of Hark the Sound. If you simply cannot download this much and you can't find anyone with a CD you can borrow or copy, send email and we will find a way to get a CD to you.

Installing on Windows XP (back to top)

1. Download the game installer(18 megabytes) and run it.
2. Download the Java Runtime Environment installer(15 megabytes) and run it. You will need to choose "I accept" when prompted, and choose the "Typical" setup (this is the default setting). Continue clicking "Next" until the installer has finished. The game should be playable at this point with the "Kal" and "MSSam" voices.
3. Download the Microsoft Voice Installer(3.5 megabytes) and run it. We have heard from some users of Netscape that simply clicking on this link results in a screen of garbled text. We recommend that you right-click on the link and select "Save link as" to save the file on your local disk (say on the desktop) then double-click on the resulting file.

Now the game should be playable with multiple voices. You might want to read the instructions on how to change the computer's voice so you can use the voice that you like the best.

Installing on Windows 2000 (back to top)

1. Download the game installer(18 megabytes) and run it.
2. Download the Java Runtime Environment installer(15 megabytes) and run it. You will need to choose "I accept" when prompted, and choose the "Typical" setup (this is the default setting). Continue clicking "Next" until the installer has finished. The game should be playable at this point but you'll probably want the better Microsoft voices.
3. Download the Microsoft Speech Installer(6.5 megabytes) and the Microsoft Voice Installer(3.5 megabytes) and run both of them. We have heard from some users of Netscape that simply clicking on this link results in a screen of garbled text. We recommend that you right-click on the link and select "Save link as" to save the file on your local disk (say on the desktop) then double-click on the resulting file.

Now the game should be playable with multiple voices. You might want to read the instructions on how to change the computer's voice so you can use the voice that you like the best.

Installing on Windows 98 (back to top)

1. Download the game installer(18 megabytes) and run it.
2. Download the Java Runtime Environment installer(15 megabytes) and run it. You will need to choose "I accept" when prompted, and choose the "Typical" setup (this is the default setting). Continue clicking "Next" until the installer has finished. The game should be playable at this point but you'll probably want the better Microsoft voices.
3. Download the new improved Microsoft installer(1.6 megabytes) needed for the next step. Run the installer.
4. Download the Microsoft Speech Installer(6.5 megabytes) and the Microsoft Voice Installer(3.5 megabytes) and run both of them. We have heard from some users of Netscape that simply clicking on this link results in a screen of garbled text. We recommend that you right-click on the link and select "Save link as" to save the file on your local disk (say on the desktop) then double-click on the resulting file.
   
5. On some, really old, Windows 98 machines, you may need to upgrade your DirectX version to 8.0 by downloading and running this Microsoft updater(10.9 megabytes).

Now the game should be playable with multiple voices. You might want to read the instructions on how to change the computer's voice so you can use the voice that you like the best.

Windows 95 (back to top)

Unfortunately, Hark the Sound 2 will not work on Windows 95. You will need to get Hark the Sound 1, instead.

Installing on Apple Macintosh (back to top)

1. Download the game zip file(18 megabytes) and click on "HarkTheSound2.zip" to automatically unzip it.
2. Make sure that the folder where the game was unzipped to does not have a space in it. This is important, because the game and the wizard will not run if there is a space in this folder. We have found that sometimes a Mac computer will automatically save the "HarkTheSound2" folder (from the zip file) inside of a folder called "HarkTheSound2 Folder" (with a space in between). This space causes the game to not work, so just rename that folder so it does not have a space in it.
3. You should not need to download the Java Runtime Environment installer, because Mac OS X ships with Java 1.4. If you ever notice that some of the songs (midi files) in the game do not play, try updating your Java Runtime Environment so you have 1.4.2 or newer.

Now the game should be playable with a low-quality voice. We do not yet support any other voices on a Mac.

The Hark the Sound 2 game is supposed to take up the entire screen when you play. Unfortunately, this does not work on a Mac right now. The game still works, it just doesn't take up your entire screen. We hope to fix this in the future.

How do I run it? (back to top)

After installing it, if you chose to create shortcuts on your desktop, simply double-click on the "Game Maker" icon. Or, you can run the game-making wizard just like other Windows applications. Click on Start, then Programs (or All Programs on some systems), then Hark the Sound 2.0, then Game Maker.

If you are using an Apple Macintosh computer, you will need to find the "HarkTheSound2" folder. Within that folder, go into the "lib" folder, and then click on "HarkTheSoundWizard.jar" to start the game-making wizard. If the wizard does not start up, make sure that there are no spaces in the path to this file. We have found that sometimes a Mac computer will automatically save the "HarkTheSound2" folder inside of a folder called "HarkTheSound2 Folder" (with a space in between). This space causes the game to not work, so just rename that folder so it does not have a space in it.

How do I get it to work with JAWS? (back to top)

If you are using the JAWS screen reader for Windows, you will need to download the Java Access Bridge so that JAWS will work with the game. Once you download it as a zip file, you will need to unzip it and then click Install.exe. You may need to restart your computer for the change to take effect.

Unfortunately, Hark the Sound 2.0 is not fully compatible with JAWS. For JAWS to find the buttons on the game's screen, you must press Shift+Tab several times. We were not able to adjust the volume slider when using JAWS (it can only be adjusted by using the mouse). If you select the Options button, you can Tab through the options when using JAWS, but for some of the options, such as key delay and number of choices, JAWS cannot read the numbers associated with these choices. Also, the Help button brings up a window with help text, but JAWS was unable to read it. We are hoping to make the game more compatible with JAWS in the future, though.

The wizard is not compatible with JAWS.

If you need full JAWS compatiblity, check out Hark the Sound 1.

How much does it cost? (back to top)

Hark the Sound is free for educational use. Further, you can make copies to give away to your friends. Your school can have as many copies as you like. Anyone can use it for any purpose as long as you do not sell it. Our goal is for kids to have fun!

Does it work with Intellikeys? (back to top)

You can download a really simple overlay for use with Intellikeys. Teachers have told us that they have had great success using the games with kids with multiple handicaps.

This has not been tested on Hark the Sound 2, but we think it should just work. Intellikeys also work with Hark the Sound 1.

What version of Java is required to play Hark the Sound 2? (back to top)

Hark the Sound 2 requires the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.4.2 or newer. If you ran the Java Runtime Environment installer(15 megabytes) when following the above installation steps, then you will have the correct version of Java. Hark the Sound 2 will actually work with JRE 1.4 or newer, but we found that a few of the midi songs would not play for some reason with 1.4.1 but would play with 1.4.2, which is why we recommend having 1.4.2 or newer.

If you have problems with the Java installer, try getting the latest version from their website.

Please let us hear from you. (back to top)

We would be very happy to hear about ways you are using Hark the Sound or your suggestions for how to improve it. If you make a new game for it, please send it to us and we'll share it with others.

Send email to gb @ cs.unc.edu or meghand @ alumni.unc.edu.

This page last updated: April 25, 2004