TypingMaster 

Take your typing to the next level for free

Getting your ideas from your head onto the screen can be challenging, particularly if, like most people, you've never learned to type. TypingMaster gets rid of this frustration by helping you to train and improve your typing speed and accuracy. This educational software contains hours of typing lessons plus an analysis widget that you can use to assess your typing in other applications. Personalized feedback and training recommendations get you working on the particular areas where you need to improve. 

                       Pros                                                         Cons

                Clear visual typing lessons                       Relatively brief lesson content

                Helpful analysis widget 

                Practice tests for specific areas

What you get

There are three parts to this software, each with its own benefits. You can build up your touch-typing skills with lessons and practice tests; there are around ten hours of these lessons in the package. By the end, you should have mastered the basics of touch typing and be well on the way to improving your speed and accuracy. If you want to practice your skills in a less formal way, you can play typing games that call on you to type quickly and accurately in order to succeed.

The newest feature in TypingMaster 10 is the analysis widget, which runs alongside other applications and keeps track of how you're typing. This appears as a small overlay display like an odometer. 

So how do they work?

The visual training will be familiar to anyone who's used an earlier version of TypingMaster or a similar typing course. These exercises teach correct finger placement and typing techniques. At the end of a lesson, you'll receive a review showing the areas in which you performed well and the ones in which you need improvement. You can also take typing tests to assess your progress. The visual teaching style here is very helpful; the color-coded display helps visualize where your hands need to be for maximum speed and typing accuracy.

The typing games are enjoyable ways to practice your typing skills, although they're not exactly thrilling in terms of gameplay or eye-popping in terms of graphics. Few will sustain interest for more than a few minutes, but that's not what they're for; they're just ways to put some variety into the experience of learning to touch-type.

The analysis widget is the most interesting part of the package. This lets you see how well you type under real-world conditions. It'll monitor your typing speed and identify not only commonly mistyped words but also specific keys and capitals that you're having trouble with. The screen overlay can feel intrusive, but you get used to it quickly and can always minimize it if it gets to be too much. 

Improve your word power

If you've never really learned to touch-type properly, or if your skills are a little rusty, TypingMaster is a great way to improve your abilities. The lessons are clear and easy to understand, the games are varied and reasonably entertaining, and the analysis widget provides useful insights. If you're already an experienced typist, you won't benefit as much, but then this product isn't really aimed at you.  If you are looking for alternatives, you may want to try Rapid Typing Tutor or Tux Tiping.  Finally, on the developer's website you will find more information about this app.