MCSE Windows 2000 Server LabSim (Exam: 70-215)

The software is decent; the book, unfortunately, is a total throw-on and doesn't really add anything to the software, relegating the book to an add-on for test preparation--not the one-stop shop it could have been.

The LabSim itself is an application that runs under Netscape Navigator, and the concept is a relatively simple one: using audio voice-overs to explain what's being done and why it's necessary, the LabSim shows an animated screen shot of a Windows 2000 computer as the instructor points, clicks, and types her way through the task at hand. Then, you're encouraged to repeat the task, this time using a simulator to give you the experience of Windows 2000.

The voice-overs and animated tutorials are all right, and read in a pleasant enough female voice, though they don't necessarily give the depth of information that you could find from a book. They generally give a fairly simple explanation of what's going on and why you'd need to do this task, walking you through it step by step--which could lead to some problems later on, since the segmented nature of the program may detract from a whole understanding of Win2K. What they do teach is clear and easily learned, but be warned: The audio may or may not be glitchy. On one of the two test PCs we installed it on, the audio voice-overs simply refused to work despite massive tweaking.

And you need the voice-overs, mainly because the comb-bound book that comes with the LabSim is little more than a short regurgitation of the narration, giving a one or two-sentence overview of the concept and then telling you the objectives of the accompanying simulation--which are also, incidentally, given onscreen. So, the book's basically useless. For a software piece of this price, you'd either expect no book at all (which, though it wouldn't have hurt the usability in the least, might have dropped the price slightly) or a bundled copy of an Exam Cram or some other low-cost, helpful book.

The laboratory simulations are task-oriented and fairly simple but effective; all of the menu items are active and selectable, giving you the illusion of a Windows 2000 Server. They do nothing if they're not related to the task at hand, but this isn't necessarily bad since if you stick to the task at hand it is a fairly effective tool for training and should suffice for those not familiar with Win2K activities.

There are some problems with the simulations, though: for one thing, although most sections are backed with an appropriate LabSim, there are some baffling omissions. There are many LabSims for installing and configuring network protocols, as there should be--but the Remote Access Configuration section lacks even a single simulation, as does the Terminal Services. You're allowed to encrypt files, but not to muck around with Security Templates. Strange. And, unfortunately, the LabSims lack a "hint" section, so if you forget which option you need to select, you may have to listen to all of one of the audio narrations again to refresh your memory.

This might be appropriate for schools and corporations that need widescale training, but one of the strange things is the logon screen--it only asks you for a password. If your password matches up with an account, you're logged on automatically; if not, you're given a user name. This could lead to potential problems if two students mistakenly choose the same password.

In short, this software package is a fairly shallow suite that might have worked on the older MCSE exams, but probably won't cut the mustard by itself on the newer and tougher Win2K tests. Although it's a fine adjunct to a serious study course, this by itself won't guarantee a pass. --William Steinmetz