Individual Software

Individual Software, Inc. is a company that makes computer software to aid with learning how to type, drafting resumes, and similar activities. They are a former partner of PopCap.

Individual Software was originally founded in 1981. During the 2000s, Individual Software broadened its target demographic by putting out several variations of Typing Instructor For Kids, a typing instructor that appealed to a younger audience by including a large number of games where the primary player input is typing. Variations included Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum and Typing Instructor for Schools.

Most of the games included in these programs were fairly simple, such as Sea Creatures, a game where one of the eponymous sea creatures (a lobster, shark, serpent, or squid, depending on player choice) chases the player to police their WPM count. More or less, simply a typing software that gives the player a "game over" if their WPM is too low, but with added graphics to make it more fun. This apparently worked well, as Individual Software's Typing Instructor was rated the #1 best-selling typing software for kids by the NPD Group.

One such game included was Typer Shark Abyss, a full game made from the Abyss Mode of Typer Shark! Deluxe. Typer Shark Abyss was one of the original "11 action-packed games" featured on Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum inversion 1.0, but is no longer mentioned in the list of games in the user guide for version 5.0, which instead only talks about an Individual Software original game called "Typing With Sharks," a knockoff of Typer Shark. Typer Shark Abyss is no longer sold with new versions of Individual Software's games.