I actually got it working on my own and modified the wiki with my procedure so if you return to the wiki you will see a description of what I used for the current version(s) of the Arduino IDE. Unfortunately I already ordered the alternative shield from Sparkfun but live and learn…
One thing I did learn through this exercise is that when you enter the world of Seeed you’re basically entering a Chinese electronics bazaar (their own words) and you’re pretty much on your own from that point on. What’s weird to me is that I actually grabbed the product off the rack at US based Radio Shack–can’t imagine why they are selling this line in their stores.
There are definitely some intriguing products @ seeed but if there’s any question in my mind about whether or not I can get it working and/or it will perform as expected I am definitely going to stick with Adafruit, Sparkfun, etc.