Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Space and the Universe
TURN YOUR PC INTO A PERSONAL SPACE OBSERVATORY
A Review of Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Space and the Universe
by Judy Pozar
You can turn your desktop PC into a private space observatory with
Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Space and the Universe. With this beautifully
designed and comprehensive reference, you can observe the night sky from any
location on earth, at any time in history or the future. This highly
readable guide is full of fascinating information on the solar system,
galaxies, space exploration, the night sky, and much more.
This new title from DK Multimedia utilizes the same format as the other
highly regarded Eyewitness Encyclopedias on History, Nature and Science.
The main menu, called the space console, is represented by a richly detailed
rendering of a scholar’s study. From this point, you can access articles in
a number of subject areas, including the Race for Space, History of
Astronomy, Cosmology, Who’s Who, and the Universe. Pick up the Technical
Manual to read articles on space travel, technology, and living in space.
Or, enter the Star Dome to observe the night sky.
The articles are written clearly enough for middle-school children to
understand, but adults will not find them patronizing. Each selection
elicits a pop-up window offering a brief overview, usually accompanied by a
video, animation, 3-D model or illustration and several icons that can be
clicked to study the topic in greater detail. A “See Also” button provides
links to related topics. The web-like structure of this encyclopedia
encourages exploration.
For example, I selected “Venus.” The uncluttered pop-up window contained an
image of Venus which could be rotated; a small map, which could be enlarged
and explored interactively; the astronomical symbol for Venus; and several
clickable icons for further exploration of Venus and related topics. These
included a video, a profile of the planet, a discussion of the greenhouse
effect, and information on the backward spin and terraforming of Venus. I
clicked on the video and watched a fascinating computer-generated image of
Venus developed using radar data from the Magellan space probe. The “See
Also” icon on the Venus page pointed me to articles on the birth of the
solar system and the Venera Series of Russian space probes.
Besides the wealth of fascinating information, this reference tool has many
nice features and is easy and enjoyable to use. From anywhere within the
program, users can access online help, an extensive index, and the “back
tracker” to easily return to a subject after taking several side trips.
Articles can also be copied and printed. Hauntingly beautiful background
music forms a lovely accompaniment while exploring. You can choose to turn
off the music at any time and listen to the text of the articles instead,
simply by clicking on the microphone. There are activities to master: try
to land a lunar lander on the moon before you run out of fuel, or attempt to
properly build and launch a rocket. Then test what you’ve learned with the
Quiz Master.
I experienced an unusual technical difficulty while testing this product.
Occasionally the program would get only as far as the main console screen
and then a box would appear with the cryptic message, “Program Error.” The
program would then simply close. Restarting the computer solved the problem,
however. In addition, once I ran the Space Encyclopedia program while
another game was running in the background. When I exited the encyclopedia,
the other program had encountered a “serious error”, and the work which had
been done was lost. It is not certain what caused the problem, but it is
probably a good idea to make sure no other programs are running while using
this encyclopedia.
Another minor problem occurred when I tried to print the text of an article.
Printing an entire screen posed no problem. However, selecting “Print
Text”, in an effort to save ink, resulted in impossibly tiny text. An
entire paragraph printed on just one unreadable line. A call to technical
support resulted in a recorded message. I also twice sent a description of
the problem using the e-mail address provided by the message, but I never
received a response.
Despite these glitches, Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Space and the Universe is
a wonderful example of a multimedia reference work. It is beautifully
crafted and highly readable, and an excellent example of what can be done
with multimedia software. I highly recommend it for middle school and high
school libraries. It is reasonably priced, and very suitable for home use.
Multimedia Cafe Scorecard
| Product: | Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Space and the Universe |
| Company: | DK Multimedia |
| Cost: | $39.95 |
System Requirements:
IBM or compatible PC with 486DX/33MHz or faster, Microsoft Windows 3.1 or
later, 4 MB RAM (8 MB recommended), SVGA (256-color) 640 x 480 display,
MPC-compatible double-speed CD-ROM drive, 8- or 16-bit sound card, speakers
or headphones, mouse.
Breakdown:
Entertainment Value 4
Educational Value 5
Concept 5
Depth 5
Interface 5
Overall Score:
(* 0 rating, 0 votes)
Loading ...
