Home Improvement Encyclopedia
A FUN AND EASY WAY TO FIX UP THE HOUSE!
A Review of Home Improvement Encyclopedia
by Craig Majaski
Home Improvement Encyclopedia is another program in the expanding library by Books That Work. It helps answer many questions that may come up when you’re doing projects around the home. It also gives step by step instructions on many of the jobs to help you along with getting them done. Oh, and incase you’re wondering, this program has nothing at all to do with the television show, so don’t expect “Tooltime Tim” to pop onto your computer monitor.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of the program is it’s integration with the internet. When you purchase the CD, it comes with Netscape Navigator 2.0 as well. The reason for this, is that the entire interface takes place using Netscape pages. You don’t have to be on-line to view the different screens since it’s spooled off the CD. If you do have internet access (which seems likely if you’re reading this article), then you’ll be pleased to know that Home Improvement Encyclopedia takes full advantage of the web by using many hotlinks to other sites. This could help greatly if you were in need of more information to complete a project.
When you first begin the program, you have the option of getting interviewed by the home inspector. I strongly recommend doing this, as it’s absolutely hilarious, but still very helpful. The inspector will ask you several questions about your house. Based on the answers you give him, he will set up a calendar for the entire year showing you what you should be working on in any given month. It’s a handy feature that gives many tips on projects that most people often wouldn’t even think about doing.
The main menu is where you can choose what kind of projects you’re interested in learning about. The categories are: Electrical and Phone, Landscape, House Structure, Decks, Plumbing, and Yard Structures. By clicking on one of the topics, you are taken to another page with more listings of projects. For example, if you click on Yard Structures, you could then pick out Walkways, or Stairs, or many other projects that have to deal with the yard. Once you get to the project of choice, you can view pictures and sometimes video showing steps on how to complete the task. You can also print out a step by step guide which includes the types of tools you will be needing for the job.
The other areas of the program are just as helpful. Take a look at Essentials for information on emergencies, safety, and more. Also, there is a Tool Dictionary which shows a picture of all the tools needed for the projects given. In the Applet section, you can calculate the exact amount of materials needed to do a job. The last helper is the Glossary. It gives you hundreds of descriptions of home improvement items and terms.
Moving around in Home Improvement Encyclopedia is pretty easy, especially for users accustomed to Netscape. It’s completely a point and click interface. I had no problems installing the software. The only bad thing about the program, is that I couldn’t get any of the movies to work. I’m using Netscape 3.0, and it didn’t recognize the application and Netscape’s home page for plugins didn’t recognize it either. I really can’t tell you how informative the movies are, since I couldn’t view them.
Home Improvement Encyclopedia is an average product. If you’re in need of home repair and want a program that can show you the basics, then this will do fine. It also comes with a free copy of Netscape Navigator 2.0 if you need that. The graphics and sounds are minimal, but do the job well. The whole program has the feel of browsing the web, so most internet users will feel right at home.
Multimedia Cafe Scorecard
| Product: | Home Improvement Encyclopedia |
| Company: | Books That Work |
| Cost: | $30.00 |
System Requirements:
A 486 DX or higher PC, Windows 95 or Windows 3.1, 8
MB RAM, 13 MB Hard Disk Space, VGA Graphics Display, 2X CD-ROM, Sound Card
Recommended, 14,400 bps modem with Internet Service Provider for optional
internetcconnection.
Breakdown:
Entertainment Value 4
Educational Value 3
Concept 3
Depth 2
Interface 3
Overall Score:
(* 0 rating, 0 votes)
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