Pathways Through Jerusalem
THE CITY OF DAVID…..AND OTHERS
A Review of Pathways Through Jerusalem
by Rich Cunningham
One of the best known and least understood cities in the world, in my opinion is Jerusalem. As recent international events have shown, this city, which is a complex melting pot of the three major religions of the world, has many sociological undercurrents that are only now being fully understood. From the perspective of the average person, understanding these undercurrents can be very difficult. But Future Vision Multimedia has made understanding the city and its history much easier with their latest software release.
The name of this program is “Pathways Through Jerusalem”, a full dimensional multi-media journey to the title city. It is a program that utilizes maps, written text, photographs, videos, and sound to explain the history and background of a city that for centuries been the focal point of the world’s religions. By using 9 tour guides, the user is given an insight to the events that shaped this city, not only from a religious perspective, but from an ordinary everyday one as well. Each tour guide represents a different era of the city, starting with King David (of Goliath fame), and concludes with 3 modern day guides, each giving an overview of the city from the perspective of the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religions.
The use of the program is very easy. The program supports the Windows 95 auto-play feature, and the publishers feel it is possible to get the program running without even opening the manual. But the enclosed Quick Start Guide gives instructions for installation for all platforms. It is possible to start the program from one of three icons, each one representing a different way to explore the city. The first is the Pathways to Jerusalem icon, which is a demo that serves to introduce the user to the mechanics of the program. The second icon, Guides, takes the user to the screen where a guided tour can be selected from one of the guides. The third icon, Main Map, allows the user to conduct a self guided tour at their own pace, and visit sites that interest the user, or access data that they desire from the program’s database.
The Guided Tours, if taken in order, give the user a full multi-media history of the history of the city of Jerusalem. It mixes drawings, animations, videos, and still photography to convey the message. For example, in Herod the Great’s tour, when explaining his temple, he shows animations of the way it was built, drawings of the way it looked, and photographs of the way the area looks today. This feature is used in all the tours, and is very helpful in putting the topic in perspective. There are a lot of 3 dimensional shots of the city, both in drawing and pictorial form that add to the visual charms of the program. It is also possible, using the Pathmap Button, to look at the entire tour and either go forward or backwards in it. There also Navigation Buttons that allow control over the program. These buttons take the user to either the Database, the Timeline, the Tour Guide page, or the Map button. There are other controls that appear from time to time in the tour, that give the user the additional options. These include a Source button (which gives access to written and spoken selections from the Koran, the First Testament, and the writings of Josephus the Historian), a Discovery button (access to the archeologists), a Legends button (bringing to life myths and legends of the city), a Video button (which includes archival footage, and key events of the recent history), and my favorite, the Time Morph button. This final button shows which of the other guides visit the current site, and allows the user to switch to that guide. This gives the ability to focus on one particular part of the city, and follow its development throughout history.
In addition to the guided tours, there are several areas that are available for self-guided research and exploration. These include a Map page, that presents a very highly detailed aerial view of the city. Next to it are listed all possible destinations in the city that can be visited. These can be zoomed in to inspect, and also a descriptive narration. Database is another feature that allows a user to inspect over 200 sites that describe historic characters, significant events, notable sites, and religious terminology, along with many other items. The Timeline gives the ability to explore the history in a date fashion, which helps to place the sequence of events into a proper perspective.
This program is a potpourri of information about the city of Jerusalem. For anyone who is interested in the history of this great city, this program is a must. It is also an excellent supplement for anyone who has a theological interest in this geographic area. There is so much information that it takes 2 CDs to hold it all. That was the only drawback I could find in the whole program, and that was having to change CDs. This program is very well written, and very easy to use, even for the novice computer user. The graphical interface is very intuitive, and needs little or no explanation to learn how to use.
The major strength of this program lies in the material it contains, and the way in which that material is presented. It manages to cover over 2000 years in history in great depth, and does so without an agenda. By agenda, I mean it does not take an approach to which religion is better, or which religion is right. It gives equal respect for all beliefs, and does so in a non-discriminatory and dignified manner. It is a message that everyone everywhere could take a lesson from.
Multimedia Cafe Scorecard
| Product: | Pathways Through Jerusalem |
| Company: | Future Vision Multimedia |
$49.95
System Requirements:
IBM: 486sx-25 or greater; 8mb ram or more; Windows 3.x or higher; SVGA graphics with compatible monitor; sound card; CD ROM
Macintosh: 68030/25mhz system; 8mb ram; System 7.1 or later; CD ROM drive
Breakdown:
Entertainment Value 4
Educational Value 5
Concept 4
Depth 5
Interface 3
Overall Score:
(* 0 rating, 0 votes)
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