Abstracts » Hobbies and crafts

Folk tales

Article Abstract:

Philips Media's Storybook Adventures series, Microsoft's How the Leopard Got His Spots and Davidson & Associate's Magic Tales series of children's educational software use folktales from other countries to culturally enrich the stories of the software packages. Storybook Adventures include Pecos Bill, How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin and Brer Rabbit and the Wonderful Tar Baby for $19.99 each. They feature fantastic celebrity narration and rich illustrations but lack full interactivity and highlighted texts. The $34.95 How the Leopard Got His Spots has mostly static drawings, lovely a cappella singing and impressive supplemental content. The Magic tales series include Baba Yaga and the Magic Geese, Imo and the King and the Little Samurai for $35 each. These Russian, African and Japanese folktales, respectively, are fully animated to resemble cartoons. Each has superior musical scores that are integral to their playing.

Software multiproduct review, Children's educational software, Davidson and Associates Inc. (Torrance, California), Philips Media Games, Storybook Adventures (Children's educational software), Microsoft How the Leopard Got His Spots (Children's educational software), Magic Tales (Children's educational software)

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Disc (test) drive

Article Abstract:

Books That Work/Hearst New Media's $30 Popular Mechanics Car Guide 1996 offers prospective car buyers all the information they need to make an informed decision. Navigating through the Car Guide's wealth of information is fairly easy. The General Information screen provides basic information about a car, such as retail and invoice prices. The Pricing and Option screen allows users to calculate the cost of each option, such as a moon roof and CD player. The Loan/Lease Calculator lets users calculate their monthly payments. The CD-ROM also includes a Used Car section, glamour shots of each car, articles from Popular Mechanics and a quick tour of the AutoSite Web site. Users can conduct car comparisons and can search according to specific criteria. On the downside, comparisons and profiles cannot be saved, although they can be printed. The program also lacks a comparison feature for used cars.

Software single product review, Electronic publishing, Electronic publication, Books That Work Inc., Hearst New Media and Technology Group, Popular Mechanics Car Guide 1996 (Electronic publication)

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Dog Disc Afternoon

Article Abstract:

The $34.95 Microsoft Dogs CD-ROM reference product offers general reference, history and care information about 250 breeds of dogs. The CD-ROM is divided into an Index and sections on Guides, Care, Origins and Breeds. The Breeds section offers a Canine Companion feature that helps the user choose the right kind of dog. The product prompts users to answer eight questions about home environment, excercise and experience with dogs before it provides a breed that meets most, or all, of the user's needs. Inroads Interactive $29.95 Multimedia Dogs is another example of a reference CD-ROM, similar to Microsoft's product, but focuses more on the dog's requirements when selecting a breed. Multimedia Dogs also provides a wealth of dog information but most of it is presented in text form. Each product fails to include suggested dog prices or specific breed advice.

Educational software, Design and construction, Product Description/Specification, Educational/Training Software, Inroads Interactive, Microsoft Dogs (Educational/training software), Multimedia Dogs (Educational/training software)

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