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Compiled by Donna Tapellini
| Top | Hot Picks | Game of the Month |
By Paul Silverman
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Timeline 1863
Take some time to brush up on your history with American Heritage: The Civil War. This two-disc CD-ROM details battles from Chickamauga to Gettysburg using a series of video reenactments, narration and maps of troop movements. Culture buffs can listen to a range of period music or read Uncle Tom's Cabin without leaving the desktop. Though you won't find mention of Scarlett or Rhett, the program is packed with background on the war's significant themes, people and militia. You can even change the final outcome with the included virtual strategy game.
$54.95 (street). Simon & Schuster Interactive, 800-910-0099, 212-698-7000.
By Tom Ponzo
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Venus Surface
Take a guided tour from the heart of our solar system to the edge of the universe with RedShift 2. Watch video clips of man's first forays into space, witness the birth of a star or see craters form as meteorites strike the moon's surface. With full-screen virtual reality 3-D simulations, more than 700 astro-photographs and detailed information on more than 250,000 stars, asteroids and comets, this stunning CD-ROM moves you from novice to expert in no time.
$54.95. Maris Multimedia, 415-492-2819, fax 415-492-2867.
By Anne Hirs
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Physical World
Explore the earth's creation and makeup, from its beginning 4.6 billion years ago to the formation of its rivers, mountains and climates, with Physical World. The CD-ROM includes more than 1,000 photos, maps and diagrams. Animations, videos and news footage depict natural hazards such as Mount Pinatubo's powerful 1991 eruption and San Francisco's 1989 earthquake. Checklists provide topic outlines and Reviews test your knowledge.
$79.98. Mentorom Multimedia, 800-353-3149, 905-884-2323.
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By Ian Etra
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Quest for Fame
Remember playing air guitar in your bedroom and dreaming about the big time? Quest for Fame takes you there--although you still have to start off in your bedroom. A virtual guitar pick plugs into your PC and lets you strum along to the music on a tennis racket, your knee or your favorite "air" instrument. You have to match your strumming to a "rhythm EKG" that scrolls along the bottom of the screen. As you improve, you move out of the bedroom and start playing with a garage band. Mess up, and you'll hear about it from the audience, which is painfully generous with its criticism. Too many false licks, and you could end up listening to a guidance counselor reel off your alternative career choices or playing backup for a lounge lizard's version of "Born to Be Wild." Become a virtual virtuoso, and you can work your way up through the clubs until you get a shot at jamming on stage with Aerosmith. It may not be the real thing, but at least it gets you out of your bedroom--virtually.
$48.95. IBM Corp., 800-426-7235.
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