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By Hailey Lynn McKeefry
They say there's a book inside each of us, waiting to emerge. With Digital Workshop's Illuminatus 3.1, that book can become a full-fledged multimedia publication, replete with pictures, video, sound and animations on every page.
The program is designed to get you started creating your own multimedia publications right away. It includes a variety of finished examples and more than 500 editable templates, as well as more than 5,000 royalty-free clip-art images, sound effects, animations, music clips and video.
No programming is necessary. I simply double-clicked a button to add it to a page, and followed the options dialogs to add captions, define actions and even attach sounds to the button. Illuminatus would be even easier to use if it followed Windows 95's object drag-and-drop conventions instead of forcing you to locate and import files through menus and dialog boxes.
The Publish feature lets you spin off a runtime version for distribution on disk or CD-ROM. It automatically compiles the pub- lication, compresses it, splits it into diskette-size chunks, and adds a standard Windows setup program.
I found the manuals to be extremely helpful in learning how to use these menus. Each section has a wealth of technical tips and "cool tricks." I authored my first multimedia work with just a few hours of learning and creation time.
The program's relatively easy interface is packed with functionality. I'd recommend Illuminatus for novice multimedia authors.
Info File
Digital Workshop's Illuminatus 3.1
Price: $149
Pros: Clip library; ease of use
Cons: No drag-and-drop
Platforms: Windows 95, 3.1x
Disk Space: 10MB
RAM: 4MB
JASC
800-622-2793, 612-930-9800
WinMag Box Score: 3.0
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