Smart Discs

by Chris Raley
October 2000

In Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, you help solve three mysteries. Each mystery begins with a scene that gives you the gist of the crime. The primary navigation is through the colorful animated display of Holmes’ desk. From there you can question witnesses and detectives and collect evidence to solve the crime.
Once you think you’ve got the answer, you present your evidence to the judge. If he doesn’t think you have enough evidence he kicks you out of court.
While you can’t change the outcome of events, you can take various paths as you collect all the evidence necessary to solve each crime in this family oriented interactive DVD title. The title plays well on the TV screen and the level of interactivity is sure to please.

Launch
CD-ROM
www.launch.com
$19.95 12 issue subscription

For anyone who loves music, Launch takes the best of the music magazine world and puts it in the realm of CD-ROM interactivity. Launch packs each CD-ROM-issue full of music, interviews, info and ads. They offer reviews and previews of new music and artists, all with audio samples, short video interviews and performance of the music on a virtual stage. Each issue also includes a game demo.
On a desktop, Launch CD-ROM will entertain and inform as well as any magazine. But the resolution drops off a little on TV. From just a few feet away I couldn’t read the text or see the video very well.

Mars: The Red Planet
Alpha DVD
DVD Video
www.alphadvd.com
$24.98

TWA has yet to offer flights to Mars, but you can visit through Mars: The Red Planet. This educational disk, which also works on DVD-ROM, invites you to learn about Earth’s solar neighbor through a variety of tools. You can read summaries of all the Mars missions from the ‘60s to projected missions of the 2000s. The DVD also includes an interactive map that allows you to navigate the surface of Mars and zoom in on certain areas. Some images have "Easter eggs" hidden in them which could win you prizes at MarsDVD.com.
Entertainment value is limited. The disc is more like an interactive encyclopedia than a feature film. The bulk of the video consists of slow moving shots of the planet and about the only sound is a synthesized performance of Gustav Holst’s "The Planets." Interactivity is limited to zooming in and out on portions of the planet’s surface. Those with a passion for planets should really enjoy the title, however if you are a TV enthusiast looking for a fun and highly interactive DVD video, you may be disappointed.

Arthur’s Computer Adventure
The Learning Company
CD-ROM
www.learningco.com
$19.95

This disk presents your child with an interactive storybook. The story begins when Arthur wants to play his new game, "Deep Dark Sea" and gets into trouble when he plays it even though he’s told not to.
Your child can either listen to and watch the story while yellow lettering highlights the text, or your child can interact with the story and play games. This is a colorful and highly interactive CD-ROM title for children 3-7. The title plays well on the TV screen from a distance of 10 feet. PC/TV users will be pleased.

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