Customer Reviews

The Multimedia I Ching

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The I Ching, or Book of Changes, is a formidable text. The process of divination -- tossing the coins or stalks, adding up the results, and consulting the Book itself -- can be time consuming and painstaking. At first, a multimedia version of the text (which also automates the divination process) seems like a good thing.

And then the package arrives. The Multimedia I Ching boasts "luxurious rendered graphics" and claims to be the first multimedia platform worthy of a text with the depth and beauty of the Book of Changes. Unfortunately, in a world where the standard for rendered graphics has been set by games such as RIVEN and MYST, the graphics in this package look flat and unappealing.

The interface, which requires the user to wander through several environments in search of the texts needed, is awkward, adding several minutes to what should be a quick search. The authors of this package appear to have forgotten that users of the I Ching will be less conc! erned with monitor candy than they will with quick access to the book's insights.

When the time comes for divination, clicking the mouse to toss virtual coins feels clinical and detached, compared to the real thing. I've found I get far more personal -- and applicable -- results when exploring the Book in the traditional way: tossing the coins and consulting the Oracle by hand.

It's possible that the hyperlinked version of the Oracle's text can be of some value to those who wish to browse the book, but, if you're serious about using the Oracle to explore ideas and generate insights, you'll probably find, as I did, that the centuries-old process of exploring the system by hand is best.

It is everything it was adverstised to be but I was unable to access the personal journal feature and this essentially left it worthless for my use except for aesthetic appreciation.