DK published the Chronicle of the 20th Century (1995) as part of its Chronicle series (Chronicle of America, Chronicle of Film, Chronicle of the Olympics). Now this book is available on a multimedia CD-ROM with 3,000 photographs, 70 video clips, and audio. Users must have a sound card to install the product. The disc is current as of mid-1996 and can be searched by year, month, or any one of 34,000 days. It is also possible to search the database by word. Many screens look like the front page of a newspaper with lots of pictures and little text. Eight interactive overviews tell the story of important events such as the Russian Revolution. Another section provides brief biographies for 100 important people of this century. Clicking on an icon is supposed to allow purchasers of the CD-ROM to log on to the Chronicle Web site. However, the password provided with the review copy did not work. We could not find a way to skip the lengthy introductory section, which is an annoyance after one has logged on the first time.
This CD-ROM is similar to Our Times: The Multimedia Encyclopedia of the 20th Century [RBB My 15 96]. Our Times, however, has charts, tables, and graphs with statistics and also includes the fifth edition of The Columbia Encyclopedia. Chronicle of the 20th Century will be interesting for students who want a multimedia tour of this century, but it will not be very useful as a reference tool since it contains little text. Because it contains The Columbia Encyclopedia, Our Times is preferable for reference. Sandy Whiteley
Book Description
This CD-ROM features entries for every day of the century via new screens, sound clips, and unforgettable photography. Up-to-the minute search tools make finding your significant days easy.
See all customer reviews...
