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Cartopedia
Cartopedia: The Ultimate World Reference Atlas
By Dorling Kindersley Multimedia, Inc.
Combines the cartographic
qualities of an atlas with the background information of an
encyclopedia and the analytical and statistical depth of a
gazetteer. CD-ROM for Windows 3.1
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Content
This electronic guide contains accurate and up-to-date information
about the nations of the world. The content is comprehensive for
its purpose, although some topics (visiting a country, customs,
tourism, etc.) are also important. The sources are credited in the
"Help Contents" section.
There are three glossaries: abbreviations, geographical terms, and
international organizations.
There are several ways to search the country desired. Using an
index you can search by "General", "People", "Physical Features"
and "Places." Using the "A-Z of Countries" you can search inside
an alphabetically ordered list of country names. Using a map, you
can point to the location and click on it. Users can "rotate" the
Earth to find a country, too.
Once inside a country you can see a video (if the country has one),
a few pictures, or sounds, and various statistics which can be
compared to another country, side by side. After you visit a
country, you can continue directly to another country. And there
is a queue to save the last four countries you have visited.
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Ease of Use
The interface is consistent, without ambiguities. On every screen,
the options are always in the same spot. The color of buttons and
their shape are consistent, with explanations for every button.
However sometimes, when you wish to choose a country, you must
click it and then press "OK", since you can't just double-click on
it. Often, there is no way to close the windows as you pop them
open, except to click somewhere else outside the window.
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System Requirements
IBM or compatible PC, 386DX33 or higher microprocessor, 4 MB of
RAM, MPC compatible CD-ROM driver and sound card,mouse, SVGA 256
color display, loudspeaker or headphones, Windows 3.1.
Installation is straightforward. [Top of Page]
Recommendation
This CD-ROM is a good geographic dictionary, but not exciting
enough to be an educational tool.
Reviewed by Chia-Ling Wu
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