Published by Microsoft. A "comprehensive and entertaining reference source for everything you want to know about the movies and the people who make them." 1994. CD-ROM for Windows 3.1
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relevant to everyone with an interest in the film industry. But
for the film buff, it is truly a dream come true. Rather than
being a uni-sourced, glitzy, electronic page turner,
Cinemania compiles multiple, diverse sources and links
them locigally to enhance learning and encourage exploration. The
movie aficionado who may already own many of the paperbased source
materials will find in here an invaluable collection of memorable
scenes, dialogue, and music from films through the ages, coupled
with historical information surrounding industry players and
events, in one easy-to-use, easy-to-store volume.
The stills, clips and audio used to represent a film are consistently the defining moment for that film, whether it is the chariot race in Ben Hur, or the first moment Rick sees Ilsa in his cafe in Casablanca. Of course, the content is only as good as the print sources, which are reputable and generally reliable. [Top of Page]
Audience
The strength of Cinemania lies in its audience
definition - all else emanates from this. Fisher asserts in
"Multi-Media Authoring" that "it is the responsibility of the
author to organize, package, and title the information in such a
way that it solves a user's needs, no matter what the medium."
Cinemania is a reflection of its well-defined
audience: the movie lover. Watching one compressed video clip of
a movie on a 3/4" screen for 20 seconds is not the ideal
introduction to a classis movie, yet is is an excellent way to
reminisce about a favorite scene. [Top of Page]
Ease of Use
In flat information hierarchies such as Cinemania's,
the greatest challenge is navigation. This challenge is
acknowledged and designed for so that the navigational tools never
leave the screen. Not only do they dominate 1/3 of the available
screen area but exist in menu bars also, all with the goal of
directing the user to information that the user has determined is
pertinent. And there is a wealth of information that can be
accessed.
Cinemania has considered and accommodated almost every
conceivable connection that a user may deem appropriate, which
accounts for the multiple links between photographs, biographies,
film clips, movie reviews, music excerpts, and academy award
information. And they have provided navigational tools that easily
transport the user to the information. For example, the "Backlist"
feature lists the chronological order of every screen the user has
accessed and allows the user to immediately jump to any previous
location and bypass the less convenient, more linear "previous" or
"back" buttons. [Top of Page]
Recommendation
Cinemania utilizes multimedia as it is meant to be
used by accomplishing what no other one medium can do. Its
consistent interface and navigational tools allow full and
immediate access to a wide range of information tailored to the
movie bluff. Cinemania would be a welcomed addition
to a library's CD-ROM collection.
Reviewed by Monica Allen