Eww....snakes, scorpions, bugs and other creepy crawlies are the subject of this CD-ROM presentation from Media Design Interactive. Available for Windows, Macintosh computers, Acorn and Sony EB platforms.
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Content
Each screen contains a picture of the creepy crawly, a paragraph of information that
usually describes what the creature looks like, where it lives, what it eats and
whether it is dangerous or not. The user is given the option of listening to a very
crisp, British voice telling a bit more about the creature than what is printed in the
paragraph.
Sometimes, a short video clip is included. The videos don't feature a lot of movement
or show anything more substantial than the still picture. They are about 3 seconds
long and will repeat until you indicate "stop" by selecting the stop button.
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Ease of Use
It is very easy to maneuver around the presentation, taking in only what you need.
There's no long wait time for operations or links, therefore no frustration using the
program. MDI has a very polished approach of information design and make the screens
very clean and simple.
From the main screen, you are given 7 choices of animals you'd like to learn more about. The creatures are subdivided into the following categories: earth, wet, killer, wing, pests, hunters and strange. An index is included to provide another means of access. The seven general choices of animals are available throughout the presentation.
However, the user will not know where they are within the general outline of the
presentation and can get "lost" among the creepy crawlies. The user has the option of
moving forward, backward, listening and viewing the classification scheme (kingdom,
phylum, etc.). The only sound comes from the voice-over option, if one selects it.
Other options that exist in the menu are: Save, Copy, About Creepy Crawlies and
whether you would like to view the text in simple form, full text, in English or in
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Audience
This CD-ROM is more entertaining than educational. It could be used in the elementary
school setting as another source of information, but is not very in-depth. The
pictures are clear and interesting, and the organization is understandable.
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Installation Details
The program is easy to install and run. The system requirements are:
a 386 processor or better, 4 MB of RAM, enhanced VGA display (256 colors at 640x480
resolution), Microsoft Windows 3.x with Multimedia Extensions, compatible CD-ROM
drive, compatible sound card, and a mouse.
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Review by Ginna Guszak, graduate student at the GSLIS, UT Austin.