Jeff MacClay
EYEWITNESS ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NATURE Dorling Kindersley Multimedia, 95 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016, (212) 213-4800, $54.95
HOW ANIMALS MOVE Maris Multimedia/The Discovery Channel, 100 Smith Ranch Rd., Suite 301, San Rafael, CA 94903, (415) 492-2819, $49.95
For most people, getting back to nature means cutting the lawn. These CD-ROMs offer an alternative for those of us who want a little more adventure yet are not inclined to desert safaris or underwater diving expeditions.
Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Nature requires Windows 3.1. It transports you to a virtual biological library, where you can explore everything from the savannas of Africa to the world beneath a microscope. The interface consists of books, posters, and specimen drawers that offer links to a number of organisms. By sele
cting a direction on a compass or coordinates on a sextant, you can explore the habitats and environments in which these animals live. The CD-ROM also includes a detailed time line, an extensive search tool, a useful help section, and a quiz that asks related questions at various difficulty levels.
How Animals Move requires Windows 3.1 or Mac System 7.0. This CD-ROM is meant for a preteen audience. It offers 11 guided tours through various methods of animal motion, including running/walking, burrowing, swimming, and gliding. Tours include short video examples of animals moving by land, air, or sea.
The simple-to-use interface also links to a game page, where you can choose from four categories: interactive graphs, experiments, simulations, and games. One interactive graph lets you control the jump of a kangaroo by adjusting air density and slope. A walking-and-running experiment calculates times and the energy used by runners over various distances. An interesting simulation lets you control the
swing of a gibbon monkey.
If you're daring enough to go beyond the outdoor mowing experience, these two CD-ROM titles might provide just the thrill you're looking for.
Animal Behavior
