Romeo & Juliet
$9.95		(Win95/98 Only!) (Retail) (ROMEO&JPR)

Attica Cybernetics

Reference / Literature

Ages: 11 to Adult

Ratings:

4 stars from Family PC

9 (of 10) from CD-ROMpower

Highly recommended by Electronic Learning

4 stars from CD-ROM Today

BBC Shakespeare on CD-ROM

Enter the world of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet with this truly multimedia performance on CD-ROM. Dramatically enhance your understanding of the play as you watch, read and listen in an "Interactive Theatre" on your own PC.

"..For never was a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo." Act 5 Scene 3.

This Romeo & Juliet CD-ROM uses the latest computer technology to present one of the finest works of theater and is enhanced by nearly 60 minutes of video from the BBC production. For the first time ever, it is possible to experience the rich language and meaning of a Shakespearean play through reading, listening and interacting with a complete performance. This program provides a comprehensive range of reference material including critical analysis, background on Shakespeare's life and times, hypertext notes, and an overview of costume and set-design. It is an invaluable resource for students as well as teachers.

Requirements:

MPC, 25 MHz 80486SX (DX recommended); 4MB RAM required (8MB recommended); 5MB free hard disk space; Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later; 256 color SVGA display, MPC-compatible CD-ROM drive (dual speed recommended); Sound Blaster audio card or compatible; headphones or speakers; Microsoft mouse or compatible.

Installs on Windows XP but some of the video clips have no sound.

Reviews:

Family PC, November 1995

"It is not surprising that Romeo and Juliet, with its depiction of young love tragically aborted, is one of the first Shakespeare plays presented on CD-ROM. It is a great relief, however, to find that it has been done so well. Admirably supported by a BBC production by the Royal Shakespeare Company, this title exudes Elizabethan ambience through its period design and supporting elements. ... The play itself is the core of the program. The text is displayed on one side of the screen against screened backdrops, while photos of the scene's characters appear on the right. Videos are available at certain points, and audio is always available. A time line along the bottom of the screen highlights the current act and scene and lets you move instantly to any point in the play. Shakespeare's life is explored through videos and photos that you can enlarge to full-screen size with pop-up captions. The plot, performance, characters, themes, and language are addressed with examples from the play, which you can experience through audio or video clips or by directly accessing the text.

Electronic Learning, September 1995

"...This CD-ROM has captured the essence of the play in both sight and sound. Its creators have also added an abundance of fascinating background and historical information, including a biography of Shakespeare. It is a perfect work to supplement the reading of one of the world's most famous tales of starcrossed lovers. ... Romeo & Juliet is beautifully designed, with striking and easy to read screens. Its interface takes full advantage of hypermedia technology. Students can access explanations of words or phrases as they read and listen to the play. The BBC has enriched the program by including video clips from its archives, sampling both a BBC production of the play and interviews with noted Shakespearean scholars and critics. Search capabilities are quite extensive and students will be able to ferret out quotations from the play, which they can listen to or copy to their clipboard."

CD-ROMpower, September/October 1995

"...The main menu is a hexagon, presumably to echo the shape of the Globe Theater, where many of the Shakespeare's plays were originally performed. It is divided into six areas: Background, Plot, Performance, Characters, Language, and Themes. The center of the Hexagon is a circular hot-spot that accesses to the play itself. ... With such depth of knowledge, all its [BBC] documentary extras and the magnificent performances, all coordinated by ATTICA's talented designers into an exemplary CD-ROM, Romeo and Juliet is a literary and educational tool that will delight and inform in equal measure."

CD-ROM Today, October 1995

"If you're willing to sacrifice the sweat and spit of a live performance, CD-ROM is the perfect medium for the works of Shakespeare. In this well-designed version of Romeo & Juliet, coproduced by Attica Cybernetics and the BBC, you can read and hear Shakespeare's poetry, see the costumes, feel the ambience, and combine it all with the historical and linguistic insights of a graduate seminar."

"Search tools allow you to locate words in the text of the play or in the supplementary information. You can quickly jump between acts and scenes, hear the critics' commentary on all aspects of the play, and explore the puns and bawdy language that have kept the works of Shakespeare enticing all these years. Moreover, you can explore not just the life of the play, but the life of the Bard himself.

"All this information - easily the equivalent of a shelf full of scholarly tomes - is contained in a single CD. This production of Romeo & Juliet is a must-have reference for anyone who teaches, studies, or appreciates Shakespeare."

Computer Shopper, October 1995

"The Romeo and Juliet CD-ROM features thorough reference material, good performance, and a visually engaging appearance. But the real kudos go to the manner in which Attica Cybernetics weaves these elements together in a seamless presentation that's both educational and highly entertaining."

Copyright © 1993-2000 CDAccess.com, Inc.
Questions: info@cdaccess.com