Volcanoes: Life on the Edge
Sold Out		(Win95/98/3.1) (Just the CD) (VOLCANOPO)

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Corbis

Reference

Ratings:

4 stars from CD-ROM Today

3 1/2 stars from PC Entertainment

Journey to the World's Most Dangerous Volcanoes with Roger Ressmeyer

Volcanoes are some of the most mesmerizing and powerful forces on earth, commanding awe, fear, and worship throughout the ages. In Volcanoes: Life on the Edge, you'll come face to face with these extraordianry natural wonders.

Begin with the exhilarating travels of Roger Ressmeyer, a renowned photojournalist who captrues on film the world's most active and spectacular volcanoes. Along the way, you'll meet the daring people who live and work in their shadows and journey to devastating eruptions from the past in places such as Pompeii, Krakatau, and Mount Pelee.

Exciting cinematic documentaries bring these compelling stories to life. To delve deeper into the stories, immerse yourself in a wealth of interactive episodes illustrated with spectacular photographs, maps, documents, paintings and artifacts. Illuminating reference articles reveal the science and history of volcanoes and the people who study them. Experience the captivating stories and adventure in Volcanoes, and discover for yourself the exhilaration and danger of living on the edge.

The Photographer. Join Roger Ressmeyer on his thrilling, 14-month journey to Mount St. Helens, Pinatubo, Unzen, Kilauea, Galeras, and many other exotic places during the most eruptive period of the century.

In the Shadow. Despite the inherent danger, people throughout the world live and work near volcanoes, sometimes even worshipping these mountains of fire. Discover the fascinating experiences and beliefs of people in locations such as Indonesia, the South Pacific, Italy, and Japan.

The Volcanologists. The scientists who study volcanoes engage in crucial, pioneering scientific research, working under difficult and life-threatening conditions. This Narrative reveals the courage and commitment of the individuals who take enormous risks to help us better understand and predict volcanic behavior.

A Distant Rumble. When volcanoes erupt, people living near them often perish in their wake. Experience the devastation caused by significant eruptions of the past, and learn where they may occur in the future.

Episodes. Explore significant volcanoes around the world through engrossing, interactive stories illustrated with fascinating photos, maps, documents, paintings and artifacts.

Slide Show. Create a compelling slide show using images from Ressmeyer's award-winning collection of spectacular photographs.

Reference. Gain an understanding of the history and science of volcanoes through more than one hundred detailed articles featuring text, photographs, animations, and audio commentary from the world's preeminent volcanologists.

Narrated by award-winning actress Helen Mirren.

Requirements: Windows - Multimedia PC with 486/33 or better, 8MB RAM, 256-color Super VGA display, double-speed CD-ROM drive, 8-bit Windows-compatible sound card and speakers, mouse, Microsoft Windows 3.1 (runs on Windows 95).

Requirements: Macintosh -

Reviews:

CD-ROM Today, May 1996

"People living near volcanoes know the extreme volatility of nature. Volcanoes: Life on the Edge follows National Geographic photojournalist Roger Ressmeyer on assignment to document the wolrd's hottest hot spots, or, as he puts it, to go 'chasing Pele,' the Polynesian god of fire."

PC Entertainment, April 1996

"For centuries, man has been intrigued by the red-hot lava that erupts from the earth's fragile crust. Yet with this fascination comes the horror of a volcano's destructive force - devastated cities, charred landscapes, and clouds of ash obsuring the sun. Corbis' Volcanoes: Life on the Edge attempts to capture both the awesome beauty and the lasting effects of this powerful natural phenomena."

PC Gamer, December 1996

"The story of this disc dates back to 1991, the year that National Geographic commissioned photojournalist Roger Ressmeyer to chase and photograph volcanic eruptions all over the planet. Perhaps serendipitously, 1991 turned out to be this century's most active year for volcanoes. His adventures, lasting 14 months, are the bedrock of this title.

"Ressmeyer has captured his travels - travails, at times - in breathtaking photographs and audio commentatry. You can follow his trek or simply explore the world of volcanoes through articles, photos, and maps. The quality of this title is superior - photographs are brilliant, links between components are clever, and the narration, by Helen Mirren (of the BBC's 'Prime Suspect' series), is superb. It's a very smart production, obviously designed with a great deal of care and thought.

"Volcanoes is also awe-inspiring. While last summer's 'Twister' may have impresed upon us the fury of cyclones, the stories in Volcanoes dwarf even the most outlandish Hollywood disaster script. As we view a photo of Pelee, Mirren tells us that this 1902 volcano annihilated 30,000 people in two minutes, or that Indonesia's Krakatau was heard over 1/13 of the planet when it burst in 1883. We also learn that the river of lava is rarely the killer in a volcanic eruption.

"There's also a tremendous amount of media on this disc - it's not one you'll cover in an hour or two. There are more than 100 articles and over 400 photos of volcanoes, both historical (Ressmeyer's photos of Pompeii are riveting) and contemporary (the photos of Ranier and Shasta should give pause to Seattle-area residents). Think of Volcanoes as a high-quality interactive documentary with a surprising amount of drama, but none of it artifically manufactured."

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