Coral Reef! The Vanishing Undersea World
$14.95		(Mac) (Jewel Case) (CORALRFMJ)

Arnowitz Studios

Reference

Ratings:

4 stars from CD-ROM Today

Thumbs Up from New Media

The Vanishing Undersea World

Dive into hours of captivating multimedia experiences and dazzling undersea adventures.

Explore the world's most breathtaking reefs, from the teeming Lagoons and Mangroves at the waters' edge to the eerie depths of the mysterious Deep Reef Caves, in thirty-five multimedia Exhibits.

Embark on insightfully narrated excursions through interactive exhibits via Tours.

Investigate alternative paths to Coral Reef's immense collection of media through the interactive Media Libraries.

Encounter conflicting perspectives on Coral Reef exploitation and conservation through the multimedia Stories.

Enjoy the humor and beauty of interactive photo essays in Galleries.

Venture into the magnificent world of Coral Reef! - The Vanishing Undersea World - and discover the beauty and intricacy of the ocean's "rain forest." Learn why this fragile ecosystem may be disappearing forever.

Move through a vast treasure trove of movies, sounds and brilliant imagery, guided by your curiosity and a remarkable user interface.

An original multimedia production created in association with Boston's New England Aquarium and leading oceanographers.

134 movies produced by the creators of award-winning NOVA documentaries.

800 spectacular images captured by the world's most renowned underwater photographers.

2 1/2 hours of original music and narration.

70 different interactive multimedia exhibits, stories and tours.

72 original watercolor interface illustrations.

Requirements

Windows: 386 or higher Windows compatible PC, 4MB RAM, 4MB hard disk, Windows 3.1, VGA 13" color monitor or larger, video driver to support 256 colors, CD-ROM drive, optional extended speakers.

Macintosh: LCII or higher, 13" color monitor, 2.5MB of free RAM availability, 5MB free space on hard disk, CD-ROM drive, System 7.0.

Reviews:

CD-ROM Today, May 1995

"Coral Reef!, based on an exhibition mounted by Boston's New England Aquarium, is structured like a museum show. The Exhibits profile typical coral reef habitats in all their variety, from shoreline to lagoon to reef crest, and more. The Stories present conflicting environmental perspectives on reef exploitation and preservation. The Galleries feature unusual images, while the Special Exhibits highlight the humorous or bizarre behavior of reef creatures. As for textual information, The Media Libraries collect text articles and other documents on coral reefs and the efforts to save them.

"With its slick well-designed interface, this disc is unusually handsome. The watercolor art used in the main menu and as backdrops for the exhibits and galleries offers welcome relief from the hard-edged 3D look of most CDs today. The movies and photos, shot by creators of NOVA undersea documentaries, are also stunning."

New Media, May 1995

"Coral Reef is more than a beautiful and thorough reference and educational tool. It's a wake-up call. It presents its message sometimes subtly, sometimes in-your-face: The oceans are in trouble and it's up to us to repair the damage we've done."

"I love to scuba dive and I know no CD-ROM can capture the freedom of mobility, rich diversity of wildlife, and rainbow of colors that make each dive an adventure. But the hundreds of photos, "Nova" documentary videos, sound effects, narration, text and original music create an experience that is a close approximation to being there.

"This is top-notch edutainment. The 'Stories' section presents some perfect classroom discussion points."

"The disc has a few minor flaws: The text search is mediocre, the video quality is inconsistent, the full-screen photos are blocky and the navigation sometimes unpredictable .... It's easy to forgive the flaws..."

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