Castle Explorer is a hybrid CD‐ROM with Macintosh and Windows software on the same disc. The title installs very easily by following the instructions on the liner notes. While the liner notes provide meager documentation, the disc has a README file that includes extensive documentation covering installation on various platforms and troubleshooting all sorts of problems with audio and video cards and CD‐ROM drives. This is also where you’ll find the telephone and fax numbers and e‐mail addresses for technical support, both in the UK and the US.
After a brief introduction, the user interface appears on the screen. This consists of an overview image of the castle. Arrows around the edges of the image, allow you to rotate the image from side to side or up and down to get a better view of the entire complex. You can click on one of the picons along the sides of the graphic or move the cursor to a particular section of the image to select a section for a more detailed view. The sections include the gatehouse, tower gate, castle surrounds, craft workshops, garrison quarters, luxury quarters, banqueting rooms, and the lower, middle, and upper baileys.
Selecting a section displays a 3‐D cutaway. Red text labels identify the main portions of the castle section. Clicking on the text or moving the cursor over the graphic and clicking will display an even more detailed view. Whenever the cursor changes to a magnifying glass with a plus sign, you can click to zoom in to see a more detailed graphic. When it changes to a pointing finger, you can read a pop‐up caption. Many of these pop‐up captions have cross links to relevant pages of the six library books (discussed below). If the cursor changes to an outstretched hand, you can remove a portion of the wall or roof to see what’s inside. All graphics scroll left and right and up and down to provide easy navigation.
Several cross‐sections also have options to explore rooms like the armory, kitchen, solar, etc. In these 3‐D graphics, you can wander around, exploring each location in 360‐degree mode.
An Explore picon in the lower right corner of every screen in the product opens another dimension to explore the castle. Here, you’ll find picons for the library, castle guide, trail, word search, options, and help. The “Library” contains a graphic of six chained books that provide a wealth of information on medieval life, grouped under the topics of health, society, warfare, trades, food, and crime. Opening a book shows the chapter headings. Clicking on a heading reveals a further breakdown of the topics. “Word Search” includes a full word search facility that lets you key in a desired term or select a word from the list. It then takes you directly to the page of one of the six books which covers the topic. Individual glossary entries are also available from “hot” text in the books and pop‐up captions.
The “Trail” option shows where you have explored, while the “Castle Guide” picon exits the Explore option and returns to the main screen. An “Options” picon lets you turn sound and transitions on or off, print or copy a screen, make posters, or select game options. A “Help” button provides explanations of all the product’s features with lovely graphics.
DK Multimedia structured Castle Explorer as a game that lets you assume the role of the king’s spy. You can select a male or female character. Each has its own challenges. However, if you want to disregard the game and explore the castle or study an aspect of medieval life independently, you can do so with no loss of functionality.
The Castle Explorer CD‐ROM contains an Uninstall program which is automatically installed in the DK Multimedia program group. If you decide that you no longer wish to have Castle Explorer (or any other DK title for that matter) on your computer, you can run the Uninstall program to remove it. While the Uninstall program will remove any selected title, it will not remove itself. The DK Multimedia program group will remain with icons for the Uninstall program and for ordering information.
Castle Explorer is an interesting and entertaining way for young and old alike to learn about castles and medieval life. It has well‐rendered graphics, entertaining sounds and transitions. However, changing from one cut‐away to another can be slow and time‐consuming. Navigation is very easy and the disc contains a wealth of information. It makes good use of multimedia and is a good buy for the price. Highly recommended.
