Educational Media Reviews Online

The English Civil War (1642-1649) changed British history, overturning the British monarchy, replacing it with a more democratic government, and setting the precedent for the American Revolution. This complex series of events affected all aspects of lifeógovernment, religion, and society, impacted upon its citizens from the King, down to the lowest beggar.

To the scholar or novice, this period is challenging, and Cromwell Productions has created this two disc set to help unravel the story. It provides both a general introduction, and an inñdepth background on the war era. The interface is easy and intuitive; as the cursor is moved over a possible choice, the choice "glows." Users can concentrate on the content instead of the interface of the software.

Disc one contains the main discussion on the English Civil War using text, animated graphics, live action video clips, sound and music, and spoken narratives, to convey knowledge that can be learned at any pace, while allowing the user to focus on particular interests. The main menu offers hyperlinks to ten categories, which in turn lead to subñmenus offering a variety of choices. Inñtext hotlinks allow the user to view crossñreferences, or to return to previous screens, or repeat selections.

The integration of audiovisual elements, from background, period music; to liveñaction recreations of battles, is impressive. Video clips and animation enhance text and narratives helping users to visualize activities and events, giving a feel for the times. Video clips are fair quality, but may appear sluggish or jumpy on slower machines.

The section "Civil War Battles and Sieges" is an example of audiovisual integration. Each major battle can be selected, bringing up a map of the region, upon which the various opponents maneuver, while narration describes the situation. Choosing the tactical level, one sees an animated recreation of the battle, while background battle noises and a live video sidebar, provide color. Of the 12 battles, 10 have onñscreen text descriptions of events, while the two decisive battles contain spoken narratives. The text descriptions may be distracting, as the viewer must read the box, and watch the animations at the same time. However, the movements can be followed graphically, helping to visualize troop movements. On some screens, "ask the expert" links to "live interviews" with scholars, providing additional insights.

A sampling of main topics include: Religious Aspects ñ Life in Civil War England ñ Eye Witnesses ñ The Trial [of Charles I,] among others. Also biographies, chronologies, and songs of the period (which may be selected by name) are included. A selected bibliography appears as the program ends. Notable sections include a video clip of Charles I making his statement on the king's role in government; "Eye Witnesses" selection showing either "live" video narratives (by costumed performers with proper accents), or on screen text transcripts. "Propaganda," displays facsimiles of original broadsides and documents.

The graphics are clean and attractive. Animations are smooth and fluid. Video clips are good, though occasional pauses occur as data is transferred from the CD-ROM. These video clips may be paused, replayed, or viewed in stopñaction. Highñresolution facsimiles may be viewed by scrolling in all directions.

Disc one is the choice for developing a general knowledge of the English Civil War, but Disc Two provides scholars with a tool for more detailed study, containing Samuel Rawson Gardiner's fourñvolume History of the Great Civil War, 1642-1649. This is a complete facsimile copy of the work, with special map reproductions in each volume, in context with the relevant page. The books may be read pageñbyñpage, or by using the original index, which is crossñlinked to the text. Locate a topic in the index (divided A-Z), then click, to see the referenced page. A weakness is the inability to go from the index, to the referenced page, then back to the index, to resume at the place that one left off, however, the hotlink index works well for simple searches. This product provides a colorful, enjoyable, interactive learning tool. A few minor weaknesses, and typographical errors do not mar the work. The interface is easy to use and quite flawless in performance. Suitable for high school, college, and adult learners.