The Great Gatsby 1999
Distributed by Films Media Group, PO Box 2053, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-2053; 800-257-5126
Produced by Australian Education Media
Director n/a
CD-ROM, PC 486 DX2/66 MHZ processor, 8MB RAM, Super VGA 800x600 monitor with 256 colors, 6x CD-ROM drive, 20MB of free hard disk space. QuickTime Movie Player included.
Jr. High - Adult
Literature
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Roxann Bustos, Reese Library, Augusta State University, Augusta, GAThe Great Gatsby CD-ROM is apparently aimed at a high school audience, although the very limited printed material gives no indication of that. With a mouseover glossary including words like "complex" and "endure," one would like to assume that post-secondary students are not the intended market.
Installation of the CD-ROM is very easy, including installation of the QuickTime Movie Player, which is required for the video clips. The general screen designs are attractive; the screens for the chapter summaries, however, unfortunately place a tree branch right in the middle of the text, making reading difficult. Clicking on the sound icon within the summaries provides audio narration. All text is printable. Well-produced video clips give a good visual sense of time and place, but surprisingly are not included in most of the culture portion where they would be very welcome. The main menu includes headings for: author, culture, story, themes, and characters. The themes selected for discussion are: Love and Illusion, Wealth and the American Dream, and Social Ambition. Most of the explanatory and support materials are quite rudimentary. Text references include page numbers to an unspecified edition.
Some questions are provided which encourage the user to think, but the most successful interactive feature is probably the "Who is Jay Gatsby?" section, which includes video clips of a journalist-type describing Gatsby, and then asking the viewer to click on the word which best describes him. Some of the word choices (liar, depressed, dishonest, idealistic) appear somewhat arbitrary, but this section does, at least, get the viewer involved.
This CD-ROM would probably appeal to the same type of student who is a fan of Cliffs Notes. With a growing number of free Internet sites providing similar types of information on The Great Gatsby (e.g., www.homework-online.com) the price of this CD seems high considering the lack of depth in the information provided. Due to the fact that Gatsby is taught so frequently in high school, however, media centers may want to consider the acquisition of this title. Recommended with reservations.