Software Reviews : Picture Atlas of the World Publisher: National Geographic Society,Educational Services,Wash ington,DC 20036;800-368-2728 Year of Publication: 1993 Version Reviewed: 1.0 Materials: one CD-ROM disk,user's guide,print map of the world Price: $149.95 ($99 for educators) Machine Specificity: IBM-compatible 80286,80386,80486,or Pentium computer System Requirements: Hardware—2MB RAM,CD-ROM drive,VGA monitor,mouse,audio adapter card,and headphone or speakers;Software—Microsoft CD-ROM Extensions 2.1 or higher and MS-DOS version 4.0 or higher Effectiveness: Good User Friendliness: Excellent Documentation: Excellent

Abstract

This atlas, produced by a premier American cartographic firm, is a solid if not spectacular effort. It contains over 800 political, physical, and topographic maps of the world, regions, and nations, along with more than 50 video clips, over 1200 captioned color pho tographs, music and language clips, statistical information, and a narrated animated introduction to geographic concepts and tutorial. Most of the material is interactively organized, linking multimedia and mapping elements.