A multimedia collection from Countertop Software includes three
new titles.
First is “The Complete WWII Collection,” comprising
five CD-ROM’s. Without question, World War II was one of the
greatest conflicts in history, involving millions of soldiers, sailors
and airmen, from all over the world in the first truly mechanized
global war. No amount of CD’s can tell us all about that conflict,
but to present a balanced reference and entertainment collection,
each of these five CD’s was selected to communicate some of
the essential elements of the war.
Disk 1, “History of World War II,” includes a narrated
chronology covering the major battles. Each entry includes dramatic
photographs and original film footage. There is a section on the
causes of the war, biographies of major political and military leaders,
full screen photos of major U.S. combat ships and aircraft, and,
finally, the holocaust.
Disk 2, “U.S. Combat Units Official Records,” contains
detailed reports of troop actions and movements—24 volumes
worth—from the Army Center of Military History. It is loaded
with recently declassified information. This CD provides an excellent
source of information for the hard-core researcher.
Disk 3, “WWII Shootout,” is a interactive trivia game
that will test your knowledge of this great conflict. More than
500 questions cover both theaters of the war, Pacific and European.
Disk 4, “Air Warrior II,” provides dogfighting simulations-–one-on-one
aerial combat in 35 different World War I and II aircraft, flying
more than 300 missions. You can play or even challenge others on-line.
Disk 5, “Warbirds,” is a complete drawing program with
editing tools and more than 1,000 general-purpose, clip-art images
from dozens of libraries, for your creative side.
System Requirements: Pentium 16 MHz or better, Windows 95 or 98,
DirectX, 32 MB of hard-drive space, 4X CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, high-color
VESA 2.0 compliant PCI video card with 2 MB of video RAM, Sound
Blaster, joystick (supports Thrustmaster CH capability).
The second collection is “The Complete History of America’s
Wars”-–a five-CD set that covers U.S. military history
from the Revolutionary War to Desert Storm.
Each of the CDs covers a different period of time. Disk 1 covers
the Revolutionary War, the Quasi War, the Tripolitan War, the War
of 1812 and the Mexican-American War. Disk 2 focuses on the Civil
War, including hundreds of photographs, multimedia presentations
of every major battle, and a collection of biographies of more than
400 Union and Confederate generals.
Disk 3 covers the Korean expedition of 1871, the Spanish-American
War, the 1900 Boxer Rebellion and World War I. Disk 4 describes
World War II, including all major battles, with biographical sketches
of military and political leaders of the era. Disk 5 focuses primarily
on Korea and Vietnam, but also treats Lebanon, the Dominican Republic
and Desert Storm.
System Requirements: Mac & PC compatible, Windows 95 or 98,
Pentium, 16 MB RAM.
The third collection is “A World of Aviation.” On Disk
1 is “History of Aviation,” including the Hindenburg,
the Spruce Goose and the planes of World War II. You can view 60
video clips and more than 600 still photographs. Disk 2 is a screensaver
set of “Warbirds”-–22 aviation images for your
personal use.
Disk 3, “Wings of Silver,” has you flying in the cockpits
of the Air Force’s hottest aircraft—from the F-117 Nighthawk
to the B-2 bomber—with full-color animation, graphs and narration.
Disk 4, “Combat Jets,” is a drawing and editing program
with 1,000 clip-art images and special effects. A sound-effects
database includes clips of fly-by’s, air raids, machine guns,
explosions and anti-aircraft fire.
Disk 5 contains “iF-16,” the latest flight sim from
Imagic. The F-16 Falcon is equally challenging for the beginner
or the experienced sim pilot. It includes plenty of detailed missions
and campaigns, plus the ability to dogfight up to 16 other players
via network or Internet.
System Requirements: Mac and PC compatible (“Wings of Silver,”
“History of Aviation” and “Warbirds”), PC
(“iF-16” and “Combat Jets” only), Pentium
16 MHz or better, Windows 95 or 98, 32 MB hard-drive space, DirectX,
4X CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, High-Color VESA 2.0 compliant PCI video
card with 2 MB video RAM, Sound Blaster, joystick (supports Thrustmaster
CH capability).
Dr. David LL. Silbergeld is a member of the Special Operations
and Low-Intensity Conflict Division of the National Defense Industrial
Association. His e-mail address is dlsilber@epix.net.