Destination: Ocean is one in a series of programs that let users create their own computer-animated, interactive "books," complete with music, animation, text, even sound effects, and your own narration. Here you can make scuba divers and dolphins swim across the screen while sea grasses sway in the water and birds fly overhead. Other titles in the series feature a neighborhood, castle, and rain forest.
Much of the intrigue comes from the amazing number of options available; kids will enjoy spending plenty of time on their books. However, the many options and details also mean that a good deal of patience is required, although parents can use Adult Options to simplify features for younger children and customize them for various family members.
When you're ready to create a page, choose from 18 backgrounds ranging from underwater caves, a sunken ship, and glorious beaches. Think of this as high-tech Colorforms, because you then select 'stickers' to add to the background. The stickers are varied, numerous, and clever, including fish, boats, people, scuba gear, a microscope, algae, sea grasses, environmental hazards, a sea monster, even buried treasure and a scuba-diving dog.
Next, add movement, noise, narration, and tex-there are also selections of background music with a "watery" feel. Add as many details as you like to
each page, then move on to another.
A new feature of the Oceans title is movie making, in which you can move stickers across the page; for example, you can now make the dog, people, or fish swim and move. If you have another Imagination Express title, get this one and add movie-making capability to the previous program.
All of the controls are arranged well and work smoothly, but there are so many you'll want to keep the instructions close at hand. Even older kids may need help getting started, but rewards will be waiting. The main menu contains several helpful suggestions: a sample book written with the program, tips for parents, and brief story ideas narrated by children to spark imaginations in need of a jump-start.
An easy-to-use ocean fact book, a sort of mini-encyclopedia covering such topics as ocean-related careers, weather, habitats, and food chains is included. The fact book provides details on the Channel Islands and the Chumash people off the California Coast, giving the data a nice human perspective. Entries are short and sweet, but narrated and animated. Readers will enjoy browsing here and weaving interesting factoids into their own books.
In addition to viewing creations on the computer, pages can be printed in color or black and white to make "old-fashioned" books. Of course, animation or narration is lost.
Destination: Oceans is exciting, fun, educational, and creative obviously fashioned with tremendous care. Who could ask for more?
Alice Cary is a freelance writer in Groton, Massachusetts, and can be reached at alice_cary@bookpage.com.
©1996, ProMotion, inc.