The disk is divided into six categories: satellite maps (the ubiquitous Geosat view from space), physical maps, political maps, thematic maps, natural landscapes, and world wonders. The maps really are the best thing about Planet Earth; they re supplied by GeoData, a German company. Each map type is attractive, colorful, and detailed. Movement is fairly simple; you can click on the desired area, and then scroll in the desired direction.
Unfortunately, the highest resolution available displays an area somewhere around the size of Texas, which isn't very detailed. To be a truly great atlas, this CD-ROM needs at least one deeper level of resolution, detailed city maps, and some views of Antarctica.
Planet Earth also contains the typical gazetteer information found in the back of any printed atlas. You can look up information and demographic data for every country on earth. While this is certainly welcome, this information can also be found in greater detail on any good CD-ROM-based encyclopedia. A search engine allows you to pinpoint 15,000 locations (as long as the sites are big enough to be found on Texas-sized maps).
Surprisingly, Planet Earth succeeds as something of an interactive travelogue. Through narrated slide shows and digital video clips you can travel to individual countries, meet the people who live there, explore the wonders of the world, and observe natural habitats. Children will especially enjoy video footage of animals in the wild. While many of the slide show topics (such as the Great Wall of China and the Statue of Liberty) aren't exactly inspired choices, the photography is usually quite good.
This disc's most interesting features are the thematic maps and natural landscapes. The thematic maps combine cartography with statistics, displaying such features as language dispersal and per capita income.
For instance, Monaco is the most densely populated country in the world, while Australia is among the least. Natural landscapes breaks the world into 12 habitat zones, from rainforests to deserts. Both of these sections help erase the traditional lines found in most atlases, truly providing a fresh way of looking at the world.
The controls are fairly easy to use, although it may take you a while to figure out all the features offered by this CD-ROM. As for appearance, Planet Earth tends to look grainy on my PC; I suspect it might look better on a Macintosh. A satellite view feature in the natural landscapes section did not function correctly on my computer.
While this is a good CD-ROM, it's not a great one. If you're looking for a definitive computer atlas, or youÕre a jaded world traveler, keep going.
Planet Earth is probably best suited for children, young teens, and anyone just beginning to explore our wide world.
Mike Butzgy is a multimedia writer and freelancer who lives in Raleigh, NC. His e-mail address is atomicrom@aol.com.
©1996, ProMotion, inc.