Ideas and entertainment link up
George and Ben Beekman
James Burke has made a career of showing us how seemingly unrelated ideas are interconnected throughout history. In his lively television programs he follows convoluted paths to show, for example, how a chain of unlikely events led from the invention of carbon paper to today's television sets. Over the years Burke has spun a gigantic web of interrelated ideas--a web that seems an ideal candidate for an interactive multimedia exposition. We can envision spending hours following our curiosity through a hypermedia reference featuring clips from the Connections TV series.
The Connections CD-ROM isn't a hypermedia reference, though; it's an exploratory adventure in the tradition of Myst. When you launch the program, you find yourself stranded in a visually rich 3-D environment. As you navigate this artificial world, you gradually discover clues that help you understand your goal: to battle the forces of chaos and save the universe by uncovering hidden links in history.
The comic-book plot seems a bit silly, but it's an interesting device for tying together dozens of perplexing puzzles and logic conundrums with snapshots of the history of ideas. As you explore Connections, time and space are twisted so that nearly every scene is filled with anachronisms. Early in the game you visit a medieval pharmacy next door to a television repair shop; both stores offer the tools and clues you need to help James Watt invent the piston (see "Watt's Up?").
The pharmacist, the TV repairer, James Watt, and other characters are played by live actors who are smoothly integrated into the artificial landscape. The acting is sometimes corny and distracting; the most satisfying character is Burke himself, who pops up occasionally to comment on your progress. Burke also appears in fascinating video segments that explain the historical connections between the objects you uncover on your journey. Each key object forms another link in a chain of ideas; completing the chain advances you to the next level--and a new set of puzzles.
A number of the puzzles seem obscure and nearly impossible to solve without help. Fortunately, assistance is always just a mouse-click away. A generous hint can almost always get you out of trouble, even if you're a puzzle-game novice. (If you lack willpower, you can disable the hint option at the beginning of the game.)
The Last Word As an interactive story, Connections doesn't hold a candle to the best of the genre, and it isn't the best choice if you're looking for an educational tutorial. But Connections does an admirable job of bridging the worlds of ideas and entertainment.
________
Rating: Four Stars/7.2
PROS: Frequently challenging; hint system included; informative video clips.
CONS: Weak story line; some puzzles are frustrating and obscure.
COMPANY: Discovery Channel Multimedia (301/986-0444, http://www.discovery.com).
LIST PRICE: $49.95.
August 1996
page: 88
Copyright © 1996 Macworld Communications, Inc.
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