Like most current edutainment software titles, The Plantin-Moretus Museum CD is replete with the usual bells and whistles. After a short install (you’ll need Apple’s Quicktime VR on your computer; it’s provided on the CD), the show begins smoothly. A lively instrumental musical score accompanies most of the presentations. A feature called “The Interactive Print Room” allows the user to compose a line of type, ink it, and print it (literally too, if you have a printer). Other stops on the virtual tour of the former Officina Plantiniana include: “From The Printing Works,” a series of compressed videos chronicling the processes of casting hot metal type, composing type, printing, and proofing; a 360-degree view of the courtyard; a selection of legendary titles (e.g., Biblia Polyglotta) available to browse in the bookshop; and “The Family Drawing Room,” which features an interactive timeline with brief biographies of those associated with The Golden Compass. There’s much more to the CD than I can cover here (there are even amusing Easter eggs* to be found). The software is easy to navigate, is informative, and is, most of all, fun, for anyone interested in the history of typography, printing, and bookmaking.

Keep in mind that, as with most software, performance varies depending on computer speed and resources. For this review, I tested the Windows version on Windows 95, 98, and NT4 without experiencing any problems.

—Delve Withrington