Review of: |
| Parsons Technology
has put together another nice product here. The QuickVerse Life Application
Bible is a well done, "all in one" Bible software package that is designed
for people who have near zero to moderate Bible and PC knowledge. You can
use it for many aspects of Bible study, from daily readings to fairly in-depth
research. It's fairly simple and straightforward to use, and it has a multitude
of extra features that I believe any Bible reader will find useful. This
particular program uses the New Living Translation, which makes the Bible
easier to understand, and less complex than some of the earlier, or more
scholastic translations. This will help the average person understand more
of what the Bible has to say.
The QuickVerse Life Application Bible has several fancy features in it. One is called "Touch Points". These give you some 200 topics such as anger, health, marriage, stress, and the like, and link them to what the Bible has to say about them. Another interesting feature is the "Photo Bubble". There are over 30 photo bubbles of everything from the historical Tomb of Christ to the Garden of Gethsemane. These are special, 360 degree photographs of the site depicted. You can pan in any direction just as if you were standing in the spot and looking all around. Then you can pretend you're part robot and zoom in on a particular area that you want to look at (shades of the 6 million-dollar man…). The only thing I didn't particularly care for on the zoom feature was that, as you zoom in, your resolution doesn't improve any, at least on a 640 X 480 screen like mine. Of course, if you're into cubism. . .!? The QuickVerse Life Application Bible also has a "dramatic reading" feature. So, if you want to listen, instead of read, you have that option available. This goes along with a word pronunciation feature so you'll never stumble over a Melchizedek or an Artaxerxes again! Unfortunately, this is another area where I can't give Parsons an ‘A+'. Some features, like the word pronunciation one, take a little digging to find out how to use them rather than a simple button on the task bar. I suppose that if you have very little computer knowledge this would frustrate you at first (then again, what about computers wouldn't ?). Fortunately, the program has a generous help file that covers most items quite thoroughly. I suppose an ‘A-' wouldn't be out of order. There are several other features that are a bit less "gee whiz" but are definitely no less valuable or important. A journal is provided so you can take notes or just put down your daily thoughts. There are a multitude of maps and hundreds of regular pictures. The QuickVerse Life Application Bible also has several different reading plans available that will appeal to a large range of tastes and needs. A bible dictionary is a standard feature. An interesting bible trivia option is also included. It will test your biblical knowledge with fun and interest questions if you wish. And probably the two most helpful features are the study notes and Insights section done in the Life Application Bible format. These are like having a knowledgeable commentator right there with you. Most features are well linked together also. If you should look up a word in the dictionary for instance, you will be able to click on a scripture reference for that word and the program will take you right to the passage where the word is used. You may find that this QuickVerse product is all you'll ever want or need in a Bible software program. Or, it may be a stepping stone to a more in-depth program that includes multiple translations, an exhaustive concordance, Hebrew and Greek language dictionaries, and more. Parsons, as well as others, have some very good and deeply intense Bible Reference Collection programs available too. I think I'll use mine as a stepping stone to the big stuff. It seems to have just made me hungry for more. Overall, I feel that this is an excellent product. It is readily available here in San Antonio for just under 50 bucks. Or you can go to the Parsons' web site at http://www.parsonstech.com and order from their extensive catalogue. This particular product did not seem to be available as a direct download so you have to receive it via snail mail. Here are the minimum system requirements for running the QuickVerse Life Application Bible. You need an IBM compatible 486 or faster processor, running Windows 95 or NT, 8 MB of RAM, 7 MEG of disk space available on your hard drive, at least a 2X speed CD-ROM, an SVGA – 256 color, 640 X 480 compatible display, and a 16 bit sound card. Installation was a snap. Naturally, Parsons suggests that any bigger, faster computer will give you better performance. Who knows, maybe this is the opportunity you've been waiting for to use that tremendous Alamo PC discount and upgrade your ‘puter! Greg Miller is an electronics technician who keeps simulators running for the U.S. Air Force. He is also an amateur PC enthusiast who can't say enough good things about Alamo PC. He can be reached at millergt@world-net.net.
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