Review of: |
| Parsons Technology's
A Walk in the Footsteps of Jesus "is your ticket to an interactive, multimedia
tour of the Holy Land — following the story of Jesus' life." The 360-degree
current views of various sites in Israel are organized in the chronological
order of Jesus' life. Released in 1997, this is the first time I've had
a chance to look at the program. Parsons Technology is marketing the program
as a religious program.
The review copy I received came in a retail box that contained
a CD-ROM in a cardboard envelope. I also received a fact sheet that listed
a General Description, Features of the program, System Requirements, and
Sales information.
Running the ProgramOnce the program was installed on our 486 computer it took a very long time for it to start (about 3 minutes to get to the program introduction, another 3 minutes or so to get to the main menu or the tutorial). Again, I thought at times that the system had frozen but it finally started. Since our sound card is external the sound skipped, dropped syllables, and was very slow. If you have an internal sound card and CD-ROM drive, I expect most of the sound problems would disappear even on a slower system.The program will load quicker as well.After the program finally started, I attempted to run the tutorial on how to use the program. It took a long time for it to respond to my mouse movements and move around the screen. I never found the big yellow button for the next step so I never finished the whole tutorial. Using the program was so slow (at least a minute to get from one place to another) that I did not enjoy the experience and I never got very far with it. I don't recommend running the program on a minimum system. On the other hand, when I started the program on our Pentium system it came up very quickly and I was able to complete the tutorial. You should complete the tutorial the first time you use the program. It shows you how to use all the features of the program and allows you to explore before you move from one step to the next. I did find one problem while running the program on the Pentium computer. The mouse was too responsive and everything went too quickly. Due to the computer problems I mentioned above, I was not able to see if changing the mouse properties would slow it down enough for optimum speed. The PhotoBubble technology used for the 360 degree images allows you to look all around you to include looking at the ground and the sky. It also allows you to zoom in for a closer look. Unfortunately, the photos used for the closer looks are still photographs that don't have the close-up detail I would like. For instance, inside some of the churches I would like to zoom in very close on some of the architectural detailing. The photos just don't get within the 5 to 6 inches I would like. "A Walk in the Footsteps of Jesus is divided into six sections: His Birth & Childhood; His Early Ministry; The Teachings & Miracles of Jesus; His Late Ministry; His Final Week; and His Passion and Resurrection. There are also maps that provide the geographic details of the Holy Lands during Jesus' life, as well as picture links that actually take you inside buildings for a closer look!" Within each of the sections there is a menu that takes you to the geographical areas associated with that part of Jesus' life. When you click on one of the buttons you're usually taken to an outdoor scene that you can explore in all directions. (Sometimes you only go to a large still photograph with hotspots.) Then you can enter each of the buildings you see and explore in all directions. Once you go beyond the main areas, however, you can only see normal photos. Many of the photos have people in them that helps you visualize the scale of what you're looking at and gives you an idea of what it's like to actually be there. Some areas you can visit are: The River Jordan, The Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem, Nazareth, The marketplace in Jerusalem, and many more. Every area of the program has audio introductions to each picture, related historical and cultural information and scripture passages (King James Version). Many areas also have music and text information. You can turn on sound, photo and text icons so you don't miss anything. There's a lot of material included. Even on a fast Pentium it will take you days, if not weeks, to experience everything. The maps are the weakest part of the program. There are only 2 maps. The main map is a fuzzy relief map with the names of various places in Israel in red. The type is so small that the names are hard to read. You can't zoom in for a close up look at the topography. The map doesn't show the roads between places either. The only detailed map is a very poor simplistic one for Jerusalem. I have seen better map sections in inexpensive printed Bibles. I would like to see a modern street map of Jerusalem with the existing sites marked on it. I also would like to see a map of Jerusalem as it was during Jesus' life with all the sites of his passion and death marked on it. My SystemsI tested A Walk In the Footsteps of Jesus on two separate Gateway Systems. The first has a 486 processor running at 33 MHz with 20 MB of RAM and both an external Zip Drive and CD-ROM player (with a built-in sound card) piggy-backed to the parallel port. Its operating system is Windows 3.1. The second system is a Gateway 2000 P5-200 with a Pentium 200 MMX processor, 64 MB RAM and a 6.4 GB hard drive operating under Windows 95. The computer also has a wave table sound card, a STB Nitro 3D video card with STB Vision 95 and a 15-inch monitor set at 800 X 600 resolution and High Color (16 bit). Note: I tested this program on both systems because our Pentium computer stopped working the day after I received this program for review. It worked for a day or two during May 1998. As of June 4, 1998, it's on its way back to Gateway for a thorough checkup. So far, we've received a new video card, monitor, motherboard, RAM and a hard drive.System RequirementsMinimum requirements:, 486 processor, Windows 3.1 or later, 8 MB RAM, 2x speed CD-ROM drive, SVGA monitor with 256 colors, sound card and mouse. Recommended requirements listed in the PC Readme file: PC Pentium 60 MHz processor, 8 MB RAM, Windows 3.1x or Windows 95, 4x CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, sound card and mouse.Installing the ProgramThe differences between running this program on a computer with minimum requirements and one that exceeds the recommended requirements showed up immediately. When I installed the program on our 486 computer it took a very long time for the setup program to load. At times, I thought that the system had frozen since it took so long. However, it finally installed correctly with no other problems than slowness. In contrast, when I installed the program on our Pentium computer it only took a few minutes from beginning to end.You do need Apple's QuickTime installed on your computer to run this program. It's included and you have the choice on whether you install it or not. If you already have QuickTime on your computer, check the complete version number to include all the decimals. If you already have the same or a later version, then you don't need to install it. If you have an earlier version, install the newer program. (Most programs using QuickTime won't run properly with an older version of it.) Bottom LineThe introductions, tutorial and visuals are very well done in this program. Anyone interested in the life of Jesus or making a Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land would enjoy it and find it useful. Anyone studying the New Testament also would benefit from this program. Visit Parsons Technology's web site (see address in Vital Statistics below) to download demos of the PhotoBubble (TM) technology.Vital StatisticsI didn't find this program on the shelf at Best Buy, Computer City or CompUSA during May 1998. However, you can order it directly from Parsons Technology for $29.95 plus shipping ($5 for first item, $2 for each additional item). (If you're a registered user of another Parsons program you should be receiving catalogs with a $10-off coupon that you can use to get the program for less.) You can order by calling 1-800-779-6000 or faxing to 319-395-7449. You can order on-line at www.parsonstech.com or America On-line (keyword PARSONS). The snail mail address is: Parsons Technology, 1700 Progress Drive, PO Box 100, Hiawatha, IA 52233-0100.Jacquelyn Sykes was born into an Army family. Her most memorable location was West Berlin and she was there when they put up the Berlin Wall. She later joined the Army, retiring in 1990 as a SFC. She is the co-editor of the Comm Panel: the Official Newsletter for Star Trek: San Antonio.
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