Ticket to disc-o-rama

RIDING AT 120 kmph will not land you a ticket, drag you to court or have you grease palms. You can zoom through traffic, cut signals, scrape across expensive cars and still be scratch-free.

Will just cost you a few hundreds. All you have to do is head to Crossword at the Shopper's Stop complex and feast on the CD-ROM Fortnight festival.

Virtual reality on sale up to 30 per cent discount.

You can choose between dressing up Barbie, participate in a Grand Prix or learn Math and Chemistry the easy way. It's a festival of sorts with about 500 CDs vying for attention.

Crossword personnel promise a range that knows no limits, but don't ask for music. It's not their territory and you can head to Music World next door if that's what you want. Anything else and whatever CD, check the piles that have been stocked carefully over the ages.

Age limit? When it's about fun, who talks about age? And do note, this is the place for CD Games, at least till June 24 when the festival ends.

But can't leave the grey cells behind. So head to the Manorama Knowledge Adventure 2001 CD-ROM, a multimedia presentation of the group's always-in-demand yearbook.

The CD comes with interactive 3D animation, graphics, interactive slides, panoramic views, multimedia effects and even cartoons to complement a storehouse of information.

Priced at Rs. 495, the CD is divided into 11 sections including science and technology, obviously, and The World, which is accompanied by a rendition of each country's national anthem. The Indian section goes deeper into the characteristics of each State.

And that's not all - The Tour India section gives an array of interesting spots in the country and India Wheel updates on the automobile scenario. For recipes, catch India Curry, and its India Talkies for a dose of Indian cinema. There are games too, but meant for the kids.

But most interesting should be the careers section that comes with an in-built job search and tips.

CDs are part of life for the young. They have them at home, at school and at their friends' place.

It just so happens that many of the CDs are expensive, and there is not much software from the Indian side, that is attractive and affordable.

It is not a secret, that with CD burners becoming less expensive, a little sharing of costly discs takes place. Yet, all this does not bother many who want the latest off the shelf.

By Feroze Ahmed

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Section  : Entertainment
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