Last Chance to See
The CD also contains pop-up sidebars about each species and its current status, menus for creating custom collections of data and images, and audio segments from the BBC radio series based on the book by the same name. The CD's design is nothing special, but we were seduced by Adams's hilarious narrative (he reads the entire book aloud), by the spectacular color photographs (over 700), and by the author's evident passion for these rare creatures. If National Geographic had teeth and a sense of humor, it would look something like Last Chance to See."
"Teeth and a sense of humor" indeed. And a great dose of gentle sensibility and Douglas Adams's skewed (cynical, in a funny way) view of mankind that fans everywhere will recognize. The photographs and anecdotal information are excellent, but the real discovery here is listening todams read the entire text aloud with great love and care. Even as you chuckle at Adams' gentle humor, you will be learning about such serious issues as how world population growth is pressuring the natural world, endangering many animal species. The CD works well because of Adams's droll humor on a topic that has no joviality of its own: he narrates the tale as if he, too, expects to become extinct at the hands of bureaucrats (on a side note, play Bureaucracy, the game he designed for Infocom, for a humourous jab at bureaucracy). There is no multimedia pizzazz here -- just Adams reading one of his most underrated works on an issue that he deeply cared about. So just sit back, listen, look at the photos, and follow the anecdotes on each species. It's a fascinating journey, and one that will make you realize how selfish we humans can really be. Highly recommended, and a deserved entry in our Hall of Belated Fame.
Average Rating: | 8.93 [59 votes] |
Genre: | Education |
Designer: | Douglas Adams & Mark Cowardine |
Developer: | Voyager Company |
Publisher: | Voyager Company |
Year: | 1993 |
Software Copyright: | Voyager Company |
Theme: | Modern |
Multiplayer: | |
Related Links: | |
More Info: | Mobygames | The Web |
System Requirements: | Windows 3.1 |
If you like this game, try: | First Person: Stephen Jay Gould - on Evolution, C.Y.P.H.E.R. Operation Wildlife, Eco Quest 2: Lost Secrets of The Rainforest |
Thanks to... | |
Technical Notes: | Full CD-ROM version - works on Windows 95 and above. Read installation notes first. |
Screenshots © The Good Old Days