Features

• The first 10 adventures of 10 classic Marvel characters on 1 super-powered CD-ROM
• 100 complete comic books highlight the storylines of this famous band of heroes
• Includes the Fantastic Four, Captain America, Avengers, The Sub-Mariner, Iron Man, and Silver Surf
• Character bios and 3 free bonus Comics

Reviews (11)

Stands Above The Rest -
What you should know:
TOPICS Entertainment, one of the fastest-growing software publishers in the nation, is introducing a new CD-ROM titled: MARVEL COMIC BOOK LIBRARY COLLECTION COLLECTOR'S EDITION VOL.1. This rich treasure of 100 complete comic books on one CD-ROM will retail for $29.95 in software and comic book retailers nationwide. Marvel Enterprises, Inc. one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment provided content to TOPICS Entertainment. Marvel Comic Library Collection delivers the first 10 adventures of 10 classic Marvel characters on one super-powered CD-ROM. The set includes SPIDER-MAN, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, DAREDEVIL, X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, CAPTAIN AMERICA, AVENGERS, NAMOR THE SUB-MARINER, IRON MAN AND SILVER SURFER. Also included are character bios, comic book computer wallpaper and screensavers.

What happened:
Where else can you find 100 classic Marvel Comic issues, valued at nearly $230,000 ... in a convenient pocket-sized package and for only $30? Well, before TOPICS Entertainment came along, you simply couldn't, but they've now made all of your favorite heroes' classic adventures available to anyone on one easy-to-use CD-ROM.
What makes this product stand above the rest isn't its packaging, but rather its content.

100 complete issues of your favorite characters and comics from the 1960's and 70's! So you can sit down in front of your computer and read the original stories ... such as AMAZING FANTASY #15, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1, AVENGERS #1, FANTASTIC FOUR #1, INCREDIBLE HULK #1, DAREDEVIL #1, GIANT SIZE X-MEN #1 and 93 other classic issues ... in your choice of full-color or black & white, inked pages.

Other features include the ability to print the pages, so you can take them with you on the road or share them with a friend. You can also search detailed character bio's, taken from the recent MARVEL COMICS ENCYCLOPEDIA.

It's like the ultimate ESSENTIALS book, with all your favorite characters crammed into one disc! It's great for comic collectors as well as those who want to remember the Silver Age of comics, without breaking their wallets in the process! From a personal standpoint, I can tell you that they're also very helpful to aspiring comic book creators to use as reference material in Marvel Comics submissions. This disc has something for every comic aficionado.

Ryan Scott Ottney
Media Sharx

Read Comics you can't afford
This is a great way to read old comics you can't afford. You get ten different issuses per character/group at a price thats less than one printed collection, and in color not like the Essential series of Marvel reprints. I did have a couple gripes with this product however. It advertised that you get to read the first ten comics of each hero, however in the case of Capt. America, Namor and some Hulk issues they shared thier books with another hero and you don't get those stories. In other words in some cases you get half comics. Also it has the new X-men (issues 94-102) not the first 10 issues of the series.

I'm about to vomit all over myself.
Pat, you're in no position to criticize the writing in these comic books. You couldn't tell the difference between real literature and a hole in the ground. So why don't you go back to the renaissance fair, buy yourself a big crock of mead, and take in a Shakespeare play? What gets me is the way you think you're stylin' when you trot out words like "dulcid." Gee, I had to look that one up. Where did you read Classics? Christ Church, Oxford back in the 19th century?

Lo! How the Mighty Have Fallen!
As a Marvel fan since 1968 onward, I've dreamed of a collection like this. The classic icon heroes of my youth forever preserved in pristine condition, dynamically digitized, electronically enumerated! Herein, find, if ye dare, the original appearance not only of most core heroes of the Marvel Universe, but the supremely villanous counterparts: Dr Doom, The Mandarin, Doc Ock, Magneto. A rogue's gallery! Art by the incomparable Jack "King" Kirby and Steve Ditko! Scripts by Stan "The Man" Lee! Who could ask for more! Make mine Marvel!

Yeesh! Can you tell I was raised on the dulcid dialogue of Stan Lee?

Technical notes: Each page of the comic (as previously indicated, story only, no ads or letters) appears in an Explorer window. Problem is that comic books are drawn in "portrait" and computer displays are in "landscape". So you have a choice of seeing the whole page but having black bars on each side of the screen, or blowing the page up but only being able to see half the page at a time. A lousy choice, but one made necessary by the natures of the media.

The initial display is a single page with each of the ten series lead characters, selecting from there gives you a view of the original covers of the 10 issues. Clicking on a cover brings you to a full size screen, and you can use PgUp/PgDown or arrow buttons to move from page to page. This is rather a slow process, probably due to the detail of the art & color. Use your cursors "Back" button to return to the menu levels.

A nice feature: Special buttons along the top row allow you to view either the uncolored art, or the colors without the black ink. The quality of the reproduction is excellent. Even when grossly blown up, there is no sign of digitization in the display.

Another unfortunate side-effect of this presentation is that two page spreads cannot be viewed together. Makes for some awkward reading on Cockrum's X-men art.

I recommend this for any comic afficianado over 20. Not because the material is inappropriate for kids, but because, and it pains me to say this...

The writing is just awful.

Characters endlessly talk to themselves, explaining details to nobody in particular. Co-incidences so improbable as to be laughable. Dialogue so inane that it is unreadable. And plots so silly it beggars the imagination.

Examples: In FF2, the Skrulls are convinced, based on comic book clippings, that Earth is inhabited by monsters. In FF3, the villain is a mass-hypnotist who bring a monster to life at the televised premiere of a movie. (Mass hyponosis works on TV?!?) In FF4, the Human Torch runs into an amnesiac Sub-Mariner only seconds after reading a 20 year old comic featuring him.

But I forgive all this. Truly I do. These tales, sometimes awful as they are, were the foundation for and inspired greater works to come. The Galactus trilogy, the Kree-Skrull wars, Days of Future Past.

I'm hoping this release is a sampler, intended to test the market. If they release future editions of the first 100 issues of X-Men, Spidey or, particularly, the Fantastic Four, count me in!

Excelsior!

Great value to visit the "roots" of Marvel
As a 28-year-old life-long Marvel fan, I could not pass up this CD collection, even though I already own the Essential Spider-Man vol. 1 and the Essential X-Men vol. 1 (the contents of both books are covered on this CD).

I was glad to see that it was Mac-compatible; however, if you own a Mac, don't run this collection on Safari, as it doesn't handle the Dj-Vu plug-in properly (it works just fine with Explorer). Basically, instead of using an application like Adobe Acrobat Reader, you use your browser (with the Dj-Vu plug-in) to navigate through the pages.

Each book is easy to access to, and the fact that it can be read in color or in black and white is a great feature. The image quality is top-notch, and the colors are vibrant (I would say that the visual quality in general is on a par with the great reprint of the Marvel GI Joe comics of 2 years ago).

My only real gripe is that Wolverine's popularity is not enough to justify detracking from the promise of the CD-ROM's "first ten issues" and include the "New" X-Men of 1975 (Storm, Wolverine, Colossus and Nightcrawler) instead of the original 1960s Uncanny X-Men. It also would have been great to see the wartime version of Captain America and the Submariner, if only to compare them with their 1960s revival.

All in all, it's a great product that definitely gives out a great value for its price. I really hope that future volumes will focus on one series at a time though (which would be a great alternative to Marvel's paperback reprints). ... Read more

Features

• Over 5000 delicious Betty Crocker recipes, with hundreds of full-color photos
• Easy-to-use interface for browsing recipes and photos
• How-to instructional cooking video clips
• Search recipes by ingredients or keywords
• Add your own recipes (no limit)

Features

• New song styles, new navigation, edited patterns and other tools for better song control
• Added fret displays for string instruments like mandolin, ukulele and banjo
• New & improved piano, organ, guitar, brass sounds - new instruments & styles, plus updates on the previous styles
• Live looping with the One More Time feature -tighter control over song loops during live performing. Extend the song, cut it short, skip to the chorus, by pressing a key
• Improved harmony notation -- view each harmony on a separate track, or view & print a single harmony, and print out a chart for practice or publishing

Features

• Choose from four styles of panorama horizontal, vertical, tiled, and 360-degree
• Create and refine your panorama and manually adjust positions - zoom in and magnify each photo to line them up precisely
• Acquire images directly from any TWAIN-compliant source -Digital cameras, scanners, CDs, hard drives and any other media
• Image enhancement tools for better brightness and contrast - improve your photos before creating a panorama
• Automatic processing does all the work for you

Features

• Interactive Keyboard gives you all you need to know to play like a pro
• Fully MIDI compatible
• System Requirements -Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP, Minimum Hardware -Pentium Processor, 16 MB RAM, 2x CD-ROM, 16-Bit Sound, 256 Color Display, 20 MB Hard Disk Space

Amazon.com Product Description

Instant Stitch is a four-CD-ROM set designed to help knitters, crocheters, and stitchers create patterns for stitching, sweaters, and children's clothes. Users can take their own photos (with a scanner), digital camera images, or any graphic file and turn them into stitch patterns instantly. With an easy-to-use interface and step-by-step procedures, this program makes crafting fun and accessible.

Along with using graphic files to create patterns, this program also allows users to create knit vests, pullovers, cardigans, jackets, and more using the measurement information for 35 standard sizes, which range from newborn to adult. Parents can even design and create their children's clothes by just loading the measurement information into the program. Instant Stitch also contains a valuable listing of 80 companies with their yarn types, reducing the time spent searching for perfect material, and it allows users to create an inventory catalog for needles, notions, yarns, and more. ... Read more

Features

• Essential pattern-creation tool for knitters, crocheters, and stitchers
• Turn photos and any graphic files into a stitch pattern
• Design and create children¿s clothes by simply loading measurements into program
• Create custom clothes using the measurement information for 35 standard sizes
• Create your own inventory catalog for needles, notions, yarns and more

Reviews (3)

Cross Stitch/Knitting/Sewing ALL IN ONE
I found this 4 set software a "survey" of all four, successful at none. I am computer software savvy, but I found it difficult to use. Comes in a nice sized box with only the 4 CDs inside. I rather expected a book, pamphlet, or SOMETHING. I was particularly interested in the cross stitch CD, which I found completely insufficient for doing any sophisticated work. I didn't think HELP was particularly useful. I wanted to create a new alphabet to design something. This software just won't do it. Or I just couldn't figure it out. I was unable to "cut and paste" my designs. I am sure there was a way to do it, but it wasn't intuitive, or work like any other product I have used.

I didn't attempt to use their "organization" CD as I found everything else so very useless. BEWARE OF BUYING 4 HIGHLY SPECIALIZED crafts consolidated into one oversized box containing only 4 CDs. (...)

Not bad, but a bit out of date
Instant Stitch comes with 4 CDs: Sweater Design, Organized Expressions (the inventory), a cross stitch pattern creator, and "personal patterns for children." The kiddie stuff didn't load properly, and strangely, seems to be for sewers, not knitters/crocheters.

The inventory is exactly the program I have been looking for and, I hope, will finally allow me to catalog my stash. My one complaint is that since the software was written, many many new yarns have appeared (and others have disappeared) So I find myself calling some yarns by the wrong names, just to get them in the inventory -- alas, the upgrade from the manufacturer costs another $20!

My final word? The two relevant knitting CDs seem to be an excellent value. I have no idea why the other programs are included. Does anyone want my cross stitch program?

Very Useful....but...
I received my Instant Stitch a few weeks ago and have used it almost everyday. It is very easy to use. I am a crocheter and wanted to make sweater patterns. Hence my two complaints: (1). There are no written conversions for crochet stitches...If you put the knitting needle size in metric and enter your gauge, the rows and width come out even. The written patterns do not accomodate crocheters and (2) My Childrens size pattern maker did not work at all. I think it was faulty.
Even with these problems, this product is worth the [$$$]...lots of info in it. ... Read more

Features

• You'll be amazed at the realistic 3D graphics that bring fish to life on your monitor
• Choose from 12 different species -- all varied in color and size
• Fantastic animation-- they and move just like real fish
• Watch as the goldfish mingle and play -- hours of beautiful scenery for relaxing entertainment

Reviews (1)

great product
It is superb, the goldfish looks so real. If you are looking for a screensaver, this is the one to buy. Very worth your money unlike other aguariums out there... I think this has the same makers of that 3D screensaver SereneScreen Marine Aquarium. ... Read more

Features

• Write your own guitar solos on the Computer fretboard
• Use chord progressions in four styles -Pop, Jazz, Country, or Folk
• Live Harmonies lets you hear the harmony as it goes with the chord progression
• Digital Audio Recording lets you hear your new creation
• Use the built-in sequencer to record your melodies

Reviews (6)

Aargh
Three quarters of a million clips and none of them graceful. All jarring junk and limited at that. Hard to use. Editing not possible. And now I have an icon on my desktop so I can order more with no trouble. (I don't think that will happen.) Still trying to find out what the web clip art is all about--beyond me. Regret I did not order through Amazon. I would have had a heads up and not gone forward.

Easy to Use - Great for Broadband Users
This program is SIMPLE to use. The fact that many of the images are online is OK with me (and should be for most broadband users) because this way I do not have as many disks to swap or room taken up on my hard drive! The images are wonderful and they go on forever. How can you not find what you are looking for with this many images? This really is a great product.

Clickart review
The images are not beautiful and the software is not easy to use. I am very disapointed in the software and it is too bad that you cannot return the opened product!

Good packaging for a rip off product
I have complaints about everything in this package. The extra software did not work and the whole package turns out to be a continual advertisement for Broderbund to buy more online products and subscriptions. Like the users above, I expected the box to contain the graphics advertised. It is just as well, since I found most unusable anyway. Junk. Cute junk but junk. Trite.

This has angered me so much that I will never purchase any product from Broderbund again.

Liked it less than Clickart 200,000
As a graphic artist I started with Clickart 25,000 and liked it. I upgraded to Clickart 125,000 and Clickart 200,000 as they were released. So far the Clickart 200,000 version has been the best. It came with 14 cds and 2 large volumes of well-organized thumbnails for finding the right image. I had expected more of the same. Clickart 750,000 was, unfortunately, very disappointing. No printed catalog and very few of the images I purchased were actually in the box. Most of them require online registration and downloading. That was not made clear during ordering or I would not have ordered. The book that IS enclosed titled: "Getting Organized in the Digital Age" seems to have very little to do with Clickart.
I own several Corel products and a few from Art Explosion. Clickart 750,000 does not compare well either with these or Clickart's previous versions. Be sure you know exactly what you are getting and are sure this is indeed what you want. ... Read more

Product Description

Features 8 titles that will turn your exterior into a showcase! Includes: LandDesigner 3D, 3D Deck, Photo Garden Designer, Ortho Problem Solver, Personal Garden Planner, Encyclopedia, and Design Guide. ... Read more

Features

• Address-to-address directions on-the-go
• Over 1 million business listings with address and phone number
• Real-time GPS support including audio prompts and one-touch rerouting
• Generate clear directions with highlighted route lines
• A wealth of new navigation features for GPS

Reviews (8)

Not worth even one star!
i bought this program after the salesman told me it was the best one he had. What a joke. The search engine is the worst! When you print out a map, it prints it in a color that doesn't allow you to see the streets. b What good is that. I emailed the company and they said you cannot change the default color of the map in this version. What a screw up that is! I am so disappointed that I uninstalled it and just use mapquest now. I can't belive Rand McNally allowed a program this bad to be released. Someone must have been snoozin'

Way out of date, incompetent, incoherent
I have been using streets & trips 2001 for a few years, but found it getting incresingly out of date, with the new construction going on around my locale, so I went out and bought this product. Unbelievably, though I bought it at least three years after microsoft streets & trips, it was even MORE out of date -- and the interface looks more dated. Worst of all, the very street I live on -- which has been here at least 10 years now, probably more -- was shown incorrectly, it is a through street, this program shows it as a dead end!

In short - a way out of date competitors product you can buy on ebay for $3 is better than this piece of ####. It isn't even worth the time spent installing it (I had to swap the same CD in and out at least 5 times -- what's with THAT?), let alone what3ever money you pay. I'm deleting it off my drive & going back to S&T 2001 for now.

Waste Of Money
I had been using Microsoft Streets & Trips 2002 and wanted to upgrade to something more current. After hearing that streets & trips 2004 was not an improvement over 2002, I decided to give Steetfinder & Tripmaker a try. What a waste ! I can't believe that Rand Mcnally would allow their name to be put on this thing. terriable interface, can't find streets that are shown on the programs map, map is cartoonish compared to the Microsoft product. In fairness I don't use the gps feature so it could have some redeeming value in that area.

I did not see these complaints
While I have not used the GPS, streetfinder works well at locating and mapping the addresses that I need. The real bonus is TripMaker which has allowed us to map out and plan long trips through several states and make reservations along the way. I would not leave home without it.

Really Really Bad Product!!!
Can find a lot of places. Can't find my work, school (University of North Florida!). Although GPS capabilities were okay. But what can I do with GPS if it can't find where I want to go!!! ... Read more

Features

• Begin reading music notation in just a few lessons
• Instructor Hugh Berberich walks you through 150 lessons -- watch his hands and duplicate their movements as you learn to play
• Learn to play 75 popular songs, through the video-animated lessons
• Work with a full recording studio -mixing boards, level meters, transport function and other high-tech aspects of recording yourself
• Understand important piano concepts like intervals, bars, and sharps & flats -- all explained in a clear and concise manner