TravelBrains and The History Channel have developed a multimedia history of the Civil War on four CD-ROMs. This is the first and only completely animated history of the Civil War and includes a comprehensive overview of the entire war and three of its greatest battles: Gerrysburg, Fredericksburg, and Second Manassas.

This package provides, in the introductory CD, a one-hour animated, comprehensive, overview of the entire war, taking the viewer step-by-step from the beginning to the end of the Civil War, and setting the stage, so to speak, for understanding the battles to be presented. Each of the three battle CDs presents an animation of the battle and includes six multimedia modules:

• The Movie Module contains a 30-minute animated movie that provides an overview of the campaigns that led up to each of the battles.
• The Battle Module provides detailed battle maps, which include animation, sound effects, and music. This module also includes battle reports that give detailed accounts of the action, provides zoom in capabilities for close up views, presents historic photographs and illustrations to explore, and offers audio accounts from the diaries of soldiers who fought the battle, and a 360-degree virtual tour of the battlefields.
• The Weapons and Tactics Module allows the user to view animated movies about the tactics used by the cavalry, infantry and artillery and to explore the tools of destruction in a 3-D weapons museum.
• The Armies Module provides a detailed description of the combatants, and offers animated movies and detailed organizational charts that explain the strengths and weaknesses of each side.
• The Quiz Module allows the user to test his or her knowledge of the Civil War and is set up such the faster you answer, the more points you score. This module also permits individuals to test their knowledge relative to each other.
• The Travel Module allows the user to plan the trip to the battlefield, and includes lodging and travel information.

"Great Battles of the Civil War" is an incredible wealth of general Civil War information, as well as specific battle information. I actually had trouble reviewing this product because every time I went to pick up the package it was missing. I found that my 11- and 10-year old sons kept "borrowing" it. They also managed to hook my six-year old daughter into learning more about the Civil War and its battles, weapons, tactics, maps, and music.

I think the best product review is one that can't be completed because the children in the home keep taking the product because they truly like it. "Great Battles of the Civil War" is one of those products. All of the Allen's highly recommend this product.



-- Product Review by: Heather W. Allen, TOS Senior Analyst, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine