The Ultimate James Bond: An Interactive Dossier
Preview by Al Giovetti
Price: $40
Genre: pop culture specialty title
Release: October, 1996
Developer: Mico Interactive
Producer: Mike Gutterntag
Publisher: MGM Interactive
Phone: 800-646-4800
Website: http://www.mgua.com/
Requirements: Windows 95 and 3.1

History: Bond historians John Cork and Lee Pfeiffer will provide research assistance on this The Ultimate James Bond (UJB) title. There have been seventeen James Bond movies which is quite a feat since the original James Bond series of books penned by Ian Flemming only had 13 books from Casino Royal to The Man With the Golden Gun. This two CD ROM set will help you bone up on your Bond and even has a trivia game to help.

Summary: The Ultimate James Bond: An Interactive Dossier features all the Bond actors, women, cars, villains and an extensive Bond trivia game. Two Bond experts were brought in to consult on the title with MGM, and as you can see, final product will be bundled with the videocassette of "GoldenEye."

Plot: Title enables user to call up clips, music, and visual information on Bond including complete shooting scripts.

Interface: "UJB sports a sleek, high-tech look with easy-to-use interface as ingenious as one of Bond's gadgets," according to company spokesman Eric Lindbom. Users can explore eight different categories on Bond's film history, missions, lovers, and foes. Each section features an introductory reel of clips.

The mission of the title is to provide an entertaining, visually elegant look at the James Bond phenomena.

Graphics: UJB features elegantly looking graphics to give is a first-class look and feel.

Voice actors and video actors: There is no overall narration, just the original actors from the original bond movies.

Musical score: Features all the original Bond music from the films.

Sound effects: A library of Bond sound effects is included with the film clips.

Utilities: The animated maps of Bond missions is one of the most fun things on the disk to help you relive the excitement of the Bond mystique. Included with the two CD ROMs is a VHS video tape of the latest James Bond Movie featuring Pierce Brosnan in the starring role, Golden Eye.

Future plans: MGM interactive will continue to leverage MGM and United Artists' film properties with multimedia applications when appropriate.

People resources for this preview: Ron Frankel, executive vice president, MGM Interactive and Steve Baum, Micro Interactive.

References:
Kevin J. McCann, Computer and Net Player, volume 3, number 9, February, 1997, pg. 89, 90%.