Friendly Tour Guide Teaches Japanese Culture on CD-ROM

October 18, 1994 -- DragonLord Software has come out with a multimedia tour
of Nara, the first main capital of Japan, that teaches Japanese history
and culture. The tour is narrated by Kazuko, a local resident of the area,
who also appears in many of the pictures.

"So many tours are just impersonal pictures of buildings and monuments,"
explains The DragonLord, the creative force behind DragonLord Software.
"We decided to add a personal touch by having a tour guide who accompanies
you, takes you around to all these different beautiful historical sights,
and explains everything for your benefit. It's just like you were really
there, in Japan, exploring the city and encountering all these things-sort
of a 'virtual reality'.

"An added bonus to having a tour guide in the picture is that you can get a
better feel for the size of things. For instance, I can describe these 25'
high wooden guardian statues that were carved in 1203. But until you see
Kazuko standing next to one, you can't understand just how big they really
are when you're there. She makes the tour more personal.

"In Japan, one proper term of respect for a young woman not known to you is
'big sister'. We wanted to have a tour guide that looked like a big sister
or a babysitter for the younger children, while at the same time being
friendly and relaxed enough to appeal to adults. This title can be viewed
by anybody, and he or she will get something out of it.

"The entire presentation is done in a low-key manner that is consistent
with the quiet, peaceful, patient cultural values of Japan. The background
koto music is almost hypnotically beautiful. We move in an unhurried
fashion from one scene to another, to allow the viewer time to assimilate
it all. But because the culture is so different, there is enough new
material in each picture to really make you think. Why has this city been
in this place for the last 1,200 years? Why did they use stone to build
some parts, and cedar wood to build other parts? How can the wood have
lasted so long? Why are the streets so narrow, and the cars so small?
Which shops do the Japanese people frequent, and what kinds of things do
they like to buy? How do they spend their vacation days? What do the
normal people do in their everyday lives? You can get all the answers to
these questions from our CD-ROM, but you have to learn how to look, how to
think about what you're seeing.

"We cover every major sight in the city. Because the title is so large and
so comprehensive, we recommend that people pace themselves when viewing
it, especially for our younger audiences with short attention spans. You
could spend fifteen or twenty minutes a week viewing our information, and
still barely finish in a semester's time. It would be a real mistake to
try to view the entire 3-5 hour tour in one sitting, it's just too much to
absorb. The real city itself takes at least two or three days to explore.
Take your time and enjoy it. And we hope you enjoy the personal touch of
having your own Japanese tour guide."

DragonLord's Guide to NARA, Japan is shipping from September. The company
can be reached at 1-(800) 353-9753, or 1-(619) 793-3888 for foreign
orders.

DragonLord Software
204 N. El Camino Real Bldg, E-123
Encinitas, CA 92024 USA

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