CLICKS: Software Reviews

KOOL KARAOKE Maker: Eatsleepmusic Rating: four stars System: Windows 95 or higher Suggested price: $19.95 More information: 613-721-1107; www.eatsleepmusic.com Karaoke was born

Monday, April 3rd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

KOOL KARAOKE
Maker: Eatsleepmusic
Rating: four stars
System: Windows 95 or higher
Suggested price: $19.95
More information: 613-721-1107;
www.eatsleepmusic.com

Karaoke was born 20 years ago in Kobe, Japan, and itâ€™s now a $20 billion industry. It was inevitable that it would be brought home to the PC. From the time you install the program and select the first tune from your playlist, you will be addicted to this software.

Plug the included microphone into the computer and select from among the 50 songs on the CD-ROM. The feature list is eclectic, including titles such as Dancing Queen, Ave Maria, Go Tell It on the Mountain and Do Your Ears Hang Low. Several kiddie favorites from Humpty-Dumpty to Kookaburra also are tossed in, making this program child- and family-friendly.

The lyrics appear on the screen in a nice, readable size, three lines at a time, and just as with the karaoke machines in clubs, the words are highlighted in yellow as they are sung.

You donâ€™t have to do any fancy configuring inside your computer. Adjustments and fine-tuning can be made on the computer screen at the Kool Karaoke opening page.

Call up a song and tweak the melody, pitch and tempo by clicking on the songâ€™s title box, which lists the tuneâ€™s artist and writer.
Also do music fade-outs to really make it sound professional.

Kool Karaoke currently comes with a bonus 10 titles that you can download free, and you also can purchase and download thousands more.

Your Internet additions can be placed directly onto the playlist, which comes with its own search tool.

Itâ€™s the best fun around for under $20 - and an instant party.

PUZZ 3D: THE ORIENT EXPRESS
Maker: Wrebbit
Rating: four stars
System: Windows 95 or higher/Macintosh
Suggested price: $24.95
More information: 514-744-8444;
www.wrebbit.com

Wrebbitâ€™s new Puzz 3D takes you on the Orient Express for an adventure that combines a virtual three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, multimedia episodes on the famous trainâ€™s past and a new story line that doesnâ€™t involve a murder.

Get ready to devote the time because you are going to assemble several of the trainâ€™s cars from the hundreds of pieces on the computer screen. The Puzz 3D games are difficult, so I advise nonpuzzle types to start with the easy level.

As in previous titles, you get to take breaks and view the video of the celebrated train on a Paris-to-Istanbul route in the early 20th century. Historical information on the train, which still runs today, is interesting, and fictitious characters from the period lace the trip in progress.

The ultimate goal is to help the resident sleuth solve the mystery. Challenges include reassembling a marquetry bird found on the train, tracking down mahjongg tiles that hold the key to the celebrity passengerâ€™s identity and restoring the music score. Music, by the way, is provided for the whole trip.

My suggestion is to make this activity a family project. This is a wonderful computer exercise by committee. But its depth also may require more than one or two heads at the table.