Today at Macworld New York, Mercury Software will announce the immediate availability of Kyoto Gardens, the second edition of a “virtual stroll” through Zen Landscapes, a QuickTime VR hybrid CD-ROM rewritten from scratch to support QuickTime 5 and Mac OS 9 (as well as Windows 98/Me).
“In the interactive mode, the CD takes the user on a virtual tour of 24 of Japan’s most famous Zen landscapes with detailed notes on the design and history of the gardens popping up as you walk,” Ian Shortreed of Mercury Software told MacCentral. “When you are tired of learning, you can turn off all text with a flip of a switch and simply walk full screen through these exquisite Japanese spaces (you can even change the ambience of your stroll with New Age Japanese music in the background).”
The CD comes with a 150-plate digital photo library with shots of the gardens that can be used as screen savers or background desktop pictures. A digital book is also included with five essays by scholars on Zen and Japanese landscape design.
Cruise on over to the Mercury home page for a trial walk. Kyoto Gardens can be purchased online for US $39.95, including shipping.
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