Software Review: 
Corvette Anthology 1999

by Barbara Spear

It just gets better!

The 1999 Corvette Anthology by HI-Tech Software is DVD-ROM that contains more of the best Corvette photos and reference information you'll find anywhere.

So what's new?

You can view photos for each model year from 1953 to 1999 and choose from the following category buttons: Description, Options, Statistics, Colors, Script, Rear Emblem, Side Emblem, Nose Art, Clip Art, and Ad. When you choose Description, you can either read the text, or click the audio button and listen to it while you click through the photos for that year. (Yes, you can close the Description window and the audio continues!)
 

The File menu includes options to let you install a screen saver, print a photo, or print a booklet containing most of the text info contained on the CD.

The Sound Effects menu has lots of new sounds, including a number of non-Vette auto sounds such as Taxi Horns and a Police Car. The Motorcycle audio was a disappointment--it's definitely not a Harley!

Want to see some Corvette commercials? The Movies menu lets you play commercials from the 60's, 80's and 90's. Note: You'll need Intel's video software but you can install that from the File menu. (I just love programs that come with everything you need!)

The Literature menu contains expanded resource information on Corvette books, catalogs, and magazines. And yes, someone must have heard me, this edition includes e-zines.
 

The Miscellaneous menu contains a treasure trove of helpful info including: Engine info, a Glossary of Corvette terms, a Timeline of Corvette milestones, a list of Corvette museums you can visit, biographies of the Top Ten Corvette people, and a Corvette Identification Guide. Though I'm sure some folks will disagree with the Top Ten choices, they do represent the variety of individuals who created and perpetuated the legend and the mystique. So, who is General Curtis Lemay and what was his involvement with the Corvette? You'll find his story on the CD. My only disappointment on the Miscellaneous menu was the Identification Guide. Yes, it highlighted newly introduced features and options for each year; but, I guess I was looking for something that could help me quickly distinguish between a 68 and 69 on a showfield.

The Artwork menu lists artists who specialize in Corvettes and shows a sampling of their artwork.
 

Unusual collectibles appear on the Vette Stuff menu where you can see examples of Corvette calendars, knives, plates, models, metal signs, postage stamps, and even the Corvette pinball machine. Clearly this section of the Anthology will be expanded with each edition and hopefully it will eventually contain rare collectibles from private and museum collections.

On the Specialty menu you'll find Callaway, Gissler, Lingenfelter, the Malibu Corvette speedboat, prototypes and racecars, and the ZR-1.

Feeling lazy? Go to the SlideShow menu, choose from Photos, Insignias, and Clip Art, then let the Corvette Anthology entertain you with a presentation. Hint: Click on model year 1953 at the bottom of the main screen, then choose the SlideShow option. The Corvette Anthology will start with that model year and take you through all the rest.

What's missing from the Anthology? Well, you won't find parts lists or resto how-to instructions. Maybe someday Hi-Tech Software will introduce a CD containing all those goodies. While you will find print ads and TV commercials, you won't find showroom brochures. Finally, you won't find International Corvette goodies or a description of how the export models differed from their US counterparts. Do these omissions bother me? Not in the least! Corvette Anthology 1999 is greatly expanded over the 1998 version and many of its additions were a direct result of requests and feedback Hi-Tech Software got from Corvetters. Yankee Lady fully expects that this CD product will continue to improve and become more inclusive as time goes on.

Now, if you're thinking, "so I'll just wait a few years before I buy..." Yankee Lady also expects that, over time, some of the extra goodies will be replaced with new ones--so you'll be out of luck if you don't have the whole Anthology series. YL hasn't got any insider info on this, but she has worked enough with CDs to know that even they have storage limits!

Ok, that's more than enough of a sneak preview. This is definitely a DVD-ROM that belongs in any Corvetters computer library. If you didn't get the 1998 edition make sure you get the 1999 edition. And, if you did get the 1998 edition, you'll definitely want the 1999 edition so you can enjoy all the new additions!!

For ordering information, contact Hi-Tech Software. And please, tell them the Yankee Lady sent you. (No, I don't get a referral fee!)

Copyright © August 1998 Barbara Spear. All rights reserved. No portion of this review may be reprinted in any form without the author's written permission.