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If only X-Files Unrestricted Access was as entertaining as the television series.
X-Files disappoints
X-Files Unrestricted
Access
Fox Interactive
Win '95 CD-ROM
They're creepy and they're kooky.
sterious and spooky. They're alto-
aer ook. They're Mulder and Scully.
Or at least that's how Fox Interactive,
the Fox subsidiary that responisble for
the sub-par William Shakespeare's
"Romeo and Juliet" CD-ROM, wants
you to look at the two fearless fibbies
with the endlessly encyclopedic "X-
Files: Unrestricted Access." Too bad
it doesn't quite measure up.
"X-Files Unrestricted Access" is a
good concept that is put together well,
t iust doesnt cut it. The package is
.active - every piece of X-Files
trivia known to man is at your finger-
tips.
The interface is sophisticated yet
clunky, and, while the program is most
attractive to hardcore X-philes, the
hardcore X-philes already know
everything that the program has to
oftTer.
Divided into two sections,
irestricted Access" tries to satisfy
every X-Files fii's needs. The larger
of the two sections is the browser,
which uses Internet Explorer 4.0 as its
engine. Because of this, in order to use
the software you must install Internet
Explorer on your computer - a
process both painful and lengthy.
Be prepared to spend at least 20
minutes waiting for the program to
install and another hour getting used to
navigating the interface in order to get
- te excessive amount of trivia stored
c? the CD.
When you finally finish installing
the Internet Explorer, the results are
good overall. The software successful-
ly links different media to create the
unified whole of the browser, provid-
ing case files on every episode through
the end of the fourth season.
The case files themselves contain
links to dossiers on characters, from
the main agents to Cigarette-Smoking
Man to the most minor players and
monsters of the week.
Still images from the show are scat-
tered throughout, as well as at least one
video clip per episode and the occa-
sional sound clip. (Ihe video clips
looked excellent even on my techno-
logically challenged home monitor.)
There is a fully integrated updater
included in the software that automati-
cally fetches updates from the X-Files
website.
No updates are available as of yet.
the case files, dossiers and multime-
dia samples from the fifth season of
the show will probably be available
sonetime this summer.
The Desktop Designer section of
Unrestricted Access is a far cry froin
what it could be if as much time was
spent making it as interensting and
informative as the browser segment.
The Designer offers several screen-
savers that repeatedly loop 20 second
scenes. but none are very interesting.
The Designer also allows users to
customize the computer desktop with
X-Files wallpaper and sounds.
Ihe wallpaper appears more to be
inspired by the show and characters
rather than actual pictures, and the
sounds are typical ambient sounds that
only vaguely resemble the magic of
show composer Mark Snow.
X-Files Unrestricted Access has too
many negative components to make it
worthwhile for anybody but die-hard
X-philes and newbies looking for a
crash-course in XF lore and legend.
"Access" resembles one of those ter-
rible monster of the week episodes; a
little intriguing, potentially interesting,
but the actual execution makes you
want to change the channel or kill the
writers. Better luck next time, Fox.
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