Just Like a Roadmap (Unfortunately)
A Review of SoftKey Master Maps
Ron Enderland
One of the first applications of the fledgling CD-ROM medium was mapping. The first CD I ever saw was a world atlas back in 1993. So the software manufacturers have had lots of time to perfect this particular incarnation of programming. 
Unfortunately, SoftKey’s Master Maps harkens back to the early days of the medium, when good information was harder to come by. You simply don’t get a lot of bang for your buck.
The program opens with the interface that is familiar to users of mapping applications: a broad view of the USA, with northern Mexico and southern Canada also illustrated. You can then zoom in by drawing a square with the cursor. It is in the process of zooming in that the program’s shortcomings quickly become apparent.
There are 150 metropolitan areas represented here in nice detail. If you want to explore any of these, you can do so down to the house number. However, if you want details on any city, town, or village that is not listed, then you’re out of luck.
The CD is packed full with 680 MB of data. I just don’t know what it’s doing there, as you simply don’t get that much map information in a broad sense. I can’t help but compare it to Precision Mapping 2.0 (a 16-bit Windows program that has been around for so long that you can find it in the cheap bins in the local K Mart for ten bucks), and it comes up short in practically every category.
For the price, I would simply expect maps of every town in the US. Precision Mapping delivered this years ago, and it’s not too much to ask.
Yes, Master Maps reminds me of an old roadmap that has been folded wrong and stuffed under the seat. Instead of digging out the mess, you prefer to pick up an easy-to-use, well-organized road atlas.
The interface is nearly unbearable. Zooming in is easy enough, but zooming out involves calling down a change scale window into which you have to estimate how much you want the view backed out by entering numerical values. How one longs for the simple "Zoom In/Out" feature on PM 2.0’s excellent navigation center!
There is a database of six different city’s hotel accommodations included, which could be useful if you are traveling to one of them. You can also build your own database if you like.
However, this could be accomplished much better with a simple Microsoft Works template. I recommend that you use one, along with a cheap copy of PM 2.0, and pass this offering by.
School House Scorecard
| Product: | SoftKey Master Maps |
| Company: | SoftKey |
| Cost: | $29.95 |
System Requirements:
IBM compatible 386 SX or higher (486 required for Windows 95)
CD-ROM drive
MS-DOS 3.1 or higher
Windows 3.1 or higher
4 MB RAM
VGA or higher
CD-ROM extensions 2.1 or higher
Printer
Breakdown:
Entertainment Value 1
Educational Value 2
Concept 2
Depth 2
Interface 1
Overall Score:
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