Leonardo da Vinci is a 1997 interactive CD-ROM game by Corbis, consisting of a "computerized viewing tool which permits the user to examine English translations of the Codex [Leicester] superimposed onto facsimiles of its pages".[1] The tool, known as Codescope, is licensed by Corbis.
| Leonardo da Vinci | |
|---|---|
| Release | 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Interactive CD-ROM |
Development
editIn 1994, Bill Gates acquired the Codex Leicester.[1] In 1997, Gates' privately held company Corbis released a CD-Rom version of the manuscript.[1] On October 25, 1996 it was announced the game would be ready for the holiday season (Microsoft Windows in November and Macintosh in December[2]), but this was ultimately postponed.[2] The game was one in a line of educational/entertainment CD-ROMs with subjects including Paul Cézanne, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Manhattan Project.[3] The game's promotion was kick-started by being featured in a Da Vinci exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.[4]
Content
editThe title contains the Codex Leceister, as well as a virtual gallery of Leonardo's major paintings, plus his drawings, manuscripts, and lost works.[5] Players can view the Codex in the original mirror-script Italian, a reversed “normal” view, a transcription of the original Italian, and a modern English translation.[6] Leonardo Da Vinci is a coffee-table-book type game.[7]
Critical reception
editLawyer Gary L. Wolfstone deemed the project "impressive" and "interpretive".[1] Computer Shopper praised the title's ease of use and slick production values.[8] The Economist felt the game "exemplif[ies] the strengths and weaknesses of multimedia at its current, immature state of development".[9] ATPM felt the game would hold the interest of both novice and scholar.[10] The New York Times deemed it one of the better art-history CD-ROMs, despite some oversights in features and interface.[11] Wired explained that the experience of playing the game was "as if Leonardo can suddenly speak".[12] De Volkskrant felt that the game supported Gates' thesis that computer technology could be a form of art.[13] The Wall Street Journal wrote that while Da Vinci is a popular subject for video games, this title "beats them all".[14]
Corbis did not earn a profit from the game.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Gary Wolfstone reviews Leonardo da Vinci Digitized". www.wolfstonelaw.com. Archived from the original on 2015-08-02.
- ^ a b "Corbis Announces "Leonardo da Vinci" CD-ROM. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com.
- ^ Roush, Wade. "Setting A Standard In Multimedia Software".
- ^ "The Curator - Edge.org". www.edge.org. Archived from the original on 2018-04-21.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "The Codescope, from Corbis's Leonardo da Vinci CD-ROM - Xconomy". Archived from the original on 2018-04-21.
- ^ a b "Tasteful. Unprofitable. Microsoft?". www.forbes.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-21.
- ^ "Corbis' Leonardo da Vinci: an old master in a new medium. (Corbis Corp) (Software Review)(Brief Article)(Evaluation)". 1 March 1997. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Leonardo da Vinci. (CD-ROM book) (Software Review)(Brief Article)". 19 April 1997. Archived from the original on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "ATPM 4.06 - Review: Leonardo da Vinci CD-ROM". www.atpm.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-09.
- ^ "Backwards or Forwards, the CD-Rom of Leonardo's Codex Comes Up a Winner". archive.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-21.
- ^ Rapaport, Richard. "In His Image". Wired. Archived from the original on 2018-04-21.
- ^ "Gladjes, maar Leonardo da Vinci past goed op een cd-rom". De Volkskrant. Archived from the original on 2018-04-21.
- ^ Mossberg, Walter S. (7 November 1996). "New CD-ROM Titles Get You Acquainted With FDR, da Vinci". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2018-04-21.