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^C^1P11-A Complete Animation Package
^CReview by
^CGeorge Leritte

   Ever wonder how those computer wizards make graphic images fly across the
screen?  P11 is a graphics animation program written by Russell D. Hoffman that
can turn you into a wizard.  With P11 you can create graphic images and move
them across the screen.  The versatility of this program is unrivaled by
anything I've ever seen.  It could be used to create almost any demonstration or
tutorial.  A salesman could make a super sales pitch.  A teacher could make an
entire lesson--with questions.  You could even make an arcade or graphic
adventure game.

   The disks come with two main programs, P11 and P11RUN.  P11 is the program
you use to create and test your demo, tutorial, whatever.  P11RUN is the program
you use to run your finished product.

   The program has both a text editor and a picture editor.  It uses text files
you create to control the movement of the graphic images you've created around
the screen.  P11 is also a powerful programming language with a simple syntax.
In addition to moving images around on the screen, questions and answers can be
asked and recorded.  Pictures can be pieced together by the user and different
images or sequences can be displayed in response to different answers by the
user.  You can create and display different text fonts for your demonstrations.
You are limited only by your imagination and disk space.

   There was a "Heart Demo" included in the review copy.  As a demonstration of
animation and user interaction, it was fantastic.  It showed you how the heart
beats, helped you put a heart together, quizzed you about the parts of the
heart, explained why the heart beats on its own, showed you why people have
heart attacks, and more.

   However, there is a price on all of this versatility.  As with any good tool,
you must learn to use it properly.  The variety of options can be confusing, but
if you move one step at a time, the confusion vanishes.  Russell has included an
introduction on the disk that helps ease you into the wonders of computer
graphics.

   The best part of the entire package is its price.  Similar packages have sold
for several hundred dollars.  P11 is available for $59.95.

   There is a small demonstration of P11 on BIG BLUE DISK that shows only a tiny
fraction of the tremendous capabilities of the program.  To to the next menu
item to see it.
