NO
SMOKE, NO MIRRORS
JUST THE MAGIC
Review by Jody
Reeves
A first hand look at LucasArts new release that promises to make even newcomers to the
STAR WARS Universe instant masters of the genre!
Star Wars: Behind the Magic CD-ROM
by LucasArts
now available suggested retail price: $29.95
May 1999 is only eight months away and you’ve already kicked the butts of everyone who dared to challenge you at "Star Wars Trivial Pursuit." What diversions can you have until the Episode One premiere? The "Star Wars: Behind the Magic" CD-ROM is a two-disc set full of information, trivia and rarely-seen images. While there are no surprise revelations or secrets, this CD-ROM is still worth getting. And it’s much easier to carry around than the "Star Wars Encyclopedia."
The set is broken down into categories - Characters, Technology, Locations, Events, Episode One Preview, Scene by Scene, Behind the Scenes, Expanded Universe, and Glossary. Also, at each section and category, a trivia question is asked. There are 300 total between the two discs, and a tally is kept as you proceed. There’s so much on these discs that I will concentrate on the highlights - those parts I think that make this product a must-buy.
CHARACTERS
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The Characters section is broken into three levels: Main, Aliens, and Groups. I admit it, the first character I checked out was Han Solo. Like the other Main Characters, there is a full biography, image gallery, behind-the-scenes, behind-the-scenes images, costume details, and a trivia question. The biographies are consistent with information already found in the many available source books, novels, comics and computer games. For example, Han Solo’s bio contains the information learned about him through A.C. Crispin’s recent trilogy of novels.
The behind-the-scenes information is quite fascinating. When one clicks on the icon, a screen pops up with a factoid about the character. The one for Boba Fett stated that he was first seen in the little-mentioned Star Wars Holiday Special, making this the first time I’ve seen an official Lucas acknowledgment that the Special existed. The behind-the-scenes images were interesting - many were shots taken during production of the films. The best one was taken while Harrison Ford endured having a plaster mold made of his face for the carbon-frozen Han Solo prop. Poor guy...
And if only to prove that the computer industry is still dominated by guys, a "Leia Fashion Show" is included. When clicking on the icon, the viewer is treated to a CGI Leia parading down a catwalk in the various outfits she wore in the films. The only thing missing was the "I’m Too Sexy" song. Actually, it was reminiscent of an Obsession advert, you can hear lines like, "Who is she? She’s beautiful" whispered as the Princess does her Claudia Schiffer impression.
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