The Oracle of Changes by TOPICS Entertainment

Description

We wanted to like this software, at least for the promise mentioned on its cover: “Better Decisions. Better Relationships. Less Stress.” Who wouldn't want those things? Software based on the I Ching has limitless possibilities, allowing simplicity to be brought to this ancient means of self-realization. Again, the software promised thousands of readings of the I Ching, in versions that are “poetic, relevant and non-sexist.” With academic interviews tossed in for good measure, it would seem like a package most could benefit from.

The problem lies in the execution: tinny, MIDI-like music, for example (Peruvian flutes being the best, the option for adding “Random Frogs” the worst). The choice of warm earth tones for the image palette was a good one, as was the strong black border, which transforms the ordinary white space of computers that normally house Microsoft Word documents and Web search engines. But ultimately, it's the small things that disappoint: the interview with a professor where the narrator sits in front of what appears to be a cubicle wall, for example, or the smallness of the font in the book's layout.

As a chance to take a break, breathe, and think about life's choices, The Oracle of Changes could prove quite useful. But as a gift to a friend in need, or to yourself, you'd be best off curling up with a copy of the book itself, in any of its many translations. –Jennifer Buckendorff

Platforms

Mac, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 95