A couple of years ago I reviewed RedShift, the initial version of this multimedia astronomy/planetarium product. With the release of RedShift 2, Maris Multimedia has significantly improved what was already a great product.

The CD-ROM for RedShift 2 includes versions for both Windows and Macintosh; I reviewed the Windows version. Although RedShift 2 can be run directly from the CD-ROM, performance is improved if the application is loaded onto a hard drive (takes approximately 2.5 MB). I had no problems with installation in Windows 95.

RedShift 2 comes with a 67-page User's Guide which clearly describes the major features of the product. Extensive on-line help is available through the Windows interface. Although the first version of RedShift contained no audio, I was pleased that RedShift 2 makes use of the Windows sound system, particularly in the Guided Tours; as a bonus, a music CD (RedShift Suite: A Space Age Symphony - over 56 minutes, and it's quite good!) is included with the product.

Operation of RedShift 2 is through a combination of menus, dialog boxes, and control panels. The control panels are designed to remain open while using the program, but may be closed to let you see more of the sky. RedShift 2 begins with a view of the sky above the local horizon (location is easily changed). Time is the current time from your computer. The Filter panel allows you to switch on and off objects to be displayed (Planets, Stars, Deep Sky, Asteroids, Comets, Constellations, Grids, Horizon, and Markers). The perspective of the view (i.e., angle) is also easy to change, and Zoom will magnify the view.

RedShift 2 is useful for both veteran astronomers and people with only a casual interest in astronomy; and I wouldn't be surprised if casual users even find themselves getting deeper into astronomy because of this product. The wealth of information in RedShift 2 is extensive, containing approximately 250,000 stars, 40,000 deep sky objects (e.g., galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters -- things outside our own Milky Way galaxy), 5,011 asteroids, about 100 comets, and models of the nine planetary systems (planets and moons) for our own solar system. Stars with magnitude between -1.6 to 12 may be displayed. The default display is between -1.6 and 6.2, which are the stars that can be seen with the naked eye (the lower the number, the brighter the star). RedShift 2 now allows you to display all stars within a selected magnitude regardless of the zoom factor, which gives you beautiful views of the entire sky. Generation and printing of star maps is easy. Views can be created from anyplace on Earth, or (for that matter) from anyplace in the Solar System. New in RedShift 2 is the ability to locate your position on a comet, asteroid, or space vehicle to travel around the Solar System. You can set the date and time anywhere between 4712 BC and 11,000 AD, and time can be speeded up to simulate astronomical events which could take long periods of time to occur. RedShift 2 has a conjunction finder that predicts the conjunction of two or more planets, and an eclipse finder that predicts the occurrence of Solar and Lunar eclipses. Object visibility reports tied to any specified location on Earth may be generated for any object for a period of up to thirty days; planetary reports provide information on any planet's visibility during the course of a year.

Detailed surface maps are provided for the Earth, Moon, Mars, and Venus (Venus was just added in RedShift 2). Since these maps are held as three dimensional spheres which can be rotated, surface features are easy to view from any angle or magnification using the Direction and Zoom features. Named locations for towns, cities, and observatories on Earth, and craters or landing sites on Moon or Mars are provided. RedShift 2 contains twenty Tutorials and ten Guided Tours, which let you explore a series of astronomical phenomena and events. You can even create your own movies of simulated astronomical events using the Movie Recorder (watch out...saving movies takes up a lot of hard disk space!).

RedShift 2 contains a library over 700 photographs and images (some are new), ranging from views of the Earth from space to deep sky objects such as galaxies and nebula. The overall quality of these images is excellent.

RedShift 2 contains an online version of the "Penguin Dictionary of Astronomy" by Dr. Jacqueline Mitton which includes hypertext linking and additional animations and graphics. This dictionary is accessible from anywhere in the program.

Bottom Line:  Whether you are a seasoned sky-gazer or just have a casual interest in astronomy, I highly recommend RedShift 2. The ease of use and depth of information make it an invaluable resource, and the new information provided in the updated version make it a worthwhile upgrade for previous RedShift owners.

System Tested On:  IBM-compatible PC with a 133Mhz Pentium; Windows 95; 64-bit PCI-bus video card; 32 Mb of RAM; 8x CD-ROM drive; 16-bit Soundblaster-compatible sound card; mouse

Minimum System:  IBM compatible 386SX processor or better (486 recommended); Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 3.1/3.11 and MS-DOS 3.3 or above; 8 MB RAM; CD-ROM drive (double-speed recommended) and MSCDEX 2.0 or later; 256 color VGA display (64k/16 bit color and 800x600 with small fonts recommended); Windows compatible sound card; Mouse

RedShift 2 can be purchased from Maris Multimedia for $49.95 and is also available at retail outlets. Technical support information is available on the World Wide Web at www.maris.com.

Maris Multimedia, 100 Smith Ranch Road, Suite 301, San Rafael, California  94903; phone (415) 492-2819