The Civil War Experience presents a brief overview of the conflict in the format of modern electronic media. The copy on the packaging challenges potential users, \"Don\'t just read about history; experience it!\" Odds are that most of those who actually did experience the Civil War would rather have read about it. And, advertising hyperbole notwithstanding, few are likely to agree that watching even such a well-done cinematic piece as the CD\'s opening 35-second depiction of the first shots of the war at Fort Sumter is quite the same as experiencing the war. In any case, the user will find that most of the information on this disc is presented as text that one must read on-screen. Unlike text in a book, however, the user accesses this text by pointing and clicking on a given topic. Accompanying and enlivening the text are small portions of narration, sound effects, and music. Generally the music is used briefly, as background, to introduce a particular topic. However, in one instance it is the subject itself. A subtopic on Music under the general heading of Daily Lives allows users to listen to Lorena and Dixie in renditions that apparently aim at reproducing an authentic \"down home\" sound.

In addition to the main topics, the CD-ROM offers several other ways to \"experience\" the Civil War. It includes a time-line of the war, although the time-line graphics make it rather difficult to use. Events are represented merely by dots on the line, and the user does not learn what the event is before clicking the dot. A number of trivia questions are also available, usually one or two for each of the regular topics. These are multiple-choice questions presented in both written and narrated form. Finally, the disc offers two games.

For Windows (32-bit Systems)[*Please review compatibility/platform sections]