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Do you and your friends exchange knowing glances whenever "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" comes on? Are you one of those people who can dance to 'Dead' tunes? If so, you are a good candidate for enjoying The Groove Thing.
This psychedelic CD-ROM isn't for everyone. Part screen saver, part painting program, and totally far out, The Groove Thing is an enjoyable program. It's just hard to imagine spending $50 on it.
The Groove Thing bills itself as a "visual jam." Left to its own devices, it paints kaleidoscopic images on your screen. The colors, shapes and lines pulsate along to the music being played. You have a choice of three styles: High Pulse, Zen Riffs and Nature. You can also run a line from your stereo into your Mac (the cable isn't included, though) to control the images, or use your own voice through a microphone.
Of course, if you're a total control freak you can also use the "Black Wave" control panel at the bottom of the screen. It takes a while to figure out what all the trippy little squiggles do, but that's OK. This isn't exactly a goal-oriented product. The point here is to just lay back and enjoy the groove. Play with the color scheme or line weight. Or don't. Just do what feels right.
The bottom line: I wouldn't spend the $50, but I would be really happy if someone gave it to me. You gotta love a program whose manual tells you to "Keep your eyes open and your mind free." Well, OK, maybe you don't. If you spent the sixties carrying around "I like Ike" signs, skip it. But if you have a high pointlessness threshold, check this one out.


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All Content Copyright ©1995 Big Top Productions, L.P. All Rights Reserved.
The Groove Thing developed by BirdTree Associates with Big Top Productions, L.P. The Groove Thing Copyright ©1994 Big Top Productions, L.P.