Glowing on the screen, these reproductions are mostly clearer than on the page, except in cases of dark oil paintings. Each painting has at least one, sometimes up to ten pages of commentary with links elsewhere in the CD-Rom, while the paper system is limited to one lonely page per work. But quantity of information by itself does not make a better commentary on art. This can be empowering, but also impersonal. In doing this, the CD-Rom lacks the act of judgment that heralds the unique features of a collection.
Human presence comes instead in the form of a reassuring male English voice.
But the speech is plain and overshadowed by the engaging animations that demonstrate his points. Beyond the guided tours, Art Gallery provides a menu organised by picture type, artists, subject or city. What's missing, critically, is page numbers. There is no beginning and end. The way to get around Art Gallery is more like riding a bike than catching a train.