There’s Lots to Do, but Disc Is No Coup

Versailles, one of the greatest of all monuments to 17th century architecture and copious consumption, is not the cha^teau it once was, regardless of various restorations.

This spectacular residence and seat of royal power was constructed from 1665 to 1683, during the reign of Louis XIV. Upon his death, his successors undertook “improvements.” As it turns out, destroying magnificent interior designs was the least of the faults of this royal family, which was ejected from the palace at the start of the French Revolution in 1789.

Fast forward to the 1990s, when a French multimedia company decided to digitally re-create the original Versailles. The result is “Versailles 1685,” a hugely ambitious CD-ROM project that attempts to provide something of interest, with some success, for a wide audience, ranging from architecture and history buffs to gamers.

The dual CD-ROM set--an English version is being distributed in this country by the Interplay company--populates the monument with computer-animated characters who actually lived and schemed inside Versailles’ walls. It includes performances of period music pieces that made their debut at the palace.

And on top of that, “Versailles 1685” is also a mystery-adventure computer game.

It’s a lot to pack into two CD-ROMs. A bit too much.

The game portion of “Versailles 1685” begins with a computer-animated vignette that depicts the elaborate ceremonies involved with the waking and dressing of the king. Then, you become a character in an unfolding drama--your mission is to discover the identity of a traitor in the palace who plans on burning it down at day’s end.

With clicks of the mouse, you can move from room to room to view the architecture, art works and lavish ornamentation. In some locales, characters speak directly to you. In others, you can overhear conversations.

You progress through the game by successfully discovering clues and making the right alliances. The more progress you make, the more of the re-created palace is open to you to explore.

If this concept had been better executed, this CD-ROM would be a spectacular work of art rather than a curiosity. The biggest disappointment is in its look. The re-creation--realized by computer graphic artists who worked from hundreds of period drawings--is certainly of historical interest, but its graphic rendering is too cartoon-y to truly represent the sumptuousness of Versailles.

If you are a Francophile or know one, this CD-ROM set, which works on both Windows and Macintosh platforms and sells for about $40, is probably a must, even with its drawbacks.

*

Cyburbia’s e-mail address is david.colker@latimes.com.