www.taj-mahal.net ??

A thrillingly executed virtual tour is the 21st-century cyber-traveller??s equivalent of the grand tour. Swooping through an exotic landscape, photographed in ravishing detail, is one of the most arresting of desktop experiences. ??Immersive?? is the buzzword; ??wow?? a frequent exclamation. Rival technologies have reached various pitches of perfection to bring us privileged glimpses into other ways of life, and this tour of the Taj Mahal offers a benchmark, so download the latest version of QuickTime before setting off. Sumptuous wraparound panoramic views, which the visitor must rotate to move through, show off the 17th-century royal mausoleum at Agra in astonishing detail. Sitar flourishes and an intelligent audio commentary accompany a stroll through the Paradise Gardens into such restricted areas as Mumtaz Mahal??s tomb, while an arrow locates you on the accompanying 3-D map. The price for access to this splendid desktop gateway is ??2 for a year, one-tenth of which goes to the Indian Archeo- logical Survey.

MARS

www.exploremarsnow.org ??

Landing a probe on Mars is hard enough, let alone a spaceship full of package tourists. So, in the absence of any real journey into space, this flight of fancy explores ??the science, technology and hazards of a near- future mission to the red planet??. In place of panoramic photographs, atmospheric illustrations lead the visitor from a bleak planetscape into the cosy, functional hum of a research station, complete with greenhouse and galley. Areas are easily navigated from a menu bar at the foot of the screen, while colour-coded areas yield information on mouseover. The site, run by Nexterra, a not-for-profit offshoot of the Mars Society, remains deadly earnest throughout. ??The spokes of the (Mars) Rover??s wheel are actually springs that partially compensate for the absence of inflatable tyres,?? the text explains. Deadpan animations later reveal the design secrets of the station??s chairs. Great fun, in Boy??s Own style.

ROME

http://vrm.vrway.com

??Mina sings in the Vatican basilicas?? is the subtitle of this inevitably stylish Italian site. The rich tones of one of Italy??s most prominent divas, Mina Mazzini, add precisely the right note of drama to this selection of 360-degree views of Rome??s finest buildings. If your computer has a dial-up internet connection, it will be obsolete by the time it downloads these images, so broadband access is a must. The quality of the panoramas at full screen size is exquisite ?? I admit to gasping in awe when zooming in to examine the bas-relief detail of the Basilica San Paolo??s great entrance, then moving inside to gaze up at its huge colonnades, all accompanied by Gregorian chants. The sheer quality of the execution here creates a powerful ambience, though occasionally, when Mina??s musical numbers slip a little too much into the lounge style, it is difficult to shake the feeling that you are in an advert for luxury ice cream.

ST PETERSBURG

www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/08/
hm88_0.html ??

This collabo- ration with IBM, which maps the corridors and contents of the Romanov dy-nasty??s opulent winter palace-turned-museum, is suit-ably lavish ?? only www.louvre.fr comes close to matching its ambition and scale. The 87 panoramas take in acres of floor space and handsome rooftop views. The mammoth task is successfully realised through immaculate organisation and a sense of harmony: individual panoramas are supplemented by text explaining the history of each room. and there are images of notable works among the 3m pieces the museum houses. You can almost hear footsteps echoing on marble while moving from considering The Dance, in the Matisse Room, to a bust of Aphrodite in the Hall of Dionysus, without shouldering past hordes of tourists. However, the site is showing its age: its small viewing windows cannot disguise poor picture quality and sluggish controls.

OXFORD

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