Virtual visit to Narnia

Each week, the Browser features some pop-culture places on the World Wide Web offering the coolest in free interactive sounds and action.

The second book of author C.S. Lewis’ fantasy series comes to cinematic life next week in Walt Disney Pictures’ “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.”

The movie’s official Web site (https://disney.go.com/disney pictures/narnia/) takes visitors to the virtual world of Narnia through a tunnel into a photo-realistic underground train station busy with passengers briskly boarding and leaving. Clicking anywhere in the area takes visitors to the fabled lands where they meet Prince Caspian, who offers an urgent message.

He needs help in forming an army to rid Narnia of the evil King Miraz. Visitors take an interactive role in the site as they go on a scavenger hunt to find 10 characters to help.

Assisted by the Pevensie children, the explorer carefully moves his mouse over terrain to find soldiers in hiding. As each character is uncovered, such as the centaur Glenstorm or Chief Mouse Reepicheep, a short biography is displayed and the character is placed in a gallery at the bottom of the screen.

Visitors watch clips from the film every time they move to a new location and eventually will explore Beruna Woods, Cair Paravel, Miraz’s Castle and Aslan’s How.

Of course, as this is a Disney site, more multimedia moments are hidden within the search. One is a game called Gryphon Attack. In the action, a player must control one of the fabled winged beasts and has two minutes to drop rocks on enemy soldiers. A gryphon can carry just 10 rocks at a time but can find more ammunition atop terrain as he flies by.

Back in the main quest, those who find all 10 characters are rewarded with exclusive wallpaper, a screen saver and the third-person adventure game Which Narnian are You? In this two-part interactive, designers first import a photo of themselves to take on the physical characteristics of a centaur, dwarf, giant or faun.

Images that the FBI might use on a wanted poster work best and, once they’re uploaded, visitors wait for an e-mail that takes them to a 28-megabyte software download for their computer (compatible for Macs or PCs).

Then things get a little creepy. The photo needs a bit more manipulation but now appears to be alive. Eyebrows raise, the mouth opens, and eyes wink while the designer chooses which Narnian to meld into.

Once a character is created, it enters an environment and can move around, collect items and fight enemies, depending on its attributes.

For example, as a centaur, I could cross water and shoot arrows to attack from a distance. My first mission was to find a secret message from Prince Caspian hidden under a blue flag, but I also found gold and health-restoring berries along the grid paths.

Rewards for completing missions include trading cards, wanted posters and transformation animations, all using the player’s photo.

Fans of the series will also want to click on the main site’s menu bar to find another place to further immerse themselves in the film and books. The Narnia Portal (https://disney.go.com/ disneypictures/narnia/portal/) stands as its own site and is loaded with information.

Highlights include production art devoted to the development of minotaurs and centaurs, a look at the weapons used in the film and a link to the colorful HarperCollins site, which features an interactive journey through the published tales of Narnia with plenty of trivia games.

Have a cool site for the online multimedia masses? Write to Joseph Szadkowski at the Browser, The Washington Times, 3600 New York Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20002; call 202/636-3016; or send e-mail to jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com).