Travel: Brochures of the week

BEING very modern here on the travel pages this week, we have entered the world of interactive CD-rom brochures.

First into the disc drive is Eurocamp's CDROM'98, which bills itself as "the exciting way to choose a holiday". (Actually, sticking a pin in a map is the really exciting way of selecting a holiday".) A modest, but pleasing effort, the disc kicks off with the song "Walking on Sunshine" before you are given the chance to discover the ideal destination for you and your family and, more importantly, how much it's all going to cost. Particularly pleasing is the section where you get to tell the disc who is going on the holiday by dragging little cartoon figures together to form a family unit (aah). You then type in details of the dates you wish to travel, whether you want insurance etc, to find out the cost of your chosen break. There are also bits of video footage (including a dull line of traffic) but to be fair this is a simple and amusing way of wading through a brochure.

Not surprisingly Virgin's Ski-D Rom 98 is more state-of-the-art (Virgin Interactive makes some of the best video games around). This disc launches with the visage of Richard Branson extolling the virtues of his skiing holidays. But then, in addition to the basic information on resorts, you can play games (including a chance to shoot down the Virgin balloon, something which should appeal to someone), connect through to the Virgin website, "fly" over the resorts to check out the pistes, and meet your video rep, Marlene. A fun, if slightly time-consuming alternative to traditional Virgin brochures.

Eurocamp, tel: 01565 62 62 62; Virgin Holidays, tel 01293 617181.