The Area's Best Food? It's On CD.

Let's Go Publishing has a new CD out on the market for Harvard students.

No, they haven't signed a recording contract with a music company. But they have produced an electronic version of the annual Unofficial Guide to Life at Harvard

For the first time ever, the Unofficial Guide will be available on CD-ROM for any interested buyers who wish to watch as well as read about the swan boats at Boston's Public Garden, among other things.

Former Let's Go publishing director Mark N. Templeton '93, who helped to set up the project, said the idea began with a proposal from a Business School program.

"Last fall we were approached by a couple of computer supplement people at the Harvard Business School Program for Management and Development. They wanted to take the witty writings and reviews from the Unofficial Guide and make them available in an electronic format," Templeton said. "The program lasts for two months, the students are in their 40s...they need the sightseeing and restaurant information that's in the Unofficial Guide."

A test program for about 150 people was eventually developed, Templeton said. Meanwhile, using contacts made through the Business School program, Let's Go came up with a deal with Apple Computers to put the Guide on CD-ROM.

Templeton worked on the project with Apple over the spring and summer. "We decided to add QuickTime video, which is a way that Apple computers can store and distribute images," he said. "To our knowledge, this is the first electronic book produced by Harvard students."

Many of the videos relate to restaurants and sites mentioned in the book, Templeton said. "One example: we've got a video down by the Harbor on one of the trolley tours...Thebasic idea is that we hope they can see where theymay be going," he said.

The computerized format of the Guide will alsoallow users to search for specific informationabout certain sites, services or areas.

Currently, the CD-ROM version of the Guide isavailable for free through Harvard's Office ofInformation Technology with the purchase of aMacintosh or a Macintosh CD-ROM player, or for $5through Let's Go.

Templeton said Let's Go is "hoping" toeventually make the Guide available to studentsover the Harvard computer network, although videoimages would not be available. Right now, though,he said, the publishing company plans to study thefeedback from purchasers of the CD-ROM version.

"We need to see over the next few months whatinterests students have in it," he said. "We'llhave to see if they want it more scaled-back ormore developed.

The computerized format of the Guide will alsoallow users to search for specific informationabout certain sites, services or areas.

Currently, the CD-ROM version of the Guide isavailable for free through Harvard's Office ofInformation Technology with the purchase of aMacintosh or a Macintosh CD-ROM player, or for $5through Let's Go.

Templeton said Let's Go is "hoping" toeventually make the Guide available to studentsover the Harvard computer network, although videoimages would not be available. Right now, though,he said, the publishing company plans to study thefeedback from purchasers of the CD-ROM version.

"We need to see over the next few months whatinterests students have in it," he said. "We'llhave to see if they want it more scaled-back ormore developed.