The New World Encountered

After the super job Rainbow Educational did with The New World Explored (VL-7/98) this companion tape comes as a disappointment. Unlike the former entry, which featured a cohesive, chronological narrative, this video seems to be all over the place. We start with John Cabot then back up to Columbus; go from the Mayas of Mexico to the League of the Iroquois in North America then back to Cabot, followed by a digression about Africa which has no purpose except to point out that the producers aren't leaving out African history. (With that in mind, why didn't they mention a little Asian history, since the "Oriental" trade was the goal of the Age of Exploration?) And so on. The illustrations and music are sometimes also anachronistic: the Bayeux Tapestry is shown during the discussion of the Vikings, for instance, and Bach is played during a discussion of the Renaissance era. The teacher's guide is great, but what a disappointing script after the previous entry! Optional. Aud: J, H, P. (R. Reagan)