'Talking Books' Pressed Into Classroom Service

By Karen Diegmueller

Visit a haunted house. Pilot a spaceship to a small planet. Catch a movie in the gallery. Or read, write, and picnic with the animals.

Youngsters are embarking on these adventures and more with the help of lively, animated, and authentic-sounding CD-ROM programs that can store massive amounts of complex wizardry.

In many cases, products that started out geared to the home market are turning up in classrooms, where they are being used to help teach language arts in the early elementary grades. And publishing and software companies have begun to develop programs designed...