Treasures of the Smithsonian is one of the first completed appllcatlons of the Compact Disc-Interactive (CD-I) format developed by N.V. Phillps and scheduled for lntroductlon In- September 1991. Treasures received a flrst place "Muse Award" from the American Association of Museums in May 1991. The Treasures program is not an "orientation" program focusing on where to find collections and objects. Indeed, it was not developed for exhibit lnstallatlon at all, but rather as a consumer product to be purchased and viewed at home. Rather, Treasures provides a "sampling" of the objects one mlght see over several visits to the Smithsonian museums. In that sense, it mlght serve as a pre-visit orientation or a post-visit souvenir. The Treasures program presents a sampling of 150 objects from the Smithsonian's 14 museums in high-quality audio-visual presentations, with narration, sound effects, and music. Viewers can select treasures by museum, by date, by thematic tour, or by category. Each treasures include a text Note, giving details about who, what, when, where, materials, dimensions, photo credits, and additional commentary. Each treasure also has "links," allowing viewers to jump from one related treasure to another without using the metaphoric menu scheme. Some treasures have"toysM - special Interaction allowing viewers to, say, walk around a sculpture, view a detail of a painting, or hear sounds associated with an Instrument or device.