MUSICAL MAYHEM ERUPTS in this eclectic array of CD-ROMs that has you moshing to Mozart, turning back time with Forrest Gump, and tracking down tunes via Music Central.
Digital Beethoven on Cyberspeed. "Years ago we had Beethoven, and now we have Mariah Carey. Where's the justice?" screams the leather-clad Great Kat, a Juilliard graduate who aims to right history's wrong. The Bureau of Electronic Publishing revives the classics with this fast-paced CD-ROM title that drops you smack in the middle of the Great Kat's den, where you can play in a cyberorchestra, take a guitar ride through music history, or get the lowdown on bungee-jumping composers. $60. 800-828-4766 or 201-808-2700.
Forrest Gump: Music, Artists and Times. This three-disc CD-ROM collection, distributed by GTE Entertainment, lands such cultural icons as Joan Baez, Neil Young, and Brian Wilson on Forrest's wooden bench to reminisce about the '70s. The full text of each 45-minute interview -- along with song clips and lyrics, classic performance clips, and the entire text of the movie -- are all accessible through an interface "that even Forrest would understand." $40. 800-483-8632 or 619-431-8801.
Microsoft Music Central 96. Music buffs can dig up dirt on more than 80,000 albums, sorted by genre, artist, awards, or release date. Rock, jazz, country, and world-music artists are represented in biographies, album reviews, and photos as well as music clips and performance footage. For the latest dish on the music biz, passport-carrying Internet travelers can also use Music Central to download up to 150 new album reviews and artist updates each month. $45. 800-426-9400 or 206-882-8080.
