Virtual visitors are accompanied by a spoken commentary describing the background and features of each room together with music appropriate to that location. This unique approach leads users into the cathedral and encourages them to explore it.

To aid in their exploration and ensure that they maintain a sense of place, a large map is provided in the lower quarter of the screen, which can also be zoomed up and overlaid with an exterior view of the whole building. The map is used to track visitors' progress and allow them to jump from one room to another if desired.

The panorama points are carefully chosen to enable users to easily identify and click on objects of interest, such as statues, paintings, furniture and decoration. A video window then opens and a movie plays telling the history and giving details of the selected item. If it was a statue or picture of a famous military hero, for example , users will hear a quotation illustrating some interesting or amusing facet of their life or character, as spoken by one of their contemporaries.

If some facet of the background or design of the Cathedral is not apparent in the panoramas, appropriate pictorial icons are displayed at that point so that users can play a movie about the item of interest. For instance, Wren himself is buried in a quiet part of the Crypt but users might want to see a video of his life history and work on St. Paul's without actually going to his tomb, so a pictorial icon appears in the middle of the floor beneath the Dome, where an inscription says ÒReader, if you seek his monument, look around you!"

Many of the movies, of which there are more than 200, are interlinked. For instance, the movie of Admiral Nelson is linked to a movie of great events at the Cathedral which features a dramatic description of his funeral, so that users can easily jump from the movie of the naval hero to that of the great event by clicking on a pictorial icon of of the funeral.

Most of the famous military heroes of the last three hundred years, including George Washington, have statues in the Palace and their story is told in pictures and audio. A special movie shows the development of the Cathedral since 1560.

A comprehensive Help facility identifies all the features and controls of the programme and describes them in audio so that it is unnecessary to search through a manual to find out how a facility works.

If a user were to travel completely round the Cathedral and view all of the movies it would take no less than 10 hours to do so. This is an unprecedented level of detail on any site in the world and represents a completely new standard for publications of any kind. It is supplemented by substantial text giving commentaries and quotations, in addition to the audio of the movies themselves. -------

Independent Review:
"Quite staggering and a superb piece of work ... I am particularly delighted with what you have done with St. Paul's as I am a Prebendary (honorary Canon) of the Cathedral and spend a fair amount of time in it and know it well. You have done us proud! ... I have no hesitation in recommending your product(s)."
Rev. Duncan Ross

The High Altar and Choir The High Altar is the focal point of the whole building. The altar itself is made of a slab of Italian marble weighing four tonnes, and the cross stands three metres high. The crowning piece of the whole structure is the gilt figure of the risen Christ, who presides from the top of the cupola with his right hand extended in blessing. The Choir is the most richly decorated part of the interior, and forms the top of the Cathedral's cross shape. This is where the Cathedral singers and clergy sit during the services.