Virtual Economics is an extraordinary resource. Developed by EconomicsAmerica and the Nebraska Council on Economic Education, with funding from the National Science Foundation, the new CD-ROM holds more than 55,000 pages worth of economics. But it is much more than the world's longest computerized economics text.

Its full title is Virtual Economics: An Interactive Center for Economic Education, and it features vivid full-color graphics, three dimensional settings, newsreel footage, films, and photographs. Users have the opportunity to hear the voices of those who made economic history as well as those who have been affected by it.

Virtual Economics will run on any computer with at least a double-speed CD-ROM drive, Windows 3.1 (or later) or Macintosh II (System 7.0 or later), a 13" color monitor, a sound card and speakers, and at least 8 MB of memory. The CD-ROM opens with a self-guided tour of the 3-D Interactive Center for Economics, where users can visit "exhibition rooms" featuring fundamental concepts of macro, micro, and international economics. Students and teachers can browse through the range of economic information at their own pace. They can mix and match to create their own lesson plans or choose from thousands of classroom-tested lessons.

A National Science Foundation grant has made it possible for any K-12 school in the United States to get one free copy of the Virtual Economics CD-ROM. But by the end of August 1996, fewer than half of the 84,000 disks had been distributed. Of course, mailing one to each school building would be easy enough, but the people at EconomicsAmerica and the team that created Virtual Economics want to be sure that the CD-ROM finds its way into the hands of people who will use it. They also want to be certain that teachers know how to use it effectively, so they have been conducting workshops for teachers all across the country. The workshops last a half-day or less and are held at EconomicsAmerica's 300-plus State Councils and local Centers.

To make sure your school receives its free copy of Virtual Economics, please call your State Council on Economic Education or local Center for Economic Education. (The Councils and Centers in New England are listed on page 6 under New England Update.) Or call EconomicsAmerica's toll free number: 1-800-338-1192.