Let’s get right to the point: why would you want to be at World of Fantasy? I mean, there are lots of other fantasy related web sites out there, right? Why is World of Fantasy better than the bunch? First of all, World of Fantasy is not "better" than any given fantasy web site you’ll find out there. It does not have the most historical information on fantasy. It does not have the most news. It does not have the greatest collection of art. It does not have the most complete library of creatures. It’s not even the most fun. However (key word), we have never seen any fantasy related web site that better incorporates so many areas of interest as World of Fantasy. It starts you off in many different directions, and then lets you pursue your interests by directing you to those "specialized" web sites which you will find particularly relevant. With that in mind, here’s a brief description of the site. Of course, you don’t need to read it; just dive right in and start exploring if you want.
Educational content
World of Fantasy is a place for all those who are willing to learn, explore, and have fun. It's primary goal is to be an educational web site on the topic of fantasy literature. We have therefore stocked it full of information on the history of fantasy (History of Fantasy), famous fantasy authors and works (Famous Authors), creature definitions (Library of Creatures), and as much inside info as we could find on the thought patterns and writing habits of these fascinating authors (Creating a World). Although we have worked for weeks to find troves of valuable information, we know that there is much, much more out there, and it would be impossible to collect it all. We have therefore, as mentioned earlier, collected a plethora of links to various fantasy related web sites, from the small to the gargantuan, the general to the painstakingly in-depth. To check these out go to our links page.
Interactive content
Although we want our site to be thoroughly educational, we also want it to be both easy to use and fun; attractive to both the serious researcher, and the casual browser. That is why we have included such areas as Games, and Say What?, where you’ll find various ways to interact, have fun, and share ideas. Other sections include Current Fantasy (check the news), Fantastic Art (a library of fantasy artwork, available for personal use), and Search (search the web for fantasy directly from our site).
Navigation
Navigating World of Fantasy is easy. On the left you’ll find "button" links to every major area of the site. This will always be present on your screen, along with the rest of the purple "border." Upon clicking on most of these buttons you’ll be presented with a small "help" link in the upper right (which will take you to the relevant help section - example), and large links that will take you further into the selected area (like the one you clicked on to get here). After you’ve clicked on one of these large links you’ll be able to quickly jump between the respective areas with the small navigational links at the top of the page. 
You'll be able to further navigate the selected page by the "content" links at the top of that page. Purple links will take you to another part of World of Fantasy, while red links will open a new browser window which will take you to a site outside World of Fantasy (the white "Link of the day" link is unpredictable). Clicking on the World of Fantasy logo at the top left of the page will always take you back to the site index (where you selected your version of the site). Clicking on "Link of the day" will take the page’s main view to the respective link, and clicking on the Thinkquest logo will open a new browser window targeted to Thinkquest.org (the competition for which this site was created).
If you have trouble at any time with any aspect of the site go to the troubleshooting section below. That’s all you need to know! Have fun!
This is the place to check on fantasy related news: films in production, recently published books, recently late authors... It may not be the most complete source available, so check our Current Fantasy web links for more.
The section of the site you’re currently visiting, under the subsection of "About the Site." In this section you’ll find everything you need in terms of information and help. In "About the Site" you’ll find an overview of World of Fantasy (above), this walkthrough, and Troubleshooting, below. You can also take a look at our site map, or glance at our citations and copyright notices.
Here you’ll find fascinating info on the everything from the origin of fantasy to modern development. One of the main sections of the site. It is littered with red links (as you'll recall, red links take you to sites outside of World of Fantasy) for the curious reader to follow.
Here you’ll find info on famous fantasy authors: who they were, and what they wrote. For more info on authors and works go to our links page. This section of the site will grow as we continue to add authors.
Creating a World looks into the thought patterns and writing styles of various authors. This section of the site will grow as we continue to add authors.
In the games section we offer several fantasy titles for you to download and play at you leisure. Some will suit you better than others, so read the descriptions before downloading. Some of the games are even playable online with the Vitalize! pluggin. This section of the site will grow as we continue to find and add games.
Possibly the most confusingly named, Say What? is the section that allows you to Say What you are thinking, as well as see what others have to say. It includes a weekly Quick Poll, several Fantasy Forums, an area that allows you to review (and check others’ reviews on) fantasy books, and a guest book. Note: abuse of these features of the site will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
Well, you can probably guess what this section contains: links to other fantasy web sources. They are divided into the areas of Award of Excellence (sites which have received our fantasy site award), current fantasy, fantasy books, fantasy authors, fantasy art, fantasy games, and miscellaneous. This section is very valuable, as it lets you continue to explore beyond the scope of this particular site. This section of the site will grow as we continue to find and add links.
If you’re looking for some great fantasy artwork, whether for personal use or just for viewing, this is the place to go. Griffins, Dragons, Elves, Unicorns... the list goes on. All the artwork can be downloaded for your personal use. This section of the site will grow as we continue to get copyright permissions from artists.
Have you ever wanted a comprehensive library of fantasy creatures from various authors and time periods all in one spot? We have, and that’s why we’ve included our library of creatures. Go here and you can look up the definitions and histories of many fantasy creatures.
Many people helped us through the process of creating our site. Here you can find out who they are and what they did.
If you want to learn a bit about us (there are three of us by the way), or are interested in a bit of comic relief check out Who Are We?. If you’re interested in the process of creating our site, or are hoping to put together your own website and want some tips and tricks, check out The Making of World of Fantasy. If you want to contact us about anything, just hit Contact Us. And finally, if you’re interested in having a ton of fun, learning a whole lot you never knew before, and interacting with some great people you’ve never met, click on Thinkquest, the program (contest) that got us started on this whole thing.
A "must-have" for any site, the Search section lets you search World of Fantasy with Bootz' great engine. A nifty addition however, is the ability to search the entire web directly from our site using the powerful InfoSeek engine.
Site Index
I see weird, ugly little boxes all over the place, and no graphics.
The top right of the screen appears as a gray rectangle.
The World of Fantasy logo in the dragon painting is barely/not visible.
Standard site version
The bottom of the purple "menu" is cut off.
Purple "cracks" appear on the website, as if things have been dragged out of alignment.
I try to play Trilogy Trivia, but a broken box appears.
Enhanced site version
The site isn't loading. What is this?
The background music isn't playing.
Navigator-proof site version
This is ugly!
Walk Through
Troubleshooting
1. You have graphics disabled in your browser preferences. Enable them.
2. You have a very old, out-of-date browser which doesn’t display graphics. Download Internet Explorer 5, or go to the "Stripped" version of the site.
1. The "quotes" Java applet has not finished loading. Give it a couple of seconds.
2. You have a very old browser which does not support Java applets. Just move on, the rest of the site does not require Java.
1. Adjust the brightness and contrast of your monitor.
1. Select full screen viewing from your browser's "View" menu.
1. You’ve skewed things with your mouse. Hit the "Go" button on your browser to readjust everything.
1. You haven’t downloaded the Vitalize! pluggin.
2. You haven’t installed the Vitalize! pluggin.
3. You haven’t closed and re-opened your browser.
4. Your running a system that doesn’t support Vitalize! Sorry.
1. See the four points directly above.
2. The site is loading, but your connection is slow. Give it some time or chose a different version.
1. Wait a second, it's loading.
2. Hit the refresh button on your browser.
3. Get your speakers working!
1. What can we say? It's Netscape.
Any questions we didn't answer? Contact us. Subject should be "Troubleshooting."
