Talent you're born with, but culture and taste can be acquired. These CD-ROMs may prepare you for even the snootiest cultural affairs.
Le Louvre. This CD-ROM salute to the world's most famous art museum has plenty going for it: No busloads of tourists mobbing the Mona Lisa, a stylish interface as easy to navigate as le metro, and a generous helping of the Louvre's most famous paintings. You can survey the Louvre's collection by time period, artist, school, or even actual location in the museum. The real Louvre has a lot more paintings, the Venus de Milo, an underground shopping mall, and $8 fromage sandwiches. But at $49.95, the disc wins on affordability, especially after you figure in airfare. Visit both if you can. BMG Interactive Entertainment. 212-930-6768.
Discovering Shakespeare. Just across the Channel, England's most famous cultural treasure -- William Shakespeare -- is still waiting for the definitive CD-ROM treatment. This Bard disc is billed as an "encounter with Shakespeare you'll never forget." When you see the interface, you might wish you could. Nevertheless, there's an awful lot of information about Shakespeare's life, times, and lawsuits but, alas, none of his plays. $29.95. IVI Publishing. 800-432-1332.
