"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" is the first dramatic series to have interactive programming content, at least in the United States.

Net4TV took a look at the Interactive show and we have prepared a walk-through to show you the good, the bad, and the ugly of iTV on WebTV.

The Interactive portion of the series was announced in late January at NATPE 2001 by Leslie Moonves, president and chief executive officer of CBS Television, and Bruce Leak, co-founder and president of Microsoft WebTV Networks, Inc.

It was also announced that CBS coverage of NCAA basketball will also be interactive for the first time under an ongoing agreement between CBS and Microsoft to bring a broad slate of interactivity to television.

The enhancements on both shows are available through Microsoft's WebTV Plus and UltimateTV (when it ships) services and are scheduled to be available later this year through advanced cable set-top boxes offering service based on the Microsoft TV Platform.

CBS' interactive version of CSI turns viewers into novice forensic investigators, cadets of the CSI team. Largely, the interactivity of "CSI" is a natural extension of the television show, as advertised by Microsoft. CSI Interactive provides viewers with detailed information about forensic tools and techniques through the CBS Insider feature, polling viewers for their opinions or testing their knowledge of the show with a "CSI" exam.

The idea is viewers will be asked to join the "CSI" team to help the show's characters solve the crimes. By registering and getting a screen name, a viewer will become a CSI Cadet. By answering questions correctly each week, viewers can increase their rank until they achieve CSI Level 3. Viewers who reach CSI Level 3 may be eligible for special prizes and behind-the-scenes information, according to Microsoft, but we didn't see any evidence of this.

Among the series' other enhancements are Crime Notes: key clues for each episode; The Crime Lab: an archive of detailed tools, techniques and research used by investigators to solve crimes; Personal Files: dossiers on the show's characters; and Case Files: highlights of prior investigations, basically, an episode guide.

We love the idea of a game where the viewer joins the investigation and becomes a cadet in training. In practice, it didn't quite work for us when we tried it. We ran into continual problems with the interactive experience.

First, when the show was broadcast in our time zone, we were unable to connect. Fortunately, we taped the show and were able to explore the series a few days later. JavaScript errors in the pages further hindered what we were supposed to see. We had recently accepted the 2.6 upgrade. We don't know if the problems stem from the upgrade or if they are bugs in the CSI Interactive program.

The JavaScript errors appeared every time the CBS Insider feature was activated. The feature is intended to give the viewer information relating to the episode being broadcast. It was only on subsequent viewings that I managed to find some of the clues. Also, in order to advance up the ranks from cadet to Level 3, you need to answer questions. My box didn't seem to tally all my right answers. Grrrrr.

Also, WebTV has this annoying habit of trying to save Microsoft money by wasting my time. It kept kicking me off-line. Every four or five minutes, regardless to whether I was actively drawing down interactive content, WebTV disconnects the phone. It then redials. I spent more time redialing than interacting. This seriously damaged my experience.

Still, the interactive program is inventive and complements the broadcast show without hurting it. It may also add "rewatchablility" to the show when the summer reruns hit.

Take a look at CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Interactive in Net4TV's iTV Viewer. Let us know what you think!