Smithsonian's America

Smithsonian's America's exploration of American history and culture is adapted from a Smithsonian exhibit for Japanese audiences that opened in Tokyo last summer. You can access more than 700 photos and prints, 250 artifacts (everything from Amelia Earhart's flight suit to a dress worn by one of the Supremes), and multimedia ''picture shows,'' but there's no larger statement to make sense of all the tchotchkes. It's like being stuck in a label-free museum without a guidebook. C+