If you haven't done so already, downloading Google Earth would be a good idea. If you click on the button (right) you get the option of choosing which parts of the Google Pack you want to install. Tick only the Google Earth box if that's all you want. If, as occasionally happens, there is nothing to the right, click the link to go to the Google Earth download page.

While you're about it, I can thoroughly recommend replacing Internet Explorer with the excellent Firefox. It's not compulsory, but shortly after doing so you'll be wondering why you didn't migrate away from the Big Blue E years ago.

Downloading .kmz files. This is the .kmz file download dialogue panel (yours may look a bit different depending on which operating system you're using).

This has appeared because you chose to download a .kmz file from the site. There are three things you can do from here.

You can choose 'open with' if you want Google Earth to open the file directly, or you can choose 'save to disc' if you want to keep a copy of the file on your hard drive in the location of your choice.

The third choice is 'cancel'. I won't be offended if you do, but I can't help feeling you'd be compounding your first mistake (ie; accidentally clicking the link) with a second (ie; not showing some backbone and seeing what you might have otherwise missed).

For more information about the .kml/.kmz file format, there is a wiki entry here.

What to do with them once they've downloaded... Once Google Earth has started, you will notice a series of three panels down the left hand side of the window. The middle one is the 'places' panel. This displays, amongst other things, any .kmz files you download.

Though you can use this file to visit all the places now displayed on your map, a really important thing to notice is the control panel along the bottom - and most importantly, the 'play' button (the pointy arrow one).

Press this, and all the hard work I put into building the file will become apparent. Instead of a top-down static view, you will be flown from location to location in spiffing, swooping style. You can pause any time you like, and click on the markers for more information about any location featured (see bottom of page for information on tour speeds and marker display balloons).

And the layers? This is the layers panel. You can display all sorts of interesting things here - roads, 3D buildings, weather, and even live traffic data.

However, if you want to have a good look around without being distracted left right and centre, I recommend that you uncheck everything except for roads and terrain.

Terrain is great. If you have a mouse wheel, push it down like a button, and the drag the mouse towards you for a change of perspective (this controls the tilt function, and displays the topography marvelously). You don't need the mouse button to control this aspect of the program - you can use the controls in the top right of the screen display.

Lots of options... This is one tab of the options panel, which you can access by clicking on the 'tools' option of the Google Earth program toolbar. If you have a slower connection, or the Google Earth servers are having a slow day, you can often find yourself flying away from a piece of ground before the data has properly loaded. Use the 'tour pause' option to increase the amount of time the camera settles near a marker. Try playing around with it to get the optimum pause time. Also, it's a good idea to check the 'show balloon when tour is paused' box, so information about the site is displayed when you pause by a marker.

And the good folks at Google have also provided a video describing the basics of Google Earth and how to navigate around.

Click on the 'play' arrow in the centre of the video if you'd like to watch it on site, or anywhere else if you're fed up and want to go to Youtube.com, or simply find this video too small and wish to see a larger version.

Click here to see other videos about Google Earth