Tucked away in a quiet, enclosed space in the corner of the show floor, LucasArts is one of those booths that one might easily miss - if it weren't for the video playing outside the door. Featuring footage of their recent hits, like Rebel Assault and Sam and Max hit the Road, as well as the new titles they were introducing at the show, it was extremely compelling. Numerous innocent passers-by were ensnared by it and drawn inside to their dooms . . . 

	It's hard to say what product was the most immediate attention-getter, but of course, the final version of TIE Fighter was certainly high on the list of possibilities. There wasn't much time to evaluate the gameplay at the show, of course, but it looked like a winner. The interface, rendered in 3D Studio, with doors that open when you pan across them with the mouse, was particularly cool. TIE Fighter should have shipped by the time you are reading this.

	Next, The Dig. There's been a great deal of speculation over this title, and very little official word from LucasArts. Of course, we know that it LOOKS good; how could it not, with film spfx giant Industrial Light and Magic producing the computer-generated special effects. However, the beginning of this thoroughly entrancing interactive story was playable, and I was simply amazed by how easy to use the interface was. The character interaction, with professional-sounding full digitized speech, was very entertaining. Ask the journalist how to use "the pig" (a zero-g toolkit) and she replies "How should I know? I'm just a reporter, remember?"

	The story revolves around an asteroid destined to crash into the earth. (Hmm, haven't we heard this song before?) You control Boston Low, the leader of a team of astronauts sent to redirect the asteroid with two nuclear devices. After landing on the errant rockball, however, it transforms into an alien starship and whisks the team lightyears away. The goal of the game is to keep the team from killing each other and return them safely to earth.

	Also pushing back the boundaries of the adventure genre (and sooner than The Dig will) is Full Throttle. Set in an unpleasant near future, this unconventional game tells the story of Ben Throttle, the leader of a biker gang called the Polecats. Ben's been accused of the murder of Malcolm Corley, owner of Corley Motors, the last manufacturer of the motorcycles that sustain the biker gangs' way of life. You've got to help Ben find the evidence that will clear his name and save Corley Motors. An interesting-sounding (and good-looking) adventure game, with nary a magic sword, laser gun or sociopathic sentient appendage bent on world conquest in sight? Outrageous!

	Also on display was LucasArts' first foray into the world of productivity software. Star Wars Screen Entertainment should be scrolling across dormant Mac and Windows machines all across America by the time you read this. Tired of watching toasters flying across your screen? You can rejoice; thanks to LucasArts, you can watch Jawas steal the pieces of your screen, see Obi-Wan battle Darth Vader in a duel to the death, read the complete Star Wars movie script (!), get information on characters in the first movie, and more!

	Finally, perhaps the crown jewel of LucasArts fall lineup is Dark Forces. It would not be too great an exaggeration to say that almost every company at the summer CES show had some kind of first-person shooter on display. Nor would it be exaggerating to say that Dark Forces was probably the most interesting of the lot. In it, you play a spy for the Rebel Alliance who stumbles across the Empire's plan to build a legion of stormtroopers in powered armor. On your own, with nothing but your trusty blaster to aid you, you must blast your way through levels running the gamut from an Imperial Star Destroyer to several planet-based installations to defeat the Imperials in this mission-based (a la X-Wing) first-person perspective shooter.