[ / Z ¢ Σ 1n╡∙E Publisher:|m130SelectWare Technologies, Inc. Executive Producer:|m130Jeffrey J. Connors The materials on this disc are copyrighted. Copying (except for personal archives), modifying or transferring the material is prohibited and in violation of the copyright law. The interface and all its likenesses are copyrighted material and the sole property of SelectWare Technologies, Inc. in their entirety. The SelectWare Software Buyer's Guide, The Ultimate Guide To Software, is a trademark of SelectWare Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are of their respective companies. ▐0;n [ ₧ Σ $ Di {├Oï ├#bѵ ⁿS£π.w║ ?¢τ4ì┘*OT╗ K j o ╨ ≤
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( - l Ç à ┴ 2 5 æ ú ª Nnq└├ ):=ä═ Sÿ▐ r╕²> s╠ #| ï█εYù Γ'lº ▌⌠ERU ⌐ ≈F ~═ ' ;É┌# Hföù═╨ <?ru ¼±=@vy╞Vèì▄ Θ & ] ╟ ▌ ; ~ ╕ ^ ¿ ÷ E ù ╨ - W ╛ +!z!─!"["á"ε"0# E#R#Ö#▌# $h$░$≈$ E%O%û%α% δ%&O& Y&t&w&ä&╦&'`'v'y'╖'║' ((i(l(╩( σ(,) m)╣) ) /*=*B*Å* ª*⌡*6+~+─+ , 1,v,╛, ∩,--Q-Ü-▌-∩- ⌠-. .d. . Ä.╘. /H/ï/╟/ ∩/50w0 ¼0≤0;1 i1 }1 ÿ1ß1,2n2╡2φ2 ⁿ2@3 ç3ó3 ╗34H4 b4y4 Ä4╓45 N5ù5ß5 6 Y6 s6ì6╡6─6╧6▌6Φ6≈6#7C7q7Æ7 ¿7 ┴7█788 8/8>8P8f8û8╢8Φ8$9 A9å9╩9 :Q:ù:╥:; |bINTRODUCTION |b |b|bThe SelectWare System was designed to offer superior product value and to keep you abreast of the latest and greatest developments in related fields. Its features allow you to access limited versions of world-renowned software, and look at current and future product releases to review and compare. ************************************ |b|uSECTION 1|b|u The opening screen consists of the buttons listed below. When you click on a button, or type the highlighted letter, you will be inside that particular section. (PLEASE NOTE: This screen will not appear if you have a standard VGA 640x480x16. If you have a standard VGA 640x480x16, start with SECTION 2 of this User's Guide.) |s00,249,00|m020|uThe |u|b|uS|b|u|uelectWare System|uTakes you directly to the Category section |m020of The SelectWare System. Products are grouped by logical |m020Category; Categories may consist of Sub-Categories. For more |m020information on how to use this section, see SECTION 2 under |m020NAVIGATION AREA. |s00,249,00|m020|b|uB|b|u|uuyer's Guide|uHere you will view information on hundreds of |m020products. The bottom scroll bar takes you right and left, the side |m020scroll bar takes you up and down. The arrow keys on each side of |m020the bottom scroll bar will take you left and right by column(s). The |m020arrow keys above and below the side scroll bar will take you up and |m020down one product at a time. You may also use the page up and |m020page down keys to view the information by page, or the up and down |m020arrows to go forward or backward one product at a time. |s00,249,00|m020|b|uF|b|u|uree Products|uOnce you are inside the Free Products section, you |m020merely select which product you would like to play, either by clicking |m020on the product or using the appropriate F_ key. This will bring up the |m020Game Information screen. You can then |b|uR|b|uun the product or |b|uC|b|uancel to |m020return to the previous screen. The bar along the bottom of the screen |m020will give you additional instructions. The main |um|uenu buttton will take |m020you back to the opening screen. |b|u |b|u|b|u|s00,249,00|m020|b|uo|b|u|uptiCDigest|uYou are now able to view the articles that comprise the |m020optiCDigest, along with other miscellaneous information about this |m020on-line magazine. For more information on how to navigate through |m020this area, see SECTION 2. |b|u |b|u|b|u|s00,249,00|m020|b|uU|b|u|user's Info|uFind out more about SelectWare and The SelectWare |m020System. You can choose from: |s00,249,00|m020Credits/Copyrights |s00,249,00|m020User's Guide (The document you are now reading) |s00,249,00|m020What's New (new features/products) |s00,249,00|m020About SelectWare (a little history on SelectWare) |s00,249,00|m020SelectWare Products & Order Form - |bFREE|b issue of SelectWare |m020w/order |b|u |b|u|b|u|s00,249,00|m020|b|uE|b|u|uxit|uTakes you back to DOS. |b|uSECTION 2|b|u|u |u|u The SelectWare System consists of the following main areas: |s00,249,00|m020|bSelection Area |b(at right side of screen)Lists Categories, |m020Sub-Categories, and Products. |b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|bNavigation Area|b (at bottom of screen)Consists of five buttons and a |m020counter box: |b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|bProduct Information Area|b (at bottom right hand corner)Consists of four |m020buttons that give you information about the company/product and let |m020you view the product demo. |b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|bStatus Area |b(at top of screen)Shows you where you are. |b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|bViewing Area|b (at center of screen)Displays the information you |m020selected. |bSELECTION AREA |b |b|bThe Selection Area is used as your primary selection engine and is located on the right side of the screen. To make your selection, simply click with your mouse, or use arrow keys and press Enter. Selection types are listed below. (Note: These buttons will not appear if you are not using a standard VGA 640x480x16 -- you will have them on your opening screen. i.e. The SelectWare System, Buyer's Guide, Free Products, optiCDigest, and System Information. See SECTION 1.) |s00,249,00|m020|bThe SelectWare System|bHere you will go into the Category area of |m020The SelectWare System. Products are grouped by logical Category; |m020Categories may consist of Sub-Categories. Each time a Category |m020contains a Sub-Category, or a Sub-Category contains another |m020Sub-Category, you must select the button again. |s00,249,00|m020|bBuyer's Guide|bA list of information on hundreds of products. See the |m020above paragraph on Buyer's Guide for information on how to use this |m020section. |s00,249,00|m020|bFREE Products|bThe free products will be listed; merely select the one |m020you want. |s00,249,00|m020|boptiCDigest a CD-ROM Magazine|bThe main screen in optiCDigest |m020will include: |m025|bCredits and Copyright Notices|b |m025|bContacting optiCDigest|b (where to submit articles/comments) |m025|bSubscription Info optiCDigest|b (printable order form) |m025|bSubscription Info Electronic Entertainment|b (printable order form) The columns in optiCDigest are grouped together. The other articles are grouped by Category. You navigate through the magazine the same way you do in The SelectWare System. Check the Categories paragraph under NAVIGATION AREA for more information. |bSystem Information|b |s00,249,00|m020|bCredits|bThe people and companies who created and produced the |m020product |b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|bUser's Guide|bThis is the document you are currently reading. |s00,249,00|m020|bWhat's New|bLists new and updated products on current issue |s00,249,00|m020|bAbout SelectWare|bShows other SelectWare products, and gives |m020background information on SelectWare Technologies. |s00,249,00|m020|bSelectWare Products & Order Form|bGives you more information |m020about SelectWare products (including pricing) along with a printable |m020order form |bNAVIGATION AREA|b |s00,249,00|m020|bScroll Area Functions|bThe arrow keys and the slide bar connecting |m020the arrow keys (located just to the right of the Selection Area) are |m020known as the scroll bar. The scroll bar allows you to move through |m020the text or the Selection Area. If using a keyboard, hitting: |m025|bPage Up|b - Moves up one page of text. |b |b|b|m025|bPage Down|b - Moves down one page of text. |b |b|b|m025|bHome|b - Moves to the beginning of the text. |b |b|b|m025|bEnd|b - Moves to the end of the text. |b |b|b|m025|bUp Arrow|b - Moves up one line of text. |b |b|b|m025|bDown Arrow|b - Moves down one line of text. If using a mouse, positioning then depressing and releasing the left button of the mouse over the: |m025|bUp Arrow Butto|bn - Moves up one line. |b |b|b|m025|bDown Arrow Button|b - Moves down one line. |b |b|b|m025|bSlide Bar Button|b (button between the two arrows) - Moves up and |m025down in the scroll bar by holding the left mouse button down over the |m025button and moving the button. When the button is in the desired |m025location in the scroll bar, release the mouse. |b |b|b|m025|bInside the Slide Bar|b - Moves text one page toward where the mouse was clicked. Wherever the scroll bar is, it functions in the same manner. The Navigation Area consists of the following buttons: |s00,249,00|m020|bE|b|b|uX|b|u|bIT|b (Exit Sign)Simply click with mouse, or type '|bX|b' from keyboard to |m020exit the system. |s00,249,00|m020|bSET|b|b|uU|b|u|bP|b (Computer)Simply click with mouse, or type '|bU|b' from |m020keyboard to bring up system information. This can consist of |m020hardware, printer, survey, or game/demo information. |s00,249,00|m020|b|uP|b|u|bRINT|b (Hand Print)Simply click with mouse, or type '|bP|b' from |m020keyboard to print product profile consisting of Snapshot, Technical, |m020and Overview -- all in one electronic brochure. You can also print |m020optiCDigest magazine articles. Print allows the selection of a specific |m020printer. It is recommended that the default printer or Postscript option |m020be used if the printer has Postscript ability. If a printer is selected the |m020printer paper size and margin may also be selected. |s00,249,00|m020|b|uH|b|u|bELP|b (Weather Vane)Simply click with mouse, or type '|bH|b' from |m020keyboard for context sensitive help. |s00,249,00|m020|b|uL|b|u|bOOKUP|b (Magnifying Glass)Allows you to change sort order, by: |b|uP|b|u|b |b|m020roduct|b, |bC|b|b|uo|b|u|bmpany|b, or |bC|b|b|ua|b|u|btegory|b. Simply click with mouse, select sort |m020order button, and proceed; or type '|bL|b', and select desired sort order |m020by typing associated letter from keyboard.If selection by Product or |m020Company, then an added option |b|uF1|b|u will be displayed above the |m020Profile buttons. The F1 function key allows the alphabetical search of |m020Products. Click on F1 or use the F1 key, then type the desired |m020letter(s). This search will be disabled when you either activate the F1 |m020key/button a second time or select any other option with the |m020keyboard/mouse. |bCategories |b|bMay contain Sub-Categories and/or Products. If a Category contains Sub-Categories, the button must be depressed twice. The first time displays the Category; the second time activates the Category.When you select a Category, any Sub-Categories will be listed in the Viewing Area to the left. Once you are at the Sub-Category level, the Products will be listed in the Viewing Area. The activated Category appears on the top of the screen and is highlighted in light blue in the Selection Area. |bCounter |b|bUsed to show the number of Products, Categories, or Sub-Categories within a sort. The counter will change automatically based on the active selection. |bElectronic Brochure |b|bAt the Product level choose |b|uP|b|uRINT to print a complete electronic brochure. |bPRODUCT INFORMATION AREA |b |bProfiles|b Once a Product has been selected, the lower right corner of the screen will contain a product demo button and the three Product profile buttons. Profiles are available at the Product level only (i.e., not at Category or Sub-Category levels). |b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|b|uD|b|u|bEMO|bLaunches demo of Product. |b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|b|uS|b|u|bNAPSHOT|bProvides a short overview of the Product. |b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|b|uT|b|u|bECHNICAL|bProvides technical requirements for the Product. |b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|b|uO|b|u|bVERVIEW|bDiscusses Product's features and functions at greater |m020length than SnapShot. All of the above can be selected either with a click of the left mouse button or by typing the underlined key for the desired function. |bHint|b: When at the Product level, you can look at products by Technical requirements or SnapShot simply by selecting the appropriate profile button and moving up and down the Product list. |bSTATUS AREA |b|b The Status area is located at the top of the screen. It is used to indicate exactly where you are. |bHint: |bJust below the navigation buttons, you will see a small typewritten area. This area shows the path you are currently at in the demo selection system. Each level is separated by a vertical bar (||). For example: Main Menu||Demo||Strategic Games. Keep a close eye on this area as you move through the system; it will automatically change to show your exact position in the system. If using a mouse, positioning then depressing and releasing the left button of the mouse over the desired location will have the same effect as hitting the appropriate keys on the keyboard. |bRETURN TO MAIN MENU |b |b|bTo return to the main menu once you are at the Sub-Category level or inside an optiCDigest article, just hit Esc. To return to the main menu after you have been viewing products, you must be in the LookUp by Category mode. |b |b|b |bFREEING UP MORE CONVENTIONAL MEMORY |b|b How to find out what your system's Conventional Memory is? At a DOS prompt type the following: mem [return] Read the third line from the bottom, Largest Executable Program Size. This is the amount of free Conventional Memory. Now that you know what the Conventional Memory requirements are and what you have, by simply subtracting the Required Memory from your System's Memory you will get the amount you need to run The SelectWare System or a particular demo. It is strongly advised that before making any changes to your system, you read your DOS User Guide (Optimizing Your System), for a good understanding of what is happening to your computer. If you have DOS 6.0 or better first try using MEMMAKER. This is a DOS program that will optimize your system and is very easy to use. To use MEMMAKER, at a DOS prompt type the following: memmaker [return] and follow the directions. If the memory needs are large (over 15-20K) your best bet is to create a system disk. This is a good idea because it will not disturb your original system setup on your hard drive. To create a system disk use the format command with the /s switch. For example, the following command formats the disk in drive A and makes it a system disk: format a: /s Once this is done you can copy over the autoexec.bat and config.sys files from the hard drive to the floppy drive by typing the following: copy c:\autoexec.bat a: copy c:\config.sys a: These are the files that you need to edit to streamline your system. By editing these files you can customize your Configuration. To modify them, type the following: edit a:\autoexec.bat edit a:\config.sys The crucial lines that you want to leave are the drivers for the CD-ROM drive, the sound card, the mouse and the memory manager. Anything else is excess or fat and can be remarked out (rem). Go to the noncrucial lines of the autoexec.bat and\or config.sys and rem (short for Remark) them out. This will remove any of the "fat" from these files. See the Before and After examples below. NOTE: Changes in the After Editing file are marked with asterisks (*). Before Editing CONFIG.SYS DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM HIGHSCAN BUFFERS=40,0 FILES=60 LASTDRIVE=Z FCBS=8,0 STACKS=9,256 SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS /E:512 /p REM ***** CD-ROM DRIVER ***** DEVICE=C:\CDROM\SBPCD.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220 REM ***** SCANNER DRIVER ***** DEVICE=C:\MSCSI.SYS After Editing CONFIG.SYS DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM HIGHSCAN * BUFFERS=20,0 * FILES=20 * DOS=HIGH,UMB * LASTDRIVE=E * rem FCBS=8,0 * rem STACKS=9,256 SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\SYS\DOS /E:512 /p REM ***** CD-ROM DRIVER ***** DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDROM\SBPCD.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220 REM ***** SCANNER DRIVER ***** driver is not needed * rem DEVICE=C:\MSCSI.SYS Change these files one line at a time and then warm boot your system (CTRL-ALT-DEL). If your computer cannot boot after the changes you have made, remove the diskette from the drive and warm boot your system again. When you return to a DOS prompt you can edit the files on the diskette and undo your last changes. If the computer can boot from the diskette, at the DOS prompt type MEM to check the Conventional Memory again. Continue to do this until you get the Conventional Memory needed. p Y7 $ O R Ü ▐ ≈ ?à ¿▌T É⌐«ε G tô╤╘▀#g½∩@CW₧í╜≤'*F ~ Öα +k½≡: |m080|bMORE POWERFUL THAN EVER!!! |b|b|m065|bWITH THE SOFTWARE BUYER'S GUIDE |b |b|bWe have combined our new Entertainment & Education Software Buyer's Guide with The SelectWare System to give you a "one-stop" reference for your software needs. This edition, featuring over 600 Entertainment & Education listings, is packed with product demonstrations, trial versions, FREE software and expert information, all on one CD! The |bFREE SOFTWARE|b included with this edition is: |s00,249,00|m020|bMegaMaze|b, by Axis Interactive & CapDisc |s00,249,00|m020|bCrossWire!|b, by SilverSun, Incorporated |s00,249,00|m020|bImagiNation|b, by The ImagiNation Network |bNEW & UPDATED PRODUCTS |b|b This issue of The SelectWare System contains information on the following new and/or updated products: SelectWare Technologies - Enhanced Audio Products |s00,249,00|m020|bMusicROM Special Edition|b Discovery Communications, Inc. |s00,249,00|m020|bWings Over Europe WW II|b (Entertainment)|b |b |b|bNovell |s00,249,00|m020|bPerfectOffice for Windows|b (Office Automation)|b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|bPresentations for Windows|b (Pres./Drawing)|b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|bQuattro Pro 6.0 for Windows|b (Spreadsheet)|b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|bWordPerfect for Windows|b (Word Processing)|b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|bWordPerfect InfoCentral for Windows|b (Pers. Info Mgrs.)|b |b |b|bSanctuary Woods |s00,249,00|m020|bThe Journeyman Project|b |bTurbo|b (Entertainment)|b |b |b|bSir-tech Software, Inc. |s00,249,00|m020|bJagged Alliance|b (Entertainment)|b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|bStar Trail|b (Adv./Fantasy)|b |b |b|bTime Warner Interactive |s00,249,00|m020|bReturn To Ringworld|b (Entertainment) |m170* * * * * * If you would like to see a new feature, type of product or a specific product, just give us a call at 810-477-7340. We'd like to hear from you! The product information contained on this CD is provided by the publisher and is set to serve as an approximate guideline only. Information such as product price, technical requirements, etc., may change without notice. Contact the product publisher or authorized dealer to verify product information. ` / Z q ╕ Aç É█ MP î╤Qò┌W z│⌡ NÅ╨P l«ε8Ç ╢² |bWelcome to|b |bThe SelectWare Software Buyer's Guide|b|s00,247,00, |bThe|b |bUltimate |bGuide To Software|b. This CD is published 3 times a year. Each issue includes the Software Buyer's Guide, product demos, the CD-ROM magazine, optiCDigest|s00,247,00, and |bFREE PRODUCTS|b. The SelectWare Software Buyer's Guide retails for $19.95 per issue or $24.95 for a one-year subscription (3 issues). See Subscription Info in the optiCDigest section for order information, or select SelectWare Products & Order Form to see how to get your |b********FREE ISSUE OF THE SOFTWARE BUYER'S GUIDE |b |b|band find out about the other products we have to offer. |bSee the section - SelectWare Products & Order Form - for a list of |bSelectWare's current/future products, and a printable order form. |b |b |bBackground Information on SelectWare Technologies|b SelectWare Technologies, Inc. (STI) has been in business since 1988 and published the first SelectWare System disc in 1989. Some of the software developers who have taken advantage of The SelectWare System are IBM, Lotus, Borland, Symantec, Microsoft, Computer Associates, Claris, and many more. The SelectWare Software Buyer's Guide has evolved into a comprehensive product covering not only MS-DOS, but also Windows, OS/2, Multimedia, and CD-ROM. As the CD-ROM market matured, demands for our products and services increased. Many companies have bundled our products or have had custom work performed, including IBM Corporation, Lotus Development, Software Etc., Wearnes Technologies, Megamedia, Hitech, Spectrum Holobyte, Turtle Beach, Reveal Computer Products, CompUSA, and Creative Labs. With extensive experience in CD-ROM publication, STI is providing many services custom CD-ROM publishing, interactive multimedia marketing presentations, electronic distribution, and more. Whether your needs are electronic cataloging, point-of-sale merchandising, or simply getting your product to the marketplace, we can help. For further information contact SelectWare Technologies, Inc. at (810) 477-7340. > ₧ 4 9 ê ╬ *Bï╫]ƒ± &j│⌠5v╜ V Ūδ8â╞Xª ╦■'p╕ O Å ▌ (
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Q í Ω ° < à ┴ ╟ ]û£╘%l║X╕AGë┘ d▓╕√\⌐⌡9?ç╓_░╢√H¥µ:QW]c¬πIQí∞,2kq¬░Ω≡+1qw│╣╒E{▒τ&CKy╡≡ H P Æ Ü ╔ █ ^ d Ñ ± + E K ä è ╧ |b |bCD-ROM PRODUCTS FROM SELECTWARE TECHNOLOGIES |b|b |bMusicROM|b|s00,247,00|b Perspectives |b(available in U.S. only) |m320$29.95 A series of CD audio/CD-ROM discs featuring music, text, photographs, and information on specific genres of music (excerpts from the All-Music Guide|s00,247,00). |s00,249,00|m020|bBlues |b|b|m020This Enhanced Audio CD sizzles with Powerhouse Blues. From the |m020scorching guitar licks of Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, and A. C. Reed to |m020the red-hot sounds of Sonny Boy Williamson, James Cotton, and |m020John Lee Hooker, MusicROM Blues really cooks! Check out rare |m020photographs, biographies, audio interviews and more! Browse |m020through data from the All-Music Guide|s00,247,00, packed with specific blues |m020information. |s00,249,00|m020|bRhythm & Blues|b |m020 This Enhanced Audio CD overflows with all the emotions of the |m020magical era of Rhythm & Blues. From the sultry tones of The Duke - |m020Gene Chandler, Jimmy Reed and Little Richard, to the smooth |m020harmonies of The Dells, and Jerry Butler & The Impressions, |m020MusicROM recaptures the magic! Check out rare photographs, |m020biographies, the unique MusicROM segment "Reflections|s00,247,00" |m020(featuring an audio interview with The Impressions' Jerry Butler), and |m020much more! You can also browse through the All-Music Guide|s00,247,00, |m020packed with the most complete R&B information ever! |s00,249,00|m020|bJazz |b|b|m020 MusicROM Jazz breaks new barriers! This Enhanced Audio CD |m020features some of the most influential Jazz artists of the 20th century. |m020Join us for a Jazz odyssey with Art Hodes, Jimmy Forrest, and others. |m020 Check out rare photographs, biographies, the unique MusicROM |m020segment "Reflections|s00,247,00" (featuring an audio interview with Bob |m020Koester, President of Delmark Records), and much more! You can |m020also browse through the All-Music Guide|s00,247,00, packed with the most |m020complete Jazz information ever! |s00,249,00|m020|bLatin |b- to be released soon!|b |b |b|b|s00,249,00|m020|bSpecial Edition |b|b|m020This Enhanced Audio CD taps the nation's vintage sounds for its |m020series; whether it's the 21st or 31st century, Blues, R&B and Jazz |m020have an energy, aura and intensity that will never go out of style. |m020Likewise, Latin and Reggae are international in origin, but universal in |m020attractiveness. Check out music videos, rare photographs, |m020biographies, the unique MusicROM segment called "Reflections|s00,247,00" |m020(featuring an audio interview with Ron Wynn, editor of the "All-Music |m020Guide to Jazz"), and much more! You can also browse through the |m020All-Music Guide|s00,247,00, packed with information from five genres of |m020exceptional music! |m020 |m020|s00,249,00|m020|bReggae|b - to be released soon! |m020 |m020|bVirtual Reality StarterKit|b|s00,247,00 |m320$29.95 |m020Experience Virtual Reality at a fraction of the original cost, and without |m020the necessity of special helmets, goggles, or gloves. The products |m020include: |m020|s00,249,00|m020Vistapro 1.0 - by Virtual Reality Laboratories |m020|s00,249,00|m020Virtual Reality Sourcebook - by SophisTech Research |m020|s00,249,00|m020Wolfenstein 3-D - by ID Software, Inc. |m020 |m020|bSoftware JukeBox|b|s00,247,00|b and Classic Collection|b|s00,247,00|b |b|m020|bA series of CD-ROM based software titles, designed to bring you |m020tremendous software value. All on one CD-ROM disc! |m020 |m020|bSoftware JukeBox Arcade|b|s00,247,00 |m320$29.95 |m020|s00,249,00|m020F-15 Strike Eagle II|s00,247,00 - MicroProse Software, Inc. |m020|s00,249,00|m020Sharkey's 3D Pool|s00,247,00 - Microplay Software |m020|s00,249,00|m020Test Drive III: The Passion|s00,247,00 - Accolade, Inc. |m020|s00,249,00|m020Freakin' Funky Fuzzballs|s00,247,00 - Sir Tech Software, Inc. |m020 |m020|bSoftware JukeBox All-American Sports|b|s00,247,00 |m320$29.95 |m020|s00,249,00|m020Tony La Russa's Ultimate Baseball|s00,247,00 - Strategic Simulations, Inc. |m020|s00,249,00|m020Mike Ditka Ultimate Football|s00,247,00 - Accolade, Inc. |m020|s00,249,00|m020PRO Tennis Tour|s00,247,00 - UBI Soft |m020 |m020|bSoftware JukeBox A+ Grade Builder|b|s00,247,00 |m320$29.95 |m020|s00,249,00|m020Word Attack Plus!|s00,245,00 - Davidson & Associates, Inc. |m020|s00,249,00|m020Memory Lane|s00,247,00 - Stone & Associates, Inc. |m020|s00,249,00|m0202nd Math|s00,247,00 - Stone & Associates, Inc. |m020|s00,249,00|m020Super Spellicopter|s00,247,00 - Compton's NewMedia, Inc. |m020 |m020|bSoftware JukeBox Adventure/Fantasy|b|s00,247,00 |m320$29.95 |m020|s00,249,00|m020Bard's Tale|s00,245,00 III: Thief of Fate|s00,247,00|b |b- Electronic Arts |m020|s00,249,00|m020Maniac Mansion|s00,245,00 - LucasArts Entertainment Co. |m020|s00,249,00|m020The Summoning|s00,247,00 - Strategic Simulations, Inc. |m020|s00,249,00|m020Shadowlands|s00,247,00 - Domark Software, Inc. |m020 |m020|bClassic Collection Greatest Air Battles|b|s00,247,00 |m320$29.95 |m020|s00,249,00|m020Knights of the Sky|s00,247,00 - MicroProse Software, Inc. |m020|s00,249,00|m020F-14 Tomcat|s00,247,00 - Activision |m020|s00,249,00|m020JetFighter I|s00,247,00 - Velocity Development Corporation |m020|s00,249,00|m020F-19 Stealth Fighter|s00,247,00 - MicroProse Software, Inc. |m020 |m020|bClassic Collection Adventure/Fantasy|b|s00,247,00 |m320$29.95 |m020|s00,249,00|m020Maniac Mansion|s00,245,00 - LucasArts Entertainment Co. |m020|s00,249,00|m020Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure|s00,247,00 - Capstone Software |m020|s00,249,00|m020The Savage Empire|s00,247,00 - Origin Systems, Inc. |m020|s00,249,00|m020Zak McKracken And The Alien Mindbenders|s00,245,00 - LucasArts |m020Entertainment Co. |m020 |m020 |m020 |m020|m020|bP R O D U C T O R D E R F O R M |b|m020===============================================|b |m020|m120|bSelectWare Technologies, Inc. |b|m020|b|m090|b29200 Vassar, Suite 200, Livonia, MI 48152 |b|m020 |b|m020|bTo order any of the products listed, please either MAIL this form with |m020your payment to the address above, or for |ucharge card orders only|u |m020CALL |b(810)477-7340|b, or send via FAX |b(810)477-6488|b. |m020 |m020Name ______________________________________________ |m020 |m020Company ___________________________________________ |m020 |m020Address ____________________________________________ |m020 |m020City ________________________________________________ |m020 |m020State/Prov __________________ Zip/Postal _______________ |m020 |m020Daytime Phone (______)________________________________ |m020 |m020|bPRODUCT|b|m285|bCOST |b|m020|b_________________________________|m285$_________ |m020_________________________________|m285$_________ |m020_________________________________|m285$_________ |m020_________________________________|m285$_________ |m020_________________________________|m285$_________ |m020|bTHE SELECTWARE SYSTEM (1 issue)|b|m285|bFREE WITH|b|b|i |b|i|m020|b|i|m285|bPURCHASE |b|m020 |b|m020|b|m200|bSubTotal |b|m285|b$_________ |b|m020|bSales Tax 6% (Mich. Residents Only)|m285$_________ |m020Shipping/Handling (Cont. US $5.00 USD,|m285$_________ |m020|b |bAK, HI, PR & Canada $12.00 USD)|b |b|m020|b|m200|bTOTAL |b|m285|b$_________ |b|m020 |b|m020THIS OFFER AVAILABLE |b|b|uONLY|b|u|b IN THE U.S. & CANADA |b|m020 |b|m020|b____ Check Enclosed (U.S. funds only) |m020____ VISA/MC |m020 Card # ______________________ Expires __________ |m020 |m020 Signature _____________________________________ |m020 |m020|iWe cannot accept C.O.D.'s. Void where prohibited by law. |i|m020Offer good while supplies last. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery |i|m020|i================================================ |m020SELECTWARE USE ONLY: |m020 |m020DATE REC _________ CHK/AUTH # ____________________ |m020 |m020ADMIN: SENT_________ ENTER DB _________ |b7.1SWS|b |m020================================================ |m020 > c J Æ Ö ▀ $ 9Kï╥ L Ƽ∙9ä íΣ0y└
' optiCDigest is an independent optical journal, published 3 times a year by SelectWare Technologies, Inc., 29200 Vassar, Suite #200, Livonia, MI 48152. optiCDigest will make every effort to assure the accuracy of articles published. optiCDigest assumes no responsibility for damages due to errors or omissions. |bSubscriptions|b To subscribe or send address changes, write to optiCDigest, c/o SelectWare Technologies, 29200 Vassar, Suite #200, Livonia, MI 48152, or call 1-800-342-3366. (See Subscription Info.) One Year (three updates): $24.95*; One Issue: $19.95* (*International orders add $15.00; Canada/Mexico add $9.00 for postage and handling.) |bCopyright Information|b The contents of this magazine |s00,246,001994 SelectWare Technologies, 29200 Vassar, Suite #200, Livonia, MI 48152. You may reproduce this publication for your own use, but any other use requires the prior written permission of the publisher. 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This is done solely on the basis of space constraints, not editorial content. ` ú/ $ ] Ö ╫ Sè ╢▀ I U k ñ ▄ Z Å ─ · 4 j ¢║φ 2p |bSUBSCRIBE NOW & SAVE OVER 50%|b _______YES! Send me a 1 year (3 issues) subscription to The SelectWare Software Buyer's Guide Each issue contains: the Software Buyer's Guide, optiCDigest Magazine, product demos & |bFREE PRODUCTS|b - All for just $24.95 Complete this form & return with Check or Money Order to: SelectWare Technologies, Inc., 29200 Vassar, Suite 200 Livonia, MI 48152 ATTN: Kathy Connors For VISA/MasterCard: FAX, Mail, or Call: FAX: 810-477-6488 Phone: 800-342-3366 _______Payment Enclosed (payable to: SelectWare Technologies in U.S. funds) ___VISA ___MasterCard Card #___________________________ Exp.Date____________ Signature______________________________________________ * Intnatl. orders add $15.00 (Canada/Mexico add $9.00) for postage/handling. Intnatl. orders must be prepaid in U.S. funds. Name________________________________________________ Company_____________________________________________ Address______________________________________________ City_____________________ State_______ Zip_____________ Phone________________________________________________ Environment: DOS____ WIN____ OS/2____ MM____ Dealer_______ End User_______ ================================================== SELECTWARE USE ONLY DTE:________ PRD ______ - ______ BLL RF#______ ADMIN: SNT:_____________ DB_____________ 7.1SWS ================================================== n 6 0 Q s ¢ ╝ ▌ @ç╤ ╓ 2y┬@é öπ IìÑ φ5╦ Q é │ Σ+t ¡║╙Γ · |b|m015FFFFFF|m090RRRRR|m180EEEEEE|m265EEEEEE |b|m015F|m090R|m140R|m180E|m265E |b|m015F|m090R|m140R |m180E|m265E |b|m015FFFF|m090RRRRR|m180EEEE|m265EEEE |b|m015F|m090R|m120R|m180E|m265E |b|m015F|m090R|m130R|m180E|m265E |b|m015F|m090R|m140R|m180EEEEEE|m265EEEEEE |b |b |bThe future of electronic entertainment is here. |b|bTechnology has merged with imagination, and computers have created virtual reality -- igniting a media revolution, launching the interactive age. |bAnd a new magazine has risen to cover it all.|b |bIntroducing Electronic Entertainment.|b With timely features, dynamic columns, authoritative reviews and sneak previews, Electronic Entertainment will take you through all the hottest MAC and PC games. And on to multimedia hardware, advanced gaming systems, and accessories. CD-ROM, 3DO, and interactive TV. Whatever's here today, and what'll be coming down the media super highway tomorrow. |bSo face the future.|b With Electronic Entertainment. Because, if you don't have it, you just won't get it. |bCall 1-800-770-3248 for Information and/or Ordering|b (make sure to mention you read about this offer #5SELO on The SelectWare System), or mail the form below. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- YES! I want the entertainment resource of the interactive age. Please send me my FREE issue of Electronic Entertainment. If I like what I see, I'll pay the low introductory rate of just $12 for 11 more issues (that's a total of 12). If not, I'll simply write "cancel" on the invoice and owe nothing at all. Either way, the FREE issue is mine to keep. Name____________________________________________ Address_________________________________________ City/State/Zip__________________________________ Send foreign and Canadian orders prepaid, in U.S. funds, with $30/year additional for shipping (air delivery). Annual newsstand rate: $47.40. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of your first issue. |bMail to:|b Electronic Entertainment P.O. Box 59710 Boulder, CO 80322-9710 5SELO $ D B T ù ╓ #g¿ε8 VÆ╘ Just because you use a notebook computer doesn't mean you can't enjoy multimedia. There have always been kludgy solutions to laptop gaming, but most are expensive, not very portable, and a serious hassle to use. The new Zenith Data Systems' |bZ-Player|b does it right. Designed primarily for business use, the less than $500 system combines a double-speed CD-ROM drive, a 16-bit sound card, an integrated microphone, and stereo speakers within one sleek battery-powered unit. Just plug its adapter into your notebook's PCM-CIA slot to create a complete--if fairly punchless--multimedia system. If you want better sound, you can add headphones or powered speakers, and the two-pound device doubles as a portable audio CD player, too. Look for the Z-Player this fall or early next year. (Zenith Data Systems; 800-289-0536; PC, $499) V V * L Ä ╞ Qÿ▌ GÅ┘!c¿± RÖ▌#i░⌠ ⁿ=}╟SáΦ3} ù▀$ When you buy a PC, you don't want to worry that it's going to be obsolete in a year. But Advanced Logic Research's 60MHz Pentium-powered|b |bEvolution V |bsystem has the legs to go the distance. Most of the things you'll want are already inside the box: double-speed CD-ROM drive, 16-bit Sound Blaster-compatible sound card, and VESA local bus video card. Our test system also included 16MB of memory (a good minimum for any Pentium) and a 540MB hard drive. It was topped off with a 15-inch Super VGA monitor. Business users already know ALR boxes as high-quality, hard-working PCs, and this multimedia system is just as thoughtful with the details. Connections for mouse, keyboard, serial ports, and parallel ports are all clearly labeled. A flip-down smoked-plastic shield protects the floppy and CD-ROM drives from dust. You can take off the system's cover simply by removing two screws. Once you're inside, the case's roomy design provides plenty of elbow room for wrestling with any add-in cards you might want to install. The Evolution V is powered through the toughest multimedia titles and games. It even ran the crash-prone Quantum Gate without a hitch. The only negative to the system was a rather stodgy CD-ROM drive. Time slowed to a crawl whenever a game or multimedia title had to access a disc--something that was especially disappointing given the Evolution V's otherwise lightning-fast performance. ALR would do well to find a zippier CD-ROM drive that would better match the rest of the speedy system. If something goes wrong, ALR doesn't leave you in the cold. The Evolution V comes with an online technical manual that includes information about technical support available via fax and phone, lists of common error messages, and general troubleshooting information. (Unfortunately, you have to install the online guide yourself.) If helping yourself isn't good enough, ALR will come to the rescue--literally. A $9.95 registration fee gets you a year of on-site support. If something goes wrong and can't be fixed with a call to technical support, ALR will send a technician to your door within 48 hours. Additional technical support is available via CompuServe. With all that going for the Evolution V, the slow CD-ROM drive couldn't spoil our enjoyment. This solid PC is worth a look by anyone in the market for a Pentium. (ALR; 800-444-4257; $3,899) 6 l C ì ╘ ` w╝∙B g▒≡2w╛ )q╢²: Toshiba's fast |bXM-3501|b quad-speed CD-ROM drive ups the ante. There's nothing like a quad-speed drive to help you get more juice out of the latest CD-ROM titles and games. If you can stand to part with the $500 or so (depending on whether you want an internal or external model) that it takes to buy a spot on the cutting edge, Toshiba's XM-3501 is worth checking out. The XM-3501 pumps information from a CD four times faster than older single-speed drives. Its reported random-access time of 155 milliseconds promises shorter waits while the computer finds the data it needs to display video or animation. To test the drive, we ran a variety of demanding CD-ROM titles, including Strike Commander and Millennium Auction. We found the drive's performance to be a dramatic improvement over the Toshiba XM-4101 double-speed drive, which this model replaces. It didn't completely eliminate the click-and-wait delay CD-ROM users are accustomed to, but it helped a lot. Future titles designed for quad-speed drives are likely to show even better performance. The XM-3501 is great and you can't beat the Toshiba name, although this drive will force you to open up your wallet quite a bit wider than a double-speed model would. But expect the Toshiba's list price to come down as increased competition forces lower prices. (Toshiba; 714-457-0777; PC; $470, internal; $600, external) ∙ J Ä ╪ )m⌐±<ü╔ If you're in the market for a new notebook, look for one of the growing number of new models that are multimedia-equipped, or at least have sound built in. On the high end, Toshiba's |bT4800CT,|b IBM's |bThinkPad |b755C, |bAustin Direct's |bBusiness Audio |bnotebook, and Sceptre's |bSoundX,|b among others, include integrated audio chips. The Austin, IBM, and Toshiba models even have microphones and tiny speakers. Or consider Toshiba's low-end |bSatellite T2400CT|b notebook, which has an optional $199 proprietary sound card. Of course, you'll still want to add an external CD-ROM drive. (Austin Direct; 512-339-3500; $2,849. IBM; 800-426-2968; $3,599. Toshiba; 714-583-3000; T4800CT, $6,499; Satellite T2400CT, $3,899. Sceptre; 818-369-3698; $3,029) ▄ ■m A ä ╠ ╪ j▒ ·A Oÿ▀&j░≈A é╩ Rö í∩6y╜ 2| ₧Ω.w ▒≈= à Æ ┌ !
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1 w û ▌ $ j å ╘ Yí σ1|╚ %r╗MÉ╪ Γ-q╗ Θ0v┐ ╠\áτ bÑ∞ ≥7╔ The aging 14-inch screen that came with your computer might be adequate for speadsheets and word processors, but if you want more excitement from your computer, you need to look at something a bit more up-to-date. To get the most from your multimedia titles and games, you need to see them clearly, with adequate resolution, and at a size that's big enough to make an impact. New monitors ranging from 15 to 21 inches deliver the visceral thrill you need for action games and complex multimedia titles. No matter what size screen you want, you'll need to know a few basics. So here goes: |bBehind the Scenes:|b The picture you see on your monitor is created by three electron beams (one red, one green, one blue) projected onto the screen. Fired from a gun (or guns) inside the monitor, the beams pass through small holes or slots in a metal plate called a shadow mask. Smaller holes placed closer together (which translates into a smaller "dot pitch") create sharper images. The beams hit the monitor screen, which is coated with combinations of tiny red, green, and blue phosphors. These phosphors light up to create the colors you see onscreen. |bCables:|b While many of today's monitors work with both Macs and PCs, they don't usually come with both types of cables. Make sure the connectors you need are included. Detachable cables are a nice extra because you don't have to worry about damaging them when you move the monitor. |bControls:|b Most monitors have controls for adjusting contrast, brightness, and vertical and horizontal positioning, but larger and higher-quality models may add controls for pincushioning (which gives the display area an hourglass shape), convergence (aligning the monitor's color beams to keep colors pure and crisp), and degaussing (which removes residual magnetism that could cause distortion). The monitor should let you store settings for different resolutions or at least have preprogrammed options. |bDot Pitch:|b A monitor's display is made up of phosphorescent pixels, and the space between the pixels is called "dot pitch." The bigger the number, the fewer the pixels, and the fuzzier the picture. For the best picture, look for a dot pitch no greater than .28 or .29. |bMultiscanning:|b Sometimes called autosynching, this means that the monitor can adjust to various video signals. A multiscanning monitor automatically works with a variety of video boards at several different resolutions. |bTilt-and-Swivel Base:|b This kind of base makes it easy to adjust the monitor's position--up, down, left, and right. A tilt-and-swivel base should come standard, but check to make sure. |bVertical Refresh Rate:|b This number tells you how many times per second the screen is redrawn. Fast refresh rates result in a steadier image that's less prone to flicker. Your video card's refresh rate must match that of your display, so most monitors support a range of rates. Insist on a refresh rate of at least 72Hz. Just as important, make sure that the monitor supports the resolutions and refresh rates in non-interlaced mode. Interlaced monitors refresh only every other line during each screen update, and they can flicker even at high refresh rates. |bPicture Tube:|b A Trinitron is a type of monitor tube that was pioneered by Sony and produces sharp images with good color and clarity. Flat-square monitor tubes produce picture quality as good or better than a Trinitron. Flat-square tubes produce less glare because they're flat (not rounded) on all sides. Trinitrons are flat on only two sides. |bMPR II:|b This is the Swedish standard for electromagnetic emissions from monitors. It's not clear whether monitors are a health hazard, but better safe than sorry. So look for a monitor that's MPR II compliant. If you're really worried, look for compliance with TCO (an even stricter European emissions standard). |bDisplay Area:|b This is the diagonal measurement of the screen size you'll actually see on the monitor, not the physical dimension of the monitor's tube, which is what most vendors advertise. The display area typically runs about an inch smaller than the tube size--but it can vary by as much as a half-inch from monitor to monitor. Compare the image size on same-size monitors to make sure you're getting the largest display area possible. |bEnergy Star:|b The Environmental Protection Agency set this standard for power conservation. It requires a monitor to power down to consume less than 30 watts when idle. Another energy-saving standard to look for is DPMS (Display Power Management Signaling). |bGlare Screen or Glare Coating:|b Some monitors have a glare-reducing coating on the glass. Other monitors use an add-on glare screen that does the same thing. Add-on glare screens are also available for just a few dollars. |bResolution:|b This is the sharpness of the image. Display resolution is measured by the number of pixels that make up the screen image. The more pixels, the sharper the picture. All new monitors support VGA (640-by-480 resolution) and most support Super VGA with resolutions of 800 by 600, 1,024 by 768, or even 1,280 by 1,024. Monitors also support different combinations of colors and refresh rates at each resolution. Your video card must support exactly the same combination of resolution, colors, and refresh rates for the system to work. |bWarranty:|b As with all computer equipment, make sure your monitor carries at least a one-year warranty. With monitors, though, sometimes the manufacturer will cover the monitor tube for a certain length of time and other parts and services for a different period. > ▄ G [ Ü Ω 3 Qö▄! *s╢ ╟T£▄&h |╜Mæ CD-ROM for PCs and Macs may grab all the attention, but 3DO and CD-i just won't give up. New 3DO players are on the way from overseas. Korean consumer electronics monolith GoldStar plans to sell its |b3DO Interactive Multiplayer|b in both the United States and Korea sometime later this year. (GoldStar; 800-777-0133; not yet priced) Korean cohort Samsung, meanwhile, is demonstrating a prototype 3DO system with built-in MPEG support for full-motion video. Samsung won't say when, or if, it will produce and release the system in the U.S., however. And word from inside 3DO has it that the company is working on a plug-in upgrade to its existing players to bring increased performance and better graphics. Philips is counting on new units and low-low prices to boost CD-i system sales. The company's Magnavox division is now shipping the $300 |b |bCD1450,|b a top-loading box that look more like a game machine than a stereo component. The |bCD1550|b adds support for MPEG digital video--for less than $400. Both models include a single wired controller and can support two-player games. (Philips; 800-824-2567; CD1450, $299; CD1550, $399) Other CD-i hardware products under development include a pair of players from GoldStar, an integrated player built into a 21-inch TV set called the CD-i/TV, a rack-mounted set of stereo components with a CD-i player and a seven-disc changer, and a CD-i board for PCs and Macs. Not yet priced, these units are slated to debut within the next 12 months. " N J ö α Θ 1w┴Jì ö▌# A PC perched precariously on top of the TV would be pretty strange, but would you consider putting it there if the machine looked more like a VCR than a computer? The folks at Digital Interactive Systems Corp. (D.I.S.C.) hope so. The |bD.I.S.C.|b player is a fully MPC Level 2-compliant 486SX-based PC housed in a chassis that would be at home in any stereo cabinet. You can attach the player to your TV set and stereo system and use it to play CD-ROM and CD-i games, watch MPEG-video CD movies, and listen to audio CDs--all from the same machine. The D.I.S.C. even runs Microsoft Windows and has all the standard serial, parallel, MIDI, and mouse ports. The player is due out this month for a suggested retail price of $1,599. That's expensive for a game machine but reasonable for a PC. (Digital Interactive Systems; 213-912-3163; $1,599) * F K Å ╪ ∙ Eï╪ Mò ¼∩6ü╦ Who's got time to look down at the keyboard when you're in the middle of an intense game? You can't waste precious nanoseconds locating the right key combo; you need firepower now. And you can get it with |bStep |bOn It|b from Bilbo Inventions. Step On It is a set of three floor pedals to which you assign any series of keyboard commands. Instead of poking around for the Alt or Shift key when you want to turn up the heat in your favorite flight sim, use one pedal to control the flaps and a second to launch a missile. The pedals connect between the keyboard and computer, leaving joystick and yoke ports free. Step On It is custom made for games like X-Wing and Falcon 3.0. One warning: Don't mistake Step On It's pedals for the specialized gaming pedals that emulate, say, the gas pedal of a racing car. These function strictly in an on/off mode. But the addition of floor pedals can really enhance the action of many games, giving you the feel of running a real tank or jet. Step On It is compatible with all PC games, not just sims. (Bilbo Inventions; 800-203-0092; PC, $89.99) , └ I Ä ╧ a v╜IÉ▌& Bç╠Tò You just bought Comanche Overkill and you're psyched to load it up and blow some choppers out of the sky. Halfway through installation, up pops a scary warning. The game needs 21 megs of disk space, and you have only 2 left. Do you remove your word processor, spreadsheet, and fax programs, then reinstall them later? Do you run right out and buy a bigger hard drive? Consider the |bPereos|b from Datasonix instead. This mobile companion storage unit was designed for notebooks, but it can also hook up to your desktop PC. The Pereos weighs in at ten ounces, needs only two AA batteries, and records up to 1.2 gigabytes of data on a minuscule tape cassette. It's able to get so much data into so small a space by writing in diagonal stripes across the magnetic tape. Traditional tapes write data in straight vertical lines. There are a few drawbacks to using the Pereos. You can't access and use your applications and games directly from the drive, but you can swap data and applications back and forth without reinstalling them. The Pereos should be shipping any day now, so check your favorite computer-accessory store. (Datasonix; 800-328-2779; DOS/Windows; $595; one tape, $28.95; two tapes, $49.95) k H è Ü █ +s▒ ╨] Is anything worse than coaxing the cover off your PC to install a new sound board or video card? PC hardware manufacturers are finally getting a clue. Stay tuned for the |bSmall Form-Factor Peripheral Communications |bInterface|b (SFFPCI), a specification for an upcoming set of credit-card-size sound cards, video cards, modems, and the like, which pop into slots on the outside of a computer's case. No more screwdrivers, bent connectors, or fear of frying. There are still a number of issues to work out, such as how to hook up cables, but you may see the first SFFPCI-compliant computers as early as next year. û &J ` è ₧ í Θ &h░≈>Ç╠ 0v╣ⁿDï╒ 7~┼ Tû█ f▒÷ e¼Θ- x ┴
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. S ¢ α + i ½ ÷ Víπ&h¬≡,t╣! |bFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |b|b|bContacts: Dennis James, ATG Cygnet, Inc. (408)954-1800; Matthew |bSchmidt, Wendy Lewis, FS Communications |b|b|b(415)691-1488 |b |b|bSan Jose, Calif.--December 13, 1994--ATG Cygnet Inc. announced that the U.S. Air Force's new Automated Records Management System (ARMS), at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Tex., uses ATG Cygnet Optical Storage Libraries. The system, in full production since September 1, 1994 is being used to store images of nearly 10,000 paper documents and over 60,000 digitized microfiche images, daily on 12-in. WORM (Write Once Read Many) digital optical disks. Conversion of back records for all active duty Air Force personnel, including one million paper documents and 22.5 million microfiche images, is scheduled for completion by September, 1995. Cordant, Inc. of Reston, Va., designed ARMS to store master personnel documents images for all active duty, Guard and Reserve members of the Air Force at the Military Personnel Center. The system scans, indexes and stores these records in four ATG Cygnet Series 1800 optical storage libraries, each configured with two ATG Cygnet GD 9001, 12-in. optical disk drives. Three of the libraries hold 131 optical disks each, and the fourth holds 51 optical disks for a total system storage capacity of 4.26 TB (Terabytes). The Air Force system required assured data integrity, so Cordant chose true WORM technology, with a specified data life of at least 30 years. Once the images are stored on the 12-in. optical disks, they can not be altered. "In the ARMS program, we needed to combine the performance of electronic record management with the permanent data integrity of microfiche," said Tom Ballard, vice president of Federal Programs at Cordant, Inc. "The ATG Cygnet 12-inch WORM, digital optical storage solution met those program requirements for system performance, while offering new operating efficiencies. The proven reliability of ATG Cygnet libraries, and the price-performance leadership of ATG Cygnet drives and platters made them the clear choice." Before ARMS, records were kept in paper files and on microfiche, and updating a document took seven days. With the automated system, files can be retrieved in a matter of seconds and an update can be completed in less than a day. Other efficiencies of the new system include space utilization and reduced staffing needs. The digital optical system is far more compact, with more than 60 million images in the four optical jukeboxes, which have individual footprints of less than 200 sq. ft. Filing and retrieval is fully automated, requiring far fewer personnel. A second group of records at the Air Force Reserve Personnel Center in Denver, Col., will be scanned into the system beginning in late 1995. The data will be transferred by T1 lines to Randolph Air Force Base, for single site storage and maintenance. "With the installation of ARMS, ATG Cygnet libraries are now helping to manage personnel records storage in two of the three branches of the U.S. military," said Gil Van Schoor, vice president of marketing and sales at ATG Cygnet. "We have been up and running in the U.S. Army Personnel Electronic Record Management System (PERMS) since early this year, providing storage for more than 200 million pages of records in ten ATG Cygnet libraries." ATG Cygnet, Inc., created by the October 1993 merger of ATG Gigadisc and Cygnet Systems Inc., is a ten-year old, international supplier of mass storage solutions. The company's jukebox autochanger and storage systems products are sold to OEMs--including AT&T, BULL, IBM, ICL, Siemens-Nixdorf and UNISYS--and resellers. The company's product line, which supports every major type of 12-in. optical drive now available, includes the expandable Series 1800 library family and the Advanced Storage Module, a fixed-capacity storage subsystem equipped with drives from either ATG Cygnet, Philips LMS or Nikon. The GD 9001/S WORM digital optical drive and media, both manufactured by ATG Cygnet, are the industry's highest capacity 12-in. optical drives, at 10.2 GB per disk cartridge.|b |b|b ª R [ Å Æ █ #y ╡ Aç╦U _£ß,u╣■ 0{╒^ ô¡≤; \óß≈>ë╥' p ╢ ■ O
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M k ╛ c ¼ ≤ h⌐≥1t└ NÅ ¢Ω ,s╢² |bFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |bContacts: Jeff Largiader, Voyager Software Corp (908)389-8950; |bDavid A. Kaminer, The Kaminer Group (914)332-4114 |b |b|bSHREWSBURY, NJ, Oct. 28, 1994--Programmer's Paradise|s00,245,00, the world's leading source of software development tools, has introduced |b |bParadise Direct|s00,245,00,|b a family of targeted direct mail services designed to reach and influence qualified buyers of technical software. "|uParadise Direct|u combines our expertise in software development tools and our success in marketing them to users worldwide," said Roger Paradis, president and CEO of Voyager|s00,245,00Software Corp, parent company of Programmer's Paradise. "The program is designed to help vendors get the right message to the right customer with high-impact. Mailers include product specifications, special offers, bundles and premiums. "Programmer's Paradise became the world leader in the direct marketing of software development tools through our popular catalogs and |umagalog|u inserts in magazines," he said. "Now, |uParadise Direct|u offers that proven effectiveness at cost-effective pricing to vendors of technical software, helping them reach the hundreds of thousands of buyers who are our traditional customers and who want and need their products." |bFrom Needs Assessment to Fulfillment |bParadise Direct |bis a complete marketing program beginning with |uNeeds |uAssessment|u, |uStrategy|u and |uAnalysis|u and continuing through |uFulfillment|u. It includes appropriate pre- and post-sale support to ensure development and implementation of a complete direct mail campaign encompassing a vendor's product capabilities and marketing goals. Paradise Direct includes: |bNeeds Assessment, Strategy and Analysis,|b a vendor-specific target audiences, premiums, telemarketing and selling strategies, fulfillment, and pre- and post-sales support; |bCreative Development,|b a full range of direct and creative options developed to help vendors cost-effectively reach and influence customers, including: |m020|bPremium Package,|b a classic colorful direct mailer including a |m020full-color mailing envelope, custom four-page cover letter describing |m020product benefits to meet the specific needs of a target audience, a |m020fact-filled four-color brochure highlighting product features, |ulift-note |uto |m020give attention to a particular aspect of the offer, order card with |m020specific coding for order tracking, and business reply envelope; |m020|bStandard Package,|b with a two-color mailing envelope, four-page |m020letter, four-color brochure, |ulift-note|u, order card, and reply envelope, |m020available in either an oversized 6" x 9" format or an economical No. |m02010 envelope version; |m020|bSelf-Mailer,|b a traditional three-fold, self-mailing package, providing |m020detailed product information, with room for attention-getting screen |m020and/or package pictures; |m020|bPostcard,|b for fast, economical delivery of information, to gain attention |m020on product upgrade availability, reminders, price changes, or special |m020offers. In addition, |uParadise Direct|u offers vendors expertise and services in |b |bPricing Strategy, Premium Product Acquisition, Bundling Opportunities, |bModeling, List Selection, Printing and Lettershop, Telemarketing and |bTelesales, |band |bFulfillment. |b |b|b"|uParadise Direct|u combines all the direct marketing expertise, tools and components vendors need to gain increased attention and generate sales in today's competitive and robust market for their products," said Paradis. "We designed this innovative, high-impact program in response to the need for greater product exposure expressed by our vendor partners, and in an effort to continue to satisfy the needs and time constraints of our hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide. "With |uParadise Direct|u," Paradis added, "we've put everything in place to help software vendors get their products into the hands of their customers." For additional information, contact: Jeff Largiader, |uParadise Direct|u, 1163 Shrewsbury Avenue, Shrewsbury, NJ 07702; telephone (908)389-8950. Voyager Software Corp, headquartered in Shrewsbury, NJ, is the world's leading PC market supplier focusing on technology software for end users and major corporations. Voyager projects worldwide sales of $80 million for 1994. . φ H ò █ ⌡ 7é╞
Wó τ/w╖ ┌'m╖ You may know Leonardo da Vinci as the 15th-century painter who pasted that mysterious smile on the Mona Lisa, but in |bLeonardo, the Inventor|b we discover a different side to the all-around genius who epitomized the term |uRenaissance man|u. Leonardo conceived of many things that remained dreams in his own lifetime but became essentials in ours: the helicopter, suspension bridge, armored tank, diving suit, life preserver, parachute--even the drum machine. Leonardo, the Inventor uses crisp animation techniques to bring 20 of his inventions to life, examining them both for their brilliance and their flaws. Also included is Leonardo's auto-biography, as well as a pair of 3-D glasses that add an eerie realism to animated sequences. You'll even get to match wits with the master in clever adventure games based on his inventions. In one you slip into his diving suit and poke around under the waves; in another you attempt to escape from a multi-ringed fortress he designed. Leonardo, the Inventor avoids the pitfalls of historically based titles that get bogged down in the mustiness of academic reflection. Instead, it arrives as fresh and vibrant as its namesake was in his day. (Interactive Publishing; 914-426-0400; CD for Windows/Mac, $49.95) F d" P û ╤ Oÿ▌ Θ*p┤ Cï╨ ^º≡9 w└ Rÿ ѱ3 Most multimedia titles about disasters |b|uare|b|u disasters. That's because catastrophes like fires, floods, hurricanes, and global warming don't seem quite as gripping or threatening when you're watching warmed-over footage of them in a miserable little video window. But Sony Imagesoft's new |bEarthquake|b CD-ROM may raise your expectations. The disc, produced with lots of help and content from ABC News Interactive, is an entertaining, informative, and well-designed experience. Narrated by the perennially helmet-haired Ted Koppel, Earthquake includes original ABC broadcasts and tons of footage covering several of this century's major quakes. In fact, you can view more than 40 minutes of video in an unusually large video window. It isn't TV quality, but if you want to know more about the devastating 1985 Mexico City quake, the Loma Prieta quake that interrupted the 1989 World Series, or the Northridge, California, quake that caused so much damage earlier this year, it's here. And you won't have to squint to see it. The title also includes a great deal of text from the Book |uTerra Non Firma|u , thousands of photos, plus graphs, maps, and charts galore. And if you live in an earthquake zone, the detailed section about earthquake safety and preparedness will be just the ticket. Should the big one--or even a little one--hit, you don't want to be without vital supplies. But this title has more than great content and an excellent interface to back it up. It's also got terrific production values. You can tell that a major broadcaster was involved with Earthquake the minute you install it--the music starts and Ted begins Kippelizing before you click on a single icon. If this is any indication of ABC News Interactive's talents, let's see what it does in its forthcoming health CD. More of this please. (Sony Imagesoft; 310-449-2320; CD for Windows, $59.95) , █ M É ╘ f¿ ß*m│√=à «°<é└ Now there's a learning tool for budding Elton Johns who want to tickle the ivories like a pro. The |bGravis Personal Piano System |bprovides everything you need in order to turn your personal computer into an electronic piano teacher. The kit includes a wave-table-synthesis Gravis UltraSound card (a version without the card is available if you already own a sound card), a four-octave MIDI keyboard, a MIDI connector, powered speakers, and Musicware Piano teaching software. An easy-to-understand quickstart sheet walks you through installation of the hardware and software. Then the Windows-based Musicware Piano program takes you through 27 lessons, ranging from basic "find middle C" all the way to playing simple songs with two hands. The software is no-nonsense, with none of the games and other diversions found in products like the Software Toolworks' Miracle Piano System, but it will quickly have you plunking out the tunes. The Personal Piano System's $500 price tag is a bit steep, but it's a lot less expensive than a piano and lessons with your third-grade music teacher. Plus the UltraSound card and speakers will provide you with sound for your multimedia titles and games. (Advanced Gravis; 800-663-8558; PC, $499.95) & ⌡ L Æ Ñ ± 7Ç├ Qû ª∩8é╦ If you're heading to the Rockies any time soon, boot up the |bMagnificent |bRocky|b guide to Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park before you plan your getaway. This multimedia title contains a wealth of information about the park--from phone numbers and prices for camp sites, to audio descriptions of the various flora and fauna you'll encounter on your journey. Topographical maps and summaries of hikes are a boon for anyone looking to spend some time in the back country. The list of park services points you to information about activities like canoeing and horseback riding. And Quicktime movies and slide shows introduce you to the park's history and highlights. About the only drawback to the disc is its lack of a print feature. The maps and text are great for planning a trip, but you can't print out the sections you need. So if you want information to take along to the park, either bring a laptop or take lots of notes. (Johnson Books Electronics; 800-258-5830; CD for Windows/Mac, $39.95) & ▀ M ô ▄ ■ Gå╧ ε+m╢ⁿHì╔ She's the four-foot guru of sex, the walking dictionary of words that make you blush. She's Dr. Ruth, and beginning in November she'll be using multimedia to inform you about all those things you have trouble telling your kids or asking your parents. |bDr. Ruth's Encyclopedia of Sex|b features 250 topical entries, such as abortion and AIDS, and 600 graphical elements. You can access everything in the program alphabetically through the encyclopedia in the good doctor's onscreen office. Click on the Anatomy Atlas posted on her wall to embark on a roller-coaster-like 3-D fertility tour through the male or female reproductive system, or any other part of the body you're interested in. Or pick up the telephone to listen to the 300 questions most commonly asked of the diminutive doctor. Once you feel sexually literate, test your knowledge in a sex quiz. Ace the test to qualify as a bona fide sex expert. (Creative Multimedia; 800-262-7668; CD for Windows, approximately $29.99) ░ F ì ╨ ⁿ Eì╙ e░√Eå The assassin's bullets that blew away John F. Kennedy on that sunny Dallas afternoon in 1963 left a lot of folks wondering what might have been. The cold facts of history can't be changed, but they can be cleverly rewritten for the computer screen. |bRe-Elect JFK,|b due this fall from Quadra Interactive, is based on the premise that Oswald (and/or any others) missed their mark. One of your jobs as the fortunate chief executive is to track down the people who were trying to use you for target practice. Then you've got to get on with the business of running the country and winning the 1964 presidential election. You also must maintain your popularity in the face of wrenching social issues like the struggle for civil rights. Oh, and here's a chance to help America wriggle out of the emerging military quagmire in Vietnam. Makes you wonder why anyone wants the job. (Quadra Interactive; 619-931-4755; CD for Windows/Mac, $49.95) . Σ D ë ╞ b▒·Eî ö▐)s╕NÄ═ After browsing the average CD-ROM almanac, you might ask yourself about the omissions. Where's a photo of that world-class thinker, a sound bite from that pivotal speech, or a video clip of that record-breaking homer? But then again, how much can you really pack onto one CD-ROM? The Software Toolworks' solution to the problem is the |b20th Century |bVideo Almanac, |ba five-disc set that specializes in cinematic highlights of the last century. The first disc, The Best of Our Century, gives you an overview, while four follow-ups delve into areas of special interest: War, Politics, & Disasters; Science & Technology; Arts & Entertainment; and Sports. Each disc includes a historical time line, calendar, and media library in which you can find photos, sound bites, and video clips. If you've got an earth-shaking event in mind--your birthday, for instance--search by date, decade, subject, or geographical location. The series features more than five hours of video, 2,000-plus photos, extensive audio, and oodles of text. At $79.95 for the entire five-disc set, it makes for an affordable time machine. Look for it this month. (The Software Toolworks; 800-234-3088; CD for DOS/3DO; The Best of Our Century, $49.95; five-disc set, $79.95) * ₧ E ç ├ RÜα(n╖ ⌡Bç═ Sû The intrepid teenage adventurers from the popular Fox TV show have been transformed again, appearing in yet another marketing guise. Thanks to Xiphias and Paramount Pictures, kids can now have round-the-clock access to five action-packed shows of the |bMighty|b |b |bMorphin Power Rangers. |b Each show features one of the Rangers in a leading role, and each is divided into ten segments, including a public service announcement. Click on a scene, and a video segment plays in a window that occupies less than a quarter of the screen, while a color still fills the background. The video quality under Windows is good, although the missynched audio (not unlike that in the dubbed portions of the TV show) is distracting for the adults--but not the kids. Interactive it's not--the program's interface is a simple grid, and the only choices involve the order of scenes--so anyone who wants a game or a challenge should look elsewhere. But couch-potato kids who can't get enough of the Power Rangers--and whose parents have a powerful multimedia computer--will want this disc in their PR collection, right beside the Megazord. (Paramount; 415-812-8200; CD for Windows/Mac, $39.95) ¿ PS K ì ═ \ k«≥; å╨`ó ╢·=ü╠ Hä ║ⁿ@ë╘ V¥τ*h⌐±8 ` ª δ )
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\ á Θ ■ G É ╓ bÑε JÉ╒^ s╖ GÉ ¬∩9 Do you remember your first role-playing game? I do. It was back in the 1970s, and the game was called Colossal Cave. Developed by Willy Crowther and Don Woods for the ArpaNet, the game consisted of a virtual cave where you typed in various commands to go spelunking. I even remember a certain frightened canary in the cave, and at the time I was entranced. Role-playing games, as you probably know, are typically text-based environments in which you move around by typing instructions--"open door," "go north," "pick up knife," and so on. The game presents quests and other challenges for you to solve, often involving magic and fighting. Playing against the computer can be entertaining, but the real fun starts when people play the games together--generally over an online network. The first game like this that I remember was Habitat, a program for the FM Town (a subset was Club Caribe for the Commodore 64) that came out of Lucas Films. Habitat was innovative because it let people use their computers to phone into a network and communicate with each other. When two or more people entered the same room, they could type messages to each other--to try to convince the other to join their quest, to tell jokes, or to do whatever people do at strange cocktail parties. These people were definitely onto something. Today, if you check out the Internet, you'll see Habitat's descendants all over the place--specifically, I'm talking about MUDs and MOOs. What's the difference between a MOO and a MUD? Well, the obvious one is that it's between what cows say and what pigs wallow in, but there's more to it than that: A MUD (or Multi-User Dungeon) is an online environment and a virtual world that players can dial into. In a MUD, you take on the role of a character and move around a world created by the dungeon master and the computer program that runs the MUD. A MOO is a different animal entirely. In a MOO (short for MUD, object oriented) you don't just experience someone else's world. Instead, using a sort of pseudo programming language, you can actually change the virtual world around you to help create a constantly evolving environment. Take, for example, one of my favorite MOOs, called LambdaMOO. Created as part of a research project out of Xerox Parc, it turns MUD players into virtual architects. (You can reach the game via the Internet at Lambda. Xerox.com.888.) When you allow creative people to work together on a project, magical things can happen. And some magical things are definitely happening on LambdaMOO. One of my favorite things to do is to create a trapdoor--at the bottom of a hot tub, behind a painting in the wall, or almost anywhere. Then, behind the trapdoor, I create a whole new room for other players to explore--complete with its own set of characters, personalities, physical objects, and rules. Since all the players on LambdaMOO can add their own entrances and rooms in the same way, the MOO has become a truly intriguing place--huge, rich, humorous, complicated, foolish, whimsical, and just plain neat. Even if you don't fancy yourself a builder of worlds, it's fun to decide what kind of a character you are and how other people will perceive you. Do you just give them your name? Do you have flowing robes or curly, fire-engine red hair? Are you short or tall, fat or thin? At the very least, you can use the commands in a MOO to dress yourself--or even undress yourself. You can also choose varying stages of dress and undress, which leads to some interesting issues about netsex--but that's a whole 'nother story. At any rate, I highly recommend that you climb on a MOO sometime and explore these wild and wacky worlds. If you don't have access to the Internet via your company or school, you can subscribe to one of the many online services that offer Telnet access to the Internet. Once connected, you'll find worlds of science fiction, fantasy, medieval gallantry, whatever. And even though they're all text and no pictures, these worlds seem unbelievably real once you're in them. Because you play an active role, they're much more real, I think, than the world of a novel. But, hey, wouldn't it be cool if Robert Ludlum or Stephen King authored a MUD or a MOO? I know I'd dial in. Nolan K. Bushnell invented Pong, founded Atari, and created Chuck E. Cheese. He is currently chairman of Octus, the maker of PTA software, in San Diego, California. % P ù ╫ SÜ▌ `½∞ Break out the love beads and get ready for |bRock Expedition: The|b |b1960s|b and |bSoul Expedition: The 1960s|b, two new CD-ROM titles developed by Jouissance Productions for Rhino Records that serve up generous helpings of musical nostalgia with a twist of technology. Pop these discs into your CD-ROM drive and check out video clips, interviews, discographics, album artwork, trivia, and other multimedia enhancements from the Age of Aquarius. Each disc holds ten songs, including Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" and The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" on the Rock version and Aretha Franklin's "Respect" and the Capitol's "Cool Jerk" on the Soul collection. You can even listen to the tunes on your audio CD player. We can dig it. (Compton's NewMedia; 800-862-2206; CD for Windows/Mac, $29.95 each) 1 R ö ╓ ^₧σ) |bClint Eastwood|b will be the subject of the first interactive major Hollywood movie-star retrospective early next year when Starwave releases a CD-ROM review of the actor/director/grumbling tough guy's lengthy career. The disc will include video clips from more than half of Eastwood's 50 films as well as photos, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews done exclusively for Starwave, the company formed by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen. The CD will be available for both IBM and Macintosh. (Starwave; 206-957-2000; CD for Windows/Mac, not yet priced) φ M û ╖ ² EÄ╘ IÆ▄ If at first you don't succeed, just issue a new release. It just may work for |bMega Movie Guide 3.0,|b a vastly improved multimedia compendium of movie reviews from InfoBusiness. Sporting a completely new interface, Mega Movie Guide 3.0 may finally live up to the promise of its almost 60,000 movie reviews--more reviews than any of its competitors. The new version lets you search for movies based on length, rating, nationality, star, director, genre and--most important--whether it's available on video. All references are hot linked so you can follow your interests deep into movie history. The whole thing is spiced up with more than two hours of film clips. It's a huge improvement. (InfoBusiness; 800-657-5300; CD for Windows, $49.95) 2 m H ì ╪ Θ 1q░∙C å═a¿∞ 2}─ Q You probably wanted a magician at your tenth birthday party, but your mother got a clown instead. Show mom that you're in charge now, and invite a class-act master of illusion to your next big bash, regardless of how old you are. |bMax Magic's Electronic Magic Kit,|b for Philips's CD-i platform, puts "mentalist" Max Maven at your service. Maven is a professional magician who hangs out with the likes of David Copperfield and Siegfried and Roy. New he's teamed up with Philips to turn your TV into an interactive magic show. Designed for kids age 8 and up, the disc will appeal to kids of all ages--even those in the upper double-digits. The Magic Kit has two modes: The first features robot Max Magic (based on Maven, of course) performing seven illusions, while the other lets you get in on the act as Max's assistant. You take part in seven more tricks with which you can baffle your family and friends. One magic feat has Max guess the card selected by an audience member. You help out by doing the leg work--selecting the participant and handling the cards. Not convinced you can assist a virtual magician? All it takes is a little practice. Once you've got the tricks mastered you can create a custom show made up of a selection of the disc's 14 illusions. Look for it to mysteriously appear in November. Now, about that rabbit...(Philips; 800-824-2567; CD-i, $39.98) " " B ä │ Q₧ß)o║Mò▀ Sure, everyone dreams about being a rock star, but very few are prepared for the blood, sweat, and tears you've got to shed while clawing your way up (or back down) the ladder. The next best thing to the long climb to the top is |bTour,|b which casts you as an aspiring rock 'n' roller (and serves as a nice little training device for neophyte guitarists) on a trek to musical stardom. First you'll need to get your hands on the $399 G-Vox Pickup and Belt Pack, which gets your guitar and PC on speaking terms. The Pickup fits on your guitar and is linked to your PC. Pluck a string, and it converts the sound into an electronic signal and displays it on your PC. But you'll play in front of some extremely critical audiences. As you belt out your best boogie, the audience pelts you with fruit. Play the note indicated on each piece of hurled produce and eliminate it before it smacks you in the head. Miss the notes, and your career will be brief. The Tour will be around by the end of the year. (Lyrrus Incorporated; 215-922-0880; DOS/Mac, $59) > = O [ ú µ /z├ `¬⌡9ü ê╥[áΣ \ñτ, Some people really do buy |uPlayboy|u for the articles. Or at least for the interviews. Since 1962, |uPlayboy|u has filled the spaces between the nudes and the cartoons with some of the most insightful, penetrating, and timely interviews in print. From presidential candidate Jimmy Carter admitting he had "lust in his heart" in November 1976 to |uRoots |uauthor Alex Haley interviewing George Lincoln Rockwell, the vitriolic head of the American Nazi Party, in April 1966, |uPlayboy|u interviews have made news as well as commented on it. |bThe Playboy Interview - Three Decades, a Multimedia Mirror of |bContemporary Culture, |bbrings those historic conversations to your PC. The disc features the full text of 352 interviews, more than 1,000 photos, behind-the-scenes interviews with the interviewers, and interactive collections of pithy quotes on such topics as Love & Marriage and Law & Order. Best of all, the disc includes 25 audio clips from the original interview tapes, with notables ranging from Muhammed Ali to Tennessee Williams. It's fascinating to hear these luminaries state their opinions in their own voices, adding shading and dimension to the printed words. There's even a lone video clip of Mike Wallace speaking at the 30th anniversary of the |uPlayboy|u interview party. On the downside, it can be wearing to read through these rather lengthy chunks of text on the computer screen. A simple book of the interviews would have been just as comprehensive and much more convenient and comfortable. (The Multimedia Publishing Studio; 800-898-8842; CD for Windows, $49.95) : 5 I Æ Γ , Q¢▀'p ▓⌡5 ½≥?è Ö▌"j▒ Everyone knows about morphing. Michael Jackson, |uTerminator 2|u, and countless commercials have turned it into a household word. But did you know that a morph is just one type of special-effect tool called a transit? |b |bRomeBlack xTransit|b demonstrates this and helps demystify the world of image manipulation for mere mortals. A transit is the tool used for turning one image seamlessly into another. XTransit has 27 single- and dual-image transits in nine categories: duplicate, fade, wipe, tint, distortion, warp, mosaic, blue, and morph. Using the distortion transit tool, for example, you can distort an image with wave, ripple, vortex, cylinder, bubble, and fisheye effects. To help beginners, the program's manual offers step-by-step sample morphs, warps, and effects. These examples are crucial because though the program is easy to use, skillful morphing typically requires a subtle touch that comes only with practice. xTransit comes with a group of sample images to get you started. Once you get the hang of it, you'll want to import your own images or video files to create a morph of your loping kids turning into giraffes tearing across the Serengeti. Don't expect to feel like a Lucas or a Kubrick once you've mastered xTransit's effects, though. Video windows are small and frame rates often slow, and transferring your digitized movie back to videotape can also be a challenge (to do this you need a frame grabber, which is not included with xTransit). But, hey, even the |uT2|u effects crew had to start somewhere. (RomeBlack; 212-727-9735; Windows, $79.99) ; B Å ╓ i £α,y└√ Here's your chance to make good on the threat that you're gonna rearrange someone's face. Best of all, no one gets hurt in the process. |b |bDigital Funhouse |bfrom Symsoft works like electronic Silly Putty by allowing you to distort digitized photos hilariously. Once you're done mangling the kissers of family, friends, or pets, you can print or fax the pictures to further endear yourself to the victim. Film developer Seattle Filmworks makes it easy to get the digitized photos you'll need by including two rolls of film with the program. Send a roll of photos to the company, and it'll transfer them to a Windows disk for only $4. Demo versions of Digital Funhouse are available for download on America Online, CompuServe, and the Internet. (Symsoft; 702-832-4300; Windows, $79.95. Seattle Filmworks; 206-281-1390) & ê M ò █ !g ~└K b¥π.g Take a surreal trip with |bBryce.|b This icon-based program allows you to create fantastic landscapes as strange and beautiful as any backdrop in a Dali original. And you don't need an ounce of real artistic skill. The program supplies several preset landscape patterns. For example, you can mix desert terrains with ocean islands or deep blue seas with lush, green mountains. If you're braver, you can start from scratch and use the provided geometric shapes to create your own bizarre landscapes. Bryce's arsenal of special effects, like change-views, are comparable to those in professional packages. One problem with Bryce, though, is that you need a serious high-resolution color printer to take full advantage of the program's power. Even so, Bryce is worth a try. Its easy-to-use tools will let you create worlds you never dreamed possible. (HSC Software; 310-392-8441; Windows/Mac, $199) 2 e J ô ╘ e¼ σ.z┴T s└Pû ╩T No need to embarrass yourself in a public watering hole to satisfy your karaoke craving. |b Soft Karaoke for Windows|b lets you croon along with your PC instead. The program has everything you need to pretend you're Frank Sinatra, Olivia Newton John, or Loverboy. Soft Karaoke features a diverse catalog of MIDI songs, a graphical interface for getting around, and, of course, lyrics that cue you to sing. The program even includes a microphone to plug into your PC's sound card. Once you've got Soft Karaoke up and running, it's not hard to figure out how to pick a song and customize it. Five buttons at the top of the screen let you open a song file, set up the player, adjust instrument volume, swap an instrument, and access the program's help. Baritones who want to sing tunes written for Carly Simon or Loretta Lynn can adjust the key of any song as well as the tempo. Soft Karaoke offers a lot of humorous, it not great, songs. To get the most from the program, you need a sound card that supports the General MIDI standard, or else the tunes will sound thin. Various beeps moonlighting as real guitars will make you think you're singing along with a cheap Casio keyboard, which isn't easy or especially fun. If you can't bring yourself to belt one out at the local karaoke bar, try practicing at home with Soft Karaoke. (Tune 1000; 415-363-8863; Windows, $79.95) : º @ Ç ╚ [áΩ °:â ▒ⁿAë╧ Gæ╫ ⁿCç There's a word for programs like |bMagic Theatre|b: |ucool|u. This moviemaking program for kids allows aspiring Spielbergs to indulge their cinematic fantasies. The "movies" kids create with Magic Theatre are not video clips but rather sequences of animated pictures filled with sound effects and set to music. Kids create each scene in their movies by selecting backgrounds, placing figures, and adding special effects. Or they can use paint tools to make their own bizarre creations from scratch. Magic Theatre lets even small kids create and narrate imaginative stories without the help of adults. No reading is required: Kids simply click on icons to receive audio explanations. Children can use the program's microphone to narrate their movies, or fill up the soundtrack with sound bytes available from the audio library. They can also use the Magic Brushes to paint in trees, bushes, or other assorted scenery enhancers. Once a movie is finished, they can watch it, save it as a camera file, or trash it in the can. The program's only drawback is that the animated characters can't interact with each other. Kids can select only one at a time. When they go to the next one, the previous character freezes and remains in the same spot for the rest of the movie. Magic Theatre is for kids 6 and up, but it's something non-violent the whole family can play together. (Knowledge Adventure; 800-542-4220; Windows/CD for Windows, $59.95) ° J æ » ± >Ç┼ YÑδ You're thinking of redoing your child's room in early Triassic, but you can't find the right wall covering. Why not make your own with the |b |bJurassic Park Poster Kit?|b Hi Tech Entertainment, the company that brought Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter to the PC, shows its kinder, gentler side with do-it-yourself dinosaur art for all ages. Choose a background, then slap on the prehistoric beasts that suit your fancy. You can also spice up each scene with characters from the movie and pop in your own speech bubbles. The best part of the poster kit is the print option, which lets you choose mini, standard, large, or even huge--up to eight feet high! Now if I could only find a printer big enough. (Hi Tech Entertainment; 212-941-1224; DOS, $29.95) ═ P û α fáµ,u╗ Can't get no satisfaction? The |bRolling Stones|b understand. If you've got something on your mind and want to bend the ear of Mick and the boys, check out the Internet. For the next few months, the Rolling Stones will rock through cyberspace as they blast around the world on their "Voodoo Lounge" tour. Stones fans will be able to leave messages for the band at its own private e-mailbox: stones@delphi.com. Online-service provider Delphi has also established a Stones database that will include sound and video files to download, a community chat area, a board to post messages, set lists from each concert on the tour, and (you saw this one coming) a place where you can purchase official tour merchandise. 8 [ O ù ┌ e óΘ≡>ê╧ Lah│·9 Cî╘ |bE2: When did the idea of having big-time actors in a game first come up?|b |bChris Jones: |bI think Martian Memorandum (1991) was the first to use "multimedia characters" with voices. When we started, some of the people we used had no acting skills. We had (picked them based) on what they looked like. We could put in only 40 or 50 spoken sentences embarrassing if you don't get people who can really perform. |bE2: Did you model Tex Murphy's character after anyone in particular? |b|b|b |b|b|bCJ:|b He's a combination of Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, and Leslie Nielsen in |uThe Naked Gun|u. You can only go so far in taking (computer games) seriously. When you're playing, you want it to be a good time, so we really had to have a strong comedy element. |bE2: What was it like working with TV and movie stars such as Brian Keith |band Margot Kidder? |b|b|b |b|b|bCJ:|b Very intimidating. These people are consummate professionals. We didn't have to talk to them about what their characters were. They immediately grasp it and make the character much more than you imagined. We had a scene (with Brian Keith) in which we wanted him to slap a table when he spoke. He said the line but he didn't slap the table. When we mentioned it, he said "Look, if I want to touch the goddamn table, I'll touch it." He didn't feel that's what the character would do. , M ¥ π * l┤■=å╔X Öσ-x¼∙ If the evening talk shows are your buzz, check out Aaron Barnhart's |bLate |bShow News.|b It's an Internet mailing list that offers the behind-the-scenes scoop on Letterman, Leno, and other late-night shows. Every Tuesday, Barnhart fills your mailbox with facts and commentary on how the shows are shaping up. He also gives guest lineups for the coming week. To pick up Late Show News, you have a variety of off-ramps to take. To get it by anonymous FTP, connect to ftp.mcs.net, then go to the directory /mcsnet.users/barnhart/late-show-news. If you have WWW/Mosaic ability, connect to http://www.cen.uiuc.edu/~j18287/late.news.html. The best method--and the one you should use from the commercial online services such as CompuServe--is to get it delivered to your mailbox. Send a message with only |usubscribe late-show-news|u in the body text to listserv@mcs.net, and you'll receive it by e-mail every Tuesday. If you'd rather put an end to your late-night prowling, here's a way to get your laughs--and your sleep. Have Letterman's Top-Ten list e-mailed to you. Bob Lennard doles it out nightly, almost as soon as Dave splits. To receive it every weekday, send an e-mail message to listserv@tamvm1.tamu.edu with |usubscribe top-ten <firstname|u |ulastname>|u in the body text. Now go to bed. üâ ( t ╝ @ dv╞S `z╔ >Yñ∩8 E`▓√ 1]óΘ ,w ┤╔T¢ ╕╦ Zy╞ K Y k ╗
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9 ä ╦ ² i á ├ P`z┴ R vê╪!g àáδ2u é¥δ4q £╗N {£Θ6Ç Ü»·D Ç»∙ 7Xñ δU |bPC GAMES |b1.|b|m030|b5 ft. 10 Pak |b|b|m030Helped by a bargain price, this multidisc compilation of games and |m030multimedia titles--including Doom, Episode 1; King's Quest V; Time |m030Man of the Year; and World Fact Book--stands firm at No. 1 for the |m030second month. (Sirius Publishing; 800-247-0307; CD for |m030DOS/Windows, street price $40) |b2.|b|m030|bMyst |b|b|m030Stunning visuals, haunting audio, and logical solutions will keep this |m030compelling and revolutionary game high on your play list. It checks |m030in again at No. 2. (Broderbund; 800-521-6263; CD for Windows, |m030$59.95) |b3.|b|m030|bSimCity 2000 |b|b|m030Build a city of the future with this improved version of the classic. |m030After spending time at the top, it's still going strong in third place. |m030(Maxis; 800-336-2947; DOS, $54.95) |b4.|b|m030|bThe 7th Guest |b|b|m030The ghost of Henry Stauf just won't go away in this realistic and |m030haunting drama. After nearly a year on the Leader Board, it rises to |m030No. 4. (Virgin Interactive Entertainment; 800-874-4607; CD for DOS, |m030$99.99) |b5.|b|m030|bRebel Assault |b|b|m030Intense 3-D graphics and furious action highlight this |uStar|u |uWars|u |m030action adventure. In its 11th month, it drops to No. 5. (LucasArts |m030Entertainment; 800-782-7927; CD for DOS, $79.95) |b6.|b|m030|bMicrosoft Flight Simulator 5.0 |b|b|m030Upgraded graphics and new features keep this hugely popular |m030flight sim soaring high. It's been on the board close to a year. |m030(Microsoft; 800-426-9400; DOS, $64.95) |b7.|b|m030|bHarpoon 2 |b|b|m030The much-awaited sequel to the popular naval simulation debuts at |m030No. 7. (Three Sixty Pacific; 800-653-1360; DOS, $69.95) |b8.|b|m030|bOutpost |b|b|m030Entering the board at the No. 8 position, Sierra On-Line's |m030space-survival simulator is selling well despite nagging bugs and |m030missing features. (Sierra On-Line; 800-757-7707; Windows, $49.95; |m030CD for Windows, $54.95) |b9.|b|m030|bX-COM |b|b|m030Defend the Earth from invading UFOs in this new hit making its mark |m030at No. 9. (MicroProse; 800-879-7529; DOS/CD for DOS, $47.95) |b10.|b|m030|bMasters of Orion |b|b|m030Jockey for position through galactic diplomacy or military might in |m030this game of interstellar conquest. It drops to No. 10 after debuting |m030last month. (MicroProse; 800-879-7529; DOS, $47.95) |bMAC GAMES|b |b1.|b|m030|bMyst |b|b|m030Stunning visuals, haunting audio, and logical solutions will keep this |m030compelling and revolutionary game high on your play list. It's still |m030the No. 1 Mac game. (Broderbund; 800-521-6263; CD for Mac, |m030$59.95) |b2.|b|m030|bSimCity 2000 |b|b|m030Build your vision of the city of the future with this improved version of |m030the classic. It's hanging in there at No. 2. (Maxis; 800-336-2947; Mac, |m030$54.95) |b3.|b|m030|bPGA Tour Golf II |b|b|m030Compete in six professional four-round tournaments against ten of |m030the PGA's best, including Fred Couples, Lee Jansen, and Tom Kite. |m030(Electronic Arts; 800-245-4525; Mac, $59.95) |b4.|b|m030|bPrince of Persia 2 |b|b|m030The sword-battling Prince is back in this sequel to the successful |m030original. (Broderbund; 800-521-6263; Mac, $39.95) |b5.|b|m030|bPathway into Darkness |b|b|m030Blast away monsters in this Doom-like, first-person-perspective |m030shooter. (Bungie Software Products; 312-563-6200; Mac, $69.99) |bCD-ROM TITLES |b1.|b|m030|b5 ft. 10 Pak |b|b|m030A bargain-priced ten-disc compilation of games and multimedia |m030titles, including Doom, Episode 1; King's Quest V; Time Man of the |m030Year; and World Fact Book. (Sirius Publishing; 800-247-0307; CD for |m030DOS/Windows, street price $40) |b2.|b|m030|bMyst |b|b|m030Stunning visuals, haunting audio, and logical solutions will keep this |m030compelling and revolutionary game at the top of your play list. It |m030slips to No. 2 on the CD-ROM list. (Broderbund; 800-521-6263; CD |m030for Windows/Mac, $59.95) |b3.|b|m030|bThe 7th Guest |b|b|m030The ghost of Henry Stauf just won't go away in this realistic and |m030haunting drama. It's pushing a year on the Leader Board. (Virgin |m030Interactive Entertainment; 800-874-4607; CD for DOS/Mac/CD-i, |m030$99.99) |b4.|b|m030|bRebel Assault |b|b|m030Intense 3-D graphics and furious action highlight this |uStar Wars|u |m030action adventure. Since last month, it's traded spots with The 7th |m030Guest to hold the No. 4 spot. (LucasArts Entertainment; |m030800-782-7927; CD for DOS/Mac, $79.95) |b5.|b|m030|bMicrosoft Encarta |b|b|m030Experience the world around you through video segments, audio |m030clips, animation, and text in this high-tech encyclopedia. (Microsoft; |m030800-426-9400; CD for Windows/Mac, $139) |b6.|b|m030|bMicrosoft Bookshelf |b|b|m030A complete set of digital references, including |uAmerican Heritage |u|m030Dictionary|u, |uColumbia Book of Quotations|u, and |uOriginal Roget's |u|m030Thesaurus of Words and Phrases|u. (Microsoft; 800-426-9400; CD for |m030Windows/Mac, $69.95) |b7.|b|m030|bOutpost |b|b|m030Making its CD-ROM debut at No. 7, Sierra On-Line's space-survival |m030simulator is selling well despite nagging bugs and missing features. |m030(Sierra On-Line; 800-757-7707; CD for Windows, $54.95) |b8.|b|m030|bThe Print Shop Deluxe CD Ensemble |b|b|m030Five easy-to-use desktop publishing programs bundled on a single |m030disc. (Broderbund; 800-521-6263; CD for Windows, $79.95) |b9.|b|m030|bBetrayal at Krondor |b|b|m030Escort a royal messenger through a mystical land filled with spies |m030and assassins. (Sierra On-Line; 800-757-7707; CD for DOS, $69.95) |b10.|b|m030|bCorel Gallery |b|b|m030Ten thousand pieces of professional clip art on a single CD. (Corel; |m030800-772-6735; CD for Windows/Mac, $59) B σ N ¥ ▌ T¢ß*u╣²D ┼M Y¥Ω&h o┤√DÅ╘ Money doesn't grow on trees, but books do--if you're in Storyland, that is. In Music Pen's |bWiggins in Storyland|b, kids aged 4 to 9 learn this firsthand as Wiggins the bookworm helps them create their own interactive storybooks, complete with sound, animations, and music. The main screen in Wiggins uses a book metaphor, appropriately enough, with the left-hand page reserved for words, and the right-hand side for pictures. The program helps kids overcome writer's block by providing backgrounds, props, and characters for eight different themes. They can select a creepy-looking house on the hill for a setting, then add ghoulish characters and appropriate details. Once the scene on the right-hand page is set, they can get more inspiration from the Idea Lightbulb, which suggests how to start writing the story, and the Word Duck, who offers appropriate nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Kids can further personalize their stories by adding background music (from 40 selections) and customizing their book's typeface, border, and jacket. They can even narrate the story, if the computer has a microphone. When the little ones grow tired of crafting the next great American children's story, they can explore Wiggins's library. This screen is filled with animated hot spots and such diversions as a maze game, ticktacktoe, a chance to paint the room, and readings from famous books. It won't be long, though, before adventurous tykes hop back into the elevator and pluck an old favorite to read or create a new story where they can send circus animals to outer space or monsters to the old West. Whatever they choose, your kids will have a great time in this thoroughly entertaining and engaging title. (Media Vision; 800-845-5870; CD for Windows, $59.95) B Ñ H Å ╒ %v┴SÅ╒ W¥Θ/v╜L é└OÆ┌"k There's no better combo than a coloring book and crayons for bringing out kids' creative side. Or, there wasn't before Micrografx, maker of sophisticated graphics software for grown-ups, teamed up with Crayola to produce a pair of programs that bring arts and crafts into the computer age. |bCrayola Amazing Art Adventure|b for ages 3 to 6 and |bCrayola Art Studio|b for ages 6 to 12 share a similar interface--a kid's room filled with colorful, clickable hot spots. The activities offered are similar in both, with allowances made for differences in skill and interest. Art Adventure, for example, offers Monster Mix-up, in which kids mix and match three-segmented creatures. In Art Studio, the more plentiful options include gender-specific Fashion and Vehicle Designers. You'll find a similar disparity in the Crayola Paint Program, which serves as the centerpiece of each program. In the Adventure version, a more limited array of choices (16 rather than 24 colors, 6 color effects instead of 10) makes the experience more manageable. Kids can do practically anything on the screen that they can on paper--paint, write, draw with markers or crayons, apply stickers--as well as drop in animations, add "magic effects," and make "crazy lines." These last two, in which the computer provides the art ready-made, are bound to be favorites of kids whose talents aren't quite adequate for their vision. Your child doesn't have to be a young Van Gogh to enjoy these programs, either. My 6-year-old testers spent several hours completely engrossed by the gamelike qualities of the Dragon's Birthday and Silly Scenes coloring books in Art Adventure, without producing a single masterpiece. And when they did make it to the paint program, they were mainly interested in the erase function, which features 19 catastrophic ways to undo all or part of a picture, including explosions and flushing toilets. (Micrografx; 800-227-3283; Windows, $59.95 each) : < M ì ╬ ,w╗ JÅ ┼ Oû ▓ K ì╒ f▓■ |bWallobee Jack: The Thai Sun Adventure|b might remind your kids of the |u |uIndiana Jones|u movies, except there are no Nazis or American archeologists here. Instead, your kids join the adventures of a no-nonsense Australian kangaroo named Wallobee and a bodacious kitty named Francesca Fellini. The best thing about this WordPerfect Main Street title (the second in the Wallobee Jack series) is that all the characters, such as Wallobee, Francesca, and Dugan the crocodile, have personality. Their cartoon look, accents, jokes, and general banter add real spirit and humor to the title. Wallobee does have some informative asides but in general it doesn't bend over backwards to be overly educational. Wallobee isn't afraid to be goofy or slapstick either. An exchange reminiscent of Abbott and Costello's "Who's On First" routine pops up when Wallobee doesn't understand that the password into Buffalo Bart's club is "I Can't Remember." The title's interactivity is limited to kids using a microscope or bomb icon to find hidden hot spots on the screen when they're cued to do so. Hitting the right spot advances Wallobee and Francesca or punishes Dugan. Each location Wallobee and his friends visit has the proper theme music and sound effects (river currents, crickets) to set the mood and keep your kids from noticing lengthy load times when the characters are sitting stiffly against the inert backgrounds. A few abrupt stops in the music and dialogue disrupt the play a bit, but overall the Wallobee series is worth a look. (WordPerfect; 800-451-5151; CD for Windows/Mac, $29.95) $ u H æ ┤ ⌡ :é ¼≤<ä ñδ1 Everyone seems to love SimCity, and now kids can play, too. Maxis is introducing |bSimTown|b, which lets kids age 8 and up try their hands at urban planning on a smaller scale. First they decide where to put roads, bike paths, pizza parlors, hamburger stands, toy factories, and movie theaters. Then comes the hard part: making sure the town has enough water and trees and that the town folk don't produce too much garbage. SimTown also lets players get down to the nitty-gritty: Kids determine what their citizens look like and what they wear, and even get to choose their favorite foods. The game's Peel-Away feature lets players spy on their citizens at work or play. SimTown is packed with fun sound effects, such as sizzling burgers and wailing police sirens. Look for it this month, and, expect a Windows version in early '95. (Maxis; 800-336-2947; CD for DOS/Mac, $59.95) ö G É ╤ b⌐±6v┬_ Maybe because their predatory tendencies are so like our own, people just can't seem to get enough of sharks. Now our lurid fascination with these beasties of the deep can be explored through the Discovery Channel's |bSharks!|b The title submerges the viewer in rich detail as it explores one of the most ferocious and misunderstood creatures on the planet (even more so than Mike Tyson). Sharks! Will include more than 30 minutes of video and 200 photographs, plus articles that explore the life of its intriguing subjects. Like all Discovery's CD titles, it includes a section called Ask the Experts that'll let you watch interviews--this time, with four shark sharpies. There's even a piece with novelist Peter Benchley reflecting on the impact of his 1974 blockbuster, |u |uJaws|u. Sharks will start circling the market this month. (Discover Channel; 301-986-0444, ext. 5880; CD for Windows/Mac, $49.95) ( ä N ò ╫ 6Ç╨ c½° i¼≥< Step right up, don't be shy! Take a cruise through Bodyland, the latest in hi-tech amusement parks for kids. In |bWelcome to Bodyland|b they can visit such attractions as Eary Canal, Lung Loop, Heartland, Tummy Territories, Boney Boulevard, and Cranium Coliseum, to learn all about how the body functions. The title for kids ages 5 to 11 is adapted from the Time-Life book, |uOur |uBodies|u, and is just one of three health titles created by IVI Publishing in collaboration with Time-Life Books. |bWhat is a Bellybutton?|b for ages 3 to 7 answers questions that young kids ask about their bodies, such as, "Why do I sneeze?" and "What happens to the food I eat?" The |bVirtual |bBody,|b for ages 10 and up, is an interactive health and medical reference about human anatomy and physiology. All three will ship this fall, along with two other health-oriented CDs from IVI's Mayo Clinic Learning Series. |bAnna-Tommy |btakes kids on a fantastic voyage inside the human body, and |bSafety Monkey |bteaches children about accident prevention. (IVI Publishing; 800-952-4773; CD for Windows; Time-Life titles, $59.95; Mayo Clinic Learning Series, $69.95) 8 ┘ F è ╩ σ ,s┐O XíΘ.w─ ┌^óΘ5é─ Crossword-puzzle phreaks, toss out your pencils and say good-bye to those magic erasers. There's no need to put up with the simplistic crosswords that hide in most daily newspapers. Create your own puzzles digitally instead. With |bCrossword Wizard|b, puzzle-happy people can concoct more than a million custom crosswords from scratch, built fresh each time to their specifications. Simply choose the puzzle's size and difficulty level, then let the mental gymnastics begin. The Windows version of Wizard even plays a selection of soothing classical music to get those creative juices flowing. If you discover that your ambition is a greater than your abilities, the program offers a couple of ways to cheat. Wizard's built-in assistance warns you if you've filled in an incorrect word or letter through an onscreen alert--a humiliating "uh-oh." If you get hung up, use Wizard's Word Builder to provide a list of all possible words that may fit a selected square in the puzzle. The program also comes with the Idea Wizard, a nice extra that sharpens both your puzzle-solving and vocabulary skills by revealing the thinking behind some of the clues. And if you want to surprise someone with a cute gift, enter the names of friends or family members into Wizard along with appropriate clues, and it will create a personalized puzzle. Wizard is a challenging and mind-bending treat. It's like having a professional puzzle-maker in your computer. (Cogix; 800-455-3388; Windows/Mac, $39.95) , ╛ L Å ╪ ^º ╝IÄ╓ g▓ ⌡:é If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And the folks at Living Books heed that advice with their latest release, |bHarry and the Haunted House|b. That's not to say that Harry is a cheap clone of its predecessors. Each Living Book tells a completely new story, but the family resemblance (and unbeatable formula) derives from a consistently imaginative approach to story telling and an understanding of what will delight both children and adults. Harry D. Rabbit, his friends, and his dog Spot are playing baseball in an empty lot when--well, OK, maybe you guess that the ball breaks the window of the spooky, old house. And maybe you just know that Harry and his pals will screw up their courage and go after it. But what you can't predict are the strange and spooky goings-on inside--the ghostly apparitions in the mirrors, talking portraits, and chairs that dance at a click of a mouse. As with the other Living Books, kids can read the story in English or Spanish, and a printed copy of the book is included. Harry and Haunted House is targeted at kids ages 3 to 8, but they're going to have a hard time keeping the rest of the family away. (Living Books; 800-521-6263; CD for Windows/Mac, approximately $40) J √$ F Ä ╠ HÄ╫a ç╩P û▌%q░°Cä Å╪"o╡ Ω6}┐ Morgan the chimp and his animal pals make their debut in |bMorgan's |bTrivia Machine|b from Morgan Interactive. Kids are sure to love this animated bunch because they're hip--not cutesy and childlike. Unfortunately, this science and geography title for ages 7 to 14 plops this dynamic bunch into a plodding, repetitive game. Morgan's Trivia Machine is actually three games--Quizzy Wig, Mountain Climbing on Mars (!), and Score More--but the basic activity remains the same. Players are asked a question and shown an accompanying video clip. If they choose the correct answer from a list of four choices, they advance in the game. That's it. Morgan runs the show from the helm of his HAM 9000 trivia machine, while kids take on the role of one of his friends--Alicat, Bernaardvark, Kangaruth, Hip-Hop Hippo, and Skatergator. Kids can play by themselves or against a computer opponent at seven difficulty levels. The hundreds of video clips are the centerpiece of the title, but they suffer from the limitations of Quicktime (small window, jerky movement, grainy resolution) and often add little to the game. A question asking why bananas are picked green, for instance, shows a bunch of green bananas. It's a nice background touch but not especially enlightening. Plus it takes time to load all those unspectacular videos, which makes for a slow-paced game--not the best way to keep the MTV generation's attention. There's also little variety during the game. The characters continually utter the same stock phrases, for example. It's fun the first few times, but it gets old fast. Granted, the title has lots of sophisticated humor in HAM's voice-overs, and the characters are charming, but the poor game play won't hold the attention of even young players. But there's hope for Morgan and the gang. Morgan Interactive's next title, Recess in Greece, promises more interactivity and variety, with Morgan learning about history by exploring ancient Greece and mythology. (Electronic Arts; 800-245-4525; CD for Windows/Mac, $34.95) . Γ E æ ┘ Σ *t╡ⁿDï╫ Uƒπ)q╣ Twin marsupials Pocket and Tails lead the kindergarten crowd on an interactive adventure in |bThe Wanderoos Go Exploring,|b the first consumer title from Optical Data Interactive, a leading publisher of educational materials. The main action takes place at the fountain, the meeting place of six roads that kids can follow to learn about plants, animals, the world, air and water, people, and places. Talking flowers help out younger players by reading the signs as they're clicked on. Paths branch into more specialized areas--from plants to natural habitats, then on to the forest or the swamp--where kids can view 10-second videos or a gallery of photos. And all the time they're exploring, kids are also trying to tag six speedy Wanderoos in order to move to the next level. But as sometimes happens in educational software, the combination of fun and learning doesn't quite work. Kids who are anxious to capture the Wanderoos won't stop to watch the videos, and those who take a more leisurely approach may have trouble advancing. All of them, however, will be captivated by the Wanderoo puppet that Optical Data has cannily packaged with the disc. (Optical Data Interactive; 800-887-0022; CD for Windows/Mac, $49.95; $59.95 with puppet) > ó \ ¬ ─ Oì╓!h▓°= l╡ GÉ╤] m╕Qù |bCOMPUTER COOTIES! |bAre computer bulletin boards crawling with viruses like some people |bsay? I use a virus-detection program, but I'm still worried about catching |bsomething. |bAnonymous Despite what some alarmists would have you believe, the computer bulletin board is not the Typhoid Mary of the electronic world. Most BBS operators value their customers, and the quickest way to lose subscribers is to start passing along every software virus that hits the board. To prevent this, they usually run virus-protection software on all files that can be downloaded from their board. Plus the software that actually runs the BBS may have additional virus protection built into it, automatically scanning every file that's uploaded to the system. The BBS operator then deletes infected files before anybody has a chance to download them and spread the virus further. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful. Computer viruses are a fact of life, and you're bound to come into contact with one sooner or later if you keep using new software. The best way to safeguard your system is to get a good virus-protection program (such as those from Central Point Software or Symantec) and then keep it undated. New and mutated viruses appear every day, so virus-protection companies are constantly improving their software and releasing updates to detect the latest, greatest nasty. Once you have the virus-protection software installed, use it. That means checking every file you download from a BBS before you run it for the first time. It may be tedious, but if you're really worried about practicing safe computing, it's the only way to ensure that you and your computer are protected. 0 s h ▒ ∙ GîÅ┘ j»⌠<à╟ Næ┘#m |bMULTIMEDIA PIECE BY PIECE |bI desperately want to hop on the multimedia bandwagon, but I don't know |bwhere to start. Right now I am running a 486SX/25 with an 8-bit sound |bcard. Should I look for a multimedia upgrade kit with a CD-ROM drive |band a 16-bit sound card packaged together, or will I get a better deal if I |bbuy the components separately?|b Paul Higginbotham-Charleston, WV |b |b|bBuy the all-in-one kit--unless you want to make installing multimedia components a lifelong hobby. Installed prepackaged multimedia kits may not be as easy as falling off a log, but at least the kit vendors try to supply you with components that will work together with a minimum of fuss. Buying each component on your own is asking for compatibility problems unless you really know what you're doing. A preconfigured kit will save you not only hassles but money too, since upgrade kits tend to be a better bargain than components purchased separately. Keep a couple of things in mind when you shop for a multimedia upgrade kit: Make sure the kit you buy contains at least a double-speed CD-ROM drive and a Sound Blaster-compatible 16-bit sound card. Some kits come bundled with other extras, such as speakers, joysticks, multimedia titles, and games, but you may just be paying more for some things you'll never use. Try to find a kit that has only the hardware and software you want. ( c a » ⁿ CÉ ├R¥Γ)p ¬≤; |bPENTIUM, PLEASE |bI have a 386/40 PC that's all decked out for multimedia, but the processor |bis beginning to slow me down. For example, it will run Doom, but I have to |bshrink the view window considerably to run it at a playable speed. I want |bto upgrade to a new machine (and keep all my multimedia components), |bbut I don't know whether to go for a 486 or skip right to a Pentium. What |bwould you suggest?|b Carol Steinman-Amherst, MA Unless you can find a real bargain (free, for instance) on a high-end 486 system, go with a Pentium. Intel wants to stamp out the 486 for all eternity (and take some 486-cloning competitors with it), so you can buy a 60mhz Pentium-based PC for only a couple hundred more dollars than a similarly configured 486. You'll see a huge performance increase over your 386, and you'll be ready for any games and multimedia titles that come out optimized for running on a Pentium-based system. High-end 486s, especially the new clock-tripled DX4 versions, still pack plenty of punch, but if you're looking to avoid another upgrade anytime soon, the Pentium is the better choice. 4 Z Ñ ≥ YÜτ,o ¡Θ#k┤ π)n▒· |bDSP DOES IT ALL? |bI've seen several "Digital Signal Processor" sound/modem/fax cards |brecently, and I'm considering buying one to free up some slots in my PC. |bDo they really do everything the manufacturers claim they do on the box?|b Robert Simon-Latrobe, PA Yep, I bet they will do everything the box claims. But be sure to read that box carefully. Many DSP-based boards can do everything but wash your cat, but they can often only do one thing at a time. That means if you want the card to behave like a modem, it can't be a sound card until you're done--and vice versa. This is a big problem for anyone who wants to play online games that support your PC's sound card. Several companies, IBM for one, are promising more powerful DSP-based boards that will have sufficient horsepower and sophisticated enough software to "multitask," or do more than one thing at a time. It remains to be seen just how good these cards will be, but IBM seems committed to making its mark in DSP. Hopefully, future DSP cards will be easier to use, too. With today's cards, you often have to run confusing batch files and configuration programs to get them to work properly. You shouldn't have to be a computer expert just to get your favorite games and multimedia titles to work.|b |b|b : t j » φ 3q┤╟ ┌π QÖ╪ `ª Σ)j▓°9 |bSPEED KILLS |bQuestion |b|bI'm interested in buying a CD-ROM drive, but I can't decide whether to get a double-, triple-, or quadruple-speed model. I've been told that a triple-speed drive offers only a marginal improvement in game performance over a double-speed drive. But what if I shell out for a quad-speed drive, with 180ms access time and 600KB-per-second transfer rate? Will I get a noticeable boost in game performance? Kenneth D. Johnson Zachary, Louisiana |bAnswer |b|bQuite simply, the answer is yes and no. Some titles will show a major improvement in performance with the quad-speed drive. Others will behave just about the same as they would on a double- or even a single-speed drive. The reason is that developers often design their games to use the most common hardware. The 7th Guest, for example, was designed to run on a single-speed drive, so you won't see anything remarkable happen to the graphics if you load the disc into a brand-spanking-new quad-speed drive. Increasingly, though, new games will take full advantage of whatever hardware you have. Many games--such as Under a Killing Moon and Rebel Assault--configure themselves (or let you configure them) to work with faster drives. With a double-speed drive you'll get a perfectly workable game, but a quad-speed drive may get you a bigger video window--or maybe even (oh, joy of joy!) full-screen video. , á $ m ▒ ° '0}┼ Rû╪ ` |bGAME SYSTEM SHOWDOWN |bQuestion |b|bOK, what's the deal with these new game systems that are supposed to come out next year? I hear Sega, Nintendo, and Sony all have fancy boxes that we're supposed to be drooling over. How good are they, and which one is best? Tom Garner Andover, Vermont |bAnswer |b|bYes, it's true. Everybody and his uncle is coming out with a new gaming system sometime next year. Sega will be releasing the Saturn, Nintendo will have the Ultra 64, and Sony will jump into the fray with the PlayStation. Which one is best? Who knows? All three companies have been showing off great hardware and hot software. Each has support from major game developers. They all have deep enough pockets to make things interesting, too. And you can't forget about 3DO, CD-i, and the Atari Jaguar. Stay tuned for more information as soon as these super-tech fun machines step out of the ether and into reality. N ²& ! l ╢ ╩ ▌ ∞ ⌡ &jñ τ;ê╤ µ.v└ ≈Cî╙ ≥Bê╩ Kï╠ |bHARD-DRIVE CRUNCH |bQuestion |b|bMy PC's hard drive is almost full. Should I get another hard drive or should I buy an optical disc drive so I won't have to worry about running out of space again? Benjamin D. Beatty Via CompuServe |bAnswer |b|bIt depends. There, that's helpful isn't it? Your best storage choice depends on what you plan to store on these disks, how much money you want to spend, and your current configuration. And your options go way beyond adding a new drive. |b1.|b|m020If you need constant, fast access to a lot of games and titles, and they |m020simply won't fit on your overstuffed hard disk, consider buying another |m020drive. Drives keep getting cheaper, and you can't beat their speed |m020and efficiency. |b2.|b|m020Magneto-optical, write-once, and removable-cartridge storage |m020systems are useful because you can simply insert another cartridge |m020or disc when you need more space. But this technology is still slow |m020and expensive compared with standard hard drives. |b3.|b|m020If you just want to archive data, consider a tape-backup system. |m020Tapes can hold hundreds of megabytes of data (especially if you get |m020a DAT backup drive). Just don't expect to be able to get at your |m020information very quickly. |b4.|b|m020If you can't afford any more hardware, take the poor man's route and |m020boost your storage space with a data-compression program such as |m020Stacker (Stac Electronics 800-522-7822; DOS, $99.95), or the |m020DoubleSpace compression program that comes with MS-DOS 6. |m020You may be able to almost double your available storage, but |m020compressed hard disks aren't as fast as uncompressed ones. |m020Worse, many games are already compressed, so you won't gain |m020much benefit from squeezing them some more. ^ ¼. c º τ /z┴▐Θ ⁿEå╞ )m▓· 4t╖■G d⌐δ-u│ ┌bº ╔^º |bMEMORY MADNESS |bQuestion |b|bI thought my computer was state of the art when I bought it last September. But it has only 4MB of RAM, and lately I've come across games that require more memory. When I went shopping for a RAM upgrade, I found that there are different types--VRAM, DRAM, and plenty of other combinations of letters, too. I had to call my dealer, and he in turn had to call his tech-support people because he didn't know what I needed either! I hate this! Radioshac6 Via America Online |bAnswer |b|bYes, memory can be confusing: SRAM, VRAM, DRAM, ad nauseum. Fortunately, you really only need to know about DRAM, or dynamic random-access memory. A fast-access storage space for programs and data, DRAM is what people usually mean when they talk about upgrading their computer's memory. Now, that doesn't mean you can just run down to the corner computer shop, say "Gimme some DRAM," and skip home, chips in hand, whistling a happy tune, secure in the knowledge that your computer soon will be a little less forgetful. Ohhhh, no. DRAM isn't just DRAM. Most PCs use DRAM packaged in single in-line memory modules, or SIMMs. But SIMMs come in many sizes, from less than a megabyte to more than 32MB. You need to use the right size SIMMs for your system. To determine what those are, look in the manual. (Funny how that answer always keeps coming up, eh?) You may also need to know about the memory already in your computer. Let's say you have a machine with 4MB of memory, and you want to upgrade to 8MB. You might have four memory slots filled with 1MB SIMMs, or you could have one slot filled with a 4MB SIMM. In the first case, you'd have to buy four more 1MB SIMMs, while the second situation calls for one more 4MB SIMM. There's more. You also have to worry about the memory's access speed. Unfortunately, all your memory runs only as fast as the slowest SIMM in the machine, so make sure the new memory you buy is at least as fast as what you already have. Given all these variables, my best practical advice is to take your PC to a dealer or computer repair shop and let them deal with it. If that's not an option, read your manual, check your system, and hope for the best.|b |b|b 8¿S¢ K ÿ Σ /s {╣Oö «÷7é╤[á ½≤;Ç┐ C]ª⌠:Ç╚ d░÷ W ƒ τ -
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V£σ*q╛ Gç╥ O Ä ═ O ò █ G ì ╬ - o ▒ ⌠ 6 w ╛ !C! k!«!⌠!3"{"╛"■"J# j#░#≤#7$|$ ó$Φ$)% Q%q%╗%■%@&ä&╞&'T' h'▓'°'<({( «(≤(=)ä) ┐)*T* e*¡*⌠*<+â+╩+,Z, b,x,├,-S- }-╔-.b.¬.≥.</ m/╖/■/=0|0└01L1ô1▐1*2j2 x2└2 3E3 T3~3è3╕3▄34>4{4╟4≡4 5 5H5x5ú5╦5≈5@6b6 }6É6▌6)7o7╖7 ╘7 8 N8î8╬89a9¼9≡9:: ~:╜:;I;Æ;╫; ÷;;<<╩<= 8=x=╡=∙=E>â>╟> ╨> ▀>⌠><?ä?╔?@T@á@Φ@,A AAIAôA╫A"BhB¼BεB2CuC åCôC▄C DfD¿D≥D4EwE «E┼EFYF£FΣF)GkG│G·G@H sHæHßH+ItI╣IJFJëJ═J KK]K¿K°KELïL╤LM^MªM ΦMNN;NüN»N N=O wOéOóOßOPBP cPwP┐P ÷PQNQÅQ ╓Q≥Q7R{R┐R ßRΩR5SoSúS I'm a magazine and newspaper junkie. I cruise newsstands late at night, nervously fingering the pages of |uHarper's|u and |uEsquire|u. My hands are permanently tattooed with ink from the |uNew York Times|u. The floor of my apartment is a sea of magazines, with circulation cards fluttering through the air like dust motes, and the aroma of Obsession ads invading my dreams. But now my obsession has expanded beyond newsprint and glossy covers. The objects of my affections have gone digital. Whether you're an info addict like me or someone who doesn't have |uTime|u for |uUS News|u, you'll find that online and CD-ROM publications are changing the way you get your information. I'm not just talking about news-wire services or techno-weenie computer journals. These days anyone with a modem can dial up electronic versions of mainstream publications--like |uTime|u on America Online, |uUS |uNews & World Report|u on CompuServe, or |uInvestor's|u |uBusiness Daily|u on Prodigy. If you've got a multimedia PC you can take |uNewsweek |uInteractive's|u quarterly CD-ROM for a spin, or dive into the brand new disc-based publications that are changing the way people think about magazines. That's because today's digital 'zines and newspapers are more than just electronic versions of the printed page--they're interactive. The best online publications let you communicate directly with the people who created them as well as with other readers. CD-ROM magazines, meanwhile, combine massive amounts of traditional text and photos with sound, animations, and video to add depth to the experience. |bTHE PAPERLESS NEWSPAPER |b|bVirtually every time I dial up an online service some new electronic publication lands on my digital doorstep. From slick glossies like |uOmni |u and |uNational Geographic|u to big-city newspapers like the |uAtlanta |uJournal-Constitution|u and |uSan Jose Mercury News|u, more and more publications are growing hip to the online scene. Even big-time papers like the |uWall Street Journal|u and |uWashington Post|u are preparing to go digital. Why the sudden rush online? According to Link Resources in New York, the number of online subscribers in the U.S. will grow to nearly 15 million by 1997. Smart publications want to be there now, before the digital newsstand gets too crowded. In some ways, these pioneering electronic pubs are better than their paper siblings. They give you more information, give it to you sooner, and make it easier to find. Every day the Mercury News Center features up to 300 stories that couldn't fit into the morning paper. Faithful readers of Time Online can dive into the latest issue on Sunday afternoon--a day before the printed version hits the streets--and receive daily updates on late-breaking events. Virtually all let you rummage through their archives and pull up a list of articles using simple word searches. But their biggest advantage is interactivity. Many online periodicals provide message boards, where you can talk back to editors, writers, and other readers. Omni Online invites people to contribute content by uploading their own science fiction stories, novellas, and screenplays. Some, like |uTime|u and |uThe Atlantic Monthly|u, go a step further and host live interview sessions--the online equivalent of a radio call-in show, where (a few) readers can schmooze with such notables as Vice President Al Gore or author Naomi Wolf. Readers who miss the session can check out transcripts of the event. "Traditionally there has been a brick wall between readers and journalists, with a little chink called letters to the editor," notes Philip Elmer-DeWitt, a senior writer for |uTime|u in New York. "We've knocked that wall down." |bLOOK MA, NO EDITORS |b|bUnfortunately, there are many walls left to climb. The message boards at America Online's forums for |uNew Republic|u and |uWired|u, for example, contain plenty of reader input, but the editors are missing in action. Even at the better online publications such as |uThe Atlantic|u, questions are usually handled by one or two modem jocks on staff or by sysops who may have little to do with the magazine's editorial content. Most writers and editors are simply too busy--or too technologically naive--to log on. Online pubs are also hampered by basic flaws in computer technology. It's harder to read text on the screen than ink on paper. You can't roll up a digital magazine and take it to the beach. And because online publications are limited by the amount of data that can be stuffed down a phone line, they're boring to look at--screen after screen of plain text. Most online services let you download image files or even view "live" photographs as you scroll through the publication, but waiting for the picture to display is like watching paint dry. Using a 2,400-bps modem on CompuServe, it took me nine minutes to display a single photo from |u |uUS News & World Report|u. And when you're reading online, the meter's running--from $3.50 to $9.60 an hour, depending on the service. Of course, you can download or print the articles and read them later, but it's still cheaper and easier to plunk down $3 for a paper copy at the local smoke shop. In short, you'd have to be a rich masochist to read an entire issue online. Instead, most readers use the online pubs to search for specific information or use the message boards to sound off. "A computer is a horrible replacement for a newspaper," says Bill Mitchell, director of electronic publishing for the San Jose Mercury News. "The Mercury Center is not designed as a replacement for the paper; it's an extension of the paper." |bCD MAGAZINES: ROM WITH A VIEW |b|bOnline publications are only half the story. A growing number of magazines are coming out on CD-ROM. Magazines on disc have a huge advantage over their online siblings: access to thousands of pages of formatted text and hundreds of color photos, not to mention sound and video. The result is a hybrid of a traditional print magazine and multimedia software. Here's how it works: Say you want to read an interview with your favorite rock star, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. You could pick up an issue of |u |uRolling Stone|u or |uSpin|u, flip to the start of the Q&A, and read the text alongside a smattering of photos. Or you could pop a copy of substance.digizine into your CD-ROM drive, click on Reznor's photo in the disc's table of contents, and watch a video of the interview. Clicking more buttons lets you view the band's latest music video, sample cuts from the Nails' new CD, read capsule album reviews, or take a video tour of Reznor's Beverly Hills studio--a mix that makes substance a cross between |uRolling Stone|u and MTV. Of course, you won't see photos by Annie Liebowitz or articles by William T. Vollmann (at least, not yet). But what upstart digital magazines like substance lack in high-priced talent they hope to make up for with depth and variety of information. Multimedia publications are appealing because they "combine the functionality of a printed piece with the sensory aspect of TV news," says Kurt Dammier, executive vice president for NW Six Sigma, a Seattle-based publisher of CD-ROMs. Discs can also be cheaper to produce and distribute than paper because, unlike paper, their production costs remain constant whether you're publishing the equivalent of a 20-page newsletter or a 200-page magazine. With paper-based magazines, as the size of the magazine increases, so does the production cost. And with more than 8 million CD-ROM drives expected to be in place by year end, many publishers feel the time is ripe to launch digital publications. "You'd have to be a complete psychopath to (launch) a general interest magazine in print right now," shudders Steve Podradchik, president of Medio Multimedia, a multimedia publisher in Redmond, Washington. "But now there's a brief window--maybe a year--in which you can do one on CD-ROM and succeed." Hoping to prove his point, Podradchik publishes Medio Magazine, a general interest publication on disc--one of a handful of digital magazines created exclusively for the new medium. Because most of these early magazines are trying to appeal to the widest possible audience, many lack focus and a clear purpose. For example, the contents of just think from Ad-Hoc Technologies ranges from an article on automotive design to an illustrated children's story, while Metatec's NautilusCD covers topics as varied as new-age music, flower arrangements, and Cathy Smith workouts. So far, the only existing periodical to move from paper to disc is Newsweek, and its transition has been marred by technological snafus. Michael Rogers, managing editor for the 18-month-old DOS-based spin-off, admits that Newsweek Interactive has been doing a lot of "R&D in public," but says most of the problems should clear up when the Windows and Mac versions appear later this year. "In some ways (multimedia) is like television in 1948," Rogers says. "But on bad days it seems like television in 1938." But television was free. An annual subscription to a CD-ROM magazine ranges from $40 to $120 per year--a lot more than you pay for most printed magazines. To make matters worse, most titles require some pricey hardware: a double-speed CD-ROM drive, 16-bit sound card, and plenty of processor power and memory. Like online pubs, disc-based magazines aren't likely to replace their print versions anytime soon, but they do offer a preview of what interactive TV might one day look like. |bCONVERGING TECHNOLOGIES AHEAD |b|bOnline publications excel at interactivity and up-to-the-minute news. CD-ROM magazines provide great visuals and depth. The marriage of the two media promises the best of both worlds. And it's already happening: Last spring, CompuServe began shipping a disc containing photos of products for sale online, so members can browse as they scroll through the electronic mall. Over the next few years you'll see digital publications that store text online and distribute images and formatting on disc. But all of this is merely a warm-up act for--stop me if you've heard this one--the fabled information superhighway. Prodigy and America Online have announced plans to delivery their services via cable lines and wireless networks to TVs and handheld computers like the Apple Newton. Magazine publishers hope to hitch a ride. "If somebody brings us a fiber-optic cable, we're happy to dump (the magazine) in there," says Rogers. "What I say to cable TV is, if you can show me a way to get my (information) out to the end-user with quality and speed, and get dollars back to me, we're in business." Lowell Weiss, editorial director of new media for |uThe Atlantic|u |uMonthly|u, concurs. "Yes, I can see this magazine appearing on TV screens. No doubt about it." When they finally hit the small screen, interactive magazines may offer some serious competition to TV news shows like "60 Minutes" or "20/20" because they'll let viewers pick and choose what they want to see. You won't have to sit through a story on baby fashions to get to one about electronic nightclubs. But if magazines are to have a presence on the 500-channel box, they'll have to scramble over some tough hurdles, such as whether viewers will put up with reading text on a low-definition TV screen. |bHIGHWAY OR HYPEWAY? |b|bIn many ways, today's digital pubs are mere experiments. Not intended to stand entirely on their own, they're designed to help publishers figure out what readers want, how much they're willing to pay, and what the phrase "digital journalism" really means. Writers and editors, for example, will need to develop a new mix of skills, such as visual storytelling. And interactive technology will let magazines portray stories from multiple perspectives. Writers will be able to use all their story research, not just the one-tenth that now makes it into the final piece. In a typical newspaper story about a baseball player, for instance, you read a few quotes; but a digital pub would let you hear the entire interview--if you were really interested. But before we can reap the benefits of digital journalism, the technology must take several leaps forward. Online services must be able to send images across high-speed fiber or coaxial networks and provide seamless connections to portable devices like personal digital assistants. Computer and TV screens will have to get much sharper, while online publications will need to support higher-speed modems, high-resolution monitors, and direct links to portable devices. On the CD-ROM side, drives need to be faster and easier to use. Publications themselves will need to devote more resources to their electronic efforts, and learn to treat their digital incarnations not merely as an extension of print but as an entirely new medium--one with its own rules and requirements. So it's not likely that the reams of paper will be disappearing from my apartment. Meanwhile, I've got a whole new stack of electronic publications to fill up my desktop. In time, they might even become habit-forming. |bGOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS: ONLINE PUBLICATIONS |bGood News |b|b|s00,249,00|m020Contains more information |s00,249,00|m020Get the news sooner |s00,249,00|m020Easier to find the articles you want |s00,249,00|m020Can talk directly to editors |s00,249,00|m020No annoying circulation cards or scented ads |s00,249,00|m020Can exchange messages with fascinating and/or famous people |s00,249,00|m020Good for the environment |s00,249,00|m020Minimal advertising |bBad News |b|b|s00,249,00|m020Information overload |s00,249,00|m020Limited or nonexistent graphics |s00,249,00|m020Harder to browse at random |s00,249,00|m020Editors don't talk back |s00,249,00|m020Can't read it on the throne |s00,249,00|m020Can exchange messages with scary and/or psychotic people |s00,249,00|m020Bad for your eyes |s00,249,00|m020Stay tuned |bNEWS YOU CAN USE |b|bWith terabytes of information zipping over today's electronic highway's, it's easy to get run over. How do you sort through it all to find what you want? The answer may lie in software programs called "agents," which seek out information based on your preferences, then serve it up to you in a personalized newspaper. Unfortunately, full-fledged agents do not yet exist, but a trio of products available now offer a hint of things to come. CompuServe's Executive News Service (ENS) automatically scans Associated Press, United Press, and other online news wires, then saves the articles you want in a folder. You can create three folders, each containing up to five search criteria. For example, you can create a folder that looks for all stories containing the words "Elvis" and "UFOs," but excludes those containing "Bermuda Triangle." But if you don't choose your news sources and criteria carefully, you'll end up with a lot of stories you don't want. (CompuServe; 800-848-8990; $15 per hour) Internet heads can get the scoop using HeadsUp, a personalized newsletter service that scans more than 12,000 articles each day and delivers concise summaries of stories on the topics you've chosen. If you want the whole story, you need to call and order the full text to be sent to your e-mail address. (HeadsUp; 800-766-4224; $29.95 a month, plus $4.95 for each retrieval) Finally, PED Software's Journalist logs on to Prodigy or CompuServe, downloads the day's news, and pours it into an electronic newspaper that looks just like the real thing. The Prodigy version lets you specify which sports teams, weather maps, and stock quotes you're interested in, but it won't filter news by subject. However, Ped's CompuServe software will work with ENS to window stories based on content. The downside: Using Prodigy and a 2,400-bps modem, the program can take 45 minutes to create a single issue. Fortunately, you can set Journalist to log on while you sleep, then peruse the news over your morning cup of Java. (PED Software; 800-548-2203; Windows; Prodigy edition, $79.95; CompuServe edition, $129.95) --Daniel Tynan |bsubstance.digizine |b|bWith its psychedelically inspired graphics and whimsical, nonlinear structure, this quarterly is less like a print magazine than any of the others here. Managing editor Nick Roberts describes substance as "a magazine about info-culture and media criticism," but the demo disc seems mostly focused on music for the twentysomething crowd, featuring in-depth interviews with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and Brian Eno. If you don't know who these people are, substance is probably not for you. (Sony Imagesoft; 800-346-4080; CD for Windows, $29.95 per quarterly issue, $75 per year) |bMedio |b|bThis little magazine has big plans. Each monthly issue includes more than 7,000 stories and 500 color photos from the AP news wire, plus video clips, movie trailers, and some original material. Medio is divided into mini-magazines on news, entertainment, sports, and other topics. Such a description smacks of shovelware, though you may like having all this info in one handy package. The real question: Can Medio successfully process this volume of information every month? (Medio Multimedia; 800-788-3866; CD for Windows, $9.95 per monthly issue, $59.95 per year) |bNautilusCD |b|bEstablished in 1990, NautilusCD is the oldest and perhaps the oddest CD-ROM magazine around. The breadth of its content is dizzying--a single month's issue contained stories on flower arrangements, new-age music, video games, educational software, and workouts with Cathy Smith. But a complete lack of focus and smarmy writing dulls this disc's appeal. Future issues will focus more on helping users cope with multimedia technology--a good idea. (Metatec; 800-637-3472; CD for Windows/Mac, $6.95 per monthly issue, $79.95 per year) |bNewsweek Interactive |b|bNewsweek Interactive combines top-notch journalism with a pleasingly simple interface. Each quarterly disc contains three months' worth of the printed issue, hundreds of color photos and graphs, and multimedia versions of two cover stories, with audio and video created exclusively for the disc. Unfortunately, incredibly complex installation of the DOS-based program, operational technical glitches, and text-heavy content mar the otherwise high quality. Still, |uNewsweek's|u big name makes it one of the forces helping to define this new medium. Windows and Mac versions are due later this year. (Newsweek; 212-350-4000; CD for DOS, $39.95 per quarterly issue, $99 per year) |bjust think (an interactive) |b|bjust think wins the prize for its clever interface: You navigate through it via a rotating cube in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Like other CD-ROM mags, just think's content is a little scattered--the first issue contains articles on the paperless office, automotive design, and an illustrated children's story, among other offerings. But the writing is distinctive and there's even a centerfold (a political cartoon, not cheesecake). The bad news? The disc boots up immediately into an obnoxious advertisement. (Ad-Hoc Technologies; 800-928-4465; CD for Windows/Mac, $19.95 per monthly issue, $39.95 per year) |bAMERICA ONLINE |b|bCompuServe may have more publications on its roster, but no online service can match America Online's all-star magazine lineup. |uTime|u, |u |uOmni|u, and |uThe Atlantic Monthly|u are among the mainstream titles that are available on American Online, thanks largely to its friendly interface. The quality of the online offerings varies. Some, like Consumer Reports, feature little more than the text of the printed version while others feature photos and graphics. The service can be maddeningly slow during peak periods, but America Online is still your best introduction to the world of online magazines. (America Online; 800-827-6364; $9.95 per month includes 5 hours of online time, $3.50 per additional hour) |bGOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS: CD-ROM MAGAZINES |bGood News |b|b|s00,249,00|m020Multimedia! |s00,249,00|m020Can listen to audio and watch video clips as you read |s00,249,00|m020Pushes technology to the edge |s00,249,00|m020Interactive ads let you sample audio CDs or test-drive software |s00,249,00|m020Each disc contains thousands of pages of info |s00,249,00|m020Can spend dozens of hours with each issue |bBad News |b|b|s00,249,00|m020Multimedia! |s00,249,00|m020Can lapse into a coma waiting for them to load |s00,249,00|m020TV commercials come to computers |s00,249,00|m020Quantity does not equal quality |s00,249,00|m020You have no life |bSPECIAL INTERESTS |b|bWhile some digital magazines try to appeal to everyone, others will serve special interests. Here are a few to watch for: |bDiscMag|b A 'zine for sports enthusiasts that comes out every other month. It covers professional and amateur sports in the US and abroad. (PC Sports DiscMag; 800-800-1299; CD for Windows, $19.95 per issue, $75 per year) |bInteractive Entertainment |b|bA monthly devoted to entertainment and educational software that includes game reviews, game tips, video interviews, demos, and free programs. (Interactive Entertainment; 800-283-3542; CD for Windows, $9.95 per issue; $59.95 per year) |btHUNK! |b|bChannel surf through this quarterly 'zine that satirizes cable TV. It includes comics, parodies, and spoofs. (Cube Productions; 212-879-6354; CD for Windows/Mac, not yet priced)|b |b|b ╞òGb G é ç ╩ 4|─M à╬ Θ0}╞
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!U!á! ⌐!ε!4"{"└" #R# û#▐#'$p$╣$■$ %^%í%τ%4&y&╜&' J'ì'╒' (i(│(■(?)ë)╨) ╪)Θ)1*l*╛* +T+¥+▌+*,{,╦,-^-Å-▀-+.V.ó.▐.$/ =/K/ò/╪/ 0e0¡0▄0-1u1└1 2Y2v2╩23[3í3╫3/4|4├4 5&5r5 ó5φ5/6 `6ª6∞6-7 67v7╗7°798ü8┴89 *9v9╡9°9 0: H:^:º:ε:5;z; ₧;╗;<M<û<▀<&= k=x=─= > 3>O>Ü> └>┘>$?c? ö?░?√?A@ \@v@╜@ ≥@A^AóA »A╟AB\B dBpB╕B°B C4CC└C ╚CßC,DsD ╕D■D@EüE ÄE»E±E=FF æF«F⌡F7GtG |bFootball season is here! Mighty warriors once again stride across |bhash-marked sod to battle for glory, honor, and victory. |b|b OK, OK, so maybe these days it's more like overpaid whiny warriors striding across Astroturf in climate-controlled domes to battle for Nike promotions--it's still football. Trouble is, there isn't enough of it. Basketball and baseball fans can catch a game on the tube just about every night. Football fans have to go cold turkey from Monday night until Sunday afternoon, with an occasional Thursday-night fix. And those old NFL Films highlight reels get a little stale about the eighth week of the season. Fortunately, techno-savvy computer gamers can get their fill of gridiron action any time they want. Football simulations have been hot properties on every gaming platform since the dawn of, well, gaming. After all, football is a game of stats and ratings--the very stuff computers were designed to deal with. Thanks to faster processors and better graphics, today's PC and set-top games are better than ever, with more options, intelligence, and enhanced bone-crushing action than you ever thought you could enjoy without risking a knee injury. But with more sophistication comes increasing specialization. Different football games concentrate on different aspects of the game. Simulations range from text-based coaching-fests that worship the idol of statistical accuracy all the way to arcade-action graphical eye pleasers in which a quick thumb is better than an All-Pro running back (sorry, Emmitt). Because one football fanatic's dream game may be another's nightmare, it pays to know the contenders' strengths and weaknesses before you do an end run to the cash register. To make it easier, we've done some scouting for you. Our three All-Pro picks will lead you to the best in football-sim action. Each game is a proven winner in its class: action, strategy, or a combination of both. Pick the one that suits your personality, then load up your electronic gridiron, strut past the cheerleaders, and kick some butt! |bAction MVP |bJOHN MADDEN FOOTBALL FOR 3DO |b|bThere's nothing like a football game to make a fan feel warm all over--unless you happen to be sitting in Chicago's Soldier Field during a play-off game, in which case you just feel numb all over. John Madden Football for 3DO CD-based game platform will keep you toasty all year round with its generous use of 3DO's hot graphics and sound. This game looks great, plays great, and gets even better when you challenge a friend instead of the machine. Calling Madden a football simulation isn't really fair to sims--this title is more like an arcade game. Madden for 3DO is built for people who just want to enjoy themselves playing football, not spend hours designing trick plays and tweaking coaching profiles. If pure fun is the goal, Madden for 3DO is the game. Cleverly animated backs and linemen rumble around the screen to the sounds of a roaring crowd and crunching tackles. Video and audio commentary by the Ace Hardware man himself add to the Monday Night feel, even if he does make the occasional un-Madden-like mistake--such as claiming a receiver was wide open when he was in double coverage. Choose whether you want to watch the system at work, play against it, or butt helmets with another human being (the best choice). Beginners can start out with preseason play, in which passes are easier to catch and defenders don't hit so hard. Regular season games up the difficulty level, if only slightly. If you think you're ready to go to the Super Bowl, start up a play-off series to fight for your ring. Then it's time to pick a team. Madden for 3DO offers all 28 NFL squads, plus two All-Madden and eight Championship teams, including the powerful '85 Chicago Bears and the undefeated '72 Miami Dolphins. Finally, set up weather conditions (sunny to snow), field type (artificial turf or real grass, domed or open), and quarter length (5, 10, or 15 minutes), and you're ready to rock. Game play is simple. On offense, you choose a lineup, a formation, and a play. Once the players are in place, you tap the C button on the controller to snap the ball. Then you can either take control of the player with the ball or let the computer run the play. On defense you choose your lineup; decide whether you want to attack, read, or cover; and assign a play. The B button lets you choose which player to control, or you can let the computer handle the rough stuff for you. Ironically, the very things that make Madden fun to play may turn off football-sim purists. Don't look for a play editor--you're stuck with a predefined set of 86 offensive and 70 defensive plays. Your players are invulnerable, too, so details like injuries and fatigue are missing in action. And penalties are more rare than in the real game. Perhaps the worst problem for Xs-and-Os eggheads, though, is that Madden for 3DO's football strategy know-how is about equal to a Pop Warner water boy's. Punt returners almost always return the kick no matter how deep the punter puts it in the end zone or how close the defenders are. There's no such thing as a two-minute drill, either. Your computer opponent may be down by six points with 30 seconds remaining and no time-outs, and still run a short-yardage dive up the middle. But while Madden's artificial intelligence needs some special education, people who just want to throw a pixelated pigskin around the stadium will have a blast. Play against another person and you won't have to worry about the AI anyhow. Just find a friend, warm up your thumbs, and enjoy. (Electronic Arts; 800-245-4525; 3DO, $59.95) |bAll-Around Athlete |bFRONT PAGE SPORTS: FOOTBALL PRO |b|bSometimes a game comes along that just puts the competition to shame. Dynamix's Front Page Sports: Football did just that when it hit the field in 1992. This year's Pro edition adds even more muscle, and the competition is still rushing to catch up. FPS: Football Pro is an amazing combination of graphics, action, and strategy that has spawned an entire industry of its own. Utilities, stats packages, and whole football leagues to be used with it have appeared in FPS: Football Pro's wake. The key to FPS: Football Pro's success is flexibility. Beginners can get into the action right away by running both play-calling and action sequences in Basic mode. Here, plays are simple phrases such as "Pass Short Left" or "Run Middle," the computer automatically substitutes for tired or injured players, and all you have to do is press a key to snap the ball. The animated players spin, slide, flip, and even spike when they score. But unlike some other football sims, FPS: Football Pro lets more advanced players take as much control as they can handle, right down to diagramming pass patterns in custom plays, drafting new players before a season, or deciding at what yardage the computerized coach will go for a field goal with less than 30 seconds to play. |b |b|bStrategy fans can start up a career league, design their own playbook from scratch, keep the action on Basic, and spend months trying to out-trade, out-draft, and out-think their computerized opponents. The number-hungry won't be disappointed either. FPS: Football Pro provides a huge variety of statistics for every team and player. Hard-core players tired of beating up on the computer often seek human opponents. While FPS: Football Pro doesn't offer modem play or a true two-player action mode, it does allow you to create coaching profiles. Two human players can design coaching profiles to suit their personalities, then send the teams out on the field for a computer-controlled game based on the human coaches' preferences. If you're up by a touchdown late in the fourth, do you play it safe and give the ball to your sure-handed fullback, or would you rather air it out to your speedy wide receiver and try to put the game out of reach? Whatever your gaming inclination, from action to strategy, you're bound to find something worthwhile in FPS: Football Pro. (Dynamix; 800-757-7707; DOS, $79.95) |bCoach of the Year |bAPBA PRO FOOTBALL GAME VERSION 5.0 |b|bMaybe you've never really wanted to get yourself beaten up on the field, but you're sure you could call the plays better than half the coaches in the NFL. There are sims that cater to the Monday-morning head coach. These strategy-based sims may put action fans to sleep, but the intellectual side of football has an excitement all it own. It's just you against the computer or another person, with nothing but your wits to help you win. APBA Pro Football Game Version 5.0 is the best strategy game of this type on the market. This kissing cousin of the APBA board game isn't much to look at--it uses minimal graphics to depict the field and ball position. But it makes up for the shortcoming with great text-based play-by-play and an accurate statistical model using the stats of real NFL players. The lack of graphical depth also means that the program runs well on almost any PC, even ancient 8088s with monochrome monitors. APBA Pro Football's emphasis is on mimicking reality. Run it through a robot-controlled season using the stats and schedule for real teams, and you'll see standings that closely mirror that year's historical numbers. Game scores don't fly into the stratosphere often either, unlike in some action games, in which a fast thumb or a feeble opponent can produce basketball-like scores. Play by yourself against the computer or against another person. Don't worry about your hand-eye coordination, either. APBA Pro Football leaves the playing to the players. Everything else--selecting plays, substituting for injured players, choosing lineups--is up to you. After you choose the play, the computer runs the down and displays a window of play-by-play text. Watching words scroll by may not be the same as listening to John Madden's frantic booming, but the descriptions are involving--you can almost see the players moving up and down the field. If you want to get more involved in managing your league, APBA Pro Football provides the tools, including a Commissioner utility to create teams, leagues, and drafts, as well as player and schedule editors that let you design your own dream team or season. The flexibility is nice, but the interface isn't. Navigating the game and its utilities requires some careful reading of the rather poorly designed manual, so if you're looking for a load-and-go football game, look elsewhere. But if realism unhindered by distracting graphics and reflex-oriented thumb twitching is what you seek, you'll find it here. (APBA Game Co.; 800-334-2722; DOS, $49.95) |bBeat The Coach |b|bAs in most football sims, you can often confuse Madden's defense by using rushing plays in a passing situation and vice versa. |s00,249,00|m020Put some practice into punting away from Madden's punt returners. |m020They don't follow the ball well, and often the pigskin will go past them |m020and bounce for another dozen yards or so. This, combined with the |m020computer returner's incessant desire to run the ball out of the end |m020zone, can pin your opponent in truly awful field position. |s00,249,00|m020Defensive and offensive players both have a better chance of |m020catching the football if you hit the B button just before the pass arrives. |s00,249,00|m020Mismatches always work. The 3DOs artificial intelligence won't |m020compensate for, say, a fast receiver being covered by a slow safety. |m020Check the scouting report before a game to identify key mismatches, |m020then use plays that take advantage of them. |s00,249,00|m020Fumbles are fun, if they happen to the other guy. Line up your |m020defender for a head-on collision with the ball carrier, then hit the A |m020button to try and pop the ball loose. |s00,249,00|m020Make things more interesting against less experienced human |m020opponents by giving them a top-notch squad such as the |m020Championship teams, while you plug along with the likes of Tampa |m020Bay or New England. |bPlay to Win |b|bIt pays to keep an eye on your guys. Tired players automatically get benched in FPS: Football Pro's Basic and Standard play-call modes, if you're not careful, your star running back might get pulled during your two-minute drill. Watching for fatigue is even more important in Advanced mode, in which the game will let you run players straight into the hospital if you don't give them some rest. |s00,249,00|m020You have to be a serious manager to play in an FPS: Football Pro |m020career league. Player stats decrease over time, and if you aren't |m020paying attention, that once-great safety might get burned so often he |m020earns the nickname Toast. Draft carefully, give rookies some playing |m020time in training camp to develop their skills, and don't be afraid to do |m020some judicious trading. |s00,249,00|m020If the going's too tough, check out what version of the program you |m020have. If it's release 1.0, contact Dynamix for the latest patch or |m020download it from an online service. The patch makes passes easier |m020to catch and running backs harder to catch. Other small changes |m020include keeping players from retiring too early. |s00,249,00|m020If you don't mind bending the rules, trade away all your wide receivers |m020and halfbacks for tight ends and fullbacks. FPS: Football Pro will let |m020you change their positions, and the newly appointed receivers and |m020runners will generally perform better than their wimpier predecessors. |bFootball Pro Add-Ons |b|bYou know a game is hot when people don't just play it, they enhance it. By that standard, FPS: Football Pro is burning. Shortly after it came out, fans began writing software utilities to modify player stats, compile and produce league data reports, and update player info to reflect, the real football world. If you're hooked into an online service such as CompuServe or America Online, you can find a flood of add-ons, including lineups for famous historical teams, advanced coaching profiles, and of course, the leagues. Serious players have banded together on online services such as CompuServe, America Online, GEnie, and others to create leagues that assign teams to human participants. The players then devise playbooks and coaching profiles. The leagues then pit the teams against one another according to a regular schedule. Players can tweak their coaching profiles between games and even trade players or acquire free agents. Championship winners receive bragging rights and maybe even some free online time. To find a league or FPS: Football Pro utilities on America Online, type the keyword "Grandstand"; on CompuServe enter "Go Sports." Usenet users should look for comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action. GEnie members should type "sports." And on Delphi type "Go GameSig." --Christopher Lindquist |bWait 'Til Next Week |b|bDynamix plans to update FPS: Football Pro in October. The new game, FPS: Football Pro '95, will have the ratings and records for NFL teams and players from the '93-'94 season. It is also expected to implement several of the new NFL rule changes, including two-point conversions and kickoffs from the 30-yard line. |bWait 'Til Next Week Part 2 |b|bAPBA Pro Football Game Version 6.0 is scheduled to ship this month. This latest version will include the schedule and ratings for players and teams in the '93-'94 season and add the option of two-point conversions. You'll also get improved robot coaches, including a "classic" simulation designed to run a team in the manner popular in the 50s and 60s. Even better, the company will cut the price of the game by $10 to $39.95. |bPlay Smart |b|bStart in Pop Warner, go to Notre Dame, be an assistant to Joe Walsh for a couple of years, and lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory. Then you'll be ready for APBA Pro Football. |bBUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!|b Our All-Pro games are tough, but if you want to tackle some other football sims, give these contenders a tryout. |bMicroLeague Football 2 |b|bThis strategy game conbines decent graphics with a few black-and-white video highlights. Find it bundled in The Propak. (MicroLeague Interactive Software; 800-334-6572; DOS, $29.95) |bNFL Coaches Club Football |b|bAction and strategy come together in an enjoyable game. It lacks some of the depth of Front Page Sports: Football Pro, though. (MicroProse; 800-879-7529; DOS, $44.95) |bNFL Pro League Football |b|bStrategy and graphics plus modem play make Pro League a legitimate contender. (Micro Sports; 800-937-7737; DOS, $69.95) |bTom Landry Strategy Football |b|bGreat for strategy fans who want something to look at. It wraps limited graphics around a strategy-sim core. (Merit Software; 800-238-4277; DOS, $14.95) |bUnnecessary Roughness |b|bFollows in the vein of Front Page Sports: Football Pro with a combination of graphical arcade action and strategy. (Accolade; 800-245-7744; DOS, $59.95) |bNFL '95|b This new sim provides one- or two-player action with arcade or coaching options. Rules have been updated for the '95 season. (Gametek; 800-426-3835; Windows, $49.99) |bJoe Montana's NFL Football |b|bSega CD users may want to check this out. The graphics shine, but the game play is only fair. (Sega of America; 800-872-7342; Sega CD, $59.99) |bAll-Pro Video Football |b|bThis "football coaching simulation" uses digitized video of real Arena League football players to give a Monday Night Football feel on either PCs or Macintoshes. (Accolade; 800-245-7744; CD for DOS/Mac, $69.95) Football is not the domain of floppy disk and CD-ROM alone. Football video games abound on the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo as well as on computers and 3DO. These cartridge-based contenders score the highest. |bJohn Madden Football '93 & '94 |b|bUnlike its 3DO cousin, Madden on Sega and Super Nintendo is a strategy-oriented game with lots of plays, realistic action, and Big John's own commentary. (Electronic Arts; 800-245-4525; Genesis and Super Nintendo, $59.95) |bSuper High Impact Football |b|bAs much Mortal Kombat as it is football: Players taunt each other, coaches beat you up if you make a stupid play, and bench-clearing brawls are the norm. (Acclaim; 516-624-2884; Super Nintendo, approximate street price $39.95) ö>;I H Å ╨ W gt í¼∩4} ¥¬ ╜╚
D Ä ╙ ; H n y ╚ b¿∩7 T£█[¢ ╚S kx º▓ⁿEï╤ Bå╦S£ │±6}╟ 5B hs╗F UÖß c⌐∩ Cë ├╨ Θ⌠<y─Fï í │ Fà╟ ╪ \ í ε o ╕ I É ┌ ' l │ ∙ A J Ü ▀ (!n!╡! ≈!E"ê"╩"#P# ä#╧#$Z$ó$Ω$ % 3%v%╝% ╓%&[&¿& φ&2't'╝' ( "(N(Ö(ß($)o)╝) )F*ï* í*φ*)+p+╢+÷+7, [,ó,Θ,--p-╣- ╒-.U.£.π. ∞.3/y/╞/ ╥/ µ/)0h0⌐0±0 °0=1 q1┬1 2L2ë2═23a3½3≥3 34Ç4└4 5N5É5 ⌐5⌠5=6ä6╨67O7 q7╢7∙7B8Å8╓89 -9v9«9≥98:ü:╞: ; You've probably heard the term |ushareware|u, but you may be a little confused about exactly what it means to you. We'll try to answer your questions and point you toward some great shareware games. Once you discover that shareware games offer more fun for less money, you many swear off paying top dollar for commercial programs in fancy boxes for good. |bQuestion|b I keep hearing about shareware. What is it? |bAnswer|b Shareware is a type of software--often homemade--that's offered to customers on a try-before-you-buy basis. You can purchase shareware in stores, but you can also download it from online services or computer bulletin board services (BBSs). |bQuestion|b What, like a demo? |bAnswer|b Sometimes. Shareware can take many forms. Sometimes a shareware game will be crippled--that is, offered with a limited number of turns, restricted play time, some disabled features, or only a portion of the game available. The game developer wants to give you enough to get you hooked, then convince you to pony up for the complete, "registered" version. On the other hand, many shareware games are complete. |bQuestion|b How do shareware games differ from public-domain software? |bAnswer|b Public-domain games are usually "freeware." They're presents from the authors to you. You're not expected to pay for them. |bQuestion|b But if I'm getting a complete shareware game for nothing, why should I pay for it? |bAnswer|b It's an honor system. The game developers have gone to a lot of trouble to entertain you, and the least you can do is compensate them for their efforts. If you continue to use a game, register and pay for it. If you don't want to pay, delete the game from your system. Besides, you often get something when you pay up. Many times game authors give registered users product support, upgrades, or cheat sheets. |bQuestion|b How much does it cost to register a shareware game? |bAnswer|b Game prices vary from as little as $3 up to about $30. |bQuestion|b How do I find out how much to pay and where to send it? |bAnswer|b Most shareware games include a registration file, usually called something like register.doc. |bQuestion|b Should I bother with shareware? Is it any good? |bAnswer|b A lot of it is very good, and some of it is amazing. The very best shareware--id Software's Doom, for instance--is on par with commercial games. Apogee's action games, like the shoot-'em-up Raptor: Call of the Shadows and the platform game Hocus Pocus, are also terrific. And as commercial games increasingly concentrate on technical wizardry, they leave plenty of room for great shareware games in slightly out-of-date genres, like Infocom-style text adventures or takeoffs on classics like Jumpman or Joust. |bQuestion|b C'mon, aren't there any bad shareware games? |bAnswer|b Sure, a lot of shareware is mediocre at best. Many shareware designers don't have the resources to pull off the kind of extravaganzas you see in commercial products. And while the quality of shareware has climbed spectacularly over the last few years, there are also dozens of me-too solitaire, dice, and word games. |bQuestion|b How can I tell the good from the bad? |bAnswer|b It can be hard, because there's a |ulot|u of stuff out there. Shareware games have been around for more than a decade, and thousands of games are available. If you're getting the game from a bulletin board or online service such as CompuServe or America Online, read the file description. If you want more information, e-mail the person who uploaded it. You can also ask around on the BBS or online service. Many online services have special sections dedicated to games. Another good clue is the number of downloads. A popular game is likely to have been downloaded hundreds of times. You can also go by reputation. Companies such as Apogee and Epic MegaGames--to name just two--have excellent long-standing shareware reputations. Finally, check the file dates. Older games probably don't take advantage of the latest hardware technology. And remember, the whole point of shareware is to make it easy to try new games. Unlike with commercial products, checking out a shareware game is basically free. |bQuestion|b OK, I'm hooked. How do I get shareware games? |bAnswer|b It depends how seriously you want to get involved. The easiest way is to find a shareware collector friend who will give you games. If you don't already know someone like that, join a computer-user group--a club of computer enthusiasts. Most groups have shareware fans, and the group may even have a shareware library. Ask about user groups in your area at your local software or computer store. Shareware, especially proven hits, is also available in some retail stores--not just software stores, but video-rental shops, department stores, and even supermarkets. And a lot of companies sell shareware through the mail. You can find their ads at the back of computer magazines. Shop around for the lowest prices, the most recent versions, and the fullest disks. If you have a CD-ROM drive, you can get hundreds of shareware programs bundled onto a single disc. Some of these compilations are quite well done, with easy-to-understand menus and icons that help you find and play games with a minimum of trouble. (For a list of top CD-ROM compilations, see "Shareware on CD-ROM," below.) Finally--and this may be the best route--you can go online. |bQuestion|b But that costs a lot of money, right? |bAnswer|b It doesn't have to. Monthly charges for online services run about $10, and you usually get some connect time with that. As long as you don't spend all day online, your payments will probably be less than your cable-TV bill. Of course, you'll need a modem and telecommunications software, but many online services give away free trials and free interface software. Many modems include similar offers. You can also use a basic communications package such as Windows' Terminal program. Just try to find a service with a local access number for your area, otherwise you'll be hit with long-distance charges in addition to the service's connect-time fees. For even cheaper online access, look for a local BBS. Many BBSs charge a nominal fee for membership, but you can often avoid the fees by uploading a certain amount of new material to the BBS. |bQuestion|b And now I'm ready to go? |bAnswer|b Almost. First check for viruses in any files you download. Commercial online services and most BBSs check files before making them available for downloading. But it never hurts to play it safe--especially if you've grabbed something from a strange service or the "New Uploads" directory of a familiar one. Several good virus-checking programs are available, including McAfee Associates' Scan, which you can get as shareware. SHAREWARE WINNERS |bEntombed|b A superior 3-D graphical adventure for Windows. It's full of modeled objects and clever puzzles--rather like The 7th Guest. If you didn't know otherwise, this could easily pass for a commercial game--and a good one at that. (Software Creations; 800-479-2227; Windows, $39.95) |bDepth Dwellers-The Quest|b It's surprising there haven't been more decent shareware Doom imitations. This one is quite polished graphically and offers a few features that Doom doesn't, such as the ability to duck, jump, and to transport rescued slaves to safety. (TriSoft; P.O. Box 83, Friendswood, TX 77546; DOS, $39.95) |bEpic Pinball|b An utterly enthralling table rattler comparable to the great commercial game Pinball Fantasies. It looks fantastic and has plenty of nifty features. The response and placement of the controls is perfect, and the feel is right on the money. But is it just me, or does the ball look a bit too small? (Epic MegaGames; 800-972-7434; DOS; $29 for one Pinball Pack; $45 for two Pinball Packs; $59 for all three Pinball Packs) |bRaptor: Call of the Shadows|b Perhaps the best pure vertically scrolling shooter on the market, including commercial games. The graphics are beyond arcade perfect. The airborne ships cast shadows. There's lots of stuff on the ground to blow up. And the games has a wonderful way with small effects such as rocket smoke trails. (Apogee; 800-426-3123; DOS, $6) |bHeroes: The Tantalizing Trio|b It's not the best-looking game in the world, but the play is a happy throwback to id's early fast-action platform games. This treat has you choosing from three unlikely heroes (a flying squirrel, a gum wad, and the Rockettress) to stop a crime wave led by the Wild Hare. OK, it's silly, but it's also great old-fashioned fun. (Jefferey Fullerton; P.O. Box 1677; Largo, FL 34649; DOS, $9.95) |bF-18: No Fly Zone|b |uWindows|u action game is usually a contradiction in terms--most screen savers have more action. F-18 breaks the mold. This is essentially the arcade classic Afterburner--check out the full-screen, 3-D view from behind the plane--with very respectable smoothness and high-resolution graphics. (Doe Entertainment; 2412 Desert Oak Dr., Palmdales, CA 93550; Windows, $17) |bCapture The Flag|b This wilderness version of hide-and-seek remains the most exquisite shareware strategy game for the PC. What makes it so great? Maybe it's the artful melding of high detail and ease of use. Maybe it's the sensible rules and pleasant controls. Or maybe it's the lovely artwork. This game is so intriguing that you won't want to stop playing. (Carr Software; 800-487-9231; DOS, $29.95) MACS CAN SHARE, TOO It's easy to find good PC shareware games; they're popping up like dandelions after a windy day. But finding dazzlers on the Mac can be something of a challenge. While the Mac shareware game supply has increased, you have to shovel through a lot of Fill-in-the-Blanktrises, Feed the Snakes, and simply poor games. But there's gold, too. You'll have to look hard to find it, but we've given you a head start with this excellent half-dozen. |bCyclone|b Mac users can now enjoy full-blooded versions of arcade classics, including such favorites as Xevious and Asteroids. And Cyclone, the most recent product of this trend, is a drop-dead-gorgeous version of the venerable Starcastle. It's unsurpassed. (High Risk Ventures; 800-927-0771; Mac, $10) |bRescue and The Missions of the Starship|b |bReliant: Assault on the Alliance|b "Star Trek"-inspired strategy games flourish on almost every platform. Rescue, now up to version 2.0.3, is among the best anywhere, with intuitive play, full-screen display, appropriate (if minor) use of color, and a range of striking features. If you need help, just type "What now?" Starship Reliant is built in a similar vein, with even more polish and options. (Rescue; Tom Spreen, c/o 1567 Brodick Cres., Victoria, BC, Canada V8N 1N3; Mac, $10. Starship Reliant; DoD Productions, 1309 W. Flournoy St., Suite 2, Chicago, IL 60607-3336; Mac, $15) |bRealmz|b This could be a commercial game. It's a wonderfully elaborate, overhead-perspective fantasy role-playing game that vaguely resembles Kingdom of Drakkar on the MPG Net online service. It should keep you occupied for weeks. And it laughs at you unsettlingly every time you quit. But be warned: The game takes up 2.3MB of disc space--compressed. (Fantasoft; c/o Registration, P.O. Box 1844, Waukesha, WI 53187-1844; Mac, $25) |bSlam Dunk!|b Shareware sports games are rare, so this realistic and compelling basketball game stands out. The text-based play-by-play is accurate, and the detailed stats of the 1993 NBA teams and the NCAA Final Four make it almost as good as a game on the hardwood. Even the interface is a dream. (Patrick Halvorsen; 390-B Great Rd., Apt. 18, Acton, MA 01720; Mac, $25) |bBloodsuckers|b A bit grotesque in substance but delightful in implementation. You swat a variety of bugs descending on your unprotected arm. Lots of blood. Also lots of fun. (Pangea Software; 10918 Kirwick, Houston, TX 77024; Mac; $5 donation to American Cancer Society) |bSpacestation Pheta|b Sure, this simple LodeRunner-ish platformer is old--it dates back to 1988--but it continues to get upgraded. I keep returning to it for its beautiful playability. (T&T Software; 703-389-0889; Mac, $9.95) SHAREWARE ON CD-ROM If you have a CD-ROM drive, you can get a whole bunch of shareware games at one time, on one disc. A number of companies publish compilations of dozens or even hundreds of games on CD-ROM for a reasonable price. (Of course, you still have to register the games you like.) Some of the collections are better stocked and better organized than others. Use this list to guide you in your search. |b101: OnLy ThE BeSt GaMeS #1|b For all the weird capitalization of the title, its meaning is right on the mark. Tech Express has cobbled together 101 good to great shareware games--from the well known (Doom) to the semiobscure (the Duke Nukem-like Gate World)--and commercial demos. The company has even provided a nice Windows-like interface to launch the games and to retreat to automatically when you quit. On the other hand, the material isn't really organized, and the 101 games could have been 501--this is a CD, after all. And these folks could definitely use a proofreader: Wolfenstain 3D! Spear og Destiny! Ultimate Under World! (Tech Express Software; 408-259-9033; CD for DOS, $39.95) |bGiga Games|b This is the biggest collection of shareware stuff I've seen, with hundreds of megabytes of compressed games and game-related files in 40 categories. What can you say about a disc that includes 130 sets of tile graphics for the popular shareware Mah Jong game and 80 mean 18-hole golf courses? (Walnut Creek CDROM; 800-786-9907; CD for DOS/Windows, $39.95) |bUltra Mac-Games|b Here's the Mac equivalent of Giga Games--in spirit as well as in point of origin. Ultra comes packed with 1,001 games, demos, game upgrades, and odds and ends (even some Newton stuff). It fills a hefty 471MB of disk space. And while it includes plenty of older stuff, it was compiled just last May and so includes a good supply of newer entries that do justice to color Macs. (Walnut Creek CDROM; 800-786-9907; CD for Mac, $39.95) |bGame Room 4.0|b Not quite as big as Ultra, Game Room nevertheless packs more than 800 shareware and public-domain games--with enough unique selections (a rich collection of Hypercard games, for example) to make you look twice. There's even a handy file finder to make life a little easier. On the other hand, the 100 Windows games seem sort of a waste of space on a primarily Mac disc. (Educorp; 800-843-9497; CD for Mac/Windows, $29.95) |bLock-N-Load|b Die-hard Amiga fans will love this robust collection of some 1,000 shareware and freeware games. Many are from Europe--including the well-regarded Assassins compilations--so even gamers well versed in the U.S. shareware market will find new ways to play. And although the disc itself lacks the polished interface of some British compilations, you can boot everything from Workbench and the quality of the games themselves is generally quite high. (Northwest Public Domain; 206-351-9502; CD for Amiga, $19.95) ∞à K æ α + u╛F f½≤5{┴H Qû█ j╡ ╚\ªφ Sî╫!g│·B ê ö ┌
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N _ ¿ φ 6 | ╟ 4Ç├R Ö▌%k½⌠8 ~╞ SÜΣ ∞8ü═c t┐R Öπ, U£α#m ƒΓ °>ê╠ ╪$ )r╖ ²Hì ╔d»÷5w ╣ The Multimaniac was a late convert to the joys of baseball. A childhood spent taking apart cheap Japanese transistor radios and memorizing |u |uPopular Science|u articles left little time for mastering the intricacies of an inside slider. I spent my childhood playing right field (when I wasn't playing left out), choking up, and tapping weak grounders to the pitcher. But that was then, and this is now. Today, the Multimaniac is feared on baseball diamonds for miles around. I hit cleanup and play the hot corner. With my sharpened spikes and equally sharp instincts, I've made the game of baseball mine. What's the secret to this amazing transformation? How did the small wimp become the Big Wallop? A late growth spurt helped, along with the development of a mean streak. But mostly I owe it to my personal trainers, Ron Fraser and Ozzie Smith, the stars, respectively, of two interactive baseball-training CDs from Intellimedia: ESPN Hitting and ESPN Let's Play Baseball. (Intellimedia Sports; 800-269-2101; CD for Windows/Mac/3DO; ESPN Hitting, $59.95; ESPN Let's Play Baseball, $49.95). Ron, for those who don't know him like the Multimaniac knows him, is former coach of the University of Miami baseball team--winner of two national championships--and of the 1992 U.S. Olympic baseball team. Even more important, the man |uknows|u hitting. When he told me to forget that |umano a mano|u stuff and lay off the high heat, I knew I was getting gold-medal advice. My personal history aside, hitting a baseball is, of course, child's play. Someone throws a ball at you, you swing a bat, there's a loud crack, and off you go running the bases. In fact, that's about as much thought as I ever gave the process. But 30 seconds after I loaded the ESPN Hitting course, I realized there was a lot more. Ron Fraser and his able Quicktime for Windows-based teaching assistants took me through the entire art and science of hitting--everything from selecting the proper bar to gripping it correctly and standing in the right location in the batter's box. I learned how to balance my weight, when to strike, how to swing, and what to do on my follow-through. I learned about pitch recognition, and about preparing for each at-bat in the dugout and the on-deck circle. Then I spent a long time going through the section on bunting, learning how to square up my stance and about the different approaches necessary for sacrifice and drag bunts. The actual lessons mix live action with animated diagrams. The video windows display images more than sharp enough for me to see the pitched ball. I went through the entire Hitting CD in a couple of days, watching each lesson several times and jumping up now and then to swing a T-square like it was a 42-ounce Louisville Slugger. I'm sure I'll review its lessons from time to time, especially if I develop a hitch in my swing or go into a prolonged slump. And I won't have to watch the whole thing straight through to get to the part I want. I'll be able to take advantage of CD-ROM's interactive capabilities to choose the area I want to work on from a menu of several dozen choices and subchoices. I just want to work on drag bunts, for example, I don't have to sit through the section on the hit-and-run. Best of all, the clear and businesslike Windows interface makes it easy to find the particular subtleties I want. Having mastered hitting, it was time I improved in the field. After all, I certainly didn't want to end my late-blooming baseball career as a designated hitter. So I ejected the Hitting disc, flipped open my CD-ROM caddie, and dropped in ESPN. Let's Play Baseball, hosted by the St. Louis Cardinals' Ozzie Smith, the greatest shortstop since Larry Bowa. Unlike Ron Fraser, who concentrates on hitting, the Wizard of Ahhhs touches on every aspect of our national pastime: hitting, pitching and catching, infield and outfield play, and base running. The disc even includes brief segments on warm-up exercises and stretching--an important consideration for those of us who play in the over-30 leagues. Let's Play Baseball's simple, push-button interface makes the whole thing look open and approachable--even to school-age Little Leaguers. Just as important, this is one big-leaguer who doesn't talk down to his audience. Ozzie's manner is pretty deadpan, but he's never stiff. Frankly, I liked him. I never felt like he was just reading cue cards to the camera. Instead, I could sense that he really cared about me, the Multimaniac, as a player and as a literary identify...oops--that is, as a person. That's why I made the switch to the infield, too. Ozzie tries real hard to make outfield play sound interesting, but you can tell that deep down he knows it's about as much fun as watching ice melt. In fact, throughout the lesson on outfield positioning he keeps saying, "This will help you stay in the game," which if I'm not mistaken is baseball code for "This will help you stay awake." The infield is different. As my man Ozzie says, "The infield is the place to stay." Staying in the game at the hot corner is the only way to stay alive. Toward that end, Ozzie presents digitized lessons on fielding the ball, turning the double play, fielding bunts, and handling run-downs. After a few days of working out with these discs, it wasn't a question of whether I wanted to improve my game or not. I had to, just to keep from disappointing my new friends Ron and Oz. So I hit the diamond and went to work, trying to remember when to keep my weight forward, when to rock on my back foot, when to line up my elbows, and when to point my left elbow downward and slightly away from my body. I put in hours working on positioning, reading a catcher's signs, hitting the cutoff man, and stealing home. And wonder of wonders, it all paid off. Big time. This is a true story...more or less: We were down a run, with a man on second, in the bottom of the ninth. The pitcher sneered as I walked to the plate, having struck me out in the seventh. He wound up and fired a high fast one. Swing and a miss. Strike one. More heat, this time a little lower and outside. Swing and a miss. Strike two. I hung my head, beginning to think that all my hard work was for naught. The crowd started heading for the exits. Then a voice came from the stands--the voice of my sweetheart. "Do it for the baby," she cried. Ahhh...that did it. I dug in, reviewing everything I'd learned sitting in front of my computer. I checked my grip. I made sure my weight was back. I pictured the ball coming toward me in slow motion. The pitcher wound up...another fastball, waist high. I swinged. I swang. I swung. |uCraaack|u! The ball leapt off my bat, heading toward center field. Off I went, charging toward first. As I rounded the bag, I stole a glance toward the outfield and saw the ball bouncing past the center fielder. Then it all went blurry. Second base. Third base. Home. My teammates surrounding me. Cheers. High fives. Free drinks. My sweetheart in my arms. Ah, the glory. The thrill. The victory. And I owe it all to multimedia. Ain't life grand? ₧ ΦN O ö ▌ $ 2w║ Cä╦ ╙e¼≤> p╗²Eè ù┌ a¬÷; k░∙9ü╩ & r ▒ ⌠
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P ç û ▄ d á ▀ cóσ) Uùπ \ó Forget the arguments over who's better: Kirk or Picard. The real star of |u |uStar Trek|u will always be the Enterprise, not the human and alien personalities who wander her pristine corridors. And now, your computer and CD-ROM drive are your gateway to the intriguing flagship--up close and personal. Sure, there have been |uStar Trek|u games and screen savers, but the Interactive Technical Manual is different. It's a hard-to-resist, you-are-there, exploration of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D, "The Next Generation" ship we think we know from seven years of watching the TV show. The Manual is based on a book version published by Simon & Schuster Interactive, which has already sold more than 500,000 copies. Using Apple's new QuickTime VR technology (see "How It Works,"), you can roam the Enterprise to your heart's content. Sit in the Captain's chair or poke around in his private quarters--you can even snoop through his dresser drawers. Look around in all directions (even up and down) and move easily from one area to another. You'll find out more about the ship than you'd learn watching a thousand TV episodes. Scheduled to ship this fall, the Manual offers a tour narrated by Jonathan Frakes, the actor who plays the dashing Commander Riker. You can converse with the ship's computer, brought to life--as always--by Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the wife of the late |uStar Trek|u creator Gene Roddenberry. Check out the bridge and the Captain's ready room, the ship's main engineering section and the transporter room, the holodeck and sick bay. For a more social experience, stroll by the Ten Forward crew lounge, or take a seat on the observation deck. To get the inside scoop on the crew, visit the private quarters of Picard, Klingon Security Officer Worf, and the android Lt. Commander Data. True voyeurs will want to rifle through Counselor Troi's belongings, too. If you see an item you're interested in, simply zoom in. The cursor changes to let you click on many objects that you can examine in detail. Even better, you can actually manipulate many of them--from the Tricorders and hand phasers to the entire ship itself--and inspect them from all sides. The Manual also includes quick videos and animations of key operations, including transporting and separating the saucer from the rest of the ship. Jump directly to different parts of the ship, or try the transit mode for a highspeed dash through the halls and turbo-lifts to reach your destination. An index mode makes it easy to find any object, ship system, or function. No matter where you go, the Enterprise's familiar beeps, whooshes, and whirs add that special touch of realism to your journey. And the classic theme music sets the stage perfectly. So go ahead, let your curiosity run wild. Nobody's home. You have the galaxy's most powerful ship all to yourself. Engage! (Simon & Schuster Interactive; 800-983-5333; CD for Windows/Mac, $69.95) |bHOW IT WORKS |b|bStar Trek: The Next Generation Interactive Technical Manual looks every bit as real as what you see on TV or in the movies. That's because you're roving through photographs of the actual set, stitched together into a seamless representation of the entire ship. The secret weapon here is Apple Computer's QuickTime VR. This brand-new software makes it easy for developers to combine a collection of standard photographs into a 360-degree view. The entire image requires just 800KB of disk space, so developers can put hundreds of these scenes on a single Mac or Windows CD-ROM. Simon & Schuster shot more than 15,000 photographs to create 92 panoramic images in the Interactive Technical Manual. You can zoom in on whatever interests you, and developers can add "hot spots" anywhere. Click on a painting in Data's quarters, for example, and you get a close-up view with a description. Star Trek: The Next Generation Interactive Technical Manual is the first commercial product to use QuickTime VR, but expect it to show up soon in everything from virtual museum tours to interactive travel titles. =7 H ë ╥ )u ╗ K W£Σ.u àæ▄'l│ δ(e¿∞7ü╞ Hå╦ZáΓ# i ┤ · A
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S ¢ σ e « ⌠ :Ç ¡≤9â╧ \£Σ, @è╘ i r┤≈<é┼J Ä┘"g┤² KÉ╫ e¼⌡: Nö█!_íΣ) k╡∙= é₧φ4z┐ σ# g ░ ⌠ < ü ╔ P ò ª ± : ä ╟ W á σ .! M!ò!█! "h"º" ╖"╔"#_#ú#π#*$ 5$z$╖$°$;%à%╤%& .&w&╛& 'S'Ü' ƒ'τ'+(v(├( ) $)o)╗)ⁿ) B*ì*╓*+_+º+ ═+,c, «,┴,-P-ò-┌- . ].ƒ.δ.,/ J/ê/╨/0\0Ö0▐0*1 I1î1╘1 ≡12h2«2 π2≈2B3è3 ┤3┼34W4¥4▌4 5 Q5c5½5⌠5 96L6ì6╥6787 What's your pop-star fantasy? Are you a nimble-fingered guitar hero, striding across the stage of the Enormodome? Do you dream about being the wild-man drummer, flailing away at the kit to power the sound? Or maybe you're master of the microphone, rocking the house with your rhythmic rhymes. There's only one tiny hitch. Making that fantasy come true takes practice, dedication, and maybe even talent. No Talent? No time? No problem? A new generation of electronic musical toys delivers instant musical gratification for fans who can't be bothered with mastering a conventional instrument. Dispensing with keyboards that may remind you of dreary grade-school piano lessons, these innovative instruments can turn anyone into a rock star. We dug up two high-tech axes for air guitarists, a pair of virtual skins for wanna-be bongo beaters, and even an electronic DJ to back up closet rappers. |bJaminator |b|bAir guitar made flesh. That's how it feels when you first pick up the Jaminator. "Pick" a string by pressing one of the buttons on the neck and tapping a strum button, and the sound of a screaming electric guitar blasts from the speaker. A grungy, noisy, 8-bit sample of an electric guitar, to be sure, but close enough for rock 'n' roll. The Jaminator descends from a classic Mac program called Jam Session, which uses the Mac's 8-bit digital audio to produce arrangements of sampled instruments. You add lead lines on top by tapping the Mac's keyboard. What makes Jam Session unique was that instead of a key simply triggering a single note, it plays a short melodic phrase or rhythm pattern, always on the beat and never out of key. While few people other than the developers at Bogas Productions could make music anyone else would want to listen to, the program is addictive and hilarious. (Bogas Productions; 415-592-5129; Mac, $59.95) Now the concept behind Jam Session has been translated into a standalone piece of guitar-shaped hardware by a company called Multi Mediums USA, and it's even more fun than the software original. The unit's song selection (five built in, with additional carts of five songs each selling for $19 apiece) ranges from classic rock like "Johnny B. Goode," "Whole Lotta Love," and "Purple Haze" to such MTV hits as "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)' and "You Give Love a Bad Name." Each includes a bass-drums-rhythm arrangement, plus instrumental fills, 39 rhythm and lead-guitar licks for the neck (one per strum button on each of the 13 frets), 10 piano or organ licks for the piano keys, and 3 drum breaks for the percussion pads. Each fret also has a power chord that sounds when you hit all three strum buttons at once. To play the Jaminator, you select the song you want and hit the Start button. Despite the limitations of the 8-bit sound, the arrangements sound amazingly good. After a few introductory bars, it goes into a drum break, and then the "band" goes into a buildup. Next the Jaminator returns to the verse-chorus loop. When you're ready to wrap it up, press the Finale button for that big rock-show stop-on-a-dime finish. While all this is going on, you step to the front of the stage by pressing the strum and piano buttons. You can add tasteful licks or go nuts with extended solos. The guitar licks continue until you release the fret button. You can press multiple strum or piano buttons to combine the canned licks--which means you can get some really wild-sounding stuff going even if you're slow and uncoordinated. If you try something really complicated, the Jaminator can act weird, playing out-of-tune notes or mutating the riffs. That can be kind of cool--sort of the digital equivalent of feedback from a stack of Marshall amps. You can also jam on the licks |uwithout|u the backup track, which is even more fun. (Multi Mediums USA; 800-369-4702; $199) |bThe Key |b|bImagine yourself in a stadium, onstage with Guns 'N Roses. The beat is pounding, the crowd's screaming. Axl Rose is belting out those dog-whistle vocals. Suddenly Slash thrusts his guitar into your hands. The fans go wild as your flying fingers tear off a lead that would make Jimi Hendrix proud. Now imagine yourself in your living room, sitting on the sofa. A Guns 'N Roses video is playing on the TV. You're holding some kind of futuristic plastic guitarlike gizmo. As you pluck these weird finlike things where you'd expect strings to be, it plays whatever note Slash is playing at that instant. You can probably guess which of these two scenarios describes the Key, a genre-bending guitar and karaoke box. Connect the Key to a VCR's video-out jack, play a specially coded video, thrash away, and the Key magically turns your clueless fingering and strumming into an impressive-sounding solo. The notes available on the neck and the chords on the strummer automatically change to match whatever is happening in the video. Think of the notes as "passing under" your fingers, ready to sound whenever you tap a button or strummer vein. There's trouble in playland, though. If you don't happen to hit the notes in the right rhythm, the results can sound pretty strange. For example, guitar solos often have chromatic runs containing passing notes in a different key from the rest of the song. They're played so quickly that you hear them only as an ornament leading up to the pitch of the final note. But with the Key, it's easy to sustain these notes--with pretty sour results. In some ways it's more fun to unplug the Key from the VCR and forget about the rock-video backup. Pressing one of the buttons on the Key's neck changes the notes assigned to the strummer veins, and by plucking or strumming the veins as you change buttons on the neck, you can play melodies, finger-pick arpeggios, or strum chords--a little bit like an autoharp. If you've hooked the Key to external stereo speakers, you can determine which speaker the sound comes out of by fooling with where you pluck the vein. Lonestar and other companies, such as Geffen, Atlantic, and MCA, plan to release compilations of rock videos overlaid with the Key's special codes, including long-form videos by Aerosmith, Cream, Peter Gabriel, Guns 'N Roses, and the Lemonheads. According to the company, developers can easily add the code to just about any medium--CDs, laserdiscs, broadcast TV, and even CD-ROM. Lonestar also plans to sell $25 ROM packs that each contain 10 to 12 canned arrangements of popular songs, with which you can play along in stand-alone mode. The unit includes MIDI ports, and its 127 patches follow the General MIDI standard, so if your computer has a MIDI interface the Key could do double duty as a high-quality tone generator for games, sequencers, and multimedia software. (Lonestar Technologies; 516-939-6116; $400) |bYamaha Digital Percussion |b|bIf you're not cut out to front the band, you can always hide behind a drum kit. To get you started, Yamaha's DD-8 and DD-14 electronic drum pads provide canned rhythm and melodies to jam with. They are pretty much like the company's home keyboards, except instead of black-and-white keys they've got big green drum pads. The DD-14's 100 bass-drums-rhythm backup arrangements run the stylistic gamut: house, swing, rap, bossa nova, beguine, Euro beat, polka, Mozambique. Unfortunately, its taste also runs from good to bad, and all the way down to skating-rink hell. The better arrangements benefit from the high-quality percussion samples and clean FM synthesis used in the bass rhythm-instrument sounds. You can switch the eight pads between 25 different "kits," or make up your own kits by assigning up to 100 percussion instruments and sound effects to the various pads. While the idea sounds good, the DD-14 doesn't really make much sense. Chord accompaniment is great when you're playing a tune--but for a drum solo? The DD-14's little brother, the DD-8, is a lot more entertaining. Its 100 backups are strictly drum patterns. Jamming along with them on the four pads is big fun, particularly when you switch on the Super Session Player feature, which makes the machine respond to what you're playing by varying the drum machine's pattern and throwing in fills and breaks. That feature isn't nearly so much fun on the DD-14, where it usually adds melodic lines and horn breaks instead of percussion. On either machine, the Super Session Player is useless when the rhythm backup is turned off--it just throws out beats and sound effects at random, as if annoyed that you're touching its pads. A big problem on both machines is the pads themselves. You have to hit them pretty hard to produce a sound, which makes it impossible to use the pads' full dynamic range when playing with your hands. When you switch to drumsticks (included), the sound of the stick hitting the pad becomes annoyingly loud. (Yamaha; 714-522-9011; DD-8, $119.95; DD-14, $249.95) |bCasio Rap-Man 1 |b|bAt first glance it looks a lot like a basic electronic keyboard, but Casio's Rap-Man 1 is actually like nothing else on the market. Also sold by Radio Shack as the Concertmate 800 Rap-Master, it takes the classic synth/drum machine/accompaniment mix in a wild new direction by adding a turntable-like "scratch platter" and a microphone with "Voice Effector." The sounds are the customary Casio synthetic wave forms, familiar to anyone who has played one of the company's keyboards. While nowhere near as realistic as sampled sounds (and a bit crude and distorted compared with the FM and wave-table synths used by other companies) they have a distinctive charm. As usual, the percussion stuff is particularly cool. The bass sounds great, too, as do |usome|u of the 25 lead sounds. Others, however, are truly lame--especially the obnoxious Orchestra Hit patch. To start the Rap-Man jamming, you tap a key to trigger your choice of 30 funky hip-hop and reggae-ish backing tracks. The first octave is drum tracks only, while the rest of the keys trigger full arrangements, with bass and rhythm. Once the beat starts, the keyboard switches into lead mode so you can lay your single-note (monophonic) lead or bass line down on top. Unlike with most other Casios, the keys don't affect the backup track's chords. In fact, there's no way to change a particular track's key signature. This could be frustrating for those without sufficient musical knowledge or intuition to figure out that a track is C minor with a flat 7th and play in the appropriate scale. If you're good at playing by ear, it shouldn't be a problem. Finally, there's the microphone. Set the Voice Effector (a pitch shifter) switch to Normal, and it amplifies your voice through the internal speaker. On the low settings, you sound like Pac Jam, a Dalek, or Laurie Anderson's "difficult listening" character; on High, like a Munchkin. With a little practice, you can switch between lead instruments on the fly and use the Stop button to switch between backup patterns without losing the beat, stretching out your raps to magnum 12-inch remix opuses. Won't your friends and family be thrilled? Be forewarned: Unless you think Mr.Megaphone was a good idea, putting this item in the hands of a small child may endanger your sanity. Casio's not making these babies any more, but there are still plenty to be found on the shelves. The list price is $99.95, but you may find them for as little as $50 on closeout at Radio Shack. (Casio; 800-962-2746, $99.95) |bDo You Want One? |b|bThe one musical gadget that really stands out in this crowd is the Jaminator. Sometimes it can even make you forget that you really can't play guitar worth a damn. The Yamaha DD-8 is a lot of fun, too--and unlike the other instruments, it has some educational value as well. Jamming with the DD-8 might teach you a few things about drumming and could definitely improve your ability to keep a steady beat. Unfortunately, the Jaminator, DD-8 and DD-14, and Rap-Man 1 share one major failing: no mix control to adjust the relative volume of the lead and backup tracks. The result is that solos often drown out the accompaniment, or vice versa. There's still no perfect musical gadget. If you combined the always-in-tune, always-on-the-beat approach of the Jaminator, the sound quality and expressiveness of the Key, and a more intelligent version of Yamaha's Super Session Player, you'd have something that could not only make you sound good but also approximate a real musical instrument. In the meantime, though, these gadgets deliver on their promise of musical fun without a big investment of time or effort. And you don't need any talent, either. Robert Lauriston is a contributing editor for Windows Magazine and coauthor of Peachpit Press' PC Bible. His favorite musical gadget is a 1934 Chickering baby grand. |bMORE BIZARRE MUSICAL STUFF |bWalkabout|b An electronic drum kit with a difference--you wear it. It even comes with a special pair of electronic "trigger shoes." Way cool, way expensive. (Walkabout Percussion Systems; 310-306-2701; $1,595) |bKawai Pocket Band |b|bPlug your electric guitar and a pair of earphones into the Pocket Band and clip it to your belt, and you can jam along with synthesized backup arrangements. (Kawai; 800-421-2177; $199) |bVirtual Guitar |b|bWhy play air guitar when you can hold a real ax in your hands? Plug this faux guitar into your PC and play your way to the top. The computer controls the rhythm and beat as you work your way through a number of games in your scramble for auditions, club dates, and recording contracts. (To jam with Aerosmith, see "Share Centerstage with Aerosmith," page 9.) (Ahead; 617-969-3195; $109.95) |bBOSS DR-550mkII |b|bThis drum machine sounds as good as most pro models, but it's cheap enough to buy just for fun. Use its touch-sensitive pads as a fingertip drum kit, with or without backup beats. (Roland; 213-685-5141; $350) |bFretlight Guitar |b|bThis Fender Stratocaster clone uses 132 LEDs embedded in the fretboard to teach you chords and scales. The company is working on an acoustic version, and a bass guitar is also available. (Optek Music Systems; 408-894-8220; $499)|b |b|b δ Ä O É ╤ %gºφ1t╢÷ Fï═Vÿπ Kæ┘"bú ╙µ/x┬
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) p ╢ √ > ç ╕ J îñΘ3~ ─ SáΦ. 6Ç┼Yñ ½≈6}└Eì╨ ╪ε5}┬ Kô▌" @ä╞Nû ▓≤7~╚ ▄&o ╡∙@ Ta½⌠3x╛ ∙? à ╠ T ù ┘ If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Carmen Sandiego must be blushing in her trench coat. The world is no longer her private playground. Carmen's turf has been invaded by other educational globetrotters--a couple of plumbers from Brooklyn and a crusading newspaper editor. No wonder. As she closes in on her tenth anniversary, Carmen has become a software legend in her own time. In an industry where characters are often licensed from movies or TV, Carmen is one of the few crossover artists who came from the software side. These days, kids are catching Carmen's act on everything from a PBS television series and a Saturday morning cartoon show to board games, books, and even lunch boxes. And Broderbund Software is raking in the royalties. Which is why we now have a whole category for geographical detective software. Hot on Carmen's trail are none other than the Super Mario Brothers, in Mario is Missing! From The Software Toolworks, and a not-so-famous newspaper editor in Headline Harry and the Great Paper Race from Davidson & Associates. While both products are obviously derived from Carmen Sandiego, each contributes game-play elements that add to the fun. And all three offer high quality educational content and multimedia production values. Each program is a variation on the same theme. Kids play the role of either a detective or a reporter who has to track down information by traveling to different locales around the world or in the U.S. In each case, the kids are up against bad guys trying to foil the investigation. Equipped with virtual versions of a portable phone and notebook computer, players gather and analyze data. They gain points and advance a level by completing their assignment. |bHair-dryer Alert |b|bIn Mario is Missing! CD Deluxe kids play the less-famous Super Mario brother, Luigi, as he tries to rescue his kidnapped brother and thwart a plan by the Diabolical Bowser to import hair dryers to Antarctica to melt the polar ice cap. To foil the evil plot, youthful explorers travel to cities on every continent to recover famous artifacts and landmarks that Bowser's agents, an irrepressible group of turtles known as Koopas, have stolen. The characters, with their silly dialogue and animations, are quite appealing, especially to kids already caught up in the Mario mystique. Besides the fun characters, Mario offers several other attractions. For one, kids spend more time in each location than they do when they play the other games. With Carmen or Harry, players are constantly on the move, picking up clues but hardly stopping to get to know any one place. With Mario is Missing! they stay for a while, wandering around the streets of the city, looking at the sights, and navigating with a realistic map. Also, the geographical knowledge is better integrated into the game. When kids are ready to return a missing artifact, they have to read an informational brochure and answer a few questions about the landmark. For example, if they visit Rome in the game, they really get to know something about the Coliseum and the Sistine Chapel. With Carmen, they might see a picture and read a short blurb about the Spanish Steps, but they won't feel like they've really visited. Mario is Missing! also comes on floppy disk, but it lacks the bells and whistles of the CD version and has fewer cities to explore. (The Software Toolworks; 800-234-3088; DOS/Mac, $59.95; CD for DOS/Mac, $69.95) |bHistory in the Making |b|bHeadline Harry and the Great Paper Race shares Carmen's frenetic pace, but it adds a new dimension with rich historical information. Your child plays a reporter for the U.S. Daily Star who needs to collect enough information to file a story about a recent event in American history. Each assignment takes your kids to a region of the United States, where they discover clues related to three breaking news events. Of course, only one is of interest to the story, but players don't know which one. For example, a reporter covering the eruption of Mt. St. Helens might learn more than he or she wants to know about the mystery of skyjacker D.B. Cooper. As players move from city to city, they interview citizens, listen to the radio, read quotes from eyewitnesses, and check reference materials. The clues they need to finish the article--the date, place, people, and key words about the event--may be anywhere. If they're smart, talented and lucky, they'll file their story before rivals from another paper beat them to it. Along the way, kids can't help learning all kinds of things about important and not-so-important historical events--including the Beatles' appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," Barney Clark's heart transplant, and Rosie Ruiz's subway-aided victory in the Boston Marathon. The information is rich enough to be entertaining to adults while still accessible to historically minded kids. Unlike the "deluxe" and "enhanced" CD versions of Mario and Carmen, Harry lacks video, but it's still a great trip. (Davidson & Associates; 800-545-7677; DOS/Mac, $59.95) |bMultimedia Makeover |b|bWith Mario and Harry breathing down her neck, the venerable Carmen Sandiego, who started all this geographic sleuthing, gets a makeover in Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego Deluxe and Where in the U.S.A. Is Carmen Sandiego Deluxe editions. Most of the updating is cosmetic, with a spiffier interface and added animations, sound tracks, and full-motion video. There are also more countries, villains, and clues. And Broderbund now includes a copy of the |uKing Fisher Reference Atlas|u in the box. (There's also a Junior Detective Edition on the way from Broderbund--see "Carmen Jr.") The basic game is unchanged. Kids play a private eye from the Acme Detective Agency, hot on the trail of the infamous villain Carmen Sandiego and her cronies. They dart from city to city trying to solve cases and collect enough evidence to determine which of Carmen's henchmen did the deed this time. Then they obtain a warrant and finish tracking down the criminal. The best thing about the deluxe versions of Carmen is the clever technique of superimposing cartoon animations on photographs of the location. The game itself starts to become routine on repeated plays, and the geographical information is less integral to the game than in the other two programs. Even if she is a little long in the tooth, Carmen remains challenging and entertaining--and she still owns the franchise for geographical software for kids. (Broderbund Software; 800-521-6263; CD for DOS/Mac, $59.95) Parents can feel good about any of these, but we recommend Mario is Missing! for younger geographers and Headline Harry for slightly older budding historians. |bCARMEN JR. |b|bCarmen Sandiego has been a hit with kids of all ages, even though the geographic titles she stars in are intended for kids 9 and up. But this month Broderbund will release a Carmen game especially for the younger set. Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego Junior Detective Edition is a scaled-down version of the original for kids 5 to 8. It teaches geography and develops memory and matching skills. Kids are still on the trail of Carmen and her cronies, but the junior version of the program sports a simpler interface and game play. For example, players get visual clues instead of text ones, adventures are limited to a single region of the world at one time (instead of criss-crossing the globe), and kids don't have a time limit in which to solve the caper, as in the standard version. (Broderbund Software; 800-521-6263; CD for Windows/Mac, street price approximately $40) --Christine Grech N ╗& I î ╙ Iç═V£ ╙bªδ6o¼÷ >}├Mù▄ V£▌h |bContact: Tom DeGarmo, Lifeboat Publishing (908) 389-8950, ext. 265|b SHREWSBURY, NJ, August 26, 1994--Lifeboat|s00,245,00Publishing has acquired the exclusive worldwide publishing rights for WinWidgets from Simple Software. Founded in 1992, Simple Software specializes in Windows custom controls for Visual Basic and C/C++. "As a small software developer, trying to maintain aggressive development schedules and competitive marketing efforts, we found our resources stretched thin," said Hugh Lynch, President of Simple Software. "By combining forces with Lifeboat Publishing, we are able to focus on the development side of the business while Lifeboat provides the marketing services to catalyze the sales process." WinWidgets is an all-inclusive package of interface objects similar to those found in nearly every Windows application. These objects include a spreadsheet, grid, masked edit, tabbed dialog, list box and combo box. "WinWidgets is an important product because of the significant productivity boost it provides to developers using Visual Basic, Microsoft Visual C++ or Borland C++ to produce their Windows-based applications," said Tom DeGarmo, General Manager of Lifeboat Publishing. "With the addition of this product line, Lifeboat is able to offer a complete set of application solutions for Windows development." WinWidgets can be used as a Visual Basic custom control, a C++ custom control or a Windows DLL. WinWidgets supports standard 16-bit Windows development as well as 32-bit development using Win32s or Windows NT. This toolkit offers a high degree of power and flexibility accessible through a straightforward and simple interface. Additionally, features such as "data aware" ODBC connections, input validation and powerful data handling provide an essential building block when creating applications with embedded database information. There are no royalties or license fees associated with the WInWidgets product line. WinWidgets can be obtained directly from Lifeboat Publishing as well as through authorized resellers including Programmer's Paradise|s00,245,00and Programmer's Paradise|s00,245,00Corporate Developer|s00,247,00. Dealer inquiries are handled through Lifeboat Distribution. | _ = 1 I \ w ÿ ╕ ╗ ╧ Ω +0y─T ü╚Uò ╦Vá α&l▒ ß+s╗ 2z┼Tû ▄( n ╛
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% g ░ √ A |bFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: LONDON, 10 MARCH 1995 |bInformation Contacts: |b|m025Colin Wight |b|m025The British Library |b|m025Tel. +44 (0) 171 412 7760 |b|m025Fax +44 (0) 171 412 7768 |b |b|m025Signe Hoffos |b|m025Multimedia Ventures |b|m025Tel. +44 (0) 181 451 6698 |b|m025Fax +44 (0) 181 451 6698 |b|b Multimedia '95, the premier event in the British multimedia market, sees the return of a popular conference which looks at the use of multimedia in museums, galleries and libraries. |bMultimedia in Museums and Libraries|b is being organized by The British Library and Multimedia Ventures in cooperation with The Business Design Centre. Multimedia '95 will be held in London at the Business Design Centre in Islington from June 20th to 22nd. The three-day event also includes a large exhibition, creative workshops, a publishing exchange, half-day seminars on multimedia applications, as well as a symposium for business users and a 'solution centre' for retailers. Delegates to the one-day Museums and Libraries conference on June 22nd can thus take full advantage of Multimedia '95 in preparation for a day devoted to their particular needs and interests. The truly energetic may even find time to slip off to London's famous Summer Sales. The 11th Annual BIMA Awards will be hosted by the British Interactive Multimedia Association (BIMA) on June 19th, and both short-listed and award winning programs will be on display for three full days in the popular Applications Gallery at Multimedia '95. The first Multimedia in Museums and Libraries conference attracted a full house to the British Library's stately meeting rooms in Wardour Street, Soho, in 1993. This year's event will exchange the oak paneling of the Library's Novello Room for the modern facilities of a purpose-built conference hall within the Business Design Centre. Multimedia in Museums and Libraries is aimed at professionals including directors, curators, publishers, designers, administrators, and others who are already using multimedia in displays or reference collections, or who are hoping soon to do so. This year's event will focus on issues of importance including the challenges of networking, new arenas for publishing, and opportunities for European co-production and funding. The British Library is both the doyen of national bibliographic collections and a pioneer in electronic publishing, with recent multimedia titles including the award-winning |iBritish Birds|i, |iInventors and Inventions|i and the sumptuous |iMedieval Realms|i. Displays in the new Library building in St. Pancras will make extensive use of the latest multimedia technology. Multimedia Ventures has written and edited many publications including the British Library's report |iMultimedia and the Interactive Display |i(1992) and |iThe Multimedia Yearbook|i, now in its fourth edition. Attendance at Multimedia in Museums and Libraries costs 165 (plus VAT), with a 10% discount for early payment, a package of other benefits including unlimited attendance at the three-day Multimedia '95 exhibition, discounts on London hotel accommodation, and a special offer on |iThe |iMultimedia Yearbook 1995|i. ┤ úY 2 D O u í ñ ╝ Σ τ 0z╝■ a¼÷ $m░÷ f¡■Cê═ Φ(l▒² >ü─JÄ╥ W ô ╫
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: y ─ S [ ú ÷ GÅ╤ e ÑΦ-o╣∙@ g« δ2y ╙OÖ |b27 OF LAST 28 QUARTER-TO-QUARTER PERIODS WITH |bINCREASED SALES |bContact: |b|m025Roger Paradis, President & CEO |b|m025Voyager Software Corp (908-389-8950) |b |b|m025David A. Kaminer |b|m025The Kaminer Group (914-332-4114) |b |b|bSHREWBURY, NJ, February 8, 1995--Voyager|s00,245,00 Software Corp, a leading publisher, distributor and value-added reseller of PC software to technically-oriented corporate buyers, end users and dealers, has announced record fourth quarter and year-end sales for the period ending December 31, 1994. For the fourth quarter of 1994, Voyager had sales of $22,500,000 and for the full year, sales of $70,100,000, increases of 99% for the quarter, and 55% for the year over 1993. In 1993, Voyager had fourth quarter sales of $11,300,000, and annual sales of $45,200,000. "1994 continued our run of successful, record-setting sales years," said Voyager's president and CEO Roger Paradis. "Our performance in Q4 of 1994 marked the 27th time in 28 quarters that we exceeded revenues of the same quarter of the prior year." Paradis said, "Voyager's brisk growth rate far outpaces the growth rate of our industry segment and continues to be fueled by our Programmer's Paradise|s00,245,00 catalog operation. We gained the leadership position in the shrink-wrapped technical software segment in 1993 and have continued to increase our market share. He said, that "the company is getting strong sales from the exploding shrink-wrapped client/server segment led by the Powersoft line. "As planned, Programmer's Paradise continued its expansion into Europe with German versions of its Programmer's Paradise Direct and Corporate Developer catalogs distributed in both Germany and Austria in 1994," Paradis said. "We mailed three catalogs to the Italian market in 1994 and are launching a United Kingdom version in this quarter. "Our mid-year acquisition of ISP*D International Software Partners Deutschland GmbH gave Voyager a solid footing as a major corporate reseller in Europe," he said. "ISP*D is the largest software-only corporate reseller in Germany and one of the largest software-only dealers in Europe. With other U.S. resellers tentatively trying to establish themselves with minimal commitment, we have landed one of the jewels of Europe. The CEO/Geschaftsfuhrer of ISP*D, Peter Lorenz, is well-known in Europe as an outstanding general manager and businessman. He is on the Board of The Software Publishing Association of Europe, a graduate of Notre Dame University, and the company's founder. Peter Lorenz is building upon the ISP*D corporate reseller foundation in Germany and Austria in such a way as to be able to serve U.S.-based and Pan European customers on a worldwide basis. "Our subsidiary in Milan, Italy--Lifeboat Associates Italia--is the foundation for us providing one stop technical software distribution for all of Europe," Paradis said. "Our CEO/Managing Director, Massimo Freschi, has been with Lifeboat Associates Italia since 1986 and has built an outstanding distributor operation. We intend to expand the concept to create a technical shrink-wrapped distributor with true Pan European reach." Among other highlights of 1994 were the introductions of |uProgrammer's |uParadise Corporate Developer Catalog|u in March, and |uDan Bricklin's|s00,245,00 |udemo-it!|s00,247,00|u (from the Lifeboat Publishing division) in December. |u |uCorporate Developer|u, which is also published in Europe, is targeted specifically to meet the needs of client/server oriented software developers. |udemo-it!|u is a Dan Bricklin (the computer industry pioneer and legendary developer of VisiCalc) creation, and is the first software tool designed specifically to create demos of Windows products. Paradis said that Voyager "continues to position itself for market leadership in this technical segment. We just attracted Joe Popolo, founder of MISCO, to join our senior management team, and he will clearly improve our catalog operations skills as well as bring additional seasoned management expertise to Voyager. These are incredibly exciting times. January 1995 product bookings in the U.S. are already 40% ahead of the same period in 1994!" For further information contact: Roger Paradis, Voyager Software Corp, 1163 Shrewsbury Avenue, Shrewsbury, NJ 07702; (908)389-8950. Privately-held, Voyager was organized in June, 1988 through the merger and acquisition process incorporating three well-known and established entities: Lifeboat|s00,245,00 Distribution, Programmer's Paradise|s00,245,00 and Corsoft. Voyager, Programmer's Paradise and Lifeboat are registered trademarks of Voyager Software Corp. demo-it! is a trademark of Lifeboat Publishing. Dan Bricklin is a registered trademark of Daniel S. Bricklin. û └J 7 D O u í ñ ╝ Σ τ &r║ Kô▌ (p║@è╦\¥σ _ñµ,o ü─N£ß [ ¥ π $
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E ç ╦ ] g ⌐ ± 'g╕·; `¢ |bJOSEPH V. POPOLO NAMED EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF |bOPERATIONS |bContact: |b|m025Roger Paradis, President & CEO |b|m025Voyager Software Corp (908-389-8950) |b |b|m025David A. Kaminer |b|m025The Kaminer Group (914-332-4114) |b |b|bSHREWBURY, NJ, January 25, 1995--Joseph V. Popolo has been named executive vice president of operations of Voyager|s00,245,00 Software Corp, the leading publisher, distributor and value-added reseller of PC software to technically-oriented corporate buyers, end users and dealers worldwide. The announcement was made by Voyager President and CEO Roger Paradis, to whom Popolo reports. In his newly-created position, Popolo will be responsible for domestic distribution and reseller operations for Voyager including its fast growing Programmer's Paradise catalog division. Popolo has been involved in direct marketing and technology for over 30 years. In the mid 1970's, he founded MISCO and built it to be one of the world's leading computer product catalogers. Well-known in the direct marketing community, he has been a consultant to |uCatalog Age |uMagazine|u and been a judge for its prestigious Annual National Catalog Conference Awards Program for business-to-business catalogs, and founded and is a charter member of the Direct Marketing Association's International Council. Earlier in his career, he served with the Computer Control Company as a product manager, and then with Perkin Elmer Data Systems, starting as a marketing manager and rising to be director of international sales before leaving to found MISCO. A resident of Aberdeen, New Jersey, Popolo has an MBA in Industrial Administration from Boston College, and an A.B. in Physics, A BEE in Electrical Engineering, and an MEE in Electrical Engineering from Catholic University of America. He is past president of the Board of Governors of Catholic University of America and is a member of its Board of Regents. "Joe Popolo brings the breadth of experience in direct mail/direct response technology to Voyager we have been seeking," said Paradis. "His knowledge of what really works in direct mail will be especially valuable as we continue to grow our Programmer's Paradise|s00,245,00 business in the U.S. and Europe, and his business-to-business background will help drive our marketing activities in the currently exploding shrink-wrapped package market for Client/Server software." "The talents of Joe Popolo add significantly to what is already a top-notch direct marketing team at Voyager," he continued. "Joe will oversee our Programmer's Paradise Direct and Corporate Developer catalogs, and other reseller operations. The Paradise concept, with its |u |uman on an island|u cartoon character, has evolved to where it enjoys worldwide recognition, with localized versions of the catalog currently distributed in Germany, Austria and Italy--and this quarter the U.K." "Programmer's Paradise has become the No. 1 worldwide PC software supplier for software developers," added Paradis, "and Joe Popolo's direct marketing and technology industry experience will be instrumental as we look to expand |uthe man on an island|u franchise into new related markets." Paradis added that Voyager ended 1994 with worldwide sales of $70 million, up some 55% over the previous year, and "has entered 1995 with very strong momentum here in the U.S. and in Europe." Voyager Software Corp, headquartered in Shrewsbury, NJ operates Programmer's Paradise, Lifeboat|s00,245,00 Publishing, Lifeboat Distribution and Corsoft divisions, as well as Programmer's Paradise Europe, ISP*D International Software Partners GmbH in Germany and Austria, and Lifeboat Associates Italia in Italy. Voyager, Programmer's Paradise and Lifeboat are registered trademarks of Voyager Software Corp. é _@ , C X [ ÿ ¡ ▓ ² Dî╘ Xí▐$j▓÷ ²>ç═V¥▄ ` Ç├ Eï╠ Lî ╕ I Æ ▄ !
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I ì ╠ U ¢ ▐ |bEditorial Contacts: |b|m025Dennis Janes |b|m025ATG Cygnet Inc. |b|M25.(408)954-1800 |b |b|m025Matthew Schmidt, Wendy Lewis |b|m025FS Communications |b|m025(415)691-1488 |b|b San Jose, Calif. -- March 15, 1995 -- Reflecting its commitment to product reliability and minimizing end-user cost of ownership, ATG Cygnet Inc. today announced a three-year warranty for the robotic components of its 12-in optical storage libraries. Additionally, the company described a new contract maintenance and service program covering all of the 12-in. library and optical disk drive products sold by ATG Cygnet. ATG Cygnet's three-year warranty on optical library robotics is believed to be the lengthiest warranty offered by any manufacturer of high-capacity automated disk exchange systems. It applies to the ATG Cygnet Series 1800 Expandable Optical Library, including Models 1602, 1802 and 1803, and the Advanced Storage Module. All of these libraries are manufactured at ATG Cygnet's ISO 9001 certified plant San Jose, Calif. "The wide range of commercial and government customers using ATG Cygnet optical libraries often rely on our systems in applications where down-time is not acceptable, and we are fully committed to supporting our systems in these critical applications," said Gil Van Schoor, vice president of sales and marketing for ATG Cygnet. "Our lengthened warranty can dramatically reduce the lifetime cost of ownership for an optical library. Combined with the new maintenance and service programs, we believe ATG Cygnet is delivering the best in support, accountability and overall customer satisfaction to users of our high-capacity storage systems." ATG Cygnet's expanded maintenance and service program is available to both OEM and end-user customers. The Maintenance/Service Contract was developed to more efficiently meet the support needs of customers and improve accountability for the storage component of key computer systems. ATG Cygnet provides 24-hour "help-desk" phone support to respond to service requests and assure prompt and satisfactory resolution. The company also acts as the coordinator between the OEM, systems solutions provider and the end-user to quickly identify and fulfill service needs. Service is offered through ATG Cygnet certified third-party maintenance providers. The service offering includes on site repair of the library, including labor and material costs, as well as maintenance and repair of ATG Cygnet, Philips LMS or Nikon optical drives installed in the library. Additionally, for ATG Cygnet manufactured drives, a 24-hour hot swap program is available. ATG Cygnet Inc., created by the October, 1993 merger of ATG Gigadisc and Cygnet Systems, Inc., is a ten-year old, international supplier of mass storage solutions. The company's robotic library and storage systems products are sold to OEMs--including AT&T, BULL, IBM, ICL, Siemens-Nixdorf and UNISYS--and resellers worldwide. The GD 9001/S WORM digital optical drive and media, both manufactured by ATG Cygnet, provide dual-sided storage capacity of 10.2 GB (5.1 GB per side) per disk cartridge. ATG Cygnet large format storage libraries, which support every major type of 12-in. optical drive now available, include the expandable Series 1800 family and the Advanced Storage Module, a two-drive storage subsystem equipped with WORM drives from ATG Cygnet or Philips LMS, or REWRITABLE drives from Nikon. ╥ ±h ; e { Å ª ╗ ╛ Γ √ aª∞9┬ $q╜CÅ╙ "bÑε6ü╚Y bƒπ(l░ ╟ O Å ╘
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* ; } ┼ X ó τ + h│∙:Ç╩ J s╕°:╝⌡5 V¢Γ!fÑφ3y┐ G v┴Lô╒∞ |bATG CYGNET OPTICAL LIBRARIES USED FOR IMAGE STORAGE IN |bFEDERAL STUDENT LOAN TRACKING SYSTEM.|b |bEditorial Contacts: |b|m025Dennis Janes |b|m025ATG Cygnet Inc. |b|m025(408)954-1800 |b |b|m025Matthew Schmidt, Wendy Lewis |b|m025FS Communications |b|m025(415)691-1488 |b |b|bSan Jose, Calif.--February 7, 1995--The archival storage portion of a new document imaging system for tracking accounts in the U.S. Department of Education's Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) program will use optical storage libraries from ATG Cygnet. HRB Systems Inc., will install four, 1.2 Terabyte (TB) ATG Cygnet libraries as part of its systems integration contract from the GSL Electronic Document Management System, which is designed to provide immediate access to up to 70 million documents to 16 GSL sites nationwide. When the installation is completed in early 1995, collection officers at any of the 16 remote sites will be able to access individual loan history files archived in the system in less than one minute, compared to the one week average turnaround now required for a document request. The remote sites will be able to print out hard copy of the documents stored in the massive image database, which will reside at a Greenville, Tex. facility maintained by E-Systems, Inc., the primary contractor for the system. HRB Systems Inc., the federal systems integrator developing the software applications and integrating the system components, began installing the system in January, 1995, with initial system availability beginning in February. Under a workflow process defined by the primary contractor, loan histories will be scanned and stored on the optical disks at a rate of up to 60,000 documents daily. This system is expected to help achieve a 90 percent reduction in the time required for loan retrieval of imaged documents, thereby improving the overall level of customer service. To create the document image database for the GSL Electronic Document Management System, each individual loan history, currently kept in a paper folder, is assigned an identification number and bar code, then scanned in to the system. The entire system is built on Informix database software and a document imaging application built using Plexus software. "The archival storage system requirements for the GSL EDMS could only be met with a high-capacity, long-data life random access storage technology," said Gary Aspesi, the HRB Systems Program Manager. "So, while tape back-up is used for a near-team backup solution, the on-line segment of the system was best served with a WORM optical library solution, which can deliver guaranteed accurate data rapidly when requested by any user on the system. ATG Cygnet's storage libraries offered the right combination of capacity, performance, reliability and write-once technology to be part of the winning bid for this major contract." The primary contract calls for four ATG Cygnet Model 1803 storage libraries, configured with the ATG Cygnet GD9001/S digital optical disk drive and slots to accommodate up to 120, 12-in. optical disk cartridges. Each of the WORM disks has a storage capacity of 10.2 GB, for a total of 1,224 GB of storage in each of the four libraries. The storage libraries are daisy-chain connected, via SCSI interface, to a Sun Microsystems server. The server is linked via dedicated phone lines to personal computer clients in each of the 16 GSL program remote sites. "Data longevity, capacity and reliability are key elements in the contract bids our customers are involved in today, whether the system is for a government or commercial application," said Gil Van Schoor, vice president of marketing and sales for ATG Cygnet Inc. "Meeting system requirements is just part of the story. It is ATG Cygnet's track record, worldwide installed base and demonstrated commitment to long-term data storage in standards-based systems that help our systems integration partners with the business." HRB Systems Inc., a subsidiary of E-Systems, Inc., builds electronic information and data processing systems and provides a range of technology and engineering services worldwide. Originally a high technology-based defense contractor, the company also specializes in commercial applications of automated information processing, computer-based multimedia education systems, mobile data communications, secure systems integration and global lifecycle operation and logistics support. ATG Cygnet Inc., created by the October, 1993 merger of ATG Gigadisc and Cygnet Systems, Inc., is a ten-year old, international supplier of mass storage solutions. The company's library autochanger and storage system products are sold to OEMs--including AT&T, BULL, IBM, ICL, Siemens-Nixdorf and UNISYS--and resellers worldwide. The company's storage library product line, which supports every major type of 12-in. optical drive now available, includes the expandable Series 1800 family and the Advanced Storage Module, a fixed-capacity storage subsystem equipped with drives from either ATG Cygnet, Philips LMS or Nikon. The GD 9001/S WORM digital optical drive and media, both manufactured by ATG Cygnet, are the industry's highest capacity 12-in. optical drives, at 10.2 GB per disk cartridge. NOTE: This project has been funded at least in part with federal funds the U.S. Department of Education under contract number PM920010-01. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.|b |b|b B r I î ╬ eáµ)u«⌡ a¼∩6} ₧σ a ÿ╙ _ Multimedia and games are high on the agenda for the next version of |b |bMicrosoft Windows, |bdue out next year. Code-named Chicago, the newest Windows will replace both DOS and Windows 3.1, offering an easier-to-use yet more powerful platform for business and entertainment software. Borrowing heavily from Apple's Macintosh interface and also stealing touches from IBM's OS/2, the new Windows will include such often-requested improvements as a cleaner, more attractive interface; built-in networking and network management; long filenames; faster printing; support for 32-bit applications; multithreading and multitasking; remote access and file synchronization; and maybe even a Macintosh-style trash can icon for deleting files. Amazingly, the new operating system runs in just 4MB of RAM. Microsoft says it is committed to making Chicago a fantastic game platform and has backed that up with a faster graphics interface that lets you directly run many existing DOS games. On the multimedia side, Chicago has everything you need built in--no more hassles with add-ons and extensions. And, like the Mac, Chicago automatically examines new CD-ROMs inserted into the drive. The new operating system will also support the Plug and Play standard, which makes it much easier to install peripherals. 'Net surfers will love the optional Internet Plumbing, which adds e-mail and fax capabilities and direct links to the Internet. Chicago may not close the gap separating Windows from more technically sophisticated competitors like the Macintosh and OS/2, but it will considerably narrow the chasm. (Microsoft; 800-426-9400; PC, approximately $99) ( P J ù α Eç╥\₧ Θ-p▒≡6 Microsoft isn't the only one making advanced operating systems for PCs. |bIBM's OS/2|b.--a 32-bit preemptive multitasking, multithreading operating system--has received praise from business users, but it has yet to catch on strongly with Joe Consumer. IBM hopes to change that with the latest version of OS/2 for Windows, code-named Warp. OS/2 for Windows moves on to your hard disk and installs itself on top of your current version of Windows 3.1. The result is an operating system that runs OS/2, Windows, and DOS applications. What does that gain the average consumer? No much, for the moment. While OS/2-based business applications are plentiful, you have to search long and hard for games, multimedia titles, and other fun software. That may change--eventually. IBM claims to be making a push to get multimedia and game developers on the OS/2 bandwagon, and at least one company, Advanced Idea Machines, has a few OS/2 games in the oven. But the window for OS/2 is closing as more and more big developers, including MicroProse and The Software Toolworks, begin to introduce Windows titles. T#⌐ J É ▄ & -q¡÷>Ç╟ &s▓⌡ @ä─² Hè╥V ë╠ Eè╦Yá ▄$ l ╢ ≈ <
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$ d ¬ ≡ 7 v ╗ :}┼ ?å╠ τ⌠:ü┼D ü╔Tæ╒ c¡ ╬_óτ. bóπ(k ùº±9 m▓°Dç ¼δ7 SÖ▐' f½≡:{ ⌐└Gî╘! a ¬ φ 4 P ô ╓ O Æ ╘ ▄ τ 5 é ┼ Q û ▄ "!a!⌐!φ!6"ü" í"ß" You can buy software utilities that do everything from reminding you to pay your bills and wash the dog to recovering fragments of disk space lost to solar flares. With all these helpful programs on the market, you'd think there'd be a few that make for better game playing. Well, you'd be right. While most any application program could use a little extra memory, more disk space, and improved CD-ROM performance, games and multimedia titles practically scream for these enhancements. That's why we've collected a half-dozen utilities that help you maximize your PC's entertainment performance. Of course, some of these products use techniques that border on black magic, so we can't guarantee that each will work equally well on every computer. But you won't know until you give 'em a try. |bQEMM |b|b"|uNot enough memory|u." There's nothing more annoying than getting this message when you're loading a great new game. Even though you have 16MB of expensive RAM, the game still demands more of that |b |bSpecial K|b known as "conventional memory" where all your software runs. Microsoft remedied the problem somewhat with MS-DOS 5.0, which lets you access so-called upper memory (the memory between 640KB and 1MB) to store memory-hogging mouse drivers and the like. Unfortunately, it didn't go very far to help you actually use that memory. MS-DOS 6.0 did a better job. Its MemMaker function automatically tosses device drivers out of the way into upper memory. Unfortunately, MemMaker isn't as good at freeing up memory as it could be, so it doesn't always leave enough conventional memory available for the most memory-intensive games and multimedia titles. Luckily, Quarterdeck Office Systems has been working at freeing up memory for almost a decade now, and the Quarterdeck Expanded Memory Manager (QEMM) version 7 has become very good at it. QEMM uses a variety of proprietary techniques to sweep clean as much memory as possible. In practical terms, QEMM can free up a good many more kilobytes of memory than MemMaker (64KB of E2's favorite test system, in fact). That may not sound like a lot, but it may make the difference between effortlessly running your favorite game and mucking around with boot disks and other implements of DOS torture. One thing to note: A few games don't run well--or at all--with QEMM, so you may still need to use that book disk. But if you use QEMM's DOS-UP feature, you can easily get around the incompatibility problem by holding down the Alt key while you boot up your system. This triggers a message asking you to press the Esc key to complete the boot process without QEMM. (Quarterdeck Office Systems; 800-354-3260; DOS, $99.95) |bMultimedia Cloaking |b|bOK. You've loaded up QEMM, run its optimization program, and unloaded all the least-vital device drivers in your system, and you still don't have enough memory. Do you give up? Nope. It's time to brandish the next weapon in the gamer's arsenal--Multimedia Cloaking. Memory expert Helix Software developed Multimedia Cloaking to free up memory not by moving drivers around but by replacing them with smaller versions of themselves. The software consists of slimmed-down Microsoft- and Logitech-compatible mouse drivers; a small disk cache for improving the performance of CD-ROM, floppy, and hard drives; and a tiny version of MSCDEX.EXE, the CD-ROM driver for DOS. The result is more conventional memory available to run your games and multimedia titles. We tested several systems and retrieved as much as 18KB of conventional memory and 40KB of upper memory. That's a significant memory boost for today's RAM-hungry games. Even better, you don't have to pay a lot to recover that valuable real estate: Multimedia Cloaking lists for less than $40. (Helix Software; 718-392-3100; DOS, $39.95) |bd-Time10|b Caching--the process of moving data stored in one type of memory such as a hard disk, into faster memory, such as RAM--has long been used to speed up slow computers. While Multimedia Cloaking's disk cache is adequate, there's an even better solution for CD-ROM drive owners: d-Time10 from Ballard Synergy. This CD-ROM caching program employs unused hard disk space as well as RAM to do the job. d-Time10 sets aside part of your hard drive for CD-ROM data. The first time your program needs information from the CD-ROM, d-Time10 reads it from the original disc at the drive's normal speed, usually between 150KB and 600KB per second. You'll see improved performance though, when you access that data again. The caching program keeps track of the data you most frequently use during a session and tries to keep that information handy. If d-Time10 has stored the data on your hard drive, you retrieve it from the disc at hard-drive speeds, which can be 1,000KB per second or faster. This kind of caching makes a big difference in database applications in which you constantly return to the same small subset of information, but E2 testing shows that d-Time10 can also speed up games. Video and animations in Millennium Auction were more fluid and appeared on the screen more quickly, for instance, and levels in the CD-ROM version of Corridor 7 snapped into place significantly faster. If you have a high-performance system with lots of memory and a standard cache, such as Microsoft's SmartDrive, you may not find d-Time10 worth the money. But if you're having performance problems with your CD-ROM drive, you should certainly take a look. (Ballard Synergy; 800-692-0492; DOS/Windows, $69.95) |bStacker 4.0|b Maybe it's disk space, not memory, that's in short supply on your system. Games and multimedia eat up a lot of real estate on a hard disk. They can quickly clog up even gargantuan monster drives. To avoid "disk full" messages when you try to install a game, you're typically forced to delete something. So what's the next victim--TIE Fighter or Front Page Sports: Football Pro? If that's too tough a decision to make, maybe you should consider buying another hard drive. Too expensive? Then Stacker is for you. Stacker is Stac Electronics' data-compression program. It can compress data to less than half its original size, effectively doubling the capacity of your hard disk. Don't get too excited, though. Data compression doesn't work well on data that is already compressed, such as ZIP files and many graphics files. Lots of multimedia and game titles use such precompressed files, so you'll often see less than 2-to-1 compression with Stacker. Another potential Stacker drawback: Compressing data as it comes and goes from the hard disk soaks up computer power. While this may not be much of an issue on high-end 486 and Pentium systems, if you still run a 386 or older computer, you may notice a slight slowdown. (Stac Electronics; DOS, Windows, Mac, OS/2; $49.95) |bAnyView Professional |b|bAs more and more games and multimedia titles for Windows come out, more often you have to change the number of colors that Windows displays. The process of switching Windows' video drivers to adjust color depth is a hassle, requiring you to exit and restart Windows. Of course, |unot|u changing color depth can result in high-res images that look like abstract art, or fast-action games that seem to be asleep. Binar Graphics' AnyView Professional makes things a lot easier. It lets you change video drivers without exiting Windows. Just click on a toolbar icon, and select the resolution and number of colors you want. No need to restart Windows. If that time-saver alone isn't worth $100 to you, the utility also accelerates Windows graphics by as much as 25 percent and improves memory management to let you run more games and titles simultaneously. AnyView Professional also includes energy-saving powerdown features as well as color calibration that allows you to customize display colors. (Binar Graphics; 800-228-0666; Windows, $99.95) |bProStick |b|bEver wonder what those extra buttons on your joystick are good for? Just about every 'stick has a least two buttons, and several sport three or four, but what if your favorite game doesn't support the extra controls? Shareware comes to the rescue. ProStick, from Atlantis Software, is a $10 utility that lets you program your joystick's buttons to perform keyboard commands. It isn't guaranteed to work with every game, but that's the nice thing about shareware--you get to try before you buy. ProStick lets you not only program the buttons on standard two-button joysticks but also take full advantage of the extra buttons on ThrustMaster's Flight Control System, CH Products' Flightstick Pro, and Logitech's new WingMan Extreme. It can also assign as many as four keyboard commands to positions on the Flightstick Pro's throttle control wheel. The result: Your joystick is more powerful, and you stand a better chance of getting a high score. Look for ProStick on all the popular online services, including CompuServe. (Atlantis Software; 510-796-2180; PC, $10) ¬ éT 4 z ┐ ╠ QÉ╪ eú┘ ≥4{└■@ê╚ °;{├X áß*s╜ /Cï╧ V û ┘ !
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1 z ¢ ╓ d ú ¼ ∙ !Fm ô▄_¿ ╙\áΣ.t╛ = |bREADER INQUIRY NUMBER: 1-800-HITACHI (448-2244) |bContacts:|b |uHitachi America, Ltd|u.- Stephen Knab, 415/244-7630, Cynthia Huey, 415/244-7846; |uFS Communications|u - Matthew Schmidt, 415/691-1488 Brisbane, Calif. -- November 9, 1994 -- Addressing the need for fully-integrated hierarchical storage management (HSM) solutions for UNIX distributed computing environments, Hitachi America today introduced an optical jukebox subsystem based on the industry's highest capacity, 5.25-in. multifunction magneto-optical drive. The new A-6967 Series Jukebox Subsystem, combined with four different levels of HSM software, provides a scalable HSM system supporting Sun-, IBM RS/6000- and Hewlett-Packard 9000-based workgroup and enterprise-wide systems. The A-6967 jukebox subsystem makes use of the Network File System (NFS) features of the target operating systems to provide hierarchical storage in capacity ranges from 97 GB to 388 GB. Four models of the A-6967 Series Jukebox Subsystem (based on Hitachi's 2 GB disk capacity, OD152 MO drive), are available. Each of the subsystems ships with one of four versions of the HSM software package licensed by QSTAR Technologies, which supports automated file data transfer between magnetic disk drives and optical disks. Hitachi, which also markets a version of the A-6967 Series Jukebox Subsystem for Novell NetWare environments, has integrated these systems to provide system resellers with both the hardware and software components of a hierarchical storage solution. The products will be sold through Hitachi's U.S. distribution network, which includes regional firms specializing in storage solutions and broad-line national distributors. "HSM is emerging as an important, value-added market for storage vendors in the U.S.," said Stephen Knab, director of sales and marketing for Hitachi's Peripheral Sales and Marketing Department. "By delivering an integrated solution to our system integrator and reseller channels, we can help them to quickly capitalize on the growing demand for this sophisticated approach to storage management." |bScalable Solution |b|bThe HSM software options available for the A-6967 Jukebox Subsystem are scalable, from simple multi-volume file management to complete, enterprise-wide management with disaster recovery and audit trail capability. All versions of the software manage online, transparent access to data stored on magnetic drives and optical jukeboxes. The MO drive used in the jukebox subsystem, Hitachi's OD152 Series Drive, shipping to North American markets since early 1994, conforms to the ECMA 195 (European Computer Manufacturing Association) and ISO/IEC (DIS 13842) standards for 2 GB rewritable optical media. The drive is expected to gain ISO standards acceptance in January, 1995. The 5.25-in. optical media, formatted with sector capacities of 1,024 Bytes/sector (2.022 GB) or 512 Bytes/sector (1.73 GB), is available from Maxell Corporation and Verbatim. All models of the A-6967 Series Jukebox Subsystem for UNIX environments will be available in the first quarter of 1995. Suggested retail pricing begins at $47,630, for a 97 GB model with basic volume management software. Jukebox configurations are summarized as follows: |bModel|b|m090|bCapacity (GB)|b|m190|bMaximum Cartridges|b|m320|bMax. Drives |b|bA-6967-S48|m09097|m19048|m3202 or 4 |m090121|m19060 (w/exp. slots)|m3202 A-6967-S180|m090363|m190180|m3202 or 4 |m090388|m190192 (w/exp. Slots)|m3202 Authorized distributors of Hitachi computer storage products in the U.S. are Consan, Inc.; Specialized Systems Technology; EMJ America; Signal Computer Products; and Western Micro Technology. In Canada, Hitachi (Canadian) Ltd. carries the full line of products offered by the Peripheral Sales and Marketing Department. Hitachi America's Peripheral Sales and Marketing (PSM) Department is a leading supplier of computer storage products for the information systems marketplace. The company offers a range of Winchester disk drives, optical storage products and tape subsystems to OEMs, VARs, systems integrators and distributors in the U.S. and Canada. PSM is part of the Computer Division of Hitachi America, Ltd., with manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Japan. The parent company, Hitachi, Ltd., has revenues of more than $71 billion worldwide, of which 32 percent is generated by sales of information systems and electronics. |s00,245,00 - UNIX is a registered trademark of X/Open Company, Ltd. ╕ ┘[ 4 é ┐ ╠ ]óσ6s ╝°:z┬ ∩0m╖ Jï╬
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$ l ½ ± 6 | ┼ µ )p w▓≈,]æ ├ +t│≈@ k░⌠8y├ Sù╘ |bREADER INQUIRY NUMBER: 1-800-HITACHI (448-2244) |bContacts: |b|uHitachi America, Ltd.|u - Stephen Knab, 415/244-7630, Cynthia Huey, 415/244-7846; |uFS Communications|u - Matthew Schmidt, 415/691-1488 Brisbane, Calif. -- November 9, 1994 -- An integrated optical jukebox subsystem based on the industry's highest capacity, 5.25-in. multifunction magneto-optical drive was introduced today by Hitachi America Ltd.'s Peripheral Sales and Marketing Department. Designed for "Plug and Play" installation in the Novell NetWare|s00,245,004.02 environment, the library makes use of the High Capacity Storage System (HCSS) of this NetWare release to provide hierarchical storage of up to 388 GB of data. Two models of the A-6967 Series Jukebox Subsystem, based on Hitachi's OD152, 2 GB disk capacity MO drive, are available, with capacity ranges from 97 GB to 388 GB. Each model ships with an Adaptec SCSI-2 host adapter, interface cable and device driver software required for attachment to a NetWare server. Hitachi developed the A-6967 Series Jukebox Subsystem to provide NetWare system resellers with both the hardware and software components of a hierarchical storage solution. The products will be sold through Hitachi's U.S. distribution network, which includes regional firms specializing in storage solutions and broad-line national distributors. "During the last three years, we have expanded Hitachi America's computer storage products business from primarily OEMs, to a broad two-tier approach that can also reach system integrator and value-added reseller channels. The A-6967 Series Subsystem is designed to provide these reseller channels with a turnkey product for the large and fast-growing PC-network market," said Stephen Knab, director of sales and marketing for Hitachi's Peripheral Sales and Marketing Department. |b|uHCSS Operation |b|u|b|uNovell's HCSS provides a hierarchical storage management solution using optical jukeboxes in conjunction with magnetic disk drives. With the A-6967 Jukebox Subsystem, this NetWare 4.02 function migrates files from rapid access magnetic storage systems to the higher capacity, relatively slower access optical jukebox. When the data needs to be accessed, a user request initiates transfer of the file back to a server's available hard disk drive. File migration is fully-controlled by HCSS, based on default or user determined migration parameters. Data is migrated to and from an HCSS volume and stored in a NetWare directory. One NetWare volume on a server can be dedicated to support HCSS and it can contain any number of directories at the root level. The definition of volumes, migration threshold and other parameters are all typical network administration tasks. |b|uIndustry's Leading Capacity MO Drive |b|u|b|uThe MO drive used in the jukebox subsystem, Hitachi's OD152 Series Drive, shipping to North American markets since early 1994, conforms to the ECMA 195 (European Computer Manufacturing Association) and ISO/IEC (DIS 13842) standards for 2 GB rewritable optical media. The drive is expected to gain ISO standards acceptance in January, 1995. The 5.25-in. optical media, formatted with sector capacities of 1,024 Bytes/sector (2.022 GB) or 512 Bytes/sector (1.73 GB), is available from Maxell Corporation and Verbatim. Both models of the A-6967 Series are now available. The library's configurations and suggested single-unit retail pricing are summarized below: |m085|bCapacity|b|m150|bMaximum|b|m270|bMax.|b|m340|bPrice |bModel|b|m085|b(GB)|b|m150|bCartridges|b|m270|bDrives|b|m340|b(SRP) |b|bA-6967-S48|m08597|m15048|m2702 or 4|m340$39,050* |m085121|m15060 (w/exp. slots)|m2702|m340$40,100 A-6967-S180|m085363|m150180|m2702 or 4|m340$82,000* |m085388|m150192 (w/exp. Slots)|m2702|m340$83,050 *Price is for model with two drives and system interface kit. SRP for each additional drive is $6,000. Authorized distributors of Hitachi computer storage products in the U.S. are Consan, Inc.; Specialized Systems Technology; EMJ America; Signal Computer Products; and Western Micro Technology. In Canada, Hitachi (Canadian) Ltd. carries the full line of products offered by the Peripheral Sales and Marketing Department. Hitachi America's Peripheral Sales and Marketing (PSM) Department is a leading supplier of computer storage products for the information systems marketplace. The company offers a range of Winchester disk drives, optical storage products and tape systems to OEMs, VARs, systems integrators and distributors in the U.S. and Canada. PSM is part of the Computer Division of Hitachi America, Ltd., with manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Japan. The parent company, Hitachi, Ltd., has revenues of more than $71 billion worldwide, of which 32 percent is generated by sales of information systems and electronics.|u |u|u
