affiliation with 7th Level. The game will ship next month. GameTime: MILLION BUCKS WORTH OF ENTERTAINMENT The viability of online sports sites continues to prove itself--a new site, packing over a million dollars worth of Sun Microsystems software and hardware, went live last month and can handle millions of inquiries per hour. This site can also accept eight million online contest entries within a four-hour period of time with bandwidth so broad that such an activity only requires 25 percent of the site's processing power. This is the GameTime Challenge(SM) WWW site which may be reached at http://game-time.com. From SportsNet Inc., you'll get everything from the latest scores and stats to sports news. Plus, you can go up against the pros and test your own game-picking skill sets for tons of bucks in prize money. A 44.7 Mbps DS-3 fiber optic commlink, provided by AT&T WorldNet, feeds this site which already has plans for glomming onto sub'ers outside the good ol' U.S.A. GRAND GOODIES ENROUTE E3 was a grand environment to witness the digital evolution of companies who, here-to-for, had been involved only minimally in game and edutainment production. Enter Grolier Interactive full bore with numerous new titles. GRISLY GOING: A new interactive horror film is enroute from Grolier Interactive entitled Terror T.R.A.C.K. Track of the Vampire. You lead an elite group of undercover agents against supernatural perpetrators of grisly crimes. You have some rather unusual help--a computer-animated ghost named Ether. You must aid specially-trained police officers battling vampires, demons and other undead. Each game can have different results--the correct combo of actions one time can mean the capture and demise of goulish nasties, but the next round of challenges could spell a fearsome end. The game was developed by Ground Zero Productions and is now available for Macintosh and Windows CD-ROM machines. WHO-DUNNIT: Also available now is SFPD Homicide Case File: The Body in the Bay. This title won the New Line Cinema/Havas' Prize of the Professionals at the 1996 Multimedia Festival of the MILIA D'OR awards in Cannes, France. This murder-mystery CD-ROM (for Macintosh and Windows machines) is based on an actual police investigation. Former San Francisco deputy police chief Kevin Mullen hosts the title, and Frank Falzon, the detective who solved the case, provides you with advice on how to solve the crime and bring the killer to justice. Footage was shot on location in San Francisco. There are more than 80 minutes of video sequences, sound, original music, photos and dramatic, true-to-life testimony. You can also access maps of the city, hidden evidence, lab tests, missing persons logs, plus forensic reports as you hunt for the killer. CIVIL UNREST: One of the most intriguing aspects of the Civil War was the use of ironclads by the Union and the Confederate forces as they changed the course of naval history. Battle of the Ironclads gives you command of these innovative warships and you participate in the 1862 Civil War clash between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (the Merrimack). You take the helm of either vessel. If you command the Virginia, you bring to bear superior size and firepower. However, the Monitor can exploit a shallower draft and greater maneuverability. In either role, you must make sound command decisions in your quest for naval supremacy. This title was developed by Hypergolic Studios and the ships, weapons, tactics and technology of the era have been meticulously reconstructed through use of original vessel blueprints, charts, maps and daily logs from the National Archives, Navy records and private historical collections. There are several levels of difficulty and alternative battle scenarios. This game will release in September for Macintosh and Windows-based computers. SCREEN SPLATTER: Banzai Bug finds you piloting the most acrobatic aircraft ever devised--a bug. You'll find yourself flying in this quirky, fast-paced game that will release this September. The title was developed by Gravity, Inc., and offers you unrestricted flight capabilities in a fully-rendered 360-degree environment. You'll encounter every imaginable obstacle in an insect's worse nightmare as you pursue your quest--to drive the humans out of the house.There is an original story line that advances game play and offers witty dialogue. Banzai, who claims to be the fastest bug in the west, finds himself trapped in a seven-room home. The house, styled to reflect a 1950's view of the future, belongs to a [gulp] exterminator and his family. Plus, the resident bugs are planning a revolution and will try to build a Stinkulator, an anti-human bomb. You must guide Banzai and his creepy buddies through the obstacles and through the various rooms, where each aerial challenged becomes greater and the puzzles more complex. This title will be for Windows 95 machines and is supported by Microsoft DirectX technology. TRANSVECTED TROUBLES: Using Silicon Graphics'(TM) new FireWalker(TM) technology, Surf and Destroy finds you engaged in saving the earth inside the pathways of the Internet. You are transvected from solid matter into a digital form that can exist within the Internet's urban graffiti tunnels. To be available this October, this is a real-time escape-and-pursuit-style game that was created by screenwriter Larry Kay, Toonsmiths and software developer MediaX. In this story, a vicious computer virus is trashing the world's computers. Rood O'Dor, who has unlimited high-tech resources, is responsible for this nightmare. You must foil his plans. You'll fly through seven "toobs" interconnecting the bizarre worlds inside the Internet. Your homemade cyberjalopy must dispatch the misfit mutations with weapons that have been thrown together and include the likes of a leaky ice maker and a goozooka. This title is for Windows 95 machines. IBM: JAVA BUILDING BUDDIES To say the change at IBM, at least as far as public perception is concerned, is one of radical movement. We happened upon Big Blue's booth at E3 and were delighted to note a far more relaxed and entertainment-oriented display, graphically-rich, staffed by folk that understood the market and were extremely helpful. IBM appears to be helpful, as well, for folk who are involved in the creation of HTML-coded pages for the World Wide Web (WWW). Through the use of Java, IBM plans to leverage that language to link browsers with back-office systems. Plus, the company is building a new app entitled WOMBeast. This will build HTML pages from database or host-based apps and will form the base for the company's Olympic Games WWW server infrastructure. You'll also note the company is going to be working closely with Netscape in regards to upgrading their WWW server capabilities to work more in unison with third-party products as well as with their OS/2 Warp client. IBM must convince Netscape that the company should port their Navigator browser to OS/2, however. Initially, the WOMBeast technology will run on AIX and additional plans call for its integration in Windows NT and Lotus Notes. IBM: APTIVA APTITUDE FOR MULTIMEDIA PCs used in the home for a variety of entertainment and edutainment purposes, in many cases, required the consumer to become adept at juggling a variety of add-in boards to accomplish the reception of stereo sound, SVGA graphics, and so on. IBM has decided that they would like to assist in this arena and have introduced their new Aptiva computers. These PCs are targeted at home users who want to have 3D graphics and have machines that are ready to access 3D WWW sites when such are available. The fastest of these new machines will pack a Pentium 200MHz processor, 3.2GB hard drive, an 8x CD-ROM drive and 32MB of RAM. A number of software titles, from Microsoft's Encarta '96 to Creative Writer, are bundled with each system. There are even some Aptivas bundled with the most popular mass storage media cooking today, the Zip Drive from Iomega. IBM will also offer a model that'll include a video camera as part of the Video Phone package from Intel. These puppies'll debut next month with prices to start around $1,799, SRP. You can glom onto more info at http://www.pc.ibm.com/aptiva. Kaplan: NO EXCUSE TO SIT WITH THIS SAT Kaplan, a leader in test preparation, admissions and career services has produced the first multimedia product in their RoadTrip series--SAT RoadTrip Multimedia. Described as a fun and entertaining program for students, that claims to take the stress out of preparing for the SAT, this software evaluates a student's academic skills and preferences, creates a personalized study plan, provides extensive practice opportunities and delivers detailed feedback on each user's performance. Incorporating humor, SAT RoadTrip Multimedia includes info that provides students with critical information on their test-taking skills, and evaluates behavior in areas such as guessing, answer switching, pacing and confidence. This program will be available in August for Windows 3.1, Windows95 CD-ROM and Macintosh System 7.01 or greater. Student Success is the first title from Kaplann's line of personal enrichment programs. Here the emphasis is on teaching the fundamental skills required for academic work, assess how users process information, and create a successful frame of mind for future achievement. One element of the software is that users can cut reading time in half; enhance study habies; and learn to communicate better. Avaliable in the third quarter '96 for Windows 3.1 or higher or Macintosh System 7.01 or higher operating systems. Kesmai: FUTURE ACCORDING TO FASA The world of online gaming is exploding. New alliances, new technologies, new services--all are blossoming around the fact that you, apparently, want more multimedia onlinegames where you can compete against others from around the world. One of the leading developers in this arena, a company that's been involved in this environment for many years, is Kesmai Corporation. They have now announced MultiPlayer BattleTech: Solaris. This is a futuristic sim based on FASA's extremely popular BattleTech universe. This game accurately presents the world of armored combat that's found in BattleTech board games, literature and novels. The game is set in the year 3025. Solaris VII is the battle planet and it is here that you explore, select Mechs and negotiate with other participants for your next battle. The emphasis in this offering is BattleMech(R) combat. Your view from the cockpit of your Mech is simulated through the use of 3D SVGA graphics. Your goal is to acquire fame and glory and the title of champion as you slug it out with other Mech pilots. The game runs on DOS CD-ROM machines and is currently in beta testing. KidSoft: EIGHT TITLES FOR KIDS The rush to offer interactive titles for children continues, as more and more parents and schools realize the value of computer-based learning tools. Now, KidSoft has signed an exclusive, multiple title license with Mindscape, Inc., who will distribute eight products under this branded label. Expect these goodies to show up this summer. Kodak: DIGITAL PHOTO PHUN Fitting in a shirt pocket, Kodak has introduced a new digital camera. Their new product is the Digital Science DC20 digital camera and includes the software that allows you to download an image directly to your personal computer. The camera is easy to use as there are only three buttons. One turns the camera on and off, there's a shutter button to take the picture, and a third button to erase unwanted images. The software works with Macintosh and Windows 95 machines. You can download their Digital Science Picture Postcard software, at no charge, from their home page at http://www.kodak.com/. You'll be able to email images via email and through online services and you won't need to specify file formats, resolution, or the addition of enclosures. However, to manage this process you'll have to sign on with an online or Internet email service provider that supports this format so you can view and re-send picture postcards. This visual link, known as Cybersnapper, will become a true visual link for Internet users. The camera is bundled with PictureWorks' PhotoEnhancer Special Fun Edition software. This app will let you manage simple image enhancements as well as drop your digital pictures into a variety of home computer-created projects. There's also Kai's Power Goo include, a program that morphs images through the distortion or enhancement of features. Even more goodies are included that will let you set your "presentation" to music and add titles. You can store eight or 16 pictures in the camera, depending upon the resolution that you select. Ralph Lauren: FRAGRANCES ON THE WEB Ralph Lauren is bringing his fragrances to the WWW. No, you can't smell the perfume, but there will be an area pertaining to what's cool and what's hot in the world of Ralph Lauren Fragrances. There'll be gossip about his models, Bridget Hall and Tyson, and info about how to get product samples. Also, background info will be available about Lauren's career as well as an online episodic drama, The Pulse, that explores the lives of four friends who live and work in a hip, cosmopolitan city (sound like Friends?). Macromedia: AUTHOR, AUTHOR! In the world of CBT, few programs are as popular as Authorware from Macromedia. The company has now released version 3.5 of this authoring program for Power Macintosh and Macintosh and Windows 3.1/95/NT. As a matter-of-fact, this is one of the first native, 32-bit authoring programs to actually receive Microsoft's Designed for Windows 95 logo, for those who might be wondering about compatibility issues. Plus, the Authorware Interactive Studio(TM) is bundled with Director(R), Macromedia xRes(TM), Extreme 3D(TM) and sound software, making the package a truly powerful multimedia programming environment. And don't forget that Macromedia has also released Shockwave for Authorware 3.5, ensuring that selected files can also be piped over the WWW after compression by Macromedia's Afterburner(TM) for Authorware. One of the biggest improvements to this program is the fact that it now runs 200 percent faster than version 3.0! There's Transition Xtras(TM) which are plug-ins from third-party developers that offers hundreds of new transitions. And speaking of transitions, Director transitions can now be used in the program. Also of news from Macromedia is the fact that a special edition version of MetaTools KPT Vector Effects is to be made available in a bundle for the Macintosh and Windows versions of FreeHand. As most of you know, FreeHand is a design and illustration program that features open architecture that fully supports vector-based Xtras on Windows. The special version of Vector Effects contains an exclusive subset of the full program plus a collection of rather unique pre-defined settings. This is the first time this program has been made available to Windows users. Maxis: WHAT DO YOU FEED SIM ELEPHANTS? Maxis Inc., producers of some of the most famous sim software, has a new alliance with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey to produce SimCircus, a new entry in its Maxis Kids' line of entertainment software. Coming in 1997, SimCircus will offer children of all ages the opportunity to assume an interactive role alongside the ringmaster, clowns, acrobats and animal trainers and experience the unique lifestyle of The Greatest Show On Earth without getting sawdust in your shoes. Information about Maxis is available on the Internet at http://www.maxis.com; America Online (keyword Maxis or SimCity); or CompuServe, Go Gambpub (for Game Publishers B forum). Microsoft: ACTIVEX ACTIVATED FOR WWW PAGES Trying to create sophisticated pages using HTML 2.0 is tough. You can't obtain precise 2D control over objects you place on a page. Nor can you overlap objects and frames. So, naturally, the two leading browser publishers are putting into place plans to remedy the situation. Microsoft has now made available Microsoft(R) HTML Layout Control and the ActiveX(TM) Control Pad which will be usable with browsers that support ActiveX (read: Internet Explorer). You can glom onto the first puppy at http://microsoft.com/ie/controls/ and the second item at http://microsoft/com.intdev/. The ActiveX Control Pad is an authoring utility the simplifies your addition of ActiveX Controls and Visual Basic(R) scripts, Scripting Edition or JavaScript(TM) to your HTML-coded pages. All you need do is point-and-click to accomplish these value-added tasks. The HTML Layout Control is actually based on the Cascading Style Sheet spec that was recently published by W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) and offers 2D layout extensions to the standard. NAMS: RAPPIN' RANGES ON THE WWW For the first time, a complete rap music video is now available for you to download via the WWW! Yes, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, courtesy of the publishing company Ruthless Records, has released their hit single entitled Tha Crossroads, which has already reached double platinum plus unit sales, is available for download at http://www.mw3.com/nams. If you have a 28.8k modem, this puppy will require anywhere from 25 to 35 minutes to download, with the complete file hanging tough at 5.7MB in size. The site is the NAMS International Inc. site. But, you have to install the NAMS 320 x 240 playback software on your PC in order to view this complete video in its proprietary play-back format. Good thing, too, 'cause if you had to try and download this video in QuickTime or .AVI format, you'd be online for over five hours. There are other music videos available at this site, from Todd Rundgren and Queen to Bad Sun and Jimi Hendrix. The NAMSnet 2000 WWW site is hosted by Music Interactive. NBC IS FAT CAT A prime-time TV sales record has been broken with a record $5.8 billion by NBC for the second year in a row. The network enjoyed an 18 percent surge from last year's $1.7 billion in advance sales and the highest cost-per-thousand (CPM) increase of any network-10 percent to 13 percent. And, the hip Thursday night lineup brought increases of 15 percent or more. Contrary to these statistics, CBS sales were down 4 percent and ABC was flat with $1.6 billion in prime-time sales. Nielsen Media: TV'S TOP TEN NIELSON RATINGS Here are the prime-time ratings as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for June 3-9 that include the rating for the week. 1. NBA Finals: Game 1, NBC, 16.8 percent 2. Seinfeld, NBC, 16.3 percent 3. NBA Finals: Game 3, NBC, 15.8 percent 4. NBA Finals: Game 2, NBC, 13.9 percent 5. ER, NBC, 13.4 percent 6. Home Improvement, ABC 12.7 percent 7. Dateline NBC, (Tuesday) NBC, 12.6 percent 8. (20/20, ABC, 12.1 percent 9. NBA Finals: Tip-Off Game 1, NBC, 11.9 percent 10. 60 Minutes, CBS, 11.7 percent Nintendo: SNES HITS A HOMER THe first sports video game to utilize Nintendo's Advanced Computer Modeling (ACM) graphics is now available. That's right--Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run, the 32-megabit, one- and two-player game for SNES, offers human players motion captured and rendered using ACM by Rare, Ltd. Aided by PowerAnimator(TM) from Alias|Wavefront, these technologies create lifelike 3D characters, scenery and graphic effects. Under license from Major League Baseball properties, Major League(TM) stadiums, uniforms and team logos are replicated in this offering. A unique feature found only in this title is the ability to control a moving camera. This lets a pitcher instantly and smoothly sweep his vision from baseline to baseline to check base runner positions. You'll also have superior control of where and how you hit the ball, including sacrifice flies, hit-and-run grounders, or pulling the ball down the line. A Defensive Alignment lets you change the position of the fielders to respond to the specific tendencies of opposing batters. The game features ongoing individual and team stats so you can compare your offensive skills against the rest of the league leaders in every offensive category. You can also use secret codes to access hidden teams and--yes, other surprises as well. There are four different game play modes available. And, as many as eight folk can take a team through the 1995 Major League Baseball schedule at the same time. OmniMedia: GRAND LAUNCHES Grammy-award winning artists not only celebrate platinum singles and albums, but they are also invited to participate in the development of interactive, multimedia "albums" that feature their work. Such is the case for Sade, who has worked with OmniMedia (UK) Limited to develop Sade Interactive, a CD-ROM for PCs (with or without MPEG cards) running Windows 3.1. This disc is an electronic hybrid of Sade's greatest hits, her best video, biographical info on her band, and more. Sade's band, with Sony Music, contributed never-before-seen videos and photos from Sade's personal collection. THere are nine, full-screen videos of her most classic recordings. The disc also contains a karaoke section, interactive quizzes and a WWW connection to Sade's site. She has sold more than 12 million records in the U.S. and more than 27 million worldwide. OmniMedia developed this title using their own MPEG CD-ROM development tools, known as MPEG Maestro. A CHILD'S ADVENTURE: In September, The Kidnapped Princess for Windows 95 and Macintosh CD-ROM machines will debut. This is a delightful adventure developed for children ages 4 to 9 which offers 15 original characters, 20 original songs, and is produced with broadcast quality animation. Children help the king find Princess Abigail by searching for clues and solving puzzles. The adventure begins in the King's 16th century English castle. Rumors are circulating about a ransom note which indicates the whereabouts of the princess--as well as the identity of the rotten kidnappers! Youngsters will travel puzzling paths, enter secret rooms, encounter mysterious magicians and dark dungeons, enter deep forests, and confront enemy armies as they try to solve the mystery of Abigail's disappearance. EAGER FOR THE 80'S: Just released is The Ultimate Video Jukebox. This is a two volume CD-ROM set that captures the essence of 80s music videos. These discs are packed with 10 classic videos and employ the company's MPEG technology software which delivers top quality video and playback and stereo audio on standard PCs without the need for an MPEG card. Each track also contains on-screen liner notes about the group, the song and the video. Volume One features Bl, Joy Division, Eurythmics, Ultravox, Tears for Fears, Lisa Stansfield, Spandau Ballet, The Christians, Godley & Creme and Sinead O'Connor. Volume Two contains Mica Paris, R. Kelly, Third World, New Order, Cathy Dennis, M People, Womack & Womack, Barry White, Billy Ocean and Cameo. DEVELOPER HELP: OmniMedia is also releasing version 1.1 of its Video CD Production Toolkit(R). This is an app that creates MPEG-based video CDs. The package contains a multiplexer, mastering software and a burning tool that allows you to create true xplatform video CD titles. The Toolkit produces Video CDs compatible with the Philips White Book 2.0 spec, meaning your results are playable on standard PC CD-ROM drives, Macintosh and CD-i players. There are no license fees. Data is effectively written to a CD-recorder exactly as described in the disk image. The writer receive data at the correct rate by checking the buffers on the PC, dramatically decreasing the incidence of incorrectly mastered disks. With a unique, built-in error correction process, existing files are automatically collated according to their file name extensions. Origin: MUCHO-HAPPY MAC'ERS There has been a great deal written and said about Wing Commander(R) IV: The Price of Freedom(TM), most in a highly positive vein. The only drawback to this Origin mega-hit was the fact that the initial release was for PC CD-ROM machines. With over 3.5 million units sold, the game has already reached classics status. Now Macintosh gamers may rejoice and may their voices fill the hallowed halls of their gaming rooms...Origin has now released the Macintosh version of this super entertainment. This title incorporates several hours of live-action video and features many of the talented actors that appeared in Wing Commander III--Malcolm McDowell, Mark Hamill, John Rhys-Davies, Jason Bernard and Tom Wilson. The story comes from veteran screenwriters Terry Borst and Frank DePalma. You, once again, play the role of Col. Christopher Blair, portrayed by Hamill in this interactive entertainment. The war between the humans and the Kilrathi is over, but problems are starting to crop up on a new front. This time, the conflict is in your own back yard in the Border Worlds. Blair is recalled to assist the Terran government stamp out the growing rebellion, but it won't be easy. The Confederation is beginning to splinter under the new pressures and you must determine how to save it...or if it should be saved in the first place. There are moving camera shots and real movie sets. Graphics explode in high resolution colors and are much improved with photo-realistic textures on fighters. There's greater control of missions and drama. Because of a Power Macintosh enhancement, you also get an option not available on the game's PC version, the ability to custom program your joystick. The title is available now. Philips: VOYEURS ON THE WEB There's a new WWW site available from Philips Media that is filled with sordid characters, suspense, and intrigue. The site was created by InterWeave Entertainment as a prequel for their Voyeur II CD-ROM whodunit game which will be published by Philips Media. The site is located at http://www.philipsvoyeurII.com and presents three episodes within the voyeur's diary that lead to other virtual sites. The site offers the story in The Voyeur's World and you can download QuickTime teasers and screen shots. Plus, you'll obtain clues as to how best to play the game. You can read about the cast and creators of Voyeur II and obtain outtakes and screen shot bloopers. The game stars Jennifer O'Neill, David Groh and Dennis Weaver. The game will release for Macintosh and PC CD-ROM machines in July. PHILLIPS AND TURNER DO GETTYSBURG An ambitious project undertaken by Philips School 2000 and Turner Educational Services has resulted in the CD-i release of Gettysburg, an interactive version of the feature film adaptation of Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize-winning, Civil War novel, The Killer Angels. Gettysburg, the first in a series of collaborations, contains four CD-i discs with customized teacher's guides, lesson plans and student worksheets which enable teachers to create an individual lesson plan of their choice. This title is targeted at students aged 12-years and older. Gettysburg will release in time for the upcoming 1996/97 school year and is available to educators by calling 800-265-8086, writing Philips Media Systems at 7185 Vista Drive, West Des Moines, Iowa, 50266-9313, or by visiting the Philips Web site at http://www.philipsmedia.com/systems. SEGA GOES HOME There is now a new Sega Enterprises Ltd. Internet home page--in Japanese. At this site are links to other companies' within the entertainment industry and their home pages. This group of 60 comprises the Sega Entertainment Universe and includes such folk as film and music distributors, operators of theme parks and those always evident game software publishers. Sega: GAME GLEE IN HOTELS Core, target marketing and product development enables a company to broaden their customer base by enticing folk into an environment not previously offered in various venues. To bring glee to those who would otherwise be stuck in hotel rooms with only cable TV to ponder, Sega Enterprises has now developed a new system for hotels that will offer games-on-demand. Based on the 32-bit Sega Saturn, there will be as many as 50 to 60 titles offered, overall, including VirtuaFighter2. Sega will have to install a central server and game terminals and I/O devices. This Sega occupation of hotel rooms will occur in Japan and Toshiba Corporation is expected to start taking orders for such units this week. Sierra: JOCKS CAN WIN AT SIERRA ON-LINE Folks don't have to be coordinated to be part of Sierra Sports Spectacular sweepstakes and promotion which runs from July 1 through Aug. 15, 1996. The Sports Spectacular offers consumers free games on a selection of Sierra sports titles plus a chance to win a new multimedia computer system. Buy two of Sierra's sports titles (Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro '96, Front Page Sports: Football Pro `96, Trophy Bass, NASCAR Racing, and IndyCar Racing II) and get one free. Folks will automatically be entered in the Sports Spectacular sweepstakes to win a grand prize Micron P166 Home MPC that includes a 17-inch SVGA monitor, two Advent speakers with 30 watt subwoofer, an AWE 32 Wavetable sound card, 16MB EDO DRAM, 2.1 Gig Hard Drive, 28.8 Modem w/telephony, 8X CD-ROM, 2MB EDO DRAM video, MPEG and a variety of pre-loaded software. Second-place contestants (there'll be 25) will win a full year's subscription to PC Gamer Magazine. Sir-Tech: COLOR YOUR WIZARDRY GOLD For those folks that ejoyed Sirtech Software, Inc.'s Crusaders of the Dark Savant, the enhanced CD-ROM version is available. Wizardry Gold is a completely re-engineered version thanks to the efforts of Sirtech and Media Interactive Studios in Dan Diego that includes full speech, new cinematic sequences, enhanced sound and music, and desktop accessories for Windows and Windows '95. Wizardry gold is an adventure that exists in Lost Guardia, a world on the brink of war, where the fate of Lost Guardia rests on your shoulders. The game proceeds with folk battling their way through multiple quests in which the gamer hopes to find the Astral Dominae, an artifact that contains the secret of life. But Phoonzang, the creator of Astral Dominae, also created Lost Guardia to hide his secret. The Astral Dominae is entombed in the planet and good ole Phoonzang turns into a litter-bug, dropping parts of a map throughout the world. Phoonzang then thinks he's taken care of the issue, that no one can solve thispuzzle, so he disappears forever. That's where clever gaming comes in handy, as the player competes with other parties to find the map pieces that ultimately lead to the tomb of the Astral Dominae. Sony: VRML VIABILITY Geez, when you look around at ALL of the technologies becoming available for the World Wide Web and the Internet, you wonder how on earth you'll ever be able to digest everything that's coming straight at you! In the world of VRML, Sony has now made their entry. The company has released Cyber Passage Browser Version 2, Beta 1. This is a VRML 2.0-based 3D browser that'll enable you to create interactive 3D worlds based on VRML 2.0 through use of Java. The static 3D object modeling functions from Version 1.0 have been extended in Version 2.0. Plus, there's now 3D object behavior, 3D sound and 3D video image support. The biggest addition is the inclusion of Java so that behaviors can be assigned to 3D objects. There is also full control over playback of sound and visual images. The beta software has been available from Sony's Japanese URL and will soon be available in the US at http://sonypic.com/vs/. Sun Microsystems: BUG BUSTED As you probably heard, an English researcher by the name of David Hopwood found a Java security bug last week during his ponderous examination of the language. Sun Microsystem's JavaSoft division has now written and tested a fix for this security bug. This fix will be shipped to every Java licensee by the end of this week. Hopwood is, so far, the only individual who has been able to exploit the security bug, which is described as "complex." There have been no reports of any real-world attacks through the use of this bug. United Kingdom: ACTIVE WEB'ERS IN BRITISH SURVEY For those of you that enjoy statistics, we have the results of a survey from more than a million people throughout the UK in which characteristics of the average Internet surfer was revealed: the average web'er is a high-earning company director-- 23 percent are professionals, 14 percent managers, 10 percent are company directors and 10 percent are self-employed. The average web'ers''s age is between 31-50, with an appreciation of fine wine and good food. Around 4 percent of the population are already online with 8 percent planning to go online soon. Of those