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INSIDE GAMES & ENTERTAINMENT UPDATE
Volume 2, Issue 57

Published by:
The Word Warriors
23115 Broadmoor Court
Auburn, CA  95602

email
[e-mail]
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ABC: LIFT-OFF DELAYED FOR ABC LAUNCH
A 24-hour cable news channel from Capital Cities/ABC Inc. has been delayed
due to financial restraints that were realized in dealing with the market
leader, CNN, and other new rivals. After six months of analysis, cost
projections that pertain to distribution have escalated beyond reason. The
company, in December, announced the plan to launch the channel, which would
use the reporting and technical resources of ABC News as well as ABC-owned
Worldwide Television News. Other networks also announced similar plans at
that time.



Accolade: A GREAT BALANCING ACT
Accolade has a new corporate strategy: all of Accolade's future games will
be available on-line due to the ever-increasing demand for multplayer
games. Ultimately, all of Accolade's games will be released with online and
solo game play. Sandy Jackson is the new director of online business
development with responsibilities that include building and maintaining
relationships with key third parties, to include on-line service and
technology providers and key developers.

ACCOLADE GOES FOR TWO: A most ambitious project, Legends Football (TM) '97,
involving all 30 NFL teams and more than 1,300 NFL players from the '96-97
season, comes from Accolade this fall. What makes this game unique is that
it takes not just the best of modern-day play, but also three selected
legendary eras in NFL history: 1932, 1950 and 1968. You can select any of
the legendary players and draft, trade, and manage players, applying the
rules and equipment from those years to any game. 30 modern stadiums and
historical stadiums are rendered in 3D. Legends Football '97 offers
easy-to-use, five receiver pass plays (including pass interference),
special zooming effects, multiple camera angles, top animation and sports
color announcing by Al Michaels.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: Accolade's HardBall 5 enjoyed sales of over 150,000
units for the PC CD-ROM platform--it was determined that it might not be a
bad idea to develop HardBall 5 for the PlayStation. In the PlayStation
version, you can select from more than 800 MLBPA (Major League Baseball
Players Association) players in one of 40 stadiums with Al Michaels calling
the plays. There 12 legendary teams that include photos and stats as well
as the old-time stadiums.

COMING FROM THE PLANET RAYON: Bubsy 3D from the planet Rayon will be ported
to the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn this fall. Part of a hit series,
Bubsy's adventures take place on the futuristic planet, Rayon. Animations
are created for real-time environments that enable Bubsy 360 degrees of
movement. Bubsy encounters a whole slew of different characters, glides in
3D, scoops up atoms, dodges a variety of attacks, and travels underwater.

3D SHOOTING PROMPTS 3D BLEEDING: Eradicator is coming to town, pardners,
for the PC CD-ROM this fall. This multiplayer, 3D shoot-em-up offers
multiple characters and points of view plus an interactive 3D environment.
You choose from three characters: Elena, a feline mercenary; Kamchak, the
lizard warrior; and Dan Blaze, the humanoid minor. These characters are
involved in three totally different game experiences where the law of
physics apply. You'll feel zero gravity, friction, mass, and momentum and
must choose from diverse weapons.

COMING TO A PLANET NEAR YOU: Deadlock, a planetary conquest strat game that
can be played by as many as seven players, is the first Accolade title to
launch on the Internet. Mpath Interactive is assisting with the game's
multiplayer capabilities. Scheduled for intro later this year, you'll be
able to conduct two-way conversations, chat areas and access other features
while actually playing this science-fiction strat/sim game.

GET ME PO'ED" PO'ed is a 3D, first-person, shooting game that lets you run
or fly through a world that's chock full of aliens. With the aid of a
jet-pack (great for commute traffic), you can levitate and fly in within 25
different levels of this futuristic world as you try to avoid being the
target of alien attacks. Some rather gruesome weapons run the gamut from a
rocket launcher to a big, bloody, industrial-sized power drill. (See
Mudgeon's Memorable Musings this week for his look at this action game!)




Activision: LIFE'S THE PITS
Or something like that, as Pitfall, one of the best-selling video games
series, from Activision, Inc., will be represented by the Rothman Agency of
Beverly Hills. This agreement maintains that every element of the Pitfall
franchise, from linear entertainment that includes TV, theatrical elements
and media such as cable TV, video cassettes and comic books, will be
exclusively handled by the Rothman Agency.



Amara: ALTERNATIVES TO JAVA
Many WWW developers are interested in creating pages that do not rely upon
the Java programming language, due to the complexities involved in learning
that environment. AMARA has decided to release their WebBASIC(TM) Netscape
Navigator 2.x plug-in product, which they claims is an easier alternative
to Java. The foundation for the product is that BASIC is far easier to
learn and WebBASIC applets are a combo of a Visual Basic for Applications
subset and the company's own WebBASIC API. This API presents more than 100
functions that extend the BASIC language, enabling object creation and
manipulation. There are animation, buttons, labels, tabbed-dialogs,
presentation, and spreadsheets objects, with the created applets all
compressed for fast transport over the Internet. There will be two versions
available: WebBASIC Developer GOLD and WebBASIC Developer Bronze. The
latter will be a free version and will include all of GOLD's capabilities
save for the ability to include graphics and sound with created applets.
More info may be obtained at http://www.inetnow.net/~webbasic/webbasic.html



Apple: WEB MANAGEMENT MAXIMIZED
The recent press hovering around Apple Computer has not been overly
gracious, to say the least. Yet, Apple Corporate's announced plans for the
Internet, and the company's GameSprockets for entertainment developers,
have all been examined with a degree of optimism. In keeping with the
company's online strategies, the company is now making available the
version 1.0 beta of Apple 3.g. This is a new tool that makes Macintosh OS
website administration far easier for managers will no longer have to learn
or bring into their server some of the complex search products now mandated
for such work. Instead, the search and indexing capabilities are handled
with simply a few mouse clicks to produce that searchable website all
desire. Using the V-Twin technology search engine, minimal memory is
required. All search results are ranked according to their relevance. The
beta version may be downloaded from http://www.cybertech.apple.com and
there is no license fee.



AT&T: BRINGING IN THE TALENT
Here's a unique method of obtaining critically-needed talent! Free,
half-day seminars are going to be conducted by AT&T for WWW designers and
artists to find suitable folk for the company's Creative Alliance Program
(CAP). These seminars follow on the heels of AT&T's AT&T Easy World Wide
Web(SM) (EW3) launch. AT&T plans to provide customers of their new program
with a list of the Creative Alliance Program members who can then help them
with their WWW building. Financial incentives will also be offered to CAP
members who themselves place orders for EW3 hosting services from their own
client lists and AT&T will put cyber portfolios on their home page for
customer examination. Qualifications for joining CAP include experience in
any of the following areas: Expertise in vertical markets (banking,
healthcare, and so on); CD-ROM, Internet and multimedia production; desktop
graphic production; digital audio/video editing; kiosk content programming;
and system integration. An application must be submitted before you will be
selected to join this program by AT&T. The seminar schedule is:
  June 3: New York: New York Hilton, 1335 Avenue of the Americas
  June 5: St. Louis, MO: Adams Mark Hotel, 4th and Chestnut St.
  June 7: Chicago: Hyatt on Printers Row, 500 S. Dearborn St.
  June 11: Dallas: Hyatt Regency Dallas, 300 Reunion Blvd.
  June 13: Atlanta: Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 265 Peachtree St. N.E.
  June 18: Washington, D.C.: Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
  June 18: Santa Monica, CA: Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, 1700 Ocean Ave.
  June 20: San Francisco: San Francisco Marriott, 55 Fourth St.
  June 25: Boston: Westin Hotel Copley Place, 10 Huntington Ave.
Call 1-800-242-6005 to register.




Billboard: CAN YOU HUM A FEW BARS?
Billboard Magazine and the Source Maythenyi (http://www.navgtr.com/sourcetv
or e-mail at [e-mail]) have a pay service on the Internet,
Billboard Online, that allows access to creative and production credits for
more than 10,000 music videos. Included is the Music Video Source(tm), a
continually updated database that goes back to 1990 Billboard issues.
Billboard will also provide full-text access to the current issue of the
magazine as well as an archive of Billboard articles dating back to 1991
and more than 22,000 charts dating back to 1983. Folks interested in the
Music Video Source can sign on to the Professional Plan, a deal that offers
access for all of Billboard Online's searchable databases, for $19.95 per
month in addition to a fee of 50 cents to $1 to view, print or save files
in the database. The Source Maythenyi, established in 1989, provides
information to more than 1,000 advertising agencies, production companies
and television shows worldwide with plans to include on-line and
multi-media services.


Box Office: PASS THE POPCORN
The top 5 movies at the theater box office over the Memorial Weekend were:
1. (new) Mission:Impossible $56.93 million
2. (#1 last week) Twister  $37.13 million
3. (new) Spy Hard $10.60 million
4. (#2 last week) Flipper $5.00 million
5.-(#3 last week) The Craft $2.70 million
5.-(#4 last week) The Truth About Cats & Dogs $2.70 million



Broderbund: DUCK! IT'S MUDBALLS ON THE WEB!
Broderbund, a company know for its innovative and fun learning experiences
is using the web as a vehicle for educating in an interactive environment.
Beginning with Logical Journey of the Zoombinis CD-ROM, one of the  new
educational Active Mind Series, will go on-line on June 1 with Mudball
Wall, a special game that has been adapted for Broderbund's website
(www.broderbund.com). Zoombinis can be downloaded from Broderbund's website
for Windows 3.x/95 and Macintosh, or the user can also play the game
directly on the website by using Netscape Navigator 2.0 with the Macromedia
Shockwave plug-in installed. Mudball Wall is a challenging puzzle where
kids need to create mudballs with different colors and shapes to hit
targets on the Mudball Wall. Also included on the website are additional
activities for kids, a Parents Corner about the educational content of the
program, a whimsical story about the Zoombinis, special product offers, and
more. Logical Journey of the Zoombinis builds advanced math thinking skills
for kids ages 8-12.



CALIFORNIA GROWS GREAT FILM INDUSTRY
More than 80 percent of the feature films that were produced in the U.S. in
1995 were made in California. This was an 82 percent increase from the 65
percent in '94 to the '95 stats--up from the 438 films previously to a
total of 536 in 1995. Financially, this indicates a $20 billion a year
industry that supports 500,000 jobs.


Catapult: BET ON A BLIZZARD
Online gaming is one of the hottest topics in the industry. Whether game
companies develop multiplayer capabilities for their leading titles, create
new products that offer Internet playability, or combine forces with other
companies to produce an entirely new game service, Internet gaming is
skyrocketing toward all of us. Catapult Entertainment has now announced
that their XBAND PC multiplayer gaming network will incorporate Warcraft:
Orcs & Humans, the #1 selling PC title from Blizzard Entertainment. This is
an awesome strat that was released in November of 1994 and became a
worldwide, best seller with more than 300K games sold throughout the world.
XBAND PC is Internet-based and will offer low-latency, multiplayer gaming
this summer.



CBS: NO BRAINER
One can't help but wonder how many hundreds of thousands of dollars went
into the pocket of some Madison Avenue ad person who came up with CBS's
latest slogan. In an effort to bring back the audience that departed this
last season the slogan changes from the You're On of last season to Welcome
Home. Yep, someone had to really think hard to come up with that! The
Welcome Home theme will be present in promos, outside media, station
tie-ins and more.



CE Software: IT'S THE WEBHACKER!
CE Software has unveiled WebArranger 2.0 for Mac, the first information manager
designed with a powerful database engine at its core, and a customizable
interface, that allows users to manage all their Internet data using a
single application. A PC-Windows version will come this fall. Version 1.0
of WebArranger was released at the beginning of the year and was available
free of charge through CE Software's Web site at http://www.cesoft.com.

WebArranger provides users with a set of organizational tools that include
a software agent that automatically monitors Web sites for changes. All the
information is downloaded across the Web and organized as the user
requires. The package interfaces with most popular Web browsers, including
Navigator 2.0 and any Mac browser that supports AppleEvents. Other features
include a URL (uniform resource locator) validator that monitors Web sites
to check if they are still active, and auto-routes/updates bookmarks in the
background. The download agent, meanwhile, auto-retries busy FTP (file
transfer protocol) downloads and downloads the files in the background.

The new WebWhacker v2.0 is a utility that captures whole Web sites to local
disk, allowing off-line browsing of the Web pages.




Children's Broadcasting: LISTENING TO THE WEB
An addition to the NetRadio Web site will be the Children's Broadcasting
Corporation (CBC). NetRadio will make Radio AAHS(R) available live on a
world wide basis over the Internet. NetRadio is the world's first,
24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week, Internet-only, radio network. Currently, there
are four radio formats on NetRadio at http://www.netradio.net; vintage
rock, classical, emerging artists and new country and, as of July 15, the
Children's Broadcast Corporation.




CIS: ATTEND THE BUFFETT
Ink is being delivered for any and all comers to the "instant" concert
venue! Seen as the greatest example of any company's online technocity,
musicians are being approached by the latest and greatest commservs and
Internet sites to produce real-time, live events from their concerts.
CompuServe(CIS) now joins in with their first online multimedia event which
will present Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band, live. You'll get live
audio and color video, plus you'll be able to join Jimmy and his group
backstage as well as become involved in concert chat. The event will
initiate Buffett's summer tour called Banana Wind. The date? May 29th at
6:00 p.m. EDT. You can logon at http://www.compuserve.com or head for
Buffett's own Margaritaville site. The technology in use is CU-SeeMe from
White Pine Software, available for Macintosh and Windows machines. You must
have a sound card and speakers. Full video requires a 28.8k modem, while
audio requires only a 14.4k modem. Check out the demo of the White Pine
software at the CIS site.



Comfy: COMFY WEE FOLK
Addressing the needs of the REALLY young folk, from 12-24 months, is an
area few companies recognize. Comfy is one of these companies that offers
rich educational experiences while introducing toddlers to the technology
that will be a part of their everyday lives through the use of software and
a special ComfyKeyboard. The ComfyKeyboard has many capabilities such as
Color/Music Keys that play music and paint colors, a Pause Button that
pauses the story, Telephone Keys that speed dial to chat ComfyLand
characters, and a Surprise Roller that causes unexpected events and changes
in the action speed of the software being used.

All software products are geared for both PC CD-ROM and diskettes as well
as  Mac CD-ROM, and  include Comfy Touch-n-See: The First Step, a software
program for children 12-24 months that provides three levels of play that
explore colors and sounds and works with listening, reading and
comprehension skills.

The following five programs are customized for children ages 2-6. Feely's
Birthday is a multimedia story that celebrates Feely's birthday with tykes
solving problems while exploring four stories. Kids can make music, change
colors, direct characters, affect the weather and talk to the characters by
phone. Playground of Friends teaches sharing, taking turns and making
choices between being lonely or enjoying the company of others. Stressed
here is the concept that being a friend and having a friend are more
important than having material things (AMEN!). Kids have to solve riddles,
learn strategies and problem solving, and recognize issues of right and
wrong. The Great Concert teaches the kids about different instruments, how
they look and sound and how to lead the band. Colorful Adventures: The
Missing Bone has kids helping Jumpy, the dog, find his lost bone. Christmas
in ComfyLand is a set of stories that teach and entertain kids about the
Christmas experience.



Connect Corp: A FASTER PERK
Java, the programming language whose name is uttered reverently upon many
developer lips, is now the subject of a number of projects that are
attempting to enhance what was intended to enhance the World Wide Web.
Unfortunately, those files and images that are part of the Java paradigm
head to your client server one file at a time. No compression is applied to
these files, either. Seems as though applets can now be sped up by as much
as 80 percent, if Connect Corporation has its way. The company has
developed new client/server software called Connect Quick that moves class
files and images as a single ZIP file--all compressed and neat and tidy.
Additionally, persistent classes are established and these may be
automatically maintained and updated only when you need updated info. In
other words, when that all-important applet has been modified, this program
only downloads the files that HAVE been changed, not all of the associated
files, some of which may NOT have been modified.



CEMA: TV GUIDE FOR THE PC?
A survey conducted by the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA)
concluded that almost 80 percent of the 752 adults that were surveyed said
they would watch cable and network programs on the PC/TV, more than 60
percent would use a PC/TV for applications such as word processing, 52
percent attested to the fact that they would browse the Internet and play
games, and half of the folks interviewed said they'd find such a device
useful for e-mail.

The convergence of computer and TV will result in a variety of combinations
of systems, some of which will combine large screen TVs, CD players,
radios, high-speed CD-ROMs and Internet access capability, all in one box.
Almost 50 percent of those surveyed said they would be likely to purchase a
PC/TV in the future due to the convenience and ease-of-use. Consumers will
also look for products to help them connect and "converge" their existing
TVs and computers, thereby creating a potentially large aftermarket for
convergence accessories and connection products. The vast majority of
consumers prefer wireless connection options



Echo Speech: TALKING PAGES
We have graphics . . .we have animations . . .we have video . . .we have
sound . . .and now, thanks to Echo Speech Corporation, we now have
EchoSpeech for WWW pages. This voice compression software will add speech
to your web pages and is offered at NO CHARGE to educational institutions,
individuals and non-profit organizations. This is a Netscape Navigator
plug-in that also bundles a standalone speech utility for voice apps.
Commercial site licenses are $99 for each home page used. More info may be
obtained at http://www.echospeech.com.


Engage: A NEW ENGAGING TITLE
Warcraft(R) II: Tides of Darkness published by Blizzard Entertainment(R) is
the most recent title to join an exclusive agreement with Engage Games
Online. Warcraft II has sold more than 500,000 units in its first three
months--talk about hot! Warcraft was also named Game of the Year and Best
Multi-Player Game of the Year for 1995 by PC Gamer. (We certainly agree
with those determinations!)

Almost all of the titles on Engage are worldwide exclusives, such as
Descent Online, Castles II, the US Chess Federation, MUD II and AD&D:
Descent to Undermountain from Interplay, Fighter Duel and total Control
Football from Philips; Rolemaster: Magestorm and Splatterball from
Interworld Prods and Sim City 2000 from Maxis. Not only that, Engage has
exclusive agreements with Caesars Palace Virtual Casino, comedy from The
Improvisation and music info from Billboard Live! Engage plans to have 15
games on-line by the end of 1996 and then an additional game each month.

Engage Games Online is an on-line service accessed via the Internet, or an
on-line service provider, that will enable folks to access games and other
entertainment content through a consistent and intuitive Windows 95-based,
animated 3D interface. Additionally, chat areas, bulletin boards and other
service areas will be accessible through the graphics front-end and a 2D
version will be offered for speedier downloads. Plans are for Engage to
feature a massive variety of high-end multi-player games as well as some
less intense titles for folks that don't normally play games.



Engage: GUSTO GAMING
Two weeks ago, the Electronics Entertainment Expo was the home site for
thousands of product announcements. Many made large splashes--others,
barely a ripple. One of those announcements that managed to attract a good
deal of attention was the Interplay roll-out of a new, independent company
called ENGAGE that will produce online, multiplayer games. ENGAGE already
has a number of allegiances and here are some of the other newsy items
buzzing around this latest challenger to the title of king of the
multiplayer game hill. The new company, run by Jeff Leibowitz (formerly of
ImagiNation Network), plans to have some 16 new games online by the end of
this year. Future-speak states that one game a month'll be added, starting
next year.

Maxis Software has decided to throw in with ENGAGE. That company's
super-popular, super-smash hit, SimCity 2000, will be part of the game
offerings on this new service. For those who aren't aware of SimCity 2000,
and if not, then you've had your head stuck in a bag of popcorn for years,
this sim has you managing a metropolis onscreen where you govern the
SimCitizens and also maintain city services, all while balancing your
budgets. With the multiplayer capability, you'll now find others who can
cooperate with you, or --  compete with you! The object is to see who is
able to develop the most land and you'll find yourself agreeing to deals
where city resources are at stake, even city ordinances requiring
collective voting.

ENGAGE has also signed with Philips Media for a number of their titles for
multiplayer distribution via this network. The first two such offerings
will be Fighter Duel and Total Control Football. The former is a WWII
fighter sim where you can fly any one of 13 historically accurate fighter
planes against other players online. The game's feature 360-degree cockpit
views, a photo-realistic instrument panel duped from an actual P-51
fighter, plus real-time texture mapping. The second game was sanctioned by
the National Football League and gives you the opportunity to both coach
and manage your team. Total Control Football is as true as its name
implies--you make personnel and business decisions and then head to the
sideline to play head-to-head with the real-time arcade action portion of
the game. You play game-by-game, season-by-season.
Additionally, and as you might expect, the service is going to carry
Interplay's Battle Chess 4000 and Descent games and these titles will also
be available on Time Warner Cable's Full Service Network, otherwise known
as FSN, which currently runs a coax cable service to some 4,000 homes in
Orlando, Florida. These games will be accessed via FSN's The Playway, which
is a VR roller coaster ride that takes you to the games access are on this
service.

And not only has ENGAGE already signed to deliver their multiplayer games
to America Online, but a new agreement has been reached with Prodigy to
initiate a similar content providership this summer. Prodigy members'll now
be able to play such goodies as Descent, Castles II, MUD II, Rolemaster:
Magestorm and Splatterball.

One of the biggest issues facing online, multiplayer gaming has been that
of latency--the amount of time it takes for the server to react to your
move and the moves of your opponent(s)--over the network. ENGAGE has
decided to sign with Concentric Network for that company's low-latency
dial-up network with offers 214 pops throughout the US and Canada. With
30,000 local exchanges in 3,000 cities, you'll be able to game via
fiber-based, frame relay technology.



DAD ON THE WEB
It is now possible to customize greetings on a Father's Day card and also
include gifts such as magazine subscription or a gift certificate from
Nordstrom while on the web. Located at http://www.deardad.com, folks can
choose from two dozen Father's Day cards priced at around $3.75.



DreamWorks: SOMETIMES INQUIRING MINDS DON'T WANT TO KNOW
It's not good to put your head in the sand like an ostrich, however,
sometimes folks just don't want to know how close the whole world came to
going up in a mushroom cloud. Take the The Peacemaker, a DreamWorks
Pictures production  starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman. The
Peacemaker is an intense movie based upon the story of a train carrying
Russian ICBMs to be dismantled that is destroyed by an unexplained nuclear
explosion in a remote area of Southern Russia. After the big boom, the
explosion signals a red alert at the White House Nuclear Smuggling Group.
Nicole Kidman, who portrays Dr. Julia Kelly, a nuclear physicist and acting
head of the NSG, joins forces with George Clooney, sans his ER gear, who
plays Colonel Thomas Devoe, a member of the U.S. Army's elite Special
Forces. The film, written by Michael Schiffer Crimson Tide, is based on
actual events recently disclosed in various government documents and
official news sources.

Branko Lustig, one of the producers of the Academy Award-winning,
Schindler's List, is producing the film. The executive producers are Walter
Parkes, Laurie MacDonald and Michael Grillo.


Fox Interactive: ALIENS, PARANORMAL & EXPLOSIVES
With a great E3 show under their belt, Fox Interactive is coming out
swinging with three hot titles for video and computer gamers! What would
occur if aliens took over the White House? No, this isn't a comment from
the Republicans--it's Independence Day, the interactive game based upon the
movie of the same name from Fox Interactive for the Sony PlayStation, Sega
Saturn and Windows 95 CD-ROM. Due in late '96, gamers will face the
ultimate challenge of leading a battle to stop an alien invasion force that
could destroy civilization. As the gamer pilots through 3D environments in
an effort to destroy the aliens' Mothership, folk must build an armed
airfleet made up of a variety of military aircraft from FA-18s to the
Soviet MiG-31. Gamers maneuver through a flight simulation that involves
head-to-head air combat over recognizable city scapes from Washington, D.C.
to Moscow, Cape Canaveral to a Russian Submarine Base at Nakhoda, in a race
that is resolved only when one of the forces is obliterated. Hopefully it's
the aliens!

The folks that star in Fox's X-File, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny,
will also star in a CD-ROM adventure from Fox Interactive for the Macintosh
and PC due in '97. Scully and Mulder experience an interactive odyssey
based upon an original storyline that remains true to the dark and
mysterious genre of the TV show, a story that folks will enjoy as they
explore this paranormal world. Fox Interactive is developing the titleincor
porating HperBole Studios' VirtualCinema(R) technology, a software engine
that allows the player to become the main character in this X-Files story.
The VirtualCinema engine measures responses and activities of the gamer
then applies them back to the original storyline creating a unique
experience.

Folks will be able to experience Fox Interactive's Die Hard Trilogy, an
action-packed experience with three totally different adventures for the
Sega Saturn due in August and Windows 95 version due in September.  Based
upon the perspective of the main character, John McClane, a cop, folks must
fight a team of internationl terrorists in a total of 40 different levels.

The first saga, Die Hard, takes place in the Nakatome Plaze in Los Angeles
and is a race to outwit the terrorists who have wired this high-rise before
the building explodes. In Die Harder marksmanship is what gamers must rely
upon in order to gun down terrorists at Washington/Dulles Airport which is
under seige. This chase then continues outside on the runway and through
the Virginia countryside while driving  sowmobiles. Lastly, in Die Hard
With a Vengeance, the gamer can drive through the crowded New York streets,
below in subway tunnels or the gamer can choose from more than 15 different
vehicles ranging from a Yugo, Italian sportscar, to a garbage truck and
more. In accurate texture-mapped and fully rendered streets and passageways
of Chinatown, Wall Street, Harlem and other locations gamers must cope with
the frustrations of changing stop lights and gridlocked traffic.



Fox Interactive: FOX IS PLAYING A NEW TOON
A gaggle of cartoon characters from Fox Interactive will create educational
and fun learning for kids three-years and above. Based on a six month
release schedule, the first line-up of titles that will be released  due
out this fall include Hello Kitty, Baby Felix the Cat and, The Tick (my
favorite).

Hello Kitty Big Fun is for Window and Mac CD-ROM and involves a variety of
learning skills, each with a three-level program designed by top educators
that encourages creativity. Baby Felix for Windows and Macintosh CD-ROM
helps kids easily master essential learning skills in reading, math, art
and music using animation and voice prompts. The Tick for Windows CD-ROM
has three stories that involve kids as they learn puzzle solving skills
that involve the organization and collection of clues in order to fight
crime and save the world.

Eekstravaganza for Windows CD-ROM involves Eek the Cat who, after being hit
on the head, suffers from amnesia. In the course of five chapters, kids
must search for memorabilia, solve puzzles and collect clues that will,
ultimately, help Eek remember who he is. Keroppi for Windows and Mac CD-ROM
involves Keroppi, the Frog, who helps kids improve their organizational and