Inside Mac Games Volume 4 #9/IMG 40 Sep 1996.iso/More Goodies/Inside Games Update/Inside Games Update.rsrc/TEXT_129.txt

Text File | 1996-09-03 | 31KB | 587 lines

INSIDE GAMES & ENTERTAINMENT UPDATE
Volume 3, Issue 2


Activision: TIME TRAVEL TO DESTROY VIRUS
One of the leading multimedia directors currently working diligently within
our industry is Frederick Rynal. He's responsible for some big titles such
as Alone in the Dark and Relentless. He's now put his talents together for
a new Activision-distributed game entitled TIme Commando. This offering
finds you in a roving combat experience as you operate as an elite computer
virus exterminator. Seems as though you've been tossed into a time warp
because a virus has taken over the military's top secret training computer.
You travel through a virtual world with nine distinct time periods, in the
past and in the future. You'll battle more than 80 enemies created by the
virus from the plans incorporated into the military computer's main
database. You'll have to use more than 50 weapons as you try to stop your
enemies and, ultimately, defeat the virus. Should you not manage to
accomplish this task within the allotted time, you'll find yourself trapped
within the virtual time warp forever. There's a roving camera technique
that immerses you in a third-person perspective of the action. This title
is for Windows 95 or DOS machines with CD-ROM drives.



Activision: MECKIN' ABOUT
The popularity of digital entertainments that feature robotic warriors
continues to increase. To leverage the success of their highly popular
MechWarrior series, Activision has now released NetMech(TM) for MS-DOS
machines. This is an expansion pack for the company's MechWarrior(R) 2 3D
combat sim that will allow two players to go against one another via modem,
or engage as many as eight players over a net. MechWarrior 2 has won a
number of awards. What's rather cool about this add-on is that you may
either purchase it at your local retailer for around $14.95 (SRP), or go
online to http://www.activision com and download the software--at no cost
other than your own connect time charges!

Also popping from Activision is their new MechWarrior 2 Expansion Pack:
Ghost Bear's Legacy(TM) for Windows 95 machines. This new title will let
you equip a new Clan plus more than a dozen new mission, new weapons, and
new 'Mechs(R). You'll be able to climb into the cockpit of powerful
machines like the Kodiak, Grizzly and Behemoth, all of which can be
equipped with some super strategic weapons. There are ten new environments
for your battles, including snow, space and even underwater worlds. Plus,
you get Windows 95 Plug-and-play support so it's easy to bring into your
current MechWarriors 2 system.



America Online: COMMUNITY TOGETHERNESS
As regional digizines and newszines continue to make headway on the
Internet, with such major publishers as Microsoft, Wall Street Journal and
others introducing electronic publications of note, America Online has
debuted their Digital City-San Francisco. This environment will provide
chat rooms, areas for commerce, local programming, news, and services, just
as similar offerings for Boston and Washington D.C. already offer. There
are a large number of AOL members in the San Francisco-Bay Area, one reason
this city was chosen to become an affiliate in this program. Also online
will be classified advertising, a local events calendar, and restaurant
info. More information will be added in the near future. This environment
may be accessed via the KEYWORD: San Francisco when online with AOL.



Apple: NO NEED TO SWEAT
No, this isn't about quarterly returns--it's the announcement that Apple
Computer will present Atlanta '96 Street Scene, an online webcast beginning
July 19th, totally devoted to covering Atlanta during the Olympics at
(http://live.apple.com). While it's already recognized that there is an
abundance of Olympic websites, Apple is taking a different viewpoint, one
that deals with the sights, sounds, and people of Atlanta--without the
traffic and humidity. Visitors will learn of cultures, personalities, and
histories of folk in Atlanta, as well as the day-in-the-life viewpoint of
an attendee. Additionally, there'll be a Daily Top Ten List, polls and
trivia, QuickTime images that bring a unique perspective on the Games,
electronic postcards, media features, technology spotlight, daily
discussions and chats with everyone from athletes to chefs, and--a
PowerBook giveaway sweepstakes for those participating online.


Apple: CEMENTING NET SOLUTIONS
Despite the fact that the Macintosh is the leading platform being used for
WWW page creation, the company itself has had a problem cementing its
technology as the majority technology for Internet productivity. Hoping to
assuage critics, and in order to better serve customers, Apple has now
signed with Farallon Communications to include the latter's Timbuktu Pro
with the next release of Apple's QuickTime Conferencing Kit. Additionally,
their plans include Farallon's Look@Me applet and plug-in bundled into
Apple's next version of their Internet Connection Kit. These units are
expected to ship later this year. Timbuktu Pro includes the Apple Remote
Access client and will allow you to view, control and collaborate on
documents and apps across the Internet and intranets when working remotely.
Look@Me lets you view another user's screen in real-time, also across the
Internet or intranet, without concern as to either individual's location.
The Apple Internet Connection Kit includes more than a dozen apps and
tools.



AT&T: JUST SAY NO TO STATIC BANNERS
You may, by now, be sick of hearing about all of the corporate sponsors at
the Olympics, but AT&T has a plan that will bring interactive advertising
strategy to its Olympic Games Web site (http://www.olympic.att.com). One of
the big problems about advertising on the Web is static banners-- they,
more- or-less, just sit there. AT&T plans to engage users with interactive,
brand-centered experiences--the first intermercials on the web. AT&T's
intermercials distribute interactive content integrated into
the AT&T Olympic Web site. Traditional broadcast advertising is made
possible with applications such as Java, Shockwave, QTVR and HTML forms,
and provide online users with 20-30 second bursts of interactivity. The ads
enable web users to access AT&T's Online Games, view live video feeds of
AT&T's Global Olympic Village in Atlanta, and take a virtual tour of the
Olympic Museum--all without having to leave their existing session.



AT&T IS INN-TO FAMILY TIES
Here comes AT&T again, only this time doing a duet with Fairfield Inn by
Marriott with a new World Wide Web site (http://www.generationjourney.com)
entitled Generation Journey: A Kit to Connect Families. This site offers
genealogical tips and tools for people researching their family tree. To
launch the site, the two companies created an online contest that runs from
July 15th to September 15th that will reward one winner with a weekend for
two at Fairfield Inn, one hour of free long-distance calling on AT&T, and
two AT&T cordless telephones. No wonder the Marriott is offering assistance
with genealogy. Marriott's owners are Mormon, and the Mormon church is
well-known for their family genealogy assistance.



BEST SELLING BOOKS FOR WEEK OF JULY 6-13

Here are the most popular books according to the Associated Press, Wall
Street Journal, Publisher's Weekly and USA Today:

 1. Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam)
 2. The Runaway Jury by John Grisham (Doubleday)
 3. How Stella Got Her Groove Back by Terry McMillan (Viking)
 4. Exclusive by Sandra Brown (Warner)
 5. The Tenth Insight by James Redfield (Warner)
 6. A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (Tor)
 7. The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield (Warner)
 8. Lily White by Susan Isaacs (HarperCollins)
 9. Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara (Ballantine)
10. Moonlight Becomes You by Mary Higgins Clark (Simon & Schuster)

The Wall Street Journal's list of hardcover books.
Nonfiction-General

 1. Outrage by Vincent Bugliosi (Norton)
 2. The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (HarperBusiness)
 3. The Zone by Barry Sears (ReganBooks)
 4. The Choice by Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster)
 5. Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray (HarperCollins)
 6. Bad As I Wanna Be by Dennis Rodman with T. Keown (Delacorte)
 7. In Contempt by Christopher Darden with Jess Walter (ReganBooks)
 8. Unlimited Access by Gary Aldrich (Regnery)
 9. Partners in Power by Roger Morris (Henry Holt)
10. Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach (Warner)

Publishers Weekly best selling Books
Hardcover-Fiction

 1. Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam)
 2. The Runaway Jury by John Grisham (Doubleday)
 3. How Stella Got Her Groove Back by Terry McMillan (Viking)
 4. The Tenth Insight by James Redfield (Warner)
 5. I Was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn (Knopf)
 6. Exclusive by Sandra Brown (Warner)
 7. Lily White by Susan Isaacs (HarperCollins)
 8. A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan (Tor)
 9. The Fourth Estate by Jeffrey Archer (HarperCollins)
10. Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara (Ballantine)

Hardcover-Nonfiction

 1. Outrage by Vincent Bugliosi (Norton)
 2. The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (HarperBusiness)
 3. The Zone by Barry Sears and Bill Lawren (HarperCollins)
 4. The Choice by Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster)
 5. Bad as I Wanna Be by Dennis Rodman with Tim Keown (Delacorte)
 6. Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose (Simon & Schuster)
 7. Partners in Power by Roger Morris (Henry Holt)
 8. Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach (Warner)
 9. Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray (HarperCollins)
10. In Contempt by Christopher Darden with Jess Walter (ReganBooks)

Mass Market Paperbacks

 1. The Green Mile, Part 4: The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix by Stephen King
    (Signet)
 2. From Potter's Field by Patricia Cornwell (Berkley)
 3. Lightning by Danielle Steel (Dell)
 4. Beach Music by Pat Conroy (Bantam)
 5. The Green Mile, Part 3: Coffey's Hands by Stephen King (Signet)
 6. Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher (St. Martin's)
 7. The Witness by Sandra Brown (Warner)
 8. The Green Mile, Part 2: The Mouse on the Mile by Stephen King (Signet)
 9. The Green Mile, Part 1: The Two Dead Girls by Stephen King (Signet)
10. Daring to Dream by Nora Roberts (Berkley)

Trade Paperbacks

 1. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson (Vintage)
 2. Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution by Dr. Robert C. Atkins (M. Evans)
 3. Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor, eds. (Health
    Communications)
 4. A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen
    (Health Communications)
 5. Independence Day by Richard Ford (Vintage)
 6. Reviving Ophelia By Mary Pipher (Ballantine)
 7. A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein (Little Brown)
 8. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey (S&S/Fireside)
 9. How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill (Doubleday/Anchor)
10. The Liars' Club by Mary Karr (Penguin)

USA Today Best Selling Books

Key: F-Fiction; NF-Nonfiction; H-Hardcover; P-Paperback.

 1. The Green Mile, Part 4: The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix by Stephen King
    (Signet) (F-P)
 2. Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell (Berkley) (F-H)
 3. From Potter's Field by Patricia Cornwell (Berkley) (F-P)
 4. The Runaway Jury by John Grisham (Doubleday) (F-H)
 5. Beach Music by Pat Conroy (Bantam) (F-P)
 6. Lightning by Danielle Steel (Dell) (F-P)
 7. Ghost Camp by R.L. Stine (Scholastic) (F-P)
 8. Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher (St. Martin's) (F-P)
 9. The Green Mile, Part 3: Coffey's Hands by Stephen King (Signet) (F-P)
10. The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (HarperBusiness) (NF-H)



Bandai: PIPPIN IS POPPIN'
The interest in net-machines seems to be spurring additional interest in
the Pippin System game machine from Japan's Bandai Digital Entertainment
Company. The company now claims they are definitely on track to meet their
sales projections of some 200,000 units sold in Japan this year. Running
Apple's Macintosh Operating System and incorporating a CD-ROM drive, the
Pippin Atmark goes on sale in the United States this summer. Through March
31st of next year, Bandai has projected between 400,000 and 500,000 units
will be sold.



CBS: THREE MAJOR COMPANIES TO JOINTLY PRODUCE PRIME-TIME TV
CBS, Sony Corp. and the 3 Arts Entertainment Inc. television production
company and agency will develop programs for prime-time television. This
new venture is called 3 Arts Television, with CBS getting a first look at
all projects originating from the venture. The network and Sony Television
Entertainment will share in domestic and international distribution. In
addition to 3 Arts Entertainment, the venture brings together additional
aspects of the companies, such as CBS Entertainment and Sony Television
Entertainment.



CBS IS KEEPING AN EYE ON PEOPLE
CBS is working with Discovery Communications in an effort to begin a new
ad-supported cable channel entitled Eye on People. This channel would offer
a style of programming that could be compared to a blend of the biography
channel and E! Entertainment. CBS and Discovery currently have a working
relationship and cross-share certain programs. This effort to combine two
networks follows the growth plan that CBS'-parent Westinghouse Electric
Corp.'s feels is necessary to expand the TV brand into cable.

The most difficult aspect of this new venture is that of exclusivity. The
telecommunications industry is breathing heavily down the neck of the
networks cable operators. They are demanding that new channels be exclusive
to cable and satellite-dish delivery. However, federal law forces a
programmer that's vertically integrated with a cable TV operator to sell
its services to all comers. Discovery is co-owned by two large cable
operators-Tele-Communications Inc. (through its Liberty Media) and Cox
Communications.




Columbus Group: COLUMBUS DISCOVERS AT&T
Columbus Group Plc, a publishing and communications company, has set up an
Internet website loaded with travel information in collaboration with AT&T.
The site is entitled World Travel Guide OnLine and includes a hard copy
product that is used by over 50,000 travel agents worldwide. The site will
include sections on hotels, airlines and attractions and will incorporate
over 5,000 pages of travel information.



Digital Technology Int'l ADOBE PLUG-IN MAKES MAC PUBLISHERS' JOBS EASIER
Digital Technology International Inc. has a new Adobe Photoshop plug-in
package, AdCompress, that provides Mac-based publishers with camera-ready
ads and line art. AdCompress is comprised of both Acquire and Export
modules that work with Photoshop 2.5.1 or newer versions. The software,
which uses an LZW-based 1-bit PostScript Level 2 algorithm, is capable of
compressing monochrome scans at a ratio of up to 30-to-1, depending on the
amount of white space within the original image. Using this method, the
compressed image can then be saved to an image database or an Open Prepress
Interface (OPI) server.
The compressed file includes an OPI-compatible QuickTime preview image that
can be used for position only when laying out a page in Adobe PageMaker,
QuarkXPress or other Mac-based applications. When the pages containing the
images are printed, they can be decompressed automatically by any PostScript
Level 2 RIP.



Discovery Records: TALKING FARM DOGS
Farm Dogs, the new band of lyricist/musician Bernie Taupin, will join
together as guests on Discovery Records website
(http://www.discoveryrec.com), Tuesday, July 30, 7:30 p.m. PT and 10:30
p.m. ET. Farm Dogs has agreed to a multi-project deal with Discovery an
alternative label of the Warner Music group. Taupin's lyrics are well known
after writing many of Elton John's songs in the '70s including Your Song
and Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me.



Disney: ME TARZAN, YOU DISNEY!
Disney will be swinging through the jungle, singing from vine to vine, when
they produce Tarzan, an upcoming animated musical based on the Edgar Rice
Burroughs classic. Disney has signed Bonnie Arnold, producer of Disney's
animated blockbuster Toy Story, to produce Tarzan. Other notable names
involved in the production of Tarzan are director Kevin Lima (A Goofy
Movie) and veteran Disney animator Chris Buck with Grammy Award-winning
singer/songwriter Phil Collins set to write the songs for the film.




DreamWorks Interactive: DINOSAUR DIMENSIONALITY
Two of the most popular themes coursing through the veins of entertainment
these days are prehistoric dinosaurs and 3D realities. Two companies
heavily involved in these areas, albeit separately, have been Kinetix(TM)
(Autodesk's multimedia biz unit) and DreamWorks Interactive (DWI). Now
these folk have come together with an agreement for Kinetix to create the
3D content for a number of DWI's upcoming game titles, including Jurassic
Park: The Lost World. 3D Studio Max, from Kinetix that runs on Microsoft(R)
Windows NT (R) workstations, has been selected as the primary production
tool, with incorporation of DWI's own custom software apps (which also
happened to have been developed with 3D Studio Max development tools). The
software will be used to create models and animation for each character in
the game.



Eidos Interactive: OLYMPIC DREAMS
Bundling has, in most cases, proven to be an extremely effective sales
incentive when it comes to digital entertainment software. Eidos
Interactive strongly believes this is the case, especially in regards to
their upcoming releases: Olympic Summer Games and Olympic Soccer. Both of
these sports sims will be sold in a single package and they'll be on your
retailers' shelves just in time for the Atlanta 1996 Centennial Olympic
Games. There are 15 events in Olympic Summer Games, including archery,
fencing, shooting, swimming, track and field, and weightlifting. You'll go
head-to-head in real-time action inside 3D rendered, texture-mapped
stadiums and gymnasiums. Play may be undertaken in full Olympic Tournament
mode, arcade or challenge modes.<P>
Olympic Soccer consists of 32 international teams that are comprised of the
best soccer player in the entire world. Everyone is competing for the gold.
The 3D rendered backgrounds are combined with polygon-based character
graphics and each athlete's movement is fluid and fast. You can compete in
the same modes as are available in the Summer Olympic Games program. More
info on these games, and other Eidos products, is available at
http://www.eidos.com.



Engage: AN ENGAGING AGREEMENT
Good ideas do not, of themselves, garner much in the way of profit unless
one can leverage the brilliance of the proposition to folk who will part
with cash to support one's premise. Such is the case with ENGAGE Games
Online, who are pleased as punch to report that SOFTBANK Holdings has
acquired 20 percent of the online company's outstanding shares. This is the
first company to invest in ENGAGE since Interplay spun the company off to
develop its product last May. Although there has been some murmurings of
late as to the viability of multiplayer online games actually turning a
profit, this move is seen as a true sign that those murmurings will be
totally hushed as the online, multiplayer games industry emerges as a
profit center. Additionally, ENGAGE will definitely profit from SOFTBANK's
other interests, such as Ziff-Davis Publishing's Sendai Publishing Group
and SOFTBANK Interactive Marketing. ENGAGE's extremely vital online game
titles will be accessed by gamers through various WWW sites or via major
commservs. Utilizing a graphical front end, gamers with ENGAGE will also
have BBS, chat areas, and other service areas available to them. Some of
the cool titles heading your way include AD&D: Descent to Undermountain,
Castles II, Descent Online, MUD II, and the U.S. Chess Federation, all from
Interplay Productions. Additionally, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness from
Blizzard Entertainment and SimCity 2000 from Maxis will also appear through
this service. Expect around 15 games to be offered by ENGAGE before the
close of this year.



Michael J. Fox: BACK TO THE FOX FUTURE
Michael J. Fox's fans will be pleased to know that he's coming to TV in a
new series, Spin City, where he'll play the deputy mayor of New York. Fox,
now 35, has a 6-year old son and 16-month twin daughters. Regarding his
absence from films, he indicated that he evaluated his priorities and
decided he needed more time with his family--something that isn't possible
while off-site filming movies.



Hawaii Five-O: BOOK'EM DANNO
The folks in Hollywood either have no imagination or they are stuck in a
mental predicament that is a throw-back to an era when the whole family
watched TV together. Either way, thought you might find it interesting that
producer George Litto bought the rights for a movie based upon the CBS-TV
drama, Hawaii Five-O, the longest continuously running one-hour show in
television history. This Hawaii-based crime show ran on CBS from September
1968 to April 1980 with consistently high ratings. It is reported that this
will, perhaps, be the last movie made that is based upon a successful TV
series. Others that have preceeded this attempt include The Fugitive,
Mission Impossible, Maverick, The Adams Family, The Brady Bunch and others.


Icon Productions: SAMUEL JACKSON TO STAR IN 187
Work has begun work in Los Angeles on Icon Productions' dramatic thriller,
187, starring Samuel L. Jackson. The feature film is directed by Kevin
Reynol and produced by Academy Award-winner Bruce Davey and Steve McEveety.
The screenplay is written by Scott Yagemann, who taught in the Los Angeles
public school system for seven years before writing 187. The film also
stars Kelly Rowan as another teacher at the new school and John Heard as a
cynical instructor burnt out by the system. 187 stars Jackson as a
committed, inner-city, high-school teacher who is attacked by a student for
giving him a failing grade. The teacher returns one year later to
substitute at a high school in the San Fernando Valley where he inspires
some promising students. At the same time, some other students begin to
aggressively confront him and are surprised to find a defiant educator no
longer intimidated by the thugs.



Interplay: DEFEAT NORMALITY
Most interactive entertainments that deal with the future possess a certain
"sameness" about them. Oh, certainly, there is some degree of difference in
the manner in which plot line and graphics are brought together to present
you with an environment that is pleasing to enter and enjoyable to play.
Change is afoot--coming on July 30th from Interplay is an intriguing, new,
digital entertainment that breaks out of the "also-ran" mould. Entitled
NORMALITY, this is the first adventure game that offers a first-person game
perspective, the "look" that made DOOM so popular. The year is 2023. Kent,
the "hero" of the game, has totally had it with the Norm Troopers. In this
futuristic world of Neutropolis, nothing is fun anymore. Being normal is
totally dull. Slacker Kent is going to change all that!

Developed by Gremlin, the game is packed with fluid animations. There are
more than 100, 3D-animated reward flicks. There are more than 120 game
locations and 17 environments to explore. It's up to you to get Kent out of
his smelly, grungy bachelor pad and help him move through the streets,
roofs and sewers. You can look under, up, down, and around to solve the
various predicaments Kent finds himself in and, best of all, the gameplay
is non-repetitive.

Great game slides, movies and sounds from NORMALITY are all available at
Interplay's WWW site at http://www.interplay.com/website/sales/normal.html.
which also happens to be one of the best sites around. Interplay has also
opened a new, dedicated email address for your comments regarding the
NORMALITY demo: @interplay.com. This new game is for PC CD-ROM machines.



Interplay: PLAY THE FIELD
Certainly one of the hardest entertainments to simulate well on any
computer is a game of pinball. The algorithms for ball versus bumper can
drive any programmer to look for work in a monastery. Interplay has driven
on, however, and they will be releasing Virtual Pro Pinball(TM) for
Macintosh, PC, Sony PlayStation(TM) and Sega Saturn(TM) machines on
September 3rd. This sim is so well coded that the title comes with a
money-back guarantee that, should your pinball game not improve through use
of this title, you may return the game for a refund! Now, that's
confidence! The table is loaded with flippers, ramps, loops, orbits,
targets, grab magnets and lights. This is the only pinball sim with six
multiple balls. Plus, you'll encounter the delights of sink holes,
diverters, jet bumpers, poppers, habitrails and an auto plunger. There are
actually four games in this single title: Bike Race Challenge, Fast Frenzy,
Space Station Frenzy, and Ultimate Showdown. Six missions lead you into the
ultimate showdown with that good old multiple ball insanity you've so
desperately come to love in the arcades. The graphics were created on SGI
systems and you have multiple viewing angles as well as super hi-res game
screens. Soundtracks are multiple and there are real, sampled mechanical
sound effects and digital speech, to boot. More information about Interplay
and its products may be found at http://www.interplay.com.



Learning Company: KIDS LEARN BASICS OF PAINT, WRITE & PLAY
From the Learning Company, a subsidiary of SoftKey International Inc.,
comes the release of Paint, Write & Play!(TM), an easy-to-use painting,
drawing and writing program for youngsters that are four to seven-years
old. Paint, Write & Play! can be a child's first creativity and writing
program and is now available in Windows and Macintosh CD-ROM formats.
Children can bring their ideas to life by using three main activity areas:
the Art Studio, the Travel Center and the Writing House. Here the wee ones
can craft their own stories using the painting and writing tools, or they
can build stories by choosing words and clip art pictures from the hundreds
included in the program.



Legend Entertainment: A PUB MOST PROMISING
Take a bar . . .what could be an ordinary, everyday, neighborhood bar . .
.but populate it with aliens, time travelers and unusual folk and toss in
six adventures unlike other adventures you've ever experienced. You now
have Callahan's Crosstime Saloon from Legend Entertainment. The environment
is the world popularized by author Spider Robinson in his seven Callahan's
Crosstime Saloon books. Planned for an October 1996, this title is a unique
twist on the traditional adventure game. There are six adventures,
organized in a similar manner as a TV sitcom. Each episode presents a band
of regular characters with a new and exciting challenge. These adventures
may be played in any order. You'll find yourself traveling from
Transylvanian streets to Brazilian rain forests, even to the edges of the
universe. Created by Josh Mandel (who is responsible for the hits Freddy
Pharkas and Space Quest VI), the game offers 360 degree panoramic vistas
which finds Earth as an art exhibit for the entertainment of the "Gods."
Gingranich, one of these gods, wants to halt Earth's funding. However, his
chief advisor happens to stop in at Callahan's for a drink where he learns
about friendship and laughter. The game is available for DOS and Windows 95
machines. More info is available at the company's WWW site at
http://www.legend.com.



Looking Glass Technologies: DIGITAL BIRDIES
There are numerous golf sims available for consoles and computer platforms.
Many encompass the best courses in the world. However, none simulate a true
major golf championship. Looking Glass Technologies is going to change that
stat: this fall, the company is planning to release British Open Golf,
which will run on Windows 95 machines with CD-ROM drives. This golf sim
will offer the pageantry and prestige of the British Open in combo with
animations, real-life sound effects, weather that truly influences play,
realistic golf ball physics, AI-based caddies, and two of the British Open
Courses, those being Royal Troon and the famous St. Andrews. And you can
now logon to http://www.lglass.com/golf and obtain the latest tournament
updates. You can also glom onto the history of the British Open and the two
golf courses included in the game. The first 50 folk to logon to the site
will also be awarded a special golf prize.



Macromedia: DON'T NEED TO KNOW 'EM
For WWW page designers, knowledge of HTML, Java, JavaScript, and a variety
of other technologies, has almost been mandatory when it comes to adding
zest and sparkle to a site. Now, Macromedia Inc. has released
AppletAce(TM), which may be obtained at no cost from the company's WWW
site. What is this puppy? It's an app that will let you enhance your sites
with Macromedia Java PowerApplets without the need to know HTML or Java
programming. This offering gives you a graphical user interface for
customizing applets such as animated banners, interactive image maps,
animated bullets and dynamic charts. All you have to do is enter info in
pop-up menus, radio buttons and text fields to customize the applet. More
than 26,000 PowerApplets have been downloaded from
http://www.macromedia.com since April of this year.



MGM: POSSIBLE MGM BUY-BACK<B/>
Kirk Kerkorian, 79-year-old Las Vegas billionaire, is part of an investment
group offering a leading $1.3 billion bid to buy back Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Inc. Kerkorian is contributing $700 million of his own cash horde in the
deal. Kerkorian positioned his Tracinda Corp. as the major equity backer
for the buyout. This may not be so noteworthy save for the fact that
Kerkorian is a former owner of MGM.

After losing money in the 1970s and 1980s, Kerkorian sold the troubled
studio to Ted Turner in 1986, bought it back, then sold it in 1990 to
Italian financier Giancarlo Parretti. The sale was followed by the studio's
demise in the early '90s. Then the state-owned Credit Lyonnais, which
financed the sale to Parretti, repossessed the studio. The investment firm
Lazard Freres & Co. had asked for new bids to be submitted in hopes of
getting a better price for the movie studio. After the new offers it is
anticipated that Lazard Freres will move quickly to determine the new
owner. With recent hits such as The Birdcage, Goldeneye and Get Shorty, MGM
has enjoyed a revival during the past two years. MGM ranked among the
leading studios during Hollywood's golden age of the 1930s and 1940s, with
films like Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.



Microsoft: URL GRABBIN'
With the number of super World Wide Web sites continually on the rise,
sometimes remembering where these puppies are located and their attendant
URLs can become a nightmare. Microsoft has now signed an agreement with The
ForeFront Group that could help us in this site remembrance. To be built
into a number of Windows 95 desktop apps is GrabNet 2.0. This is a