Inside Mac Games Volume 4 #9/IMG 40 Sep 1996.iso/More Goodies/Inside Games Update/Inside Games Update.rsrc/TEXT_135.txt

Text File | 1996-09-03 | 30KB | 602 lines

INSIDE GAMES & ENTERTAINMENT UPDATE
Volume 3, Issue 5



Activision: WRESTLING WITH GAMES
A notable 220,000 units of Toukon Retsuden, a Japanese wrestling game, have
sold in Japan for the PlayStation by Tomy Company. 100,000 units is
considered very good, so obviously 220,000 is excellent. Activision has
agreed with Tomy to acquire all worldwide rights except for Japan and they
will improve the game with cheering crowds, ring art, an announcer whose
voice booms across your PSX, and eye-catching backgrounds. The moves such
as body slams, combos, pile drivers, reversals, hammers, neck breakers,
rope flings and thumb breaker. All of these wonderful things will be added
to the game and the release date has not yet been determined.



America Online: HELLO! HELLO? HELL---OH!!!!
Talk about a snafu! America Online experienced what was described as a
service outage. That's a nice word for making some people's lives pure
hell! We, who make our living online, found this to be something that
shouldn't have happened. The excuse is that a maintenance update and
software installation caused this belch in the AOL system.  Seems to me if
you're a service provider, and one with a high profile at that, you
anticipate these problems and have a plan ready. So what was the plan??? UH
OH...



American Movie Classic: DUMBS ARE NOT BLONDE!
You've seen the jokes and bumper stickers about blondes. Now a 35-hour
Blondie Marathon (and Dagwood) will take place on Family Day, Sunday,
August 11, on the American Movie Classic network, a 24-hour cable network
devoted to the Golden Age of Hollywood. The Blondie marathon will extend
into Monday, August 12. The entire collection of 28 hilarious films,
produced from 1938 through 1950 and based on Chic Young's popular comic
strip, will be shown.



APPLE ZEALOTS ON MISSION
An article from the Wall Street Journal shares an amusing story. Guy
Kawasaki, the Apple evangelist, is on a mission to increase the ranks of
Apple enthusiasts. In fact, as part of his campaign, Guy created A List of
Simple Things You Can Do to Save Apple Computer. Some of the items listed
are: Ask a person who is using a PC portable, like in an airport waiting
for their flight, if their boss made them get it.  If you're in a store and
you hear a store clerk spreading ignorance and lies, wait until the clerk
has left and then go talk to the customer. When you stay at a hotel, make
it know that you want to use Macs in their business center. Guy says to
wear clothes with Macintosh logos to show folks that the pro-Apple people
aren't shrinking violets and  hiding away.



AT&T: GOING THE MICROSOFT WAY
Take one of the leading megacorporations in the entire world and have them
decide to bundle Microsoft's Internet browser with their online service,
and you have news. That's exactly what has occurred with AT&T and its
WorldNet Service. AT&T will now offer both Microsoft's and Netscape's
browsers with their service. This is an enormous decision, especially as
Netscape and AT&T are not commenting on where, exactly, Netscape stands in
regards to WorldNet. Certainly if only one browser is selected, such will
have huge impact with resellers as they would decide in that company's
favor regarding solution building with that specific product. WorldNet
offers Internet access at a rate of $20 a month.



Billboard: HOTTEST VIDEOS
The nation's most popular videos as they appear in the Aug. 17, 1996 issue
of Billboard magazine are as follows:

 1. Cops: Too Hot for TV! (MVP)
 2. Ghost In the Shell, (Manga)
 3. Playboy: The Best of Jenny McCarthy, (Playboy)
 4. Heavy Metal, (Columbia TriStar)
 5. Jumanji, (Columbia TriStar)
 6. Clueless, (Paramount)
 7. Babe, (MCA-Universal)
 8. The Aristocats, (Disney)
 9. Playboy's Rising Stars and Sexy Starlets, (Playboy)
10. Mortal Kombat  The Movie, (New Line)



Box Office: HOTTEST FLICKS AT THE CINEMA
The top movie at the box office, for a second consecutive weekend, is the
legal drama A Time To Kill, from Warner Brothers, that took in $13.0
million in ticket sales. A Time To Kill has earned $41.2 million since
opening on July 24. In second place is Independence Day from News Corp.'s
20th Century Fox, with $10.8 million in sales at. Since its opening on July
2, the alien invasion picture has grossed $241.6 million. The third place
movie is Sony Corp.'s Columbia Pictures, Matilda, which Danny DeVito
directed and starred in with $8.5 million in ticket sales. Next in  fourth
place is Keanu Reeves' Chain Reaction from News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox
with $7.5 million in sales. The John Travolta movie, Phenomenon, about a
mechanic who becomes an overnight genius, slipped two places to fifth with
$5.1 million in box office receipts. The 33-day total for the Walt Disney
Co. release is $81.14 million.



Brady Books: BOOKIN' A NEW WWW SITE
One of the leading publishers in the game strategy guide world is Brady
Books. They are a division of Macmillan Publishing USA, which is the
reference publishing division of Simon & Schuster. To solidly maintain
their number one ranking in this genre of book publishing, the company is
rolling out their new World Wide Web site at http://www.mcp.com/brady. At
this site, you'll find downloadable shareware and demos, a cheats and hints
section, a gamers collection that helps you locate other online gamers
WITHIN YOUR AREA CODE, hundreds of secrets for a variety of games such as
the Sega Saturn, plus an interactive site for the Command & Conquer game
series. This site covers all video game and computer game platforms.



Capitol Records: CHECK OUT THE SOUNDS
Capitol Records' recording artist Eric Johnson has a unique Web site
(www.ericjohnson.com). Fans will be able to preview Eric's new album, Venus
Isle, before it reaches stores on September 3, and vote on whether Eric
sounds best using Shockwave, StreamWorks or RealAudio. Ten fans who send in
questions to the site's e-mail can compete for a personal phone call with
Johnson. The listeners who send in the ten best questions will be able to
have the answers answered personally during a five minute call. Fans can
listen to 30-second previews of the Venus Isle songs Manhattan, Lonely In
The Night, Song for Lynette and SRV, plus the full-length cut Pavilion, and
then order the album directly from the site or by dialing (800) 955-SONG.
Eric will autograph the first 100 CDs ordered.



CMP: MAKING MONEY ON THE WEB
The money makers on the Web are not what the majority of people might
think. It's not the sellers of online goods or direct marketers. Rather,
the successful cyberspace folk are the frequently visited Web sites that
capitalize on their popularity by selling ad space and advertising
banners--that according to CMP's InformationWeek. The wealth is spread at
the top 10 sites. The top 10 sites in the first quarter accounted for a 63
percent of total Web ad dollars spent. The first quarter's top three Web
money-makers made all their revenue from advertising: Infoseek ($3.1
million), Lycos ($2.6 million), and Yahoo! (2.2 million). The top three
advertisers were: IBM ($1.5 million), Microsoft ($1 million), and Netscape
($929,900). The first quarter of 1996 revealed $26 million spent on Web ads
which is more that double the $12.4 million spent in the fourth quarter of
1995. By the year 2000, revenue from online advertising is expected to grow
to $5 billion.



Exhibitor Relations: TOP TEN FLICKS AT THE CINEMA
Following are the top 10 movies at the U.S. box office during the
Friday-to-Sunday period of August 9-11, according to studio estimates
released by Exhibitor Relations Co.
 1. Jack $11.3 million
 2. A Time To Kill $10.9 million
 3. John Carpenter's Escape From L.A. $9.3 million
 4. Independence Day $8.0 million
 5. Matilda $5.0 million
 6. Phenomenon $4.0 million
 7. (Tie) Chain Reaction $3.3 million
 7. (Tie) Courage Under Fire $3.3 million
 9. The Nutty Professor $3.0 million
10. Kingpin $2.9 million




DFC: THREE CHEERS FOR SOLID GROWTH
The interactive entertainment industry has certainly been on a
roller-coaster ride over the past (far-too-numerous) months. Many companies
keep a close eye on all of the companies involved in this genre and then
spout their predictions based upon what they've seen (and who is paying for
the study). The latest report from DFC Intelligence, entitled Video Games
and Interactive Electronic Entertainment: Forecasts for the U.S. Market,
has now been released. The bottom line is that they feel this year is going
to be a solid year for interactive entertainment and that the sales decline
in the video game market has halted. They also expect PC game sales to
expand. They expect the interactive entertainment industry to drive the
overall consumer-electronics industries.

Video console industry growth is coming from the 32- and 64-bit market. The
dominant systems will, of course, be the upcoming Nintendo 64, the Sega
Saturn and the Sony PlayStation, not necessarily in that order. The company
feels each system will have sold more than 10 million units, domestically,
by the year 2000. They do not foresee the PC replacing the consoles as an
entertainment platform. In the future, DFC Intelligence believes that a
system the combines DVD and Internet access could be quite successful. This
report also predicts what the best-selling software titles for 1996 will be
and forecasts for the top 50 PC games as well as the top 10 16-bit titles,
plus more than 60 32- and 64-bit titles. Call 512-338-6738 for more info.




T-HQ GRABS HELIOTROPE
Heliotrope Studios, known for the galactic strategy game Pax Imperia, is
now part of T-HQ Inc. T-HQ wins proprietary rights to imaginative and
original game content, as well as an immediate entrance into the PC CD-ROM
and online markets. T-HQ acquired all rights to Pax Imperia II from
Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Davidson & Associates Inc., who sold
their interest in Pax Imperia II to T-HQ. Pax Imperia won MacWorld
Magazine's 1993 Hall of Fame award as the Strategy Game of the Year.




Humongous: HAUNTED FISH
Humongous Entertainment, a subsidiary of GT Interactive Software Corp.,
will release Freddi Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse(tm) Junior
Adventure(tm) for kids age 3-8 on Aug. 29. Available as a hybrid, one
multi-platform CD-ROM runs on Windows 95, Windows 3.1 and Macintosh
operating systems. Available free with the purchase of Freddi Fish 2 will
be Sing Along with Freddi Fish and her Friends, a colorful illustrated
24-page book and audiotape with songs from the game. Freddi Fish's first
adventure, Freddi Fish and The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds(tm), won a
number of awards including Newsweek Editor's Choice Award 1996; Family PC
Top Rated No.1 Kids Software Award 1996; Computer Gaming World, No.1 Family
Software Title of 1995 and more.



id: QUAKE COMES TO THE BEST
Quake, one of the hottest games from id Software
(http//:www.idsoftware.com), has chosen Best Internet Communications
([e-mail]) to host this title on the Internet. Quake is generating over
15 million hits per day as users download the shareware via the Internet.
id Software selected Best Internet to host Quake after evaluating their
connectivity infrastructure while comparing it to several other national
Internet Service Providers (ISP). Best was chosen over competing providers
because of its superior connectivity infrastructure. Best's hosting
capabilities enable id to accommodate the high volume of QUAKE daily
downloads. QUAKE is currently downloaded at a daily rate of 20,000
downloads, generating 69.2GB of data transfers per day via a single Sequent
server. id Software is distributing the shareware version to game players
by allowing them to download QUAKE at no cost. Best's co-location services
allow id to house their six processor Sequent server at Best's facilities
for substantially increased bandwidth and complete and secure Web site
hosting.




Interactive Magic: TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
If you are into realistic battle sims and tank games, you may be familiar
with iM1A1 from Interactive Magic (http://www.imagicgames.com) for Windows
95-based PCs. Interactive Magic now has a new version of the Abrams tank,
iM1A2, which provides the tank commander with an independent thermal viewer
that permits hunter-killer tactics within each tank. The 120mm gun has
several new types of ammo that includes the MPAT anti-helicopter shell, the
STAFF top-attack shell, the Sabot and HEAT ammunition. Plus, this vehicle
carries the newest digital, battlefield computer systems. The basic game
places you as a tank platoon commander leading four tanks into battle, or
you can be a company team commander. The battles and campaigns are present
day and near-future trouble spots that include the Balkans, Persian Gulf,
and the Ukraine/Russia. You can operate your tank from any of its primary
positions--driver, gunner, commander--and the remaining crew follows the
general orders you give to them. There are various external and map views
that assist you with your observation of the battle. As you control your
platoon, there isalso  help from other vehicles, infantry, mortars,
artillery pieces, helicopters and jet fighter-bombers.



Macromedia: SUPPORT FOR VRML
There always seem to be five or six companies that are constantly working
the WWW development crowd. The usuals--Netscape, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe
and, of course, Macromedia. The latter company has now announced that their
Extreme 3D will fully support VRML 2.0. This will occur with a VRML 2.0
converter which will enable Extreme 3D files to be optimized for delivery
to your screen via VRML-enabled browsers. These browsers include
Intervista's Worldview 2.0, Netscape's Live 3D, Microsoft's Internet
Explorer, and Silicon Graphics' Cosmo. The converter itself was developed
by Macromedia with Intervista. This converter allows cameras, geometry,
lights, materials and textures to be modelled in Extreme 3D and then
converted to the VRML formats. You may obtain the converter by downloading
the program from http://www.macromedia.com.




Micrografx: STATIC GRAPHICS NO MORE
ABC QuickSilver from Micrografx comes to the rescue of static graphics and
allows interactive vector graphics to be displayed on the Web. QuickSilver,
which comes as both a Netscape plug-in and an ActiveX control, uses vector
graphics that are generally smaller than traditional raster graphics,
resulting in quicker downloading. Additionally, vector graphics can be
resized instantly (without help from the Web server) and without loss of
image quality. A disadvantage is that vector graphics are typically less
detailed than raster graphics. QuickSilver also permits interactivity
within a Web page similar to Macromedias Shockwave plug-in. QuickSilver can
make graphics change as the user hovers or clicks the mouse on certain
areas. In addition to making visual changes to graphics, hot areas on a
graphic can function as hyperlinks that take the user to new Web sites. ABC
QuickSilver offers a free download Requires: Windows 95 and Netscape 2.0 or
later, or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 beta or later at
http://www.micrografx.com.




Microsoft: FUTURE TALK
Hype is the just cause of software developers. Especially if you happen to
be one of the biggies. That, of course, definitely defines Microsoft. The
company has already created a feature list for version 5 of their Internet
Explorer browser, even though version 3 is just, now, out of their inner
development  sanctums. Rumor has it that we can, apparently, expect to be
able to create WWW pages with the next Microsoft browser, plus be able to
build applets. You'll also be able to drag-and-drop components into a form
and write commands for those components.



BILL ASKS, CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?
Bill Gates and the famous Rodney King statement about getting along seem to
be paramount on Microsoft's mind. A funny thing happened on the way to
becoming the dominant player. Microsoft, in the war of PCs, trembles at the
thought of Apple Computer Inc. failing financially. Apple's demise would
increase the possibilities of repercussions in terms of antitrust
settlements--the Justice Department has an ongoing investigation of
Microsoft's competitive practices.

In order to keep this a two-player game, Microsoft is infusing millions to
a special unit to write Internet programs for the Macintosh. Microsoft is
playing hard ball against Netscape Communications Corp. while vying for
Internet software developers loyalty. Microsoft set up a multimillion
dollar housekeeping unit last year in San Jose, CA, although such wasn't
revealed until recently. Plans are to, eventually, have 60 employees that
are long-time developers of software for Apple's Macintosh operating
system. The real change-of-heart is that Microsoft, for the first time, is
telling programmers that they can ignore the Windows operating system and
focus on ONLY writing for the Mac.

At MacWorld last week, Microsoft told Mac software companies that, now
available, is a no-strings-attached developer program that offers cash
grants of up to $100,000. Don Bradford, a well-know Mac programmer, has
been hired to head up Microsoft's new Mac group and has been told that his
group's action item is to bring Apple's market share up from 5.7 percent to
between eight and 11 percent. Skeptics at Apple wonder what favors
Microsoft will want down the road after infusing Mac developers with major
dollars--you don't get something for nothing.



Narrative: STREAMING PRIORITIES
One reason, in the past, for not including CD-ROM-based multimedia as part
of a WWW site is because of the bandwidth necessary for such data to
broadcast easily across the net. Narrative Communications has now announced
their ActiveX Enliven Viewer plug-in for Internet Explorer 3.0. Part of
their Enliven publishing system, this plug-in will enable folk to publish
large volumes of CD-ROM multimedia over the net through use of a
proprietary streaming technology. You must use the viewer to handle these
files, however.




NATIVE AMERICANS RESPOND
What began as a modest vision for David Sontag resulted in a windfall of
films from native Americans. This is the first year of the Native Americas
International Film Exposition and resulted in responses from 15 countries
with 191 films. 32 works from North, Central and South America that range
from a Brazilian tribe's four-minute music video based on an ear-piercing
ceremony to a feature-length U.S. film starring Johnny Depp were selected
by a screening committee. There are six film categories,that will be shown
at three Santa Fe theaters throughout the festival, from August 8-15.



NBC: TRASH FROM MARS
The very clever NBC TV series, Third Rock from the Sun, has some explaining
to do. Seems as though all of this hoopla about life on Mars has caused the
alien family some embarassment. Lithgow, who plays the head of the alien
family, will scold the other family members after they watch a NASA
briefing on television about the discovery of fossil evidence of ancient
Martian life. Scheduled to air on September 22nd, Lithgow will tell his
family, "The next time we have a picnic on another planet, clean up!"



TOPS IN TV
The Nielsen Media Research ratings for television shows, from August 5th
through 11th, have been released. And the winners are . . .
 1. Seinfeld,'' NBC
 2. 3rd Rock From The Sun, NBC
 3. Seinfeld,'' NBC
 4. 3rd Rock From The Sun, NBC
 5. Frasier, NBC
 6. Home Improvement, ABC
 6. ER, NBC
 8. Mad About You, NBC
 9. Dateline NBC,(Tuesday) NBC
10. Caroline in the City, NBC
10. CBS Sunday Movie: Dying Young, CBS
12. 20/20, ABC
13. PrimeTime Live, ABC
14. Friends, NBC
15. Boston Common,NBC
16. Dateline NBC, (Wednesday) NBC
16. Touched by an Angel, CBS
18. Friends, NBC
19. 60 Minutes, CBS
20. Coach, ABC



Netscape: HIGH ON BORLAND
Ahhh, friends, the acquisition frenzy that seemed to grip our industry over
the past several months may have calmed down, but that does NOT mean
companies are simply biding their time and not acquiring new technologies.
The latest rumor is that Netscape is in discussions with Borland
International to acquire that company. One reason is Borland's Delphi rapid
application development tool, and their IntraBuilder Web database
development tool. The latter is based on Borland's database engine. The
cost? Figure the company's market value at between $220 and $240 million,
with shares trading at $7 each last week. Netscape has some $55 to $60
million cash and a market value of around $3.8 billion. Neither company has
commented on this reported acquisition.




NewTek: AWESOME CONVERSION
Without doubt, broadcast quality animation has always signified the use of
LightWave 3D from NewTek, Inc. Until now, one of the leading platforms in
the use of 3D graphics and animation has not had this program available for
use with its system. However, NewTek has now announced that they are going
to release a Power Macintosh version of their program quite soon. This
product will bring quality animation, modeling and rendering capabilities
to the Power Mac and will have QuickDraw 3D support that allows for graphic
object viewing changes to occur in real time. LightWave has, for many
years, been the product of choice by TV shows, feature films, and
commercial agencies and is the only product that breaks the polygon/spline
barrier, thanks to MetaNURBS. This technology performs real time
transformations between polygons and splines and enhances the ability to
create organic 3D objects. This means the easier-to-use polygons and the
more powerful model techniques of splines are combined to create 3D models.
Plus, Lightwave has MetaBalls, which is another modeling feature that
enables spheres to be used to approximate complex shapes. MetaBalls
function automatically and generate a skin based upon an approximation that
transforms a rough shape into a complex 3D model, which is very useful when
creating animals and characters.




NHL: PRO ICE IN NASHVILLE?
With professional ice hockey becoming more and more popular across the
nation, Nashville is now making its bid for a NHL team. Leipold Hockey
Holdings and Gaylord Entertainment Company have filed an application with
the National Hockey League to obtain such a franchise. If granted, 80
percent would be owned by Leipold and 19.9 percent by Gaylord. Other
minority owners would be allowed, with first priority on finding other
Nashville partners for as much as 30 percent of the team.



Nintendo: SYSTEM PRICE CUT
Ahhh, we were all wondering how long it would be until Nintendo lowered the
price of their Nintendo 64 console unit, due to be released in the United
States on September 30th. And now we know--the OFFICIAL, Nintendo 64 price
is to be $199.00. With two delays in product shipment, and some concerns
that Nintendo may not be able to hit their financial forecasts due to the
lower unit price, trading was suspended on the Tokyo Stock Exchange for the
company yesterday. This occurs when there are more sellers than buyers.
Nintendo will be closed through August 19th for an official Japanese
holiday.



Philips & Sony: COMING SOON TO A LIVING ROOM NEAR YOU--DVD
A dual effort between Philips Electronics NV and Japan's Sony Corp. would begin
to license Digital Video Disc (DVD) technology, widely seen as the industry's
next high-growth product. This allows the computer and consumer electronics
industry to prepare for the market introduction of the new high-capacity
compact disc later this year. DVD can play music and video, while one disc
can hold the information of 12 CD-ROMs or a feature length movie. Market
experts expect that 68 million players will be sold by the year 2000.



Psygnosis: MYST FOR PLAYSTATION
Myst, the incredibly beautiful graphic adventure that appeals to such a
broad variety of consumers, will be available this summer for the Sony
PlayStation from Psygnosis, Inc. Over one million copies of the game have
been sold for other platforms. The story brings the player to a book
entitled Myst. The player searches through the book to find who wrote the
book or where it came from. The book describes an exotic island that the
player knows nothing about. The player keeps going until the last page of
this book. As the player reaches for the last page his world disappears,
taking him into a strange location known as Myst. Using puzzles and
riddles, the player must find his way home.



Psygnosis: TRICK OR TREAT--IT'S ZOMBIEVILLE
Zombieville, from Psygnosis, will be available for the PC CD-ROM around
Halloween time this year. Zombieville is a complex and extremely graphic
game that involves the concept of top-secret covert operations gone wrong.
Halloween is an appropriate time for the release of this darkly humerous
game as it involves gruesome characters. You're an investigative reporter
who has received a tip from a source in Washington about a military
operation that has gone awry. There are major cover-ups, covert government
operations, and a situation that puts the government in a state of
emergency.


RIDDLER NAMES THAT TUNE
Later this year The Riddler Web site will incorporate  Name That Tune into
its Web site, located at http://www.riddler.com. The publisher of The
Riddler Web site, Interactive Imaginations, has acquired the Web rights to
the Name That Tune TV game show. Riddler, which features crossword puzzles
and trivia games, is designed to become a virtual game show network on the
Web. Name That Tune on the Web will be fashioned after the television
version of the game show. The advertiser-supported site said it expects to
offer prizes that include cars, cruises and other vacations for winning
game participants.



Simon & Schuster: TEACH YOUR CHILDREN--ABOUT WHAT!!!
Coming to a book store near you will be Simon & Schuster Interactive's new
educational software line, Teach Your Children. There'll be six separate
hybrid titles.  Other than that I can't tell you anything more. I find it
interesting that a company this size, with all of their marketing dollars,
sends us a three page fax in which there is little, if any, real info
given. What are the titles? What age group are the titles geared toward?
KillerApp Communications did not do a killer of a job on this release.



SoftKey: BUNDLE FOR KIDS
There's a double CD-ROM product coming your way for children ages 3 to 9
years...it's called Oceans and Zoo and is from Compton NewMedia. The title
contains puzzles, activities, entertainment, games and videos, as well as
high educational content. The program helps teach matching and
identification skills, alphabet and spatial perception skills, and increase
a child's knowledge of sea creatures and animals. The program is for both
Macintosh and Windows computers.




SOFTKEY DOES HARD SELL
SoftKey International Inc., a leading provider of consumer software, has
two television infomercials designed to lead consumers to retail outlets.
The first to be marketed is Infopedia, a multimedia encyclopedia and
reference CD-ROM, and >The Learning Company's Hablemos Ingles (Learn To
Speak English From Spanish) CD-ROM that will appear around Christmas. A
television special called Ideas Navidenas is targeted at the Hispanic
community in hopes of providing gift-giving ideas.
(08/16/96)



Spielberg: IN STEVEN'S DIRECTOR'S CHAIR
Steven Spielberg has a web site dedicated to the November CD-ROM release of
Director's Chair (http://www.directorschair.com) and he hosts a unique
contest. The grand prize winner will spend a day on the set of The Lost
World: Jurassic Park, Spielberg's next film. Director's Chair, a Knowledge
Adventure (http://www.adventure.com) creation, available in Windows 3.1,
Windows 95 and Macintosh, features the talents of Jennifer Aniston, Quentin
Tarantino, Penn & Teller and Katherine Helmond.

One of the Web sites features a unique contest giving entrants an
opportunity to be Spielberg's guest on the set of his next movie and
features downloadable color photographs of the movie's stars as well as
exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the CD-ROM, including audio
recordings and mini-movies.
Contestants will submit a 50-word essay answering the question, You've got
big bucks, big stars, and the world's best crew -- now what kind of movie
will you make? And Why? The contest will be opened to four age groups
including ages 8-12, 13-18, 19-24 and 25 and older. Judges will select 100
first round winners to win a free copy of Director's Chair. These 100
winners will have until September 25 to create and submit their own hit
movie utilizing their new software.




Strategic Simulations: A NEW CAMPAIGN--STEEL PANTHERS
Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI), the folk who know how to play war better
than almost anyone else, has an additional disk for their game Steel
Panthers. Entitled Steel Panthers Campaign Disk, this disk offers the
opportunity to expand your battlefield with the addition of three campaigns
and 35 stand-alone scenarios. You are a part of campaigns such as the
German Afrika Corps against the British 8th Army in the Battle of North
Africa. Other battles range from Europe to the Pacific and include the
Battle of Kamarovka, Nowy Yarg, Poland, Death of the 11th Panzer Brigade,
Bloody Ridge, Guadalcanal, Suribachi and more.



Trilobyte: THE 7TH GUEST: PART III CONTINUES WITH THE CREEPS
For those gamers that love the creepy feeling of Trilobyte, Inc.'s The 7th
Guest and the 11th Hour: The Sequel to The 7th Guest, comes a new
offering--The 7th Guest: Part III (working title). This is the third
installment in this gothic horror trilogy.  Banking on their past record
sales of those mentioned programs, which shipped 500,000 units worldwide