Virtual Reality Zone/VRZONE.ISO/mac/TEXT/CYBERSPC/CSR9403.TXT

Text File | 1994-05-31 | 180KB | 3,580 lines

This file contains four Cyberspace Weekly Reports for the month of March 1994
produced by the Multimedia, Desktop Video, and Virtual Reality RoundTable on
GEnie (keyword CYBERSPACE).

You'll find 32 brand new industry news stories here. Search on the term
DateLine to locate the beginning of each weekly report and a list of the
stories it features.

See the end of this file for reprint credit wording and a Special Offer.

 __________________________________________________________________________
            ___        _
           / __)      | |                           Dateline: March 4, 1994
          / /   _   _ | |__   ___  ___  ___  ___    ___   __  ___
         | |   | | | ||  _ \ | __)|  _)/ __)|   \  /   | / _|| __)
          \ \__| |_| || |_) || _) | |  \__ \| |) )| (| || |_ | _)
           \___)\__  ||____/ |___)|_|  (___/|  _/  \___( \__||___)
                 __| |                      | |
                (___/                       |_|      Report Weekly
 __________________________________________________________________________

     Multimedia, Desktop Video, and Virtual Reality RoundTable on GEnie.
    Copyright (C) Peggy Herrington 1994. Freely Distributable If Intact.
 __________________________________________________________________________
   ___
  / __)
 / /                Welcome to Cyberspace Report Weekly!
| |                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 \ \__
  \___)yberspace Report Weekly is a Pilot Project that may be altered in future
weeks. Please Send GE Mail to the Multimedia/Cyberspace RoundTable Staff (or to
MULTIMEDIA$) with your reactions and suggestions for improvement. Each Friday,
Cyberspace Report Weekly will presented on Page 2000 on the following Menu
Item:

   7. Last Week's Cyberspace Report (94xxxx)
                                     ^^^^^^^
Check the date of that Menu Item to make sure you have the most recent Report,
and make sure to get them all! Cyberspace Report Weekly features such
newsworthy information as:

     * New Product Annoucements       * Trade Show Reports
     * Industry Trends & News         * Special Upcoming VIP Conferences
     * Upcoming Industry Events       * Special Offers from Developers
     * IBM, Macintosh & Amiga News    * Virtual Reality Developments

Capture each Cyberspace Report Weekly and read it later, off-line! It ONLY
takes a FEW minutes!

The current Cyberspace Report Weekly will be on the Menu until it is replaced
with the next week's issue. When Reports for a calendar month are no longer on
the Menu, they will be compressed and made available the Cyberspace Library for
downloading.

Cyberspace Report Weekly brings you industry news AS IT HAPPENS! Don't wait for
the magazines! Stop by the Multimedia RoundTable each week to learn what's
happening in the Multimedia, Desktop Video, and Virtual Reality communities!

As long as individual stories are kept intact with appropriate credit,
permission is granted to reprint Cyberspace Report Weekly in all or part on
private electronic bulletin boards, user group newsletters, and even in
magazines! See the end of this Report for proper wording.



    Stories in This Issue...  DateLine: March 4, 1994
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  1. Creative Launches Sound Blaster AWE32
  2. Creative TextAssist Ships with Sound Blaster AWE32
  3. Sports Illustrated 1994 Multimedia Sports Almanac
  4. SuperShow IV Multimedia Authoring Software
  5. Chicago VIDEO EXPO/IMAGE WORLD April 25-29
  6. PCVR: The Magazine Dedicated to Low-end Virtual Reality
  7. Cyberplasm Formula 4th Adventure: Interactive CD-ROM Comic Book Series
  8. CyberScape 2D Animation Software for Amiga
  9. GEnie Explores New (for it) Advertising Media


                                     -*-


                   Creative Launches Sound Blaster AWE32
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
               The Next Generation Sound Blaster Audio Card
    ____
   / ___)               Singapore -- March 1, 1994
  / /
 / (__
(_____)reative Technology, developer of the Sound Blaster(TM) audio standard,
today at Intermedia launched Sound Blaster AWE32, Creative's most advanced
audio card to date. Sound Blaster AWE32(TM) combines the powerful features of
Creative's award-winning SoundBlaster 16 Advanced Signal Processing card with
the great sounding Advanced WavEffects(TM) digital sample playback synthesis
capabilities of E-mu System's(R) EMU8000 integrated audio DSP. It has a
suggested retail price of $399.95 and will begin shipping to major distributors
and resellers worldwide within the next two weeks.

"The audio consumer has become extremely sophisticated. With the introduction
of Sound Blaster AWE32, Creative is furthering its goal of offering consumers
high-performance features at a great price point and delivering the type of
superior sound and speech quality they they have come to expect from Creative,"
said K.S. Chay, Creative Technology's president and COO.

Rich Sorkin, director of audio products for Creative Technology's U.S.
subsidiary Creative Labs, added that "in addition to providing a solution for
musicians who want to create professional quality music, Sound Blaster AWE32
provides the ideal platform for developers to create an emotionally engaging
multimedia experience through the use of multiple channel audio, downloadable
sounds (E-mu's SoundFont collections) and state-of-the-art special effects. As
a result, Sound Blaster AWE32 owners will be able to benefit from a great
selection of entertainment software titles that take advantage of our next
generation audio technology."

Advanced Signal Processing

Creative's Advanced Signal Processor, a programmable DSP, performs real-time
compression and decompression of audio files. It also features Creative
TextAssist(TM) advanced text-to-speech synthesis and QSound(TM) 180 degree
virtual audio. For voice-annotating documents, Creative offers two options for
compressing and decompressing speech data -- FastSpeech 8 and FastSpeech 10.
Fast Speech 8 compresses data to one eighth its original size and FastSpeech 10
compresses data to one tenth its original size. Because FastSpeech compresses
data in real-time, users do not need to conduct off-line processing.

Advanced Audio Technology

E-mu's patented digital sample playback technology, which is incorporated into
Creative's Advanced WavEffects synthesis, is based on the EMU8000 audio DSP and
features CD quality, real instrument sounds that surpass the audio quality
produced by wave table synthesis technology.

Many of the features of Sound Blaster AWE32 are traditionally only available
with high-end professional audio products that often cost thousands of dollars.
It suports multi-timbral MIDI channels with 32-voice polyphony as well as
independent control of advanced special effects (reverb, chorus or QSound),
vibrato (pitch oscillation) and tremolo (volume oscillation) for each of its 32
voices. Additional advanced audio features include state-of-the-art
pitch-shifting techniques, resonance filters that control the timbre of each
instrument when played at different dynamic levels, a six-part amplitude
envelope, and a six-part auxiliary envelope for independent controlling of
pitch and timbre.

Compatibility

As with Creative's entire family of standard-setting 16-bit audio boards, Sound
Blaster AWE32 offers 16-bit CD-quality stereo sampling and playback up to 44.1
kHz. Sound Blaster AWE32 supports the Sound Blaster platform and is fully
compatible with GEneral MIDI, Sound Canvas and MT-32 specifications. The audio
card also supports three of the most popular single and double speed CD-ROM
drives on the market from Sony, Mitsumi, and Creative.

Sound Blaster AWE32 supports E-mu Systems' SoundFont audio library of sampled
sounds, which have been widely regarded as the finest musical instrument and
sound effects samples available. Additional samples from the SoundFont library
can be downloaded into AWE32's on-board 4 megabit DRAM chip (which can be
expanded to 28 megabytes of RAM) to bring added variety and flexibility of
sounds to the user.

Bundled Software

Software bundled with Sound Blaster AWE32 includes Creavie VoiceAssist(TM),
Creative's premier speech recognition software for Windows applications;
Creative TextAssist(TM), a text-to-speech system based on Digital Equipment
Corp.'s DECtalk technology; QSound Virtual Audio, a 180 degree sound
localization technology; WaveStudio, Creative's wave file editor; Creative
Ensemble, a set of software applications for playback of wave, CD and MIDI
files that resembles a home "hi-fi" system; HSC Interactive SE; Cakewalk
Apprentice, an easy-to-use yet powerful sequencer software program; and a
variety of other utilities specifically developed by Creative for its family of
Sound Blaster audio boards.


Founded in 1972, E-mu Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of innovative digital
audio products based on digital sampling technology for the musical instrument
and multmedia markets. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Creative
Technology, Ltd., and is headquartered in Scotts Valley, California.

Creative Technology Ltd. develops, manufacturers and markets a family of sound
and video multimedia products for IBM-compatible PCs. The company's Sound
Blaster sound platform enables IBM-compatible PCs to produce high-quality audio
for entertainment, educational, music and productivity PC-based applications.

Creative Technology Ltd. was incorporated in 1983 and is based in Singapore.
Creative Technology's U.S. subsidiaries include Creative Labs, Inc., E-mu
Systems, Inc., and ShareVision(R) Technology, Inc. Creative also has other
subsidiaries in the U.S., Europe, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and China. The
company's stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol
CREAf.

                                     -*-




              Creative TextAssist Ships with Sound Blaster AWE32
              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
              Creative Technology's Text-to-Speech Software Based
               on Digital Equipment Corp.'s DECtalk Technology
    ____
   / ___)               Singapore -- March 1, 1994
  / /
 / (__
(_____)reative Technology (CREAf) today announced that its Creative
TextAssist(TM) text-to-speech software will begin shipping in the next two
weeks with Sound Blaster AWE32(TM), also annouced today at Intermedia. Creative
TextAssist, which is comprised of a set of five Windows-based applications,
utilizes Digital Equipment Corp.'s DECtalk technology and features realistic
voice-quality, flexibility and easy integration into the Windows operating
system.

"Creative TextAssist provides the finest text-to-speech technology available on
any platform today. When used in conjunction with Creative's VoiceAssist(TM)
speech recognition software, Creative TextAssist creates a complete solution
for hands-free, PC-based conversational applications," said Rich Sorkin,
director of audio products for Creative Technology's U.S. subsidiary Creative
Labs. "While voice technology will continue to play a prominent role in the
home and assistive technology markets, we expect that the demand for this
technology in the business environment will continue to increase, particularly
with regard to document proofreading, remote talking e-mail and talking faxes."

Creative TextAssist, which utilizes the added horsepower provided by Creative's
onbaord Advanced Signal Processor, operates with any Windows application that
features text. Users can create their own voices or choose from the nine
predefined voices in American English (four male, four female, one child).
Future versions of TextAssist will offer foreign language support as well as
support for DOS, OS/2, and Macintosh platforms.

Included with TextAssist are five software programs:

 * Texto'LE embeds text-to-speech objects into OLE client applications.
 * TextAssist Control Panel allows users to create new voices or associate
   existing voices with Windows Applications.
 * TextAssist Reader reads aloud specified text.
 * TextAssist Dictionary allows users to customize pronunciation of
   application-specific words.
 * Talking Scheduler verbally reminds users of their appointments.

Within the next month, Creative TextAssist will also begin shipping with
Creative's line of 16-bit Sound Blaster(TM) boards with Advanced Signal
Processing and the Sound Blaster DigitalEdge CD(TM) multimedia upgrade kit.

TextAssist Upgrades

A TextAssist upgrade will be available to current registered owners of Sound
Blaster 16 with Advanced Signal Processing for $29.95. An Advanced Signal
Processor upgrade featuring Creative TextAssist will be available to Sound
Blaster 16 owners for $99.95.

A TextAssist developer kit will be available for $99.95 on March 15, 1994. The
kit includes the TextAssist API in the form of a Dynamic Link Library (DLL),
which can be used to integrate sophisticated text-to-speech capabilities into
Windows applications. The developer kit also comes with a royalty-free license
for developers to distribute the TextAssist API DLL with their applications.


Creative Technology Ltd. develops, manufacturers and markets a family of sound
and video multimedia products for IBM-compatible PCs. The company's Sound
Blaster sound platform enables IBM-compatible PCs to produce high-quality audio
for entertainment, educational, music and productivity PC-based applications.

Creative Technology Ltd. was incorporated in 1983 and is based in Singapore.
Creative Technology's U.S. subsidiaries include Creative Labs, Inc., E-mu
Systems, Inc., and ShareVision(R) Technology, Inc. Creative also has other
subsidiaries in the U.S., Europe, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and China. The
company's stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol
CREAf.

                                     -*-




              Sports Illustrated 1994 Multimedia Sports Almanac
              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
           Showcases the Sights, Sounds, and Heroes of 1993 Sports

    The first multi-sport CD-ROM entertains with over 40 minutes of sports
    video highlights, an entire year of Sports Illustrated magazine and an
    expansive sports almanac with 1,200 plus pages of major professional
    and collegiate sports records and statistics.
 ______
(__  __)            San Francisco, CA -- February 28, 1994
  / /
 / /
(_/eaming up with Sports Illustrated, StarPress Multimedia of San Francisco
today unveiled Sports Illustrated 1994 Multimedia Sports Almanac for both MPC
and Macintosh platforms.

A dazzling blend of colorful sports video highlights, audio, written
commentary, sports trivia, full-color photography and a sports almanac
cataloging all major professional and collegiate sports records and statistics,
this initial product offering from StarPress is multimedia software at its most
robust. With a depth and breadth of sports information second to none in either
sports or multimedia circles, the Sports Illustrated Sports Almanac delivers
white-knuckle sports "infotainment" including:

 * Forty minutes of video highlights from last year's most spectacular
   sporting events including the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals,
   and NCAA Final Four.

 * An entire year (54 issues) of Sports Illustrated magazine with its
   award-winning sports journalism.

 * All 1,200 pages of team and individual records and statistics from
   Sports Illustrated's 1994 Sports Almanac.

 * Over 450 color photos from Sports Illustrated's team of virtuoso
   photographers.

 * A spirited sports trivia game with hundreds of questions to test your
   knowledge of football, basketball and baseball.


"We feel that Sports Illustrated is more than just a magazine, and the 1994
Multimedia Sports Almanac demonstrates that," said Phil Polishook, manager of
new business development for Sports Illustrated. "StarPress has produced a
CD-ROM that does justice to Sports Illustrated's 40-year tradition of editorial
excellence. Because of its delightful interface and depth of content, sports
fans will surely spend many hours enjoying this product."

Experience the adrenaline rush as Michael Jordan leads his Chicago Bulls to
their third world championship, the personal triumph of New York Jets player,
Dennis Byrd, as he walks back onto the gridiron after having been paralyzed
just 10 months earlier, or the euphoria as Alabama upsets the Hurricanes in the
Orange Bowl.

"We feel justified in saying that the richness of the Sports Illustrated
Multimedia Almanac in terms of both information and entertainment certainly
qualifies it as a 'must have' among sports and multimedia enthusiasts alike,"
says Karen Orton Katz, vice president of StarPress Multimedia. "Because of its
user-friendly interface and navigation system, information can be easily
located and retrieved in just seconds."

True Multimedia

From its colorful interface to its rich blend of text, sound, video and photos,
the Sports Illustrated 1994 Multimedia Sports Almanac truly delivers on the
primise of "multimedia." All icons for sports and user actions are animated --
click on the icon for "Baseball" and users will hear the crack of the bat and
see a baseball fly into the stands. The Sports Illustrated magazine issues
contain photos, not just text. And the video segments were produced by an Emmy
Award-winning team from HBO Sports.

Availability and Pricing

With both Macintosh and Multimedia PC versions offered on a single CD-ROM (with
single SKU), Sports Illustrated 1994 Multimedia Sports Almanac will be
distributed by SoftKey to over 15,000 major software retailers. The suggested
retail price is $59.95 and the product is shipping in March.

System Requirements

Macintosh:

Operates on Powerbooks 180C or higher, II Series, Performa with CD-ROM drive,
Centris, Quadra, Motorola 68030 processor running at 20 Mhz, 4MB RAM, System
7.0 or higher, 640x480, 256-color minimum. Video standard Apple compact video -
QuickTime 1.6 or higher, color monitor, and Apple compatible CD-ROM drive.

Windows:

Operates on Multimedia PC or equivalent PC, IBM PC or 100% compatible with 33
Mhz 386SX or higher, Microsoft Windows 3.1 or higher, DOS 5.0 or higher, 4MB of
RAM, SVGA or better display, 256-color minimum, mouse, hard drive, MPC
compatible CD-ROM drive with at least 150KB transfer rate. Sound support: Sound
Blaster or compatible, Sound Blaster Pro.


Based in San Francisco, privately-held StarPress Multimedia, Inc., develops,
publishes, and distributes interactive multimedia titles on CD-ROM and other
digital media platforms. With an emphasis on the licensing of materials from
books, movies, music, and other media with strong brand-name recognition and
proven consumer appeal, the company's primary focus is that of "edutainment"
and "infotainment" titles. StarPress is scheduled to ship its first product,
Sports Illustrated 1994 Multimedia Sports Almanac, in March 1994.

For more information on Sports Illustrated 1994 Multimedia Sports Almanac or
StarPress Multimedia, Inc., write to: StarPress Multimedia, 303 Sacramento St.,
2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94111. Telephone [phone] or fax [phone].
                                   -*-




  ____            SuperShow IV Multimedia Authoring Software
 / ___)           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
( (__                    Phoenix, AZ -- February 1994
 \__ \
 ___) )
(____/uperShow IV is a highly stylized multimedia presentation program from PC
West, Inc. of Phoenix, Arizona. This easy to use software creates customized
screen presentations using images created, saved or captured in the PCX and GIF
image format.

SuperShow runs in the DOS or Windows environment and features:

 * Dozens of screen transitions/fades    * Digitized voice and MIDI Music
 * Animation and floating effects        * Interactive keyboard & mouse menus
 * Kaleidoscope & other special effects  * Crawls, shakes, 3-D logo animation
 * User Input and Display                * Timed delays
 * Scroll external text files            * Box and circle drawing
 * Multiple mouse cursors                * Dozens of Custom Fonts

East of Use: You interface your PCX and GIF images with SuperShow using our
script format, a set of one or two word commands that tell SuperShow what you
want to do. The learning curve of SuperShow is very short. Packaged with
SuperShow is ShowPrep, a script generator editor with all commands displayed in
pull-down menus. Pick the command and ShowPrep will automatically write the
script for you. And you may run the script from the editor so you can monitor
your progress without having to leave ShowPrep.

Extra Tools: Included with your SuperShow IV software are several imaging tools
including screen capture programs, a font preview program, and SuperTools.
SuperTools contains tools to crop, resize, print and manipulate palettes on
your PCX and GIF images. You may also create unlimited run-time versions of
your presentation with our MakeShow program. All tools, including MakeShow and
SuperTools, are accessible from ShowPrep.

How it's Used: From sole proprietors to major companies such as AT&T, Walt
Disney World, Hewlett Packard, Compaq, and the U.S. Government, SuperShow is
being used in a wide variety of ways for multiple purposes. With our counting
and scoring features, it is used by hundreds of schools, colleges and
universities around the world. The GEnie online service uses SuperShow IV to
create their monthly LiveWire multimedia electronic magazine. Software
developers, commercial banks, insurance companies, real estate firms, lawyers,
commercial design houses... these are just a few of the types of people
creating presentations with SuperShow. Some of the application types being
created with SuperShow include:

 * Sales Presentations     * Product Catalogs      * Electronic Magazines
 * Software Demonstration  * Interactive Testing   * Product Tutorials
 * Software Prototyping    * Educational Learning  * Photo Displays

Reviews: SuperShow was chosen by PC World Magazine (February 1994) as one of
the best business shareware programs available for the PC. SuperShow also
received rave reviews in Shareware Magazine and Shareware UpDate Magazine.

  "... its menu system and dazzling effects make it a formidible weapon..."
                                                   PC World - February 1994

  "You could spend a lot of time and money looking for a similar program
  without ever finding one as complete as SuperShow, even in the commercial
  marketplace. Try it for yourself!"
                                          Shareware Magazine - Vol VII No.1

  "The special effects are part of what makes SuperShow stand head and
  shoulders above standard viewers... Uses for SuperShow are limited only by
  your imagination."
                                     Shareware UpDate Magazine - Vol.1 No.5

Requirements: SuperShow IV requires a minimum of a 286-class PC with 640K
conventional memory, a standard VGA graphics card adapter and DOS 3.1 or later.
We recommend at least a 386-based system, 2 MB of additional memory, and DOS
5.0 or higher.

SuperShow will display any PCX or GIF image in screen resolutions from CGA to
SuperVGA, 1024x768, 256 colors. We directly support several SuperVGA chip sets
in addition to direct support for VESA SuperVGA standards. Sound support
includes all versions of the Sound Blaster card from Creative Labs and close
compatibles.

Font Display: The registered version of SuperShow includes 36 custom fonts.
These fonts are in the GEM format (those used in Ventura Publisher for DOS).
You may order hundreds of additional fonts from PC West. Alternatively, you may
create your own fonts to use in SuperShow with font-making programs like More
Fonts from MicroLogic.

Support: Dozens of tutorial scripts are included with your order of SuperShow
IV. Each of these scripts address a certain aspect or feature of SuperShow. The
scripts are heavily annotated and help shorten the learning curve. In addition,
PC West offers free technical support and presentation consultation. As a
registered owner, you may call any time.

Guarantee: If you are not fully satisfied with SuperShow IV in the first 30
days, you may return it for a full refund minus shipping costs.

SuperShow IV is used to produce GEnie LiveWire Multimedia Magazine for
IBM-compatibles. Connect charges are waived at up to 2400 baud when you
download current and back issues of LiveWire Magazine during non-prime time.
Type LIVEWIRE on GEnie for more information.

A demonstration version of SuperShow IV is available for downloading from the
Multimedia RoundTable Library on GEnie:

 *********************************
Number: 949  Name: SSHOW4.ZIP
Address: T.MORAN                Date: 940226
Approximate # of bytes: 427136
Number of Accesses: 3  Library: 3
Description:
Latest shareware release of SuperShow IV, a multimedia presentation authoring
software system. SuperShow, chosen by PC World (Feb '94) as among the best in
business shareware, is used to create the electronic version of LIVEWIRE
magazine on GEnie. SuperShow supports the use of PCX & GIF images from CGA to
1024x768x256 SVGA. Features include animation, dozens of special effects,
screen transitions, support for Sound Blaster, kaleidoscope, custom fonts, text
scrolling and more. This shareware version includes a demo presentation and all
you need to create your own presentations.


SuperShow Supplemental Collections

PC West offers you dozens of additional programs, custom fonts, PC Speaker and
MIDI songs, sound effects, and 256-color screen templates with our seven
SuperShow Supplemental Collection Disks. You may purchase individual disk
collections or, if you order any six, you will receive about 35% off the list
price.

SuperShow Collection Disks:

Disk #1 - SuperTool Extra Utilities Collection #1: 16 additional utility
programs are contained in this collection of QuikShow. QuikShow is a collection
of four alternate run-time libraries that may save you up to 55K on the size of
your run-time file. You also receive MakeRead, a series of programs to create
an .EXE file from an ASCII text file. It is designed to display text files that
you may distribute with no fees or royalties. Other programs include GIF and
PCX command line image viewers, a memory resident graphics print screen
program, various text to PCX image convertors and more. Price $19.95.

Disk #2 - Fonts & Music Collection #1: This disk contains 24 ready-to-play
songs including Happy Birthday, William Tell Overture, America, Charge! and
more. You also receive over three dozen additional custom fonts that may be
used with your SuperShow. Price $14.95.

Disk #3 - Fonts & Music Collection #2: Even more custom fonts and PC Speaker
music files! This disk contains 24 songs including Silent Night, Deck the
Halls, Star Wars, and Star Trek themes. Also included are 32 custom
presentation fonts you may include in SuperShow. Price $14.95.

Disk #4 - VOC & CMF Music & Sound Effects #1: This disk contains dozens of
digitized and CMF music files and sound effects. The music files include full
length songs as well as instrumental tags. Tags are brief (5 to 15 second)
music accentuators that help bring your presentation to life. Also included in
this collection are dozens of sound effects including animal sounds, laser
effects, applause, horns, and more. This collection requires a Sound Blaster or
compatible sound card. Price $14.95.

Disk #5 - VOC & CMF Music & Sound Effects #2: More CMF and digitized VOC music
and sound effects files. You receive songs and music tags. Sound effects
include space, ethereal sounds, laser guns, gun shots, more animal effects,
automobile sounds and more. This collection also requires a Sound Blaster or
compatible sound card. Price $14.95.

Disk #6 - Template Collection #1 (VGA 640x480x256): This collection includes 36
full screen template designs that you may use and distribute in your
presentation. All screens were created in VGA 640x480 in 256 colors. These
images are designed to let you display your own text and messages on them using
our custom fonts and pop-up boxes or circles. Some already include clip art.
Also included are several gradient screens. We also include 256 and 16 grey
shade images you may use to convert your color images to grey scale. Total file
size over 6 megabytes. Price $14.95.

Disk #7 - Custom Font Collection #3: This collection contains over 60 custom
fonts. Included are graduating point sizes of sharp serif and sans serif fonts.
Point sizes range from 8 point to 40 point. Several new headline/title fonts
are also included. Price $14.95.

For more information contact PC West Software, P.O. Box 31418, Phoenix, AZ
85046, telephone [phone], or send GE Mail to T.MORAN.

                                   -*-




     _  _        Chicago VIDEO EXPO/IMAGE WORLD April 25-29
    / )/ )       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / // /            White Plains, NY -- February 1994
  /  ~_/
 / /\ \
(_/  \_)nowledge Industry Publications sponsors the VIDEO EXPO/IMAGE WORLD
Exhibit and Seminars on April 25-29, 1994 at the Expo Center/Merchandise Mart,
350 North Orleans, Chicago, IL.

Stay on Top of the Newest Technologies and Techniques for Creating Visual
Images:

 * Choose from over 40 seminars in 5 subject tracks: Corporate Media
   Production, Graphic & Animation, Multimedia, Desktop Video, and Ditigal
   Imaging & Prepress!

 * Increase your professional skills in two-day and four-day workshops on
   CD-ROM, Digital Video Production, and Interactive Media.

 * Attend three FREE Keynote Sessions on the Power PC Revolution, Computer
   Graphics and Animation, and Electronic Imaging.

 * Compare the newest video, graphics and computer technologies from the
   industry's leading manufacturers and suppliers.

 * Discover the latest software, graphics, multimedia, editing, digital
   video and desktop publishing solutions in special show presentations.

Learn how to put today's imaging tools to work for your company using:

 * Traditional Desktop Video
 * Computer Graphics
 * Digital and Prepress Imaging
 * Interactive Multimedia

Digital full motion video.. computer graphics, animation and multimedia
software... photo CD, CD-I, CD-ROM... in a constantly evolving market, just
staying on top of today's hottest creative tools can be a full-time job! Each
month seems to bring new advances in the camera and computer technologies that
you can use to perfect the crisp, compelling images you create.

That's why there's VIDEO EXPO/IMAGE WORLD in Chicago, the trade show and
conference dedicated to helping creative professionals make the most of today's
computer imaging tools.

VIDEO EXPO/IMAGE WORLD is a specialized, yet comprehensive five-day seminar and
exhibit program that allows you to choose from more than 40 sessions on the
hottest technological developments in every area of visual image creation...
today's video and desktop video, desktop graphics, digital prepress imaging and
interactive multimedia applications.

You'll learn how to:

 * Use the newest video production techniques
 * Utilize basic and advanced computer graphic applications
 * Combine video, animation, text and graphics into a multimedia production
 * AND.. evaluate and select digital prepress equipment

So whether you're a corporate or independent video producer, graphic designer
or prepress specialist, whether you're involved in traditional or desktop
video, or whether you work with Mac or IBM PC platforms, VIDEO EXPO/IMAGE WORLD
has the tools you need to unleash your creative potential and keep your
business one step ahead of the competition!

Expanded Seminar Program! Choose from Dozens of Sessions in 5 Key Subject
Tracks:

The VIDEO EXPO/IMAGE WORLD Program allows you to select from over 40 seminars,
workshops and conferences in five subject tracks: Corporate Media Production,
Graphics & Animation, Multimedia, Desktop Video, and Digital Imaging &
Prepress.

Half-day seminars are 2 1/2 hour sessions offering in-depth information on a
particular topic. Convenient morning and afternoon time blocks make it easy to
incorporate these seminars into your busy schedule and still have time to visit
the exhibits.

Full-day seminars are intensive, hands-on explorations of a particular
technology or application. These seminars run from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, with a
break for lunch.

Multiple-day workshops offer intense exploration of the hottest technologies in
Multimedia, CD-ROM Development, or Digital Video.

No matter what your area of interest, you'll find seminars geared to every
level of expertise, and come away with practical, hands-on techinques that you
can put to work immediately back on the job.

Register before April 21 for Free Show Admission!

While all seminar registrants automatically receive FREE admission to the VIDEO
EXPO/IMAGE WORLD Exhibit Hall, you can also register for the exhibits only
admission.

For FREE Exhibit Hall admission, you must contact Knowledge Industry
Publications, complete the proper form and mail or fax it by 12:00 noon EST on
Thursday, April 21 (sorry, no phone in reservations may be made for Exhibits
Only admissions). After that date, on-site registration fee is $25.

Show Registration Includes:

 * FREE Exhibit Hall Admission
 * FREE admittions to all special show features including the Media Zone,
   The Publishing Studio, The Computer Graphics and Multimedia Solutions
   Center, The Editing Suites, and more.
 * FREE Keynote Sessions
 * FREE Subscription to AV Video or Computer Pictures magazine (if you
    qualify)

Registration fees for VIDEO EXPO/IMAGE WORLD seminars range from $125 to $950.

For details contact Knowledge Industry Publication, Inc., 701 Westchester
Avenue, White Plains, NY 10604, telephone [phone] or 914/328-9157.

                                      -*-




            PCVR: The Magazine Dedicated to Low-end Virtual Reality
    ____    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / _  )             Stoughton, WI -- March 2, 1994
  / ___/
 / /
(_/CVR, a virtual reality publication, introduces high-tech Virtual Reality
equipment, theories, and software to the layperson by simplifying procedures,
languages, and materials. The equipment necessary for a Virtual Reality system
usually costs over $25,000 and is primarily available to universities and
businesses. PCVR changes this situation by bringing the technology into the
home through tutorials and do-it-yourself projects. Through step-by-step
articles, a complete Virtual Reality system can be built for under $3000
including the personal computer necessary to execute the system.

Subscribers receive 6 issues a year which contain: editorials, thought-
provoking columns, hardware/software topics, tutorials, and do-it-yourself
projects. The hardware projects use off-the-shelf components which enables a
non-technical person access to Virtual Reality equipment in their own home. The
tutorials explain the major technical areas of Virtual Reality without the
jargon usually associated with industry journals.

PCVR intends to bring Virtual Reality out of science laboratories and into the
general computer community!
Contents of Back Issues

Issue 1 - Power Glove Interface: Interfacing the Power Glove to the IBM PC -
Creating a Virtual Hand using Borland C 2.0 - Graphics Source Code and Packages

Issue 2 - Power Glove Software: Creating a Better Virtual Hand - A Virtual
Handshake - A PCVR Board - Graphics - Basics

Issue 3 - Head Mounted Display and 3D Glasses: Interfacing the Sega Glasses to
the PC - Building a Head Mounted Display - Basics - Rend386 and the Sega
Glasses - A 3D Pointing Package for REND386 and the Power Glove - a Pig/FIg
Virtual Hand - Graphics - Basics - Games

Issue 4 - REND386 Version 3.0 Rendering Software: The Power of REND386 -
REND386 Program Skeleton - Compiling with REND386 - Creating Objects in REND386
- REND386 and Figures - REND386 Sega/Power Glove Interfaces - Building a Head
Mounted Display, Part 2 - Graphics

Issue 5 - Head Tracking: Survey of Available Head Tracking Technology -
Building a Boom Head Tracker for $10.00 - Virtual Imagination - Building a Head
Mounted Display, Part 3 - Graphics - Working with REND386

Issue 6 - 3D Sound: Theory of 3D Sound - Current 3D Sound Products - The Power
Glove Serial Interface: Touching the Future - REND386 Skeleton Program -
Graphics - Working with REND386 - Software Library - My Virtual Playground

Issue 7 - VR Motion: Interfacing a Motion Device - A Demo World for Motion -
Using a Treadmill for Motion - Using a Joystick for Motion - Visual Perception
of Spatial Information - A C++ Power Glove Driver - Graphics - Working with
REND386 - My Virtual Playground

Issue 8 - PCVR Renderer: The PCVR Renderer - Building the PCVR Renderer - PCVR
Renderer Objects - Visual Perception of Spatial Information, Part 2 - VR
Insider - Graphics - Working with REND386 - My Virtual Playground

Issue 9 - Build a HMD for $450.00: Build a Virtual Reality Headset Yourself -
Personal Virtual Reality Video Controller - Lenses and Mirrors and HOEs, Oh My
- VR Insider - Working with the PCVR Renderer - Graphics - Working with REND386
- My Virtual Playground

Issue 10 - Voice Recognition: Adding Voice Recognition to REND386 - Covox Voice
Recognition Software - Visual Perception of Spatial Information, Part 3 -
Debugging Virtual Worlds with REND386 - Lepton Virtual Reality Toolkit - Book
Review - VR Insider - Working with REND386 - My Virtual Playground

Issue 11 - Connectivity: Adding Serial Access to REND386 - Building Cyberspace
- Cyberterm: A Terminal Into Cyberspace - Terrain Mapping with REND386 - What's
New - Book Review - Software Review - VR Insider - Graphics - Working with
REND386 - Conference Report - In the Industry - My Virtual Playground

Issue 12 - Input Devices: Rebuilding the Power Glove - Interfacing the Global
3D Controller - Interfacing the Logitech Cyberman - What are Strain Gages -
Survey of Input Devices - Cyberterm, Part 2 - Terrain Mapping - Book Review -
Product Review - VR Insider - Virtual Tele-News - Making REND Work - In the
Industry - My Virtual Playground

Issue 13 - Head Tracking: Build Your Own Arm-Based Head Tracker - Keeping Your
Virtual Feet on the Ground - A Simple 3D Tracker - Survey of Available Head
Trackers - Interfacing the Stuntmaster - REND386 Version 5.0 Introduction -
Tool Review - Compiler Review (WATCOM C/C++ 9.5) - Book Review - Product Review
- VR Insider - Virtual TeleNews - Making REND Work - VREAM - My Virtual
Playground

Issue 14 - Feedback: Designing Heavy Objects - Mouse Tactors - Thermal Feedback
- Feedback Devices - Cyberterm, Part 3 - Toward Real Standards in Virtual
Reality - VGA-TO-NTSC Conversion - VR-386 - VR Insider - Tele-Presence -
Graphics - Making REND Work - Using VREAM - Company Profile - My Virtual
Playground - What's New - Book Reviews

Future Issues

Issue 15 - Arcade Systems            Issue 16 - Glove Technology
Issue 17 - Applications              Issue 18 - 3D Sound
Issue 19 - Head Mounted Displays

Subscription Information (6 Issues):    Back Issues - All are available:
-----------------------------------     --------------------------------
 $26.00 US/Canada                        $4.50 US/Canada
 $38.00 Overseas                         $6.50 Overseas

Payment: Check or Money Order drawn on US bank in US dollars
         VISA, Mastercard, and American Express Card

PCVR Magazine introduces four interface packages for those who don't have the
time to build them:

Power Glove Interface - As featured in Issue 1 of PCVR Magazine
  Power Glove to PC Parallel Port connector with external power supply plug
  Disk with examples including source code
  Cost: $20 + $2.50 shipping ($4.50 overseas)

+5v Power Supply
  5V Power Supply and compatible jack: $20.00 + $5 shipping ($20 overseas)

Power Glove
 Power Glove: $35 + $5 shipping ($26 overseas)

Shutter Glasses Interface - As featured in Issues 2 and 3 of PCVR Magazine
  Shutter Glasses to PC Serial Port connector
  Disk with examples including source code
  Cost: $30 + $3.50 shipping ($5.50 overseas)

Stuntmaster Interface - As featured in Issue 13 of PCVR Magazine
  Complete cable for interfaceing the VictorMaxx Stuntmaster Headset to:
    * NTSC Signal - VGA-TO-NTSC Converter necessary for PC use
    * Power Supply supplied with headset
    * Stereo plug for Sound Blaster or compatible stereo sound card
    * Head tracking through joystick game port. Please note that the head
      tracking consists of look right, look forward, and look left. There
      are no positions between these. We recommend using the PCVR-TRACKER
      once available for more precise tracking.
  Disk with examples including source code
  Cost: $30 + $3.50 shipping ($5.50 overseas)

SIMPLE-TRACK - As featured in Issue 13 of PCVR Magazine

An experimental head tracker that allows 3 degrees of freedom (yaw, pitch,
roll) through a simple interface with the PC's joystick port. The full 3D model
uses both joystick ports. The assembled version can be purchased as a 2D
tracker (yaw and pitch) which only uses a single port. The tracker is offered
in kit or assembled form.

Assembled: The assembled head tracker includes the computer tracker and a
portable arm attachment as well as the software necessary to access the
tracker. Example programs are provided for REND386 and the Lepton Renderer.
Please specify 2D or 3D. Cost: $75.00 plus $6.50 shipping ($26.00 overseas)

Kit: The Simple Track Kit includes all of the parts necessary for building the
tracker except the arm. The L-brackets (as described in Issue 13) are not
drilled but we include simple templates. Cost: $35.00 plus $4.50 shipping
($7.50 overseas)

For more information, contact PCVR Magazine, P.O. Box 475, Stoughton WI 53589,
phone/fax [phone].

                                      -*-




                    The Cyberplasm Formula Fourth Adventure
  ____              in Interactive CD-ROM Comic Book Series
 / ___)             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
( (__                   Las Vegas, NV -- February 1994
 \__ \
 ___) )
(____/anctuary Woods Multimedia Inc. (NASDAQ: SWMCF; VSE: SWD.V) has shipped
The Cyberplasm Formula, the fourth installment in its Victor Vector & Yondo
series of Iventures, interactive comic book adventures for kids ages 8 and up.
The Cyberplasm Formula is available in dual media CD-ROM format, enabling
playback on either Windows or Macintosh computers.

This latest adventure follows Victor Vector and his digital dog Yondo, two
time-traveling museum field agents from the 22nd century, as they try to save
the life of their boss, the cybernetic Curator of the Museum of Fantastic
Phenomena. It seems the Curator's supply of life-giving cyberplasm has been
exhausted, and Victor and Yondo must return to the era before the Great Crash
of 2093 AD to secure the formula.

The goal of the Victor Vector & Yondo series is to create for interactive media
the kind of serial adventure stories experienced in movie theaters of
yesterday, complete with brave adventurers, evil villains and cliff-hanging
action.

"The Cyberplasm Formula takes the Victor and Yondo series to new heights," said
Scott Walchek, president of Sanctuary Woods. "More animation, ambient sound and
user-friendly interface all contribute to making this title the best
interactive comic book yet. And those who have been following the series will
be intrigued by its new developments."

As players direct this expedition in time, they learn details about Victor and
Yondo's background that have only been hinted at in previous adventures: how
the world government was relinquished to robots after the disastrous failures
of the 20th century, and how the resulting "utopia" nearly destroyed the human
spirit before the Great Crash brought technology to a standstill. They also
learn the origins of the mysterious and beautiful Delta Mode, and about the
creation of the sinister computer virus called RAM Axis, the nemesis of Victor
and Yondo.

As with previous episodes, The Cyberplasm Formula features vivid, hand-painted
backgrounds and appealing characters designed by Spiderman comic-book artist
Ken Steacy. Sound effects, music, professional voices, and digital video clips
from popular science-fiction movies enhance the story.

Players collect items along the way to help them overcome obstacles, such as a
radioactive maze and a puzzling part-order system, as they navigate from a
condemned city district to RoboCorp's secret cyberplasm lab. They also can
learn historical facts about real robots by visiting the RoboCorp Museum.

The Cyberplasm Formula requires a 386SX PC or higher with Windows 3.1, a Super
VGA monitor, 4MB of RAM, a sound card and a CD-ROM drive; or a
QuickTime-compatible Macintosh with at least 4 MB of RAM, a 13-inch monitor and
a CD-ROM drive.

The program is available at a competitive suggested retail price of $39.95. The
Cyberplasm Formula and all of Sanctuary Woods' products are distributed in
North America by Electronic Arts and sold through computer retail and consumer
electronics stores.

Sanctuary Woods Multimedia Corporation, an Electronic Arts Affiliate label, is
a leading developer of family-oriented entertainment and educational multimedia
titles distributed on CD-ROM for Windows PC, Macintosh and 3DO platforms.
Sanctuary Woods produces its titles under four brands: I-learn(tm),
I-tales(tm), I-ventures(tm) and I-laugh(tm).  Current titles include Shelley
Duvall's It's A Bird's Life, Dennis Miller That's News to Me, The Awesome
Adventures of Victor Vector & Yondo Series, The Hawaii High Series and Sitting
on the Farm.

Founded in 1988, with headquarters in Victoria, British Columbia, Sanctuary
Woods Multimedia Corporation is a public company currently traded on NASDAQ
(SWMCF) and the Vancouver Stock Exchange (SWD.V). Sanctuary Woods Multimedia
Inc., a subsidiary of Sanctuary Woods Multimedia Corporation, has sales,
marketing and operations headquarters in San Mateo, Calif.

                                     -*-




                 CyberScape 2D Animation Software for Amiga
    ____         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / ___)            Santa Barbara, CA -- February 1994
  / /
 / (__
(_____)yberScape (TM) is a complete 2D animation software package with emphasis
on object dynamics and human-computer interactions. Instead of prescribing
exact motion paths for objects in the scene, you assign dynamic properties for
each object; CyberScape then determines their trajectories in real-time,
including inter-object and boundary collisions. To really take advantage of the
software you need Live!(R) frame grabber with CyberScape; the actor in front of
the camera, with its digitized or genlocked image showing on the screen,
becomes an object and actually participates in the animation. The impact is
tremendous as your audience experiences the stunning graphics and sound with
amazing CyberScape animation and interactivity.

CyberScape is also script-based, multi-threaded, event-driven animation
software; it features scene transitions, timed sequences, integer variables,
arithmetic and logic operations, and object referencing and hierarchies. It
supports all video modes with overscan; imports IFF pictures, animations, and
anim-brushes; performs cel animations and color transitions. Motion parameters
in CyberScape include object position, velocity, and acceleration; dynamic
properites include elasticity coefficient, spring stiffness, damping factor,
and gravitational constant.

CyberSpace plays IFF sampled sound and synthesized speech; it also has a full
implementation of standard MIDI events. It can output directly to serial port,
parallel port, and ARexx message ports. User interactions include Live!-object
grabbing, throwing, function-key pressing, mouse click-and-drag. Input devices
supported include mouse, Live! frame grabber, PowerGlove (R), MIDI input, and
ARexx input. The software also supports dynamic scene loading and unloading so
that you can efficiently use memory resources. Minimum hardware configuration
is an Amiga computer with 512K memory running AmigaDOS 1.3 or above.

Tensor Publications specializes in man/machine interface applications in the
area of interactive hypermedia productions and performances. We constantly seek
out new possibilities and provide services for our customers.

Suggested retail price of CyberScape is $245.

For details, contact Tensor Productions, 819 Gwyne Avenue, Santa Barbara CA
93111, telephone [phone], fax [phone].


Amiga Live! is available from Argus Associates:

Amiga 2000: Live! List $595 + shipping
Amiga 3000: Live! List $595 + shipping
Amiga 4000: Live! List $595 + shipping

Software updates:

 #1 Hi Res & 340-640 HAM, stop motion animation, overscan for the L1000/L500
 $16.95 + SASE Return mailer.

 #2 Updates - Original disk has L2000 s/fx. $16.95 + SASE Return mailer.

Hardware Updates:

 Chip + data sheet that allows you to update your L2000 to run in A3000 or
 A4000. $59.95 + SASE mailer.

Manuals: Has L2000 info as well as the L1000/500. $15.95 + SASE Mailer.

For more information contact Argus Associates, P.O. Box 485, Pinole CA 94564.

                                    -*-




                GEnie Explores New (for it) Advertising Media
    ____        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / _  )           Cyberspace, Earth -- March 1, 1994
  / __ /
 / _  )
(____/elieving that GEnie's recent foray into radio and newspaper advertising
is of interest to members, we thought you might like to see the script for a
60-second radio spot broadcast recently in the Chicago area. The newspaper ads,
which appeared in several U.S. markets, follow this script pretty closely, and
include signup instructions.

If you'd like to listen to the real thing, so to speak, a digitized Windows WAV
file is available in the Multimedia RoundTable Library:

  *********************************
 Number: 953  Name: GENIE_AD.ZIP
 Address: CYBERSPACE                Date: 940301
 Approximate # of bytes: 580992
 Number of Accesses: 5  Library: 3
 Description:
 This is a WAV file of the GEnie radio ad as heard in the Chicago area on
 2/28/94.  The file is 22 khz, 8 bit, mono to keep the size down. Running
 time is ~60 secs.


Here's the radio script -- though it's better when you hear it!


<Thumping backwards music under>

These days, everyone's talking about the so-called "information superhighway."
Well, I tried to get on one of those online services the other day, and let me
tell you something. They ought to call it the "information
dirt-road-with-lots-of-traffic-lights-potholes-and-detours." Seriously. There
were so many people online, I couldn't even connect.

<Music drags to a halt>

Well, fortunately, there's an alternate route: GEnie.

<Techno music underneath>

GEnie has everything you're looking for like computing suport, databases and
live chat lines. Plus award-winning games, over 200,000 downloadable files and
the coolest special interest areas around. But the best part is, you can
actually get on GEnie! Just call 1-800-638-9636. They'll even start you off
with almost 40 bucks worth of free services. So call 1-800-638-9636.  And get
online. Not in line.

<Live tag>  For details and complete sign-up instructions, see the GEnie ad in
the Chicago Tribune. Or call 1-800-638-9636.

                                    -*-






    Stories In This Issue...   DateLine: March 11, 1994
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 1. Interactive Media Festival in June
 2. MultiSound Monterey Now Shipping at $399.00
 3. PC West Presents Text-Show 5.0
 4. R.A.W. Entertainment Signs (Yet Another) New Affiliate!
 5. Amiga's Top Image Processor Gets Brand New Look and More
 6. Atomic Toaster Catalog, 3rd Edition
 7. Fantasy Art Collection of GIFs



                     Interactive Media Festival in June
 ______              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(__  __)               San Francisco, CA -- March 1994
  / /
 / /
(_/he Interactive Media Festival(TM) launched its global search for definitive
examples of interactive media and art last October, and recently announced its
Delegation of Nominators. The diverse, international 75-member Delegation is
responsible for selecting the work to be included in this new competition.

In addition, the Interactive Media Festival announced that the Festival Awards
Show -- a live, interactive performance -- will take place at the Universal
Amphitheatre in Los Angeles on June 7, 1994. The Festival Gallery will be open
to the public during Seybold's Digital World conference, June 6-8 at the Los
Angeles Convention Center. By expanding into the Universal, the Festival will
be able to offer additional tickets to the event.

The Interactive Media Festival also opened an Internet mailbox. Developers,
artists and others are encouraged to post descriptions of interactive projects
to the Delegation of Nominators. For more information, send an electronic mail
message to [e-mail]. [Cyberspace Report Note:
nominations are now closed.]

"The Festival process is designed to explore the staggering range of
interactive media and art now in development around the world," explained
Festival Director Lisa Goldman. "The Delegation of Nominators will have to make
some hard and interesting choices to determine what they consider to be the
essential characteristics of interactivity."

The Interactive Media Festival Delegation of Nominators is chartered with
seeking out significant examples of interactivity from around the world. Fields
ranging from film, music, art and publishing to computers, consumer electronics
and communications will be explored. There are no categories of competition,
reflecting the undefined potential for this new medium. Evaluations will
revolve around five criteria: interactivity, informational value, entertainment
value, aesthetic quality, and design effectiveness.

"The Festival emphasis on content puts innovative work on an equal footing,"
said Harvie Branscomb, who oversees the competition. "It will be fascinating to
see whether multi-million dollar productions and projects developed on
shoestring budgets end up side-by-side in the Festival."

In January, each member of the Delegation proposed two interactive works for
inclusion in the Festival. The Delegation then reviewed and ranked these
nominations. The top-ranked pieces are being evaluated by a separate jury,
chosen for its media expertise and influence on culture, who will determine the
special prizes. Each work is being reviewed and evaluated in its original form.

The Interactive Media Festival is sponsored by Motorola, a company that
develops and markets technologies and products that drive the digital
convergence of consumer electronics, entertainment, communications and
computing. The Interactive Media Festival is produced in association with The
American Film Institute and Cunningham Communication, Inc. The Festival will be
held in conjunction with Digital World, a Seybold Seminars products.

For more information call 1-800-573-1212.


Interactive Media Festival Fact Sheet

Charter
The Interactive Media Festival will celebrate the growing importance of
interactivity by searching the world for definitive works of media and art.


Background
The Interactive Media Festival is an international juried competition, gallery
and performance honoring outstanding works of interactive media and art. It
will culminate in an evening of live, star-studded, interactive performance at
the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles on June 7, 1994. There will be a
Festival Gallery exhibit open to the public during the month of June in Los
Angeles.

Sponsored by Motorola, Inc., the Interactive Media Festival is produced in
association with Cunningham Communication, Inc. and The American Film
Institute. The Kenwood Group of San Francisco is producing the Sparky Award
Show at the Universal Amphitheatre. The Festival will be held in conjunction
with the fifth annual Digital World, a Seybold Seminars exposition.


Board of Advisors
Tom Beaver, corporate vice president and director, PowerPC program, Motorola,
Inc.

Rusty Brashear, vice president, corporate public relations and advertising,
Motorola, Inc.

Andrea Cunningham, president, Cunningham Communication, Inc.

Jonathan Seybold, chief executive officer, Seybold Seminars


Festival Team
Executive Producer:  Rand Siegfried
Director: Lisa Goldman
Associate Director, Communications: Melanie Cornwell
Associate Director, Development: Victor E. Friedberg
Festival Coordinator: Debbie Giusti
Production Assistant: Taylor Morris


Competition
Competition Director: Harvie Branscomb
Gallery Producer: Claire Calvino
Human Network Director: Wanda Webb


Sparky Awards Show
Executive Producer: Larry Behrs, The Kenwood Group
Senior Producer: Jane Hall, The Kenwood Group
Creative Director: Kevin Ward
Show Executive Producer: Kimber Rickabaugh
Show Producer: Tim Fink


Marketing
Director of Marketing: Matt Afflixio, Cunningham Communication, Inc.
Publicist: Kathleen Bowden, Communiham Communication, Inc.
Graphic Design: Peggy Burke, 1185 Design



Interactive Media Festival Delegation of Nominators

Roy Ascott, Centre Advanced Inquiry Interactive Arts, Gwent College, Wales UK
John Perry Barlow, Electronic Frontier Foundation, New York, NY USA
Stephen Beck, Lapis Technology, Aladema, CA USA
Peter Black, Xiphias, Los Angeles, CA USA
Stewart Bonn, Electronic Arts, San Mateo, CA USA
Florian Brody, New Media Consulting, Vienna, Austria
Patty Burness, the George Lucas Educational Foundation, San Rafael, CA USA
Red Burns, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, New York, NY USA
Tim Carrigan, Journalist, London, England
George Coates, George Coates Performance Works, San Francisco, CA USA
Bud Colligan, Macromedia, San Francisco, CA USA
Coco Conn, Homer and Associates, Hollywood, CA USA
Regina Cornwell, Writer, New York, NY USA
Desmond Crisis, ASCII Entertainment Software Inc., Foster City, CA USA
Stuart Cudlitz, Colossal Pictures, San Francisco, CA USA
Glorianna Davenport, MIT Media Lab, Cambridge, MA USA
Derrick De Kerckhove, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Tim Druckrey, International Center of Photography, New York, NY USA
Anne Marie Duguet, Universite de Paris I, Paris, France
Esther Dyson, Release 1.0, New York, NY USA
Scott Fisher, Telepresence Research, Portola Valley, CA USA
Diana Gagnon Hawkins, Interactive Associates, Portola Valley, CA USA
Stefania Grassini, Virtual, Milan, Italy
Rich Gold, Xeros PARC, Palo Alto, CA USA
Shalini Govil, David Sarnoff Research Center, Princeton, NJ USA
Jim Griffith, Media Learning Systems, Pasadena, CA USA
Katharina Gsollpointerner, ARS Electronica, Linz, Austria
Jonathan Guttenberg, Bantam Doubleday Dell, New York, NY USA
Yasuki Hamano, National Institute of Multimedia Education, Tokyo, Japan
Gary Hare, Fathom Pictures, Sausalite, CA USA
Katsura Hattori, Asahi Personal Computing, Tokyo, Japan
Eric Herot, The Interactive Media Guy, Newton, MA USA
Erkki Huhtamo, MuuMediaFestival, Turku, Finland
Joichi Ito, Techno Culture Analyst, Tokyo, Japan
Hal Josephson, 3DO, Redwood City, CA USA
Andy Kessler, Unterberg Harris, San Francisco, CA USA
Alexander Knight, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA USA
Machiko Kusahara, Art Computer Communications, Tokyo, Japan
David Levitt, Interval Research, Palo Alto, CA USA
Harry Marks, Marks Communication Inc., Los Angeles, CA USA
Ron Martinez, Spectrum HoloByte, Alameda, CA USA
Maria Grazia Mattei, Mediatech, Milan, Italy
Mary Meeker, Morgan Stanley & Co., New York, NY USA
Michael Naimark, Interval Research, Palo Alto, CA USA
Kazuhiko, Nishi, ASCII Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
Mark Pauline, Survival Research Labs, San Francisco, CA USA
Simon Penny, Fine Arts College, Carnegie Mellon Univer, Pittsburgh, PA USA
Philippe Queau, Institut National de l'Audiovisuel, Bry-sur-Marne, France
Sherrie Rabinowitz, Electronic Cafe International, Santa Monica, CA USA
Tegan Raleigh, Columnist, Cupertine, CA USA
Ron Reisman, NASA, Moffett Field, CA USA
David Riordan, Philips Interactive Media, Thousand Oaks, CA USA
Michael Rogers, Newsweek Interactive, San Francisco, CA USA
Louis Rossetto, Wired, San Francisco, CA USA
Matt Rothman, Sony New Technologies, New York, NY USA
Paul Saffo, Institute for the Future, Menlo Park, CA USA
Itsuo Sakane, Keio University, Kanagawa-ken, Japan
Christine Schopf, ORF OOE (Austrian Broadcasting Corp.), Linz, Austria
Rob Semper, Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA USA
Jeffrey Shaw, Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnologie, Karlsruhe, Germany
Jon Snoddy, Walt Disney Imagineering, Glendale, CA USA
Cynthia Solomon, Education Technologies Consultant, Cambridge, MA USA
Mark Stahlman, New Media Associates, New York, NY USA
Steve Stanford, ICM, Beverly Hilly, CA USA
Bob Stein, The Voyager Company, New York, NY USA
Linda Stone, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA USA
Mitsuhiro Takemura, Takemura Associates, Tokyo, Japan
Atau Tanaka, IRCAM, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
Mark Thalhimer, Freedom Forum Media Studies Center, Columbia Univ., NY NY USA
Eku Wand, SCREENDESIGN, Berlin, Germany
Gary Warner, Australian Film Commission, Sydney, Australia
Max Whitby, Multimedia Corporation, London, England
Kathleen Wilson, Paramount Technology Group, Palo Alto, CA USA
Robert Winter, Department of Music, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA USA
Elizabeth Young, Topanga Productions, Topanga, CA USA

                                  -*-




                 MultiSound Monterey Now Shipping at $399.00!
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       The New "High End" of PC Audio
 ______
(__  __)                    York, PA -- March 1994
  / /
 / /
(_/urtle Beach Systems, the leader in quality multimedia sound products is now
shipping MultiSound Monterey, the new standard for quality in PC sound cards,
at an incredible price of $399.

"The original MultiSound was an incredibly successful product for us," said
Jeff Klinedinst, VP of Marketing. "It is still the standard by which sound
cards are judged. Monterey just adds to MultiSound's impressive resume. The
Incredible volume of the first MultiSound has allowed us to cost reduce several
key areas on the new design, thereby allowing us to offer Monterey at a much
more consumer-friendly price."

MultiSound Monterey features SampleStore(TM), a technological capability of the
hardware (upgradable to 4 megs using standard SIPs), which can take any
standard WAV file and use it as a MIDI instrument. This means that the end user
is no longer stuck with only the factory sounds provided by most manufacturers.
Also included is the Motorola 56001 Digital Signal Processor which is capable
of 20 milion instructions per seconds (MIPS).

Turtle Beach has added a new synthesizer to MultiSound Monterey. The
WaveFront(TM) sample playback synthesizer is a 32 voice, General MIDI
compatible synth.

An effects processor is also included so that real-time synthesizer effects can
be added to MIDI files. A generous assortment of software-upgradable reverbs
and echos can be added instantly to any MIDI files using the Monterey. Turtle
Beach has upgraded the software load included with MultiSound Monterey. A patch
editor is included for fine-tuning MIDI instrument sounds, as well as a front
panel application for system level control of your synthesizer. MousePlayer(TM)
is a new software application which lets you trigger instrument sounds without
a MIDI keyboard, and Wave SE(TM) is a sample loader which makes uploading new
samples a very easy process.

Turtle Beach Systems is a market leader in designing high quality multimedia
sound products and is a division of Integrated Circuit Systems Inc. in Valley
Forge, PA.

For more information, contact your local computer dealer or Turtle Beach
Systems at P.O. Box 5074, York PA 17405, telephone [phone], fax
717/767-6033.

                                     -*-




                      PC West Presents Text-Show 5.0
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                     Multimedia Presentation Software
   ____
  (_  _)                Phoenix, AZ -- March 1994
   / /
 _/ /
(____)ntroducing the latest in our Show Software Series, PC West presents
version 5.0 of Text-Show with enhanced multimedia features and programs
including:

 * 18 custom text fonts    * Mouse Input Commands    * User Text Input
 * Import ASCII text files * Display Current Date    * Display Current Time
 * Counting and Scoring    * 9 Mouse Cursor Shapes   * Timed Input Command
 * Quilting Effects        * Tiling Effects          * Play MIDI music files
 * Custom Font Preview     * Multiple Color Palettes * 4 Supplemental Disks

Current registered users may upgrade to this version for as little as $39.95.
More on how you may upgrade in a moment. First lets look at some of the dozens
of features of Text-Show 5.0 in more detail:

Custom Fonts: Text-Show now supports the display of custom fonts in text mode.
When you receive your upgrade you'll find 18 new custom fonts including Script,
Old English, Broadway, Antique, Hebrew, Greek, and many others. There are also
two special fonts containing customized drawing characters. Draw circles and
other curved shaped characters. These new custom fonts display in DOS text mode
by re-mapping your computer's built in ROM fonts. An EGA or VGA card is
required to view the custom fonts in text mode.

User Text Input: Text-Show 5.0 now accepts string input from the keyboard.
String input simply means the user may input words and sentences using the
keyboard. Text-Show 5.0 will accept the input and you may later re-display that
input using any ROM or custom fonts or SuperFont. Text-Show also accepts input
from a text tile. For example, if you have data that changes on a regular
basis, you don't need to change your script each time to update the data.
Simply change a text file and have your presentation read that data as part of
your show. These are several script commands annotated with user input. We have
included a fully annotated tutorial script containing several examples of user
text input commands.

Mouse Input: One of the most requested features for Text-Show was to include
the use of the mouse for conditional branching (menu input) as well as the
keyboard. Version 5.0 provides that feature. Just set screen locations and when
your user clicks on that location, conditional branching occurs. A complete
tutorial script is provided.

Display Date and Time: In this version, we have added four script commands to
display the time and date. You may display the date in Month/Day/Year or
Day/Month/Year formats. Time may be displayed in hours and minutes, or hours,
minutes & seconds. The time commands also include a timing parameter which will
continue to show the current time until the timing sequence ends or a key or
mouse button in pressed.

Counting & Scoring: Text-Show is used in hundreds of schools, colleges, and
universities across the country and around the world. We received many requests
from educators to include the ability to track user input for questions and
answers. Version 5.0 supports tracking of true/false or multiple choice type
reqponses as well as displaying a percentage score based upon the input. A
tutorial script is provided to each registered user.

Quilting & Tiling Special Effects: Two special effects have been added in this
version. The quilting effect will take any combination of characters and create
a dazzling quilt effect on the whole screen or any portion of the screen you
wish. You can actually show two separate quilt effects at the same time. The
tiling effect lets you fill the screen with a simple phrase or combination of
drawing characters.

Custom Palettes: With Text-Show 5.0 you receive several customized 16-color
palettes such as pastels, bright, reverse, reds, and more. You change palettes
with the new PAL script command. You can use the palettes to actually fade out
and fade in your screen images. Also, we are offering a special palette
creation tool named PALMAKE.EXE which allows you to create your own customized
palettes.

New Tools: Our goal is not only to add new features to each release, but also
to help you create your presentations faster and easier. Version 5.0 has
several new show preparation tools. For example, we have tools that preview
your new custom font files and the MUS, CMF and VOC sound files directly from
ShowPrep. You'll also find a new palette preview tool that shows you the color
and associated color number for each palette. In addition, we've expanded the
size of a script in ShowPrep to 500 lines for a total of 2000.

AT Change: Most of the script commands required you to locate a display feature
using the AT (At row, column) script command, now contain the location directly
in the command. For example, to print text on the screen prior to version 5.0,
you needed two commands. It looked like this:

     AT 10,10
     PRINT "The sentence or statement you wish to print."

With version 5.0, you may include the row, column location right in the print
script command. It looks like this:

     PRINT @ 10,10 "The sentence or statement you wish to print."

Don't worry! You won't have to re-do your old scripts. Text-Show 5.0 recognizes
the AT script command so all scripts made in earlier versions using this
command are compatible with version 5.0. However, we determined that AT was the
single most used command and resulted in large scripts. When we removed AT
commands in our demo script, we saved well over 300 lines.

MIDI Music Support: Text-Show 5.0 includes support for playing of Sound Blaster
MIDI files (.CMF). These files may be played in the background while changing
screens, printing text, using effects, etc. You may simultaneously play Sound
Blaster digitized voice files (.VOC), MIDI files (.CMF), and PC Speaker music
files (.MUS). A Sound Blaster or compatible card is required for VOC and MIDI.
We also offer two disks containing dozens of sound effects and music files.

Other Features: There are many other new features in Text-Show 5.0 including 9
new custom mouse cursor shapes, new script commands, turn blinking text on or
off, new tutorial scirpts that help you get up to speed quickly on features
such as mouse input, date & time, conditional branching, counting & scoring,
creating fades & screen transitions, and so forth. These new tutorial scripts
are heavily annotated, explaining what we are doing and why. Available
separately are over 60 custom screen images containing ASCII art and templates,
and two dozen new music files. These music files contain many holiday songs and
movie/TV themes.


A functional demonstration version of Text-Show 5.0 is available in File 380
for downloading from the Multimedia RoundTable Library on GEnie:

 *********************************
Number: 380  Name: TSHOW5.EXE
Address: MULTIMEDIA                Date: 930828
Approximate # of bytes: 258816
Number of Accesses: 10  Library: 3

Description: TEXT-SHOW 5.0 is a highly stylized screen presentation program
from PC WEST Software & Services of Phoenix, Arizona. The program allows the
user to create customized screen presentations using pictures/screens saved or
captured in the .SCR file format (BLOAD) or from screens stored in TEXT-SHOW
Library file (.LBR). TEXT-SHOW features include multiple screen fades and
segues, text display using computer, custom and big fonts, borders, screen
clearing effects, special effects, support for digitized music and CMF MIDI
files for Sound Blaster-compatible cards, music language and files, and more.

How to Order

The upgrade price for registered owners of Text-Show 4.1 is $39.95. To upgrade
from all previous versions of Text-Show, the price is $49.95. To order
Text-Show 5.0, send GE Mail to T.MORAN or write to PC West, P.O.Box 31418,
Phoenix AZ 85046, telephone [phone].

                                   -*-




           R.A.W. Entertainment Signs (Yet Another) New Affiliate!
    ____   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / _  )              Houston, TX -- March 5, 1994
  /   _/
 / /\ \
(_/  \_).A.W. Entertainment Inc. is proud to announce the signing of a new
affiliate DYNAMIC STRATEGIES, based in San Jose, CA. Their first title, to be
published under the RAW DSO, will be 2300: CYBER WARS.

CYBER WARS will be a strategic conflict game similar in concept to Risk or
Diplomacy. You will be the Leader of a small country. Your task: to build an
empire! You do this by developing your resources and planning their
distribution. As your empire grows, you will become involved with treaties,
official and unofficial, and small conflicts with bordering nations.

What would a strategy game be without conflict? Within the game, each ruler
hopes to prepare his or her country to withstand, and win, the ravages of a war
that is inevitable. Outside the game, between turns, each player can attempt to
affect other rulers by persuasion, offers of fealty, blatant bribery, or deter
them with the fear of "The Mother of All Wars."

But conflict is only one aspect of 2300: CYBER WARS. You are in direct control
of your nation's resources, and responsible for maintaining balance within your
realm. Improving your technological level, for example, can aid you in times of
war, but it also contributes to Environmental problems. You must balance your
technological industrialization with research and development in new "Eco-Safe"
areas. Likewise, manufacturing a standing army is impressive but the financial
cost can be crippling.

2300: CYBER WARS wll also require players to deal with nature, as bad weather
and unfriendly geography can play a part in your country's troubles or
triumphs.

2300: CYBER WARS will be able to be configured to play a leisurely-paced game,
or as an intense "blitz" encounter. Involved games, on the other hand, will
provide weeks if not months of intense planning, execution and enjoyment!

Other features in 2300: CYBER WARS:

 * World market commodity sales
 * Ships/submarines
 * Aircraft
 * Meta Bio-Warfare
 * Missiles/Bombers
 * Earthquakes/Natural Disasters
 * Macro-Language Game Interdiction
 * Research/Census Reports
 * Surprise game approach (more later)!
Release date: 3rd/4th Quarter 1994.

System requirements (tentative):

IBM PC & Compatibles 386 25 mHz+
VGA+ Graphics
2 Meg RAM, 10 Meg HD, Keyboard/Mouse

For more information, contact R.A.W. Entertainment, Inc., 957 NASA Road One,
Suite 146, Houston, TX 77058-3098 U.S.A., fax [phone].

                                  -*-




         Amiga's Top Image Processor Gets Brand New Look and More
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      Termed the most significant upgrade in its history, ASDG's Art
      Department Professional (ADPro) offers unmatched display board
      support, over 100 pre-written ARexx programs, direct support for
      the FARGO Primera dye sublimation printer, new file formats and
      operators, and an entirely new look and feel which dramatically
      boosts ease-of-use.
    _
   / \              Madison, Wisconsin -- February 1994
  / - \
 / ___ \
(_/   \_)SDG Incorporated, a leading supplier of color imaging and special
effects solutions for the television and motion picture industries, announces
Art Department Professional (ADPro) version 2.5. According to the company,
ADPro 2.5 is the most significant upgrade in the product's history.

ADPro version 2.5 offers a choice of several completely style-guide compliant
user interfaces. According to company president Mr. Perry Kivolowitz, "A new
and thoroughly modern user interface was our most requested improvement. We
surveyed our customers and found that some preferred a list oriented graphical
user interface (GUI) for speed, while others preferred a button oriented GUI
for ease-of-use. We implemented both and allowed them to be intermixed
configurably."

The result, says the company, is an easier-to-use ADPro in which no major
feature is more than a mouse click away. Comments which typify beta tester
feedback to the new user interface include those of Mr. Brick Eksten of Expert
Services. Says Mr. Eksten, "I find the interface to be much faster, and that
helps me get more work done." These sentiments were echoed by Mr. Kenneth
Wilder, Head Animator with Marmalade, who found the new user interface alone
gained him a 20 percent increase in productivity.

ADPro's GUI now runs on many third party display boards such as the Picasso,
using RTG (ReTargetable Graphics) technology. ADPro can now render images in a
window on the same screen as its user interface, bringing new levels of WYSIWYG
performance to the product. Other newly supported third party hardware
includes: DPS PAR, EFS, Retina Z-III and Retina, and the Video Toaster.

The Amiga's finest image format support has gotten even better with the
addition of 6 new file formats in ADPro and 3 new formats in the (optional)
Professional Conversion Pack (PCP). To ADPro, the company has added support for
Commodre's CDXL animation format, Digital Broadcaster JStream files, FLC and
FLI animations, ICO files and direct reading and writing of Workbench icons.
The PCP has grown to support files in SGI, Alias, and Wavefront (both RLA and
RLB varieties) formats. Owners of the PCP should note that, as in the past,
their PCP modules will be upgraded as part of the ADPro upgrade.

ADPro 2.5 directly supports the revolutionary FARGO Primera printer in its dye
sublimation mode (its thermal transfer mode was already supported by ADPro's
PrefPrinter saver). "The Primera is a breakthrough due to is low price," said
sales manager Gina Cerniglia. "We've adapted state-of-the-art printer support
to drive the Primera in dye sub mode including the ability to print huge
posters in amazing color."

ADPro 2.5 includes more than 100 pre-written ARexx programs, many of which are
interactively customizable by the user. Used in conjunction with the latest
version of FRED, these ARexx programs can be combined in an infinite number of
ways, producing a huge array of full motion special effects automatically. And
ADPro now allows users to define their own ARexx programs which can be
incorporated directly into ADPro's configurable user interface.

Many other improvements and additions have been made to ADPro such as the
ability to perform alpha channel blending with nearly every file format, not
just those that support their own alpha channel. Composits can now be performed
over a range of colors permitting more flexible chroma keying. New operators
include Histogram Equalization and brush-based Pattern operator. A new program
called CineMorph is included which converts streams of images between 24 frame
per second film style and 60 field per second video style time bases.

ADPro 2.5 also sports greatly improved documentation. ADPro's manual now
includes 9 tutorials, many more pictures and diagrams, and an expanded ARexx
programming section. The manual has also been reorganized (and its index
expanded) based upon customer feedback making it easier to use and more
helpful.

ADPro 2.5's price will remain unchanged at $299. Existing owners can upgrade
for $45 plus shipping and, for the first time, can upgrade via telephone using
Visa, MasterCard, or American Express.

For more information, contact Ms. Gina Cerniglia at ASDG Incorporated, 925
Stewart Street, Madison, WI 53713 or call 608/273-6585. Expert Services can be
reached at 606/371-9690. Marmalade can be reached at 818/552-5024.

                                     -*-




                     Atomic Toaster Catalog, 3rd Edition
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
              The Ultimate Reference Manual for the Video Toaster
                To be released by DevWare Video & Atomic Toaster
    ______
   / __   )            Poway, CA -- February 25, 1994
  / /  ) /
 / /__/ /
(______/evWare, Inc., California-based direct marketer and distributor of
software and video tapes for the Amiga and Video Toaster, and Atomic Toaster,
working with DevWare as their Video Toaster system support and product
development division, announce that The Atomic Toaster Catalog, 3rd Edition,
The Ultimate Reference Manual for the Video Toaster, will be published in May
at a retail price of $49.95.

The Ultimate Reference Manual for the Video Toaster is being written by Harold
Russell of Atomic Toaster and will be the complete reference source for The
Video Toaster Industry. It will give Video Toaster users and potential users
in-depth, easy to understand information on how to best use ALL third-party
products with the Video Toaster-based systems, tips on how to use products
individually, cross-referencing charts on which products work compatibly
together, provide the reason to invest in Video Toaster-based systems, how to
integrate Video Toaster-based systems into existing video production
facilities, make extensive use of screen shots, provide full products and
manufacturers indexes, and much more.

Video Toaster dealers will find The Atomic Toaster Catalog an invaluable aid in
educating them on what products to sell to their customers, how to use and
integrate the newest products into systems for their customers, and it will
reduce their customer support time.

The Atomic Toaster Catalog will be published in a 9" x 12" 3-ring binder format
and will contain two-sided manufacturer supplied advertising. A disk will be
included. Manufacturers of Video Toaster-related products have been asked to
send their newest products to Atomic Toaster for inclusion in The Atomic
Toaster Catalog.

DevWare will advertise and promote this publication as the ULTIMATE INFORMATION
RESOURCE for existing and potential Video Toaster users. It will be positioned
as THE SUPPLEMENT to all other existing information sources. Advertising will
be placed by DevWare in Video Toaster User, Desktop Video World, AV Video,
AmigaWorld, and the DevWare Video Toaster Product Catalog to create over
750,000 direct end-users during the first half of 1994.

DevWave will market The Atomic Toaster Catalog through its DevWare Video
division to end users and resellers. Atomic Toaster plans to update The Atomic
Toaster Catalog every six months.

DevWare, through its DevWare Video division, is an international licensor,
marketer and distributor of commercial software, systems and instructional
videotapes relating to the Amiga computer and Video Toaster. Other commercial
products marketed by DevWare are Crouton Tools 4000, Toaster Toolkit 4000,
CocoonMorph, OctaMED Professional, PC Task, Information Manager Professional,
HomeBuilders CAD, and Home Manager Professional.

Atomic Toaster, located in Salt Lake City, UT, has more than 20 years of
experience in commercial video production and has configured Video Toaster
Systems for customers since the Video Toaster was released. Atomic Toaster just
finished development of Crouton Tools 4000, a complete Video and Graphics
Production System for the Video Toaster.

DevWare, Inc. is located at 12520 Kirkham Court, Suite 1, Poway, CA 92064,
telephone [phone], fax [phone]. For further information, contact Ken
Blakeman at the DevWare-East office at 603/532-7701, fax [phone].

                                     -*-




                       Fantasy Art Collection of GIFs
    _                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / \               Cyberspace Report -- March 11, 1994
  / - \
 / ___ \
(_/   \_) wonderfully realistic Fantasy Art collection of six gorgeous GIF
images were uploaded to the Multimedia Library last week. These lovely,
detailed drawings resemble master paintings, and feature striking male and
female warriors shown with monstrous creatures like a dragon, snake, eagle, and
scorpion -- even a Centaur in an intense flight carrying a lovely maiden
warrior.

A GIF viewing utility program is required to display these beauties and they,
too, are available for downloading if you need one. Enter the Multimedia
RoundTable Library and set to the Library containing programs for your computer
model by using Library Option 8. Then Search (Library Option 3) on the term GIF
to locate the viewer of your choice.

These gorgeous Fantasy Art screens make great backdrops, but they're worth
downloading just as mind candy! Misty backgrounds and craggy mountain views
heighten the realism of the detailed human figures. It's almost like being
there! Select from these six great files:


 *********************************
Number: 957  Name: BORIS04.GIF
Address: CYBERSPACE    Date: 940311
Approximate # of bytes: 183552
Number of Accesses: 1  Library: 8
Description:
Red-headed woman warrior holding a sword sits watching from a rocky
precipice. Misty background. 640x480x256 colors.


 *********************************
Number: 958  Name: BORIS05.GIF
Address: CYBERSPACE    Date: 940311
Approximate # of bytes: 178432
Number of Accesses: 1  Library: 8
Description:
Red-headed woman warrior with sword watches eagle and snake fighting
it out. 640x480x256 colors.


 *********************************
Number: 959  Name: BORIS1A.GIF
Address: CYBERSPACE    Date: 940311
Approximate # of bytes: 179072
Number of Accesses: 1  Library: 8
Description:
Fantasy setting showing 4 different drawings of scantilly clad women
and men warrior types. 640x480x256 colors.


 *********************************
Number: 960  Name: BORIS35.GIF
Address: CYBERPSACE    Date: 940311
Approximate # of bytes: 128000
Number of Accesses: 1  Library: 8
Description:
Powerful Centaur (half man, half flying horse) carrying woman in his
arms as they fly! 640x480x256 colors.


 *********************************
Number: 961  Name: BORIS49.GIF
Address: CYBERSPACE    Date: 940311
Approximate # of bytes: 165888
Number of Accesses: 1  Library: 8
Description:
Fierce, realistic Dragon peers over his shoulder threatening a demure,
scantially clad warrior girl. 640x480x256 colors


 *********************************
Number: 962  Name: BORISZ02.GIF
Address: CYBERSPACE    Date: 940311
Approximate # of bytes: 179840
Number of Accesses: 1  Library: 8
Description:
Beautiful scantilly clad brunette girl being carried off by a realistic
scorpion. 640x480x256 colors.

                                     -*-







    Stories in This Issue...   DateLine: March 18, 1994
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 1. Adobe Systems and Aldus Corporation Announce Agreement to Merge
 2. Virtual Reality Comes "Home" with Virtus VR
 3. SENSE8 Corporation Ships WorldToolKit for Windows
 4. Electronic Arts Announces Studio Reorganization
 5. Centaur Demonstrates OpalVision Desktop Video System at NAB94
 6. MONTAGE 24: 24-Bit Video Titling & Graphics Software for Amiga
 7. DareWare Multimedia Shareware Available


                                     -*-





      Adobe Systems and Aldus Corporation Announce Agreement to Merge
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
          Creators of Electronic Publishing Industry Join Forces
           to Seize Expanding Opportunities in the Creation and
    _             Communicication of Digital Information
   / \
  / - \             Mountain View, CA -- March 15, 1994
 / ___ \
(_/   \_)dobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ: ADBE) and Aldus Corporation
(NASDAQ: ALDC) today announced a definitive agreement to merge through an
exchange of common stock of the two companies, creating a new half-billion
dollar leader in software for authoring and publishing electronic information.

Under the agreement, which has been approved by the boards of directors of both
companies, Adobe will exchange 1.15 shares of its common stock for each share
of Aldus common stock. Based on approximately 13.8 milion shares outstanding of
Aldus stock and the current Adobe stock price, the transaction will have a
value of approximately $525 million. The merger is intended to qualify as a
tax-free reorganization and a "pooling of interests" for accounting and
financial purposes. "We are committed to achieving the cost savings necessary
to make this transaction non-dilutive in the first full year of the combined
operations," said Jack Warnock, Chairman and CEO, Adobe Systems Incorporated.

The merger will be considered for approval by shareholders of both companies at
separate meetings anticipated in July 1994 with the merger to be effective
immediately following shareholders approval. Paul Brainerd, president, founder
and major shareholder in Aldus, has agreed to vote his shares in favor of the
merger and has given Adobe an irrevocable proxy for all of his Aldus shares in
connection with such vote.

In addition, Aldus and Adobe have each agreed to the payment of a break-up fee
if under certain circumstances the transaction should not be completed. The
merger is subject to numerous conditions.

"We believe our two companies, each with a rich hisotry of inventing different
aspects of the electronic publishing revolution, are simply much stronger
together -- both technologically and financially -- than we would be by
remaining separate," said John Warnock. "Combined, the two companies offer
products that address every aspect of information authoring and representation,
and in the future, can draw from that expertise to pioneer the process and
provide the tools required to help our customers move from today's paper-based
information infrastructure to tomorrow's digital world."

"The challenges of the competitive landscape and the breadth of new market
opportunities offered by the digital revolution can be much more effectively
met by merging our companies than by either company individually," said Chuck
Geschke, president and COO, Adobe Systems Incorporated. "The combined company
offers tremendous opportunity for more competitive marketing, higher levels of
customer service and better responsiveness to customers' evolving needs."

Paul Brainerd said the merger offers both short and long term benefits because
of the broad array and depth of products that the companies can now market and
distribute together, as well as the tremendous technological synergy that
exists between the two companies for the development of future products.
"Together, Adobe and Aldus can generate tremendous momentum to meet customer
requirements. The new company will have the largest, most respected typeface
library, and world's top-selling page layout solution, and best-of-breed
illustration, photo-editing, presentation, image retrieval and video-production
applications. These technologies are the foundation for today's most powerful
publishing and authoring solutions and tomorrow's tools for creating and
distributing information digitally."

Brainerd, Warnock and Geschke are widely recognized in the software industry
for having created the desktop printing and electronic publishing phenomena,
which has grown into a $2 billion industry since the early 1980s. Adobe,
founded in 1982, provided the first open standard for representing the printed
document, PostScript, and the technology to support that standard. Brainerd,
who founded Aldus in 1984, coined the term "desktop publishing" and created the
top selling PageMaker software system that allows visually rich documents to be
created on personal computers.

Under terms of the merger agreement, Warnock, 53, will become chairman and CEO
of the new company with headquarters in Mountain View, CA. Charles Geschke, 54,
president of Adobe, will retain the ame position in the new company. Brainerd,
46, and another current member of Aldus' board, will become members of the
Board of Directors of the new company once the merger is complete. The
structure of the merged company will consist of operation divisions including
Systems Products, Application Products, and Consumer Products. Facilities will
be maintained in both Mountain View, CA and Seattle, WA. Current plans call for
the new company to continue to market and support all major products of both
compaies. Future corporate identity plans will be determined when the merger is
final.

Each company has sales and distribution operations outside of the United
States. In Europe, Adobe is headquartered in Amsterdam and Aldus is based in
Edinburgh. Both Aldus and Adobe maintain Pacific Rim operations in Tokyo and
other major cities.

On a combined basis, the companies had revenues last year of $520 million and
more than 2,100 employees located throughout the world. For fiscal 1993, Adobe
reported revenues of $313 million and net income of $57 million, while Aldus
reported total revenues of approximately $207 million and net income of $9.5
million. Adobe has approximately 45.7 million shares outstanding, and Aldus has
approximately 13.8 million shares outstanding.

Adobe develops, markets and supports computer software products and
technologies that enable users to create, display, print and communicate
electronic documents and manipulate digital content to moving pictures and
sound. The company licenses its technology to major computer and publishing
supliers, and markets a line of type and application software products
worldwide.

Aldus creates computer software solutions that help people throughout the world
effectively communicate information and ideas. The company focuses on three
main lines of business: applications for the professional publishing, prepress
and video markets; applications for the consuemr market; and applications for
the emerging interactive publishing market.

                                    -*-




               Virtual Reality Comes "Home" with Virtus VR
               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        New low-priced entertainment package lets home users explore and
   customize virtual worlds on Apple Macintosh or Microsoft Windows systems
 _     _
( \   / )              Scottsdale, AZ -- March 1994
 \ \_/ /
  \   /
   \_/irtus Corporation is shipping Virtus VR, a $99 desktop virtual reality
package that allows consumers to explore, alter and invent realistic, 3-D
worlds in the comfort of their own homes. Virtus Corporation, an award- winning
developer of 3-D drawing and visualization software, is releasing versions of
Virtus VR for both Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows. The new product is
designed as an entertainment package, but can also be used to plan home
remodling or other projects.

Virtus VR comes with five "prefab" worlds: the White House, complete with the
Oval Office; a futuristic ocean floor apartment and research complex; the
Hindenberg blimp hovering, explosion-free, over Paris; a mystery house (within
a house, within yet another house...); and Dealey Plaza, site of the John F.
Kennedy assassination. The latter scene features Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy in their
limousine, riding by the grassy knoll before a scanned image of the Texas
School Book Depository. Users can view the grassy knoll from the perspective of
the limo, or "fly" up to the School Book Depository and peek through the
fateful window. In addition to viewing the Virtus VR worlds, users can modify
them. For example, they could remodel the Virtus VR White House, changing its
wallpaper, adding furniture, and enlarging the rooms.

"There's no 'helmet law' in virtual reality," said Virtus founder and president
David Smith. "You really don't need expensive high-tech gear to become immersed
in the 3-D world and interact with it in an engrossing manner. Virtus VR has
high entertainment value: Users can experiment easily, wandering around, adding
and rearranging objects, and creating entirely new scenes.

"Virtus VR's customization features make it challenging and creative with
repeated use -- which is good, because some of our customers will be kids, and
they're very demanding!" Smith continued. "Others might be shoppers, people
looking for something totally new to give to the computer user who 'has
everything.' With this is mind, we deliberately priced Virtus VR well within
the reach of the average consumer."

Virtus is supplementing Virtus VR with an ongoing series of new sites and
object galleries. Priced at $39, each add-on package comes with five 'worlds'
and over 100 objects. The first two, a gallery of homes and a science fiction
gallery, are available at the same time as Virtus VR. Sample homes include a
mountain retreat, beach house, country club estate, and a model of Frank Lloyd
Wright's Pope-Leighy House. The add-on also includes a gallery of typical
rooms; for example, users who want to build a house can choose from several
styles of bathroom, kitchen, living, bedroom, basement, and decorate them with
a selection of tile samples, wood floors, wallpaper patterns -- essentially
everything they might need to construct digital homes of their own. Scenes in
the science fiction gallery include a lunar penitentiary, a space colony, and a
Mount Rushmore of the future that gives users a glimpse inside the heads of
presidents Nixon, Carter, Reagan and Clinton.

Touring Virtus VR -- How it Works

Desktop "travelers" move through Virtus VR worlds with continuous motion that
produces the feel of simulated flight. Traveling by mouse, they can explore
whatever areas they like, choosing the direction and angle of their view as
well as the path they take through the environment. Navigation is controlled
either by clicking on arrows at the bottom of the screen, or clicking around a
cursor inside the 3-D world.

Users can enhance their explorations by altering an environment's look and
content. Virtus VR includes extensive galleries of real-world objects
represented onscreen by 3-D icons. When users click on an icon, a rotating 3-D
version appears, revealing its features from every angle. Again with the mouse,
users can drag the object -- a desk, for example -- into the 3-D scene. Virtus
VR automatically sizes the object, making it the right proportion to its
environment.

"Drag-and drop" capabilities make it easy for novice computer users to create
new worlds. Virtus VR includes basic building blocks like cubes, squares and
pyramids for making objects from scratch. World-builders can develop complete
environments, employing the product's object galleries and construction tools
to produce anything from a model bathroom to the main bridge of the U.S.S.
Enterprise. For complex, finely detailed models, however, advanced users will
want to graduate to Virtus's highter level products, Virtus WalkThrough or
Virtus WalkThrough Pro. Virtus VR is compatible with these products.

Users can save their tour paths for repeated viewing, or take an entirely new
route each time. Paths can be saved as QuickTime(TM) or PICS movies on the
Macintosh, or as Animator Pro files for integration into other Windows
programs.

Pricing and Availability

Virus VR for the Macintosh and Virtus VR for Windows are available now at a
suggested retail price of $99 each. The Virtus VR Home Design Gallery and
Virtus VR Science Fiction Gallery are also available with a list price of $39.
The products each include five worlds with approximately 12 galleries
containing about 125 objects, including basic geometric building blocks.

Virtus VR products are sold primarily through major mail order houses such as
MicroWareouse, Mac Warehouse, Mac Zone and PC Zone. The products are also
available through select retail stores.

About Virtus Corporation

Founded in 1990, Virtus Corporation is based in Cary, North Carolina. The
company's sophisticated 3-D drawing and visualization technology has been
employed in the development of major motion pictures such as "The Abyss" and
"The Firm," and is used throughout the world by architects, set designers,
interior designers, maketing consultants, and other creative professionals.
Virtus's first product, Virtus WalkThrough for the Macintosh, won MacUser
Magazine's coveted "BreakThrough Product of the Year" award upon its release in
1990. Other Virtus products include Virtus WalkThrough for Windows and Virtus
WalkThrough Pro.

Privately held, Virtus is backed by Motorola Inc.'s New Enterprises Division,
author Tom Clancy, and film maker Michael Backes, among others. The company is
rapdily emerging as a leader in real-time rendering and visualization,
providing software that allows creative professionals to quickly test and share
their visual concepts.

                                     -*-




  ____          SENSE8 Corporation Ships WorldToolKit for Windows
 / ___)         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
( (__                    Sausalito, CA -- March 15, 1994
 \__ \
 ___) )
(____/ENSE8 Corporation, leading provider of software tools for building
real-time virtual reality (VR) and graphics simulation applications, today
announced the commercial release of WorldToolKit for Windows.

WorldToolKit for Windows represents a breakthrough for Microsoft Windows
developers by giving them access to powerful, real-time graphics simulation
capabilities for building intuitive applications and interfaces. When used with
Intel's Pentium processor and a local-bus graphics board, WorldToolKit for
Windows sets new performance levels for inexpensive, real-time
three-dimensional simulations. The announcement was made at Software
Development/Business Solutions, San Jose, Calif., March 15-17.

Richard Wirt, director, software technology labs, Intel Corporation, said,
"WorldToolKit for Windows will enable a whole new class of 3D graphics and VR
applications on PC platforms. Using a Pentium processor-based PC, developers
are now able to produce real-time, texture-mapped 3D images under Windows
faster than on some workstations that cost over $10,000."

Tom Coull, president of SENSE8, said, "The number of desktops that can support
WorldToolKit for Windows is well over six million, and we have already seen a
large amount of interest among Windows developers who had not previously
considered themselves in the market for VR tools."

"There has been a tremendous response to WorldToolKit for Windows by a first
wave of developers eager to take advantage of the product's features," added
Ken Pimentel, vice-president of SENSE8. "WorldToolKit for Windows represents a
new era of graphics performance."

WorldToolKit for Windows is a real-time graphics development environment for
building 3D simulations and virtual reality applications under Windows 3.1. It
offers software developers an unprecedented level of power and flexibility, and
easily links to mainstream, data-rich applications such as Microsoft Excel to
present new ways of viewing and interacting with data. As a C library of over
400 function calls, WorldToolKit for Windows dramatically simplifies the
process of creating real-time interactive 3D simulations and VR applications.
WorldToolKit reads 3D objects created with tools such as Autocad, 3D Studio,
Swivel 3D or any other modeler that generates DXF or 3DS files. WorldToolKit
for Windows allows a developer to interact with and explore these 3D models in
real-time using existing PC hardware. Support for wire-frame, smooth-shaded and
texture-mapped surfaces is included along with support for head-mounted
displays, sound boards, mice, joysticks and ultrasonic-tracking devices.

Features
 * Supports Windows 3.1 and Windows NT
 * Real-time rendering of Gouraud-shaded and textured surfaces
 * Portability: Windows, Digital OSF, SGI Irix, Sun Solaris, Sun OS,

Microsoft DOS
 * Supports DDE
 * Supports 16 to 16.7 million color modes

The commercial release of WorldToolKit for Windows is available now and is
priced at $795. A 486DX PC (or better) running Windows 3.1/NT with either a 16,
256, 32K or 64K color graphics driver is required. A local-bus PC using a
Pentium chip provides additional performance capability.

SENSE8 was incorporated in 1990 as a software company dedicated to providing
affordable real-time 3D graphics for the interactive visualization and
simulation of data, designs, concepts and physical systems. SENSE8's flagship
product, WorldToolKit, was born out of the desire to provide a powerful yet
easy-to-use software system accessible to a wide range of users. WorldToolKit
is available directly from SENSE8 as well as from a worldwide network of
distributors in the U.S., Japan, U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Finland,
Portugal, Spain, Australia, Taiwan and Korea. SENSE8 can be reached at 4000
Bridgeway, Suite 101, Sausalito, CA 94965. 415/331-6318, Fax: [phone].

                                     -*-




     ____       Electronic Arts Announces Studio Reorganization
    / ___)      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / (_                San Mateo, CA -- March 8, 1994
  / ___)
 / (_
(____)lectronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced today that the company has created
three divisions that align production, development, and marketing resources
with key product categories and new technology areas. These divisions -- EA
SPORTS, Simulation and Interactive Movies, and Entertainment -- were created
within the EA Product Development headed by Bing Gordon, executive vice
president.

"Electronic Arts' mission is to be a leading worldwide publisher and
distributor of interactive consumer software," said Lary Probst, president and
chief executive officer. "In order to achieve that goal, we are adjusting our
studio organization's structure to focus on key product categories and new
hardware technologies. This focus will facilitate growth and enable Electronic
Arts to compete more successfully in this rapidly changing market."

EA SPORTS Division

Jack Heistand will assume the role of senior vice president and general manager
of EA SPORTS. The sports category has become one of the largest and most
competitive market segments of the interactive entertainment industry, and
Heistand's charter is to further enhance Electronic Arts' position as a global
market leader. Prior to joining Electronic Arts in 1992 as head of marketing,
he was a general manager of two different Hearst Corporation businesses.

Simulation and Interactive Movies Division

Robert Garriott has been promoted to senior vice president and general manager
of this new division which will focus on high-end story and simulation
products, including the Origin brand. Garriott and his team will have the
mission of defining and developing a leadership position in the new genre of
"interactive movies." Prior to its acquisition in 1992, Garriott served as
president and chief executive officer of Origin Systems, a leader in
role-playing games.

Entertainment Division

Monty Finefrock has been promoted to senior vice president and general manager
of the Entertainment Division, which has been charged with creating
world-class, action-oriented products for both the home and destination-based
markets. Finefrock is a 10-year production and studio management veteran of
Electronic Arts; most recently he headed studio operations and development for
the company.


In a separate move, Steve Salyer and Stewart Bonn, both Senior Vice Presidents,
have been charged with the responsibility of defining Electronic Arts' strategy
for developing and electronically distributing entertainment, education, and
information software into the home. Salyer, who most recently was in charge of
the company's business development effort, joined EA in 1989 from Strategic
Simutations, Inc. where he served as vice president of sales and marketing.
Bonn, an 11-year EA veteran, just finished leading the company and its Advanced
Entertainment Group into the exciting new 32-bit market -- the next generation
of interactive technology.

Probst concluded his announcement by expressing his conviction that "each of
these changes will contribute to achieving our long-term objectives and will
generate continued revenue and profit growth." He also congratulated each of
these EA executives and wished them success in their new assignments.


Electronic Arts is a diversified interactive entertainment and education
company that develops, publishes, and distributes software worldwide. The
company was founded in 1982 and has an annual sales rate of about $400 million.
Corporate headquarters are located in San Mateo, California. The company has
offices in Texas, Canada, the United Kingdon, Europe, Australia, and Japan.

                                     -*-




         Centaur Demonstrates OpalVision Desktop Video System at NAB94
    ____ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / ___)              Los Angeles, CA -- March 21, 1994
  / /                                         (predated)
 / (__
(_____)entaur Development is demonstrating the complete OpalVision(TM) Desktop
Video System at the National Association of Broadcasters Convention, March
21-24 in Las Vegas. According to Gary Rayner, OpalVision project Technical
Director, "OpalVision sets new standards for the desktop video industry. The
quality and variety of our DVEs, the versatility of our switcher, and the
breadth of our functionality puts OpalVision way ahead of the pack."

The OpalVision Video Processor provides hundreds of pre-defined three-
dimensional Digital Video Effects and an unlimited variety of user-created
effects, a real-time, 24-bit framegrabber, and a professional quality genlock
with chroma, luma and transparency keying. It also sprovides software for the
creation and editing of DVEs, controlling software for all functions and
MONTAGE for OpalVision for one nanosecond, network caliber video titling.

The OpalVision Main Board has already earned a reputation as the best 24-bit
video board for the Amiga series computers. It is a true 24-bit display device
and frame buffer with 16.7 million colors available for every pixel. Bundled
software includes the award-winning OpalPaint, widely acknowledged in the press
as the very best of Amiga painting programs.

The OpalVision Video Suite is a complete audio and video mixing, switching, and
transcoding device. This nine-input, rack-mountable video switcher is 19-inch,
rack-mountable unit with nine Video inputs, with video in and out available
simultaneously in RGB or Y/R-Y/B-Y, compostie and S-Video. The linear
transparency key provides transparency control between 2 video sources on a
pixel-by-pixel basis. The 10-input audio mixer is fully software sequenced with
smooth fades and full 5-band stereo frequency equalization.

The OpalVision Desktop System automatically self-configures for both PAL and
NTSC video modes, and is fully compatibe with AmiLink series of Video Editing
products marketed by RGB Computer and Video, Inc. The OpalVision Main Board is
available now and has a suggested retail price of $995.

For more information visit Centaur Development's exhibit at NAB94, Sunday March
20 through Thursday, March 24, 1994, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, or
contact the company directly at 2645 Maricopa Street, Suite B, Torrance, CA
90503, phone [phone], fax [phone].

                                -*-




        MONTAGE 24: 24-Bit Video Titling & Graphics Software for Amiga
    _  _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / \/ \             San Leandro, CA -- March 15, 1994
  /      \
 / /\  /\ \
(_/  \/  \_)ONTAGE -- (mon tazh') 1. The process of making an artistic
composition by bringing together a number of different images and arranging
these, as by superimposing one on another, so that they form a blended whole
while remaining distinct. 2. A rapid sequence of thematically related images
that exhibit different aspects of an idea. 3. The definitive solution for video
titling, image composition and effects presentation on Amiga AGA, OpalVision,
and ImpactVision 24 platforms!


Character Generation and graphics composition on the Amiga take a radical new
turn with MONTAGE 24 from InnoVision Technology, the company that pioneered
broadcast quality video titling on the Commodore Amiga. MONTAGE 24 is the first
24-bit titling and graphics application for Amiga AGA, OpalVision and
ImpactVision 24 platforms. MONTAGE features real-time font scaling, 16 million
color graphics creation and manipulation plus AGA transition sequencing.
MONTAGE 24 propels your Amiga workstation into the cutting edge of high-end
titling capabilities!

Real-time "click and drag" font scaling allows for unprecedented text display
flexibility. Create dazzling text with embossing, color spreads and
transparency with an effective resolution of 1 nanosecond -- regardless of
size!

Brilliant 24-bit, 16.8 million color graphics display in IFF-24 or Framestore
formats. Image processing capabilities include translucency blending, image
compositing, gradient color spreads, beveled boxes and wallpaper embossing!

Make popular, eye-catching AGA transition effects such as wipes, checker-
boards and slides with variable playback speeds and dwell times for creating
and sequencing truly exceptional video presentations!

Unlimited 24-bit image compositing, automatic anti-aliasing of imported IFF
graphics, unprecedented power and ease of use make MONTAGE 24 the final word in
Amiga video and graphics composition!


Font Scaling Innovation

 * 8 scalable master typefaces with high level anti-aliasing
 * Instantaneous "click and drag" font scaling on any number of characters
 * Text can be resized on independent vertical and horizontal axes
 * All typestyles include special symbols, international characters, and
   small caps
 * Import of popular font formats including Toaster Fonts and Chroma Fonts
 * Additional scalable MONTAGE fonts available for expanded typeface libary
   with MONTAGE Fonts 1
 * Additional MONTAGE PostScript Module allows use of PostScript type 1 & 3
   and Compugraphic fonts

Stunning Text Attribute Options

 * Vibrant 16 million color titles
 * Anti-aliasing of charcters to background images for 1 nanosecond
   effective resolution
 * Outline, shadow, and cast attributes with fully adjustable size, color
   and fill mode
 * Character effects include variable transparency, gradient color fills,
   embossing and soft shadowing
 * Automatic or user-controlled character kerning
 * Select any combination of fonts, sizes, and colors per line

Powerful AGA Transition Capabilities

 * Sequence MONTAGE pages with included transition effects
   (Effects are limited for non-AGA display adapters)
 * Automatic/manual playback of transition effects with variable playback
   speeds and dwell times
 * GPI trigger for external video link

24-Bit Graphics Imaging

 * IFF-24 and Super Hi-Res HAM 8 and Toaster Framestore backgrounds & logos
 * Generate gradient color spreads, beveled boxes, embossed wallpaper and
   tile pattern backgrounds
 * Real-time compositing control and translucency blending for text& graphics
 * Automatic anti-aliasing of graphic elements

Complete Text Editing Control

 * Easy "click and drag" scaling and title composition
 * Convenient attribute copy, save and paste
 * Undo function and instant recall of attribute presets
 * Completely flexible character and line overlap
 * Video safe-title area indicator

Professional Video Output

 * Ultra high level anti-aliasing reduces video flicker
 * Supports NTSC and PAL overscan formats
 * Super Hi-Res output (1504 x 480/576) for AGA

Minimum System Requirements

 * Amiga AGA 1200/4000 or Amiga 2000/3000 with OpalVision or GVP
   ImpactVision 24
 * 8 Mb Fast RAM and 1 Mb Chip RAM
 * Hard drive with 10 Mb free
 * AmigaDOS 1.3 or higher (2.x recommended)
 * 68020 Accelerator or higher required

MONTAGE 24 for the Amiga $399.95 (US$) Suggested Retail
MONTAGE for the Video Toaster $499.95 (US$) Suggested Retail

The new Amiga AGA, OpalVision and ImpactVision systems put unrivaled video
production potential on your desktop. Now MONTAGE 24 from InnoVision Technology
ignites that potential with broadcast quality titling and graphics like you've
never seen!

For more information contact InnoVision Technology, 1933 Davis Street, Suite
238, San Leandro, CA 94577, phone [phone], fax [phone].

                                    -*-




 ______           DareWare Multimedia Shareware Available
(__  __)          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  / /              Cyberspace, U.S.A. -- March 18, 1994
 / /
(_/he Multimedia RoundTable is working directly with DareWare Inc. to bring you
their full line of popular shareware in the latest enhanced releases! The
following programs -- all FULLY FUNCTIONAL Evaluation versions, will be
available for downloading from the Library, including:


Four Fine Files are Available Now! (File descriptions below)

 MULTIMEDIA AUTHORING
  Multimedia 1 v2.0 -- The Creator!
  Multimedia Maker v2.1 (MMM21) -- Adds Sound Blaster Input Support
  Show Maker v3.0 -- Audio/Visual Show Maker for Novices

 BRAND NEW
  Jurassic Spelling v2.0 -- Talks as it Teaches Kids to Spell; Dinosaurs!


Coming Soon!

 GRAPHICS PRODUCTION             EDUCATIONAL MULTIMEDIA
  Image Processor v1.5            ABC-Talk v3.1
  Cinema v2.0                     123-Talk v3.0
  View v1.2                       123-Talk for Sound Cards
                                  Talking Spanish v1.5
 SOUND/MUSIC/SPEECH               Talking Teacher v2.0
  PlayIt v2.0                     Spelling Beez v2.0
  Play v1.2
  45 RPM Music
  PC_Talk v2.2


MULTIMEDIA 1  -- The Creator

MULTIMEDIA 1 v2.0 will allow you to create your own custom presentations,
advertisements, demos, tutorials, courseware authoring, reports, school
projects and much more. With it, you can combine real human SPEECH, MUSIC and
sound effects with high resolution IMAGES (up to SVGA) to create custom
AUDIO/VIDEO SHOWS on any subject, place, product or procedure you desire. This
package includes:

 * OVER 1 MEG. of speech, music and sound effects.
   (Excellent sound quality that plays thru the PC speaker)

 * SOUND BLASTER support. (Create your own VOC files)

 * Display GIF, PCX, PIC, TIFF and TARGA image files.
   (Supports CGA, EGA, VGA and SVGA)

 * MOTION, SPECIAL EFFECTS and TEXT capability.

 * Create an interactive USER MENU for your application.

 * INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT EDITOR with:
   - Multiple overlapping windows - Mouse support
   - Pull down menu  - Copy and Paste features

 * IMAGE PROCESOR with:
   - Scaling - Clipping - Printing - Conversion - and more.

 * Allows you to incorporate other popular packages.
   (Autodesk Animator, Grasp and your custom programs)

 * Easy to use - No programming experience needed.

 * VGA graphics and Hard Drive are required.

A fully functional Evaluation Version may be downloaded from the Multimedia
RoundTable Library on GEnie Page 2000 (keyword CYBERSPACE) as File 965:

 *********************************
Number: 965  Name: MULTI20.ZIP
Address: MULTIMEDIA    Date: 940318
Approximate # of bytes: 878592
Number of Accesses: 1  Library: 3
Description:
MULTIMEDIA 1 v2.0, "The Creator" from DareWare, allows you to create custom
interactive presentations, advertisements, demos, tutorials, courseware, school
projects and much more. With this package you can combine real human SPEECH,
MUSIC and sound effects with high resolution IMAGES (up to SVGA). Use it to
make your own custom AUDIO/VIDEO SHOWS on any subject, place, product or
procedure you desire, with motion, special effects, user menus. Built-in image
processor and text editor, plus OVER 1 MEG. of speech, music and sound effects.
$79 registration gets LOTS of enhancements! Runs under Windows and requires
IBM-compatible, DOS, VGA and Hard Drive. Sound Blaster-compatible card
optional.
 ---------------------------------

This next one offers all the fine features of The Creator PLUS Sound
Blaster-compatible INPUT control!

 *********************************
Number: 964  Name: MMM21.ZIP
Address: MULTIMEDIA     Date: 940317
Approximate # of bytes: 695168
Number of Accesses: 2  Library: 3
Description:
MULTIMEDIA MAKER VERSION v2.1 is DareWare's MOST COMPLETE PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM.
It offers all the great features as File 965 MULTIMEDIA 1 (The Creator) PLUS
Sound Blaster-compatible support as input so you can produce state-of-the-art
talking interactive presentations, tutorials, tests, advertisements, courseware
authoring. Use this package to create dynamic attention grabbing interactive
AUDIO/VIDEO shows. Requires IBM-compatible, VGA, Sound Balster-compatible card,
and hard drive.
Keywords: Multimedia,Author,Business,DOS,IBM,DareWare,ShareWare,VGA,SB
---------------------------------

Also available now!

 *********************************
Number: 963  Name: SHOW30.ZIP
Address: MULTIMEDIA    Date: 940317
Approximate # of bytes: 349056
Number of Accesses: 1  Library: 3
Description:
Use SHOW MAKER v3.0 MULTIMEDIA AUTHORING PACKAGE, NOVICE SHOW MAKER to create
presentations, tutorials, interactive talking slide shows. Speech and music
thru optional Sound Card or PC Speaker. VGA and Hard Drive required. Main Menu
choices: Examples & Testing, Quick Tutorial, Word Processor, Image Processor,
Users Manual, Quit. No mouse support. DOS batch files call utilities,
manipulate graphics, do wipes and fades, play music and voice files. $39
registration gets ADVANCED version with additional commands, functions,
effects, SVGA support, advanced image and text processors, screen capture
utility, sound library, mouse support. This is a fully functional evaluation
copy from DareWare for IBM-compatibles using DOS.
Keywords: Multimedia,Authoring,DOS,IBM,Show,Maker,DareWare,Shareware,PC,VGA
 ---------------------------------


Just Released!

Jurrassic Spelling v2.0

If you're looking for a FUN program to teach and test your child on spelling,
this is it! You enter the words, and when your child spells them correctly, he
or she is rewarded with VGA quality PREHISTORIC PICTURES and text!

Eons of exciting spelling fun for young Homo Sapiens!

 *********************************
Number: 966  Name: JURASSIC.ZIP
Address: CYBERSPACE    Date: 940318
Approximate # of bytes: 654848
Number of Accesses: 2  Library: 3
Description:
JURASSIC SPELLING, V2.0 <ASP> is DareWare's fantastic new spelling program that
really talks! It features sound-board or PC speaker support and high resolution
graphics. You can use the existing word files or enter your own words -- up to
500 of your own word files. Get visual and/or aural rewards for correct
responses. Lots of fun and well worth the download! Requires IBM-compatible
running DOS 2.1+, 286 processor or greater, 640K RAM and VGA.
 ---------------------------------


More great programs from DareWare are coming SOON to a Library near you! :)

                                      -*-






    Stories in this Issue... DateLine: March 25, 1994
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 1. Observations from Cyberspace: What's Cooking?
 2. Novell to Acquire WordPerfect Corp. & Borland's Quattro Pro Spreadsheet
 3. Borland to Sell Quattro Pro Spreadsheet to Novell
 4. New QuickTime Starter Kit Makes Video, Animation and Sound Fun and Easy
 5. Looking Glass Software Ships $199 Full-Color Hypermedia Word Processor
 6. Spectrum Envoy's Windows Telecommunications Clout with Telephony Suite
 7. Spectrum Signal & QSound Labs do Joint Venture for Multimedia Products
 8. DareWare ShareWare, Fantasy GIFs, and Other Hot Files on GEnie
 9. Come into my Parlor: An Informal Look at Commercial Virtual Reality

                                     -*-




                Observations from Cyberspace: What's Cooking?
    ____        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / _  )           Cyberspace, Earth -- March 24, 1994
  / ___/
 / /
(_/erhaps you noticed the lead story in last week's Cyberspace Report (940318),
announcing that Adobe Systems and Aldus Corporation had vowed in mid-March to
join forces, thereby "creating a new half-billion dollar leader in software for
authoring and publishing electronic information." And perhaps you thought, "Big
deal -- so the big get bigger."

You may be right, but a half billion dollar company isn't exactly small
potatoes, and the temperature in the kitchen is building fast.

There's a scramble taking place in the computing industry now as developers try
to avoid getting gobbled up by the industry's largest software company,
Microsoft Corporation.

That scramble is openly revealed in the two stories following this Observation,
announcements from the companies themselves about Novell's intent to purchase
WordPerfect Corporation and to buy Borland's Quattro Pro spreadsheet
technology.

One way to try to avoid becoming part of an omelet is to get big enough to cook
your own breakfast, and it looks like that's what Novell is doing with the aid
these other major companies. Watch for these key statements in the following
stories:

  Novell's intention to purchase [Borland's] Quattro Pro was part of an
  announcement earlier today that Novell and WordPerfect Corporation planned
  to merge, creating the world's second largest software company.

The world's LARGEST software company wasn't named, of course, but here's the
clincher...

  The sale of [Borland's] Quattro Pro is subject to the completion of the
  Novell/WordPerfect merger.

And finally...

  "The Novell/WordPerfect merger brings an entirely new dynamic to the
  software industry," said Mr. Kahn. "Quattro Pro and its underlying Borland
  technology become key components in the Novell/WordPerfect combination."

Novell's revenues for its fiscal year ending last October were $1.123 billion,
better than twice those of Aldus and Adobe's forthcoming "half billion dollar"
merger. And that's not counting WordPerfect and Quattro Pro. So, yes, the big
ARE getting bigger -- in self defense. Only time will tell if these chefs can
out-cook Gates and company, or if the heat in the kitchen will leave them hard
boiled.

                                  -*-




                Novell to Acquire WordPerfect Corporation and
             Purchase Borland's Quattro Pro Spreadsheet Business
             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                  Entering Application Marketplace to Lead
                  in Next Generation Network Applications
    _    _
   / \  / )             Provo, UT -- March 21, 1994
  /   \/ /
 / /\   /
(_/  \_/ovell, Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL) and WordPerfect Corporation today signed a
definitive merger agreement that provides for the acquisition of WordPerfect by
Novell, creating one of the largest software companies in the world. Under the
terms of the agreement, shares of WordPerfect common stock and stock options
will be exchanged for approximately 59 million shares of Novell common stock
and options. After the merger, on a fully diluted bases, the new shares will
represent approximately 15 percent of Novell's shares. The transaction is
expected to be non-dilutive to Novell earnings. The boards of directors of
Novell and WordPerfect have approved the definitive agreement, but the merget
is subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions to closing.

Novell further announced today the signing of an agreement with Borland
International Inc. to puchase its Quattro Pro spreadsheet business for
approximately $145 million. This purchase is also subject to regulatory
approvals and other conditions to closing. It is anticipated that both
transactions will close in Novell's third fiscal quarter 1994.

"Building from what we already do as the networking company, Novell intends to
provide leadership in redefining the applications business by helping drive the
growing market transition to network applications," said Raymond J. Noorda,
president and chief executive officer of Novell. "The era of stand- alone
personal computing is evolving into group collaboration that connects
individuals, groups, and companies. Novell's objective is to accelerate this
market transition by offering new generations of network applications with the
flexibility and freedom of open interfaces and published standards."

"The merger will further strengthen Novell financially. WordPerfect will
increase Novell's revenue, add to Novell's already strong balance sheet, and
expand Novell's earnings potential," added Noorda.

"This combination positions WordPerfect to be central to the next generation of
applications," said Ad Rietveld, president and chief executive officer of
WordPerfect Corporation. "We believe that customers will look back on the
mid-90s as marking a renaissance in the information systems industry. We are
helping Novell create a software powerhouse to deliver stand-alone, software
suites, groupware and network applications that define new capabilities for
information systems."

WordPerfect will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Novell and form the core
of a new application software product group within Novell. The new business
unit will be headed by Ad Rietveld who also joins Novell's office of the
president. As part of the merger agreement, Novell will expand its board of
directors by adding two new members appointed by the shareholders of
WordPerfect.

Philippe Kahn, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Borland,
said, "This transaction solidifies the steps we have already taken to bring our
products together as the market's only best-of-breed suite offering. It also
sharpens Borland's focus to the strategic core of our business as the leading
provider of application development and PC database software. Our growing
relationship with Novell and WordPerfect provides opportunities for Borland to
ensure we maintain that leadership."

Borland International Inc. provides database management, programming languages,
development tools, spreadsheets, and application software. Its products include
dBase, Paradox, InterBase, Borland C++, Borland Pascal with Objects, and
Quattro Pro.

WordPerfect is a private company based in Orem, Utah. In its last finscal year
ended December 1993, WordPerfect had total revenue of approximately $700
million. WordPerfect Corp. develops business software to help people process,
share and present information across a wide variety of computer operating
systems. Among the company's key products are the world's best-selling word
processor, WordPerfect, as well as WordPerfect Office, the Borland Office,
WordPerfect InForms, and WordPerfect Presentations.

Novell, Inc. is the leading computer networking company worldwide, an
information system software company, developer of network services, specialized
and general purpose operating system products, and application programming
tools. Novell posted total revenue of $1.123 billion in its last fiscal year
ended October 1993. Novell's NetWare, UnixWare and AppWare familites of
products provide matched software components for distributing information
resources within local, wide area and internetworked information systems.

For more information, contact Novell, Inc., 122 East 1700 South, Provo, Utah
84606-6194; telephone [phone] or 800/453-1267.

The WordPerfect RoundTable is located on GEnie Page 521, Keyword WP.

                                     -*-




               Borland to Sell Quattro Pro Spreadsheet to Novell
    ____       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   / _  )            Scotts Valley, CA -- March 21, 1994
  / __ /
 / _  )
(____/orland International Inc. (NASDAQ: BORL) today announced that it has
entered into an agreement for the sale of its Quattro Pro spreadsheet product
line to Novell Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVL) for $145 million in cash.

The transaction, which is subject to certain conditions including regulatory
approvals, is expected to close later this spring.

"The sale of Quattro Pro gives us the opportunity to better focus our efforts
and resources on the company's core businesses: databases and programming
tools," said Philippe Kahn, chairman, president and CEO, Borland International.
"Borland databases and tools are the funamental products for helping customers
'upsize' their software applications into more advanced client/server
environments."

Novell's intention to purchase Quattro Pro was part of an announcement earlier
today that Novell and WordPerfect Corporation planned to merge, creating the
world's second largest software company. The sale of Quattro Pro is subject to
the completion of the Novell/WordPerfect merger.

"The Novell/WordPerfect merger brings an entirely new dynamic to the software
industry," said Mr. Kahn. "Quattro Pro and its underlying Borland technology
become key components in the Novell/WordPerfect combination."

"Borland has close and long-standing business relationships with Novell and
WordPerfect and we expect those relationships to continue well into the
future," added Mr. Kahn.

Borland also announced that it expects to report a significant decline in
revenues and a substantial operating loss for the fiscal quarter and year
ending March 13, 1994. In light of the overall decline in revenues and the
effecs of the Quattro Pro sale, Borland said it will restructure the company
and incur expenses for it. The timing of the restructuring and charges to be
incurred have not been determined.

Borland said that terms of the Quattro Pro sale agreement would entitle Novell
to reporduce up to one million copies of Borland's Paradox for Windows database
software to be sold in a suite of products containing Paradox for Windows,
Quattro Pro for Windows, and WordPerfect for Windows. Currently, Borland and
WordPerfect jointly market the Borland Office, a software suite which contains
those three products.

It is anticipated that the approximately 100 Borland employees directly
involved in Quattro Pro activities will be offered posotions with Novell.

In connection with the transaction, Novell has not assumed any liability which
may exist pursuant to the ongoing Lotus Development Corp. v. Borland litigation
regarding alleged copyright infringement.

Borland also announced that Alan Henricks, Borland's senior vice president of
finance and operations and CFO, has resigned to pursue other interests. Joseph
Howell, vice president and controller, will serve as acting CFO while the
company begins an executive search for a new CFO.

Last week, Borland appointed its first chief operating officer, with the
announcement of Keith Maib, a 12-year veteran in the management consulting
practice of Price Waterhouse, to manage day-to-day operations.

For millions of software developers and end users worldwide, Borland is the
leader in application development software. A pioneer in the use of object-
oriented technology, Borland is committed to offering the world's best database
management, programming languages, development tools, spreadsheet and
application software. Borland's products include dBASE, Paradox, InterBase,
Quattro Pro, Borland C++, and Borland Pascal with Objects. Founded in 1983 by
Philippe Kahn, Borland is headquartered at 100 Borland Way (P.O. Box 660001),
Scotts Valley, California 95067-0001.

The Borland RoundTable is located on GEnie Page 765, Keyword BORLAND.

                                    -*-




                  New QuickTime Starter Kit Makes Computer
                  Video, Animation, and Sound Fun and Easy
 ______           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(__  __)               Las Vegas, NV -- March 21, 1994
  / /
 / /
(_/he new Apple QuickTime Starter Kit (v1.1) gives consumers all the tools they
need to get started with this innovative multimedia software. With QuickTime,
computer users can work with video, sound and music as easily as they work with
text and graphics.

New to the QuickTime Starter Kit is PixelPlay 2.0 from Silicon Sports, which
enables users to save QuickTime movies as screen savers. In addition, consumers
can now use QuickTime to digitize sound from an audio CD, as well as
incorporate PhotoCD images.

The QuickTime Starter Kit includes:

 * The QuickTime 1.6.1 system extension
 * QuickClips, a CD-ROM disc filled with high-quality animation sequences,
   video clips and still images
 * A new QuickTime-ready Scrapbook
 * The MoviePlayer application which lets users view and edit QuickTime
   movies and sound files
 * The Movie Recorder application for easy movie recording
 * The Movie Converter application which enables users to create images
   (such as PICT and Scrapbook files, as well as MS-DOS image formats) and
   dynamic information (such as PICS files and other QuickTime movies) into
   a single movie
 * The Picture Compressor application which enables the compression of PICT
   images to a fraction of their original file size, saving valuable hard
   disk space
 * Extensive on-line help is included with each application
 * A HyperCard-based electronic catalog of products that support QuickTime
 * QuickTime user's guide
 * Toll-free telephone support

Significance

The QuickTime Starter Kit introduces consumers to the world of video creation,
editing and playback on computers. It provides a user-friendly way to
experiment with video -- an area that intimitates many computer users today.
The QuickTime Starter Kit mades it easy to incorporate video, images and sound
into corporate and sales presentation, documents, speeches and more.

Availability

The QuickTime Starter Kit 1.1 is available now at Apple resellers in the U.S.

Pricing

The QuickTime Starter Kit version 1.1 has an ApplePrice of $99.

System Requirements

An Apple Macintosh computer with a 68020, 68030, 68040 or PowerPC
microprocessor; at least 4 megabytes of RAM; an Apple SuperDrive floppy disk
drive; and a hard disk drive.

System 6 (version 6.0.7 or later) or System 7 (version 7.0 or later).

An Apple CD-ROM drive or compatible CD-ROM drive (for accessing the contents of
the CD-ROM).

                                    -*-




    Looking Glass Software Ships $199 Full-Color Hypermedia Word Processor
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
              ViperWrite 2.0 Offers Seamless Word Processing,
                 Hypertext, and Sophisticated Multimedia
     _          Presentation Authoring at Affordable Price
    / )
   / /               Inglewood, CA -- March 1, 1994
  / /
 / (_
(____)ooking Glass Software Inc. is shipping ViperWrite 2.0, an advanced
Windows-based hypermedia word processor. ViperWrite will help users create and
present professional-looking multimedia applications without need for
traditional computer programming. The product retails for $199.

"Our intent is to fill the market need for a multimedia presentation package
which will make the creation and distribution of hypertext applications easy
and inexpensive for non-technical users," said Sam Covington, chief executive
officer at Looking Glass Software.

ViperWrite combines standard word processing tools with advanced hyperlinking
and navigation techniques to create powerful presentations for a variety of
applications. Creating, editing and presenting full color presentations can be
done by incorporationg graphics, sound, video and animation. ViperWrite links
words, graphics, buttons, and phrases to BMP and WAV files, AVI files for
video, FLC/FLI files for animation, bookmarks and other ViperWrite documents.
Users can launch any Windows program and can play video and animation clips
directly from the presentation.

Looking Glass' own HyperLayers(TM) is a powerful new feature in ViperWrite
which gives developers the freedom to create layers in new and unique ways.
Each layer acts as a storage place for different display templates that the
developer can customize. The developer can take the base text and instruct the
application to stylize separate layers, opting for certain words to be
boldfaced in one layer, phrases to be colored in another, and so on. Once
developed, each layer operates as an independent presentation utilizing the
same base text.

ViperWrite has three working modes. Edit mode allows users to edit text and
create links; link mode allows users to create, edit and execute links; and
presentation mode allows users to navigate through a hypermedia presentation.
Looking Glass' WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) environment makes moving
from edit to presentation mode and back a seamless procedure.

New design control features allow users to customize the window caption,
specify which menu bars to display, and instruct ViperWrite which document to
begin the presentation.

Users can manage the hard disk requirements of the presentation by choosing
between partial, full or no compression. This flexibility can be valuable in
situations where hard disk space is an issue. ViperWrite also supports OLE 1.0,
which allows users to insert art, text or entire documents from other
OLE-compatible applications, such as Microsoft Word or Excel.

1st True Multimedia Presentation Software within a Word Processor

ViperWrite's word processing features include traditional cut, copy and paste,
an editable 100,000-word spell check dictionary, and a search and replace
function. BMP files can be easily inserted, as well as ASCII and RTF text
files. Text can be colored with a palette of 16 million colors, and shadowed
and beveled with an almost unlimited array of palette variations. To facilitate
easy navigation during presentation mode, ViperWrite has insertable "bookmark"
characters.

Text features include all system-available fonts, sizes and styles; 24-bit
color for text, text backgrounds, text bevels and shadows; shadow with vertical
and horizontal offsets; and kerning, to name a few. A hidden text feature can
be used to leave notes without displaying them during a presentation, or hide
text on one document layer but not another. Users also can control paragraph
borders individually, as well as create multiple columns.

If desired, ViperWrite can display a navigation bar. This tool helps developers
and end users keep track of where they are and helps them navigate within and
between ViperWrite documents. In presentation mode, the navigation bar permits
users to backtrack to previously viewed documents by double- clicking on any
document in the pop up list box. Users can display all links with an outline as
well as specify the presentation start-up document.

ViperWrite (proceeded by HyperWrite 1.0) is compatible with Windows-based
applications and supports OLE 1.0. System requirements for ViperWrite include
Windows 3.1 or higher, 2 MB of RAM, and 2.5 MB hard disk space for minimum
installation. Full installation, which includes all tuturial and help files,
requires 5.4 MB hard disk space.


ViperWrite Fact Sheet

ViperWrite 2.0 is the ONLY product available which seamlessly delivers word
processing, hypertext, and multimedia in one economical package.

ViperWrite is an advanced hypermedia word processor for the creation and
playback of full-color interactive presentations. This Windows-based
application combines high-end word processing with advanced hyperlinking and
navigation techniques. Create, edit and present full-color presentations for
business, training, database building and classroom use.

Incorporate Graphics, Sound, Video and Animation

Link words or phrases to bitmap graphic and sound files. Launch any Windows
program and play video and animation clips directly from your presentation.

HyperLayers

Explore the most powerful software feature in the industry -- Hyperlayers --
available only from Looking Glass Software Inc. With HyperLayers, you can
express ideas and concepts in new and unique ways. Create layers to annotate
one document multiple times, using a separate layer each time.

Three Working Modes

 * Edit mode to edit text and create links
 * Link mode to create, edit, and execute links; automatically outlines
   links for easy editing
 * Presentation mode for navigating through a hypermedia presentation

Text Editing

 * Drag-and-drop (or cut, copy, paste) across other documents/applications
 * Import/Export ASCII and RTF text files
 * Insert bitmap graphics (BMP files)
 * Show/Hide graphic and white space characters
 * 100,000-word spell check dictionary
 * Editable user dictionaries
 * Search and replace
 * Insert Bookmarks for easy navigation

Character Features

 * All system-available fonts, sizes and styles
 * 24-bit RGB color for text, backgrounds, and shadows
 * Shadow with vertical and horizontal offsets
 * Control left, top, right and bottom borders individually; apply any
   width, height or RGB color
 * Create beveled button look using colors and borders
 * Hide/Show "hidden" text
 * Resizable graphic characters
 * Superscripting and subscripting
 * Kerning (manual or automatic)
 * Soft hyphens for automatically breaking words at end of line
 * Style bar

Paragraph Features

 * Indent: first line, left and right
 * Alignments: left, center, right, full character and full word kerning
 * Tabs: align left, center, right or on any character; apply fill character
 * Leading: lines and points
 * Space: before and after
 * Borders: solid, dotted, gray or dashed lines; shadows
 * Ruler bar
 * Multiple columns

Hyper Connections

 * Create document layers; each layer supports its own formatting and links
 * Create links from words, characters, paragraphs and embedded graphics
 * Links to:
   Bookmarks
   Other ViperWrite documents
   Any WAV or BMP file
   Any Windows application
   Any data file with an associated Windows application (including AVI
    files for video and FLC/FLI files for animation)

Presentation Features

 * Choose to display all links with an outline
 * Choose to display navigation bar
 * Specify the presentation start-up document
 * Specify documents for use with Contents, Glossary, and Index options
 * Customize window caption

Navigation Features

 * Access Contents, Glossary and Index documents from the navigation bar
   or menu options
 * Backtrack using the navigational history option
 * Mouse, keyboard and menu navigation through linked documents

Other Features

 * WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
 * Supports OLE 1.0
 * Hypertext Help

New Features in ViperWrite 2.0

 * Create new links, editing existing ones; navigate without changing modes
 * OLE 1.0 Support: Insert OLE objects directly into your document
 * Compression: Control the size of documents by choosing between partial,
   full, or no compression
 * Hidden Text: Use hidden text to leave notes without displaying them
   during a presentation. Hide text on one document layer but not an another
 * Design Control: Customize the window caption, specify which menu bars to
   display, tell ViperWrite which document begins the presentation

System Requirements: IBM or compatible with 80386 or higher processor. System
should be running DOS 3.3 or later, and Microsoft Windows 3.1 (in enhanced
mode), with 2 MB RAM or greater. Full installation requires 5.4 MB hard disk
space (2.5 MB for minimum installation). Mouse is recommended.


Looking Glass Software, Inc. is an innovative developer of software tools that
facilitate multimedia design, 3-D graphics, image processing and hypermedia
database access to from new communication links between people and information.

For more information, contact Marcia Covington at Looking Glass Software, Inc.,
11222 La Cienaga Blvd, Suite 305, Inglewood, CA 93040; telephone [phone],
fax [phone].
                                    -*-




                Spectrum Envoy puts Telecommunications Clout
                on Desktop with Windows-Based Telephony Suite
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
             Envoy's DSP-power and intelligent software put phone,
              fax, modem, answering machine, voice messaging and
                  PC audio in a single seamless package
  ____
 / ___)
( (__                 Vancouver, BC -- March 1, 1994
 \__ \
 ___) )
(____/pectrum Signal Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ: SSPIF) is now shipping its
flagship end-user product, Spectrum Envoy, a Windows-based telephone management
system designed specifically for small office and home office environments.
Envoy provides telephone, data modem, fax, answering maching, voice messaging
and PC audio functions, along with advanced digital signal processor (DSP)
hardware and powerful software to manage it, in a single, affordable package.

Two key technologies are employed by Spectrum Envoy to provide capabilities
never before possible in a desktop product. Digital signal processing
technology, based on IBM Microelectronics Mwave(TM) technology platform and
implemented by Spectrum's DSP specialists, greatly facilitates the ease with
which computers process sound, speech, phone data and voice signals as well as
other analog signals. The other is provided in revolutionary telephony software
which works directly with Centrex productivity features offered by most
telephone companies.

Transparently integrating these many Envoy functions is a Windows-based
controlling program called Spectrum Aura. Aura orchestrates the various
resources of the Envoy technology and assures that the user enjoys a simple,
seamless operating environment.

Background

Spectrum Signal Processing, the leader in applied industrial DSP, was an early
adopter of the Mwave technology platform, and the company continues to enjoy a
strong relationship with IBM Microelectronics as a supplier and co-developer.
Spectrum, for example, was the co-developer of an Mwave discriminator, a device
that allows Envoy to reliably discriminate incoming fax, voice or modem calls
and handle each appropriately -- even while unattended.

"Spectrum's customers will benefit greatly from the combination of Mwave's and
Spectrum's enhancements," says Save McLean, Mwave Product Marketing and
Business Development Director at IBM Microelectronics. "We look forward to
working with Spectrum on further developments and enhancements that will secure
Mwave as the technology platform of choice for the next several years and
beyond."

Other advanced Envoy features, such as support for Caller ID and distinctive
ring, speakerphone, Contrex switch driver and advanced on-hook/off-hook
sensing, add unmatched functionality and set Envoy well apart from other
telecommunications solutions.

Building on this powerful platform, Spectrum applied its expertise and
experience in applied DSP technology to add even greater value. By developing
software and integrating different technologies, Spectrum has leveraged its
leadership in industrial DSP to create a powerful, unified high-performance
product for small office and home office (SOHO) end-users.

Spectrum Envoy

"Spectrum Signal Processing is committed to developing and marketing highly
advanced, yet affordable DSP-based telephony products that provide unparalleled
productivity enhancements for the small office and home office," said Barry
Jinks, President and Chief Executive Officer of Spectrum Signal Processing.
"Futhermore, Spectrum Envoy is intended to grow with customers and protect
their investment by providing an efficient and economical software-based
upgrade path to greater features and higher performance."

Modem and Software

Envoy includes a 14.4 kbps (V.32bis) data modem and a 9600 bps (V.29) Group 3
fax, with V.42bis data compression and V.42 error correction, voice and audio
processing and many other capabilities. The popular and powerful QuickLink II
software from Smith Micro is included with Spectrum Envoy to give users an
integrated fax/modem application that brings out the best of Envoy's
capabilities. QuickLink II's advanced features include optical character
recognition (OCR), full background operation, comprehensive call logging,
broadcast and unattended scheduled fax operation, file format conversion
utilities and more.

Envoy includes OCTuS PTA Software (Personal Telecommunications Assistant),
developed by OCTuS, Inc. Envoy with OCTuS PTA is a revolutionary development in
the integration of desktop computers and telephones, the two most powerful and
ubiquitous office technologies. This technology gives the user control over
telephone calls instead of the calls controlling the user.

Telephone GUI

Envoy with OCTuS PTA was specifically designed to integrate the power,
information and efficiency of desktop computers with the global reach of the
telephone. It provides a familiar graphical interface to the many "hidden"
productivity features such as call waiting, call forwarding, transfers, caller
ID, conference calls, and so on. Rather than memorize cryptic codes, Envoy with
OCTuS PTA allows the user to manipulate these features with the click of a
mouse. Its automated address books, contact logs, and telecommunications
control capabilities can dramatically enhance the productivity of the small
office/home office environment.

For example, using Envoy with OCTuS PTA and caller ID, users can be presented
on-screen with a caller's name, company, and details of previous calls before
deciding if and how to answer the call. Using the "Soft Interrupt" features,
the user can then choose between a variety of call-handling options including
taking the call, placing the caller on hold, routing the call to be answered by
OCTuS PTA's voice mail function, or even ignoring it.

This product allows any numer of messages to be recorded and played in
conjunction with the soft interrupt features, and sound effects can be played
over the phone during a conversation. Virtually any telephone function can be
dramatically enhanced and made easier to use by Envoy.

Audio Control

The high-quality 14-bit equivalent MPC-compliant audio capabilities of Envoy
add a further new dimension to small office and home office computing. Audio,
in the form of voice, sound effects or music can be added to applications such
as word processing documents, spreadsheets, e-mail messages and multimedia
presentations. Spectrum Envoy PC audio can also be used for high- quality
computer game sound and is upgradeable for text-to-speech and voice recognition
applications.

Enhancements

Envoy's software upgradability allows end users to easily enhance their system
without buying new hardware or modifying existing hardware configurations.
Currently available enhancements include a fax speed upgrade to V.17 (14.4
kbps), full-duplex speakerphone and studio driver enabling use with many
popular Sound Blaster(TM) games. Future enhancements include a two-line
version, plug 'n' play compatibility, modem speed upgrade to V.FAST (28.8
kbps), voice-over data and key system support. Spectrum is also actively
involved in the development of smaller, more portable form factors and
compatibility with high-speed, high-capacity ISDN lines.

"From a user standpoint, probably the most important feature of Envoy is the
expandability enabled by its DSP technology base," stated Abhijeet Rane,
Research Analyst for Link Resources Corporation, New York. "Link's research on
the SOHO market suggests rapid growth. The number of individuals working at
home is expected to reach 55.9 million by the end of 1997."

Suggested List Price

Spectrum Envoy carries a suggested list price of $349. It is distributed by a
number of national and regional channel partners including PC Zone, Micro
Central, SYNNEX, Information Technologies, GTE Supply, Grey & Associates, and
PC Wholesale. For more information on Spectrum Envoy, call 800/667-0018.


Spectrum Signal Processing, Inc. develops engineering tools, boards and
software for the PC, VME and SBus environments. These systems support digital
processors from all the major vendors, making Spectrum a leader in industrial
DSP applications. In addition, the company's new multimedia products for the
consumer market provide a leading edge desktop communications system for the
small office/home office (SOHO) environment. Spectrum Signal Processing Inc. is
publicly traded on the NASDAQ NMS under the symbol SSPIF and on the Toronto and
Vancouver Stock Exchange under the symbol SSY. The company employs 60 and is
located at 8525 Baxter Place, 100 Production Court, Burnaby, British Columbia,
V5A 4V7 Canada. Telephone [phone], fax [phone].

                                   -*-




                Spectrum Signal and QSound Labs to Form
                 Joint Venture for Multimedia Products
  ____           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 / ___)
( (__                 Vancouver, BC -- March 18, 1994
 \__ \
 ___) )
(____/pectrum Signal Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ NSM: SSPIF & VSE: SSY) announced
today that it has signed a letter of intent with QSound Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ:
QSNDF & TSE: QSL) to form a joint venture to develop, manufacture and market
products for the PC/multimedia market. Spectrum has agreed to invest $1 million
U.S. in QSound in exchange for common shares and share purchase warrants. The
letter of intent also provides for an ongoing cooperative development
relationship.

The joint venture was formed in response to a letter of agreement QSound signed
with the Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd. of Japan, which will focus on the
development of products for the PC/multimedia market. Mitsumi is a world leader
in the development, manufacture, and distribution of various electronic
components for the high-tech consumer electronics market and personal computer
components including CD-ROM drives for the multimedia industry. The joint
venture and financing are conditional upon final documentation.

QSound Labs, Inc. is an advanced audio technology company specializing in sound
localization and enhancement and is currently supplying technology to the
multimedia and home entertainment industry.

Spectrum Signal Processing, Inc. develops engineering tools, boards and
software for the PC, VME and SBus environments. Spectrum is a leader in
industrial DSP applications and has recently released a new DSP-based
multimedia desktop communications product for the consumer market.

                                     -*-




              DareWare ShareWare, Fantasy GIFs and Other Hot Files
 ______       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(__  __)              Cyberspace, Earth -- March 24, 1994
  / /
 / /
(_/hree more commercial-quality programs from DareWare Inc. were uploaded this
week to the Multimedia/CYBERSPACE Library. These programs are fully functional
and well worth having:

1. Cinema v2.0, a GUI for displaying graphics and playing sounds using DOS.

2. Image Pro v1.1, converts various PC graphics formats and helps create
   Talking Slide Shows with improved-quality PC Speaker voice overs.

3. View v1.2, a PCX/GIF DOS display utility that lets you place and overlap
   multiple images, displaying them fast enough to create animations.

Low-cost registration with DareWare gets you ADVANCED versions of these
programs with additional features and goodies. Details on all three below.

More Fantasy GIFs

Eight more great Fantasy GIFs were uploaded this week, and you won't believe
your eyes when you goggle at their life-like quality. Check the descriptions
below for more Boris art, a pair of exciting twins, a dynamic duo, and more!

Commercial Software for the Cost of Downloading

Several particularly interesting files on other GEnie RoundTables. Microsoft
Windows v3.11 refresh update, and Word for Windows 6.0a Patch Update are both
available for downloading from Microsoft RoundTable. Simply type the Keyword
MICROSOFT or M505, and look for Menu Items 10 and 11 there.

Also, through a special licensing agreement, Adobe's Acrobat Reader programs
for DOS, Windows, and Macintosh are available for downloading from GEnie's new
Tax RoundTable. Type the Keyword TAX or M1040 at any GEnie page prompt for
details.


Here are details on some of the great, new files now available for downloading
from the Multimedia/CYBERSPACE Library on GEnie page 2000, Menu Option 3:

 *********************************
Number: 967  Name: CINEMA.ZIP
Address: MULTIMEDIA   Date: 940323
Approximate # of bytes: 478592
Number of Accesses: 1  Library: 3
Description:
Cinema v2.0 from DareWare, Inc., provides a handy DOS graphical user interface
(GUI) for playing most popular sound PC-format files and viewing graphics and
animation files. Mouse or keyboard control. Choose from 11 different special
effects to display PCX or GIF files. Also display Autodesk FLI and GRASP/GL
animations. Sound card required to play VOC, WAV, CMF or MID files. This is a
fully functional program. Shareware registration is only $19.95. Includes lots
of delightful sample graphics and sound files. VERY EASY TO USE. Requires
IBM-compatible; EGA, VGA graphics; sound card if you want to play music files.


 *********************************
Number: 968  Name: IMAGE20.ZIP
Address: MULTIMEDIA   Date: 940323
Approximate # of bytes: 342016
Number of Accesses: 1  Library: 3
Description:
Image Pro v1.1 from DareWare Inc. helps you create TALKING SLIDE SHOWS with
motion and special effects! Offers GRAPHICS CONVERSION and text on graphics
capability. View scale, convert, or clip GIF, PCX, PIC, TGA, TIFF images (CGA,
EGA, VGA & SVGA up to 1024x768x256 colors). Change brightness and contract of
images, print. Image Pro allows you to incorporate other popular packages such
as Sound Blaster, AdLib, GRASP and Autodesk Animator. Easy to use DOS Graphical
User Interface with keyboard control. Speech, music and sound effects play
through PC speaker. $29 registration supports DareWare and gets you advanced
features, more sound/speech capabilities, and over 400K of speech, music, sound
effects. Requires IBM-compabitle; EGA or VGA graphics.


 *********************************
Number: 969  Name: VIEW12.ZIP
Address: MULTIMEDIA   Date: 940323
Approximate # of bytes: 45312
Number of Accesses: 2  Library: 3
Description:
View v1.2 from DareWare is a great little DOS GRAPHICS DISPLAY utility. Command
line arguments (Xloc and Yloc) point to horizontal and vertical starting
coordinates of images and will display clipped images anywhere on the screen --
can be used to create/display ANIMATIONs using carefully designed PCX or GIF
images! Scroll and zoom controls in standard VGA mode (320x200 256colors);
640x480+ in registered version. Display graphic images as overlay, window, or
on top of another image. Fast for Animation. Examples included. Graphics
Drivers included for: Chipstec, Compaq, Oaktech, Orchid, Paradise, Sigma, STB,
SunVideo, TRI8900, Trident, TSeng4, VESA, VSeven, WesternD, XGA. Requires
IBM-compatible with CGA, EGA, VGA graphics capability.


 *********************************
Number: 970  Name: BV0005.GIF
Address: CYBERSPACE   Date: 940323
Approximate # of bytes: 129024
Number of Accesses: 2  Library: 8
Description:
Another gorgeous SuperVGA Fantasy drawing by Boris, BV0005.GIF features four
lovely -- and very realistic -- partially clad ladies at the foot of a golden
female altar/goddess. Blonde, brunettes, and even a red-head. Requires
IBM-compatible with SuperVGA card. 640x400x256 colors.


 *********************************
Number: 971  Name: BV0004.GIF
Address: CYBERSPACE   Date: 940323
Approximate # of bytes: 104320
Number of Accesses: 2  Library: 8
Description:
This fascinating SuperVGA drawing by Boris is about pain and suffering: a tall,
slender male human figure struggles inside of a huge, translucent cross.
Powerful image. Requires IBM-compatible with SuperVGA card. 640x400x256 colors.


 *********************************
Number: 972  Name: BV0003.GIF
Address: CYBERSPACE   Date: 940323
Approximate # of bytes: 105472
Number of Accesses: 2  Library: 8
Description:
Fantasy image by the extraordinary artist Boris. BV0003.GIF depicts a gorgeous
brunette fantasy woman wearing little but boots as she stands proudly beside a
subdued (but realiistic looking) dragon. Requires IBM-compatible with SuperVGA
card. 640x400x256 colors.


 *********************************
Number: 973  Name: BV0002.GIF
Address: CYBERSPACE   Date: 940323
Approximate # of bytes: 138880
Number of Accesses: 1  Library: 8
Description:
Great fantasy artist Boris does it again! In BV0002.GIF, a lucious blonde
fantasy woman (partially clad) stands proudly over two realistic looking
dragons. Great detail with lovely muted background. Requires IBM-compatible
with SuperVGA card. 640x400x256 colors.


 *********************************
Number: 974  Name: GEMINI1.GIF
Address: CYBERSPACE   Date: 940323
Approximate # of bytes: 149120
Number of Accesses: 2  Library: 8
Description:
Breath-taking Fantasy Art -- Gemini Twins are depicted here as two gorgeous
black women adorned with subtle tatoos, front and back. Magnigicent background
and skin tones, this is a work of art! Requires IBM-compatible with SuperVGA
card. 640x400x256 colors.


 *********************************
Number: 975  Name: FNTSYDUO.GIF
Address: CYBERSPACE   Date: 940323
Approximate # of bytes: 100736
Number of Accesses: 1  Library: 8
Description:
Splendid SuperVGA drwaing highlights the fantastic bods of a couple -- a well
muscled man with a sword (perhaps a barbarian?) standing over a blonde maiden
in distress, while a tiny creature cowers in the foreground. Great artistic
composition and detail. Requires IBM-compatible with SuperVGA. 640x400x256
colors.


 *********************************
Number: 976  Name: FLAMING.GIF
Address: CYBERSPACE   Date: 940323
Approximate # of bytes: 164864
Number of Accesses: 1  Library: 8
Description:
FLAMING.GIF is first-class Art! Beautifully proportioned flaming-haired FANTASY
woman with bow and flamed-tipped arrow poses high on a rock with a planet and
clouds in the distance behind her. Requires IBM-compatible with SuperVGA.
640x400x256 colors.


 *********************************
Number: 977  Name: BOADICEA.GIF
Address: CYBERSPACE   Date: 940323
Approximate # of bytes: 119168
Number of Accesses: 2  Library: 8
Description:
Boadicea, the blonde warrior woman by Chris Achilleos is a FANTASY drawing
you'll never forget! Utterly poised, Boadicea poses in skimpy golden armor with
fantastic helm, and a lovely fur cloak you can almost touch -- pensively giving
you the eye! Requires IBM-compatible, SuperVGA. 640x400x256 colors.


                                    -*-


    Come into my Parlor: An Informal Look at Commercial Virtual Reality
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                              by Denny Atkin
   ____
  (_  _)           Cyberspace, Earth -- March 24, 1994
   / /
 _/ /
(____) had my first (and second :) Virtual Reality experience yesterday while
visiting a friend in Northern California.

In Walnut Creek there's an establishment called Virtual World. They had two
sets of simulations, BattleTech and Red Planet. We elected to try Red Planet.
After paying our $8, we were escorted to a briefing area where we were shown a
video that introduced the game scenario. We were then briefed on the controls
and escorted to our "ships." These were enclosed cockpits with a number of
video screens, various buttons (some functional, some not), a throttle, and a
joystick.

The scenario involves a race around a closed course in a Mars installation. We
were piloting hovercraft which were equipped with turbo thrusters and of course
the requisite lasers. The goal is to make the most laps around the course,
avoiding obstacles and ramming or blasting your opponent for a little extra
fun.

Because neither of us had played before, we raced on a simple course with only
left-and-right movement; advanced players can also raise and lower their craft.
The actual experience might not fit some people's definition of "virtual
reality," as the effect isn't three-dimensional, and nothing's gauging head
movements and such. But achieving a 3-D display would require goggles, which
would lessen the cockpit experience.

This writer, who plays computer games for a living, hesitates to report on the
result of our battle. However, being the gentleman I am, I must say that the
lady whooped my butt. I was spending too much time trying to blow her up (I got
about 650 shots in on her, compared to about 170 hits on my ship), while she
was following instructions and actually completing race laps.

So did we get our money's worth? For $8, we got 20 minutes of play, plus about
10 minutes of briefing and a debriefing wrap-up. The simulation was a blast,
although it was perhaps more akin to the better online network games than a
true feeling of reality. The only damper was the barely post-adolescent staff,
who pretty much destroyed the atmosphere that the center's designers had tried
to create (there are control rooms, decontamination chambers, etc.) by
bickering over who was handling which jobs and telling us about the
recently-fired manager they all hated. Still, the sim was fun, and I plan to
head back to try BattleTech next time I'm in town.

Later that evening we went to a Virtual Reality center in downtown San
Francisco that featured Virtuality gear. Determined to regain my pride, I
challenged Becky to a game of Dactyl Nightmare. Now THIS was virtual reality.
We donned motion sensors, headgear, and grabbed guns. Suddenly we were standing
on a series of platforms in a 3-D polygon universe. Navigating was extremely
easy to pick up -- you turn your head to change view direction, your virtual
body changes direction as your real one does, and a button on the gun controls
your forward motion. We both quickly got the knack of walking around the
platforms and going up and down stairs.

Then the fight was on. Our $5 apiece bought us four minutes of intense battle.
You quickly move around the platform trying to shoot the other opponents (up to
four can play, but it was just Becky and I this time). Every nine shots you
fire, a pterodactyl swoops from the sky and tries to pick you up; you can shoot
him, but you have to be fast.

The view was stereoscopic, and even though everything's rendered in fairly
simple polygon graphics, the feeling of being there was intense. Raise your gun
and straighten your hand and you see your rendered arm in front of you. Hear a
screech to your left and turn your head to see the pterodactyl swooping down on
you from that direction. Although the game lasted only four minutes, it was
probably the most intense four minutes I've spent standing up -- you really
wouldn't want it to last much longer (besides, the headset starts to get
heavy).

Although the gameplay was much simpler than that in Red Planet and the game was
shorter, the intensity of the experience was dramatically better. Oh, and how
did this game come out? Well, being the gentleman that I am, I'll have to say
that I whooped the lady's butt.

We wrapped up the evening by trying another Virtuality game, this one with
flying robots in an arena. We each won one game, but it wasn't as much fun as
Dactyl Nightmare. For one thing, there were two computer players to shoot at
and be shot by -- that sort of thing should be left to friends. Also, adding
the flying element detracted from playability -- there were just too many
motions to keep track of. I'll stick to Dactyl Nightmare. (There were also two
sit-down flight simulations, but we didn't get a chance to try those before the
place closed.)

Considering that Red Planet and the Virtuality games are examples of the first
generation of VR simulation, I'm quite impressed with the possibilities. If you
ever spot a VR center in your travels, stop in and blow some cash. Even though
the per-minute fee seems really high, it's worth every penny. Virtual Reality,
at least, most certainly does not bite.

(Amiga fans will be interested to know that the Virtuality Gear was controlled
by Amiga 3000 computers tied to dedicated equipment that actually reads the
sensors and creates the graphics and sound.)


                                     -*-


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