Intel at E3

Over 25,000 Square Feet of MMX' Technology Titles for Intel's Consumer Debut of the Pentium" II Microprocessor At E3, Intel will be giving the electronic entertainment industry a preview of what Christmas may hold in store for the best in PC entertainment, whether in the living room or elsewhere in the home.

Following up on its launch of the Pentium II microprocessor, Intel will feature some 40 new applications that utilise the PII's raw horsepower or MMX' Technology.

There will be new titles from Disney, Hasbro, Electronic Arts, as well as new category creations from Microsoft (baseball won't seem the same and neither will auto racing) that promise to redefine 3-D entertainment on the PC.

In addition, the Intel booth will have the first of the PC-based arcade games from Greystone and the first DVD-ROM titles for the PC.

Finally, the Intel booth will also feature a PC-Music Stand, where the audience can get a sneak preview of an as yet unreleased Enhanced-CD Plus from No Doubt, and brand new music-play-along products from Harmonix that have been described as "midi-oke" meets rock video.

Microsoft Unveils First Premium Games for Its Internet Gaming Zone

Zone Hits Multiple Milestones, Including 275,000 Gamers; One Million Game Sessions in May

REDMOND, Wash., June 16 -- Microsoft Corp. today announced that it is on a roll with its popular Internet Gaming Zone, http://www.zone.com/. Topping the news about the Zone, Microsoft plans to expand the site by introducing its first two premium games, Microsoft(R) Fighter Ace(TM) and Asheron's Call(TM). Both multiplayer games will be previewed at the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) trade show June 19-21 in Atlanta (Booth 2616 in the West Hall, Georgia Congress Center).

Microsoft also announced that a record 275,000 members have signed up to play over its free gaming site (connect-time charges may apply), making the Zone one of the largest gaming communities on the Internet. In addition, the company exceeded monthly matchmaking projections for the Zone during May, when more than 1 million game sessions brought gamers together from around the world.

"Online gaming is gaining popularity because it brings the social dynamic back to computer games," said Steve Murch, product unit manager for the Zone team at Microsoft. "In a little more than a year, 275,000 people -- enough to fill five football stadiums -- have joined the Zone and rediscovered that it's the human element that makes games really fun."

Fighter Ace and Asheron's Call Will Offer Massive Multiplayer Game Play

The first two premium Microsoft titles were designed specifically to be played over the Internet. Whether players are flying a World War II fighter plane along with a hundred other people, or role-playing in a fantasy world with thousands, these games demonstrate the power the Internet can bring to gaming.

Fighter Ace, a World War II dogfighting game, can support more than 100 players in a single flight arena. It features 16 accurately replicated aircraft from the United States, Great Britain, Germany and Russia. Pilots will be able to fly in "free-for-all," private game and team-play modes. In addition, Fighter Ace will provide variable levels of difficulty (rookie through expert), player profiles and flight records, plus great aircraft graphics and terrain modeling. Fighter Ace is scheduled to be available in beta version this July and go live later in the summer. The game is being developed with VR-1 Inc. of Boulder, Colo.

The second premium game, Asheron's Call, is an epic role-playing game that will support thousands of players simultaneously. The fabric of this fantasy game, including advanced combat, health, magic and allegiance systems, allows players to develop characters and interact in a variety of ways that provide infinite depth and capability for replay. The rich first-person perspective immerses the player immediately in the dynamic gaming universe. Asheron's Call, scheduled for release during the first quarter of 1998, is being developed by Turbine Entertainment Software Corp. of Westwood, Mass. Both Fighter Ace and Asheron's Call will be free for download (connect-time charges may apply) and carry nominal daily or monthly usage fees.

LucasArts and Hasbro Interactive, Microsoft Bring Popular Games to the Zone

Easy-to-use ZoneMatch(TM) lobbies are currently available for 14 games, from backgammon to LucasArts X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter; the Zone is scheduled to offer more than 20 games by the end of this year.

Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II and Star Wars Rebellion from LucasArts are expected to be available in the Zone this summer and fall. Scrabble(R), the world's most popular word game, from Hasbro Interactive, was added to the Zone this month. Other CD-ROM titles from Hasbro Interactive coming to the Zone include Risk, Pictionary and Battleship.

Microsoft said that the majority of its upcoming 1997 holiday titles, including Flight Simulator 98, Age of Empires(TM) and Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far, will be enabled for multiplayer gaming on the Zone.

QuestGate's Free Quest Servers

When you mention Quake to anyone familiar with computer games over the past year, they will immediately understand that you mean that fantastic 3D masterpiece from ID Software. Quake is a phenomenon that has swept the world by storm. It has been called the most universally popular game since 'Rubiks Cube.' Unlike ID's former 'Doom' related games, this one can be played by up to 16 people at a time over the Internet. Other companies have joined the market by making add on levels with new monsters and weapons for the game. This just seem to spur the excitement as these 'Mission Packs' are scooped off the shelves as soon as they're stocked. But even as Quake reaches its peak in popularity, the ID programmers are hard at work on their next release, Quake 2.

With the promise of almost a dozen new games that will either use the Quake technology or learn a lot from it, you can expect next year to be remembered as 1998-3D. Many people will purchase Internet accounts in the coming months, with their sole purpose of playing games on the Internet. But, where can you play? Do the game companies setup servers for the public to use to promote their games? Some, but not all. And none of them have as many servers dedicated to online gaming as QuestGate.Net.

QuestGate was founded by a group of Internet Tech Support guys that just wanted to have some fun killing other people on-line. Their hobby grew into what is now the largest collection of Quake Servers hosted by one site in the world. With sixteen servers on-line running regular Quake, Capture The Flag (teams), Aftershock add on levels, both Mission Packs 1 and 2 and a dozen more, there is no disputing that these guys are serious about their fun. Most of the servers are set to a maximum of 12 players to improve efficiency. If you find that you don't have the best connection to their servers, they offer you the largest Quake server list currently available so that you might find one that works best for you. Remember, the lower the 'Ping times the better. The future looks bright for on-line gaming while these guys are running the show. Look for all those popular 3D games of the future to find a home on one of their servers when it's released.

Unlike other 'game' servers, QuestGate does not charge any fees to play on their servers. They are FREE to the public. To see an updated list of their servers with IP address for connection, or to find out more about the levels you can play there, please visit http://www.QuestGate.Net

Acclaim Entertainment Shoots and Scores with NHL Breakaway '98 for Game Consoles and PC

Acclaim Joins Forces With NHL and NHLPA to Set New Standard in Video Game Realism

GLEN COVE, N.Y., June 6, 1997 -- Acclaim Entertainment, Inc., a leading worldwide interactive entertainment company, today announced NHL Breakaway '98. Officially licensed by the National Hockey League and the NHL Players Association and endorsed by 1996-1997 NHL goal scoring champion Keith Tkachuk of the Phoenix Coyotes, NHL Breakaway '98 captures all the hard-hitting action and ice-melting speed of the coolest game on earth. Coming this September to the Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn and PC Windows 95, NHL Breakaway '98 will have gamers facing off year round.

NHL Breakaway '98 is loaded with innovative features and stellar 3D polygonal graphics that are truly unique to the hockey video game genre. Player's real-life heights and weights are graphically reflected in their on-screen appearance. Hits and interactions are precalculated through momentum-based physics, which are displayed through an unprecedented number of checking animations. Additionally, Acclaim's proprietary motion capture technology brings the whole game together with incredibly realistic hockey movements.

"NHL Breakaway '98 must be seen and played to be believed -- you really feel the crunch of the checks and the speed of the puck. The super detailed polygonal graphics, fluid motion-capture player movements and advanced artificial intelligence all work together to give the game the thrill of real hockey," said Bob Picunko, Acclaim sports marketing director .

NHL Breakaway '98 boasts groundbreaking hockey features such as an individual player fatigue system, playbook-based AI and advanced coaching strategies. The individual energy system graphically displays a particular player's fatigue level and is based not only his amount of ice- time during the game, but how long the player is actually accustomed to playing. The playbook-based AI lets gamers play their NHL counterparts real-life game styles, including forecheck, dump-and-chase and the neutral zone trap. Advanced coaching strategies allow gamers to set styles for physical play, power play and penalty killing as well as adjusting defensive alignments and shadowing the opposition's best player.

Beam Software's Cricket Competition

EA Sports and Beam Software have combined expertise to bring the ultimate cricket game to the PC - Cricket 97. The game combines state-of-the-art motion capture with improved player intelligence, streaming CD sound, TV-style presentation and the ability to create players and teams from the ground up. This game is a must for die-hard fans of the sport, and an intriguing look at this originally English game for general sport-heads.

Beam Software is currently running the ultimate cricket competition to promote Cricket 97.

Supreme cricketing legend and television personality Richie Benaud has painstakingly selected what he considers to be the 50 best players from the past 25 years of international test cricket. Competition entrants must choose a winning 11-player team plus a 12th man from this list that matches the one that Richie himself has chosen.

The major prize is a Genuine GM Cricket bat autographed by Richie and five runners-up will receive autographed copies of Cricket 97.

Entry is via the Beam Cricket 97 site at: http://www.beam.com.au/cricket97/about.htm

Since we first announced the competition, entries have been flooding in from around the world making this one of the biggest internet cricket promotions ever.

Command & Conquer Brand Reaches Worldwide Sales Figures of Five Million Units

One of the Most Recognised Brands in Computer and Videogame History Continues its World Domination LAS VEGAS, NV - June 12, 1997 - For fans of the phenomenally successful Command & Conquer line of strategy war games, peace does not appear to be an option. As sales of the product line continue to sky-rocket, Westwood Studios today announced that worldwide sales of its Command & Conquer brand of games have surpassed five million units. The Command & Conquer product line includes the original Command & Conquer for MS-DOS, Windows 95, Macintosh, Sony PlayStation, and Sega Saturn; The Covert Operations, the official add-on missions disk for Command & Conquer (MS-DOS, Windows 95); Command & Conquer Red Alert, the prequel to Command & Conquer and the fastest-selling computer game in history (MS-DOS, Windows 95); and Counterstrike, the official add-on missions disk for Command & Conquer Red Alert(MS-DOS, Windows 95).

"Fans around the world recognise that the Command & Conquer brand name is synonymous with the best in strategy war games," said Brett W. Sperry, president and CEO of Westwood Studios. "The success of the franchise validates our commitment to excellence. We will continue to support our fans with new installments to our strategy line as well as branching out into new genres in the near future." "Overall, the C&C universe is so rich and fascinating that in many ways we have only begun to scratch the surface," continued Sperry. "There are many exciting developments and secrets yet to unfold, especially because we have only revealed one-third of the game universe and story line."

The entire Command & Conquer product line is available at all major software retailers. The products can also be ordered directly from http://www.westwood.com, or in the U.S. by calling 800/874-4607. Virgin Interactive is the exclusive worldwide distributor for Westwood Studios.

Megamedia to launch 2 new web sites on July 1st

Megamedia is to launch two new web sites on July 1st - Outlaw Racers (http://www.outlawracers.com) and Submarine Titans (http://www.subtitans.com)

The Official Outlaw Racers web site will feature exciting graphics as well as extensive information about the upcoming title. In addition, the site will include a discussion forum for the Outlaw Racers fans as well the "Most Wanted Outlaw Racers" page which feature the achievements of the best Racers.

Outlaw Racers will be considered one of the most revolutionary race games of the year. It uses a random generator to create its environment, giving the player a new game every time they play. It is the only game to feature actual city driving where you can make left or right turns at traffic lights and stop signs. You must make your way through simulated cities with optional short cuts to beat your opponents. Police officers and traffic will hinder your progress as you reach the check points and earn money. Upgrades will also be an option, giving your automobile mastery of the roads. Racing will never be the same again because being an outlaw is what it is all about.

The Submarine Titans web site will also contain eye-catching graphics and lots of information about the game as well as a discussion forum.

As humanity is driven under water after a world-wide catastrophe, you must join the hunt for Corium 276, a strategically vital mineral which brings power to those who control it. Submarine Titans is a real-time strategy game that features Direct3D, MMX support, and Multi-player support up to 6 players.

First Public Demo of Golgotha to be at E3

Crack dot Com, developers of the cult-hit Abuse and the anticipated 3D action/strategy title Golgotha, are announcing the first public demo of Golgotha at E3/Atlanta in the Diamond Multimedia booth.

Golgotha will be showing in the Diamond Multimedia booth (#329) at E3, demonstrating the power of the Monster Sound and Monster 3D cards using Direct 3D Sound and the Glide API for gorgeous sound specialisation and silky 3D graphics. The demos will be held every day of the exposition. If you plan to attend E3 and stop by to see the demo of Golgotha, Crack dot Com would appreciate a note from you to ddt@crack.com mentioning that you are coming. If you have trouble getting through, please call Dave Taylor at (512) 327 6696.

This demo of Golgotha is far from what is known as "Alpha" or "Beta" code, but Crack is showing it with some features hacked in to demonstrate the rendering engine, movie engine, artwork, sound effects, music, and limited gameplay.

Golgotha is Crack dot Com's first $1M game and features a careful marriage of 3D and 2D gameplay in an action/strategy format featuring new rendering technology, frantic gameplay, and a strong storyline. For more information on Golgotha, visit Crack dot Com's web site at http://crack.com/games/golgotha. Also see "It's Golgotha Damnit", at http://www.planetquake.com/frags/golgotha, a web site that is often even more current than our own.

Ubi Soft to Show New Games at E3

Ubi Soft Entertainment, those wonderful folks who brought you the oddball action-adventure hit Rayman and the doomsday racing game POD, has a number of new titles that will blow you (or your hat) away.

They include a worthy successor to Rayman starring a clumsy extraterrestrial named Ed, plus an add-on for Rayman itself; three racing games; a soccer game; two multimedia music tutorials; and the first learn-to-draw program ever to come to the computer screen.

Those that will be available for the PC include:-

Tonic Trouble

Hilarious real-time 3D action adventure game for PC CD-ROM, PC DVD and the Nintendo 64.

An action/adventure game about a friendly extraterrestrial, Ed, who has to retrieve a mysterious can that he accidentally dropped from space onto Earth. The contents of this can have provoked bizarre unnatural reactions on Earth, turning the entire planet upside down. Ed must fix the mishap and stop Grogh the Hellish from using the contents of the can to dominate the world. The player takes on the role of Ed to explore different worlds within the game, solve problems and avoid enemy traps and attacks. The adventure takes place in a real-time, 3D graphically stunning, cartoon-like environment.

Release Date - Autumn 97

F1 Racing Simulation

A real-time Formula 1 simulation game featuring 22 cars, the most famous drivers, and 16 Formula 1 World Championship tracks. For PC CD-ROM.

Highlights include opponent cars utilising the most advanced artificial intelligence, real-time pit stops, more than 12 high-precision car settings, data logs, television replays and more. Multi-player capabilities allow up to 4 players to race against each other using a network link or modem or up to 8 players over the Internet. Through Ubi Soft's on-line game service challenge other racers, download ghosts and cars, and much more.

Release Date - Autumn 97

World Soccer

A 2D simulation designed for top speed, intense realism and tons of options! For PC CD-ROM. Soccer players and fans created the game's artificial intelligence using 358 teams from around the world and 5,610 players from the best European soccer clubs. World Soccer has extensive options which include adjustable speed, 5 game modes, various difficulty levels and strategies, 3 camera angles, and a variety of sound effects. And, multi-player capabilities allow up to 4 players to play with a link as well as on-line access to the soccer database.

Release Date - Autumn 97

Rayman Gold

All the tools needed to create and update 24 new Rayman maps! Includes special on-line features, 17 maps from the original adventure, and more! For PC CD-ROM.

Ubi Soft invested significant time in developing tools to create the stunning environments in the hit action/adventure game Rayman. With Rayman Gold, Ubi Soft is making these tools available to allow players to create their own game environments! Now anyone can create and update their own Rayman adventures. Included are 24 new maps, plus direct access to a special on-line platform which will enable all connected players to exchange and download new levels as well as a site for receiving help and customer support.

Release Date - Summer 97

Classic Rock Guitar, Volume 3

All new songs combined with exciting new features such as multi-track recording. For PC.

With the latest volume in Ubi Soft's award-winning Learn & Play series, beginning to intermediate guitarists of all ages will perfect their skills by learning all-time guitar favourites. The program offers 7 guitar arrangements each with a lead guitar, vocal, and accompaniment track; 160 interactive lessons with over 30 minutes of video and a record-and-playback feature; synchronised video, audio, notation, and animated chord diagrams; an electronic tuner; a built-in metronome; and song maps analysing the user's progress.

Release Date - Autumn 97

Piano Hits Volume 1

Enhance your piano playing skills through the fun of all-time piano favourites combined with state of the art interactive instruction. For PC CD-ROM.

In this new title in Ubi Soft's Learn & Play series, beginning to intermediate pianists of all ages will enhance their skills by learning all-time piano favourites. The program offers 8 piano arrangements each with a piano, vocal, and accompaniment track; 160 interactive lessons that analyse a user's progress; over 1 hour of MPEG-II video; synchronised video, audio, notation and animated keyboard; and midi playback allowing user to adjust the playback speed of any song or exercise.

Release Date - Autumn 97

Artist! Drawing 101

First-of-its-kind program for PC CD-ROM redefines traditional drawing instruction through a fun, comprehensive series of interactive lessons.

Artist! Drawing 101, the first title in Ubi Soft's new Arts Factory series, presents a complete introduction to drawing for budding artists of all ages. This software tutorial is logically divided into five main chapters representing the five main types of models (e.g., still life, landscape, and human figure). The user learns to recreate reality with his pencil through narrated, step-by-step demonstrations of how to draw various images and through an accompanying breadth of interactive lessons (e.g., shading, framing, and perspective).

Release Date - Autumn 97

Choose Your Adventure with Valdo

The unrivalled adventure game with 9 different endings! For all kids with a taste for adventure stories and a strong case of wanderlust, Ubi Soft Entertainment presents Choose Your Adventure with Valdo, the unrivalled adventure game for kids 8 and up. Players assume the role of a 16th Century Portuguese boy sailing across the ocean on a journey to Japan. The catch is that a mischievous ghost has torn-up the only map in existence into thousands of fragments, so players have to reconstruct the map in order to make it to the end of their journey!

Release Date - Autumn 97

Other titles to be shown on the Ubi Soft stand for International purposes include: Tim the 7th, The Cosmic Family, Rayman Petit and Learn Languages with Rayman!

The above titles are to be launched this year world-wide.

Also being shown on the stand is Guillemot International's Maxi Sound sound card line including the Maxi Sound Game Theater 64 and the Maxi Sound Home Studio Pro 64. Maxi Sound Game Theater 64 gets gamers into the action as the 4 speaker surround sound creates an ultra-realistic gaming experience! Geared for the home musician, audiofile or multimedia developer Maxi Sound Home Studio Pro is a state-of-art audio card providing a variety of high-end studio features like real-time multi effects processing and digital input and output on a PC sound card.

Interplay Says Star Trek(r) Startfleet Academy is Close to Shipping

In a press release dated May 20, 1997 Interplay said:

Interplay Productions is close to shipping Star Trek(r) Starfleet Academy(tm) and much of nearly three years of development has been spent developing state-of-the-art technology never before seen on any electronic medium. Developed for high-end computer systems, Starfleet Academy pushes the limits of personal computers to accomplish the look and feel of special effects used in the Star Trek feature films and television shows. Slated to be a simultaneous release for Windows(r)95 and Apple Macintosh(r) this summer, Interplay holds the proud distinction of being the only interactive-entertainment developer to release a Star Trek flight-sim game.

"One of our focuses has been on achieving special effects as seen in the TV shows and the feature films," remarked Rusty Buchert, Interplay's producer of the title. "As die-hard Trek fans ourselves, we are creating the kind of Star Trek game we've always wanted to play and having a fantastic time doing it."

Among the technological successes Interplay has achieved in the development of Starfleet Academy are translucent texturing used for the cloaking effects, and coloured light sourcing. These elements are programmed entirely into the software of the game and are completely without the use of 3-D accelerators or other hardware requirements. Interplay's development team has also creatively used translucent polygons to achieve the stunning shield effects Trek fans have come to expect.

Implemented during the filming of the live-action sequences with the all-star cast, Interplay developed a technique while shooting green-screen backgrounds that allowed action with full-camera motion without the use of motion encoders nor motion control rigs. In post-production, Interplay placed the characters into computer generated environments and used dramatic camera motions to create the illusion that they are actually in the original environment, yielding fantastic results.

Also developed specifically for Starfleet Academy is an adaptive artificial intelligence system created by Interplay which integrates an independent style and level of intelligence for every different ship. This innovative style of artificial intelligence gives each ship the ability to evaluate the players' enemy status, formulate multiple attack plans and implement the plan.

Starfleet's 3-D engine has been specially designed to run extremely well on Pentium and Power PC systems. The software used in the development of Starfleet allows the game to maintain 20 frames per second while a per-ship polygon count of up to 500 battle it out on the players' screen. A native Windows 95 game, Starfleet Academy also takes advantage of the Direct-Xr and Direct-3-Dr technologies while Sprocket and Rave ATI technologies are coded in for the Power PC. The game will have net play for up to eight players for both versions of the title.

Techland Announce New Games

Techland for the past 6 years have been one of the top 5 Polish publishing houses, dealing with products from GT Interactive, Activision, GTE, 7th Level, Active, and Microforum, amongst many others.

For the last 2 years, we have undertaken a massive development program, and now you can see what we have been up to.

We have 5 new, AAA titles on the way, of which 2 are nearing completion.

Extermination - a real time strategy game, with so many combinations of features, and new strategy elements, it puts the rest of the new releases in the genre to shame.

Crime Cities - This is flight sim meets Blade Runner, in a fast action setting. This game features a new game engine, 2 real years in the making, that is so fast, and has so many new features, we coined the phrase "We don't need no 3D cards". Why? We have got rid of those horrible pixels when you go close up. We can use as many objects as we like with no slow down.

Flight sim die hards take heed, if you don't like closed in spaces, think again. We take you right into the heart of a huge city, flying down narrow corridors between tall skyscrapers, under bridges, through gaps in floating billboards.

For fans of Descent, think of flying with no boundaries, no corridors, full freedom of movement to escape, or to catch your enemies on the hop. If you think you will need a game players dream machine, you're wrong.

Minimum requirements: IBM PC compatible, 486 100Mhz, 16 MB ram, VESA LB graphics card

Europress Software Ltd. Announce International Rally Championship

International Rally Championship, the successor to chart topping Network Q RAC Rally Championship, has a host of new features and enhanced gameplay that make it the most exciting and challenging game of its kind.

With all-new playing modes, more cars, new tracks, enhanced controls and improved graphics, International Rally Championship takes the world of mud and wheel spins to even greater heights than its hugely successful predecessor.

Several new modes of play, including head-to-head across a serial link for four players and network play for up to eight at a time, deliver the all-important racing edge, while a customising feature and a complete track editor give rally fans the chance to create their dream tracks. New built-in tracks mean that players can compete on 15 different courses in five different scenarios, including arctic, desert and jungle conditions, and there's also a new simulation mode.

Car set-up has been enhanced for the simulation, and there are safety checks after every repair job, with the danger of disqualification if cars are too battered to continue. More real-world car controls include a handbrake for those hair-raising turns, and when the driver's skill is found lacking there are some spectacular crash sequences. With 100 drivers in competition for the top spot, there's no time for lurking in roadside ditches!

An improved championship mode sees the introduction of fuel stops, leading to a more strategy-based approach, and a points league table gives a clearer indication of who's in front and by how much. For practise against the best driver on each course, the 'ghost' mode gives players the chance to mix it with the best without worrying about collisions and narrow overtaking areas.

When the 15 challenging tracks built into the game have been conquered, the fully-featured track editor makes it possible not only to create completely new tracks, but to save them to disk and swap them among friends.

For the ultimate driving experience, whether for arcade action or seat-of-your-pants simulation, International Rally Championship is a stage-winner every time.

Release Date - September 25, 1997.

Europress Software Ltd. Announce International Touring Car Championship

From the company that produced the world-beating RAC Rally Championship comes the latest high-speed driving challenge, International Touring Car Championship.

Based on a sport that has seen a seven-fold rise in TV coverage since 1992, Touring Car benefits from the many advances that have been made to the Rally Championship 3D engine to re-create all the excitement and panache of its real-world equivalent.

Spread across 16 accurately modelled international circuits, Touring Car pits the would-be champion against 17 other drivers, any or all of whom can be human controlled for the most intense networked driving game of all time.

Battle it out with the other drivers in an assortment of leading cars for pole position during practice and qualifying sessions, or race against time to get the set-up and car repairs ready to hit the tarmac for a blindingly fast petrol rush.

SVGA graphics are complemented by animated race officials and pit crews, and CD quality sound rounds off the tense atmosphere of race day when anything can and, in Touring Cars, often does happen. Up to 65,535 colours on screen and the utilisation of Direct3D produce incredible graphical appeal and ultra-realistic visuals to satisfy even the most fanatical race-goer.

Race features include individual AI for each computer controlled car, an in-car radio link to the pits, and a wide variety of options such as track debris and tyre marks. The pressure atmosphere of a race day is also simulated through user-definable options on tyre change restrictions and penalty weights, and there are complete set-up and repair periods between qualification and race sessions.

Modes of play encourage the 'pick-up-and-play' arcade driver to quickly dive in and have a go, and there is a much more realistic simulation mode for the racing perfectionist. Players can choose to run a quick race over one track, practice any course, or embark on a complete championship with up to two races on each track at the same race meeting.

Six camera angles are available for the most complete view of the race during play or replay, and the quick glance left or right is a superb aid to overtaking. With high frame rates, SVGA graphics, CD audio and advanced game options, International Touring Car Championship is the definitive simulation for this rapidly expanding sport.

System requirements:

Minimum: PCP100 with 16 Mb RAM, direct 3D compatible accelerator card, Twin speed CD-Rom, SoundBlaster or compatible soundcard

Recommended:

MMX enabled Pentium class PC with 16 Mb RAM, quad speed CD-Rom, 3D accelerator video card supporting 540x480 @ 65536 colours

Europress Software Ltd. Announce The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Soccer CD-Rom

Soccer, the sport described as 'the new Rock and Roll', is a vast and diverse world of teams, players, and competitions spread across every continent and found at the heart of almost every town and village.

Now football fans can enlist the help of their PCs and Macs to delve into thousands of interesting facts on the sport with The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Soccer CD-Rom from Europress.

Based on the best-selling encyclopaedia of the same name from Carlton Books, this packed CD-Rom contains details of every imaginable aspect of the game, from teams and players to stadiums, competitions, statistics, and the game's long history.

Boasting 40 minutes of fast action video footage and 400 high resolution photographs, this multimedia encyclopaedia offers something for everyone, from enthusiastic armchair fans to the most fanatical followers of the world's most popular participation sport.

Written by experts and updated with the latest information, The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Soccer offers biographies of the greatest players in history, details of the world's most famous stadiums, 160,000 words of comprehensive analysis, and the results of all the major competitions ever played.

Fans who need to brush up on their pub quiz skills can even enjoy a full multimedia soccer quiz that tests knowledge of world football to the limits.

When the final whistle blows on the season, and the fans' thirst for the game is left unsated, The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Soccer is available as the most comprehensive reference work in the game. It's the latest title to join The Q Range of quality products for the value market.

Release date: Out now.

Europress Software Ltd. Announce Total Football Management

More than any other simulation of its kind, Total Football Management delivers the complete experience of life at the sharp end of the world's most competitive sport.

Players can become involved in every aspect of the game, from training and physiotherapy to building a team, planning tactics and managing the club's finances, or can restrict their involvement and the demands made on them by using the configuration options. Whether they elect to start in the lower leagues and work their way up, or jump straight into a multi-million pound club, budding managers will face every sight, sound and strain of the job.

Concentrate on pre-match preparations by assigning specific training routines to get the best out of individual players, plan the best tactics for the next game by studying the opposition's league record, and face the press in post-match interviews - it's all there.

You can barter with other clubs on the transfer market, buy or sell players or shares in the club and can play against up to three other human opponents

Total configuration means total control. At one end of the scale, managers can leave finances to the board of directors and focus entirely on tactics and training, and at the other end they can take responsibility for every aspect of the club, including stadium improvements and even buying houses for players. There's also an option to manage both the club and the national sides for the most dedicated stress junkies!

When match day comes, the manager is faced with a superb 3D view of the game, in the form of either highlights or a complete match, bringing with it all the nail-biting excitement of life on the touchline. Multiple camera angles and dedicated SVGA device drivers mean that there has never been a more immersive footballing feast than this.

Total Football Management has been developed by leading management simulation experts, Software 2000. There's no better way to make your debut in the theatre of dreams.

Release date: August 14, 1997.

Floating Images Inc. Announce Natural Vision 3-D Imaging (No Glasses) on Computers and Televisions

In the movie Star Wars, R2D2 shows a 3-D video describing details of the Death Star that appears to float in thin air. Well, science fiction has turned into science reality. Today, at the Electronic Imaging: Science and Technology Symposium and Exhibition being held in the San Jose Convention Center, Floating Images, of Westbury, NY, held its' first public demonstration of it's technology. Called Real-Depth(tm) imaging, it produces moving 3-D images that hover in mid-air. The technology can be also applied to direct-view display devices, such as ordinary TVs or PC monitors, to produce startling 3-D images. For all of these implementations, no special glasses are required and the technology avoids headaches and eyestrain associated with alternative methods.

To view the Real-Depth(tm) imagery on TVs or PC monitors, a special adapter is simply fitted over the display. This device will retail for less than $80 later this year, and will likely be bundled with home entertainment games by Christmas 1998. Source material, such as videos, animations and graphics must be reformatted to the Real- Depth(tm) format, but this process is a natural extension of common graphics techniques already in use today. According to Andrew Johnston, president of WizBang Software Productions and developer of the popular Hyperblade game, "Adding Real- Depth formatting is so simple and the depth perception so dramatic that it is a no- brainer to add it to sprite-based games." Examples of various entertainment games, videos and animations developed by Floating Images, were demonstrated at the conference to show the realistic 3-D effect possible with this inexpensive technology.

The technology can also be used to produce devices that float the 3-D images in midair. Such devices, called Floating Imagers(tm), were also demonstrated at the exhibition. "These moving 3-D images are so real you want to reach out and touch them," exclaimed startled spectators.

The Real-Depth(tm) technology is targeted for applications in the home entertainment, location-based entertainment, education, business presentation, advertising, and kiosks markets. The technology has the potential to become the standard for 3-D imaging and is quite compatible with existing and proposed TV transmission standards.

Megamedia Announce the Upcoming Release of Crush!

Megamedia Corporation (r) renowned for their Megapak and Megatripak game bundles, is pleased to announce the upcoming release of CRUSH! Deluxe, an exciting turn based strategy sport game.

Set far into the future, aliens and humans battle through labyrinth like arenas in a frantic search for the B.A.L.L. (Bionic, Augmented, Lower Life, Form). The first team to find the ball and reach the goal wins.

As coach of a galactic league, you must choose your team from a roster of species including Sliths, Gronks and Krugens, each possessing their own particular strengths and weaknesses. Of coarse, the ultimate challenge comes from your strategic skill of Budget Based Team Management. You decide how best to spend your limited budget purchasing equipment and adjusting your team roster to replace injured and dead players. If your idea of fun is bone-crunching checks and raging battles for possession, then look no further... Crush! Deluxe will be here soon.

CRUSH! Deluxe will be available May 1997 on CD-ROM for PC's running Windows 95. CRUSH! Uses DirectX technology and Internet play. CRUSH! Deluxe will be available through software speciality stores, computer superstores and direct from Megamedia. For more information visit Megamedia at www.megamed.com on the Internet.

Sierra Secures Exclusive Publishing And Distribution Rights For Half-Life

Sierra On-Line announced today an agreement with Valve to publish and distribute the game developer's debut release, Half-Life. Half-Life combines id Software's renowned QUAKE (r) technology, Valve's proprietary technological advances and sophisticated, innovative gameplay. The result promises to be the most exciting first-person action game available this holiday season.

Half-Life introduces a revolutionary leap in 3D first-person games by combining stunning technology enhancements with genre-breaking gameplay elements. Gamers are given opportunities to wreak havoc--in true action-game fashion--but they are also challenged to explore and strategize; for instance, telling friend from foe is no longer a simple matter of humans vs. monsters. Half-Life's strong story elements, advanced inventory system and story-integrated challenges create an experience never-before-seen in traditional "run-and-gun" action games.

The game features many technological advances, including 16-bit colour, sophisticated coloured lighting, and environmental effects such as translucency, dynamic textures, and metallic surfaces. A proprietary character animation system gives creatures the highest polygon counts and most fluid character motions seen in a first-person action game. In addition, an advanced artificial intelligence system lets non-player characters demonstrate remarkable cunning, including group behaviours and progressive strategic movement and ambush skills. The result is an entirely immersive playing environment with intensely realistic life forms. Half-Life contains support for Open-GL and Direct 3D and MMX hardware acceleration. Internet multiplayer support for up to 32 players is also included.

Assigned to a top-secret experiment at a decommissioned missile base, you've made an amazing breakthrough, an alarming discovery, and a stupid decision. Now, with the pieces of your colleagues scattered around the lab, you must fight your way past crafty alien monsters to the surface, where a full-scale battle has erupted between the invaders and government troops. Safe at last? No! The military is just as interested in silencing you as they are in eradicating the alien menace. You must make a last ditch attempt to reach the alien world, foil their monstrous schemes, and figure out how to make peace with your own murderous kind.

Along the way you'll discover fantastic experimental weapons, diabolically cunning death squads, and grotesquely beautiful worlds. It will take a fast trigger finger and a faster mind to survive, as not every monster is your enemy and not everything is as it seems.

"Sierra On-Line is thrilled to have the opportunity to publish Half-Life," remarked Ken Williams, CEO of Sierra On-Line. "Valve's enhancements to the Quake engine technology introduce gameplay and design elements that will thrust Half-Life to the forefront of first-person gaming. Gamers will agree that the results are nothing less than mind-boggling."

"Our goal with Half-Life was to build the most exciting and technologically advanced game possible," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and Managing Director of Valve. "When it came to selecting a publisher, it was very clear that Sierra was the most committed to leap-frogging the current generation of games and giving gamers a product that will be head and shoulders above anything else shipping this year."

Valve's prestigious development team is comprised of many well-respected names within the gaming community, including: 3D artist Chuck Jones, formerly with Apogee/3D Realms, where he was an artist and animator for Duke Nukem 3D, Rise of the Triad, Shadow Warrior and the Duke Nukem Plutonium Pack; game and level designer Harry E. Teasley III, former art director of Williams' Doom for Sony Playstation; Tools Architect Ben Morris, creator of DCK (Doom Construction Kit) and WorldCraft; game designers Steve Bond and John Guthrie, creators of the Quake Airplane and Quake Kart; and level designer Dario Casali, one of the world's best-known deathmatch level designers, including those found on id Software's Final Doom.

Half-Life, on PC CD-ROM, is scheduled to ship in November, 1997 and will be available at most software retailers.

Sierra Announces the Release of Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro `98

Sierra On-Line, Inc., the leading world-wide developer of interactive entertainment software, has announced the release of Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro `98, which will feature Seattle Mariners pitcher Randy Johnson on the box for the second consecutive year.

Sierra's Baseball Pro `98 will address both the hardcore player who owns a previous version of the game and the brand new sports customer. FPS:Baseball Pro `98 will enhance its graphics with a more nostalgic look and continue its AI improvements, while dramatically enhancing the arcade aspect of the game. A new, friendlier front end will provide simple access to the arcade mode, exhibition play and to batting practice without requiring the user to navigate through the simulation's extensive league management feature.

FPS: Baseball Pro '98 will sport other new features:

More automation and functionality to the remote league mode of game play allowing users to automate the generation and transfer of league data files and game results over the Internet; the game will also offer HTML printing capabilities for automatic user WEB site updating.

The addition of altitude data (based on city's location/altitude) to the game's physics engine.

New batter-pitcher confrontation model, including the ability for batters to learn the strengths and weaknesses of opposing pitchers or pitching patterns.

Improved access to batting practice with the ability to match up any batter and any pitcher in the MLBPA 97 association.

Improved "ball off the bat" physics.

All new "Fast Sim" feature to simulate a game or season in one-third of the time of the previous version.

The addition of uniform numbers to the back's of player jerseys.

More information during Spring Training to understand minimum training requirements needed to maintain player ratings, plus the computer can be called up to decide allocations for each player on an individual basis.

Multiple game types including Arcade, Batting Practice, Exhibition play, each with a variety of difficulty settings, and Single-season League play, Career League play and Remote League play.

Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro '98 will also include many of the features that have made the series so popular in its first two editions including: its exclusive physics-based engine, motion capture technology creating fluid, lifelike player motions, exclusive multi-season career play so your players can be drafted, trained and age gracefully into the Hall of Fame, Sierra's own CAMS (Camera Angle Management System) and VCR feature for play review from any angle in the ballpark, all 28 major league ball parks rendered in beautiful 3D graphics, MLBPA licensing, and player statistics in over 2,000 categories.

Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro `98, on CD-ROM for Windows `95, will be available for a street price of $29.95 at most software retailers, as well as through Sierra Direct at (800) 757-7707. Previous FPS: Baseball `96 owners may save an additional $10.00 through a special rebate offer.

Activision to Publish Quake II

Announcement Marks Fourth id Title to be Distributed by Activision

London -- May 30, 1997 -- Further expanding its relationship with id Software, Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) has acquired the worldwide distribution rights to id's next game tentatively titled Quake II. The engaging 3-D action shooter marks the fourth id title to be distributed by Activision. The company has also distributed id Software's official QUAKE Mission Pack No. 1: Scourge of Armagon and QUAKE Mission Pack No. 2: Dissolution of Eternity and will distribute the upcoming title Hexen II. The announcement was made today by Bobby Kotick, Chairman and CEO, Activision, Inc.

Quake II marks a revolutionary step in 3-D action gaming by making players prey to monsters that will unmercifully hunt them down, execute sophisticated tactical manoeuvres and absorb thunderous damage. Gamers encounter an entirely new breed of intelligent and aggressive enemies which inhabit a complex matrix of interrelated, nonlinear worlds as players seek to avoid becoming a fine mist of blood and bone.

Superb artwork, interactive environments, dramatic lighting effects and dynamic single and multiplayer gameplay enhance id's legendary in-your-face skull-crushing combat. Quake II will feature the QUAKE Unified Engine which integrates the previously separate 3-D chip sets, Windows 95/NT and Internet components of QUAKE. The leading edge game technology will deliver increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence and speed.

"Activision is very excited to partner with id Software on the next chapter in one of the biggest events in the history of interactive entertainment," states Bob Dewar, Managing Director, Activision Europe. "Quake II will fulfil the promise of the QUAKE technology by delivering an awesome game with groundbreaking single-player action and revolutionary multiplayer death matches."

"The development team has really outdone themselves from both a design and technology standpoint with Quake II," said Todd Hollenshead, chief executive officer at id Software. "We're excited to be working with Activision on what is our most ambitious title ever."

id Software, founded in 1991, is a software development company located in Mesquite, Texas. id's team of talented developers continue to make gaming history by creating and publishing one sensational action game after another. Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM, DOOM II, Heretic, HEXEN and QUAKE have created a frenzied demand worldwide and have managed to consistently break shareware and retail sales records at home and abroad.

Activision, Inc. is a publicly held developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for Microsoft Windows and MS-DOS compatible, Macintosh and other computers, as well as Sony PlayStation, Sega and Nintendo game systems. Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in London, Tokyo and Sydney, the company sells and markets products under the Activision and Infocom trade names. Activision's World Wide Web site is located at http://www.activision.com

Apogee/3D Realms Announce Patch for Shadow Warrior

Apogee have released version 1.1 of Shadow Warrior and a patch to bring version 1.0 up to 1.1

The patch fixes the following:-

Save/load locks - (DOS mode mostly)

Out of syncs:
UZI fire (DOS mode again)
Cheat codes that slipped through. SWTRIX etc
Going under water in Win95 locks (NOTE: We have noticed that this happens when people have an Ensoniq SoundSacpe.)

Small things like:
Higher mouse sensitivity
Re-wording of 50 play message
Speed up start of level 3

The patch is available from the Apogee/3D Realms site http://www.3drealms.com/catalog/sw

ION Storm Announces Daikatana

At this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, the curtain will be raised on ION Storm and attendees will see "the future of computer gaming." Legendary game designer John Romero and his new company ION Storm will be unveiling their first creation, Daikatana, a fast-action 3D adventure game. Touted as the most anticipated PC title of the year, Daikatana will be demonstrated in the Eidos Interactive booth (West Hall,booth #4173). Published and distributed by Eidos Interactive (NASDAQ: EIDSY), Daikatana is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 1997.

Daikatana is Romero's dream creation. Set in four worlds, each corresponding to a distinct period in time, Daikatana challenges the player to set history straight. The Daikatana is both the player's sacred and magical samurai sword and time-travel device that thrusts the gamer into the nucleus of medieval and futuristic warfare. By incorporating role-playing elements, Romero will create an engaging environment that contains more variables, choices and outcomes for the player. Daikatana will take full advantage of ID Software's unrivaled 3D QUAKE II engine and E3 attendees will have the opportunity to play through levels from each of Daikatana's four worlds.

"Our company philosophy, 'Design is Law,' will have true meaning when people see Daikatana at E3," said Mike Wilson, CEO of ION Storm. "The difference you get when your entire company is focused on creating new, compelling content is amazing. John and his team are designing a true blockbuster production bulging with rich content - 64 monsters, 32 weapons, 33 original songs and a different palette for each level."

"Daikatana's first levels are coming together and I am constantly stopping, looking over people's shoulders and going, wow!" exclaimed Tom Hall, vice president and lead designer. "Daikatana is so cool already, everyone at ION Storm is sporting drool cups."

ION Storm's upcoming game titles will also be introduced at the show. President and Lead Designer Todd Porter will reveal his design plans for Doppelganger and Tom Hall will elaborate on his epic sci-fi role-playing game Anachronox.

Real-Time Strategy Game -- Doppelgange

Todd Porter is overseeing the development of a unique real-time 3D strategy game. Porter, the former head of 7th Level's 3D department, is developing a hybrid game that combines the intense chaos of an action game with the strategic elements and layers of complexity found in a strategy game. This title will take strategy games to a new level with its strong storyline and unpredictable twists of plot. Doppelganger will be released in the third quarter of 1998.

Fantasy Role-Playing Game -- Anachronox

Tom Hall, a former designer at id and 3D Realms, is channeling his talent into a epic sci-fi role-playing game, Anachronox, that he describes as a "turbulent story with a roller coaster of emotion." In Anachronox, space begins folding in on itself as the player travels through towns, planets and dimensions collecting weapons and technology that help solve the game's puzzles. Tom's first title promises to bring more personality and humor into the genre. Anachronox will be released in the third quarter of 1998.

SouthPeak Interactive Announce Temujin

A bejeweled Capricorn head, a museum filled with mysterious artifacts from the tomb of Genghis Khan, eight shady characters and a powerful, centuries-old spirit which threatens to rule the world once again.

These elements all come together in the psychological thriller Temujin(TM):The Capricorn Collection(TM), the first Video Reality(TM) computer game from SouthPeak Interactive. Temujin will retail for $54.95 and hit store shelves in the USA in September of this year. Two additional Video Reality titles will be introduced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Atlanta next month.

"I wouldn't recommend playing Temujin just before turning in for the night," said Armistead Sapp, president of SouthPeak Interactive. "This game combines challenging puzzles with a compelling story line that will make for a lot of sleepless nights among discriminating gamers and devoted mystery fans alike."

Temujin: The Capricorn Collection is the world's first game utilizing SouthPeak Interactive's Video Reality technology. This revolutionary new way of planning and developing computer games results in stunningly detailed environments where gamers are free to control where they want to go, when they want to go, and what they want to look at - and interact with - on the way there.

Three years and a total of 42 programmer years have been spent perfecting the Video Reality technology, which requires IBM-compatible personal computers with the Pentium(r) processor and Microsoft(r) Windows(r) 95 installed. The game is designed to run on the PC with no difficult installation required - users simply put the CD in their machine, and the game will run without time-consuming or potentially disastrous overwriting of existing system software.

Temujin takes place in the fictional Stevenson Museum, where it's immediately apparent that something crooked is afoot. Played from a first-person perspective, gamers initially have no knowledge of their own identity, let alone who is on their side or what kind of ominous plan has been set into motion.

By solving numerous puzzles throughout the museum, players will recapture their lost memories and uncover a sinister plot surrounding an exhibition of treasures that once belonged to Temujin, the ruthless warrior known as Genghis Khan. Once the truth is known, it's a race against time to stop the forces at work from allowing an ancient evil to enslave the human race all over again.

The final script for Temujin was written by Lee Sheldon, author of the critically acclaimed CD-ROM game The Riddle of Master Lu. Sheldon has also written and/or produced numerous television series including Star Trek: The Next Generation and Murder, She Wrote.

Temujin was shot entirely on 35mm film with no rendered backgrounds, and features a haunting, original music score and digitally created special effects. The lion's share of the filming for the game took place on 22 sets at SouthPeak's two 4,500-square-foot sound stages in Cary, N.C.

More than 100 interactive, three-dimensional objects - chalices, cameras, pocket watches, helmets, newspapers and the like - created on Silicon Graphics(r) workstations are scattered throughout the gaming environment for players to pick up and use. All post-production work has been performed at SouthPeak's $16-million video production facility.

Dave Wadler (Game-Over! News Editor)