COMPUNOTES - Issue #56 - November 2, 1996

                         This Week's Contents:

My Notes:
1) ListServ Changes . . . 
2) Northern California?
3) The Winner of our CDROM this Issue is . . .
4) Network News - New Mailing List

Columnists' Corner:
1) Bushman's Royal Flush - ISP Frustrations . . . <jbush@goodnet.com>

News:
1) Computer Museum Celebrates 25 Years!
2) Scrabble in Cyberspace1

Reviews:
1) Product: WinZip 6.2 
   Reviewed By: Patrick Grote <pgrote@inlink.com>
2) Product: PowerCube Speaker Systems
   Reviewed By: Patrick Grote <pgrote@inlink.com>
3) Product: Book: Designing for the Web
   Reviewed By: Dr. Mark
4) Product: Mission Force: Cyberstorm
   Reviewed By: Doug Reed <dr2web@sprynet.com>
5) Product: Norton NT Tools from Symantec
   Reviewed By: Dr. Mark

Web Sites:
1) ZDNet Offers Demo Service <http://www.hotfiles.com/demo.html> 
2) Windows Magazine Offers Top Sites on the Web!

Interview:
1) None this week!

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date : November 2, 1996 |CompuNotes is a weekly publication available
Issue: 56               |through email and many fine on-line networks.
------------------------|We cover the IBM computing world with
CompuNotes is published |software/hardware reviews, news, hot web
B440,                   |sites, great columns and interviews. We also
1315 Woodgate Drive     |give away one software package a week to a
St. Louis, MO 63122     |lucky winner for just reading our fine
(314) 909-1662 voice    |publication! Never dull, sometimes tardy, we
(314) 909-1662 fax      |are here to bring you the way it is!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Backroom Workers:                     |We are always looking for
Patrick Grote, Managing Editor            |people to write us with
<pgrote@inlink.com>                       |honest, constructive
Doug Reed, Asst. Editor / Writer Liaison  |feedback! We need to hear
<dr2web@sprynet.com>                      |from you! Please take the
Judy Litt, Graphics Editor/Web Master     |time to send us your
<jlitt@aol.com>                           |opinions, comments and
------------------------------------------|criticisms. Some of our
I am looking for a collection of shareware|better features have
reviews I put out in the 87-88 timeframe  |actually come from our
under my handle of NEVER BEFORE. I think  |readership! Thanks!
they started as NB*.ZIP. Can you look     |---------------------------
on your local BBS? THANKS!                |  Go St. Louis Rams!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Every issue of CompuNotes ever published can be found at the following
ftp site: ftp://ftp.uu.net:/published/compunotes. Thanks to UUNET!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Web Site is at http://users.aol.com/CompNote/ 
Please Add Our Link to Your Homepage!
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To subscribe, send a message to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com with the 
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
SYSOPS READ HERE!

Wanting to make CompuNotes available on as many BBS as possible, we
can't afford to call everyone's BBS every week. What we would like to
do is send those interested sysops a UUENCODED version for posting on
their BBS. If you can volunteer to receive the UUENCODED version, turn
it into a ZIP and upload it to your BBS, we'll list you in our sysops
directory.

If you are interested, fill out the following lines and send them
back to notes@inlink.com with SYSOPS.

We'll list your BBS in our SYSOPS LIST which will be included in
each version of CompuNotes we ship out. If you have a WWW link we'll
throw that up on our page.

BBS NAME:
BBS SYSOP:
BBS NUMBER:
URL:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Patrick's News
Being The Publisher and Managing Editor Has Its Perks!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Listserv is Now Working!|
-------------------------
Whoops! Had the wrong instructions for unsubscribing and subscribing to 
the list! It should all be worked out now! Also, does anyone know what 
happened to the mailing list that would send you the daily TV schedule? 
I need to find that again as I want to start taping movies again!

----------------------------
Northern California . . .  |
----------------------------
Need some quick help. As many of you know, we spent our summer vacation 
in Bethany Beach, DE. We are looking for a similar family atmosphere in 
Northern California for next summer. We'd like to rent a house as we did 
in Bethany. Somewhere near the ocean is required. Thanks!

------------------
WINNER IS . . .  |
------------------
The software package being given away this week is The ASP Shareware 
Collection! Our winner is:

jonwz@ibm.net

Send them a congratulatory email!

--------------------------
Network News Mailing List|
--------------------------
I'm in the networking business and I couldn't live without the following 
mailing list. Network News is well prepared and is so concise it cuts 
like a scalpel through the static on the net! Subscribe today:

*For More Information /Questions about this newsletter you can contact 
Alan Gatlin <gatlina@primenet.com>. *To subscribe to NETWORK-NEWS e-mail 
your request to network-news@lists.primenet.com. My Web Site also 
contains many links on computing and business needs 
<http://www.primenet.com/~gatlina>. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Columnists' Corner - We bring you a different person each week!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Royal Flush by Jeff Bushman <jbush@goodnet.com>|
----------------------------------------------------
Well I'll Be Switched . . .

I've recently experienced something that some of you have already been 
exposed to, and many among the others, will. 

I've been switched. I supposed it's not as bad as being punished in 
Singapore, but it's no fun, believe me. 

I was, until recently, a subscriber (member?) to/of Internet Direct, an 
ISP that provided pretty good service, with offices in my location. They 
decided that they no longer wanted to be in the ISP business. 

They apparently decided that being an Internet Service Provider wasn't 
an adequately profitable business. Fair enough. 

Another company, Goodnet, took over all of the subscribers of Internet 
Direct, and as the change-over occurred, everything was switched over. 

Almost. 

What I seemed to have lost initially, was all of my e-mail that I hadn't 
yet retrieved and deleted. After several days of calling this problem to 
the attention of Goodnet's technical support people, I did receive this 
collection of "e-notes." 

Naturally, I have no way of knowing what e-mail I may have lost in the 
transition (this question is something like, "what messages didn't you 
receive?"). 
 
Next, I couldn't find my large collection of bookmarks nor my address 
book. Curses. 
 
I wrote again to tech support. They wrote back, telling me how to 
extract the compressed files. Terrific. I did it. The instructions were 
perfectly simple, and they seem to have worked. 
 
Now, how to access these files? I wrote to tech support again. They 
responded, suggesting that this would also be perfectly simple. At the 
main prompt, they said, type: cd\oldfiles. I did that. 
 
That's when the lack of clarity became, er, clear. 
 
The prompt now suggested that I was in a directory called, naturally, 
"oldfiles." Give me a list, Mr. Computer. I typed, "oldfiles." No good. 
 
OK, how about, "dir"? No dice. Perhaps, "list." Nada. 
 
Why don't we type out, "directory"? Zippo. This was getting considerably 
frustrating. Very well, I'd write to tech support, again, asking the 
question, i.e., how do I access my old files? 
 
Simple question and it should get a simple answer, or, an answer with 
sufficient detail that the process would be reasonably easy, right? Not 
yet. 
 
It is nearly a week since I asked the question. To date my answer has 
been, well, missing. It apparently is in the same place as my address 
book and my bookmarks. It is, as Bob Dole is fond of saying about Bill 
Clinton, AWOL. 
 
My bookmarks are important to me as yours are to you. I use them, not 
just for fun, but for part of my work. Likewise, my address book has a 
list of people with whom I've communicated around the country. 
 
Never mind the dial-in problems I've had. I can live with those, since I 
have the ability to telnet in from my college server. But I want my 
stuff, and I want it now! 
 
Is it too much to ask that when one ISP takes over for another, that the 
new entity send an e-mail to each of its newly-acquired subscribers, 
describing how to retrieve her/his stuff? 
 
I obviously don't want it all to be lost, and I'm not at all certain 
what I'll do next. I only know that if the problem isn't solved soon, 
I'll have to figure out some way of showing them that while I may have 
been switched, they're going to be metaphorically caned. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------
NEWS OF THE WEEK| This section is dedicated to verified news . . .
All News (C)opyright  Respective Owner - Will Only Reprint
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Museum Celebrates 25 Years!|
-------------------------------------
 NEEDHAM, Mass., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ - The world's largest and most 
significant computer trade show for the information technology industry 
will commemorate the discovery that changed our lives when COMDEX/Fall 
'96 opens its doors on November 18. In recognition of the 
microprocessor's 25th birthday, and the industry it spurred, COMDEX will 
present a special program, "25 Years of Industry Achievement." The 
cornerstone of this unique program will be "The Museum at COMDEX," to be 
erected in front of the Las Vegas Convention Center and open during the 
five days of COMDEX/Fall '96, slated for November 18-22, 1996 in Las 
Vegas, Nevada. 

 The museum will feature original artifacts from the early years of 
computing, including microprocessors, calculators, personal computers, 
storage devices and modems. Visitors will view such "relics" as the 
Micral, the Altair, the Apple I, the Xerox Alto, the TRS-80, and the 
eight-inch floppy disk. 

 Interactive exhibits of the 70s, 80s and 90s will place guests at 
historic scenes of computer discovery and innovation while overhead 
monitors will set the scene for visits to such locales as a hacker's 
garage and the Hong Kong Jockey Club. 
 The Museum at COMDEX will chronicle 25 years of innovations, pausing 
for a look back at this industry's short, but epic, history. Once inside 
the museum, visitors will be greeted by an oversized integrated circuit 
decorated with the show's logo, from which emanates a huge nest of wires 
representing old technologies. This colorful, chaotic techno-cable flows 
through the museum, exemplifying the different stages of technology 
through the last three decades. Lights within this scramble of wiring 
suggest forward movement, leading visitors through the exhibit. 

 The week-long focus and special events celebrating the impact of the 
development of the microprocessor also include an awards program 
established to honor individuals who have made a significant 
contribution to the industry in the ensuing years since 1971. Special 
forums, including keynote presentations by Andrew Grove, president and 
CEO, Intel Corporation, Bill Gates, chairman and CEO, Microsoft 
Corporation, and Jim Barksdale, president and CEO, Netscape, along with 
"The Crystal Ball" Power Panel, and four SuperSessions: "Research Under 
Wraps," "Technology Crossfire," "The Next 25 Years," and "Today's Movers 
and Shakers" present industry leaders engaging in hot-topics certain to 
captivate their audiences. 

 The "Museum at COMDEX" and its exciting retrospective on the dynamic 
growth and crowning achievements of our industry, will become a reality 
at COMDEX/Fall '96, through a partnership with The Computer Museum and 
its founding president and advisor/curator, Gwen Bell. The Museum, along 
with the entire "25 Years of Industry Achievement" program, has been 
made possible through the generous and active sponsorship of Intel 
Corporation; Motorola, Inc.; SOFTBANK Holdings, Inc.; and Ziff-Davis 
Publishing Company. 

 The Museum, located directly in front of the Las Vegas Convention 
Center and the COMDEX registration tent, is open to the public with no 
charge for admission, during the following hours: Sunday, 11/17: noon - 
5:00 pm; Monday 11/18 through Thursday 11/21: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm; and 
Friday, 11/22: 9:00 am - 4:30 pm. 

------------------------------
Scrabble Comes to Cyberspace!|
------------------------------
 NEW YORK, and HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ - The new 
Internet- playable Scrabble(R) CD-ROM crossword game is at the center of 
a Ghostbusters reunion today, as Harold Ramis exchanges tiles and words 
in cyberspace with Rick Moranis. In an East versus West match-up of 
Internet proportion, Moranis will be in New York and Ramis, an avid 
Scrabble player, in Hollywood. The two will attempt their best play on a 
marble-like 3-D board in the new CD- ROM game published by Hasbro 
Interactive Worldwide and based on the world's favorite family word 
game. 

 "Scrabble was introduced in the 1930s and is re-born today as an 
interactive, fast-playing multimedia experience," explains Hasbro 
Interactive President Tom Dusenberry. "CD-ROM games are hot, but until 
now there hasn't been much out there for the broad audience of PC and 
Mac owners. Scrabble, and our previously released Monopoly CD-ROM, are 
filling that void in the entertainment software marketplace." 

 Today's Internet game between Harold Ramis and Rick Moranis is the 
first of several celebrity Scrabble pairings planned by Hasbro 
Interactive. Images from the Ramis-Moranis match will be posted 
throughout the event on a custom Web page, accessible from the Official 
Scrabble Crossword Game Web site, www.scrabble.com. Moranis will be 
playing for Gilda's Club, a non-residential community for people with 
cancer. 

 In addition to its Internet play for two to four players, Scrabble CD-
ROM features the most formidable Scrabble computer opponent, aptly named 
Maven. More than 10 years in development, Maven was tested against the 
world's top- ranked Scrabble players to hone its tile-laying skills. 
Maven has at its disposal Merriam Webster's Official Scrabble Players 
Dictionary of 90,000 words, which also can be accessed and customized by 
players. The computer opponent can be set on five different levels - 
from basic to championship mode, offering a wide spectrum of game play 
for children to adults and even the most savvy Scrabble players. 

 In solo play against the computer, players can use the "hint guide" to 
discover the highest-scoring words and their best placement on the 
board, capitalizing on Double Word Score and Triple Letter Score spaces, 
for example. By selecting "definitions" players learn if a word exists 
and its meaning. The game's 3-D graphics deliver simulated wood tiles 
that turn to stone with razor-sharp sound effects when a word is played. 

 Hasbro Interactive Worldwide, a division of Hasbro, Inc., is an all-
family games publisher. Other Hasbro Interactive CD-ROM games include 
Monopoly, Clue, Trivial Pursuit, Yahtzee, Othello, and soon- to-be-
released Battleship and Risk. For children, Hasbro Interactive publishes 
five titles for the PC and Macintosh: Tonka Construction, Candy Land, 
Mr. Potato Head, Playskool Puzzles and Play-Doh. 

 Scrabble was invented in 1931 by an out-of-work architect from 
Poughkeepsie, New York, named Alfred Mosher Butts. Butts studied the 
newspaper to determine point values for the letters in his game, which 
has been described as part crossword puzzle and part anagram. Scrabble 
brand games are produced and distributed in the U.S. and Canada by 
Milton Bradley, a division of Hasbro, Inc. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEWS OF THE WEEK | Interesting software/hardware you may need . . .
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Product: WinZip 6.2
Reviewed By: Patrick Grote <pgrote@inlink.com>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
What does it take to become a classic? Is it something that was once 
produced in abundance, but is no longer? Is it something that has been 
produced forever, which makes it endearing to our hearts? Is it 
something many people look to with fond memories, thus propelling it 
into the classic realm? I don't know, but I do know that WinZip by Nico 
Mak Computing is a classic. 

If you have never had the pleasure of using WinZip on its way to version 
6.2, let me tell you you've wasted about a year in time without it! 
Simply stated WinZip saves you time, effort and frustration when it 
comes to dealing with ZIP, TAR, gzip, Unix Compress, UUENCODE, XXENCOdE, 
BinHex and Mime files. A mouthful, eh? Most people will use it with ZIP 
and UUENCODED files though.

WinZip is a window sized application that lets you do anything to a ZIP 
file you can think. This includes basic functions such as creating, 
adding, deleting, renaming and extracting ZIP files. Advanced features 
include wizards walking you through common tasks, ability to check out 
software before installing it, virus scan and UUENCODing a file. 

The newest feature, and probably neatest, is Favorite Zip Folders. 
Favorite Zip Folders allows WinZip to organize downloads and all other 
ZIP files into one convenient list that is sorted by date. Superb!

Why should you look at WinZip? Time savings, effort savings, frustration 
savings! Buy it today!

WinZip 6.2
Nico Mak Computing
POB 919 
Bristol, CT 06011
<support@winzip.com>
<http://www.winzip.com/>
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Product: PowerCube Speaker Systems
Reviewed By: Patrick Grote <pgrote@inlink.com>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I can remember the first time I heard real sound from a computer. The 
Commodore 64 sat there playing some mid-80s pop song and I was loving 
it. Even the games of the day supported this "advanced" sound. Rather 
than beeps and bips, you heard crashes and taunts. Games appealed to a 
new sense, the sense of hearing. 

Sound has come along way since the SID chip on the Commodore 64. Now, 
every PC sold has a sound card. It isn't if you have sound, but what 
kind. Every user today has the standard Sound Blaster compatible ship 
set. Being Sound Blaster compatible doesn't mean you'll hit it off with 
guys named Sound, but your computer can produce music, sound effects and 
noise based on what a program tells it to do. The way the program talks 
to the Sound Blaster is what is compatible. It's like the Sound Blaster 
language is spoken by all sound cards.

Even the most basic sound card today produces decent sound and music. 
What really matters most is your speakers. Long forgotten, those $10.00 
cheap speakers the computer store threw in for free pretty much suck 
when compared to today's speakers. Without spending an arm and a leg you 
can attain a sound that just a year ago was unheard of. You can own a 
speaker set for your computer that makes Doom creepier, Descent II more 
dizzying and Duke Nukem', well, cruder. You can own the PowerCube 
Speaker System from Altec Lansing.

The ACS45 PowerCube Speaker Systems from Altec Lansing is the first high 
performance, three piece speaker system to break the $100.00 price 
barrier. Tipping in at $99.00 it can be found on store shelves for less. 

OK, I will bore those who need it with the technical details -- Driver 
Satellites: One 3" shielded Full Range -- Driver Sub woofer: One 4" long 
throw woofer -- Satellite Power: 6 Watts -- Sub woofer Power: 20 Watts.

Bottom line for non-techies ... these babies blow you away!

The three parts to the PowerCube Speaker System are the sub woofer, left 
satellite and right satellite. The sub woofer makes your bass sounds 
boom, while the satellite works to enhance every other note!

Setup and installation was a breeze! Unpack and plug in the cords and we 
were finished. The cable connects to your speaker out on the sound card. 
I wish the cables going to the satellite speakers from the sub woofer 
were a little longer. 

After the hoop up is complete move on to trying them out. Can't hear 
anything? Can't find the volume controls? Don't worry, they are 
electronic! No knobs will break off on this bad boy!

Once you get the volume pumping you'll notice no distortion as you pass 
through normal volume range to eviction range right on through neighbor 
lynching range. The speakers perform!

Altec Lansing
<http://altecmm.com/acs45.html>

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Product: Designing for the Web
              By Jennifer Niederst with Eddie Freedman
              1st Edition April 1996
              180 pages, ISBN: 1-56592-165-8, $24.95
Reviewed by: Dr. Mark
Requires: Mac or Windows platform
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Designing for the Web doesn't teach the reader how to design. Instead, 
it aims to help designers adapt their skills to the web. It's a 
practical guide to the unique considerations of Web design. Although the 
book is aimed at designers, the techniques in this book are useful to 
anyone who wants to put graphics online. 

This book is written by O'Reilly designers who were pioneers on the Web. 
Author Jennifer Niederst garnered her expertise the hard way. Way back 
in 1993, she designed the Global Network Navigator (GNN), an early Web-
based publication. Looking back at her plunge into the new world of Web 
design the author says," I wished at the time that there was one place I 
could go to quickly learn all the technical stuff, without having to 
ferret it out myself, so I could get on to doing what I enjoyed the most 
- designing!" Neiderst and co-author Edie Freedman share the painstaking 
lessons they learned about basic principles, special techniques, and 
workarounds for effective Web Design. 

In this book you'll find:
> A brief introduction to the Web
> A step by step tutorial on putting together a Web Page
> Pointers on creating graphics that are optimized for the Web
> Recommendations for reducing download times of images
> Instructions for adding transparency and interlacing
> Discussion of the impact of different browsers and platforms
> A listing and demonstration of the HTML tags for design
> Tips on using background images and colors
> Guidelines on navigational and orientation aids
> Conceptualizing your Web site as a whole.

The authors ability to clearly present in an organized and meaningful 
way is clearly demonstrated in the layout of this book. This issue in 
itself is meaningful in that anyone who designs successfully understands 
the need for structure and logic flow. As a result this text has been 
organized into three major topics: 

Part l: The new environment This section clearly describes the landscape 
of the web, introducing the reader to a host of terminology, concepts, 
and peculiarities one may expect to encounter. A clear cut presentation 
of how a Web page is put together leaves the reader ready to learn 
specific skills. 

Part ll: All about graphics for the Web This part deals strictly with 
Web graphics: the basic specifications, how to create them, and how to 
fine tune them. This section also includes chapters on Web specific 
graphic effects such as transparency, interlacing, and imagemaps. 

Part lll: All about the rest of the page Creating graphics is only one 
part of the Web page design. A clear and basic understanding of what can 
and can't be done online is presented. The information is aimed more at 
design than programming and provides a sampling of tags and other 
elements that can be added to the Web page. Finally, a brief 
presentation of multi-page documents and basic interface issues are 
presented. 

This book is a must for the designers library. At the end of this text 
the publisher has provided some excellent suggestions for follow on 
reading as well as some excellent multimedia materials offered to fully 
round out the designers reference shelf. This text was not only a great 
reference text, it was also good reading. Once again O'Reilly has 
provided excellent authors and publishing to keep all users of the 
Internet in step with the "how too" mode of the information highway. 

O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
101 Morris Street
Sebastopol, Ca. USA 95472
(707) 829 - 0515
<http://www.ora.com>

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Product:  MissionForce: Cyberstorm
Reviewed By: Doug Reed <dr2web@sprynet.com>
Requirements: 486/66, Windows 95, 8 MB RAM
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Every once in a great while you discover a game that is truly a gem, a 
masterpiece worth savoring and playing over and over. Games like 
Civilization, or Doom, or X-Com, or MULE (now I'm showing signs of my 
age). MissionForce: Cyberstorm is an unexpected delight, a true blast to 
play that will easily absorb hours of your time. But is it a 
masterpiece? The answer to that question is not quite so easy. I will 
tell you my experience with it and let you decide. 

Cyberstorm is published by Sierra and is a strategy game based in the 
"EarthSiege" universe where mankind is battling living machine Cybrids 
with huge Hercs. In Cyberstorm, the player controls a squad of bioderms 
(which are sort of like the androids of Bladerunner), which pilot Hercs 
that the player purchases and configures. Players obtain cash by mining 
ore during missions, then use the cash to buy/train bioderms or to 
repair/upgrade their Hercs. The player is given a wide variety of 
missions to choose from and free range to configure their Hercs to 
succeed in that mission (depending on the size of their payroll). Lots 
of "video" tutorials and on-line help guide the player in how to succeed 
at Cyberstorm. And once you've completed the missions and destroyed the 
Cybrids, you can hook up your modem and face off against a friend. And 
the really great thing about this is that they don't even have to buy a 
copy of the game - you can give it to them! In an interesting move that 
is hopefully part of a trend, Sierra has included 2 copies of the game 
in each box of Cyberstorm, so that you and your best friend can quickly 
set up and go at it. 

Installation is quick and easy; the game does require Windows 95 and 
makes use of the new DirectX technology from Microsoft to make Windows 
95 games as fast (or faster) than DOS games. What is DirectX? Well, put 
simply, it is a set of controls for interacting with Windows 95 and your 
hardware so that a game programmer does not need to worry about whether 
a game will work on a particular sound card - as long as the card is 
Windows 95 compatible, the game will run properly. This eliminates a lot 
of hair-pulling on the part of the games programmer and eliminates one 
of the thorniest issues for PC users- hardware/software compatibility. 

Cyberstorm is truly beautiful to look at; the look of the Hercs and the 
motion, sounds, etc.... during a mission will simply blow you away. Yeah 
- I know, I've said that before, but I meant it then and I mean it now. 
Your jaw will lay slack as you take in the simply gorgeous graphics. You 
will be amazed the first time you open up on a Cybrid and his screens 
flare blue for a millisecond as they absorb the damage. The opening 
movie scene is on par with that of Mechwarrior II although it is not as 
long nor quite as pretty. The main screen is slick; the game shows the 
profile of a running Herc, cycling through the various Herc and Cybrid 
designs one by one. Some are funny looking, others strange, and some 
downright nasty. The sounds that accompany the graphics are also 
extremely well done; on a GUS PnP Pro they sound absolutely fantastic 
and realistic. 

The main game screen is the Herc base, where you can perform repairs and 
upgrades, as well as choose your next mission. The command center is 
well done, allowing you to choose video training, on-line help, or 
provide plentiful information about the nature of the mission you've 
chosen and what you can expect on the world you will land on. Each world 
is unique; some are rocky, some are forested, etc...providing a variety 
of challenges so that each mission provides a fresh challenge. Although 
the basic mission parameters are set prior to departure the actual 
mission is randomized as far as where targets lie and where enemy mechs 
approach from. This is a nice touch, insuring at least a little bit of 
replayability to the game. 

So, you are probably wondering if there are any problems with this game. 
One problem that has been the subject of much heated discussion on the 
newsgroup comp.sys.ibmpc.games.strategic is the fact that Cyberstorm 
lacks a manual. Yes, that's right, no hardcopy except for a little sheet 
that tells you keyboard shortcuts and such for playing the game. While I 
am a firm believer in hardcopy, I can't really say that this game 
requires it. I was easily able to get the game up and running, and was 
able to figure out most of the controls on the fly. Unless you just 
simply hate using a mouse, you can just simply run your mouse over the 
screen and click - you might be surprised what you can pull up. The 
other glaring flaw in the game - so I'm told - is that the game 
progressively gets harder until a point is reached when the Reaper Herc 
is available, and then the game becomes very easy and almost boring. I 
haven't reached that point myself yet so I can't say that it is true, 
but even if it is there is still the multiplayer option, which is where 
long-term replayability would lie anyway. 

Bottom line -if you want a game that you will want to find time to play, 
this is one of those games. The last game that made me feel this way was 
Master of Magic. I highly recommend Missionforce: Cyberstorm. 

Sierra On-Line
P.O. Box 85006
Bellevue WA 98015-8506
206-644-4343
<http://www.sierra.com>

Ratings:
Installation/Manual: Gold Medal (yes, there is no manual but the on-line 
help is superb)
User-Friendliness: Gold Medal
Quality: Gold Medal
User: All

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Product: Norton NT Tools
Reviewed By: Dr. Mark
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Symantec has released another first class product - Norton NT Tools. The 
result is a sophisticated set of tools and a manager that is designed to 
enhance productivity, while maintaining your system at optimum 
performance levels. This allows the Windows NT operating environment to 
make the most out of your time. Key components let you: 
>Protect your system against viruses automatically
> Manage your files efficiently
> Monitor your system continuously to identify problems.

In the companion text you will find clear and easy to read information 
about each Norton NT Tool program. Step-by-step procedures guide you 
through the tasks associated with each program. Info Desk is an online 
help and information system designed to provide you with context- 
sensitive "What's This?" and "How To" help directly from the interface. 
Utilizing the right click function of your mouse (context-click) 
anywhere from within a Norton NT Tools program you can get immediate 
access to a wide range of help and information. 

Installing Norton NT Tools was quick and easy. The Setup wizard, guides 
you through installation and lets you specify which programs you wish to 
install and where to install them. It is suggested that the average user 
install these programs in accordance with the wizard recommendations. It 
is very easy to go back and fine tune the program to your needs and 
specifications but I think the user needs to see the full functional 
features before customizing the tools to their own needs. I originally 
installed the tool suite in my own configuration settings and decided to 
change them back to factory recommended specifications so I could 
utilize the full power of each tool capability. The package even 
included free introductory offer on Compuserve that enables the user to 
access Symantec "Worldwide Service and Support Center." Symantec offers 
free 90 day support from day of first contact, then offers a 
PriorityCare, and Premium Care ongoing fee based support. Additionally, 
Semantec has a "FORUM" area for marketing their other services and 
products for those that may be interested. 

The first feature discussed in the text is all about viruses. A review 
of viruses and their effects are followed by a discussion of their 
associated risks and the approach Symantec is engineering to keep your 
system virus free. Symantec maintains a virus hotline and a download 
area to update your tools with new virus protection elements as they 
become available. The text presents a step-by-step approach on how to 
protect your system, scanning your system and how to eliminate viruses 
detected and restore the integrity of your system. 

Symantec's File Manager allows the user to finally take absolute control 
of their files. The user is allowed to customize File Manager to operate 
in the manner the user defines for their desired mode of operation. The 
text takes you through a educational who, what, when , where and why 
presentation of files and file management techniques. Even the main 
window can be customized to the users satisfaction. Topic areas include: 
> Performing system-wide actions
> Managing existing files and folders
> Changing file formats and contents
> Finding and selecting files
> Comparing and updating files and folders
> Connecting to FTP sites
> Managing disks, network drives, and shared resources
> Customizing your File Manager.

I was very impressed by the speed, functionality, user specified 
configuration capability of this tool. 

The "Norton System Doctor" is presented next in the text. A remedial 
review again is what the reader first encounters. A clear step-by-step 
presentation of when to use the System Doctor, how the sensors work and 
how to respond to the different sensor modes and alarms, and how to best 
configure the sensor based upon your systems needs and applications. An 
entire chapter of the text is dedicated to the various uses and 
application configuration models for monitoring performance. I found it 
quite simple to move around and change this tools features on the fly 
and I was equally surprised of the speed of the application performance 
as well as the minimal amount of overhead system resources required for 
execution. 

The text provides another chapter dedicated to the why and when 
criteria for using the System Information tool. The last chapter in 
the text discusses in detail the use of System Information Tabs, 
generating System Information Reports, and how to use command-line 
switches. The end of this text provides an index, as well as Symantec 
Service and Support Solutions, and Disk Exchange and/or replacement 
request form. 

Overall rating of this product is superior. The novice all the way to 
expert user will find this package a must have tool for day to day 
operations. The speed, efficiency, ease of setup and operation are a 
great relief for any user. This package provides excellent protection 
against viruses, ease of file management, and efficient user friendly 
Monitoring and View Key System Information. 

Symantec Corporation
10201 Torre Avenue
Cupertino, Ca. 95014 USA
(800) 441 - 7234 US/Canada
<http://www.symantec.com>

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WEBSITES OF THE WEEK! | This section is devoted to cool WebSites . . .
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Demo Library Online!|
---------------------
 CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ - Ziff-Davis Publishing's ZD 
Net, the leading source of online computing information, today launched 
the ZD Net Demo Library (<http://www.hotfiles.com/demo.html>), the Web's 
first free software demo center. Part of the popular ZD Net Software 
Library (<http://www.hotfiles.com>), the ZD Net Demo Library was 
designed to provide users with a centralized source for downloading 
vendors' free software demos, enabling them to test and evaluate 
commercial software products before making a purchase. 

 Currently, the ZD Net Demo Library includes links to hundreds of 
downloadable software demos, organized into six popular categories, 
including: Applications, Utilities, Internet, Games, Home & Education 
and Windows 95. The library has sophisticated search and browse 
functionality, and descriptions are provided for each demo. Links are 
provided to vendor's Web sites for easy downloading of free demos, and 
for purchasing, for those companies that allow online purchasing of 
their software. Many vendors sell their software products online, while 
others provide contact information for placing and order. 

 "The Web is becoming an important marketing channel for software 
vendors," said Preston Gralla, ZD Net executive editor in charge of the 
ZD Net Software Library and renowned shareware guru. "By establishing 
the ZD Net Demo Library, we are performing a great service both to these 
vendors and to users of the ZD Net Software Library. Now that there's a 
centralized place to quickly find free demos, users don't have to spend 
hours searching through individual Web sites. Meanwhile, vendors will 
enjoy increased traffic to their Web sites and increased distribution of 
their software demos." 

 Opportunity for Software Vendors Preston and his team of software and 
shareware editors and testers are continually searching for the latest 
software demos and shareware titles to include in the ZD Net Software 
Library. While the ZD Net Demo Library currently includes hundreds of 
software demos, the team's goal is to link to virtually every viable 
software demo available on the Web. Vendors who offer software demos on 
their Web sites but are not currently included in the ZD Net Demo 
Library are welcome to take advantage of this free marketing 
opportunity. Interested vendors should contact either Preston Gralla at 
617/225- 3221 or preston_grallazd.com. 

 The ZD Net Software Library Introduced in March, the ZD Net Software 
Library is the Web's most authoritative shareware and freeware 
collection, posting only the best available titles, each one fully 
tested, rated and reviewed. ZD Net's emphasis on editorial evaluation of 
all products included in the library distinguishes the site from other 
shareware offerings on the Web. ZD Net's software team puts virtually 
all new shareware and freeware programs to the test, ensuring that they 
are either useful or fun - and completely virus-free - before 
recommending them to users through the library, which awards all titles 
one-to-five star ratings. The ZD Net Software Library consistently 
maintains more than 10,000 titles, and is continually refreshed with new 
titles, while old or out-of-date titles are routinely eliminated. 
Millions of downloads are made by ZD Net users each month. 

---------------------------------------------
Windows Magazine Picks Top Sites on the Web!|
---------------------------------------------
 MANHASSET, N.Y., Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ - CMP's WINDOWS Magazine, the 
leading source of information for Windows business buyers, announced the 
winners of its first Web page design contest. The top sites in seven 
categories were chosen among more than 1,000 entries, and represent the 
best-of-the-best in Web design. 

 "The number of sites submitted for our design contest didn't surprise 
us," said Mike Elgan, Editor of WINDOWS Magazine. "But we were 
pleasantly surprised with the consistently excellent design quality. 
Picking the cream of this crop was indeed a tough task." 

 Judge by a panel of WINDOWS Magazine editors and industry experts, 
sites were evaluated on aesthetics, navigability, ease of use, 
innovation and appropriateness to the subject of the site. 

 The winners are: Best Overall Page -- Fashion Internet 
(<http://www.finy.com/>): "Fashion Internet proves that a Web site can 
never be too rich or too thin. This site's designers used rich graphics 
without sacrificing aesthetic appeal to bandwidth." 

 Best Corporate Page -- Tektronix (<http://www.tek.com>): "Tektronix 
offers a stunning front page. The bold, eye-catching image map is 
functional and quick to load and the site's intuitive navigation and 
layout make it a friendly place to visit." 

 Best Cultural Page -- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum 
(<http://www.rockhall.com.): "It's as striking as its subject material, 
but not nearly as rowdy. Navigation is clear an uncomplicated, and the 
images are small, speedy and stylish." 

 Best Organization Page -- U.S. EPA Energy Star Program 
(<http://www.epa.gov/docs/GCDOAR/es_office.html>)..: "This page offers 
style and simplicity. It uses a series of small square .GIFs rather than 
large, bandwidth-hogging graphics, to conserve both online time and 
space. The effective background appears almost as a watermark." 

 Best Education Page -- Georgetown University Alumni Association 
(<http://guweb.georgetown.edu/alumni/>): "This site makes elegant use of 
white space, complemented with subtle blue and gray graphics, and simple 
key images over block text." 

 Best Media Page -- The Tampa Tribune (<http://www.tampatrib.com/>): 
"The site uses tables to create a two-column layout that plays well, 
regardless of your browser screen's width. The headline news stories are 
eye-catching, and the header and divider graphics break up the text 
nicely." 

 Best Personal Home Page -- Diana's Kitchen 
(<http://www.ebicom.net/kitchen>): "The custom graphics are used 
effectively on this well-designed site. This personal page not only 
looks good enough to eat, it helps hungry Web-surfers figure out what to 
eat." 

 Winners will be featured in WINDOWS Magazine's December issue (on sale 
November 19) and on the publication's Web site 
(<http://www.winmag.com>), starting November 1. The best sites in each 
category will have a choice of one of the following products (latest 
version) and will also receive PageMill as a bonus: Adobe Photoshop, 
Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe PageMaker, After Effects. 

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No interview this week! We'll see you next week!

  --END OF ISSUE--




