. I think Lighthouse is a good game.

It's Sierra's big adventure game for L I G H T Christmas. I just got it and it has great I graphics and solid gameplay." ^

— Big Das on AOL |

V* ^

"It has more crafty, put-lt- '

together puzzles than any other | game i'vg ever Seen. Takes a lot of if; '

imagination and logic." a ‘ ‘ ^

~UPS4onA0L

"This game reminds me oiMyst. However I find it has much more action. I like the fact that this game is running with no effort on my part other than installing it."

— Valkyre35 on AOL

"I love it. My 10-year-old daughter and I were playing it all night and we're addicted. I love the 3-D graphics and characters are very cool!" — JDarkoski on AOL

SIERRA

C Sierra On-Line, Inc.® and/or designate trademarks of, or licensed to Sierra On-Line, Inc. All rights reserved.

http://www.sierra.com See your local software dealer or call 1 800 757 7707

t! 1 1^1 i i		^ \ I fill	Ja 1 1 1 V4 1 H 1 Ul

Regular Features

Cover Stories

Strategy Games

Family

Letters 4

Inside View 6

Top Ten r...10

Customer Service 100

Contest Pages 104

L Coming Attractions 108

L

SRatna 17

Front Page Sports: Golf 50

t-

I

Blizzard Update 24

Lords of the Realm II 28

Strategy Tips For Civil War General 91

Caesar II Moves to Windows and Mac 94

I Missionforce: CyberStorm On-Line-Tournament Update 96

\

^ Roberta Williams Anthology 22

SThe Hoyle Series 36

The Time Warp of Dr. Brain 38

Power Chess 41

^ Sierra Home Products as Christmas Gifts 54

m

Birthright 33

^ Betrayal In Antara 106

NASCAR Racing 2 81

IndyCar Racing II 86

. Interview with Barry Sanders 44

Front Page Sports: Trophy Bass 2 48

[ Hunter Hunted ■ . . 63

^ CyberGladiators , 66

‘ Phantasmagoria 2 13

^ Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail 120

I

Fantasy Role-Playing

Adventure Games

InterAcb'on

Magazine

Publisher: Ken Williams

Executive Editor: John Williams Managing Editor: Pam Sather Issue Editor: John Sauer Assistant Editor: David Senan Art Directors: Matt Hulbert & Tim Fruehe Assistant Art Director: Paul Thackray Proofreader: Kris Fulsaas

Contributors This Issue:

Beth Demetrescu, Jeff Gilbert. Nancy King, Anne Marcus, Stephen Negron, William Trotter, Cindy Vanous, Thomas Wharton. Chris Williams, John Williams & “The Man”

Design and Production:

Scott Catlin, Matt Hulbert, Tim Fruehe. Dennis Connors, David Day. Cameras in Action Stock Photography, Inc.

Advertising Sales

Advertising Sales Director: Blake Park Sales Info: 206-649-9800, ext. 5216

® and/or ™ designate trademarks of. or licensed to Sierra On-Line, Inc. © 1996 Sierra On-Line, Inc. All rights reserved. Hoyle is used under license from Brown & Bigelow, Inc. SPACE QUEST is a registered trademark or The Children^ Museum of Indianapolis, Inc., and is used by license. IndyCar and helmet logo are registered trademarks of the Indianapolis Speedway Corporation, under exclu- sive license to Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. NASCAR Racing is officially licensed by NASCAR ®. BIRTHRIGHT and the TSR Logo are trademarks of TSR, Inc. The BIRTHRIGHT fantasy world and artwork are © TSR. Inc. All rights reserved. Produced by Sierra On- Line Inc. under license from TSR. Inc. Berlitz is a reg- istered trademark and is used by license. All product and price information, product availability or existence, and policies subject to change without notice.

Products available while supplies last. We reserve the right to limit quantities. Not responsible for typograph- ical errors. So don’t sue us. OK?

BPA International Membership Applied For August 1996.

nterActidn Magazine Holiday 1996

Cover Photo: © David Madison 1996

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More Al Lowe To Gol

I realize that you are probably getting 100 questions a day about Leisure Suit Larry, but 1 have a very important ques- tion. I’ve played LSL 1: In the Land of the Lounge Lizards and LSL 6: Shape Up or Slip Out and I’ve played Freddy Pharkas (another game designed by Al Lowe). Freddy Pharkas is not an off- color game by any means. Here’s my question: Who or what made Al decide to make a clean game vs. a game like Leisure Suit Larry?

Nathan Say

Overland Park, KS nathan36@juno.com

Nathan:

Al Lowe likes to "flex his creative mus- cle** once in a while. Larry is one of his favorite creations, hut he also regular- ly works on other Sierra games, as well. In addition to Larry and Freddy, Al Lowe also recently devel- oped the family-oriented Torin’s Passage, which was just named one of?C

Magazine’s top 100

games of the year. Al has also lent his creative talents to past King’s Quest and Police Quest games over the years.

Want Mystery House? Mystery Solved I

Dear InterAction,

On page 77 of the Summer 1996 issue of InterAction, you showed a list of all the games Roberta Williams has ever creat- ed. Some of these, like Mystery House, 1 didn’t even know existed. So 1 was won-

dering— does Sierra have a few copies for sale left hidden in your attic?

Rafael Mittlefehidt

Houston, TX

Rafael:

For years, Mystery House, and most of Roberta *s games, were unavailable for various reasons. That*s why we’re espe- cially happy to announce that there is now a comprehensive collection of 14 of Roberta *s most noteworthy masterpieces available on one CD — The Roberta Williams’ Anthology. It includes not Just Mystery House, but also early hits like Time Zone, Wizard & the Princess, The Laura Bow Mysteries and all of the King’s Quest games. Check out page 22 for all the details about this fun and exciting tribute to the pioneer who defined the genre of interac- tive adventure games.

Ukes

Lighthouse

1 just finished playing Lighthouse this after- noon and had that rare and elusive feel- ing of just having seen the best movie of my life, or finishing the best book I’ve ever read. You know the feeling — you just want to jump up and tell the world how great the “product” is! I’ve proba- bly played 70-80 PC games (most- ly adventure), and 1 can honestly say that Lighthouse is the most magnificent PC game 1 have ever played!

Your team is to be congratulated on putting together a real “gamers” game.

It’s

obvious that it was a labor of love for ^ ^

you! Unlike most adventure games,

1 felt like 1 was really “there” — totally immersed. The game was difficult, but the payoffs were there. The blend of art, music, plot, programming style, and good old gameplay was wonder- ful and rare. Bottom line — you guys

have created a masterpiece! Congratulations! I sincerely hope a sequel is down the road.

Bob Freese Indianapolis, IN bobfrees@iquest.net

We're thinking about Lighthouse II — stay tuned... — Editors

Is This a Compliment Too?

I just received the Summer issue of InterAction and 1 saw the editorial for Phantasmagoria 2. I think it’s the sick- est thing in the world! When I showed it to my sister, 1 thought she was gonna spew! I would like to say you guys are doing a great job. Keep it up!

Chaim Glicken

Long Beach, CA

Uh, THANKS— we think. —Editors

E-mail letters to the editor to:

interaction@sierra.com

Send your correspondence to:

InterAction Magazine

P.O. Box 53008, Bellevue, WA

98015-3008

Please don't send returns, orders or time sensitive materials to this address.

Interaction Magazine Holiday 1996

break

, OUT

Of the frames!

Replace yow glasses with contacts.

CALL 1-800-331-3S57, ext. 99

to get a certificate for a

FREE

triai pair of Focus' soft Contact Lenses!

See your eye care doctor today for better vision tomorrow.

©1996, CIBA Vision Corporation. Duluth. GA 30155

CIBAVtsion^

Ken Williams

A major revolution is sweeping the computer games industry; 30. The (uture el computer games is 30, and soon any game or any computer that does- n't support 30, will be technologically obsolete.

3d is not a fad. It already dominates the videogame and quarter arcade industries. Essentially all of the quarter arcade games now being released are 3D. Super Mario 64, an

Ultra-64 3D game, is the hottest game around.

There is a simple reason why this shift is occurring:

3D games are a lot of fun. They are more fun than 2D because they are more interactive, and more immersive.

Until recently, very few 3D games have been developed for PCs, mostly because they are almost impossible to program. The special 3D hardware that allows quarter arcade machines and the Ultra 64 to produce 3D games wasn’t available on your PC unless you spent thousands of dollars for an expensive

If your computer doesn't have a 3D card, it will

become

obsolete."

graphics card. Though some enterpris- ing PC programmers created 3D games for the PC anyway (our own Dynamix and Papyrus programmers are some of the very best), these were rare individuals and they could only produce a limited number of games each year.

Without added hardware,

3D on a PC is far from perfect. 3D games require a high frame rate. Frame rate per second or “fps,” refers to the number of times per second your PC redraws the game screen.

The better your PC’s fps, the better your game will look and play. Most video arcade games have a frame rate of 30 to 60 fps, whereas PC games tend towards 10 fps or less. My very fast Pentium 166, for example, performed at a rate of 10 fps when running Quake at 640x480 and 19 fps if lower my screen resolution to 320x200. Quake is much more playable at 19 fps, but the

graphics are chunky. A high frame rate is absolutely critical to how a game plays. Above a certain threshold (around 18 fps) your eye can’t see the difference, but the quality of the gaming experience starts rising exponentially. The joystick feels more responsive, and you find you have much better control of the game, used Quake as an example because it is one of a very few i^rograms that easily allows you to gauge your fps.

To test Quake ’s fps at vari- ous resolutions, j)ress the key and

Interaction Magazine Holiday 1996

Ken Williams is the founder and CEO of Sierra. This software industry pioneer has been dealing with hardware add-ons since the origin of the PC . This issue, Ken will focus on the hottest new technology of 1997—30 Accelerators.

WarCraft, and Blizzard Entertainmei#afe trademarks

enter “timerefresh”. Although Quake

an excellent example of current 3D PC technology, the frame rates still aren't what you’ll find in the arcades or from a newer video game system. Even the fastest PCs still only run arcade-style games with either mediocre graphics, or at a slow frame rate.

The only way to get a PC to perform against the arcade standards is to install a 3D accelerator card. For the first time ever this Christmas a few of the leading computers will be sold with a 3D accel- erator built-in. By next Christmas, this will likely be a standard on all new computers sold. If your computer doesn’t have a 3D card, it will become obsolete. At the least, you will have trouble running many of the most popular software products sold.

3D accelerators are the future. I highly recommend this upgrade, but before you rush out to buy one there are some things you should know. All 3D boards are not created equal and the buyer should beware. Here are a few pointers on what you should look for before you buy a new card.

Most importantly, don't buy a 2D card that

There were plenty of great cards out there, but there were really only two that stood out ^

filtering, bit-mapping

from the crowd: the 3DFX and the Rendition."

claims to have 3D capabilities. Read the packaging carefully, and look for 3D features like

etc. Browse the message boards on the Internet before buying — they are full of messages warning you which cards to avoid. One popular 3D board even runs many 3D games slower than most 2D boards. I could name names, but 1 won’t.

Another important thing to look for is how well the 3D card supports Microsoft’s Direct3D standard. Direct3D is a standard set of 3D routines which developers can use to create games, and is the one common standard that

spans almost all 3D cards. In the absence of a 3D card, Direct3D provides the same functionality in software, at a much slower frame rate. Not all 3D games are written for Direct3D, although there is a clear trend in this direction. Direct 3D games require a VERY fast machine unless you have a 3D accelerator, or run them at a very low resolution.

Finally, most 3D accelerators require PCI bus support. If you have a Pentium, you almost certainly have PCI. but you should double check . Here’s a fast way to check for PCI support under Windows ‘95. From the control panel choose “system” then “device manager” and “system devices.” Look for the words PCI BUS. If you don’t see it, you don’t have it.

Once you’ve installed your 3D accel- erator, the performance will vary depending on the speed of your com- puter, the game you are running, the resolution, and the graphic options you select. It will also depend on whether the game was written specifically for your particular 3D card, or for Direct 3D. For example, on my Pentium 166, at 320x200, Quake jumped from 18 fps to 31 fps, and the improvement in graphics quality was just unbelievable. At 640x480, the increase was more dramatic, with the fps jumping from 10 to 24. The relative performance increase is even greater on slower machines because of the shift of computing from your

> n

While there is already a noticeable difference between these two screens from CyberGladiators, the graphic improjfemeiitit even more remarkable when you see the game in action. The animation is quicker, smoother and more lifelike, it makes the experience more immersive and more fun (See backcover for a special offer on the Screamin' 3D card). ’'o ..

processor to the fast processor on the accelerator board.

Frame rate improvement is only part of the story. Your game will look completely different. The 3D accelerator does more than just make the screen move faster, it also totally changes the way your PC handles graphics. Most 3D games restrict themselves to 256 colors for frame rate reasons. The 3D accelerator will automat- ically shift the game to 16 bit color and enhance the graphics. Because the 3D engine thinks in terms of polygons and texture maps, the graphics can be completely recreated before they are drawn to the screen. Even at the lowest resolutions, the edges of 3D objects are sharp and the “jaggys” are eliminated.

You can get as close to objects as you want, and they will not become blocky. The better 3D cards also allow special visual treats like the fog effects and night driving scenes that you’ll find in the new version of IndyCar. The people at Papyrus, as good as they cire, simply couldn’t have created these kind of effects on a standard PC. Papyrus has more experience with programming 3D accelerator cards than anyone, and their 3D card-ready PC programs rival and beat anything found in the arcades.

With the number of companies making cards, and the technical nature of

Put Yourself in the Game

Sierra is looking for Software Engineers at all levels, from "'straight out of college" to seasoned veterans. If you have solid knowledge of C/C+*f, and are unafraid to be challenged, Sierra may be right for you. As the world's largest designer of electronic games, we set the standard in new technology. We have projects underway now to build products under Windows '95 using the Microsoft Game SDK, other projects require knowledge of MFC. Sierra is doing cutting-edge development with networked applications, flight simulators, CD-ROM, silicon graphics, and video game systems. No matter how good you think you are, we have a project that will push you to levels you never thought possible. At least two years of programming experience or college degree required.

If you would like to be considered for the many exciting opportunities at Sierra, please send a resume and cover letter to;

Sierra On-Line, Inc.

R&D Recruiting

3380 146th Place S.E., Ste. 300 Bellevue, WA 98007 Fax 206.641.7617 E-mail; recruit@sierra.com

We have openings in Oakhurst, CA (near Yosemite National Park), Seattle,

WA, Cambridge, MA, Eugene, OR, Champaign, IL, Boulder, CO, and Austin, TX

's“r

the 3D accelerators, it’s easy to make the wrong upgrade. That’s why Sierra has decided to offer a 3D accelerator of our own: the Screamin’3D. To be honest, no one at Sierra designed this card, but after months of studying competing cards, we just decided that if we had trouble figuring out which ones were best, you would too. As a public service (more than as a business), we took the initiative to find the one that we most recommend and put our name on it. It had to have full-featured Direct 3D support, accelerated 2D performance and screaming 3D acceleration. It was a difficult choice.

There were plenty of great cards out there, but there were really only two that stood out from the crowd; the 3DFX and the Rendition. [Technical

note: actually, 3DFX and Rendition only build the chips, the cards are assembled by other companies] Both boards were great on the 3D front, but we chose the Rendition because it also offered awe- some 2D acceleration (2D games are

The 3D accelerator

of games sold),

does more than just plus because it make the screen move faster. It also totally changes the way your PC handles graphics."

had the highest level of third party software support. Several other companies, including Creative Labsl and Intergraph, have announced Rendition-based cards. Though the 3D hardware is essentially the same whether you buy from Sierra, or elsewhere, we did do some work to make the Screamin’3D everything we wanted it to be. Specifically, we worked with the hardware experts, Canopus, to produce optimized device drivers. In some comparisons the Screamin’3D has been clocked at 25% faster than other Rendition-based cards. Sierra’s card is on the market now (see back cover) at $199, and includes specially optimized Rendition versions of CyberGladiators, AlO Silent Thunder, IndyCar Racing I! and Quake.

3D accelerator technology will revo- lutionize things at Sierra, from our current 3D games, like IndyCar and the upcoming Red Baron 2, to games that haven’t traditionally supported 3D graphics, like Caesar //and Lords of the Realm II. Our productivity products, such as LandDesigner and CustomHome, are now in the process of being adapted to support 3D cards. Even our adventure games are undergoing major change. For instance. Kings Quest VIII is being built from the bottom up for 3D accelerators. (It will run without a 3D accelerator, but much better with one.) 3D will almost certainly have similar impact on other software publishers.

In closing, 1 would like to say how much 1 appreciate the support that you have given Sierra, our people and our products, in the last year. We love cre- ating great products and are thrilled that something that brings us so much pleasure adds a little joy to your life as well. Seasons greetings from all of us, and may 1997 be a great year for all! Thank you,

Ken A Williams

(Note: only the Creative Labs 3D Blaster PCI is Rendition-based.)

Sierra Dn-line

Home Productivity Entertainment

and Education

NASCAR Racing

Best Simulation Game and Sports Game of

•PC Gamer ™

-Computer Gaming World

IndyCar Racing II

1996 Codie Award for Best Sports Program.

-Software Publishers Association

"The best racing simulation on the market and a ‘must- have for all gamers."

-Computer Gaming

world

^ FPS: Baseball Pro ‘96

front Page is the only baseball Sim that manages to re-create the physics of baseball on the field. " -PC Gamer

"Sierra definitely has a winner here. "

-Computer Sports Edge

3-D Ultra Pinball

Winner of PC Pinball Shootout against nine top Pinball CDs.

"So intricately ...

designed that itll keep you enter- tained for weeks. " -CD-ROM Today

Missionforce: CyberStorm

‘Wssionforce‘s scrupulous attention to detail is exceeded only by its incredible game play. "

-PC Games

Lighthouse

"Never mind that the first word that comes to mind when you see this is Myst ..it features enough innovations, especially in that it actually offers entic- ing game play, to set [ u c h. i it ahead of the pack." ^ -Next Generation ^9.

Print Artist 4.0

-PC Magazine

■‘Recommended’’ i

-Family PC I; v

. ‘if' ■

Sierra

SchoolHouse: Math

LandDesignerSD

"Editor’s Choice" -Home PC

"Simple enough for a beginner to use and it offers enough information about , ^

gardening to accom- | modate the needs of I even an experienced plant person."

-Family PC ^

> t

Eager To Learn

"An excellent value in children’s soft- ware."

-Childrens Software Revue

Cooking Light

"If you need to plan meals

according to good nutrition,

and you’re looking for a

nifty recipe organiz- -r^

er. Cooking Light ir 1

will keep you

healthy and well-fed j

for a long time.” '

-Computer Shopper t^v i

9 The Lost Mind of Dr. Brain

“The tough part is turning off the computer to do other things, like eat and sleep. " -Famiiy PC

1996 Codie Award for Best Home Learning Product -Software Pubiishers Association

&

nterActidn Magazine Holiday 1996

Trophy Bass

Critics Choice! ‘‘...A great simulation and a whole lot

of fun.'’ ra

-PC Gamer

-Computer Gaming World

Sierra Originals

Police Quest: SWAT

“...a pulse-pounding glimpse into the lives of America’s most elite law enforcement offi- cers..." I'

-PC Gamer I

IndyCar® Racing

J Leisure Suit Larry 5:

^ Passionate Patty Does A Little Uncover Work

Hoyle Classic Card Games

"Sierra's Hoyle series fea- tures the most entertaining PC card play on - —

the market, ” j ^

-PC Magazine "

The Even More Incredible Machine

EPS: Football Pro ‘96

“Still the

champ of ■■

football |ini|^

Sims."

-PC Gamer PT-

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers

Sierra Reference Encyclopedia

SierraOriginals Kid’s Pack

Island of Dr. Brain - “A perfect game for kids and their parents who enjoy free-form learning cou- pled with rich graphics jfsa- - , and smooth game olav” - ’

-PC Entertainment

MasterCook

Deluxe

‘‘Best Software for Cooks"

-Bon Appetit

“★★★★ "

-Family Computing

Castle of Dr. Brain

Mixed-Up Mother Goose

‘‘One of the best kid’s programs I’ve picked up in a long time." -Business Radio Network

Berlitz: Spanish

“★★★★★/ ” First- rate educational and business CDs all around."

-PC Computing

SPANISH

BUY SOME ATTITUDE

I

FOR THE HOLIDAYS

KING’S GUEST® WATCH

Created only for the faithful with

Eon quartz movement, genuine band B one-year warranty.

ITEM #120

Opportunity knocks just this once-and these six collector's items will go fast. Sierra® is proud to make this offer only to InterAction readers. But you gotta step up now 'cause it's first come, first served and supplies are limited.

Your total satisfaction is guaranteed. So stick it to the game gods and call 1-800-3 1 8-8887 to reserve your official Sierra Stuff.

PHANTASMAGORIA® H MUG

full-color art from "A Puzzle of flesh '“"makes this ll-oz. coffee keeper a sure-fit conversation piece. Microwave 8 dishwasher-safe. ITEM#I30

I n.. ^

CYBERGLADIATORS 5:htrt

Spectacular 14-color artwork on hadt^ wd fCAA graphic on front highlight this always-hip pre-Mnk 100% cotton long-sleeve shirt. Sizes LG-XX. ITEM^IOO

S30.0D R«MI

LORDS OF THE REALM TEE

Eye popping 14-color art on front of this black tee with Castle-Storming Tour Schedule on back. ITEM #150

SI8.D0 Rr*'

hLLI

POLICE GUEST® CAP

So you wanna play cop? Sport this embroidered SWAT logo on a cotton twill pro-fit ballcap.

One size fits most. ITEM #110

SI4.flO Retail

M I SSI 0 N F 0 R C E_""_i_C Y BJERS T 0 RJL

The only T-shirt for EARTHSEIGE fans.

100% cotton tee sports color box art on back and game logo on front.

Sizes LG-XX. ITEM #140

SIG.OO Retail

Bensussen Deutsch & Assaiates accepts orders via phone, fox, moil and e-mail. Phone order lines ore open from 8:00 o.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific tim^ Monday through Friday except U.S. holidays. Please have your Visa or MasterCard ready. Shipping and handling charges are added to your order= Please allow 24 weeks for delivery on U.S. orders. Canadian orders must be paid in U.S. dollars-pleose allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Cali BD&A lor detoils at I -800-3 1 8-8887 or e-mail catalog@bdainc.wa.com. If you are unhappy with your purchase for any reason, promptly return the merchondise to BD&A in good condition for an immediate exchange or refund: BD&A/Sierra Stuff, P.O. Box 97026, Redmond, WA 98027

rONTRO for Phantasmagoria

when it hit the market in 1995. A horror game specifically designed to appeal to the mass market of adult PC gamers. Phantasmagoria featured vio- lence and adult themes that shook to its core the established modern horror genre. While hardly extreme when compared with the standards of modern films, it broke the rules of what had been ""acceptable" in the polite society of computer games. It also challenged head-on the stereotype that computer games were strictly kid stuff.

move, Phantas was the first major game ever to receive the ""Mature Audiences Only"" from the Software Ratings Board, instantly giving it national notoriety. As gamers delved into the game they came across the graphic horror scenes and sexual violence, thus calling for an immediate boycott by parents" groups and religious orga- nizations. Major retailers refused to carry the game and it was even banned by the governments of three countries.

computer gam- ing press — which reviewed the product positively, using words like ""groundbreak- ing"" and ""intense"' — there

were less tolerant major newspapers that claimed Phantasmagoria wallowed in gratuitous blood and gore. One even suggested that Phantas ""makes a game of sexual violence.'"

spotlighted in Senate hearings calling for further regulation of content in the computer software industry. Letters from community action committees and special interest groups rolled into our offices in droves.

condemnation and accusations, bans and boycotts, outrage and controversy. Phantasmagoria quickly set industry sales records and became Sierra's biggest selling game to date.

with the recent release of Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh. While Phantasmagoria established the standard for computer horror games, Phantas 2 explores new venues as it deals with fragile minds, corrupt cor- porate politics, and the mysteries beyond the realm of consciousness. Sure to generate as much if not more controversy. Phantasmagoria 2 is just as compelling and engrossing as the original. Count on it to be the biggest selling horror game of 1997.

Sierra Dn-line 13

Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh • Horror

From the opening electroshock treatment, to the dark and psychologically twisted end-play, Phantas II is a horrifying and gripping tale. Unlike other horror experiences, which take place in haunted houses or unrealistic nightmare dreamscapes, this story plays out in modern office cubicles, seedy singles bars and the cramped apartments that provide the backdrop for modern urban life. The disturbing experience is made all the more real through extensive use of Hollywood quality cinematic production and special effects.

pai»\ ‘jrelifer
ke. pjeit^urc, (

Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh • H a R R a R

WARNING: Due to scenes of intense violence and adult content Phantasmagoria 2 is intended for Adults. Sierra encourages parents to take a look at the game before providing it to chil-

dren under the age of 17. Though players are offered two modes of play — MORE INTENSE and LESS INTENSE — these options are intended to meet the needs of those with weak stomachs so that they can enjoy the depth of the story with- out all of the blood and gore. The LESS INTENSE option allows you to control access to the more explicit scenes.

iWI’j $54.95

Available Winter WIN95CD

Order Direct: 1-800-757-7707

* www.sierra.com/phantas2/

16

Interaction IvIabazine Holiday 1996

1

Enjoy a free Hotel Night!

Call 1 -805-482-2973

As a special offer from Sierra, you're entitled b to a Free Hotel Night Certificate... just for trying Travelers Advantage® for 3 months for only $ I .

Your certificate is

honored at participating Quality, Comfort, Clarion, Sleep, LaQuinta, Rodeway,

Econo Lodge, Days Inn, Ramada Inn,

Best Western, or Howard Johnson Hotels worldwide.*

Econo

Lodge

HOWARD JOHNSON.

No travel purchase required. See reverse side for more details...

ramada:

r~\

DAYS INN

» • rukiA iionu

You’ll receive two certificates for up to $200 in savings on American Airlines®

Travel Smart with the

HalfPrice HotelCard^.-and Save!

Try the HalfPrice HotelCarci, brought to you through the buying power of Travelers Advantage, for three months for only $1 , billed to the credit card of your choice. If you decide not to continue saving, call I -800-548- 1116 during your trial to cancel. Otherwise, the $49 annual membership fee will be billed automatically to your credit card, and renewed automatically each year upon expiration, unless you call to cancel. Satisfaction Guaranteed, or call anytime for a refund of your current year’s fee.

The HalfPrice HotelCard gets you half off the regular published room rate when you present it at any of over 3,000 participating hotels nationwide, including Marriott, Radisson, Hyatt, and many others.**

As part of this special offer, you ll also receive two American Airlines® Savings Certificates valued at up to $200.^ Together with your Free Hotel Night certificate, you can save up to $250 with these benefits alone!

.. . ..oo American Airlines*

Call 1 ~800~482~2973,

our 24-hour toll-free number today for your HalfPrice HolelCard and Free Hotel Night, plus all the details of your introductory travel club membership.

‘Your Free Hotel Night Certificate is good for one night’s stay at participating hotels Taxes, meals, phone, transportation, and gratuities not included. Participating hotels subject to change without notice. Hotels subject to program room availability, some blackout dates apply, and days of availability vary. "HalfPrice discount is based upon space availability at participating hotels.

t Each certificate saves you S20 on one ticket of SI 48 or more, $40 on 1 ticket of S258 or more. S60 on one ticket of S398 or more. S80 on 1 ticket of S508 or more, or $100 on one ticket of $618 or more Individual adult round-trip excursion fare purchase is required from any American Airlines or American Eagle destination within the contiguous 48 states. Hawaii. Canada. Mexico and the Caribbean. Other restnctions and blackout periods apply. Savings and fares subject to change without notice.

Amencan Airlines and American Eagle are registered trademarks of Amencan Airlines. Inc. Amencan Eagle is American Airlines regional airline associate Travelers Advantage is a service provided by CUC International Inc., which may modify and improve any part of the service at any time and without prior notice. © 1996. CUC International Inc.

Recognizing that the marriage of PC games and novels is the literature of the future, writers Gentry Lee and Arthur C. Clarke have traded in their pens and paper for design specs and multimedia technology. With Lee working behind the computer screen and Clarke working in front of it. soon the release of Rama will debut a new age of interactive literature.

The Rama story is carved straight out of the famous novels of Lee and Clarke. Each adventure is born out of the original story that has thrilled millions of readers worldwide. The characters are all there, the mysterious Raman creatures are there, and so are all of the puzzles and landscapes. Think of this game as the interac- tive movie version of the books — a movie in which you are the lead character charged with solving the mysteries of extraterres- trial encounters and opening up communications with a distant civilization.

1st Century

by David Senan m

Sierra Dn-line

f 17

Rama • ADVENTURE

Rama • ADVENTURE

Your Mission

Rama propt'ls you into tin*

22nd ( ontiiry and iinmcrs(‘s you in the niystt‘ry and advc'nturo of a lif(‘tinu‘ — a mystery that (juestions the eurocentric* notion that life as we know it is c*xelusive to Kartli. Some unknown. int(‘llc‘c tually superior force* has sc*nt tin* mas- siv(* Kama spac c*- eraft. whic'h is rouirhiy the size* of Los Angeles C’ounty. to the edac* of our solar system. .\ c rew made* up of you and the* l)c*st- t rained astro- nauts on Karth se out to explore the*

spac e station and unloc k the mysteries of extraterrestrial life.

X The outcome of your travels will chanire the face of humankind, opening its eyes to the existence of an alien race of far superior intelligence.

.loining you on the mission are Drs. David Brown and Shigeru Lakagishi, c'xperts in the field of exobiology and the environments of Kama. Otto Heilmann and Mic hael O' Ibole are career mili- tary officers whose main objective is to assess Kama's threat to Karth. Nic’ole des .lardins is the chief life science's officer, whose medical ex|)c*rtise is critical to your mission. Kichard Wakefield is the Cjuirky yet brilliant scientist who can solve any puzzle. And finally there are Francesca

Sahatini and Keggie Wilson, world- renowned television journalists whose sole purpose is to ke'ep the* people* of Karth informc'd about what's going on inside the behemoth alic*n spaceship.

Kesc'arch and exploration have lc*d scientists to differc'iit pc'rce|)tions of the puri)ose of Kama. .Some think it is completely benign and indifferent to human exploration. But once the shi|)'s trajc'ctory changes and it c*mbarks on a collision course with Karth. many bc'gin to think that Kama spc'lls humankind's doom. Your ultimate* mission is to save Kama. Or is it to save* Karth from its collision c*oursc* with the* ship'.’ You won't know until the very end of the game.

What is Kama'.’ Where did it conic* from? Who built it and sc*nt to the edge of our solar system? I'hesc* are (|uc*s- tions that you'll nc*c*d to answer by exploring the alien space* station and its complex landscape. 'Llu'rc* you'll di.s- cover intelligent alic'ii mac hines, intriguing extraterrestrial creature's, architectural wonders, and a variety of

# # The centipede biot consisted V V of 15 attached, jointed seg- ments, each with four legs, and an insectlike head with a bizarre array of sensors, two of which were long and thin and resembled antennae. 99

— Nicole encounters a centipede biot. front the book Rama II

iNTERAcTiaN Magazine Holiday 1996

^ W What he saw made his blood W w run cold. On the top of the subway was a large dark creature whose central body, if that's indeed what it was, was flattened against the roof. Striped tentacles extended in all directions. The thing quickly climbed off the subway and wrapped one of its eight tentacles around the lowest spikes. ..it was coming toward them! 99

— the first sighting of an octospider, from the novel Rama II

complex puzzles that reveal clues to the origins and i)urpose of Rama.

Watch and Learn

riiroughout the game you’re faced with puzzles that determine how far you |)rogress into the adventure. You con- stantly look for clues that make some sense out of all the strange creatures and landscapes encountered in the far reaches of the solar system. Your suc- cess lies in how much you learn from the creatures and machines (called hiots) inhahiting the massive ship.

The Ramans placed the hiots there for a reason (unknown to you) and the secrets to solving [)uzzles are found by ol)S(‘rving them and how they deal with their environments.

One example of this comes when you encounter a mantis biot that is enter ing an elevator mecha-

nism. The mantis actu- ates the ele- vator mecha- nism with a red I else r light.

Some players simply stand by, enjoying the entertainment.

Clever adventure gamers realize they need to use the elevator but do not have a red laser light. Use common sense and ingenuity to put together a couple of items you’ve already found.

A red crystal and a flashlight from your inventory is all you need to

simulate the mantis’s red laser and power the ^ elevator to con- tinue your

	adventure.
	Learning
	from the

Raman envi- pnment

and creating innov- ative adaptations of the machinery is the only way to solve puzzles and advance farther into the Raman world.

Another Intriguing puzzle teaches you the relationship between the human numbering system and the numbering systems of the other crea- tures on board, the avians and the octospiders. You find that you need to understand these relationships to get around in both the avian and the octospider layers of the game. You can’t simply input 1-2-^^ and expect to open doors and power machinery in either of the two alien layers. You need to figure out how human numbers relate to their language and numbering system. In essence, you learn as much of the avian and octospider languages as you need to continue your quest for some answers.

[ilT;

Sierra On-line

Rama* ADVENTURE

■ . a

*3 V

« .

^ # Nicole and Richard easily concluded they V w were in a museum of some kind, but there was nothing else they could know for certain.... "'You know what bothers me most?" she said. "It's how little I understood my own ignorance.. .how very small the entire range of human knowledge is.. ..Everything humans have ever known might be nothing more than just an infinitesimal fraction of the Encyclopedia Gaiactica. W -

— Inside the Museum of the Ramans, from the book Rama II

The Clues Are in the Creatures

Clues to the puzzles are hidden within the strange creatures and machines on Rama. Onboard the space station you find a myriad of biots, avians, and octospiders. The biots are workers that serve functions such as trash pickup. The avians are strange bird-like crea- tures that communicate through sounds. Octospiders are huge, spider- like beings that communicate through multicolor beams of light. You don’t know any more about any of them. Watch them closely to unravel the mys- tery of Rama.

The avian layer is one of the most revealing layers within the spacecraft. The bird-like creatures go about their business as if you and the other astro- nauts aren’t even there. In the avian layer you find mysterious egg- like things called manna- melons, elabo- rate murals that can only be seen through infrared vision, and a world of com- plex machines such as an avian film projector that you need to figure out how to operate.

i

f 31^

The avians offer little assistance but a world of informa- tion in the way they interact with each other and their surroundings.

The octospiders are another compelling “species” onboard Rama. Octospiders are huge biological creatures that, from the human perspective, resemble a cross between an octopus and a spider. The most interesting thing about octospi- ders is the way that they communicate.

They use colored lights to speak to

one another rather than audi- ble sounds. This poses a

kbig problem when you’re poking ^ around the octospider layer — you must learn their lan- guage of lights.

To do that you must learn from a puzzle in disguise, the Octoteacher. The Octoteacher shows you the relationships between their lights and human numbers and sounds. The result

I

is a fascinating edu- cation in the cultur- al orientation of the bizarre “species.”

Interplanetary Video Games

There are places on Rama that reveal more than any other — the species museums. There are three museums located in the area named Bangkok by the astro- nauts who discovered it. The museums are in the game for one reason: to give newcomers background information about the species there. There is a human museum, an avian museum, and an octospider museum. All three museums house the same categories of information about each of the different species.

Within the museums you’ll find examples of human and alien musical instruments. In the human museum there is an electric guitar while in the octospider museum there is a “musical instrument” of lights. Game lovers out there will marvel at the examples of alien video games. In the human museum, you’ll find the hologram of a tank rushing at you firing rounds of artillery. In the avian and the octospider museums, you see

Interaction Magazine Holiday 1996

similar holograms with other-worldly “tanks” charging at you. Remember, while the museums are fun, they are not there for your entertainment. They furnish critical information about each species and insights into the impor- tance of their existence on Rama.

Who Is the Enemy?

Rama is an unparalleled adventure that leads you on the ride of a lifetime. Imagine the excitement of pioneering the edge of the solar system and beyond. When you start the game, you know absolutely nothing about the strange world you’re entering. It’s up to you to get the education you need to blast through the adventure. It is up to

comes onto the screen, consoles you, and offers you cryptic hints so you hopefully won’t suffer the same fate twice. It’s comforting to get advice from one of the two men responsible for cre- ating the Raman world.

Your mission is to provide executable solutions to every puzzle in Rama and save it from the enemy. But who is the enemy? The Ramans haven’t displayed anything but indifference toward human explorers, but their ship is on a collision course with Earth. Will they destroy us or do they merely want to make contact? Is the enemy the humans back on Earth with their para- noia and their nuclear bombs? Nothing is clear to you except that time is run-

Rama Surprises

Rama features a special hidden feature, an exclusive preview of 3001: Space Odyssey— the fourth in Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey series. The pre- view, a complete copy of chapter 11, can be found in one of the data cubes on a table in the Base Camp.

Also included is a special CD con- taining full-length interviews of the entire Rama exploration crew, carried out by the two reporters on the worldship.

What really makes the

you to learn by watching the creatures and machines on Rama and how they

ning out. Learn by exploring the intri- cate surroundings of the Rama spaces-

disc shine is an exclusive, in-depth interview with Arthur C. Clarke on

interact with their Raman envi- ronment. Everything you need to know is learned through observation and clever adapta- tion. Sometimes, when you die try- ing to navigate through Rama’s intricate

labyrinths, Arthur C. Clarke himself

tation, and succeed by identi- fying the true enemy. Rama doesn’t ask you to save humankind — that would be too

Rama puts the future the entire uni-

space, the future, and how he became known as the "Father of Satellite

Communications, filmed on-location

in Sri Lanka. This is a must have for

any dedicated Clarke fan.

M I ' Available Now — WIN95CD.D0SC0 . Order Direct: 1-8Q0-

f ° 1*800-757-7707

verse in your human hands.

ivww.siem.com/rama/

Arthur C. Clarke himself

■'1

makes several surprise appearances as you make your way through the intertwined wonders of the Rama worldship. What's he there for? We can't tell.

The I .

Roberta mi*

wiUiams

coUecQon ofi4 games that

urney thatji

„„ii^a|d^^o,andJ

choes the

venture gamfngf

Evolution of

\

The complete treasury of games I

14 Full Gam

The Evolution of Adventure Gaming in a Box Mystery House"*

The Wizard and the Princess"*

Mission: Asteroid"*

Time Zone"*

King's Quest* I: Quest for the Crown”* King's Quest* II:

Romancing the Throne"*

King's Quest* III: To Heir is Human"* King's Quest* IV: The Perils of Rose lla* King's Quest* V:

Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! " King's Quest® VI:

Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow"*

King's Quest* VII: The Princeless Bride* The Colonel's Bequest*;

A Laura Bow Murder Mystery"

The Dagger of Amon Ra:

A Laura Bow Murder Mystery" Mixed-Up Mother Goose* Phantasm^agoria* Chapter One i * I t> i i • I • * » * •

“A HtSTORT OF HER WORICiS:AlHISTORY.

\ computer ^ames.

4 4

t. : • :

r ^:6f*gI^aphic • -

1^=3. t.r • I, . ^ 4

^y^DVE MTU RES”-!r ;

-14m 4fWfr;pi: :

Ak' As- 'Ar* A*"*"

•A • « A • ^ * . •

A.AMUA-'A •

A '^V"A A A • A^^ApA » A « “A^'Av'A--A,•^AlaA?^ANftAii•A• laF • mAs-A^>A:‘A^ A a^-AAaAAA»« '•^AivA^'-A i • -^RI^A 40 • '

A A ^ ^ C-4im4iiAir * -•> A

• • A • AaMPtoA- A *• A A

M I t.^tA}»A«. A. A A A A A

^Williams could become to multimedia what Edgar Allen Poe was to*literature**

— The San Francisco Chronicle

4-A^ a ^ A*>A«iAtftMe

^ ■ At^? A^' As^ a? A» *

m

AwailoBle

Explore the intricate

utohns of Roberta williams

GAME DE^GNER lli|||||||^^

. SOLD 10 MILLION COPIESOrBfWH MORE THAN ANYONE IN THE HISTORY ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE.

NOW, JOIN Roberta on her lOURNEY from MySTERY HoUSE TO Phantasmagoria and experience all the magic “

ALONG THE WAY. T

Whether you’re in Dracula’s castle, an underground cavern,

A MANSION CURSED BY EVIL, OR ON A MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, THE ADVENTURE GAMES OF ROBERTA WILLIAMS TAKE YOU PLACES YOU’VE NEVER BEEN-UNCHARTED REALMS OF FANTASY AND MYSTERY WHERE ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN...AND PROBABLY WILL.

Roberta's debut game. Mystery House (1980), WAS THE FIRST TO COMBINE GRAPHICS AMO TEXT FOR THE PERSONAL COMPUTER.

oi^lfEPS

Time Zone (1982) is the largest

GAME OF ITS KIND EVER CREATED, AND WAS SELECTED BY THE SMITHSONIAN

Institute as an example of one of the

Since 1980, Roberta Williams

HAS BROUGHT THE WORLD ADVENTURE GAMES THAT CHALLENGE THE MIND, AMAZE THE SENSES, AND PUSH COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY TO THE EDGE.

BEST computer GAMES OF THE TIME

1985 WAS THE DEBUT

OF Mixed-Up Mother

Goose -the first

preschoolers. It

REMA NS A favorite

ilii^sflirtHE Crown (1983) WAS CONSIDERED TO BE THE FIRST 3'D COMPUTER GAME AND THE BEGINNING OF A SERIES WHICH HAS SOLD 7 MILLION GAMES WORLDWIDE.

King's Quest VII (1994)

BOASTED FEATURE FILM-QUALITY ANIMATION AND MUSIC.

The Perils of Rosella (1988) was fourth in the King's Quest series and the first computer game TO feature a female hero. The cutting edge music AND sound effects WERE A FIRST FOR THE INDUSTRY.

In 1995, Roberta's horror masterpiece Phantasmagoria

WAS THE FIRST ADVENTURE TO SEAMLESSLY BLEND LIVE ACTORS AND 3-D RENDERED COMPUTER BACKGROUNDS.

BLIZZARD STORMS THE GAMING WORLD

JBest known for. the blockbuster Wdrcraft series. Blizzard Entertainment rocketed ' from relative obscurity this year to become % one of the world's hottest computer entertainment developers.

The com^ny's first two titles, Warcraft and Warcraft II, have won industry acclaim and shattered sales records worldwide. To date, Warcraft II remains the number-one entertainment title for 1996 and has sold more than one million copies. ^ ^ «

With the Warcraft titles well on their way to becoming gaming classics. Blizzard is focused on once again raising the bar in game design and technology. The company's newest titles Diablo and Starcraft promise to continue Blizzard's tradition of creating great entertainment software and setting new stan- dards for the gaming industry.

BATTLE.NET

LAUNCHES

Access to battle.net couldn't be easier — players simply select the Internet option from the game's main screen, and they are automatically connected to Blizzard's battle.net takes the thrill battle.net. Once logged on, players of multiplayer games to an entirely can compete head-to-head against new level by combining one-click players from around the world, access

with free Blizzard

»our.r"°

Experience the excitement of multiplayer Internet gaming — free.

' '.‘■■'I

Battle.net

monthly

membership

provides an arena for gamers to fees to connect to battle.net. chat, challenge opponents and In order to play via battle.net, all

compete in multiplayer games over players need is access to the the Internet. Diablo is the first Internet. The battle.net server is

Blizzard title to include battle.net. accessible 24 hours a day, seven

days a week.

24

Interaction Magazine Holiday

V ^

-^ \X-

: m. /\ S" f

— I In the tradition of the Warcraft

Sw ^ •:,- series comes a quest into the far

^ ' reaches of space and the realms

of Starcraft.

• —

'4 0

^ In Starcraft, the newest real-time strategy

7 ! game under development by Blizzard

/ CtlSlSl Entertainment, players journey deep into

I ^ space to restore order to a galaxy on the

f brink interstell||r warfare.

In order to regain control of the galaxy, players face 30 missions in space, on planetary surfaces and within command installations. With each mission, the epic story of the universe unfolds.

✓ ✓ #

Players command one of three species— Terrans, Protoss or^uag— vying for dominance in the universe. Each species is inhe^^ntlV/# unique with different technologies, units and abilities. ^ ^

In addition to extensive single-player gameplay, Starcravoff^^ tiA excitement of multiplayer action for as many as eight players over battle.net, the Internet and network. ^ M M m

Starcraft is curreivtfy slated for release by n 95 and Macintosh fornfats. ^

///I

BLIZZARD

CHEST

The ultimate Warcraft collection hits stores shelves just in time for Christmas. Warcraft Battle Chest, a three CD-ROM set, includes Warcraft II, the best-selling PC game of 1996, the Warcraft II expansion set and the game that started it all, Warcraft; Ores and Humans. The set includes both the PC and Macintosh versions of all three titles.

Warcraft II takes the top spot as the number-one selling entertainment title of 1996 according to PC Data. The game recently passed the one million sales mark worldwide.

Need help getting past ' a tough Warcraft II mission? Blizzard opened an automated hint line to provide tips, hints and cheats for ail of Its available titles. The service Is only available within the U.S.; callers will be charged 85 cents per minute. The hint line number Is (900) 370- SNOW.

This year's blockbuster hit Warcraft II and the Warcraft II expansion set are now available for Macintosh. In 1997, Blizzard will release Macintosh versions of Starcraft and Diablo.

For the latest on Blizzard, visit www.blizzard.com. To order Blizzard products, call (800) 953-SNOW.

Sierra Dn-line

Diablo* Action

Enter a world where evil has corrupted the land and

FORGET DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS— DIABLO HEATS UP THE HOLIDAYS

In a quest for vengeance, players assitme the role of warrior, rogue or sorcerer and descend into the expransive labyrinth Y^iddeti beneath their village. As players venture deeper into t||ie catacombs, they discover weapons, armor, and magicaLtrpasures -ftll«ofj^v(ibfch ^VeJ^ their character's skills and abilities. With every new weSpf^^r spell, players build a more powerful arsenal for their final attacIfVi Diablo.

nterActidn Magazine Holiday ^ S S S

Destroy the Lord of All Evil Diablo.

0 uiDU mm\ ID

wear the crown? Such pursuits are bepd me, though I do have the knowledge thon needest to sncceed in Lonls of ilie Healm II. Jnst till up my flagon, yonng lord, and lend me yonr ear...

Pillage and Plunder

Better weaponry costs more up front, but will provide a healthy return on investment when the battle is won.

Economy,

Footpad!

The most common cause of failure in Lords of the Realm U is overexpansion.

True, in the early years of the game, your neighboring counties are usually without castles and defended only by pitchfork-wield- ing mobs of peasants — it is a great temptation to conquer two or three contiguous regions as soon as you have enough men-at-arms to do so. Yet, that is not the wisest course — unless you are playing against human opponents who pursue a similar strategy.

Remember that a medieval economy is very different from a

modern one: it is slow, seasonal, labor- intensive, and produces relatively small amounts of surplus goods. While a good approach is to strive for a bal- anced agricultur- al program — dividing your fields equally between wheat and livestock — you can raise populations and happiness levels quickly by fol- lowing this maxim: “Cows Then Wheat!”

Build a Nation.

Win a Kingdom!

not very impressive from the standpoint of arms, perhaps, but quite sufficient in the early stages of the game to conquer or defend a couple of counties. Your first offensive action is likely to be

Guerilla Warfare

Keep your pikemen on the front lines to protect your vulnerable bowmen.

might consider buying limited quanti- ties of weapons from them, instead of waiting for your own production efforts to bear fruit.

And, while a balanced force is always desirable, it is easier and generally more cost effective (in the early and middle stages of the game) to have a large army equipped with one or two weapons rather than a collection of

Empire Building

Careful management of your natural resources ensures efficient weapon production.

Yes, for quick happiness, the “bovine strategy” is the way to go. For the long term, however, wheat is a better option. Though you can only harvest wheat once a year, it takes much less labor to create than cows, which require constant attention.

When you’ve built up enough surplus food to last three years, it’s safe to put your people on half-rations for a while (so the economy won’t overheat). Be sure to monitor the situation closely, however, because discontent, when it strikes, has a way of spiraling out of control, and once large numbers of your people start emigrating to other counties, you’re in big trouble.

against a castleless county whose own army consists mostly (if not entirely) of similarly armed peasants. As a rule, you need at least 50% numerical superiority to defeat a peasants-only force, and numerical superiority of three-to-one to vanquish an army comprised of both peasants and regular soldiers.

When you are ready to raise a standing army, check first to see if your county has mercenaries available. If you have the money, consider hiring them first. True, the initial outlay is high, but a mercenary force comes with its own arms and armor, and buying its services will not have a negative impact on either your population or your happiness rating.

If you do buy the services of merce- naries, it is best to use them tpuickly. Their seasonal maintenance fee is high, and if just left in idle garrison duty for a year or two, they’ll drain your treasury and you gain nothing for it.

Arming your troops is a tricky business, for it takes a large number of hard-working blacksmiths to generate even a modest flow of new arms. If you are visited frequently by merchants, you

plaything: check your Labor Allocation Slider Bar to see how many unemployed serfs are loitering about. If the peasant icon has a blue out- line, you have idle serfs. Put the rasccils to work by moving the slider bar until

Raise Armies. . .

the blue outline disappears! Try shift- ing them from area to area until they “stick”. If the number of idle workers ever exceeds the number of gainfully employed ones, you need to re-think your management pri- orities. Castle-building, blacksmithing, and mining are all good tasks for absorbing excess population.

Raising Amilaa

The cheapest and quickest army is a mass levee of peasants;

Ksap Thy Peasants Happy I

It is imperative to keep your peoples’ happiness rating as high as possible. Buying ale from passing merchants always gives that rating a quick boost, but it’s a band-aid solution because merchants never seem to be around when you really need them.

A better and more methodical way is simply to not tax anyone for the first few years of game time. Nothing will elevate their happiness rating faster. Once your peasants’ rating is in the 90-100% range, feel free to hit them with a sustained 5 or 6% tax rate — you can even go up to 10% for a quick infu- sion of cash — until the happiness factor begins to decline noticeably, at which point you can trying lowering taxes until you find a happy medium.

Remember that idleness is the Devil’s

Sierra Dn-line

Stake Out Your Turf

Build up your counties into thriving, productive communities, and defend it from your neighbors.

small units armed with many weapons.

For example: Early in the game, a field army of 100 swordsmen, backed up by as many peasants as you can spare will be more effective — and much easier to control — than an army of 40 swordsmen, 20 archers, 20 Pikemen, and 20 mace-wielders.

Equip Thyself Wisely

Each type of unit in the game has its own strengths and weaknesses, and particular areas of effectiveness. Here’s a run-down of the basic weapons and their characteristics:

• Swords: The best overall compromise between lethality and cost, these edged weapons are equally effective in attack and defense and marginally superior to maces at close range.

• Maces: When shopping for arms, you will generally find that merchants will offer 1.5 maces for the cost of a single sword — a ratio roughly reflects the relative battlefield effectiveness of the two weapons. In other words, a force of

men armed with maces will generally prevail against swordsmen only if it enjoys a 50% or higher numerical advantage.

• Bows: Archers can repel attacks or soften-up defens- es equally well, and are absolutely essen- tial for siege opera- tions. Bowmen deliv- er high volumes of fire at a moderate range and cost. However, they are extremely vulnerable to close assault (since they are armed only with daggers for self-defense) and must be protected by more heavily armed infantry if they are to survive on a battlefield.

• Crossbows: These advanced weapons are much more powerful than regular bows but have a shorter range. You need them to pene- trate armor. Their drawbacks? They are frightfully expensive to purchase and the rate of fire is dramati- cally slower than that of ordinary bows.

• Pikes: These wicked pole-type weapons have a long reach and tremendous stopping power. No other hand-held weapon can withstand a charge by mounted knights.

They are, however, heavy, and a unit

armed with pikes will not move as quickly. For both of these reasons, pikemen are primarily a defensive unit.

The Reid of Battle

Before committing to battle, take the time to study the nature of the opposing forces. Tactics and maneuver can, to a certain extent, compensate for numerical inferiority. Are there bodies of water, bridges or other terrain features on this battlefield? A successful commander will use them, and any other advantage, until the process becomes instinctive.

Always protect your archers! If you order them to attack an enemy formation that is out of range, they will often surge forward and open fire impetuously, whereupon they will be charged by the nearest enemy units. Once the range goes down to a pike-staff's length, archers can no longer use their bows and (daggers being no match for maces) will quickly be annihilated. Infantry armed

Castle Siege

Focus your attack on a few key points to overpower the castle defenders.

The Heat of the Fight

Welcome enemy troops with cauldrons of boiling oil, then finish off the few survivors with a hail of arrows.

with pikes or edged weapons should be positioned so as to screen your archers from direct attack.

Pay close attention to your units’ status bars before choosing your tac- tics! Numbers alone do not tell the story. Each battle in Lords of the Realm II has its own “unit scale” — i.e., a cer- tain number of soldiers-per-unit is the norm for that engagement. The scale may be as low as four/unit or as high as 32/unit. It is perfectly possible for two armies to appear roughly equal, but for one army to outperform the other by two-to-one because most of its units’ status bars are wholly green while the enemy’s units display bars are half-red.

Making Siege

When you move from the battlefield to siege warfare, be

Whereas conven- tional battles resolve themselves swiftly, sieges may take several seasons to conclude. Whether you are trying to storm a castle or defend one, sieges require patience and methodical planning.

While most sieges end in a desperate battle within the castle walls, you’ll spend much more time either trying to breach those walls or trying to prevent the enemy from doing so.

Archers really come into their own in siege warfare, and if you expect a siege, you may want to reorganize your army a season or two in advance so that you have more of them.

Before you can storm a castle, you must thin the ranks of the defenders. Only massed arrow- fire can do that. Once you’ve whittled down the besieged player’s firepower, you can roll up your siege towers and battering rams with confidence that your crews will not be slaughtered.

As a defender, you should be very careful about when you deploy the boiling oil vats. You only get a certain number of them per castle, and once they’re used up, your ability to repel an assault diminishes greatly. Save the boiling oil for us^ against

troops. Its effects can be painfully spectacular, if not decisive.

And finally, a word about guerrilla warfare. Such strategy is possible in this game, and is especially useful to players who are not strong enough for a full-scale conquering campaign but who still want to inflict harm on their enemies. Under certain conditions, you can send armies into enemy territory to burn his mines, sawmills, and villages.

If your army can cross these locations and withdraw before an enemy force can bring it to battle, you can do grievous harm to your neighbor’s economy.

Of course, if you’re planning to Hid same county

UOWU IIIU any time soon, you'll also be doing damage to your own economy— those pillaged loca tions cannot be made operational without many seasons of effort devoted to rebuilding them. Enough strategy — the rest is up to you. Go forth and conquer. Lords of the

Realm // can be wf)ii with benign leadership, smart resource management, heart for your peasants, and bravery on the bat- tlefield. The competition for the throne will be fierce. But this is your chance to make history and be the King of England

by William Trotter

boiling oil lop oso agoinot iroopo- Its ellects can be

spectacular, if net decisive."

1/ /iW lir fie UcbJ

eh

'1996 Game of the Year'

■

TheB

-Computer Gaming World

Within

including the BONUS Novel:

Sins of the Fathers

(based on her best-selling CD-ROM game!)

Every holiday needs a little suspense, mayhem, and psychological terror (not including the tradi- tional family get-togethers).

This year, try something a lit- tle different. It's just as scary, just as thrilling, and just as involving — only it doesn't include any relatives (unless, of course, you have a Schattenjager in your family).

Jane Jensen's award-win- ning thriller CD-ROM adven- ture Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within is now available — for a limited time — in this special offer for Christmas. And since it is the season to be giving, Sierra has gener- ously included Jensen's soon-to-be-

released novel. Sins of the Fathers (not in bookstores until February 1997), based on her CD-ROM game.

"With the novel,

I had a chance to get more into the backstory, flesh- ing out the char- acters and going more in-depth about who and what they are," explained Jane. "This gives the player a better understanding of the game and should add a lot

"With the noveP, I had a chance to get more into the backstory, fleshing out the characters and going more in- depth about who and what they are."

— Jane Jensen

to the gaming experience."

So, this holiday forget the usual cast of characters — you know, reindeer, elves, and the guy in the red suit — and instead, experi- ence a little voodoo, learn about werewolves, and try to figure out crazy old King Ludvig II of Bavaria. It's a great escape and a great way to start the new year.

Look for the third CD-ROM game of the ever-popular Gabriel Knight series in 1998 and the upcoming novel. Sins of the Fathers.

InterAction Exclusive Offer!

$49.95

WIN-DOS CD, MAC CD

Order Direct

1-800-757-7707

Here’s Your Chance to Win an Autographed Copy of the Novel

Sins of the Fathers, Before It’s Released!

If you already own the CD version of The Beast Within, and just can't wait until February to get your copy of the Sins of the Fathers novel, read on. Be one of the first 100 readers to submit a 3x5 card with your name, address, and phone number to:

Or, if traditional contest methods aren't your style, check out the Gabriel Knight page^on the SierraWeb site at: www.sierra.com/games/gk and register to win there. It's easy to win with Sierra.

Sins of the Fathers Novel Giveaway Attention: InterAction Magazine P.O. Box 53008, Bellevue, WA 98015-3008

Nq purchase necessary to win. The first 100 entries received by Sierra will be awarded a first run edition of the book Sins of the Fathers autographed by Jane Jensen before its giiheral release to the public in February 1997 (approx, value $5.99). Winners will be notified by U.S. maft. Prizes are not transferable, and may not be redeemed for cash. Taxes, if any, lire the sole responsibility of the winner. This contest is good in the United States only. Winners may be required to sign a Release Form authorizing use of Winners' name and likeness for promotional purposes, if requested by Sierra. For the name of the Winners, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Sins of the Fathers Novel Giveaway Attention: InterAction Magazine; P.O. Box 53008, Bellevue, WA 98015-3008 after March 1, 1997.

Sierra and TSR Invite You To Claim Your DESTINY

By John Sauer and David Senan

Sword swingers, spell casters, and anyone with a desire to become a brave soul in another place and time — take notice. The Master of PC Fantasy Role-Playing Games (FRPs) is back with a new title that will take you to a world ripe with adventure, ancient myth, and powerful magic. Not since the 1994 release of Sierra s Betrayal at Krondor has any company delivered FRPs of this caliber. Now Sierra is returning to the genre with BIRTHRIGHT'-: The Gordons Alliance^.

"BIRTHRIGHT: The Gorgon's Alliance takes FRPs to new, epic levels as an "SRP" (Strategy Role-Playing) title."

The D&D® Game Legacy

BIRTHRIGHT is the computer version of the most recent world created for the immensely popular ADVANCED DUNGEONS DRAGONS® series from TSR®. Licensed exclusively to Sierra, BIRTHRIGHT: The Gordon ’s All iance^^ takes fantasy role-playing games to new, epic levels as an “SRP”

(Strategy Role-Playing) title. The game offers the unique combination of a traditional role-playing game, the realm building of a strategy/war game, and the high intensity battles

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BIRTHRIGHT, ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGQNS, AD&D, D&O, DUMBfiONB.& DRAGON^ The Gorgon's Alliance, and the TSR logo are trademarks of TSfT.inc. and are used under licens|.

Advanced

DungeonsgcPragons

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BIRTHRIGHT: The Gorgon's Alliance •

-BaOLBMBBB!

^ , I When controlling multiple players,

[p you can assign any or all of their ^ combat tasks to the computpr.

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of a riveting action game. Ttiis cross-genre pioneer redefines computer gaming and propels players into magical adventures in a mystical land.

Though BIRTHRIGtrr comes to you as a state-(3f-the-art, 3-D multi-media game (featuring first- and third-person views, and

ultra-high scalable resolu- tion), it’s integrally tied to TSR’s BIRTHRIGHT role-playing gcune.

Located in Lake Geneva,

Wisconsin, a picturesque resort town near Milwaukee TSR brought fantasy role- playing games to popularity with the first DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® (D&D) fantasy role-playing game in 1973.

D&D quickly became a staple form of entertainment among gamers nation- wide (and still has a fanatic following today), journeys into these fantasy worlds often became marathons lasting 14 hours and more. The D&D product line expanded over the next 23 years into many new realms and venues, giv-

ing rise to the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game.

One of the first to bring these games to computers was Bob Clardy, president of Synergistic Software, the newest member of the Sierra family. His fasci- nation for computer-oriented FRPs has remained strong over the years and has recently culminated in the development of BIRTHRIGHT [or the PC.

BIRTHRIGHT is a dream come true,” says Clardy. “ 1 was an early D&D gamer. Now I’m designing the ultimate AD&D PC game. Today’s comjiuter technology gives us the power to make users feel they’re existing in and interacting with the BIRTHRIGHT world. Fantasy worlds have never been more real.”

"I was an early D&D gamer. Now I'm designing the ultimate AD&D PC game... Fantasy worlds have never been more real."

— Bob Clardy, BIRTHRIGHT Designer

Magic, Mystery,

and Battles to the Death

You begin your adventure into the rich, magical world of BIRTHRIGHT a king descended from the bloodlines of heroes and gods. As the heir to one of 17 possible realms within the Empire of Anuire, the subjects, resources, and treasures within your kingdom are completely under your control. As a descendant of a major bloodline, you may have significant powers or magical abilities which can develop into i)owerful skills as your experience increases.

The team actually engaged in ^ ^ swordfights (in armor, of course) to learn the mechanics of combat. ^ V*

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nterActidn MAG^^IN L I d a y

You can control large armies just as easily as small parties in combat.

First on your kingly agenda are quests for magical relics, treasures, and allies to thwart the evil transgressions of ene- mies such as the awnsheghlien (pronounced “awn-SHAY-lin,” the elven word for “blood of darkness”). Many of these shape-shifting creatures are

li0€3Of%€

Dcdarc War

In-depth map views allow you to control the goings-on in your kingdoms from afar.

two thousand years old and would love to use their trickery to steal away some of the strength(s) allotted you by blood.

Your journey into the realms of Anuire takes many forms. Alone you quest and fight in first- or third-person views. You can assemble parties for classic FRP-style adventures, and in the role of king, command armies into battle. Whether you are searching for talismans, battling enemies, or practicing diplomacy in the courts of potential allies, there is enough richness and depth in interface and game play to keep every player deeply absorbed.

A Different Adventure Every Time

Deciding whom to ally with, whom to wage war against, and how to build up strong enough forces to conquer the powerful forces of evil throughout Anuire is critical to your success in the game. Each adventure is completely unique. You can choose to be one of 34 different Regents in any of 17 possible realms. As a Regent there are 20 different actions you can control. These range from maintaining your holdings and

building troops to con- ducting diplomacy and creating an economic infrastructure. The result is many different scenarios each time you enter the world of BIRTHRIGHT.

In addition to this outstanding variety, BIRTHRIGHT built-in support for LAN and head-to-head modem gaming. You can also choose to play a thoughtful turn-based game or a fast- paced, real-time, action-oriented game. When you raise swords with the Gorgon, you can watch the battle as it plays out blow by blow, or you can simply have the A1 give you the results.

The choice is yours — perfectly fitting for the would-be Emperor of Anuire.

BIRTHRIGHT bfmgs imagination to life like no other fantasy role-playing game ever has. Shrewd and timely alliances, careful attention to your subjects, and courage in the face of certain death will help you in your pursuit of ultimate power. Your success is measured not only by what you have, but also by what you are able to keep. So get ready — the armies are preparing for war and an empire is up for grabs.

Somewhere in Anuire a king will become a hero— and a hero will be crowned Emperor.

The BIRTHRIGHT team with a fe<y of th^ir more specialized game ^ design implemeatsJ | j j I

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I n rut up!

/kKrif: Cfimi’ »ar>r.

Go head-to-head in real-time modem combat against deadly menaces — your friends.

$54.95

Available Christmas '96 HI ^ WIN95CD.DOSCD

Order Direct: 1-800-757-7707 tny.r^ http://www.sierra.com/ games/birthright/

Hoyle Casino* Card Games

THE HOYLE SERIES:

by Nancy King

ack in early 1995 Sierra decided to relaunch one of its best- selling titles, Hoyle Classic Games. Producer Steve Van Horn was chosen to lead the creative team that would rework this all-time favorite. The team’s assignment was to take full advantage of the newest computer tech- nology, the latest graphic develop- ments, and, most importantly, reinvent what gamers think of card games. “It was a big challenge,” explained Steve. “With Hoyle Classic Games, we were asked to take a best-seller and make it better — raise the quality standard, if you will, on one of the most popular Sierra games. So we added interactive play, characters with attitude (some outrageous and some obnoxious), and lots of laughs. We felt humor was a key to making this an even better game. Because it’s loaded with humor, it’s fun to play.”

Well, the numbers are in and Steve and his team have done it. Released a year ago, Hoyle Classic Games is the Number One-selling card game available on the market today. Critics love the rich graphics and easy game play; gamers appreciate the interactive play that adds new dimensions to the games. And now Mac users can experience it as well. Classic Games for the Mac will be released just in time for Christmas.

Using Classic Games’ momentum as a springboard. Sierra had the team produce Hoyle Solitaire and Hoyle Blackjack. Both were released last Summer and have followed in the

Play Hoyle Blackjack or Hoyle Poker oyer the Internet with friends from across the street or across the country.

A Winning Formula

So what’s the secret? What has made the Hoyle Series so popular? After some thoughtful consideration, Steve explained, “It might seem like a pat answer but we really have a good solid team with a lot of creative and talented people. People really like their jobs. For instance, if you were to ask Lead Programmer Earl Malmrose for one of the reasons he had for leaving his aero- space job, he would tell you, ‘making games is

steps of Classic Games, both hits with critics as well as gamers. The latest Hoyle game, Hoyle Casino, has just been released and Poker lovers, mark your calendars because Hoyle Poker is next.

I nterAction

Magazine Holiday

19 9 6

36

more challenging and fun.’ ”

An outstanding example of the team’s creativity at work is illustrated (no pun intended) by the Casino char- acters. “Rabih AbouJaoude, lead artist, and fellow artist Heather Ivy would draw renditions of what sort of charac- ters should be found around the Blackjack and Poker tables,” explained Steve. ‘Then the team would get together as a whole and discuss what we liked or didn’t like about them. 1 think one of the reasons this worked so well was the camaraderie that devel- oped from these open sessions. It was a classic example of true teamwork.” But just to be sure they were on track, the Hoyle team took it one step fur- ther. “We hired a research firm and presented our ideas before a focus group,” emphasized Steve. “We found this additional feed- back immensely helpful.”

But these characters aren’t all just pretty faces. They have attitude and they got it from a real pro- fessional, come- dian Rodney Sherwood, who did most of the

voices on the last two Dr. Brain projects. “1 think fate has something to do with our success too,” added Steve. “Our Hoyle Designer Jim Love was on vacation when 1 called to see if he could come in and interview for the designer job. 1 left a message on his machine and he called me back from Las Vegas. Call it coincidence or fate, but the fact that Jim was in Vegas when I called sure indicates to me that it was just meant to be.”

Something for Everyone

With the addition of Hoyle Casino to the Hoyle line-up, why is Sierra bothering to offer Blackjack and Poker as single games? Steve was quick to answer that one. “That’s easy — because they are not the same games. A key difference with Hoyle Blackjack and Poker is they offer intensive on-line tutorials that teach the novice and experienced gamer something new, like the many different variations of the game (including wild card variations in Poker) and betting tips. Both even include detailed statis- tics on the betting and game play of every player.”

‘With Hoyle Casino on the other hand, Poker is played strictly according to casino rules with fixed bets. And you have to remember that Poker and Blackjack are just a part of the casino experience. In addition to those games. Casino also offers craps, 30 slots, and a fully rendered 3-D roulette wheel and table. The casino experience puts a whole new spin on the games. I think gamers will find all the Hoyle titles a lot of fun and challenging. I also see them wanting all of them because they are so different.”

Deal Them on the Internet

“A new feature that I’m really excited about in Hoyle Blackjack, Hoyle Poker and Hoyle Casino is that they all have Internet play capabilities,” said Steve. “It’s a ‘90s twist on the old Friday night card game, since you can have players from the next city or country at the table. We found this out firsthand when

we Beta tested Poker and Blackjack on the Net. One regular player was from Scotland, which just goes to show you the worldwide appeal these games have. The only thing missing from our games were cigar smoke and potato chips.”

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Are you ready for a Jackpot at the Slot Machines? Watch 'em spin.

A Winning Hand Every Time

The Hoyle card games have been phe- nomenally successful. Maybe it’s because they offer state-of-the-art technology unmatched by other games. Or it could be the superb graphics rich in details. Then again, maybe it’s that

The Hoyle Classic Games Series is still popular after its 1995 launch.

everyone loves playing Hoyle's tradi- tional card games on the computer.

It’s probably all the above. Make your holiday shopping easy this season and give Hoyle card games, a sure winner every time.

	HOY Lt •1^		$29.95 Available Now	MtllMTI
		WIN95CD.WIN3.1 CD
			Order Direct: 1-800-757-7707
		■	www.sierra.com/games/hoyle/

Sierra Dn-line

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* wi:.

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....

by SXuijluirii lv!.ek2LxiU

r. Brain is at it again! This new

) adventure in the popular series continues the Dr. Brain tradition of building mental muscles with all-new puzzles, a zany time-travel ^ twist, and fun-filled adventures so wild that you know the dear Doctor must be in the thick of things.

Never before has Dr. Brain been so realistic and compelling. With hot new S-D Studio-rendered characters, CD- quality music and audio (and more attitude than ever before), The Time Warp of Dr. Brain fits the bill for new and exciting!

This adventure unfolds as Dr. Thaddeus P. Brain is back in his lab working on a space-time (Dls)Continuum formula. As you might expect, he has gotten so caught up in his work that he’s accidentally zapped himself all over time, and it’s up to you to bring him back to the present. No easy feat, considering you’ll have to travel from the primordial to the future and along the way solve the greatest puzzles of all time! Warning!!

To do this, you’ll have to think like Dr Brain himself!

Time Warp features 10 unique puzzle areas. Each one corresponds to a dif- ferent era in history from Primordial

Soup to Space Shop Construction. And you don’t have to play them in a cer- tain order, so getting stuck doesn’t mean the end of the game! Play the space arcade game to warm up and in, and start the quest to bring back Dr. Brain.

Like the Codie Award-win- ning The Lost Mind of Dr. Brain, Time Warp has been built on Howard Gardner s Theory of Multiple Intelligences and Paul D. Maclean’s Triune Brain Theory. The puzzles will help develop skills from sequential programming and motor skills to what-if analyses and sign language. They are as fantastically addictive as they are educationally

challenging.

The choice is easy — eat or be eaten. It s that simple (sort of) to play Primordial Soup.

Primordial Soup

In the Primordial Soup game we see ourselves in the begin- ning of time as an amoeba, scrounging around for food, fight-/ ing off viruses, fusing and separating, trying to dominate all the other amoebas in a big murky pond of ooze.

Feel the power of Internet play as you navigate through a minefield of viruses. Dash around as viruses try to attack your cells and spawn new viruses. Bring an infected ^ cell near your opponent and ^ ^ watch it explode with viruses [rnff as it infects the enemy!

^ \ Dominate the pond! Eat or be

eaten! Arrr! Arrr! Arrr! More power! But seriously, now, with the Internet play option. Primordial Soup is the most interactive game of the bunch. Connecting to Sierra’s Internet Gaming System (SIGS) allows you to compete against and chat with live opponents.

If you got nothing else in Time Warp, this puzzle area alone would make it worthwhile.

Beaver Dam

In Beaver Dam, you’ll have to battle the river flow with stray logs, an evil otter, annoying northern pike (a fish with sharp teeth), and some playful tur- tles to build a dam across a riverbank.

This is easy at first, when all you have to do is balance a bunch of branches on your nose and push them over to one of two banks. It gets more difficult when the water current increases in speed and more debris begins floating downstream — so that what was once a stream in the Novice level turns out to be a raging, debris-filled river in the Genius level. The spans get longer as the level of difficulty increases.

It becomes harder to scare the otter away as you become more preoccupied with other obstacles. Organize your thoughts on building, and do what’s most important first as you learn some interesting principles of physics and fluid dynamics. Ordering your priorities is key. Hint: Don’t swim too close to the bottom of the screen.

Alchemy

Most of the time, introducing a child to algebra is about as exciting as intro- ducing him or her to cauliflower.

Except here. The key skill in this area is linear equations. 2x of this, plus ly of that minus 2z...can sound horrible if it’s not presented by Dr. Brain. But show an old Alchemy laboratory with a con- traption (that includes funnels and gar- goyle heads) that whirls and twirls, hisses and spits, in a game where you have to match the four properties of a sample, and kids go wild as they work to learn this stuff. Just don’t tell them it’s algebra!

To start the game, you get a sample element in a jar on the good Doctor s table. All you have to do is use the chart to match the elemental proper- ties without letting your mixture turn into sludge. With 60 games, four prop- erties (temperature, weight, sound, and color), the ability to reverse the

Unlock the secrets of the universe, or measure, boil and toil in the alchemy

algebra at least, as you mix and lab with Dr. Brain.

Sierra On-line

process, and Dr. Brain always present, the YUK word (algebra) won’t come up often.

Space Shop

Do you like to build stuff? Can you assemble things without looking at the instructions? Do you want to be able to?

Practice Space Shop!

Suddenly, you’re transport- ed into outer space where you are part of a construc- tion crew building space stations. At the Novice level, you’ll have to build stuff in a 3x3x3 grid. First, analyze the plans, then choose the correct pieces, choose the correct orientation, then teleport the piece to the construc- tion site. Sound easy? Just wait ‘til you graduate to the 5x5x5 grid of the Genius level. You will learn to use your imagination to visualize and build increasingly complex objects. Hint: Don’t submit the construction for approval too eagerly.

Brainwaves

In Brainwaves, Dr. Brain gives us a glimpse into the infinite future of

humanity’s development — we all become giant thinking brains and live purely by cerebral power. And you’ll need this game to develop the ability to reason

A job that's out of this world. Grab your hammer and O2 tank and catch the next shuttle into space. You're building a space station.

False. You win when only the proper True cells are selected. HELP, Dr. Brain! We need more brain power!

Other wild, brain-building puzzles include navigating a lung fish through a cavern maze (without running out of

in Monkey See Monkey Do; and explore the most fun you could ever have as a traffic controller in a futuristic grid- locked city.

Three levels of difficulty (Novice, Expert, and Genius) will challenge all members of your family. If you get stuck, you can call on Dr. Brain anytime for built-in help. He’s always available to provide hints or make you laugh with his off-the-wall comments! This dazzling, multimedia experience fea- tures brain-expanding fun for the entire family. The Time Warp of Dr. Brain is recommended for ages 12 through adult, so don’t let your kids stop you from playing.

deductively while you’re in the Here and Now.

Dr. Brain gives a puzzle, and you must discover the answer from the clues of a panel of brains. Set the cells in the grid to True or

That's some Brain Power you're up against when you face the esteemed panel of "brains." Show them your gray matter in this cerebral meeting of the minds.

oxygen) in Spelunking; remembering sequences of stashing and retrieving eggs in Incubation (Lizards & Eggs); re- create a musical sequence to prompt a Caveman band in Caveman Rock; beat the signing gorilla at his own game before he makes a monkey out of you

nterAction Magazine Holiday 1996

i

-151-no?

11w Easiest Way To Get Yo«r Photos Into Your Conpiiter!

Introducing EasyPhoto^”

EasyPhoto is the easiest way to use your favorite photos on your home or office PC. You can add photos to letters, flyers, reports, school projects, family newsletters, greeting cards and much, much more. Plus, for a limited time, we’ll give you Print Artist 4.0 absolutely FREE when you order EasyPhoto from Sierra Direct. You'll save $49.95!

Includes The EasyPhoto Reader...

All you need is Windows and a your CD-ROM drive. Just plug the EasyPhoto reader directly into the back of your PC and drop a photo in the unique feeder tray for hands-free, goof-proof scan- ning. EasyPhoto uses advanced compression tech- nology, so your photos won’t take up much hard disk space. And you can drag-and-drop photos from EasyPhoto right into your favorite software with ease!

Greetings from the Taylor family!

Drag your photos directly into your favorite software programs!

EasyPhoto

Software...

EasyPhoto software makes it easy to organize, enhance and print your pho-

tos. You can create photo galleries for different subject, and add captions and titles to every shot, so finding your favorite photos is a snap! You can resize, rotate and crop your photos with a few mouse clicks. And you can adjust exposure, modi- fy colors and remove scratches to make your pho- tos look their best! Plus, EasyPhoto uses exclusive ClearPrint technology to give you the best printing from inkjet and laser printers. So you can make sharp, colorful reprints right from your desktop!

... And Print Artist 4.0 FREE!

The new creative powerhouse gives you everything you need to create thousands of different projects!. It’s a snap to add your photos to greeting cards, banners, stationery, signs and many other profes- sional designs. Plus, Print Artist 4.0 includes 10,000 full-color graphics, 300 expressive type- styles, thousands of special effects for text and graphics, and much more. It’s perfect for anybody

who wants to create impres- sive, eye-catching graphics without the expense or trouble of high-end programs. And it’s yours FREE with EasyPhoto.

EasyPhoto Reader PLUS Print Artist 4.0, a $250 vatue

Special Offer Only $199.95

The Sierra No-Risk Guarantee!

We guarantee you’ll be blown away by every Sierra product. In fact, if you are not 100% satis- fied. just return the complete package within 30 days for an exchange or a full friendly refund.

special offer expires January 31, 1997. Not valid with coupons or other special offers. EasyPhoto is a trademark of Storm Software. Inc.

Make Voir Racing Action Even Mora Exciting

Give yourself an edge when you race with NASCAR® Racing 2 or IndyCar® Racing II. Get the Thrustmaster Formula T2 driving controls with a heavy-duty ten-inch steering wheel, a realistic short throw shifter and a sturdy floor console with gas and brake pedals. Wrap your fin- gers around the thickly padded race-ready steering wheel and power-shift through the gears just once and you’ll never go back to joystick racing again! Choose a spe- cial value bundle with NASCAR® Racing 2 or IndyCar® Racing II and you’ll save $30!

Thrustmaster T2 with NASCAR Racing 2 . .

Thrustmaster T2 with IndyCar® Racing II . .

Thrustmaster T2 only .

only $149.95

only $149.95 $129.95

Experience head-to-head racing with the all-new NASCAR® Racing 2.

Run qualifying, single races or a full season with 15 tracks from the IndyCar® circuit.

700 hp

Thrustmaster T2 runs under MS-DOS 5.0 or newer

Hardware products and special software bundles are not eligible for Free Bonus selections.

irta

. ..will Kirns

call 1-800-I5M707

Order Direct Frem Sierra

he Roberta williams Anthology

Complete Evolution of Adventure Gaming

Bundle

only

S114

85

SAVE $20 With The EarthSiege Battle Bundle

Now you can get the top-ten strategy hit MissionForce: Cyberstorm PLUS the explo- sive EarthSiege 2 for one earthshakingly low price. Just order the EarthSiege Battle Bundle direct from Sierra and you’ll save $20.

EarthSiege Battle Bundle

A$99.90v3lue ONLY $79.90

WIN 95 CD

Get three top-seling Front Page Sports games together in one amazing bundle and save $50. Includes the all-new Front Page Sports: Golf, the updated Football Pro '97 and the incredible Baseball Pro '96.

The Front Page Sports Bundle

A $165 value . . ONLY $114.85

Get the newest racing action with NASCAR® Racing 2 and IndyCar® Racing I together worth $99.90 — for the special offer price of just $89.90. Just call Sierra Direct and ask for the Total Racing Bundle today!

The Total Racing Bundle

A $99 90 value

WIN 95/DOS CD

Hardware products and special software bundles are not eligible for Free Bonus selections.

Whether it’s Dracula’s castle, an underground cavern, a mansion cursed by evil or an enchanting fantasy kingdom, the adventure games of Roberta Williams take you to uncharted realms of fantasy and mystery where anything can happen. . and probably will. Since 1980, Roberta Williams’ adventure games have challenged the mind, amazed the senses and pushed computer technol- ogy to its limits. Now. one incredible anthology traces the entire journey with 14 DOS and Windows games.

For DOS/Windows: Includes all seven award- winning King’s Quest games, plus two spellbind- ing Laura Bow Murder Mysteries, the children’s classic Mixed-Up Mother Goose and Chapter One of the terrifying 1995 hit Phantasmagoria. Also includes Mystery House. The Wizard & The Princess, Mission: Asteroid, and Time Zone

The Roberta Williams Anthology

14 Award Winning Games Only $54. 95

Mixed-Up Mother Goose, the first adventure game for preschoolers, remains a favorite to this day.

The Laura Bow Mysteries show a more intense side of this talented game designer.

DOS/WIN CD

King's Quest adventures have sold over 7 million copies, easily the most popular adventure series of all time.

X

IN THE LAND OF COMPUTER CHESS GAMES, THE ONE THAT “SQUIRMS"

IS KING.

by David Sedb

|Karen Thomas, Eton Gasper and Eric Tangborn, part of the Power Chess team

bout two years ago, m Sierra decided to

change computer m chess forever. The

first challenge was getting into the heads of computer chess players and addressing what they were missing in computer chess games. The second order of business was putting together a strong devel- opment team capable of creating a game that appeals equally to hard- core chess players and beginning chess enthusiasts. The result is Power Chess, a game so unique International Grandmaster and two-time U.S. chess champion Larry Christiansen calls it “the first innovation in chess pro- grams in more than a decade.’’

To understand what makes Power Chess so unique, it is important get to know three keys members of the develop- ment team: Lead Designer Elon Gasper; International Chess

Master and Programmer Eric Tangborn; and Associate Producer Karen Thomas. Elon’s expertise in computer game programming and love for the game of chess make him the perfect leader of the team. Eric’s intimate knowledge of the game of kings and his ability to smoothly translate its nuances onto the computer make him invaluable to the Power Chess team. Karen’s varied background in graphic design and computer game production assures that Power Chess looks and feels more polished than any other com- puter chess game ever produced.

V t B B

Sierra Dn-line

Power Chess

These three power generators bring very different perspectives to the design of what Computer Games Strategy Plus calls “the finest innovation in serious chess products ever to hit the streets.”

An Adaptive Opponent That Would Be King

Elon’s love for the game of chess has led him into one of the most challeng- • ing and intriguing projects of

I his life: developing a computer chess game that actually makes improving your skill fun. Other chess games available don’t accurately simulate what it’s like to play chess against another human. Enter the first adaptive oppo- nent ever to hit computer chess — the

4 Power Chess King. As you play against the King, he adapts so that he always plays just a level ' above you. As your game gets * better, so does his. He is always the perfect challenger, pushing

The Power Chess King is an adaptive opponent who always plays just a few levels above you.

you in every game to do your very best. Up until now, PC chess games pitted players in “death matches” against invincible chess engines that chewed you up and spit you out. That wasn’t acceptable.

“What we’ve done with Power Chess is give you a real opponent that simulates what it is really like to play against another human. We’ve

addressed the shortcom- ings of other chess prod- ucts by giving people an adaptive opponent, the Power Chess King,” explains Elon.

The King addresses the emotional side of the game. Humans are psycho- logical creatures and part of the fun of playing chess is forcing your opponents into making mistakes. “The problem with playing chess against a computer is that they don’t make mistakes. They don’t play with emotion, they don’t squirm — until now.” In the Power Chess King, you get an almost human opponent that improves your game by making you stretch yourself every time you play him. No other computer chess product has ever done that.

From One Master

to Another

Face it, no matter how good you are at chess, wouldn’t it be great to have your own person- al coach? Someone to watch your every move in every game? Someone to analyze your moves and offer instant feedback and advice? No one knows the value of a coach better than Eric Tangborn.

Eric is an International Chess Master and his international rat- ing of 2455 places him in the top 50 players in the United States. His exper- tise at both chess and game programming makes him a valuable mem- ber of the Power Chess develop- ment team.

“The Power Chess Queen

1

The Power Chess Queen watches your games with the King and offers immediate feedback.

provides instructive comments to play- ers of all levels. Powered by the WChess engine, she is capable of beat- ing many of the world’s grandmasters,” Eric says about the Queen’s coaching skills. “Yet she’s patient, instructive, entertaining, knowledgeable, and she’s always there for you — in every game. Many of the top coaches in the world charge close to $100 an hour. There’s tremendous value here,” he explains.

Eric worked very closely on the Queen’s commentary. “1 worked on the software that allows the Queen to discuss her analysis with a player who has just completed a game with the Power Chess King,” he says. “The combination of the entertainment and instruction- al value of her commentary is special because it is something that has never been seen before in any com- puter chess product. Power Chess really doesn’t have any competition — it’s unique.”

show off their new- found skills. Play countless other Power Chess users anytime, anywhere in the world.

'"Power Chess makes you a better chess player and it makes improving your game fun,” explains Karen Thomas. Internet play is a perfect fit. Not only can you challenge other Power Chess players anywhere and carry on dialogues through the Chat feature, you can analyze your games using the Move and Variation List tools,” says Karen.

The Chat feature allows players to “talk” to each other over the Internet during games. Rub it in a little when attacking your opponent’s King. Or question them as they try to put you away. There’s also a library of quotes from the Queen. Send your own jibes or let the Queen do it for you. Use the Chat feature to taunt your opponent or to coach them. The choice is yours.

It's the first innovation in chess programs in more than a decade."

— Larry Christiansen,

International

Grandmaster

Whether you’re looking to improve your chess game or to just have fun trying. Power Chess delivers the most exciting features ever in a computer chess game. In one box you get the per- fect opponent, the Power Chess King; your own personal master-level coach, the Power Chess Queen; and instant access to the Internet so you can show off what you’ve learned. Computer chess will never be the same.

$39.95

Available Now WIN95CD

Order Direct: 1-800-757-7707

www.sifrra.coM/powercliess/

Practice Makes Perfect

No matter how many times you hear it, one thing is always true: practice makes perfect. That is exactly the reason that Power Chess features instant access to the Internet.

Through the Sierra Internet Gaming Service (SIGS), players get an easy and fun way to

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Sierra C3n-i_ine

Front Page Sports: Football Pro '97 Season • S P □ RT s 5 1 M u L AT i □ N

With his stop- and-go power, Barry can not only cut on a dime, he can give you change!

They say that football is a game of inches, but for the Detroit Lions it usually comes down to a cou- ple of feet — Barry Scinders’ feet. Since his start in the pros as Rookie of the Year back in 1989, Sanders has turned winning perfor- mances consistently and logged more than 1,000 yards rushing in each of his seven seasons. He holds every major Lions’ rushing record.

In late June of this year. Front Page Sports Developers Pat Cook and Scott Youngblood met with Barry Scinders at the shrine to athletes’ feet-the Beaverton Oregon Campus of Nike, Inc. Standing just 5’8” in his Nike Crosstrainers, and weighing all of 200 lbs., it was difficult at first to equate this quiet and reserved gentleman with the energetic battle tank we see on game days. But as we dis- cussed Sierra’s Front Page Sports: Football Pro ‘97, the multi-award winning football sim that carries Barry’s picture rn-i* ^ on the cover, his intense concentra- tion emerged.

The Kickoff:

Our meet- ing kicked off with a recap of the current FPS: Football game. News of the contin- ued market dominance of the sim, and the numerous accolades it’s received, brought a broad smile to Barry’s face — this is a man who lives to win. “It’s good to know peo- ple are responding like 1 did when 1 first saw

the game,” Barry said. “But 1 already know you guys do good work. I’m interested in how you’ve made it better.” It was then that a single bead of sweat formed on Director Scott Youngblood’s forehead.

Show Us What You Got:

Then the tough part began: impressing a man driven by excellence both on the field and off. Barry immediately appreci- ated the graphic enhancements in the game like the motion-captured players

^^It's already the most realistic game out there... I'm working with the designers to make it better.

rendered at 16 separate angles — each so crisp you can see the players’ jersey numbers. “It’s great to see the graphics becoming so precise,” said Barry. “When you’re trying to anticipate the QB’s throw, watching the angle of his body is especially important.”

Get Real:

Finally the review of play mechanics began. Was the new simulation “real” enough? This was the true test, since Barry has spent countless hours running tens of thousands of yards from end zone to end zone in every stadium in the NFL. FPS Designer Pat Cook went off on a tangent about the effects of humidity on a player’s stamina and suddenly remem- bered who he was talking to. He trailed off in mid-sentence as he mumbled “...uh, but 1 bet you already knew that.”

Despite Pat’s embarrassment, it was easy to see that Barry appreciated Pat’s passion for the game. “In my business, a guy can’t be too intense,” he stressed. While he didn’t know what it was called, Barry was immediately impressed by the intuitive A1 in the game. He summed it up best when he said, “The teams in the game play just like the reed teams do.”

For example, the Lions employ the run and shoot, and Elway’s Broncos have a knack for fourth quarter comebacks.

This game is real — right down to simulat- ing the tendencies of the real teams.

Barry Knows Football:

Then Barry caught us by surprise by ask- ing some pointed questions about inac- curacies that appeared in past versions of the game. “What have you done to make trading players and acting as the general manger more reedistic?” he asked. All eyes focused on Scott Youngblood, whose initial look of trepidation disap>- peared into a confident smile. Then he said something that no player in the NFL has ever been able to say to Mr. Sanders.

“We’re one step ahead of you,” he explained. In Football ‘97 you can make multiple player trades. Say you want to trade someone like Rick Mirer (Seattle Seahawk quarterback) for Drew Bledsoe (New Englcind Patriot quarterback). That’s not a fair trade one for one, right? But in Football ‘97, you can throw another player such as Seattle’s Cortez Kennedy

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gated ^Barry,

know what He'd made» ^

—Matt Millenk Fox TV

S?

into the trade mix just to even things up.

That got Barry’s attention.

“Now we’re talkin’. That’s the NFL. That’s the real game!” he exclaimed with that famous intensity. Guess what, Barry — the news gets even better.

FPS: Football Pro V7 Season comes loaded with over 10,000 plays.

There’s also 16 different camera angles so you can see each play from places including the end zone, the backfield, the sideline, the owners box or the Goodyear blimp. The game is completely up-to-date and even includes the Baltimore Ravens.

One-on-One Coverage:

Then Barry asked another question that clearly proves he plays this game — a lot. “Playing alone is certainly fun for practice, but nothing beats get- ting tough with a real opponent. That’s what sports are all about. How do 1 play against someone else?” he asked.

Again, Scott Youngblood fielded the question. “We’ve included modem and LAN support in Football '97^ he replied. The game now supports both modem play and play over a Local Area Network. In addition to playing against the computer, you’re able to play against other owners, coaches, and keyboard quarterbacks who use FPS: Football Pro V7 Season.

The FPS designers have a picture of Barry Sanders above their desks in their office, an image that has offered great inspiration as they put the fin- ishing touches on Front Page Sports: Football Pro *97 Season. After all, when you sit at the feet of Barry Sanders all day, every day — you have to know that only greatness will do.

Front Page Sports: Football Pro '97 Season • Spa rt s 5 1 m u l AT I a N

Fooimil Pro '97 ReniiiB flie Champ!

New Features fer '97!

All NFL Teams and Rosters

Trade, bench, start, and manage real players on all 30 real teams from the ‘96 season, even the new Baltimore Ravens. You can even make multi-player trades of up to three players per side. Control the action as the Commissioner, General Manager, Coach, or any of your favorite Players.

hen you’re the best football game around, it takes a damn good title to take your place in the line- up. Rated the best sports simulation for three years running by Computer Gaming World, Front Page Sports: Football has long been in a league of its own.

Now the current title’s reign is ending as an even better title takes to the field; Front Page Sports:

Football Pro V7 Season.

The title has new fea- tures that put it so far in front of the competition, they may never catch up. No other football sim even comes close.

definitely the game for the armchair owner coach^ and quarterback/'

— PC Magazine

Windows 95 Native Game

Good-bye to all those headaches you had while loading earlier versions. Welcome to higher resolu- tion and features such as the ability to multi-task, so you can play a game while you’re working in another applica- tion. Plus the addition of Direct Sound delivers even better stereo sound and music. Not only does the game look and sound better under Windows 95, it plays better.

Modem and Network Play

FPS: Football Pro'97 Season really gets fun when you play against someone across a LAN, or reach out across the phone lines to play opponents all over the world. If your friends say they’re good,

N make ‘em prove it.

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Realistic Atmospheric Effects Impact Play

Each play outcome is determined by actual physics — not predetermined by stats. Also, weather conditions are realistically represented with grassy, snowy, or muddy fields. You can actually see the rain or snow fall!

ft

Exclusive New "Hall of Fame"

A new exclusive feature of Front Paife Sports .FootlxiU keeps track of all the careers of the simulated players as they mature, tracking all their points, yardage, sacks and assists. If they’re good enough, they can make it all the way to the “Hall of Fame.”

Realistic Player and General Manager Al

When Marino is on the field, does Miami favor the long

“If initial impressions hold, true, “ FPS: Football Pro '97 Season will be the best foot- ball release of this year." — HappyPuppy

ball? In FPS: Football Pro '97 Season, both the player and General Manager Al perform like their real-world counterparts. “Finely tuned” play plans and player profiles deliver reality- based team performance.

IFRGUEIEADERS GRUSHINS

Improved Camera Angle Management System (CAMS)

Now joystick controlled and easier to use than ever, CAMS gives players unlimited camera positions. Get down on the field, sit in the stands, or play the game from a “blimp” perspective.

Redesigned Play Editor and Over 10,000 Plays

Select from any of over 10,000 plays built into the game, but you can use the Play Editor to create your own easier,

with

fewer steps.

Motion-Captured, High Resolution Players

The players were motion-captured using state-of-the-art technology and rendered at 16 angles (versus eight in Pro Football '9(7). The title features over 18,700 frames of animation so the players run, dive, tackle, and move with fluid, lifelike motion.

Sierra Dn-line

Online

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by John Sauer

If you have an angler or two on

your gift list this year, what are you going to get them? Shopping time is running out and you know how picky fishermen can be. You could get them another wind-up lure-that-makes- distressed-minnow-sounds, a pair of gimmicky underwear with fish on it, or maybe a sack full of root beer-colored plastic worms. Or you could get them something they can really use — a gift that gives them the power to fish the greatest bass lakes in the nation with over 200 lures and 20 rod and reel combinations. Set them up with a gift

that lets them become a pro bass angler, compet- ing in tournaments with other players all around the world. Give a gift that offers all the fun and excitement of lunker bass fishing — without ever leaving home — so they can fish all winter long. The gift is Sierra’s Front Page Sports: Trophy Bass 2, and it belongs in every cyberangler’s tackle box.

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Compete in real tourneys with other on-line anglers.

On-line chat lets you share the fun with other anglers.

to-head modem play, or get lots of players involved in tournaments over a network or on the Internet. Nowhere else in cyberspace can you talk fishin’ while you’re working the water for the monster bass of a lifetime! This is the only title that brings the social aspects of bass fishing to the PC.

FPS: Trophy Bass 2 gives you the power to chase the big ones on 10 of the nation’s best bassin’ lakes — some more than 10,000 acres in size — each re-created In fine detail with photo- graphic and topographical maps so you can fish the hot spots. You have the best lures, rods, and reels, plus an arsenal of casting techniques that the featured pros use to win tournaments. These pros provide more than 100 full- motion video tips to help you become a better bass-buster. The game options

The sequel to the incredibly successful Trophy Bass, this new title gives you some- thing you can’t find on any other fishing sim — the ability to play against human opponents. With the sim’s built-in modem, network (LAN), and Internet support, you can wet a line with human players via head-

InterActidn Magazine Holiday 1996

"A great simulittion, and a hell of

alolelfun.%>t-

range from Quick Fish, which gets you up and angling with a single mouse click, to tournaments which put you on the road to the superbowl of bass fishing, the Trophy Bass Classic.

The Best Bass Place in CyberSpace

In real life, trophy bass tour- naments are big-money events.

You need a boat, tackle, and other equipment that can set you back more than $50, ()()(). Plus, you must have the time to travel from lake to lake across the country. With FPS: Trophy Bass 2, all you need to become a professional bass angler and compete against other human players is a computer,

modem, and access to the Internet, p . ... . ,

In the coming months. Sierra will ufllDlliy WOPlD

be hosting FPS: Trophy Bass 2 tourna- ments on the Internet. Trophy Bass 2 anglers from all over the world will be able to battle it out on the water to see who is the best. Getting on is easy. From the menu screen select Multi-player,

then select Internet from the options. You will automatically be linked to SIGS, the Sierra Internet Gaming System. SIGS allows true, real-time, multi-player gam- ing over the Internet. Down- load the SIGS software and you’re ready to play. Just sign in to the SIGS on-line gaming room to find out who has a game in progress.

If you want to find out the latest tournament and contest informa- tion, check out the Trophy Bass 2 Page at www.sierra.com- /tbass2 In addition to news from the

Compuler FPS Trophy Bass 2

world, links from this Home Page can take

"The best fishing simulation yet."

■ J L:tTMeiiJMuUi Ibib. 12<m.

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Throw that little two-pounder back! You're out for the big bass when you play in tournament mode!

you to chat rooms where you can brag about your biggest catch and share your views on fishing with other Trophy Bass fans. The new Trophy Bass Challenge Board is where you can leave messages and look for players to engage in head-to-head competitive or cooperative fishing via a direct modem-to-modem connection.

Every fisherman knows that a bad day of fishing is better than a good day of work, no matter if you live in Baton Rouge or Budapest.

This holiday, don’t give the anglers in

your life a gift they have to wait until Spring to use. Give them 10 lakes and a career as a pro bass angler they can use now. Front Page Sports:

Trophy Bass 2 is the gift of fish!

$54.95 I

Available Fall 96 -

WIN95CD.WIN3.1 CD Order Direct: 1-800-757-7707 www.sierra.com/games/tbass2/

If you're an owner of the original Trophy Bass from Sierra, you have the opportunity to upgrade to the new Front Page Sports: Trophy Bass 2 and save big. You can make the switch now for oniy $29.95. That's neariy 30 bucks off the suggested retaii price. Caii the Sierra Direct Saies department at 1-800-757-7707 and cite your personai CD identific^on number on your Trophy Bass CD.

Vm CM find It on the CO ekher under lha words 'll righti reeerved,' or printed on the deer inner circie on the CD. Every personei CO (dendflcetlon minber starts wkh the letter '8.* Then folow the dbectfons they give and you're on your way to owning the newest mouse grebbinQ, Ine ripping, bees fishing sbn ever made.

Sierra On-line

"It's about time some something interesting

Mike Gray

Stroke 1 MeiliPJ-

You Don't Have to Go to Florida to Golf During the Holidays

Sierra's Front Page Sports

Series continues to deliver the most realistic in-clepth sports games ever. Now experience firsthand what it's like to tee it up at two of the most challenging world-famous golf courses in the world. Included with Front Page Sports; Golf 'is the beautiful ocean-front Prince Course in Kauai, Hawaii, and the legendary Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, West Virginia. Lead Designer Vance Cook, whose LINKS and LINKS386 PRO set the standard by which all computer golf sims are judged, sj)ent months re-creating the minute details of each course. If you want to know what it's like to play these courses without paying the airfare and the greens fees, then check out FPS ports: Golf.

FPS: Golf's intuitive Al acts as your caddie, automatically sug- gesting a club for every shot.

But you know your swing better than anyone, so assess the wind, check your lie, and pick your club carefully.

The Shot Setup allows for changes to the club face orientation and the placement of the ball in your stance.

The red arrow allows you to change the direction of the golfer and aims your shot.

nterActidn Magazine Holiday 199S

Knowing the strength and direction of the wind and how it affects your shots can be the difference between a good round and a great one.

J

People who say golf isn't a physical game aren't real golfers. Loosen your limbs and tighten your concentration with a couple of practice swings.

V

The Read Green button gives you a 3-D, eye-level, movable view of the green. Good putting separates the pros from the amateurs.

Front Page Sports: Golf features 3-D modeled golfers whose actual movements are controlled by moving the mouse. With traditional Tri-Click swing control in past games, the golfer's movements were video playback of the movements entered by the player. Now the golfer moves exactly as you move the mouse. But don't worry, you can always use the Mulligan button.

The Drop feature allows you to "take a drop" and to reposition the ball to improve your lie — don't forget the one-stroke penalty!

J

Is your view obstructed as you try to hit out of the trees? The Find Flag feature automatically lines your feet up with the flag ... no matter where it is.

J

Choosing the right club means knowing how far away the pin is as well as how high you are above or below it.

Choosing the right club also means knowing where your ball sits and how hard it's going to be to get it airborne. The Lie Graphic eliminates sur- prises and lets you know just how much trouble you're in.

Rotate the perspective of your golfer to hit any- where you want to go on the course.

\ y

T O EXCELLENC

C O M M I

one did

with goH interfaces

— Stave Bauman, Computer Games Strategy Plus

WW

Sierra Dn-line

Win a Golf Vacation for Two to the Princeville Resort in Kauai, HI! >’1

Tee it up on the scenic 6th hole on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene

TrueSwing:

The wait is over for TrueSwing/“ The next generation of mouse control is now available to computer golfers. This revolutionary control design is the result of Lead Designer Vance Cook’s dissatisfaction with the traditional Tri-Click method which until now had domi- nated the computer golf market. “Tri-Click had been the only choice computer golfers have ever had,” Vance explains. “When we started working on FPS: Golf, we decided it was time to graduate from Tri-Click into something more realistic. TrueSwing is literally the next level of control. It’s control that computer golf gamers more than wanted; it’s control they absolutely needed,” Vance says

about the advent of TrueSwing.

TrueSwing allows more realistic control of two things. First, it offers complete control of club speed as you strike the ball. Now the distance you hit the ball is actually determined by how hard you hit it. Imagine that! Secondly, TrueSwing gives you control over the spin you apply to the ball when hitting it. Now you can draw and fade shots with the accuracy of a tour pro. But be careful! While using draws and fades can get you out of a jam, their sloppy counterparts, hooks and slices, can

ruin your round as fast as you can swing a club. Tri-Click is still available for you traditionalists.

Feel what it's like to play head-to-head or in a multi-player tournament over a Local Area Network.

Get Our First Add-on Course Free!

Along with the two courses included with FPS: Golf, Sierra’s first add-on course is available free for a limited time! The magnificent, world- famous Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho is yours free when you purchase FPS: Golf dX the regular price. Now you can experience the course that Golf Magazine rated the most beautiful resort course in America. The first add-on models the expansive lakeshore of Lake Coeur d’Alene, the rolling hills of the western Rocky Mountains, and the ball-snatching Fernan Creek. You hackers out there will need a snorkel and diving mask to navigate the only floating green in the world. Act now to get in on this $25 value — it’s good only while supplies last. And around the holidays, that ain’t long.

Be sure to keep your eyes out for future add-on courses and make sure you check out our Web site at www.sierra.com/games/golf to place your vote for the courses you’d most like to see offered as add-ons. During the dog days of winter, as the snow piles up outside, make sure you don’t put away your golf glove. Front Page Sports: Golf lets you hit the links any- time of year.

$54.95 Q

Available Christmas 96 WIN95CD ' ' Order Direct; 1-800-757-7707

www.sierra.com/golf

nterAction

Magazine Holiday

9 9 a

52

Inis holiday, give a gift that’s fiendishly fun.

3-D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night will haunt your PC with graphics and game play so good, it’s frightening! - _ |

Tons of frignteniqcf resturess! ' »

• Up to four players can get in on

the thrills and chills 4"

• Gobs of ghoulish animations and

eerie moving targets . > 7 1

• Four extra-wide playing tables ^ ^ 0

make scrolling screens a thing of

the past

• Save Game feature to give tired

fingers time to recuperate ^ “

• Fantastically realistic ball movements are based on real-life physics

j

4 sdit^ pball senes

mb s	I E	R	R A®	To Order, Call Toll-Free 1-800-757-7707 gn Only $44.95! Win CD, Mac CD ||s

Sierra Home • Home Productivity

making it earner to

celebrate life.

LandDesigner

COLLIER'S

ENCYCLOPEDIA

With 10,000 New Stunning Graphics

by Nancy King

he hustle and bustle of everyday life escalates during the holiday sea- son. With party menus^ to plan, cards to wrTte, packages to wrap, decorations to make and maybe even some redecorating or remodel- ing to do. ..without help, it can be overwhelming.

Sierra Home is the help you need. In an instant, these products can transform your com- puter into an efficient holiday (and year-round) creative assistant.

Five premium Sierra products to help you organize all aspects of your life. Print Artist 4.0 is your at-home print shop. CustomHome is your complete home design resource. MasterCook Deluxe guides you through the kitchen as your master chef LandDesigner 3-D is your profes- sional landscape consultant, and Collier’s Encyclopedia is your home research database and accurate fact checker. This season give your family one gift early, and experience the magic of Sierra Home.

k

Print ArtUt 4.0 —

Your At-Home Print Shop

Wrap up the old year and celebrate the new one by getting creative. It’s simple with Print Artist 4.0. Even if you have never tried a graphics program before. Print Artist makes it easy, guiding you through every step. Over 1„50() professional designs, 10,000 graphics, 300 typefaces, and 600 photos get you started. Everything you need is at your fingertips.

GRAPHICS GRABBER INSERT NEW GRAPHIC

You can even scan photos and add them to any pro- ject. Print Artists built-in scanning capabilities can do it in a minute. So this year, instead of sending the same old holiday cards, add some pizzazz to your mailings. For instance, make them more personal with a recent picture of your family’s Halloween bash or Thanksgiving dinner get-together.

But don’t stop there. Use your computer to mix and match holiday traditions. Heat up that pot of hot chocolate and bake your favorite frost- ed cookies (MasterCook Deluxe has some great recipes to try). Once that’s done, gather every- one together and take turns using Print Artist to create what you need to decorate, wrap, and celebrate the season. In one afternoon or evening you can make unique party hats, festive tree decorations, personalized cards, joyous gift boxes and bags, gift tags, and jolly invitations.

The possibilities are only limited to your imaginations. Print Artist gives the entire family an opportunity to express him or herself in ways never dreamed of before.

The Graphics Grabber brings you to a whole new level of design capabilities.

Sierra On-line

Decorations for Every r^#i4rM Holiday and Occasion

Valentine’s Day, Left- Hander’s Day, National Bubble Gum Day, Fourth of July — that takes care of this season, but that’s only the beginning. Print Artist is your year-| round print shop, open every day. Month by month, whatever the holi- day— you’re covered. Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Mother’s and Father’s Day, Fourth of July, Halloween, Hanukkah, and Christmas — celebrate them all and everything else in between with handcrafted projects.

Hundreds of craft projects are also included with Print Artist. Centerpieces, mobiles, calendars, mailbox covers, to

name just a few. And that doesn t even take into consideration the new ideas you might come up with. Bring a whole new dimension to your home projects with Print Artist 4.0 and discover there are no limits.

CiuitoniHonie ^ Your Complete ^ ~ DeAgn Resource

Transforming your house into a home takes ingenuity, creativity, and vision. What you don’t nec- essarily need is an architect, interior designer, or contractor. Now there’s CustomHome — your complete home design resource. It can help you draw up plans for remodeling a room or designing your dream house.

CustomHome can also help you with decorating schemes, from fabric choices, colors, furniture styles, and even wallpaper samples. Expert, step- by-step home design software that you can really use! Hundreds of drawing icons make it easy. Change your mind? So what! Before you spend any money on materials or labor, you can fine tune your design until it’s exactly what you want.

Customize Your Plans for Your Lifestyle

Whatever your lifestyle, CustomHome can help you design living spaces that work. For instance, if a family member needs wheelchair accessibility, you can design that into your plan. Or, if you want to move a wall or change the dimensions of a room, it’s only a mouse click away. And the Automated Building Inspector feature will let you know if any of your ideas are not structurally sound so you don’t make a mistake. CustomHome even takes the guesswork out of finances with the built-in Cost and Materials planner.

Coming — January

Room-by-Room Planning Techniques:

The IMng room muwi iw on tliow whfl* ahw batna practtcal m a ptaytoom or IV room. MMortat choicss, opan planning. oi

H can makayour tpocial Mng room

Transform your house into the dream you've always imagined it could be!

The Home Improvement Walk Through

When you’re done (or any time during the design process) and ready to see what you’ve accomplished, explore your design room by room, level by level. CustomHome offers multi-floor viewing and includes a sub-basement, basement, and first, second, and third floor views. Rich 3-D views bring your work to life. And you can walk through the inside and outside of your house. Every detail — ^windows, doors, mold- ings will show your distinctive style. CustomHome is your multimedia guide

home

that shows you how to beauti- fy any space. Packed with 300 customizable ready-made plans, it’s just waiting for you.

Turn Dreams into Reality

After the holidays when everything has calmed down and you can enjoy the slow- er pace expect- ed in .lanuary, start focusing your ideas and dreams on what you want from your home. Before you know it, those ideas and dreams won’t just be an image in your head, but a 3-D concept ready to print out. This time next year you could be enjoying your new kitchen or family room. When you are finished with the house, LandDesigner 3D will help you redo the yard.

NE'W'.

^ Ma,iterCook ' Deluxe 4.0 —

athering loved ones around a table, sharing a meal, and cele- brating the joy of simply being

together signifies all that is good about the holiday season. As the focus point, the dinner or brunch (be it simple or elaborate), holds special memories for everyone.

This year, streamline some of the work it takes to pro- duce this special meal or any holiday party. Utilize MasterCook Deluxe, the ideal cooking and kitchen resource, to help you manage during this hectic time of year. For instance, plan a complete meal from scratch or try one of 2,000 recipes from some of America’s best chefs (from hors d’oeuvres, cookies, and candies to main-course masterpieces). Whatever recipe you select, don’t bother writing up a shopping list, MasterCook Deluxe will produce one for you. And just like your hardcover cookbooks, you can turn the pages and find your recipes instantly. When you want to add recipes, do it quickly and accurately with MasterCook s exclusive Fast-FilF and Spell-Checker.

Sierra Dn-line

Imagine a herb garden, packed with fragrant basil, rosemary, thyme, and pars- ley. From sprawling acreage, to average city yard or apart- ment terrace, create your dream landscape with LandDesigner 3-D.

Adaptable Designs

LandDesigner JD is an expert collection of 30 professional landscape and garden plans, from wildflower meadows to Japanese gardens. Use them as is, or as a starting point for creating your own custom yard. On-line Wizards and easy, step-by-step instruc- tions lead you through the design process. Every detail is covered so you won’t have any costly “mistakes.”

A Gift From The Heart

MasterCook Deluxe 4.0 can even help you with gift ideas. This year, give a gift from the heart — a cookbook of all the favorite recipes you and yours have loved over the years. Simply input them into the program and then print them out as a complete, cookbook.

LandDesigner 3D —

Your ProjetUHonal Landscape Consultant

AS your yard sits dormant this winter, take a minute to dream of what it could be. Perhaps an expanse of emerald green lawn with sunshine yellow borders of daffodils.

Or maybe a formal rose garden with a palette of pinks, reds, corals, purples.

Virtual Garden Stroll

Hundreds of symbols in the plant libraries, including trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses and ground covers, edibles, outdoor furniture, hardscapes, and vines can help you create the ulti- mate landscape for your home. Once your design is finished, take a 3-D walkthrough of your new yard, months before you ever pick up a shovel. If you decide to change something, it’s done — no hassle.

You can see what your plants will look like over all four seasons and how they will grow over time — even five years from now. With an extensive 2000+ plant enclyclopedia, you can choose the best plants for your climate and location. Easily incorporate a sprinkler system, gazebo or water garden into your design. LandDesigner 3D can even help you calculate the cost of plants and materials.

LandDesigner 3D and CustomHome will help you design and create the ideal living environment.

Collier’s Encyclopedia — Home Research AssLitant

Baking special cookies, singing

holiday songs, and (sigh) writing term papers, it’s the holiday sea- son. While school may be out for the

See your designs grow over the seasons and the years.

year, some teachers still assign projects due the first week of January. So in addition to the your usual hectic schedule you may have to drive your kids to the library on cold, wet nights so they can gather the necessary research materials. What’s a parent to do? Use the CD text version of Collier’s Encyclopedia.

Maximizing your child’s education- al potential, making the best use of lim- ited time resources and transforming your computer into a convenient research assistant are just three of the enormous capabilities of Collier’s Encyclopedia. It’s packed with 21 mil- lion words that extensively describe facts about an enormous range of information from artichokes to zoology.

oj the

• KeM EncxyclopccHa

So whether it’s a school report, work presentation or simply satisfying a curiosity about a topic, Collier’s offers in-depth information to help the whole family learn.

Making it easer to celebrate life

This holiday season, load these Sierra Home products on your multimedia system and you’ll soon realize what your computer was truly meant to be: a flexible, practical machine the whole family can use to make life a little better.

Product AvuiUibility

Sierra Home products Ihfoilable now.

Print Artist 4.0 and LartdDesigtier 3D.

Coming soon fortbe Holklay Season.

MasterCook 4.0. Look for CustomHome

and Collier's Enofchipsdia in early '97.

nterActidn Magazine Holiday 1996

To oNeP, call toll-free 1-800-757-7707 ^

No matter what kind of computer user you are you'll get a great deal when you order direct

from Sierra. Just order any two games marked with the Free Bonus symbol and we'll give you a third product free! Select the games you want to buy from the products shown on the next four pages, then choose your Free Bonus products from the list below. See, it's easy!

It wouldn't be a Big Deal without a little fine print, right? So read this: Only products marked with the Free Bonus symbol count toward Free Bonus selections. Selections must be made from the list provided. No substitutions allowed. Special offer good in US and Canada only. Not valid with other special offers or coupons. Orders must be received no later than January 31, 1997. Now that didn't hurt a bit, did it?

Warriors reborn as hardware from hell wage combat in a death match that can only end in victory or annihilation. With super-fast, change- on-the-fly twitch moves and explosive weapons, nothing less than a master's combination of skill, speed and power will keep you alive.

Every moment is a monumental struggle for survival as you take on the role of heir to the Kingdom of Cerilla. Expand your realm through conquest and alliances in the

newest fantasy world created for TSR's ADVANCED DUN- GEONS & DRAGONS’** game series.

C|>oo5e f T^eSe free fTo<jucts-

Caesar II (Win 95/DOS, Mac) Casino Deluxe 2 (Win)

Eager To Learn (VVin/Mac) Earthsiege 2 (Win 95)

Hoyle Classic Games (Win, Mac) King's Quest VII (DOS/Win, Mac) LandDesigner (Win)

MasterCook Deluxe (Win, Mac)

Mixed-Up Mother Goose Deluxe (Win, Mac) Print Artist 4.0 (Win)

Rise & Rule of Ancient Empires (Win)

Shivers (Win)

Sierra's School House: English, Math or Science (Win/Mac)

Silent Thunder (Win 95)

Space Bucks (Win)

Space Quest 6 (DOS/Win, Mac)

The Lost Mind of Dr. Brain (Win, Mac) The Incredible Machine 3.0 (Win, Mac) 3D Ultra Pinball (Win, Mac)

Torin's Passage (Win)

Urban Runner (Win)

TKe <le3l OipatteP

YBERGLADUTORS

LOROS OF THE REALM 2

Chaos regins across the land as you lead an army of knights, archers and swordsmen into battle.

Master medieval weapons of destruction as you try '^'v^

to smash your way to

the throne of England in head-to-head real-time combat with four-player network support. Four computer rivals and virtu- ally endless variables make for unequaled replayability.

Pin S54.95

$49.95

$54.95

EARTHSIEGE 2

The future of human existence rests squarely on your shoulders and the metal shoulders of your fighting HERCs. Battle enemy Cybrids over 50 rivet- wrenching missions - ail with explosive action and incredible 3-D graphics.

$44.95

MISSIONFORCE CYBERSTORM

Take control of the future in the ultimate battle strategy game as you fight for the future of mankind. ^ You command genetically engineered Bioderms, the most destructive warriors in the history of Cybrid confrontation.

$54.95

m SILENT THUNDER:	ROBERT E. LS
n A-10 TANK KILLER 1	CIVIL WAR
Swoop down in the	GENERAL

indestructible A- 10 Thunderbolt II and dive into 3 action- "'packed campaigns with 24 close-attack missions. Blast anything, and anyone, that isn't on your side. Features incredi- ble texture-mapped terrain and an elec- trifying soundtrack.

$49.95

Fight seven Civil War battles against the Army of the Potomac. Or take the role of Union generals in these historic confrontations. Every battle starts exactly as it began more than 1 30 years ago. From there, history is in your hands.

$54.95

□SURE SUIT LARRY: LOVE FOR SAIL

Al Lowe's lovable, laughable singles-scene stealer sets sail on another hilarious miss-adventure. The world's gaudiest cruise ship is the setting as the most famous

character in computer gaming history sets his sights on the gorgeous Captain Thygh and a shipload of other beauties. This is the most hilarious Leisure Suit Larry yet!

THE BEA$T WITHIN

A heart-stopping mystery that spans the ages unfolds as Gabriel Knight, last of the Shadow Hunters, is dragged into the investi- gation of ancient, terrifying forces. A spine-tingling blend of live-action tech- nology and amazing multimedia effects.

^1^ $49.95

UGHTHOUSE

Enter Lighthouse and pass through an eerie portal into a surreal world filled with invention, dis- covery and barely- disguised evil. In search of a kidnapped child, you follow a dark stranger into a first-person adventure of rescue and discovery.

$54.95

INDYCAR®

RACING II

The all-new IndyCar Racing II is the most realis- tic racing sim available, with true IndyCar han- dling, variable car setup, 1 5 real IndyCar tracks and incredible SVGA graphics with full-cockpit realism. Run single races or a full championship season!

$49.95

WIN85/D0S/ PiwerMic CO

The Closest Thing To Real Racing!

Get the Thrustmaster Formula T2 with a heavy-duty ten-inch steering wheel, a real- istic short-throw shifter and a floor console with gas and brake pedals. Wrap your fingers around the race-ready steering wheel and power- ^ shift through the gears just once, and you'll never go back to joystick racing again! Choose a bundle with IndyCar Racing II or NASCAR Racing 2 and save $30!

Thrustmaster T2 /NASCAR Racing 2 Bundle $149.95 Thrustmaster 12 /IndyCar Racing II Bundle $149.95 Thrustmaster T2 only $129.95

TROPHY BASS 2

The new Bass Fishin' sim now features five new lakes (ten in all!), more rod and lure options and more fish- ing tips from

fishing pros. Plus, now you can hook up on-line with your fishin' bud- dies via Internet, network or modem.

3-D ULTRA PINBALL:

CREEP NIGHT

Get the incredible features of the orig- inal 3-D Ultra Pinball with 3 creepy new tables straight from the grave-

yard. Features more targets, tighter play areas and faster action Plus tons of bonuses, trick-shot tips and haunting original music.

$44.95

NASCAIM^ RACING 2

Get behind the

3-0 ULTRA PINBALL

pinball

It's the fastest pinball in space! 3-D Ultra Pinball combines out-of-thls-world 3-D graphics, realistic ball motion, preci- sion-response flippers and three ibie tables. Absolute arcade-table feel drags pinball kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. You'll be hooked in seconds!

$42.95

CAfSARIJ

CKS/wa

Build a city, build an empire!

Experienced strategists and novice gamers alike are hailing the challenges in Caesar II. As the Emperor's recently governor, your charge is to gain fame, fortune and power. Succeed, and you may be crowned Emperor yourself.

Enim $49.95

POWER CHESS

The world of computer chess now features the most human-like competition ever developed for the PC. Power Chess actually adjusts to fit your playing style, mak- ing every game a challenge while still giving you a chance to learn and win.

$39.95

THE RISE & RULE OF ANCIBUT EMPIRES

Seize power and glory in six ancient civilizations includ- ing Egypt, Greece and Ancient China.

The unique legacy of each civilization comes to life in a multi-layered strategy challenge with endless variations & full support for net- work play.

wheel of a 700- horsepower stock car and race against the actual cars and drivers of the NASCAR

Winston Cup series. Now 1 6 different tracks, faster frame rates, all the 1 996 cars and dri- vers, plus modem and network play!

I $49.95

raONT PAGE SPORTS; GOLF

Step up to the tee with the next big star on tour. Features the most advanced ball- control ever

offered and head-to-head competition against as many as 255 other players. Includes the spec- tacular Prince Course in Kauai and the world famous Pete Dye Golf Club.

$54.95

Formula T2 runs under MS-DOS 5.0 or newer.

— toaSMiS

FRONT PAGE SPORTS:

BASQALL PRO 96

Play the GM, manage the club, or put yourself in the lineup with the all-new Baseball Pro '96. Real life physics, high- resolution graphics and improved playa- bility make this an incredible simulation of real baseball, not just statistics.

$54.95

FRONT PAGE SPORTS: FOOTRALL PRO 97

The highest rated football sim is now even better! Enhanced SVGA animation based on real athletes puts you right on the NFL sidelines or in the huddle. Amazing Camera Angle Management System (CAMS) shows the

action from any angle. New version includes modem and network support for the ulti- mate head-to-head action. Play as Commissioner, General Manager, Coach or Player. Includes every NFL team and player!

$54.95

HOYLE N

& HOYLE SOLITAIRE

Get the all-new Hoyle Blackjack and Hoyle Solitaire together and save 20%. Together they give you hours and hours of addictive enter- tainment!

Special Offer Price I Only $23.95

HOYLE CASINO

Enjoy glitz, glam- our and excite- ment with over 50 different game variations featur- ing Poker, Craps, Roulette, Blackjack and slots. Animated opponents and outstanding Internet play add a whole new level of fun!

$29.95

$34.95

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Sierra's Awesome Collections Sale

The Quest For Glory Anthology

Combine character- building, combat and stunning adventure- fantasy with four titles from the critically-acclaimed Quest For Glory series. Includes So You Want To Be A Hero, Trial By Fire, Wages of War and Shadows of Darkness.

(Dos/win CD) now only^29.95

King's Quest Collection

Since 1984, the King's Quest Series has become the top-selling computer adventure of all time. This collection includes the first six chart-topping King's Quest adventures from King's Quest I: Quest For The Crown to King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow.

Get your hands on incredible collections of Sierra's most popular series — with as many as 6 best-selling games — all for under 30 bucks.

Order today!

Police Quest: The 4 Most Wanted

Take your best shot at crime and cor- ruption with the first four Police Quest releases, Includ- ing In Pursuit of The Death Angel, The Vengeance, The Kindred and Open Season. This special collec- tion also includes special video interviews with the games' creators and limited-edition aaion- arcade games.

(DOSAVin CD) now only’29.95

Aces: The Complete Collector's Edition

Sign on for a single mission or a full tour with the collertion that gives you four all-time Aces classics, including the original Red Baron, Aces of The Pacific, Aces Over Europe and the original A- 10 Tank Killer. You also get Aviation Pioneers, a multimedia review of early aviation history.

Leisure Suit Larry's Greatest Hits And Misses

Experience the tasteless wonder that is Larry with an ex- clusive collection of six hilari- ous mis-adventures. Includes the original Land of The Lounge Lizards (plus the histrionic 1991 remake), through the Passionate Patti episodes, to Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out.

(DOS/win CD) HOW only’29.95 (dos CD) now only'29.95

(DOS/win CD) now only79.95

To Order, G^LL toll-free 1-800 '757-7707

Please mention your Spteial Offer Code (see other side) when you call.

Buy2,GetlFRS!

Order two products marked with the Free Bonus symbol and you can select a free product from the list on the other side of this form. Only the products marked with the Free Bonus symbol count toward Free Bonus selections. See page 51 for details. Quantities are limited to supplies on hand.

It’s Easy To Order!

BY PHONE: Call toll-free 1-800-757-7707. Our friendly Sales Associates are ready to help you! Please have your credit card information and Special Offer Code handy when you call.

BY MAIL: Complete this Order Form and mail it in the attached postage-paid envelope. Be sure to include your check or credit card information.

ON THE WEB: Point your web browser to httpi/www.sierra.com to use our secure on-line ordering.

PAYMENT: We accept VISA, MasterCard, AmeriGn Express and Discover Card (we won't charge your Grd until we have shipped your order) or your personal check made out to Sierra Dired

SHIPPING: In-stock items are shipped via 2-Day Air Express or UPS Ground. See the other side of this form for shipping prices. Canadian customers please

add $5 shipping for the first item ordered, plus $2 each for each additional item ordered, including free bonus items. Back-orders are shipped "best way".

The offers in this issue of \n\.erAction are not valid with other special offers or coupons. All orders must be pre-paid. No COD orders will be accepted. We reserve the right to limit quanti- ties. Not responsible for typographical errors. Offer good In USA and Canada only. CANADIAN ORDERS: add $5 shipping for the first item, plus $2 each for each additional item (includ- ing bonus items). Canadian orders may be sub- ject to GST and other fees at Customs; do not include these fees with your order.

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From the creators of 2001 and Cosmos. Explore a star- tling, mysterious world of alien wonders as part of a select team of astronauts sent to decipher the secrets of a strange craft that has entered the far boundaries of the universe. Launched by an unknown intelligence

commanding technology humans do not under- stand, RAMA presents the human mind with it's most challenging adventure. The innovative 3-D environ- ment is unsurpassed in it's intricacy and beauty.

WIN 85/ DOS CD

RAMA^^

PHANTASMAGORIA; A PUZZLE OF FLESH

Curtis Craig's greatest desire is to maintain the status quo, but nothing works out as he wishes when you follow him through the inexplicable, terrifying events that fill this dark tale of psychological horror. It's up to you to guide Curtis through this nightmare, uncover the secrets that haunt him, and prove his guilt or inno- cence. The sequel to last year's biggest hit thriller is definitely designed for mature gamers.

$54.95

The Antaran empire has fallen prey to corruption and decay. Now, you control the destiny of four young Antarans chosen to restore the balance of power to Antara in the ultimate fantasy role-playing adventure. Interconneaed story-chapters provide visual progress niarkers that make each episode richly rewarding. A third-person 3-D tactical system brings to life a world where magic and battle mean the difference between life and death.

Imagine a future where mankind has been enslaved by aliens whose idea of fun Is watching you battle a mutant beast in a brutal and violent attempt to survive and escape through a labyrinth of tunnels. Each charac- ter has strengths and weak- nesses. Jake's a master of weapons and heavy firepower. The Beast is stronger and can take a lot of abuse. Features a ® new Z-plane scrolling system jjA and exclusive split-screen head-to-head action.

Beat the odds to a pulp with high- stakes action that captures the intensi- ty and allure of a real-life casino.

Slots, Video Poker,

.. Roulette, Craps or Champion Blackjack. Includes a Blackjack Internet version for head-to- head play and a free laptop version.

H $29.95

piPn|| SPACE BUCKS

Expand your inter- stellar transport company through- out the galaxy. To succeed you need to design better transports, secure alien landing rights, snag new trade routes and keep your eyes open for interstellar takeover opportunities.

[P|lliai^uAl|IM PHANTASMAGORIA

The blissful Adrienne Delaney

BAwmSII ^oped for unravels as I uncovers an omi- w nous presence that passage-

n^tt- of her new

home. So startlingly real, V you'll live this interactive nightmare as if it were your very own. For mature audiences.

mm S54.95

URBAN

RUNNER

Get the breath- taking suspense- thriller that brings full-motion, full- screen action to your PC with supe- rior SVGA graphics that truly bring the chase to life.

POUCE QUEST SWAT

Daryl Gates, for- mer head of LAPD and originator of , , the SWAT con-

cept, takes the

\ ^ Police Quest

series to new levels of realism. You'll learn what real SWAT officers learn as you advance from the academy to the mean streets.

BH EPi $49.95

SHIVERS

Venture Into a spine-tingling first-person mys- tery. Shivers finds you trapped inside the long- abandoned Museum of the Strange and Unusual. Ghostly live-action and 3-D graphics create an adventure that changes every time you play.

.$39.95

COMMAND: ACE$ OF THE DSP

Wage undersea battle with the program that Computer Gaming World said "Sets the standard for submarine simu- lations..."A fantastic 3-D environment and amazing special effects take you beneath the oceans' surface, where the danger is real.

$29.95

SPACE QUEST 6

Fight grime and evil adversaries throughout the galaxy with Roger Wllco, janitor turned space adventurer, as he joins farces with video games, TV and sci-fi movies from the past and present.

$24.95

DOS/

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Call Toll-free

Enlist the help of an extra-cute extraterrestrial with magical powers that make learning numbers, reading and math fun! Features an exciting range of activities with two levels designed for ages 4 to 5 and 6 to 7 years old.

1 I

GOOSE OELUXE

Eighteen of Mother Goose's classic nursery rhymes, been scram-

and it's up to your

children to straighten them out. This all-time kid's classic provides hours and hours of fun.

EAGER TO

MIXEO UP

LEARN

MOTHER

$34.95

$29.95

THE TIME WARP OF OR. BRAIN

Now the incredible Dr. Brain has somehow sent himself careening through time and 600 brain-busting puzzles stand in your way as you help him find his way back. Includes 10 brain-flexing puzzle areas, each designed to

bring minds of all ages to new levels of mental fitness. And it's fun tool Plus, good old Dr. Brain has discovered the Internet in his time travels, so now you can challenge friends on-line in two new puzzle areas.

$39.95

KING'S QUEST VII; THE PRINCELESS BRIOE

Play two separate characters through six epic chapters in latest King's Quest adventure from Roberta Williams. Incredible animation, superior graphics and outstanding music create an enchanting tale that your whole family will love.

008/

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$29.95

SIERRA'S SCHOOL HOUSE

No other learn- ing software covers second through fifth grade English,

Math or Science so thoroughly. An interactive tutor

■^^2 guides children to bal-

^ ance education, exploration and entertainment. Specify English, Math or Science when ordering.

HOYLE CLASSIC GAMES

Ten favorite games come to your PC, including Poker, Bridge, Gin, Crib- bage and more. The exclusive Attitude Meter lets you

change the competition, from friendly to downright obnoxious. Animated competitors respond realisti- cally to player moves. Includes Backgammon and Checkers, too.

THE LOST MIND OF OR. BRAIN

Oooooops! Dr. Brain accidentally downloaded his brain to his lab rat! Now it's up to you to get it back. Flex your mental muscles with more than a thou- sand wacky brain-busting puzzles. Adjust- able difficulty levels make it a blast for kids and adults! Guaranteed to keep you and your children playing for years.

$29.95 each

$24.95

$39.95

4Sottwar« Programs lor Ono low Prico

SIERRA HOME

ativity

SPECIAL VALUEI

New! Combines the best home-productivity software in one value-packed bundle to help you get the most out of your home PC. Includes the all-new Print Artist 4.0 cre- I software, MasterCook Deluxe for recipes, nutrition and cooking, LandDesigner to help you realize the landscape of your dreams, and the amaz- ing Collier's Unabridged Encyclopedia home-reference on CD-ROM. It's the ultimate home software collection for your entire family!

$74.95

COOKING UGHT

Prepare nutritious, great-tasting food with more than 1,250 delicious, low-fat, low- cholesterol recipes from the pages of Light,

America's number one food magazine! Includes com- plete nutritional analysis for everything from snacks to complete meals.

MASTERCOOK

oauxE

MasterCook Deluxe makes it easy to analyze recipes for calo- ries, fat levels, and other nutri- tion information. Includes more than 1,600 recipes from America's most prestigious chefs. It will even simplify your grocery shopping!

$34.95

$39.95

THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE 3.0

Plunge head-first Into an insane world where you manipu- late pinwheels, dynamite, pulleys even gravity and air pressure to solve fiendishly funny puz- zles. Start with 1 50 built-in puzzles, then jump in and create your own with more than 100 animated parts!

HE! $34.95

LANDDESIGNER

Design your dream landscape, complete with a 3-D walkthrough. Elegant sample designs, easy-to-use drawing tools, an exten- sive encyclopedia of plants, s and shrubs and much more make it easy. It even shows how your garden will grow and bloom over time!

$49.95

TURIN'S PASSAGE

Welcome to Strata, where the lad Torin pursues his destiny In five worlds-with- in-worlds. This fasci- nating adventure ^game features hand- drawn animation, digital sound and an original musical score.

A humorous fantasy-adventure treat for the whole family.

008/

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CO

$24.95

PRINT ARTIST 4.0

The highest rated home-publishing pow- erhouse makes It easier than ever to create thousands of projects for home and office. All-new version 4.0 features more than 10,000 full-color graphics, 1,500 expressive typefaces, 1,500 pro- fessionally designed layouts and 600 spec- tacular photos. Create greeting cards, signs, labels, calendars and much more!

$49.95

By the time you get

your hands on Hunter Hunted, we guarantee the action will knock you on your duff. How do we know? Well, we put the game to the ultimate test and handed it over to two of Sierra's most serious gamers; a couple of adrenaline-driven. Mountain Dew main-lining, blood and guts junkies named Paul and Dave.

Now Paul and Dave aren't ordinary gamers. They're lunatics. We went to Paul and Dave and asked what they wanted in an action game. They asked for blood. It's in there. They asked for hovering mines and rocket launchers. They're in there. They asked for knives, guns, and Ninja stars. They're in there. Above all, they wanted

seething, unadulterated action. Take it easy, guys — we promise, it's in there.

Sierra's sizzling new action game. Hunter Hunted, rips the personal out of your personal computer.

Split-screen, X-Y-Z plane-scrolling action lets you and another player battle to the death as a ferocious sewer-crawling Beast,

or as a ruthless street warrior named Jake. Between the two, the action is fierce and bloody, and that's nothing compared to what goes on between you and the person on the # other side of the key- board. Here's a glimpse of the damage Paul (as "Beast") and Dave (as "Jake") inflicted on one another during a recent rowdy death match....

■J

Sierra On-line 63

Hunter Hunted • Action '

Hunter Hunted • ACTION

Kill or Be Killed

The year is 2015 and Earth has been invaded by a superior race of brutal alien warriors called the Masters. For their entertainment, the Masters pit human slaves in violent death- matches against another one of their captive races, the beasts of the planet Kullrathe. Only one of the strongest from each race remains. Whether you choose to be the Beast or Jake the human, your only hope for revenge is to escape. If your opponent doesn't kill you, the Masters will. Good luck and good hunting!

Beast: You'd better run, you waste of space, 'cause wAe/i / catch you I'm going to bash your head in.

Jake: Come on tater, I dare you. If you want to bite a bullet — no problem, here's a few hundred.

Beast: Oh, did that hurt? Sorry! Now stand up and let me finish smattering your brains against the wall.

Jake: It's not nice to sneak up on your friend. Eat this!

64

nterActidn Magazine Holiday

19 9 6

Beast: I'm not afraid of you. Death. What do I have to lose? I'm already in Hell!

Beast: En/oying the show gentlemen? Well its time to wrap up this farce. Death, be prepared to meet your maker, this is ^ the end of the line. ^

Jake: Nice try Beast, maybe next time. See you around hoser!

Jake: DK, on my signal, shoot. We just might be able to get rid of this loser without getting hurt.

t/ \ \

Jake: See you in Hell, Beast — you scum sucker. Beast: Yeah, me and your momma, Jake!

Available Fall 96 WIN95CD Order Direct: 1-800-757-7707 www.sierra.com/

Decapitating,

“Sierra’s CYSERSi-ADiATaRS has the rdteimtial to

Spine-Crushing

RUMMEL ITS WAY TO THE TOR OF" THE RC RIEHTIIMG

Rjn!

SAME HEAR.” COMRUTER RLAYER

character’s special weapon and deliver the coup de grace.

Both the Alliance Fighters and the evil Gy Djin are equally matched. Good guys and bad guys. Take your pick. It all comes down to how well you can use their style.

We’re showing you every fighter and a few of their moves,

except for the main bosses. You gotta find them on your own!

Creates the Ultimate PC Fighting Game

by John Sauer

Fighting games have been one of the most popular genres for years because they give gamers the power to shred, pound, fold, spike, and mutilate enemies with moves, weapons, and special attacks that just ain’t possible (or legal!) in the real world. Now arcade-quality fighting is coming to the PC with a title that delivers graphics, speed, and game play that rivals anything you’ve played on a video game. Sierra’s k.a.a. renegade development group has grabbed the genre by the cojones and created one ripper of a title. CyberGladiators is the name and it’s the ultimate PC fighting game.

Every feature that players demand from a top-rate fighting title is here. CyberGladiators moves like lightning — without sacrificing image or game play quality. Motion-captured, animated characters move with the grace and deadliness of trained martial arts experts. The game runs in 16-bit HighColor mode for incredibly real col- ored light effects such as flying sparks that cast moving pools of colored light.

And light-source shading puts the shad- ows where they’re supposed to be.

CyberGladiators features an impres- sive list of “firsts” that can’t be found in other PC fighting games, including a rev- olutionary real-time hook that lets you change moves in midstream. The fighter A1 is so advanced that the computer characters learn from every battle, so you have to continously get better if you want to win. Objects such as flam- ing spears, exploding chunks of lava, and 55-gallon drums not only have the potential to cause you damage in the arenas — they can be picked up and used, as well. You can even — if you’re good enough — decap your opponent and watch his life sparks ooze away as his body sags to the ground. This is bat- tling on deadly ground.

50 Ways to Leave Your Liver

You know why you play fighting games. It’s for the moves. CyberGladiators gives you the power to make strikes, throws, kicks, and com- bos you just wouldn’t believe. Every cybergladiator has more than enough tricks to give both hard-core and new battlers a complete arsenal to take into battle. You don’t just make a move and watch it happen. You can launch a kick and roll it into a strike attack — if you’re fast enough. Or you can turn a strike into a defensive move, or cut loose a power move with the

The Good Guys

This crazed battle 'droid is so insane that he ought to come with a warning label. His style is as out of control as he is — a mix of highly refined martial arts with twitchy-but- deadly attacks.

Plazma is an acrobatic fighter with an unquenchable fire fetish. She's the most agile of the fighters, with a style that combines gymnastics and martial arts.

The Alliance Fighters

Sergeant

Blizzard

Special Moves

Plazma

Psyclopps

^The leader of ^		-1 >1 ■	Nero Zero is a f
the Alliance			cryogenic kung 1
CyberGladiators,			^ 1 j	fu master. His 1
Mayhem comes				attacks are laced
across as a				with stealth.
deranged.				speed, and
paramilitary war				deception. His
'droid, which he				blows often have
is. His special				enough impact
moves are mili-				to damage or
tary style kicks.				shatter his
strikes, and				enemy's body
throws.	' *			k

The Bad Guys

Don't ever say "hurt me" to the Madam. She needs to be in control, dominate, and inflict pain. Her fighting style is arsenal kicks and punches (with cheap crotch kicks thrown in).

There's only one way to describe Jones — he's a heavily

armored, elec> trically charged, homicidal cyborg. His weapons are prison shackles and his helmet packs a sizzling wallop.

Brother Grimm

Master Pain

Death Fall

Coffin Spike

Special Moves

Power Tackle

With a name ^		^ Grimm is ter- ^
like Pain, you		minally mean.
know he's not a		He may look
nice 'droid. He		awkward, but
likes to inflict		can move
big-time pain.		deceptively
He combines		fast. Grimm's
the fastest.		left leg is a
most effective		sharp steel
martial assaults		spike that can
with a variety of		easily impale
aerial and acro-		the armor of
batic attacks.		his opponents.

d[L im<is ofg^s^e players.

^0 ^hick kin^ yo^7

Illustrations by Kevin Pope.

http://www.sierra.com/rama

RAMA" When Arthur C Clarke, one of the greatest vision- aries of all time and author of 2001: A Space Odyssey combined forces with Gentry Lee to write the book Rama II, it was bound to be an extraordinary experience. No less so is the game based on their sci-fi masterwork. Aboard a great interstellar ship, you’ll find a world so vast, that exploring its complex secrets and mysteries will stretch both the limits of time and your mind. At first you will wonder: what goes on here.^ who can be trust- M ed? where Is the danger.? But, as you decrypt || sj (|| the language of octospiders and avians, and sur- I * ' |

vey the riddles of this 30-mile long spaceship, \ i i

you will be drawn in to play the role of savior. '

■HIM.X Not for The Weak-Willed or The Faint of

H Heart. But, definitely for The Adventurous ^

WIN 95 DOS Devotee of Sd-fi. 4* »

LEISURE SUIT LARRY

Attention Party

Animals: He s back. He s balding. He’s as desperate as ever. Yes, from the wackedH>ut mind of Al Lowe, comes the latest miss-adven- ture of Leisure Suit Larry, Love For Sail. ^ In this politically-incor- rect bikini-watch, you’re given the dubious task cavort his way through salty puzzles and brain teasers in quest of the ulti- \ mate, uh, well, uh, you figure it out. Guaranteed N to peg your laugh meter. But then what

^ expect from a CD game with MM Scratch ‘n’ Sniff? WIN 95 WIN DOS RSI

http://www.sierra.com/lsl7

A/^Vtilture G^BeS: Ideal for

jok^Spf

r! PHANTASMAGORIA® II

}\m\ Ro*>«rta Williams’ Phantasmagoria terrified and " captivated more than a million horror and mystery j If lovers as one of the unqualified successes of the

*2 fl[j| , past year. Now the terror Is back, Intensified and , more controversial than ever In an all new story,

' A Puzzle of Flesh'.'* A game that will appeal to The Steel-Nerved, this richly woven tapestry of psychological horror pulls no punches. The scenes are often all too graphic, the fear you’ll feel will be all too real. Fortunately, the designers have thoughtfully pro- vided a password-protected way to set the level of intensity, should this game be a little too much for some members of |»J M your family. Or, perhaps, even you. WIN 95 [p63 MAC

" .V' ■ *

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® 19% Stera On-Uw Im

I at Iranirt In Sie«>4 On Ltiir Inc Al o^ila

Mark

http://www.sierra.com/nascar2

NASCAR® RACING 2

What do you get when you take the most popular racing game ever made (the one PC Gamer called “the best racing sim ever made,'’ and the only one licensed by NASCAR) and tell the pit crew to do a major overhaul? You get a game with ‘96 cars and 16 Nascar Winston Cup cir- cuit tracks. You get 8-driver network play, a faster frame rate, and a new arcade mode that helps you start driving faster. Another most cool addition: sim- ulated spotter and crew chief communi- cations so you’ll know who’s on your tail and when it’s time for new rubber, is there a better game for The Avid Lover of Realism and Racing? Negatory.

NASCAf^£) Radng 2 b offkial>' ikxnsed by ^U^SC^ iBteness and marits of the *3 ON Ooodwiendt Servke stock car and the Dale Earnhardt name are ficensed with Dale Earnhardt, Inc The ri^ to use the name, likerKSS and image of the Hendrick Motorsports Car «5, Kellogg s Radng and Terry Latx>nte are grant- ed under license from Hendrick Motorsports. Tide aiHl Tide the Logo are registered trademarks of Procter & Gamble arrd may not be used without written consent of Procter & Gamble. Procter & Gamble has licensed these rights to Papyrus Design Group's name. Name and likeness of the « 10 Fide car is used under ioense nrith LCR, Inc. The right to use name, likeness and image of Hendrick Motorsports car #24 DuPont Automotive Rntshes and left Gordon are granted under license from 1C Motorsports, Inc The name of iohraiy _

Benson, the name, marks and race car /u ^

design of Bahari Racing’s *30 car

including the trademark of Penruoil -

Comparty, are used under license with I Bahari Racing and Johnny Benson. j

NASCAR Racing is also avail* able for Mac and the ins PlayStation^**

HSBi DOS console. ^

FRONT PACE SPORTS':

GOLF What does swinging a golf club have in common with clicking a mouse? If you ask us: nada. That’s why we invented TrueSwing”*. You pull the mouse back for your backswing, then thrust it forward for your shot. Now we’re talking golf. We’re also talking down-to- the-inch realism on the world-class courses you’ll play and the 3D animated golfers you’ll watch. And, thanks to net- work play, you can hit the links with up to 255 of your closest friends. Anything else? Yes. This game was designed by

Vance Cook, the genius

behind the original Links 386. So, basically, it’s the golf game to get if you’re The Settle-For- Nothing-But-The- Best kind of gamer,

WiN95l™ ^ - ^

http://www.sierra.com/goif

Buy ® CDc dr\i GefaSrpI

Lh Wicrr*' CI/5 crrw CPCj Trc^ see mall-m cards or can I-8OO-757-7707 to order direct.

http://www.sierra.com/lords2

LORDS II

The original Lords of the Realm''' was named “Best Historical Simulation” by PC Gamer. Now they say this all new sequel, “combines the best of two worlds,” referring to the real time battles and the turn- based strategy game that is Lords IL In other words, you can lay siege to your opponents with catapults, flaming