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The News section is maintained by Jonathan Dreyer. Please send any comments or submissions to him.
Check our Archives for an older news item

Tomb Raider Gold Coming
From Westlake:
Tomb Raider Gold (which is Tomb Raider 1 + four extra levels) is well underway. The game is running great in 3Dfx and software, with the RAVE version soon to be finished. We've been playing through all the original levels and it is working fine. There is no exact release date yet, but Tomb Raider Gold Mac should be ready right around the end of the year.

The projected minimum requirements for Tomb Raider Gold Mac are:
PowerMac 80mhz or faster
16MB of RAM
System 7.5.3 or higher
4X CD-ROM
QuickTime 3.0 (included)

Klingon Honor Guard Update
From Westlake:
Klingon Honor Guard is now at first playable, we have all the levels, weapons, and new monsters working. We're currently testing network play and adding new music support (CD audio).

Klingon Honor Guard uses the Unreal engine to allow you to fight your way through the heart of the Klingon Empire, with over 20 levels and 10 weapons.

There is no release date set yet, but projections are it will be available around Christmas. For more information on Klingon Honor Guard, check the Microprose web site.

Falcon 4 Update
From Westlake:
Falcon 4.0 Mac is now at Alpha. It currently runs in software and 3Dfx modes, and we'll be adding RAVE support soon. The game is looking great, the graphics are really a step beyond previous flight sims. At this point we are still waiting for some new code from Microprose, as they get closer to final.

Today is Remembrance day in Canada.

Little Caesars serves up "Fractions"
Little Caesars Fractions Pizza, the newest addition to Panasonic Interactive Media’s new PanaKids software publishing label, is the only program of its kind that wholly focuses on the fundamentals of fractions.  Any way you slice it, Little Caesars Fractions Pizza is destined to become one of the hottest new educational CD-ROM software titles ever when it is delivered to retail shelves today.  And with a little “Piece A Pizza” incentive from Little Caesars Pizza chain, families will have all the ingredients they need for a fulfilling and satisfying way to learn fractions.

Little Caesars Fractions Pizza is an innovative and engaging way to teach children ages 8-11 the basic concepts and rules behind fractions.  This fun-filled, skill-building CD-ROM game combines time travel, pizza making, arcade games and sing-along tunes to entice kids through different worlds where they encounter challenging concepts requiring them to distinguish parts of a whole, equivalent fractions, fractions greater than one and estimation.

"Because fractions are an abstract concept, they have traditionally been one of the most difficult areas of math for children to comprehend," said Makoto Morise, producer of Panasonic Interactive Media.  "This program provides the tools and information to make learning fractions an enjoyable experience for parents and children."

In this program, Panasonic Interactive Media's most popular characters, Mike & Spike, are featured as owners of a high-tech pizzeria, known as Fractions Pizza.  Together they lead children on an interactive journey where young learners travel into the past on a pizza delivery route to participate in fun scenarios that develop fraction-solving skills. 

Little Caesars Fractions Pizza begins the adventure by giving children delivery assignments that lead them to four destinations:

Dukedom: In a medieval castle, the learner must acquire land for the local king by mastering the fractions basic of distinguishing parts of the whole.

Amazing Mozart: Classical music sets the stage for a fast-paced game of cat-and-mouse where children learn the concept of equivalent fractions.

Triassic Park: Fractions greater than one is the fundamental skill acquired during this Jurassic adventure at the Stone-Age shooting gallery.

Studio 50: The final stop on the pizza delivery route, children become contestants in a 1950's style Tic-Frac-Toe game show where they are taught estimation.

This program runs on PC and Macintosh platforms and will be available nationwide for a suggested retail price of $29.95.

Minimum system requirements:
Windows 95:  486DX4/100MHz, 8MB RAM, SVGA graphic card, 5MB free hard drive space, SoundBlaster compatible sound card, 2x CD-ROM
Macintosh:  68040/40MHz, 8MB RAM, 5MB free hard drive space, 2x CD-ROM

Little Caesars, the international pizza chain with nearly 5,000 restaurants in 50 states and several foreign countries, will be serving up thousands of Fraction's Pizza, samples (demo CD-ROM) to its U.S. customers.  In addition, millions of $10 rebate coupons will be available at participating Little Caesars locations beginning on November 10^th (while supplies last).

November Sale at Mac-O-Rama
MAC-O-RAMA is having a November sale and you'll be GIVIN' THANKS for these prices! Get Tomb Raider II for $43 and Diablo is only $24. Pick up Lode Runner II for just $26 and finish off with Food Chain for $14.

PLUS, Each purchase of $25 earns an entry in our holiday drawing to win 12 free games, one every month for all of 1999! The contest began October 1, 1998 and ends December 31, 1998. Watch for special purchases that will increase your chances of winning with tons of "BONUS" entries!

No purchase necessary for entry. Some rules and restrictions may apply. Please see <http://www.mac-o-rama.com> and click on the link for complete rules and details.

Blizzard Settles Lawsuit
As part of a legal victory that sends a strong message to publishers of unauthorized computer game add-on disks, Blizzard Entertainment announced today that Microstar Software has agreed to immediately cease the distribution and sale of Stellar Forces, an unauthorized add-on disk for Blizzard's game, StarCraft. Microstar further agreed to destroy all remaining product in inventory. Additionally, Microstar will pay an undisclosed amount in settlement to Blizzard.

"Blizzard filed this suit to prove that end-user license agreements are indeed enforceable," said Paul Sams, vice president of business development for Blizzard Entertainment. "We as a publisher have the right to control who uses our content and for what purposes. We will continue to aggressively defend our properties, so we can prevent the makers of unauthorized products from misleading our customers and damaging the Blizzard label."

Said Stephen Benedict, president of Microstar, "We regret our decision to release the product and any harm to the Blizzard label or StarCraft franchise that our actions may have caused."

Microstar released Stellar Forces, a collection of levels and missions created with StarCraft's Campaign Editor, in May of this year following Blizzard's release of StarCraft on March 31. Microstar distributed the product for retail sale, despite Blizzard's end-user license agreement that explicitly prohibits the commercial exploitation of StarCraft's Campaign Editor or materials created with the Campaign Editor.

Sorry I didn't have time to get to the news today, extra big news page tomorrow!

Sorry for the missing so much news this week! More updates coming this afternoon, I promise...