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Starcraft gone GoldMaster!
Blizzard Entertainment announced today that it released StarCraft, one of the most critically aclaimed games of 1998, for the Macintosh to manufacturing for duplication. The company expects the product to start hitting retail shelves within a few days.

StarCraft: Brood War, Blizzard's official expansion set for the game, is still on schedule for a summer release. StarCraft: Brood War features an extended story line, six new units (two for each race), three new tile sets and 26 new missions.

As commander of the Terrans, Protoss or Zerg species, StarCraft players embark on a collision course for galactic domination. While battling in space, on planetary surfaces and within installations, players face 30 do-or-die missions. With each mission, more of the epic story of the universe unfolds.

"At Blizzard, we are excited about the success of Apple's iMac consumer computer and we are pleased to produce a game that will be able to take advantage of its new features," said Michael Morhaime, president and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. "Additionally, we are continuing to expand our focus on Internet gaming by providing cross-platform support over Battle.net, allowing PC and Macintosh gamers to compete immediately."

Key features in StarCraft for the Macintosh include: * Three intergalactic species boasting unique units, technologies, attributes and abilities.

• Evolving storyline that unfolds as players experience the game from each of the three species' perspective.
• 30 different missions in space, on planetary surfaces and within installations.
• Real-time light sourcing, true line of sight and advanced translucency engine combine for visual and tactical realism.
• Multiplayer option that supports as many as eight players via networks and the Internet.
• Seamless one-click free access on-line gaming via Battle.net. Blizzard charges no hourly or monthly fees for game play. Internet access is required to play over Battle.net.
• Cross platform support that enables competition between Macintosh and PC players.
• Unique player IDs and worldwide rankings for tournaments and challenge ladders on Battle.net.
• Full-featured campaign editor that allow players to create their own scenarios and maps complete with trigger points, custom speech, sound, text and hero characters.

StarCraft for the Macintosh will be available in CD-ROM format at most computer and software retail chains worldwide for approximately $50. The game will also be available directly from Blizzard at (800) 953-SNOW and www.blizzard.com.

Codebook 3.4 Released
The largest compilation of gaming cheats for the Macintosh has been updated to 3.4. You can download this latest version at: http://www.codebook.pp.se

Tomb Raider Gold goes Gold
Tomb Raider Gold is in duplication! The final master has been passed to the publisher, Aspyr Media,, and they have given it to their duplicators.

The game should be hitting the stores in a couple weeks.

Tomb Raider Gold includes the original Tomb Raider I, which has some of the best level design in the Tomb Raider series. Also included are the Unfinished Business levels, which are very large and a great bonus.

Apologies all around
I would like to apologise to all of the MGA's readers out there who have written to me expressing their concern over the MGA's news coverage (or lack thereof). Unfortunatly, lately it seems I am almost too busy to provide daily news updates. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks, that should improve. Until then, I hope you stay with us!

Tomb Raider 2 Patch
A new patch for Tomb Raider II Mac is now available. The 1.0.2 patch fixes several minor bugs and can be downloaded from Aspyr Media's site by clicking here. Also available at Aspyr's site will be a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page that has answers to some common problems TR2 players are having.

The fixes in the 1.0.2 patch include:

• More minor RAVE bugs fixed., including support for Rage 128.
• Ability to set monitor refresh rate for RAVE video modes.
• Several workarounds for known problems listed with the Update read me.

Sale at Mac-O-Rama
Still waiting for Spring? Check out these great prices at MAC-O-RAMA!

• F/A-18 Hornet 3.0 $10
• Fallout $24
• Hexen $10
• Hoyle Board Games $24
• Hoyle Card Games $24
• Hoyle Casino $24
• MacMagic card (IN STOCK) $99
• Starcraft (PRE-BOOK) $46
• Wolfenstein 3D $10

And get FREE Priority Mail shipping on these awesome games:

• 12mb Game Wizard $199
• Myth 2: Soulblighter $36
• Dark Vengeance $37

Plus, get MACBUCKS on every purchase! That's right, every purchase earns a discount toward your next purchase. Prices listed good while supplies last. Free Shipping items ship via US Priority Mail. MAC-O-RAMA is located at http://www.mac-o-rama.com.

News on Mac Starcraft
Here's the latest word from Blizzard on the status of Mac Starcraft:
I suspect you are wondering about whatever happened to StarCraft for the Mac, and sometimes I even find myself wondering about it. Although I can't say how much longer it will take before we ship, to be honest, the game is very close to being completed. Thank you for your continued patience. Below you will find an explanation of the current status of the game.

Blizzard has received many inquiries from the Macintosh community regarding the status of Starcraft for the Mac. We know that many of you are eager to play the game, so we are pleased to announce that development, game balancing and testing are complete.

However, during the time that it has taken to convert the game to the Macintosh, the PC version has undergone stability, balance and installer changes. In our desire to provide the best Macintosh gaming experience possible, we have been working on ensuring that the Macintosh version is fully compatible with the PC version. Instead of updating the Macintosh version to the latest version through a series of patches, we have decided to incorporate the upgrades before releasing the game so that Macintosh players can battle PC players instantaneously. We have already begun the process of implementing these compatibility upgrades and do not anticipate any additional delays to the game's release. We will post an announcement as soon as the final version releases to manufacturing.

Spring Cleaning Sale at Mac-O-Rama
MAC-O-RAMA is cleaning house and they've got some deals for you. You treated your Valentine to something special (at lease we hope you did!), so now it is time to treat yourself!

iPlay for Mac (includes Flight Unlimited and three other awesome games) is only $20 (with FREE SHIPPING!). Get Myth 2: Soulblighter for just $39 (with FREE SHIPPING!), Sid Meier's Colonization is $10 and you can't beat Descent at $10! Go home with The 7th Guest for $17 or get Damage Incorporated, Allied General, or Hexen for $10 each. Get spring time fresh with The Prince of Persia Collection for $20 (with FREE SHIPPING!) or Pirates! Gold for $10. Remington Top Shot and Mac Pak are just $18 each, and Unreal is $27! Finally, they've got the 12mb Game Wizard in stock for $199 (with FREE SHIPPING!).

Prices good while supplies last. Free Shipping is by US Priority Mail. FREE GIFT WRAPPING ON ANY PURCHASE

MAC-O-RAMA is a Gaming/ Software site located at <http://www.mac-o-rama.com> that caters strictly to Macintosh users.

Progress of Falcon 4
Here's an update on the Progress of one of Westlake's many titles that they are bringing to the Mac:
Falcon 4.0 Mac is coming along well, with much of the recent work taking place on the networking front. The game is playing well over TCP/IP against both Macs and PCs. The next step will be to go into full beta and after some heavy testing it should be ready to go.

The Mac code is now up to date with the PC shipping version, and we're hoping to integrate any patches that come out on the PC before the Mac version ships.

Given the complexity of this sim, we're holding off on estimated ship dates. But the project is certainly on final approach

Sale at Mac-O-Rama
Birds do it, bees do it... Why don't you do it? Treat your Valentine! Pick up Unreal for only $27. Get busy with Myth 2: Soulblighter for just $36 (with FREE SHIPPING!), Warcraft Battlechest is $19 and you can't beat Allied General at $10! Go home with Klingon Honor Guard for $43 and Dark Vengeance is only $37 (with FREE SHIPPING). Get lucky with The Prince of Persia Collection for $19 or the 12MB Game Wizard from Micro Conversions for $199 (with FREE shipping). And let's not forget everyone's favorite date, Tomb Raider 2 is only $39! Happy Valentine's Day!

Prices good while supplies last. Free Shipping is by US Priority Mail. FREE GIFT WRAPPING ON ANY PURCHASE!! Just ask!

The hunt has begun!! The SCAVENGER HUNT of LOVE, that is!!! Find the cupid and collect the secret words to win a bag full of goodies from MAC-O-RAMA. Check the MacAddict Network home page <http://www.macaddictnetwork.com> each day for a clue to help you find the cupid! Use the clue to find the site of the day... find and click on the cupid to reveal the secret word. The first 10 people to call MAC-O-RAMA (on Valentine's Day) with all the secret words... WIN, WIN, WIN! Check <http://www.mac-o-rama.com> for more details.