CompuNotes Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing March 7, 1999 Issue 145 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= To subscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SUBSCRIBE COMPUNOTES-L FirstName LastName To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SIGNOFF COMPUNOTES-L For Contact and Other Information See Bottom of Publication! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= PC Week - Free!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A complimentary one-year subscription to the print edition of PC Week will be sent to applicants who qualify. Be one of the first 10,000 people to submit this subscription form and we'll reserve a copy of PC WEEK's 15th Anniversary Issue for you! Please click Below to reserve your copy. Click On Me: http://www.pub-serv.com/sf/zp/add/default.asp?url=zpa083 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CONTENTS My Notes: 1=> CompuNotes Notes, , mailto:pgrote@i1.net 2=> This Issue's Winner! News: 3=> News of the Week, mailto:pgrote@i1.net -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FREE NEWSLETTERS!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Get Free Newsletters delivered to your inbox. Check out this FREE service NOW! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/nl.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Reviews: 4=> Product: Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, game Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com 5=> Product: Easy Maps, utility Reviewed By: Rick Atkinson, mailto:atkinson@mindspring.com 6=> Product: Jet Audio Plus w/Jet Radio, utility Reviewed By: Howard Carson, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com 7=> Product: Webster's New World Word Wizard, educational Reviewed By: Bill Weiss, mailto:oneadem@worldnet.att.net 8=> Product: Speed Busters: American Highways, game Reviewed by: Gregory Carson (greg2die4), mailto:greg2die4@hotmail.com 9=> Product: Windows NT TCP/IP, book Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dmha@on.aibn.com -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FREE! Internet World Magazine| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Internet World Magazine is The only source you'll need for your Internet business and enterprise activities...sign up for FREE right here! Internet World puts all the news into perspective -- and that saves you valuable time and gives you an edge on breaking trends and technologies. Regular features include: E-Commerce, Infrastructure, Web Development, and Industry, Plus columns from leading reporters and journalists. Don't miss it...sign up today! It's FREE for EVERYONE!!! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/iw.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 1=> CompuNotes Notes, mailto:pgrote@i1.net Am I the only one who is amazed at the release of the Pentium III? I throw my hands up in there air and ask why? Why do we need a faster processor? Why 500 Mhz? Software has always horribly lagged behind the CPU development, but this is ridiculous. Never before in the history of the industry has the OS market been so far behind the CPU market. This includes Linux, Be and Windows. They are all 32 bit operating systems that don't even come close to tapping the power of a Pentium III processor. Why the disparity? Shouldn't it be easier to create software than hardware? If we look at the computer hardware and software industries as art, would it make sense to see the CPU as a tool used to design art such as software? You don't see sculptors using the latest chisel in an attempt to hone their skill. They used tried and true tools. Should we? There are three necessary tasks I see the Pentium III filling: 1) Games. Yes, the newer and best games need that processing power. 2) Servers. Yes, servers can tap that power. 3) Forcing older CPU prices down further. It is amazing what a 350 Mhz PC is selling for these days. What do you think? Send me your comments at mailto:pgrote@i1.net. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Real Coupons from the Internet - Cool Savings| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Print real coupons from your own computer. Free Membership Today! CLICK below to enroll for BIG savings from your favorite stores, restaurants, and travel companies. It's FREE and your privacy is guaranteed! Join over a million other smart shoppers and print real coupons from your own computer. New companies and new offers show up all the time. Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/cool.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2=> Winner! This week's winner: gerric@CYBERHIGHWAY.NET. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Get Paid to Surf the Net!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= THE MOST REWARDING PAGE ON THE WEB. LITERALLY. 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Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/plaunch.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3=> News and Game Bits, mailto:pgrote@i1.net or mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Big Brother and the Pentium III . . . http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,33402,00.html?st.ne.ni.lh The Next Play Station . . . http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,33164,00.html?st.ne.160.head Creative Enters Portable MP3 Market . . . http://www.wired.com/news/news/culture/story/18316.html Physicists with Too Much Time on their Hands ... and Necks . . . http://www.wired.com/news/news/culture/story/18270.html The Real Person behind Free Software . . . http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/18291.html Corel Really Does have Linux Plans ... Honest . . . http://e450.upside.com/texis/mvm/money/story?id=36e03e1e0 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= WorldPrints - Free Wallpaper!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Register Now and get one year of FREE Wallpaper for your Computer. We'll e-mail you Weekly with New Images. Choose From... o National Geographic o Life Magazine o Museum Collections and Much More!! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/wprints.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 4=> Product: Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, game Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Requirements: Win95/98, Pentium-133, 16 MB RAM, DirectX-6 compatible video card, 4x CDROM, 60 MB Hard drive space Recommended: Pentium-200, 32 MB RAM, 8x CDROM, 110 MB free hard drive space, microphone Reviewed on: Pentium-166, 48 MB RAM, 16x CDROM MSRP: $42.95 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Now and Support CompuNotes! Beyond.Com - $42.95 -- Click Here: http://www.beyond.com/AF2541/PKMM100522/prod.htm ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Anyone who has played computer games has probably heard of Sid Meier, but to us "old fogies" he is a very familiar name indeed. Unlike John Carmack, who has designed only action games, Sid has designed a wide variety of titles (mostly strategy, tis true). Sid was once quoted as saying that the most important question a designer should ask was "Is it fun?" (Yes, it sounds obvious - but so many game designers get it wrong!) Over the last decade and a half, he has been responsible for such hits as F-15 Strike Eagle, Mig Alley Ace, F-19 Stealth Fighter, Pirates, Railroad Tycoon, Sid Meier's Gettsyburg, and the one game practically everyone has heard of - Civilization. With all deference to Doom-fanatics, Civilization is the greatest game yet created for the personal computer. Civilization was updated a few years ago by Brian Reynolds for more modern 486 and Pentium computers, but the basic game and engine remained the same. Brian Reynolds and Sid Meier, both of whom originally worked at Microprose, have gone on to form Firaxis games and produce their own titles. Alpha Centauri is the spiritual descendant of Civ and Civ II, using a game engine that is nearly identical in look and feel to Civ II. In fact, the game begins where Civ and Civ II leave off - with the arrival of a colony ship at a habitable world circling the twin stars of Alpha Centauri. If you've played Civ and Civ II, there is a lot that will be familiar about Alpha Centauri, albeit with different names. Barbarians are mind worms; energy is credits; Wonders of the World are Secret Projects; all of Alpha Centauri was obviously built from the foundation of Civilization. There have been some noticeable changes, however, especially in the areas of the interface, the automation of your facilities, AI quality, and most especially in terms of those "barbarians" that keep popping up. If you're expecting to just hop right in and start playing, think again: this is not the Civilization (I or II) that you remember. New technologies abound, and the ability to design your own units is a very nice touch. Diplomacy is much deeper and improved, with AI providing a more interesting challenge than in previous games. I've played the game, read the manual, and looked at Usenet posts - and I'm still finding more depth to Alpha Centauri all the time. You can even customize particular text files (and the designers tell you where to find them) to provide yourself with an entirely new game. Much has been made about the "poor" quality of the graphics of Alpha Centauri, relative to 1999 "standards". Yes, this is not up to the standards set by Total Annihilation, but so what? Neither was Starcraft, and at least one on-line mag gave Starcraft game of the year honors. It should be noted that Alpha Centauri can be played on pretty much anything above a Pentium-133, while Total Annihilation requires at least a Pentium-166. I personally like the graphic look of Alpha Centauri and have a hard time understanding other players complaints. I should warn you, however: expect Alpha Centauri to consume you even more so than did Civ or Civ II. Why? Because even if you think you've mastered the single player game, you can still go on-line and bash human opponents. Yes, that's right: unlike Civ or Civ II, Alpha Centauri comes multiplayer enabled right out of the box (and Microprose just released the multiplayer version of Civ II!). Multiplayer can be played on a LAN or the Internet, and can be played using either simultaneous turns or ugoigo (that's You go, I go to you non-wargamers). You can even use your microphone to send nasty little comments to your enemies! Hotseat play was not originally included, but has been since added in a "feature enhancement" that you can download. It's only March - is it too early to call this the Game of the Year? Not in my book. The automation in Alpha Centauri is incredible. You can automate everything in the game - including the governors of your cities, military units and terraformers (Alpha Centauri's equivalent of Settlers). What makes it special is the degree to which you can control the automation - Firaxis claims it is the most sophisticated automation yet, and I think they are right. You can dictate to governors areas to focus on, and then further restrict what they build and how they spend energy. Terraformers can be fully automated, or automated to produce certain improvements (and even to just help their own home base). Another nifty trick is that besides the seven possible factions you can play, there is an "eighth" opponent - the planet itself (the only stupid thing in Alpha Centauri is the planet's name - Planet. Couldn't ya do better, Sid?) The planet is "alive" and reacts to your intrusion - the greater the injury, the greater the response. Mindworms and xenofungus are a plague, at least until you figure out how to control them. On the other hand, take a "green" approach to things and the planet will also respond - in a positive fashion. Weather is a factor, to a certain extent - you can pollute too much, resulting in global warming and melting of the ice caps. Beware this happening - your colonies can quickly wind up underwater! There are a number of ways to win as well - from defeat everyone to being elected Supreme Leader or achieving "transcendance". In a bow to other Sid Meier classics, resigning the game gives you a "score" and ranks you with humorous book titles you might publish as a result of your stature. And as I mentioned before, just about every aspect of Alpha Centauri can be customized. To summarize: Alpha Centauri is the early front-runner for game of the year. The penultimate turn-based strategy game from the masters of game design. Try out the demo at http://www.alphacentauri.com, it doesn't contain all the features the full game does but it lets you get a good feel for the gameplay. You won't be sorry - but your spouse might be. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Now and Support CompuNotes! Beyond.Com - $42.95 -- Click Here: http://www.beyond.com/AF2541/PKMM100522/prod.htm ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Firaxis Games Product Info: http://www.alphacentauri.com -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Catholic Digest - Family Magazine| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Want a close family? Plenty of good friends? Good health? Happiness? Laughter? Joy? Inspiration? Catholic Digest will enrich your life. Try a FREE ISSUE of Catholic Digest, plus reserve your FREE gift, "All About Angels". Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/catholic.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 5=> Product: Easy Maps, utility Reviewed By: Rick Atkinson, mailto:atkinson@mindspring.com MSRP: $12.99 With the proliferation of Web sites that offer good mapping tools, it's difficult for traditional mapping software program to measure up. As soon as the program is burned onto the CD, it's out of date. Web portals, such as Yahoo, Infoseek, and Excite, offer up to the minute maps and driving directions - even allowing you to report discrepancies in order to fine tune the service. Therefore, mapping software needs to offer something different to distinguish it from the free services on the Web. Or, as in the case of Easy Maps, retail at a low enough price to justify the purchase. Installation: Installation was a breeze. Just load the CD and run the setup file. The program leaves a small footprint on your PC as most of the data resides on the CD. Thus, when you want to run the program, you will need to have the CD loaded. I installed Easy Maps on a 166mhz Pentium laptop with 32megs of RAM and a 24x CDROM drive. As long as you have a 16x or higher CDROM drive, you should be fine since most of the processing involves the CD. Program: Easy Maps will appeal mainly to the laptop crowd. It's a nice tool to use if you are traveling due to the technological and financial constraints to getting on-line while in a car, hotel, or an airplane. With Easy Maps you won't need to look for a phone connection nor worry about the minutes you spend connected. With that being stated, Easy Maps has some noticeable limitations. For instance, it does not offer Driving Directions. Thus, you cannot plug in Point A and Point B to determine the best route, mileage, etc. Also, more recently built roads and Zip Codes are not available due to the aforementioned out of date once it hits the CD issue. Easy Maps shines when you need to locate a street or address in a metropolitan area. For instance, I recently visited Phoenix, Arizona for a few days. While there, I rented a car and used the software to help navigate my way around town (Don't Worry! Not, while I was actually driving the car!). Zooming in on the city of Phoenix, I then did a search for the address in question. Once the address is found, you can literally follow the roads on the map to determine a good route. The interface of the program is pretty straightforward. That's a good thing since the only instructions that come with the program exist on the jewel case and the on-line help is sparse. Most of the zooming and searching you have probably seen on the Web or in other programs. Once frustrating detail was the search function. For example, I was looking up an Atlanta, Georgia address while still zoomed in on Phoenix. The search would return empty because it only searches up to a 50 mile radius from your screen view. So, I would have to zoom out of my current view to search for a new one. A minor inconvenience, but annoying nonetheless. Never mind the extras included such as cost of living indicators, area codes, and weather conditions. You can get much more in depth and updated information from the Web. Easy Maps will appeal to those who are on the move or for those who want to look up an address without having to get on-line. And, at a retail price of $12.99, it won't hurt the pocketbook too much. Easy Maps Expert Software Product Info: http://www.expertsoftware.com/easy_maps.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Lands' End Gift Certificate Sweepstakes| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Enter to Win a $500 Lands' End Gift Certificate and get ready to shop on-line! Over 1000 items are in THE STORE, so there's something for everyone. Enter to Win today! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/landend.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6=> Product: Jet Audio Plus w/Jet Radio, utility Reviewed By: Howard Carson, mailto:lrhc@interlog.com Requires: Windows 95/98, NT 4.0, Pentium 90MHz, 16MB RAM, 16-bit stereo sound card, CD-ROM drive. MSRP: US$49.95 Jet Audio Plus is a large utility which provides software controlled playback of just about every kind of digital audio and video file you can think of. From WAV to MP3, AIF to SND, MID, AVI, MPG, MOD, and so on, Jet Audio Plus can play them all. The software is designed around an interface that resembles stacked, home audio/video equipment, in an attempt to create a familiar look and feel for end users. For people who listen to a lot of music or watch a lot of video on their PC, Jet Audio Plus is a comprehensive utility capable of replacing most of the single-purpose players you may already be using. Jet Audio Plus is a brand new product - it was scheduled to begin shipping on February 1st. The software is supplied on a single CD-ROM. Installation was uneventful. Configuration was equally uneventful. We tested the software on 2 machines: a Pentium II/350 MHz with 128 MB RAM running Windows 98, and a Dell Dimension XPS Pentium 166 with 64 MB RAM running Windows NT4 (SP3). The Dell machine was equipped with a Creative Labs SoundBlaster(R) AWE64 card, and a 4 MB Matrox Millennium video card. The Pentium II had a SoundBlaster PCI128 sound card, and an 8 MB ATI All-in-Wonder video card. As a straightforward multimedia player, Jet Audio Plus is efficient, easy to use, and might make a viable alternative to all the myriad players you may already have on your system, thereby freeing up some hard drive space. Note that Jet Audio Plus uses Windows Media Player to run video. As an added bonus, the software installation includes Jet Radio, providing access to streaming radio broadcasts on the Internet (as long as you've got RealNetworks' Real Player previously installed). There are 8 separate interface elements: the Power Station (used to switch the other sections on and off); the Effects and EQ Processor; the Sound Mixer (with all the different volume and gain controls); audio CD Player (programmable); the MP3 & Digital Audio player (programmable); the MIDI & Karaoke player (programmable); the Video player (for CD video and digital video files); the Remote Control (capable of controlling whatever section is active). Familiar transport controls displaying standard icons provide obvious hints to functionality. In addition, popup tooltips tell you what your mouse is hovering over. Create an album, load individual files, or access a CD audio or CD video disk. Click play. That's it. Jet Audio Plus has programming features to accommodate endless combinations of custom playlists for playback of CD audio disks, MP3 archives, MIDI files and so on. You can easily create albums containing MP3, WAV, MIDI, CD Audio, and MPEG, MOV or other video and audio file combinations. Imagine sitting back while your PC plays a multimedia list automatically? It's possible. And if your PC is located in a main living area, you'll be able to use your PC monitor and speakers as multimedia entertainment devices (for something other than games). Jet Radio helps in this area too, providing hundreds of preset stations to choose from. All in all, the software is interesting and worth a look (and listen). The software is missing two important things: a TV player, and a DVD player. I suspect that the lack of a DVD player is the result of exorbitant licensing costs for CSS encryption and Dolby AC3(R). Kim Jung Gyun of COWON System, Inc. (the developer of Jet Audio Plus) tells me they're planning to add DVD video support in the not-too-distant future though (software DVD playback). The company feels that TV player support is much too hardware-dependent however, and it's going to be focusing instead on the inclusion of an MP3 encoder as well. With more and more products recognizing the huge on-line movement towards MP3 audio, the territorial arguments invoked by the RIAA, NARAS, Sony Music, MP3.COM, on-line retailers, various MP3 search engines and dozens of others, should be heated to the boiling point very soon. Cons: The Jet Audio Plus interface is absolutely HUGE. Since you can only play one thing at a time, having the separate system 'components' on display (or having to reactivate them to play something else) is a bit odd. The Jet Audio Plus manual contains dozens of sentences and paragraphs which are extremely hard to understand. We really pay far too much for Asia/Pacific products to tolerate anything less than the standard we set for them by our own efforts when we localize our products for their markets. There is no on-line help system. The Sound Mixer section does not display all the different controls at the same time (the individual sliders are too wide - in strange contrast to the teeny transport controls). Pros: You can actually minimize the absurdly huge main interface leaving only the tiny remote control utility, making the whole thing smaller and less obtrusive than anything else on the market. If you're into interfaces, you can actually use your own bitmap images to create new 'skins' for Jet Audio Plus. It's fun to play with and seems to operate flawlessly. Jet Audio Plus w/Jet Radio COWON SYSTEM, INC. (Korea & U.S.A.) and Samsung America Product Info: http://www.cowon.com/English/englink.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Money Magazine for Free!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Worried about the markets? Concerned about your retirement? Why not listen to the experts? Why not secure professional advice for free? FREE TRIAL ISSUE of Money Magazine! Your personal guide to a great future of Financial Success! Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/money.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 7=> Product: Webster's New World Word Wizard, educational Reviewed By: Bill Weiss, mailto:oneadem@worldnet.att.net Requires: Pentium/90 or higher, Win. 95, 16 MB RAM, 4x CD-ROM, SVGA, Soundblaster or compatible sound card, mouse MSRP: $19.95 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy Webster's New World Word Wizard Now and Support CompuNotes! Beyond.Com - $18.95 -- Click Here: http://www.beyond.com/AF2541/PKIN678996/prod.htm ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Insects and aliens and gerbils, oh my! -- These are just a few colorful cartoon characters ready to unlock your children's minds and draw them into the wordy world of Webster's New World Dictionary. Word Wizard's collection of six wordplay games, each hosted by a different animated character, is designed to promote spelling, rhyming, word recognition, pronunciation and a host of word skills. And Webster's New World pop-up dictionary stands ready to lend a hand- I mean, a word. The dictionary itself is an eye-catching 300,000 word pup-up spelling and definition pal that can be uses separately, with other programs or within Word Wizard's six learning games. Its simple type-and-search interface appears as a playing card-size window with a little graphic razzle dazzle tossed in for eye appeal. Word lookup is basic: Click in the "Find a Word" search field, type your word, a scroll menu loaded with an alphabetical list of words close to the one you entered springs open with the "match" highlighted. Press your keyboard's enter key or click on the highlighted word and your definition and relevant grammatical information appears to the left in a small scrolling window. A small "Words You Found" window near the bottom stores all recent searches for easy reference. The ability to use the dictionary with other programs makes it a valuable on-line tool. With your favorite word processor or other package running, simply click on Word Wizard's task bar button to open the dictionary. Perform your search by either typing the desired word or pasting it into the search field from your work document. You can even copy/paste all or part of the definition from Word Wizard to your work page. Then click the minimize button to banish the dictionary back to the task bar. Although your children will no doubt find Webster's New World Dictionary a valuable homework buddy, the games are Word Wizard's real draw - One can only do so much homework. "Exterminator" uses five attacking insects to teach word recognition skills. Your child is prompted to click on a refrigerator door which reveals one of several treats and a brief definition of the current word. A few seconds after the word appears the bugs, each with a word printed on its side, slowly advance toward the goodies. Your child's job is to click on the word that fits the definition to stop the attack. "Verbal Gerbil" uses a ravenous - badly in need of a diet - gerbil to teach multi-syllable word recognition. A closet loaded food marked with word syllables opens and the gerbil offers an on-screen definition. The player then selects two or more pellets (syllables) that match the definition and drags them into the gerbil's food dish. Play ends when all syllables are used and the gerbil makes all sorts of "yummy" sounds. Close Encounter with Words helps kids recognize word sounds. A visiting alien transmits a word in his language (a phonetic spelling) and your child types the real word that sounds like the alien's message. A phonetic cheat sheet pops open for on-screen help. Each correct response earns a robot part that, when completed, does an animated dance. Magic Spell is different. Players are presented with two short words, which appear on laboratory beakers. Changing only one letter in each of two turns, the first word is altered until the new word is only one letter away from the second word given. For example, when presented with "cow" and "net," the player first enters "cot" and then "not" - this leaves only the middle letter, "o," to be changed to "e." Click the red valve to let the wizard know you've finished your spell. Takes a few tries to get the hang of it. Rhyme's the Reason is a word Concentration-like match game where players try to match rhyming words by picking tow at a time from the 3 x 6 game board. Winners are presented with a spectacular grand prize, among them a "Chia Rug!" Ghost Writer uses timed play to make this the most challenging of the six. Using a large stopwatch, your ghosty host measures your progress as you form as many words as possible from the small selection of letters that appear on a mechanical typewriter's keys. However, each minute of play causes some of the letters to vanish, making play more difficult. Your reward is a genie who floats across the screen. Game Central, Word Wizard's game selection control panel, provides clickable cartoon graphics that launch game. A Help button brings up a Spartan, text-only explanation of each button, but no on-screen game-play help. Speaking of Spartan, Webster's New World Dictionary didn't recognize "Spartan" and several other words, including "collude," criterion," "acumen," mediocre" and others. Marketed as a children's package, the dictionary is clearly best suited to very young students, perhaps fourth grade and below. Overall, Webster's New World Word Wizard is an inviting and functional learning tool for younger children. The dictionary is a handy on-screen reference, with more than enough power for younger students. Colorful graphics and relatively simple play lets kids jump right into the games that make learning fun; although on-screen examples and hints would help. More challenging games like Ghost Writer, Magic Spell and Word Writer seem beyond very young children, and relatively static, two-dimensional graphics won't likely hold older players' attention. Monotonous theme tunes (or noises) seems designed to drive parents from the room. Lots of learning fun for little money. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy Webster's New World Word Wizard Now and Support CompuNotes! Beyond.Com - $18.95 -- Click Here: http://www.beyond.com/AF2541/PKIN678996/prod.htm ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Macmillan Digital Publishing Children's Dictionary and Word Games -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= All Kinds of Catalogs for You! Free!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Do you shop by mail? Looking for that hard to find item? Just like unique products? Then you need the Catalog Request Center! You'll find over 300 FREE catalogs! Use this FREE service to quickly locate the catalogs that have the products you want. Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/catalogs.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 8=> Product: Speed Busters: American Highways, game Reviewed by: Gregory Carson (greg2die4), mailto:greg2die4@hotmail.com Requires: Windows 95 or 98, Pentium 166, Cyrix 6x86, AMD K6, 32MB RAM, 4MB 3DFX graphics accelerator card or 4MB VRAM D3D graphics accelerator card (PCI or AGP) MSRP: US$44.95 I have to say that Speed Busters: American Highways is one of the best racing games I have ever played. There are seven cars and one hidden vehicle assembled from all of the niftiest features of hot cars from the 1950s to the 1990s. On top of that, you can even choose from a big assortment of paint job 'skins'. The game features interactive animations, excellent racing game play, and genuinely original car designs. This game was tested on my Pentium II/266MHz, with 64MB RAM and a 4MB Matrox Millennium graphics card. From the opening video through to the end of your first race, Speed Busters: American Highways is a blast. I started in Arcade mode. The car models were very detailed and the paint jobs were great (some of the color combinations are hypnotizing!) But as I started to play, the thing that caught and held my attention even more closely were the tracks. Everything is so detailed, right down to the stones on the ground. The tracks are very atmospheric and hold your attention, sometimes to the point of losing your focus on the road itself. When I switched to Championship mode, the game changed quite a bit. The A.I. is great. The programmers have created amazing tactics which other cars use to cut you off or make you swerve out of control. It is very well done and makes the game a challenge and fun to play (over and over and over). Championship mode is fun, fun, fun! Network racing is also terrific using Speed Busters. There seems to a particularly great group on-line right now. I found lots of other racers, all of whom were just itching for a challenging race. All in all I think I preferred the Arcade mode. You can choose your own map, and set the number of opponents. There are also more options to choose from, and it doesn't matter whether you place first or last. Of course Arcade mode is a great place to practice as well. Editorial Note: We brought the game CD to a neighbor who owns a force feedback wheel. Although we only had about half an hour of play time, we were impressed. Speed Busters uses the Immersion Force Feedback Application Programming Interface (API). For those unfamiliar with APIs, they're simply proprietary pieces of software programming code, related to specific hardware devices or specific parts of a program or operating system. In this case, the Immersion Force Feedback API is a bit of programming code which tells game programmers how to send the right kind of signals to force feedback game controllers. In Speed Busters, all the highway surfaces can be felt, in some cases surprisingly well. Force feedback wheels are tailor made for games like this. If you don't have a force feedback wheel, the customizable keyboard option also works extremely well. Cons: The Ubi Soft Web site recommends at least a Pentium 166 processor, but the game packaging states Pentium 200. We minimum we recommend is a P233MMX or higher though, along with a 3DFX graphics accelerator. You must have the very latest drivers for your video card. Using an older driver with my Matrox proved to be a jerky and distracting experience in 512x480 resolution. There are a few sound effects which could be improved quite a bit. Pros: The opening video is really terrific. The music tracks are very closely matched to the action and the car styles. Ubi Soft provides additional tracks are car skins for download from their Web site. If you're a racing fan with a newer 3D accelerator, this game is an absolute must-have. Even if you're not a big racing fan, this game is well worth trying. Ubi Soft Entertainment Speed Busters: American Highways http://www.speedbusters.com/oldindex.html -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Exciting New Career!| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ELECTRONICS IS ONE OF THE HOTTEST CAREERS TODAY! GET A FREE COURSE CATALOG AND HANDBOOK FROM CIE! If you like electronics, now's the best time to think about establishing an electronics career. Cleveland Institute of Electronics -- the leader -- has a FREE electronic symbols handbook, just to introduce you to their career courses. Click On Me: http://www.get-it-for-free.com/compunotes/clvelec.htm -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 9=> Product: Windows NT TCP/IP, book Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dmha@on.aibn.com MSRP: $29.99 USA / $42.95 CAN ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy Windows NT TCP/IP at Amazon.Com Now and Support CompuNotes! Amazon.Com - $23.99 -- Click Here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1562058878/compunotes/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Windows NT TCP/IP is intended for administrators or Windows designers who are involved with TCP/IP on a regular basis. This is a complex four hundred and fifty-eight- page guide to the inner workings of TCP/IP. Open this text to the Introduction page and you will see the author's statement on who can benefit using his guide: This book is for the networking professional who is responsible for administering and managing a Windows NT network that is configured to use the TCP/IP protocol. If you have worked with TCP/IP using other systems, you will gain insight and understanding on how TCP/IP is implemented in Windows NT. If you have not worked with Windows NT before, this book will still be of value to you; it exposes you to the architecture of Windows NT and how the TCP/IP protocol and application services work. The author covers the subject matter in great detail and does a first class job explaining TCP/IP concepts-- acronyms for Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol. The IP side of the equation provides uniform address naming and the routing of IP packets to the next destination. The TCP side of the equation is to provide reliable end-to-end data delivery or computer to computer, on a network or the Internet. There are many other functions of TCP/IP such as layering, multiplexing etc., that are covered in more detail in the book. The fifteen chapters embrace such subjects as: TCP/IP Architecture for Windows, Installing the TCP/IP Protocol and Services, Configuring TCP/IP, Advanced TCP/IP Configuration Using the Registry and Perl, TCP/IP Protocol Traces, Routing with Microsoft TCP/IP, DHCP Configuration and Management, TCP/IP Name Resolution Using WINS, TCP/IP Name Resolution Using DNS, Network Management for Microsoft Networks, Accessing the Internet Using RAS and PPTP, Network File System Protocol Support for Microsoft Networks, TCP/IP Mail Services for Microsoft Networks, Diagnostic Tools for Microsoft TCP/IP Networks. Throughout the book, the author uses many diagrams and screen shots to reinforce or make the topic being discussed easier to understand. However, diagrams and screens captures aside, this book is extremely interesting and packed full of need-to-know information on TCP/IP settings and functions. The following is an example of authors straight to the point writing style from Chapter seven "Routing on a Windows NT Server." Here the subject is broken down into mini steps for the reader to follow: ...To convert a Windows NT computer into a router, you must have a least two network adapters...if installing a network adapter card after Windows NT has been installed, you must configure Windows NT to Recognize the new network adapter...ensuring that the network adapters are recognized by Windows NT, you must enable IP forwarding...NT is now configured to act as a router between the interfaces. To farther aid a user the authors has a screen shot and six easy to follow steps on how to enable IP forwarding. The next section jumps right into building efficient IP networks using routers, and covers the topic in depth. The author literally takes the reader by the hand and becomes your trusted guide through the mysterious world of TCP/IP. Windows NT TCP/IP, by Karanjit S. Siyan, Ph.D., and the publishers New Riders is an excellent resource of information for Network Administrators or anyone who requires a working knowledge on the subject. Although not intended for a novice, and more technically oriented for the professional, any reader will gain more insight into using and understanding TCP/IP. No doubt this book will make an valuable addition and a useful tool to a system administrators reference bookshelf. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Buy Windows NT TCP/IP at Amazon.Com Now and Support CompuNotes! Amazon.Com - $23.99 -- Click Here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1562058878/compunotes/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Windows NT TCP/IP By Karanjit S. Siyan, Ph.D. Publisher: New Riders 201 West 103rd Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46290 Product Info: http://www.newriders.com -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Free Newsletter . . . 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Never dull, sometimes tardy, we are here to bring you the computing world the way it is! Please tell every on-line friend about us! CompuNotes B440 1114 West Essex Ave. St. Louis, MO 63122 notes@compunotes.com (C)1999 Patrick Grote .