From webnews-owner@listserv.sierra.comWed Dec 18 13:28:26 1996
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 18:25:34 -0800 (PST)
From: webnews-owner@listserv.sierra.com
To: undisclosed-recipients:  ;
Subject: Sierra On-Line WebNews -- December 16, 1996

Sierra On-Line WebNews --  December 16, 1996
--------------------------------------------
Tired of the mall crowds?  Take a break and visit our website.  You'll 
find lots of new stuff, because we're releasing new titles almost every 
day.  Plus, we have lots of new demos and specials to help you make your
holiday gift choices.

WebNews is a free e-mail publication of Sierra On-Line.  If you'd like 
to unsubscribe from WebNews, just send an e-mail to 
<mail-server@listserv.sierra.com>.  The text of your e-mail should read:
unsubscribe webnews (your e-mail address)

But who'd want to unsubscribe?  Check out all the great stuff we have 
for you:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHAT'S IN THIS ISSUE

FREE DOWNLOADABLE DEMOS
A WHOLE NEW MEANING TO "FISHING NET"
HORROR FOR THE HOLIDAYS
K.A.A. -- DO YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES?
NEW MAC GAMES -- SO MUCH FUN, IT'S SCARY
BOILING OIL AND TRAMPLING ARMIES -- HUZZAH!
"PAWN" SHOPPING
THE REALM IS A REALITY!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FREE DOWNLOADABLE DEMOS

One of the best ways to sample our titles is to download our demos.  
And given how busy our servers have been, lots of you have been doing 
exactly that.  The most popular demos?   On the PC side of things, the 
hottest downloads have been Hunter/Hunted, Creep Night, CyberGladiators,
NASCAR Racing 2, Lords of the Realm II, and the new Win95 version of 
Caesar II!  
	http://www.sierra.com/archive/demos/

For Mac, the top grabs have been NASCAR Racing, Caesar II, Creep Night, 
and IndyCar Racing II!  And with nothing more extraordinary than a 
computer and an Internet connection, you too can have your very own 
copies of these demos.  
	http://www.sierra.com/macs/demos/

After you've checked out these demos, use our special Buy Two - Get One 
Free offer to stock up on Sierra gifts for your friends (and yourself!)
	http://www.sierra.com/hot/holiday/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A WHOLE NEW MEANING TO "FISHING NET"

Ahhhh, fishing.  There's nothing like it.

But wouldn't it be nice if you could get in a little angling in the 
evening after dinner?  Or land a bass on break at work?  With last 
year's Trophy Bass, Sierra brought the lake to your own computer with a 
bass fishing simulation so good that it was endorsed by B.A.S.S.!  And 
now we've given virtual fishing a whole new level of fun with the 
release of Front Page Sports: Trophy Bass 2.  This updated game features
multiple-player Internet capability, for the thrill of real-time bass-
fishing competition!  So now you can head out to the lake with your 
friends any day, even if it's only 10 degrees outside.  Even if you only
have an hour to spare.  Even if your friends are on three different 
continents.

Check out our new Trophy Bass 2 website area, with a playable demo, lake
maps, video tips from real bass pros, new weekly hints, special offers, 
fish stories, a chance to win a real fishing trip, and a message board 
where you can set up virtual fishing trips with other anglers from 
around the world!
	http://www.sierra.com/games/tbass2/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HORROR FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Horror fans everywhere, it's time to head for the store!  Phantasmagoria
2 has just been released and should be sitting on the shelves of your 
local software store.  (I say "should be" instead of "is" because there
are some stores -- and, in fact, some countries -- which have banned it,
but that's to be expected with any game that isn't as mainstream as 
certain conservative software retailers would like.)  But don't worry 
if Phantasmagoria 2 isn't at a store near you, since you can still order
directly from our website and have it shipped straight to your door (in 
a brown paper box).  Check out our website for ordering information, and
for plenty of screenshots, an intro movie file, and a description of the
game...
	http://www.sierra.com/games/phantas2/

If you've already purchased Phantasmagoria 2, you'll want to return to 
our website for a Phantasmagoria message board where you can ask your 
fellow gamers for hints, plus an entire walkthrough for all five 
chapters.  Enjoy the game!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
K.A.A. -- DO YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES?

You've heard me talk about our k.a.a. games.  Now that they're released,
we've completely revamped their webpages (and added playable demos for 
both games)!

For CyberGladiators, our robotic deathmatch combat game, we're offering 
video and sound clips, hints and tips, answers to frequently asked 
questions, and biographies of each of your warriors.  Study them well...
they'll give you an edge on the opposition when you step into the arena.
	http://www.sierra.com/games/cyberg/

For Hunter/Hunted, we have descriptions of the characters, enemies, and 
items in the game.  We have screenshots, sound files, and music.  We 
have extra levels which should challenge the most seasoned Hunter.  And 
we even have a level editor for creating your own missions.
	http://www.sierra.com/games/hunt/

We're also proud to announce that the Software Publishers Association 
nominated Hunter/Hunted for a 1996 Codie award!  And in celebration, 
we're offering a great deal on our two k.a.a. titles -- you can purchase
either CyberGladiators or Hunter/Hunted for only $39.95, or you can get 
them both together for only $59.95!  If you're looking to put some 
adrenaline under the tree this year, you've come to the right place.  
Oh, one note, though... if you don't have the hottest in hardware, don't
even bother.  These "killer apps" will make mincemeat of lesser systems. 
Think you have "the right stuff"?  Then bring on your Pentium!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEW MAC GAMES -- SO MUCH FUN, IT'S SCARY

We're talking about a lot of PC-based games in here, but don't you dare 
think that we're forgetting our Mac customers.  There are three new 
titles joining the ranks of our Mac releases this issue:  The Time Warp 
of Dr. Brain, Caesar II, and 3D Ultra Pinball 2: Creep Night!

The newest member of our Dr. Brain series is a mind-bending boggler 
which will challenge the gray matter of everyone in your family.  Not 
only does it contain 10 unique puzzle areas, but two of them are 
playable over the Internet!  Check it out...
	http://www.sierra.com/education/drbrain4/

If you think you're up to the challenge of carving a city from the 
wilderness (and your name in history), then have a look at Caesar II.  
The playable demo of this Roman city simulation will give your strategy 
skills a real workout.
	http://www.sierra.com/games/caesar2/

Then there's the latest addition to 3D Ultra Pinball.  Check out all 
the info, screenshots, tips and strategies on our Creep Night webpage.  
Then try them all out in a single-table demo which shows off all the 
fun new features that Creep Night has to offer.  We're willing to bet 
that you'll find this spooky silverball simulation to be the best 
pinball game around!
	http://www.sierra.com/games/3dupb2/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOILING OIL AND TRAMPLING ARMIES -- HUZZAH!

Think about the next few phrases:

Sharpening knives.  Chopping.  Boiling oil.  Storing grain in the 
cellar.  Battering.

If they suggest cooking, check out the newly-renovated MasterCook area 
of our site and download a few yummy recipes!
	http://www.sierra.com/sierrahome/mastercook/

On the other hand, if you're thinking of a medieval castle siege, then 
we have a completely different treat for you.  Ever since the original 
Lords of the Realm game was released, fans have been pounding at our 
gates, demanding a sequel.  Well, you can pack up your arbalests and 
tell the sappers to get out of the hole, because you've won.  Lords of 
the Realm 2 has just been released, and it's everything that you've been
asking for in a medieval strategy simulation.  Manage your county, keep 
your people happy, and make plans to swipe thy neighbor's land as you 
bid for the crown.  Check out the screenshots and a playable demo on 
our website.
	http://www.sierra.com/games/lords2/

This is also the final week of the Lords of the Realm 2 T-Shirt 
Giveaway, so if you haven't entered yet, check out the Contest link! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"PAWN" SHOPPING

Power Chess is hardly the first chess simulation on the software 
shelves.  It's not the first one to allow you to play against either a 
computer or live opponent.  And you might be thinking to yourself, "Why 
in the heck does the world need another chess sim?"  One reason... 
despite the flood of chess products available for home computers, this 
one is utterly unique.

No other computer chess program has all of the abilities of Power Chess:
an adaptive opponent who actually learns as you play and provides a 
constant challenge, an online tutor who gives you tips and helps you 
improve your game, and chess-playing logic which is based on the award-
winning Wchess engine!

And if that's not enough to convince you to grab a copy, then think 
about the fact that it's playable over the Internet, and you'll be able 
to challenge your fellow aficionados to a quick game from anywhere in 
the world!
	http://www.sierra.com/games/powerchess/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE REALM IS A REALITY!

We'd like to thank the thousands of people who have helped us to beta 
test The Realm!  Your many hours of playtesting and your flood of 
feedback have been incredibly useful to our game designers, and we are 
all very grateful for your assistance.  There's no way we could have 
done it without you.  Now the time has finally come to bring the testing
to a halt and take the next big step...  

On midnight, December 31, The Realm will graduate from its beta status 
and become a full-fledged Sierra game!  But by ordering the Realm CD 
now, you can continue to play the Realm whenever you want for as many 
hours as you want ... for an entire year.  Just think ... all the 
adventure, all the camaraderie, and all the ratlings you can eat!  
That's 365 days of online fun for only $49.95. 
	http://www.realmserver.com/

~~~~~~~
ENDGAME

Thanks for visiting Sierra's site.  As always, if you need help with 
ordering, technical support, hints, lost manuals, or anything else, 
just check out the Contacts page on our website. 
	http://www.sierra.com/support/contacts.html

Happy holidays!
	- Ken Williams
