MICROSOFT INTRODUCES TWO NEW INTERACTIVE TITLES FOR THE HOME: COMPLETE
GARDENING AND READER'S DIGEST COMPLETE DO-IT-YOURSELF GUIDE

New Titles Give Do-It-Yourselfers the Information They Need To Tackle
Virtually Any Gardening or Home Maintenance Task

REDMOND, WASH. - FEB. 7, 1996 - Microsoft Corp. today announced MicrosoftR
Complete Gardening and Reader's Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide, two
new interactive titles that give homeowners the information they need to
tackle gardening and home maintenance projects with confidence.

Each title brings its subject matter home through thousands of photos,
illustrations, audio clips, videos and animation. Both titles make full
use of multimedia to explain key gardening and home maintenance concepts.
For example, an animated clip in Complete Gardening teaches you how to
prune by having you saw off a tree limb. Likewise, Reader's Digest
Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide teaches you the best way to tackle any
repair, calculates the total materials you'll need for your projects, and
keeps a running shopping list of everything you should buy.

Both titles include tips from the experts, interactive tours, and
personalized shopping lists and diaries that allow users to keep track of
everything they need for their projects - or just want to remember. The
two products are more useful and engaging than books because consumers can
easily view step-by-step techniques in video and animation, learning at
their own pace until they understand processes fully.

"People want to maintain and improve their homes and gardens, they're
willing to spend money doing it, and they want to be proud of their
results," said Mary Ord, managing editor in the consumer division at
Microsoft. "Whether they're novices or pros, they want cost-effective,
successful solutions - and they want to have fun. They can achieve optimum
results with Microsoft Complete Gardening and Reader's Digest Complete
Do-It-Yourself Guide."

ENJOY THE PLEASURES OF GARDENING, EVEN WITHOUT A GREEN THUMB

Microsoft Complete Gardening includes a range of features that make it easy
and enjoyable for users to get the most out of their gardens, to have fun
and get inspired, and to save money:

PERSONALIZATION lets gardeners specify the region, plant characteristics
and garden conditions that interest them, so they can go directly to the
information they most want and need.

THE PLANT ENCYCLOPEDIA includes photos, care tips and other information
about nearly 4,000 plants, including annuals, perennials, herbs, bulbs,
fruits, shrubs, trees, vegetables, vines and grasses. The built-in Plant
Selector makes the encyclopedia quick and easy to use.

THE PROBLEM FINDER, filled with dozens of photos, helps gardeners quickly
identify the diseases, pests and other pitfalls - such as adverse water,
light and soil conditions behind the most vexing garden problems. Then,
Problem Finder suggests the best solutions for a given problem.

TECHNIQUES AND ADVICE uses animation, video, illustrations and photos to
offer advice from experts on planning, planting and caring for any type of
garden. For example, it explains how to design a garden, choose the right
tools, prune trees for maximum health, and garden for specific climatic
regions.

REGIONAL GARDEN TOURS provide relaxing, inspirational visits - via photos
and narration - to 20 outstanding gardens in North America.

THE MEDIA GARDEN lets gardeners browse a colorful illustrated garden and
learn techniques at their own pace through 50 animations and videos.

Microsoft Complete Gardening includes an unprecedented combination of
horticultural expertise from throughout the country, offering the best
advice tailored to each of the nation's regions and climates. Leading
contributors include the New York Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical
Garden, the Holden Arboretum, Chicago Botanic Garden, Boerner Botanical
Gardens, Memphis Botanic Garden, Old Westbury Garden, University of
California Botanical Garden, Cornell Plantations, Matthaei Botanical
Gardens, Callaway Gardens, and Huntington Botanical Garden.

ESSENTIAL HOMEOWNER'S GUIDE OFFERS STEP-BY-STEP PROJECTS, AN INTERACTIVE
HOUSE

Reader's Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide is the only home maintenance
and repair software based on the world's most popular home-repair book -
The Reader's Digest "New Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual," which has sold
millions of copies.

With nearly 1,000 articles, Reader's Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide
is packed with more expert advice and information than any other
home-repair software guide. It's also the only guide that provides a
single-screen illustrated overview of all the steps in a home project.
With the Reader's Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide, homeowners get the
following:

 MORE THAN 550 PROJECTS with in-depth, step-by-step directions and
 techniques demonstrated in video and animation. Maintenance and
 repair projects range from "Restoring heat in an emergency"
 and "Unclogging a blocked drain" to "Curing basement
 dampness" and "Repairing wallboard and plaster."

 A GUIDE TO MORE THAN 600 HAND AND POWER TOOLS, with thousands of
 photos, illustrations, videos and 3-D animations based on the
 Reader's Digest Book of Skills & Tools. It explains the proper
 use of each tool, provides safety tips and offers substitutes.
 Homeowners also get advice on how to use and buy more than 165
 materials. Information about tools and materials can be accessed
 easily from within any project.

 SIXTEEN ESTIMATORS - more than any other home improvement software
 -help homeowners save time and money, reducing guesswork and
 costly trips to the store, by calculating the amount of materials
 needed for projects from painting to putting up wallboard.

 LIST MAKER saves time by providing a convenient, centralized place
 to keep shopping lists; find seasonal maintenance reminders; and
 keep notes, contractor phone numbers, budget information and more.

 HOW YOUR HOUSE WORKS, an animated, interactive 3-D house, makes
 it fun and easy to learn at an individualized pace about all of
 ahome's major systems, including heating, plumbing and wiring.

 GUIDED TOURS let the user sit back and learn from the tips and
 mistakes of real homeowners as they explain the ins and outs of
 topics such as "Seasonal tune-ups," "Coping with
 emergencies," "Preparing your home for sale" and
 many others.

 SAMPLE CONTRACTS help the consumer avoid pitfalls and get the job
 done right when hiring professionals.

PRICING, AVAILABILITY AND SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Microsoft Complete Garden and Reader's Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide
are scheduled to be available in April for approximately $34.95.

Each product requires the WindowsR 95 or the Windows NT&#153; Workstation
operating system version 3.51 or later (they do not run on WindowsR 3.1 or
earlier), a multimedia PC with a 486/33 or higher microprocessor, 8 MB of
RAM when using Windows 95 and 16 MB of RAM when using Windows NT, 10 MB of
hard-disk space, a double- speed or faster CD-ROM drive, a Super VGA or
higher-resolution monitor with minimum 256-color support, a Microsoft
Mouse or compatible pointing device, a Windows-compatible sound card, and
headphones or speakers.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of
products and services for business and personal use, each designed with
the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take
advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
 
 =========================================================
 From the 'New Product News' Electronic News Service on...
 AOL (Keyword = New Products) and Delphi (GO COMP PROD)
 =========================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the
 company/author mentioned. For additional details, please
 contact them directly at the address/phone# indicated.
 Trademarks are the property of their respective owners!
 =========================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  USA
 Email:   rbakerpc@aol.com   --or--   rbakerpc@delphi.com
 =========================================================
