Life in the Cyber-Lane: Take a Ride With Grolier's "Surf and Destroy"

DANBURY, Conn. -- May 16, 1996 -- Imagine if it were possible to dive
through a computer screen and embark on an earth-saving adventure inside
the pathways of the Internet. Wonder no longer. In Grolier Interactive's
CD-ROM "Surf and Destroy," players are "transvected" from solid matter
into a digital form that can exist within the Internet's urban graffiti
tunnels where hairy eyeballs, GoonBots and toxic baby dolls lurk. While
users do not actually log onto the Internet to play this game, they do
rocket through a fantasy cartoon-stylized universe.

Available in October 1996, Grolier Interactive's real-time
escape-and-pursuit-style game is the first CD-ROM scheduled for release
using FireWalker, the premier authoring system from Silicon Graphics that
streamlines and enhances the creation of interactive 3-D, real-time video
games.

Created by award-winning screenwriter Larry Kay, Toonsmiths, and acclaimed
software developer MediaX, "Surf and Destroy" whisks users away on a zany
escapade which is accompanied by the upbeat tempo of big band tunes.

"The developers wanted to expand the notion of what a game is both in
playability and concept," John McIlvaine, vice president, marketing,
Grolier Interactive, said. "'Surf and Destroy' combines the fun and
white-knuckle thrills of a challenging action adventure game with the
quick reflexes and manual dexterity of a great arcade game."

In the story, a vicious computer virus is trashing the world's computers
and bringing the planet to its knees. At the helm of the ordeal is the
evil genius Rood O'Dor, who has unlimited high-tech resources and a wicked
sense of humor.

The objective of the game is to foil Rood O'Dor's plans. The user flies
through seven dizzying "toobs" interconnecting the bizarre worlds inside
the Internet. While fending off vertigo, players in their homemade
cyber-jalopy must dispatch the misfit mutations inside the "toob" with
thrown together weapons including a leaky ice maker and a goozooka made
from fix-it shop parts. At the end of the "toobs, " players will need a
quick mind and even quicker reflexes to float, catapult or ricochet their
way through the interactive challenges that characterize each of the 11
imaginary Internet worlds.

"In 'Surf and Destroy,' you can become a do-it-yourself super hero inside a
cartoon cyberspace where the fate of the planet lies in your hands," said
Larry Kay, creative director, Toonsmiths, whose credits include writing
"Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds" and "Muppet Treasure
Island" CD-ROMs.

MediaX is the developer of "On the Road with B.B. King" and "Queensryche:
The Promised Land."

Grolier Interactive's "Surf and Destroy," aimed at ages 12 and up, will be
Microsoft( Windows( 95 native. Playable demos will be available at retail
and the Grolier Web site.

Grolier Interactive is well-known for its award-winning CD-ROM reference
and entertainment titles found in homes, schools and libraries worldwide,
including "The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia." The company's main
headquarters is located in Danbury, Conn. To order or register your
product, please call (800) 285-4534. For other customer service inquiries,
call (203) 797-3530. Grolier Interactive's Web site is
http://www.grolier.com.
 
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