Ogdensburg, New York--October 9, 1992--Crusadcrs of the Dark Savant, the
much awaited sequel to Bane of the Cosmic Forge, was released today after
two years of development for MS-DOS and compatible computers.

"Without question, the wait was worth it," says Norman Sirotek, president
of Sir-tech Software. "Dark Savant the largest computer fantasy role
playing game ever produced--over 300 hours."

Its predecessor, Bane of the Cosmic Forge, set a new standard in fantasy
role playing and brought the Wizardry series back to the forefront of
computer gaming. Cosmic Forge won many prestigious industry awards
including Questbusters ' 1990 Best Quest of the Year and Best Fantasy Role
Playing Adventure of the Year, Strategy Plus ' 1991 Best Game of the Year
and Best Role Playing Game of the Year and Germany's Power Play Magazine
gave Cosmic Forge the distinctive 1990 Power Play Award.

"We expect Crusaders to eclipse Bane," says Sirotek. "Not just in terms of
awards or orders, but in all arenas." 

What Calm Before The Storm?

At Sir-tech headquarters in Ogdensburg, New York, there has been no calm
since Crusaders headed for production.

Doubling its staff and office space overnight, Sir-tech began
around-the-clock production on the largest back order in the company's
eleven-year history. Heading for six continents, Crusaders will be the
most widely distributed of Sir-tech's products. Among others, Electronics
Boutique, Babbage's, CompUSA, Waldensoftware, Intertan Canada and Software
City will carry Crusaders of the Dark Savant in North America

And In the End There Were The Beginnings

Dark Savant, which takes place on the planet of Lost Guardia, offers
players four different beginnings and multiple endgames (the number of
which have not been released). Three of the beginnings are linked to end
games in Bane of the Cosmic Forge. The fourth is available for players who
haven't played Bane or have not finished the game.

"When players import their characters from Bane, they arrive on Lost
Guardia less powerful than they were," says Brenda Garno, product
development. "After all, this is a strange world with technology,
creatures and an environment that these characters have never before
known. Naturally, their previous niche in Bane couldn't begin to prepare
them for the world they would encounter."

"On their trip to Lost Guardia the characters will lose some of their
skills and spells and may even leave behind some of their items," says
Garno. "It's impossible to say what any character will remember or bring
into this world. It's different every single time."

Not only are their arrivals unique, parties begin the game in different
regions depending on the path characters travelled in Bane and affect
alliances with the different inhabitants on the planet. New parties for
example, begin outside New City, a central meeting point on Guardia for
generations.

More than the world of Lost Guardia, however, perhaps it is the blending of
genres that is the most unique. Rooting itself in typical fantasy role
playing traditions based on medieval plots and places, the Wizardry series
began its evolution 11 years ago. Bane of the Cosmic Forge, released in
1990, alluded to a switch--a subtle hint that the player, but not the
characters, understood--a gleaming radiant spaceship. Crusaders of the
Dark Savant brings the series full circle and leaves no genre untouched.
Here on Lost Guardia players will delight in the unusual aliens, their
tales and their weapons. They'll travel the skies in a "silver bird," and
still retain their medieval flavor.

It is this mix of today's political and global climate, the medieval
traditions of the Wizardry series and unseen elements of science fiction
blend to give Lost Guardia its unique world feel. "The combination of the
alien weapons and travelers from other worlds really adds depth to
Wizardry's traditionally medieval storyline," says Garno. "Once these two
genres, fantasy and sci-fi meet, the player will get involved in the
politics of the world. It's a new concept for computer role playing, and
drawns the player in."

You're Not Alone

It's not long after a player's arrival on Lost Guardia that they discover
they are not the only ones who came in search of the legendary Astral
Dominae. There are the Umpani, a militant race of pachyderms and the
T'Rang, repulsive spider-like creatures and no less militant. There is
also the Dark Savant, a much-feared and enigmatic being.

The planet's natives, Gorns, Munk and Rattkin among them, have also joined
in the search fearing that their own legends and the foretold destruction
of the universe may be upon them.

"It is into this network that your party arrives," says Brenda Garno. "And
every one of these groups is after the same goods and has the same goals
as your party."

The Legend Continues

The legend of the Astral Dominae dates back to a prior millennium. It tells
of a great artist and scientific genius, M. Phoonzang, and his discovery
of some deep secret, rumored to regard the power of the universe and of
life itself. He decided this secret was too powerful for anyone else to
know, because if it could create a universe, it could destroy one as well.
Phoonzang was faced with a choice: either destroy his discovery, his life
's work, or hide it in such a way that although it would still exist, it
would not fall into unscrupulous hands. He opted for the latter option,
knowing that a day might come when the secret could be safely revealed and
the universe could ascend towards a new destiny. Such a day came sooner
than he would have expected-with the disappearance of the Cosmic Forge,
the story of Bane of the Cosmic Forge. Its disappearance caused the Cosmic
Lords, who knew of Phoonzang's secret, to temporarily lose their ability
to cloak the planet and to completely control the fate and destiny of the
Universe.

In an unexpected occurrence far out in space, a Miner's ship, lost due to
navigational malfunction, stumbled upon this small world, Guardia, which
was uncharted on any map of the known galaxy. It wasn't long before word
spread.

Continuous Journey

The player's arrival on Lost Guardia is only the beginning of a continuous
journey, carried on from its predecessor Bane of the Cosmic Forge.

Unlike other fantasy role playing games, players enjoy a free form world
that allows them to travel anywhere, explore anything and layout their
adventure according to personal tastes and goals. There is no need to
return to a castle, a king or some set location to "check in" for
experience points, accomplishments and the like.

"Crusaders is very much a world in its own, and it allows players to form
that world in their own way," says Brenda Garno. "For example there are
literally dozens of places to sell off items you no longer want. You're
not forced to go one way or another."

"The free form is even stronger in non-player character relations. It is
the player and his or her characters who will make the enemies and the
friends and bribe those in between."

If It Ain't Broken Don't Fix It

The award-winning gaming system in Bane of the Cosmic Forge brought the
Wizardry series to new levels and garnered praise for its character
development and interaction. This system remains true in Crusaders of the
Dark Savant and has been extended and balanced for this new world.

Players will discover alien weapons, firearms and munitions and a
unprecedented collection of arms, over 500 strong. Magic has been extended
to seven power levels to take care of an even more powerful legion of
villains. Characters may also learn personal skills, Firearms, Mind
Control, Snake Speed among them.

Crusaders still sports the true to fantasy role playing modifiers,
calculations, adventure, fighting modes, armor class and a phased combat
system that places the emphasis on the mind and not arcade-like
dexterity.

The Icing On The Cake, 256-VGA Graphics And Digitized Sound 
It's a bird, it's a plane...no it's just a Helazoid

For the first time in the eleven-year history of Wizardry, players will see
the trees, the sky above and watch the sun rise and set. Birds can be seen
darting from branch to branch and on occasion the water is full with fish
Wizardry supports 256-color VGA/MCGA resolution or 16-color EGA and is
also backwardly compatible.

"It's is quite an accomplishment for the Wizardry series," says Norman
Sirotek, president of Sir-tech. "Instead of a message that tells players
what they see, they will actually see it in 256-color VGA."

Another first for the Wizardry series is 100% true point and click
interface. Intuitive in nature, players can click a campfire to rest, a
magnifying glass to search, a disk to save the game or a spell book to
cast spells. A simple click
onacharacter'sportraitdelivershisorhertraitsandstatistics. Although
players may use a keyboard, a mouse is highly recommended.

"Even more than the graphics, it was the soundtrack and effects that awed
me," says Lori Sears, sales and marketing manager. Written by Steve
Miller, the baroque symphony is magnificently orchestrated on a Roland
LAPC-1/MT32. Sound support and/or effects are also provided for Ad-Lib,
Covox Voice/Sound Master, Sound Blaster or PC Speaker depending on the
card's capabilities.

Hardware Support and Additional Features

Crusaders of the Dark Savant for MS/PC-DOS systems is currently available
in North America, United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Austria, Germany,
Australia, Singapore, China and Taiwan. The Amiga version is scheduled for
release in early 1993, with the Macintosh version following shortly.

Crusaders of the Dark Savant must be installed on a hard drive, requires 6
megabytes of disk space and is available in 5.25" and 3.5" high-density
disks. Dark Savant supports expanded memory and requires 577K (590,848
bytes) of free RAM and PC/MS-DOS 3.x or 5.0. A minimum configuration of a
286 16 MHz machine is recommended though Crusaders will run on lesser
machines.

Sir-Tech Software Inc
PO Box 245, Ogdensburg Business Center, Suite 2E
Ogdensburg, NY 13669

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