News from the Net Info collected by Sue Wyrmkeep Entertainment Co Ltd at http://www.wyrmkeep.com/ite/index.html are re-releasing Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb. It's now available on CD-ROM for Windows 98, ME, 2000 and XP. About the Game Rif of the Fox Tribe has travelled far from home with his companion Rhene to compete in a puzzle contest. The night before the contest someone steals the wondrous Orb of Storms, an ancient relic of the Humans, and Rif is accused of being the thief. Rif is able to convince his accusers to give him a chance to find the real thief and recover the Orb. Two warriors are assigned to assist and guard Rif in his quest, Eeah of the Elk Tribe and Okk of the Boar Tribe. In addition Rhene is held hostage by the Boar King to ensure Rif does not try to escape. Your goal in Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb is to guide Rif on his adventure, find clues to locate the real thief, and solve challenges along the way. You can have Rif talk to Okk, Eeah, and other Morph characters that are encountered during Rif's travels. Rif can pick-up items he finds and give these items to others. Some will only trade information for precious items, although what a Morph considers precious can vary greatly. With your help, Rif will be able to clear his good name and rescue his beloved! Now some news from www.lucasarts.com Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided Surpasses 275,000 Registered Players - On the heels of the most successful introduction of a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game to date, LucasArts announced today that Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided has surpassed 275,000 registered users. Releasing on June 26th 2003, An Empire Divided has quickly become the second largest MMO in the U.S, in terms of registered users, and is the fastest growing MMO role-playing game (RPG) to date. And from www.egcore.com Rubies of Eventide - Shutting down Rubies of Eventide A fantasy MMRPG created by Cyber Warriors announced in their forums yesterday that they were closing down the company. Affected are the fans of RoE, a MMRPG long in development. RoE is best known for its wide variety of classes. Dark and Light - Preview @ MMORPGDot MMORPGDot has a preview of the upcomming Ultra massive persistant world of Dark and Light. Dark and Light's large land mass will have no zones to speak of. But the most extraordinary aspect of DnL's environment is that there will actually only be one world in which to play, one server available to accommodate tens of thousands of players simultaneously. This world will also feature a complex procedural weather system that will be able to produce realistic temperature and climate changes, which in turn will affect gameplay in various ways. Meanwhile at www.turbinegames.com Atari and Turbine have jointly announced plans to bring Wizards of the Coast's incredibly popular gaming universe, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), to the world of massively multiplayer games with Dungeons & Dragons Online. This innovative online role-playing game will be the first project developed, funded and run by Turbine Entertainment. Dungeons & Dragons Online will provide players with the definitive online Dungeons & Dragons experience, complete with dramatic dungeon crawling, terrifying monster combat and challenging puzzles, character advancement and guild-based power struggles. "We've been looking for perfect opportunities to enter into the world of massively multiplayer online gaming and there is no fantasy gaming brand with more recognition than Dungeons & Dragons," said Bruno Bonnell, chairman and CEO of Atari. "The key to a productive business model for online gaming is having quality content that consumers will pay for. Dungeons & Dragons Online will build on the huge amount of established content in the D&D worlds. It has the potential to be that killer online app.that breakthrough title that sets a new standard for the medium." Slated for release in 2005, Dungeons & Dragons Online is centered on robust character advancement, challenging dungeon combat, meaningful guild politics and territorial control over major portions of the game world. Players choose and develop a character based on some of the iconic races associated with D&D, including Humans, Elves and Halflings, as well as classes such as Fighters, Clerics, Rogues, and Wizards - after which they can socialize, find quests, group together and equip themselves for future battles. "Dungeons & Dragons is the ultimate fantasy role-playing game. It has introduced more people to game playing than any other title and has spawned hosts of imitators and admirers," said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO, Turbine Entertainment. "The social backbone of D&D gaming -- groups of friends creating adventures and worlds to explore together -- along with its rich fiction, immense monster bestiary, and complex character development make it a natural for the next generation of massively multiplayer game." Dungeons & Dragons Online will let players travel alone or in parties as they explore the seemingly endless dungeon complexes found beneath the world. Through the dungeons, players will engage in physical and magical combat with hideous foes straight from the pages of the Monster ManualT rulebook. Battle will be challenging, fast-paced, and easy to control with a wealth of unique weapon effects and character movements, as well as specific monster behaviors designed to keep combat both tactical and action packed. Also from Turbine: Vivendi Universal Games have entered into a production agreement with Turbine Entertainment Software to produce Middle-Earth Online. Middle-Earth Online will immerse players in the Middle-earth world where they will choose their identities from a cast of archetypal Tolkien characters, form kinships, build race-specific dwellings, explore the landscape, craft unique items and weapons, and perform myriad other activities to bring the world-renowned fantasy realm to life. The Lord of the Rings: Middle-Earth Online (sometimes abbreviated to Middle-Earth Online or MEO) will be the ultimate Online Role Playing Experience. Fans of Tolkien, and of fantasy in general, will be immersed in the epic conflict of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Players will be adventurers, fighting against or with the forces of evil, all across the lands featured in the books; explorers, charting new domains and unexplored depths, or master craftsmen, serving the towns or cities of Middle-earth. They will be able to own homes in signature locations like Bree, The Shire, or the deep woods near Elrond's realm of Rivendell. MEO will also provide an opportunity for fans to experience the story of the Fellowship from a powerful new perspective -- that of the peoples of Middle- earth. They will witness and participate in the tumultuous impact of the War of the Ring on the lands and feel the chaos stirred by the passage of the Fellowship. As citizens of Middle-earth, they will be called upon to choose a side, and in so doing, forge their own destiny. Finally from www.eidos.com: COMMANDOS 3: DESTINATION BERLIN - OUT NOW! Commandos 3: Destination Berlin is the third instalment in the legendary tactical strategy series from Pyro Studios. Prepare to take the Commandos on their deadliest mission yet as you venture deep into enemy territory across three extensive campaigns. From the frozen ruins of Stalingrad through to the forests of central Europe and onto the beaches of Normandy, your men must use their skills to confound the enemy. These men are the best the Allies have - are you fit to lead them? LEGACY OF KAIN: DEFIANCE - COMING SOON! The next chapter in the epic Legacy of Kain series is a cutting- edge action/adventure game featuring more action then ever before. Take control of two powerful and highly evolved vampires: Kain, an all-powerful demigod, and Raziel, a demonic angel of death. Each equipped with a legendary sword, Kain & Raziel must battle through a world loaded with conflict and intrigue as they attempt to unravel their destinies and defeat the dark forces that seek to condemn their world to eternal damnation. DEUS EX: INVISIBLE WAR - SPRING 2004 The events of the first Deus Ex game plunged the world into chaos and, now, 20 fictional years later, several groups want to set things right, determining the fate of mankind. As corporate anti-terrorist mercenary Alex D it is your task to track these factions down and destroy them. Enhancing your skills with molecular bio-modifications and hi-tech weaponry you seek to restore the world order. But in the huge, free-roaming world of Deus Ex it seems that the challenge is to know your real enemies. And for this you must uncover the veil of secrecy surrounding your own existence ... That's all for now. - o -