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BLOOD OMEN: LEGACY OF KAIN PUTS THE BITE ON THE PC THIS SUMMER

Dark, Blood-Soaked PlayStation Hit Overflows With Vampire Action, Mystery and Death

Los Angeles, CA, March 5, 1997 -- One of the darkest games of all time, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain for the PC takes gamers on an epic quest through a gothic universe fraught with murder, magic and vengeance. Accentuated with cinema-quality voice-overs, dynamic lighting effects and more than 25 minutes of stunning full-motion-video footage, Legacy of Kain features an engrossing storyline that invites gamers to embark on a journey through an expansive world containing more than 100 hours of intense, blood-sucking, spell-casting gameplay.

One of the most critically acclaimed console games, Legacy of Kain, continues to be a success on the Sony PlayStation. Published by Crystal Dynamics and distributed by Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), the PC version of the game is expected to be available for Windows 95 in summer 1997.

In Legacy of Kain, players are immersed in the tragic tale of Kain, a noble who is brutally killed by a mob of murderous brigands in a cowardly ambush in the inhospitable world of Nosgoth. With the help of a powerful necromancer, Kain is resurrected as a vampire with a powerful thirst for the blood of his assassins. As a result of his tragic bargain, Kain must continuously feed his bloodlust by killing innocents and exploring small villages, dank caves and majestic temples for life-juice and the spells he will need to take on his most fearsome attackers. Drawn deeper and deeper into the tragic story, players discover that Kain is out for more than mere vengeance in his quest to rid the earth of the evildoers.

Legacy of Kain features extensively detailed, texture-mapped surfaces and dynamic lighting treated with rich color effects. Densely wooded forests, stone temples and moonlit garden pathways are depicted with photorealistic detail.

In the vast worlds and hidden areas of Legacy of Kain, players discover a wealth of particularly wicked spells, objects and forms that infuse Kain with unique powers. As he seeks out his revenge, Kain is able to morph into three different forms -- a wolf, which allows him to cover great expanses of land; a bat, which lets him roam the night sky in search of prey; and mist, which allows him to silently slip past locked doors. More than a dozen special objects along the way include the Heart of Darkness, which resurrects Kain or restores his weakened health; the Flay, which rips the flesh from the bones of its target; and the Putresce, a nasty weapon that turns frightful enemies into a puddle of noxious slime that liquifies anything that touches it.

Vivid magical spells further add to Kain's powerful dominion over the accursed miscreants of Nosgoth. The 13 spells include mind control, which gives Kain psychic control over human enemies until they are killed; Inspire Hate, which infuses a band of enemies with hatred for each other that is not appeased until they all lay dead by each other's hand; and Implode, which crumbles his foes with brutal cruelty.

A haunting, moody CD-quality soundtrack heightens the tragedy of Kain's relentless search for revenge and truth in Legacy of Kain. The rich full- motion video sequences and extensive voice-overs create a dark narrative and punctuate critical moments of action and discovery with the game. Detailed menus provide players with spells and objects acquired, maps of the worlds covered and a running total of people drained for blood or mutilated.

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Crystal Dynamics, a newly formed Entertainment Software Studio, was the first to develop and publish a 32-bit video game in 1993. Their flagship product GEX, the first character-based action game for the 32-bit home console, brought a new dimension to the gameplay experience using comedic voice-over talent and a hilarious script to bring a wise-cracking persona to life. Crystal Dynamics designers, programmers and artists continue to set the pace for the next generation gaming experience with the innovation and playability experienced in state-of-the-art video games like Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain.

Activision, Inc. is a publicly held developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for Microsoft Windows and MS-DOS-compatible, Macintosh and other computers, as well as Nintendo, Sega and Sony PlayStation game systems. Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in London, Tokyo and Sydney, the company sells and markets products under the Activision and Infocom trade names.

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