Sierra On-Line - Press News - Coming Soon Magazine

SIERRA ANNOUNCES SPECTACULAR 1997 LINE-UP

Bellevue, WA, April 16, 1997 -- Sierra On-Line, Inc., the largest in-house developer of interactive entertainment software for the PC, has announced its 1997 product line-up with over 30 dynamic titles releasing for gamers and software enthusiasts this year.

Sierra's product line-up includes offerings from the simulation, sports, adventure, action/arcade and strategy genres. Also featured will be titles from SierraHome, Sierra's new home productivity and edutainment division. Key entertainment showings will include: Betrayal in Antara, Front Page Sports: Golf, Red Baron II, Sierra Pro Pilot, Outpost 2: Divided Destiny, SODA Off Road Racing, and King's Quest: Mask of Eternity. Selected productivity and edutainment titles include: Hoyle Poker, SierraHome, and MasterCook: Jenny Craig Cookbook.

Sierra's host of entertainment titles will include (in order of release date):

Shivers II: Harvest of Souls -- April

From the team that created the immensely popular Shivers comes a new spine-tingling adventure game that involves a surreal, supernatural mystery. In Shivers II, you venture to an oddly-deserted town in search of some missing friends. Solve the mystery by deciphering hidden messages in music videos, collecting prayer sticks and keeping a clear head in the midst of the mystic powers of ancient spirits. Shivers II incorporates stunningly-detailed environments, sweeping 360 degree panoramic views , chilling sound effects and driving rock music.

3D Ultra Mini Golf -- April

From the makers of 3D Ultra Pinball, 3D Ultra Mini Golf is an entirely new way to test your putting skills, challenge your brain and blast a golf ball out of this solar system in a not-so-traditional mini golf game. From the surface of the moon to ancient jungle ruins, you'll be immersed in 18 holes of crazy mini golf. Chase the little colored ball through a lava flow from an erupting volcano or down a screaming roller coaster at the county fair.

Betrayal in Antara -- May

Follow up to the award-winning 1993 RPG Betrayal at Krondor. Though not a continuation of the original story, Antara offers its own devious plot of manipulation, political agendas, secret societies, racial hatred, magical discoveries and assassination. Familiar Betrayal at Krondor gameplay elements include the interface, the inclusion of side quests, the third person 3-D combat style and an improved artificial intelligence system.

Hoyle Poker -- April

Hoyle Poker offers a variety of poker games such as, Five Card Stud, Baseball, High Chicago, Cincinnati, Omaha Hold'em, Murder, and Criss Cross, along with additional wild card versions. As well as mixing and matching human players, play along with Hoyle Poker's animated characters. Turn up the "Attitude Meter" for a rowdy, bracing game, or turn the "Attitude Meter" down for fast-paced, serious play. Hoyle Poker can also be played over the Internet. In addition to Hoyle Poker, Sierra will release several additional entertainment titles in the popular Hoyle series in 1997.

Front Page Sports: Baseball Pro '98 -- May

From the highly acclaimed Front Page Sports series, FPS: Baseball Pro '98 is the only simulation to offer career play, remote league Internet play and a true physics-based simulation. FPS: Baseball Pro '98 puts you in complete command of professional baseball teams as commissioner, manager or player. With every MLBPA player and up-to-date statistics, its got the deepest statistical simulation on the market. Now, with an enhanced arcade mode and a new "Fast Sim" engine you can really take your team all the way to the World Series. And for the first time you can easily access a new arcade-only game play with Minor League to Major League difficulty settings for batting, pitching, fielding and running.

Front Page Sports: Golf -- May

What sets Front Page Sports: Golf apart from other golf games on the market is the all new TrueSwing technique. Instead of the click-click-click of the mouse used in other golf games, TrueSwing offers the most natural swing possible -- users simply glide the mouse back simulating their backswing and then thrust it forward for follow through. TrueSwing provides so much control that golfers can easily execute a variety of shots including draws, fades, chips and pitch-and-runs. Front Page Sports: Golf also features ultra-realistic highly-detailed golf course reproduction accurate to within inches of the two real courses included in the game, full 3D players which swing and react in real time, texture-mapped terrain and surface, brand new physics-based engine to model the golf ball roll and collision detection, and multi-player modem, LAN and Internet tournament capabilities.

Sierra Pro Pilot -- June

Using Sierra's renowned 3Space technology, Sierra Pro Pilot boasts the finest graphics and flight model of any flight simulation/trainer on the market, coupled with incredible terrain accuracy. Pro Pilot contains over 27 million elevation points for the most exact geographical representation available including 20 major metropolitan areas, major roads, railroads, rivers, and lakes providing easy geographic recognition across the United States and Canada. Players can fly cross-country from any of over 2,500 airports, listening to the sounds and messages from Air Traffic Control, the copilot and flight instructor, other pilots in the air, engine noise . . . everything.

Outpost 2: Divided Destiny -- June

The long-awaited and carefully planed sequel to Outpost, Outpost 2: Divided Destiny is a strategy game based on using near-future technology to continue the presence of humans on an ominous, desolate planet. Spectacular graphics enrich this environment with 80 futuristic buildings, 60 unconventional vehicles, multitudes of advanced weaponry, and detailed cut scenes between random missions. Dangerous catastrophes, such as lightning storms, volcanic eruptions, and meteor showers challenge players at every turn.

Birthright - June

Birthright, Sierra's licensed interactive version of TSR's "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" line of games, promises to take the AD&D experience to a new level with its immersive 3D look and rich game universe. A unique offering, Birthright excels as both a computer role-playing game and an engrossing strategy/war game. In addition to its arcade-like 3D presentation, Birthright provides a much broader game playing experience by offering greater flexibility of character choices to roleplay and greater options for multi-player gaming.

Captives -- August

Captives is a thinking man's action game which entails searching a distant colony for scientists and civilians being held captive by "techno-organic" aliens, and then leading them to locations to be beamed up to safety. Captives will feature cooperative/competitive multi-player gaming via modem, LAN, and the Internet, where you frantically work to rescue more captives than your on-line opponents.

Red Baron II -- September

Follow up to the critically-acclaimed Red Baron and part of Sierra's award-winning ACES series of wartime simulation products. An advanced AI and dynamic mission generator produce random missions that simulate real situations faced by pilots in WWI. The mission generator creates an active, authentic world where players encounter challenges such as dogfights already in progress, enemy planes bombing a target, or a friendly spotter plane.

Front Page Sports: Ski Racing -- September

Front Page Sports: Ski Racing is a fast paced, adrenaline pumping 3D simulation that brings thrilling 3D downhill ski racing to the PC. Six world-class race courses at resorts like Whistler, Vail, Park City and Aspen allow competition in five events: Downhill, Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super G, or Combined. Accurately modeled 3D courses are complete with winding downhill terrain, trees, rocks, cliffs, gates, barriers, cheering crowds and breathtaking, photorealistic mountain scenery. With FPS: Ski Racing, you can even challenge other virtual skiers to a race on-line!

Cyberstorm 2: Corp Wars -- September

The follow-up to Sierra On-Line's popular strategy game, Mission Force: Cyberstorm, Cyberstorm 2: Corp Wars places you on never before explored planets, but you're not alone. In Cyberstorm 2, players can create their own Bioderms, non-human pilots that can be created and destroyed as the players see fit.

Civil War Generals - September

The follow-up to the critically-acclaimed war game Robert E. Lee: Civil War General, CWG will include much more than the original with multiple campaigns covering the entire war. Internet and LAN support are included and Civil War Generals will also include the much-asked-for editor that allows players to create their own battles and campaigns.

Demon Isle -- September

Enter the land of Magincia where hordes of evil creatures have been driven off the main continents, and pushed back to their apparent source, Demon Isle. The ruling powers of Magincia are willing to pay a handsome bounty to anyone brave and strong enough to venture to Demon Isle and destroy the seven temples of evil, obtaining the missing pieces of the magic relic, and obliterate the root of all evil itself - the Demon Zorax. In this first person, action-oriented, fantasy role-playing game, players will face numerous exhilarating predicaments and intense combat as they battle a motley bunch of nasty creatures. Demon Isle is designed from the ground up as a single and multi-player game, promising to set new standards by allowing up to 16 players to play head-to-head or cooperatively via LAN, modem or Internet. In addition, Demon Isle boasts a revolutionary proprietary 3D engine, creating fractally enhanced terrain and polygon-based objects for unprecedented level of detail, and features custom MMX support and Direct3D support for acceleration on 3D cards.

3D Ultra Pinball: The Lost Continent -- October

3D Ultra Pinball: The Lost Continent promises to be the most fun pinball game available because of its physics package, extra-wide full screen playing field, inter-linking tables, skill challenges and all the bonuses and surprises the 3D Ultra series has always offered. This latest version is based on getting from one level to the next and watching the progress as you go. SODA Off Road Racing -- October

Looking for dynamic racing and driving action? Then you'll want to check out Sierra's truck racing simulation game called SODA Off-Road Racing. You can learn to drive racing sport trucks and dirt buggies on challenging tracks that provide 3D challenges such as spins, rolls, flips and collisions. SODA will also include an "Internet World-Wide Ranking System," so that players can see how they stack up against other SODA racers world-wide.

Lords of Magic -- October

Set in a medieval world of magic, Lords of Magic (from the same creators as Lords of the Realm) will be a game of alliance, conquest and empire building. Magical spells, artifacts of power, supernatural creatures, and amazing heroes, Lords of Magic will draw you into a fantastic world of heroes and villains, elves and wizards and sacrifice and illusion. Although not a sequel to Lords of the Realm II, Lords of Magic is the third game in the Lords family.

Front Page Sports: Football Pro '98 -- October

Back for another year of great football, FPS: Football Pro '98 will feature newly enhanced arcade play, celebrity play-by-play commentary, player cards for every starting player in the NFL, motion capture technology, multi-season career play and much more.

Front Page Sports: Trophy Rivers -- October

From the design team that created Trophy Bass and Trophy Bass2, comes FPS: Trophy Rivers. Featuring the same in-depth and realistic game play as Trophy Bass, Trophy Rivers brings cyber fishing to the challenging world of fly fishing. Fish any of five blue-ribbon streams in North America for the biggest salmon, trout, steelhead or 15 other species. And like Trophy Bass, Trophy Rivers offers full motion video pro tips so you can actually improve your chances for success on the real river! Take these tips and practice them against other cyber-anglers in on-line tournaments over a modem, network or the Internet.

X-Fighters -- October

X-Fighters is a WWII flight simulator with a speculative spin. X-Fighters puts players in the middle of history, giving them both the tools to change the course of aviation design and the chance to try out their handiwork in the skies of the Western Front.

Quest for Glory: Dragon Fire -- November

The island kingdom of Simaria is in deep trouble. The former ruler has been assassinated, the countryside has been invaded, monsters prowl the land, and there are rumors of a huge Dragon that will soon destroy the land. During the course of six missions, three heroes must discover who murdered the former king and make certain the murderer faces the fate it deserves. Players will face numerous action-packed situations and combat as they battle hydras, gargoyles and other familiar hero-busting villains in a quest to earn the rites of rulership and become Simaria's newest ruler. Whether they swing a sword or cast magical spells, players can defeat foes and compete against friends to prove to all what it means to be a hero. Dragon Fire features a super high res 3D world with scrolling scenes and changing perspectives, complete 3D rendering of all game worlds and characters, real-time action combat and multi-player support for up to 8 players via LAN, modem or Internet.

Police Quest: SWAT 2 -- November

Ready to face terrorists, psychos, and punks in a real-time action-strategy game as dangerous and gritty as cop life in LA? Then get ready for Police Quest: SWAT 2, the follow-up to the best-selling, hyper-realistic, tactical simulation, Police Quest: SWAT. Play the elite SWAT officer, controlling multiple elements and special units: snipers, K-9 dogs, the LAPD helicopter, even the SWAT tank. Go up against a nutcase taking potshots at planes on the LAX runway to die-hard terrorists with a secret agenda. Or play as a terrorist leader armed with grenades, booby traps, and rocket launchers. Either way, every move the player makes has direct life or death consequences. SWAT 2 features a new AI engine that guarantees dynamic, responsive game play in which every mission plays differently every time; Fully rendered 3D characters; 15 SWAT and 15 terrorist missions based on real LAPD SWAT call-ups; an innovative multi-player engine that allows up to eight people to go head-to-head or group together as teams via modem, network or Internet; and hints and insights provided by former Los Angeles Police Department Chief and SWAT founder Daryl F. Gates.

Earthsiege 3: Future Wars -- November

It's been 200 years since the defeat and destruction of the Cybrid invasion forces. What does that mean? Earthsiege is back! The talented team of designers at Dynamix are working on Future Wars, the third installment in the Earthsiege series. Along with the ability to play over a network, a modem, and the Internet, one of the greatest new features will be the amazing replayability of the game. A variety of configurable vehicles, including Hercs, hovercrafts, tanks, and various aircraft, provide a massive arsenal of weapons. Using everything from Autocannons to Thermal Diffusers, ES3 will allow you to issue a challenge and blow away all takers.

King's Quest: Mask of Eternity -- December

Return once again to the Kingdom of Daventry, the majestic setting of the King's Quest series, where myths and legends are the stuff of daily life, and magic is both a tool... and a danger. In Mask of Eternity, you will join Connor, a poor fisherman's son, in a quest to lift an evil curse that has turned the land's inhabitants to stone. To unravel the spell which binds his land, and discover why he alone has been spared, Connor must uncover the secrets of his own past, undertake a quest of legendary proportions, and recover the four scattered pieces of the ancient Mask of Eternity. King's Quest: Mask of Eternity features a completely 3D, immersive game environment that combines the reality of a live-action game --with the open-ended sense of adventure and exploration that comes from within a 3D world-- and the captivating storytelling talents of Roberta Williams. The Mask of Eternity debuts the next step in Sierra's ever-evolving line of premier adventure games....get ready for the most interactive and immersive adventure game Sierra has ever released!

And from SierraHome, the following titles will release in 1997 (in order of release date):

Print Artist 4.0 Mac -- March

The popular all-purpose graphic design program which is perfect for both home and small business, features beautiful, contemporary graphics and outstanding features -- all at a price point below the competition.

MasterCook: The Jenny Craig Cookbook -- March

MasterCook: The Jenny Craig Cookbook combines all of the incredible features the MasterCook series is known for, plus over 180 of Jenny Craig's delicious, low-fat recipes. Each kitchen-tested recipe is extra-low in fat and calories, but extra-high in flavor. Each recipe is analyzed for fat, calories and vitamin content to assist weight loss candidates make healthy choices and "cut through the fat."

Print Artist Classic -- April

Print Artist Classic includes 6500 graphics, 100 diverse typestyles, 1100 professionally designed layouts, a graphic search tool and an easy-to-use interface which combine to make signs, banners, greeting cards, post cards, calendars, customized labels, certificates and much more! With Print Artist Classic, your only limit is your imagination! Budget priced at only $19.95.

Swiftly Seasoned with Graham Kerr -- April

Swiftly Seasoned with Graham Kerr highlights Kerr's culinary mastery and extensive nutritional study and research, where he has developed simple techniques and procedures that focus on enhancing the aroma, color and texture of fresh food with herbs, spices and other innovative ingredients. With the use of these "substitute" ingredients, fat, sodium and sugars can be reduced and healthy, tasteful meals prepared. During his popular debut as "The Galloping Gourmet" in the 1960s, Kerr discovered the public's interest towards healthful, flavorful cooking. SierraHome 97 -- April

SierraHome, a software collection featuring five of the most complete and feature-rich home productivity products on the market releases this spring. SierraHome will include: LandDesigner 3D, CustomHome 3D, MasterCook Deluxe 4.0, Print Artist 4.0 and Collier Unabridged Text Encyclopedia. The perfect bundle for any member of the family.

Colliers 98 - July

The entire family will be able to utilize this comprehensive 21-million-word software encyclopedia. Collier 98 helps students and researchers of any age explore unlimited resources of information with the added functionality of Internet links and swift searches.

LandDesigner 3D 4.5 -- September

Features such as a 3D walkthrough option allow users to see exactly what the landscape plan will look like before planting a single plant, seed or bush. LandDesigner 3D also contains a "grow" feature so that users can see how their design will change and mature over all four seasons or over the years. Besides containing thirty "instant landscape" templates to aid in visualizing design choices, a complete set of drawing and editing tools, and a comprehensive plant encyclopedia, the product has an extensive multimedia reference section containing gardening tips and techniques, and over 2,000 full color photo images from the highly respected White Flower Farm.

Driver's Education -- November

Driver's Education(tm) is a unique and comprehensive learning tool for beginning drivers. The product will seek to educate the user on the "rules of the road" while giving a head-start to basic driving techniques. Lessons will be taught in real-time as the player listen to extensive driving lessons from the friendly driving instructor.

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Sierra On-Line is one of the original developers and largest worldwide publishers of interactive entertainment, productivity and educational software. The company recently merged with CUC Int'l, a technology-driven, membership-services company that provides access to travel, shopping, auto, dining, home improvement, financial and other services to 62.5 million consumers worldwide. The company's common stock is traded on the NYSE under the symbol CU. Sierra's corporate headquarters are located in Bellevue, WA.

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