Reviews
~~~~~~~

   <>  AnyTime
   <>  Bartender 2.0 for Windows
   <>  Bridge Baron
   <>  Car Buyers' Companion & Home Buyers' Companion
   <>  Connect for Success
   <>  Dragon's Lair CD-ROM
   <>  Escape With Your Life
   <>  Expert Forms, Expert Labels, Expert Resume Writer
   <>  Forest & Trees 3.1
   <>  Goblins Quest 3
   <>  The Hanna-Barbera Animation Workshop
   <>  Medio Magazine
   <>  MyBrochures and Mailers for Windows
   <>  The Print Shop Deluxe
   <>  Reuter's Money Network
   <>  SpeedTools 2.0 for Windows
   <>  WindowMagic

                                  -=*=-

                            <>   AnyTime   <>
                       Places to Go, People to See

   AnyTime is the perfect low-cost organizer program for people with 
things to do. It serves as your appointment scheduler, to-do list manager 
and address book organizer, but calendars are where it shines. AnyTime can 
print schedules in more than 40 formats, including Day-Timer and Filofax. 
(If you don't have the formatted paper, AnyTime prints cutting lines and 
hole-punch guides.) Most popular dot-matrix and laser printers are 
supported.

   Another AnyTime specialty is conflict avoidance. AnyTime lets you know 
right away if you schedule concurrent appointments. And its Quick Glance 
Planning feature, which shows schedules by week or month, helps locate 
blocks of free time.

   In the glut of Windows organizers, AnyTime makes a place for itself 
with a pleasing interface, intuitive operation, low price, and calendars.

{AnyTime: Individual Software, Inc., 5870 Stoneridge Drive, #1, 
Pleasanton, CA 94588-9900, (800) 331-3313; $49.95. REQUIRES: a 386+ CPU, 
2MB RAM, Windows 3.1 and VGA.}

                                  -=*=-

                   <>   Bartender 2.0 for Windows   <>
                           Pour It Again, Sam

   Mix master, mix master, mix me a drink. Make it real stiff, and 
preferably pink. (Hic.)

   Sorry (burp), Bartender 2.0 for Windows puts one in a certain mood. It 
contains more than 1100 alcoholic, low-alcohol and no-alcohol drink 
recipes. Every drink and cocktail you've ever heard of, and many more you 
haven't, can be found in this inexpensive ($24.95) bartender's recipe 
book.

   It's a Seabreeze to use -- merely browse the alphabetical list for a 
favorite cocktail. What if you don't have all the ingredients for that 
favorite drink but do feel adventurous? Try Bartender's bar-stock utility: 
from its inventory you select the ingredients you have on hand, and it 
shows what drinks can be made from them. If by a slim chance your favorite 
drink is absent, you can add it.

   For serious party planners, Bartender for Windows will be worth its 
weight in grenadine. This is one program that will be popular with your 
friends. They'll be constantly hitting you up for printouts!

{Bartender 2.0 for Windows: DataLogic InfoSystems, Inc., 10332 Federal 
Blvd., Suite 119, Denver, CO 80221, (800) 531-3290; $24.95. REQUIRES: 
Windows 3.1 system with 4MB RAM and VGA. "Mouse and blender are highly 
recommended."}

                                  -=*=-

                         <>   Bridge Baron   <>
                           Bidding in Windows

   Three's a crowd. With Bridge Baron you can forget your three chums and 
hone your bridge bidding and playing skills all you want, all by yourself. 
Bridge Baron becomes your computer opponent -- and your teacher. It 
features more than 2 billion random deals, observes popular bidding 
conventions and offers four playing levels. (Though its most popular 
feature is probably the Hint option: when you can't decide on a play, 
click on "Hint" for the recommended card.)

   The game comes with an impressive pedigree. Designed by bridge expert 
Tom Throop, Bridge Baron is also endorsed by bridge champion Alfred 
Sheinwold. (In fact the official title of the game is Alfred Sheinwold 
Presents Bridge Baron for Windows.) For three years it's been rated the 
top program by the American Contract Bridge League.

{Bridge Baron: MicroLeague Interactive Software, 201 Bellevue Building, 
Newark, DE 19702, (302) 368-9990; $59.95. REQUIRES: a 1MB Windows 3.0+ 
system with VGA.}

                                  -=*=-

        <>   Car Buyers' Companion & Home Buyers' Companion   <>
                    Auto Salesmen's Worst Nightmare

   He eyes you nervously over the hood of a 94 Probe. You smile. He 
sweats, mumbling something like, "I gotta go talk to my manager." When 
you're armed with the right info, you can afford to smile at auto 
salesmen. Having taken a look at The Car Buyers' Companion, you'll know 
more about options and payment plans than they will.

   The Car Buyers' Companion helps you select a new automobile that's 
suited to your budget and needs. If you're not sure now exactly what you 
want, feed the program a want list (under $24,000, air bags, etc.), and 
see what turns up. Or go window shopping inside the "Showroom," where you 
can browse among 200 or so 1994 domestic and imported cars, trucks, vans 
and utility vehicles.

   The program also helps you figure the base price, taxes, destination 
charge and down payment for any auto. Plus, its payment estimator can show 
you what the monthly damage comes to based on current rates. If you're 
torn between buying and leasing, let it compute total costs both ways.

   And after you drive away in your new car, drop by the realtor's to see 
if the seller took your offer -- which you arrived at with the help of The 
Home Buyers' Companion, which just happens to be bundled with The Car 
Buyers' Companion!

{Car Buyers' Companion and Home Buyers' Companion: Parsons Technology, One 
Parsons Drive, P.O. Box 100, Hiawatha, IA 52233-0100, (800) 223-6925; $49. 
REQUIRES: a Windows 3.1 system with 4MB RAM.}

                                  -=*=-

                      <>   Connect for Success   <>
                        No Failure to Communicate

   It's not what you know but who you know that counts, the saying goes. 
An amendment might be, "And it's not just who you know but how you relate 
to them that's important too." If you need to brush up on your 
interpersonal skills, check out Connect for Success, a seminar on CD-ROM. 
It's designed to "show people how to get what they want by successfully 
influencing others."

   Connect for Success immerses you in multimedia role-playing scenarios 
in which you must interact with other "people" and decide how to relate to 
them. The subjects talk and move, thanks to your MPC sound board and the 
supplied QuickTime drivers. In the course of the simulation, Connect for 
Success helps you learn to identify four common communication styles 
people exhibit -- and techniques for adjusting your style accordingly.

{Connect for Success: Wilson Learning Corp., 7500 Flying Cloud Drive, Eden 
Prairie, MN 55344, (612) 944-2880; $69.95. REQUIRES: an MPC system (25MHz 
386+ CPU, 4MB RAM, hard disk, Windows 3.1, Super VGA, a CD-ROM drive, 
mouse and Windows-compatible sound card).}

                                  -=*=-

                    <>   Dragon's Lair CD-ROM   <>
                   Swash the Buckle With Daring Dirk

   It was 10 years ago at Chuck E. Cheese's that I first met Dirk the 
Daring. Amid the blocky, bloopy coin-op arcade games like Pac-Man was an 
animated cartoon game drawing crowds (and tomato sauce). It was called 
Dragon's Lair, it ran from a laser disc, starred Dirk, featured the 
animation of Don Bluth (best known for the movie American Tail), and was 
an adventure game ahead of its time.

   Well, Dirk's come home to the 90s in a CD-ROM translation of that 
laser-disc classic. Dragon's Lair CD-ROM delivers full-motion video that's 
almost indistinguishable from the original laser disc. In this fantasy 
adventure you become Dirk the Daring (of course!), a valiant knight on a 
quest to rescue the voluptuous princess Daphne from Singe the Evil Dragon. 
It's a multimedia spectacle. Need we say more?

{Dragon's Lair CD-ROM: ReadySoft, Inc., 30 Wertheim Court, Suite 2, 
Richmond Hill, ON  L4B 1B9, (905) 475-4801; $69.95. REQUIRES: 386+ CPU, 
4MB RAM, VGA and a CD-ROM drive (150K/s or faster). A 486+ CPU and a 
double-speed CD-ROM drive are recommended.}

                                  -=*=-

                    <>   Escape With Your Life   <>
                            Women Fight Back

   With all the news of carjacking, rape and murder, it often seems that 
women take their lives in their hands just by going to work in the 
morning. We truly live in violent times. Most women profess a desire to 
take a self-defense class, but many never get around to fitting it into 
their busy schedules. If you're one of those women, consider enrolling in 
a new CD-ROM self-defense course called Escape With Your Life. It lets you 
learn and practice at home in your own time.

   Led by martial-arts instructor John DeBlasio, Escape With Your Life 
features full video demonstrations of defense techniques that require 
neither strength or agility. If you can point, clap and raise your hand, 
you can defend yourself and rend your attacker incapable of pursuit. The 
course may be viewed straight through, or you can turn to the glossary to 
review maneuvers, such as how to use your elbow when someone grabs you 
from behind. An interactive video quiz tests your knowledge of which 
techniques work best in different situations.

   If you're ever in a tough spot with an aggressor, a clear head and 
these defense techniques just may help you "escape with your life."

{Escape With Your Life: Villa Crespo Software, 1725 McGovern St., Highland 
Park, IL 60035, (800) 521-3963 or (708) 433-0500; $49.95. REQUIRES: an MPC 
system (386+ CPU, 2MB RAM, Windows 3.1, Super VGA, sound card, mouse and 
CD-ROM drive).}

                                  -=*=-

      <>   Expert Forms, Expert Labels, Expert Resume Writer   <>
                       Label These Great Bargains

   Who would have thought there existed a useful business program selling 
for only $14.95? Well, there's not just one but a whole line of them from 
Expert Software. Expert Labels for Windows and Expert Forms for Windows 
tackle heavy business tasks but are light on your wallet. Expert Resume 
Writer for Windows is of course for people who are trying to get into 
position to handle those business tasks! (It includes 100 resume 
templates, plus an appointment calendar and word processor.)

   Expert Labels for Windows is great for printing sheets of labels 
addressed to everyone in your address book (address-book database 
included!). You can design your own custom labels, or choose from the 120 
standard Avery label formats provided (envelope, shipping, disk, 
videotape, Rolodex, etc. -- all you have to do is buy the appropriate 
labels from your office-supply store). You choose the fonts for your 
labels and can even decorate them with clip art and bar codes.

   Need an invoice? Fax cover sheet? Personal calendar/to-do list? You 
need Expert Forms for Windows, which lets you design, fill in and print 
forms. Expert Forms lets you import color photos, company logos and clip 
art in six popular formats. 

   If you're looking for business solutions, don't let these experts' low 
prices keep you away.

{Expert Forms, Expert Labels, Expert Resume Writer: Expert Software, 800 
Douglas Road, Coral Gables, FL 33134, (800) 759-2562 or (305) 567-9990; 
$14.95 each. REQUIRES: Each requires a 386+ CPU, 4MB RAM, Windows 3.1 and 
VGA.}

                                  -=*=-

                     <>   Forest & Trees 3.1   <>
                     Cruising the Corporate Jungle

   What's a busy CEO to do? He has questions -- doesn't want to wait on 
his accounting department (which uses dBASE), his planning department 
(which uses Excel) and his sales department (which uses Paradox) to spit 
out incompatible reports. He wants answers, and he wants them now! For 
harried executives who can identify, there's Forest & Trees 3.1, a Windows 
program that specializes in pulling data from other programs into custom 
views.

   Forest & Trees comes with a variety of providers, special interfaces 
that automatically monitor and collect data from specific programs -- such 
as dBASE, Paradox and Excel. The Client/Server edition's providers can 
pluck data from remote systems. Raw data must be processed, however, in 
Forest & Tree's programming language, before it ends up as easily 
digestible charts and graphs. So the CEO had better grab a techie, because 
CEOs are not generally known for their programming ability. Does your 
company need custom views of performance data, both the large and small 
pictures? If so, try Forest & Trees.

{Forest & Trees 3.1: Trinzic Corp., One Harbour Place, Suite 500, 
Portsmouth, NH 03801, (603) 427-0444; $695 for Standard Ed., $790 for 
Client/Server Ed. REQUIRES: a 386+ CPU, 3MB RAM, mouse, Windows 3.0+ and 
EGA/VGA.}

                                  -=*=-

                       <>   Goblins Quest 3   <>
                       Interview With the Goblin

   Goblins Quest 3 proves that goblins have been getting a bad rap. Put 
yourself in the purple boots of a hot young Goblin reporter named Blount. 
He's just a decent guy who's been assigned the dangerous task of 
interviewing rival tribe leaders. With your help, Blount finds clues, 
takes pratfalls, and teams up with hilarious sidekicks to solve the many, 
many problems plunked in his path.

   Goblins Quest 3 is a problem-solving adventure -- one spiced with 
cartoon graphics, a musical score and CD-quality sound. The third in the 
popular Goblins series from Coktel Vision and Sierra On-Line, Goblins 
Quest 3 will tax your brain and keep you in stitches at the same time. 
Example: how do you get a parrot unstuck from a hole in a ship's deck? 
With a plunger, of course! Then you get to enjoy the parrot's raucous 
response.

   This program marks the beginning of a series of Sierra CD-ROM titles 
priced under $30 and targeted at families. Both kids and parents will be 
amused for hours.

{Goblins Quest 3: Sierra On-Line, Inc., P.O. Box 485, Coarsegold, CA 
93614, (800) 757-7707; $29.95, $24.95 for the floppy-disk version. 
REQUIRES: 386+ CPU, 2MB RAM, DOS 5.0+, VGA, CD-ROM drive, hard disk and a 
sound card (Sound Blaster compatible).}

                                  -=*=-

              <>   The Hanna-Barbera Animation Workshop   <>
                    Flintstones! Meet the Flintstones!

   Meet the whole cast of Hanna-Barbera characters in The Hanna-Barbera 
Animation Workshop -- then "invite" them into your own animations. Bring 
the Jetsons to Bedrock if you like!

   With its VCR-style controls and intuitive icons, The Hanna-Barbera 
Workshop simplifies computer-based animation for both children and adults. 
You'll find it easy and fun whether you're starting from scratch with your 
own characters or coloring the clips of Fred and Scooby Doo that come with 
the program. The process of drawing is made easier through onion-skinning, 
a feature professional animators use. Onion-skinning simply lets you see 
previous "frames" you've drawn, which helps keep you on track for the 
frames you are about to draw. In traditional animation, the artists use 
transparent "onion-skin" paper for this.

{The Hanna-Barbera Animation Workshop: Empire Software, 4 Professional 
Drive, Suite 123, Gaithersburg, MD 20879, (301) 216-9706; $49.95. 
REQUIRES: 640K, DOS 3.0+, VGA, hard disk and a mouse.}

                                  -=*=-

                        <>   Medio Magazine   <>
                    General-Interest CD-ROM Magazine

   If you could piece together a new electronic medium out of elements 
from newspapers, magazines, reference books, TV and radio, you'd probably 
end up with something like Medio Magazine: it's a general-interest CD-ROM 
magazine that's informative and fun for both adults and children. Medio's 
stated goal is to deliver "All the world on a CD-ROM," and to an extent it 
succeeds. After all, the shiny disc does contain 11,000 articles plus 
photographs, digitized video, a novel for kids (Alice in Wonderland this 
time), plus the CIA World Factbook (perfect for geography homework).

   There's a lot of data to digest, everything from designer fashions to 
stock-market analysis to sports stories, but Medio Magazine's topic-based 
approach offers a fairly noncluttered handle on it all. The issue is 
broken into eight sections: Entertainment, Sports, Finance, News, 
KidStuff, Reference, Scene (pop culture) and Backtalk. Many of the 
articles are from the Associated Press.

   Medio sent us the Premier issue to examine, so the stories were a 
little old when we got it (flash: all is not sweetness and light in the 
Tom/Roseanne Arnold household!). Medio reports its second issue will ship 
this month, and from September on it will be a monthly magazine. Good 
luck, Medio: your product is slick, but we wouldn't want your job of 
compiling all that data!

   It's difficult to describe Medio Magazine. There's so much there -- 
it's like the information highway, as it is popularly imagined, will be 
delivered by your mailman in monthly doses.

{Medio Magazine: Medio Multimedia, Inc., 2643 151st Place N.E., Redmond, 
WA 98052-5562, (800) 788-3866 or (206) 867-5500; $9.95 per issue, $59.95 
for 12-month subs. REQUIRES: a 486 SX+ CPU, 4MB RAM, CD-ROM drive, hard 
disk, Super VGA and Windows 3.1+.}

                                  -=*=-

            <>   MyBrochures and Mailers for Windows   <>
                     Professional Homemade Brochures

   Taken a look at office or laser-supply catalogs recently? The latest 
thing is specialty paper: heavy parchment stock and even three-panel 
brochure stock with colorful designs and borders -- but no printing. With 
a desktop-publishing (DTP) program, you can "fill in the holes" with your 
own custom message, logo and pictures, then print to a laser or inkjet 
printer. Voila. Instant, professionally designed brochure, without artist 
and print-shop fees.

   For super-simple layout, forget the DTP program and go with 
MySoftware's new MyBrochures and Mailers for Windows, a specialty design 
program just for brochures. While it lets you print to plain paper, the 
excitement lies in taking advantage of the textured, marbled and otherwise 
decorated papers from such companies as Paper Direct, BeaverPrints and 
MySoftware (you guessed it -- a line of "MyPapers"). It's easy: just 
select the template for the paper you've ordered -- you'll see the color 
template onscreen -- and type the message in your choice of font. You can 
also add clip art, scanned photographs, bulleted lists, tables, logos and 
other elements pasted from Windows programs.

   If you're a small business with something to promote, or one that 
custom-tailors its services to a select clientele, you should take 
advantage of MyBrochures. There's no easier or faster way to print custom 
brochures, fliers, announcements, trade-show handouts and mailers.

{MyBrochures and Mailers for Windows: MySoftware, 1259 El Camino Real, 
Suite 167, Menlo Park, CA 94025, (415) 473-3600; $59. REQUIRES: a 386+ 
CPU, 4MB RAM, Windows 3.1, and a laser or inkjet printer.}

                                  -=*=-

                     <>   Print Shop Deluxe   <>
                      The Mother of All "Shops"

   You like to print birthday banners? Party invitations? Yard-sale signs? 
Customized calendars? Business cards? Certificates? Then you probably 
already know about Print Shop, arguably the best "printing" program 
around. But did you know there's a new "Shop" in town? Print Shop just 
went CD -- with all the goodies you would expect. Print Shop Deluxe CD 
Ensemble includes: Print Shop Deluxe, Print Shop Deluxe Companion, Print 
Shop Deluxe Business Graphics and more.

   In total you get more than 1000 pieces of clip art and 73 TrueType 
fonts. If you haven't checked out Print Shop in a while, you'll be 
intrigued. Its color graphics and professionally designed layouts may give 
you better results than a high-priced desktop-publishing program.

{The Print Shop Deluxe CD Ensemble: Broderbund, 500 Redwood Blvd., Novato, 
CA 94948-6121, (800) 521-6263 or (415) 382-4400; $79.95. REQUIRES: 386 SX+ 
CPU, 4MB RAM, Windows 3.1, CD-ROM drive.}

                                  -=*=-

                    <>   Reuters Money Network   <>
                       Online Help for Investors

   You can find stock quotes and other financial data on CompuServe and 
other online services. But for real financial oomph, try Reuters Money 
Network (formerly Reality's Smart Investor Network). Offering financial 
services only, Reuters Money Network is targeted to the individual 
investor.

   The service helps novices get their feet wet by asking questions about 
their risk tolerance and liquidity needs. Then it filters "the world of 
Wall Street," helping identify suitable investments, and connects them to 
brokers to execute trades. Online trading is through PC Financial Network, 
a large discount brokerage firm. As users grow more confident, they can 
research the database of thousands of stocks, mutual funds, CDs and money 
markets.

   Reuters Money Network's start-up kit costs $49.95, and flat monthly 
fees range from $9.95 to $17.95. (A personalized news-clipping service is 
available for $6.95 extra -- it pulls up articles from The Wall Street 
Journal and other sources for items of interest to you.) The service kit 
is sold stand-alone, but it can also be purchased bundled with 
WealthBuilder by Money Magazine, a financial planner from Reality 
Technologies.

{Reuters Money Network: Reality Technologies, Inc., 2200 Renaissance 
Blvd., King of Prussia, PA 19406, (215) 277-7600; $49.95 start-up kit. 
REQUIRES: a 286+ CPU, 640K, DOS 3.3+, a hard drive, EGA/VGA and a Hayes-
compatible modem.}

                                  -=*=-

                 <>   SpeedTools 2.0 for Windows   <>
                     Speed Up Your Windows System

   Speaking of Program Manager replacements, Central Point makes a powerful 
one called PC Tools for Windows. Along with a more intuitive desktop, PC 
Tools for Windows offers a suite of utilities that help speed up your 
system. And now PC Tools for Windows has offspring -- its System 
Consultant and Optimizer programs have "budded off" into a separate, low-
priced ($29.95) product called SpeedTools 2.0 for Windows.

   If you're happy with your present Windows desktop and are  just looking 
for a way to prod it into higher gear, SpeedTools is your program. System 
Consultant makes specific recommendations on improving your configuration 
for optimal performance. Tips may be as simple as adding a disk cache or 
as esoteric as reducing the TimerCritical-Section value in your SYSTEM.INI 
file. Acting on the suggestions is simple -- just select "Do It."

   SpeedTools' Optimizer cures disk fragmentation, a common ill that 
results when files get stored in random, fragmented fashion. SpeedTool's 
Optimizer goes a step beyond other optimizers by automatically 
defragmenting the hard drive whenever the system remains idle for an 
extended period of time! This way your files stay in top form, and file 
access is quick. Optimizer supports DoubleSpace and the 32-bit access of 
Windows for Workgroups 3.11.

{SpeedTools 2.0 for Windows: Central Point, 15220 N.W. Greenbrier Parkway, 
Suite 150, Beaverton, OR 97006-5798, (800) 873-7409 or (503) 690-8090; 
$29.95. REQUIRES: a 386+ CPU, 4MB RAM and Windows 3.1+.}

                                  -=*=-

                         <>   WindowMagic   <>
                   Buttons, Icons, Toolbars Galore

   If you're looking to simplify Windows operations and like toolbars, icons, 
quick lists and busy, busy screens, you'll like WindowMagic. It lets you 
turn any Program Manager group into a toolbar for quick launching. Or if 
you'd rather pick your program out of a list, try the "Get-It" button 
(looks like a hand, and pretty handy), which parks itself next to the 
control box of the active window. From Get-It's drop-down menu you can 
perform all Task Manager functions, as well as launch other programs. And 
not only does it list program names -- it also shows their icons.

   WindowMagic runs on top of the Program Manager and can even serve as 
its replacement. A bundle of drag-and-drop utilities are included, but the 
icon collection is probably WindowMagic's neatest feature. It comes with 
3800 icons. You can assign any of the icons to minimized groups as well as 
to applications.

{WindowMagic: WinWear, 14150 N.E. 20th St., Suite 346, Bellevue, WA 98007, 
(206) 882-1530; $89.95 (call about the $39.95 introductory price). 
REQUIRES: Windows 3.1+.}

-=--------------        -=*=-     -=*=-     -=*=-        --------------=-
