The Times Herald from Port Huron, Michigan • Page 9

NEW PRODUCTS 1B Inside this week If you're contemplating buying a faster computer with more memory and storage, find out what tools can help you move files and programs from your old PC to the new one. PAGE 2 TIMES HERALD WEEKLY GUIDE TO PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY www.theTimesHerald.com October 22, 2002 IMS wmw Desktop power in slim package Technically, the VAIO PCV-W10 is a desktop PC, but its compact all-in-one styling mimics the look and feel of a notebook. This sleek, 20-pound machine with a 15.3-inch wide-screen liquid crystal display, keyboard and speakers, is light enough to move from room to room. Setup is easy: Plug in the power cable and the optical mouse. The $1,600 PC also features a 1.6-gigahertz Intel Celeron processor, a rewritable CD drive, a DVD-ROM drive, 512 megabytes of memory, a 60-gigabyte hard drive, two i.LINK (also called Fire Wire or IEEE-1394) ports, three Universal Serial Bus ports and a Memory Stick slot.

www.sonystyle.com vkho-gamo vtoface (Hats 'BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER' GAME TIP: In the Sunnydale Cemetery, search for a gravestone to the right of the gate and break it to reveal a power crystal. snil sliei Mutants anil vampire 1 6 chilling reasons to stay inside this Halloween "While there may be many self-proclaimed 'experts' on media violence who claim video games cause aggressive behavior, this claim is at odds with the facts," said Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Interactive Digital Software Association. "Reports from the surgeon general of the United States, the Washington State Department of Health, the government of Australia (and) the Children's Software Revue, an independent critic of computer games for children, all repudiate claims that violent media andor video games do not lead to aggressive behavior." God-mode confusion A link between video games and a tarot death card found not far from where the sniper critically wounded a 1 3-year-old suburban Maryland student has upped the gamer buzz on sites such as GameSpot (www. gamespot.com). The words, "Dear Policeman, I am God," were reportedly scrawled on the card.

Scrambling to discover their relevance, gamers and their critics suggested on the Internet that the sniper could be a video-game player because phrases referring to "God" can be found in several 3-D shooters. "First-person action games on the PC often include a hidden feature called 'God which makes the player invincible; this mode is toggled by entering a cheat code into the keyboard," said Geoff Keighley, editor-in-chief of GameSlice (www. gameslice.com), a video-game industry Web site. "In the fantasy action game actually type in the words into your keyboard to become invulnerable." Konami's North American operations, which confirmed it has received a number of calls about "Silent Scope 3" from the media, was awaiting comment from its Japanese parent at press time. BY MARC SALTZMAN GANNETT NEWS SERVICE The release of a sharp-shooting video game has again put a spotlight on a billion-dollar industry and its alleged lax stance on violence and gore.

While officials in the Washington, D.C., area hunt a sniper who is shooting people at random, Internet buzz is drawing parallels to the content of Kona-mi's "Silent Scope 3" for Sony's PlayStation 2. The game puts the player in the shoes of a government-hired sniper who is commissioned to kill. The mission: Eliminate leaders of a malevolent organization, but be penalized for shooting innocent bystanders. In Washington, all those killed have been bystanders. "It doesn't matter if it's shooting bad guys or good guys.

These kinds of games are disgusting and shouldn't be available to kids," said Jacqueline Weaver, a New York City mother of two, in a Yahoo! chat room on parenting. "Silent Scope 3," which is based on a coin-operated arcade game introduced in 1999, is rated "mature" by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (www. esrb.org), which means that retailers aren't supposed to sell this title to players below the age of 17. A less sophisticated version, "Silent Scope," is available for the portable Game Boy Advance player. It's rated for teens 1 3 and older.

i Ratings and warnings haven't quelled the decade-old debate about whether there is a correlation between playing violent video games and acting out aggressively, though the videogame industry maintains there's no substantive link. Sniper modes aren't uncommon in game titles. "The Terminator Dawn of Fate," from Info-grames, "Timesplitter 2" from Eidos, and Sierra's "No One Lives Forever 2" all let players assume the role of a sniper. Early learning with Bill Cosby Bill Cosby, the funny guy with a doctorate in education, has created a computer game for children ages 3 to 6. "Bill Cosby's PicturePages Early Learning Readiness Series" is based on TV segments that originally aired on Nickelodeon and "Captain Kangaroo." The software program helps children develop a variety of skills, including recognizing traffic lights, matching similar objects, rhyming words and learning to tell the directions left and right.

As a child plays, the program automatically adjusts the level of difficulty so the tasks aren't too difficult or too easy. It also uses developmental psychologist Jean Piaget's principles to gauge a child's readiness to learn reading, math, science and other subjects. The $29.95 title runs on Windows and Macintosh computers. www.picturepages.com Ah a 'RUN LIKE HELL' GAME TIP: Your best friend is your weapon: The rifle, pulse rifle and assaull rifle all have unlimited ammo so use them often. BY MARC SALTZMAN GANNETT NEWS SERVICE hy watch a horror movie this Halloween when you can star in one? You can with a number of scary titles AOL targets broadband with version 8 upgrade uu most for video-game consoles and a couple for PCs that seem to be pop In the game, minus the wires The Logitech Cordless Controller gives PlayStation gamers the freedom to roam while they play.

The device, which operates on the same 2.4-gigahertz frequency as cordless phones, has a range of more than 20 feet, provides dual vibration feedback and comes with dual analog sticks. Logitech says players can get more than 50 hours of game time from four AA batteries. The wireless controller costs $59.95 and can operate with the original PlayStation console (now called the PSOne) as well as PlayStation 2 units. www.logitech.com Compiled by Deborah Porterfield. Send suggestions to debpcyburban.com.

and creepy lighting effects. GAME TIP: Try to keep your characters together because there will be times when they'll need to collaborate in order for you to progress in the game. 'BloodRayne' Majesco; for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and PC; $49.99 for consoles, $39.99 for PC; rated for mature; www.bloodrayne.com; if -A i Majesco's "BloodRayne" hacks and slashes its way onto store shelves Oct. 31. The fast-paced action game stars a half-human, half-vampire named Agent BloodRayne, who works for The Brimstone Society, a secret fraternity created to hunt down and destroy supernatural terror.

The sexy but deadly heroine is determined to stop her Nazi nemesis Jurgen Wulf and his devoted minions from collecting powerful occult relics. With these artifacts, Wulf believes he can rule the world. Like "Resident Evil 0," the game is played from a cinematic third-person perspective, so the player sees the protagonist on the screen at all times. Agent BloodRayne 's adventures take her through 3 huge locations: the bayous of Louisiana, a vampire-infested castle in Germany and an Argentinian temple. Along with her acrobatic hand-to-hand combat, BloodRayne can use any weapon her enemy has (including guns and explosives) and enjoys special vampire advantages, such as sucking blood for extra health.

'The House of the Dead 3' Sega; for Xbox; rated for mature; www.sega.com; See GAMES, Page 2 ping up faster than costume-clad trick-or-treaters. The release of horror video games around Halloween isn't surprising because more than 50 percent of video games are sold between Halloween and Christmas, said Reyne Rice with NPD Funworld, a division of research company NPD Group that tracks video games. "The survival-horror genre is an increasingly popular one now that 3-D graphics and surround sound have amplified the player's emotional experience namely fear," she said. Gamers looking for a treat instead of a trick should consider these six hair-raising digital diversions. All are perfect for playing with the lights off and the volume turned up.

Be warned: All but one of these titles are for mature players, not for youngsters. 'Resident Evil 0' Capcom; for GameCube; rated for mature; www.capcom.com; out of 5 stars The latest installment in Capcom 's celebrated "survival horror" series is due out Halloween week. "Resident Evil 0," an exclusive for the Nintendo GameCube, is a prequel to the events in the original "Resident Evil." The gory title chronicles the adventures of Rebecca Chambers, a rookie Raccoon City police officer, and Billy Cohen, a framed convict on the run. Players must switch between controlling both characters to successfully complete the game's missions, which involve solving puzzles and annihilating zombies and other mutated creatures. If either character runs out of health, the game is over.

Visually speaking, "Resident Evil 0" is the best-look-inc eame in the series to date. Plavers can exoect photo BY PAUL DAVIDSON USAT0DAY No. 1 Internet provider America Online made a sweeping upgrade to its service last week with the release of AOL 8.0 software. The offering features a marked reduction in pop-up ads, a bevy of new community and communications features and, for the first time, a special version tailored to broadband users. "It's a renewed commitment to providing a much more compelling online experience," said Jim Bankoff, AOL's director of programming.

Not to be outdone, Microsoft is scheduled to launch MSN 8 on Thursday, with many similar features. AOL 8.0 embodies the company's response to its most stinging recent criticism: The Internet giant became intoxicated by mega-advertising deals in the 1990s and lost its legendary focus on its members. It's also an effort to address slowing subscriber growth that partly stems from the loss of some customers to high-speed Internet offerings from companies such as Microsoft and Earthlink. The new AOL Broadband features content just for high-speed users, including exclusive rock concerts, movie trailers and Next week Take a step-by-step tour of the new AOL and MSN versions and find out which service has the best features. sports highlights.

There's also a radio service with CD-quality sound that eliminates the typically long wait for a Web song to cue up. "This will provide a clear path for existing customers to go to broadband," said GartnerG2 analyst Denise Garcia. But Jupiter Communications analyst David Card was lukewarm, saying, "They don't have a lot of new exclusive audio or video." AOL's dial-up and broadband upgrades might only help stop the bleeding. "It will help retain existing customers but may draw little attention from potential customers," said Fred Moran of Jefferies noting AOL's biggest problem is the mature Internet provider market. A more dramatic remedy would be a price cut, Card said.

Microsoft has snared many AOL customers through promotions and lower broadband prices $39 to $49 vs. AOL's $54.95. AOL says it's considering discount offers. Coming up Online map makers including sites such as MapQuest are popular and they're becoming more prolific, but they're not always perfect. Find out why.

0 On the Web Macintosh owners can get tips and other useful information in Gene Steinberg's column on the Web site at www.theTimesHerald.com 'BL000RAYNE' GAME TIP: If Agent BloodRayne runs out of ammo, have her backtrack to check out dead bodies, which will have weapons on them she can use. realistic environments, smoothly animated characters.