Computer Shopper buyer's alert

Happy Holidays for PC Retailers

While most retailers are complaining of a slow holiday sales season, analysts have been predicting that computer vendors will see record sales. According to preliminary results from a study conducted by ACNeilsen and International Data Corp., twice as many consumers planned to buy home PCs this holiday season compared with last year.

The study indicates that 48 percent of holiday shoppers would be buying their first PCs and that 30 percent of these shoppers have budgeted less than $1,250 to acquire a system.

This rising tide has helped one retailer, CompUSA, to post sales exceeding $5 billion in 1997. In the last three months of 1997, the company reported sales that were 22 percent above the previous quarter's figure.

Symantec to Post Norton Utilities 3.0 Patch

Responding to customer complaints, Symantec will post a patch on its Web site for two bugs found in the first copies of Norton Utilities 3.0.

The most serious bug was in the Optimization wizard, which deleted several users' Windows 95 Registries. Symantec says that 40 users reported this problem.

Some users also reported that Norton Utilities would crash when the splash screen was displayed. According to Symantec, this bug was the result of a conflict with a particular Diamond Multimedia graphics driver.

This week's patch, which should be posted no later than Wednesday (Jan. 7, 1998), will also include the first set of bug fixes Symantec posted three weeks ago. For information, check out the LiveUpdate feature at www.symantec.com.

In-House Analysis: Gettysburg Redux a Treat for Sim Fans

There is only so much holiday spirit you can take. This season, as the shoppers crowded around Macy's windows and tourists flocked to Rockefeller Center to see "The Tree," I opted not to fight the crowd. I fought the battle of Gettysburg instead.

Sid Meier's Gettysburg is the latest time-sucking simulation game from the recently formed Firaxis Software. Although not for the faint-of-heart, this complex real-time simulation game is a treasure for Civil War buffs and sim fans alike.

The game replays every major skirmish in the most pivotal battle of the Civil War, taking into consideration troop experience, terrain, and even the location of commanding officers.

Although sound tactics ultimately decide most battles, the extraordinary granularity of the controls requires players to do some serious drilling with the game's tutorials before taking the field. Even then, the larger battles are chaotic exchanges of lead, union bugles, and rebel yells. Fortunately, unlike General Lee, players have a pause button to help them draw their battle plans in peace and quiet.

My only problem with the game was the fact that Confederate soldiers are valued 1.5 times more effective than Union soldiers. The manual states that this is because the Confederate troops would mix experienced soldiers with new recruits, whereas the Union would simply field raw regiments. I understand the logic, but as a Massachusetts native, I must protest. And I will--on the field of battle.

Sid Meier's Gettysburg sells for $55 direct. For more information or to download a demo, check out www.firaxis.com.