April 12, 1992 - London, England - At the European Computer Trade Show today, Robert Sirotek, Sirtech's vice president, was clearly pleased to announce that Sir-tech has signed a distribution agreement with US Gold of Birmingham, England for several different software products. The pact calls for exclusive United Kingdom distribution of software published in the US by Sir-tech, most notably the English version of Wizardry - Bane of the Cosmic Forge, available now for MS-DOS and Amiga computers, and the upcoming Wizardry - Crusaders of the Dark Savant, available in the third or fourth quarter of 1992 for MS-DOS and Amiga computers. The Wizardary series has been the leader in computer role-playing simulation games for years. The famous American-conceived program is at the top of sales charts in North America and Japan, but has never made it to distribution in the United Kingdom, apart from the occasional offering made by small hobby importers. Sirotek, together with Geoff Brown, Chairman of US Gold, says all this will change. An announcement this summer will pinpoint a shipping date for licensed products. Wizardry - Bane of the Cosmic Forge is enjoying immense popularity since its release. Its top award was given by Strategy Plus, a UK-based magazine. Announced in their March 1992 issue, Strategy Plus' readers voted Bane of the Cosmic Forge the "Best Computer Game of 1991" and "Best Fantasy Role Playing Game" for the same period. Among others, Bane has also received the German "Power Play Award" by Markt & Technik in 1990 and is coveted by the distinguished "top 10 especially recommended games for 1990." Additionally, during January, February and March of this year, the Japanese edition of Bane was ranked the second best-selling computer program in Japan. Crusaders of the Dark Savant, the sequel to Bane of the Cosmic Forge, is expected to surpass the success of its predecessor. According to Brenda Garno, product development manager for Sir-tech, "Dark Savant is a milestone in the Wizardry series and for computer gaming as a whole. It features 256 VGA graphics, a soundtrack and a world that, by early estimates, will require 200 hours to play. Certainly, it's the most dramatic Wizardry ever." Even before its release, Dark Savant has garnered the attention of gaming critics throughout the US and the UK. Featured on the cover of the February 1992 Computer Gaming World, and previewed in dozens more magazines, Dark Savant is expected to draw dozens of awards in the years to come. "Sir-tech chose to take the high road and push the limits of their most ambitious game to date," said Computer Gaming World. Classic Wizardry, the early scenarios available previously only in America, will now become steadily available in the United Kingdom through US Gold. Classic Wizardry includes five scenarios: 1) Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, 2) Knight of Diamonds, 3) Legacy of Llylgamyn, 4) Return of Werdna and 5) Heart of the Maelstrom. These early Wizardry scenarios began the computer fantasy role-playing craze back in 1981 and have certainly earned their place as classic software in any serious collector's library. Over 25 international awards have been given to Classic Wizardry with more than 3.5 million copies sold to date. English versions will begin shipping from US Gold in approximately four weeks. "US Gold is clearly a key player for us and we are pleased to be associated with such a fine company," said Sir-tech president, Norman Sirotek. "We look forward to working with US Gold and to bringing high quality English software to the United Kingdom." Geoff Brown of US Gold commented, "We see Sir-tech as a leader in the field of role-playing simulation products, and they represent a very exciting addition to our range. We're very much looking forward to working with Sir-tech and bringing them to the forefront of the UK entertainment software industry." Through the agreement, US Gold will handle all aspects of marketing, sales and distribution of Sir-tech's products in the UK. Sir-tech's agreement with US Gold helps to solidify an international distribution plan that includes an agreement with Rushware GmbH of Dusseldorf, Germany. Rushware, which handles the German versions of Sir-tech products in Eastern and Western Europe and English versions in Germany and Austria, recently released the German MS-DOS version of Bane of the Cosmic Forge . The Amiga version is expected to ship in two weeks. The English version of Crusaders of the Dark Savant will be shipped to Germany and Austria in parallel with US Gold's ship dates. Translation of Crusaders of the Dark Savant is in the works, and a German release is expected in late 1992 or early 1993. "Sir-tech will be making announcements on distribution agreements for the rest of Europe shortly," said Robert Sirotek. Sir-Tech Software Inc PO Box 245, Ogdensburg, NY 13669 315-393-6451 +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | From the America Online New Product Information Services | +===============================================================+ | This information was processed with OmniPage Professional OCR | | software (from Caere Corp) & a Canon IX-30 scanner from data | | provided by the above mentioned company. For additional info, | | contact the company at the address or phone# indicated above. | | All submissions for this service should be addressed to | | BAKER ENTERPRISES, 20 Ferro Drive, Sewell, NJ 08080 U.S.A. | +---------------------------------------------------------------+