PC WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DEBUTS LAUNCH ISSUE OF PC WORLD INTERACTIVE CD-ROM

Ultimate Tool for PC Buyers Includes Online Integration and Personalized
Top 20 Lists

SAN FRANCISCO, CA-PC World Communications, Inc., publisher of PC World
magazine, debuted the premier issue of PC World Interactive, a new
quarterly CD-ROM publication for people who buy and use PC products. PC
World Interactive sets a new standard for CD-ROM-based magazines,
combining the unique capabilities of CD-ROM and the Internet to create the
ultimate PC information resource.

PC World Interactive is published with the same objectives as PC World
Magazine: to help PC buyers purchase and use PC products more effectively,
and to connect qualified buyers of PC products with the vendors in the PC
marketplace. Not only does PC World Interactive use a variety of search
and navigation tools to retrieve PC information, the CD-ROM includes
online links to companies mentioned in articles, an electronic reader
service system and the ability to create personalized Top 20 lists based
on individual criteria. Users can quickly and easily find the information
they need to make buying decisions comfortably.

"With its wealth of product information, how-to tips and valuable
shareware, PC World Interactive will assist anyone looking to buy PC
hardware or software or help new PC buyers get the most out of their
systems," said Jonathan Epstein, publisher of PC World Interactive and
president of PC World Communications' New Media Division.

Packed With PC-Related Multimedia Information

Each issue of PC World Interactive includes 12 months of articles and
graphics from PC World magazine, the leading source of PC-related news,
reviews and features worldwide.

PC World Interactive's content is accessible through a variety of
interfaces, including full-text, keyword search and the easy-to-use
Article and Tips Finders. These features allow users to look up articles
by issue, subject or section and locate tips by application and type of
tip (e.g., printing tips for spreadsheet applications). Users can print
out or save any article to the hard disk and save sets of article
bookmarks for later reference. PC World articles are contextually linked
to a vast array of PC-related information, including:

* Nearly 1,000 photographs, screen shots and information-rich tables
  and charts

* More than 400 leading PC information resources on the World Wide Web

* 59 Lotus ScreenCam video software reviews and how-to tip
  demonstrations, representing nearly two hours of professionally
  narrated, full-screen material

* Complete mail, phone and electronic mail contact information
  for more than 1,500 products

* 119 of the best shareware applications, utilities and games,
  all packaged for one-button installation

Online Links Enrich the User Experience

PC World Interactive's software engine is integrated with Internet browser
technology from CompuServe's Spry Internet Division. The browser will work
with all major Internet access providers, and users can sign up for access
through the CompuServe network from the CD-ROM.

All major sections of the CD-ROM include links to related PC resources on
the World Wide Web. Whether reading an article, looking up an entry in the
product database, looking at an advertisement or reviewing a personalized
list of Top 20 PCs, users, with a single click on an icon, can launch the
browser and be connected to related information resources on the World
Wide Web.

PC World Interactive also uses the Internet as a communications path for
its electronic reader service system. Users can request more information
from a vendor with the single click of the SEND MORE INFO button. All
information requests are then processed and sent electronically to PC
World's server, which immediately routes the requests to the relevant
vendors.

The Interactive Top 20 -- The Ultimate Tool for Comparing Today's PCs

According to industry research firm IDC, more than six million people will
buy PC systems in the next three months. "For many people, choosing the
best PC from the hundreds of available systems is a daunting if not
seemingly impossible task," said Epstein. "Whether they're seasoned buyers
or first-time PC purchasers, they need to balance price, performance and
features with the reliability, service and support you can expect from the
vendor. Until now, getting all of the important information in one place
has been impossible."

In February 1994, PC World magazine redefined the standard for reviewing PC
systems with the introduction of the PC World Top 20 lists. Every month,
lab analysts for the PC World Test Center conduct in-depth performance
tests on dozens of leading PC systems. This test information is combined
with data from tens of thousands of reliability and service surveys

PC World receives from its readers every month to generate monthly lists of
"Top 20" desktop and notebook PCs.

PC World Interactive's interactive Top 20 allows users to build their own
customized Top 20 lists for both desktop and notebook computers. The
CD-ROM provides both Q&A-based and "power user" Top 20 builders that let
users prioritize their personal buying criteria. The program then analyzes
the importance of different attributes including price, performance and
support in ranking the systems, as well as the information users want in
their custom report. From the on-screen display of their custom Top 20
list, users can read the reviews of the systems, electronically request
more information from the vendors or link to vendor Web sites. The
Interactive Top 20 system provides users with both the information and the
analysis tools they need to pick the best possible PC systems for their
unique needs.

PC World Interactive is sold by subscription and through computer stores,
book stores and newsstands around the world. A four-issue subscription is
$49.95; single copies sell for $17.95. The second issue of PC World
Interactive is expected to hit the streets in early March, 1996, and the
CD-ROM will be published quarterly thereafter.

PC World Communications, Inc.

PC World Interactive is published by the New Media Division of PC World
Communications, Inc., which also publishes PC World and Multimedia World
magazines and the PC World Online and Multimedia World Online online
services. PC World Communications is a subsidiary of IDG Communications,
which publishes more than 233 computer magazines and newspapers in 65
countries, including over 38 indigenous editions of PC World. IDG is
headquartered in Boston and has annual revenues of more than $1.3 billion
and 7,200 employees.

PC World New Media is located at 501 Second Street, San Francisco, CA
94107-5506. Telephone: (415) 243-0500, Fax: (415) 975-2662. Review copies
of PC World Interactive are readily available, and screen shots are
available both in digital and hard copy formats.

Contact: Tina Wilmott, THE TERPIN GROUP
Voice: 415-344-4944
Email: twilmott@sf.terpin.com

Contact: Jonathan Epstein, PC World Interactive
Voice: 415-267-1772
Email: jonathan_epstein@pcworld.com
 
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