NEW VIRTUAL TAROT CD-ROM OFFERS "MULTIMEDIA FOR YOUR MIND"

Virtual Tarot Blends Ancient Mystic Science With Modern Computer Technology


SUNNYVALE, California, November 15, 1993 -- If you've been wondering where
multimedia is going, now you can ask your CD-ROM.  Virtual Media Works
today announced the introduction of Virtual Tarot, a multimedia CD-ROM
based on the ancient mystic science of the Tarot.  Virtual Tarot offers an
entertaining and surprisingly accurate look at a player's personal
questions and future possibilities.  It is challenging and promises to
stretch your mind and intuition.  The game features computer generated
graphics and animations, video animation, original music and vocals.  

Virtual Tarot is being initially released for the Macintosh with a PC
compatible version planned for the first quarter of 1994.  The minimum
system configuration requirement  is a Macintosh LC running System 7 with
a 13-inch, 256-color monitor and 5MB of memory.  Virtual Tarot is priced
at $49.95.  The Virtual Tarot Bundle, containing the CD and a Rider-Waite
tarot deck, is $64.95.

"Virtual Tarot is unlike any other multimedia product on the market,"
states Jeff Manning, president of Virtual Media Works.  "Multimedia, to
date, has focused on linear games which exhaust most user's interest after
a short period of time. With Virtual Tarot the play is endless."  

Virtrual Tarot's easy-to-use interface includes option-click voice helps
for most screen items, a skip-animation feature for quick access to the
various aspects of the game and on-screen controls that allow features to
be turned on or off according to the player's preferences. Virtual Tarot
also offers a advanced interactivity with a personalized diary for logging
past readings.

Virtual Tarot makes the Tarot entertaining and immediately useful for both
novice and experienced users.  It features the artwork of one of the most
popular and well recognized Tarot decks in the world:  the Rider-Waite
tarot deck.  The product includes ten different card layouts ranging from
a contemporary version of the classic Celtic Cross to subject specific
layouts such as Career, Love, Health and Money.  Each layout has its own
evocative graphics, animations and original music designed to awaken the
player's subconscious and focus his or her intuitive energies.  

When using a Virtual Tarot divination layout, a player "deals" a card by
clicking on a deck.  Using a complex algorithm that takes into account the
precise moment in time that the player chooses to select their card, each
card is "dealt" through the player's actions, not the computers.  

Male and female voices provide concise meanings for cards and their
positional significance.  Players can select between hearing either the
original card meanings by A.E. Waite, or contemporary meanings by M.L.
Foster, a practicing intuitive Tarot reader.  Expanded meanings by both
authors are available through the Divination's Interpretation window. 
Players can also select to hear the tones and see the colors associated
with each card according the mystic tradition of the Qabbalah.

The Instruction and Philosophy segments of Virtual Tarot use movies to
instruct the player on the history of the Tarot, the organization of the
deck, how to do an useful divination, and how to effectively use the
program.  The Card Review segment presents cards in significant groupings
to encourage understanding of their subtle meanings and the relationships
between various cards. 

After completing any of the ten card layouts, a player can print or save
results to a personal diary for future review.  Results are saved with the
player's name, the layout type, date and up to three key-words.  Saved
diary entries can be reviewed to reveal significant characteristics and
trends of earlier readings.

Virtual Media Works develops interactive multimedia CD-ROM products.  To
purchase Virtual Tarot, call 800-292-3157.  For business information
contact Virtual Media Works, P.O. Box 70030, Sunnyvale, California  94086
or call 408-739-0301
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VIRTUAL TAROT
"MULTIMEDIA FOR YOUR MIND"
TAROT FACT SHEET

Tarot reading is an ancient art used to examine current situations and gain
insights into the future.  It takes years of practice to become adept at
interpreting the Tarot using the traditional method of a card deck with
reference books to look up card meanings and divinatory layouts.  With
Virtual Tarot, a player can immediately begin to effectively use the cards
while discovering the subtleties of Tarot divination.

The Rider-Waite Tarot deck includes 78 cards divided into two primary
groups:  the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana.  The 22 Major Arcana cards
are numbered 0 through 21.  The Minor Arcana cards are divided into four
suits:  Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles.  Each suit includes ten
numbered cards and four court cards; the Page, Knight, Queen and King. 
Each card has two unique divinatory meanings; upright or dignified, and
reversed or ill-dignified.  

Tarot readings or Divinations  are done by laying cards into specific
patterns or layouts.  Each card position in a layout has a specific
significance that is used with each card's individual meaning to create
the overall Divination.

The Rider-Waite deck was designed by A.E. Waite, a well-known spiritualist,
 in the early 1900's.  

The Qabbalah is an ancient Judaic mystic belief system which is believed to
be the basis for the medieval Tarot decks. 
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VIRTUAL TAROT
"MULTIMEDIA FOR YOUR MIND"
TECHNICAL FACT SHEET

The following products were used in the creation of Virtual Tarot.

Hardware:

- Apple Macintosh Quadra 700, 850, IIfx and IIsi
- Silicon Graphics Indigo workstation
- Umax UC630 color scanner
- Two 1.2 gigabyte external Quantum disks
- Wacom drawing tablet
- Syquest 88C and 44
- Pinnacle Micro RCD 202 CD-R recording device

Software:

- Macromedia Director as authoring platform
- CoSA PACo animation compiler
- Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere
- Strata 3D for 3D modeling and animation
- Video Bits distributed UNIX renderer for the Silicon Graphics
  Indigo 

Sound:

- Opcode Vision for music sequencing
- Digidesign ProTools 2.0 for Sound FX and Dialogue editing
- Digidesign SampleCell II for Sound FX and Musical Sounds
- SoundEdit Pro (8-bit, 22k AIFF format) for digitizing music,
  SFX and Dialogue
- Various keyboards and modules for music:  Korg M1 and M3r,
  Yamaha DX7, EMAX II, Alesis D4, Prophet VX, Kurzweil K1000,
  Oberheim Matrix 6r

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