7th Level debuts G-NOME; Its first realtime rendered 3-D game.

DALLAS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 1995--Multimedia pioneer 7th Level, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEVL) ushers in a new age in gaming with its debut of the highly anticipated action/adventure, G-NOME.

Touting Windows(R) 95 and 7th Level's Top Gun(R), G-NOME raises the bar for 3-D interactive adventure games with fully texture-mapped graphics and fluid animating vehicles, creatures and characters. The game is packed with non-stop head-to-head action, intense gameplay, stunning graphics and incredible sound.

7th Level gained the rights to G-NOME, which was originally designed as a DOS(R) game, through the Distant Thunder acquisition earlier this year. G-NOME is now native to Window(R) 95 and takes advantage of DirectDraw(TM), DirectPlay(TM), DirectSound(TM) and Direct3D(TM) to build a smooth, realistic adventure.

"7th Level's core team of engineers includes members from one of the first groups of Windows developers," said George Grayson, president and CEO of 7th Level. "By combining their experience with the talent from Distant Thunder, we're working to elevate production quality in realtime rendered 3-D games without sacrificing gameplay."

G-NOME, which is scheduled to ship in the second quarter of 1996, also incorporates a new internally developed process that allows cutting-edge comic book style characters to be smoothly animated and blended into 3-D backgrounds. With more than 15,000 cels of animation and the new technique, characters look as though they've stepped out of the comic book and onto your screen.

In G-NOME, beautifully crafted cinematics establish the mood of the game and tell the story of the hostile world of Ruhelen. Then, players are propelled seamlessly from the cinematic sequences into hard-core combat. True combat simulations and an intricate artificial intelligence system have been expertly created by engineers who formerly designed Command Control Communications and Intelligence (C3I) for the Defense Department.

"The transitions from cinematics into immediate combat are so clean you can never take your hands off the joystick," said Grayson. "If you're not paying attention it could kill you -- figuratively of course."

The action can shift inside and outside without warning and players should be prepared to leave their vehicles to fight on foot or on the back of one of the local creatures. The game is networkable for up to eight players and includes five times more terrain, vehicles and weapons than leading games such as MechWarrior(R) 2 and EarthSiege(TM). The combat vehicles in G-NOME are designed to withstand multiple levels of damage, revealing deeper layers with each hit -- so a standard single shot may not be enough to rid the enemy. Additionally, players have the opportunity to control different characters throughout the game.

"We've decided to break with tradition and allow players to control more than just the lead role," said Todd Porter, vice president of 3-D Games. "The movies usually develop more than just the main character and we've added that feature into G-NOME to expand the player's experience."

An emotion evoking soundtrack features the work of Chris Boardman, an Academy Award nominee and six-time Emmy award-winning composer whose work includes Die Hard, Lethal Weapon and The Fugitive.

The game's epic storyline revolves around Joshua Gant's pursuit of the G-NOME, a genetically altered super warrior. Gant takes to the battlefields of Ruhelen to fight against adversaries that include his former commanding officer, Robert Trenton and members of the Scorps who have captured the scientist in charge of the research effort that spawned the G-NOME. The race to find the G-NOME takes players through the rugged terrain of the snowy mountains into the desert heat and challenges them to fight against everything from frontal assaults to sneak attacks.

To download information about G-NOME, check the web at www.7thlevel.com or the on-line services. On CompuServe, AOL and MSN use "SEVENTH."

7th Level, Inc. blends Hollywood creative artistry, proprietary production techniques, and world-class animators and producers to deliver state-of-the-art multimedia products. 7th Level's shipping products include The Great Word Adventure(TM), Battle Beast(TM), Take Your Best Shot(TM), Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time and TuneLand(TM) starring Howie Mandel.

Coming soon from 7th Level are Arcade America(TM), The Universe According to Virgil(TM), SharkBoy(TM), Return to Krondor(TM) and Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail (working title).

For more information regarding 7th Level, Inc. and its products, please contact Mary Crisp at 7th Level, Inc., 214/498-8184, fax [phone], [e-mail]; or Jenny Rosas at Bender, Goldman & Helper, 310/473-4147, fax [phone], [e-mail]

NOTE: All trademarks and registered trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

CONTACT: (Computer, Gaming, Multimedia)

Mary Crisp, 7th Level, Inc., 214/498-8184

[e-mail]

or

(Consumer, Business, Broadcast, Newspaper)

Jenny Rosas, Bender, Goldman & Helper, 310/473-4147

[e-mail]