Computer games; Olympic Special.

If you think the Olympics are about running, jumping and the rest, it's time you learned the truth.

Are you sitting comfortably? The Olympics are all about technology and the ostentatious display of gadgets.

Sorry, don't cry - there's no Santa Claus either, incidentally.

The history of the Games has been one of technological innovation. In 1912, they brought in electronic timing. The first electronic scoreboard was installed in 1952.

Since then, we're had colour TV, satellite broadcasting and computers. This year, the Internet has sprinted from the shadowy world of the military and the hobbyist toy and is now poised on the starting blocks of real commercial potential.

For the first time, in history, the Olympics have been wired. First out of the blocks and off to a flier is the official home page,(http://www. atlanta.olympic.org) run by sponsor IBM (who also did Wimbledon) and given the nod by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games. IBM designed the system specially for the Olympics and it is another giant leap for commerce on the Web

It expects to sell more than 3.5 million tickets online - a quarter of the total, worldwide tickets.

There's a simple e-mail form to fill in and, with 11 different sports from baseball to gymnastics, it's still simple. You just fill out the form and include your credit card number to guarantee a seat.

Since IBM's system is linked directly to the ticket database, only those tickets available can be sold - no turning up and finding you have to argue with Herman the German.

But the Netheads will really score when it comes to real-time results.

IBM reckon that results of the 37 sporting events can be available to the commentators in as little as a fifth of a second after they've been announced and plan to be almost as fast on the Net, 24 hours a day.

More than three terabytes of Olympic information is available on computer - the equivalent of a stack of paper nearly 100 miles high.

A lot of this will crash on to the Internet and IBM estimate that between five and 10 million people a day will surf in and out of Atlanta looking for news views, 271 medal events and athlete interviews.

And prove, once and for all, that the Net isn`t a medium likely to be gone with the wind.

The hard fact of hotel life in the Deep South is that Mary and Joseph couldn't get a manger within 160 miles of Atlanta.

But they could have a six-bedroom estate, with jacuzzi and maid service for dollars 1750 A NIGHT, with the minimum stay 14 nights (http://www. mindspring.com/jasone/house24.htm).

Paget Enteprises may have launched themselves on the same Mindspring Website. They offer 80-foot motorboats for dollars 300 a day, on Lake Lanier, for the rowing events.

No money? No problem. Just drop some e-mail to [e-mail], who could still be homesick.

You can have his three bedroom house, his car, the contents of his fridge and anything else that he'll leave. All you have to do is swap him four return air tickets to Nairobi.

MACPPP: The Macintosh Point to Point Protocol, also known as SLIP (Serial Line Interface Protocol), the method of connecting directly to the Internet via the telephone.

MACTCP: Macintosh's version of the Transmission Control Protocol, backbone of the Internet.

MAIL BOMB: Electronic terrorism, involving the pursuit of an individual or organisation using large and useless files to clog up their e-mail.

MBONE: Multicast Backbone, a service carrying real-time audio/video over the Internet and used to carry the first- ever rock concert on the Internet, by the Rolling Stones, in 1994.

MODEM: MODulator/ DEModulator, a device converting binary information to analogue signals and vice versa for transmission down a phone line.

MOVING WORLDS: Specification for Virtual Reality Modelling Language 2 (VRML2), a platform- independent method of creating hyperlinked 3D Web pages.

PETE SAMPRAS EXTREME

Sony Playstation

This is the Playstation version of the highly successful tennis game of last year and, thanks to the increased power of the Playstation, it has a lot more to offer.

Great graphics and sound all add to what is at heart a very impressive gameplay, to create one of the most "complete" games yet seen on the Playstation.

9 out of 10.

Published by Codemasters.

BATTLE ARENA TOSHINDEN 2

Sony Playstation

TOSHINDEN was considered to be jaw-droppingly good when it first hit the Playstation - until Tekken was released and players very quickly realised that Toshinden was, in comparison, only adequate.

Unfortunately, this won't win the crown back. An improvement on the original Toshinden 2 still suffers from slow animation and graphics that are at best blocky.

With a slightly steeper learning curve than its predecessor, it's still basic and despite the assorted bells and whistles, a disappointment.

6 out of 10.

Published by Takara.

Cheat Specials

DAYTONA USA

Sega Saturn

A selection of cheats and tips for this game. Try any of these:

TIME ATTACK:

In Saturn mode press and hold the START while you select your car. This will give you a special time attack mode racing against an open track, but against the clock.

SLOP MACHINE:

If you are racing on the beginner track, press the X button as you pass under the slot machine. If you stop them on three 7s you get extra time.