Dungeons & Dragons Gets Revamped for the New Millennium and a New Generation of Fans; August 2000 Will See the Release of 3rd Edition, the First Revision to the Game in 10 Years.

RENTON, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 6, 1999--

Amid an air of festivity, Wizards of the Coast Inc. made the highly anticipated announcement today at the Gen Con(R) Game Fair in Milwaukee that development is underway for a third edition of its world-famous Dungeons & Dragons(R) adventure game.

This redesign of the game played by millions of fans is scheduled for release in August 2000.

In the 10 years since the release of the Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition roleplaying game -- and in the 25 years since the initial release of the game -- Dungeons & Dragons has gone through continuous evolution and growth. Originally released in 1974, Dungeons & Dragons received the first facelift to its rules and game mechanics (2nd Edition) in 1989. Now with 3rd Edition, Dungeons & Dragons is back -- redesigned for the new millennium, for a new generation of game players and for its legions of existing fans worldwide.

The designers of 3rd Edition -- Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet and Skip Williams -- tapped into the creativity of Dungeons & Dragons fans by incorporating comments from more than a thousand playtesters -- making it a game designed partly by fans, for fans. Players new to the Dungeons & Dragons experience will find intuitive and comprehensive game play that rewards players for using their imaginations in creative ways to tell epic stories of fantasy adventure. Experienced players will notice significant changes, such as an integrated skill system; a standard resolution mechanic; the reintroduction of half-orcs, assassins and monks; and the removal of demi-human level limits. The Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition adventure game offers flexibility to players, emphasizing consequences rather than limitations in character generation and development.

Additionally, Dungeon Masters will find a game that enables them to create adventures limited only by their own imaginations, while supporting them in designing their own campaign worlds.

The first core book release for the Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition game, The Player's Handbook, will be released in August 2000. The Dungeon Master Guide will be released in September 2000 and the Monster Manual will be released in October 2000. All three manuals will be full-color hardback books with MSRPs of $19.95.

Please visit www.3rdedition.com for further information in the coming months.

For 25 years, Dungeons & Dragons products have been the benchmark for adventure game excellence. These games appeal to the ever-increasing population of fans because the focus is not on fierce competition, but on imagination and communal storytelling. The D&D(R) game continues to be played by millions of people worldwide and has led to the creation of the billion-dollar adventure game industry. The game provides rules for interacting in a group-driven, storytelling experience in a fantasy world filled with magic, fierce dragons and brave knights.

Wizards of the Coast, the worldwide market share leader in the trading card game and tabletop roleplaying game categories, is a leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products as well as the owner and operator of one of the nation's largest specialty game retail chains. Producing both the Pokemon(tm) and world's best-selling Magic: The Gathering(R) trading card games, the company holds an exclusive patent on the play mechanic of trading card games. Publisher of adventure games such as the classic Dungeons & Dragons games, family card and board games and electronic media products, Wizards of the Coast is also one of the world's leading fantasy and science fiction book publishers. The company's retail locations, many of which provide game-play areas, include a growing chain of Wizards of the Coast(R) specialty game retail stores as well as 53 The Game Keeper(R) stores. Headquartered near Seattle, Washington, Wizards of the Coast has international offices in Antwerp, Paris, Milan, London and Beijing. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company's website and electronic retail store at <www.wizards.com>.

(c)1995, 1996 and 1998 Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK. Pokemon is a trademark of Nintendo. WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Magic: The Gathering and THE GAME KEEPER are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast Inc. TSR, D&D, Dungeons & Dragons and Gen Con are registered trademarks of TSR Inc. TSR Inc. is a subsidiary of Wizards of the Coast Inc. (c)1999 Wizards of the Coast Inc.