PC World names Mecklermedia's CD-ROMS in Print 1994 one of the year's best

Business Wire, Nov 30, 1994

WESTPORT, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 30, 1994--Searching for the perfect CD this holiday season needn't be the nightmare before Christmas.

Mecklermedia's CD-ROMS in Print 1994 -- named one of PC World's "Best CDs of 1994" and awarded three-plus stars by Home Office Computing -- delivers the most information on the world's CDs at the touch of a button.

"This reference tool's the single best authority on the CD-ROMS currently available internationally," according to PC World editors. Home Office Computing hails CD ROMS in Print as "an inexpensive way to unearth valuable information resources quickly and easily."

Featuring more than 6,600 commercial CD-ROM titles -- more than double the titles in its previous 1993 release -- CD-ROMS in Print 1994 is the most comprehensive source of information on the rapidly proliferating CD-ROM titles.

"The surge in the number of entries from one release to the next represents the high growth of the CD-ROM industry," explained Tony Abbott, Mecklermedia's senior vice president of editorial. Already editors predict more than 8,000 titles will be included in the first 1995 release, due out in February.

"This is only source to track so many titles," said Regina Rega, editor of CD-ROMS in Print. "We are the largest source of CD-ROM information in the world."

As an added bonus, more than 350 titles directly connect to New Media Canada and CD-ROM World magazine reviews.

Published for eight years in print, more recently on CD-ROM, the guide features an array of worldwide titles from "A.D.A.M. CD-ROM Animation Books" to "Zyzomys." CD-ROM titles are indexed by more than 200 subject areas including art, business, computer applications, entertainment, law, multimedia programs and sciences.

Each title -- as well as the 3,200 companies responsible for their development, publication and distribution -- may be quickly and easily searched. Titles feature up to 31 informational items, such as multimedia content, computer requirements, intended audience, publisher, subjects covered, price and how to order.

Consumers may determine which CD-ROM to purchase by using the intuitive keyboard- or mouse-driven Windows and DOS versions on the same disc. "It's a clear delivery of information," Rega said. "It makes it easier to search -- every word is indexed through a global text search."

The titles database includes discs for CD-ROM, Sega Genesis, 3DO, MMCD, CD32, CD-I, Electronic Book and multimedia CD-ROM products. Multimedia titles for the popular PC, MPC and Macintosh computers now number 1,642.

Professionals may rapidly retrieve information on the worldwide marketplace through the OptiSearch 2 interface by M.P.W. Lasec of Berlin. Companies are indexed by activity in the marketplace including mastering, publishing, international distribution, North American distribution, conference organization, packaging, search interface producer and computer equipment producer. Search results may flow into TXT files, download to a printer or may be cut from the screen and pasted in any Windows application.

Mecklermedia Corp., based in Westport, is a leading provider of information on cutting-edge technologies, and produces magazines, newsletters, database directories, trade shows, and professional books on virtual reality, electronic books and the Internet. Among many other monographs and serials, the company publishes Internet World magazine.

Specifications:

Windows: PC or compatible, Windows 3.1/+, 4MB RAM recommended (2MB minimum), 5MB free hard drive space.

DOS: PC or compatible, DOS 3.0/+, 1MB RAM minimum, 1.25 MB free hard drive space.

CONTACT: Mecklermedia

              Tony Abbott, 203/226-6967
              CD-ROMS in Print
              Regina Rega, 203/226-6967
              Edelman Public Relations
              Debbie Young, 415/968-4033