Simon & Schuster Interactive to ship record-setting 300,000 copies of new Star Trek CD-Rom; Star Trek™ Omnipedia™, the voice-activated reference guide to all things Star Trek, represents the biggest CD-Rom pressing from a book publisher

Business Wire, August 2, 1995

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 2, 1995--Simon & Schuster Interactive, the consumer software publishing unit of Simon & Schuster, announced today that it will ship 300,000 copies of STAR TREK OMNIPEDIA.

This initial product shipment, scheduled for Aug. 10, represents the largest initial order for any CD-Rom product by a traditional print publisher.

The OMNIPEDIA follows on the extraordinary success of Simon & Schuster Interactive's award-winning STAR TREK(TM) THE NEXT GENERATION INTERACTIVE TECHNICAL MANUAL, which to date has sold more than 290,000 copies worldwide. The initial shipment for this product was 35,000 copies.

The OMNIPEDIA is produced for Windows(R) 3.1 and compatible with Windows '95(R) operating systems. A simultaneous Macintosh version will also be available. End-users equipped with voice-capable system hardware and software will be able to take computer data retrieval to a new Star Trek level. Specific voice commands translated by both Windows and Macintosh operating systems will access data, art and video clips hyper-linked throughout the OMNIPEDIA database.

"As a interactive reference work, wholly dedicated to the Star Trek phenomenon, the OMNIPEDIA is a unique software product and a natural extension of our Star Trek book and audio publishing program," said Jack Romanos, President, Simon & Schuster Consumer Group.

Initial orders for OMNIPEDIA include a limited quantity of premier editions (for Windows '95/Windows 3.1 only). This special package features a numbered and certified disk, plus an assortment of Star Trek collectibles: cap, special 4-disk audio CD collection, and a special limited poster. The premier editions are expected to sell at retail for $70-75. The regular edition has an estimated retail price of $55-60. Both editions will be in stores August 15th.

The single greatest compilation of Star Trek fact, lore, trivia and history STAR TREK OMNIPEDIA is comprised of more than 6,000 indexed entries, 2,000 full color photos and illustrations. Plus there are more than 100 QuickTime movies and animations.

Mark Lenard, best known as the Vulcan 'Sarek', narrates five historical multimedia overviews, while Majel Barrett, the official voice for all Federation computer systems, is omnipresent. STAR TREK OMNIPEDIA is based on the best-selling Pocket Books publication The Star Trek(TM) Encyclopedia by Michael Okuda, Denise Okuda and Debbie Mirek and Star Trek Chronology also by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda.

"Star Trek is a franchise like none other in the entertainment software industry," said Peter Yunich, President Simon & Schuster Interactive. "Attached to this brand is a loyal audience with an avid interest in technology. With STAR TREK OMNIPEDIA, we will deliver the first entertainment software product with functional voice-command navigation. For Star Trek followers, this is part of the expected evolution from science fiction to reality."

With its powerful search engine, this extensive database accesses the entire breadth of the 'original' STAR TREK and STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION series from Paramount Television; the first two seasons of Paramount's STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE and six of the seven Paramount Pictures STAR TREK feature films. Registered users of the OMNIPEDIA will receive a free CD-Rom update scheduled for release in December. The update will incorporate data from the most recent season of STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE, the opening season of Paramount's newest series STAR TREK VOYAGER and reference to STAR TREK GENERATIONS the most recent Paramount Pictures feature film. Notice of continued updates will be mailed to OMNIPEDIA registered users.

STAR TREK(TM) OMNIPEDIA(TM) is trademarked as the official electronic reference guide to Star Trek entertainment properties. the product was produced by Keith Halper, senior producer for Simon & Schuster Interactive. Halper was also the producer for STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION: INTERACTIVE TECHNICAL MANUAL.

Voice activated systems software utilizes Apple Plain Talk version 1.3 and incorporates Speech Recognition XObject from Digital Dreams for the Macintosh. Voice recognition software for Windows platforms was written by Dragon Systems Inc.

While voice-activated technology adds an exciting new dimension to the product's performance, standard operation of the program is in no way dependent on this feature. Technical assistance for OMNIPEDIA will be available with a minimum waiting time on a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week basis.

Simon and Schuster Interactive enters its second year of operation with 12 CD-Rom products in the market. The company is mandated to publish across a broad spectrum from entertainment to popular reference for all ages. Recent releases include David A. Carter's children's title, HOW MANY BUGS IN A BOX? and I.M.MEEN the first in a new series of juvenile action-learning titles.

Simon & Schuster Interactive is the consumer software publishing unit of Simon & Schuster Inc., the publishing operation of Viacom Inc. A worldwide leader in consumer education, business, professional and reference publishing, Simon & Schuster's imprints include Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books, Scribner, The Free Press, Prentice Hall, Silver Burdett Ginn, Allyn & Bacon, Computer Curriculum Corporation, Educational Management Group and Macmillan Publishing USA. The company will have more than 200 CD-Roms for sale by the end of 1995.