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Pearson Technology Group's Macmillan Software Releases Game Programming Starter Kit 5.0 – Don't Just Play Games, Make 'Em

Indianapolis, Indiana - January 30, 2002 - Macmillan Software, an imprint of Pearson Technology Group (NYSE: PSO), announces the release of Game Programming Starter Kit 5.0 for the PC to help people make their game ideas a reality. Think you can do better than the big gaming companies? This powerful and comprehensive kit has everything necessary to learn to program games and publish them royalty-free.

Whether you're a veteran gamer tackling programming for the first time, or a programmer interested in creating your own games, Game Programming Starter Kit 5.0 provides you with expert tools and guidance.

"The Game Programming Starter Kit 5.0 provides a great way for developers to jump start their game development efforts," said David Culverwell, publisher, Macmillan Software. "The product not only comes with the tools necessary to make their gaming ideas a reality, but the included book, Game Design: Secrets of the Sages, Third Edition, offers real-world advice from experts in the field."

Features include:

• The introductory edition of Microsoft® Visual C++ 6.0 which provides a full-featured compiler and a suite of development tools that gives users the power to create their own applications in a flexible environment designed for easy viewing and manipulation of code. Includes a debugger and resource editor for easy editing of code.
• The 3D GameStudio Standard 5.12, a leading authoring system for 2D and 3D computer games. It combines a programming language with a high-end 3D engine, a 2D engine, a C++ interface, a map and model editor an huge libraries of 3D objects, artwork and pre-made games
• Microsoft® DirectX 8.0 SDK provides the industry standard 2D and 3D graphical development libraries to enhance your game project.
• "Game Design: Secrets of the Sages, Third Edition", a new, 500-page book authored by game guru Marc Saltzman, which gives insight into the industry through discussion with numerous major designers, artists, level designers and engineers in the industry, on topics that include level design, 3D rendering, and programming for games.
• "Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus", the best-selling e-book that provides cutting-edge guidance on game programming, artificial intelligence and physics

"Game Design: Secrets of the Sages, Third Edition is a comprehensive collection of invaluable advice on creating triple-A console and PC games and breaking into the multi-billion dollar industry" says Marc Saltzman. "It's like sitting at a roundtable with over 125 of the world's best-known and admired game designers, artists and other industry veterans, such as Shigeru Miyamoto, Sid Meier, Hideo Kojima, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Peter Molyneux, Don Bluth, Lorne Lanning, Shinji Mikami, Will Wright and Jason Rubin."

About Marc Saltzman

Marc Saltzman is a prolific journalist and author in the high-tech industry, contributing to numerous publications such as Gannett News Service, USA Today, LA Times, Playboy, Playboy.com, Maxim, C|Net, Modern Maturity, Yahoo! Internet Life, Electronic Gaming Monthly, PC Gamer, Electronic Playground and many more. Marc is also a freelance technology correspondent for CNN, and host of two technology radio shows in Canada.

About Macmillan Software

Macmillan Software is a world leader in delivering quality, innovative Linux, Audio, Programming, Internet Security, Reference and Gaming software to our consumers. Distributing leading brands like MUSICMATCH, Encyclopaedia Britannica and Linux-Mandrake we bring innovative software to market all over the world. Macmillan Software acquires, creates, develops, and packages tools and resources to fulfill market needs through the broadest range of distribution vehicles, including brick-and-mortar retail, on-line retail, and direct sales through our Web site (www.macmillansoftware.com). Macmillan Software is an imprint of Pearson Technology Group (PTG), the world's largest provider of consumer and professional computer, information technology, engineering and reference content. Pearson Technology Group is an operating unit of Pearson Education, the world's leading education and professional publisher.

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