Easier to comprehend than some other game-programming packages out there, DarkBASIC offers both a fun tutorial and a powerful code editor. You can start programming right away in this offshoot of the BASIC language. First you will learn about the principles of programming, then advance onto media and 3-D topics with further study. The program makes it easy, and with a handful of impressive examples you can learn by doing on several short, fast programs. The main editor area of the program is attractive, although it does remind us a bit of the role-playing games of the late 1980s. Our favorite perk was the Command Line Interface (CLI) button in the page header: this feature allows you to test single or small groups of commands without constructing an entire program. The online help system is multifaceted: it offers a "fast track" option for those with programming experience (or who are just impatient) as well as a more structured lesson plan. The user manual is particularly friendly and witty in tone, and we Minimize