Myst, LV game hot items

Friday, Dec. 20, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Two popular computer games are expected to surge, one because of a price cut, the other because of its availability in an Apple operating system.

Command & Conquer, a fast-paced action game developed by Las Vegas-based Westwood Studios, is expected to get a boost with this month's release of the game in a Macintosh version.

"We're thrilled to continue our support for the Macintosh community with the long-anticipated release of Command & Conquer," said Brett Sperry, president of Westwood.

The suggested retail price for the game is listed as $60.

There's no mystery about why sales of the computer game Myst are surging again, three years after the CD-ROM was initially released.

The price has been cut in half, and there has been extensive publicity about a long-planned sequel being developed at Spokane, Wash.-based Cyan.

The result is that Myst is No. 3 on the list of the best-selling computer games in the nation, and the creators are already predicting it will become a perennial classic.

The Novato, Calif., company was caught by surprise, and rushed to make and ship additional games in time for Christmas, said Jan Gullett, vice president for sales for game publisher Broderbund.

"We are out of stock in some chains," he said, but most major outlets had the game.

The market research firm PC Data of Reston, Va., which compiles monthly sales figures for computer software, said Myst sold 150,000 units in November, a 69 percent increase from November 1995.

PC Data's list of top-selling games for November, the most recent month available, showed Myst at No. 3, up from No. 7 in October. It trailed only Microsoft Flight Simulator, ranked No. 1, and second-place Command & Conquer Red Alert.