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By Sean McQuaid e immortal words of Monty Python: ‘‘and , for something completely different.”’ This week, we talk computer technol- . No, this isn’t going to be a rehashing of ed techno-comics like The Hacker Files Blip. It doesn’t even involve computer- ated comics, like Digital Justice. No, what re taking a gander at this week are comic k-inspired computer

cousins (Windows installation is pretty darn foolproof regardless), and after a quick setup the fun can begin! Corny, sure, but fun. Mind you, some of the settings are just plain cheesy. ‘‘X-Clocks’’ and ‘‘X-Logos’’ (floating clocks and title logos, respectively) about as exciting as the parliamentary channel. **X-Women’’ (showcasing lazily floating images of X-babes Jean Grey, Rogueand Storm)

training devices of the Danger Room. It’s kind of funny, but the figure animation is conspicu- ously stiff and awkward. More convincing is the animation of ‘‘Magneto,’’ the X-Men’s greatest foe: Mags floats around in a circle of magnetic energy, making with the electromag- netic zaps now and again whilst alternately attracting and repelling various metal objects (look for a priceless cameo by Captain Ameri-

screen saver is its ‘“X-Trivia’’ setting: once it turns on, you can engage it in an interactive game of X-Men trivia indefinitely, with 250 questions to choose from. It’s a surprisingly comprehensive list, with questions from the earliest and most obscure X-trivia to some of the most recent story elements. Literally hours of fun can be had here if trivia games are your bag (thoughone minor error has Deathbird and

Lilandra pegged as

grams-- specifically, fen savers! (insert writer ing ‘‘yaaaay’’ like mit the Frog here). Long, long ago, X- 's computer whiz Bruce ison reviewed the Mar- Screen Posters screen pr from those nice folks erkeley Systems, mak- of the popular and oh- ersatile ‘“ After Dark”’ een saver system now, flying toasters} “~ stuff). Bruce concluded as purty albeit imprac- l, a nice toy if you could the cash and the hard €-- especially if, like a staff members here, Te a comic book fan. Now, Berkeley has bwed up their earlier rt with a screen saver Died entirely to Mar- Most popular team: X-Men. Heck, what their animated car-

cousins, not sisters). Peeves:

-- few of the screen saver settingsare very much fun, except for the trivia (until you exhaust the pool of questions) and action scenes like ‘‘Mag- neto”’ and ““Berserk’’ -- it takes up lots of computer space

-- on installing the screen saver, wecan’t call upthe After Dark setup module anymore (this may be our technical inepti- tude showing, but time will tell)

-- comparatively few X-Men areon display here; characters like Angel, Iceman, Ban- shee, Havok, Polaris, Sunfire and Psylocke would havejuiced the mix up a bit with ex- tra visual effects,

L, Stickers, video tapes, ing cards, bubble gum, ro games and action figures on the go, this s i gimmick was probably le. For the computer illiterate, screen saver p'ams guard against ‘‘phosphorburn’’ (im- ’ being burned into your computer screen if Changed for too long) by running visual p'ams to keep your screen active. In actu- » the likelihood of real danger to your “Nis often slim, so screen savers are really Sinally useful novelties.

For the comic book-illiterate, the X- area wildly popular team of mutant super- <s published by Marvel Comics. Now, the PS Of screensavers and the kings of comic “ join forces to protect your monitor from orces of Phosphor Burn! (frighteningly h, that sounds like it could actually be an “0 villain’s name, but I digress).

: The X-Men Screen Saver plugs into the Dark system like its various Berkeley

is also pretty sedate and static stuff, though a tetch easier on the eyes. ‘“X Sound F/X’’ isjust what it sounds like-- although you’d need sound equipment to get the full effect. ““X- Telepathy’ is, depending on what messages you program into it, sometimes humourous (Professor Xavier floats out and delivers a pre- programmed *telepathic’’ message), and ““X- Sentinels’’ is a very unique selection (if not the most entertaining). The latter module displays data and schematics on the mutant-hunting Sentinel robots, and then goes on to deliver a Sentinel’s-eye view of stalking mutants (be vewwy, vewwy quict.... they're hunting X- Men!). Interesting, but somewhat slow-paced ive. Ee aid is to ew ten action-oriented screen savers. Among them is “The Beast,” featuring the X-Man of the same name pitting his acrobatic tricks against the

ca’s shield). The energy effects are rather neat, Magneto himself is pretty graceful, and the flow of his cape is, as one staffer described it, ‘kinda hypnotic.’’ Somewhat more boister- ous is ‘‘Berzerk’’ (an office favourite) wherein X-Men characters Bishop and/or Wolverine run onto your screen and proceed to blast, claw and shredit to pieces. The charactersare nicely animated in this sequence, and there’s a subtly perverse humour in seeing one’s computer screen unceremoniously trashed by renegade comic book characters. Rounding out the action settings is the more subdued ‘‘X-Men Action,”’ wherein Cyclops, Jean Grey, Profes- sor X, Gambit, Rogue, Wolverine and Storm pop onto the screen individually and either strike poses or go into action. Fun parts of this include Cyclops blowing holes in the screen with his optic blasts.

One of the weirdest elements of this

while satisfying us avid completists -- the monstrous expense of computer software -- the lack of classic covers as screen posters or wallpaper Perks: -- Magneto, Wolverine, Cyclops and Bishop all looking rather cool -- control panels allowing you to gauge quali- ties like Magneto’s evil and Wolverine’s feroc- ity --characters who demolish the screen -- the corny (but fun!) musical effects and sound riffs thrown in with the screen saver program -- After Dark compatibility -- The X-Men! Commercialized to death, but still a nifty novelty for one’s monitor. If you have sufficient money to throw around and a yen for comic books, the X-Men Screen Saver may be just the thing for you.