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By Al Giovetti
Price:$30
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Release:September 30, 1998
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Dogz 3 and Catz 3

History

In May 1998, PF.Magic was acquired by The Learning Company, Inc. (NYSE: TLC), as part of its Mindscape division.

The Computer Show first saw Dogz and Catz at the Bill Gates' and Microsoft's 1995 Halloween Party

Company Line

Mindscape Entertainment Launches PF.Magic's Dogz 3 and Catz 3 New Version Includes Interactive Play Environments, Breeding Capabilities, and Web Site Tool

Mindscape Entertainment today launched a worldwide search for good desktop homes for its latest family of virtual pets - Dogz 3 and Catz 3. The newest members of the world's best-selling computer litter are now available for an adoption fee of less than $30.

A spokesperson for the company stated: "Still no pooper scooper or litter box required."

Dogz 3 and Catz 3 are full of fun new features, most notably the addition of several interactive environments where Petz can now play. Also new is the ability to breed entire Petz families, and an easy-to-use tool that helps proud owners with Internet access design and post their own Petz Web sites for free.

The complete Petz product line has sold more than two million copies worldwide. John Moore, chief executive officer of Mindscape, Inc. said the continued success of Petz is due to its simple mass-market appeal. "Dogz and Catz are runaway hits because they tap into a market that traditional computer games have yet to penetrate," he said. "Because Petz are fun and easy to use, they're perfect for anyone who owns a computer at home or at work."

New Places To Play

Earlier versions of Dogz and Catz were confined to the desktop, but Dogz 3 and Catz 3 come with several interactive environments for them to explore, including a kitchen, family room, backyard and beach. Each environment comes stocked with a bunch of toyz and treatz, including water spritzers, perfume bottles, sea shells, even picture frames for personalized snapshots. A closet full of clothes and fun accessories lets owners make their Petz even more 'purrrsonal' by dressing them up in sweaters, pants, bows, hats, socks and more.

Breeding

Petz 3 owners can now breed their favorite Dogz or Catz and create newborn puppyDogz or kittyCatz that share the traits of their parents. Owners can keep track of up to eight Petz generations through a family tree. Each product comes with 10 initial breedz, which means limitless possibilities for cross-breeding. The Dogz and Catz won't ever die, but they will run away if they feel neglected. So owners who breed multiple Petz need to be sure they take care of all of them and give them lots of love and affection.

Web Publisher and GeoCities

There are already more than 3000 independent Petz fan Web sites all over the Internet. Many other Petz owners want to create their own Web sites to display their new best friends and feline wonders, but they don't know how. To address this issue, Mindscape's PF.Magic has teamed up with GeoCities to create a built-in Petz 3 Web publisher that helps owners design and post their own sites for free. They will be housed in a brand new "Petsburgh" neighborhood within the GeoCities site.

Downloads and a New Species

Soon after launch, owners can visit the official Petz Web site to download a bundle of new Petz, toyz, play scenes, accessories and clothing. PF.Magic will even be giving away a brand new species: Pigz.

A downloadable "Petz Player" will let Petz 3 owners who visit other owners' sites actually play with the Dogz and Catz they'll find there. This way they can shop around for a pet they really want before deciding whether to move forward with a formal adoption.

Availability and System Requirements

Dogz 3 and Catz 3 are sold separately but can be installed together to allow the Petz to play with each other. They are also backward compatible, so original Dogz and Catz owners as well as Dogz II and Catz II can bring along their favorite felines and pooches.

Dogz 3 and Catz 3 are available at all major computer software resellers, each for less than $30. Each title comes on a CD-ROM that runs on Windows 95/98. They can also be ordered directly through PF.Magic's Petz order line: 1-800-48-ADOPT (1-800-482-3678), or online at http://www.petz.com, where interested owners can also download sampler "Adoption Kits" of all Petz titles.

Dogz and Catz Product Line History

PF.Magic started the worldwide virtual pet craze with the launch of Dogz in 1995 and Catz in 1996. The next generation of the Petz product line, Dogz II and Catz II, scampered onto computer desktops in 1997. The Petz products were the first interactive titles to combine artificial intelligence and 3-D animation to bring virtual life to computer desktops. Petz lovers can adopt and sample the original Dogz and Catz, as well as Dogz II and Catz II from the company's Web site at http://www.petz.com. Also in 1997, plush toy versions of Dogz and Catz were introduced into the toy market by Trendmasters, Inc. under a licensing agreement with PF.Magic.

Game Play

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Graphics

Animation

Voice Actors

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Sound Effects

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Multi-player Features

Cheats, Hints, Walkthrough

Journalists

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References

1. dogz4andcatz4.htm