Cyberscope

HOT PROPERTY AN ACTION GAME THAT TAKES BRAINS

Deus Ex ($49.95; Eidos, 415-547-1200) offers a much more cerebral experience than most PC games. The setting is our own world in a dark near future. Torn apart by a global class struggle, the people of Earth are ravaged by a sinister disease that leaves little hope for survival. As a newly recruited agent of a special anti-terrorist team, you have to protect the efforts of the United Nations as it attempts to save a portion of the population from the spreading plague. But who gets saved? And who or what is behind the spread of this lethal disease? Following your own path through this tense thriller of a game, you must interact with dozens of characters in New York City, Hong Kong and many other real-world settings as you attempt to uncover the granddaddy of all conspiracy theories. The game allows you to deal with problems in any way you see fit--with force if necessary, but with brains and subtlety if possible. It's the thinking man's action game, and it's a welcome change of pace.

Michael E. Ryan
WEBTaste of Home for Those Who Roam Ever try to find beef jerky in Burundi? How about peanut butter in Brazil or muffin tins in Malawi? Cravinghome.com offers an extensive catalog of American comfort foods and drugstore items, giving expats a place to turn when friends and family don't come through with that care package. It'll handle special orders, too, and deal with the complexities of international shipping. Finally, a way to get enough deodorant for all your friends in France.

SITE SPECIFIC Building a Bridge to the 21st Century--SlowlyAl Gore and George W aren't the only ones crusading to make government more user-friendly. A growing number of e-government portals, such as GovConnect.com, aim to make your dealings with the IRS, DMV, DOT and other migraine-inducing abbreviations as painless as possible. All-Uncle-Sam-all-the-time is still a ways off, but these two come the closest:

ezgov.com

What's There: You can pay taxes, bills and parking tickets for a fee. Type in your ZIP and get the lowdown on local services and community events.