In his 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, Author Ray Bradbury foresaw the day when books would be replaced by various forms of high-tech entertainment, including soap operas in which the viewer could participate. Books are still very much with us, but in a twist of fate that even the prophetic Bradbury did not anticipate, a new computer game named for his book allows players to take part in--and influence the outcome of--a drama set in the police-state world of Fahrenheit 451.
Bradbury is only one of several well-known authors who are collaborating with computer software companies in adapting their novels to "interactive...