Computers: Stepping into the Story

Players participate in "interactive fiction"

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...

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