Press Release

Simutronics® multi-player Internet games to be featured on the Excite Network

Rockville, MD (March 16, 1998) – Simutronics (http://simutronics.com), the leader in multi-player Internet games, and Excite (http://www.excite.com), a leading online service on the Web, announced today an agreement to feature Simutronics’ games within the Excite Games Channel.

This channel will be accessible to Excite’s vast audience of more than 20 million users per month. Special co-branded areas promoting the Simutronics’ games within Excite’s Games Channel (http://my.excite.com/games) launched today. This area on Excite will provided easy and direct access to Simutronics’ award-winning titles, including GemStone™ III, DragonRealms™, CyberStrikeâ , and Modus Operandi™.

Also beginning today, Simutronics will be offering a special "Sneak Preview" of their upcoming game, Hercules and Xena: Alliance of Heroes™, to all of Excite’s members. The game will become widely available on the Internet after its Grand Opening on April 1, 1998.

"We are thrilled to be affiliated with Excite, one of the premiere services on the Web," stated David Whatley, President and CEO of Simutronics. "Our presence on Excite represents a wonderful opportunity to introduce our games to a whole new audience."

Simutronics operates some of the leading subscription-based games on the Internet. The company’s top title, GemStone IV, puts thousands of players together in a role-playing world. The emphasis is on cooperation, and players work together to explore, find treasure, and fight the forces of evil.

"Our games fit the spirit of the Internet," said Neil Harris, Executive Vice President of Simutronics. "The Internet is about bringing people together. In our games, players form a vast community. It’s a kid-friendly, fun and exciting environment. The new relationship with Excite brings a whole new audience into our game worlds."

Most analysts agree that the Online Games market is poised to experience tremendous growth and become a billion dollar industry by the year 2000 which makes this agreement especially timely. Through this relationship, both Excite and Simutronics will be uniquely positioned to capitalize on the growth, as Excite will provide an expanded gateway to the vastly popular Simutronics titles.

About Simutronics

Simutronics Corporation, the long-time leading multi-player gaming company, specializes in the design, development, and management of games created specifically for collaborative play in virtual online communities. Their Internet sites can be found at gemstone.net, dragonrealms.net, cyberstrike.net, and modusoperandi.net. The company competes with Kesmai, TEN, Mpath, Engage, 3DO and Ultima Online from Electronic Arts. Founded in 1987, Simutronics Corporation is a privately held corporation with offices in St. Charles, Missouri, and Rockville, Maryland.

The company recently announced a partnership with Universal Studios, calling for Simutronics to create a mythological game environment based on the top syndicated TV programs, "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess." The new game, Hercules and Xena: Alliance of Heroes is scheduled to debut on the Internet in April 1998. Simutronics also announced an agreement granting the retail rights of CyberStrike 2, the highly anticipated 3D-action game, to Sony Interactive Studios America. CyberStrike 2 will be available in both single-player and multi-player versions in mid-1998.

About Excite

Founded in 1994, Excite, Inc. is an Internet media company which offers the Web’s first free online service. The Excite Network consists of Excite’s two flagship brands, Excite (http://www.excite.com), and WebCrawler (http://webcrawler.com). Localized versions of Excite are also available internationally for the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Australia and Japan. Based in Redwood City, CA, Excite, Inc. (NASDAQ: XCIT) has strategic relationships with America Online, Inc., Intuit Inc., Tribune Company, CUC Investments Inc, Apple Computer, Inc and Netscape Communications Corp.