To Bleem! or not to Bleem!
   The Internet is rife with a host of supposed emulators, programs that promise to turn your computer into something that it's not supposed to be like a Nintendo 64 console, or SNES, or even a PlayStation.
   For the most part, they're all junk.
   There is only one emulator I've run across that actually does what it claims to do. Bleem! has been out in various incarnations, with the most recent release coming on July 30, with version 1.4. Bleem!'s makers say their program can turn a PC into a PlayStation, allowing a normal PC CD-ROM to read PlayStation disks and making the computer's  innards handle PlayStation code.
   Amazingly enough, it can . . . well, sort of.
    I know because I downloaded the free Bleem! demo version from the company website at (http://207.71.8.31/). I don't like to review software based on demos, especially this demo, which was severely crippled by its distributers (no sound, no hardware acceleration).
   But I had to do this after unsuccessfully running around two cities looking for even just an early release of the program. I saw one copy on a shelf through a store window, but the place was closed. I supposed I could have ordered it online, but who knows how long it would take to get here.
   I even scoured the newsgroups looking for a pirate copy to download. It was there, with cracks to allow pirates access to the program, but try as I might, I could not get any of the cracks to work.
   Alright, I know what you're going to say here. "Stealing is stealing" and frankly, from my perspective, it's especially bad if you're stealing from a little company fighting off the legal forces of a behemoth like Sony. The little firm probably needs every nickle of cash it can squeeze out of the treasurer. (A court date of Aug. 6 has been set to hear Sony's attempt at an injunction to stop sales of Bleem!)
   Even the pirates have taken up Bleem!'s cause, most of them refusing to touch the commercial Bleem! release, and concentrating on cracks for old beta versions and such (which I must repeat, I could not get to work at all) And in fact, Bleem!'s creators have also been posting in the newsgroups, not with the general fire and brimstone one would expect from software publishers, but with polite and considerate explanations of why they need the support of users. They'll even answer questions from the pirates such as "Does Bleem! play backups of PlayStation CD's."
   "Yep, " came a response postmarked from the  Bleem! web site. " We originally planned to "regionalize" bleem! to play only certain games with certain versions, but our users demanded the freedom to play any game they owned, regardless of where they lived. You can buy imported games most anywhere now, and it seemed silly to restrict users' choice, especially when there's no real reason (legal or otherwise) to do so. 
   "As for CD backups   this was a tough one. While we worked very hard to detect the errors on the PlayStation games that separate originals from backups, it's just not possible with today's technology."
   "Well, doesn't that make bleem! illegal? Isn't that piracy or something? Hardly. You're allowed by law to make a backup "archival" copy of any software you own. But the PlayStation hardware isn't designed to play anything but their specially-mastered CDs. So even if you make a backup, you can't use it. And since you only get a 30-day warranty, if your original CD is ever damaged, you're out of luck."
  Sony, of course, does not buy that argument, although one has to wonder if the company might be better off making amends with Bleem! There are a lot of PC owners out there who don't have a PlayStation, and who might suddenly become Sony product buyers.
 Now for the million-dollar question. Does it work.
   The emulator requires at least a Pentium 166MHz, 16 Meg. RAM, High-color Graphics Card (16-bit or higher, a 2X CD-ROM, SoundBlaster or Compatible SoundCard and 1 Meg. of hard disk space. You're also going to need Win 95 or 98 and the very latest Direct X drivers.  The demo works fine. I tried Crash Bandicoot and Jade Cocoon, and Medieval and all three seemed to work (albeit crippled by the demo, which really bugged me).
 However, others have reported mixed results, depending on the game being played or in some cases, not being played at all.
    And of course, there is always the question of "Why?"
    Why waste time and money on a "bag" (a program that sits on top of another to run software, when you can spend only $199 or so to buy a PlayStation.
    Well, for one, the graphic resolution on a computer is far better than that of a television and performance with Direct X drivers could be even better than a PlayStation.  For another, it might be nice to take Crash Bandicoot on a long bus trip loaded on your laptop.
   Other than that, well, maybe it's not worth all of Sony's efforts to crush it.

GAME OF THE WEEK

   Let me say from the start that I don't like role-playing games (RPGs).
   Generally, the storylines are lame, the action stilted by turn-based commands (stop the action, decide on a spell, decide on an attack, do a little battle, go through same for the enemy,  etc., etc., etc.) and usually the graphics stink, with dopey pixel-saving spikey-haired figures.
   So when I picked up Jade Cocoon by Crave Entertainment for the Sony PlayStation, I was ready to observe it with all the objectivity I could muster, and then trash it.
     In Jade Cocoon, the gamer is in the shoes of Levant (or whatever name you decide upon)
who, in the tradition of his missing father, is on the way to becoming a cocoon master. But a
swarm of giant bugs has invaded his village, and residents have been struck down by a strange disease. Only through the help of monsters which you tame, capture and actually create, can you stop the bad stuff and become a true cocoon master.
     To be honest, Jade Cocoon is like most RPG's, with lots of cut scenes over which you
have no control (and are sometimes annoyingly repetitive), stop and start attack modes, and etc., etc., etc. There is one saving grace, however, in that unlike most RPG's, talk between characters are not entirely text based.  There is actual audio of conversations. 
     But the best part of Jade Cocoon, and what sets it apart from all other RPGs, is the ability
to create monsters to do battle with your foes. As you go through the game, you capture
monsters from the forest, bring them home to your wife, who, being a mystic Nagi, can merge
monsters together into new forms, with new powers. It opens the game to unlimited possibilities.
     Even better, Jade Cocoon has a two player mode in which you can challenge your saved
monsters against those of a friend. This gives the game extra replay value, which it needs, because
the single-player game can be completed in about 15 hours (according to most reports).
     So, if you are a big fan of RPGs, and are still awaiting the arrival of Final Fantasy VIII, or
other planned releases, pick up Jade Cocoon.