Beyond the fanzine

Played the game, read the reviews, sent off for the T-Shirt – you would have thought this year’s CD-Rom game success, Myst, had milked the market. But no, just in time for Christmas, Bantam Press has brought out the book of the game – or as the cover blurb likes to put it “You have seen only a glimpse of the picture. Now, take a step further into the fictional legend of Myst”. The quality of the embossed cover, isn’t exactly repeated in the prose inside. But all the same, if you are a fan of fantasy fiction Myst: The Book of Atrus (£16.99, ISBN 0 593 03959 9) by Rand and Robyn Miller with David Wingrove seems like a good, light read for the festive season. It also begs the question: does the publication of the book highlight deficiencies in CD-ROM as a storytelling medium?