"When you can buy a good multimedia PC for $1,000, that opens up a whole new group of buyers," said Michael Murphy, editor of the California Technology Stock Letter.

Using a multimedia PC for home entertainment does carry some risks: if your computer crashes, so does your television.

American companies, by contrast, are trying to integrate video into computers, creating multimedia PC's.

Olivetti did attempt to recover its position by introducing the Envision in 1995, a full multimedia PC, to be used in the living room; this project was a failure.

Companies expected to start shipping this new generation of multimedia PC during 1991-2 include Zenith Data Systems, NEC, AT & T, Tandy, Olivetti and CompuAdd.

It was targeted to the new multimedia PC and included sound and video integration with CD-ROM support.

Whether you're looking for a basic budget PC to get your foot in the Vista door or a cutting-edge multimedia PC, we've reviewed a system to match your needs.

What to buy: video games or multimedia PC?

Children are accustomed to television, and a so-called multimedia PC will have a much better chance of competing for the child's time.

IF Myst was a reason to buy a multimedia PC, Unreal is the killer application for 3-D accelerator cards.