Cyberscope

Deus Ex ($49.95; Eidos, 415-547-1200) offers a much more cerebral experience than most PC games. The setting is our own world in a dark near future. Torn apart by a global class struggle, the people of Earth are ravaged by a sinister disease that leaves little hope for survival. As a newly recruited agent of a special anti-terrorist team, you have to protect the efforts of the United Nations as it attempts to save a portion of the population from the spreading plague. But who gets saved? And who or what is behind the spread of this lethal disease? Following your own path through this tense thriller of a game, you must interact with dozens of characters in New York City, Hong Kong and many other real-world settings as you attempt to uncover the granddaddy of all conspiracy theories. The game allows you to deal with problems in any way you see fit--with force if necessary, but with brains and subtlety if possible. It's the thinking man's action game, and it's a welcome change of pace.

Michael E. Ryan
WEBTaste of Home for Those Who Roam Ever try to find beef jerky in Burundi? How about peanut butter in Brazil or muffin tins in Malawi? Cravinghome.com offers an extensive catalog of American comfort foods and drugstore items, giving expats a place to turn when friends and family don't come through with that care package. It'll handle special orders, too, and deal with the complexities of international shipping. Finally, a way to get enough deodorant for all your friends in France.

SITE SPECIFIC Building a Bridge to the 21st Century--Slowly Al Gore and George W aren't the only ones crusading to make government more user-friendly. A growing number of e-government portals, such as GovConnect.com, aim to make your dealings with the IRS, DMV, DOT and other migraine-inducing abbreviations as painless as possible. All-Uncle-Sam-all-the-time is still a ways off, but these two come the closest:

What's There: You can pay taxes, bills and parking tickets for a fee. Type in your ZIP and get the lowdown on local services and community events.

Pros: Direct link to 30 county and city agencies expedites payments. Se habla espanol.

Cons: Payment options limited beyond those 30 agencies

What's There: Make payments. Check government auctions and job listings. Ask a 'how do I' question and get a reply within 24 hours.

Pros: Elegant design. Wealth of links and helpful FAQs.

Cons: Sluggish payment process

EVENTS Light Your Fire Burning Man (burningman.com), a weeklong counterculture event in the Nevada desert that began as a San Francisco beach party 14 years ago, is going high tech this year. If you're among the expected throng of 30,000 artists, nudists and other free spirits, you can log on to a new high-speed wireless intranet for maps, news and messages. Bring your network-ready laptop, or just visit one of 15 kiosks. Party on... line!