Microsoft Spoof: The Justice Department and U.S.... - Los Angeles Times

Microsoft Spoof: The Justice Department and U.S....

By KAREN KAPLAN

Jan. 19, 1998 12 AM PT

Microsoft Spoof: The Justice Department and U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson aren’t the only ones beating up on Microsoft these days. Fellow software company Parroty Interactive, a division of Larkspur, Calif.-based Palladium Interactive, has joined the fray with the introduction of its latest CD-ROM spoof, Microshaft Winblows98.

Users can play a Bill Gates versus Steve Jobs variant of Monopoly called the Roll Ahead; answer Microsoft trivia questions for digital cash in Win Bill’s Money; or shoot down viruses, glitches and bugs in a Space Invaders knockoff called Microshaft Exploder. There’s even a virtual pet called Billagotchi, which throws a temper tantrum if he isn’t fed enough money.

A stamp on the Winblows98 box emphasizes the game is “Not Justice Dept. Approved! (Because we never asked!).”

Technology and the Internet

Karen Kaplan

Karen Kaplan covers science and medical research for the Los Angeles Times. She has been a member of the science team since 2005, including 13 years as an editor. Her first decade at The Times was spent covering technology in the Business section as both a reporter and editor. She grew up in San Diego and is a graduate of MIT and Columbia University.

Microsoft Spoof: The Justice Department and U.S....

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