I get a lot of different press releases. Some I just ignore, others I check out. One I received recently was really interesting so I got a copy of the product listed in the release. The name of the program is WWF EncyRawPedia Volume 1and comes from M-2K Inc. This program is all about your favorite wrestlers from WWF Raw.

Wrestling has changed since I was a kid and watched it. Having grown up an hour west of Kansas City, I watched wrestlers like Handsome Harley Race, Rufus R. Jones and Danny Little Bear. By the time I found better things to do with my time, guys like Roger "Nature Boy" Kirby and Rick Flair were at the top of the heap. Now there is a new breed of wrestler. The men and women who are at the heart of wrestling these days look and act a bit differently than they did way back when.

WWF EncyRawPedia Volume 1starts out with an introduction from one of the RAW wrestlers in animated form. He reminds you that this program is not a game and that "RAW is WAR!!!" From there you are transported to the program's main menu.

The main menu has 14 different areas to choose from. You can go to an area that features a wrestler or connect online to the WWF. There are Superstar bios and sound bites. And there are a whole bunch of video clips.

The WWF RAW stars that are have their own section include Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mankind and The Undertaker. There are also areas for The Rock, D-Generation-X and The Corporate Ministry. There is one specific area that deals with Steve Austin's feud with Vince McMahon.

Click the Superstars Bio button on the Main Menu and you are treated to bios of nine different wrestlers. Here you will learn that D'Lo Brown comes from Chicago and that Test is from Canada. If you didn't already know Al Snow and the Head's favorite quote, you can find it in this section.

There is a Photo Gallery that features pictures of fifteen different WWF wrestlers. You will find a picture of Debra along side of one from The Godfather.

There are a ton of video clips. In the Stone Cold Steve Austin area there is a video of him driving a beer truck into the arena and giving some wrestlers a beer bath. The Undertaker has a video of his Unholy Wedding in the ring. There is also some good video of Road Dogg and the other members of the infamous D-Generation-X, especially the lovely yet deadly "ninth wonder of the world", Chyna.

From the Main Menu, you can connect to the WWF web site. At the site you will find the latest and greatest information about the WWF and your favorite stars. There is also a connection to the WWF ShopZone. Here you can find all the merchandise from your favorite star. Want a Stone Cold hockey jersey or a pair of Rock sunglasses? Then this is the place to find them.

The system requirements for the program are minimal. You'll need a Pentium 75 or better PC with 12 MB of RAM. You will also need Windows 95 and a 2x CD-ROM drive. A SVGA monitor and a Sound Blaster compatible sound card is a must.

WWF EncyRawPedia Volume 1 has a lot of good stuff for any fan of the WWF. If you're into WWF RAW then this is one item to put on "gotta have" list.

WWF EncyRawPedia Volume 1 lists for $ 39.95. It can be found at most software retailers. You can also get it directly from M2K, Inc. Their web site can be found at www.m-2k.com.

Copyright © 2000 Bruce E. Von Stiers