Contact: Donald A. Thomas, Jr., consumer
webmaster of ICWhen.com
curator@...


For Immediate Release


eGames CEO challenges Customer Complaint with Suit

Manteca, CA - (August 23, 2000) -- In a recent exchange of email
communications with a customer, eGames, Inc. (www.egames.com) reveals plans
to continue selling abridged software without telling customers that the
software they're purchasing are not the original full versions. The
revelation is made while Mr. Donald A. Thomas, Jr., Webmaster of ICWhen.com
(www.icwhen.com), submits a complaint to the firm concerning their
marketing policy.

"Mr. Thomas obviously has a mission here and short of revamping our
marketing and product development strategies, he's not about to (be)
appeased, " states Mr. Gerald W. Klein, CEO of eGames, Inc. in an email
addressed to his staff in which Mr. Thomas was copied. "Ellen, are you sure
we can't sue him?" he concludes.

On Saturday, August 19, Mr. Donald A. Thomas, Jr. purchased two video game
compilations published by eGames, Inc., a Langhorne, Pennsylvania-based
software publisher. "Galaxy of Arcade Classics" includes "7 exciting games
featuring 3D graphics and sound." "Galaxy of Games Red Edition" is a
"best-ever collection of 50 full feature games". Both are CD-ROMs intended
for computers equipped with the Windows '95 or Windows '98 operating
systems. Don installed "Galaxy of Arcade Classics" on his home computer and
found that the software titles advertised on the packaging were quite
different from their originally released forms.

"I played 'Tunnel Runner' for fifteen minutes, then the game stopped and
told me that I had completed all the levels," revealed a disenchanted
Thomas. "As you exit the main menu, they then offer to sell you the
complete versions. I then realized I had actually purchased an elaborate
eGames product catalog with nothing more than game samples represented as
complete games."

Indicating that their target market are casual gamers that do not realize
that they're purchasing only small portions of the complete game originals,
Klein points out, "We realize that we cannot hope to satisfy both core and
casual game players with the products that we intend to market and sell."

"Interestingly," challenges Thomas, "many of eGames titles are
look-and-feel copies of classic video game titles such as 'Dig Dug',
'Pac-Man', 'Missile Command', 'Frogger', 'Breakout' and others. As a
Webmaster of a game history Web site, I know that all these games became
popular, in part, to their never-ending nature. If the player ever did
reach a 'final' level, the entire game begins again adding to the existing
score at a faster and more challenging pace. I purchased EGames' 'Galactic
Patrol' a while back and it plays just like the original 'Galaga'. It's
clear that they know what their target market is and it's not people
interested in games that end in less than fifteen minutes."

Klein considered an invitation to have the matter reviewed by one or more
Attorneys' General offices. The CEO responded that eGames' money-back
guarantee protects them from any such inquiries inferring that those
consumers who felt that they had been misled will be entitled to a refund.

"Our money-back guarantee protects our customers and our interests too,"
boasts Klein. "Experience has shown such a guarantee to be the best
insurance money can buy and the best customer service policy."

Assuming that a money-back guarantee would protect eGames marketing
strategy, Thomas points out that the products he purchased make no
references whatsoever to any such guarantees.

The complete email exchange between Donald A. Thomas, Jr. of www.ICWhen.com
and Mr. Gerald Klein of eGames, Inc. (www.egames.com) can be found at
http://www.icwhen.com/news/egames0822.html.

Mr. Thomas may be reached in email at curator@....

Mr. Klein may be reached in email at jklein@....