Vidya 2

 The only real surprises among the computer hardware and software exhibits at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week came from video game manufacturers, who are currently riding a wave of renewed enthusiasm for game machines.

Following the trend of the last few years both at Summer CES, held each June in Chicago, and at Winter CES in Las Vegas, computer exhibits were generally small and unspectacular.

Once again Commodore failed to take floor space, and two of the largest software publishers, Mindscape and Electronic Arts, showed their wares across town in hotel suites. Many other publishers, including Broderbund, Accolade and Timeworks, again shared space at the show.

One of the largest exhibitors at McCormick North was Nintendo, whose sprawling complex of video game machines came on like a blast from the past. The size and scope of the exhibit were the direct result of continuing strong sales of the Nintendo Entertainment System this year. The company captured 72 percent of the American video game market in 1986 with sales of $300 million. Nintendo expects a 300 percent increase in unit sales in 1987.

At CES, Nintendo introduced six new games and two new peripherals, including the NES Advantage, a full-size, arcade-style joystick with a weighted base. The $49.99 device will be available this summer. Nintendo also introduced a pair of 3-D glasses to be used in conjunction with a new line of games. Both the glasses and games will be available later this year.

Among the new titles are "Kid Icarus," a video adventure with roots in Greek mythology; "Metroid," a science-fiction adventure; "Punch-Out," a video boxing game; and "3-D Racer," an auto-racing game designed to work with Nintendo's 3-D glasses.

Meanwhile, Atari was making moves to recapture its share of the rejuvenated video game market with a new game unit, the XE Game System, and 40 new game cartridges: 16 for the Atari 2600, 10 for the Atari 7800 and 14 for the new XE.

The Atari XE, priced at $150, is expected to be available in July. It features a console with 64 kilobytes (KB) of memory, an attachable game- playing keyboard, video gun and joystick. Game cartridges can hold up to 256 KB of program data, making them competitive with the Nintendo system. Atari will also market an optional disk drive for the new unit.

The XE will come bundled with three popular video games: "Flight Simulator II" from subLOGIC; "Missile Command," the classic arcade game; and "Blast 'Em," a new shooting game designed especially for the XE.

New games for older machines include several brought in under licensing arrangements with computer software publishers. Among the new titles for the Atari 2600 are "Summer Games" and "Winter Games" from Epyx and "Kung Fu Master" and "Commando" from Activision. For the Atari 7800, new games include "Choplifter" and "Karateka" from Broderbund and "One on One Basketball" and "Sky Fox" from Electronic Arts.

Finally, Sega of America, a relative newcomer to the scene, announced seven new video games for its Sega Master System. Two of the entries will be available as Sega Two Mega Cartridges, which pack an impressive 2,096 KB of program data. "Out Run," a Grand Prix auto-racing game, will be available in August; "Monopoly," the first home-video version of the popular board game, is scheduled for delivery in November. Both carry a retail price of $40.

Also from Sega are "Great Soccer," a sports simulation; "Zillion," a science fiction adventure; and "Kung Fu Kid," a martial-arts arcade game. All three will be available in July, each priced at $35.

Sega is preparing two new games to take advantage of the liquid-crystal shutter 3-D glasses it introduced last year. "Missile Defense 3-D" and "Zaxxon 3-D" are shoot-'em-up games in which players use the Sega Light Phaser to shoot at flying objects as they appear on the television screen. "Missile Defense 3-D" is scheduled for August release. "Zaxxon 3-D" will follow in November.