HIS column is going back to mindless fun for the moment. With a basic IRC program, you join open channels on any topic imaginable, or start your own if someone hasn't imagined your topic yet. The next level up from IRC is the MUD, or Multi-User Dungeon . You don't need special software aside from a program called telnet , which is built into most Web browsers. Eventually, you build your own house, furnish your own room, or plant your own tree - all in textual descriptions.
Word pictures are all very well.
Eventually, you may start pining for visual stimulus. And there is no shortage of stimulants available. Now it has finally been released as Version 1.0. Besides a gallery of a few dozen avatars, hundreds of users have created their own avatars, which they put up in public galleries for anyone else to download onto their systems. Arthur Goldstuck's best-selling guide to the Internet in South Africa has just been updated.