You enter the Necromancer's Lair to find the horrors that await. Or, you stalk the corridors of the headquarters of an international espionage ring, Walther PPK in hand, training to become a secret agent. Or, the spaceship you just took off in sustains damage and all the condition lights go red, claxons sound from the engine room...

The environment is real, all around you. The challenges are real. The teamwork you must display, actions you take, feeling of danger, is all real. You carry a force-sensing foam sword, an infrared pistol or a magic wand, wear an audio link feeding you sound effects, supporting the overall atmosphere. No one actually gets hurt but that doesn't allay the adrenaline rush which hits you when the 'poison gas' starts to fill the room. That is the magic of the Dream Park Project.

Picture: Game Center Technicians demonstrate the IGS equipment

Dream Park Corporation, based in Boulder Colorado, was founded in 1989. Based on the mythical high tech, interactive amusement park depicted in the novel "Dream Park" by Hugo and Nebula award winner Larry Niven and co-author Steven Barnes, the Dream Park Corporation is dedicated to making the fictional amusement park a reality. Spearheaded by its president and CEO, Mark Matthews-Simmons, an eighteen year veteran of the gaming industry, and a team of engineers, programmers, artists, and designers, Dream Park Corporation is now bringing the illusion to life. After four extensive years of research and development the Dream Park Corporation has now unveiled their Interactive Gaming System ™ or I.G.S. ™ The I.G.S is an electronic melee and line-of-sight system that allows the players to interact with one another, the environment, and the non-player characters within the gaming environment. By use of sophisticated electronics, props, and a theatrical stage design system, the engineers and designers of Dream Park are now able to send players into a gaming environment where they not only may view the wondrous props and effects but interact with them as well. Over this past Memorial Day weekend the Dream Park Corporation opened its doors for the first time, shuttling gamers up from a nearby convention to play in the Lair Of The Necromancer ™ game. Though Dream Park had rented its facilities to local live role-playing groups to hold games in the past, this was the first time they entertained gamers with the I.G.S. equipment in place. Building a two story set within their corporate offices, these gamers were in for the experience of their lives.

After the gamers paid a registration fee at the Dream Park booth on the convention site, they were loaded into a van and were driven up to the Dream Park corporate headquarters. There they were escorted inside where they were greeted by a man in a gray lab coat sporting Dream Park and Interactive Gaming System logos, carrying a clipboard. "Welcome to Dream Park", he said as he stepped forward to give them their pre-game briefing. The briefing entailed questions about the prayers' interests, descriptions of the equipment they would be using, and most importantly, it dressed safety. While Dream Park is concerned about the players enjoying themselves and the environment, they are equally, if not more concerned, about the safety of the players. During the briefing, the players were outfitted with wireless headset radios, a sophisticated sensor system and foam latex weapons outfitted with the sensor equipment as well. They were instructed that they had 20 minutes to recover a stolen magical artifact in the form of a scepter and escape before the Necromancer would return. They were not to get greedy with anything else from the lair or they would suffer the wrath of the Necromancer (as some did).

Picture: Artist's rendition of what Dream Park will look like

The team then climbed up a ladder to the entrance of the tunnels. From that point on they encountered secret doors, laser light traps, undead warriors (played by staff and actors), a wizard's laboratory, fog, etc. Meanwhile, in Game Central (The master control center for Dream Park) the staff was busy creating their magic. From this control room, using sophisticated computer equipment, visual monitors, and special effects equipment, the staff was able to track the players' movement, execute traps, communicate with the players and actors, and most importantly, score the combat encounters. There was no game master leading them, no dice, and no quick references to the rule manual. For the first time in gaming history, all the players had to think about was the fantasy and the environment. Dream Park's computers took care of the combat results, rules and the general distractions that interfere with the illusion in table top games as well as live-action games. This was a real time adventure with combat, puzzles, traps and nothing to distract the players from their fantasy. The illusion was complete. One player commented "It was the most intense twenty minutes of my life!" Other players were amazed at the level of realism, special effects and over-all set construction that made the environment so life like. Not only were the adult gamers impressed, but the young children ranging in ages from about 7 to 10 years old appeared to have the time of their life. The game was modified to accommodate the younger age groups so as to create an environment more suited to their playing ability. This modification took little effort and proved to be very successful.

Picture: Lab from Lair of the Necromancer.

Dream Park Corporation's live system has been likened to a physical virtual reality. However, the company does plan to implement a non-physical, computer generated virtual reality system into their gaming environment in the future. The goal of the company is not only to create medieval fantasy settings, but to offer adventures in all genres from ancient gladiatorial combat to the reaches of outer space and beyond. They are also focused on making an educational impact with their system by teaching people about different mythos and cultures as well as the learning experience of physically solving trap, puzzles and clues within the environments. As quoted from Mr. Matthews-Simmons, "I've seen this in eleven years of interactive gaming, they can adopt a different viewpoint for just a little while and they can take that viewpoint home with them." Dream Park Corporation already markets a line of high quality foam latex weaponry for use in live action role playing, as well as masks, props and promotional materials. They are also currently developing software games for home computer systems to be released in the coming year.

With sponsorship and development deals from the Rayovac Corporation, Tower of Night, Inc and many others the Dream Park Corporation is now embarking on a worldwide tour. They are visiting major conventions here in the United States and abroad with their Interactive Gaming System ™ and modular wall system, displaying their products and entertaining people with their state of the art gaming environment. Other plans include the opening of The Interactive Haunted House ™ to run throughout the month of October in a retail site located in the Denver, Colorado metro area. As more investment comes in Dream Park also plans the opening of their Danger Quest ™ interactive gaming center. Eventually Dream Park Corporation plans to open an interactive amusement park, the Dream Park itself.

To quote Locus Magazine "Niven and Barnes's book is definitely dream stuff. Dream Park would be a wonderful place, exponentially more involving than Disneyland-unadulterated wish fulfillment. For now, we we'll have to be satisfied with our dreams once removed- In Dream Park."

Well, Dream Park is steadily, step-by-step, becoming a reality, and as Dream Park Corporation continues its research and development it will not be long before we'll be dancing at the entrance gate, eyes wide, chins dragging the ground, with anticipation of the adventures that wait inside.