The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, July 29, 1994                  TAG: 9407290514
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B01  EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY TONY WHARTON, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: NORFOLK                            LENGTH: Medium:   73 lines

IT'S VIRTUALLY A REALITY NAUTICUS WILL DEBUT VIRTUAL ADVENTURES ON MONDAY AFTER AN EIGHT-WEEK DELAY DUE TO TECHNICAL GLITCHES.

A game where you don 3-D goggles and climb into a fake submarine to rescue the eggs of the Loch Ness monster could give a needed boost to the city's waterfront tourist attraction, Nauticus.

Virtual Adventures, the long-delayed virtual reality ``ride'' at Nauticus, is finally launching.

Nauticus officials unveiled their prize attraction to the media Thursday with a test dive into Loch Ness, the computer-generated scenario where players try to rescue Nessie's eggs.

The ride, which will open to the public Monday, has been a major embarrassment to Nauticus, the $52 million tourist attraction on Norfolk's waterfront. National advertising for Nauticus has been promoting Virtual Adventures all summer, but bugs in the software kept it from opening on time. That left Nauticus in the unpleasant position of deceiving tourists.

``It was impossible to pull or change the long-range advertising up North by the time we realized it wasn't opening,'' marketing director Corky Haisten said. ``We made changes for the local market, but that's all we could do.''

When visitors complained about the ride being closed, Nauticus offered them a free return ticket. In a few cases, Nauticus refunded season tickets.

The city and Nauticus officials are counting on Virtual Adventures to boost attendance. About 165,000 people bought tickets from June 1, the grand opening, to about mid-July. The eventual attendance goal is about 700,000 visitors a year. Director Michael Bartlett has said Nauticus may not reach that goal in its first year.

Thursday, Nauticus succeeded in turning local reporters and television producers into a pack of crazed submariners, shouting at each other to ``Turn left! Turn left!'' and ``Wipe the windshield!''

Virtual Adventures consists of three mock submarines, each holding six players - a pilot, a commander, two robot-arm operators, and two periscope operators. You don't put on a helmet, as with most virtual reality games.

The goal is to rescue Nessie's eggs while avoiding underwater monsters, obstacles and mines, and beating out the other subs. It's a politically correct, nonviolent ride: Nobody dies, but every sub can briefly ``freeze'' the other subs by shooting gel at them. Windshield wipers clean it off.

All of this takes place on a 3-D screen at the front of the sub. Players wear special glasses to give the images depth.

The ride is just six minutes long, but it's packed with action. Because of the computer's constant interaction with the riders' choices, it also changes every time it's played.

It's not unlike being inside a video game.

The $2.50 ticket price is in addition to the Nauticus general admission of $10, although several local promotions have reduced the entrance fee to as little as $6.

The ride's rapid turnover means it could be a real moneymaker for Nauticus: Theoretically, 180 people could play in an hour, although it may be difficult to move visitors in and out that rapidly. ILLUSTRATION: Staff color photos by PAUL AIKEN

Mike DiRocco, 10, of New Fairfield, Conn., drives a ``submarine'' on

a rescue mission for the eggs of the Loch Ness monster, all of which

exist in the computer-generated world of the Virtual Adventures

exhibit at Nauticus.

The action of Virtual Adventures is seen through a 3-D screen at the

front of the submarine. The game has three submarines, each holding

six players. The ride lasts about six minutes.

KEYWORDS: NAUTICUS NATIONAL MARITIME CENTER

by CNB