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Bill Gates is his idol. His dream? Achieving more than what Gates has, ‘‘especially in the computer field.’’ Meet eight-year-old Maulin Raval who recently cleared the online Microsoft Certified Professional Exam in Networking.

Maulin’s the youngest person to get the MCP certificate, claims the centre from where he cleared the exam. That’s not surprising. A student of Class IV at Atmiya Shishu Vidhya Mandir in Rajkot, Maulin can instal almost all operating systems and assemble as well as disassemble hardware on his own.

Impressed by his photogenic memory, his school director suggested that he take the MCP exam. That’s the reason Maulin has a certificate of excellence from Microsoft which reads ‘‘as a Microsoft Certified Professional, you are recognized and prompted by Microsoft as an expert with skills needed to design, implement and support solutions with Microsoft products and technologies.’’

Maulin’s parents say their son has always excelled — be it academics or extra-curricular activities. On April 8, Maulin appeared for the MCP exam, and on April 12 for his school finals. The result? ‘‘He topped his class with a 92 per cent score and also became the youngest to get this Microsoft certificate,’’ says Atmiya director Hemant Mohite. ‘‘We’ve checked the website and we found that a 11-year-old from New York has cleared the exam. Maulin is much younger,’’ he added.

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News source: AW

"We've been looking for perfect opportunities to enter into the world of massively multiplayer online gaming and there is no fantasy gaming brand with more recognition than 'Dungeons & Dragons,'" said Bruno Bonnell, chairman and CEO of Atari. "The key to a productive business model for online gaming is having quality content that consumers will pay for. 'Dungeons & Dragons Online' will build on the huge amount of established content in the 'D&D' worlds. It has the potential to be that killer online app...that breakthrough title that sets a new standard for the medium."

Slated for release in 2005, "Dungeons & Dragons Online" is centered on robust character advancement, challenging dungeon combat, meaningful guild politics and territorial control over major portions of the game world. Players choose and develop a character based on some of the iconic races associated with "D&D," including Humans, Elves and Halflings, as well as classes such as Fighters, Clerics, Rogues, and Wizards -- after which they can socialize, find quests, group together and equip themselves for future battles.

"'Dungeons & Dragons' is the ultimate fantasy role-playing game. It has introduced more people to game playing than any other title and has spawned hosts of imitators and admirers," said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO, Turbine Entertainment. "The social backbone of 'D&D' gaming -- groups of friends creating adventures and worlds to explore together -- along with its rich fiction, immense monster bestiary, and complex character development make it a natural for the next generation of massively multiplayer game."

"Dungeons & Dragons Online" will let players travel alone or in parties as they explore the seemingly endless dungeon complexes found beneath the world. Through the dungeons, players will engage in physical and magical combat with hideous foes straight from the pages of the "Monster Manual"(TM) rulebook. Battle will be challenging, fast-paced, and easy to control with a wealth of unique weapon effects and character movements, as well as specific monster behaviors designed to keep combat both tactical and action packed.