STRICTLY BUSINESS: AREA NATIVES AT WORK ON ANIMATED COMPUTER GAMES

George D. Grayson has taken a big chance twice.

In 1982, the native Cape Girardean left his St. Louis job as analyst for the Federal Reserve System to join his brother, J. Paul Grayson, who quit his job with St. Louis CPA firm, Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co., to put together a computer software firm.

Working out of a garage in Dallas, the brothers, graduates of Cape Central High School, found a market for their products and within three years, had grown to 20 employees, new office space and $4 million in sales.

The Graysons had a hit business -- MICROGRAFX Inc. -- on their hands.

A decade later, George Grayson took his second chance.

He split from MICROGRAFX to form his own company, "7th Level," to help create and put together interactive software graphics cartoon programs.

"TuneLand," accompanied by music of all kinds including rock, pop and country and western, was the first offering from 7th Level. The cartoon offers eight scenarios that allows the user to manipulate.

"MICROGRAFX wasn't ready to move aggressively enough into consumer products," said the younger Grayson. "We feel the largest market for computer software is in the consumer market."

The younger Grayson formed 7th Level, and is president of the company, which recently signed an agreement with Disney to produce an interactive game featuring "Lion King" characters.

"This is a significant happening," said Grayson. "We're busy here. "We have a lot of work going on."

7th Level, which has at least 10 more interactive programs in production, employs about 160 workers, including two more Cape Girardeans -- brothers, Jason Greenwood and John Greenwood, sons of Cape Girardeau artist, Don Greenwood, who just might provide some artwork for some future 7th Level games.

Jason Greenwood is director of quality assurance at the company and John Greenwood is a producer with the company. Both are Notre Dame High School graduates.

7th Level reached a real coup late last month. Grayson announced a new partnership to co-develop a CD-ROM game title based on Disney's popular "Lion King" characters -- Pumbaa and Timon -- for release this Christmas season.

The announcement was made June 28 by Steve McBeth, president of Disney Interactive and Grayson, president of 7th Level.

Working with the Disney gang

Disney artist and producers will work with artists, programmers and game designers from 7th Level to co-create the new "state-of-the-art" game product, which will be marketed and distributed by Disney Interactive.

The new CD-ROM game is scheduled for release in the U.S. in November and internationally in the spring of 1996.

The Pumbaa and Timon game pack, Disney's first game title for Windows CD-ROM, will feature action-packed, arcade-style, game play, designed for home computer games ages 8 and older.

The Pumbaa and Timon game pack, says Grayson, will build upon the unprecedented performance of Disney's blockbuster film, "The Lion King," the most successful animated feature of all time.

"The Lion King" has generated box office receipts of more than $700 million worldwide and has inspired a string of hit releases for other areas of the company, including Disney's top-selling video (more than 7 million in soundtrack sales), more than 400,000 units of "The Lion King: Animated StoryBook on CD-Rom; and almost a million video games for Sega Genesis and Nintendo Super NES systems.

And, in September, Walt Disney TV will premier "The Lion Kings' Timon and Pumbaa" animated TV series on CBS-TV.

George Grayson now appears to have another hig business hit on his hands.

His 7th Level company has created a technology and production process that enables the creation of animated action games that exceed the gameplay of video game consoles and the visual quality of television.

The "proprietary technology" has been used in the development of two other interactive arcade games being produced by 7th Level for this Christmas. "Battle Beast," will be in the stores next month and "Arcade America" which will ship in early October.

"We're very excited to work with Disney on a new game title for the CD-ROM market," said George Grayson. "Disney brings a quality of storytelling and a library of popular characters and stories that are unmatched in this business."

This collaboration presents unlimited new opportunities for 7th Level and countless new ways to use our animation production systems in both the creative and technical areas, said Grayson.

7th Level Inc. blends the best of Hollywood creative artistry, proprietary production techniques and world-class animators and producers to deliver state-of-the-art multimedia products.

Disney Interactive, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Co., is a developer, publisher and licenser of interactive family entertainment software. The company is the worldwide distributor or its entertainment and educational products.

"Q's Jook Joints" on the board

Grayson's company earlier this year announced QD7, a joint venture between 7th Level Inc. and Quincy Jones-David Salzman Entertainment, in the development of an interactive CD-ROM production using the working title, "Q's Jook Joint."

"Q's Jook Joint," set for release in 1996, will be a chronicle of the roots for American music through the eyes and ears of pioneer producer and musical visionary.

Quincy Jones, the interactive title, will be set in a mythical Louisiana "Jook Joint," and will offer a sweeping view of the history of American music, through animation, historic footage, interviews, vintage photography and legendary musical performers.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Jook Joints were places where people of all cultural, ethnic and social backgrounds congregated to hear great music, to socialize, drink and dance.

These Jook Joints marked the beginning an American musical democracy, said Quincy Jones, who has studied American music and its role in history, adding that QD7's first CD-ROM title would span that history.

"Q's Jook Joint" will feature jazz, rock 'n' roll, rhythm and blues, ragtime, folk, gospel and other music.

Since its founding, 7th Level has provided some highly acclaimed and award-winning interactive titles, such as "Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time," "Tuneland" and "Take Your Best Shot."

"Tuneland" was the first software graphics cartoon for 7th Level and combines the use of animation and sound effects that appears on a CD ROM. It can be inserted into most standard IBM compatible P.C.s that are equipped with a CD ROM, according to Jon Greenwood, another Cape Girardeau native and official with 7th Level.

It took 7th Level over a year to develop "Tuneland," which can be educational in teaching kids how to use computers, but its purpose is entertainment, Grayson acknowledges.

It's not just for kids

And it's not just for kids. "We have found adults love to play this," said Greenwood.

One of the games is to find comedian Howie Mandel in a barn. Mandel goes by Lil' Howie on the cartoon.

"You can watch it like a cartoon, or you can click on your mouse and you can bring in characters and objects," said Greenwood.

For example, in one scenario, the user can click open barn doors. When that happens, pigs appear singing songs like "Old McDonald Had a Farm" and "I'm a Little Teapot." The CD contains a total of about 50 songs.

The Grayson brothers still keep in touch, although they run two different companies.

Animated entertainment software has become big on the computer front, and can rage in prices from $30 up. Most come on CD-ROMS, and they're not just of kids. Adults take time to participate in the games.

In the "up" price category is "Buried in Time," a time-travel animated time-travel game produced by a California company, Sanctuary Woods.

The object of this game is to track down a criminal who is trying to change history in order to alter the politics of the future...WOW.

If you're a sports fans, look at Slam City, also in the "up" price category from a California producer, Digital Pictures. Slam City uses full-screen video to put players against a variety of basketball opponents.

B. Ray Owen is business editor and staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.