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While the streets aren't paved with gold, those who take a stroll on Sidewalk, Microsoft's hugely hyped city-guide website, can find a wealth of neatly configured arts-and-entertainment info for cities from Seattle to Boston. But Sidewalk -- to which Microsoft reportedly has committed $500 million -- is just one contender in the costly battle shaping up among cyber-Baedekers. The sites are proliferating, capitalizing on the Web's dexterity with databases and drawing revenue from such advertisers as Citibank, Barnes & Noble, and the Gap. Indeed, they may even break the Web's money-losing jinx; analysts predict the sites will siphon off a small fraction of the $67 billion-plus spent on advertising in local print publications. Here's a user's guide to the more bustling urban URLs:
SIDEWALK (www.sidewalk. com) Four metro areas. Best for: Well-versed residents. Worst for: Seekers of the off-beat. Standouts: Customizing ''intelligent agent'' that sends you E-mail bulletins about your fave acts; map feature; literate, extensive listings; nimble interface. Drawbacks: Sometimes slow. Wild card: Graphic design and features vary slightly by city. A
CITYSEARCH (www.city search.com) Eight metropolises plus Australia. Best for: Those who enjoy first-person musings about events. Worst for: Long-timers who want depth. Standouts: You get a bookmarkable custom page with individualized updates; newsletter mailing lists; highly detailed maps. Drawbacks: Search results are patchy; misses some admission prices. Wild card: The love-it-or-hate-it hipster tone. B+
INSIDER (www.theinsider. com) Four locales. Best for: Newcomers or those thinking of relocating. Worst for: Long-timers who know how outside Insider can be. Standouts: Bulletin boards with readers' tips; extensive photo collections; bold design. Drawbacks: Those tips aren't always so sharp. Wild card: Misses some basics but offers nicely original flourishes (e.g., Indoor Oases). B
DIGITAL CITY (digitalcity. com) 17 cities (on the Web) or 14 (on AOL). Best for: Residents. Worst for: Those put off by lots of in-your-face ads. Standouts: Nicely spare, which makes it quick to load; helpful descriptive blurbs accompany some links. Drawbacks: Uneven coverage; occasional snottiness. Wild card: Goes way beyond entertainment (government, real estate agents); zany, irrelevant links can be fun -- or irritating. C+
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TOP SOFTWARE
MACNIFICENT SUCCESS
Forget for a moment Apple's market-share malaise and recent management machinations: The Cupertino, Calif.-based computer company's new operating-system upgrade, Mac OS 8, handily captured the No. 4 slot on the CD-ROM chart. Good news, indeed, for Apple's recently returned cofounder (and formerly exiled guru), Steve Jobs, whose unlikely enlistment of some guy named Bill Gates has bolstered users' -- and Wall Street's -- confidence in the Mac.
TOP 20 CD-ROMS
LAST MONTH 1 MICROSOFT WINDOWS 95 UPGRADE Microsoft, PC 1 2 MYST Broderbund, PC and Mac 2 3 VIRUSCAN McAfee, PC 5 4 MAC OS 8 Apple, Mac -- 5 DIABLO Blizzard, PC 3 6 DUNGEON KEEPER Electronic Arts, PC -- 7 HERCULES ANIMATED STORYBOOK Disney, PC -- 8 MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR Microsoft, PC 13 9 QUICKEN DELUXE Intuit, PC and Mac 14 10 PRINT SHOP DELUXE III Broderbund, PC 9 11 LINKS LS 1998 Access, PC -- 12 UNINSTALLER Cybermedia, PC -- 13 X-COM: APOCALYPSE MicroProse, PC -- 14 TRIPMAKER Rand McNally, PC 10 15 MONOPOLY MULTIMEDIA Hasbro Interactive, PC 12 16 PRINTMASTER GOLD DELUXE PUBLISHER SUITE Mindscape, PC 18 17 JUMPSTART KINDERGARTEN Knowledge Adventure, PC -- 18 COMMAND & CONQUER RED ALERT Virgin, PC 17 19 MICROSOFT GREETINGS WORKSHOP Microsoft, PC 20 20 FIRST AID DELUXE Cybermedia, PC 4
