<s>
Microshaft	B-Application
Winblows	I-Application
98	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1998	O
interactive	O
comedy	O
video	O
game	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
and	O
the	O
Classic	B-Application
Mac	I-Application
OS	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
parodies	O
the	O
then-upcoming	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
operating	O
system	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Microsoft	O
co-founder	O
Bill	O
Gates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Released	O
by	O
Palladium	O
Interactive	O
during	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
v	O
.	O
Microsoft	O
Corp	O
.	O
case	O
and	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
when	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Gates	O
were	O
easy	O
targets	O
for	O
jokes	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
offers	O
a	O
satirical	O
take	O
on	O
this	O
ripe	O
subject	O
matter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developed	O
by	O
Parroty	O
Interactive	O
,	O
the	O
self-professed	O
National	O
Lampoon	O
of	O
the	O
interactive	O
media	O
industry	O
,	O
Microshaft	B-Application
Winblows	I-Application
98	I-Application
became	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
fourth	O
interactive	O
comedy	O
video	O
game	O
,	O
after	O
Pyst	B-Application
which	O
is	O
a	O
clone	O
of	O
adventure	O
video	O
game	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
Star	O
Warped	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
satire	O
of	O
science-fiction	O
film	O
series	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
,	O
and	O
The	B-Application
X-Fools	I-Application
,	O
a	O
spoof	O
of	O
supernatural	O
TV	O
series	O
The	O
X	O
Files	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
released	O
on	O
January	O
5	O
,	O
1998	O
before	O
gaining	O
further	O
exposure	O
through	O
being	O
present	O
at	O
Macworld	O
Expo	O
,	O
Microshaft	B-Application
Winblows	I-Application
98	I-Application
was	O
praised	O
by	O
magazines	O
and	O
newspapers	O
,	O
mostly	O
for	O
its	O
clever	O
and	O
blunt	O
humor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
Microsoft	O
being	O
the	O
target	O
of	O
jokes	O
for	O
a	O
considerable	O
period	O
of	O
its	O
then	O
23-year	O
history	O
,	O
Microshaft	B-Application
Winblows	I-Application
98	I-Application
was	O
released	O
at	O
a	O
specific	O
point	O
in	O
time	O
when	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
Bill	O
Gates	O
were	O
in	O
the	O
news	O
for	O
controversial	O
reasons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microshaft	B-Application
Winblows	I-Application
98	I-Application
came	O
into	O
existence	O
as	O
a	O
response	O
to	O
this	O
and	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
"	O
mock	O
 [ Gates' ] 	O
entire	O
existence	O
"	O
in	O
a	O
humorous	O
and	O
intelligent	O
way	O
,	O
serving	O
as	O
a	O
parody	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
company	O
,	O
the	O
software	O
and	O
the	O
man	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
started	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
presents	O
a	O
bootsplash	B-Operating_System
much	O
like	O
the	O
one	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
9x	O
operating	O
systems	O
before	O
presenting	O
the	O
user	O
with	O
a	O
desktop	O
from	O
which	O
various	O
"	O
applications	O
"	O
can	O
be	O
launched	O
;	O
these	O
include	O
spoofs	O
of	O
computer	O
games	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Doom	B-Application
)	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
software	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
)	O
,	O
and	O
even	O
sometimes	O
popular	O
fads	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
Billagotchi	O
"	O
that	O
spoofs	O
the	O
Tamagotchi	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
co-founder	O
Bill	O
Gates	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
has	O
a	O
storyline	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
start	O
out	O
as	O
tech	B-General_Concept
support	I-General_Concept
employees	O
and	O
must	O
work	O
their	O
way	O
up	O
to	O
a	O
meeting	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
CEO	O
Bill	O
Gates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
containing	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
minigames	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
also	O
offered	O
enhancements	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
95	O
,	O
while	O
additional	O
content	O
was	O
available	O
via	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
official	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
design	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
cover	O
closely	O
mimicked	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
95	O
packaging	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
this	O
setback	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
presented	O
their	O
product	O
at	O
the	O
Macworld	O
expo	O
in	O
Silicon	O
Valley	O
,	O
San	O
Francisco	O
next	O
January	O
,	O
receiving	O
praise	O
from	O
Macintosh	B-Application
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
event	O
they	O
demoed	O
the	O
CEO-themed	O
Tamagotchi	O
spoof	O
"	O
Billagotchi	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
Windows	B-Application
Exploder	O
"	O
game	O
where	O
player	O
blows	O
away	O
error	O
messages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
also	O
debuted	O
some	O
new	O
products	O
at	O
Macworld	O
such	O
as	O
Office	O
98	O
and	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
4.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
noting	O
that	O
he	O
was	O
yet	O
to	O
examine	O
the	O
Palladium	O
Interactive	O
title	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
spokesman	O
Mark	O
Murray	O
commented	O
that	O
"	O
ours	O
are	O
probably	O
a	O
little	O
more	O
serious	O
"	O
than	O
Microshaft	B-Application
Winblows	I-Application
98	I-Application
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
corporation	O
"tr[ies]	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
sense	O
of	O
humor	O
about	O
this	O
sort	O
of	O
thing	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
2011	O
retrospective	O
review	O
from	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
panned	O
Microshaft	B-Application
Winblows	I-Application
98	I-Application
for	O
feeling	O
made	O
by	O
"	O
non-technical	O
people	O
desperately	O
trying	O
to	O
write	O
[	O
tech	O
geek ]	O
jokes	O
in	O
what	O
may	O
as	O
well	O
be	O
a	O
foreign	O
language	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
