Romping Into an Adventurous Dog’s Life in Cyberspace

Computer cats beware of dog bytes. The same goes for the mailman and paperboy.

A certain digitized doggie headed for U.S. desktops has an old-fashioned affinity for locking his fangs on traditional canine enemies. It’s only natural.

The unnatural twist is that the doggie is you.

Man’s best friend goes user-friendly in “P.A.W.S., The Personal Automated Wagging System” (Digital Garden-Virgin Records, CD-ROM for Macintosh and Windows, $34.95) a fun and games program that lets humans live the dog’s life, from the pooch’s point of view.

Climb into a dog fur coat and see a fanciful 3-D animated version of a dog’s world from the inside out. Interact with the environment just like any other playful pup.

Dig in the garden for bones. Growl, pant and sniff. Chase the cat, hound the postman, tear the newspaper to bits, howl at the backdoor for supper, then curl up in your cozy doghouse and dream surreal doggie dreams.

Designed for children ages 5 and up, “P.A.W.S.” is a blast for adults too, because the focus is humor. Even catching the pesky cat by the tail and twirling it around like Hulk Hogan to fling it over the backyard fence is all in fun.

A super-simple interface makes it a snap for the smallest hands to navigate, and hundreds of animated events, dreams, chases and other encounters mean it won’t go stale for dog years.

The Golden Bone of Tut is the holy Grail of “P.A.W.S.” Sometimes you have to dig even when you don’t smell a bone, and don’t overlook the compost heap in your quest or you may end up chasing your tail.

The dog’s-eye view 3-D “Canine Simulator” is the program’s major draw, but there’s more. Strap on a jet pack and play the “AeroDog Flight Game,” a race against the clock to find bones and deliver them to hungry dogs.

There’s also a whimsical anatomy section with drawings of wacky machinery, gears and motors that players click on to see how dogs wag their tails, scratch themselves and track the scent of feline intruders, among other things.

Cluttered cranium file cabinets contain mug shots and profiles of several outlaw cats, in addition to ankle photos of the mailman and paperboy. If you’re really quick, mouse-click on a fast-hopping flea in the anatomy area to view a close-up cartoon sequence of the tiny bloodsucker at work.

“P.A.W.S.” was first introduced in Europe, where it won awards, including Best Children’s Title at the 1995 Milia Multimedia Festival in Cannes, France. It was inspired by the award-winning children’s book, “How Dogs Really Work,” by Alan Snow, who also did the CD-ROM animation.