Like a virus seeping into the water supply, Tamagotchis will invade cyberspace this fall as an Active Channel on Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.0.
Bandai has teamed up with 7th Level and Microsoft to create the Tamagotchi Active Channel, which will allow people to raise desktop versions of the attention-starved little critters. Formerly trapped in key chains and GameBoys, the cyberspace versions will need to "phone home" daily over their owners' Internet connection to receive transmissions from the home planet.
7th Level and Bandai are working on a CD-ROM Tamagotchi, to be available by Christmas, and a Nintendo 64 version is also gestating.