Hinting at the video game industry's mounting ability to permeate daily living in the digital age, Sega offers a virtual pet quite unlike any other.

While "Seaman" does require Dreamcast console hardware to function, the resemblance to traditional videogames pretty much ends there. Seaman, a half-man half-fish creature of enigmatic lineage, is born and raised right there on one's television screen in so much computer-generated glory. Bundled with a microphone and state-of-the-art voice recognition software, users can actually hold real-time conversations with the creature and have those conversations committed to an extensive memory system.

Each day, one is expected visit the fish-man in his "tank," adjust the oxygen, heat and light levels, keep a regular feeding schedule and provide genuine foster care for the freaky fish-o-sapien.

Throughout the experience, users will discover that his occasionally insolent disposition and irreverent responses to questions are a true reflection of his feelings and how he's been treated. Frightfully, this talking, learning, virtual pet will recall subjects broached or incidents experienced from days gone by and bring them up again in conversation. It's one of the most unnerving examples of Artificial Intelligence yet offered at a mass consumer level.

With the soothing baritone of Leonard Nimoy providing narration and tutorial, Seaman's complex level of interactivity will boggle your mind as you un-boggle the mystery behind his origins.