Macromedia launches a multimedia entertainment hub.

Multimedia tools developer Macromedia, known for the popular animation applications Shockwave and Flash, on Monday launched its updated Shockwave Web site, a consolidation of the previous Shockwave.com and Shockrave.com community sites. The new site offers a wider array of interactive entertainment for use with two new user control tools, Shockwave Remote and Shockmachine. Designed as a hub for both online games and entertainment, the Web site first requires that you download the Shockwave plug-in and Shockwave Remote. Next, a brief registration form creates "my" Web entertainment center and adds you to the Shockwave community. Shockwave.com_s entertainment ranges from games to cartoons to music. The line-up of interactive games includes 3D gaming with Real Pool and classic arcade play with Centipede and Missile Command. Not surprisingly, and perhaps its strongest differentiator from gaming portals, the site contains a variety of materials powered by Macromedia products and its partners. You_ll find Shockwave cartoons from South Park, Dilbert, and Peanuts, a selection of music in MP3 and other formats, and visual Sonicnet Flashradio files. Pushing further into the portal zone, Shockwave.com also features a program to create greeting cards and a Web search engine for entertainment and content.