For immediate release:

HARLEQUIN STRENGTHENS LISP COMMITMENT

BOSTON, MA; March 6, 1997

Global software developer Harlequin has announced the availability of two exciting new additions to its family of Lisp products. The company made the announcement at the Object World East show being held in Boston this week.

Version 5.0 of Liquid Common Lisp^(TM) (formerly Lucid Common Lisp) integrates exceptional compiler technology with Harlequin's world-leading LispWorks^® development environment. Liquid Common Lisp is a software development tool for advanced object-oriented programming that conforms to ANSI X3.226:1994 and includes a comprehensive implementation of the Common Lisp Object System (CLOS).

Also launched is the Windows^(TM) version of the Company's acclaimed LispWorks Lisp development environment which offers customers unrivaled productivity on an increasingly powerful set of platforms. For Windows 95 and Windows NT^(TM) users, LispWorks 4.0 is a fully multi-threaded implementation of Harlequin's popular UNIX version, offering a trouble-free porting path to customers seeking to migrate their applications from UNIX to the Windows platform.

Both new products are founded upon Harlequin's unique and extensive experience in serving thousands of Lisp customers around the world.

The Harlequin Approach

Harlequin understands the needs of programmers who, like Harlequin's own development teams, work to deliver end-user applications that solve real-world business problems.

As a major developer of dynamic object-oriented technologies, Harlequin's software development efforts are widely respected for their ability to solve extraordinary problems - the problems which defeat other companies and technologies are the problems that Harlequin routinely addresses. The Company's tools in these areas include their Lisp and forthcoming Dylan^(TM) application development environments.

Harlequin's experience and expertise extends to the latest enabling technologies such as Intelligent Agents and Web applications. A major developer of electronic publishing software, Harlequin also develops and markets vertical applications serving law enforcement, finance, insurance, and other industries. The company currently delivers over twenty products to these extremely diverse markets. Established in 1986, Harlequin employs more than 300 people across 11 sites world-wide and maintains a strong business presence in the United States, Europe, Australia and the Asia-Pacific basin.

LispWorks is a registered trademark and Liquid Common Lisp is a trademark of The Harlequin Group Limited. Windows and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Dylan is a trademark of Apple Computer Inc. All other brand or product names are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.