A new product from Brilliant Digital Entertainment is putting kids in charge of the fate of characters. The Woodland Hills, California-based production studio is unveiling Multipath Movies.

Multipath Movies prompt viewers to influence the outcome. To do this, younger children must pick from one of two icons every two minutes or so, whereas titles for teens and adults require players to decide a character’s mood.

This new movie format merges the best elements of feature films-the story and characters-with the interactivity of computer games, says Pia Proal, Brilliant’s vice president of sales and marketing. In retail outlets, Multipath Movies will be available on CD-ROM. Proal expects the products will ‘appeal to non-gamers who are still looking for entertainment on their PC.’

The first Multipath Movie, Cyberswine, hit store shelves last month for a suggested retail price of less than US$25. The teen- and adult-targeted title is based on a sci-fi comic series of the same name.

The first release for kids, Popeye and the Quest for the Woolly Mammoth, also launched last month. The half-hour title for five- to 10-year-olds has a suggested retail price of US$19.95. Brilliant will produce two more Popeye products, based on the animated television series, as part of a deal with King Features Syndicate.

Also in its lineup for kids: a minimum of 10 titles for kids age eight to 13 based on the book series Choose Your Own Nightmare and Choose Your Own Adventure, from Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers; two products based on feature films from Morgan Creek Productions, including Ace Ventura, Pet Detective; and releases using scripts from the live-action television show Xena: Warrior Princess and animated character designs from the direct-to-video Hercules & Xena-The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus.

Initially, Multipath Movies are rolling out in the U.S., Canada and other English-speaking countries, with plans to localize for other markets. North American retailers carrying the titles are Best Buy, CompUSA, Computer City, Micro Center and Media Play.

As well as CD-ROMs, Brilliant is creating versions for real-time streaming over the Internet on a pay-per-use basis. CompuServe is also offering Multipath Movies to its members. Brilliant plans to expand the concept to a television show and home videos.

Brilliant is supporting its first releases with print and on-line advertising. Retail promotions begin next month.