1998 Olympic Winter Games Overall Highlights

When someone says "luge" these days, Americans need no longer hang their heads in shame: this March at the XVIII Olympic Winter Games held in Nagano, Japan, the Yankee Doodle Dandys tasted Olympic…well…not gold, but silver and bronze in the human bobsled (a.k.a. luge) competition. Viewers will be able to relive the highlights of this thrilling win (the U.S. team lost the gold by--get out your calculators--the hair-splitting difference of .002 seconds!), as well as Tara Lipinsky's dazzling figure skating performance, Picabo Street's gold-winning trip down the ski slopes, Austrian Herman Maier's terrible downhill crash (from which he rebounded to win two gold medals), the incredible Japanese triple sweep on the ski jump, and Dominik Hasek's awesome goaltending during the hockey competition, among other highlights. As is often the case, this "highlights" video is a mixed bag: great for those who missed events or would just like to see the cream of the crop; not so great for people looking for the "story." Still, this is recommended. Also available as part of a three-video set for $29.95 which includes Figure Skating Competition and 1998 Winter Olympics Hockey. In addition, a DVD version should be ready soon with split-screen and multiple viewing angles capabilities as well as stats and standings. (R. Pitman)