Encompassing a total of 15 neighborhoods, the district officially known as Richland lies to the south of the river that runs through the Megacity. Belying its name, the area is actually a poor, dilapidated one, usually referred to as the Slums, where violence and crime are both normal parts of the inhabitants' daily lives. Perhaps its only saving grace is the fact that the locale to the west is even less desirable. Formally called Westview, its condition reflects a history of slow decay and ineffective attempts at repair, a combination that has led to its far more frequent appellation, the Barrens. To the northeast, the International District is a melting pot of Asian cultures, a new-age amalgam of small shops, narrow streets, plazas and modern edifices. Naturally, Downtown is home to tall buildings full of assorted bureaucrats, accountants and lawyers.

In Monolith's The Matrix Online, which will begin commercial service tomorrow, these are the four sections of the cyber-reality gameworld players will see when they jack in, joining those who took advantage of the pre-order offer that included the chance to start on Saturday. All of them will take part in the canonical continuation of the Wachowski brothers' cinematic saga that began in 1999. The first film fired the imagination of millions with its intriguing premise and explosive action. The trilogy ended where the persistent state world picks up, with the humans, Machines and Merovingians in an uneasy truce where a small group or even an individual might sway the balance of power. Last Thursday, at a media event in San Francisco, invited members of the gaming press had the opportunity to learn how the impending title will stand apart.