"Holy cats, they really did it!" That's the only reaction we could muster when we heard about Micro Conversions' latest scheme to transform Apple's iMac into a killer gaming machine. Not that MC's any stranger to the iMac; these are the guys who took an idea we kicked around a whole week before the original iMac even shipped and turned it into a reality: a Voodoo-based card that fits into the iMac's proprietary Mezzanine slot and bestows the joys of high-powered 3D gaming upon the owner. MC's iMac Game Wizard does just that, using a killer Voodoo 2 chipset that, according to many, still produces faster and prettier gaming results than even the RAGE 128 in Apple's latest G3s. There's just one teensy little problem with the iMac Game Wizard, though-- since it uses the Mezzanine slot, owners of fruit-flavored iMacs are out of luck. Only the Bondi units have the Mezzanine connector.

And yet that didn't stop the folks at MC from crafting a Voodoo 2 solution for fruit-flavored iMacs, too. Get this: the new iWizard™ line of products actually tweaks your iMac in multiple ways to squeeze the best possible gaming experience out of your favorite diversions. MC will boost your iMac's processor speed, pop in an ADB port to allow the use of older joysticks, modify the audio system so you can add a subwoofer, and install a Game Wizard to provide Voodoo 2 acceleration. But here's the real kicker-- if you've got a fruit-flavored (and Mezzanine-challenged) iMac, send it in to MC and they'll install the slot before installing the card. Sure, this all voids the living bejeezus out of your iMac's warranty, but MC will sell you a warranty extension that covers the whole iMac, not just the parts they've installed or changed. And since they're going to rip your poor iMac open and muck with its innards, they'll also sell you memory and hard drive upgrades "as a convenience."

There's no cost listed yet, and the program doesn't start until May, but we've got to hand it to MC-- thinking doesn't get much more different than this. Even non-gamers may want to have their iMacs "iWizarded," to take advantage of a faster machine, better sound, the ability to use that old ADB keyboard/mouse/graphics tablet (without the potential for driver problems that might arise with a USB-to-ADB converter), etc. And owners of fruit-flavored iMacs who want to add SCSI, well, if MC can install a Mezzanine slot, what's to say that others can't, as well? Or get the iWizard treatment, uninstall the Game Wizard and give it to a Bondi-owning gamer, and pop in the Mezzanine card of your choice, to get SCSI, a monitor-out port, or whatever. The possibilities are intriguing.