Geez, maybe it's time we cut the retailers a little slack; after all, can we really fault, say, CompUSA with carrying a less-than-compelling selection of Mac-compatible software if even Apple can't keep Windows-only software from infesting its shelves? Apparently we've been believing Apple's hype for too long, because we guess there isn't enough Mac software; why else would Apple's retail store in Glendale need to pad its Software Alley with a Windows-only version of Vampire, The Masquerade, as reported by The Mac Observer? D'oh! Ten Hail Steves and five lashes with a FireWire cable to whoever screwed this one up...

Now, there are two ways to look at this. On the one hand, you could consider the presence of Windows-only software in Apple's own retail stores a sign that selling Macs at retail is somehow cursed on a cosmic level; after all, here Apple has gone so far as to open its own chain of stores in order to maintain 100% control over the Mac shopping experience, and something stupid like the presence of a game that won't work on a Mac still rears its ugly head. What's next, all the iMacs in the store turn into-- lord forbid-- Gateway Profiles?

On the other hand, you could simply accept the presence of Vampire, The Masquerade as a silly ordering or shipping mistake that was corrected "within two minutes" by members of the Apple Store staff when the title's Windows-only system requirements were pointed out to them. Tell the staff about the presence of Windows software in the Mac section at other retail stores, and most likely all you'll get is a blank stare, unless the employee can muster enough energy to spit on you as well. (In contrast, we bet that Apple Store employees would spit on you immediately and with gusto if you asked nicely. Believe it or not, hiring employees who actually care really can make a difference. Alert the media!)

On the other other hand, we're a smidge concerned that none of the Apple Store staff noticed the Windows-only nature of Vampire: The Masquerade when six copies were placed on the shelves in the first place. We aren't hardcore gamers by any stretch of the imagination, but the AtAT staff was at least aware that Vampire isn't yet available for the Mac. Maybe that's not a fair comparison, though, given our status as confirmed Buffy addicts; we've been waiting for Vampire for a while now. The game is scheduled to come to the Mac sometime later this year, if MacSoft's "Coming Soon" page can be believed. Then again, seeing as that page still lists products "scheduled for release" last September, it's pretty clear that it only gets updated about once every presidential election-- and thus should be taken with a grain of salt. Still, we're confident that Vampire will make it back onto Apple Store shelves eventually-- at which point we Mac users will actually be able to play it.