Scott Miller, founder and partner of Apogee, is one of the pioneers of the videogames business. Having started life in 1987 Apogee pioneered the "shareware" distribution model for games, most famously executed with id's Doom and Quake. Then, in 1991, the company proved it could make the games, too, as Duke Nukem burst onto the scene. Lightning struck a third time in '96 when the Duke stormed the world of first-person shooters in all his 3D glory. The gaming world hasn't been the same since.
Neil West

Played any good games lately?
SM: I loved Recoil, an arcade tank battle game reminiscent of Stellar 7 and Nova 9 from years ago. Heretic 2 and Half-Life were also recent favourites. And Mario Party for the N64 is a blast as a family game.

What do you think of Lara Croft?
SM: On the PC the Tomb Raider series is way behind the times, with terrible graphics and controls. I also think that Duke Nukem would solve her adventures better and faster than she could.

What name or initials do you enter on high-score tables?
SM: Back in the early '80s, during the arcade boom, I used XXX, not because of the X-rated meaning, but because I hated wasting my time scrolling through the alphabet looking for my real initials, and XXX seemed kind of mysterious. XXX was very often the top score holder, and I'd hear other players ask, "Who is that XXX guy?" Well, now the secret is out!

What games systems do you have at home?
SM: N64 and PC. I like the N64 over the PS for my two sons because of the cartridges, which are much less prone to damage that the CDs used by the PlayStation.

If you could keep just one, which would it be?
SM: The PC, baby! Gotta have my Internet.

What's your favourite bit in Super Mario 64?
SM: I love climbing into a cannon and aiming at different spots, hoping to find a secret or land somewhere that is only accessible by the cannon. There's just something really fun about flying through the air and not knowing where you'll land and what you'll discover.

Who'd win in a fight, Sonic or Mario?
SM: Well, Sonic is more of a fighter than Mario, who's more of a puzzle solver, so I'd have to give it to the blazing blue spikes-ster.