(Microsoft, CD-ROM for PC, $39.95)

     One of the oldest high-tech folk tales of failure is the story of how IBM tried to get America's homemakers to store recipes on PCs. But IBM didn't have Julia Child. On this successful CD-ROM, Julia's inimitable warble entices you to try gourmet recipes using videotaped lessons from 16 renown chefs. From Andre Soltner's Alsatian stew to Amy Ferguson-Ota's wok-seared ono, if you can boil water, you can follow these instructions. However, don't consider any of the dishes here if the words "low-cholesterol" are part of your vocabulary. A