As you are surveying the dark and misty swamp you come across what
     appears to be a small cave.  You light  a  torch  and  enter.  You
     have  walked  several  hundred feet when you stumble into a bright
     blue portal.  .  .  With a  sudden  burst  of  light  and  a  loud
     explosion you are swept into . . . DRAGONFIRE . . .  Press Any Key
     if You Dare."

  .  You have programmed your personal computer to dial into
     Dragonfire, a computer bulletin board in Gainesville,  Texas.  But
     before you get any information, Dragonfire demands your name, home
     city  and phone number.  So,  for tonight's tour of the electronic
     wilderness you become Montana Wildhack of San Francisco.

  .  Dragonfire, Sherwood Forest (sic), Forbidden Zone,
     Blottoland,  Plovernet,  The Vault, Shadowland, PHBI and scores of
     other computer bulletin boards are hangouts of a new generation of
     vandals. These precocious teenagers use their electronic skills to
     play hide-and-seek with computer and  telephone  security  forces.
     Many  computer  bulletin  boards  are  perfectly legitimate:  they
     resemble electronic  versions  of  the  familiar  cork  boards  in
     supermarkets and school corridors,  listing services and providing
     information someone out there is bound to find  useful.  But  this
     is  a walk on the wild side,  a trip into the world of underground
     bulletin  boards  dedicated  to  encouraging  --  and  making   --
     mischief.

  .  The phone number for these boards are as closely guarded as a
     psychiatrist's home telephone number.  Some numbers are posted on
     underground  boards;  others  are exchanged over the telephone.  A
     friendly hacker provided Dragonfire's number.  Hook up and you see
     a broad choice of topics offered. For Phone Phreaks -- who delight
     in  stealing  service  from  AT&T  and  other  phone  networks   .
     Phreakenstein's Lair is a potpourri of phone numbers, access codes
     and  technical information.  For computer hackers -- who dial into
     other people's computers -- Ranger's Lodge is chock-full of  phone
     numbers  and  passwords  for government,  university and corporate
     computers.  Moving through Dragonfire's offerings,  you  can  only
     marvel  at  how conversant these teen-agers are with the technical
     esoterica of today's electronic age.  Obviously they have spent  a
     great  deal  of time studying computers,  though their grammar and
     spelling indicate they haven't been diligent  in  other  subjects.
     You are constantly reminded of how young they are.