Software Toolworkers Inc

Marking its first venture into the super-trendy market for interactive software, London-based publishing giant Pearson Inc. said Thursday that it has agreed to buy multimedia publisher Software Toolworks for $462 million, nearly four times the Novato, Calif., company's annual sales.

Marking its first venture into the super-trendy market for interactive software, London-based publishing giant Pearson Inc. said Thursday that it has agreed to buy multimedia publisher Software Toolworks for $462 million, nearly four times the Novato, Calif., company's annual sales.

Software Toolworks Inc., a Chatsworth company that makes entertainment and instructional software for personal computers, reported it acquired Mindscape Inc. through a merger of Mindscape into a wholly owned subsidiary of Software Toolworks. The transaction was done in a stock swap valued at about $20 million. Mindscape, based in Northbrook, Ill., makes games for the Nintendo Entertainment System and develops other computer software products.

Software Toolworks Inc., a Chatsworth company that makes entertainment and instructional software for personal computers, reported it acquired Mindscape Inc. through a merger of Mindscape into a wholly owned subsidiary of Software Toolworks. The transaction was done in a stock swap valued at about $20 million. Mindscape, based in Northbrook, Ill., makes games for the Nintendo Entertainment System and develops other computer software products.