In the Net Force novels, teenagers, mostly members of Net Force Explorers, defy authority, use deductive reasoning, and through courage and intelligence track down evildoers. Each novel is a tale of the potential that virtual reality has to revolutionize life for the better, and of the dangers presented by those who wish to use the tech nology to harm and rule others. The Net Force Explorers are the vanguard of the forces of freedom, using their ingenuity to keep the Internet a place of liberty and safety.

The main character of Virtual Vandals is Matt Hunter. He and his friends—Andy Moore, David Gray, and Leif Anderson— attend a baseball game in order to watch a pregame show featuring holograms of great players of the twentieth century. Theirs is more than casual curiosity; they are skilled computer users who are interested in...