A small crowd stood on the Church Street sidewalk last night, peering into a store window.

"Ouch," yelled an amused onlooker as he watched somebody inside crash off a computerized skiing course.

The victim was in the midst of a tense game of "VR Skiing," a virtual reality computer simulation realistic enough to draw a crowd on a Friday night.

VR Skiing is a new attraction at Cybersmith, a "retail experience" located at 36 Church St. which features 55 interactive computer stations and 17 Internet stations.

The store also has an assortment of video game stations, CD ROM stations and two virtual reality games.

Customers can use their computer terminal to order from Smitty's On-Line Cafe, a coffee and sandwich bar located in the middle of the store.

"We want people to come and have a good time and find out what's out there," says Assistant Manager Soren L. Ryherd.

Cybersmith, which was founded one year ago today, draws people who are curious about the Internet and who want to try it for the first time, many customers say.

"I'm being exposed today," says Charlie J. Arancia of Boston.

Arancia was brought to Cybersmith by his friend who came to the store in search of "a really neat screensaver."

Cybersmith could meet his needs. One screensaver, for example, mimics a game of "Pong" played with photographs of the customer's head instead of a ball.

Technosmith Abba J. Mtenga says that the self-made screensavers are a hit.

"You can see a sense of fascination and happiness when they get their pictures," he says.

Mtenga says that while older customers are often pulled in by curiosity about the Internet, the youngest customers are often lured by the virtual reality games.

Two patrons to the store--Steven, 10, and Beth, 8, agree.