I just found this review I did for NWC from TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO!!!
(Frankly I'm amazed that the PCUG site is still functional!) I'm talking about Windows 3.1!! Win 95 was only just getting started.
http://www.pcug.org.au/16bits/96_09/music.htm
We used to "connect to the net" back in the day :)
My first -demo- copy of NWC came on the bonus CD of a computer magazine and it was also 1996 or at the latest '97.