Thanks for the reply sw, and to leknor, too.  The Robot class doesn't sound like a standard Java API.  (I haven't heard of it anyway.)  But I'll take a look at your code, and I appreciate the help.

Hello Java programmers,
   I am developing a game in Windows that does transformations to the desktop using a set of 'tools' implemented as sprites that follow mouse movement.  Basically modified cursors.  And I want to move this game to an online version that will take a snapshot of the browser window and do the same thing online.
  Can someone discuss the pros and cons of doing this in Java versus some other language such as Microsoft's VC++ and Directx.  
  I am a great fan of Java, but wonder about it's applicability in this context, particularly problems with applet and security issues as they relate to this problem.  (Maybe there is another way to do it, besides using an applet?)
   Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,