Option Agreement


AGREEMENT made this 27th day of April, 1992, by and between Timothy  Fitzpatrick
(the  "Optionee")  and Accelr8  Technology  Corporation  (the  "Optionor" or the
"Company"), a Colorado corporation.

The Optionor  desires,  by affording  Optionee an opportunity to purchase its no
par value  common  shares,  to advance the  interests  of the  Optionor  and its
shareholders  by  encouraging  and  enabling  Optionee,   upon  whose  judgment,
initiative and effort the Optionor is independent for the successful  conduct of
its  business,  to acquire and retain a  proprietary  interest  in the  Optionor
through ownership of its stock.

IT IS THEREFORE AGREED:

1. Option.  Optionee is hereby granted the option to purchase  500,000 shares of
Common Stock, no par value ("Common Stock" or "Stock"),  of the Optionor,  which
Option must be exercised, if at all, on or before the dates set forth in Section
3 below, and in the increments also set forth in Section 3 below. If such option
is  exercised  shall be given to the  Optionor  in the manner  provided  by this
Agreement.

2. Exercise  Price.  The exercise  price of the 500,000  shares  subject to this
Agreement shall be $.09 per share ("Exercise Price").
       
3. Exercise of Option. One quarter of the shares subject to option will vest and
become  exercisable  every  twelve  months over a four year period  which begins
April 27,  1993,  and will  remain  exercisable  for three years  following  the
original date such increment vested.  Thus,  125,000 shares will vest and become
exercisable  on April 27, 1993,  1994,  1995, and 1996  respectively,  and shall
remain  exercisable until 5:00 P.M., Denver time, on April 27, 1996, 1997, 1998,
1999, respectively. Exercise must be in the form of a written request, presented
to the Secretary of the Company at the Company's  offices,  substantially in the
form attached  hereto as Exhibit A, and  accompanied by evidence of ownership of
the option.  Shares  issued upon  exercise of the option  shall be  unregistered
shares of Common Stock.  Such Stock will be restricted stock of the Optionor and
will bear a legend to that effect.

4. Transfer and Termination. Unvested portions of Optionee's option shall become
void upon  termination of employment of the Optionee with the Optionor,  whether
or not such termination is voluntary or involuntary. The options herein granted,
whether vested or unvested,  may not be voluntarily  transferred or assigned, in
whole or in part,  without  the express  written  consent of the  Optionor.  The
options  may not be pledged or  hypothecated  in any way and no option  shall be
subject to execution,  attachment or similar process without the express written
consent of the Optionor.

5. Adjustments of Exercise Price:

(A) If the Optionor  should at any time or from time to time hereafter issue any
Stock as a stock dividend or other distribution to shareholders,  then forthwith
upon such issue,  the Exercise  Price shall be adjusted to a price  (computed to
the nearest cent)  determined by dividing (i) the sum of the number of shares of
Stock  outstanding  immediately  prior to such issue  multiplied by the Exercise
Price in effect  immediately  prior to such  issue by (ii) the  total  number of
shares of Stock outstanding immediately after such issue.



(B) If the Optionor should at any time or from time to time hereafter reduce the
amount of the Stock then  outstanding by reverse stock split or otherwise,  then
forthwith upon such  reduction,  the Exercise Price shall be adjusted to a price
(computed to the nearest cent)  determined by dividing (i) the sum of the number
of shares of stock outstanding immediately prior to such reduction multiplied by
the Exercise Price in effect  immediately  prior to such reduction,  by (ii) the
total number of shares of Stock outstanding immediately after such reduction.

(C) No Adjustment for Small Amounts.  Anything in this Section 5 to the contrary
notwithstanding,  the  Optionor  shall  not be  required  to give  effect to any
adjustment in the Exercise  Price unless and until the net effect of one or more
adjustments,  determined as above provided,  shall have required a change of the
Exercise  Price at least one cent,  but when the  cumulative  net effect of more
than one adjustment so determined  shall be to change the actual  Exercise Price
by at least one cent, such change in the Exercise Price shall thereupon be given
effect.

(D) Number of Shares  Adjusted.  Upon any adjustment of the Exercise Price,  the
Holder of the option under this Agreement shall  thereafter  (until another such
adjustment) be entitled to purchase,  at the new Exercise  Price,  the number of
shares, calculated to the nearest full share, obtained by multiplying the number
of shares of Stock  initially  issuable  upon  exercise  of  Options  under this
Agreement  by the  Exercise  Price in effect on the date hereof and dividing the
product so obtained by the new Exercise Price.

(E) Stock Defined for Purpose of Section 5.  Whenever  reference is made in this
Section 5 to the issue or sale of shares of Stock,  the term "Stock"  shall mean
the Stock of the Optionor of the class  authorized as of the date hereof and any
other  class of stock  ranking  on a parity  with such  Stock.  However,  shares
issuable upon exercise of this Option Agreement shall include only shares of the
class  designated  as no par value  Common  Stock of the Optionor as of the date
hereof.

6.  Officer's  Certificate.  Whenever  the  Exercise  Price shall be adjusted as
required by the  provisions of Section 5 hereof,  the Optionor  shall  forthwith
file in the custody of its Secretary or an Assistant  Secretary at its principal
office,  and with its Transfer Agent, if any, an officer's  certificate  showing
the adjusted  Exercise Price  determined as herein provided and setting forth in
reasonable  detail the facts  requiring  such  adjustment.  Each such  officer's
certificate  shall be made available ~t all  reasonable  times for inspection by
the  Optionee  and the  Optionor  shall,  promptly  after each such  adjustment,
deliver a copy of such certificate to the Optionee.  Such  certificate  shall be
conclusive as to the  correctness of such  adjustment if the Optionee under this
Agreement does not give written notice of an objection to the Optionor within 15
days after such officer's  certificate was mailed or otherwise  delivered to the
Optionee. If the Optionor is given written notice of objection,  and the parties
cannot reconcile the dispute, it shall be arbitrated pursuant to the laws of the
State of Colorado, or as the parties otherwise agree.

7.  Notice  of  Optionee.  So long as  options  under  this  Agreement  shall be
outstanding  and  unexercised (i) if the Optioner shall pay any dividend or make
any  distribution  upon the Stock,  or (ii) if the  Optionor  shall offer to the
holders of Stock for subscription or purchase by them any shares of stock of any
class  or any  other  rights  or  (iii)  if any  capital  reorganization  of the
Optionor,  reclassification of the capital stock of the Optionor,  consolidation
or merger of the  Optionor  with or into  another  corporation,  sale,  lease or
transfer of all or substantially  all of the property and assets of the Optionor
to another corporation, or voluntary, or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or
winding up of the  Optionor  shall be  effected,  then,  in any such  case,  the
Optionor shall cause to be delivered to the Optionee, at least ten days prior to
the date specified in (A) or (B) below, as the case may be, a notice  containing
a brief  description of the proposed  action and stating the date on which (A) a
record is to be taken of the purpose of such dividend,  distribution  or rights,
or (B) such reclassification, reorganization, consolidation, merger, conveyance,
lease, dissolution,  liquidation or winding up is to take place and the date, if


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any,  is to be  fixed,  as of which  the  holders  of Stock of  record  shall be
entitled to exchange  their  shares of Stock for  securities  or other  property
deliverable upon such reclassification,  reorganization,  consolidation, merger,
conveyance, dissolution, liquidation or winding up.

8.  Termination  of Agreement.  This  Agreement  shall  terminate and all rights
thereunder shall cease upon the occurrence of any of the following events:

     (a)  Mutual agreement of the parties.

     (b)  The  administration  of the  Optionor's  affairs in any  bankruptcy or
          receivership action, or other proceedings for the relief of debtors.

     (c)  Expiration  of the  incremental  exercise  portions of the  Optionee's
          Option,  unexercised  in whole or in part,  on April 27,  1996,  1997,
          1998, and 1999.

9.  Benefit.  This  Agreement  shall bind the  respective  parties,  jointly and
severally, their successors, assigns, administrators, and executors.

10.  Arbitration.  in the event any  controversy  or claim  arising  out of this
Agreement  cannot be settled by the parties,  such controversy or claim shall be
settled by arbitration in accordance with the Uniform Arbitration Act as adopted
in Colorado, and judgment on the award may be entered in
any court having jurisdiction thereof.

11. Notice. All communications,  notices and demands of any kind which any party
may be  required  or desire to give to or serve on the other party shall be made
in writing and sent by  registered  or  certified  mail,  postage  paid,  return
receipt  requested,  to the addresses then shown on the books and records of the
Optionor.

IN WlTNESS  WHEREOF,  the foregoing has been signed as of the date first written
above.

ACCELR8 TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION


By: /s/ Thomas V. Geimer                       By: /s/ Timothy Fitzpatrick
    ---------------------                         ------------------------------
                                                  Name

                                                 6828 S. Elizabeth Street
                                                 -------------------------------
                                                 Address

                                                 Littleton, CO 80122
                                                 -------------------------------

                                                 ###-##-####
                                                 -------------------------------
                                                 Social Security Number


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                                    EXHIBIT A

                              OPTION EXERCISE FORM

                         Accelr8 Technology Corporation


                                                    Date:________________, 199_


The  undersigned  hereby elects  irrevocably to exercise his or its rights under
the Option  Agreement  dated April 27,  1992,  and to purchase  ________________
shares of Common  Stock of the  Company  called for  thereby,  and hereby  makes
payment  of $  ____________  (At the rate of $.09 per  share  of  Common  Stock)
payable to Accelr8  Technology  Corporation  in  payment of the  Exercise  Price
pursuant  thereto,  and if such number of shares  shall not be all of the shares
purchasable hereunder, the undersigned retains the right to exercise the balance
of the option in accordance with the Option Agreement.
Please  issue the shares of Common Stock as to which this option is exercised in
accordance with instructions given below.

                                      Signature:
                                                --------------------------------

                                      Signature Guaranteed:
                                                           ---------------------

                                      By:
                                         ---------------------------------------



                       INSTRUCTIONS FOR ISSUANCE OF STOCK

Name
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            (Print in Block Letters)

Address
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


NOTICE:  The signature to this form to exercise must correspond with the name as
written upon the face of the Option Agreement or an Assignment  thereof in every
particular without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever,  and must
be guaranteed by a bank,  other than a savings bank, or by a trust company or by
a firm having membership on a registered national securities exchange.



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