We study the existence of continuity points for mappings $f\colon X\times Y\to Z$ whose $x$-sections $Y\ni y\to f(x,y)\in Z$ are fragmentable and $y$-sections $X\ni x\to f(x,y)\in Z$ are quasicontinuous, where $X$ is a Baire space and $Z$ is a metric space. For the factor $Y$, we consider two infinite ``point-picking'' games $G_1(y)$ and $G_2(y)$ defined respectively for each $y\in Y$ as follows: in the $n$-th inning, Player I gives a dense set $D_n\subset Y$, respectively, a dense open set $D_n\subset Y$. Then Player II picks a point $y_n\in D_n$; II wins if $y$ is in the closure of ${\{y_n:n\in\mathbb N\}}$, otherwise I wins. It is shown that (i) $f$ is cliquish if II has a winning strategy in $G_1(y)$ for every $y\in Y$, and (ii) $ f$ is quasicontinuous if the $x$-sections of $f$ are continuous and the set of $y\in Y$ such that II has a winning strategy in $G_2(y)$ is dense in $Y$. Item (i) extends substantially a result of Debs and item (ii) indicates that the problem of Talagrand on separately continuous maps has a positive answer for a wide class of ``small'' compact spaces.

Let $f\colon \mathbb R^n\to \mathbb R$ be $C^\infty$ and let $h\colon \mathbb R^n\to\mathbb R$ be positive and continuous. For any unbounded nondecreasing sequence $\{c_k\}$ of nonnegative real numbers and for any sequence without accumulation points $\{x_m\}$ in $\mathbb R^n$, there exists an entire function $g\colon\mathbb C^n\to\mathbb C$ taking real values on $\mathbb R^n$ such that \begin{align*} &|g^{(\alpha)}(x)-f^{(\alpha)}(x)|\lt h(x), \quad |x|\ge c_k, |\alpha|\le k, k=0,1,2,\dots, \\ &g^{(\alpha)}(x_m)=f^{(\alpha)}(x_m), \quad |x_m|\ge c_k, |\alpha|\le k, m,k=0,1,2,\dots. \end{align*} This is a version for functions of several variables of the case $n=1$ due to L. Hoischen.

We strengthen certain results concerning actions of $(\Comp,+)$ on $\Comp^{3}$ and embeddings of $\Comp^{2}$ in $\Comp^{3}$, and show that these results are in fact valid over any field of characteristic zero.

The Abhyankar--Sathaye Embedded Hyperplane Problem asks whe\-ther any hypersurface of $\C^n$ isomorphic to $\C^{n-1}$ is rectifiable, {\em i.e.,} equivalent to a linear hyperplane up to an automorphism of $\C^n$. Generalizing the approach adopted by Kaliman, V\'en\'ereau, and Zaidenberg which consists in using almost nothing but the acyclicity of $\C^{n-1}$, we solve this problem for hypersurfaces given by polynomials of $\C[x,y,z_1,\dots, z_k]$ as in the title.