7 -S\WM - TRS-80 Color Computer Archive
7 -S\WM - TRS-80 Color Computer Archive
7 -S\WM - TRS-80 Color Computer Archive
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CLASSIC SOFTWARE! 70 ALL-TIME BEST September 1988<br />
COMPUTE!<br />
The Leading Magazine of Home, Educational, and Recreational Co?<br />
COMPUTE!<br />
10fflYEAR<br />
Our First<br />
100 Issues Tell<br />
How It Started,<br />
Where It's Going<br />
15 Key People—<br />
What They Did,<br />
Where Are They Now?<br />
^^A<br />
7 -<strong>S\WM</strong> *.,*-♦<br />
SUPER<br />
POLLOUT<br />
POSTER-'<br />
*.
Connect your <strong>Computer</strong>TOA<br />
Higher Intelligence.<br />
CompuServe's reference<br />
databases make you more<br />
productive, competitive,<br />
and better informed.<br />
Remember the last time you tried to<br />
get your hands on hard-to-find facts? In<br />
a magazine article you read a year ago.<br />
In a news report you never saw. Or in a<br />
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Imagine those facts just a few<br />
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Your personal research center.<br />
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Access thousands of sources of<br />
information in the areas of business,<br />
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demographics, science, law, news,<br />
popular entertainment, and sports.<br />
What you know can help you.<br />
Research an industry or company<br />
through articles, financial statements,<br />
and other sources. Analyze an<br />
investment. Assist in a job search.<br />
Follow market competition. Investigate<br />
a business opportunity.<br />
Check characteristics such as age,<br />
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All you need to access CompuServe's<br />
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information, call or write:<br />
CompuServe*<br />
Information Services. RO. Box 20212<br />
5000 Arlington Centre Blvd.. Columbus. OH 43220<br />
<strong>80</strong>0-848-8199<br />
In Ohio and Canada, call G14 457-0<strong>80</strong>2<br />
An HSR Block<br />
Company
With Designasaurus from<br />
Britannica Software your child will<br />
see dinosaurs come alive with sights<br />
and sounds* that will astound you.<br />
Designasaurus recently won BEST<br />
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM and<br />
BEST PRESCHOOL or PRIMARY<br />
PROGRAM categories of the SPA's<br />
Excellence in Software Awards.<br />
Designed to never become extinct,<br />
Designasaurus for the Apple //GS<br />
has three dino-mite activities.<br />
WINNER!<br />
Best Educational Program<br />
Survive as a Brontosaurus,<br />
Stegosaurus or T-Rex did millions<br />
of years ago. Thunder through for<br />
ests, mountains and swamps. See<br />
if you can earn a certificate to the<br />
Dinosaur Hall of Fame.<br />
Create your own prehistoric<br />
giant from a collection of fossilized<br />
bones. < Select different heads,<br />
t bodies and tails from<br />
the Museum of<br />
Natural History.<br />
LBuild and name your<br />
Lown dinosaur!<br />
Print out 12 different dinosaurs.<br />
Each complete with descriptions<br />
and information. Select from 3 for<br />
mats: regular, poster and even T-shirt<br />
transfer. <strong>Color</strong> or paint them. Frame<br />
them or wear them. We even<br />
include a free T-shirt transfer in<br />
every box!<br />
Artwork courtesy of:<br />
« SOfTKATWC<br />
SUPER HI-RES GRAPHICS!<br />
DIGITIZED<br />
SOUND!<br />
Now available:<br />
MS-DOS<br />
Apple //e,//c<br />
Apple //GS<br />
Don't wait another million years. Get it today at B. Dalton's Soft<br />
ware Etc., Babbage's, Egghead, Electronics Boutique, Software City,<br />
Waldensoftware, Sears and wherever fine software is sold.<br />
'Apple<br />
GS and Amiga versions only
I FEATURES<br />
Years Gone By<br />
We chart the history of home computing by offering<br />
up covers and articles from the last nine years of<br />
COMPUTE! magazine.;Gregg Keizer 18<br />
That Was Then, This Is Now<br />
What were 15 movers and shakers in the computer<br />
industry doing nine years ago, and what are they<br />
doing now?/Paul Freiberger and Dan McNeil! 26<br />
100 Milestones in <strong>Computer</strong> History<br />
Our birthday present to you—the<br />
most important computer hard<br />
ware, software, and publications<br />
on a collector's-edition poster.<br />
Editors<br />
43<br />
Conversations<br />
Epyx Grows with David Morse<br />
Epyx's CEO spells out what it<br />
takes to move an entertainment<br />
publisher past the $100-million<br />
mark.<br />
Keith Ferrell and Gregg Keizer _<br />
Buyer's Guide<br />
Classic Software<br />
Browse through these 70 classic<br />
programs from personal comput<br />
ing's history.<br />
Caroline D. Hanlon<br />
10<br />
54<br />
REVIEWS<br />
Fast<br />
Looks<br />
62<br />
SEPTEMBER<br />
1988<br />
VOLUME 10<br />
NUMBER 9<br />
ISSUE 100<br />
The Loading Magailn*<br />
of Homo, Educational, and<br />
Recreational Computing<br />
The Three Stooges<br />
Keith Ferrell<br />
The Graphics Studio<br />
Steven Anzovin<br />
Ultima V<br />
Shay Addams<br />
Wordbench<br />
Heidi E. H. Aycock<br />
Stealth Mission<br />
Tom Netsel<br />
Twilight's Ransom<br />
Brian Summy<br />
Read 'n Roll<br />
Carol S. Holzberg<br />
66<br />
67<br />
68<br />
72<br />
73<br />
75<br />
77
COLUMNS<br />
Editorial License<br />
Throughout its first 100 issues,<br />
COMPUTE! has been the maga<br />
zine that always speaks first and<br />
clearest to the home user.<br />
Gregg Keizer 31<br />
News & Notes<br />
CES wears many guises, Nintendo<br />
faces great DRAM drought, and<br />
GEOS gets to two./Editors<br />
Gameplay<br />
Comics on computers take on the<br />
Impact<br />
columnist, and win.<br />
Orson Scott Card<br />
The first 100 issues of COMPUTE!<br />
have seen the magic of a revolu<br />
tion's first decade.<br />
David D. Thornburg 12<br />
Discoveries<br />
Writing, the key to success in<br />
school, can be fun and fruitful with<br />
a word processor.<br />
David Stanton <strong>80</strong><br />
Levitations<br />
The Consumer Electronics Show<br />
sure isn't what it used to be.<br />
Arlan Levitan<br />
88<br />
COMPUTE! SPECIFIC<br />
MS-DOS<br />
Clifton Karnes _<br />
64 & 128<br />
Neil Randall _<br />
36<br />
38<br />
Letters<br />
COMPUTE! helps take a bite out<br />
of crime \jEditors<br />
New Products!<br />
Zak saves everyone's IQ, PC gets<br />
13<br />
palm-sized, sports explode from<br />
Accolade, and more new products.<br />
Mickey McLean 34<br />
Apple II<br />
Gregg Keizer __<br />
Amiga<br />
Rhett Anderson<br />
Macintosh<br />
Sharon<br />
Atari ST<br />
David Plotkin<br />
Hints & Tips<br />
Editors<br />
Zardetto Aker<br />
39<br />
50<br />
51<br />
52<br />
15<br />
Cover photo © 1988 Mark Wagoner<br />
COMPUTE! The Leading Magazine of Home, Educational, and Recreational Computing (USPS: 537250) is published monthly by COMPUTE! Publications, Inc., 825 7th Ave.. New York, NY<br />
10019 USA. Phone: (212) 265-8360. Editorial Offices are located at 324 Wast Wendover Avenue. Greensboro, NC 27408. Domestic Subscriptions: 12 issues, $24. POSTMASTER: Send address<br />
changes to: COMPUTE! Magazine, P.O. Box 10955. Des Moines. IA 50950. Second class postage paid at New York, NY and sddrfonal mailinq offices. Entire contents copvriqht ©1988 by<br />
COMPUTE! Publica&ons. Inc. All rights reserved, ISSN 0194-357X.
GREGG KEIZER<br />
COMPUTE! S<br />
13lK TO All<br />
'S<br />
I—3St6CJ<br />
iff^timP 111<br />
l I CUM It: ill<br />
Dorennal<br />
rCI OUIICII<br />
Looking back is only slightly less dan<br />
gerous than looking ahead.<br />
Both pastimes—nostalgically<br />
glancing at the past or pretentiously predict<br />
ing the future—are often carried out with lit<br />
tle information and an overpowering desire<br />
to look for trends and patterns. Hindsight<br />
has only one advantage—at least we can be<br />
relatively sure of the facts.<br />
With that caveat in mind, we've decid<br />
ed to set aside most of our normal activities<br />
and dedicate this issue to remembrance of<br />
things past. .. our past specifically, a part of<br />
the computer industry's past generally, and<br />
perhaps even a bit of your past as well.<br />
The reason? This is COMPUTE!'*<br />
100th issue, as well as its 9th anniversary.<br />
The numbers, when compared to magazines<br />
in other fields, are not impressive. Life mag<br />
azine recently celebrated its 1000th issue;<br />
Time is in its 65th year of publication. But<br />
in the personal computer publishing world,<br />
heading into a 10th year is the equivalent of<br />
several lifetimes.<br />
It would be easy to take this birthday<br />
opportunity to look back and reflect on great<br />
achievements. Or to look ahead and set<br />
grander goals. I don't want to do either. In<br />
stead, let's look at now, today. Two things<br />
stand out.<br />
First and most important, there is a<br />
home computer market, a consumer market<br />
for personal computers. Millions of Ameri<br />
cans have brought the personal computer<br />
into their homes—recent surveys indicate<br />
that 20 percent of American households<br />
have a personal computer. That's an impres<br />
sive figure. It's particularly impressive when<br />
you remember the death knells everyone<br />
was sounding for the home computer in<br />
1984 and 1985. Here's an example: John<br />
Sculley, president and CEO of Apple, in his<br />
book Odyssey, called the home market "a<br />
figment of everyone's imagination," and<br />
said that "People weren't about to buy<br />
$2,000 computers to play a video game, bal<br />
ance a checkbook, or file gourmet recipes as<br />
some suggested. The average consumer sim<br />
ply couldn't do something useful with a<br />
computer." Those claims are both true and<br />
false.<br />
True: They weren't about to buy $2,000<br />
computers. Instead, they bought $ 1,000 (and<br />
even less expensive) computers.<br />
True: People aren't satisfied with com<br />
puterized checkbook balancing and recipe<br />
filing. They want to do more—word pro<br />
cessing, home education, telecommunica<br />
tions, and financial planning.<br />
False: The average consumer can't do<br />
something useful with a computer. Every<br />
month, COMPUTE! magazine shows how<br />
you can make the personal computer not<br />
only useful, but indispensable, to modern<br />
life.<br />
The second condition of today's state<br />
of<br />
personal computing is that the dominant<br />
computer system—in the home as well as in<br />
business—is the IBM PC and its clones and<br />
compatibles. The system has won over the<br />
home market because of typical consumer<br />
issues—price, performance, and price. The<br />
best evidence that the PC compatible is the<br />
champion of the home comes from software<br />
publishers, who continue to report phenom<br />
enal growth in MS-DOS entertainment and<br />
education titles' sales.<br />
The effect of the PC compatible on the<br />
future home market? I'm not going to guess.<br />
Today, though, its impact is significant in<br />
two areas: The first is an increase in nongame<br />
use of home computers; the PC and<br />
compatible made their reputations in the of<br />
fice, and much of that work and software<br />
has come home. The second is the clamor<br />
for an easier-to-use interface, something less<br />
clumsy than MS-DOS's commands. Tandy<br />
has offered its DeskMate as one graphic al<br />
ternative; IBM is working on another.<br />
What does all this mean to COM<br />
PUTE! magazine as it heads into its tenth<br />
year?<br />
I think it's a reaffirmation of COM<br />
PUTED focus. COMPUTE! has always spo<br />
ken to the home user first and most often.<br />
The magazine will continue to feature appli<br />
cations and issues of concern to anyone who<br />
has a personal computer at home—concerns<br />
ranging from home entertainment to educa<br />
tion, desktop publishing, and financial plan<br />
ning. The fact that more and more of the<br />
magazine's readers own IBM PC compati<br />
bles is an important, but not driving, influ<br />
ence for COMPUTE!. Nine years ago, the<br />
most important machine to the magazine's<br />
readers was the Commodore PET. Haifa<br />
dozen important personal computers have<br />
ridden the crest of popularity since then.<br />
Another half a dozen may do so in the next<br />
nine years. And COMPUTE! will be there to<br />
speak to those users of future computers.<br />
That's been the strength of the maga<br />
zine, this founding principle of communi<br />
cating to all computer users, not just a<br />
narrow niche of those who share a brand<br />
name. It's a strength that's lasted a lifetime<br />
in personal computing, one strong enough<br />
to last several more. ED<br />
4 COMPUTE!
'*<br />
Get ready for four of the most challen^ Permanently. You will when you endure<br />
ing, rugged, rump-bumping cross the longest winter of your life in the ice,<br />
sleet and slosh of The Michigan<br />
Course. The Georgia Red Clay<br />
Course has enough mud to keep<br />
you a human fossil for 2,000 years,<br />
And then there's Death Valley.<br />
Plenty of thrills guaranteed on the folfoming grounds: gumbo mud<br />
packed snau>. skid-sand, and till' scrubbiest terrain south of III? txirdc<br />
country road racing courses this earth<br />
has to offer.<br />
Fight the torturous terrain of Baja.<br />
Get it. D-E-A-T-H Valley.<br />
Start with pre-race strategy.<br />
Select and customize your personal<br />
vehicle. Your supplies. Your repair equipment.<br />
Believe us. You'll need everything,<br />
Rocks, boulders, skid-sand, even a few m m gm\ryw^<br />
spikey cactuses. And of course, heat 4Y4 I IP T-<br />
that's hot enough to fillet any forehead. A^ R w* m<br />
Ever had your hands stuck to the wheel? commodore wm, ibm& companies. Amiga<br />
There are boulders, rivers, potholes,<br />
and mudbogs to contend with.What<br />
are mudbogs? You'll find out. (Just after<br />
you find out there's a Demon 4x4 chas<br />
ing you all through the race. A Demon<br />
hellbent on your destruction.)<br />
If you win enough races, collect<br />
enough points, only then will the<br />
Victors Cup be yours. It's<br />
the least we can do. After<br />
all, you did go through<br />
hell to get there.
mm¬es<br />
<strong>Computer</strong> Music<br />
Crossover Act<br />
Jim Cuomo is a musician who<br />
wants lo bring serious music<br />
into computer games and seri<br />
ous computer-game music into<br />
your home. His new CD (the<br />
kind you play through your<br />
stereo, not the kind you hook<br />
up to your computer), Game<br />
Play: Top Scores from Com<br />
puter Action/'Adventures, is a<br />
collection of his computer<br />
compositions from such hit<br />
games as S.D.I, and Defender<br />
of (he Crown.<br />
The sounds associated<br />
with early computer games are<br />
blips, bleeps, whistles, and<br />
buzzes. These sounds haven't<br />
disappeared, but real music<br />
has appeared. Far more im<br />
pressive ihan the randomly<br />
generated computer "music"<br />
of the past, more carefully<br />
chosen and adapted lhan the<br />
occasional public domain or<br />
plagiarized song from earlier<br />
games, modern game tunes are<br />
now custom-designed sound<br />
tracks composed by real<br />
musicians.<br />
Cuomo is a product of the<br />
age of specialists. Game design<br />
is far removed from the days<br />
when a programmer would<br />
submerge into a back room<br />
later with a hit game. Now.<br />
game designers design the look<br />
and feel of the game. Game<br />
programmers write the code.<br />
Game artists design the graph<br />
ics and animation. And game<br />
musicians write the music.<br />
Game Play consists of 15<br />
selections from nine games.<br />
The songs arc the originals—<br />
right out of the computer,<br />
sweetened a bit by Cuomo's<br />
saxophone, clarinet, and re<br />
corder, and CamilleSafeferis"<br />
percussion.<br />
Unfortunately, you're not<br />
likely to find the CD in your<br />
local Record BarorCamelot<br />
Music store. You'll have more<br />
success if you go directly to the<br />
source—Pigeon Music, 11684<br />
Ventura Boulevard. Suite 520,<br />
Studio City, California 91604;<br />
(818)505-1077.<br />
Even ifyou survey each<br />
computer game as it comes<br />
along, you probably haven't<br />
heard all these pieces. Game<br />
Play brings to light music that<br />
only the best game players<br />
hear—the music from the cli<br />
matic finales of the games. In<br />
other words, the songs for<br />
winners.<br />
Consumer<br />
Electronics Show<br />
Wears Many Hats<br />
Or was it the Celebrity Elec<br />
tronics Show?<br />
Endorsements was one of<br />
the names of Ihc games in Chi<br />
cago, with appearances by Pcle<br />
Rose (for Mediagenic via elec<br />
tronic hookup), wrestlers King<br />
Kong Bundy (Vcndcx) and<br />
Andre the Giant (Nintendo),<br />
and even Robocop {Nintendo<br />
again).<br />
Maybe it was the Cos<br />
tumed Electronics Show.<br />
Booths were attended by per<br />
sonnel wearing assorted kimo<br />
nos, combat gear, coats, caps,<br />
clogs, and promotional apparel<br />
of every stripe.<br />
Could it have been the<br />
Closed-circuit Electronics<br />
Show? Pete Rose appeared on<br />
a live feed, but<br />
videotape re<br />
mained one of the more potent<br />
means of hyping products,<br />
with clips of films on which<br />
games are based, in-depth<br />
looks at the programming ef<br />
forts that went into products,<br />
and plenty ofjust plain blar<br />
ney. (One company's taped<br />
spokeswoman, in as attractive<br />
a Japanese accent as we've<br />
heard, intoned sonorously<br />
about "Superman's gullfriend,<br />
Louise Lane.") vcRs them<br />
selves figured in Epyx's prod<br />
uct line, with both VCR games<br />
and Home Video Producer.<br />
Was it the Cinematic<br />
Electronics Show? Could have<br />
been—software publishers,<br />
showed games<br />
based on<br />
and emerge several months<br />
— Rhett Anderson<br />
6 COMPUTE!
-nms¬es<br />
ics and television programs,<br />
including The Three Stooges<br />
and Rocket Ranger (Cinemaware),<br />
Twilight Zone and The<br />
Honeymooncrs (Firsl Row),<br />
Platoon (Data East), Willow<br />
(Mindscape), and enough Top<br />
Gun- and Rambo-corcipzXxbles<br />
to alter the global balance<br />
of power. No sign of Crocodile<br />
Dundee on disk—but give<br />
them time.<br />
Might have been the<br />
Character-based Electronics<br />
Show. Although Infocom<br />
showed no new products, oth<br />
er companies filled ihc void in<br />
text and text/graphics games.<br />
Paragon's Guardians ofInfin<br />
ity lets you try to save JFK,<br />
Interplay gives you William<br />
Gibson's super-selling Neuromancer.<br />
and Lucasfilm ex<br />
tends the Maniac Mansion<br />
interface with Zack McKracken<br />
and the Alien Mindbenders.<br />
Or the Combat Electron<br />
ics Show. MicroProse has Red<br />
Storm Rising ready to rise,<br />
while Accolade's tank simula<br />
tion was referred to as a Test<br />
Drive on treads. Rainbird com<br />
missioned its Carrier Com<br />
mand, while Activision<br />
christened the U.S.S. Ocean<br />
Ranger missile ship. Interplay<br />
turned chess into a combat<br />
sport with Battle Chess.<br />
Mindscape went vertical with<br />
a Harrier combat simulator.<br />
Epyx brought Battleship to<br />
disk. Three Sixty's Harpoon<br />
promised to put the whole of<br />
the U.S. and Soviet navies on<br />
computer screens. Taito, flush<br />
with coin-op success, is putting<br />
on a push into the software<br />
market with a number of<br />
games, including Operation<br />
Wolf, which might be the most<br />
violent—and addictively so—<br />
game ever introduced. Combat<br />
of a more ancient variety is<br />
found in Koei's Nobunaga's<br />
Ambition and Romance ofthe<br />
Three Kingdoms, simulations<br />
■vhich recreate Japanese<br />
history.<br />
What about the Calisthenic<br />
Electronics Show? Athletics<br />
played a big part in nearly<br />
every software line, with Acco<br />
lade showing Serve & Volley<br />
tennis, Fast Break basketball.<br />
Rack 'Em billiards, and TKO<br />
boxing, complete with blood.<br />
Mountain climbing, of all<br />
things, is coming from Epyx,<br />
and TV football, from Cinemaware.<br />
Pete Rose Pennant Fever<br />
puts players at the tiller.<br />
Some said it was the Car<br />
tridge Electronics Show. Chalk<br />
up another big year for Nin<br />
tendo, which dominated the<br />
software hall with a booth that<br />
seemed to go on forever. The<br />
game maker is convinced that<br />
iis sales will go on forever, too.<br />
Talk at the booth was divided<br />
between the variety of new<br />
game cartridges—many of<br />
them from established soft<br />
is ready to hustle for Gamestar.<br />
Dolphin Marine Software<br />
ware superstars such as Broderbund—and<br />
the shortage of<br />
DRAM (Dynamic Random<br />
Access Memory) chips, which<br />
will have an effect on the<br />
availability of those cartridges.<br />
(The chip shortage is growing<br />
dire enough, we heard, that<br />
bribes are being offered in ex<br />
change for chip allocations. No<br />
word on whether the bribes<br />
were successful.)<br />
For software publishers,<br />
the DRAM shortage, while not<br />
exactly a plus, was not exactly<br />
a minus, either: You don't<br />
have to put chips in a disk.<br />
Some publishers hope the an<br />
ticipated shortage of cartridges<br />
will spur consumers toward<br />
computers, where you only<br />
buy silicon once. (The down<br />
side is that once is going to<br />
cost more. Blue Chip president<br />
John Rossi noted that DRAM<br />
prices are going to have an im<br />
pact on computer prices.) ><br />
PART<br />
ESTERN EUROPEAN TOUR"<br />
Scenery Disk is so beautiful t<br />
want to make it the centerpi<br />
Scenery Disk collection! This is part four of<br />
a five-part guided tour from<br />
Red Square.<br />
This month we continue our t"||r "<br />
Germany. Flying over Frankfu<br />
can be a harrowing experience. He<br />
have a close encounter with a telecon<br />
munications tower.<br />
Next stop, Stuttgart! We must app<br />
the city carefully, avoiding the mi<br />
ranges on both sides of our flight<br />
Next month - on to Moscow!<br />
"Find Red Square" Contest!<br />
Find Red Square in Moscow and<br />
enter to win a real trip for two to<br />
Europe, courtesy of SubLOGIC<br />
and TWA! See the SubLOGIC<br />
Product Chart at your dealer or<br />
write SubLOGIC for complete<br />
details and contest rules.<br />
TWA<br />
LOGIC<br />
Corporation<br />
501 Kenyon Road<br />
Champaign. IL 61B20<br />
? SWS T ?069«<br />
ORDER LWE rBOOl 637-4983 i<br />
S E P T E M E R 19
For all of Nintendo, Sega,<br />
and Taito's cartridge empha<br />
sis, not to mention the chip<br />
shortage. CES was good for<br />
software publishers—perhaps<br />
the best software CES in recent<br />
years. There was a sense<br />
throughout the show that soft<br />
ware was back as a major force<br />
in consumer electronics, with a<br />
growing market that neither<br />
chip shortages nor cartridge<br />
wars can dim.<br />
— Keith Ferrell<br />
more.<br />
"It was really something<br />
that was sort of waiting for<br />
CD-ROM." Broderbund prod<br />
uct manager Joanne Bealy<br />
said. "And then with Hypercard<br />
as the front end. it's a per<br />
fect match. It's ideally made<br />
for CD-ROM and HyperCard"<br />
The catalog will use digi<br />
tized pictures and sound.<br />
"When someone is looking at<br />
more graphics and more var<br />
ied indexing to give people<br />
more flexible ways to get at the<br />
information." Jordan said.<br />
"We're aiming for user seren<br />
dipity, for letting them find<br />
things that they wouldn't ex<br />
pect to find."<br />
Jordan said putting the<br />
catalog on Compact Disc ful<br />
fills the original idea of The<br />
Whole Earth Cat<br />
alog. Before decid<br />
ing to print the<br />
information in<br />
a book, the orig<br />
inator of the<br />
third in the game hardware<br />
market, plan on bringing<br />
several more million house<br />
holds into the game-system<br />
resurgence.<br />
All this hardware has cre<br />
ated a fierce demand for game<br />
cartridges. To prevent a repeat<br />
performance of the disaster<br />
that overtook Atari in the early<br />
19<strong>80</strong>s, when supply out<br />
stripped demand and the mar<br />
ket was plagued by shoddy<br />
games at fire-sale prices, Nin<br />
tendo has kept considerable<br />
control over the manufactur<br />
ing process. Nintendo makes<br />
catalog wanted<br />
all the game cartridges, for in<br />
to have a phone-<br />
stance, and allocates cartridges<br />
in database.<br />
to the various game publish<br />
"The fan<br />
tasy at the<br />
ers, as well. It hopes to keep<br />
the lid on the number of car<br />
time was a<br />
tridges available at any one<br />
computer,<br />
time, and it promises 10 keep<br />
which 20<br />
Ul H yearsago,<br />
was not<br />
quality high, answering con<br />
cerns about the two primary<br />
contributors to the Atari deba<br />
feasible<br />
cle last time around.<br />
to do."<br />
And some of the games<br />
he said.<br />
are impressive. The Nintendo<br />
"It's kind<br />
system plays games that com<br />
of inter<br />
pare with those which ran on<br />
Catalogs on CD<br />
You'll have sound, better in<br />
dexing, and hyperlinked cross<br />
references between catalog en<br />
tries, but you won't be able to<br />
read The Electronic Whole<br />
Earth Catalog in the bath<br />
room—unless you happen to<br />
keep your Macintosh and CD-<br />
ROM drive next to ihe sink.<br />
The Point Foundation,<br />
which puts together The<br />
Whole Earth Catalog, has giv<br />
en Broderbund Software an ex<br />
a musical item, they will actu<br />
ally be able to hear a sample of<br />
the product." Bealy said.<br />
The project isn't really in<br />
tended to make Broderbund's<br />
fortune. It's more like an ex<br />
periment in a growing field<br />
with a product that is well-suit<br />
ed to the new medium.<br />
"We have no expectations<br />
of this being a moneymaker,"<br />
Bealy said."H's just that we<br />
want to gel into this field. I<br />
think this will encourage other<br />
developers to go for it. I think<br />
it's going to become an indus<br />
esting that it<br />
has come back around to that."<br />
— Heidi E. H. Aycock<br />
Games Hot, but<br />
Cartridges Cool<br />
If the recent Summer Consum<br />
er Electronics Show in Chicago<br />
was any indication, dedicated<br />
game-system sales have yet to<br />
peak. The Nintendo exhibit<br />
sprawled over a major portion<br />
of the floor dedicated to com<br />
puter software; under its um<br />
brella were more than a score<br />
of game-system-cartridge pub<br />
lishers, including familiar<br />
eight-bit computers three or<br />
four years ago. Aimed at teen<br />
agers, the predominant play<br />
ers, the games are mostly<br />
sports-, action-, or fantasy-ori<br />
ented. A few games outside<br />
these genres are appearing,<br />
however, including The Battle<br />
fields ofNapoleon, a strategy<br />
war game based on the Napo<br />
leonic era, from Braderbund.<br />
Elementary action role-playing<br />
games are also finding their<br />
way to the game systems; sev<br />
eral were on display at the Sega<br />
exhibit. One even includes a<br />
small battery to keep saved<br />
games active until the next<br />
playing session.<br />
clusive license to market a CD-<br />
try standard."<br />
computer software names like<br />
Trouble looms for the<br />
ROM version of the catalog.<br />
HyperCard will be the interface<br />
for the product. Brodcrbund<br />
For the Point Foundation.<br />
CD-ROM is a new way to pre<br />
sent a special publication.<br />
Broderbund. Activision. and<br />
Data East. The Sega and Atari<br />
displays weren't as large, but<br />
dedicated game systems this<br />
year, though. The DRAM chip<br />
shortage (and even a reported<br />
Software plans to release the<br />
"What we sec at this point is a<br />
they added to the combined<br />
spot shortage of ROM chips) is<br />
package this fall, but a price<br />
very important long-term ad<br />
game-system square footage,<br />
having a big impact on Nin<br />
has not been determined yet.<br />
vantage in that the CD is both<br />
which easily dwarfed that<br />
tendo and its competition.<br />
The catalog lists all kinds<br />
of tools and how to order<br />
them. Tools include more than<br />
hammers and screwdrivers, for<br />
The Whole Earth Catalog lists<br />
books, records, software, and<br />
very easily undatable and it's<br />
also much bigger in capacity<br />
than a print book," Keith Jor<br />
dan, project manager at the<br />
Point Foundation, said.<br />
"We'll be able to include<br />
of the computer-oriented<br />
companies.<br />
Nintendo expects to sell<br />
seven million of its game sys<br />
tems in the U.S.A. this year;<br />
Sega and Atari, second and<br />
Each cartridge requires several<br />
RAM chips; the shortage of<br />
such chips and the spiraling<br />
cost of those that are available<br />
have put a crimp on sales plans<br />
continued on pg. SI
■/<br />
ORSON SCOTT CARD<br />
I Take On<br />
Infocom's<br />
<strong>Computer</strong>ized<br />
Comic Books,<br />
and the Result<br />
Isn't Pretty:<br />
Infocomics 3,<br />
Reviewer 0<br />
The Infocom people have long tried to<br />
earn the title interactivefiction for<br />
their text adventures. Now, in col<br />
laboration with Tom Snyder Productions,<br />
they've created Infocomics.<br />
What a great idea! Comics have really<br />
come of age in the last ten years, daring to<br />
call themselves graphic novels and insisting<br />
on being judged against artistic standards as<br />
high as those applied to prose fiction. Imag<br />
ine something as good as Batman: The Dark<br />
Knight Returns or The Watchmen on your<br />
PC. Mac. or Amiga. <strong>Computer</strong> comics could<br />
combine terrific art, exceptionally good story<br />
telling, and the chance for you to experience<br />
events in a way you simply can't on paper.<br />
But if you expect all that, you'll be letting<br />
your expectations rise a little too high.<br />
The art was the biggest disappointment.<br />
In the PC versions at least. Infocom decided<br />
to rely on a boot disk to stymie the software<br />
pirates—but what that means is that the<br />
game has to work on the lowest form of<br />
game computer: a vanilla PC with a CGA<br />
screen, with a maximum of four colors.<br />
That's right, folks, a maximum of four col<br />
ors. Sort of like time traveling back to 1984.<br />
Worse yet. the story is almost entirely<br />
carried by narration in a box under the pic<br />
ture. The art is mere illustration, and a static<br />
illustration at that. As a result, the best sim<br />
ulation of comics art on the computer con<br />
tinues to be the superbly animated Sierra<br />
games—visually. Infocomics aren't even in<br />
the running.<br />
What about the use of the computer's<br />
possibilities? Here the Infocomics score<br />
pretty well. They don't even pretend to be<br />
playable games. You don't make a single<br />
choice for the characters; the stories end the<br />
same way no matter what you do.<br />
Infocom's game designers use a hyper<br />
text approach in Infocomics. At many<br />
branch points in the story, you can switch<br />
from one character's point of view to anoth<br />
er's. If you want, you can get inside a charac<br />
ter and see a flashback of his or her past, or<br />
you can flip back through the story to an<br />
earlier branch point and choose to follow a<br />
different character's adventures through the<br />
same time period. You don't have control<br />
over what happens—but you have a great<br />
deal of control over the order and depth of<br />
the presentation. What about the stories?<br />
My first thought was that they were shallow<br />
and predictable—and I found no surprises.<br />
Lane Mastodon vs. the Btubbermen is a<br />
Buck Rogers-type space adventure. It be<br />
gins with rays from Jupiter that cause nor<br />
mal animals to grow into humongous<br />
monsters that destroy cities. When Lane<br />
Mastodon is sent to Jupiter to stop the ray,<br />
the Blubbermen confuse things by making<br />
clones of Lane and his two helpers—a ge<br />
nius boy and a nubile girl he rescued from a<br />
derelict spaceship.<br />
Gamma Force: Pit of a Thousand<br />
Screams is a superhero comic about three<br />
people who come from a planet that was<br />
taken over by the Nast. They each die and<br />
then are brought back to life with special<br />
powers which they must use to defeat the<br />
Nast. One can fly, one can control water,<br />
and the girl, a good fighter, is their leader.<br />
Zorkquest: Assault on Egreth Castle is a<br />
fantasy adventure about a small group of<br />
travelers who are unexpectedly involved in<br />
battling an evil magician. The characters are<br />
pretty ordinary; still, each has a surprise or<br />
two for us. Cliches? Yeah. Lots of them.<br />
About as many as in George Lucas's Willow.<br />
What finally dawned on me is that old<br />
guys like me aren't really the target audience<br />
for Infocomics. See, I performed a scientific<br />
test. I strategically left the games lying<br />
around where they'd be found by some of<br />
the shorter people in my household, and<br />
then I lurked.<br />
My son Geoffrey played for hours. He<br />
didn't know about my ironclad law that a<br />
good game is one that lets the player change<br />
the outcome. He didn't know he was sup<br />
posed to be annoyed by the CGA screen. He<br />
didn't know the stories were cliches—when<br />
you're ten years old. all stories are new.<br />
I interviewed him for this column. "I<br />
really got excited about finding out what<br />
happened next," he told me. Zorkquest was<br />
his favorite. "The best thing is you can fol<br />
low your own way through the story, just<br />
finding out what you're most interested in.<br />
You only go back to find out the other parts<br />
of the story when you want to."<br />
Problems? "I got confused at first—by<br />
following one character all the way through.<br />
Things kept happening that I didn't under<br />
stand until I followed other characters and<br />
found out what they did." Will he play<br />
again? Sure. He wants to go back to explore<br />
even more.<br />
Score: Infocomics 3, Reviewer 0.<br />
But maybe—since Infocom really does<br />
try to get better even when their first at<br />
tempt is a hit—maybe future Infocomics<br />
will come with better art and better stories.<br />
Please? I'll never be ten again, but I'd<br />
still like an Infocomic / can enjoy. Q<br />
S E P T E M 19
cmwersatums<br />
g " pyx chairman and chief<br />
I j executive officer David<br />
M Morse attracted a good bit<br />
L J of attention at the Summer<br />
Consumer Electronics<br />
Show when he announced an ambitious<br />
schedule for expansion that would drive the<br />
company to $100-million size by 1990. A<br />
cofounder of Amiga <strong>Computer</strong> (sold in<br />
1984 to Commodore Business Machines),<br />
Morse combines an engineer's fascination<br />
with technology with a businessman's con<br />
cern for growth and profitability—all of it<br />
informed by an awareness of the entertain<br />
ment industry and software's place in that<br />
industry.<br />
Epyx<br />
Grows<br />
with<br />
David<br />
Keith<br />
Morse<br />
Ferrell<br />
and Gregg Keizer<br />
"T\ oy Toys<br />
r^T Epyx has found a great<br />
i 1 deal of success reaching<br />
A-^ what is primarily an<br />
adolescent male market<br />
with sports-related products. Will teenage<br />
boys remain the core of your market, or do<br />
you see the company reaching out to other<br />
consumers in the years ahead?<br />
As we go down the road, we'll probably<br />
broaden that a lot. It's certainly our goal to<br />
appeal to the very wide range of entertain<br />
ment software users, and I think that you've<br />
seen us, in the past year, get into some<br />
other categories.<br />
Is your collection of VCR sports games an<br />
attempt to reach beyond the adolescent<br />
male audience or an attempt to deliver new<br />
products to the industry's traditional<br />
market?<br />
It still addresses that segment. We're trying<br />
to be very disciplined as far as defining our<br />
business in technology-based entertainment<br />
aimed at teenage and young-adult con<br />
sumers. Whether it's computer games or<br />
VCR games or other products, that is the<br />
10 COMPUTE!<br />
target market.<br />
That's what we know. Over the last five<br />
years, Epyx has built up a lot of knowledge<br />
as to what our consumers like, and we're<br />
trying to take advantage of that.<br />
where the Girls Are<br />
What about players who<br />
aren't teenage males—can<br />
you produce software for<br />
girls?<br />
We've tried to do that, but we have not had<br />
huge success. We'd love to get the other<br />
half of the market. The first thing that's had<br />
that sort of appeal is California Games. In<br />
the testing that we've done, we've found<br />
that California Games has equal appeal to<br />
girls and boys. There are a lot more boys<br />
[in our market] since more boys are into<br />
computers.<br />
Why is that?<br />
Basically it's directly proportional to the in<br />
terest in computers, and boys seem to have<br />
a much higher interest in computers than<br />
girls do.<br />
Is that a limitation? How do you combat<br />
that?<br />
Teenage girls have other interests. They<br />
just don't seem to be focusing on comput<br />
ers. I don't know if one software company<br />
can change that, but we are consciously try<br />
ing to do some things that would broaden<br />
the appeal.<br />
ames to Come<br />
GAre there entertainment<br />
categories we haven't<br />
seen yet?<br />
There may be. Some of<br />
the stuff that we're conceptualizing right<br />
now might turn out to be a new category of<br />
game, or a mixture of several categories.<br />
What sorts of things are coming up?<br />
Were going to do a lot of simulations, roleplaying<br />
games. We like the action/strategy<br />
category, which can cover a lot of ground.<br />
We'd like to do some things that are very<br />
strategic but which also have a lot of action,<br />
and raise the level of that category.
The company actually started with<br />
Temple of Asphai [a role-playing adventure]<br />
and so forth, and we really don't see why<br />
we can't do more of that sort of thing as<br />
well.<br />
Without abandoning your existing base.<br />
Yes. We're continuing to do a lot of sports<br />
games. Our Games line is not at an end—<br />
you'll see some more things there.<br />
The focus on sports products and<br />
teenage products is where we are right<br />
now, but you will be seeing our approach<br />
grow much broader.<br />
And there's a big, long tail on that<br />
young adult market, that goes out to include<br />
people in their 30s and 40s. That helps us—<br />
we don't restrict ourselves. We will sell our<br />
games to somebody who's 40 years old.<br />
Sports games have a lot of appeal. It's<br />
a major segment of the software busi<br />
ness—but it's not the only segment. And<br />
we want to be in all of the segments of the<br />
business.<br />
igger and Bigger but<br />
B<br />
Fewer and Fewer<br />
Can a company grow to<br />
$100 million or larger in a<br />
couple of years based on<br />
software alone?<br />
Sure. It might take a while longer, but the<br />
market is growing. The penetration of<br />
computers in the home is edging up. I don't<br />
think it's going to go to 50 percent or any<br />
thing like that, but it Is growing. Software<br />
sales are up dramatically.<br />
It's possible and probably likely that<br />
you'll see entertainment software compa<br />
nies approaching $100 million.<br />
Another reason that's going to happen<br />
is that the business is becoming more and<br />
more concentrated. It's more and more diffi<br />
cult for new companies to get into the busi<br />
ness. Marketing and distribution is a real<br />
barrier. I think you're going to see some<br />
consolidation that will result in fewer<br />
companies. Or at least fewer companies<br />
that fully distribute and market their<br />
products.<br />
Is that good for the industry? How will it af<br />
fect consumers?<br />
I think it'll mean better products. There are<br />
going to be some filters they'll have to pass<br />
through before they reach the market.<br />
That's going to weed out a lot of marginal<br />
things. A lot of retail space is wasted on<br />
products that aren't any good.<br />
As retailers have fewer vendors, there<br />
will be more of a selection process.<br />
Will creativity suffer as a result of fewer<br />
companies? Do we run the risk of a<br />
me-too/copycat entertainment software<br />
industry?<br />
That may be. We're working real hard to try<br />
and not get into that trap. There are certain<br />
things that we do that are based on for<br />
mulas that we know are going to succeed.<br />
But we've also made a real effort to do<br />
some off-the-wall stuff.<br />
Such as?<br />
With something like LA. Crackdown [a po<br />
lice thriller] or Final Assault [a mountainclimbing<br />
game], we're starting to do things<br />
that aren't really proven products. They're a<br />
little bit off the beaten path. And some of<br />
the stuff that we've been putting into the<br />
development process in the past six months<br />
is much less cautious and much more<br />
adventurous.<br />
n /ff achine Specifics<br />
/■ ft Let's look at some other<br />
I y M hardware and get some<br />
-*■ * ■*- quick responses to various<br />
computers.<br />
MS-DOS machines?<br />
The PC is the main platform that we're go<br />
ing to have to work on in the next few<br />
years. That is clearly what's driving the mar<br />
ket right now and where we really have to<br />
excel to do well.<br />
It's not easy to do.<br />
Commodore 64?<br />
The 64 is what has driven the market, but<br />
there are no new 64 buyers, or very few.<br />
It's a consistent group that's not growing.<br />
Just as a result of the aging process, it's<br />
going to shrink as part of our business.<br />
Amiga?<br />
If we want to show the world what we can<br />
do, and show them our best work, we'd like<br />
to do it on Amiga. It's gradually becoming<br />
more important. I hope for Commodore's<br />
sake it becomes a lot more important.<br />
Apple II?<br />
Apple II is a consistent, known market. But<br />
it's hard to do our best stuff on the Apple II.<br />
Apple IIGS?<br />
I put the gs in the same category as Amiga.<br />
We can do some good things—not as good<br />
as Amiga, but it's becoming more and more<br />
interesting.<br />
Macintosh?<br />
Macintosh is becoming more important to<br />
us. We've got our first Mac II product com<br />
ing up.<br />
Is the Mac likely to become more of a fac<br />
tor in the entertainment business?<br />
Yes. There are a lot of Mac Pluses and SEs<br />
in homes, a lot of people are playing games<br />
on them. That's a lot of opportunity for play<br />
ing games. We're paying more attention to it.<br />
Atari ST?<br />
ST is important to us in Europe and is ba<br />
sically a nonfactor in the United States.<br />
R<br />
eal<br />
<strong>Computer</strong>s for<br />
Real People<br />
What's it going to take to<br />
create a VCR-size homecomputer<br />
market?<br />
I think price is one thing. If you look at<br />
penetration of videogame machines, it has<br />
been and will be a lot higher than comput<br />
ers. Part of that is because of price.<br />
Usefulness is important. <strong>Computer</strong>s<br />
have to be more important to more people.<br />
Does ease of use figure in that? Are people<br />
scared off by the keyboard?<br />
Sure. I'm scared off by that. I will not use<br />
an IBM PC; it's too much trouble. So to the<br />
average guy, who doesn't spend a lot of<br />
time with computers, it seems like a lot of<br />
hassle.<br />
Do you see new technologies such as CD-<br />
ROM or CD-I (Compact Disc-interactive)<br />
having an effect on the entertainment<br />
industry?<br />
Yes. I do. I don't know which one, and I<br />
don't know when. Sooner or later it'll get<br />
developed and get useful enough versus<br />
the price that the impact will grow.<br />
To do the next step in graphics, for ex<br />
ample, the barrier is not basically power or<br />
being able to put the stuff on the screen.<br />
My ex-Amiga guys at Epyx could give<br />
you absolute cartoon-quality resolution in<br />
six months, but the price would be out of<br />
sight because of memory requirements.<br />
L<br />
ooking<br />
Ahead<br />
What are the biggest chal<br />
lenges and frustrations of<br />
the industry?<br />
What excites me is just the endless array of<br />
possibilities, the things we can do and make<br />
happen to make our company grow while<br />
providing exciting products and experiences<br />
for our customers.<br />
The frustrating thing is that you can't<br />
do them all. You've got to pick one or two<br />
or three and do them well.<br />
Where do you see Epyx at the turn of the<br />
century?<br />
I can't think that far ahead—1990 is as far<br />
as I go.<br />
And Epyx is going to be a $100-million<br />
company in 1990?<br />
You heard it here first. 0<br />
SEPTEMBER 1988 11
impact<br />
J. nAwin n Turn<br />
DAVID D.THORNBURG<br />
The First 100<br />
Issues of<br />
COMPUTE!<br />
Reinforce One<br />
Principle—<br />
Those Who<br />
Live by the<br />
Crystal Ball Eat<br />
Crushed Glass<br />
One of my most treasured possessions<br />
is my collection of COMPUTED<br />
dating back to the first issue, pub<br />
lished September 1979.1 had the honor of<br />
writing an article for that first issue and, ex<br />
cept for two issues. I've had something to<br />
say in every one since.<br />
With an office nestled in the heart of<br />
Silicon Valley. I've seen apricot orchards lit<br />
erally replaced by Apple buildings. I saw the<br />
first PET; watched Atari grow, collapse, and<br />
grow again; observed Apple's transformation<br />
of a city; and witnessed the pain and glory of<br />
more software companies than I can count.<br />
Looking back on 100 issues of COM<br />
PUTE!, I've learned one thing—in the<br />
words of IBM's Harvey Long, those who live<br />
by the crystal ball eat crushed glass. I pre<br />
dicted the demise of the TI 99/4 just before<br />
its sales skyrocketed and rescinded my<br />
prediction just before the product was<br />
discontinued.<br />
When I bought my first computer (a<br />
Commodore PET), it came with a tiny in<br />
struction manual that was virtually useless.<br />
User groups were essential in those days be<br />
cause they provided a forum for sharing the<br />
secrets of our computers. One user group's<br />
publication that was of great value in the<br />
early days was the "PET Gazette." pub<br />
lished by Len Lindsay from his garage in<br />
Madison, Wisconsin. As far back as 1978,<br />
Len had advice for computer owners that<br />
still applies today: If you haven't seen a<br />
piece of software with your own eyes, pre<br />
tend it doesn't exist. I find it strange that<br />
people are still willing to pay in advance for<br />
vaporware and then wait a year or even<br />
longer for delivery.<br />
As personal computer use began to ex<br />
pand beyond the hobbyist market, there was<br />
a need for general magazines. Robert Lock<br />
called one day to tell me that his company<br />
had purchased the "PET Gazette" and was<br />
changing it to a quarterly magazine that ad<br />
dressed all computers using the 6502 micro<br />
processor—a list that included the PET,<br />
Apple II. Atari 400 and <strong>80</strong>0, OSI Challenger.<br />
Sym-1, AIM-65. and KIM-1.<br />
I was asked to write about the social im<br />
pact of this technology and "<strong>Computer</strong>s and<br />
Society" (now "Impact") was born.<br />
As I look back over my years on these<br />
pages, there are some subjects that have a<br />
special place in my heart.<br />
First, I've always thought that comput<br />
ers are not, in themselves, interesting, but<br />
that their applications are. <strong>Computer</strong>s were<br />
created to meet the needs of people. There is<br />
no excuse for computers being any harder to<br />
use than a CD player or a television set.<br />
One criterion for measuring a comput<br />
er's responsiveness to the user is to measure<br />
the time and keystrokes (or mouse clicks) it<br />
takes to bring you from an unpowered sys<br />
tem to the start of your desired task. Ad<br />
vances in the design of user interfaces,<br />
coupled with improvements in computer<br />
systems' speed, have moved us far along the<br />
path toward user friendliness.<br />
A second criterion for ease of use is the<br />
extent to which the computer allows you to<br />
feel that you have stepped through the look<br />
ing glass and are touching the application it<br />
self. Again, progress has been made, but<br />
there is still room for improvement.<br />
The second topic I have addressed on a<br />
continuing basis is that of software copy<br />
rights. From my perspective, there are as<br />
pects of this topic that are crystal clear and<br />
some that are cloudy.<br />
One point is clear: The duplication and<br />
sale (or gift) of copyrighted software is<br />
wrong and should be punished. People who<br />
rip off software are stealingjust as people<br />
who counterfeit money arc.<br />
I don't see copy-protect ion as a cure,<br />
however. Copy-protection works to the det<br />
riment of legitimate users who want to make<br />
backup copies or transfer their programs to<br />
other media, like hard disks. Also, pirates<br />
easily can break most copy-protection<br />
schemes.<br />
The fuzzier side of the copyright issue<br />
involves the protection of look and feel—<br />
the visual displays and the behavior of a<br />
program independent of the program code<br />
itself. There is a point where it's very diffi<br />
cult to distinguish between the expression of<br />
a program and its underlying idea.<br />
Lawyers tell me that expressions can be<br />
copyrighted but ideas cannot. Now that<br />
more look-and-feel cases are coming to<br />
court, we can only hope that the judges and<br />
juries have the wisdom to make the right de<br />
cisions. My fear is that bad decisions will<br />
cripple innovation in an industry that sorely<br />
needs it.<br />
Looking to the next 100 issues of COM<br />
PUTE!, I hope we'll grow beyond the point<br />
where software thievery is an issue. I also<br />
think that we'll see computers getting easier<br />
and easier to use.<br />
Remember that it's you. the computer<br />
user, who ultimately shapes this industry.<br />
Thanks for your years of support. I look for<br />
ward to our continuing dialog on these pages<br />
in the years to come. h<br />
12 COMPUTE
COMPUTE!<br />
Tht LiDisg Mogcnin* Of Horn*. lajcotkxwl. And BKUti;n:i C■ 7 r-i\,.1 j<br />
COMPUTE! Fights Crime<br />
Through most of the 19<strong>80</strong>s. I have been<br />
investigating high-technology and com<br />
puter-related crimes for the Austin Po<br />
lice Department. During that time,<br />
COMPUTE! has been my number 1 re<br />
source. Our offices have an assortment<br />
of IBM mainframes and personal com<br />
puters; at home. I have an Amiga 500<br />
system. But to be a successful investiga<br />
tor, I must keep on top of all the latest<br />
advancements in technology, and I<br />
have to be familiar with as many differ<br />
ent computer systems as possible.<br />
I subscribe to numerous computer<br />
publications, but COMPUTE! has con<br />
sistently provided me with the best<br />
information. I applaud the new format.<br />
The deletion of type-in programs leaves<br />
more room for the useful reviews and<br />
articles. I especially enjoyed David<br />
Thornburg's recent article on viruses—<br />
a problem I began dealing with long<br />
before the general public knew about it.<br />
I'm looking forward to my next issue of<br />
COMPUTE!.<br />
Sgt.<br />
Hurray! No More Type-Ins<br />
Robert Ansley<br />
Austin, TX<br />
Congratulations. The new format of<br />
COMPUTE! is right on target for me. I<br />
started my subscription to your maga<br />
zine in 1983 and also subscribed to<br />
COMPUTE'.'s Gazette when it was in<br />
troduced. As my computing needs have<br />
grown and changed from the VIC-20 to<br />
the Commodore 64 and now to the<br />
Macintosh, COMPUTE! has changed<br />
to cover a broader range of topics.<br />
The type-in software was great at<br />
the beginning, but for the last few years.<br />
I haven't typed in a single program<br />
from any magazine.<br />
The features, reviews, columns,<br />
and the "COMPUTE! Specific" sec<br />
tions are terrific. I like everything in<br />
them. But there is still room for im<br />
provement. The small print you use<br />
makes it difficult to read. I would much<br />
prefer a larger print size.<br />
Arthur Mah<br />
Slave Lake, Alberta<br />
I would like to commend you on the<br />
improvement of your magazine. It's an<br />
excellent idea to eliminate the type-in<br />
programs. I think most people would<br />
prefer doing something else on their<br />
computer besides spending two or three<br />
hours typing in a program they may not<br />
get to work.<br />
Your new format is a vast im<br />
provement over the old one. I currently<br />
own an IBM PC and a Commodore<br />
128. and your magazine is the only one<br />
on the market that satisfies my need for<br />
information on both machines.<br />
Better Than a Laser?<br />
JejfBarthel<br />
San Francisco, CA<br />
In your July issue, page 93, Neil Ran<br />
dall in his "COMPUTE! Specific" sec<br />
tion on the 64 and 128, says, "A good<br />
24-pin printer can provide copy that is<br />
actually superior to that produced by a<br />
300-dot-per-inch laser printer." Wow! I<br />
hope your author knows something I<br />
don't, but I doubt it.<br />
Enclosed is a sample of 24-pin out<br />
put driven by a Commodore 64.1 trust<br />
you agree that it is not up to laser quality.<br />
I really believe that this is a gross misstatement<br />
and demands a retraction.<br />
Thanks for a usually fine magazine<br />
and for your attention.<br />
Les Tremayne<br />
Sunnyvale, CA<br />
Mr. Randall responds: Although laser<br />
printers generally produce output superi<br />
or to that of dot-matrix printers, I have<br />
seen output from some 24-pin dot-ma<br />
trix printers that is superior to what's<br />
produced by some 300-dot-per-inch la<br />
ser printers. Perhaps my original state<br />
ment would have benefited from some<br />
elaboration, but it is true.<br />
Many 24-pin printers actually have<br />
a higher dot-per-inch (DPI) resolution<br />
than some laser printers, and they can<br />
produce amazing results. My advicefor<br />
anyone planning to buy a 24-pin dotmatrix<br />
or laser printer is to get some<br />
samples of the output before you buy<br />
and to shop around. ><br />
Editor Gfegg Keiier<br />
Senior Art Director Janice R. Fary<br />
Features Editor Keith Ferrell<br />
Assistant Editors Heidi E. H. Aycock<br />
Clifton Karnes<br />
Assistant Features Editor Tom Netsel<br />
Buyers Guide Coordinator Caroline Hanlon<br />
Editorial Assistant Mickey McLean<br />
Copy Editors Karen Siepak<br />
Tammie Taylor<br />
Karen Uhlendorf<br />
Staff Contributors Rhett Anderson<br />
David Florence<br />
John Shadle<br />
Randy Thompson<br />
Contributing Editors Allan Levitan<br />
David Thornburg<br />
ART DEPARTMENT<br />
Assistant Art Director Robin Strelow<br />
Junior Designer Meg McArn<br />
Mechanical Artists Scotty Billings<br />
Robin Case<br />
PRODUCTION<br />
DEPARTMENT<br />
Production Director Mark E. Hillyer<br />
Assistant Production Manager De Potter<br />
Production Assistant Kim Potls<br />
Typesetting Terry Cash<br />
Carole Dunton<br />
Advertising Production<br />
Assistant Anita Armfield<br />
COMPUTE! PUBLICATIONS<br />
Group Vice President,<br />
Publisher/Editorial Director William Tynan<br />
Managing Editor Kathleen Martinek<br />
Senior Editor Lance Elko<br />
Editorial Operations Director Tony Roberts<br />
Executive Assistant Sybil Agee<br />
Senior Administrative<br />
Assistant Julia Fleming<br />
Administrative Assistants Iris Brooks<br />
Cathy McAllister<br />
A8C CONSUMER<br />
MAGAZINES<br />
Senior Vice President Marc Reisch<br />
Vice President, Advertising Peter T. Johnsmeyer<br />
Vice President. Finance Richard Willis<br />
Vice President, Production llene Berson-Welner<br />
CIRCULATION<br />
DEPARTMENT<br />
Vice President Robert I. Gursha<br />
Subscription Staff Ora Blackmon-DeBrown<br />
Harold Buckley<br />
Mitch Frank<br />
Beth Healy<br />
Thomas D. Slater<br />
James J. Smith<br />
A Heather Wood<br />
Subscriber Service (<strong>80</strong>0) 727-6937<br />
OreoftherWCPlBUSHING ® Companies<br />
President Robert G. Burton<br />
1330 Avenue of the Americas<br />
New York, NY 10019<br />
ADVERTISING OFFICES<br />
New York: ABC Consumer Magazines. Inc.. 825 Seventh<br />
Ave., New York. NY 10019. Tel. (212) 265-8360. Peier T.<br />
Johnsmeyer, Group Advertising Director: Bernard J.<br />
Theobald. Jr.. Advertising Director.<br />
Greensboro: COMPUTE! Publications, Surte 200.<br />
324 West Wendover Ave.. Greensboro, NC 27408. Tel.<br />
(919) 275-9<strong>80</strong>9. Kathleen Ingram.<br />
New England & Mid-Atlantic: Bernard J. Theobald, Jr.,<br />
(212) 315-1665; Peter Hardy (508) 681-9000: Kathleen<br />
Ingram (919) 275-9<strong>80</strong>9.<br />
Midwest & Southwest: Jerry Thompson. Lucille Dennis<br />
(312) 726-9347 (Chicago], (713) 731-2605 [Texas];<br />
(303) 595-9299 [<strong>Color</strong>ado]; (415| 348-8222 [California].<br />
West, Northwest, & British Columbia: Jerry Thompson.<br />
Lucille Dennis (415) 348-8222.<br />
Southeast & International: Peter Hardy (508} 681-9000:<br />
Kathleen Ingram (919) 275-9<strong>80</strong>9.<br />
Address all advertising materials to: Anita Armfield,<br />
COMPUTE! Publications, Inc.. 324 West Wertdover Ave..<br />
Suite 200. GrBensboro, NC 27408.<br />
Editorial inquiries should be addressed to The Editor,<br />
COMPUTE!. 324 West Wendover Ave.. Suite 200. •—<br />
Greensboro. NC 27408 -jWt<br />
PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. 7ZZ1
MoreST<br />
First, let me say that I've been a reader<br />
of COMPUTE! since 1983, and I will<br />
continue to be, but the recent change in<br />
your magazine has brought to light a<br />
flaw in your reporting. COMPUTE!<br />
constantly places emphasis on the<br />
Commodore systems at the expense of<br />
others. The Atari ST and Mega com<br />
puters outperform the Amiga, but your<br />
coverage of the Atari is lacking.<br />
I haven't seen, for example, a re<br />
view of Spectrum 512 for the ST. This<br />
program allows the simultaneous use of<br />
512 colors on the screen and provides<br />
more than 23,000 colors through dith<br />
ering. It even has the ability to display<br />
the famous Amiga HAM pictures. This<br />
is a major software release that rivals<br />
the Amiga's graphics.<br />
At Spring COMDEX, a data sheet<br />
was provided detailing a genlock sys<br />
tem for the Atari, a long-heralded<br />
Amiga-only extra. There are also ST<br />
packages for MIDI and desktop pub<br />
lishing that haven't been reviewed in<br />
COMPUTE!.<br />
Your omission of type-in programs<br />
has not hurt your magazine, but this<br />
system bias has. Show the computer in<br />
dustry what all systems have to offer,<br />
and I'm sure the user of any computer<br />
system will be fascinated.<br />
David Brown<br />
Atlanta, GA<br />
COMPUTE! makes every effort to be<br />
fair in its coverage of each major com<br />
puter. To guarantee this, each issue has<br />
a "COMPUTE! Specific"section in<br />
which developments for individual com<br />
puters (including the Atari ST) are<br />
discussed.<br />
In our first issue with our new for<br />
mat (May 1988), DavidPlotkin, our<br />
A tari ST expert, reviewed the product<br />
you mention, Spectrum 512. //*the cur<br />
rent issue. Mr. Plotkin covers the gen<br />
lock product for the ST to which you<br />
refer.<br />
Through "News & Notes, "product<br />
reviews, and Mr. Plotkin's Atari ST<br />
"Specific" section, we try to keep readers<br />
abreast of the latest developments in<br />
Atari ST and Mega ST hardware and<br />
software.<br />
Positively Square<br />
You implied in your answer to Shane<br />
Evans in June's "Hints & Tips" that<br />
there is no such thing as the square root<br />
of a negative number. Have you forgot<br />
ten they factor defined as the square<br />
root of — 1? As a retired electronic engi<br />
neer, I have been using it for the past 60<br />
years or more (I'm now 81) in the study<br />
of waveforms and quanta. If you have<br />
14 COMPUTE<br />
read Einstein, you should remember.<br />
Mr. Evans, in his quest for knowl<br />
edge, asked a very legitimate question<br />
and you sidetracked him. Instead of<br />
shedding light, you returned to trivium.<br />
In common vernacular, you gave him a<br />
snow job. In view of his apparent basic<br />
knowledge, the expressions he men<br />
tions were (in my humble opinion) en<br />
countered in the solution of some<br />
simple equation such as the quadratic.<br />
A far better answer would have been to<br />
refer to such. I believe that Mr. Evans is<br />
a searcher and would have arrived at<br />
the truth: that there is a square root of<br />
— 1 which in computations produces<br />
vectors which have real values and arc<br />
always positive.<br />
My compliments to Arlan Levitan<br />
for his comprehensive coverage in his<br />
article on page 86 of the above-named<br />
issue. But why were pages 84 and 86<br />
swapped? Turning backward is just not<br />
in accord with today's thinking.<br />
Gavle Jones<br />
Defiance, OH<br />
We didn 't mean to give Mr. Evans a<br />
snow job. Mr. Evans didn 7 explain why<br />
he was trying to take a square root ofa<br />
negative number. We assumed (perhaps<br />
incorrectly) from his question that he<br />
was not trying to use a formula from<br />
physics. It seemed more likely that the<br />
formula was a financial or a simple geo<br />
metric one.<br />
There is indeed a mathematical<br />
abstraction of the square root of—I. It's<br />
commonly referred to as i. Readers in<br />
terested in this subject should refer to<br />
complex numbers in an advancedmathematics<br />
text.<br />
Asfor Mr. Levitan's column, beginninga<br />
column on thefinal page ofa<br />
magazine is a common journalistic<br />
technique. Some browsers flip through a<br />
magazine from back to front.<br />
Don't Forget to Teach<br />
Thanks for Clifton Karnes' nice review<br />
of the W&D {COMPUTE!, May 1988).<br />
He mentioned the increase to 64K in<br />
<strong>80</strong>-column video RAM. I would like to<br />
know how to make use of this addition<br />
al RAM. In particular, how can I create<br />
hi-res multicolor graphics?<br />
I like the new, readable format of<br />
COMPUTE!, as well as the increased<br />
number and quality of reviews. Thanks<br />
for the good work. If it means the loss<br />
of tutorial articles, however, that is<br />
regrettable.<br />
Hilary Stinton<br />
Santa Cruz, CA<br />
The only product that we'refamiliar<br />
with that fully supports the I28D's ex<br />
tended graphics capability is BASIC 8.0,<br />
by Walrus Software, available from Patech<br />
Software (P.O. Box 5208, Somerset,<br />
New Jersey* 08873). BASIC 8.0 extends<br />
the 128's BASIC 7.0 with a number of<br />
hi-res drawing commands. As the new<br />
graphics chip becomes more common,<br />
we hope to see more applications that<br />
take advantage of its power.<br />
COMPUTE! addresses many tuto<br />
rial and technical issues in our "Specif<br />
ic" sections—which cover MS-DOS<br />
machines, the Commodore 64 and 128,<br />
and Apple, Amiga, and ST computers—<br />
and in "Hints & Tips."<br />
Virus Damage<br />
My machine was recently infected with<br />
a virus. The damage resulting from the<br />
infection took three months to repair.<br />
The symptoms started when I was un<br />
able to write to the disks because they<br />
were reported full by the operating sys<br />
tem. I started using backup disks, but<br />
they also became infected and were thus<br />
damaged beyond repair. After weeks of<br />
trial and error, neither I nor my friends<br />
were able to discover what was causing<br />
these problems. As a result of my<br />
friends' helping me, their systems also<br />
became infected via disks used in my<br />
system. How far the virus spread be<br />
yond my immediate group is unknown.<br />
I frequently read your magazine<br />
and have not seen any articles fore<br />
warning your readership of software vi<br />
ruses. I eventually read a Newsweek<br />
article that described the problem. It<br />
was astounding to find the virus prob<br />
lem being discussed in a periodical that<br />
is dedicated to general news events when<br />
COMPUTE! had no mention of it.<br />
I think it is your responsibility to<br />
keep your readers informed about com<br />
puter problems which could result in<br />
months of work being lost. The damage<br />
just to my system could buy a subscrip<br />
tion to ten magazines for the next five<br />
years.<br />
Ralph Allen<br />
Arlington, VA<br />
COMPUTE! has covered the virus story<br />
since its beginning with the Commodore<br />
Amiga. In our March 1988 issue, we<br />
published a feature, by Amiga expert<br />
Jim Butterfield, on the virus. That fea<br />
ture contained a program to detect the<br />
virus on an Amiga disk.<br />
In subsequent issues, we'vefollowed<br />
the virus story and its spread to the IBM<br />
PC and Macintosh computers in our<br />
columns, news stories, and "Specific"<br />
sections. We've also discussed commer<br />
cial antiviral programs thai can detect<br />
viruses before they do damage.<br />
b
Voices from the Past<br />
19<strong>80</strong><br />
"Readers' Feedback," (he<br />
precursor to "Hints & Tips,"<br />
first appeared in the July/<br />
August 19<strong>80</strong> issue of COM<br />
PUTE! (Issue Number 5).<br />
For its first year, the col<br />
umn simply printed the com<br />
ments that readers wrote on<br />
the 3X5 Editor's Feed<br />
back cards inserted in each<br />
"Please make longer programs<br />
available on tape."<br />
"I'd like to see more business<br />
applications reviews."<br />
"I like COMPUTE!— keep it go<br />
ing! Make it monthly!"<br />
"Let's get a high-level language<br />
for the PET."<br />
"Give more space to Apple<br />
and Atari, and cut PET cover<br />
age in half."<br />
"I want my COMPUTE! to ar<br />
rive on time."<br />
1981-<br />
In 198], readers1 enthusi<br />
asm and their questions<br />
had grown to such an extent<br />
that "Readers' Feedback"<br />
changed to "Ask the Read<br />
ers," a column where read<br />
ers would write their ques<br />
tions and other readers<br />
would respond in subse<br />
quent issues.<br />
I saw a cryptic comment—I<br />
think in COMPUTE! #IO:"PET<br />
Exec Hello" by Gordon Camp<br />
bell. Second paragraph: POKE<br />
59458.62 (this may damage<br />
your machine). Can I damage<br />
a PET with POKES?? It scared<br />
me.<br />
Felix Rosenthal<br />
You can damage your PET<br />
with this POKE. Luckily, it is the<br />
only POKE which is known to<br />
be risky, as far as we know.<br />
You can POKE freely any<br />
where else.<br />
1982<br />
I have a few questions regard<br />
ing that pernicious malady<br />
known as "Atari lock-up."<br />
First of all. does this happen<br />
with other brands of micros?<br />
Secondly, though it is generally<br />
attributed to "over-editing,"<br />
why does it occur at all? And<br />
finally, has anyone else suf<br />
fered a similar occurrence<br />
which I shall dub "two-line<br />
lock-up"? In this frustrating in<br />
stance, the cursor advances<br />
one row after a return, then<br />
docs nothing! The screen may<br />
be cleared or reset, but any<br />
command issued will have the<br />
same two-line response fol<br />
lowed by zilch, cipher, naught.<br />
nothing.<br />
Greg Kopp<br />
Several readers have respond<br />
ed to the issue raised by Greg<br />
Kopp in "Ask the Readers,"<br />
May 1982, about the occasion<br />
al "lockup" where the Atari will,<br />
mysteriously, "go away" and<br />
no longer respond to the<br />
keyboard.<br />
Bill Wilkinson, COMPUTE!<br />
columnist and one of the au<br />
thors Of Atari BASIC, responds<br />
with "All substantial software<br />
has bugs. If it's in ROM, the<br />
bug can't be repaired unless a<br />
new set of ROM chips are<br />
brought out. For whatever rea<br />
son, Atari has never brought<br />
out a new ROM set. To be fair<br />
about it, there are bugs in the<br />
original <strong>TRS</strong>-<strong>80</strong> which have<br />
never been fixed either."<br />
1983<br />
In 1983, "Ask the Readers"<br />
changed its name back to<br />
"Readers' Feedback," but<br />
not to the original format.<br />
To provide answers for<br />
readers as quickly as possi<br />
ble, COMPUTEI's editors<br />
began answering readers'<br />
questions—a policy we've<br />
continued.<br />
I have a VIC-20, and I want to<br />
know which is better for the<br />
computer—to leave it on con<br />
stantly or shut it off when you<br />
arc done using it?<br />
Bob Weber<br />
This is debatable. Some would<br />
say that the initial power surge<br />
when turning on a computer is<br />
actually more damaging to the<br />
electronic components than<br />
leaving it on continuously. On<br />
the other hand, most electronic<br />
parts have a definite life span,<br />
and leaving the computer on<br />
24 hours a day could shorten<br />
the overall useful life of the<br />
computer.<br />
1984<br />
Methods of RAM manage<br />
ment arc among the most im<br />
portant aspects of computer<br />
operation, but I can find prac<br />
tically no information on this.<br />
How docs one computer com<br />
pare with another in memory<br />
management? Why is it that<br />
even in the IBM 16-bil com<br />
puter, BASIC RAM is limited<br />
to 60864 bytes with 256K<br />
memory installed? What about<br />
the new Apple Macintosh?<br />
More than anything else, the<br />
speed with which swaps in<br />
memory arc made determines<br />
the horsepower of a computer.<br />
Orvilie E. Bean<br />
The factors which determine<br />
how effectively a computer can<br />
manage memory are the<br />
amount of memory the central<br />
processing unit (CPU) chip can<br />
address directly and the num<br />
ber of bits the CPU can trans<br />
fer to or from memory at one<br />
time. To use your phrase, a 16-<br />
bit machine has more horse<br />
power, since it can grab 16 bits<br />
at a time from memory instead<br />
of 8 bits. Most home computer<br />
CPUs, like the 6502 chip used<br />
in the Apple, Atari, and Com<br />
modore, can directly address<br />
64K and transfer 8 bits at a<br />
time. The <strong>80</strong>88 CPU in the IBM<br />
PC and PCjr can directly ad<br />
dress 1024K. However, it orga<br />
nizes this memory into 16<br />
blocks (called segments) of<br />
64K each. IBM's Microsoft<br />
BASIC was written to operate<br />
within one segment, which is<br />
why only 60K is available for<br />
programming after the com<br />
puter takes away what it needs<br />
for its own operations. Al<br />
though the PC and PCjr are<br />
usually called 16-bit comput<br />
ers, their CPUs can actually<br />
transfer only 8 bits at a time.<br />
The CPU in the new Macintosh<br />
can directly address 16 mega<br />
bytes (16384K) and can trans<br />
fer data to or from memory 16<br />
bits at a time.<br />
1985<br />
Is it possible to get the pro<br />
cessing power of a $4,000<br />
IBM PC XT for just $500?<br />
That was one of the ques<br />
tions back in 1985. The an<br />
swer may seem ironic today:<br />
The Sinclair QL mentioned<br />
in our response to the fol<br />
lowing question is still alive<br />
in Europe, but it never made<br />
it in the U.S. market. And<br />
you can get an XT compati<br />
ble for §500 in 1988.<br />
S E P T E M E R 19 15
I read your piece on the PCjr<br />
in the October 1984 COM<br />
PUTE!. How dare you say that<br />
there will soon be computers<br />
with the processing power of<br />
the PC XT for less than $500<br />
and not say what they are? I<br />
was trembling on the verge of<br />
putting out $600 or $700 for<br />
an Atari <strong>80</strong>0XL system, and<br />
now I don't know what to do,<br />
and won't until your article en<br />
titled "Some Machines for<br />
Less Than $500 Which Offer<br />
More Processing Power Than<br />
a $4,000 PC XT" appears—<br />
probably (as they say in the<br />
computer biz) sometime dur<br />
ing the first quarter of 1985.<br />
Norman Hariweg<br />
A recent CES report included<br />
four paragraphs on the new<br />
Sinclair QL, which has been<br />
available in Britain for several<br />
months. Standard features of<br />
the QL include 128K of RAM<br />
{expandable to 640K); a Motor<br />
ola 6<strong>80</strong>08 microprocessor; two<br />
built-in microdrives for mass<br />
storage; a full-sized, 65-key,<br />
typewriter-style keyboard with<br />
special function keys; BASIC in<br />
ROM; an operating system in<br />
ROM that supports windowing<br />
and multitasking; and more, all<br />
for $499.<br />
As you can see, the QL ar<br />
guably has more processing<br />
power than an IBM PC XT. The<br />
XT's CPU is the same chip<br />
found in the PC: the Intel <strong>80</strong>88,<br />
an 8/16-bit microprocessor.<br />
The QL's 6<strong>80</strong>08 is a 8/32-bit<br />
microprocessor, a version of<br />
the 6<strong>80</strong>00 chip found in the<br />
Macintosh.<br />
1986<br />
By 1986, SpeedScript, the<br />
most popular series of pro<br />
grams ever offered by a<br />
computer magazine, was<br />
available in versions for Ap<br />
ple, Atari, and the original<br />
Commodore. In fact, Speed-<br />
Script had become such an<br />
institution that people be<br />
came interested in its<br />
history.<br />
What arc the differences be<br />
tween SpeedScript 3.0, 3.1.<br />
3.2, and so on?<br />
Leo Milchcner<br />
Here's the genealogy of<br />
SpeedScript for the Commo<br />
dore 64. The original 64 Speed-<br />
Script (now called version 1.0)<br />
appeared in the January 1984<br />
GAZETTE. A slightly modified<br />
version (1.1) appeared in COM-<br />
PUTEI's Second Book of Com<br />
modore 64. The next major<br />
update, SpeedScript 2.0, ap<br />
peared only on the premier<br />
COMPUTEVs Gazette Disk, in<br />
May 1984. Like the original, its<br />
title screen did not include a<br />
version number; however, it<br />
can be distinguished from oth<br />
er versions by its custom char<br />
acter set and help screen.<br />
Version 3.0 made its debut<br />
in the March 1985 issue of<br />
COMPUTE! and on the special<br />
COMPUTE! Disk for that<br />
month. It can easily be distin<br />
guished from its predecessors<br />
because the command line<br />
says SpeedScript 3.0. Several<br />
minor bugs were corrected for<br />
version 3.1. It was this version<br />
that appeared in the book<br />
SpeedScript: The Word Pro<br />
cessor for the Commodore 64<br />
and VIC-20, and on the com<br />
panion disk for that book. Fur<br />
ther corrections appeared in<br />
the December 1985 issue of<br />
COMPUTE! and resulted in ver<br />
sion 3.2. This version appeared<br />
on the January 1986 COM<br />
PUTE! Disk.<br />
For a description of how<br />
SpeedScript 3.0 differs from<br />
previous versions in terms of<br />
features, see the article in<br />
the March 1985 issue of<br />
COMPUTE!.<br />
1987<br />
One theme in 1987 was em<br />
ulation—having one com<br />
puter emulate another.<br />
Users who were considering<br />
moving up to more powerful<br />
machines didn't want to<br />
lose their existing ma<br />
chine's software.<br />
Rumors abound that the<br />
Amiga is or can be compatible<br />
with the Commodore 64. If il<br />
were. I would buy one without<br />
hesitation.<br />
William F. DeBerg<br />
Can ( expand my VIC to run<br />
64. 128, Amiga, or Atari ST<br />
programs?<br />
Jeffrey M. Powers<br />
Judging by the letters we re<br />
ceive, and by the questions<br />
and comments in the user<br />
group newsletters that we<br />
read, there is a great deal of in<br />
terest in emulation—making<br />
one computer run programs<br />
written for another.<br />
Emulation is a complex<br />
subject, so let's begin with a<br />
simple question that was popu<br />
lar a few years ago: Why can't<br />
my 64 run VIC programs?<br />
(Some people asked the oppo<br />
site question: Why can't my<br />
VIC run 64 programs?) They<br />
continue by saying that the two<br />
computers look similar, use the<br />
same peripherals, and were<br />
made by the same company.<br />
Although there are many<br />
differences between the two<br />
computers, the major differ<br />
ence lies deep within the com<br />
puters themselves: They have<br />
different display hardware. The<br />
VIC uses a video chip called<br />
the VIC; the 64 uses a chip<br />
called the VIC-II. For a program<br />
to work on two computers, it<br />
must "see" the same hard<br />
ware registers in the same<br />
memory locations.<br />
Adding components to<br />
your old computer to gain the<br />
speed and graphics capabili<br />
ties of the new computers is<br />
simply not feasible. To add the<br />
features of the Amiga to your<br />
64, for example, you would<br />
have to replace the micro<br />
processor, keyboard. RGB out<br />
put, and sound and graphics<br />
chips. Indeed, a 64 has almost<br />
nothing that an Amiga could<br />
use. In essence, you would<br />
have to add a whole Amiga to<br />
your 64.<br />
Others want their old soft<br />
ware to run on their new com<br />
puter. This approach is only<br />
slightly more promising. Pro<br />
grammers are working on an<br />
Atari 8-bit emulator for the ST<br />
and a Commodore 64 emulator<br />
for the Amiga. Unfortunately,<br />
this approach is bound to lead<br />
to lackluster results.<br />
The best solution to the<br />
problem is this: If you want to<br />
run programs written for a spe<br />
cific computer, or if you want to<br />
write programs to take advan<br />
tage of the power of a certain<br />
computer, buy that computer.<br />
Any other option will lead to<br />
frustration.<br />
1988<br />
In May 1988, COMPUTE!<br />
was redesigned and "Read<br />
ers' Feedback" was re<br />
named "Hints & Tips."<br />
Although the department's<br />
name has changed, our goal<br />
is still to provide timely and<br />
complete answers to read<br />
ers* questions.<br />
I have a very perplexing prob<br />
lem. Is there such a thing as a<br />
conversion table or program to<br />
change Commodore 64 pro<br />
grams so that I can use them<br />
on my Plus/4? I love my com<br />
puter, but it's frustrating trying<br />
to convert programs myself. I<br />
tried to type in one program by<br />
leaving out the POKEs. Ha!<br />
No way. So what's a Plus/4<br />
owner to do?<br />
Doug R. Lewis<br />
The differences in the hard<br />
ware of the two machines<br />
make it difficult to convert pro<br />
grams written for the 64 to run<br />
on the Plus/4. The Plus/4 is<br />
what's known as an orphan.<br />
Many orphan computers<br />
were born in the explosive peri<br />
od that occurred before the in<br />
dustrywide shake-up in 1983.<br />
The Mattel Aquarius, the MSX<br />
computers, the Commodore<br />
Plus/4 and 16, the Texas In<br />
struments TI-99/4, the Coleco<br />
Adam, and the Timex Sinclair<br />
are among the dozens of com<br />
puters that are now called<br />
orphans.<br />
Many people enjoy their<br />
orphans. Some buy a full or<br />
phan system, with plenty of<br />
software, as their first system.<br />
Needless to say, it's cheaper to<br />
buy a used Coleco Adam than<br />
it is to buy a used IBM AT. You<br />
can learn a lot by using one of<br />
these computers for a while.<br />
And if you write your own pro<br />
grams, you may never need<br />
another computer.<br />
You may love your Plus/4<br />
now, but someday you may de<br />
cide that you'd like to buy a<br />
new computer.<br />
Before you buy a com<br />
puter, read all about it. There<br />
are many excellent computer<br />
magazines available. For in<br />
stance, COMPUTE! Publica<br />
tions publishes magazines<br />
devoted exclusively to the<br />
Apple II, the IBM PC and com<br />
patibles, and the Commodore<br />
64 and 128. m<br />
16 COMPUTE!
Here's What People Are Saying about<br />
EIGHT-IN-ONE. . .<br />
'. . .a really powerful product. . .as good<br />
as $300 to $500.. .products."<br />
— Soft* letter<br />
"It's hard to suppress this reviewer's combination<br />
of admiration for [Eight-In-One] and bewilderment<br />
over how the company can offer so much for $59.95.<br />
— PC Clones<br />
works as promised."<br />
- PC Week<br />
".. .the only<br />
computer program<br />
they (users) will<br />
ever need..."<br />
— NY Times<br />
•**♦*. .the best integrated<br />
package I've ever seen<br />
— Home Office Computing<br />
". . .very easy to learn and use.<br />
quite intuitive."<br />
- PC Week<br />
"PFS: First Choice and<br />
Microsoft Works, move over!<br />
BetterWorking<br />
Eight-In-One<br />
may turn out to be the low-cost<br />
integrated sleeper of the year."<br />
— PC Magazine<br />
".. . this inviting and productive package would be<br />
a terrific bargain at twice the price..."<br />
— Washington Post<br />
BetterWorking Eight-In-One comes complete with every productivity tool you could ever<br />
need. It's a desktop organizer, outliner, word processor, spelling corrector, spreadsheet,<br />
graphics program, data base and communications package all rolled into one. Plus, Eight-<br />
In-One is integrated, allowing you to pass work smoothly among all eight applications.<br />
The reviews are in... isn't it time you looked at BetterWorking's Eight-In-One?<br />
Price: $59.95<br />
Available at fine software dealers,<br />
Or: For orders only call 1-<strong>80</strong>0-826-0706<br />
IBM* PC and True IBM Compatibles<br />
Requires: 384K/DOS 2.1 or higher<br />
Supports hard drive systems<br />
Graphics adaptor required for<br />
graphics output<br />
SP/ZY/WWER<br />
©1988, Spinnaker Software Corp.. One Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA. 02139<br />
All rights reserved. Spinnaker is a registered trademark of Spinnaker Software Corp.
Gregg Keizer<br />
For 100 issues, COMPUTE!<br />
magazine has charted the<br />
explosive growth of personal<br />
computers. We've reported on<br />
the strange and the sublime,<br />
and we've offered up<br />
technological help and comfort<br />
to millions. In this, the first<br />
issue of COMPUTED tenth<br />
year, we take a moment to<br />
trace the times gone by.<br />
mm®<br />
18 COMPUTE!
COMPUTE.<br />
TOE<br />
Fall 1979<br />
Issue #1<br />
104 pages<br />
The first issue of COMPUTE magazine (note that<br />
the exclamation point had not yet made an<br />
appearance) hit readers' hands in the fall of 1979.<br />
Only a quarterly at this point, it billed itself as<br />
The Journal for Progressive Computing, a label it<br />
would keep on the cover for three years. Still on<br />
unknown ground, though, the magazine also made<br />
sure people knew it was The PET Gazette With A<br />
New Name. Robert Lock held the title of Acting<br />
Production/Coordinating Editor, while 'PET Ga<br />
zette" founder Lcn Lindsay was Senior Contribut<br />
ing Editor. The press run for the first issue was<br />
10.000.<br />
Lcn Lindsay, founder of the "PET Gazette," pub<br />
lished the newsletter for over a year as a nonprofit<br />
enterprise. After seeing it grow beyond his<br />
capabilities, and not wanting it to simply fade<br />
away, he let Small System Services "carry on the<br />
'Gazette' and improve it immensely."<br />
I i'- 'Aft*.- flf -t—'j-"<br />
COMPUTE!<br />
The Journal tor Progressive Computingzomrum<br />
LookiAt<br />
IItNi* TOS-30<br />
<strong>Color</strong> <strong>Computer</strong>?<br />
November/<br />
December 19<strong>80</strong><br />
Issue #7<br />
152 pages a<br />
■ASIC And<br />
Machine<br />
Language, II<br />
Harry Blair was the artist whose work was<br />
synonymous with COMPUTE! and who created<br />
virtually every cover of the magazine. His<br />
cartoonlike style—relaxed, informal, and person<br />
able—was immediately recognizable on the news<br />
stands. The exclamation point had been added by<br />
this time, finalizing the magazine's name. Another<br />
item of interest in this, the last bimonthly issue,<br />
included the debut of the OSI Gazette inside<br />
COMPUTE!; the Ohio Scientific Instrument com<br />
pany produced single-board computers such as the<br />
Challenger and Superboard II that, compared with<br />
today's machines, were more kits than computers.<br />
This issue also looked at the new <strong>TRS</strong>-<strong>80</strong> <strong>Color</strong><br />
<strong>Computer</strong>, a Radio Shack machine that is still be<br />
ing sold today.<br />
Many of the articles in the early issues of COM<br />
PUTE! looked like this. Titled "Atari Joysticks on<br />
the OSI CIP," this hands-on article showed read<br />
ers how to build and program a joystick interface<br />
for a single-board computer. Thoroughly technical,<br />
complete with soldering directions and pin di<br />
agrams, articles like this were eagerly sought by<br />
early COMPUTE! readers. i><br />
S E P T E M E R 19 19
. — ,,<br />
COMPUTE!<br />
The Journal For Progressive Computng<br />
THE .. .<br />
Player-Missile Graphics<br />
withtheATAR! Personal<br />
<strong>Computer</strong> System<br />
January 1981<br />
Issue #8<br />
144 pages K<br />
An embarrassing mistake put the wrong year on<br />
the cover date; this is actually 1981's January is<br />
sue, not 19<strong>80</strong>'%. It is also the first monthly issue of<br />
COMPUTE!. Typical cover highlights of the time<br />
hype programs for loading Commodore PET tape<br />
files into an Apple II and for putting 40-column<br />
screens on an <strong>80</strong>-column PET (the latter was writ<br />
ten by freelancer Richard Mansfield, who later be<br />
came senior editor and then editorial director).<br />
The most interesting aspect of this cover, however,<br />
is the mention of player/missile graphics (called<br />
sprites on other computers) for the Atari.<br />
Chris Crawford has been writing games for a long<br />
time, as evidenced by this insightful article on<br />
Atari computer player/missile graphics. Famed for<br />
such classic commercial efforts as Eastern Front<br />
and, most recently. Balance of Power, Crawford<br />
here outlines how to utilize one of the Atari's most<br />
impressive features, the spritelike player/missiles<br />
that made programming animation so easy on that<br />
machine. In years past, Crawford was director of<br />
research at Atari; today, he's a freelance game<br />
designer.<br />
Wbat To Get Your Compu'ef F« Christmas<br />
COMPUTE!<br />
A Buyer's Guide To Modems<br />
Lowr Gunnel<br />
An Action Gam«<br />
FwllotlAKlMT<br />
November 1982<br />
Issue #30<br />
256 pages<br />
As the personal computer marketplace exploded<br />
into a multimillion-dollar business. COMPUTE!<br />
kept up by growing larger and offering even more<br />
articles and programs for even more home com<br />
puter systems. Game programs were always very<br />
popular among COMPUTERS readers, and this is<br />
sue included two—'Laser Gunner" and "UXB"—<br />
which appear, by today's standards, quaint and<br />
primitive. Some of the commercial games ad<br />
vertised in the issue were, however, only slightly<br />
more sophisticated.<br />
One of the two games highlighted in this issue,<br />
"UXB" is a good example of the kind of<br />
entertainment programs published in COMPUTE!<br />
around this time. The program listing is quite<br />
short—the segment you see on this page is fully a<br />
quarter of the total program. The game came in<br />
two versions—one for the Commodore VIC and<br />
another for the Atari 400/<strong>80</strong>0 computers (the<br />
Commodore 64 had just been released when this<br />
issue went to press, and IBM had yet to announce<br />
its ill-fated PCjr home computer). t><br />
20<br />
COMPUTE!
MM<br />
Purchase one of the following titles from your local dealer.<br />
PT-109<br />
Torpedo<br />
Smulaton Macintosh<br />
falcon<br />
The MB f gnief Snuialcn 8M/<br />
Ta-iJy 1G0O and Maomosfi :■'/ ". :.<br />
BETOHIEFRS.<br />
Receive one of the following titles from Spectrum Hole-Byte.<br />
IT'S THE BEST DEAL AROUND! Buy one of Spectrum HoloByte's holiest titles from from your local retailer; mail it along with proofs of purchase and 54 (per free<br />
your local dealer between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31.1988, and we'll send you another product product) for shipping and handling. If our product is unavailable locally, call us direct at<br />
of your choice absolutely FREE!<br />
415-522-0107. Teli us what product you wish to buy<br />
YOUR CHOICES TO PURCHASE ARE: FALCON,<br />
TETRIS, PT-109, S0K0-BAN, SOLITAIRE ROYALE,<br />
OR DONDRA.<br />
Here's how it works. To redeem your free software<br />
simply complete either the coupon in this ad or one<br />
A Division of SPHERE, INC.<br />
2061 Challenger Drive • Alameda, CA 94501<br />
All scltware prncucts jfc \ralemaiks of or licensed lo Specirum KtaByle Hartlwae<br />
products are trademarks ol I heir respecliue hokteis<br />
and which product you want FREE. We accept either<br />
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YOUR FREE PRODUCT CHOICES ARE: ORBITER.<br />
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Coupon<br />
Please send my free software to the following address Enclosed are required proofs of purchase (specified beiow) ard S4 (U.S. finds) per free product for shipping ana<br />
handling. Check or money order should be made payable to Spectrum HobByte.<br />
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PROOF OF PURCHASE REQUIREMENTS: Send the following original Hems. |1) Ihe dated cash register ispe or sales receipt showing ihe product purchased, and 12] Ihe actual UPC<br />
label located on the lower right cornef ol package back (Cut the label off)<br />
Mail to Spectrum HobByte. BUY 1, GET I FREE, 2061 Challenger Dm*. Alameda. CA 34501 Only valid requests postmarked by to 1.1988. will be honored Allow 3-6 weeks for delivery<br />
Zip
The Christmas Of The Compute!<br />
COMPUTE!<br />
Th* Uod)ng MopairfY Dt<br />
*dd»35Grophlci<br />
Command* 'c lo<<br />
December *£■£&».<br />
1983 *««'•• «-wc3o, »<br />
Issue #43 nwo,aR,_.ln9<br />
392 pages *TtWm<br />
This was COMPUTED largest issue, nearly break<br />
ing the 400-page barrier, with more than 250<br />
advertisers listed. In hindsight, this moment was<br />
also the apex of the home computer-buying curve.<br />
When the huge jumps in home computer owner<br />
ship didn't keep coming, companies which had ex<br />
pected 300-percent growth but which were actually<br />
experiencing only 30-percent growth found them<br />
selves in a pinch. Many went out of business. At<br />
the same time, however, COMPUTE! was con<br />
tinuing to chart the upswing in personal and home<br />
computer use. One of the features inside this issue,<br />
in fact, was titled "The Home Office," presaging a<br />
phenomenon that's only now gotten national<br />
attention.<br />
Eight different personal computer systems were<br />
supported by COMPUTE! in this issue, including<br />
the now-defunct TI-99 from Texas Instruments.<br />
"Get the Gold" was a Tl-specific adventure game<br />
with some interesting sound effects. Note that<br />
readers could send $3 to the author of the pro<br />
gram for a copy of the program on cassette tape<br />
(tape drives provided a more common and less<br />
expensive means of storing computer information<br />
than the costly disk drives of the day). Some pro<br />
gram authors made more money from selling such<br />
tapes than from COMPUTEPs purchase payment.<br />
Apple's Evolutionary New lie<br />
COMPUTE!<br />
!(*• L«dmjW;jga;irr* Of Hom t, tducahonal. And PaC rWl«w*Jl<br />
Evolutionary To The Core:<br />
The Apple He Heads For Home<br />
Jlu»btrtl«i And Si. ■', Hop:<br />
Two FaiclnaTing G=Tri<br />
ForCMIdrwi<br />
SIONiiiei For<br />
NonilaHitlclant<br />
For Th* *col», V1C-10,<br />
Cemmedew 44, Alari,<br />
I1M PC And pqr, H,<br />
And Bad/a fhock<br />
<strong>Color</strong> Compuftr<br />
July 1984<br />
Issue #50<br />
160 pages<br />
Cernmoderi 64 And<br />
1931 C.ik Drfv*<br />
BOM Gtn»rottoni:<br />
All THt
Wfiafs New In <strong>Computer</strong> Display Devices<br />
COMPUTE!<br />
in<br />
Cuwmm u<br />
S33B8S1<br />
March 1985<br />
Issue #58<br />
160 pages<br />
-^".~l..<br />
E£SE«3J<br />
■* z? tit r**7^ iti"mT/<br />
The most popular program published by COM<br />
PUTE! Publications has undoubtedly been Speed-<br />
Script, a word processor written by program editor<br />
Charles Brannon. First published in COMPUTE'.'s<br />
Gazette, a Commodore-specific magazine, more<br />
than a year before it appeared in COMPUTE!.<br />
SpeedScrip! was a full-featured, easy-to-use word<br />
processor that was also blindingly fast. SpeedScript<br />
was so good, in fact, that it was comparable to<br />
commercial word processors of the time. Versions<br />
for the Apple II and Atari eight-bit computers<br />
quickly followed in COMPUTE!, and SpeedScript<br />
was used to launch a new series of disks which<br />
contained the programs found in the magazine.<br />
SpeedScript was a long program, one of the longest<br />
published in COMPUTE! magazine. Because<br />
SpeedScript was written in assembly language,<br />
readers used an entry-checking utility called<br />
"MLX," another program developed by program<br />
editor Charles Brannon, to type it in. MLX made<br />
it possible for sophisticated software to be entered<br />
without errors, a development that greatly ex<br />
panded the universe of type-in programs, and<br />
something other computer magazines duplicated.<br />
i'z-i _■ ■ i.- ; '.■ :■ And Ft-nnaf Frxxvcui<br />
COMPUTE!!<br />
The MS-DOS Invasion<br />
An m-Oootn took 01 the las'-gtcwing IBM PC-clone<br />
Microcomputers And Personal Finances<br />
Portfolio<br />
POWER<br />
December 1986<br />
Issue #79<br />
112 pages<br />
a nv4». fc^w-t<br />
ii<br />
?»^S—"■■-*■<br />
The surge in sales of IBM PC clones changed the<br />
flavor and content of COMPUTE! just as it did<br />
the personal computer industry as a whole. As PC<br />
clones dropped in price and made their way into<br />
more homes, more of COMPUTE!^ readers<br />
wanted MS-DOS information and PC-specific pro<br />
grams. One way that COMPUTE! satisfied PC<br />
owners was to run an MS-DOS version of each is<br />
sue's lead program—the game "Laser Strike" this<br />
time around.<br />
Charting the more unusual and, in many ways, the<br />
more powerful uses of personal computers is some<br />
thing that COMPUTE!^ writers have always enjoyed<br />
doing. Over the years, the magazine has taken its<br />
readers into the mundane and the esoteric uses of<br />
personal computers. This feature about personal fi<br />
nance software and portfolio management pro<br />
grams touched on everything from electronic<br />
banking to business simulations, where, if you lost<br />
your shirt, it was only an imaginary one. i><br />
S E P T E M E R 19 23
■<br />
Computed in n^e Ctowoom T>w» Sir* Of s Mow Age |<br />
COMPUTES<br />
September<br />
1987<br />
Issue #88<br />
116 pages<br />
arsHr:<br />
■<br />
As evidenced by this cover, COMPUTE! was trying<br />
to support a lot of different computer systems—ten<br />
at the time, according to the table of contents—al<br />
though type-in programs were offered for no more<br />
than six of those systems. While there was some<br />
thing for everyone in this issue—from an audio re<br />
corder for the Apple II to extra memory for the<br />
Atari—the fragmentation of the magazine's contents<br />
actually meant there was only a little for anyone.<br />
Solitaire games have always been extremely popu<br />
lar with readers—not surprising, really, when one<br />
realizes that much of the time spent in front of a<br />
computer is time spent alone. This card game was<br />
typical of many published in the magazine; it had<br />
originally been written by an outside programmer<br />
on the Commodore 64. Only after a program had<br />
been purchased was the COMPUTE! programming<br />
staff let loose to create what were called homogs,<br />
or translations, for the other five computer systems.<br />
May 1988<br />
20 deal <strong>Computer</strong> Games You Musi Have!<br />
COMPUTE!<br />
ft U M I I C<br />
HIT THE ROAD!<br />
6 HOT LAPTOPS<br />
Which Portable<br />
Fill Your<br />
Budget?<br />
SUMMER FUN<br />
Counts' Carat*<br />
MMb<br />
>CU « 1OJ Kdt<br />
personal<br />
Issue #96 ggg<br />
94 pages<br />
PIUS<br />
On the surface, the first issue of COMPUTE! sans<br />
programs didn't look much different. The text dis<br />
played on the cover, however, gave readers a hint<br />
of how extensive the changes were. No mention of<br />
programs on the cover, for instance, was the only<br />
clue many readers needed to tell them something<br />
was up.<br />
24 COMPUTE!<br />
If there was one page in this issue which told read<br />
ers things were different, this was it. Photographs<br />
had been a rarity within the pages of COMPUTE!,<br />
and a shot such as this was unprecedented. The<br />
subject matter, laptops, had not been touched<br />
upon by COMPUTE! and offered a perfect oppor<br />
tunity to show readers one of the kinds of articles<br />
that the magazine would now run. h
21 MEN 29 «!-«<br />
PAHfC UlU>t \f<br />
1 minium<br />
LJ<br />
IllllllUlllilUt<br />
llllUIIIIIIMIIt<br />
-<br />
:r?"i<br />
\<br />
MicroProse is committed to developing entertainment<br />
software that takes advantage of the speed and graphics<br />
capabilities of today's sophisticated PC. Look for these<br />
features tn our exciting titles for IBM-PC XT AT PS2 Tandy<br />
and compatibles:<br />
• Full 16-color EGA and Tandy graphics (4-color<br />
CGA also supported)<br />
• Automatic speed adjustment for different<br />
machine types<br />
• More than 50 animated introduction screens in<br />
PIRATES!<br />
• Solid, filled, 3-D terrain and targets in<br />
GUNSHIP<br />
• Available in 3V2 and 5V* formats<br />
Our quality software provides hundreds of hours of<br />
stimulating game play with multiple difficulty levels to<br />
ensure a progressive challenge. All subjects are<br />
painstakingly researched for authenticity and realism.<br />
The result is electrifying software for today's PC!<br />
is a sophisticated simulation of the U.S.<br />
Army's state-of-the-art AH-64A attack helicopter. From<br />
the cockpit view, more than 30 keyboard controls are<br />
needed to complete realistic missions in Western<br />
Europe, Central America and Southeast Asia. GUNSHIP<br />
is the new standard in PC entertainment software.<br />
Suggested retail price: $49.95.<br />
II is the adventure-simulation that casts you in<br />
the role of a 17th-century privateer captain seeking fame<br />
and fortune on the high seas of the Caribbean. The<br />
intrigue of role-playing, the realism of simulation, and the<br />
interaction of adventure games are blended into one<br />
great package. Suggested retail price: S39.95.<br />
Available at a Valued<br />
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locations! II product not<br />
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for MC VISA orders. ■•- .:.. ;-,■=■ -_■: .; ?, |r: :';.■■ ■-—-■■■;
ThatMen,<br />
This Is Now<br />
Leaf through a yearbook of the class voted most<br />
likely to succeed in the microcomputer<br />
industry. Where were they nine<br />
years ago, what have they<br />
done, and where<br />
are they now?<br />
n the fall of 1979, the personal<br />
computer industry had entered a<br />
stage of transition. Though few<br />
realized it, the halcyon days of<br />
the hobbyist were ending and<br />
the machines were beginning to move<br />
into mass society.<br />
Two pioneer companies, IMSAI<br />
and Processor Technology, folded. At<br />
the same time, VisiCalc and WordStar<br />
debuted, sparking an upsurge in de<br />
mand for computers. Sales at Apple<br />
quadrupled in 1979, and cofounder<br />
Steve Jobs toured Xerox PARC mak<br />
ing notes for the Macintosh. CP/M<br />
was the major operating system, and<br />
IBM's first personal computer was still<br />
two years away.<br />
The technology has come a long<br />
way since then, and so have most of<br />
the prime players in the computer<br />
world. Some destinies have flared<br />
against the night sky, visible far be<br />
yond the precincts of the industry it<br />
self, while others have dimmed or<br />
faded.<br />
We talked to Bill Gates, Nolan<br />
Bushnell, Andy Hertzfeld, Gary<br />
Kildall, Adam Osborne, and ten other<br />
notables, asking how they've fared,<br />
what highlights stand out in their ca<br />
reers, and whether they've enjoyed the<br />
ride.<br />
26 COMPUTE<br />
Paul Freiberger<br />
and<br />
Dan McNeill<br />
Dan Bricklin<br />
Author of VisiCalc; Founder of Soft<br />
ware Garden<br />
In mid-October 1979, Dan Bricklin's<br />
Software Arts had just started shipping<br />
VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet. "A<br />
month or two later," he said, "we<br />
moved out of the basement in Cam<br />
bridge which we were sharing with<br />
another company. We were four<br />
employees."<br />
Not for long.<br />
VisiCalc was a revolutionary<br />
product, tapping voracious demand<br />
and selling as fast as retailers could<br />
stock it. Moreover, since for a year it<br />
ran only on the Apple II, it firmly en<br />
trenched Apple in the industry.<br />
Bricklin, now a minor statesman<br />
in the field, looks back with fondness<br />
on many aspects of his life: the awards<br />
he has won, the products he has made.<br />
"I've also had people say, 'You helped<br />
me get into computers; thank you very<br />
much.' One woman said VisiCalc<br />
helped her meet her husband. She<br />
needed help using it."<br />
Today Bricklin runs Software<br />
Garden, a small but flourishing firm<br />
that sells a program for software devel<br />
opers called Dan Bricklin's Demo Pro<br />
gram. Though currently interested in<br />
voice recognition, he is alert to all<br />
possibilities. "There are many more<br />
metaphors to be worked out besides<br />
the spreadsheet and paste-up board,"<br />
he said, "and if I knew what they<br />
were, I'd be working on them.<br />
"I'm in a much better position<br />
than I ever dreamed of," he mused.<br />
"Who would have thought, way back<br />
when...."
Roger Buoy<br />
President, Mindscape<br />
In the fall of 1979, Roger Buoy was in<br />
Sydney, Australia, programming main<br />
frames, as he had done since 1961. He<br />
worked at Rolls-Royce, monitoring the<br />
engine later used in the Concorde.<br />
Buoy saw the potential of per<br />
sonal computers soon after the Altair,<br />
and he wrote a few Altair programs as<br />
a pastime. One tracked average scores<br />
for his wife's tennis team.<br />
But he didn't seriously enter the<br />
industry until 1983, when he founded<br />
Mindscape in Northbrook, Illinois,<br />
just outside Chicago. " 'The Silicon<br />
Prairie,' we called it," Buoy said.<br />
"We went through the most diffi<br />
cult times of the industry," he said.<br />
"1984 through 1986 were dog-day<br />
years, and surviving that was a<br />
tremendous accomplishment. The suc<br />
cess of Balance of Power is also some<br />
thing I take pride in, after so many<br />
said not to sell it because it was a<br />
niche product. It's sold over 150,000<br />
copies by now.<br />
"I believe good entertainment will<br />
always sell," he added, "and I think<br />
there are many things left to be done,<br />
with particular emphasis on the user<br />
interface. Even the Mac is rocket sci<br />
ence to the uninitiated."<br />
"In the fall of 1979, Pizza Time<br />
was very profitable and growing by<br />
leaps and bounds," Bushnell said. "We<br />
had 15 stores at that time. It grew to a<br />
total of 2<strong>80</strong> stores and $240 million<br />
per year."<br />
In many ways, Bushnell has been<br />
a frustrated bystander to the computer<br />
business since 1979. "My prime<br />
involvement was through 1978; then I<br />
was excluded for the following five<br />
years because of a noncompetition<br />
agreement with Atari."<br />
He has other regrets. "At Atari,<br />
we talked about doing a personal com<br />
puter before Apple. But we thought it<br />
was a smaller market and that the<br />
game business had greater potential. I<br />
also think I could have sold Atari to<br />
Warner while keeping the rights to the<br />
personal computer business."<br />
Since then, Bushnell has created<br />
firms like a smiling god spinning off<br />
planets. His companies have manufac<br />
tured robots, video terminals for shop<br />
ping centers, talking teddy bears, and<br />
many other items. Recently, he an<br />
nounced plans to make coin-operated<br />
video games, for his heart has re<br />
mained with the computer business.<br />
"You're dealing with a fascinating<br />
class of people," he said. "There are<br />
very few mental slugs and I think<br />
that's exciting. The friends you have<br />
and the people you meet are the lit<br />
mus test of whether you're having a<br />
good time."<br />
a crux. "I was realizing that I was never<br />
going to make any money off safety<br />
reflectors," he said. "I was at the point<br />
of giving up. I was certainly confused.<br />
I'd been poor for a long time."<br />
His brother Doug owned a <strong>TRS</strong>-<br />
<strong>80</strong>, and Gary had used it a bit. Doug<br />
suggested selling software, and in Feb<br />
ruary 19<strong>80</strong> they founded Brcderbund.<br />
By December 19<strong>80</strong>, their Alien<br />
Rain was topping VisiCalc in sales,<br />
and their lives had changed forever.<br />
"It was the first time anyone had ever<br />
had a game sell better than VisiCalc.<br />
We went skiing to celebrate. And we<br />
paid ourselves, for the first time. We'd<br />
been accruing three-dollar-an-hour sal<br />
aries. That was a highlight. I hadn't<br />
had any income since 1978."<br />
Bank Street Writer provided an<br />
other memorable moment. It was "the<br />
first time we had done something<br />
other than games." After the company<br />
had sold about 50 copies of the pro<br />
gram, "Time magazine came out with<br />
a story saying it was a breakthrough<br />
because it featured ease of use rather<br />
than features. We went from selling 50<br />
copies to, for a while, 10,000 a<br />
month."<br />
In the past nine years, he has seen<br />
the business grow far more compet<br />
itive, particularly with the boom in<br />
Nintendo products and entries from<br />
the British and French. "It isn't just<br />
'Throw stuff at a wall and you'll get<br />
some good sales,'" he said. "Back in<br />
1981 we could do that."<br />
Gary Carlston<br />
jan oaviljsnn<br />
Founder of Atari; President ofAxlon<br />
By fall 1979, Nolan Bushnell had gone<br />
through several careers. He had found<br />
ed Atari and popularized Pong, the<br />
breakthrough videogame. In 1976, he'd<br />
sold Atari; in 1977, he'd started Pizza<br />
Time Theatre, a fast-food chain with<br />
computer entertainment.<br />
Cofounder, Broderbund Software<br />
In 1978, Gary Carlston was driving in<br />
Scandinavia and nearly hit a child<br />
waiting for a school bus. He decided<br />
youngsters needed safety reflectors,<br />
and began marketing animal-shaped<br />
ones in the United States. But he had<br />
failed to study the distribution before<br />
hand, and the business was gasping.<br />
By the fall of 1979, he had reached<br />
President, Davidson and Associates<br />
In the fall of 1979, Jan Davidson was<br />
launching a tutorial service and trying<br />
to determine whether she could use a<br />
48K Apple II as an instructional tool.<br />
"I had purchased almost every piece<br />
of educational software available. That<br />
was 20 packages at most."<br />
Their quality amazed her. "Most<br />
SEPTEMBER 19 27
of it didn't work," she said. "A lot<br />
had misspellings on the screen and<br />
weren't designed very well. It prohib<br />
ited me from using this computer for<br />
education."<br />
So, drawing on her background as<br />
a teacher, with her sense for holding<br />
children's attention, she started writing<br />
her own software.<br />
"The most rewarding thing has<br />
been the response from users," she<br />
said, "whether it's been talking to<br />
teacher conferences or the letters from<br />
kids saying, 'I hated math till Math<br />
Blaster" or "I never liked reading till I<br />
got Word Attack.'"<br />
Davidson feels the educational<br />
potential of the machine has scarcely<br />
been touched. "The big thing is, you<br />
learn more if you're interactively in<br />
volved," she said. "I see the computer,<br />
video, and publication industries<br />
merging, and that will be particularly<br />
important in education, because the<br />
value of the computer as a learning<br />
tool will be greatly enhanced by video."<br />
John Dvorak<br />
Columnist<br />
In the fall of 1979, John Dvorak was<br />
selling software. He owned a small<br />
firm called California Software, and<br />
was also producing "Dvorak's Soft<br />
ware Review," a newsletter.<br />
"The big highlight for me was the<br />
realization that the IBM PC would be<br />
a dominating computer for a long pe<br />
riod of time. The PC legitimized the<br />
business." Dvorak is still disappointed<br />
by the scarcity of conceptual break<br />
throughs such as VisiCalc. "It's the<br />
hardest thing to achieve: to find an<br />
other use for these computers."<br />
Today, Dvorak has established<br />
himself as a major character in the in<br />
dustry, known to everyone and famed<br />
for outrageous utterance. He also has<br />
an OpEd column in the San Francisco<br />
Examiner, where he speaks freely on<br />
28 COMPUTE!<br />
world affairs, the TV show he watched<br />
last night, and whatever else springs to<br />
mind.<br />
The past nine years have been a<br />
carnival for Dvorak, who relishes his<br />
celebrity in the computer-journalism<br />
world. "As a hobbyist, this is like a<br />
dream come true," he said. "Instead of<br />
spending a lot of money and effort to<br />
keep up with the industry, things are<br />
thrown at you by the tonnage. I feel<br />
like a kid in a candy store."<br />
William II. Gates<br />
Cofounder and President of Microsoft<br />
In the fall of 1979, Bill Gates was 23<br />
and already a veteran computer exec<br />
utive, running one of the largest soft<br />
ware firms of the time. Four years<br />
earlier he had joined MITS, maker of<br />
the first commercial PC, the Altair.<br />
Soon after, he founded Microsoft on<br />
the strength of the BASIC he had<br />
written.<br />
It was a crucial moment in his ca<br />
reer. If Microsoft BASIC had foun<br />
dered, he had considered "doing pure<br />
theoretical computer science or pure<br />
mathematics, or possibly being some<br />
kind of trial lawyer. I think I would<br />
have ended up in AI research."<br />
But it flourished, and since then<br />
his life has been one unbroken ascent.<br />
Such programs as Excel, Word, and<br />
Chart have earned hefty revenues, but<br />
his greatest coup was in 1981 when he<br />
introduced MS-DOS, the IBM PC<br />
operating system.<br />
Today, Gates, 32, is the youngest<br />
self-made billionaire in the nation and<br />
probably the most powerful person in<br />
the industry. A few months ago he<br />
toured the country promoting IBM's<br />
PS/2 machines, for which Microsoft<br />
has written the base operating system,<br />
OS/2. He is also working on the<br />
Presentation Manager, its graphic user<br />
interface. "It's all a huge challenge and<br />
opportunity for us," he said.<br />
Of his recent traveling, Gates<br />
said, "I think I'm going to tone that<br />
down, spend more time at head<br />
quarters on product-design decisions.<br />
Sometimes I feel it would be fun to fo<br />
cus on one product for a month, but I<br />
have people who work for me who get<br />
to do that."<br />
President, Software Publishing<br />
In fall 1979, Fred Gibbons was prod<br />
uct manager on the Hewlett-Packard<br />
3000. "Steve Jobs came to H-P and<br />
walked me around the parking lot try<br />
ing to recruit me to work on a project<br />
called Sara, which turned into the<br />
Apple III. He gave me an Apple II to<br />
take home to get religion."<br />
Gibbons rejected Jobs' offer. He<br />
said, "Steve made me aware of PCs<br />
and I followed up on that." In April<br />
19<strong>80</strong>, he incorporated Software<br />
Publishing, and recently observed,<br />
"We were profitable in a matter of<br />
months, without venture capital."<br />
Software Publishing's PFS line of soft<br />
ware—low-cost and simple-to-use<br />
productivity programs—became the<br />
company's bread and butter.<br />
The highlights of the last nine<br />
years "have to be those first orders in<br />
my company. And seeing my products<br />
sold on the Super Bowl by IBM. But<br />
going public would be it. You've<br />
achieved the objectives and the prom<br />
ises you've made to give a return to<br />
the investor."<br />
The vagaries of the industry have<br />
fascinated him. "No MBA could ever<br />
have predicted 7-2-i's success, or<br />
dBase's. And there have been in<br />
credible failures, like Visicorp. They<br />
could have been the next Lotus."<br />
Has he enjoyed it? "That question<br />
is similar to: 'Do you like winning a<br />
marathon?' The process of building a<br />
top-tier company is a difficult one and<br />
I've wanted to run that race."
KOEI<br />
More than<br />
five years<br />
a best seller<br />
Greatest<br />
simulation game<br />
released in Japan<br />
■ iff ;V\,<br />
Nobunag a's Ambition<br />
The Struggl<br />
iance of The Three Kingdoms<br />
/e Second Century China<br />
¥m "'■■ IBM RC and ■ '<br />
The Japan most people don't know about. The Warring States period of<br />
the sixteenth century. Central government was weak and ineffective as<br />
feudal lords called daimyos gained power. Each daimyo ruled a single<br />
fief, each wanted to rule the nation. One man, Nobunaga Oda, came<br />
close but failed. He paid the price for failure, death.<br />
Nobunaga's Ambition is a military, economic and diplomatic simulation<br />
for one to eight that puts you in Nobunaga's place, or in the place of one<br />
of his rivals. You start wiih one fief and try to take the entire nation, A<br />
game of both strategy and tactics, success takes careful planning and<br />
opportunism.<br />
Administer youi fiefs during peace to inciease their strength. Keep your<br />
peasants and army loyal or risk revolt. Use your resources effectively, not<br />
spending too much on either guns or butter. Negotiate with other daimyos.<br />
or perhaps you'd rather just send ninja.<br />
On the battlefield, control your troops in close tactical detail. Take advan<br />
tage of terrain, attack, retreat, fight a war of attrition or go directly after<br />
the enemy general. Just be sure your side is smarter, tougher and better<br />
prepared.<br />
Nobunaga's Ambition is fast moving and easy to play but historically ac<br />
curate. Character and game events come from the reality of sixteenth<br />
century Japan. Maps are almost entirely accurate, both geographically<br />
and politically. Advanced graphics and animation help give the game a<br />
feel of complete reality. One to eight may play either of two scenarios and<br />
five different levels of difficulty. Instruction manual and historical notes<br />
included.<br />
China's second Han dynasty has collapsed. The entire nation battles with<br />
itself as warlords struggle tor supremacy. You are a Master, one ol these<br />
warlords determined to beat out the others and control the country.<br />
Manage the states under your control to increase their power and resour<br />
ces. Cope with disasters, both natural and otherwise, when they occur.<br />
Choose good subordinates and win their loyally. Negotiate with other<br />
Masters, or take a less diplomatic approach, controlling your armies and<br />
those of your generals in great tactical detail on the battlefield. Take ad<br />
vantage of terrain as best you can. Choose the right kind of attack for the<br />
situation, or just try and trick the enemy. Do what the immediate situation<br />
calls for but don't fail to think ahead.<br />
A huge data base together with advanced graphics, animation and pro<br />
gramming give the game an unprecedented degree of reality. Romance<br />
of The Three Kingdoms is based painstakingly on the Chinese epic novel<br />
of the same name, but is fast moving and easy to play. Features include:<br />
*255 characters, each with a distinct personality<br />
♦ Military, economic and diplomatic simulation<br />
*Five different scenarios<br />
♦Ten levels of difficulty per scenario<br />
*Play by one to eight<br />
* Demonstration mode<br />
♦Complete instruction manual and historical notes.<br />
Some comments from Japan's leading computer magazines:<br />
"If you own a comouter you've got to try "Nobunaga s Ambition is the absolute<br />
this game'.' nacle ol simulation gaming:<br />
OH! PC Mamichi Shimbun<br />
January. 1987 May 7.1987<br />
'tf ihe user can supply intelligence and "A great hit"<br />
magination. Nobunaga's Ambition will pro- Asa*" Shimbun<br />
i/ide more and better entertainment than Fetouary 20.1986<br />
any other game on Ihe market:<br />
- Far and away the most authentic su<br />
. ._.. tion game I've ever seen"<br />
Hiroharu Seki. professor of Polilica<br />
'First jeleased more than live years ago. ence at University of Tokyo in an<br />
Nobohagas Ambition is still not just a best view with Tokyo Newspaper.<br />
seller but one of the very best simulation<br />
games on Ihe marker<br />
Popcorn magazine _r»_^Ma ^-v<br />
January. 1967 I^T»d M*<br />
'IBM is a registered trademark ol<br />
International Business Machines, Inc.<br />
"Our highest accolade to Koei's Romance<br />
ol The Three Kingdoms:<br />
Popcorn<br />
magazine<br />
'Highest award (or a simulation game:<br />
"All around best game:<br />
Login<br />
July. 1967<br />
"A simulation game without peer<br />
fnfer<br />
August, 1986<br />
'Romance ot the Three Kingdoms is simu<br />
lation gaming at its absolute best:<br />
Technopolis<br />
July. 1986<br />
KOEI CORPORATION<br />
20.000 Mariner Avenue. Stole 100 Tcxrance, CA.9O503<br />
PHONE. 213-542-6444<br />
CIRCLE READER SERVICE 11<br />
"Romance of The Three Kingdoms is a simulalion<br />
war game that will strengthen ;iny<br />
businessman's ability to work through a<br />
problem, logically or intuitively"<br />
P. C. magazine<br />
October. 1986<br />
"Romance ot the Three Kingdoms may be<br />
pricey but the entertainment it provides<br />
makes il a good buy at any price:<br />
OH- FM<br />
March, 1987<br />
For IBM' and compatibles
Trip<br />
Hawkins<br />
President, Electronic Arts<br />
In fall 1979, Trip Hawkins, business<br />
marketing manager at Apple, had just<br />
completed "the first-ever field training<br />
program in computer software."<br />
Around then. Steve Jobs took him<br />
to Xerox PARC to see innovations that<br />
later appeared in the Macintosh and,<br />
via add-on software, most other PCs.<br />
"Steve had a lot of crazy ideas<br />
which made sense intuitively. He<br />
really had the vision," Hawkins said.<br />
Jobs invited Hawkins to work on Lisa.<br />
the germ of the Mac. "Till then it was<br />
a pretty conventional computer: green<br />
display, no bitmapped graphics. The<br />
flicker was really noticeable."<br />
In 1982 he founded Electronic<br />
Arts. It blossomed into a major soft<br />
ware firm, with such best-selling<br />
games as Pinball Construction Set and<br />
Earl Weaver Baseball.<br />
In retrospect, he seems most<br />
pleased by his original contributions to<br />
the field. "'We were the first to talk of<br />
programmers as software artists, and<br />
the programmer as a producer. I think<br />
we had a lot to do with pioneering retail<br />
sales, in terms of developing our own<br />
direct sales. And everybody thought we<br />
were nuts to support the .Amiga."<br />
He added. "It's all been incredibly<br />
gratifying. I stili get goose bumps<br />
when I see people in the store buying<br />
Electronic Arts software. We've sold<br />
well over five million games now, and<br />
it's amazing to me."<br />
Andy Hertzfeld<br />
Macintosh Programmer<br />
"I was offered a job at Apple in<br />
December 1978, and I decided I'd bet<br />
ter wait six months to get my master's<br />
degree." said Andy Hertzfeld. "That<br />
cost me about 48.000 shares of Apple<br />
stock."<br />
Despite this inauspicious start, he<br />
moved to Cupertino in August 1979,<br />
and by that fall he was working on a<br />
silent thermal graphics printer. By<br />
198The was ensconced under the fam<br />
ous pirate flag atop one of the Apple<br />
buildings, helping write system soft<br />
ware for the Macintosh.<br />
The most rewarding experience<br />
was "obviously, doing the Mac. It was<br />
having my work affect a lot of people<br />
and make the world a better place."<br />
He also enjoyed the quickness and<br />
technological caliber of the people<br />
working with him.<br />
After the Macintosh, he went on<br />
to write Switcher and Servant utilities<br />
and clever software for ThunderScan<br />
and the Radius big screen.<br />
If Dvorak is like a kid in a candy<br />
store, Hertzfeld is like a kid making<br />
candy. "The best thing about working<br />
in the computer industry is I love<br />
programming," he said. "It's not really<br />
work. It's fun."<br />
Gary Kildall<br />
Author ofCP/M; Chairman of Digital<br />
Research<br />
In 1973, Gary Kildall wrote CP/M. an<br />
operating system designed to get a disk<br />
drive to work with a computer. Six<br />
years laler, it was an industry stand<br />
ard, and his company. Digital Re<br />
search, was hauling great bags of cash<br />
to the bank.<br />
And that was just the beginning.<br />
"We were still relatively small:" he re<br />
called. "In 1979, I'd say we were doing<br />
maybe $5 million per year, and em<br />
ployed about 40 people.<br />
"That was the heyday for the<br />
small independent manufacturers," he<br />
noted. "We were getting a lot of action<br />
from the press and we were appearing<br />
on national television. What im<br />
pressed me most was that all that<br />
notoriety and publicity made it hard<br />
to get work done. I was more in<br />
terested in programming."<br />
By 1983, DRI had become one of<br />
the largest software companies in the<br />
world, earning $200 million per year<br />
and employing more than 600 people.<br />
Since then, the firm has shrunk sub<br />
stantially, though it remains larger<br />
than it was in 1979, and Kildall is a<br />
very wealthy man.<br />
Recently, Kildall and his wife<br />
formed a corporation called Video De<br />
sign Group to make local commercials<br />
and videos for the computer industry.<br />
He also did well from the sale of a ma<br />
jority interest in his CD-ROM company,<br />
Knowledge Set, and reports that Dig<br />
ital Research turned a profit the last<br />
three quarters under a new president.<br />
Robert Lissner<br />
Programmer, Author of AppleWorks<br />
In the fall of 1979, Robert Lissner was<br />
a consultant for a school district in<br />
San Jose, California, programming<br />
mainframes as he had for 17 years. He<br />
wondered if his knack for tight code<br />
would ever find satisfactory outlet.<br />
In August 1981, a friend took him<br />
to Apple, telling him that he should be<br />
writing for personal computers.<br />
"Mainframe programmers often think<br />
personal computers are jokes, at least<br />
at first," Lissner said. "In my case, it<br />
appeared they were for hobbyists."<br />
He quickly changed his mind. Ap<br />
ple executive Mike Markkula offered<br />
him work on QuickFile, an early file<br />
manager for the 64K Apple II. "I saw<br />
that personal computers had a lot<br />
more horsepower than I realized,"<br />
Lissner said. "I didn't see any prob<br />
lems making something run on 64K."<br />
He finished QuickFile and, late in<br />
1982, came across the Lisa office sys<br />
tem. He recalled, "Someone said, 'If<br />
30 COMPUTE!
The puck stops<br />
SUPERSTAR<br />
ICE HOCKEY<br />
STOP LOOKING. THEY DON'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS.<br />
Here's what the<br />
critics say about the<br />
Superstar Ice Hockey<br />
action, strategy and<br />
on-ice moves:<br />
"Superstar Ice<br />
Hockey is the best<br />
action-strategy sports<br />
simulation ever pub<br />
lished. Period."<br />
—Ahoy I<br />
"It combines 3<br />
distinctly different ele<br />
ments of professional<br />
Fast realistic action<br />
ice hockey—on-ice<br />
action, coaching and<br />
strategy, front office<br />
decision making—<br />
into one very impres<br />
sive package."<br />
— Run Magazine<br />
"...comes pretty<br />
close to capturing the<br />
mental excitement of<br />
the game."<br />
—PC Magazine<br />
"Superstar Ice<br />
Hockey is one of the Complete league stats<br />
best sports simula<br />
tions I've seen in a<br />
long time."<br />
—Family Computing<br />
"The actual game<br />
has a nice feel to it,<br />
giving you the distinct<br />
impression of actually<br />
being out there on<br />
the ice."—<strong>Computer</strong><br />
Entertainer<br />
"Ifs a crowdpleasing<br />
software<br />
hat trick that scores<br />
with every shot."<br />
—Commodore<br />
See what all the<br />
excitement is about.<br />
Play Superstar Ice<br />
Hockey by SportTime<br />
yourself!<br />
mind s c a E<br />
pIDeugn
you could do that on the Apple II,<br />
you'd really have something.'"<br />
He agreed. He began writing<br />
AppleWorks, and it went on to become<br />
the most popular and acclaimed<br />
application ever to appear on the<br />
Apple.<br />
"The acceptance of AppleWorks<br />
first within Apple and then by the<br />
marketplace" was the high point of<br />
Lissner's last nine years, 'it's that I<br />
did what I thought I was good at, writ<br />
ing small, high-speed code, and there<br />
was a market that appreciated that."<br />
Lissner continues to work on re<br />
visions to the program, and also re<br />
cently cofounded Connect, which<br />
markets a wide area network.<br />
David<br />
President, Epyx<br />
Morse<br />
In the fall of 1979, David Morse was<br />
vice president of marketing and sales<br />
at Tonka Toys, a job completely un<br />
related to computers. Then in 1982<br />
he met Jay Miner, who was designing<br />
the Amiga computer. Miner's ideas<br />
fascinated Morse, who decided to help<br />
create a company to build the<br />
computer.<br />
"Certainly the most memorable<br />
thing was, when we were starting<br />
Amiga, to walk into a 5,000-footsquare<br />
building, and 1 was the only<br />
guy there. And I was terrified: How<br />
am I going to do this? How am I go<br />
ing to start this company?"<br />
Another signal moment occurred<br />
on January 1, 1984, when all the<br />
prototypes worked for the first time.<br />
"Until that day, I wasn't sure we<br />
could build a great product," he said.<br />
"Then I was convinced we had some<br />
thing good."<br />
Now, at Epyx, Morse rides the va<br />
garies of the computer game market.<br />
"You'd be amazed at the financial dis<br />
ciplines at Epyx," he said. "I think<br />
that a few years ago everybody<br />
32 C O M P U T E I<br />
thought the lid was a lot higher and<br />
the penetration of home computers<br />
was going to reach <strong>80</strong> percent in two<br />
years. The realities of the industry<br />
have molded the companies that have<br />
survived."<br />
Adam Osborne<br />
President, Paperback Software<br />
In the fall of 1979, Adam Osborne was<br />
embarking on the greatest project of<br />
his life. He had already sold Osborne<br />
and Associates, his publishing com<br />
pany, to McGraw-Hill and was build<br />
ing the prototype of the Osborne 1,<br />
the first portable computer and the<br />
first with bundled software.<br />
He unveiled the machine in 1981<br />
and appeared on the cover of national<br />
magazines and on TV news shows. He<br />
claimed he would take on Apple and<br />
cut a blazing swath through the<br />
industry.<br />
But his company faltered because<br />
of hasty growth, failure to advance the<br />
product line, and IBM. The last de<br />
cade has not been springtime for Os<br />
borne. "I'd say there have been very<br />
few highlights," he said. "I introduced<br />
the Osborne 1, but that turned into a<br />
nightmare because of the lawyers. It's<br />
been a bleak last nine years."<br />
Osborne is now president of<br />
Paperback Software, whose most sa<br />
lient program is a Lotus V-2-i-compatible<br />
spreadsheet called VP-Planner<br />
(Lotus has sued for copyright infringe<br />
ment). "It's been very, very tough," he<br />
said. "The financial community said<br />
they didn't want to invest in me, so I<br />
had to do it on a shoestring. Despite<br />
that, we've fought our way to number<br />
1 in AI software, and we expect to<br />
establish ourselves as number 2 in the<br />
spreadsheet market."<br />
Even so, he would accept a decent<br />
offer. "Everything I've got is always<br />
for sale," he said. "I'm not in this for<br />
the ego. It's for business."<br />
Steve Wozniak<br />
Engineer and cofounder, Apple<br />
<strong>Computer</strong><br />
In the fall of 1979, Steve Wozniak was<br />
at Apple, occasionally offering advice<br />
on the infant Apple III and working<br />
on other projects. When Apple went<br />
public in 19<strong>80</strong>, he instantly pocketed<br />
more than $150 million. In 1981, after<br />
a near-fatal crash in a plane he was<br />
piloting, he began distancing himself<br />
from daily corporate operations. Since<br />
then, he has been a man of leisure,<br />
community benefactor, and seeker of<br />
self-fulfillment.<br />
First, he returned to the Univer<br />
sity of California at Berkeley to earn<br />
his degree. To avoid favoritism, he<br />
took courses under the name Rocky<br />
Clark and generally sat quietly in the<br />
back of the room. At least once,<br />
though, he startled a professor with a<br />
detailed critique of the class. He<br />
graduated in May 1986, and, in his<br />
commencement address, he called that<br />
his crowning achievement.<br />
Under the heady influence of<br />
Berkeley life, he conceived the US<br />
Festivals, two rock concerts which lost<br />
about $30 million. But Wozniak never<br />
cared about fabulous wealth, and he<br />
does not regret these affairs.<br />
In addition, he formed a new<br />
company, CL-9 (for Cloud Nine), to<br />
market infrared remote-control devices<br />
for TVs. He also took up kayaking<br />
with ex-wife Candice, a kayak slalom<br />
champion, and suggested turning part<br />
of San Jose's Guadalupe Park into a<br />
world-class kayak course. In 1987,<br />
Wozniak funneled more than half a<br />
million dollars into a Bill Graham<br />
rock concert at Moscow's Izmailovo<br />
soccer stadium.<br />
Today, sheepskin in hand, the<br />
technical wizard behind Apple has his<br />
teaching credentials and will teach ele<br />
mentary school children. It's always<br />
been a dream of his.<br />
Paul Freiberger, coauthor of Fire in the Val<br />
ley, one of the first books to detail the his<br />
tory of personal computing, is a former editor<br />
with Popular Computing. Dan McNeill, who<br />
has written several books and numerous<br />
magazine articles on the subject, has been<br />
reporting on personal computers for years.
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No computer stands alone.. .it's part of a<br />
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You start with the step-by-step<br />
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You build and test the "intelligent"<br />
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You go on to install a powerful 20<br />
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Save the World's Intelligence<br />
Aliens are tryingt0 reduce everyone's<br />
IQ to single digits in Zak McKracken<br />
and the Alien Mindbenders, the latest<br />
release from Lucasfilm Games. Zak is<br />
the ace reporter for the National Inquis<br />
itor. He and his friends, two Yale coeds<br />
and an occultist, must travel around the<br />
world and beyond to save the planet<br />
from aliens.<br />
Players control the four characters<br />
as they collect clues and objects from<br />
locations such as San Francisco, Stonehenge,<br />
Mexico, Atlantis, Mars, and the<br />
Bermuda Triangle. Players can solve<br />
problems and puzzles with one charac<br />
ter or several characters at once. The<br />
characters, objects, and actions are con<br />
trolled by joystick or mouse. There are<br />
no type-in commands. The game fea<br />
tures 3-D graphics, music, and sound<br />
effects. Players can also use "cut<br />
scenes" to see what's happening in sev<br />
eral places at once. Puzzle solutions<br />
change from game to game.<br />
Zak McKracken and the Alien<br />
Mindbenders is available for the Apple<br />
lie and He and requires 128K. It has<br />
also been released for the Commodore<br />
64 and 128 and requires the 1541 or<br />
1571 disk drive. Both have a suggested<br />
retail price of $34.95.<br />
The version for the IBM PC, XT,<br />
AT, PS/2, Tandy, and compatibles re<br />
quires 256K and a CGA, EGA, VGA,<br />
MCGA, or Hercules graphics card.<br />
Both 5V4- and 3'/:-inch disks are avail<br />
able with a hard disk option. Players<br />
also have the option of using a joystick<br />
or a mouse. The suggested retail price<br />
for the MS-DOS edition is $44.95.<br />
The game is distributed exclusively<br />
by Mediagenic (formerly Activision).<br />
Mediagenic, 3885 Bohannon Dr.,<br />
Menlo Park, CA 94025<br />
Circle Reader Service Number 200.<br />
One in the Hand Is Worth ...<br />
Micro Palm <strong>Computer</strong>s has released<br />
the PC/5000, a new hand-held MS-<br />
DOS personal computer. The PC/5000<br />
is designed for data capture, processing,<br />
and transmission under almost any<br />
conditions.<br />
34 C O M P U T E I<br />
Features include an <strong>80</strong>C88 micro<br />
processor and full implementation of<br />
the MS-DOS operating system. The<br />
battery-powered computer has a stand<br />
ard memory of 256K that is expandable<br />
to 2.2MB. Removable memory mod<br />
ules are included with the computer<br />
and function like normal disks. The<br />
memory modules come in 128K, 256K,<br />
512K, and 1024K configurations. The<br />
memory is supported by a lithium bat<br />
tery backup.<br />
The LCD screen, with a 20-character<br />
X 8-line display, has graphics capa<br />
bility. The unit has 51 large tactile keys,<br />
dual RS-232 ports, an optional built-in<br />
modem, and a high-speed, bidirectional,<br />
eight-bit parallel port. Users can oper<br />
ate the computer with bar-code wands,<br />
laser scanners, portable printers, and<br />
other input/output devices.<br />
Using MS-DOS, the PC/5000 is<br />
The hand-held PC/5000 uses the MS-DOS<br />
operating system.<br />
compatible with programs and files<br />
from IBM PCs. Program and data files<br />
can be transferred from PCs to the<br />
PC/5000 with communications soft<br />
ware from Micro Palm.<br />
The unit can also operate in tem-<br />
Compiled by<br />
Mickey McLean<br />
peratures ranging from —22 degrees<br />
Fahrenheit to 158 degrees Fahrenheit.<br />
The suggested retail price is $3,295.<br />
Micro Palm <strong>Computer</strong>s, 13773-500<br />
ICOTBlvd., Clearwater, FL 34620<br />
Circle Reader Service Number 201.<br />
From the Good Sports at<br />
Accolade<br />
Accolade has added four new sports ti<br />
tles to its line of computer games. The<br />
new action programs are Fast Break,<br />
Serve and Volley, Rack 'Em, and<br />
T.K.O.<br />
Fast Break is a three-on-three bas<br />
ketball game that features full-court ac<br />
tion from a television perspective. This<br />
one- or two-player game is played by<br />
professional rules complete with threepointers<br />
and slam dunks. You can se<br />
lect defensive and offensive plays from<br />
a menu, design plays, and make substi<br />
tutions. The game is available for the<br />
Commodore 64 and 128 for the suggest<br />
ed retail price of $29.95.<br />
Take to the tennis courts with<br />
Serve and Volley. The game emphasizes<br />
correct ball placement, timing, and<br />
stroke selection. You can choose from<br />
three difficulty levels and three court<br />
surfaces. Features include a full-court<br />
view with action windows. To play the<br />
game, choose from three serves and<br />
then hit volleys, forehands, backhands,<br />
smashes, and lobs. The game offers<br />
match or tournament play against the<br />
computer or two players against each<br />
other. Each tournament or match can<br />
be saved and resumed. Serve and Volley<br />
is available for the Commodore 64 and<br />
128 for the suggested retail price of<br />
$29.95. It has also been released for the<br />
Apple IIGS for $44.95 and for the IBM<br />
PC. Tandy, and compatibles for $39.95.<br />
Rack 'Em consists of five billiards<br />
games: snooker, bumper pool, straight<br />
pool, eightball, and nineball. This oneor<br />
two-player game displays the pool ta<br />
ble from overhead with a 3-D view.<br />
Several variables, including the ball and<br />
pocket, aim, English, and power, affect<br />
gameplay. A practice feature allows<br />
you to replay the last shot. You can try<br />
trick shots, and the ten best can be
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specific<br />
Tandy's<br />
DeskMate<br />
Leaves<br />
Home; BASIC<br />
and GEOS<br />
Make Friends;<br />
New Chips<br />
Take Years<br />
Off Apples;<br />
Amiga's<br />
Monster<br />
Arcade Game;<br />
Newest Mac<br />
Desktop<br />
Buzzword;<br />
and No<br />
Gloom, No<br />
Doom for ST<br />
When Tandy recently an<br />
nounced that it was licensing<br />
its DeskMate interface to<br />
ihird-party developers, PC<br />
users raised a number of<br />
questions.<br />
run on my PC compatible?<br />
What DeskMate products will<br />
be available? Will I need a<br />
copy of DeskMate to run these<br />
programs? The answers to<br />
these questions shed some<br />
light on one of the most inter<br />
esting software announce<br />
ments of the year.<br />
DeskMate is a graphics in<br />
terface that Tandy has been<br />
bundling with its Tandy 1000<br />
series of PCs for four years.<br />
The product started out as a<br />
simple text-based program, but<br />
has matured into a full graph<br />
ics interface complete with<br />
mouse support. There are two<br />
variations of DeskMate: Per<br />
sona! DeskMate, an edition<br />
specially suited to the Tandy<br />
1000's hardware, and Profes<br />
sional DeskMate, a version<br />
lhat supports networking and<br />
runs on any PC compatible.<br />
There are only minor differ<br />
ences between the two.<br />
DeskMate's interface uses<br />
the desktop metaphor familiar<br />
from Apple's Macintosh and<br />
from such PC products as<br />
H 'inflows and GEM. But Desk-<br />
Male has its own look. Al<br />
though the top line of the<br />
screen sports a menu bar, the<br />
rest of the screen consists of<br />
rectangular application box<br />
es—applications and their as<br />
sociated data files.<br />
DeskMate comes with<br />
several built-in applications,<br />
including Text, a word proces<br />
sor; Draw, a drawing program;<br />
Filer, a simple database; Tele<br />
com, a telecommunications<br />
module; Calendar, an appoint<br />
ment book; and Worksheet, a<br />
spreadsheet. The applications<br />
are all basic, introductory pro<br />
grams, but some of the mod<br />
ules are surprisingly strong.<br />
The ensemble will definitely<br />
get a new user off to a good<br />
start.<br />
In addition to the applica<br />
tions, DeskMate boasts a num<br />
ber of desk accessories, in<br />
cluding a calculator, a calendar,<br />
a clipboard, a note pad, and a<br />
phone list. These accessories<br />
are available from the desktop<br />
or from any of DeskMate's<br />
supplied applications.<br />
What Tandy is licensing<br />
to third-party developers is<br />
DeskMate's look and feel and<br />
the DeskMate runtime mod<br />
ule—essentially DeskMate's<br />
device drivers. This means<br />
that you don't need a copy of<br />
DeskMate to run the programs<br />
which sport the DeskMate in<br />
terface; all of the new Desk-<br />
A/a/f-interface products will<br />
be stand-alone applications. If<br />
you do have a copy of Desk-<br />
Mate, it will automatically rec<br />
ognize the DeskMate-'mlcrfzce<br />
products, but this seems to be<br />
the only connection.<br />
What DeskMate products<br />
will we be seeing? Only a few<br />
titles arc known for certain: Intuit's<br />
popular check-writing<br />
program. Quicken: Sierra's<br />
flagship word processor,<br />
Homellbrd; and Activision's<br />
outstanding music-composi<br />
tion program. Music Studio.<br />
In the educational arena,<br />
First Byte is releasing eight<br />
DeskMate-'iMerface products<br />
for children. Titles cover the<br />
topics of geometry, mathemat<br />
ics, speech, reading, and<br />
spelling.<br />
Other developers actively<br />
creating DeskMate applica<br />
tions include Broderbund,<br />
3Com, Digital Learning Sys<br />
tems, Electronic Arts, Epyx,<br />
The Learning Company, Soft<br />
ware Publishing, Star Soft<br />
ware, and Symantec, so there<br />
should be a good sampling of<br />
software with ihe DeskMate's<br />
look available soon.<br />
Whether or not DeskMate<br />
becomes the new standard in<br />
terface for low-end PCs, we'll<br />
soon have several easy-to-use,<br />
consistent DeskMate-lookalike<br />
products from which to<br />
choose.<br />
DOS Bookshelf<br />
Whether you're a novice, a<br />
power user, or a programmer,<br />
if you want to get the most<br />
from your PC, books are the<br />
keys to knowledge. But choos<br />
ing the right reading material<br />
isn't easy; there are more DOS<br />
books available than you can<br />
shake a stick at. Separating the<br />
good from the bad is an almost<br />
impossible task fora beginner;<br />
it's no easy matter for a sea<br />
soned pro, either. To make it<br />
simpler to find the books you<br />
need, here's a tour of some of<br />
the best DOS books around.<br />
If you're new to MS-DOS,<br />
Van Wolverton's Running<br />
MS-DOS (Microsoft Press,<br />
$22.95) is essential. Now in its<br />
third edition, this well-written<br />
volume has become a classic<br />
and is a must-have for serious<br />
PC users. Seventeen chapters<br />
and five appendices guide the<br />
new MS-DOS user through the<br />
DOS basics, covering every<br />
thing from calling a directory'<br />
to LANs and DOS 4.0 (a mul<br />
titasking version of DOS 3.2<br />
available only in Europe). One<br />
of the book's pluses is a DOS<br />
command reference, which<br />
can make this volume a handy<br />
guide for anyone whose PC<br />
system doesn't include an MS-<br />
36 COMPUTE
DOS manual. If you can only<br />
buy one DOS book, buy this<br />
one.<br />
Inside the IBM PC, by Pe<br />
ter Norton, (Brady, $ 19.95; a<br />
disk is available for $65.00) is<br />
ihe now-classic nuts-and-bolts<br />
introduction to the PC. If<br />
you're interested in learning<br />
more about your machine's<br />
hardware and system software,<br />
this is the book to buy. The<br />
book's 22 chapters cover ev<br />
erything from the origins of<br />
the PC family to an analysis of<br />
DOS disk structure. A com<br />
panion disk contains programs<br />
from the book. Inside the IBM<br />
PC is an excellent supplement<br />
to the author's famous Norton<br />
Utilities.<br />
Supercharging MS-DOS<br />
(Microsoft Press. $18.95) is<br />
Van Wolverton's sequel to<br />
Running MS-DOS it's aimed<br />
at the intermediate user who<br />
wants to move up to the pow<br />
er-user class. The book's 300<br />
pages cover the hexadecimal<br />
numbering system, the extend<br />
ed character set. the ANSI.SYS<br />
driver, printer codes, DEBUG.<br />
designing interactive menus.<br />
CONFIG.SYS, setting up a<br />
ramdisk, and advanced disk<br />
and file handling. Six appendi<br />
ces and a glossary round out<br />
the information. One of the<br />
book's strengths is that it<br />
guides you step by step<br />
through the process of building<br />
a custom batch file menu sys<br />
tem. By the time you've fin<br />
ished the book, you'll have a<br />
friendly menu-driven interface<br />
for your system.<br />
DOS Instant Reference<br />
(Sybex. $ 10.95) is an easy-touse,<br />
quick-reference quide to<br />
MS-DOS commands that cov<br />
ers DOS versions through 3.3.<br />
The discussion of each com<br />
mand includes information on<br />
version, type of command,<br />
syntax, options, command use,<br />
messages, and more. Appendi<br />
ces include batch files. CON<br />
FIG.SYS, hard-disk partition<br />
ing, a glossary, and ASCII<br />
codes.<br />
If you're a programmer,<br />
there are two indispensable ti<br />
tles. The first is Programmer's<br />
Guide to the IBM PC, by Peter<br />
Norton (Microsoft Press,<br />
$19.95). Its 426 pages include<br />
information on the anatomy of<br />
the PC; ROM; video, disk, and<br />
keyboard basics; the ROM-<br />
BIOS services; DOS inter<br />
rupts; DOS functions; program<br />
building; and programming<br />
languages. One of the book's<br />
most valuable features is its<br />
well-annotated reference of<br />
ROM-BIOS routines and DOS<br />
services.<br />
Also for programmers is<br />
Advanced MS-DOS, by Ray<br />
Duncan (Microsoft Press,<br />
$22.95). Its 13 chapters cover<br />
the history of MS-DOS, the<br />
programming environment,<br />
MS-DOS tools. MS-DOS de<br />
vices, file and record handling,<br />
directories, subdirectories and<br />
volume labels, disk internals,<br />
memory allocation. DOS in<br />
terrupts, installable device<br />
drivers, and DOS fillers. There<br />
is some duplication between<br />
this book and Norton's Pro<br />
grammer's Guide, but Ad<br />
vanced MS-DOS concentrates<br />
on specific applications. The<br />
book boasts lots of examples in<br />
C and assembly language.<br />
In a category all its own is<br />
The MS-DOS Encyclopedia<br />
(Microsoft Press. $134.95).<br />
This is Microsoft's be-all-andend-all<br />
reference to MS-DOS.<br />
Its 1570 pages arc divided into<br />
five sections covering the de<br />
velopment of MS-DOS, pro<br />
gramming in the MS-DOS<br />
environment, user commands,<br />
programming utilities, and sys<br />
tem calls. Fifteen appendices<br />
round out this amazing com<br />
pendium. This is the final<br />
word on MS-DOS for<br />
programmers.<br />
Corporate <strong>Computer</strong>s<br />
IBM may have lost the home<br />
PC market to the clone mak<br />
ers, but IBM is still the darling<br />
of the Fortune 1000.<br />
According to a recent Gal<br />
lup poll. IBM is still number I<br />
with corporate America, with<br />
96 percent of those companies<br />
surveyed indicating they use<br />
Big Blue's microcomputers.<br />
Compaq runs a distant second<br />
at 52 percent. Apple garnered<br />
21 percent, and Toshiba<br />
America came in fourth with a<br />
respectable 13-percent re<br />
sponse (the percentages add up<br />
to more than 100 because<br />
many corporations use more<br />
than one kind of microcom<br />
puter). Although the poll<br />
didn't mention particular ma<br />
chines, the Apple in the For<br />
tune 1000'seye must be the<br />
Macintosh; Toshiba is un<br />
doubtedly selling its popular<br />
portables to the movers and<br />
shakers.<br />
Why do more of these<br />
companies use IBM's PCs than<br />
any other machine? First on<br />
the list was compatibility with<br />
the existing software base.<br />
Next came technical capabili<br />
ty. And last, service was<br />
deemed important.<br />
What machines are on the<br />
Fortune 1000's list for next<br />
year? IBM, Compaq. Apple,<br />
Zenith, and Toshiba.<br />
Mighty Mice<br />
The PC mouse is becoming<br />
more popular every day, and<br />
the battle for best mouse is<br />
narrowing to a race between<br />
Microsoft and Logitech. Mi<br />
crosoft has recently introduced<br />
a redesigned two-button PC<br />
mouse that it hopes will take<br />
the mouse-using world by<br />
storm. Logitech has continued<br />
to develop and refine its popu<br />
lar three-button mouse, with<br />
the Cl model as its flagship.<br />
The two mice couldn't be<br />
more different. The Microsoft<br />
device is small and stream<br />
lined, with a very light clicking<br />
action and short button-travel.<br />
Perhaps this mouse's most no<br />
ticeable characteristic is its<br />
large left button. You use the<br />
left button about 95 percent of<br />
the time with most applica<br />
tions, so Microsoft has decided<br />
that it should be larger. The<br />
right and left buttons are sepa<br />
rated by a ridge to make it easy<br />
lolell them apart.<br />
The Logitech Mouse is<br />
rectangular and wide (to ac<br />
commodate its three buttons),<br />
has a firm click, and sports a<br />
longer button-travel than does<br />
the Microsoft device. Although<br />
the C7 is wide, the mouse is<br />
designed to be held between the<br />
thumb and little finger, which<br />
is quite comfortable and al<br />
lows the mouse to be used for<br />
long periods without fatigue.<br />
Both mice offer excellent<br />
control, but each is different.<br />
The Microsoft Mouse places<br />
the rollerball near the finger<br />
end of the mouse, giving it an<br />
unusual, though pleasing, feel.<br />
The C7 positions the roller un<br />
der the palm of your hand—<br />
the traditional location.<br />
Both mice are available in<br />
serial and bus configurations,<br />
and both companies ofTer vari<br />
ous software-bundling options.<br />
The basic package from Micro<br />
soft includes the mouse (and a<br />
mouse card if you choose the<br />
bus mouse) plus mouse drivers<br />
and some ready-made menus<br />
that allow you to use the<br />
mouse with applications not<br />
designed to support the device.<br />
Also included in the basic<br />
package is PC Paintbrush, a<br />
drawing program. More ex<br />
pensive bundles include either<br />
EasyCAD or Microsoft Win<br />
dows and PC Paintbrush for<br />
Windows. Missing from the<br />
Microsoft bundle is the soft<br />
ware that allows you to write<br />
your own mouse menus. This<br />
package is available from Mi<br />
crosoft for an additional $25.<br />
The Logitech Mouse<br />
comes with lots of ready-to-go<br />
menus; a compiler that allows<br />
you to create your own menus;<br />
sample programs; and Point, a<br />
mouse-driven text editor that<br />
one software expert named as<br />
one of the best products of<br />
1987. Other bundling options<br />
include everything from desk<br />
top publishing software to an<br />
EGA card-and-monitor<br />
combination.<br />
Choosing between these<br />
mice is difficult. Both are ex<br />
cellent performers. If you can,<br />
try both mice before you buy.<br />
If you can't try the mice, and<br />
money is an overriding con<br />
cern. Logitech is the better buy<br />
by a small margin.<br />
The Logitech Mouse is<br />
available from Logitech. 6505<br />
Kaiser Drive, Fremont. Cali<br />
fornia 94555; (<strong>80</strong>0) 231-7717.<br />
A Plus Package is $ 119 for the<br />
mouse and software. Other op<br />
tions include the Publisher<br />
Package ($ 179), LogiCADD<br />
($189). and LogiPaint ($149).<br />
The Microsoft Mouse is<br />
available from Microsoft,<br />
16011 NE 36th Way. Box<br />
97017, Redmond. Washington<br />
9<strong>80</strong>73-9717; (<strong>80</strong>0) 426-9400.<br />
The PC Paintbrush package is<br />
$ 150. Other bundling options<br />
include EasyCAD ($ 175) and<br />
Microsoft Windows and PC<br />
Paintbrush for Windows<br />
($175).<br />
— Clifton Karnes ><br />
SEPT<br />
EMBER 1988 37
COMPUTE!. _<br />
specific<br />
By now, everyone knows that<br />
Berkeley Softworks' GEOS is<br />
the 64's Commodorc-supportcd<br />
operating system. Packaged<br />
with the 64C since the com<br />
puter first appeared. GEOS<br />
has spawned its own forums<br />
and applications groups on tel<br />
ecommunications services, in<br />
cluding Q-Link and Compu<br />
Serve, and Berkeley has<br />
released several highly useful<br />
G£"0£-based products. Wheth<br />
er GEOS 128 will become the<br />
128's official operating system<br />
remains to be seen, but it cer<br />
tainly has a good chance. As of<br />
this writing, it is not being<br />
packaged with the 128D.<br />
The problem is thai not<br />
all software publishers recog<br />
nize the GEOS standard. Some<br />
popular programs simply will<br />
not load from GEOS, and<br />
most copy-protected entertain<br />
ment software, which has a<br />
huge impact on the 64/128<br />
marketplace, relies on good<br />
old Commodore BASIC to get<br />
started. GEOS has reached a<br />
point where it needs third-party<br />
support to verify its official<br />
status; fortunately, developers<br />
are starting to come to its aid.<br />
One significant recent<br />
product is Becker BASIC, from<br />
Abacus (5370 52nd Street,<br />
Grand Rapids. Michigan<br />
49508). Actually developed by<br />
Data Becker in Dusseldorf.<br />
West Germany. Becker BASIC<br />
extends the 64's BASIC 2.0<br />
and is compatible with GEOS.<br />
In fact, it runs under GEOS 64<br />
{but not GEOS 128).<br />
The back of the box tells<br />
you pretty well all you need lo<br />
know about Becker BASIC'S<br />
capabilities and whether or not<br />
you will want to give it a try. It<br />
includes a program called Pull-<br />
Down Menu Construction Set<br />
with which you create GEOSstyle<br />
menus. A separate pro<br />
gram lets you fashion GEOSstyle<br />
dialog boxes, which are<br />
probably the key to GEOS's<br />
Macintosh-like interface. Be<br />
sides listing these features, the<br />
box briefly outlines Becker BA<br />
SIC'S new commands for edit<br />
ing, disk access, graphics and<br />
animation, and sound.<br />
In all. Becker BASIC con<br />
sists of 273 commands.<br />
Among these, you'll find 53<br />
commands to aid disk access,<br />
plus 18 dedicated to creating<br />
sound. 20 to hi-rcs graphics, 37<br />
to sprite creation and anima<br />
tion, and more than 20 to edit<br />
ing and programming tools.<br />
DSQCONCAT. for ex<br />
ample, lets you simultaneously<br />
add multiple sequential files to<br />
a new file; DSAVEL saves<br />
specified lines of a program to<br />
disk; DMYPEEK pulls indi<br />
vidual bytes into memory;<br />
DRESET resets the disk drive.<br />
The sound commands give<br />
you control over volume, fre<br />
quency, wave, and envelope.<br />
Commands such as SDNOTE<br />
let you access a specific note.<br />
SDVCFTON gives you control<br />
over voice filtering, and<br />
SDRINGMODON controls<br />
ring modulation between two<br />
voices.<br />
The graphics commands<br />
give you full control over boxes,<br />
frames, and lines. HRSTRING<br />
allows you to perform a series<br />
of commands with one con<br />
trolling command, which<br />
saves some execution time and<br />
some memory. With the sprite<br />
commands, you control color<br />
(MBSETCOL). horizontal and<br />
vertical expansion (MBXSIZE<br />
and MBGTXSZ). and sprite<br />
collision. Meanwhile, editing<br />
commands include a sophisti<br />
cated TRACE, which has.<br />
among other things, a mode<br />
that moves you through the<br />
program from command to<br />
command.<br />
Becker BASIC contains<br />
three interpreter systems. The<br />
Input system and the Testing<br />
system work together. You can<br />
switch from one to the other<br />
without losing the program in<br />
memory- The Run-Only sys<br />
tem lets you distribute the pro<br />
grams you've created to be<br />
used without Becker BASIC.<br />
Another program. Converter,<br />
converts your programs to<br />
GEOS format.<br />
With G£OSand the inter<br />
preter systems in place, you<br />
have only 15,<strong>80</strong>0 bytes of free<br />
programming memory. Over<br />
lays, which Becker BASIC al<br />
lows, help out here, and you<br />
can free 8K. if you decide not<br />
to use hi-res graphics. Ail in<br />
all, it's an impressive package.<br />
Gold Printer<br />
Super Graphix Gold is the<br />
most advanced printer inter<br />
face in Xetcc's growing line<br />
(Xetec. 2<strong>80</strong>4 Arnold Road, Salina.<br />
Kansas 67401; 913-827-<br />
0685). It has 4 built-in fonts<br />
and 4 that can be downloaded<br />
to RAM. An accompanying<br />
utility disk holds 40 more<br />
fonts, and all fonts make use of<br />
underlining, italics, and superand<br />
subscripting. Further<br />
more, all fonts print in nine<br />
different pitches.<br />
The interface has 16 DIP<br />
switches, all easily accessed.<br />
There arc modes for 1525 em<br />
ulation and ASCII conversion<br />
(as well as many others), two<br />
available screen-dump modes,<br />
a command channel with<br />
more than 30 commands, and<br />
a host of other features. With<br />
support for standard serial for<br />
the 64 and fast serial for the<br />
128, and with a built-in 32K<br />
print buffer (which eases wait<br />
ing time substantially), this<br />
printer looks like a winner.<br />
Xetec, incidentally, pro<br />
duces two lower-cost inter<br />
faces, the Super Graphix Jr.<br />
and the Super Graphix; both<br />
also offer high quality.<br />
French Trains<br />
On the games scene. Acco<br />
lade's recent offerings are<br />
worth a serious look. The<br />
Train is a point-of-view-style<br />
game that places you in the<br />
French Resistance during<br />
World War II. For some rea<br />
son, the sheer romance of the<br />
French Resistance has made<br />
few inroads in the North<br />
American game market, a<br />
point The Train takes to task.<br />
Here you capture a<br />
train—a real train, with real<br />
coal, not one of those depress<br />
ing modern diesel things—and<br />
then plan your route to capture<br />
every station on your map of<br />
France. Standing between yuu<br />
and success arc enemy-held<br />
bridges. Clearing these bridges<br />
is needlessly difficult because<br />
of enemy fighters strifing your<br />
engine, enemy-occupied sta<br />
tions, and such niceties as an<br />
engine that tends to accumu<br />
late loo much steam pressure.<br />
When you capture a station,<br />
you can radio ahead to get help<br />
from fellow resisters. Use their<br />
help to take bridges.<br />
Mini Golf<br />
Mini-Putt, also from Accolade,<br />
is simply a lot of fun. A nice<br />
recreation of a fairly standard<br />
miniature putting course, the<br />
game also includes courses<br />
ranging from the unlikely to<br />
the nearly impossible. As with<br />
many computer golf games,<br />
the trick is to apply enough<br />
power at the proper angle dur<br />
ing your swing, but you're<br />
hampered by windmills,<br />
swinging logs, and the inevita<br />
ble walls and bridges, plus a<br />
wealth of other strange sur<br />
prises. The only problem with<br />
Mini-Pun is that it's difficult<br />
to determine the direction of<br />
the inclines. Still, as a group<br />
activity, it's almost as enjoy<br />
able as the real thing.<br />
Oldies But<br />
Although hardly new, two re<br />
cent Infocom offerings deserve<br />
attention. Border Zone, an<br />
Iron Curtain espionage story,<br />
puts you in the role of not one,<br />
but three major characters.<br />
This multiple point of view<br />
makes it the most sophisticat<br />
ed interactive fiction to date,<br />
and it suggests a fascinating<br />
future for the genre. The<br />
game's online hints are highly<br />
welcome.<br />
Another departure from<br />
the norm is Nord and Bert<br />
Couldn V Make Head or Tail of<br />
It, which is Infocom's first<br />
short-story collection. Unlike<br />
most Infocom stories, the in<br />
terface demands an ability to<br />
play with words rather than a<br />
knack for logical progression<br />
38 COMPUTE!
COMPUTE!. .<br />
specific<br />
from one place to the next. Cli<br />
ches, puns, and other kinds of<br />
wordplay make this game truly<br />
intriguing and educational. Ac<br />
tually, most interactive fiction<br />
depends on learning the de<br />
signer's word systems, but<br />
Nord and Bert elevates the pro<br />
cess to a new level.<br />
Finally, an oldie. Since the<br />
64 is an old machine by com<br />
puter standards, an occasional<br />
look to ihe past is more than<br />
justifiable. This is true espe<br />
cially since the 64 was unques<br />
tionably the best game machine<br />
for a few years, and many good<br />
games were designed for it.<br />
This month I'd like to re<br />
call Electronic Arts' Ultimate<br />
Wizard, primarily because my<br />
children play it at least two<br />
hours every single day. A<br />
jumping game along the lines<br />
of Donkey Kong, Hard Hat<br />
Mack, Lode Runner, and<br />
Jumpman, Ultimate Wizard<br />
uses graphics and sound ex<br />
tremely well. Add to these<br />
some very attainable goals and<br />
a commendable lack of vio<br />
lence, and you have a favorite<br />
for anyone over the age of 6.<br />
By now, the game is available<br />
by mail-order for next to noth<br />
ing; if you're in the market,<br />
consider it.<br />
— Neil Randal!<br />
Broderbund, which only re<br />
cently released Showoff, its Ap<br />
ple IlGS-specific desktop<br />
presentations package, has<br />
temporarily withdrawn the<br />
program from the market.<br />
According to Jenay Cottrcll,<br />
public relations manager<br />
at Broderbund, Shonvffwas<br />
shipped with incomplete docu<br />
mentation. Specifically, infor<br />
mation on how to format a<br />
presentation disk {what the<br />
program calls a show disk) was<br />
missing, as were details on<br />
using the package on a IlGS<br />
with a single 3'/:-inch drive.<br />
Although copies had been<br />
released to the computer press,<br />
and sneak copies had made<br />
their way to dealers. Cottrell<br />
said that very few copies of<br />
Showqff made their way into<br />
users' hands. Brederbund is<br />
planning to re-release the pro<br />
gram in mid-July.<br />
In informal testing at the<br />
COMPUTE! office, however,<br />
we experienced problems<br />
seemingly unrelated to incom<br />
plete documentation. Art im<br />
ported from Deluxe Paint II,<br />
for instance, went through an<br />
unexpected color transforma<br />
tion. Another problem was dis<br />
covered when creating back<br />
grounds, called templates; they<br />
should've automatically re<br />
peated from frame to frame,<br />
but did not.<br />
No More Fun<br />
Most of us like to play a com<br />
puter game now and then—<br />
maybe more now than then in<br />
some cases—and computer<br />
entertainment has always been<br />
a big part of any machine's<br />
software repertoire. But if Ap<br />
ple has its way, that won't be<br />
true of the Apple IIgs.<br />
Its recent reorganization<br />
has made it plain that Apple<br />
thinks little of computer enter<br />
tainment. Home computing<br />
areas of interest have been<br />
shunted to business (home of<br />
fice) and education (home<br />
learning) divisions within the<br />
company. There has been no<br />
mention of home fun or of any<br />
home-based activity that<br />
doesn't fall into the categories<br />
of working or learning at home.<br />
Developers putting to<br />
gether entertainment products<br />
for the IIgs aren't getting<br />
much help from Apple, either.<br />
Cinemaware, which just re<br />
leased its Defender ofthe Crown<br />
in a IIgs form, and which has<br />
five more IIgs games planned<br />
for 1988, had to delay Defend<br />
er because of problems with<br />
Apple. Apple first provided.<br />
then withdrew sound tools,<br />
leaving Cinemaware in the<br />
lurch. The company was forced<br />
to create its own sound-cre<br />
ation tools to recode the music<br />
and sound effects in the game,<br />
delaying it several months, ac<br />
cording to Cinemaware.<br />
AppleFest Boston<br />
The Eastern installment of Ap<br />
pleFest. the rejuvenated Apple<br />
II user show, was held in the<br />
almost-finished Hynes Con<br />
vention Center May 20-22 in<br />
Boston, Massachusetts. Amid<br />
the plaster dust and jackhammer<br />
sounds of construc<br />
tion, more than 21,000 people<br />
packed the aisles and browsed<br />
the displays of Apple II-specific<br />
hardware manufacturers<br />
and software publishers.<br />
With more floor space<br />
and more exhibitors than last<br />
year's opening AppleFest in<br />
San Francisco, the Boston ver<br />
sion was yet another indica<br />
tion of the continued interest<br />
in the Apple II. especially the<br />
Apple IIgs. Though Apple re<br />
portedly pressed Cambridge<br />
Marketing, the show manage<br />
ment, into including more<br />
Macintosh products on the<br />
floor and more Macintosh ma<br />
terial on the many panels, the<br />
people there were clearly root<br />
ing for the Apple II.<br />
Highlights of AppleFest<br />
Boston follow.<br />
AppleLink. Apple's own<br />
big news was the introduction<br />
of AppleLink—Personal Edi<br />
tion, the Apple-sponsored tele<br />
communications service<br />
available on QuantumLink of<br />
Virginia (see the August issue<br />
of COMPUTE! for AppleLink<br />
details). Planned for startup<br />
June 1 (the already-printed<br />
monthly guide to AppleLink<br />
had events scheduled from<br />
that date), the service seemed<br />
to have little chance of meet<br />
ing the deadline. Apple spokespcople<br />
were only saying<br />
summer when asked for a<br />
debut date.<br />
No-Show. Even though a<br />
new Apple II computer had<br />
long ago been rumored for roll<br />
out, perhaps at AppleFest, no<br />
new machine showed up. The<br />
expected CPU. a heavily mod<br />
ified Apple He with more<br />
memory, a faster processor,<br />
and an internal 3'/z-inch drive,<br />
would have made an excellent<br />
companion to the more expen<br />
sive and expandable IIgs.<br />
IIgs Everywhere. If Ap<br />
pleFest in San Francisco last<br />
September showed the IlGS<br />
wave forming, Boston made it<br />
plain that the machine is the<br />
Apple of choice among devel<br />
opers (and users who have<br />
deep pockets). With the excep<br />
tion of several desktop pub<br />
lishing programs, the most<br />
exciting Apple II software is<br />
being written for the IlGS. Dit<br />
to for the hardware that drew<br />
crowds of users—a perfect ex<br />
ample is Applied Engineering's<br />
Audio Animator, a MIDIequipped<br />
board that includes<br />
software which records a<br />
MIDI instrument, edits the<br />
melodies, then plays them<br />
back.<br />
GSWorks on the Screen.<br />
GSWorks, a six-application in<br />
tegrated package for the IIgs,<br />
was up and running in demon<br />
stration form at AppleFest.<br />
Still scheduled for an August 1<br />
release, the program packed<br />
the curious around the large<br />
StylcWare booth. The package<br />
looked good, at least in dem<br />
onstration, and it undoubtedly<br />
will be one of the most antici<br />
pated (and hyped) Apple II<br />
programs this year.<br />
More GEOS. Berkeley<br />
Softworks, makers of GEOS,<br />
the graphics operating system<br />
now available for the Apple II,<br />
showed prerelease versions of<br />
three new GEOS applications,<br />
geoPublish (desktop publish<br />
ing), geoCalc (spreadsheet),<br />
and geoFiie (database). Not ac<br />
tually new, since all three have<br />
working versions under Berke<br />
ley's Commodore 64 GEOS,<br />
they're scheduled for staggered<br />
release throughout this year—<br />
geoPublish is closest to com<br />
pletion, with geoCalc and geo<br />
Fiie further behind. All are<br />
worthy of attention, especially<br />
from anyone who has a 128K<br />
Apple He or He and wants to<br />
make use of a full-featured<br />
Macintosh-like interface and<br />
integrated applications.<br />
CD-ROM in the Glass<br />
Case. You had to look hard for<br />
it. They weren't making a big<br />
deal of it. But in a glass case—<br />
so you couldn't touch it, much<br />
less plug it into a computer—<br />
in the First Class Peripherals<br />
booth (makers of the Sider se-<br />
SEPTEMBER 19 39
lyco <strong>Computer</strong><br />
Marketing & Consultants<br />
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KXP 4450 Laser $1649.95<br />
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1-<strong>80</strong>0-233-8760
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Prices special for this issue only!<br />
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COMMODORE<br />
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3 Mode Operation<br />
1 - 64: Runs 64<br />
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3 - CPM: Uses<br />
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THOMSON O 4120<br />
• 13" RGB/VkJeo Composite/Analog • Compatible with IBM, Apple, Atari,<br />
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SEIKOSHA spisovc<br />
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Turn the page for mom gnat buys!<br />
1-<strong>80</strong>0-233-8760
PET<br />
Apple II<br />
Heath H-8<br />
<strong>TRS</strong>-<strong>80</strong> Mode! 1<br />
TI-99/4<br />
Atari 400/<strong>80</strong>0<br />
VisiCalc<br />
WordPerfect<br />
dBase<br />
Space Invaders<br />
Pong<br />
BASIC<br />
Pac-Man<br />
Creative Computing<br />
Byte<br />
Dr. Dobb's Journal<br />
Kilobaud<br />
Personal Computing<br />
Popular Computing<br />
(formerly known as OnCompt<br />
COMPUTE!
00 Milestones I<br />
■-'<br />
V1C-20<br />
Apple III<br />
<strong>TRS</strong>-<strong>80</strong> <strong>Color</strong> <strong>Computer</strong><br />
IBM<br />
PC<br />
Osborne 1<br />
Commodore 64<br />
Timex Sinclair 1000<br />
Zork<br />
MS-DOS<br />
Pinball<br />
Construction<br />
PC-Talk<br />
Norton<br />
Utilities<br />
ing)<br />
<strong>Computer</strong> Shopper<br />
<strong>80</strong> Micro<br />
Softalk<br />
kfc-,<br />
Commodore Magazine<br />
InfoWorld<br />
(Intelligent Machines Journal)<br />
\ntic<br />
<strong>Computer</strong>s and Electr<br />
Home Office<br />
Compu*<br />
(began as Family Computing)<br />
E.
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• RGB Cable Included<br />
• 12" Amber TTL<br />
• IBM MDA, Hercules<br />
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• TTL Data Cable Included<br />
230A<br />
Attention<br />
Educational<br />
Institutions:<br />
If you are not currently using<br />
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Okimate20 $129.95<br />
Okimate 20 w/cart S189.95<br />
120 $169,95<br />
1<strong>80</strong> S219.95<br />
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182+ $225.95<br />
183 S239.95<br />
192+ S339.95<br />
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292 w/intertace S449.95<br />
293 w/interface E585.95<br />
294 w/intertace S799.95<br />
393 $955.95<br />
User 6<br />
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390 $479.95<br />
391 $649.95<br />
320 $345.95<br />
321 $445.95<br />
Toshiba<br />
321SL $489.95<br />
341 SL $659.95<br />
P351 Model II $899.95<br />
351 SX400cps $979.95<br />
Epson<br />
LXBOO $184.95<br />
FX850 $339.95<br />
FX1050 $424.95<br />
EX<strong>80</strong>0 $434.95<br />
LQ500 $339.95<br />
LO2500 $789.95<br />
GQ3500<br />
SLOW<br />
LQ850 $525.95<br />
LQ1050 $699.95<br />
Brother<br />
M1109 $159.95<br />
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M17D9 $459.95<br />
Twinwritef 6 Dot &<br />
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M1724L $619.95<br />
HR20 $345.95<br />
HR40 $559.95<br />
HR60 $649.95<br />
Citizen<br />
120 D S144.95<br />
1<strong>80</strong> D S159.95<br />
MSP-40 $279.95<br />
MSP-15E $309.95<br />
MSP-50 S369.95<br />
MSP-45 $399.95<br />
MSP-55 $469.95<br />
Premiere 35 $445.95<br />
Tribute 224 $539.95<br />
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Turn the page for mom gmat buys!
<strong>Computer</strong> History<br />
Apple lie<br />
Apple Lisa<br />
IBM PCjr<br />
Coleco Adam<br />
Tandy Model 100<br />
COMPAQ portable<br />
Apple lie<br />
Data General/One<br />
IBM PC AT<br />
Apple Macintosh<br />
Tandy 1000<br />
Apple LaserWriter<br />
Amiga 1000<br />
CD-ROM<br />
Commodore 128<br />
Atari ST<br />
Flight Simulator<br />
Microsoft Word<br />
Lotus 1-2-3<br />
PC-Write<br />
WordStar<br />
Turbo Pascal<br />
SpeedScript<br />
Microsoft<br />
Windows<br />
SideKick<br />
MacWrite<br />
MacPaint<br />
AppleWorks<br />
The Print Shop<br />
Excel<br />
SuperKey<br />
ThinkTank<br />
PageMaker<br />
PC Magazine<br />
InCider<br />
PC World<br />
+ co<br />
Run<br />
MacWorld<br />
Macintosh<br />
Buyer's<br />
Guide<br />
COMPUTED<br />
PC and PCjr<br />
COMPUTE'/s<br />
Gazette<br />
.OMPUTEVs<br />
Apple<br />
Applications<br />
-■ ;<br />
AmigaWorld<br />
Maciiser
Lyco <strong>Computer</strong><br />
7<br />
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II//LASER128<br />
■Buill-in 128K<br />
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II//LASER<br />
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Card<br />
Premounted on its own<br />
Controller Card<br />
EZ Slot Installation<br />
(app. 10 min.)<br />
20-30-49 meg drives available!<br />
520 ST-FM<br />
Monochrome<br />
System<br />
$599 95*<br />
'Quantities Limited<br />
Call lot more Hardware information<br />
95<br />
$335 95<br />
AATARI<br />
PC<br />
COMPATIBLE<br />
HARDWARE<br />
Use' Compact XTE 640K S549.95<br />
Laser Desktop Turbo XT 640K . $599.95<br />
Blue Chip Popular $549.95<br />
Vendex Hoadstart <strong>Color</strong> 5989.95<br />
Vendex Heacstart Mono SCALL<br />
Vendex HeaoBtarl 888 LTD<br />
<strong>Color</strong> S1599.95<br />
Sharp PC 4501 S679.95<br />
Sharp PC 4502 S1239.95<br />
Zucker CGA <strong>Color</strong>Card S89.95<br />
BCC CG CotorCard S94.99<br />
User EGA + 4 Card $129.95<br />
ATI Graphics Solution $129.95<br />
ATI EGA Wonder 199.95<br />
ATI VIP $299.95<br />
Kraft PC Joystick Card $27.95<br />
Seagate<br />
5.25' Hall Heights<br />
hardware<br />
ST225 20 meg 65msec MFM .. $215.95<br />
ST225N 20 meg SCSI $289.95<br />
ST238R 30 meg RLL 5229.95<br />
ST25! 40 meg 40 msec MFM . 5345.95<br />
ST25I-1 40 meg 2B msec MFM . 5429.95<br />
ST277R65meg40msecRLL. $389.95<br />
3.5-<br />
ST125 20 meg 40 msec MFM . S235.95<br />
ST125N 20 meg SCSI $299.95<br />
ST138R 30 meg RLL S249.95<br />
ST138N 30 meg SCSI $329.95<br />
ST157R 49 meg RLL $399.95<br />
ST157N 48 meg SCSI $439.95<br />
Seagals Internal Cards<br />
ST125 20 meg Internal Card ... $299.95<br />
ST157R 49 meg Internal Card . 5485.95<br />
Controllers<br />
1-<strong>80</strong>0-233-8760<br />
MFM Controller (XT) S55.95<br />
RLL Controller (XT) 564.95<br />
Call for kit pncing and specials.<br />
Ask about our<br />
Seagate Paired Solutions!<br />
COMMODORE<br />
HARDWARE<br />
64C <strong>Computer</strong> S159.95<br />
C128D <strong>Computer</strong>/Drive $439.95<br />
1541 II Disk Drive 5175.95<br />
1581 Disk Drive 5189.95<br />
Excel 2001 C128 Drive $199.95<br />
Exce! FSD-2+ C64 Drive $149.95<br />
1<strong>80</strong>2C Monitor $189.95<br />
1084 Monitor $299.95<br />
C1351 Mouse $39.95<br />
1764 RAMC64 $117.95<br />
ff/ZLASER 128<br />
Compatible with Apple Software.<br />
User 128 EX 5429.95<br />
Laser External 5'/. Drive $119.95<br />
Laser External 3V4 <strong>80</strong>0K Drive . $199.95<br />
Two Slot Expansion Box S44.95<br />
User 128/EX Mouse S55.95
Apple lies COMPAQ<br />
386-20<br />
Macintosh<br />
II<br />
GEOS<br />
Microsoft<br />
Works<br />
HyperCard<br />
Deluxe Paint II<br />
COMPUTErs<br />
PC Magazine<br />
COMPUTE!<br />
KFYEAR<br />
COMPUTE!^ Atari<br />
ST Disk and Magazine
Important Answers to Important Questions a^<br />
About Lyco <strong>Computer</strong>!<br />
Why shop at<br />
Lyco <strong>Computer</strong>?<br />
Lyco <strong>Computer</strong> is one of, if not<br />
the largest, oldest, and most<br />
established firms to provide only<br />
quality name brand computer<br />
products to the general public<br />
at prices 30% to 50% lower than<br />
retail. We've set many industry<br />
standards, and we are setting<br />
the pace (or many more in the<br />
future. Our standards include: a<br />
separate department for<br />
customer service; a price<br />
guarantee; guaranteed factory<br />
fresh merchandise; diverse<br />
payment and shipping policies,<br />
including a C.O.D. policy which<br />
allows customers to have<br />
products in their hands before<br />
paying anything. Selection<br />
places Lyco at the forefront of<br />
the industry. Due to our in-stock<br />
volume, we cannot advertise all<br />
of our products. Enjoy one-stop<br />
shopping for national products<br />
by calling our marketing staff<br />
for products and low prices.<br />
How do I know I<br />
will get the product<br />
I need?<br />
Our marketing staff is well<br />
educated in the computer<br />
industry. They receive<br />
continuous formal training by<br />
our manufacturers which<br />
enables them to develop and<br />
maintain a high degree of<br />
expertise on the products they<br />
represent. Though our strict<br />
guarantee on providing only new<br />
merchandise prohibits free trial<br />
periods and a guarantee on<br />
compatibility, a wealth of<br />
knowledge is available to our<br />
customers to help with the<br />
purchasing decision. As<br />
thousands of people every week<br />
capitalize on our savings and<br />
services, we hope you too, will<br />
make Lyco <strong>Computer</strong> your first<br />
choice.<br />
What about warranty<br />
or service?<br />
At Lyco <strong>Computer</strong> we decided<br />
several years ago that a<br />
customer service department<br />
was needed in the industry.<br />
Unfortunately, few of our<br />
competitors offer this service.<br />
Our product line enjoys "name<br />
brand recognition." We back all<br />
of our manufacturer's warranties<br />
in accordance with the manu<br />
facturer's stated warranty terms.<br />
These warranty terms are<br />
normally outlined in each<br />
owner's manual or explained at<br />
a retail store near you. Our<br />
customer service department is<br />
available to provide assistance<br />
in all warranty matters. Many<br />
manufacturers will allow<br />
defective products to be<br />
exchanged. Before you return<br />
any item that appears to be<br />
defective, we ask that you call<br />
our customer service depart<br />
ment. They will assist you in<br />
determining if the product is<br />
defective, and then will give you<br />
a special authorization number<br />
and speed processing of your<br />
order.<br />
Will you rush an<br />
item to me?<br />
Since 1981, we have set the<br />
standard in the industry by<br />
processing orders within 24<br />
hours — not 4 to 6 weeks. We<br />
offer next day air, two day air,<br />
standard UPS, and postal<br />
international shipping services.<br />
With a multi-million dollar<br />
inventory and the utilization of<br />
an IBM mainframe for<br />
processing, our records show<br />
we fill 95% of our orders daily.<br />
Temporary shortages are<br />
normally filled within 10 days.<br />
Our experience indicates most<br />
of our customers will wait the<br />
ten days in order to receive the<br />
benefit of our price savings and<br />
products. If an order cannot be<br />
filled within 60 days, money is<br />
refunded in full in the hope that<br />
the customer will reorder when<br />
the product is available. Any<br />
time prior to shipment,<br />
customers may cancel or<br />
change the out of stock product<br />
by simply contacting our<br />
customer service department.<br />
How do I<br />
order?<br />
Simply send your order to Lyco<br />
<strong>Computer</strong>, P.O. Box 5088,<br />
Jersey Shore, PA 17740. Or,<br />
call either 1-<strong>80</strong>0-233-8760 or<br />
717-494-1030. We provide four<br />
payment methods. We have<br />
always accepted C.O.D. orders<br />
through UPS. Prepaid orders<br />
over $50 are shipped freight<br />
free. For orders under $50,<br />
please add $3 for freight. Orders<br />
prepaid by a certified check or<br />
money order payments,<br />
merchandise is shipped<br />
immediately. Personal and<br />
company checks require a 4<br />
week waiting period prior to<br />
shipping. Visa and Master Card<br />
orders are accepted for your<br />
convenience, but we cannot<br />
pass along the 4% discount<br />
offered for cash. Purchase<br />
orders are accepted from<br />
Educational Institutions. We only<br />
charge sales tax on items<br />
delivered in Pennsylvania. For<br />
APO, FPO, and international<br />
orders, please add $5 plus 3%<br />
for priority mail. Advertised<br />
prices and availability are<br />
subject to change.
IBM AATARIST AATARf apple COMMODORE<br />
Access:<br />
Wld. Cl. LBader Board .. S9.99<br />
10th Frame $27.95<br />
Actlvlslon:<br />
Beyond Zork $27.95<br />
Lurking Horror $22.95<br />
Might& Magic $28.95<br />
Broderbund:<br />
Ancient Art of War $26.95<br />
Print Shop $34.95<br />
Carmen San Diego<br />
Europe $26.95<br />
Electronic Arts:<br />
Yeager'sAFT $26.95<br />
Weaver Baseball S25.95<br />
Bard's Tale $32.95<br />
Epyx:<br />
$27.95<br />
California Games $22.95<br />
LA. Crackdown $28.95<br />
Home Video Proaucer. $28.95<br />
Print Mage $33.95<br />
Firebird:<br />
Universal Military<br />
Simulator $28.95<br />
Slarglider $17.95<br />
Micro league:<br />
Microleag. Baseball $22.95<br />
GM Disk $16.95<br />
Mtcroprose:<br />
Gunship $27.95<br />
Pirates $22.95<br />
Mlnd9cape:<br />
SuperSlarlceHockey. $22.95<br />
Willow $22.95<br />
Origin:<br />
Ultima IV 534.95<br />
Moebius $34.95<br />
Strategic Simulations:<br />
Phantasie 111 $26.95<br />
Questron II $29,95<br />
Subloglc:<br />
Right Simulator $34.95<br />
Jot $30.95<br />
Time works:<br />
Wordwriter PC S27.95<br />
PC Quintet S55.95<br />
Unison World:<br />
Newsmastet II $39.95<br />
Pnnl Master $29.95<br />
Access:<br />
Leader Board $22.95<br />
10th Frame $22.95<br />
Actlvlslon:<br />
Music Studio $27.95<br />
BrOdBrburtd:<br />
Superbike Chailenge ... S11.95<br />
Electronic Arts:<br />
Alien Fires $25.95<br />
Hunt lor Red October.. $32.95<br />
Epyx:<br />
Dive Bomber $22.95<br />
Impossible Mission 2 ... $22.95<br />
Firebird:<br />
Universal Military<br />
Simulator $28.95<br />
Carrier Command $25.95<br />
Micro league:<br />
Microleague Baseball .. $33.95<br />
Micro. Wrestling S25.95<br />
Microprose:<br />
F-15 Strike Eagle S24.95<br />
Gunship $28.95<br />
Mlndscape:<br />
Balance ol Power S28.95<br />
Hairier Combat<br />
Simulator $28,95<br />
Origin:<br />
Autoduel $29.95<br />
Ultima IV $34.95<br />
Strategic Simulations:<br />
Questron II $32.95<br />
Stellar Crusade $35.95<br />
Subloglc:<br />
Right Simulator II $30.95<br />
Scenery Disks<br />
Tlmeworks:<br />
SCALL<br />
Wordwriter ST $44.95<br />
Partner ST $27.95<br />
Unison World:<br />
Art Gallery 1.2or3 .... $14.95<br />
Prim Master $19.95<br />
Access:<br />
World Class Lead. Bd.. $25.95<br />
Act I vision:<br />
Fairy Tale Adventure ... 528.95<br />
Ebon Star 522.95<br />
Electronic Arts:<br />
Weaver Baseball $33.95<br />
Ferrari Formuia One ... 533.95<br />
Epyx:<br />
World Games $22.95<br />
Destroyer $22.95<br />
Flrabird:<br />
Guild of Thieves $25.95<br />
Starglider S13.95<br />
Mlcroprose:<br />
Silent Service $22.95<br />
Access:<br />
Triple Pack $11.95<br />
Leader Board Double<br />
Pack S9.99<br />
Actfvision:<br />
Music Studio $19.95<br />
Great American Road<br />
Race $9.99<br />
Batteries Included:<br />
Paperclip $31.95<br />
Broderbund:<br />
Print Shop $26.95<br />
Graphic lib. I, II, III $14.95<br />
Electronic Arts:<br />
Pinball Con. Set $8.95<br />
Mail Order Monsters $8.95<br />
Microleague:<br />
Microteague Baseball .. $22.95<br />
GM Disk $16.95<br />
Mlcroprose:<br />
F-15 Strike Eagle 519.95<br />
Silent Service 519.95<br />
Mlndscape:<br />
Gauntlet 520.95<br />
Infiltrator S17.95<br />
Origin:<br />
Autoduel $28.95<br />
UltmalV $34.95<br />
Strategic Simulations:<br />
Phantasie III $26.95<br />
Eternal Dagger 526.95<br />
Subloglc:<br />
Flight Simulator II $30.95<br />
Scenery Disks $CALL<br />
Mind scope:<br />
Balance of Power<br />
Harrier Combat<br />
Simulator<br />
Origin:<br />
Autoduel<br />
Echelon $25.95<br />
Ogre<br />
Mach 128 $28.95<br />
Strategic Simulations:<br />
Win Cl. Leader Bid ... $22.95<br />
Gettysburg<br />
Phanlasie III<br />
538-95<br />
S26.95<br />
Famous Courses 1,2,or3<br />
$11.95<br />
Subloglc:<br />
Right Simulator II<br />
Jet<br />
Unison World:<br />
Print Master<br />
Fonts & Borders<br />
Access:<br />
Wohd Class Leader<br />
Board $23.95<br />
Echelon $25.95<br />
Actlvlslon:<br />
Might & Magic $28.95<br />
Maniac Mansion $19.95<br />
Broderbund:<br />
Print Shop $29.95<br />
Carmen S. Diego{USA)..$26.95<br />
Electronic Arts:<br />
Yeagers AFT $26.95<br />
Bards Tale III $32.95<br />
Epyx:<br />
SI. Sports Basketball... $22.95<br />
Print Magic $33.95<br />
Firebird:<br />
Starglicer $13.95<br />
GulW of Thieves $25.95<br />
Microleague:<br />
Microleag. Baseball $22,95<br />
Stat Disk 511,95<br />
Mlcroprose:<br />
F-15 Stnke Eagle $t9.95<br />
Pirates $22.95<br />
Mlndscape:<br />
Indoor Sports $17.95<br />
Paperboy $22.95<br />
Origin:<br />
Autoduel $29.95<br />
Ultima V $34.95<br />
Strategic Simulations:<br />
Phantasie $26.95<br />
Questron II $29.95<br />
Subloglc:<br />
Flight Simulator II 530.95<br />
Jel Simulator $24.95<br />
Tlmeworks:<br />
Publish It $56.95<br />
Font Pack 1 $22.95<br />
Unison World:<br />
Art Gallery 1, 2 of 3 .... $14.95<br />
Print Master S25.95<br />
COMMODORE<br />
$28.95 Batteries Included:<br />
Paperclip III $31.95<br />
52895 Paperclip Publisher $31.95<br />
Action Soft:<br />
$30.95 up Penscope $1B.95<br />
530-95 Thunderchopper S1B.95<br />
Actlvlslon:<br />
$25.95 Music Studi0 S19.95<br />
$17.95 LaSt Njnja $19.95<br />
Berkeley Softworfcs:<br />
Geofile CS4 $29.95<br />
Geocalc C64 $29.95<br />
Geos&4 $35.95<br />
Broderbund:<br />
Bank St. Wnter 529.95<br />
Print Shop $26.95<br />
Electronic Arts:<br />
Demon Stalkers $19.95<br />
Dragon's Lair $16.95<br />
Skate or Die $19.95<br />
Epyx:<br />
Faslkwd $22.95<br />
California Games $22.95<br />
Impossible Mission 2 ... $22.95<br />
4x4 Off Road Racing .. $22.95<br />
Firebird:<br />
$22.95<br />
Elite $9.95<br />
Guild of Thieves $25.95<br />
Microleague:<br />
Microleag. Baseball $22.95<br />
Microleag. Wrestling .... S16.95<br />
Mlcroprose:<br />
Airborne Ranger 519.95<br />
Gunship S19.95<br />
Pirates $22.95<br />
Mlndscap«:<br />
Infiltration S17.95<br />
Gauntlet S19.95<br />
Origin:<br />
Autoduel $29.95<br />
Ultima IV $34.95<br />
Software Simulations:<br />
Pure Slat Baseball $22.95<br />
Strategic Simulations:<br />
Gettysburg $38.95<br />
Phanlasie III $26.95<br />
Sublogic:<br />
Flight Simulator II 530.95<br />
Jet Simulator $30.95<br />
Scenery Disks SCALL<br />
Tlmeworks:<br />
Partner C64 522.95<br />
Swift Calc 128 S28.95<br />
Unison World:<br />
Art Gallery 1,2or3 .... 514.95<br />
Diskettes<br />
Joysticks<br />
3.5<br />
Maxell:<br />
SSOD $11,50<br />
DSDD S17.95<br />
Bonus:<br />
SSDD $10.95<br />
DSDD $13.95<br />
Verbatim:<br />
SSDD $12.95<br />
DSDD $18.95<br />
SKC:<br />
SSDD $9.95<br />
DSDD $13.99<br />
5-1/4<br />
Disk Notcher $5.95<br />
Maxell:<br />
SSDD 57.95<br />
DSDD $8.95<br />
Bonus:<br />
SSDD $5.95<br />
DSDD $6.95<br />
SKC:<br />
DSDD $6.95<br />
DSHD $13.95<br />
Generic DSDD $4.95<br />
Verbatim:<br />
SSDD $8.99<br />
DSDD $11.50<br />
Tac3 $9.95<br />
Tac2 $10.95<br />
Tac5 $12.95<br />
Tac 1 + IBM/AP $26.95<br />
Slik Stick $6.95<br />
Black Max $10.95<br />
Boss $11.99<br />
3-Way $19.99<br />
Bathandle $16.75<br />
Winner 909 $24.95<br />
Wico tBM/AP $29.95<br />
Lipstick Plus $14.95<br />
Kraft KC III Ap/PC $16.95<br />
Kraft PC Joystick<br />
Card $27.95<br />
Kraft Maze Master $8.95<br />
I Controller $13.95<br />
Spy* 500 XJ $13.95<br />
Look for Lyco Bucks!
COMPUTE!<br />
specific<br />
ries of Apple II hard disk<br />
drives), you could find a CD-<br />
ROM drive for the Apple II<br />
and Macintosh lines. When<br />
would it be available? Shrugs<br />
all around. Who makes the<br />
drive? More shrugs. How<br />
much would it cost? Around<br />
$<strong>80</strong>0, $900—somewhere in<br />
there. Talk about laid-back<br />
marketing.<br />
Timeout Times Four. Bea<br />
gle Bros, made a splash at last<br />
year's AppleFest when they re<br />
leased their Timeout series of<br />
AppleWorksadd-ins. Ranging<br />
from small utilities to fullfledged<br />
applications, all Time<br />
out programs can be run<br />
directly from AppleWorks.<br />
Four new additions to the line<br />
were introduced at AppleFest<br />
Boston: Thesaurus, Desktools<br />
II, Macrotools, and Powerpack.<br />
With the exception of<br />
Macroiools, ($25.00), the new<br />
packages cost $49.95 each.<br />
Soviet Software. Tetris. a<br />
game that's gotten a lot of<br />
press because it was developed<br />
in the Soviet Union, is being<br />
readied for the Apple II and<br />
IIgs by Spectrum HoloBytc.<br />
Tetris is deceptively simple:<br />
<strong>Color</strong>ed blocks of various<br />
shapes drop from the top of<br />
the screen as you rotate and<br />
move them into position at the<br />
bottom. Large groups of peo<br />
ple had to stare over shoulders<br />
to watch Spectrum HoloByte<br />
personnel hog the game—it's<br />
thai addicting.<br />
Fast. Fast Relief<br />
The most exciting thing on the<br />
Apple II hardware horizon is<br />
the appearance of speed-up<br />
chips and boards. Apple II<br />
technology is over ten years<br />
old now, and in many ways it's<br />
showing its age.<br />
processor replacement for the<br />
Apple He, seemed to be com<br />
ing to the rescue last Septem<br />
ber. The Zip Chip ($ 129) was<br />
touted as being up to four<br />
times faster than the 6502.<br />
Horrendous shipping delays<br />
(caused by manufacturing<br />
problems and a huge demand<br />
for the chip, according to Zip<br />
Technology) made a lot of peo<br />
ple skeptical. COMPUTE!<br />
magazine still has not received<br />
a chip for evaluation, for in<br />
Much of this aging prob<br />
lem is centered around speed,<br />
or the lack of it. The recent<br />
surge in graphics-intensive<br />
software—desktop publishing<br />
programs in particular—has<br />
pointed out the slowness of the<br />
Apple IPs 65C02 microproces<br />
sor. The processor is just not<br />
fast enough to handle the full<br />
screen graphics necessary in<br />
such software as Springboard<br />
Publisher, Publish It!, and<br />
GEOS.<br />
The Zip Chip, a micro-<br />
stance, although one was<br />
promised for arrival last Janu<br />
ary by the company's CEO.<br />
The Zip Chip was at<br />
AppleFest Boston in late May,<br />
again showing how fast it<br />
makes 8-bit programs like<br />
AppleWorks. Several of the<br />
Apple He computers at the<br />
Berkeley Softworks booth were<br />
Zip Chip equipped; the speed<br />
up of their geoPublish, geo-<br />
Calc. and geofite programs<br />
was noticeable and welcomed.<br />
Another promised chip re<br />
placement made an appear<br />
ance at AppleFest—the Rocket<br />
Chip from Bits and Pieces<br />
Technology. The prototype<br />
chip shown at AppleFest<br />
seemed similar to the Zip in<br />
both look and result. The<br />
Rocket Chip sped up the ma<br />
chine and the software running<br />
on it by as much as five times<br />
the normal speed, the compa<br />
ny claimed. The chip can also<br />
be slowed sufficiently so that<br />
the gazelle-like computer can<br />
run programs that require<br />
slower speeds.<br />
Without our having had a<br />
chance to evaluate either chip,<br />
however, recommendations<br />
certainly cannot be made. It<br />
would be prudent to wait until<br />
the desired chip is available in<br />
number before ordering—you<br />
shouldn't have to wait longer<br />
than a few weeks for any prod<br />
uct you order by mail to<br />
arrive.<br />
The Zip and Rocket chips<br />
take care of Apple He and He<br />
owners, but what of those with<br />
an Apple IIgs? The IIgs may<br />
be the fastest Apple II out of<br />
the box, but it's still too slow<br />
for many of the 16-bit applica<br />
tions either available or under<br />
development. Applied Engi<br />
neering, known for its Transwarp<br />
acceleration boards (as<br />
well as for such hardware as<br />
PC Transport, the MS-DOS<br />
computer on a card), is in the<br />
midst of developing Transwarp<br />
GS. The prototype shown<br />
at AppleFest Boston will lead<br />
to a $299 board either by the<br />
end of the summer or some<br />
time in the fourth quarter of<br />
the year, depending on which<br />
Applied Engineering person<br />
you spoke with at the show.<br />
Whether it's available in Au<br />
gust or December, the acceler<br />
ator will reportedly double the<br />
speed of the IIgs, to about 6<br />
megahertz.<br />
In a completely subjective<br />
test on a Transwarp gs proto<br />
type-equipped IIgs, Deluxe<br />
Paint II operated noticeably<br />
faster. Such time-intensive<br />
tasks as painting with full<br />
screen brushes were much fast<br />
er on the prototype. In fact, the<br />
response was much closer to<br />
that of Deluxe Paint II running<br />
on a Commodore Amiga, a<br />
6<strong>80</strong>00-driven computer which<br />
also uses several graphics chips<br />
to take some of the processing<br />
load off the 6<strong>80</strong>00.<br />
— Gregg Keizer<br />
Commodore recently an<br />
nounced that it has shipped<br />
over 600,000 Amigas world<br />
wide in the two years since the<br />
machine's release, at the same<br />
time noting that the Amiga<br />
development community has<br />
written more than 1100 soft<br />
ware programs for the graphicsintensive<br />
computer.<br />
Max Toy, president and<br />
CEO of Commodore Business<br />
Machines, said. "We see the<br />
Amiga becoming a standard<br />
business computer as well as<br />
the graphics system for corpo<br />
rate communications depart<br />
ments, television studios, and<br />
video production houses."<br />
While the Amiga is al<br />
ready a popular home com<br />
puter, whether it can become a<br />
standard business computer<br />
remains to be seen (witness the<br />
difficulties Apple had in push<br />
ing its Macintosh into the busi<br />
ness arena). The Amiga's<br />
hardware is up to the chal<br />
lenge, but there will have to be<br />
a lot more (and better) busi<br />
ness software developed before<br />
the Amiga can compete in the<br />
business market.<br />
Make a Video<br />
Video software is the current<br />
rage among Amiga users. Tele<br />
vision stations and animation<br />
studios are using the Amiga for<br />
dry runs of graphics and ani<br />
mations; artists are discover<br />
ing Amiga digitizing, painting,<br />
and animation software; and<br />
home users are connecting<br />
Amigas to VCRs to make their<br />
own videos and movies.<br />
The Director, from The<br />
Right Answers Group, is a<br />
display-and-animation pro<br />
gramming language that makes<br />
it easier than ever to master<br />
the graphics of your Amiga.<br />
The word programming<br />
may scare off some potential<br />
buyers. It shouldn't. If you<br />
know BASIC, you'll find your<br />
self right at home with The Direcior—you'll<br />
be making Direc<br />
tor scripts in minutes. If you've<br />
never programmed before,<br />
The Director's excellent man<br />
ual will tutor you. The demos<br />
on the disk and the examples<br />
in the manual are very helpful;<br />
they show you how to program<br />
everything from a simple slideshow<br />
program to a full-blown<br />
animation with text, color<br />
cycling, sound, and more.<br />
To write a Director script,<br />
you use a text editor to enter<br />
Director commands. The<br />
MicroEMACS editor supplied<br />
on your Amiga Extras disk<br />
works well. To run a script<br />
called dog, for instance, simply<br />
type director dog. Director cre<br />
ates a file called dog.film, then<br />
executes the script. After the<br />
dog.film file has been created,<br />
you can show your animation<br />
by typing projector dog.film.<br />
Projector is a program that can<br />
be freely redistributed—good<br />
news for budding animators<br />
who want to share videos with<br />
50 COMPUTE!
COMPUTE!<br />
specific<br />
their friends and the rest of the<br />
Amiga world.<br />
The Director loads IFF<br />
images of any resolution, in<br />
cluding HAM and overscan.<br />
Some of the features include<br />
fades, dissolves, blits (using<br />
the blitter to move rectangles<br />
with different effects), wipes,<br />
stencils, built-in drawing com<br />
mands, and input commands.<br />
If you have another ani<br />
mation program that produces<br />
ANIM files (the IFF standard<br />
for animation files), The Direc<br />
tor can load and display them<br />
as well.<br />
The Director ($69.95) is<br />
available from The Right An<br />
swers Group, Box 3699, Torrence,<br />
California, 90510; (213)<br />
325-1311.<br />
Perfect<br />
If the Amiga is going to be con<br />
sidered a business machine, it<br />
needs more heavy-hitting soft<br />
ware companies to develop<br />
software. WordPerfect was the<br />
first (and so far the only) large<br />
software company to support<br />
the Amiga.<br />
WordPerfect released the<br />
Amiga version of WordPerfect<br />
almost a year ago. They were<br />
amply rewarded for their fore<br />
sight. Supposedly, they re<br />
couped their investment<br />
almost overnight.<br />
What's next for WordPer<br />
fect? First, the company has<br />
said that it will eventually up<br />
grade the Amiga version of its<br />
word processor to incorporate<br />
the features of its IBM PC ver<br />
sion, WordPerfect 5.0. When<br />
will that be? After the fiasco of<br />
WordPerfect for the Macin<br />
tosh, which was delayed<br />
month after month, WordPer<br />
fect would rather not say. The<br />
semiofficial word is that it will<br />
be available in a year and a<br />
half. But that's probably a<br />
longer wait than the consum<br />
ers (or WordPerfect itself)<br />
would put up with.<br />
In the meantime, there's<br />
WordPerfect Library, a collec<br />
tion of desktop programs. In<br />
cluded are Notebook, which<br />
lets you organize information<br />
into an index file format that<br />
can be read by WordPerfect; a<br />
Calendar designed for lo-do<br />
lists and memos; a versatile<br />
Calculator, which features<br />
mathematical, financial, scien<br />
tific, and programming func<br />
tions; a File Manager to handle<br />
directories; and WordPerfect's<br />
Program Editor.<br />
WordPerfect Library is<br />
available from WordPerfect,<br />
1555 North Technology Way.<br />
Orem, Utah 84057; (<strong>80</strong>1) 227-<br />
4096. The price is $129.<br />
Amiga Arcade<br />
Sick of sticking Quarters in ar<br />
cade machines? A personal<br />
computer has several advan<br />
tages over game machines,<br />
ranging from mass storage to<br />
versatile input devices (mouse,<br />
joystick, and keyboard).<br />
As a result, computers can<br />
play games that just wouldn't<br />
work in an arcade setting. But<br />
for those times when most<br />
computer games seem too ce<br />
rebral, you can always play one<br />
of the many arcade-like games<br />
available for your computer.<br />
On the Amiga, two new trans<br />
lations, Aaargh! and Roadwars,<br />
bring the arcade home.<br />
Both programs are distrib<br />
uted by Electronic Arts,<br />
though they were created by<br />
Arcadia, a company that sup<br />
posedly uses Amiga chips in its<br />
arcade machines. The excel<br />
lent graphics and sound clearly<br />
show the arcade heritage of<br />
these games.<br />
Aaargh! is a one-player<br />
game. The players choose be<br />
tween two monsters—a lizard<br />
and an ogre. The game is large<br />
ly a smash-and-burn campaign<br />
done in the style of a Godzilla<br />
movie. The graphics and ani<br />
mation are colorful and attrac<br />
tive. Aaarghl's stereo sound is<br />
nice. too. Your goal is to<br />
smash the local buildings of 12<br />
different cities, eating the food<br />
you find (including hot dogs,<br />
hamburgers, tacos, and the res<br />
idents of the cities}. When you<br />
find a golden egg. you must<br />
battle another monster for it.<br />
These battles are real knock<br />
down, drag-out fights.<br />
Arcadia's other release is<br />
Roadwars, a one- or two-play<br />
er game. If you play solitaire,<br />
you play against a competent<br />
(if rather dull) computer play<br />
er. In Roadwars, you are one<br />
of two balls rolling down a<br />
track. While in the form of a<br />
ball, you are shielded, but<br />
when you shoot, you lose your<br />
shields. After all the obstacles<br />
on the track have been shot<br />
down, you move onto another<br />
track. Roadwars' digitized<br />
graphics are especially nice—<br />
the objects in the game have<br />
been digitized from models.<br />
The result is a game that looks<br />
oddly realistic—halfway be<br />
tween normal computer graph<br />
ics and television. Digitized<br />
sound effects complement the<br />
game.<br />
Aaargh! and Roadwars<br />
($34.95 each) are available<br />
from Electronic Arts, 1820<br />
Gateway Drive, San Mateo,<br />
California, 94404; (<strong>80</strong>0) 245-<br />
4525.<br />
— Rhett Anderson<br />
Do you think desktopifgtbHshing<br />
is the catch phrase today?<br />
If you do. you're a little behind<br />
the times. The latest is desktop<br />
presentations.<br />
When PowerPoint was re<br />
leased last year, it really de<br />
fined the presentation-software<br />
category. This software allows<br />
the user to design slides and<br />
easily make coordinated<br />
speaker's notes and audience<br />
handouts. Microsoft saw the<br />
writing on the wall and bought<br />
the program. PowerPoint 2.0 is<br />
on its way.<br />
In the meantime. Cricket<br />
Presents. .. was finally re<br />
leased in May. I first saw the<br />
program demonstrated in May<br />
1987 at the New York Mac-<br />
Fair, and I was told release was<br />
imminent. Cricket's an<br />
nouncement of the release was<br />
met by an announcement from<br />
Manhattan Graphics that<br />
Ready-Set-Show was on the<br />
way. With the corporate pre<br />
sentation pie being so large,<br />
there arc enough slices to go<br />
around.<br />
PowerPoint, Cricket Pre<br />
sents ... , and Ready-Set-Show<br />
are intended for static slides:<br />
You create them on the Mac,<br />
have them turned into slides—<br />
Microsoft and Cricket have<br />
deals with slide-production<br />
companies—and make your<br />
presumably corporate<br />
presentation.<br />
Personally, I prefer dy<br />
namic presentations, using my<br />
Mac and a projector. If you<br />
have that setup—and there are<br />
a lot of hardware possibilities<br />
out there these days—you can<br />
use any of the presentation<br />
programs; you can also use<br />
More, or HyperCard, or Video-<br />
Works, and make interactive<br />
or animated presentations.<br />
Quick Notes<br />
No online surcharge. The<br />
FCC's plan to impose a fivedollar-an-hour<br />
surcharge on<br />
connect lime for online surviccs<br />
has been dropped, thank<br />
goodness. If you use any of the<br />
electronic services, you know<br />
how fast the online charges<br />
rack up. even without a<br />
surcharge.<br />
Gassee1 s stock. Jean-<br />
Louis Gassee sold more than<br />
60,000 shares of Apple stock in<br />
February and March, netting<br />
about $2.7 million. Gassee,<br />
Apple's senior vice president<br />
of research and development,<br />
isn't saying why. Maybe it's<br />
because he Said out just under<br />
half a million for those shares<br />
about six months before; even<br />
after the lax bile on the $2.2<br />
million profit, he's left with a<br />
hefty chunk of money. What's<br />
Gassee like? I don't know, but<br />
when I met him in San Fran<br />
cisco in January at an awards<br />
dinner, he was wearing a tux<br />
with a needlepoint cummer<br />
bund, kiddy-print sneakers,<br />
and a diamond in his ear.<br />
No thanks for the memo<br />
ries. The memory-chip short<br />
age is still driving prices up.<br />
Apple's two-megabyte upgrade<br />
was less than $600 a few short<br />
months ago; now it's $849.<br />
Cray and Apple. When<br />
Apple purchased a Cray to<br />
SEPTEMBER 9 8 8 51
COMPUTE!<br />
specific<br />
help in its research and devel<br />
opment, the amusing thing to<br />
note was that Seymour Cray<br />
was using a Macintosh to doo<br />
dle new designs for a new<br />
Cray. Now. Cray Research's<br />
CEO. John Roliwagen. has<br />
been added to Apple's board of<br />
directors. It's a nice marriage<br />
for companies that make, re<br />
spectively, supercomputers<br />
and super computers.<br />
Out of Court<br />
We'll just ignore Ihe Apple vs.<br />
Microsoft/Hewlett-Packard lit<br />
igation this month. Maybe a<br />
quarterly report will be suffi<br />
cient to keep us up-to-date on<br />
what's sure to be a long,<br />
drawn-out prccourt battle.<br />
Antiviral Rx<br />
The original Mac Peace virus<br />
was generally benign, but the<br />
ncxl one, popularly called<br />
Scores, has been nasty. A virus<br />
is a self-replicating, autorun<br />
program that can creep into<br />
your system or files if you use<br />
infected software.<br />
Scores is rampant: The<br />
cross-counlry plague has in<br />
vaded NASA, Electronic Data<br />
Systems in Dallas, and corpo<br />
rations in Washington. D.C. If<br />
you're into online systems, you<br />
can download one of the many<br />
antiviral programs, some of<br />
which were specifically de<br />
signed for fighting Scores.<br />
Look for KillScores, Ferret,<br />
Vaccine, Inlerferon, or Virus<br />
Detective. Apple has even<br />
posted Virus Rx, an anti-viral<br />
program of its own.<br />
Systematic Updates<br />
As I write this, the release of<br />
System 6.0 is imminent, but<br />
already there's a list of features<br />
for the 7.0 version. Apple is fi<br />
nally using a single number for<br />
the System/Finder combina<br />
tion, so we don't have to worry<br />
about which System goes with<br />
which Finder. Let's hope the<br />
System and Finder version<br />
numbers are finally adjusted<br />
so they'll match the System<br />
Tools number.<br />
The 6.0 System set in<br />
cludes QuickerGraf, a Quick<br />
Draw speed enhancement by<br />
Andy Hertzfeld. He probably<br />
did ii on a coffee break some<br />
afternoon, after someone put<br />
an idle question to him: "D'you<br />
think QuickDraw could be<br />
made to work faster?" Also in<br />
cluded in 6.0 is a desk accesso<br />
ry. Macro Maker, which lets<br />
you record keyslrokes and<br />
mouse movements.<br />
There's a terrific option<br />
slated for the 7.0 version: IAC<br />
(InterApplication Communi<br />
cations). It will include a<br />
"smart" clipboard to let you<br />
pasle between applications and<br />
leave a dynamic link between<br />
them. If the information in the<br />
source document changes, so<br />
will the pasted material.<br />
MultiFinder is slated to<br />
become the default operating<br />
environment, although the<br />
Finder (UniFinder?) will re<br />
main an option. With memory<br />
chips so scarce and expensive.<br />
and with MultiFinder's appe<br />
tite for RAM. the change<br />
might have to wait until the<br />
minimum RAM configuration<br />
that comes with the Mac can<br />
be increased cheaply and easily<br />
to iwo megabytes.<br />
Finder's Keepers<br />
Last month's column included<br />
some tips on using Multi-<br />
Finder. This month brings<br />
Finder tips.<br />
• To close all the windows on<br />
the DeskTop in one click,<br />
hold down the Option key<br />
while you click in any win<br />
dow's Close box.<br />
• Returning to ihe DeskTop<br />
from an application takes<br />
time because the DeskTop is<br />
rebuilt, with windows and<br />
icons redrawn wherever you<br />
lefi them. To save time, you<br />
can keep everything closed. If<br />
you want to open a disk or a<br />
folder, you can fool the Find<br />
er: Hold down the Option key<br />
as you open windows on the<br />
DeskTop. The Finder won't<br />
remember that you opened<br />
those items, and il won't re<br />
draw them when you quit to<br />
the DeskTop.<br />
• If you like your icons neatly<br />
Click Art<br />
lined up in the windows, you<br />
can, of course, use the Clean<br />
up command to align them<br />
according to the invisible grid<br />
in the window. But if you're<br />
moving things around inside<br />
a window, the alignment is<br />
quickly lost. If you drag an<br />
icon around while holding<br />
the Option key down, it snaps<br />
into place on the grid when<br />
you release it.<br />
• When you drag an icon from<br />
one window to another (as in<br />
a folder-to-foldcr transfer),<br />
the item is moved from one<br />
place to the other. If you want<br />
to move a copy of the origi<br />
nal, hold the Option key<br />
down while you drag the icon.<br />
The original is left in place,<br />
and a copy is put into the newspot.<br />
The copy has exactly the<br />
same name as the original; it<br />
does not appear as "Copy<br />
of...."<br />
If you need bitmapped clip art,<br />
any one of Dubl-Click's Wei-<br />
Paint volumes is a safe bet.<br />
The art is consistently excel<br />
lent. There are 16 volumes so<br />
far, sold in 2-volume sets for<br />
$79.95. In addition to terrific<br />
clip art. WetPaitu volumes<br />
include one of the besi desk ac<br />
cessories around: Art Round<br />
up. Its original version was<br />
great, but the new. 2.0 version<br />
boasts even more utility.<br />
Basically. Art Roundup<br />
lets you open any MacPaintformal<br />
document and select<br />
part of it lo copy to the Clip<br />
board. It includes a pencil and<br />
eraser for touch-ups. and a se<br />
lection rectangle and lasso. You<br />
can also flip, copy, rotate, or<br />
even scale the selection before<br />
it's placed on the Clipboard.<br />
Art Roundup opens only a<br />
copy of (he graphics document.<br />
so the original stays intact no<br />
matter what you do. The new<br />
version even lets you set up a<br />
quick slide show so that you<br />
can thumb through a whole<br />
folder of art very quickly.<br />
Dubl-Click(l8201 Gresham<br />
Street. Northridge. Califor<br />
nia. 91325; 818-349-2758) also<br />
has a line of ImagcWriter<br />
fonts, called World Class<br />
Fonts, whose quality matches<br />
that of Wet Paint.<br />
— Sharon Zardetto Aker<br />
Forecasts of impending doom<br />
for the ST are exaggeraied. In<br />
fact, several auxiliary hard<br />
ware developers are showing<br />
confidence in the machine by<br />
releasing products that make<br />
the ST even more powerful<br />
and versatile.<br />
The ST's doom-andgloom<br />
forecasts stem not only<br />
from ihe poor availability of<br />
Mega STs, but from the rumor<br />
thai Atari is going to crack<br />
down on mail-order houses by<br />
limiting the shipments of STs<br />
to them and giving preference<br />
to established dealers.<br />
This strategy worked well<br />
for Apple, enabling Apple deal<br />
ers (and Apple) to garner<br />
healthy profit margins. This<br />
technique probably won't<br />
work as well for Atari, howev<br />
er, for the simple reason that<br />
Apples arc available in a wide<br />
variety of computer stores, but<br />
it's hard to find a store that<br />
slocks Atari computers.<br />
Because of Atari's limiled<br />
dealer network, a significant<br />
number of people buy STs<br />
from mail-order houses. If that<br />
supply dries up. then it's likely<br />
that people who can't get Atari<br />
STs from mail-order houses<br />
will simply buy something<br />
else—perhaps a PC clone. The<br />
prices of these computers are<br />
in the range of ST prices and<br />
PC software is plentiful.<br />
Mouse Moving Over<br />
Practical Solutions' Mouse<br />
Master (1930 East Grant<br />
Road. Tucson. Arizona 85716:<br />
602-884-9612; $39.95) conve<br />
niently solves the problem of<br />
52 COMPUTE!
COMPUTE!<br />
specific<br />
simultaneously connecting two<br />
joysticks and a mouse to an<br />
ST.<br />
Without such a device<br />
you must constantly plug and<br />
unplug the mouse and joy<br />
sticks. Not only is this plugging<br />
and unplugging inconvenient<br />
and hard on the cables, but it's<br />
downright difficult on the 1040<br />
ST, with its hidden connectors.<br />
Many games require you<br />
to plug a joystick into the<br />
mouse port. To start many of<br />
these same games, you must<br />
use the mouse to move the<br />
mouse pointer to their icons;<br />
then you double-click. After<br />
that, you have to unplug the<br />
mouse and plug in the joystick.<br />
Mouse Master eliminates<br />
this switching. The Mouse<br />
Master is a small box with a<br />
cable terminating in a pair of<br />
mouse/joystick connectors<br />
that piug into your ST. The<br />
box itself has a mouse port and<br />
two joystick ports, all clearly<br />
labeled. A switch on the top of<br />
the box lets you switch be<br />
tween using the mouse in port<br />
0 and using the joystick in port<br />
0. You can switch devices at<br />
anv time.<br />
Video Connection<br />
A genlock allows computer<br />
graphics to be superimposed<br />
on an industry-standard exter<br />
nal video source. While the<br />
concept sounds simple, a gen<br />
lock package is not—it may<br />
have more chips than the com<br />
puter with which it works.<br />
There are many uses for a<br />
genlock. The combination of<br />
external video and computer<br />
graphics can generate effects<br />
thai rate anywhere from trivial<br />
to stunning.<br />
With software such as the<br />
Cyber series, available on the<br />
ST for animation, a genlock<br />
creates the perfect marriage of<br />
computer graphics and live ac<br />
tion. The recent introduction<br />
of the Cartoon Design Disk for<br />
use with CAD ID/Cyber Con<br />
trol has made animating even<br />
easier.<br />
JRI's first-generation gen<br />
lock (P.O. Box 5277, Pitts<br />
burgh, California 94565;<br />
$400.00) works with the Mega<br />
STonh. although a 520/<br />
1040ST version should ship<br />
shortly. Installation is sim<br />
ple—there are no connections<br />
to solder. You simply remove<br />
the cover of the Mega and plug<br />
the board into two plugs that<br />
are available inside the case.<br />
(Remember that removing the<br />
case voids the computer's<br />
warranty.)<br />
The external portions of<br />
this genlock extend through<br />
the expansion port on the back<br />
of the Mega, with a small con<br />
trol panel available for setting<br />
special effects. The JRI gen<br />
lock provides a jack for video<br />
in (for the external signal). The<br />
input can be any standard<br />
NTSC signal: camera, VCR,<br />
even a TV cable. The com<br />
puter graphics superimposed<br />
on the external video can be<br />
viewed on the color monitor in<br />
exceptionally bright, crisp<br />
color. The JRI genlock also<br />
has a video out signal for view<br />
ing the combined effects on a<br />
standard TV or recording on a<br />
VCR.<br />
It's possible to provide ex<br />
ternal video with one VCR<br />
and tape the superimposed sig<br />
nal with a second one. An au<br />
dio out jack is also provided to<br />
route sound to an amplifier. A<br />
second, RGB out jack allows<br />
previewing the computer ani<br />
mation without the external<br />
video. Thus, with two moni<br />
tors, you can view the com<br />
puter graphics either with or<br />
without the external video.<br />
Software control of the<br />
genlock is also possible, al<br />
though no software is currently<br />
available to integrate genlock<br />
functions with other software<br />
(such as the Cyber System Software<br />
from Antic). The JRI<br />
genlock provides an industrystandard<br />
RS-170 signal and<br />
will even synch to the output<br />
of a digital VCR.<br />
Be Selective<br />
The file-selector dialog box<br />
provided by GEM does work,<br />
but it's hardly convenient. For<br />
a machine that prides itself on<br />
point-and-click operation,<br />
there's entirely too much<br />
typing involved, and certain<br />
common functions are not<br />
available at all {moving a file,<br />
as opposed to copying it, for<br />
example).<br />
Universal Item Selector,<br />
from Application and Design<br />
Software (226 Northwest F<br />
Street, Grants Pass, Oregon<br />
97526; 503-476-0071; $15.95).<br />
provides an excellent alterna<br />
tive to GEM's file selector.<br />
It works much as the nor<br />
mal file selector does, but it<br />
provides many extras. Placed<br />
in the AUTO folder, the alter<br />
nate file-selector box appears<br />
any time your application<br />
would normally show a file se<br />
lector; plus, you can call it<br />
from the Desk Accessory<br />
menu. Extra buttons include<br />
Copy, Move, Rename, Delete,<br />
Format, and Folder.<br />
The Format function lets<br />
you format a fresh disk. The<br />
other functions can be per<br />
formed on single files as well<br />
as folders. The Rename func<br />
tion, when applied to a folder,<br />
actually creates a new folder,<br />
copies all the files to it, then<br />
deletes the old folder.<br />
The Copy. Move, and De<br />
lete functions can also be ap<br />
plied to groups of files using<br />
wildcards. The file-selector<br />
box itself has a horizontal<br />
scroll bar so that the size and<br />
time of creation of the file can<br />
be viewed. Also, the status of<br />
any file (its size, the folder it's<br />
in. and so on) can be viewed,<br />
and the Read/Write status can<br />
be changed. Finally, you can<br />
even print out a listing of the<br />
files and folders in the current<br />
directorv.<br />
Hard Tacts<br />
ICD has released a new line of<br />
hard drives in a case designed<br />
to fit under a monitor or a<br />
Mega ST (faST Disk Drives,<br />
ICD, 1220 Rock Street, Rockford,<br />
Illinois 61101; 815-968-<br />
2228; 20 megabyte—$699.95,<br />
30 megabyte—$949.95, 50 me<br />
gabyte—$ 1,099.95, dual 20<br />
megabyte—$ 1.149.95, dual 30<br />
megabyte—$1,349.95, dual 50<br />
megabyte—$1,699.95). These<br />
drives have a long, low config<br />
uration that can make finding<br />
space for one easier than might<br />
otherwise be the case.<br />
The drives include an ex<br />
pansion port for plugging in<br />
other devices (such as a laser<br />
printer or another hard drive)<br />
and a built-in clock. No pro<br />
gram is provided for setting<br />
the time on the clock, but you<br />
can use the control panel ac<br />
cessory to set the drive clock.<br />
Software packaged with<br />
the drive includes a hard drive<br />
install program, a program for<br />
configuring the drive for autoboot,<br />
a format program, and<br />
some miscellaneous utilities.<br />
Strangely, there's no backupand-restore<br />
program included,<br />
so you'll have to find one<br />
elsewhere.<br />
The hard drive autoboot<br />
will boot from the floppy in<br />
drive A if the Controi-Shift-<br />
Alternate key combination is<br />
held down during the boot<br />
process. This allows you to<br />
bring up your system with a<br />
custom configuration (to use<br />
GDOS. for example) without<br />
disabling the hard drive<br />
autoboot.<br />
The documentation in<br />
cluded with the drive contains<br />
all the basics as well as much<br />
information that is useful only<br />
to an engineer. An explanation<br />
of how to add other drives to<br />
the system is included, for ex<br />
ample, but it is far too techni<br />
cal to benefit the average ST<br />
user.<br />
ftasourec<br />
Current Notes (published<br />
monthly, except January and<br />
August) is an exceptionally<br />
well-written magazine for<br />
Atari users. It includes materi<br />
al on the ST and Atari's 8-bit<br />
computers.<br />
Articles, opinions, exten<br />
sive reviews, and regular col<br />
umns combine to provide a<br />
well-rounded, informative, and<br />
pleasant reading experience.<br />
There is even a regular<br />
column devoted to questions<br />
and hints on adventure games.<br />
Editor Joe Waters does an ex<br />
cellent job on this publication.<br />
An extensive public domain<br />
disk library' makes it possible<br />
to obtain a wide selection of<br />
good programs for a reason<br />
able cost.<br />
For information, write<br />
Current Notes, 122 North<br />
Johnson Road, Sterling, Vir<br />
ginia 22170;(703)450-4761.A<br />
one-year subscription is $20.00.<br />
— David Plotkin E<br />
SEPTEMBER 19 53
uyer's<br />
Classic Software<br />
Remember the first software you ever bought? Remember your obsession<br />
with finding a key to the locked room in the castle tower? Remember<br />
setting up your household budget on your first spreadsheet or writing<br />
typo-free letters on your first word processor? Whether your first home<br />
computer was for games or productivity there's a classic software<br />
package listed in this buyer's guide that will remind you ofthe early days<br />
of home computers.<br />
Some of these programs may not be<br />
available anymore, or may be sold as an<br />
improved version with a new name.<br />
Caroline D. Hanlon<br />
AppleWorks<br />
Claris<br />
Apple II<br />
$249<br />
AppleWorks combines a word processor, a database<br />
manager, and a spreadsheet for the Apple II. Add-on<br />
modules, such as the Timeout series, provide addi<br />
tional functions and increase the flexibility of this in*<br />
tegrated package, \fersion 2.0 includes a mail-merge<br />
feature.<br />
Apple Writer<br />
Apple <strong>Computer</strong><br />
Apple II<br />
DOS, 64K required<br />
Not available'<br />
Documents could be written, edited, and printed on<br />
the Apple II with this word processor. There were tab<br />
ulation files, glossary commands, split screens, and<br />
formatting features.<br />
Bank Street Writer<br />
Broderbund<br />
Apple II, Atari, Commodore 64<br />
64K required for Apple and Commodore; 48K re<br />
quired for Atari<br />
$49.95 (Commodore, Atari); $69.95 (Apple)<br />
Onscreen prompts, commands, and tutorials help<br />
writers use this word processor to create and edit<br />
documents ranging from letters to term papers. Edit<br />
ing features include copy, erase, and move.<br />
Balance of Power<br />
Mindscape<br />
Amiga, Apple II. Atari ST, IBM PC, Macintosh<br />
S49.95<br />
The player takes the part of either the president of the<br />
United States or the general secretary of the U.S.S.R.<br />
in this strategic simulation. As head of the nation, the<br />
player has eight years to manage overt and covert ac<br />
tions, insurrections, political deceptions, divisions of<br />
troops, and diplomatic relations. During the course of<br />
play, each nation's prestige will rise or fall.<br />
The Brooklyn Bridge<br />
White Crane Systems<br />
IBM PC. IBM PS/2<br />
$139.95<br />
With this file-transfer utility, data can be accessed<br />
and moved between computers using either 3%-inch<br />
or 5'/4-inch disks, Volumes with more than 32MB of<br />
data can also be transferred. Peripheral devices such<br />
as printers, plotters, and tape backup systems are<br />
supported. An eight-foot universal cable is included,<br />
version 2-0 adds a file manager, four DOS utilitiesmove,<br />
remove, copy, and backup—device drivers,<br />
and Run, a utility that allows dual independent pro<br />
cessing so an application can be driven on a remote<br />
computer while another program runs on the master<br />
computer.<br />
54<br />
C O M P U T E I<br />
"Although this program is not available from the manufacturer, you may be able to find it through other sources.
uyer's.,<br />
guide<br />
CP/M<br />
Digital Research<br />
<strong>80</strong><strong>80</strong>-series computers<br />
One disk drive required, two preferred<br />
CP/M is not available retail, bu1 OEMs can pur<br />
chase it directly from Digital Research.<br />
An operating system for the <strong>80</strong><strong>80</strong> series of comput<br />
ers, CP/M includes an assembler, editor, debugger,<br />
and file-management system.<br />
Crosstalk XVI<br />
Crosstalk Communications<br />
IBM PC<br />
128K and DOS 2.0 or higher required<br />
$195<br />
This telecommunications package allows automated<br />
communication with either menu- or command-driven<br />
operation. Protocols include Crosstalk, XMODEM,<br />
and Kermit. Popular terminal emulations supported.<br />
Transfer rates range as high as 115,200 bits per sec<br />
ond. Compatible with Windows.<br />
spreadsheets. It runs DOS applications in virtual <strong>80</strong>86<br />
mode and accepts batch files, version 2,01 also runs<br />
on <strong>80</strong>386 machines and supports Lotus/Intel/Micro<br />
soft Expanded Memory Specification (LIM-EMS),<br />
version 4.0.<br />
Eastern Front<br />
Atari<br />
Atari<br />
Not available'<br />
The premise of this game was to command tie Ger<br />
man forces invading the Soviet Union in 1941. Play<br />
ers needed to outmaneuver, surround, and destroy<br />
the Soviet army before its huge reinforcements<br />
arrived.<br />
F-15 Strike Eagle<br />
Micro Prose<br />
Apple II, Atari, Atari ST, Commodore 64, IBM PC<br />
128K and CGA or EGA card required for IBM<br />
S34.95<br />
Players can take part in seven historical flight mis<br />
sions, from dropping M-82 bombs on a Libyan oil re<br />
finery to firing air-to-air missiles at a Syrian fighter.<br />
This F-15 combat-jet flight simulator displays more<br />
than 24 cockpit controls and features radar, launch<br />
indicators, electronic defenses, missiles, aerobatics,<br />
and mach-speed capabilities. There are four skill<br />
levels.<br />
Finder<br />
Apple <strong>Computer</strong><br />
Macintosh<br />
Not available'<br />
Finder is the system software included with the Mac<br />
intosh. It is the set of instructions that establishes the<br />
desktop and pull-down menus.<br />
dBase<br />
Ashton-Tate<br />
IBM PC. Macintosh (called dBase MAC)<br />
256K required for IBM<br />
S695 (IBM); $495 (Macintosh)<br />
A relational database-management program, dBase<br />
can be used to collect, store, and process infor<br />
mation such as mailing lists, research, inventory, ac<br />
counting, expenses, and cost control. It includes<br />
applications for handling large quantities of data and<br />
a programming language to create specific applica<br />
tions. The current version is dBase III Plus. dBase IV<br />
should be available in the fall of 1988.<br />
DeluxePaint II<br />
Electronic Arts<br />
Amiga, Apple IIGS<br />
Kickstart 1.2 required for Amiga<br />
$99.95<br />
This paint program incorporates a variety of tools, in<br />
cluding ten built-in brushes; stenciling; four levels of<br />
zoom; dotted freehand; continuous freehand; straight<br />
line, curve, circle, and polygon tools; an overscan<br />
mode that eliminates the Amiga borders; more than<br />
65 fills; and a palette of 16 colors created from 4096<br />
shades. The brush tool can be flipped, stretched, and<br />
rotated or used like an airbrush. Spaces can be filled<br />
with patterns, solid colors, or gradient colors. The<br />
fixed background allows the painter to attach a pic<br />
ture to the background so that it will not be removed<br />
when it's painted over. The perspective feature lets<br />
the user rotate elements in three dimensions around<br />
a fixed point to create perspective. A range of colors<br />
is cycled through a static image to create the illusion<br />
of motion; as many as four cycles per picture can be<br />
stored. Pictures can be sent to selected printers.<br />
DesqView<br />
Quarterdeck Office Systems<br />
IBM PC<br />
512K required<br />
$129.95<br />
DesqView is a memory-resident, multitasking integra<br />
tor that offers bitmapped-graphics support for<br />
Eliza<br />
Artificial Intelligence Research Group<br />
Commodore 64, IBM PC<br />
$45<br />
Eliza is a variation of the original psychoanalysis pro<br />
gram designed by Dr. Joseph Weizenbaum of MIT.<br />
The user types in statements, and the program re<br />
sponds with questions or comments, similar to the<br />
way a psychotherapist might respond to a patient.<br />
The source code is written in Microsoft BASIC, and<br />
the program is available on disk.<br />
Fastback<br />
Hazox<br />
IBM PC<br />
$179<br />
Fastback is a hard disk-backup utility. It can back up<br />
a 10MB IBM PC drive in eight minutes on twentythree<br />
5'/.-inch disks and a 20MB IBM AT drive in<br />
eight minutes on fourteen 5%-inch disks. The time,<br />
date, and volume are recorded on each disk, and the<br />
program checks the disk label to prevent writing over<br />
a disk. The program disk also includes Freestore, a<br />
utility to restore lost and damaged data.<br />
Flight Simulator<br />
Microsoft<br />
IBM PC. Macintosh<br />
128K, color/graphics card required for IBM<br />
$49.95<br />
Pilots can fly a single-engine Cessna 182 or a Gates<br />
Learjet with this flight simulator. The program takes<br />
pilots on scenic flights over the continental United<br />
States, Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean, and to<br />
118 airports. The instrument panel is displayed on<br />
the screen and includes flight controls and VFR and<br />
IFR instrumentation. Pilots can set conditions such<br />
as wind, time of day, and reliability of aircraft. Com<br />
puter pilots have an out-of-the-window view much<br />
like an actual pilot's.<br />
Gato<br />
Spectrum HoloByle<br />
Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 54, IBM PC,<br />
Macintosh<br />
128K required for Apple, IBM, and Macintosh<br />
$14.95 (Commodore): $39.95 (Amiga, Apple II. Atari<br />
ST, IBM); $49.95 (Macintosh)<br />
Control panels constantly display the speed, depth,<br />
heading, and radar trackings of a WWII Gato subma<br />
rine. The player is challenged to carry out missions in<br />
the South Pacific and return to home base without<br />
being detected or destroyed. Digitized voice com<br />
mands relay the missions from SUBC0M. Levels of<br />
difficulty increase as the game continues.<br />
GEOS<br />
Berkeley Softworks<br />
Commodore 64<br />
S59.95<br />
This graphics operating system includes a word pro<br />
cessor, geoWrite; a color graphics program, geo-<br />
Paint; desk accessories such as an alarm clock, a<br />
note pad, a calculator, and a photo album; and a<br />
desktop that manages files and displays them as<br />
icons or text.<br />
"Although this program is not available from the manufacturer, you may be able to find it through other sources.<br />
S E P T E M £ E R 19 55
uyer's.,<br />
guide<br />
Hardball<br />
Accolade<br />
Amiga, Apple II and IIGS, Atari. Atari ST, Commo<br />
dore 64, IBM PC. Macintosh<br />
256K and color/graphics card required for IBM<br />
$39.95<br />
A baseball simulation, Hardball offers a 3-0 perspec<br />
tive of each field angle. Different screens provide the<br />
strategy selections for the managers. There are six<br />
pitches that can be thrown by left- or right-handed<br />
pitchers, and players appear in large graphics.<br />
HyperCard<br />
Apple <strong>Computer</strong><br />
Macintosh<br />
One megabyte RAM and two S00K disk drives re<br />
quired<br />
$49<br />
HyperCards a programming environment and devel<br />
opment tool that is provided with Macintoshes<br />
shipped since August 1987. It allows the user to cre<br />
ate and modify graphics, music, video, animation,<br />
and text on the Macintosh by linking information<br />
stored on cards. The program is designed so begin<br />
ning and more experienced programmers can devel<br />
op applications. People who bought Macintoshes be<br />
fore August 1987 can purchase the program for $49.<br />
International Soccer<br />
Commodore Business Machines<br />
Commodore 64<br />
Not available'<br />
International Soccerwas an arcade-style game that<br />
replicated player action and ball movement on the<br />
soccer field. It was available as a plug-in cartridge.<br />
King's Quest: Quest for the<br />
Crown<br />
Sierra On-Line<br />
Apple II, IBM PC, Macintosh<br />
128K required (or Apple, 256K required for IBM<br />
$49.95<br />
Sir Graham, the brave and noble knight, undertakes a<br />
journey to find the lost treasures of Daventry and re<br />
turn them to King Edward. Along the way, the knight<br />
meets many creatures, such as a witch, trolls, and a<br />
giant. There are a variety of paths to take, and Sir<br />
Graham must rely on skill and intellect in order to<br />
reap the rewards. This is the first in a series of King's<br />
Quest adventures.<br />
Life<br />
Electronic Arts<br />
Amiga, Apple II, Atari, Atari ST, Commodore 64,<br />
IBM PC, Macintosh<br />
$14.95 (Apple, Atari, Commodore. IBM); $19.95<br />
(Amiga, Atari ST, Macintosh)<br />
Currently sold as part of the package Software Gold<br />
en Oldies, Volume I, Life is a computer simulation of<br />
the birth, life, and death of generations of cells. The<br />
program uses its own objects, phenomena, and<br />
physical laws to determine the survival of the cells,<br />
and the player can introduce patterns and situations.<br />
Lite was designed in 1970 by John Horton Conway, a<br />
Cambridge mathematician.<br />
Lode Runner<br />
Brederbund<br />
Apple II, Atari, Commodore 64, IBM PC. Macintosh<br />
48K for Apple; 128K required for Macintosh and<br />
IBM; joystick optional for all versions<br />
$14.95 (Atari, Commodore 64); $34.95 {Apple. IBM):<br />
$39.95 (Macintosh)<br />
A Galactic commando searches for stolen treasures<br />
by running, jumping, drilling passages with a laser<br />
gun, and solving puzzles. There are 150 game<br />
screens, plus a game generator to design new game<br />
boards.<br />
Lotus 1-2-3<br />
Lotus Development<br />
IBM PC<br />
256K required<br />
$495<br />
An integrated package for business users, Lotus 1-2-<br />
3 combines a spreadsheet, graphics, and a database.<br />
The database can handle as many as 8191 records<br />
with a maximum of 256 fields and offers two levels<br />
of sorting. The spreadsheet includes ten cell formats,<br />
protected cells, variable column widths, and win<br />
dows, and it can perform a variety of calculations and<br />
analyses. There are seven graph options for display<br />
ing data or creating what-if scenarios.<br />
MacPaint<br />
Apple <strong>Computer</strong><br />
Macintosh<br />
$125<br />
MacPaints a drawing program designed specifically<br />
for the Macintosh. It includes a variety of tools and<br />
palettes to use in creating detailed pictures and<br />
shapes. Drawings can be modified pixel by pixel with<br />
the Zoom option. The most current version is Mac<br />
Paint 2.0.<br />
MacWrite<br />
Apple <strong>Computer</strong><br />
Macintosh<br />
$125<br />
MacWrite is a word processing program that doubles<br />
as a typesetting tool. It can be used to design logos,<br />
letterheads, announcements, advertising flyers, and<br />
newsletters. It offers a variety of font sizes and<br />
styles. Text can be formatted for left, right, and cen<br />
ter justification, and the margins can be set for any<br />
width. The most current version is MacWrite 5.0.<br />
Managing Your Money<br />
IBM PC, Macintosh<br />
256K, DOS 2.0 or higher required for IBM; 512K re<br />
quired for Macintosh<br />
$219.98<br />
version 4.0 of Managing Your Money'is a financial<br />
planning package made up of nine integrated pro<br />
grams. The programs cover major aspects of home<br />
financial planning such as checkbook management,<br />
budgets, tax planning, insurance and retirement plan<br />
ning, and portfolio management. The software incor<br />
porates the 1987 tax-law changes and contains a fullfeatured<br />
word processor with mail-merge capabilities.<br />
The program can be used to set up budgets, track<br />
net worth, plan finances for a maximum of five years,<br />
keep records of insurance and investments, and print<br />
checks, invoices, mailing labels, reports, graphs, and<br />
tax forms. Memos can be stored on the electronic<br />
calendar, and financial data can be exported to Lotus<br />
1-2-3.<br />
MasterType<br />
Mindscape<br />
Apple II, Atari, Commodore 64, IBM PC, Macintosh<br />
48K required for Apple<br />
$39.95<br />
This typing program helps students learn to touchtype<br />
and improve their skills in using a computer key<br />
board. By offering onscreen prompts, the program<br />
encourages the students to watch the screen rather<br />
than their fingers. There are 18 levels, from single let<br />
ters to words and symbols. The package includes a<br />
user's guide.<br />
Math Blaster!<br />
Davidson and Associates<br />
Apple II and IIgs, IBM PC<br />
128K required for Apple; 256K, DOS 1.1. and<br />
BASICA required for IBM<br />
$49.95<br />
Students in grades 1-6 learn the basic facts of addi<br />
tion, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions,<br />
decimals, and percentages. The 600 problems are<br />
grouped by math area and level of difficulty. There<br />
are four activities. The first activity explains the math<br />
fact and the second activity presents a problem the<br />
user must solve. In the third activity, the problem is<br />
missing a piece of information which the user must<br />
supply. The fourth activity is an arcade-style game<br />
with 30 math problems. An editor helps users enter<br />
their own math problems.<br />
56 COMPUTE!<br />
"Although this program is not available from the manufacturer, you may be able to find it through other sources.
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uyer's.,<br />
guide<br />
Microsoft Windows<br />
Microsoft<br />
IBM PC<br />
320K, DOS 2.0 or higher, and graphics adapter card<br />
required<br />
S99<br />
Windows is an operating environment that enables<br />
the user to work with multiple applications and switch<br />
between them without quitting. Most standard appli<br />
cations that run under MS-DOS can be run with Windows.<br />
A note pad. a calculator, a card file with<br />
autodial, and a terminal program are also included.<br />
Microsoft Word<br />
Microsoft<br />
IBM PC, Macintosh<br />
$450 (IBM); $395 (Macintosh)<br />
This word processing package contains an outline<br />
processor to help organize thoughts and ideas, a<br />
glossary, a dictionary, and a thesaurus. Style sheets<br />
can be used to establish page formats, and the<br />
WYSIWYG display can include special character for<br />
mats. As many as eight windows can be in operation<br />
at one time, and the saved documents can be printed<br />
on a variety of printers.<br />
Microsoft Works<br />
Microsoft<br />
IBM PC, Macintosh<br />
384K. graphics adapter card required (or IBM<br />
S195 (PC); S295 (Macintosh)<br />
Microsoft Works includes applications for word pro<br />
cessing, database management, spreadsheets, and<br />
communications. The word processor contains a<br />
100,000-word spelling checker and an Undo com<br />
mand. The spreadsheet has 57 built-in functions and<br />
can produce charts. The database and communica<br />
tions functions handle and transfer large amounts of<br />
data.<br />
MS-DOS<br />
Microsoft<br />
IBM PC<br />
Not available'<br />
MS-DOS is a disk operating system for IBM PCs and<br />
compatibles. It is a collection of commands that<br />
allow communication between the hardware and the<br />
software of the computer. A clone's ability to run<br />
MS-DOS is the standard by which it is judged to be<br />
"IBM-compatible." MS-DOS is included with the pur<br />
chase of some machines or it can be bought sepa<br />
rately. The retail price is determined by the dealer.<br />
M.U.L.E.<br />
Electronic Arts<br />
Atari. Commodore 64<br />
$14.95<br />
The player and three associates colonize a planet and<br />
try to make it survive as they simultaneously attempt<br />
to become financially successful. M.U.L.E.'s are<br />
stubborn, robotic creatures needed to perform many<br />
of the tasks on the planet. The game requires strate<br />
gy and skill.<br />
Music Construction Set<br />
Electronic Arts<br />
Apple II. Atari. Commodore 64. IBM PC<br />
$14.95<br />
Users can compose, edit, save, print, and play music<br />
with this program. It includes accidentals, octave rais<br />
ers, triplets, dotted notes, and ties, along with graphic<br />
displays. The IBM version has six-note polyphonic<br />
sounds and 240 professional synthesized instru<br />
ments. It also supports the Music Feature sound<br />
card.<br />
The Newsroom<br />
Springboard<br />
Apple II, Commodore 64, IBM PC<br />
256K and color/graphics card required for IBM<br />
S49.95<br />
Desktop publishers can use this program to create<br />
newsletters for family, clubs, school, or business.<br />
Newsroom contains a word processor and more than<br />
600 pieces of clip art. Text wraps around photos and<br />
graphics added to the composition. There are five<br />
fonts, and the program supports most printers.<br />
The Norton Utilities<br />
Peter Norton Computing<br />
IBM PC<br />
S100<br />
The Norton Utilities recover lost data and aid in disk<br />
management. The program, which indexes disk and<br />
system performance and provides graphic tree dis<br />
plays for directories, can read, write, or modify<br />
ranges of clusters or sectors. Context-sensitive Help<br />
screens are available online, and batch files are inter<br />
active. All the utilities can run from one control<br />
program.<br />
Nota Bene<br />
Dragonfly Software<br />
IBM PC<br />
256K and DOS 2.0 or higher required, 512K recom<br />
mended<br />
$495<br />
Nota Bene is an advanced word processor that com<br />
bines the speed of XyWritewVn the flexibility to edit<br />
and print long documents. It uses a database for freeform<br />
or structured text with Help files and tofus-style<br />
menus. The program includes a variety of styles and<br />
formats, plus editing commands, sort features, mailmerge,<br />
math capabilities, printing capabilities, page<br />
layout, libraries and glossaries, a speller, a thesaurus,<br />
special characters, and programming aids.<br />
Paperback Writer<br />
Digital Solutions<br />
Commodore 64 and 128<br />
$59.95<br />
In 1986 the name of this software was changed to<br />
Pocket, and Paperback Writer's now marketed as<br />
Pocket II. This word processor supports word-wrap,<br />
search and replace, mail merge, 40 and <strong>80</strong> columns,<br />
side scrolling, global formatting, and a variety of for<br />
matting codes. The display is WYSIWYG, and the<br />
program offers 15 printer files. Enhanced versions for<br />
the 64 and 128 are available on one disk for $59.95.<br />
ttUOU'JjjJJJJJJ'JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ<br />
HyperCard<br />
Help<br />
□ I " !j:lion<br />
Clitt tt.-P".-!-lat. £■<br />
■. ■ i<br />
HyperCard's online Help is a good ex<br />
ample of what you can do with hypermedia.<br />
PaperClip<br />
Batteries Included (Electronic Arts)<br />
Apple II, Atari. Commodore 64<br />
$59.95 (Apple. Atari); $49.95 (Commodore)<br />
PaperClip provides a vanety of standard word pro<br />
cessing features and more specific options for each<br />
machine. Phrases, sentences, and blocks ot text can<br />
be moved, copied, and erased, and the whole docu<br />
ment can be formatted for printing. A global searchand-replace<br />
automatically changes words and<br />
phrases. With the horizontal scrolling, documents<br />
can be as wide as 250 columns, and the program of<br />
fers an <strong>80</strong>-column video display so that the complete<br />
page can be viewed. Word processing features in<br />
clude columns, alphanumeric tabs, built-in arithmetic<br />
58 COMPUTE<br />
'Although this program is not available from the manufacturer, you may be able to find it through other sources.
Buyer's.,<br />
guide<br />
functions, headers, foolers, automatic page number<br />
ing, personalized form letters, mailing label and mail<br />
ing list capabilities, and printer commands for<br />
underline, boldface, italic, superscripts, and sub<br />
scripts. The Commodore 64 version includes Spellpack,<br />
a spelling checker. PaperClipior the Apple<br />
provides macros and one-command access to the<br />
disk utility menu. The Atari version has dual text win<br />
dows (or transfer of text between files, macro com<br />
mands, Spellpack, and automatic Save.<br />
PFS:Write<br />
Software Publishing<br />
IBM PC<br />
DOS 2.0 or higher and 512K required<br />
S199<br />
The first word processor in the PFS line, PFS:Write<br />
can be used to generate form letters and documents.<br />
Data tables, graphs, and additional information can<br />
be added from other programs in the series (such as<br />
PFS:Report and PFS:Graph). The word processor is<br />
currently marketed as PFS:Professiona! Write, Ver<br />
sion 2.0. People who own PFSMite can upgrade to<br />
PFS;Pmfessional Write 2.0 for $50.<br />
Pinball Construction Set<br />
Electronic Arts<br />
Apple II, Atari, Commodore 64, IBM PC, Macintosh<br />
$14.95 (Apple II, Atari, Commodore 64 and IBM);<br />
S19.95 (Macintosh)<br />
With Pinball Construction Set, players can build, test,<br />
modify, play, and save their own pinball games. The<br />
games include bumpers, flippers, springs, and an<br />
illegal-tilt sensor. Gravity, speed, and scoring can be<br />
varied to affect the way the game is played. Music<br />
and sound effects can also be added to the games.<br />
This program was the first in the software-constructionset<br />
genre.<br />
The Print Shop<br />
Broderbund<br />
Apple II, Atari, Commodore 64, IBM PC, Macintosh<br />
54K required for Apple; 128K or 256K for color<br />
printing and DOS 2.0 to 3.1 for IBM: 512K for<br />
Macintosh: printer for all versions<br />
$59.95<br />
Cards, flyers, stationery, and signs can be created<br />
and printed using The Print Shop. There's an assort<br />
ment of pictures, symbols, borders, backgrounds,<br />
and type fonts and sizes. The graphics and text edi<br />
tors allow simple changes. The program prints to<br />
most printers and accepts keyboard, joystick, or<br />
KoalaPad input. The package includes color paper<br />
and envelopes.<br />
ProComm<br />
DataStorm Technologies<br />
IBM PC<br />
192K and DOS 2.0 or higher required<br />
$75<br />
ProComm is a file-transfer system that supports sev<br />
en protocols, including Kermit and exploding win<br />
dows. It provides a script language and offers<br />
terminal emufation. The current version available is<br />
ProComm Plus.<br />
The Oregon Trail<br />
MECC<br />
Apple II. IIGS<br />
64 K required<br />
S55<br />
Children aged 5 or older can relive the journey West<br />
on the Oregon Trail while they learn about nineteenthcentury<br />
American history. <strong>Color</strong> scenes depict the<br />
rugged landscape, covered wagons, and adventures<br />
faced by the pioneers. The program also encourages<br />
users to practice decision-making and problemsolving<br />
skills.<br />
PageMaker<br />
Aldus<br />
Macintosh, IBM PC<br />
640K, graphics card, DOS 3.0 or higher required for<br />
PC: System 4.1 or higher. Finder 5.5 or higher, and<br />
a hard disk required for Macintosh<br />
S795 (IBM); $595 (Macintosh)<br />
A desktop publishing package, PageMakercan be<br />
used to design and produce documents by combin<br />
ing text from word processors with graphics from •<br />
paint, draw, and clip-art programs. Developed for an<br />
office setting. PageMaker includes a text editor and<br />
tools to edit data and position graphics, define a for<br />
mat or layout, and then print out the document. Ver<br />
sion 3.0 is now available for the Macintosh and the<br />
IBM PC.<br />
ML<br />
Pro-Line Software<br />
Commodore 64<br />
S19.95<br />
Spinnaker PAL (Personal Assembly Language) is a<br />
machine language assembler for Commodore 64,<br />
<strong>80</strong>00-series, and 9000-series computers. It is avail<br />
able in The Programmer's Tool Box. from Spinnaker<br />
Software.<br />
Quicken Version 2<br />
Intuit<br />
IBM PC and PS/2<br />
256K and DOS 2.0 or higher required<br />
$49.95<br />
Version 2 of this program contains the same checkwriting<br />
and financial-management features offered by<br />
the original version, plus some new capabilities. A<br />
bill-minder feature reminds the user when it is time to<br />
pay a bill, and the program can automatically write<br />
recurring checks. Financial records can be updated<br />
whenever a transaction occurs. Reports such as in<br />
come and payroll tax records, budgets, and income<br />
and expenses can be generated and printed. Vfersion<br />
2 also allows an unlimited number of bank accounts<br />
and transactions. The package includes a quick-startand-tips<br />
card, a manual, sample checks, sample en<br />
velopes, and a check and envelope order form. Disks<br />
are available in 3^-inch or 5%-inch format. Free tele<br />
phone support is provided.<br />
Reach for the Stars<br />
Strategic Studies Group (Electronic Arts)<br />
Apple II. Commodore 64<br />
$45<br />
One to four players compete to colonize empires in<br />
space. Empires can be built and maintained by im<br />
proving the industry and environment and by building<br />
warships. There are four classes of warships, trans<br />
ports, and explorers. Game options include novas,<br />
natural disasters, solar debris, and xenophobes. A tu<br />
torial is included.<br />
Sargon III<br />
Hayden Software (Spinnaker Software)<br />
Apple II, Commodore 64. IBM, Macintosh<br />
$39.95<br />
This computer chess program contains a library of<br />
more than 68,000 opening moves, instructions for<br />
novices, and brain-teasing chess problems for every<br />
one to master. Players can replay 107 of the world's<br />
greatest chess matches and review 45 classic chess<br />
problems. The program has nine skill levels. The IBM<br />
and Apple versions are on one flippy disk.<br />
Seven Cities of Gold<br />
Electronic Arts<br />
Apple II, Atari, Commodore 64, IBM PC. Macintosh<br />
64K required for Apple<br />
$14.95 (Apple II, Atari, Commodore 64, IBM^C):<br />
$19.95 (Macintosh)<br />
An educational adventure game, Seven Cities of Gold<br />
helps recreate the Spanish exploration of the New<br />
Vtorld. Players take the part of a conquistador to<br />
experience the thrills and problems of early explorers<br />
such as Cortez and Columbus. Obstacles include fi<br />
nancing the expedition, navigation, resource manage<br />
ment, mutiny, disease, and the unpredictable natives.<br />
Players can explore a variety of geographies in each<br />
game, or they can play on geographically accurate 3-<br />
D maps with real weather conditions.<br />
Shanghai<br />
MediaGenic (formerly known as Activision)<br />
Amiga. Apple II, Apple IIGS, Commodore 64, IBM<br />
PC, Macintosh<br />
256K required for IBM; 512K required for Amiga,<br />
Apple IIGS, and Macintosh<br />
$34.95 (Apple II. Commodore 64, IBM); $39.95<br />
(Amiga, Macintosh); $44.95 (Apple HGS)<br />
Shanghaiis based on mah-jongg, a game played by<br />
the Chinese. <strong>Color</strong>ed tiles are stacked on each other<br />
and must be matched and removed according to the<br />
characters painted on each piece. There are solitaire<br />
and multiple-player options.<br />
SideKick<br />
Borland International<br />
IBM PC, Macintosh<br />
128K and DOS 2.0 or higher required for IBM; mo<br />
dem optional<br />
$84.95 (IBM PC): $99.95 (Macintosh)<br />
A collection of desktop accessories. SideKick can be<br />
used while other programs such as WordStar, Lotus,<br />
and dBase are running. Files as long as 25 pages can<br />
be entered and edited with the full-screen editor. A<br />
phone directory lists names, addresses, and tele<br />
phone numbers. With a modem and the autodialer<br />
routine, telephone numbers can be located and dialed<br />
automatically. There is a monthly calendar for the<br />
years 1901-2099, as well as an appointment calen<br />
dar to help the user keep track of meetings and ap<br />
pointments. The calculator can perform decimal-tohexideomal-to-binary<br />
conversions as well as standard<br />
business computations. An ASCII table is also included.<br />
•<br />
"Although this program is not available from the manufacturer, you may be able to find it through other sources.<br />
SEPTEMBER 19 8 8 59
Buyer's.;<br />
guide<br />
SpeedScript<br />
COMPUTE! Publications<br />
Apple II, Atari, Commodore 64<br />
Varies<br />
SpeedScript is a word processor written in-house at<br />
COMPUTE! Publications and published as a type-in<br />
program in magazines and books. It allows users to<br />
write, edit, format, and print documents of all sizes,<br />
from letters to novels. Margins, page length, spacing,<br />
page numbers, headers, and footers can be changed<br />
or added to the document. Formatting features in<br />
clude pagination, underlining, and centering. Graphics<br />
can be added to the text, and the files can be linked<br />
to print one continuous document. This word pro<br />
cessing program uses about 6K. It is available as a<br />
type-in program in book form, on disk, or in bookand-disk<br />
combinations. The price varies according to<br />
published format and machine required.<br />
Star Raiders<br />
Atari<br />
Atari, Atari ST<br />
8K required<br />
$6.95 (Atari); $29.95 (Atari ST)<br />
Sfar Raiders is an arcade-style game created for the<br />
original Atari eight-bit machines. The Atarian Federa<br />
tion is at war with the Zylon Empire, and the player's<br />
mission is to destroy all the Zylon star ships. There<br />
are four mission skill levels. Trie game is available as<br />
a plug-in cartridge.<br />
Summer Games<br />
Epyx<br />
Commodore 64, Apple II, Atari<br />
$19.95<br />
As many as eight players can enter their athletes in<br />
summer Olympic competition, including swimming,<br />
diving, track, skeet shooting, pole vaulting, and<br />
gymnastics.<br />
SuperKey<br />
Borland International<br />
IBM PC<br />
128K and DOS 2.0 or higher required<br />
S99.95<br />
SuperKey\% a utility program for the IBM PC and<br />
compatibles. It has macro capabilities so that many<br />
commands and keystrokes can be consolidated into<br />
one keystroke. By using the U.S. government dataencryption<br />
standard (DES), personal files can be en<br />
crypted so no one else can read them. And without<br />
the password, no one can decode the files. For more<br />
protection, SuperKeyzm lock trie keyboard to pre<br />
vent access. Another feature automatically turns the<br />
screen off after a predetermined amount of time to<br />
save wear and tear on the monitors.<br />
ThinkTank<br />
Living Videotext (Symantec)<br />
Apple II, IBM PC and compatibles, Macintosh<br />
DOS 2.0 or higher required for IBM; 48K required<br />
for Apple<br />
$195<br />
An outline processor, ThinkTank integrates word pro<br />
cessing and graphics capabilities to organize<br />
thoughts and ideas. The ideas can be listed as head<br />
ings and subheadings or in paragraph format<br />
Turbo Lightning<br />
Borland<br />
IBM PC<br />
256K, DOS 2.0 or higher, and two drives required<br />
$99.95<br />
Turbo Lightning is a RAM-resident integrated infor<br />
mation package containing a spelling checker, a the<br />
saurus, and a dictionary. It can be used with word<br />
processors, databases, or other applications for<br />
whole-page or instant text correction. Wards and<br />
phrases can be added to the dictionary, and the pro<br />
gram recognizes upper-, lower-, and mixed-case<br />
words. It can also provide synonymous or soundalike<br />
words. Additional utilities are provided with the<br />
Turbo Lightning Libraries.<br />
Turbo Pascal<br />
Borland<br />
IBM PC<br />
128K and DOS 2.0 or higher required<br />
$99.95<br />
The basis of Borland's Turbo Pascal language-devel<br />
opment system, Turbo Pascal \s a Pascal compiler.<br />
The program offers window procedures, sound,<br />
color, graphics, I/O redirection, and DOS path sup<br />
port. Errors can be located and corrected with the<br />
built-in, full-screen editor. MicroCalc, a spreadsheet<br />
program, is also included.<br />
um!>k. ■*> nimi t> «ji tw iihiMh -ill u la<br />
IHllMlWI lltMMM* M U< UMM<br />
Wizardry—Proving Grounds of<br />
the Mad Overlord<br />
Sir-Tech Software<br />
Apple II, IBM PC<br />
48K for Apple; 128K and color graphics card for<br />
IBM<br />
$34.95 (Apple); $49.95 (IBM)<br />
Choosing from five races and eight different profes<br />
sions, the player assembles a party of six characters<br />
to explore a ten-level, three-dimensional maze. The<br />
goal is to find Werdna and retrieve the stolen Amulet.<br />
During the search, characters can gain experience,<br />
find treasure, battle dragons, and fight other foes.<br />
Characters can be transferred to other scenarios. This<br />
is the first of a trilogy.<br />
Ultima I<br />
Origin Systems<br />
Apple II, Commodore 64, IBM PC<br />
64K required for Apple; CGA or EGA cards required<br />
for IBM<br />
$39.95<br />
In this fantasy adventure, the player searches the<br />
land of Britannia and outer space for clues to defeat<br />
the evil wizard Mondain. The game is written in as<br />
sembly language for speed and graphics capabilities.<br />
The package contains a double-sided disk, four<br />
maps, a reference card, a manual, and coins of the<br />
realm.<br />
VideoWorks<br />
Spinnaker<br />
Apple II, Macintosh<br />
Not available*<br />
An animation program, IZ/tfeolAforirs could be used to<br />
create presentations, storybooks, movies, and car<br />
toons. It included drawing tools, artwork, tutorials,<br />
and examples.<br />
VisiCalc<br />
VisiCorp<br />
IBM PC<br />
Not available*<br />
VisiCalc was one of the early spreadsheet programs<br />
created for use on personal computers. It predated<br />
Lotus 1-2-3.<br />
Where in the World Is Carmen<br />
Sandiego?<br />
Broderbund<br />
Apple II and IIGS. Commodore 64, IBM PC<br />
64K required for Apple; 128K required for IBM; joy<br />
stick optional for all versions<br />
$34.95 (Commodore 64); $39.95 (Apple, IBM)<br />
The players follow Carmen Sandiego and her gang of<br />
thieves around the world, trying to solve mysteries<br />
while learning about world geography. The crime<br />
computer helps organize the clues, and the World Al<br />
manac provides information on the cities and coun<br />
tries visited. There are ten suspects in 30 cities, and<br />
more than 1000 clues. For children and adults.<br />
WordPerfect<br />
WordPerfect<br />
IBM PC, Macintosh<br />
256K, two disk drives and DOS 2.0 or higher re<br />
quired for IBM<br />
$395<br />
Designed originally for the IBM PC, this word proces<br />
sor contains a thesaurus and a dictionary to check<br />
spelling. Word processing features include automatic<br />
formatting, footnotes, endnotes, automatic para<br />
graphing, outline numbering, indexing, table-of-contents<br />
creation, five newspaper-style or parallel<br />
columns, and a List Files option that permits file op<br />
erations such as rename, delete, and print without<br />
leaving the program. Math columns can be added to<br />
documents and automatically calculated. The merge<br />
feature can be used along with user-defined macros<br />
for special functions. Multiple documents can be<br />
printed, and the program works with more than 200<br />
printers.<br />
60 COMPUTE<br />
"Although this program is not available from the manufacturer, you may be able to find ft through other sources.
uyer's.,<br />
guide<br />
Publishers of Classic Software<br />
Accolade<br />
550 S.Winchester Blvd.<br />
San Jose, CA 95128<br />
Aldus<br />
411 First /We. S<br />
Suite 200<br />
Seattle, V\A 98104<br />
Apple <strong>Computer</strong><br />
20525 Mariani Ave.<br />
Cupertino, CA 95014<br />
Artificial Intelligence Research Group<br />
921 N. LaJollaA/e.<br />
Los Angeles, CA 90046<br />
Ashton-Tate<br />
20101 Hamilton Ave.<br />
Torrance, CA 90502-1319<br />
Atari<br />
1196 Borregas A/e.<br />
P.O. Box 3427<br />
Sunnyvale. CA 94088<br />
Berkeley Soflworks<br />
2150 Shat tuck A/e.<br />
Berkeley, CA 94704<br />
Borland International<br />
4585 Scotts Valley Dr.<br />
Scotts Valley, CA 95066<br />
Brederbund<br />
17 Paul Dr.<br />
San Rafael, CA 94903<br />
Claris<br />
440 Clyde Ave.<br />
Mountain View. CA 94043<br />
Commodore Business Machines<br />
1200 Wilson Dr.<br />
West Chester, PA 193<strong>80</strong><br />
COMPUTE! Books<br />
Customer Service<br />
P.O. Box 2165<br />
Radnor, PA 19089<br />
DataStorm Technologies<br />
2100 E.Broadway<br />
Suite 217<br />
P.O. Box 1471<br />
Columbia, MO 65205<br />
Davidson and Associates<br />
3135KashiwaSt.<br />
Torrance, CA 90505<br />
Digital Research<br />
60 Garden Ct<br />
Monterey, CA 93942<br />
Digital Solutions<br />
2-30 Wertheim Ct.<br />
Richmond Hill, Ontario<br />
Canada L4B 189<br />
Dragonfly Software<br />
do5 W. Broadway<br />
Suite 500<br />
New York, NY 10013<br />
Electronic Arts<br />
1820 Gateway Dr.<br />
San Mateo, CA 94404<br />
Epyx<br />
P.O. Box <strong>80</strong>20<br />
600 Galveston Rd.<br />
Redwood City, CA 94063<br />
Hazox<br />
P.O. Box 637<br />
Chadds Ford, PA 19317<br />
Intuit<br />
540 University Ave.<br />
Palo Alto, CA 94301<br />
Lotus Development<br />
55 Cambridge Pkwy.<br />
Cambridge, MA 02142<br />
MECA ventures<br />
355 Riverside Ave.<br />
Westport, CT 068<strong>80</strong><br />
MECC<br />
Distribution Center<br />
3490 Lexington A/e. N<br />
St. Paul, MN 55126<br />
Mediagenic<br />
(formerly known as Activision)<br />
3885 Bohannon Dr.<br />
Menlo Park, CA 94025<br />
MicroPro International<br />
33 San Pablo Ave.<br />
San Rafael, CA 94903<br />
MicroProse<br />
1<strong>80</strong> Lakefront Dr.<br />
Hunt Valley. MD 21030<br />
Microsoft<br />
16011 N.E.36thWy.<br />
Box 97017<br />
Redmond, WA 9<strong>80</strong>73-9717<br />
Mindscape<br />
3444 Dundee Rd.<br />
Northbrook, IL 60062<br />
Origin Systems<br />
340 Harvey Rd.<br />
Manchester, NH 03103<br />
Peter Norton Computing<br />
100 Wilshire Blvd.<br />
Suite 900<br />
Santa Monica, CA 90401<br />
Professional Software (PSI)<br />
51 Fremont St.<br />
Needham. MA 02194<br />
Quarterdeck Office Systems<br />
150 Pico Blvd.<br />
Santa Monica. CA 90405<br />
Sierra On-Line<br />
P.O. Box 495<br />
Coarsegold, CA 93614<br />
Sir-Tech Software<br />
P.O. Box 245<br />
Charlestown Ogdensburg Mall<br />
Ogdensburg, NY 13669<br />
Software Publishing<br />
1901 Landings Dr.<br />
Mountain View, CA 94043<br />
Spectrum HofoByte<br />
2061 Challenger Dr.<br />
Suite 325<br />
Alameda, CA 94501<br />
Spinnaker Software<br />
One Kendall Sq.<br />
Cambridge, MA 02139<br />
Springboard Software<br />
7<strong>80</strong>8 Creekridge Cir.<br />
Minneapolis, MN 55435<br />
Strategic Studies Group<br />
1747 Orleans Ct.<br />
Walnut Creek, CA 94598<br />
Symantec<br />
10201 Torre A/e.<br />
Cupertino, CA 95014<br />
White Crane Systems<br />
Suite 151<br />
6889 Peachtree Ind. Blvd.<br />
Norcross. GA 30092<br />
WordPerfect<br />
288 W. Center St.<br />
Orem, UT 84057<br />
WordPro<br />
Professional Software<br />
CBM/PET<br />
Not available'<br />
WordPro was copyrighted in 19<strong>80</strong> for the CBM/PET<br />
computers. It was a word processing program with<br />
editing, mail-merge, and printout capabilities. It was<br />
designed to create muitiple-page documents, form<br />
letters, and mailing lists. PSI has replaced WordPro<br />
with the Fleet System products.<br />
WordStar Professional<br />
MicroPro<br />
IBM PC<br />
Requires 384K or 512K with graphics card: EGA,<br />
CGA, VGA, or monochrome<br />
$495<br />
First introduced in 1979, WordStars a word pro<br />
cessing program containing a spelling corrector, mail<br />
merge, a thesaurus, and indexing capabilities. The<br />
most recent version is WordStar 5.0. Updates are<br />
available for $119.<br />
Zorkl<br />
Solid Gold Software (Mediagenic. formerly known<br />
as Activision)<br />
Apple II, IBM PC<br />
S14.95<br />
In this interactive-fiction game, the player travels to<br />
the ruins of an ancient empire far underground to<br />
search for the treasures of Zork.<br />
"Although this program is not available from the manufacturer, you may be able to find it through other sources. H<br />
SEPTEMBER 1988 61
n reviews<br />
Yuck It Up, Paint<br />
Pretty Pictures,<br />
Delve into<br />
Dungeons, Fly<br />
Invisibly over<br />
Enemy Territory,<br />
Work Hard with<br />
Words, Catch<br />
Kidnappers in<br />
the Big City, and<br />
Read All About It<br />
Each month. "Fast Looks" offers up<br />
snapshots of the newest software and<br />
hardware for the Amiga. Apple II. Atari<br />
ST. Commodore 64/128, IBM PC. and<br />
Macintosh lines of personal computers.<br />
These capsule reviews look at notable<br />
programs and peripherals, products<br />
which have just arrived in our offices<br />
and which haven't yet been fully<br />
evaluated.<br />
"Fast Looks" gives you glimpses of<br />
important and interesting software and<br />
hardware now, not next month.<br />
Inset<br />
Inset may be the easiest way on the<br />
planet to break into desktop publishing.<br />
With Inset resident in your IBM PC's<br />
memory, you can grab text or graphics<br />
screens, edit them, and insert them into<br />
word processing documents.<br />
Installing Inset is easy. You simply<br />
type INSET at the DOS command line<br />
prompt. The first time you run the pro<br />
gram, you go through an installation<br />
procedure. The program asks you to an<br />
swer several questions about your video<br />
setup and printer, suggesting choices<br />
when possible. You also have the op<br />
portunity to change defaults (such as<br />
the hot key that invokes the program)<br />
during setup. When you've finished the<br />
setup procedure. Inset installs itself as a<br />
memory-resident utility, taking up<br />
about I37K of memory. If you decide<br />
to alter your configuration later, you<br />
can invoke a separate program.<br />
With a text or graphics screen dis<br />
played on your monitor, you simply<br />
press the program's hot key to invoke<br />
Inset and grab the image. Inset presents<br />
a menu on the bottom of your screen,<br />
with options to view a screen, save the<br />
current screen, edit the screen, print a<br />
screen, or get help. You can use your<br />
cursor keys or a mouse to select an<br />
option.<br />
Saving a screen is as easy as giving<br />
Inset the Save command and typing a<br />
filename. If you want to modify the im<br />
age before you save it. Inset places a va<br />
riety of commands at your disposal.<br />
Perhaps the most important are the Ink<br />
commands, which control the way the<br />
screen's colors are printed on a blackand-white<br />
printer. Ink provides several<br />
standard color mappings that print the<br />
screen image as is, reverse the light and<br />
dark values, or print a black-and-white<br />
image. If the standard mappings don't<br />
produce exactly the printout you need,<br />
there's a command that lets you selec<br />
tively map each screen color to each<br />
printer gray level. For complex color<br />
images, this command is a must.<br />
You can use Inset simply to grab<br />
screens and print them, but the pro<br />
gram's real power comes into play<br />
when you incorporate your grabbed im<br />
ages into word processing documents.<br />
Merging text and graphics couldn't be<br />
easier. All you do is place the name of a<br />
saved screen within brackets in the text<br />
at the spot where you want the screen<br />
printed. When it's time to print, you<br />
use your word processor's print com<br />
mand. Inset monitors the output and<br />
prints the specified screen when it<br />
comes to the name in brackets.<br />
Inset may not give you the power<br />
of some dedicated desktop publishing<br />
packages, but it provides all the tools<br />
you need to produce first-class docu<br />
ments that mix text and graphics.<br />
IBM PC and compatibles—$99.00<br />
Inset Systems<br />
Mill Plain Rd.<br />
Danbury, CT 06811<br />
— CK<br />
(203)794-0396 ><br />
62 COMPUTE!
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We appreciated those kind words. They helped<br />
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MONEYCOUNTS* 5.0 is a CPA-designed money man<br />
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business. It's easy to use, requires no accounting<br />
knowledge, is menu-driven with on-line help, has a<br />
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color monitors, comes with a printed manual and is<br />
not copy protected.<br />
Depl. COM<br />
375 Collins Road NE<br />
Cedar Rapids. IA 52402<br />
NAME<br />
~l<br />
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VERSION 5.0<br />
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ADDRESS<br />
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STATE ZIP<br />
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CHECK _l MONEYORDER J VISA i J MASTERCARD J<br />
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MONEVCOUNTS B 5.D (Needs IBM or<br />
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ifast<br />
looks<br />
Stellar Crusade<br />
That the economics and sociology of in<br />
terstellar warfare can be as fascinating<br />
as the mechanics of armed starships—<br />
or even more so—is displayed to good<br />
effect in this new SSI release.<br />
Long-range contact has been made be<br />
tween the League and the Republic in<br />
Stellar Crusade.<br />
The time is the distant future, the<br />
setting a cluster of stars inhabited by<br />
two cultures: one a corporate system,<br />
the other based upon religious fanati<br />
cism. Players must plant colonies, de<br />
velop resources, and position war fleets<br />
and assault troops to counter the<br />
growth of the opposition.<br />
Stellar Crusade offers several levels<br />
of play. At its simplest level, this is a<br />
strategy game in which task forces are<br />
moved about a stellar map over the<br />
course of four years, with each turn rep<br />
resenting three months. At its most<br />
complex, the game spans decades, and<br />
each turn calls for economic, explora<br />
tion, and military decisions and invest<br />
ments, as well as starship and weapons<br />
design and configuration. A variety of<br />
scenarios provide for games that last<br />
anywhere from a couple of hours to as<br />
many as 40 hours.<br />
Although this is not a graphics<br />
game, its graphics are excellent. The<br />
basic star map of the cluster is quite<br />
convincing; icons are used to good ef<br />
fect for deriving information about con<br />
trol of various star systems.<br />
A menu-driven interface makes<br />
getting to know Stellar Crusade's me<br />
chanics simple and efficient, The docu<br />
mentation is thorough without being<br />
exhaustive or exhausting. Reminiscent<br />
in some ways of SSG's Reach for the<br />
Stars, Stellar Crusade has more than a<br />
few original and thoughtful touches,<br />
making it one of the more mature SF<br />
games seen lately.<br />
— KF<br />
Atari ST with color monitor—$54.95<br />
IBM PC and compatibles—$49.95<br />
SSI<br />
1046N.Rengstorff Ave.<br />
Mountain View. CA 94043<br />
(415)964-1353<br />
Eng-LarV<br />
Gentry Software calls its Eng»Lan'<br />
package the easiest computer language<br />
in the world. That's saying a lot. but the<br />
package ts simple to use.<br />
The program presents you with 14<br />
command options. You choose one, an<br />
swer some questions about the com<br />
mand, and, presto change-o. you have a<br />
program statement. You can't encoun<br />
ter syntax errors because Eng»Lan'<br />
types the command for you.<br />
For example, you choose an IF-<br />
THEN statement by hitting the I key.<br />
Eng»Lan' responds with a smaller<br />
group of options. You can choose from<br />
different types of comparative state<br />
ments: IF variable 1 equals variable 2,<br />
IF variable 1 is greater than variable 2,<br />
and so o_n. After you've chosen one,<br />
Eng«Lan' offers a choice of variables<br />
for the statement. Finally, the statement<br />
appears in your program listing.<br />
You can edit programs by choosing<br />
View Or Change from the options. An<br />
other option reads from a file, and still<br />
another runs the program. There are<br />
commands which display characters<br />
and commands which erase characters.<br />
You don't even have to remember the<br />
commands because they're on the<br />
screen.<br />
This process saves you from those<br />
hours of frustration spent wrestling<br />
with syntax and rules. Eng»Lan* can't<br />
prevent you from making logical errors,<br />
however. No programming language<br />
can do that. But you'll be able to con<br />
centrate on correcting your errors in<br />
logic, not format, because Eng»LarT<br />
takes care of some of the more tedious<br />
tasks. _<br />
Eng«Lan' won't be your last pro<br />
gramming language; after a while, you'd<br />
need a more complex language because<br />
this package isn't powerful enough for<br />
building applications and games.<br />
IBM PC with at least 256K—$49<br />
Gentry Software<br />
P.O. Box 4485<br />
Springfield. MO 65<strong>80</strong>8<br />
(<strong>80</strong>0)346-9475<br />
(<strong>80</strong>0) 634-8439 in Missouri<br />
— HA<br />
Publisher ST<br />
What You See Is What You Get<br />
(WYSIWYG)—the ability of software<br />
and computer to exactly show the final<br />
document on the screen—has become<br />
the subtle benchmark of desktop pub<br />
lishing programs. For today's high-tech<br />
clientele, only WYSIWYG will do.<br />
Timeworks' Publisher ST, for the Atari<br />
ST 520, 1040, and Mega ST, makes<br />
WYSIWYG second nature.<br />
Publisher ST lets you lay out, de<br />
sign, print, and produce documents that<br />
look thoroughly polished. Nol happy<br />
with the way something looks? Resize<br />
it, change the font, or reshape the layout<br />
and see it on the screen. There are are<br />
four views to choose from, ranging<br />
from full-page to twice the actual docu<br />
ment size. Publisher ST can handle<br />
practically all your desktop publishing<br />
tasks. Newsletters, brochures, term pa<br />
pers, catalogs, leaflets, advertisements,<br />
labels, and almost anything else can be<br />
created with just a little imagination.<br />
Timeworks Desktop<br />
PUBLISHER<br />
ST<br />
Publisher ST is a fult-featured desktop<br />
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Best of all, Publisher ST takes full<br />
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pabilities of the Atari ST. The main in<br />
terface includes four modes: text,<br />
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can import text from any ASCII-based<br />
word processor (or use the accompany<br />
ing converter program to change the<br />
file's format) and import graphics from<br />
Easy-Draw, NEOchrome, or DEGAS.<br />
The program works in color or mono<br />
chrome. As for printing, Publisher ST<br />
drives practically any printer you<br />
64 COMPUTE!
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Timeworks has a solid product<br />
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Macro Assembler A86<br />
Programming <strong>80</strong>8S assembly language<br />
(the native language of the IBM PC and<br />
compatibles) isn't for everyone. It's for<br />
those who are willing to spend hours<br />
staring at a few lines of code with the<br />
fervent conviction that the bug will be<br />
found. Assembly language can be ex<br />
tremely frustrating, and it demands un<br />
limited patience. But its speed borders<br />
on the miraculous; you can do with it<br />
what can't be done with any high-level<br />
language. Once you've learned assem<br />
bly language, you have the power to<br />
speak to the microprocessor in its na<br />
tive tongue.<br />
If you're ready to take the plunge<br />
into learning <strong>80</strong>88 assembly language,<br />
A86, Eric Isaacson's shareware assem<br />
bler, is an excellent choice, primarily<br />
because it avoids many of the complex<br />
ities of the Microsoft Macro Assembler<br />
(MASM). MASM was created to write<br />
massive programs—the MS-DOS oper<br />
ating system, for example—and is<br />
amazingly full-featured and powerful.<br />
But few or us need MASM's power or<br />
its complexity.<br />
While .-156 is ideal for beginners.<br />
it's by no means a limited assembler. It<br />
has full macro capabilities compatible<br />
with MASM—in fact, it can assemble<br />
many source files written for MASM<br />
with few or no changes in the code. It<br />
can produce .COM files directly with<br />
out using LINK and EXE2BIN, or, al<br />
ternatively, it can produce .OBJ files<br />
that are linkable with the linker on your<br />
DOS disk. It even assembles <strong>80</strong>286 protected-mode<br />
mnemonics.<br />
A86 is blazingly fast because it's a<br />
one-pass assembler, and because it's<br />
written in assembly language itself. It<br />
assembles a source file in a fraction of<br />
the time required by MASM. A86's doc<br />
umentation, which includes both tuto<br />
rial and reference sections, comes on<br />
the disk, so you have to print it your<br />
self. D86, an interactive debugger, is<br />
66 COMPUTE!<br />
also available. A86 is distributed as<br />
shareware, so you can try the program<br />
before you pay for it.<br />
— JS<br />
IBM PC and compatible computers—S50 registra<br />
tion fee<br />
Eric Isaacson<br />
416 E. University St.<br />
Bloomington, IN 47401<br />
(812)339-1811<br />
Contributing to "Fast Looks" this month<br />
were Heidi Aycock, Keith Ferrell. David Florance,<br />
Clifton Karnes, and John Shadle.<br />
The Three<br />
Stooges<br />
Breathes there a player with soul so<br />
dead who never to himself has said:<br />
"Hey, Moe! Yabibibibi! Nyuk! Nyuk!<br />
Nyuk!" The Stooges have arrived on<br />
disk.<br />
High time, too. After a decade of<br />
Pac-Men, Boulder Dash-ers, Mario<br />
brothers, and others, we finally have the<br />
trio of characters who patented their<br />
own form of arcade action half a centu<br />
ry ago. Arcade action? "Why soitanly!"<br />
Think about it. A typical Stooges<br />
short placed Larry, Moe, and Curly in a<br />
race against time or circumstance, dur<br />
ing which they overcame—or over<br />
whelmed—a variety of obstacles at a<br />
breathless pace.<br />
But how much of the Stooges can<br />
actually be captured on disk? Quite a<br />
bit. Cinemaware has taken the time and<br />
trouble to put together a game that<br />
looks like the Stooges, sounds like the<br />
Stooges—thanks to digitization of mu<br />
sic, sound effects, and actual dialogue<br />
from Three Stooges films—and most<br />
important, feels like the Stooges.<br />
This Stooge-esque sensibility ("Oh,<br />
a wise guy, huh?") flows from the mo<br />
ment the game is booted. In fact, the<br />
opening credits deliver not only the<br />
nostalgic atmosphere of a Stooges short,<br />
complete with theme song, but also an<br />
unexpected yuk or two.<br />
In true Three Stooges fashion, the<br />
setup follows immediately after the<br />
credits. Plot in this interactive "movie"<br />
is about the same as plot in one of the<br />
three-some's short films: There's an ob<br />
jective that Larry, Moe. and Curly must<br />
achieve.<br />
Part of the Stooges' success was<br />
that they were such nice guys, always<br />
out to help the underdog. Here, it's an<br />
orphanage under threat of foreclosure<br />
by heartless banker I. Fleecem.<br />
Ma, the widowed orphanage owner,<br />
weeps helplessly. Her charges are going<br />
to be cast into the streets of Stoogeville.<br />
No true Stooge could let that happen.<br />
Our boys take to the streets to earn the<br />
money to save Ma and the kids from<br />
homeiessness. They only have 30 days<br />
before Ma loses everything, and the<br />
boys lose their chance to marry Ma's<br />
gorgeous daughters. "Hiya, Toots!"<br />
The money is earned the way<br />
you'd expect the Stooges to earn mon<br />
ey. The boys move through the streets<br />
of Stoogeville in search of opportunity.<br />
What they find is something else. The<br />
town is set up like a board game, with<br />
various competitions derived from<br />
classic Stooge flicks. Players put the trio<br />
through their paces in pie fights, boxing<br />
rings, slapping and eye-gouging con<br />
tests, vicious bowls of oyster stew, and<br />
a wild gurney race through crowded<br />
hospital corridors. "Calling Dr. How<br />
ard! Dr. Fine! Dr. Howard!"<br />
Contests are selected via an icondriven<br />
interface that represents the next<br />
six squares in the game board. Hit the<br />
right square, and you get the chance to<br />
make some bucks: the wrong square<br />
costs you time. The contests become<br />
progressively more difficult, and more<br />
profitable, as you move farther into the<br />
town.<br />
All of the events are well realized.<br />
Larry's race to fetch the violin whose<br />
"Pop Goes the Weasel" can turn Curly<br />
into a boxer rather than a boxee comes<br />
from the short Punch Drunks, and it<br />
makes good use of a split screen. Hoi<br />
Poloi's famous pie fight at a society lun<br />
cheon puts you right in the midst of fly<br />
ing meringue. The gurney race from<br />
Men in Black—the very first film the<br />
Stooges made for Columbia—might<br />
make you forget other racing games.<br />
The slapping sequence ("Look at the<br />
ground!") comes from all the shorts.<br />
The oyster stew is just as aggressive<br />
here as it was in Dutiful but Dumb.<br />
Animation is superb throughout:<br />
The boys move realistically past wellrendered<br />
backdrops, with pratfalls,<br />
pokes, and punches reminiscent of the<br />
real thing. The game is stunning on the<br />
Amiga, and the IBM version contains<br />
some of the smoothest animation ever<br />
seen on that machine.<br />
As the historical documentation<br />
notes, sound-effects man Joe Henrie<br />
was in essence the fourth Stooge.<br />
(Doink! Twink! Crunch!) Sound effects<br />
and music play a large part in the game<br />
as well. The sound track includes<br />
"Three Blind Mice," and the "Alphabet<br />
Song." which, although the lyrics are
n reviews<br />
NyukI Nyuk! Nyuk! The Three Stooges<br />
turns you into Curly (and Moe and Larry).<br />
unfortunately not included in the docu<br />
mentation, went something like. "B - A<br />
(bay), B - E (bee), B -1 (bicky. bye),<br />
B - O (bo), bicky-bye-bo, B - U (boo),<br />
bicky-bye-bo-boo." Sing along with the<br />
Stooges!<br />
There's Three Stooges dialogue,<br />
too. Having Moe Howard's voice com<br />
ing from a computer was entertaining<br />
in and of itself; having his voice part of<br />
a delightful game for the whole family<br />
was an experience I wouldn't have<br />
missed. While the dialogue is excellent<br />
on the Amiga, 64, and 128. it leaves<br />
something to be desired on IBM com<br />
patibles, although the Tandy threevoice<br />
machine does a good job of<br />
letting the Stooges talk.<br />
Naturally, this much game, graph<br />
ics, sound, and music is disk-intensive,<br />
with swapping and accessing slowing<br />
things down somewhat. On the other<br />
hand ("'How many fingers?"), I found<br />
the action and humor well worth the<br />
wait.<br />
The Three Stooges are naturals for<br />
software entertainment, and their arriv<br />
al is one of the high points of the sea<br />
son. Cinemaware has done well by the<br />
sainted Larry, Moe, and Curly, and all<br />
of their fans, delivering a game that re<br />
creates the Stooges as well as paying<br />
homage to them. What more can be<br />
said but, "Ruff! Ruff! Whoo! Whoo!<br />
Whoo!"<br />
The Three Stooges<br />
— Keith Ferrell<br />
For...<br />
Amiga—$49.95<br />
Commodore 64/128—$34.95<br />
IBM PC and compatible with CGA or<br />
EGA—S49.95<br />
From...<br />
Cinemaware<br />
4165 Thousand Oaks Blvd.<br />
Westlake Village, CA 91362<br />
(<strong>80</strong>5)495-6515<br />
The Graphics<br />
Studio<br />
Joining the recent spate of new paint<br />
programs is The Graphics Studio, from<br />
Accolade, an inexpensive, entry-level<br />
painl program that gives good value for<br />
the price. While not providing the latest<br />
and most advanced paint program fea<br />
tures (stenciling, perspective, dithering,<br />
and the like), Graphics Studio offers<br />
most of the standard drawing and<br />
painting tools, including freehand and<br />
straight lines; outlined and filled<br />
shapes; custom brushes; text, magnify,<br />
and grid tools; extensive color palette<br />
controls; a pattern menu; cut-and-paste<br />
operations; and a spare page (called the<br />
Clipboard). Tools and options are<br />
available with an easy-to-learn, pointand-click<br />
interface that mixes Amiga<br />
conventions with those native to the<br />
Apple IIgs, for which this program was<br />
first written.<br />
Pictures can be drawn on an 8Vi X<br />
11 inch page in the Amiga's Io-res (320<br />
X 200 pixels) and hi-res (640 X 200<br />
pixels) screen modes. The current ver<br />
sion of Graphics Studio doesn't access<br />
the lo-res interlace (320 X 400), hi-res<br />
interlace (640 X 400), HAM (hold-andmodify),<br />
or overscan screen modes. A<br />
Show Page option lets you see a smallscale<br />
image of the entire page on the<br />
screen. Pictures are saved in the stand<br />
ard IFF graphic file format, so you can<br />
load your Graphics Studio pictures into<br />
Amiga word processors, desktop video<br />
and desktop publishing software, and<br />
other paint programs.<br />
Some nice features that don't ap<br />
pear on other Amiga paint programs<br />
are a rounded-rectangle drawing tool;<br />
automatic concentric rectangles and cir<br />
cles; a tool for drawing visible grids; in<br />
stant drop shadows cast at any angle<br />
and distance; an Apple-style scroll bar<br />
for moving around on the page; and<br />
versatile color cycling that lets you cycle<br />
through 32 full-color palettes at selecta<br />
ble speeds (especially useful for animat<br />
ing). Included with Graphics Studio is a<br />
slide-show program that will show your<br />
pictures in any sequence you define,<br />
using a simple script language detailed<br />
in Graphics Studio's adequate but unindexed<br />
manual.<br />
Due to its origins as an Apple IIGS<br />
program, Graphics Studio doesn't al<br />
ways follow the Amiga interface. For<br />
example, the program contains two<br />
kinds of menus: a menu bar that is op<br />
erated with the right mouse button in<br />
the standard Amiga manner, and icon<br />
menus that are operated with the left<br />
mouse button from tool palettes at the<br />
top and bottom of the screen. Experi<br />
enced Amiga users will find it discon<br />
certing at first to make menu choices<br />
with the left button. Nor are there any<br />
drawing operations that use the right<br />
button, as in most other paint pro<br />
grams. In the drawing area, the right<br />
button is used solely to hide and show<br />
the menu bar and palettes. Also, Graph<br />
ics Sludio doesn't multitask, as wellbehaved<br />
Amiga productivity software<br />
should. It takes over the entire machine<br />
so that you can't run other programs at<br />
the same time. And it has some of the<br />
sluggish feel of IIgs graphics software;<br />
requester boxes take a long time to ap<br />
pear, and drawing thick patterned lines<br />
is slow. The version I tested contained<br />
one unusual bug—the pattern-edit re<br />
quester box sometimes left a ghost im<br />
age on my picture after I closed the box.<br />
<strong>Computer</strong> painting is made simple with<br />
Graphics Studio.<br />
Some basic aspects of the program<br />
need more polish. During cut-and-paste<br />
operations, you select a cut tool and de<br />
fine the area you want to cut by draw<br />
ing a box around it on the screen. You<br />
can then drag the cut area anywhere<br />
else on the screen and stamp down a<br />
copy. One of the commonest uses for<br />
cut-and-paste is to stamp down multi<br />
ple copies of the cut area—for example,<br />
to create a rose bush from a single<br />
painting of a rose. To facilitate this,<br />
most paint programs keep the cut area<br />
in memory so that you can paste down<br />
multiple copies with just a click of the<br />
mouse. With Graphics Studio, however,<br />
you can only paste down one copy at a<br />
time; to make multiple copies, you first<br />
have to choose the L (Last Copy) op<br />
tion from the cut-and-paste menu each<br />
time. Another minor annoyance is the<br />
behavior of the pointer. It doesn't change<br />
shape to indicate which tool you are<br />
using, and it disappears for seconds at a<br />
time while some operations are taking<br />
place, leaving you to wonder whether<br />
the program has locked up. Friendly<br />
S E P T E M E R 19 67
COMPUTE!<br />
Publications<br />
Back<br />
Disk<br />
Issues/<br />
Orders<br />
Individual back copies of maga<br />
zines and disks are available by<br />
mail only while quantities last.<br />
Please clip or photocopy, and<br />
mail completed coupon and<br />
check to:<br />
Name:<br />
Street:<br />
City: _<br />
Slate.<br />
COMPUTE!<br />
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Single disks lor COMPUTE!, Gazelle, or Apple<br />
Applications are $15.00. NOTE: No disks dated prior<br />
to January 1966 are available.<br />
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able: PC Magazine: 9/87. 11/87. Atari ST Disk «<br />
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Payment must be in U.S. dollars by check drawn on<br />
U.S. bank.<br />
66 COMPUTE<br />
a reviews<br />
software should display a wristwatch or<br />
other time-related cursor to let you<br />
know the computer is working.<br />
Overall, Graphics Studio rates a<br />
mixed review. It is inexpensive, simple<br />
to use, and contains features that other<br />
Amiga paint programs don't. But it is<br />
slow, doesn't fully use the Amiga inter<br />
face, and has some annoying design<br />
flaws. Still, if you are in the market for a<br />
low-cost paint program, you should<br />
take a good look at Graphics Studio.<br />
The Graphics Studio<br />
— Steven Anzovin<br />
For...<br />
Amiga with at least 512K—$49.95<br />
Apple IIGS with at least 768K—$49.95<br />
IBM PC, Tandy, and PC compatibles with<br />
at least 640K and DOS 2.1 or higher—<br />
£49.95<br />
From...<br />
Accolade<br />
550 S. Winchester Btvd.<br />
Suite 200<br />
San Jose, CA 95128<br />
(403)985-1700<br />
And...<br />
The IBM version is available on both 3V2-<br />
and 51/4-inch disks.<br />
Ultima V:<br />
Warriors of<br />
Destiny<br />
Return to Britannia and explore a new<br />
underworld in Ultima V: Warriors of<br />
Destiny as you search for the missing<br />
Lord British.<br />
Unlike previous installments in<br />
the Ultima series. Ultima I7doesn't in<br />
troduce an entirely new fantasy world.<br />
The adventure unfolds in Brittania. the<br />
site of Ultima IV, and picks up where<br />
you may have thought that quest end<br />
ed. Volcanic activity has opened laby<br />
rinthine passages to an Underworld as<br />
big as the surface terrain.<br />
Lord British, who was your bene<br />
factor in earlier quests, took a band of<br />
knights and delved into the uncharted<br />
territory, where he was captured by the<br />
forces of evil. Iolo and Shamino. char<br />
acters from previous Ultimas, have<br />
summoned you to rescue Lord British.<br />
While the King is missing, Black<br />
thorn is running the realm like a tyrant.<br />
Corrupted by his newfound power.<br />
Blackthorn has declared Shamino and<br />
other sidekicks to be outlaws, forcing<br />
them to hide out in the tradition of<br />
Robin Hood and his Merrv Band. The<br />
outlaws and other characters will join<br />
your party. You can have six characters<br />
in your party, which is more manage<br />
able than the eight required to complete<br />
Ultima IV.<br />
The game assumes you've already<br />
attained Avatar status. An Avatar is<br />
someone who has earned a high status<br />
by embodying the virtues required in<br />
Ultima IV. The same eight virtues you<br />
mastered in Ultima IVmmt be adhered<br />
to here, but there are also Shards of<br />
Cowardice. Falsehood, and other unvirtuous<br />
qualities to round up. You're al<br />
lowed to use an Avatar from that game.<br />
It's not necessary' to have played Ulti<br />
ma IV, though, and you can create a<br />
new character with this program. How<br />
ever, you'll enjoy this pair of Ultimas<br />
much more if you play them in order.<br />
Scattered across the sprawling aeri<br />
al view, the same cities, towns, and cas<br />
tles are situated in identical locations as<br />
in Ultima IV. For this reason, people<br />
who played that game won't have to<br />
spend as much time drawing maps until<br />
they reach the Underworld. Don't<br />
count on finding a lot to do in the Un<br />
derworld, though, because there's only<br />
one town to visit. But many of the arti<br />
facts needed to complete the game are<br />
hidden there.<br />
By chatting with people in Brit<br />
tania, you can learn the exact location<br />
of these items before entering the Un<br />
derworld. As in Ultima IV, you may en<br />
gage townspeople in conversation by<br />
typing single words that often elicit<br />
clues. Sometimes they'll send you to<br />
find a character in another part of town<br />
or across the ocean. Sailboats, horses,<br />
and Moon Gates for teleportation are<br />
again the main transportation modes.<br />
There aren't as many people to talk to<br />
as there were in Ultima IV, and they<br />
don't have as much to say, probably be<br />
cause some of the new features took up<br />
a lot of disk space.<br />
While the location of the towns,<br />
castles and other areas is unchanged,<br />
their interiors have been dramatically<br />
enhanced. Empath Abbey, for example,<br />
is three stories tall, and you can walk<br />
around on top of the buildings. The in<br />
door and outdoor areas showcase a<br />
myriad of new graphics elements, ail<br />
sharply detailed and many bolstered by<br />
charming sound effects: flickering<br />
torches, a gurgling waterfall, harpsi<br />
chords you can actually play, candelabras.<br />
ticking clocks that accurately tell<br />
time, and more. The program supports<br />
six sound boards, including one that<br />
lets you play through a MIDI synthesiz<br />
er; without a board you'll get less so<br />
phisticated sounds. A new style of tile
u might use<br />
your car for pleasure,<br />
but insuring it is<br />
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with the right coverages, with the proper limits at<br />
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We represent several fine companies.. .not just one.. .so<br />
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BIG SAVINGS<br />
ON SOFTWARE!<br />
REVIEWS<br />
LOGO<br />
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encourage active, hands-on problem<br />
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• Logo is a Powerful <strong>Computer</strong> Language<br />
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Encourages Experimentation.<br />
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Text Can be Put on Screen for Labeling<br />
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Comes with Detailed Information Book<br />
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• Works with the Commodore 64, 64C<br />
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90-Day Limited Factory Warranty.<br />
Us.:*69.00<br />
Liquidation Price ....<br />
Item H-3836-7342-074 S/H: $4.50 ea.<br />
Credit card customers can order by<br />
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Send Commodore Electronic Software Package(s)<br />
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D My check or money order is enclosed (No delays m<br />
processing orders paid by check.)<br />
PLEASE ^^_ ,^-p-v, —— .<br />
check □ ^sr d i,-—. □ ffiS n m<br />
PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY<br />
Name<br />
Address<br />
City<br />
ZIP<br />
Sign Here<br />
Phone i_<br />
.State<br />
-Apl. H.<br />
graphics eliminates the blocky stair<br />
case-look of rivers and oceans where<br />
they meet the edge ofland.<br />
The runic letters that appear in all<br />
the Ultimas have an even more impor<br />
tant role in this adventure because you<br />
must learn to read them to understand<br />
the frequent signs at crossroads and<br />
other locations. The lavish documenta<br />
tion provides an easy-to-follow transla<br />
tion. When you read a sign, its picture<br />
and runic message appear in the text<br />
display.<br />
But the biggest change brings day<br />
and night to the world of Ultima. As<br />
time passes, light wanes and visibility<br />
decreases. More significantly, the intro<br />
duction of a time element imparts a<br />
new dimension to the lives of the popu<br />
lace. Depending on their professions or<br />
trades, each person follows a specific<br />
schedule. If you study their patterns,<br />
you can always count on finding certain<br />
people—farmers, cooks, pub tenders—<br />
doing predictable things at specific<br />
places. This is especially helpful in solv<br />
ing some of the puzzles, such as those<br />
dealing with regions patrolled by<br />
guards.<br />
All combat occurs in an arena<br />
whose terrain matches that of the area<br />
where you bumped into the monsters<br />
you must battle. Each fiend is animat<br />
ed, there are lively sound effects, and<br />
you have individual control over your<br />
entire team. My favorite new feature<br />
deals with the way you fire missile<br />
weapons, such as arrows and long-range<br />
spells. In Ultima IV I've always found<br />
it unfair that the monsters could fire di<br />
agonally at my characters, who were re<br />
stricted to aiming in the four cardinal<br />
directions. The combat system now<br />
grants players diagonal-fire capability,<br />
and a foe you've aimed at remains tar<br />
geted even if he moves. A few new<br />
spells have been added to your spellcasters'<br />
arsenals. You still must gather dif<br />
ferent ingredients for each spell, and<br />
now you also must learn 26 Latin-style<br />
root words that are combined to form<br />
spell names. You use these names when<br />
you plan to invoke magic.<br />
A tour de force in the realm of<br />
computer role-playing. Ultima Kis<br />
an enthralling experience for fantasy<br />
fans, but even with all the new features,<br />
graphics nuances, and fine-tuning, it<br />
doesn't match the elegance of Ultima<br />
IV. Ultima fans will still find weeks, if<br />
not months, of fun because the game of<br />
fers a variety of engaging activities and<br />
puzzles, the true test of a role-playing<br />
game.<br />
Each Ultima represents an evolu<br />
tionary stage in Richard Garriott's<br />
Characters can cast spells during combat<br />
in Ultima V.<br />
often-copied game system, so those un<br />
familiar with the prior games will find<br />
the landscape of Warriors of Destiny a<br />
vast one whose puzzles are unusually<br />
perplexing—and the net effect will be<br />
rather intimidating. Even if you're a<br />
highly decorated veteran of a dozen<br />
other fantasy role-playing games, you'll<br />
appreciate the new elements and fea<br />
tures introduced here much more after<br />
you've played an earlier Ultima.<br />
Ultima V<br />
For...<br />
Apple 64 K—S59.95<br />
From...<br />
Origin Systems<br />
136 Harvey Rd.<br />
Building B<br />
Londonderry. NH 03053<br />
(603) 644-3360<br />
— ShavAddams<br />
And ...<br />
5'A-inch disks can be swapped for 3V2-<br />
inch version<br />
ATTENTION FOOTBALL<br />
FANS, ROTISSERIE, AND<br />
FANTASY LEAGUE<br />
PLAYERS.<br />
Sotiware tor existing • All results based uixin<br />
leagues or tn form your /
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THE HOME COMPUTER STORE THAT'S AS CLOSE AS YOUR TELEPHONE<br />
P.C. COMPATIBLE COMPUTERS &a W4PD D/?/V£S (PC) Jfi /AM/GA / COMMODORE<br />
VENDEX HEADSTART<br />
Turbo, Dual Disk, 512K. Serial. Parallel<br />
and Game Ports.<br />
Software and Monitor Included<br />
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$959 <strong>Color</strong><br />
P VENDEXLTD<br />
Turbo, 512K, Serial, Parallel and Game<br />
Ports. 20 meg Hard Drive and<br />
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1750 Ram Exp.<br />
1351 Mouse<br />
1670 Modem<br />
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10911-II NEW 199<br />
10021 319<br />
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25 AS<br />
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3995<br />
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25B5<br />
lOJ). cha>n«a an ta.00. In Cortkiartal USA Incuoa *J.CO tor isftwa orflari 5% 1 moping<br />
« cdHL piaaia agg en. ■ hipping. Mntrncrn (S.0O. til oViar lonton onMra aM in<br />
oaofed Prltaa arid avalkibTtty iub)Kt Id tfang« wiVioul notba.
n reviews<br />
Wordbench<br />
When I heard about Wordbench, I told<br />
everyone I was going lo sell my Macin<br />
tosh and buy an IBM PC so that I could<br />
use this new word and idea processor.<br />
As I used Wordbench at work, I decided<br />
the Macintosh was my computer of<br />
choice after all. Wordbench is a beauti<br />
fully conceived, well-stocked writing<br />
tool, but, practically, it's too awkward.<br />
The strengths lie in what Addison-<br />
Wesley's new package offers: six inte<br />
grated writing modules and seven desk<br />
top tools. The modules include a<br />
traditional word processor, an outline<br />
generator, and a database-like note-tak<br />
ing application. The desktop tools in<br />
clude a spelling checker, thesaurus, and<br />
reference organizer.<br />
The Outliner is dynamically linked<br />
to the Notetaker. Together, they can<br />
generate a rough draft by sending out<br />
line headings and associated note-card<br />
text to the word processor. I don't know<br />
how exciting and unusual that sounds<br />
to anyone else, but it sure beats staring<br />
at a blank screen and fighting writer's<br />
block.<br />
Besides boosting a writer over the<br />
first-draft hurtle, Wordbench\ reference<br />
tool simplifies footnotes. Remember<br />
the pain of typing footnotes? Remem<br />
ber typing just a few lines too many on<br />
the page? Even with a word processor,<br />
footnotes are fairly tedious. With<br />
Wordbench, you can request a footnote<br />
window, request the source list you cre<br />
ated, and copy the source into the foot<br />
note window. It's really very easy, and<br />
you only format a citation once for each<br />
source. Wordbench even provides on<br />
line help about proper citation formats<br />
for different types of sources—books<br />
with two authors, interviews, and so on.<br />
What a treat for people producing term<br />
papers, theses, and dissertations!<br />
Another highlight is the Add-In<br />
manager, which allows you to import<br />
text from other applications—most no<br />
tably from Brainstormer, a collection of<br />
writing exercises. Brainstormer lets you<br />
forget about beautiful prose and just get<br />
ideas out. One exercise doesn't let you<br />
see what you write; another gives you a<br />
time limit; still another gives you a space<br />
limit. I enjoyed these tools, and they'd<br />
be helpful in starting a paper that defies<br />
the traditional writing techniques.<br />
Wordbench integrates several writing tools<br />
and brainstorming exercises in one package.<br />
Wordbench seemed great—so far.<br />
But after I used the package for a while,<br />
I found several annoying characteris<br />
tics. Navigation was awkward, and<br />
there were features missing from some<br />
applications that I thought were indis<br />
pensable. The package simply isn't flex<br />
ible enough. ><br />
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P.O. Box 5188<br />
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copies of COMPUTERS<br />
Amount<br />
Sales Tax*<br />
Total<br />
-New York residents add BM percent sates tax. Nortn Carolina residents add 5 percent<br />
sales tax. All orders must be paid in U.S. funds by a check drawn on a U.S. bank. Sorry,<br />
no credit card orders accepted.<br />
Disks will be shipped the first week of August. Please allow 4-6 weeks (or detivery.<br />
72 COMPUTE
eviews<br />
Advertisers Index<br />
In the Outliner, you must follow<br />
the logic of a traditional outline: no .4<br />
without a B, no 1 without a 2, and so<br />
on. To protect that logic, Wordbench<br />
won't let you rearrange headings if the<br />
result would break up a logical group.<br />
Sometimes you must promote many<br />
headings just for the sake of reassigning<br />
the level of one heading. Then you<br />
must demote the other headings to get<br />
them back where you want them. This<br />
structure discourages outline revision.<br />
To be safe, you must sketch the outline<br />
on paper first to be sure you won't need<br />
any drastic changes onscreen. Also, the<br />
outline headings are limited to one line,<br />
and you can only have four levels of<br />
headings. The Outliner is good at estab<br />
lishing a structure for your paper, but<br />
it's not helpful as an idea processor.<br />
In the Notetaker, you can't manip<br />
ulate blocks of text. When I realized I<br />
wanted to break up a note, I had to<br />
copy the information from one note to<br />
the next. I could retype the text into<br />
each note, or I could copy the contents<br />
of the last card onto the newest card<br />
and delete or change what was different.<br />
Imagine deleting three paragraphs one<br />
letter at a time.<br />
In the word processor, I found<br />
everything I needed. Although the spell<br />
ing checker was a bit slow, and the the<br />
saurus didn't work nearly as well as the<br />
bound version on my desk, all the other<br />
features worked fine. The interface for<br />
the IBM PC version of Wordbench is<br />
much like Microsoft Word's interface.<br />
You choose menus with a keystroke<br />
and then an option from the menu with<br />
another keystroke. Like an older ver<br />
sion of Word, you must choose a writ<br />
ing mode from a menu, too.<br />
You choose nearly everything from<br />
menus in two-step operations. Naviga<br />
tion, through the word processor specif<br />
ically and through the program as a<br />
whole, is too involved. You go through<br />
two doors to get out of one room. To<br />
enter a note, you must go to the field,<br />
hit Enter to get in the field, and then<br />
type. To finish a note or a citation in<br />
the reference tool, you must hit Con<br />
trol-Enter twice.<br />
In all fairness, some of these prob<br />
lems might be a matter of only using<br />
the package for a short while. You<br />
might grow accustomed to those things<br />
that seemed like idiosyncracies at first.<br />
If you don't have a favorite word<br />
processor and you want something that<br />
simplifies report writing, Wordbench<br />
would be a good choice. It is a betterthan-average<br />
word processor, the price<br />
is very reasonable, and the features are<br />
stunning.<br />
I'd love to have many of the fea<br />
tures of Wordbench on my own word<br />
processing software. But I don't want to<br />
trade ordinary flexibility and grace just<br />
so I can have spectacular options.<br />
Wordbench<br />
For...<br />
— Heidi E. H. Aycock<br />
Apple II with at least 128K—S189<br />
IBM PC and compatibles with at least<br />
256K—$149<br />
From...<br />
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company<br />
Rt. 128<br />
Reading, MA 01867<br />
(617) 944-3700<br />
And...<br />
The program comes on both 5'/4- and 31/?<br />
inch disks.<br />
Stealth Mission<br />
The people who brought us the excitment<br />
of 3-D flight with Flight Simula<br />
tor now have something a little hotter<br />
on the runway. Stealth Mission puts<br />
you in the cockpit of an F-19 Stealth<br />
fighter, an experimental forward sweptwingX-29,<br />
or a Navy F-14 Tomcat.<br />
Strategy and tactics are the keys to<br />
this simulation. While you'll need dex<br />
terity and coordination to reach a target<br />
through a barrage of surface-to-air mis<br />
siles, all your efforts will be wasted if<br />
you're armed with the wrong weapons.<br />
After you select one of Stealth Mission's<br />
eight missions and ten levels of difficul<br />
ty, decide on a plane and the correct<br />
complement often specialized rockets<br />
and bombs to get the job done.<br />
Each plane has its own flight style<br />
and characteristics. The F-19 Stealth<br />
fighter is the slowest and least maneuverable,<br />
but its secret radar-absorbing<br />
technology makes it almost undetectable.<br />
The X-29 is small, fast, and maneuverable,<br />
but it carries the smallest<br />
payload. The F-14 Tomcat is fastest<br />
and carries more armament than the<br />
others, but it turns slowly.<br />
Before flying, read the instruction<br />
manual. You probably won't be able to<br />
leave the ground otherwise. If you don't<br />
know the difference between an AIM-9<br />
Sidewinder and an AGM-84 Harpoon,<br />
how can you know which weapons<br />
you'll need? It's a compliment to<br />
Stealth Mission's sophistication and at<br />
tention to detail that the game's handy<br />
reference card contains more than 60<br />
flight, view, weapon/defense, radio, and<br />
Reader Service Number/Advertiser<br />
Page<br />
102 Britannica Software 1<br />
103 COMB 70<br />
104 CompuServe IFC<br />
105 Comp-U-Store 57<br />
106 Computability 71<br />
107 <strong>Computer</strong> Direct, Inc ! 65<br />
<strong>Computer</strong> Learning Month 84-85<br />
108 Epyx 5<br />
109 Franchise Football League . .... 70<br />
110 BRtWALL/Free Spirit Software 75<br />
111 Gentry Software 78<br />
112 Independent Insurance Agent 69<br />
113 Indus-Tool 78<br />
114 Koei Corporation 29<br />
115 Lyco 40-42<br />
116 Lyco 47-49<br />
117 Marathon Software 77<br />
118 Meca BC<br />
119 MicroProse Simulation Software 25<br />
120 Mindscape, Inc 31<br />
121 Montgomery Grant 83<br />
NRI Schools 33<br />
122 PC Enterprises 76<br />
123 Parsons Technology 63<br />
124 Precision Data Products 82<br />
125 Renco <strong>Computer</strong> Printer Supply 78<br />
126 Smart Luck <strong>Computer</strong> Systems 35<br />
127 Spectrum HoloByte 21<br />
128 Spinnaker Software Corp 17<br />
129 Software Discounters of America 87<br />
130 Strategic Simulations, Inc IBC<br />
131 subUOGIC 7<br />
132TEVEX 35<br />
133 Wright <strong>Computer</strong>s 76<br />
Classified Ads 79<br />
COMPUTERS Amiga Disk 72<br />
COMPUTED Apple Disk 74<br />
MAIL TO:<br />
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SUBSCRIBER SERVICE<br />
P.O. Box 10955, Des Moines, IA 50340-0955<br />
Change of Address: Please advise as early as<br />
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SEPTEMBER 1988 73
□ REVIEWS<br />
simulation controls.<br />
Once in the cockpit, you're faced<br />
with an array of 26 different gauges, di<br />
als, radar screens, and computers, all<br />
feeding you flight, navigation, and<br />
weapons information. You can maneu<br />
ver with a joystick, the keyboard, or a<br />
combination of the two. Until you get<br />
the feel of a particular aircraft, you may<br />
be all over the sky trying to achieve lev<br />
el flight with a joystick. Touch a couple<br />
of keys on the keyboard, though, and<br />
your jet automatically levels out.<br />
Your view changes realistically as<br />
you gain speed and altitude. The per<br />
spective projection is generated from a<br />
3-D database. You can look forward,<br />
left, right, up, and to the rear. You can<br />
also switch views to a spot plane or con<br />
trol tower to watch yourself fly—this<br />
adds another dimension and viewpoint<br />
to a value-packed simulation.<br />
Midair refueling is another nice<br />
touch. If you're low on fuel and far<br />
from an airport, you can search out the<br />
KC-10 refueling tanker circling the mis<br />
sion area. Docking with the tanker<br />
takes considerable skill, but an on-board<br />
computer can handle the chore for you.<br />
You can follow the action from the<br />
Stealth Mission is packed with so many<br />
features, you'll learn something new every<br />
time you fly it<br />
cockpit or from the spot plane. After<br />
you've refueled, your plane is rearmed<br />
and repaired. Until you perfect your fly<br />
ing skills, Stealth Mission has an auto<br />
matic landing procedure to get you<br />
back to base and down safely.<br />
Stealth Mission has a full comple<br />
ment of navigational instruments:<br />
VOR. ILS, VDF, and DME. They'll<br />
help you locate the refueling tanker or<br />
find your home base. Instrument land<br />
ing approaches are not available with<br />
Stealth Mission, but they are with Sub-<br />
LOGIC's Scenery Disks.<br />
When flying combat missions, ene<br />
my targets flash as they come into view.<br />
Select a proper weapon, and a red tar<br />
geting box is superimposed over the tar<br />
get. Maneuver the crosshairs of your<br />
gunsight within this box and press a key<br />
to lock the weapon onto the target. This<br />
is where dexterity comes into play: It<br />
takes two hands to fly the plane with<br />
the joystick, and a third one is needed<br />
to lock onto the target. If you're suc<br />
cessful, the target-tracking computer<br />
will guide your missile or smart bomb<br />
to the target.<br />
According to the manual, you can<br />
lock onto several targets and then fire<br />
when you're within range by pressing<br />
the space bar or fire button. This is<br />
where Stealth Mission currently has a<br />
problem. When you lock onto a target,<br />
a bug in the program fires your missiles<br />
whenever you move your joystick to<br />
another position. SubLOGIC is aware<br />
of the problem and should have it cor<br />
rected by the time you read this. A<br />
company spokesman said people who<br />
bought early versions of Stealth Mis<br />
sion and experience this bug should<br />
contact the company.<br />
There are some ways to sidestep<br />
COMPUTED Apple Applications<br />
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PUTEI's Apple Applications, your<br />
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Here are just some of the programs that you'll find on the<br />
October disk:<br />
Window Pack. Give your Apple II programs that professional<br />
look with windows and pull-down menus. A full-blown<br />
"Window Pack" demo program Is included on the disk.<br />
Air Rescue. Imagine a pilot's test where you have to dodge<br />
the clouds. Can you pass?<br />
COMPUTEI's Apple Applications Disk offers you some of the<br />
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mentation for the disk is provided in COMPUTEI's Apple<br />
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available separately for only $18.00).<br />
To subscribe to COMPUTEI's Apple Applications Disk, call tollfree,<br />
1-<strong>80</strong>0-727-6937 (U.S.A. only). Or send a check or money<br />
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COMPUTEI's Apple Applications Disk<br />
P.O. Box 10767<br />
Des Moines, IA 50340<br />
Fractal Sketcher. Explore the beauty of computer-aided art by<br />
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C09
n reviews<br />
the bug. After locking onto a target, cy<br />
cle to another weapon before you move<br />
the joystick. You can then change direc<br />
tions without the missiles firing. When<br />
you're within range and ready to shoot,<br />
cycle back to that weapon and press the<br />
space bar. The program doesn't seem to<br />
respond to the fire button. You can also<br />
use the keyboard flight controls since<br />
they're not affected.<br />
On the whole, Stealth Mission's<br />
animation techniques are excellent, but<br />
the system seems to overload occasion<br />
ally with data. While flying down a nar<br />
row canyon, the black walls and the<br />
green canyon floor sometimes suddenly<br />
and unexpectedly trade places, then<br />
flip-flop back. It can be hard to tell if<br />
you're flying into a wall or landing on<br />
the floor of the canyon.<br />
A lot of sophisticated program<br />
ming has gone into Stealth Mission,<br />
eliminating much of the annoying disk<br />
access that slows other simulations. In<br />
fact, this simulation is packed with so<br />
many features, you'll learn something<br />
new every time you fly it. One nice fea<br />
ture is the missile's-eye-view as a bomb<br />
or rocket homes in on a target.<br />
If you select a zero level of difficul<br />
ty, it's impossible to crash or get shot<br />
down. You can even land at enemy air<br />
fields, refuel, and rearm. At higher lev<br />
els, if your aircraft is critically damaged,<br />
you can bail out and watch from the<br />
spot plane as your ejection seat comes<br />
out and your parachute opens.<br />
When a program offers so much, I<br />
feel like it's nitpicking to ask for more,<br />
but there are a few extra touches I'd like<br />
to see programmers squeeze out of a 64<br />
or 128. I'd like to see my rockets streak<br />
forward. I'd also like to see tracers when<br />
I fire a burst from the M61 cannon. I<br />
know hits on the enemy are registered,<br />
and I can hear explosions when a pri<br />
mary target is wiped out, but I'd like to<br />
see a few explosions as well. Watching a<br />
MiG go down in flames may do noth<br />
ing to improve international relations,<br />
but I think most armchair jet jockeys<br />
would appreciate the effect.<br />
It would make an already great<br />
simulation truly outstanding.<br />
Stealth Mission<br />
For...<br />
Commodore 64/128—$49.95<br />
From ...<br />
SubLOGIC<br />
P.O. Box 4019<br />
Champaign. IL 61820<br />
(217)359-8482<br />
— Tom Netse!<br />
Twilight's<br />
Ransom<br />
It has action! It has adventure! It even<br />
has suspense! Twilight's Ransom, from<br />
Paragon Software, is as interesting and<br />
challenging an adventure game as any I<br />
have played.<br />
This is an interactive graph ics-andtextgamc<br />
with terrific illustrations,<br />
beautifully written descriptions of vari<br />
ous locales, and one of the most sophis<br />
ticated command parsers you are likely<br />
to encounter.<br />
The game's basic premise is sim<br />
ple: Your girlfriend has been kid<br />
napped, and you have until sunrise to<br />
deliver what her kidnappers want...<br />
without knowing what they want or<br />
how to go about getting it. What follows<br />
is a desperate race against time, and<br />
also against all of the dangers a big city<br />
can pose: muggers, hustlers, and every<br />
other kind of criminal and natural haz<br />
ard that an average crime-infested me<br />
tropolis possesses.<br />
As the game progresses, you will<br />
find subtle clues to the solution of the<br />
mystery, but you must distinguish these<br />
from the false leads and distractions<br />
scattered throughout the quest. Take<br />
nothing at face value, for you will surely<br />
regret it. So far, I've been shot, stabbed,<br />
mugged, and dumped in sewage.<br />
Try everything; it's amazing how<br />
many command options the game de<br />
signers have anticipated. No matter<br />
how illogical your command may seem,<br />
the designers have probably accommo<br />
dated it. The parser exhibits a sense of<br />
humor, too—the game recognizes an<br />
interesting range of vocabulary.<br />
The command parser has a large<br />
vocabulary, and is very easy on new<br />
players. It will accept UNLOCK<br />
DOOR WITH KEY, and it will also ac<br />
cept UNLOCK THE DOOR WITH<br />
THE KEY, THEN OPEN THE<br />
DOOR. Thus, you may be as terse or as<br />
verbose as you please. Furthermore, if<br />
additional information is needed, the<br />
program asks you for it. You don't have<br />
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E2 REVIEWS<br />
mode it is not. In both modes, the com<br />
mand PICTURE displays the picture if<br />
one is available. The dual mode is use<br />
ful because you can easily display pic<br />
tures for visual effect or suppress the<br />
pictures for faster progress.<br />
The pictures are fantastic, especial<br />
ly in color. It's clear that the game de<br />
signers invested a great deal of time and<br />
effort on game scenes. The inclusion of<br />
graphics in a text adventure game helps<br />
bring the game alive. Even the most de<br />
tailed descriptions can't put across the<br />
look of a city as these pictures can.<br />
Monochrome-monitor owners must<br />
play the game without the superb<br />
graphics.<br />
The game's prose isn't so shabby,<br />
either. The text-based descriptions are<br />
impressive in their own right. The pas<br />
sages read like a mystery novel—this is<br />
not the usual sketchy adventure-game<br />
prose. You'll find yourself deep into the<br />
feel of the game because of the exten<br />
sive detail included in the scenes.<br />
Twilight's Ransom has some other<br />
impressive features. A save-and-rcstore<br />
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you can restore one at load time or any<br />
Kidnappers hold your girlfriend lor ransom<br />
in Twilight's Ransom.<br />
time during the game. Two command<br />
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Twilight's Ransom is an excellent,<br />
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Twilight's Ransom<br />
For...<br />
Amiga—$34.95<br />
Atari ST—$34.95<br />
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From ...<br />
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76 COMPUTE
Read 'n Roll<br />
A new reading program bowls a strike<br />
on skills improvement and doesn't<br />
spare the fun, either.<br />
Read 'n Roll combines entertain<br />
ment with drill and practice in basic<br />
reading skills. It offers 320 reading pas<br />
sages for children in grades 3-6, divided<br />
according to grade level. Each level has<br />
<strong>80</strong> stories. There is also a program edi<br />
tor to help teachers create original<br />
exercises.<br />
The more children read, the more<br />
their comprehension skills develop.<br />
When they work through passages in<br />
Read 'n Roll, they get practice in one of<br />
five reading-enrichment areas: identify<br />
ing the main idea, recalling specific de<br />
tails, remembering a sequence of<br />
events, reading between the lines, and<br />
building a vocabulary. Passages focus<br />
on one comprehension skill at a time,<br />
so teachers can better assess each stu<br />
dent's strengths and weaknesses. Since<br />
each activity concentrates on building a<br />
single skill, it's not necessary to follow<br />
the menu options in any particular<br />
order.<br />
While all program activities rein<br />
force reading-comprehension skills, one<br />
in particular deserves special mention.<br />
It's an arcadelike game called Strike 'n<br />
Spare. Students try to define words dur<br />
ing a bowling match. For correct an<br />
swers, players can control an animated<br />
bowler—hence the name Read 'n Roll.<br />
Read 'n Roll uses bowling as a setting for<br />
reading-improvement drills.<br />
The game is a lot of fun. It uses<br />
words from one or all of the other activ<br />
ities and operates at each student's<br />
reading level. If the game is played pri<br />
or to the other activities, children be<br />
come familiar with the vocabulary used<br />
in the passages. If players choose Strike<br />
'n Spare after they've read the passages,<br />
they can test their knowledge of the<br />
words. Instructors can use the program<br />
editor to customize onscreen sentences.<br />
Strike 'n Spare teaches vocabulary and<br />
spelling without being overly pedantic.<br />
The four other activities work dif<br />
ferently from Strike 'n Spare. Students<br />
read passages and then answer multi<br />
ple-choice questions about what they've<br />
just read. Correct choices are rewarded<br />
with a colorful, animated graphic (a girl<br />
whizzing by on a skateboard, a singleengine<br />
airplane zipping upward, a<br />
bright orange car or a red fire engine<br />
zooming along, a rolling bowling ball,<br />
and more). Unfortunately, with a digi<br />
tal RGB monitor on an Apple He, you<br />
get only a dull gray monochrome, and<br />
the graphics are difficult to see. Com<br />
posite monitors, however, offer color<br />
graphics. There's no problem with an<br />
analog RGB monitor on an Apple IlGS.<br />
Each animated graphic is accom<br />
panied by an encouraging message such<br />
as "You're flying high," "Moving right<br />
along," or "Awesome job." There's also<br />
some audio reinforcement. Much to the<br />
A Complete Pro Football<br />
Prediction Program For The<br />
1988 NFL SEASON<br />
• • FEATURES<br />
Predicted Scores All Games<br />
Season Schedule By Week<br />
Season Schedule By Team<br />
Scores By Week<br />
Scores By Team<br />
Scoring Summary<br />
Win Loss Record Home/Away<br />
Division Standings<br />
Stats — Accumulated & Average<br />
Ljne By Week<br />
Line By Team<br />
Record vs Line<br />
Record vs Common Opponents<br />
Individual Team Match-Ups<br />
Printed Copy All Screens<br />
1983-1987 Data Base<br />
(Includes All of the Above)<br />
Easy Updates Playoffs/1988<br />
AND MORE<br />
Deajer Inquiries Invited<br />
Accurate Since 1982 More In<br />
BEAT THE SPREAD<br />
'88 To .<br />
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By 1st Class Mail. Season Price 4O00.<br />
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n reviews<br />
program's credit, if the child answers<br />
incorrectly there is no negative-sound<br />
ing buzz. The screen merely shows "Try<br />
again." After a second incorrect reply,<br />
the computer responds with the correct<br />
answer.<br />
Some teachers prefer programs<br />
that make students choose correctly to<br />
programs that answer for the student.<br />
Davidson might want to consider add<br />
ing a new option to the Activity menu.<br />
If teachers choose this item, students<br />
would be required to answer for them<br />
selves without help from the computer.<br />
As children work through the<br />
menu activities, they are awarded<br />
points for correct answers. Questions<br />
answered correctly on a second attempt<br />
score only half as many points as those<br />
answered correctly on the first try. In<br />
Facts and Inferences, students find a<br />
helpful hint if they look back at the pas<br />
sage after one incorrect answer.<br />
The program is packed with oplions.<br />
You can use a mouse or the key<br />
board. If you use the keyboard, you can<br />
access the menu bar by pressing Open<br />
Apple-Escape. Sound can be toggled on<br />
or off. Teachers with printer access can<br />
make certificates of excellence for de<br />
serving students or a hardcopy of stu<br />
dent progress reports.<br />
During the reading activity, a digi<br />
tal clock ticks silently in the upper right<br />
corner of the screen. The timer tells<br />
how long it takes the student to read the<br />
passage and answer the question. If a<br />
child finds the clock too distracting, it's<br />
possible to hide it.<br />
If you know you are going to take<br />
advantage of the program's printing<br />
features, be sure to configure the printer<br />
at program startup. There is no option<br />
for printer configuration during pro<br />
gram operation. While the printer setup<br />
conveniently remains in effect each<br />
time you boot the program, all other<br />
menu options unfortunately default to<br />
their original settings.<br />
The package includes two doublesided,<br />
5!/-i-inch floppies and an informa<br />
tive manual. If you have only one 51/*-<br />
inch disk drive, prepare for a lot of disk<br />
swapping. If your computer is equipped<br />
for 3'/2-inch disks, do yourself a favor<br />
and take advantage of Davidson's free<br />
exchange offer. With an <strong>80</strong>0K floppy,<br />
you'll avoid the disk swapping and save<br />
mechanical wear and tear on your<br />
drive. The rugged nature of a 3'/:-inch<br />
disk makes it more suitable for class<br />
room use.<br />
Davidson has done it again—Read<br />
'n Roll is another software winner. The<br />
program makes reading an enjoyable<br />
experience. The 320 passages are wellwritten<br />
and the focused activities will<br />
improve the reading-comprehension<br />
skills of children in grades 3-6. Even<br />
adults will want to try their hand bowl<br />
ing frames in Strike 'n Spare.<br />
Read 'n Roll<br />
— Carol S. Holzberg<br />
For...<br />
Apple II with 128K (lie with extended <strong>80</strong>-<br />
column card)—$49.95<br />
IBM PC or compatibles with 256K and<br />
color graphics card—$49.95<br />
From...<br />
Davidson and Associates<br />
3135KashiwaSt.<br />
Torrance, CA 90505<br />
(213)534-4070<br />
(<strong>80</strong>0)556-6141<br />
And...<br />
The program is available on 3Vi- and 5'Ainch<br />
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Transfer time to emergency power 10 Milli<br />
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Order toll free 1-<strong>80</strong>0-662-5021<br />
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Panasonic KX-P 1090<br />
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COLOH PAPER<br />
BRIGHT PACK-200 Sheets/50 each color: Red.<br />
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T-SHIRT RI8BONS (Hsat Trarwlw) - Call For Price.<br />
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For ribbons & paper not listed above, call for price &<br />
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If You Can Read<br />
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Can Program<br />
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Introducing EngLan<br />
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Navigating Your Hard Disk Or<br />
Floppy getting you Down?<br />
Create Your Own Menu System With<br />
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call Kathleen Ingram at (919) 275-9<strong>80</strong>9.<br />
Notice: COMPUTE! Publications cannot be responsible for offers or claims of<br />
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S E P T E M E R 19 79
DAVID STANTON<br />
Put a Word<br />
Processor in<br />
the Hands of a<br />
Child and<br />
Watch Writing<br />
Soar to New<br />
Heights<br />
Jot notes and reorganize at will. Mold<br />
• Word-processed assignments always look<br />
and refine sentences for the perfect ef good when completed. Once students see<br />
fect. Replace weak words. Juggle para how well their work can look, they begin to<br />
graphs. Correct, improve, and enhance until take greater pride in themselves and their<br />
writing.<br />
• Word processing turns the usually tedious<br />
process of rewriting into a pleasant (and ef<br />
Shakespeare blushes.<br />
And when the writing process is all fin<br />
ished, computer print looks crisp and neat<br />
and clean, while pens produce a scrawl of<br />
messy goo. Such benefits can hardly go<br />
unseen.<br />
Questions of literary talent aside, quill<br />
pens and their modern-day counterparts<br />
don't stand a chance against today's power<br />
ful word processors. No other applications<br />
software has achieved such universal accep<br />
tance in business. When was the last time<br />
you saw a traditional typewriter in the press<br />
room of your local newspaper? Or at your<br />
lawyer's office?<br />
But word processing software can do<br />
much more than assist in the office. For<br />
thousands of Americans, it could radically<br />
change lives. Word processing holds great<br />
promise for those who struggle with writingrelated<br />
learning difficulties.<br />
Various sources estimate this group to<br />
be anywhere from 10 to 30 percent of the<br />
population. Do you know a child who reads<br />
reversals crop up regularly in your child's<br />
work—saw for was, b for d?<br />
If not. here ends this column. If so,<br />
please consider the following personal obser<br />
vations based on several years of watching<br />
students struggle with these very real and<br />
debilitating problems. Nothing scientific,<br />
mind you—just a few thoughts and musings.<br />
• People who fail to recognize spelling errors<br />
in their own handwriting often spot and<br />
correct them when they sec their work on a<br />
screen. Perhaps this happens because on<br />
screen letters are more clearly recognizable.<br />
Regardless of the reason, spelling improves<br />
when students compose on computers.<br />
• Spelling checkers further refine processed<br />
text. Though some teachers have opposed<br />
the use of such software in the past, a re<br />
cent study at the University of Oregon<br />
found that the use of spelling checkers has<br />
no negative effect on spelling performance.<br />
■ Although grammar checkers arc still quite<br />
primitive, they do assist with homonym er<br />
rors of the too, to. and two variety. Many<br />
even offer advice on punctuation, cliche<br />
avoidance, and other typical writing<br />
problems.<br />
ficient) experience.<br />
• Belter-written work means greater success.<br />
In school, that translates into higher<br />
grades. In business, it may mean landing a<br />
better job or earning a promotion.<br />
• Perhaps most important of all: <strong>Computer</strong>s<br />
make writing fun! Reluctant writers fre<br />
quently change their attitude when they<br />
learn how easy it is to produce "publishable"<br />
material.<br />
School success hinges on the ability to<br />
produce understandable and legible written<br />
work. Few skills can claim greater impor<br />
tance from kindergarten to graduate school.<br />
Those who cannot write face constant frus<br />
tration and failure.<br />
That need not happen. Excellent word<br />
processing software is available for every<br />
personal computer. If you don't already<br />
have the software, look for something that<br />
includes a built-in spelling checker or one<br />
several grades below the expected level, in<br />
that is compatible with a stand-alone check<br />
spile of diligent efforts to improve? Or<br />
er. The best programs accommodate chil<br />
someone who simply cannot spell? Do letter<br />
dren and adults alike—nothing too simple,<br />
nothing too complicated. Space prevents a<br />
listing of recommendations here, but good<br />
advice is available in COMPUTE! magazine<br />
software reviews, from knowledgeable<br />
friends, and from appropriate school<br />
personnel.<br />
One more thing: Don't rely on local<br />
schools in this matter. Some teachers still<br />
distrust technology, and those teachers who<br />
recognize its benefits may nevertheless find<br />
access to the lab limited.<br />
Word processing is computer-intensive.<br />
It requires several hours of writing and re<br />
vising to produce each essay. Unfortunately,<br />
most school districts have too few machines<br />
to handle this demand. If you want the job<br />
done, at least for now. you'll have to do it<br />
yourself.<br />
Will it work for your family? Maybe.<br />
Maybe not. Anyone who works with people<br />
knows the difficulty of predicting human be<br />
havior. If it does work, though, it could<br />
change someone's life.<br />
q<br />
David Stanton can be contacted via CompuServe<br />
(72407,102) or by mail at P.O. Box 494, Bolivar,<br />
New York 14715.<br />
<strong>80</strong> COMPUTE!
-news¬es<br />
processor and a graphics<br />
package.<br />
"We've taken a lot of cus<br />
tomer feedback and put that<br />
into improving our package,"<br />
Lee Llevano said. Llevano is<br />
vice president of marketing at<br />
Berkeley Softworks.<br />
"We've taken input from<br />
a variety of sources," he said.<br />
Those sources include custom<br />
er response and suggestions,<br />
comments in user-group publi<br />
cations, and in-house develop<br />
ment by product engineers.<br />
Besides the new features,<br />
GEOS 2.0 sports new possibili<br />
ties for old friends. The new<br />
deskTop adds the 1581, a 3'^inch<br />
disk drive, to its list of<br />
supported storage devices. The<br />
graphics interface supports two<br />
disk drives and a RAM Expan<br />
for game publishers. According<br />
to some sources, Nintendo has<br />
authorized production, on the<br />
average, of only 25 percent of<br />
the number of cartridges re<br />
quested by publishers. Some<br />
publishers are getting a far<br />
higher percentage of requested<br />
production levels, while others<br />
arc getting next to nothing.<br />
Millions of dollars of potenlial<br />
sales are going to be lost.<br />
Everyone involved in the<br />
will grow up to become per<br />
sonal computer buyers, and<br />
carry their thirst for games<br />
with them to the more power<br />
ful machines. In other words.<br />
though sales of the Nintendo<br />
system, and others like it. may<br />
dent the rise in personal com<br />
puter entertainment software,<br />
it's only a temporary problem.<br />
The pragmatists, on the other<br />
hand, simply want to make<br />
GEOS Turns Two<br />
GEOS 2.0. the newly announced<br />
version for the Commodore 64.<br />
features new tools and in<br />
creased capabilities, said Berke<br />
ley Softworks president Brian<br />
Dougherty at the June Com<br />
puter Electronics Show.<br />
The upgrade should<br />
please seasoned GEOS users<br />
because of the new features: a<br />
sion Unit. You can perform<br />
file operations on more than<br />
one file at a time, and you can<br />
retrieve the last file you tossed<br />
in the wastebasket.<br />
geoWrite flexes new mus<br />
cles: individual paragraph for<br />
matting, four text-alignment<br />
choices, decimal tabs, search<br />
and replace, and full-page pre<br />
view are only some of the en<br />
hancements. Using the new<br />
Paint Drivers, you can create<br />
current game-system craze is<br />
keeping at least one eye on the<br />
sales curves. With figures from<br />
the last game system go-round<br />
in front of them, some publish<br />
ers (and probably Nintendo as<br />
well) arc wondering when the<br />
bottom will fall out. When sys<br />
tem penetration reaches satu<br />
ration level, the theory goes,<br />
things will start to unravel.<br />
Nintendo had a big year in<br />
1987; will 1988 be the lop of<br />
the wave, with everything else<br />
simply downhill? Some pub<br />
lishers believe 1988 will sec the<br />
money while there's money to<br />
be made, cither by investing<br />
directly in the cartridge busi<br />
ness, as Activision has done,<br />
or by licensing successful<br />
games to others, as Epyx has<br />
done with its popular Califor<br />
nia Games (licensed to Milton<br />
Bradley).<br />
Still others believe that<br />
the way to beat Nintendo is tc<br />
market high-quality games or<br />
disk—a medium that doesn't<br />
rely on RAM chips. Taito, the<br />
Japanese arcade-machine gi<br />
ant, is one such believer. It's<br />
Christmas of Nintendo, its<br />
high-water mark. Others think<br />
bringing a half-dozen of its<br />
top-flight arcade games to<br />
that the pent-up demand for<br />
disk-dependent computers<br />
games due to the RAM short<br />
age will postpone lhe inevita<br />
ble until 1989.<br />
The effect on personal<br />
computers and personal com<br />
puter entertainment-software<br />
publishers? Again, mixed an<br />
swers. The optimists believe<br />
that game-system purchasers<br />
such as the Commodore 64,<br />
the IBM PC, the Commodore<br />
Amiga, and the Atari ST.<br />
before it takes them to the Nin<br />
tendo. One Taito source said<br />
the company wanted Nintendo<br />
to "sit up and take notice" of<br />
games going first to personal<br />
computers. — Gregg Keizer<br />
spelling checker, mail merge, a<br />
file converter, a laser-printer<br />
driver, and more power for<br />
older tools. People who are<br />
new to the Commodore 64 will<br />
appreciate the completeness of<br />
the package—besides the oper<br />
ating system, you get a word<br />
columns and borders and in<br />
clude graphics with text.<br />
The upgrade to geoPaint<br />
adds more control over graph<br />
ics creation. For example, you<br />
can stretch and scale photo<br />
scraps, use transparent paint<br />
brushes to create overlav ef-<br />
S E P T E M E R 19 8 81
-nem¬es<br />
fects. and constrain shapes to<br />
perfectly proportioned circles<br />
or squares.<br />
For people who already<br />
own the old version of GEOS,<br />
the upgrade costs $29.95, in<br />
cluding shipping and handling,<br />
and can be obtained from<br />
Berkeley Softworks. 2150 Shattuck<br />
Avenue. Berkeley. Cali<br />
fornia 94694; (4! 5) 644-0883.<br />
The retail price of GEOS 2.0 is<br />
$59.95.<br />
Another announcement<br />
publicized the new, lower price<br />
on geoPublish, Berkeley<br />
Softworks' desktop publishing<br />
package. The price will come<br />
down from $69.95 to $49.95.<br />
Llevano said Berkeley<br />
Softworks had been working<br />
hard to reach more home com<br />
puter users with GEOS and as<br />
sociated products. For the<br />
future, the compam will de<br />
velop its product line to make<br />
it more useful for both experi<br />
enced users and novices.<br />
HIGHLAND<br />
"We're going to continue<br />
lo improve the existing prod<br />
uct line. That's where we'll be<br />
concentrating,'1 Llevano said.<br />
— Heidi E. H. Aycock<br />
Epyx Gets the<br />
Gold, Heads for<br />
Hardware<br />
Epyx, one of the country's<br />
leading entertainment-soft<br />
ware publishers, is pulling in<br />
$8 million in new financing<br />
from several venture-capital<br />
groups in an effort to make it<br />
self a $ 100 million/year com<br />
pany by 1990.<br />
Best known for sports and<br />
action games aimed at teen<br />
agers, an entertainment catego<br />
ry personified by its popular<br />
California Games. Epyx last<br />
year launched a consumerelectronics<br />
division by an<br />
nouncing three VCR games<br />
and two audiocassette games.<br />
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According to David Morse,<br />
CEO of Epyx. the new financ<br />
ing will go to the new division<br />
since the entertainment-soft<br />
ware side of the company is<br />
self-funding.<br />
The financing is com--<br />
ing from both current<br />
and new investors,<br />
and is nearly<br />
double the $4.3<br />
million brought<br />
in when the<br />
company sought<br />
its initial round<br />
of venture capital<br />
in 1979. Although Morse<br />
would not specify exact fig<br />
ures, he did say that the new fi<br />
nancing was buying control of<br />
less than 30 percent of Epyx.<br />
What will the money be<br />
used for? One thing is cer<br />
tain—Epyx is staying with<br />
what it knows best. Morse<br />
claimed that his company<br />
"really understands entertain<br />
ment for teenagers and young<br />
adults." and said that he<br />
"doesn't see a lot of potential<br />
for productivity software."<br />
Part of the money will un<br />
doubtedly be used to market<br />
the existing VCR games—<br />
VCR California Games. VCR<br />
Golf, and VCR Play Action<br />
Football—and the audiocas<br />
sette games—Head-on Base<br />
ball and Head-on Football. A<br />
$4 million ad campaign is<br />
scheduled for print in maga<br />
zines such as Sports Illustrated<br />
and Sport, and for television<br />
during such events as football<br />
games on national networks<br />
and ESPN. A current cam<br />
paign is airing on MTV.<br />
Morse said that the VCR<br />
game market is potentially<br />
huge—$100 million a year. "I<br />
would expect we would be the<br />
leading player in that market a<br />
year from now." he said at the<br />
June Consumer Electronics<br />
Show.<br />
But Morse and Epyx obvi<br />
ously have their eyes set on<br />
more than just VCR games.<br />
Morse, who cofounded Amiga<br />
in 1982 and sold it to Commo<br />
dore two years later, has expe<br />
rience in developing state-ofthe-art<br />
personal computers<br />
and related hardware. Eypx's<br />
I<br />
consumer-electronics division<br />
is working on an as-yet-undis<br />
closed hardware product. Ear<br />
lier this year it was thought<br />
that the unveiling would hap<br />
pen late this summer, but<br />
that's been pushed back to<br />
January 1989 at the earliest.<br />
"A lot of the $8 million is<br />
going into that [hardware<br />
product]..." Morse said.<br />
And that was all he would say.<br />
Taking a $27 million<br />
(Epyx's income in 1987) com<br />
pany to $100 million in just<br />
over two years would seem de<br />
pendent on hardware, not sim<br />
ply computer software and<br />
VCR games. But if hardware it<br />
is. what is that hardware?<br />
Epyx's considerable tal<br />
ents lie in the area of fastpaced<br />
games for young people.<br />
That's the same group which<br />
makes up the huge audience<br />
for dedicated game systems<br />
such as the Nintendo and Sega<br />
machines. Morse helped create<br />
the Amiga—a persona! com<br />
puter so graphically powerful<br />
that some claim Amiga ver<br />
sions of arcade-machine games<br />
look better on the Amiga than<br />
they do on the arcade box. (In<br />
a supplemental note, Epyx re<br />
cently hired Richard Rice, for<br />
merly with Commodore-<br />
Amiga, where he implemented<br />
production of the Amiga 1000<br />
in Japan.)<br />
What if Eypx puts the two<br />
together? A 16-bit, dedicated<br />
game system as powerful and<br />
graphically advanced as the<br />
Amiga running hot teenage<br />
games. As they say in Califor<br />
nia, "What a concept!"<br />
— Gregg Keizer
SMMOIl<br />
COMPUTE 9SB<br />
OUTSIDE USA--C4LL<br />
(718)692-0071<br />
FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE<br />
Call Mon-Fri: 9:30am-5pm<br />
(718)692-1148 '<br />
Retail Outlet: Penn Station, Main Concourse<br />
(Beneath Madison Square Garden) NYC.N.Y.10001<br />
Store Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30-8/Sat-Sun 9:30-7<br />
FOR ORDERS & INFORMATION<br />
CALL TOLL FREE<br />
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK FOR ORDERS: Monday-Friday9am-7:30pm/Saturday & Sunday 9:30am-6pm (EDT)<br />
OR WRITE TO:<br />
Montgomery Grant Mail Order Dept.<br />
P.O. Box 58 Brooklvn.NY 11230<br />
FAX NO. 7186923372<br />
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Keyooard ■ 640K RAM ■ <strong>80</strong>286<br />
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EPSON EQUITY Ilk<br />
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512K RAM Compute •<br />
Keyboard ■ 36QK Floppy<br />
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PS I! '.WCO «/ 70MB Hard Drive & 1<br />
72CKFkWy0rive<br />
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■ PC1O-1 Ccnputa-5ia<<br />
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Take Part In <strong>Computer</strong> Learning Month.<br />
Free contests, books, events... <strong>Computer</strong> Learning<br />
Month is an easy, exciting way to discover more about<br />
computers. Ana to explore what they can do foryou.<br />
<strong>Computer</strong> Learning Month helps people of all ages leam<br />
togetner. Because by learning together, we build better<br />
relationships. With computers. And with people.<br />
Contests Make Learning Fun.<br />
Win thousands of dollars worth of computers and<br />
software. And you don't have to own a computer to enter.<br />
There are contests forindividuals and groups. Kids, families,<br />
even entire schools. Entering is easy. Participating is fun. And<br />
if you win a prize, your school wins one too.<br />
Materials Make Learning Easy.<br />
Easy-to-read materials are packed with how-to<br />
information for everyone. Our free book for parents explains<br />
how computers are used in learning. And our free career book<br />
shows how everyone from artists to zoologists use computers<br />
in their work. The Family Activities Guide helps families<br />
learn together. And foreducators there are books with lesson<br />
plans and even a university software resource guide. Read at<br />
Rome, or share the fun.. .put on a community event with our<br />
<strong>Computer</strong> Learning Night Kit. Leam a little. Share a lot. Or<br />
choose anything inoetween.<br />
'Endorsed by the National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, and many mor,<br />
<strong>Computer</strong> Learning Month 1988 is an officialyroject ofthe Software Publishers Association and is sponsoredby: A+ Magazine ■ AcademicCompuring" ■ Activision,Inc.<br />
■ Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. ■ Advanced Ideas ■ Apple <strong>Computer</strong>. Inc. ■ Berkeley Softworks ■ Britannica Software'■ ■ Broderbund Software. Inc. ■ Claris'" Corporation<br />
■ Classroom <strong>Computer</strong> Learning . ■ Commodore"- Business Machines, Inc. ■ Compu-Teach!" ■ Compute! ■ <strong>Computer</strong> Gaming World ■ Corvus Educations; PLATO<br />
■ Curriculum Product News ■ Davidson & Associates. Inc. ■ DLM Teaching Resources ■ Education Systems Corporation ■ Educational Dealer • Electronic Learning ■ Focus Media, Inc.
foull Love The RelationshipsThat Develop.<br />
Local Events Make Learning Convenient.<br />
Throughout October, PTA's, universities, scout troops,<br />
museums, computer and software stores, schools, and clubs<br />
everywhere will be handing out materials and putting on<br />
special events. Maybe that's why we're the non-profit<br />
program that's endorsed by so many national organizations*<br />
State Departments of Education and even the U.b. Senate.<br />
Learn in your group, enter a contest, pick up a free book. ..just<br />
clip the coupon and we'll send you everything you need to get<br />
started fast. But hurry. Because the sooneryou do, the sooner<br />
you'll develop relationships of your own.<br />
YES!! Show me how to enter a contest. Tell<br />
me how to get free materials. Send me everything<br />
I need to get started.<br />
laman Deducator Dparent Gstudent<br />
! own a computer dyes Dno<br />
(type of computer<br />
I ! have children in \JK-6 (J7-12 Duniversity Dnone<br />
I<br />
I<br />
Name<br />
Address<br />
City<br />
State<br />
I Phone{ j<br />
| Mail to: <strong>Computer</strong> Learning Month, Dept.<br />
| P.O. Box 60007 Palo Alto, CA 94306-0007^<br />
IBM Corpora ti on ■ in Cider Magazine ■ TheLearningCompany'- ■ Logo <strong>Computer</strong> Systems Inc. ■ MicroPro International Corporation ■ MicroPtose " Software, Inc.<br />
Microsoft'-Corporation ■ Mind scape. Inc. ■ Novell* Inc. • Pinpoint" Publishing ■ Prodigy Services Company ■ Random House Media ■ Scholastic Software!" Inc.<br />
Society For Visual Education, Inc." Software Magazine ■ Springboard Software. Inc." ■ Sunburst Communications. Inc. ■ Tandy/Radio Shack ■ Teaching and <strong>Computer</strong>s<br />
Terrapin, Inc." ■ T.H.E. Journal ■ Today's Catholic Teacher ■ Tom Snyder Productions' ■ Unison World ■ UpTimc.ThcDiskMonthly ■ Weekly Reader Software
Videogame<br />
Violence Is<br />
Everywhere.<br />
You Can Bet<br />
We'll Soon See<br />
Gruesome<br />
Games with<br />
Slasher-Flick<br />
Tie-ins.<br />
continued from page 88<br />
Rambo, Predator, Platoon, Robocop, and<br />
Wrestlemania abounded. The ultraviolence<br />
theme hit home as a PR flack proudly dem<br />
onstrated Sega's Uzi look-alike rapid-fire<br />
light pistol. You can bet that, by next Janu<br />
ary's CES, gruesome games with tie-ins to<br />
such horror flicks as Nightmare on Elm<br />
Street, Friday the 13th, and Texas Chainsaw<br />
Massacre will be on the screen.<br />
After a full day of this electronic may<br />
hem. I was pleasantly surprised by InterseFs<br />
Gone Fishin', a bass fishing simulation avail<br />
able for the Amiga and Atari ST. The game<br />
captures a lot of the slow, laid-back quality<br />
of leisurely casting for bigmouths. The only<br />
feature I found myself wishing for was a<br />
two-player mode. Half the fun for most an<br />
glers is sharing a boat and an afternoon of<br />
conversation with a friend. If you're looking<br />
for a break from the latest twitch-and-shoot<br />
arcade hit, give Gone Fishin' a try.<br />
Sports personalities endorsing products<br />
are always fashionable at CES. Walter Payton,<br />
Andre the Giant, and King Kong<br />
Bundy were among the luminaries who pa<br />
tiently sat for hours signing reams of publici<br />
ty photos for show goers who lined up.<br />
Mediagenic (formerly Activision) host<br />
ed a breakfast with a live satellite hookup<br />
that let the press quiz baseball great Pete<br />
Rose on the company's new Pete Rose Pen<br />
nant Fever game. Autographed baseballs<br />
(which one Mediagenicist claimed would be<br />
worth $ 150 as soon as Charlie Hustle made<br />
the Hall of Fame) were handed out as sou<br />
venirs. The best questions weren't about the<br />
game, though, but were about what Pete<br />
thought of the wrist slap Bad Billy Martin<br />
got for tossing dirt on an umpire.<br />
Those who weren't athletically minded<br />
could chat with a pair of Reagan/Gorbachev<br />
look-alikes plugging Spectrum Holobyte's<br />
Tetris, an addictive game imported from the<br />
Soviet Union.<br />
While computer hardware manufactur<br />
ers were relatively scarce on the show floor,<br />
the software scene seemed decidedly healthy,<br />
although considerably more low-key than<br />
the salad days of 1985 and 1986. Although 1<br />
don't own a Commodore 64, I've got to ad<br />
mit that I'm impressed with both the num<br />
ber and quality of new titles for that<br />
venerable machine. Today's programmers<br />
are pushing the 64's graphics and sound ca<br />
pabilities for all it's worth, and, according to<br />
the software manufacturers I spoke to at the<br />
show, their 64 sales have remained brisk,<br />
even as the popularity of Atari and Apple<br />
eight-bit titles has waned. Entertainment<br />
software for the IBM PC and its clones is<br />
continuing on a roll, with more and more ti<br />
tles including high-quality EGA graphics as<br />
a display option. Software development for<br />
the Atari ST line is in the dumper, with<br />
most software houses blaming poor sales on<br />
the current slowdown in ST sales and a<br />
higher-than-normal amount of software pi<br />
racy in the ST market. Developers are hot<br />
on new titles for the Amiga, but they've ex<br />
pressed concern over well-organized cadres<br />
of Amiga crackers based in Europe.<br />
With such a paucity of computers and<br />
software to graze, I went afield and hit the<br />
audio and video part of the show. High-end<br />
audio equipment manufacturers traditional<br />
ly take over the entire McCormick Center<br />
Hotel; the combined effect is said to simu<br />
late a sustained 8.5 on the Richter scale. The<br />
only thing more awesome than the sound of<br />
Infinity system's IRS Series V loudspeakers<br />
was its price. I can understand how they<br />
came up with the product name. If you can<br />
afford the $45,000, the IRS probably is inter<br />
ested in chatting with you for a while.<br />
Everyone who has used a camcorder<br />
knows that real home videos are supposed<br />
to be perpetually out of focus and jerky. It's<br />
not enough that nearly every video camera<br />
sold today automatically keeps Uncle Fred<br />
in focus. Now Panasonic has wiped out the<br />
last vestige of amateur artiness with a cam<br />
era featuring something called "electronic<br />
image stabilization," a consumer version of<br />
Hollywood's Steadicam.<br />
The computer product drought contin<br />
ued unabated throughout the week. I was<br />
even suckered in by Integ's Junior Com<br />
puter, a math and spelling tutor for young<br />
yuppies-in-training that looks just like Mom<br />
and Dad's laptop. The widest-vertical-mar<br />
ket computer-product award goes to the<br />
Lottronic's Personal <strong>Computer</strong>, which<br />
turned out to be a hand-held device with a<br />
one-button keyboard that picks up to six 2-<br />
digit numbers at random.<br />
I headed for the Gemini booth to check<br />
out the latest in low-cost printers. Whoops!<br />
Wrong Gemini. These guys were hawking<br />
the FlashFormer, an electronic device de<br />
signed by noted electronics wizard Grand<br />
Master Flash. The FlashFormer lets uncoor<br />
dinated boobs such as myself "rock, rap, and<br />
hip-hop . .. with one hand tied behind your<br />
back." I backed away warily, headed for my<br />
car and home, convinced that if these folks<br />
decided to market an impact printer, not all<br />
of the pins would be firing.<br />
□<br />
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ELECTRONIC ARTS<br />
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Home Video Producer.$32<br />
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Print Magic $39<br />
Spy vs. Spy 3: Arctic AnticsSU<br />
Street Sporls Baseball .$24<br />
Street Sports Basketball $2 4<br />
Sub Battle Simulator . . $24<br />
Summer Games 2 .... $14<br />
Winter Games $14<br />
World Games $14<br />
GAMESTAR<br />
Champ. Baseball . . .$9.88<br />
Champ. Basketball . .$9.88<br />
Reader Rabbil $24<br />
Think Quick! $32<br />
Writer Rabbit $32<br />
MECA<br />
Andrew Tobias: Managing<br />
Your Money $139<br />
Financial Calculator . .$29<br />
MICROPOSF<br />
MS Strike Eagle S21<br />
Gunship<br />
S32<br />
Pirates $25<br />
Silent Service $21<br />
MINDSCAPE<br />
Balance of Power $32<br />
Blockbuster $23<br />
Bop & Wrestle $19<br />
Captain Blood $24<br />
Defender of the Crown$24<br />
De |a Vu $24<br />
Gauntlet $24<br />
Harrier Combat Sim. .$23<br />
Irkloor Sports $19<br />
Infiltrator 2 $19<br />
Into Ihe Eagle's Nest. .$23<br />
Super Slar Ice Hockey $24<br />
Super Slar Soccer ... .$24<br />
MONOGRAM<br />
Dollars & Sense $109<br />
MV SOFTWARE<br />
My Label Maker $9.B8<br />
My Mail List $9.88<br />
My Phone Book $9.88<br />
ORIGIN<br />
Moebius $39<br />
Ultima 1 or 3 ....$25 Ea.<br />
Ultima 4 $39<br />
Ultima 5 Call<br />
MINDSCAPE<br />
This is it. The<br />
game everybody's<br />
been wailing for.<br />
Gauntlet, the<br />
most successful<br />
arcade game of<br />
all lime has come<br />
home.<br />
Gauntlet<br />
List $39.95<br />
Our Discount Price $24<br />
SHARE DATA<br />
Family Feud<br />
.$6.88<br />
Jeopardy<br />
Jeopardy |r<br />
.S9.88<br />
Wheel of Fortune<br />
Wheel of Fortune 2 .$9.88<br />
SIERRA<br />
Black Cauldron $24<br />
Gold Rush Call<br />
King's Quest<br />
1, 2, or 3 $32 Ea.<br />
King's Quest 4 Call<br />
Leisure Suit Larry . . . .$24<br />
Leisure Suit Larry #2 -Call<br />
Manhunter<br />
Call<br />
Mother Goose S19<br />
Police Quest $32<br />
Space Quest 1 or 2 $32 Ea.<br />
3-D Helicopter Sim. ..$32<br />
Thexder $23<br />
SIMON & SCHUSTER<br />
Star Trek:<br />
Rebel Universe Call<br />
Typing Tutor 4 S32<br />
SIR TECH<br />
Deep Space S24<br />
Wizardry Series:<br />
Knight of Diamonds $32<br />
Legacy of Lylgamin .$32<br />
Proving Ground $32<br />
Return of Werdna . .$32<br />
SOFTWARE<br />
SIMULATIONS<br />
Pure Stat Baseball $24<br />
Pure Stat College<br />
Basketball $24<br />
SPECTRUM HOLO8YTE<br />
Falcon $32<br />
Solitaire Royale $23<br />
DAbQoft<br />
This role-playing<br />
fantasy game com<br />
bines music with<br />
state-of-the-art<br />
graphics in the<br />
ultimate real-time<br />
adventure. \<br />
Alternate Reality: The City<br />
List $39.95<br />
Our Discount Price $26<br />
Telris: The Russian<br />
Challenge $23<br />
SPINNAKER<br />
Backgammon $14<br />
Eight in One $39<br />
Kindercomp Gold $24<br />
Splash $65<br />
SPRINGBOARD<br />
Certificate Maker . . . .$24<br />
CM. Library #1 $19<br />
Newsroom Pro $49<br />
SSI<br />
Gettysburg $39<br />
Kampfgruppe $39<br />
Questron 2 $29<br />
Star Command $32<br />
Stellar Crusade $32<br />
THREE SIXTY<br />
Dark Castle S24<br />
Harpoon $24<br />
THUNDER MOUNTAIN<br />
Pac Man $6.88<br />
Top Gun $6.88<br />
TIMEWORKS<br />
Data Manager $25<br />
Partner $25<br />
PC Quintet ".$65<br />
Publish It! $129<br />
Swiftcalc w/Sideways .$25<br />
Sylvia Porter's<br />
Investment Mgr. ...$95<br />
Word Writer $32<br />
TITUS<br />
Crazy Cars $24<br />
WEEKLY READER<br />
Stickytxar Math 1 w 2S23 Ea.<br />
Stickvboar Numbers . .$23<br />
Stickybear Reading . . .$23<br />
Stickibear Spell Grabber$23<br />
P.O. BOX 111327—DEPT, CP-BLAWNOX, PA 15238<br />
'Please Read The Following Ordering Terms & Conditions Carefully Before Placing Your Order: Orders with cashiers check or money order shipped immediately on in slock items! Per<br />
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ARLAN LEVITAN<br />
The Consumer<br />
Electronics<br />
Show USED to<br />
Be the Home<br />
<strong>Computer</strong><br />
Market's Big,<br />
Bad Blowout.<br />
No More.<br />
As I pulled onto the exit ramp for De for home video and audio manufacturers,<br />
troit Metropolitan Airport, I winced COMDEX has become the show of choice<br />
at the thought of yet another plane<br />
for most computer manufacturers.<br />
flight on CattleCar Air. A scant quarter of a<br />
In fact, Atari and Commodore decided<br />
mile away, thousands of travelers immersed not to exhibit their computer products at<br />
in the hurry-up-and-wait lifestyle queued up Summer CES. Most of the handful of com<br />
for tickets, checked luggage destined to be puter manufacturers present were PC-clone<br />
misdirected to a remote radar outpost north manufacturers the likes of Vendex, Blue<br />
of the Arctic Circle, and fumed while gate Chip, Amstrad, and Hyundai. Even they<br />
agents offered air-travel vouchers. I glanced were not in particularly high spirits.<br />
at my watch and listened to the growl in my<br />
Three of the four privately admitted<br />
gut. Both told me that it was about half past that IBM has contacted them (and other<br />
noon. The sky was a cloudless azure—a<br />
clone manufacturers) about royalties alleg<br />
color I would surely get to know during the edly owed on IBM patents that their prod<br />
45-minute holding pattern over O'Hare Air ucts supposedly use. Even if some IBM<br />
port that the flight promised. An inexplica patents are in widespread use in clones, why<br />
ble force took hold of my steering wheel,<br />
has Big Blue waited over five years before<br />
and my car merged back onto Interstate 94. deciding that it owns a piece ofjust about<br />
I figured I could stop at Kellogg's in Battle every PC compatible? IBM's actions are the<br />
Creek (cereal capital of the world) for a<br />
poker equivalent of sandbagging—declaring<br />
quick bowl of corn flakes that I could wash that your cards are not good enough for an<br />
down with a bottle of Pinot Blanc from Ta<br />
initial bet and then raising the stakes after<br />
bor Hill in Buchanan.<br />
someone else opens. Even in games where<br />
such checking and raising is not expressly<br />
forbidden, it's considered a scumbag tactic.<br />
I suppose IBM figures that if it can't<br />
make enough millions from lagging PS/2<br />
Out of my car's glove compartment<br />
came the requisite road-trip survival kit—<br />
compact disc player, cellular phone, and ra<br />
dar detector. I set my vehicle's cruise control<br />
at warp 9 and settled into my seat. The<br />
steady hum of four Pirelli P6's were a coun<br />
terpoint to the music of Swing Out Sister,<br />
INXS. and the Talking Heads as the asphalt<br />
ribbon that binds the Motor and Windy Cit<br />
ies unwound before me. A mere three hours<br />
and 24 minutes later, I was pulling into the<br />
parking lot of Chicago's McCormick Center<br />
Exposition Hall (I leave it to the math stu<br />
dents and state troopers in the reading audi<br />
ence to calculate my average speed).<br />
During the height of the home com<br />
puter and videogame wars, the Summer and<br />
Winter Consumer Electronics Shows were<br />
the trade shows for the home computer mar<br />
ket. Atari, Commodore, Radio Shack, Texas<br />
Instruments, and Coleco would fly in mas<br />
sive displays—staffed with scores of market<br />
ing types who didn't know which way to<br />
insert a floppy into a disk drive—in an ef<br />
fort to convince retailers that their machine<br />
was the hottest home computer. Wild allnight<br />
parties, extravagant press conferences,<br />
and bizarre promotional events were de<br />
rigueur.<br />
Then came the great shakeout. As the<br />
armies of competitors were winnowed and<br />
the money dried up, the carnival-like as<br />
pects of CES subsided. The catchword for<br />
vendors of computer-related products at the<br />
last two shows was a shell-shocked "You<br />
still here?" While CES is still a potent show<br />
system sales, it might as well cut itself in on<br />
the profits of companies successfully selling<br />
classic PCs. The unfortunate truth is that<br />
many companies, when faced with the pros<br />
pect of a protracted and expensive legal bat<br />
tle with IBM, throw in the towel, regardless<br />
of the relative merits of the case. Even the<br />
U.S. Government gave up without going to<br />
court after spending hundreds of millions of<br />
dollars in the late 1970s preparing an anti<br />
trust case against the computer behemoth.<br />
As I searched the show floor, it became<br />
apparent that PC products were as scarce as<br />
RAM chips at this CES. Even some old<br />
standbys couldn't be counted on. Bondwell<br />
had been purveying a line of low-cost PC<br />
laptops for several years. They must surely<br />
have some new computer wares on display,<br />
right? As I strolled up to the booth, a mar<br />
keting type zeroed in on my press badge like<br />
a heat-seeking missile and pumped my arm<br />
vigorously. "Our hot new products ... yes,<br />
sir.. .just check out this Ferrari Testarosa<br />
telephone and minimix console for kiddies<br />
who want to play disk jockey...."<br />
The stand-alone videogame market has<br />
come back with a vengeance. Nintendo<br />
dominated almost an entire floor of McCor<br />
mick North, with Sega and Atari both main<br />
taining a solid toehold. Grisly game<br />
cartridges with big-name titles such as<br />
continued on page 86<br />
B8<br />
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Prepare for the ultimate fantasy when the<br />
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STRATEGIC SIMULATIONS, INC.<br />
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All right! rrttrved.
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meca<br />
We help you make the decisions that make a difference.<br />
355 Riverside Avenue • Westport, CT068<strong>80</strong>