amber 1988 $2.95 US. Canada The Magazine for Commodore and Commodore Amiga Users J LID, rren hl& lonely n^st tn thf ^t^«U? tit* ufflv ducklin# (fAlchsd Ihr stAc«fnt mmamfl s;iA?fiiid d Software Reviews 64 & 128 Impossible t/Hssion 2 AAfllGA Vampirei Empire •••and more mr Sl«ltp tD[gc»iPnnF^[i][-Dmagc3 ftnmsTsmsnmm itsAU-mBDmii THE MAST^iRS COLLECJION Welcome to the world of Bantross. Where monsters don't just /oo/r menacing. They lunge directly at you, ready to wound, paralyze or kill. Where whistling wind, roaring surf and echoing foot steps mix with the sound of your own heart pounding. Where earthquakes, floods and a treacherous baron wreak havoc on entire continents. Where you'll spir„chmng. need exceptional skill, cunning and magic |l ^^ to survive. w » JR' Youll wander through rrmL hold SK6S'&g=I" 3-D effects and in- credibly realistic first person views make the action even more ancient archives where toi'ches glow against danip walls. You'll venture into 40 levels of dun- geons. Journey to 16 different towns. Explore am>«terious JoTches flicker and crackle in the archives, 'Jahere youll acquire secret :, kno'iiiledgeand ■- strategic skills. labyrinth. Playgames of chance, arcade games and far more. The Legend of Blacksilver provides all the depth and challenge worthy of a skilled adventurer. Intrigue. Dangfer. Complexity. Unparalleled realism. All Others are tame by comparison. Advanced ijittt Book available. Details on package. HIE urwEt tmcii laom tm ami , Scores ()/ iiiiipi' give a global perspective. You V see geography change with earth- ' quakes andflood$. To order jour preview disk,<>end a check or nwncv order for S3.75 (Canada: add 500 (o: Legend of" Bhicksii\er Preview Disk.Softniail Codu 155-013, 2995 Woodside Rd., Ste. 400-383, VVoodsidc, CA 94062. Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer expires 3/31/90, Valid only in continenml U.S. and Canada. Void « here prohibited. Specify: Conmiodore 64/128. •\pji!l'[| jtHJt(>rnpatiblt's.CoiiiniodorcfitU28, liS.M PC and tonipaiililei. Screcjjis iiam ■ ■-^- Ciinirnodort'. i'. l9SSK|i>\,lnc. How To Fill Perception. Finance. ^-' BLOW YOUR MIND FOR ONLY $9.97 WHAT A WAY TO GO, 128! LOADSTAR 128 is a totally new quaiterly softwai'e collection designed specifically for the Commodore' 128 by the editoi:s of LOADSTAR, the best-selling monthly disk for the Commodore 64. Eveiy thi-ee month you will receive a new 5 'A" disk filled with new 128-onlv progi-ams not found in oui- monthly LOADSTAR collection. USE THE FULL POWER OF YOUR 128 LOADSTAR 128 issue #1 contains eight gi-eat progi-ams for your C-128. taking advantage of the 128 featunes like the 80-column fomiat, lai-ger memoiy and a moi'e powei-flil BASIC. CONTENTS OF ISSUE #1 (.'IIAJIT 128-Ui'.si(,ni priikwsiiiiiiil l....ki]ij;ihii.l.,. CARBUYER'S SCIiATCHPAD .M;tkt' Ihi' lu'.-^l ik-iil mi yii\ir lu-tv vnr TKEASUKE TROVE.Uii..|u.. cird Mtlil.iii'f HJiini'. WIZAKU WlND-f),inlv Wi/iiids „s I br\ tr> lo hli.w yi\t inviiy. BOKIS ri-.y clusr. .Ill ii.iif levfls. QUESTORA (.Ti'iit iifiiphic advL-ntiirt' niinif. POTPOURRI Ti5l ynur knowledct iiiid (riMii hl- 80-COLirMN MONOCHROME CABLEliiiilil VUUI-..HI1 imM..- THE BEST SOFTWARE VALUE FORTHE128 LOADSTAR 128 is deliv- ered direct to you four times each year for only $39.95. That's only $9.97 an issue. So order today with the coupon below or call 1 -800-831-2694. Information, Excitement. ^ And Much. Much More... Every Month. pay-lb '"'" ^""^ 95 n ''■'■'>■ '•-'^■"cs,,^ -'*•'"<' ^(^___ ~~ " —Exp, ^°^s^v^^ — -^ ''■O.Box: CALLiukkmci 1-800-831-2694 CommotiOTb Commof'i'™ jpmcs. Ltd, rm POKER The latest multi-Dlaver multi- format PC game from Australia Is different to all forms of Poker. Aussie JOKER POKER features 90 player capacity, open-ended discard ability, selectable deck size and hands per player, password controlled gambling system with automatic accounts — and 5 free entry forms for the $200,000 Aussie JOKER POKER Contest. Each month December 1988 through April 1989 winners of 240 JOKER SOFTWARE games and 4 finalists will be randomly drawn from all entries received that month. With a guest, the 20 Finalists will be flown to Las Vegas to play Aussie JOKER POKER for a first prize of $100,000 In cash at the Golden Nugget. 1,220 Prizes Value $200,000 1,200 Joker PC software games at 529.95 to $49.95 dependent on disk format. Game prizes at sole discretion of sponsor. JACKPd $60,000 Cash Prizes for Aussie JOKER POKER Contest Grand Final: Highest Scorer: Second Highest Scorer: Third Highest Scorer: Lowest Scorer: 16 Consolation Prizes of $1,000 each to eliminated Finalists $100,000 $5,000 $2,500 $1,500 AMIGA™ Aussie JOKER POKER is available for SIX major PC^ if your PC has a mouse or keyboard, a mono or color monitor and a 512K minimum ram (except Apple II and C64/128 use 64K and keyboard only) you and your family can practise at home for the Las Vegas final of the Aussie JOKER POKER contest. Piiic includes cjii ti.iwvI f or Finalists ^nd their jl^uesti IwonigtttB Ji:commoH:t^IionLii tn^ Golden Nu£^e1 •pX3,LIUU (approi retjil valuer $7S0 each suDjeci to depanure points,) All taxcfi and other expenses noi speclilled herein ar£ sole responsibility o1 wmncffi All winners will t>ei>allficd in writing Suggested retail prices: IBM & compatibles (CGA Board required) $39.95 Amiga & Atari ST $49.95 $16 000 Macintosh (mono only) $49.95 Apple II $39.95 C64/128 $29.95 It ordering Sytclephorie ad' much. Al- though I am new to the ranks of your sub- : scribers, I can only wonder why your cov- I erage of the Amiga has expanded so, when there is an Amiga magazine already in print (AmigaWorld). It would make sense to save the space for 64/128 re\iews and progi-ams. That is the idea behind two separate publications, right? A Delighted but Puzzled Reader, James D.Johnston Mechanicsburg.PA Editor's Respoiine: Thank you for tlie compliments, Mr Johnston. Your confiision is apparently shared by others. Commodore Magazine is a subsidiar>' of Commodore Business Ma- chines, manufacturer of the Commodore 64, 128 and Amiga 500 and 2000. Then: are many Commodore- and Amiga-specif- ic publications available from third-party publishers {AmigaWorld is published by IDG Communications. Peterbomugh, NH). Commodore Magazine is the only magazine published by Commodoie, then- fore, we cover Commodore's complete line. To the Editor: I just received your September issue and read the news section, but to my dis- may I found you made a mistake. I am re- ferring to the page-long article on the Consumer Electronics Show. You state that "Carrier Command is a strategic ac- tion game for the Amiga and Commodore 64." I am afraid Rainbirf Software has de- cided not to release the 64 ver-sion. I would appreciate it if you would inform youi" readers. This infoiTnation was obtained via a software dealer, please infoiin me if it is incorrect. Sincerely, Robert Bogue Bay City, Ml Editor's Response: According to our source at Rainbird, Carrier Command for the Commodore 64 is scheduled for release in the November! December time period. The Amiga version has been available for a while. Yoursoff- ware dealer may have been under the im- pression that the two versions were to be re- leased simultaneously. Carrier Command for the Commodore 64 retails for $34.95. You i7iay want to leave a copy of this Let- ters column lying amund the house as a hint for Santa, Robert. To the Editor: The October issue had the "Quest for Sequels" aiticle by Shay Addams, as well as the section in the "News" about new re- leases torn Infocom. Infocom was bought by Mediagenic, which used to be called Activision, and that brings me to my question, With all the talk about sequels, and remembering that Acti\nsion released Hacker and Hacker 11, has there been any mention at all about a Hacker III? I would really enjoy another adventm-e in the same style as those first two, with their carefully tailored sensation of stumbling into something unexpected. All together now: "We want Hacker III! We want Hacker III! ..." Sincerely, Les heist Alexandria, VA Editor's Response: At press time Activision has no plans for a Hacker EH. But as we've said so often, if there's a product you want, let the company know. You can write to: Activision, 3885 Bohannon Drive, Menb Park, CA 94025. Commodore .Address letters for puhlinttinn (o; Ijetters Editor, (.'mnmadnrc Magmim; 12011 Wilson Drive, West Chester, PA WM M A I N Publisher Julie Bauer Assistant to the Publisher Amanda K. Wappes Managing Editor Jim Gracely Editor Susan R. West Technical Editor Mike i^ivers Art Director Gwenn Knapp Assistant Art Director Wilson Harp Art Production Bob Clark Production Manager Jo-Ellen Temple Circulation Kenneth F. Battista ADVERTISING SALES Rebecca Cotton Leister Commodore Mogozine 1200 Wilson Drive Wesl Chester, PA 1 9380 (215)431-9259 Commodore Magaiine, Volume 9, Ny ruber 12. December 1988. Commodore Magazine is published monthly by Commo- dore Magazine Inc., 1200 Wilson Drive, West Chester, PA 19380. U.S.A. US. subscriber rale is $35.40 per year; Canadian subscriber rate is $45.40 per year; Overseas sub- scriber rale is $65.00 per year. Questions concerning sub- scription should be (tirected to Commodore Magazine Sub- scription Department. Bos 651. Holmes, Pennsylvania 19043. Phone (800) 345-8112. In Pennsylvania (800) 662-2444. Copyright ff 1988 by Commodore Magazine Inc. All rights reserved. CBM, PET, VIC 20. and Commodore 64 are registered trademarks of Commodore Electronics Ltd. Super PET and Commodore 128 are trademarks of Commodore Electronics Ltd, Amiga' is a registered trademark of Commodore-Amiga, 4 DECEMBER 1988 PAST DELIVERY, FREE GAMES and LOWER PRICES OMLy FROM tcp & C^ Commodore' C^ Commodore OH The Complete IBM® Compatible Machine For The Whole Family! $699 C' Conrihiodore' w/o Optional Commodore 1084 Color Monitor 640K RAM/Duat Floppy Drives Dual Speed - 4.77 & 8MHz Parallel, Serial & Mouse Ports Built-in Monochrome/Color Video Card Includes MS-DOS 3.2 With Commodore 1084 Color Monitor. .....$995 With Samsung Color Monitor $899 With Hi-Resolulion Monochrome Monitor $769 Includes GE05 & Quantum Link C* Commodore < 128D I 40 w/ 1541 II Disk Drivf?!!!S!!!!!!ISI!ISI!!!!J.. $Boi 64C w/1541 Drive &1802C Monitor $519 128K Memory Built-in 1571 Disk Drive Detachable Keyboard $439 C= Commodore 1084 COLOR MONITOR rTTTiiTrT 640 X 400 Resolution 4 Operating Modes 128D w/Commodore 1084 Color Monitor $719 128D w/Magnavox 8762 Color Monitor $679 $299 FREE COMMODORE GAMES WITH ANY PURCHASE! See Following Pages For Details MAGNAVOX 8762 ■ 640 X 240 Resolution ■ 3 Modes ■ 1 Yr Warranty $249 MAGNAVOX 8702 ■ 350 x 330 Resolution ■ Tilt Stand ■ 1 YrWarranJy J5179 COMMODORE 1802C Color Monitor J5199 O Commodore' 1351 MOUSE Mouse & Joystick Operation tt»firk qt; GEOS Compatible Jjjviy, O Commodore* 1670 C= Commodore* 1764 MODEM 256KRAM EXPANSION F Commodore '^ 3i/2" DISK DRIVE $189 1200 BAUD DIRECT CONNECl ^"lin,-- E O Commodore® 1541 II 5i/4" DISK DRIVE $175 C SEE FOLLOWING PAGES FOR ORDERING INFORMATION TUSSEY COMPUTER PRODUCTS 1 '800'468'9044 ^ An n s Educational Software too! ALL GAMES STOCKED FOR QUICK SHIP! ACCESS Echelon $25.95 Leader Board S22.9S ACCOLADE Apollo IB... $17.95 Comics $19-95 4th 4 Inches $18.95 Hard Ball S9.95 MiniputI $18 95 TB9tD>ive $18 95 ACTIONSOFT Thjndei Choppet $18.95 Up Periscope $17.95 lACTlVISION Air Rally St9.95 Aliens $995 Gamemaker Package wiih ail Libraries S39.95 LaslNinja $19 95 Maniac Mansion $21.95 Music Slubio $19.96 Shanflhar $18.95 AVALON HILL NBA $2-1.95 BRODERBUND Cauldron $9,95 Karaleka 59.95 Lode Runner $9.95 SupattJike Challenge $12.95 Toy Shop $19.95 Ullima V NEW $34.95 CINEMAWARE Dalentier ol the Crown $21.95 SDI $21.95 The Three Stooges .,$21,'95 COSMl Del Con 5 $17.95 DATA EAST Commando $13,93 Karale Champ $9.95 KidNiki $18.95 Plaioon $16,95 Speed Buggy $18.95 DatJijoFt' Hunt For Red October ..$25.95 Ait HeaiityDungeon $26.95 Video Tills Shop S19 95 DIGITAL SOLUTIONS Pocket V/nter 2 $32 96 Pocket Fiiar 2 $19.95 Pocket Planner 2 $34.95 Digital Superpak 2 $57.95 Pocket Writer Dictionary .$11 .95 ts& ELELTROMC ARTS' JoriianvsBlrcl.NEW $19,95 Bard's Tale $24.95 Bard's Tale tl $24.95 Bard's Tale III NEW$24.9S Chessmastar 2000 $24.95 Demon Staikers $19.95 Deathtord NEWS(9.95 Double Dragon ...NEW $24.95 Dragon's Lair $19.95 Marble Madness $19.95 Mars Saga MEW $24.95 Master Ninja $19.95 Moebius $27.95 Modem Wars NEW $24.95 Pinball Construction $9,95 iScitmKSi; Scruptes NEW $24.95 SkaiaorDie .,$19.95 SkyFosll $19.95 Strike Fleet $19,95 WorkJ ToutGott $19 95 YeagerAFT S22.9S Wasteland NEW $24.95 C&VEHAN UflH-LTNPICS <^ ^.i^>^ Cavamm Ugh1yinpli:».J19.95 Monopoly. S19.95 ^ Championship Football ....$21 .95 GBA Basketball 2 on 2 $1 1.95 Top Fuel Eliminator 517.95 INFOCOM Beyond Zork 526.95 Hitchhiker's Guide $14,95 Impossible Mission 2....S23.95 ,NEW! 200 XJ Joystick S11..95 500 XJ Joystick $14.95 CaMornia Games $22.95 Charap'ship Wraslling $13.95 Create a Calendar S18.95 Dasiroyer 523.95 4ii4 Oil-Road Racing $23.95 L. A. Crackdown . NEW 523,95 Movie Monster 512,95 Slfeei Sports Baseball $23.95 Straol Sports Basketball .. $23.95 LANCE HATNER for the best: in sports strate^ simulation 3 in 1 Football.,..- $29.95 Bktball. the Pro Game .529.95 Co urtside College Basketball 529.95 MICROLEAGUE Baseball 524.95 Wrestling St8.95 Mi^OPROSE Slfeel Sports Football ..S23.95 Street Sports Soccer NtW 523.95 Sub Battle $23.95 Summer Games $13.95 Summer Games II S13.95 Winter Camas 513.95 World Games 513.95 FIREBIRD Elite $11.95 Guild of Thieves S22.95 Knight ORC S24.95 Star Glider 522.95 The Sentry $24.95 ll J^^B ., j^ mWk \ MINDSCAPE Gauntlet $22.95 Harrier Combat Simulator $t8.9S Indoor Sports 518.95 Paperboy $21 .95 Superstar Hockey $22.95 SIMON & SHUSTER SiarTrak: PrometliJanAdvS19-95 Typing Tutor IV $24.95 SPECTRUM HOLOBVTE Faton NEW 522.95 PT109 $24.95 Soko Ban $17.95 Airborne Rangers $21,95 F-15 Strike Eagle 521,95 Gunship 521,95 NATO Commander $22.95 Pirates $23.95 Red Storm Rising NEW $23.95 Silent Service $21.95 Stealth Fighter $24.95 Pool ol Radiance .new $24.95 Battles of Napoleon .NEW 532.95 B-24 $21 95 Eternal Dagger $24.95 Heroes of the Lance .NEW $24,95 Phantasie I, HI (each) $24 95 Queslron II ,.$24.95 Rings of Zilfin - $23,95 Roadwar Europa 524.95 Shard ol Spring $23 95 Wargame Const Sat $1 9.95 SUBLOGIC 1 tSOFTWABE BIMUI-ATIONSI Jot $25.95 Flight Simulator H $31.95 Pure Stat Baseball $22.95 Pure Stat College BB S22 95 Stealth Mission 531 95 SOFTWARE WORD PROCESSORS Fleet Syste.m 4 $47.95 Font Master 128 $33.35 Paperclip Ml $32.95 Superscript 128 S44.9S Term Paper Writer $29.95 Wrdwriter 128 w/spell. $31.95 SPRE/UJSIIEETS Swittcak: 128 w.'sdwys $32.95 DATA BASES Data Manager 128 .....$31.95 Periect Flier $19.95 Superbasa 128 $39.95 MISC. 128 SOFTWARE Mach 128 $31.95 Partner 128 $36.95 Sylvia Porter's Personal Finance Planner $29.95 CMS ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS Pkg. Price for all Modules: CI 28 version $124.95 C64 version S1 19-95 BUSINESS AND PRODUCTIVITY Vlzastare4 4K Integrated ProiJuciivity Package For The 64 NO W ONL Y $9.95 64 C DATABASES Bank Slrael Filer $19.95 Data Manager II $13.95 640 SPREADSHEETS Swiiicalc 64 wsideways ,.513 95 Sideways $12.95 640 WORD PROCESSORS Bank Street Wiiter $29,95 Font Master II $26.95 Paperclip w.'spellpacli $29.95 Paperclip III $31-95 Word Writer III $25.95 FINANCIAL & ACCT. Timawks Electr, ChBckbk.5U.95 Timeworks Money Mgr 514.95 MISCELLANEOUS Estes pwr supply tor C-64 $54.95 Thinking Cap $24.95 Fast Load S23.95 Bobs Term Pro $32.95 1 LiB-'»l ^^■ifl Batteries Inclui Paperclip Publisher . Berkeley Softwc GEO Publish cd ..$32.95 rks ,.539.95 l.$15,95 ..$25.95 ..$13.95 ....59.95 ..$13.95 ..$21.95 Broderbund Graphics Lib'ry l.llorl Springboard Certificata Maker .... ClipArtlorlll Newsroom Unison World Printmaster Plus I DISK-KOUNTS par boK 0(10 3.5" 5.2S" BONUS DS DD S6.9S MAXELL DSDD S179S $9 95 VERBiTIM DSDO S1995 S99S SONY D5 00 S19,95S109S l\i%SEy COMPUTER PRODUCTS P.O. SOX lOOfi SJAie COLLEGE. PA IG8(M 1-800-468-9044 CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON! NEW! 200 XJ .$11.95 500 XJ $14.95 The Boss $12.95 Bai Handle $17.95 3-Way $22.95 As a "thank you" to our many valued customers we are giving away one of these Intocom Adventure Games (your choice), with every order. This offer is good on any of the items in this ad, when ordered before December 31 ,1988. If you've never ordered from TCPbefore, this is a great op- portunity to get acquainted! ( I I M M Ck II (I K I AMIG AMIGA SOFTWARE PB0DUCT 1VITY :Con£lS8l... $59.95 111 $79.95 III... SJi^gs Deluxe Video 1,2 ; ■ -as Draw Plus • ' • 35 Logisjix : ' •• 35 Superbast ^ ■ < oo Vtzawnte jtjj 00 WordPertect $179.00 Word Perlect LiDraiy $69.00 ENTERTAINMENT Balance ot Power $?995 Bard's Tale II . .S37 95 Beyond Zorti $29.95 Biac* Lamp $18 95 ChesstnasterZOOO $27 95 Defer>der o( the Crown $2995 DejaVu $29 95 FA 'SHl9-c?D'.0'S $32 95 F ..$32 95 1- $29 95 P.-; . $59.95 Silem SerVTCe $24 95 Sub Battle Simulator $32 95 Superstar Ice Hockey . $32 95 Test Drive $24 95 The Throe Stooges ... $31.95 Tracers $24 95 Univitea . $29 95 For All Your AMIGA Needs Call tcp I 512KRAM " Upgrade $159 1010 EXT DRIVE ...$219 1680 MODEM $139 Call For Other AMIGA Products H GEOS 128 S39 95 -pi I • GeoCalctJS S39 9B JDCrKdCV Geo File 128 S39 96 — , >, 7| Geo Programmar S39 9S ^nifWOflrC Geo Publish $29 95 \J\J1. t WC/L £V>5 Geo Write 128 S39.95 Geo Spell 518.95 GUOS ...S34.95 GeoC.ilc ..$29 95 Goo Filo .529.95 Geodej S24.95 Deskpack S18.9S Fonlpack $18.95 Geo Write $29.95 Software orders over $100 and Accessories under 6 pounds will be shipped Federal Express (Even at these prices) You only pay TCP's standard shipping charge of $4.00 per order. Orders arriving before 3;00 Pf^ our time will be shipped out same day. If part of your order is backordered the remain- der will be shipped UPS Ground FREE! SECURITY ■ Your Credit Card is not charged until your order is shipped. ■ We insure your order a1 no extra cost to you. ■ Tussey is a linancially strong and well established company. CUSTOMER SUPPORT ■ Alter sales si^pport. n Knowledgeable staff, all graduates ot Tussey's "Computer Boot Camp". ■ Our advanced warohouse/maienals handling sysi&m assures your order is shipped OLt accurately & on time. B Our IBM 5360 allows tnstant order and inventory status. To order by mail: Wb accept money order, cenided check, personal check, Allow 2 weeks lor personal & compan/ checks to dear ShEppIng: $4 00 lor sollwaro FOR ALL HARDWAH^ A^JD ANY ACCESSO RY OVER 6tos Call ouf Toll Free Nuoter 1BO0-46a-9044 lorshjppir^ charges Add t3 00 per tXJ* snipped COD AcMrtionai shippir>g j-eq Jired on APO. FPO. AK , HI . arxl lorcign orders Terms: PRICES REFLECT CASH DISCOUNT. ADD 1.9% FOR MASTERCARD OR VJSA. _ . ALL SALES ARE FINAL "fSF. i^^l Delec'LJve items reptaceTnpic fever of Calgar>' and Seoul, EpjTC presents The Games: Winter Edition. On the heels of five successful titles, the tradition con- tinues. Although it repeats some events finom the previous Winter Games, this is much more than just a rehash of that title. In- cluded here are seven events, newly de- signed in cooperation with fomier U.S. Olympic fbam membei-s. It is also the first computer game to be licensed by the U.S. Oljmpic Committee. In less creative hands, so many van- | ations on a single theme would spell soft- ware overkill. But Epra keeps the com- petitive spirit as fiiesh today as it was five years ago. As always, it's a mixed bag of good and bad, some events stronger than others. But taken as a whole, these selec- tions represent an imdgorating challenge on pai- with the best of the series. Once again up to eight playei-s may compete in The Games, each representing a countiy of their choice. Following the ex- ceptionally well-crafted opening screens, players ai^e presented with the familiar options menu. Here you may compete or practice any or all events, view the World Records, select number of joysticks and view opening/closing ceremonies. When all players have signed in, The Games: Winter Edition begins. The Luge The luge is to a bobsled what a jet is to an airplane. Players compete one at a time in this event, choosing fi-om fow imique tracks of various diificultj'. Eye/hand cooitlination means every- thing in this fast-moving event. Scoring is based on speed, and speed is achieved by i keeping the luge dead center in the track. Three meters at the bottom of the screen — steer, drift and position — monitor your movements. Despite the detailed graphics and ani- mation, playere should control their luge with the meter display. Use your peripher- POSITIOM DRIFT STEER CONTESTAMT 8B.8B 32.63 Included here are seven events, newly designed in cooperation with former U.S. Olympic Team members. al vision to watch foi' cuj-ves in the track and changes in direction. The event breaks from realism with the inability to crash your sled— going over the edge or simply toppling in the middle of the track. Knowing you can't crash re- moves some of the thiill. Cross Countn Skiing This event allows one player to compete against a computer pacer or two players to face off head-to-head. Play en? are given a choice of 1, 2 or 5 km i-uns. Here players are intix)duced to the fa- miliar "rhythm method" of joystick con- trol u.sed repeatedly in the EpxTC Games series. The key to success is to simply move the joystick right and left in con- junction with yom" on-screen skier's legs. Holding the fire button causes the skier to "step up" when losing gi-ound on hills and "double pole" when descending. Speed and endurance ai-e the name of this game. Not exactly a thiill ing event, playei-s should select the longest course for the greatest challenge. In spite of beautiful graphics and animation, it still pales in compaiison to the Biathlon event in Winter Games. Figure Skating This beautiful and complex event is un- fortunately the game's weakest. Players custom design their own rou- tines, beginning with music to skate to: fast, medium or .slow; rock, jazz, romantic and new wa\'e. Next, as the music inlays in the backgiTiund, choreogi-aph your routine fiiom the eight mo%'es available. Up to ten individual moves may be perfoiTned in a single routine. After mapping out your performance, move to the aitina and recreate your mas- terpiece on ice. The animation her'e is ab- solutely perfect, featuring a gr-aceful fe- male skater- spotlighted befoi^e an anxious crowd. Even the shadow cast by the light shift.s and changes effoiilessly. Pi-etty graphics do not make a gi^eat event, however'. Figm"e Skating suffer's fixim a number of flaws. The most appai'- ent is weak documentation, w'hich man- ages to stumble all over itself hying to ex- plain the impossible. And what it doesn't want to e.xplain, it simply leaves out. None of the skater's moves, for example, are even mentioned in the manual. What must have sounded good on paper went woefully amy on the computer ' scr-een. Player's ai^e r*equired to memorize when each move is to Ix' executed in time with the music. Uirfortunately, all players I chor-eograph the routines one after- an- other By the time the last player's hit the ice, they have little hope of i-emembering I their moves, let alone when to execute them. Conlin ued nn page 1 08 20 DECEMBER 1988 X-i n TAKETHEUaV )TOl]ROWN HANDS What can you do about the drug problem in America? Play LA. Crackdown. ■f I That's what. " You're the vet- eran detective. Your assign- IlifiiarehuuM: tHJihatftti'saim'fitr.,- Al^i^-'iiL lO LW uncover a major ring bent on dis- tributing an evil synthetic drug. You've got the highest of high- tech surveillance vans to work from. You've also got a rookie to work with. We're talking "rookie" rookie. Zero experience. You'll need to architect his every move. Witch him photograph clues. Plant bugs.1ail suspects. And question everyone from seedy thugs and crooked chemists to slick international heavies. You'll also need to draw on every strategy brain cell available. If you're not thinking every minute, you might just spend all evening waiting on a street comer for a suspect whds never coming. LA. Crackdown. If you think your nervous system can handle the surprise action and tricky men- tal clues, there's only one thing you need, to do. Move to LA. L.A.CRACKDOWN CitmTWHhn'tlt/lJS. mt^ i'Dm/Mitihli's, Apple It & corrifialibli's mePYX' 64 AND 128 SOFTWARE REVIEWS" Reviewed by Mark Cotone Force 7 Computer: Commodore M Publisher: DataSoft 19808 Noixlhoff Place Chatsworth.CA 91311 Medium: Disk Price: $19.99 If imitation is sincerely a form of flat- tery, then I bet I can name a couple of entertainment entrees that software pro- grammer Ken Grant is absolutely crazy about. Ml-. Grant is the designer of a new action-strategy game from DataSofl called Force 7, and after a session or two with his contest, you'll probably get the feeling that he's spent more than a few afternoons at the arcade hall feeding quarters to a Gauntlet machine, and more than a few evenings at home running and rerunning a copy of the Aliet^s movie through his VCR. For if you were to flise these two divergent hits together, you would get the look and feel of Force 7. And it's quite an exciting combination. The game's action takes place on Karis, a fictional planet out in the far reaches of the galaxj'. A few months ago Karis sent out an urgent distress signal, but before any concrete details could be related about this assault, communications sud- denly went silent. Duly alarmed, you, the commander of Force 7, a special crack combat unit, hustled your troops into the hibernation capsules of a waiting star ship and blasted off to solve the Karis mystery. Alien Nation Annihiliation Improving Force Score Before you go and blindly lead your crew into a disastrous death trap, take a moment or two to devise a tactical game plan. Reflexes alone wdll not beat these alien breeds. The i^orce 7 instruction man- ual includes a Strategy section which is sure to lay a good foundation for maneu- vering and attacking. Below, Tve also add- ed a few tips of my own to help you along. • Whenever one of your surrogates happens upon a room filled with ammuni- tion or food, take the time to bring down each member of the crew so that they can all eat their fill and reload their weapons. Your prudence will be rewarded during crunch time, when you don't have to wor- ry about anyone being fatigued or low on supplies in the heat of battle. • Although Alien Leaders can materi- t^^^nf^^TT m iiaauaii T-i:i:?l!f;Kfa'J=('IIiE SC0REt0ei489 HU.^ . BSKH ■oi-a The floor plan is a maze of rooms, corridors, doon/vays and dead ends infested with the most bizarre variety of grotesque killers imaginable. As the game begins, you and your crew of sbc have just shaken off the cobwebs of the suspended animation sleep. Yom' goal is to search and rescue any and all of the planet's human inhabitants who may have survived. As your team is preparing to teleport to Karis' surface, an alaiTning discovery is made. Dming travel, it ap- pears as if your ship encountered a dense meteor storm, destroying all but a single Hfe support suit. This means that only one team member can beam down at a time, an unfortunate twist that severely height- ens the danger of the mission and conve- niently transforms the game into a work- alize anywhere — ^with a penchant for shovring up at the most inopportune times — their enormous size prohibits them from pursuing your men through a doorway. Whenever your Motion Detector warns you of an approaching Leader, move inside a room, fend off any menaces that might be roaming about, and wait by the door If the Leader appears in the room with you, quickly duck out into the hallway and shoot back through the open door to cut him down, ff, on the other hand, the Leader rises outside the room, simply remain stationary and use the same doorway from youi" inside position. • In this rescue mission, although you are obviously trying to keep all of your soldiers healthy, it is vitally important that you remember to keep at least one of the three crew Blueprint Readers alive. Without their assistance, it is impossible to be teleported from floor to floor In ex- able one-player contest. On Kaiis, the search m\\ center on a six-level fabrication plant, the only stronghold where colonists could have pos- sibly survived. The floor plan is a maze of rooms, corridors, doorways and dead ends infested with the most bizan-e variety of grotesque killers imaginable. Not only must you work at plotting a com-se to the endangered humans, but you will also have to find some way of blasting or dodg- ing a never-ending swarm of invaders in- tent on having you for lunch. The most common enemy will be the Alien Soldiers, relentless crab-like crea- tures that move in patterned masses, con- verging and cornering any crew member who happens into their line of sight. Back- ing these killers are groups of breeders named Beating Heaits, repulsive-looking monstere whose only known purpose is to spawn more murdering Soldiei-s. And even in death this enemy remains danger- ous, for when they are killed their acid look instantly bums holes clear through the floor; smoldering cavities whose mere touch can mean lights out. Frightened? Wait. The flin's only beginning. Even more puissant are a flock of inde- structible bubbling balls of fire known as Lava Monsters. These hall monitors roll around trying to cateh you and fiy you alive. And then there's the most threaten- ing menace of all, the Alien Leadere. Insect-like freaks looking remarkably Continut'd on page 112 treme cases, it may even be necessary to sacrifice another soldier to protect your last Reader It may sound cmel, but the alternative is a failed mission. • When you are teleporting onto a new level for the first time, always drop your- self into an area that affords some protec- tion and/or escape routes. Who knows what will be waiting for you when you ma- terialize? Ammunition supply rooms and food storage areas are labeled on the over- head computer maps and are usually one ofthe safest bets. • This final point is mentioned in the manual's tips, but it's important enough to be reiterated. Whenever you enter a room full of Alien Soldiers, you can be sure a reproducing Beating Heart is at work nearby. She should be the number one priority for destruction. Only after you track and annihilate her will the Alien Soldier generating stop. g 22 DECEMBER 1988 CAUFORMAGAMES: :] t7iT«l y WlTrX1=T^l*TtTl : 4V SniE OF INTENSmC ^^ -.,.^- /^ .*^. Jp*^ :t^.- ^ '^-i ^It ahftbeach blanket bingo. These are radi- cal games. Games that take the honorable tradition of Summer Games" I and II, Winter Games," and World GamesT wax it down and load it on the roof. Try shredding the face of a totally tubular wave. Join the airforce in a BMX bike race. Screech around on skates and then rocket off the skateboard ramp. You'll be playing for sponsors like Ocean Pacific, NHS ta Cruz, CASIO, Costa Siirjittg. A i^)r/ tUvfitkd by^y . ilj-baki(fBanzais Kjth a fondness for ripping, grinding. nKdskmdding. t^i IjiiiiicIi a fete/h I iifl'-llii-lili :l ill! ymr slitiU'lmin} titckvit lli^h. Ami K'ttilf yaii'ir up llterp. dance fnv the croti'd. Del Mar, Kawasaki, and Spinjammer. Fer trophies _ and an overall cliampionship. \ So get air. Go crazy California games by^ Welcome to the state of California. 1- ; ilk OmilvUhlrs, IBM& Ctimtmlil'lrs. Amiga !CC0S4^) P?*-T^"» [»QtiE«»U m uusb-niis&iiiii Gtamsot uag s />./' Sit down and grab on! You're driving the fastest and most beautiful machine on 4 wheels! So kick up the engine revs, down- shift the gears, hear the tires squeal and grab the pavement— on your computer! Hot car Hot music. Hot scenery— beaches, cities, snowy mountains, deserts and the blonde next to you will tempt you to take your eyes off the road. At close to 300 KPH, our advice to you is a 4-letter word. DON'T. Out Run. One of the big- gest arcade hits ever, and Fne ultimate motor-sports simulation. Now you can bring the action home! With 4.4 liters under the hood, you're driving a beast of a machine only top drivers attempt to drive. Can you handle it? Maybe. Maybe not. Space Harrier, You are Harrier, the extra-terres- trial warrior. Space is your battlefield. Your mission is to save the Land of Dragons from the vicious followers of the vile one- eyed mammoth, Grab your laser blaster because fhis game is 100% action, non-stop clashes, power- ful combat scenes. Alien Syndrome. Genetic lab overrun by hideous qrqanic mutafions! Scien- tisfs captured! Activate the lab's self-destruct mecha- nism! Break in and blast away ihe slimy hordes and she biggest, mostgro- tesque mufants guarding the doors. Can you do it before the bomb explodes? DISTRIBUTED BY M I N D S C A P Viijl yourrfttQ,ttf orcolM,800-221,96B't (or VISAQrtd MflilerCord ordeti To purchase by mail, __ mont, order for S3J 95 (Oul Sun). S29 95 (Spoce Homer and AI.en Syndrome; . (C6J i CI ?a) , end S49.95 lOui Run ond Spoce Ho.rioi ■An.igoondAtqriSTl Iprui 53.00 handling lo Mrndscopo. Inc PO Bo< 1167, Norlhbrook.il 6X165 Alio" 3-5 w«eks for dd,vi id your cord nurnber and eopiratiori dccle, theck ai . .t _ I. .1 ir}, 539,95 [Al*oSvr>- eiy. Luwyen like this tyred ut\iss licence Irom SeoQ Enierprpsei Ltd.. Jopcn. Oul Run ii □ tirodemork of Sega Enterpnws. Ltd, Commadore 64 and Commodore Ub are regislered trndemcrks ol Commodore tie ctronjcs. Ud- AFari is a registered rrademcffk ond ST. 520ST. 10-40ST, and Mega are trorfemarks of Aton Corporolion. Amiga is a registered trademark and KicitstoH is a Iraderncrk oT Comrnodore Amigo, Inc. \BM is a Irademark o! IBM Corporation. Made in U.5 A. Streen ihols represenl Atari ST ver&ion; oihefs maj' vary. B4 AND 128 SOnWARE REVIEWS" Reviewed by Jeffery Scott Hall Impossible Mission 2 Computer: Commodore 64 Publisher: Epvx 600 Galveston Drive Redwocxl City, CA 'Mm IVIedium: Disk Price: $29.95 Just when you thought you had saved us torn the evil mastermind Elvin, along comes Impossible Mission 2 from Epyx, and this time he is planning to take over the world! While the title sci-een is dis- played, you will hear Elvin's sinister greeting: "Another visitor! Stay a while, stay forever!" accompanied by excellent background music. You, as the agent's top sleuth must enter the high-rise complex and stop Elvin from destroying us all! Not Just Another Deranged Lunatic When you think of Elvin two words come to mind: psychotic genius. He is smart enough to be the leading ex'pert on robotics, computers and codes, yet evil enough to want world dominance. There- fore, he is entrenched on the top floor (probably because of the lack of oxygen to his brain) of an eight-stoiy "tower-of- doom." Inside this tower Elvin has constructed his own itwms laced with sLx different kinds of robots: secmity (shoot high elec- trical beams at any movement near him), minebots (drop mines which detonate when stepped on), pestbots (ride lift plat- forms to mess up the player's strategy), squatbots (use them as stepping stones to leap higher in the air), bashbots (will ei- ther push you off a ledge or smash you into an object), and suicidebots (the same as a bashbot, but will kill itself with you), lb top everything ofl', each room is a maze in which you must maneuver to find cer- tain important objects vital to your mis- sion. So just what is your mission? An Agent's Job is Never Done When you first start the game, you will find yourself in one of foui' different pas- sages inside Elvin's tower of doom. Each passage contains six different floors, in which you will find one room to explore. ' You must ride an elevator to get fi-om floor Impossible Mission 2 combines a unique blend of strategy, arcade action, graphics and sounds to conne up with one of the best game sequels ever. to floor Your job must be carried out in four parts (as if one weren't enough), each vitally important to the next. First, you must assemble a three-digit security code for each passage connecting to a different area of the tower Do this by standing in fixint of an object in a room while pressing the joystick forward. This causes a box to appear over the agent's shoulder with a horizontal time line indi- cating how long the seaixh will take for that particular object. Once the search is complete, you will find a passcode number, a security terminal command icon, an ex- tension of time, or you might \sind up empty handed. Second, you must seek out and open El- vin's safes and recover the musical se- quence which is locked inside. You will find six different pieces of music located throughout the complex and two duplicate pieces to throw you off guard. Once you have a musical sequence, you must either record it before moving to the next pas- sage or lose it forever (thus preventing you fi:x)m completing the game). Third, you must tie these musical se- quences together to form a full melody which opens the express doors to an eleva- tor that will lead you to Elvin's main con- j trol room. ' Finally, you must find the correct com- puter terminal in Elvin's control room that will disarm the missile launch codes before the world (and you) are destroyed! Sounds simple enough for someone with | your qualifications, right? Oh, but we've overlooked one important detail: time. All of the above-mentioned requirements must be completed before the missiles launch, allowing you precisely eight hours to stop them. If all of this sounds just too difficult (wimp!) then perhaps we should take a closer look at our best friend. The Pocket Computer Lucky for you the agency knew what they were up against when they asked you to stop Elvin. They have equipped you with a highly sophisticated pocket com- puter with many great functions to help in your quest. Youi- pocket computer can per- form the following fiinctions; locate you in Elvin's complex by showing your cuiTent position, help you assemble the passcode which allows you to move from one pas- sage to another, record and play back musical sequences, and show exactly how much time you have to complete the mis- sion. Just how secure are you? Your Security Blanket Inside each room Elvin has constructed, you will find at least one security terminal to help make your life less stressful, lb ac- tivate a terminal, stand in front of it and press the joystick forward. This will call up the security screen with six different options. These are: reset lift platforms, move floor segments left or right, deacti- vate robot(s), turn lights on in darkened ConlintieJ im page 66 26 DECEIVIBER 1988 Red §tor Rliiin You're captain of an American nuclear / attack submarine. \'^f' And your ship is a" "^^ that stands betwe the Russian bear and HH^omination. Experience the pulse^lHTOlIng tension of Red Storm Rising. . . a frighteningly realistic blend of contemporary high technology and classic military strategy. Based on Tom Clancy's #1 and created, with the author, by famed programmer/designer Sid Meier -the mind behind F-15 Strike Eagle and Silent Service. For the Commodore 64/128 systems and soon for IBM/PC compatibles and App Suggested retail price, S44.95. Red Storm Rising. Find out if you have what it takes to tackle the Russian bear. 180 Lakefront Drive Hm Based on the tx»k Rod Stotm Ri ^author. Copyright 1986 by Jack Ryan Enl Software t 1988 by MicroProse Softwafi aryland 21030 64 AND 128 SOFTWARE REVIEWS" Paperclip Publisher Computer Commodore 64 Publisher: Elec'ti-onic Ails 1820 GatL'wav Drive San Mateo, CA fM404 Medium: Disk Price: $49.95 Desktop publishing is an application that taxes a computer's memon' and processing power as much as any data- ttase or spreadsheet program. Just imag- ine the calculations required to keep 50 pages of text and graphics in current memorj' while accurately displaying page layout on your screen and quickly refresh- ing the on-sci"een image to reflect changes to either element. Considering the inher- ent limitations of a 64K, eight-bit ma- chine like the Commodore 64, some would argue that desktop publishing is an appli- cation better left to more powerful pei-son- al computers. Fortunately, the designers oi Paperclip Publislw realized that, de- spite a few limitations, the 64 is a ma- chine that, programmed creatively, can handle almost any job. Paperclip Publisher comes with a clear- ly written, well-organized manual that in- troduces you to the prcgi-am and takes you on a "guided tour" of its major fea- tures. Five tutorials are included to take you from the initial design of a newsletter, to finishing touche.s and, ultimately, to cranking it out on youi- printer, lb help you get started, sample text files are in- cluded on the progrtun disk, as well as sev- eral examples of clip art. In addition, five fonts — Courier, Helvetica, Times, Side- w^ays and Sjinbol — each in foui* sizes, are included with the progi'am. After making a back-up copy of the pro- gram disk (Paperclip Puhlixher is not copy protected), specify the printer you'll be us- ing, and creating a work disk, you can be- gin to design and lay out the pages of you:" publishing project. Your page can be ei- ther letter size (8" x H"i or legal size (8" X 14"! , or you can specify a custom page size (smaller than 8" x 14") by clicking on length and width arrows that alter the page size in 'A-inch increments. (The smallest page size you can ci-eate will de- pend on your choice of a default printer.) Similarly, vertical tmd horizontal margins can be adjusted in '/-i-inch increments by clicking on a second set of arrows. HE POWE Revolutionary Pagi .-iTiBB.-rarflMirnM Fortunately, the designers realized that, despite a few limitations, the 64 is a machine that, programmed creatively, can handle almost any job. Before adding text or graphics to your blank pages, you must create boxes into which your page elements w'ill be poured. Like most Paperclip Publisher functions, boxes are created by selecting the appro- priate tool or icon from the right side of the screen. The length and width of each box can be easily adjusted to create col- umns and graphic frames ol' any size. The boxes you create to hold text can be linked together so that text will flow appropriate- ly from column to column, and even fi-om page to page. While Papi'ivlip Puhlixher can handle documents of up \a 50 pages, a single document may contain only 60 boxes, so for pi-actical applications your document's maximum number of pages will usually \ye considerably less than 50. The text you use to fill your boxes can be prepared in advance using any of sev- eral popular word processors, or created with the program's built-in text editor. While the text editor isn't designed to take the place of your favorite woi-d pro- cessor, it does provide a simple means to enter and edit short passages on the fly. It is here in the text editor where you may Reviewed by Bob Guerra also add bold, italics, underlining, super- scripts, subscripts and several other use- ful and decorative enhancements to your text files. What's more, headlines of up to 250 characters can be added using the program's '"Quicktext" tool. Likewise, although graphic elements can be pulled into your documents from a variety of progi'ams such as Newsivom, Outrageous Pages, and PrintMaster, there is a simple gi'aphics editor included with Papeivlip Publisher. While this is gixjat for touching up and resizing graphics be- fore inserting them into your documents, you'll probably want to use a more sophis- ticated graphics program to produce any complex drawings fi-om scratch. With Paperclip Puhlislier, besides sim- ply drawing a bunch of boxes and filling them with words and pictures, you can choose from a wide variety of background patterns, border styles and styles of text alignment, and these attributes can be set individually for each box. Unfortunately, whatever attiibutes you assign to a box, you can never change its square shape. Therefore, text can't be wrapped around irregulaiiy shaped graphics. The only other complaint 1 have about Paperclip Publisher is the trade-ofi'that you must make between speed and the on- screen display of your pages. If you choose to have all elements within your boxes displayed on-screen as you edit the layout, each box has to be redrawn and every text or graphic file used on the cuiTent page has to be reloaded fixjm disk and i^-awn. Needless to say, having to wait for all this to occur each time you make a small alter- ation can quickly kill any creative sponta- neity you may have had at the outset of a project. Once the contents of each box have been formatted to your satisfaction, however, you can choose to display only the boxes without their contents as you make fine adjustments to the layout. While it would be great to see all of yom- page elements while making these changes, the speed you gain by emptying the on-screen boxes is often more impor- tant than seeing the contents of all boxes at all times. No matter what type of desktop pub- lishing system you use, creating a profes- sional-quality newsletter takes careful planning, an eye for attractive design, and much hard work. If you can supply these, then Paperclip Publisher can provide the tools you need to get the job done. B 28 DECEMBER 1988 Arcade adventure at its finest... Fantasy role- playing at its best! Fast-paced, exciting combat demands the use of all your wits and endurance to best a world teeming with assassins, wizards and monsters. Expe- rience captivating graphics of an unprecedented cal- ibre. Relentless opponents will hone your combat skills to a razor's edge. A simple yet powerful menu and icon interface provides effortless interaction with the world and its people, while the incredibly smooth animation presents a continuous panorama of action and adventure. To gel your cap>' or Times of Lort, dther 1) \1eIi your local retailer, 2) tall 1.8fX).999-l939 Sim loipmKSTtoorderbi \1S:\' MC.or 3) mall check (L'.S. $1 or VISA /MC, cardholder name and explrallon dilte to Orl|;ln. All ver- sions i39.K plus $2.5D shipping and handling. .Allow l-lweel-J* for delivers. Try iilAdemodiskof Times of Lore is now available for tlie Commodore 64/128K, Send S2.50 io Origin for yours and credit it towards a direct order puxfliase. Available for Ihe lBM-PC/Tanc!y/ compatibles, Apple 11 Series, Com. modore 64/128, Amiga and Atari ST. Times of Lofe is a trademark of Origin Syslom*, loc Astonishing realism is yours through scores of unique char- acters and sophisti- cated conversations. Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of an ancient world embroiled in turmoil — the disap- pearance of the king and his young son — the struggle for control of the realm. The stakes are high; your role as the hero-for-hire ' requires all the cour- age and savvy you can muster. Your quest for truth will teach you much of the distinction be- tween appearances and reality. Magic and intrigue com- bined with finely crafted game-play ^,, .— «=».— ™» ,„ bring you the best ^B ^^^^Hi ' f '•>""^ 7r , ^W' ^^^^EH I afefurtlK of fantasy m... ^■h^^^^^^^^^B 'iM commodore. Times of Lore Stunning graphics and animation Fast-paced combat action • Dynamic conversations • Compelling plot 136-B Harvey Road, Londonderry, NH 03053 _y 64 AND 128 SOFfV/ARE REVIEWS' Reviewed by Mark Cotone Dragon's Lair ('((niputer: Coniii)(j(ioiv {'A Publisher: Softwm-e Pi-ojett;;, Ine Distributor: Electrorac Ails 1820 Gatewa\' Drive San Mateo, CA i)4404 Medium: Disk Price: $iyiftl It doesn't seem that long ago, but it was way back in '83 when Don Bluth's Dragon's Lair coin-op burst onto the scene, igniting choruses of oooh's and aaah's fi-om wide-eyed \ideo playere ev- eo'\vhei-e. This was a time when ai*cade audiences were starting to thin out, tired of finding the same hackneyed game in- gredients hidden behind thin facades sporting little more than creative titles and imaginative window di-essing. But this newcomer was going to turn the tide and demand attention by exhibiting some exti'aordinary guts. For behind the knobs, glass and wood of this game's cabinet wa.s a revolutionaiy computeiized videodisc system, a game foundation unlike any- thing else that had ever swallowed a quarter But that was five years ago, and the fei'- vor has since subsided. Can you still re- member Daphne, Dirk and Singe? Did you ever even meet them? Well, whether these names evoke fond memories or di'aw complete blanks. Software Pitjecta. Inc., with the distributi\'e help of Electronic Arts, would once again like to make ihem the topic of players' discussions. With their new Dragon's Lair release for the Commodore 64. the famed adventui-e is back for more. Burning Singe: Taking a Fire Breather One of the biggest advantages the com- puter version oWragon'x Lair has over the original is that Softwaiie Projects actu- ally packages an instruction pamphlet to help outline the goal in each of the game's 17 stages. Refer to your insti-uction pam- phlet for some usefUl backgi-ound any time you enter a new stage. And if you still get stuck, perhaps one of the tips I've listed below will be of some a^istance. • Falling Platforms: Always return to the platform's center after each gust. This will put you in a ready position for wind from any direction, and also afford you the For the uninformed, let me introduce the principal cast. Daphne is the beautiful daughter of a wealthy unnamed king in some faraway fantasy land. Singe is a de- mented, greedy dragon who has just kid- napped Daphne, threatening to kill her unless he i-eceives the proverbial king's ransom. And then there's Dirk the Dar- ing, youi- fearless surrogate knight who has always admiiied Daphne fix)m afai; and is now willing to risk everything to save her soul. Isn't love gi-and? Singe, a crafty creature, has taken his royal bait and imprisoned her in the secret caverns canned deep beneath his enchanted castle, hn his rescue attempt. Dirk must battle his way through a forti-ess lillt^ with Singe's henchmen, creatm^es and traps, ultimately facing the old fire-breather himself in a climatic undergitiund show- down, The confrontations that stand between Dirk and his lady are some of the most outrageous tiiais ever to measure the depth of love-fueled endui-ance. Seventeen different tests of strength, dexterity and perseverance have been devised, each pre- sented as a distinct arcade game within most room for error if you're caught off guard and blowTi backwards. • Burning Rope: Remember, it's up to you to leap off the stone elevator as it takes you up to each level. If you miss your floor, you're more than likely to get burned. • Ramps and Giddy Goons: You don't have to be on the same ramp as a goon to give him a fatal taste of your sword. Whack one of these weirdos from an adja- cent ramp, and it'll make jumping a lot less hazardous. • Ye River Caves: When you get to the river's whiripools, pull youi- joystick back as you enter each new screen. This will buy you some extra time to survey the sit- uation and plot a course. the game. It's a gi-ueling gauntlet. In a walk through, pmists might note that not all of the original challenges have sur- vived the transition. But the ones that have been chosen for the adaptation biing home, in one shape or another some of the more memorable moments hxim the origi- nal. There are white water rapids to be rafted, flying horses to be tamed, enemy knights to be vanquished, falling plat- forms to be fiown and raging infernos to be crossed— just to name a few of the awaiting tasks. The computer renditions might differ somewhat in appeai-ance and'br perepective fi-om theii' coin-op counterparts, but the designers, working within the pai-ametei-s of their medium, have certainly succeeded in capturing the spirit of each match. Dragon's Lair's diaw has always been its unique look, but when judging visuals, it would seem impractical to measure the computer vei-sion against its videodisc predece.ssor. They're two different style machines. But even when you compai-e its perfoi-mance against other Commodore games, Softwaiie Projects' offering is still a mbced bag. On the whole, the background gi'aphics ai^e superb, pnniding a vaiiety of clear, colorful environments for all of Dirk's antics. Crisscrossing cobwebs, etched stone hallways and boiling mud ponds are just some of the specifics that desen'e applause for bringing each scene to life. Yet, when judging the animated ac- tion that is portrayed across these back- drops, sometimes the designers fall short. Ever>' so often. Dirk's moves tend to be- come extremely jei'ky, trading off any illu- i Conlinued iw fnifif 112 I • Dungeons of the Lizard King: Unless the very tip of the Lizard's jeweled cane j makes contact with your head, you can't I be harmed. So if the Lizard is closing in ,' and winding up for a hit, quickly turn and move into him. This will put you inside the cane's swath and out of danger. Then, when he relaxes, run like hell. • Magical Fljing Horse: If you can't react quickly enough to avoid the oncom- ing obstacles, push j'our joystick all the way to the left and hold it there. This seems to put Dirk in an invulnerable posi- tion for a freie ride to the next level. • Mud Monster: To cross the gorge, see if you can't draw the wrath of the biggest Monster on the block. In this case, a little mudslinging could be beneficial. g 30 DECEMBER 1988 ■^ //. Now you can take home some of the best Arcade games you've ever played, to play on your own personal computer! Skillful programming has taken the superb graphics and addictive game play of Arcade hits Double Dragon and Sidewinder and faithfully reproduced them in home computer versions. Join in deadly combat with the savage street gang of the infamous Shadow Boss in Double Dragon. .iidulge in an orgy of action and destruction in the high-energy shoot-em-up Sidewinder (part of the Awesome Arcade Action pack on Amiga and Atari ST). Go on the rampage and smash buildings and munch tiny natives in Aaargh! Nothing but endless Arcade action - Arcadia has spared no quarter! R O Doubit Ongon it i joint publkcation o< Ai-udii ind Trade wctt. © 1»M Mjjttrtroflic linemitionil. Inc. Lieenied from T«hnoi|ip»r. Artadia it a member a( the Mistertnmic Group. ARCADIA 71 1 West 17th St., UnitG9, Costa Mesa, CA 92627. Tel. (714) 631-1001. /VMiG^SOFMARE REVIEWS' Reviewed by Jeffery Scott Hall Vampire's Empire Computer: Publisher: Price: Amiga DigiTekSoft\\-ai'e, Inc. 104 W. Seneca Suite 4 Tiimpa, FL 33612 $44.95 It is late at night when you discover the Count's lair, finally you have located the evil underground "Doom-of-Gloom." As you open the door, a cold chill enve- lopes your body. Gazing down into the lair you see nothing, yet you know that evil is all around. You quickly check your sup- plies: a handful of garlic, reflective mir- rors and a magic ball. Then you go down the stairs to set out on your quest. This is the setting for Vampire's Empire from Digilfek Software. The Quest You are Dr. Van Helsing, vampire hunt- er, who has vowed to rid the Earth of Count Dracula himself. Sounds like a simple job for a man of youj' standards, but one thing that will not be simple is the control of that mystic light— which is re- quired to kill the Count. In your journey you will also find many \ile creatures which will try to stop you fix)m completing your mission. These creatures range from ordinary love-crazed ugly female vam- pires to the not-so-ordinary ghouls hang- ing from the ceiling, not to mention the trap doors. The object of the game is to find Count Dracula and destroy him, Sounds simple right? Wrong! In order for you to do .so, you must have full control over the magic light. To do this \'ou must position mirrors in the proper places throughout the game in order for the light to reach the Count. If you find Dracula without the magic light, then prepare to be di'ained! Game Play You will find yourself exploring differ- ent areas of the game, ranging hvm the upper to lower regions. As you walk along, the screen will scroll in the direction you are going. Soon you will meet up with some of the evdl charactere. To waixl them off, throw garlic at them (by pressing the fire button in the direction you are going i. If you do not succeed in thjt)wing the gar- The game is divided into 240 screens and can be thought of as one giant underground maze! lie at the right time, the evd creatures will drain youi- bl wd. Your blood supply is in- dicated at the fai" right of the screen. The game will end when you have been drained of all your blood (ouch!), and you will find yourself starting over. lb advance finm one level to the next, you must collect ceitain aitifacts, climb up ladders, go down slides and even fall through somt' trap dooi-s. Depending on which level you are in, certain thin^ must be done to advance. In some cases you will find youi-self wandering ait)und in a circle, lb get out of this, you must touch a certain aj^ea of the wall, collect all the artifacts far that level, and fall through certain traps. The game is divided into 240 screens and can be th aught of as one giant under- ground maze! When you do reach Count Dracula, the screen will be enlarged, so you see close-ups of both the Count and Dr. Van Helsiag while scary music plays in the backgn)und. This is the grand finale of the game; it must be seen to be appreciated. Summary I found thi"ee minor faults with Vam- pire's Empire. The first and most impor- tant is the fac: that they lefl; out a pause feature in the game. This can cause some serious probleins when you want to take a break and the monsters are all over you. Second, I would have liked the title mu- sic playing thioughout the game instead of no music at all (even better would have been the option to toggle music offibn). My third complaint has to do with the way Dr. Van Helsing thixiws gai4ic. In- stead of his aim appearing to pull back to throw it, it seems as if he spits at them (it's quite humorous to see). However, these are just minor complaints, I found many good points as well. Vampire's Empire is a veiy exciting ar- cade-style adventure game. The gi'aphics, music and sound effects are veiy nicely done. The screens scroll very smoothly — ti-uly a plus! 1 have had a lot of fun play- ing Vampire's Empire, and I think you will too. So, if you are looking for a fiight- fiilly good game, this one is it! Vanquishing the Vampire • Never stand in one spot lor a long pe- riod of time. If you do, the monsters will find you and will drain much of your blood, lb avoid this, move Dr. Van Helsing every few seconds. • Avoid getting artifacts that ai^e on trap doors. These artifacts ai-e "dummies" and will only make you fall thi-ough the trap. If you fall through, the artifact will still be there. Don't worry, it's not needed to complete your quest. • If you ever find yourself wandering around in circles, then you have either not collected all the artifacts oi" touched a se- cret door. So make sure all attifacts have been collected for the level you are in and explore carefully. • Make sujie that 3^ou are in the same level the light is at all times. This is veiy difficult to do, but if you lose the light, you can not destroy Dracula. g 32 DECEMBER 1988 "T // LUCASFILM ON THE ART AND SCIENCE OF ENTERTAINMENT ]] NEWHOPEFOR Battered Stdrv Gamers. HERE'S A LOT lUKE about computer adven- tures, but it sure isn't un getting killed all the time. That's why Maniac Mansion K so refreshing— 1 can play from start to finish without dying once! " That's more than great fan mail. It's a very aslutc obser- wition. Because while most - story games treat !n Maniac Mansion,' a movie-style "tiit-si:ene"quickly establishes the characters' personalities. ^^^^^■■1 LOTTn^i^^^^SSH^*^^ Ml ■r e,y^-r.--:i^ [.* _i=— ■_ zfclU "^■jgl HB Not vvith Lucasfilm's new "point n' click' interface, though. All the words you need are right on the screen.Just click the cursor on them to choose characters, objects, and actions. Now you can piay an entire fifty hour game without typing asingle word. Or putting your life on hold until you realize the green leafy thing is a... plastic fern. you'll get into major hot water all right, but you'll have the fun of getting out of it. too. LET'S Get Crazy Together. Just pick up a copy of Maniac Mansion:" the comedy thriller about a kidnapped cheerleader, a very mad you like the meat in the dog food factory, Lucasfilm story games treat you like a human being who just wants some good dean fun. 1 he (un starts with an en- gaging plot, hot graphics and tasty puzzles. But what keeps it going is a unique design that lets you play the game in- stead of fighting the computer The NoTyping Interface. Today's story games evolved from te.xt adventures. The Just three "clicks]' and you'll send Zak McKiadteif ofor to tie pawn shop counter to buy a pair of nase glasses. interface, in most cases, re- mained in the swamp. With conventional .story games, whenever you want your character to do something, you type. And type. And type. Suppose you want to pick up a green leafy object. Well, you might try typing, "pick up plant!' If that doesn't work, you mi^ltry"bu.sh!' "sfiruK 'tree'' and so on. After a while, you might try a different form of entertainment. More Story. Less Gory. Most story game designers seem to think people love to get clobbered. Wedon't. After all, how much fun can it be to have a fatal accident every three and a half minutes. . . then reload your saved game, take a few timid steps for- ward, and save it again. Seems more like paranoia than enlertainmenl. That's why Lucasfilm story games make it down- right difficult to die. Oh. I nil II II ONrnGoifCoiiaj. „^~^r ■f • Aliens' ■ffliM "■"""■ scientist, and a hilariously creepy rescue mission. Or Zak McKrackenAnd The Alien Mindbenders!" where you and a seedy tabloid jour- nalist save the world from space aliens who want us all to have the IQs of turnips, You'll love the twisty plots and the goofy characters. You'll crack up constantly with the zany one-liners and sight gags. And you'll go just a little crazy with the mind-bending puzzles. Crazy but nicely crazy. I UCA5FIL M Cohirf^^dt,'* 64/t28at>JApfiIclh^ //« pcri^'u' petiar>ct CWnpuirrj AllfUifenlt ofllir gUm-e far^iatiU TI-r,J.j ij c t^giittr^d hademtrrk, o/ '/jft^v Cfl'p I — I ii/urc &4-anJ \26 art liO^fait^Df Cci'^rt^dart ■■,,, Lhi Appir 11 a ^ wfiilircrffroA-TWi^^ , i,-^ - . .i.Tt^Mi t/K IBM irntni ihtHin >■ IM ♦ ): 19SS r.ocni/pfM DJ A'lnahl. rr.r«J KONAMI HITS ARE HEADING HOME. With our new software, your favorite arcade games come alive -1 on your home computer, r ^^ If you own an IBM, Amiga or Commodore computer- Watch outi Because 4 of Konami's most awesome adventures are about to invade. >bu'll confront the missions you've dreamed of in Rush 'N Attack, Contra, Jackal and Boot Camp. And you'll find yourself face to face against unequaled challenges, with incredible graphics, awesome music, and sound effects that'll blow you away So check out Konami's newest action wherever great software is sold. And be prepared for war. i '•Ji^ill ■ii0^ KONAMI t ■*^iA 3 rFgntrrnl W*Jern,ir*[ o* imemaiioral ftjunrsi Mat nift« Jiv Ann^*' ,*■) C* s?^ (nc IBMtn onaiAnjtg^iyuem YOU'LL FIND KONAMI GAMES IN THESE STRATEGIC LOCATIONS. BABBAGES CHILD WORLD AND CHILDREIM'S PALACE ELECTRONICS BOUTIQUE FEDCO STORES LIONEL KIDDIE CITY, LIONEL PLAYWORLD AND LIONEL TOY WAREHOUSE TOYS "R " US WAREHOUSE ENTERTAINMENT ZAYRE (Boston and Washington D.C. Area Stores Only) Attention Dealers: For further information on Konami's line of computer games, call customer service at (312) 595-1443. KONAMI Only Rush 'N Attack and Contra will be available for Amiga in 1 988. s 1 988. Konami Inc. ABIZOrVA ComfKjte Gr Play 1000 F«tfl Mall CALIFORNIA a^KERSFIELD Sott-iVj-e Etc 2701 UingAw V Plaza CHULAVrSTA R & R Sollwafr t048 3rdAvp 84 Pleasant St (6l7)79r-5'?05 CLAWSON Software Trends 230 S fWainS! CUO The Edge Connecior 124 North Mill (3(3(686-1070 FLINT I/O Software G- 3304 A Conjnna BtJ GARDEN CITY Soft-House Computer Center 32647ftjrdR[J (3(3)522-3015 TRAVERSE CITY The Software Shop 7 10 Centre St MISSOURI CAPE GIIWRDEAU Midwesi Computers 203 West fftrk Mall (3(4)339-0022 NEWJEfiSer BRIDGEWATER Software Etc 4 00 Commons Way WAYNE Software Etc WIKowtirookMaK NEW fVIEXICO ALBUQUERQUE Page One )l200H,(omgomery NE (5051294.2026 NEWVORK ALBANY Computer Cellar 91 ( Central Ave (518)482-1462 BAY SHORE Software Etc 1701 Sunrise Hwy CHEEKTOWA&\ Papa's Computerware 27S9UnjonSt. (7(6(684.7272 FLUSHING Software Eic. 39-0( Main SI HIGHLAND FALLS Softw.ire Affair ISa Mam St. (914)445-4121 HOLS ROOK Great Escapes 5301 Suorise Hwy KENMORE Software Sufjermarket 36 70 Delaware Ave (716(a73-532( LATHAM Contemporaiy Computers 893 Loudan RtJ. (518)783-1088 NEW YORK CITY JiR Music World 23 F^srk Row (2(2) 732-8500 Leigh s CorTtputer 14 ;5 riiffdAv* (212)879-6257 RIDGEWOOD QuoWttJls 70-20 Fresh Pond Rd ROCHESTER Leon's Cortip4jter hfisn 103 Cliniori Ave (716)325-2737 SCOTIA Select Software lOSMoTTawkAve. (5181 332-7886 OHK) CrtYTON Microtyne 4049J«lai^hal(Rd. RVIRFIELD Mrcrowaie fvlagic 6625 Dfflie Hvj^ |5I3IS7i-6550 MEDlfMA Ram-Run Computer Producii 891 N Court (216)263-4428 PENNSYLVANIA WEST READING English's Computers 608 Penn Ave RHODE ISLAND WARWICK Software Connection lOf WIMaDCkRd WDONSOCKET Galajty Corrputeri 332Ri«?rSt. TEXAS BEAUMONT Software Rental 2855 Eastex Freeway Iff D FORT WORTH Wedgewtxjd Software 5312 Wbodway (817)292-7353 HOUSTON Floppy Wizard 271 Memoriai [7(3)451-0660 SAN ANTONIO Computer Expenence 5525 Blanco (512)340-2901 UTAH SALT LAKE CITY Armadillo Brottreri 3330 S. State (301)484-2791 V(RG(NIA l«ART(f\ISBURG My Software Heaven Meadowlane PSaza Box 2 1304(263-1228 WtDOOBRIDGE Virginia Micro Systems 1 3646 Jefferson Davis Hwy (7031 491-6502 WASHINGTON LONGVIEW Software Depot ISlOOceanbeach Hwy LYfvlWOOD Family Ccjmputers 3333 134th St SW. (206) 775-3530 PACOMA NibCles & Hyte5 4020 S Steele St *105 SEAHLE Omni Internatiorial Trading Ftosi 3826 Woodland Park Ave. N (2061 547-6664 VANCOUVER Software Support Int 2700 N £ Andreison 013 WISCONSIN JANESVILLE Romeyn Software 2100 E. Milwaukee MILWAUKEE Computer Software Center 10710 W Ok latxma Ave RACINE Computer Paradise 4901 Wcishmgton Ave. SOFTWARE REVIEWS" Reviev/ed by Ervin Bobo Softwood FUe IISG G)mputer: Amiga Publisher: Bra\\'n-Wagh Publishing Co. 16795 Lark Avenue Suite 210 Los Gatos, CA 95030 Price: $99.95 If there were only one good thing to say about Softwood File IISG — or about any of its previous incarnations — it would be that this progi'am makes the concepts of database management easily under- standable. Almost tvvo years ago, when many soft- ware and hardware manufacturers were trying cutesy-poo variations in naming their products, one of the firet database managers was called MiAmiga File. A re- vised and improved edition followed in the form of MiAmiga File 11. Perhaps the Softwood Company, producers of all thi"ee titles, suddenly realised that a good prod- uct doesn't require a cute name. Softwood File IISG (a title that may un- fortunately cause some to think it's for an Apple computer), gives you the ability to store not only written infonnation, but sound and graphics as well. With any database manager the first thing to do is to set up a fonnat for the re- cords you wish to keep, hi Softwood File, you do this through a i-equester window where you enter the title for a field (e.g.. Address) and then click on a box that de- scribes the type of infonnation in that field. The choices here ai'e text, phone, date, amount, etc. Obviously, it is possible to set up a file where every field is text and thus capable of holding anything you put into it, and in some cases this may be desirable. Usually, however, you'll want to be more specific, for assigning the con*ect at- tributes to a field will not only tell youj' computer how the information should be handled, but mil also prevent many entry errars: if a field is tagged as a date field, it will accept only infonnation entered in a j date format; and an amount field will not i accept text. As you create your fields, they appeal- vertically in a smaller window that shows | both the assigned title, the characteristics and the length of the field. Once you've created your form and told Softwood File Softwood File IISG gives you the ability to store not only written infornnation, but sound and graphics as well. to accept it, these fields appear in a hori- zontal arrangement, looking like headers on ruled chart paper In all versions oi Softwood File, the two file-viewing features have been both sim- ple and useable. Perhaps realizing that lists are among the easiest ways of finding and comparing information, Softn:ood File in its default mode shows all database re- cords in a horizontal format that is divid- ed into labeled field columns. With a typi- cal address file as an example, your eyes scan the labels until you find "Last Name," then scan down until you find "Smith" nestled between "Slick" and "Spike" — assuming, of course, that your file is sorted alphabetically accoiding to surname. Should that record need changing, chck on the first field in the record. You'll be flipped to a "form view" screen where only that one record is presented, each field in a highlighted box that may be edited or rearranged as you wish. Editing is rather straightforward: click on the appropriate box and type over the old information, Rearranging is also done with the mouse, by clicking and dragging the boxes until you have them arranged as you wish. Note that this rearranging affects onlj' the printing of a record: there may be times, as in the printing of address labels, where you wish to print only a portion of what is in the record; at other times, you may wish to change the an-angement of fields for a more coherent printout. In similar fashion, the columns of infor- mation on the "list" screen can be rear- ranged as to width and/or placement by selecting and dragging with the mouse pointer There are special functions fields in Softwood, such as "Gale" fields that obtain information from amount fields, Assume you keep track of money you've loaned to finends: one column is for "Amount Owed," a second for "Amount Paid," and a calc column is entitled "Balance." Setting up your equation is easy: Amount Owed- Amount Paid is typed in the calculation requester and the rest is automatic. The program will not conduct math vertically on screen, however you can add columns (e.g., Tbtal Owed) on a printout. Other special columns work as their names imply: define a field as either "Pic- ture" or "Sound" and when entering infor- mation into that column specify the path as well as the IFF sound or graphic field you wish to see, as in 'T)F1: Birds'Spai-- row". lb recall these items, chck on the item name you wish to see or heai'. In a variance, there is a feature called "Slide- show" on the pull-down options menu and each picture in your file will be displayed. 'Thone" is another special field. Find the record for John Smith, or whomever you wish to call, click on the Phone entiy while holding your telephone receiver close to your monitor's spieaker, and Softwood File IISG will generate the prop- er tones for dialing. Obviously, this last will be used only by those who are incredi- bly lazy and those who wish to make use of every feature of the program. The documentation included with Softwood File IISG is good, though short. At times, brevity is a blessing, but I would have appreciated an index to make it easi- er to find answers to specific feature-relat- : ed questions. A further criticism is that the manual is for Softwood File II (though it does come \vith an SG sticker in place). All the SG features are documented only on an errata sheet stuck inside the hvnt cover While I realize the cost of revising manuals is high, I still fee! a qualit>' prod- uct should be dressed with quality. Though the lack of math fimctions and the lack of sophisticated sorting proce- dures will prevent Softwood File IISG from being seriously considei-ed for busi- ness use, it is still a worthwhile program for the home or the small office and should j make itself usefid in many ways. With its ' ease of operation, it is also an ideal intro- duction to the sometimes hazy world of , database management. n 36 DECEMBER 1988 •si- ^^ \'^- % '-^ Make AmigosWith Other Amigas. The largest group of Amiga" users in the world shares its problems and solutions online every day in CompuServe's Amiga Forums. And you can join them. Whether you're an Amiga novice or a professional user in broadcasting, film special effects, animation, or music production, you'll find support from thousands of Amiga users and nearly every third-party Amiga software and hardware vendor. Looking for a solid CAD program? Want to make the most of your Amiga's multitasking capabilities? Ask somebody who's been through it all. There's no better way to get more out of your Amiga. To join CompuServe, see your computer dealer. To order direct or for more information, call 800 848-8199. In Ohio and Canada, call 6!4 457-0802. If you're already a member, type CO AMIGA at any ! prompt. CompuServe' ^n HiJl Elock Cortifufly SOnWARE REVIEWS" Spellbound Computer: Amiga Publisher: Leaniei-s Image P.O. Box 3669 Logan, UTM321 Price: S39.95 Ages: 5-15 yeai-s Spellbound is a fiiendly computerized i3 teacher which lets young children learn and test their knowledge of words in three sepai-ate games. Using coiorilil graphics, some animation, mild humor and a mixture of digitized and synthesized voices, the game assumes the role of a pa- tient teacher. But what really makes Spellbound such an excellent learning tool is that it effectively creates a pleasant learning environment for the student. Before I describe the three games, let's look at how you decide which list of words the child will study The game comes with a healthy word list, but to get full advan- tage of its teaching potential you'll want to add more. This is done by selecting "Make A New Spelling List" from the main menu. Once selected, the pai-ent or teacher can load and edit an existing word list or input an entirely new list. This abil- ity makes it possible to add a child's cur- rent weekly spelling lesson to the program disk. And because the game is not copy protected and can be duplicated, there is no need to wony that a careless child might destroy (or lose) this educational in- vestment. For that same reason, the game can even be installed on a hard disk if you wish. The three games are simple but efiFec- tive. "Match-It" presents a screen with a barking dog and a hoop of fire. A pleasant- sounding, digitized, male voice asks the child to point at the word spoken by the Amiga's synthesized voice. Tb respond, the child simply points at one of the three spellings offered and clicks the mouse. In the second game a clown tucked tightly away in a cannon appears, and the child is told to unscramble some letters to spell a word. The list of correctly-spelled words from the current lesson is displayed on both sides of the screen to help the child. Again, to respond the child must type the correctly-spelled word. In the last game, "SpelLIt," a clown holding a fist full of inflated balloons ap- pears. Again a message (using mixed digi- tized and synthesized voices) asks the child to spell a word. % respond, the child Using colorful graphics antj digitized and synthesized voices, the game assumes the role of a patient teacher. must use the keyboard to input the cor- rectly-spelled word. Each game cycles thix)ugh the entire spelling list (normally ten words). If the child misses the same word twice, a most congenial voice will help the child by speaking the correct word. I was happy to find the voices displayed only one emo- tional quality— caring. Thus there is no need for any child to di-ead the pleasant teacher employed by Spellbound. The re- wards (all child-pleasera) come when the child completes an assignment wthout making a single mistake — the dog jumps through the hoop, the clown flies away or in the case of the cannon is (with gentle, harmless humor) blown away. I normally avoid using the adjective "friendly" to describe software; because the word was so abused by many develop- ers in the early '80's, the phi'ase "user- fiiendly" lost all credence. But this pro- gram is truly fiiendly — in the most mean- ingful definition of the word. First the pro- gram is easy to use. To begin, the child simply points to one of four options (Spell- It, Mix-It, Match-It or Make A New Spell- ing List), clicks the mouse, and presto he or she is ready to go. But beyond that, the program succeeds in making the child feel comfortable. I would even venture to de- scribe the program as "loving," or at least that is the impression it creates. This lov- ing illusion is accomplished with a digi- tized voice which talks to the user with a true human voice filled with casing inflec- tion, I have only two complaints about the program. Complaint 1: Unlike a real teacher, Spellbounds instructor cannot tell the difference between the words you and the word ewe. When the child is asked to spell a word, no definition is given, just the request for the child to spell the word Reviewed by Gary V, Fields spoken by the computer's synthesized voice. If the progi'am is expecting (because of the selected word list) the child to spell ewe and he responds with you, he will be told that the woi-d is wrong, even though the word he i,\Tote might have matched the word he heai-d exactly. A human teacher in the same situation would prob- ably have tai-geted which word the child was to spell with a sentence using the word like: "Spell ewe, as in a female sheep is called a 'ewe.' " In the program's de- fense, if the child is working on a weekly spelling list, he should know which word — ewe or you — he is studying. Complaint 2: Because the voice used to speak the words fixirn the spelling list is sjTithesized (instead of digitized i, it is sometimes difficult to undei-stand which word it said, lb help remedy this problem, the game screen includes an icon which when clicked will repeat the word as many times as the child \vishes. But after enjoy- I ing the clear, exact, understandable digi- tized voice of the teacher, the less under- standable synthesized voice of the com- puter is a disappointment. Of course, if the spell list were not spoken with the Amiga's built-in voice, there would be no easy, affordable way for a pai'ent or teach- er to add to the spell list. To minimize the recognition problem, the "Make A New Spelling List" includes a translator which lets you adjust the way the computer sounds vowels and consonants. With this option, you can get close, if not exactly sounded words to match those in the spell- ing list — but never as good as a real hu- man's voice. If anything these two complaints under- score why the computer, even one as good as the Amiga, will never replace human teachers. As it stands, Spellbound is an excellent teaching aid which does what it was designed to do and does it very well. If you have young children in your home and would like to put your Amiga to work as a teacher, Spellbound is a wonderful product which does just that. 1 recommend this one. And remember, that recommen- dation comes imm a parent who has tried and been disappointed with dozens of ; "educational" software progi-ams which I preceded this one. Spellbound delivers what it promises— it helps children learn. , I just wish it had been aroimd when I was ' young; if it had been perhaps I wouldn't have to turn to my word processor's spell checker so often. g 38 DECEMBER 1988 e< .•^ K^mBs' ^■\. /^^ NOW PLAYING AT A SOFTWARE DEALER NEAR YOU Available 'for Amiga. Commodore 6*, IBM PC. Apple Ugs. ard Atah ST. y.hich are trademarks mspectiveJy of CommodOre-Amrga. Commcxlore Elecironics. Ud.. tnternaiional Business Machines. Appte Compuler Inc.. and Alan Inc. Cinemaware Corporation, 4165 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Westlake Village, CA 91362 /\M I GA^ SOFTWARE REVIEWS' Reviewed by Gary V. Fields WordPlex Computer: Amiga Publisher: PAR Softwa-e. Inc. P.O. Box i;i09 Vancouver, Washington 98GG6 Price: $39.9-5 S24.9.5 (thi-ee oirtional data disks) Millions of TV viewers love game shows, and a good percentage of that audience thinks the best show to ever give away money is Wheel Of Fortune. Hoping to benefit fixim that game's popu- larity, WordPlex brings the same word challenge and big bucks giveaways to the Amiga. As those who have viewed Wfwel Of Fortune (and who hasn't? i would expect, WordPlex spins around the same "hang- man" premise. A window divided into three rows of blank boxes appears. Next you are told those blanks represent words in a specific category such as phrase, cli- che, quotation, place, etc. In turn, each contestant (one to six can play) spins a wheel and guesses a letter. If any of the words in the category contain the guessed letter, the contestant collects some money, the letters are inserted on the boaixl, and the player spins again. This continues un- til someone figures out the mysterj' words. The contestant who collects the most mon- ey is the winner Winning requires a good degree of luck, a good know-ledge of both important and trivial facts and the ability to spell. I have always liked games which let more than one person get involved, rather than simply pitting human against com- puter. If nothing else, WordPlex delivers human competition. Up to six players can test their gray matter here. In fact the computer acts simply ;is a host (not com- petitor) even if only one player is chosen. Thus, the one-player mode serves as a practice area only, since you can neither win nor lose against youi-self. Like the TV game this one was fash- ioned alter, spinning is important. De- pending upon where your pointer stops, your guess could earn you as much as $1400 or if you are unlucky, rob you of all you've won. The computer keepjs track of whose turn it is, how much money each player has and any free spin cards collect- ed. In the long run the winner at Word- Winning requires a good degree of luck, a good knowledge of bofh important and trivial facts and the ability to spell. Pkx will be the person who is better at de- ciphering puzzles rather than the one who is lucky at spirming. But as is true of the real game, a few good (large amount or free spin) or bad (bankrupt or lose spin) spins can have a dramatic outcome on how much money you have when you walk away. lb tell you I am a game show fan would be a lie. It would have to be a pretty bor- ing day for me to spin my TV dial looking for one of those half-hour killers. But I must admit, I have been drawn into the challenge of trying to decipher more than one of those puzzles by accident — by being on the wrong channel at the WTong time. What it all comes down to is that humans are just naturally curious and competi- tive. When we are challenged, we re- spond — and that is exactly why some players will find WordPlex addictive. WordPlex has a magnetic quality which can draw you into the game even if you want to resist. All of us have become in- volved with games which had us mutter- ing to ourselves, 'Tm going to play one more round and then leave." You'll find yourself doing the same after a spin or two here as well. The game's graphics are nothing to get excited about, consisting mostly of flash- ing boxes which hold information. As you would expect, you can play the entire game using your mouse alone, except for when you try to solve the puzzle. At that point you must type your guess into a re- quester window. I think most Amiga users will complain that the game has too few "bells and whis- tles." I had hoped to fmd an animated game host or perhaps a ftill-featured hos- tess to turn boxes, but none were found. A synthesized voice does tell you about the games and announces the winner and the correct answer to the puzzle. But unlike the game Wheel Of Fortune, there is no studio filled with prizes displayed, no women in tight dresses or humor fix)m a large-toothed host. Without the "bells and whistles" what remains is a well-done i if not visually ex- citing) word game which puzzle solvers, word twisters and trivia whizzes will love. Actually the current version of WordPlex is the second release of the same game for the Amiga. The screen display in this up- date is crisper, the letters larger, and the spinning wheel takes up the entire screen instead of only a comer. The box which keeps track of guessed letters has also been moved to just above the puzzle win- dow, so it is easy to keep track of guessed letters. The two buy vowel icons now spell out the option (Select or Abort Vowel) in- stead of just showing a single letter, and you can play up to 18 rounds instead of only three. The game disk is not copy pro- tected (you can easily install it on your hard drive), but the update game does em- ploy a "keyword protection" scheme (the original did not) which requires you look up and type a word from the manual each time you begin. The game categories included on the program disk arc: person, place, title, thing, quotation, people, cliche and phra.se. For those who just can't get enough of WordPlex, the company also sells a set of data disks with thousands of other puzzles in categories like: America, nature or the Bible. The program is also totolly customizable. You can type in your own phrases and name your own categor- ies in the latest version. Whether you v\ill enjoy WordPlex or not all comes down to one question: "Do you enjoy word games?" If you do, you'll love this one. On the other hand, if you are looking for fast action or dazzUng graphics and sound effects, you will not find them here. I would much rather play this game than wateh any game show on TV because here the challenge is real and commer- cials are extinct. n 40 DECEMBER 1988 ..tfSS 5«t '^ i' ::»^ s It happens so fast. You're kicking back, you and your best friend, just checking out two of the latest arcade action games from Data East and, zap, you're fighting witti full fire power and up to your neck in heart-stopping, eye-popping jungle. Victory Roati pits the heroes of the #1 smash hit, Ikari Warriors, against a hideous horde that has heroes for lunch -Stonehead and his wrecking crew of bizarre and brutal beasts. Guerrilla War takes you behind the headlines to the battlelines. it's you versus them -and let us guarantee you that itiem" is an army of evil that will keep your trigger finger active for hours. Victory Road for the IBM, Commodore and Apple II computers. And Guerrilla War, for the IBM and Commodore computers. Addictive action with great graphics. Hey, it's a jungle out there. And now we've brought it home. ej^itA DATA EAST USA, INC. 470 Needles Drive, San Jose, CA 95112 (408)286-7074 IBM SCREENS SHOWN. OTHER COMPUIER VERSIONS MAY VARY 1 c Uala East USA. Inc. Viciwy Roaa aid Guemlla Wai are regisietei! Iraderoaiks ol SNK. C«p, Msnulactiiied under license by Oaia East USA. Inc. ^MiGA^SOnWARE REVIEWS" Reviewed by Graham Kinsey Ebonstar Computer: Amiga Publisher: ilierolUuaioiis 17408 Chatswoilii St. Gi-diiada HiUs, CA 91?44 Price: $39.95 As the populaiity of the Amiga 500 in- creased, many small companies started to produce Amiga arcade games. Recently some of the laj'ger, more e.'jtab- lished software companies have intro- duced more arcade games, both original and not-so-origina!. Micralilusions is one of the larger software companies to enter the competitive Amiga arcade mai'ket with their space combat game Ebonstar. Ebonstar takes place in the yeai- 3000 A.D., when virtually all medical, political and social problems have been solved. The people of this age are waited on hand and foot by machines that attend to their ev- ery desire. With no other challenges fac- ing them, these people have designed a deadly sport in which contestants in sin- gle-seat spaceships battle around the edges of a synthetic black hole named Ebonstar in a contest to the death. Upon booting the game and selecting certain options you are presented with a view of the Ebonstai- sector, represented as a grid with elastic boundtmes where the entire battle is contained. Wlien the game starts, the Ebonstar will be created in the sector by the referee ship called Airh. Arch not only maintains the Ebonstar at all times, but it also creates all computer opponents (\sith one exception) and most other objects that appeaJ' in the game. At the beginning of the game your ship will appear in a comer of the screen. You have an unlimited supply of energy bolts that when fii-ed repel almost anything they strike but do not directly desti-oy any object. You must use this weapon to drive all opponents into the crushing gravitational field of the Ebonstai- while avoiding the Ebonstar youi-self. You can also use this weapon to attempt to destroy the Ebonstar. After a short intei-val Arch will project a maintenance beam into the Ebonstar to stabilize the synthetic black hole. If you can fire one of your energy bolts into" this beam, you can cause the Ebonstar to de- stabilize and explode. Unfortunately, to do this your shot must enter exactly pai-allel E30nSLA^ mm As you progress into the later rounds, Arch will generate superior computer opponents that are more than a match for you. to the beam, otherwise Arch will deflect your energy bolt away from the energy beam. Destroying the Ebonstai- is the only way to advance to a higher level where the danger (and point rewai'dsl increase. Areh will generate computer-controlled ships that are similar to your own ship in abilities. These computer op|»nents tire your most persistent enemies, although in the early levels they can be handled with- out much diificulty. As you progi^ess into the later rounds, however, Ajxh will gen- erate superior computer opponents that are more than a match for you. Arch al- lows three computer opponents to exist at one time, which in itself provides plent>' of challenge. But there is another opponent that even Arch is powerless to control. Nemesis is an alien starsliip from another world that pe- riodically enters this universe via a stable Ebonstar. It relentlessly hunts down any human opponent, firing destmcti\'e fire-- balls and/or explosively colliding with any human-controlled ship. To add to the pressure you can also si- multaneously battle up to three other hu- man opponents at one time. You might wonder how four people can play a game on a computer that has only two game ports. The answer is that Ebonstar sup- ports ship controls via certain keys on the keyboai-d in addition to the nonnal mouse and joystick conti-ols. Foui' people can ac- tually play at once using the Amiga key- board and two joysticks. hi addition to all the opponents, there are also many objects that Ai-ch gener- ates. Some objects when caught by a play- er grant special abilities to that player's ship. The captive Gyi-on grants a player one destructive fireball ijust like the one Nemesis fires), while aitching a Pulsar grants a set of energy bolts that have a computer guidance system built in. There is also a powerful object called Spark that when caught allows a player to instantly eliminate any and all opponents within a ceitain range. Other objects that Arch produces hinder you. Quai'ks and MagnePods will bump you around. Quai"ks will always push you closer to the Ebonstar while MagnePods only harass a certain player The nasty TbslaSpheres can remotely disable your ship's energy bolts or engines. If all these obstacles are too much for you and youi- friends, there is a special play mode called Tbumament mode that you might want to tr\'. In Tbumament mode Areh will not create any computer-controlled ships. Arch is also much more generous with the beneficial Gyix)ns, Pulsars and Sparks, distributing these even on the fii-st level. The quality of the gi^aphics in Ehcmstar is not worth writing home about. It's not that the gi'aphics are bad, but rather they are used sparingly. The sound effects ai^e pretty good, especially those that accom- pany the moving and the explosion of the Ebonstar iLself The game is copy protect- ed, however at least the protection scheme doesn't seem to cause undue weai' and tear on youi* disk drives. The only problem is that it's really not veiy exciting in one-player mode. You can become bored fairly easily, since one play- er doesn't st '°™ ?""" and export to olher nr^r,,^ ^^ "^ ""POft dafa from combines metio fnd recall them with a simple '^l-^^^dge^ ^^cK" load with, and pass MacZ commands to, the Supe Script word processor''o ^'SnV^^'Plelely auto- mated off,ce system. Now Commodore 64 S39.95 Commodore 128 S49.9S S34.95 S39.95 "S^Pf $15.95 on yo^f "'"',"'■„ Fnalish, m_. ASCU or P>^'" ^„'J then replace <=^^"9''e^°p.Drskdoc brings you them. SuperDiskdoc ^^ ^^ them. SupefC extra security. "J„%ou have the damage. ^^ gc commodore 519-^^ ■^ ^'-Ps CuT,, ^o-, first '94 pages $15.95 Attention Superbase Users! Call us for Information on 1581 upgrade and Official Superbase Information Network! Available from your dealer or directly from - Precision Incorporated Precision Incorporated, 8404 Sterling Street, Suite A, Irving, TX 75063. Telephone: (214) 929-4888. Fax: (214) 929-1655. CREATIVE COURSEWARE" by Howard Millman The "Power On" Report Educational software that sustains a child's interest while teaching fundiunental building- block concepts can be hard to find. We'll look at programs that do just that. '"T^echnology plays a central role in M. our lives, in oui' homes, . . . and in our schools. However, the potential and value of technology in our schools has not been flilly realized." So asserts Rep. James M. Jeffords (R-VT, Committee on Education and Labor), commenting in the recently-released Oifice of Technology As- sessment's 250-page report: "Power On! New Tbols for Tfeaching and Learning." The report's authors agree with Repre- sentative Jeffords. "Power Onl." assessing the 10,000 educational software products presently available, concludes, 'Their quality could be much better." We agree. Looking at our software-lined shelves, we've previewed well over 100 software programs, lb date we've recom- mended fewer than 12 as innovative, ef- fective and useful. As did "Power On!," we find that most software conforms to a conservative stan- dard, one that's likely to be widely accept- ed (and purchased I by teachers and par- ents. Why? Primarily because the soft- ware mirrors the familiar textbooks they're accustomed to, except now text is on screen instead of in print. This column uncovers progi-ams that of- ten break with that tradition. As Rep. Jef- fords also said, "... it is most appropriate to . . . encourage effective use of technol- ogy in our schools so that our children can be more independent, competitive and productive tomonxiw." We shm^ that view. We believe the way to encom-age first-rate software is to confer recognition on publishers of innovative educational programs. Translating Promise into Practice "Power On!" discloses, "U.S. public schools now average one computer for ev- ery 30 students with average access of one Sky Travel ' horn- per week." For the 46,000,000 chil- di-en in elementary and high schools na- tionwide, this resource rationing dictates that keyboard time must be used wisely. Carried down to the bottom line, software of quality isn't merely important, it's es.Hential. Tbday's students deserve comprehen- sive courseware of exceptional quality. The first step of this long journey starts with parents and educator translating the computer's promise into practice. How? By recognizing that well-travelled paths lead only to yesterday's triumphs. Now. on to this month's selections. Sky Travel Computer: Commodore 64 Ages: 10 to Adult Publisher: Microlllusions 17408 Chatsworth Street Granada Hills, CA 91344 (800) 522-2041 Price: $49.95 Emphasis: Astronomical science, history imd mjthoiogy The gaze of star watchers sweep the night sky, probing the infinity of space, their innate curiosity prompting them to wonder "What's that star's name? Is that bright object Mars?" Maybe they wonder il' Captain Kirk and ih". Spock are accu- rate when they yak about galaxies and star clustei-s? Sky Travel is a graphic-oriented data- base for astronomy students or the more- than-mi Idly-curious star watcher. It's a vei-satile alternative to a star identifica- tion wheel chart. Staj-chaiis are limited, so they cannot correct for latitude and lon- gitude, timeday'date, as well as compass directions. A more dynamic solution was required, that answer is Sky Travel Microlllusions' Sky Travel transforms the venerable circulai- chart into a d\Tiam- ic soliloquy on the sky. Although easy to use, Sky Travel is complex because it's complete. Anyone, any time, anywhere on earth can get an accurate fix on stellai" objects. "Any time" in this case is a 20,000-year spread, a sig- nificant chunk to us mortals but merely a hiccup in the life of the universe. The first step is to conligm^ the pro- gram by entering the user's latitude and longitude, if known. For the mWk of the earth's population who haven't yet memo- rized their coordinates, an appendix list^ 100 or so of the world's major cities as well as numerous major islands. What if none of the cities are close enough and the user doesn't inhabit one of t\vo dozen islands listed? Then, by centering the cursor crosshairs on a Mercator-slyle world map, the program computes the latitude and longitude. Either the keyboai-d or a joy- stick mobilizes the cursor. Once that's computed, the user enters the time and date. Then the gears grind, after a few moments the sci^een displays a view depicting the astral objects residing in the southern sky. The objects are drawn fi-om Sky Traveh database of 88 constella- tions, 1200 -stai-s and 300 sky objects. Entering compass directions IN, E, W) changes the perspective accordingly Rais- ing or lowering the cursoi" changes the ele- vation of the view in relation to the hori- zon. Sky Travel also displays the sky below the horizon even though it is out of sight of the viewer. This feature alone is somewhat of a "gee whizzer," but the best is yet to come. By centering the cursor over an object and pressing F7 (or fire button on the joy- stick), information on any of the objects scrolls across the screen's bottom. The data list the object's Draper (or New) Catalog number along with the Messier number. The text often capsulizes signifi- cant astronomical data about the object, including distance (in light years or min- utes), mass, spectral color and other facts. Sky Travel offei-s fouj' modes: Map (for computing the latitude and longitude), Set (for entering day/date/time). Chart (al- ways depicts North as "up" and no hori- zon) and finally, Sky. The Sky mode is the most versatile; it allows custom tailoring of the screen to display or exclude certain objects as well as narrowing the width (down to nine degrees from the default of 72 degrees) for increased clarity. Continued on page 46 44 DECEMBER 1988 olo^»° ■^' >o^' The "Power On!" Report- Continued from page 44 One major difference between Sky and Chart is that Chart depicts astral objects as dark spots on a light background. So, when calling for a hard copy, the printer doesn't beat itself to death. SHIFT/P in- vokes a (screen duinpl printout of any Chart view. The program's other options include a choice of whether constellations should bear three-letter abbreviations or no names, if planets are refeired to by their symbols and to display or ignore deep sky objects such as distant galaxies and nebu- la. When Tracking is toggled on, the screen follows a moving object's trajectory and records its path using Right Ascen- sion and Declination measurements. Sound, another option, is simply a perq that adds a bit of pizzazz if the night is otherwise too silent. It synchronizes the sound of an accelerating jet plane with the movement of the crosshairs. Wlien sound Tiger wants to ask a friend to go camping. Which friend «/ill I- ask? Tpf ^ fich SM Mlrh thisiity. ^ftn «ETU«Pt. Tiger'n Tales is selected the crosshairs transform into a jet plane or spaceship. This is ftin, how- ever, it makes centering on an object for identification a bit more difficult. The F5 key "Finds" any planet, constel- lation, star or comet and predominantly displays it in the screen's center It's a shortcut for searching through the Sky mode to locate the object. Tracking can be used only with the Find command. For following objects in real or exagger- ated time the program's internal clock rate can be set from (sUitionary) to 1 x (actual time) up to 64 X for accelerating elapsed time and the object's velocity. The screen display shifts in accordance with the clock rate. Sky Tmvd allows the date to be set for- ward or back 10,000 years (the obvious as- sumption is that the galaxy abides even if the earth does not). The program's 61 -page manual includes 12 tolerable pages of instructions — actual- ly short tutorials. The balance consists of expanded examples, intriguing historical trivia, a glossary and technical tables. MicroUlusions also markets a version of Sky Travel for the Amiga, entitled Plan- etarium (S69.95). The Amiga version con- tains a larger star database and, of course, optimized graphics. Tiger's Tales Computer; Commodore 64 Ages: 10 to Adult Publisher: Sunburst Communications 39 W;\shington Avenue Pleasantville, NY 10570 (800) 247-1934 Price: $65.00 $195,00 (Lab Pack 10) Emphasis: Vocabulary Comprehension, ImageAVord Association When I was a kid, (quite some time ago) elective reading rated somewhere between visiting the dentist and behaving in a civilized manner. For good reason. Because they were static, those "See Jane Run" readers gen- erated as much exhilaration as a stop sign. Jane (an early jogging enthusiast l forever ran and dormant Dick always walked. Granted, most sis-year-olds don't need much drama in their lives, but a bit of enchantment in their literature would be welcome. That was then and this is now. Reflect- ing the change in times and technolog)', children's readers have taken a quantum leap into the fliture. Representative of this genre (yet a cut above) is Sunbm-st's Tiger's Tales, an interactive reading pro- gram featuring bright graphics and some animation spiced \\dth a modicum of myster>'. Tigers Tales consist of five stories, rang- ing in length from five to 13 pages (screens) about Tiger the kitten's adven- tures. Since the stories are interactive, they have more than one conclusion or storyline. Although Tiger is the subject in all five stories, the tales are not serial, they can be read in any order. Each stor>' ends with an animated sequence. Muppet Learning Keyboard Simon .S'rii/.s On each page the student is typically of- fered three choices; the storyline branches depending on the student's decision. Not every choice leads to a continuation of the story, some result in a logical dead end, so further decision-making is required. Key- board activity is limited to pressing RE- TURN and controlling the cursor keys. As with all Sunburst educational soft- ware, reproducible worksheets are includ- ed to supplement retention by visually reinforcing the word/image relationship. lb insure vocabulary comprehension, students may choose between re\iewing the words or reading the stor\'. The words section consists of associating ten or so key words v^ith a related picture. All key words are either one- or t\vo-syllable nouns and subsequently appear in the story, (beared to early readers (1.3 to 1.5 Spache). the computer keyboard may in- timidate or confiase some students. Tigers Tales is also compatible with the graphic- oriented Muppet Learning Keyboard, The Muppet keyboard has been around for a j while, and it's still worthwhile (I hope that description applies to me as welli. 'Fhe brightly colored keyboard, while less intimidating, still offei-s all of the Commodore 64 's functions. The Muppet keyboard ($99,00), unfor- tunately, is not widely supported by other publishers. Sunburst, however, markets several programs that are compatible. Tft'o others that desen'e a closer look are Simon Says and Teddy and Iggy, lx)th are memory-improvement progi'ams. Featuring as its main charactere an inchwonn and a teddy beai; Teddy and Iggy ($65.00 1 employs geometric shapes, colors and sequence to reinforce memory and recall. Simon Says ($65.00), geai^ed to younger children, uses colors, numbei-s or letters in recurring sequence. We, of course, do not know how the au- thors of "Power On!" feel about Sky Travel and Tiger's Talcs. We believe both pro- grams would readily conibrm to their cri- teria for being innovative, affordable and useful. m 46 DECEMBER 1988 Jot New Simulations From The Computer Craftsmen At MicroProse High Seas Adventure Top Secret Air Strike ' Relive the ^i,.,-^~,, swashbuckling era 1^3^ of the buccaneer Ww^^j^gy as a 17th century i^^r^?"| privateer captain • in.^r;.:;;vtt^a jnd "How to Lst- ihc Miguinc VMr\ Pnigram- llw ll,\M< proj:r.ifni in shis raagazint lit .i\3il2b1c on Jis1< from Loacfciif, P.O. Box.MIDIlH.Slifcvfptm. U'lrW-DOO'. l-8(lU«. RECORD rSPACEIl] P) QUIT" 'RAFF PLAYBACK "'BAIE LOAD SOUND SAMPLE" 'BAJI SAVE SOUND SAMPLE" 'BAAK CHANGE PITCH" 'BAXC PRINTrPRINT TAB (2) "ENTER NUMBER 1-R rSPACE?! THEN PRESS RETURN" : INPUT J'EFAM ON J GOTO 63,26,23,34,18,46,58, ■^2'CYKH PRINT" rCLEARl ": PRINT TAB (12) " [DOWN] RKCORDTNG":SYS 486d:GOTO 6'FLPM PRINT" rCLEARl " :PRINT TAR fl2) " TDOWNl PRINT" 3) PRINT"4) PRINT"S1 PRINT"6} PLAYBACK" :SYS 4941:PRINT" [CLEAR, D0WN31 RETURNING TO MENU"'FKIT ■^a FOR T = l TO 15P[:NEXT:P0KE 197,64 :POKE 19R,CI:G0T0 6 ' HVAH ■^2 PRINT" rCLEART'iEND'CBFC 34 PRTNT"ENTER NAME OF .SOUND SAMPLE :" : INPUT AS'CDTM 3fi PRINT" fCLEAR,D0WN4I LOADING. . "A$ :LOAD AS, 8,1: GOTO 6'DLLM 38 PRINT" fCLEAR,D0WN21 ENTER NAME OF SOUND SAMPLE" 'BAYP 4R TNPHT BS : PRINT" f CLEAR, DOWN] SAVING SAMPLE " ; BS ' CGRG 4? SYS 57812BS,8:POKE 173,22 :POKE 172,0:POKE 78n,172'EFDK 44 POKE 782,14R:POKE 78l,0:SYS 65496 : GOTO 6 • EVWK 46 PRINT" rCLEAR,D0WN41 DEFAULT SETTING IS 38":G=PEEKf 5019) 'DIIQ 48 PRINT: PRINT"CURRENT SETTING IS "• G'CDIP 5n PRINT:PRINT:PRINT"A SMALLER NUMBER WILL INCREASE PITCH"'DCSN 52 PRINT"A LARGER NUMBER WILL DECREASE PITCH" 'BAKN 54 PRINT: PRINT: INPUT"ENTER A NUMBER"- A ' DEWL 56 POKE 5Cn9,A:POKE 5154,A:POKE 516f),A :GOTO 6'EWBN Continued on page 111 48 DECEMBER 1988 GAMESTAR WRESTLING FEDERATION HIGHLIGHTS f Intense 1- orl-player tag team action lets you thrasif computer challengers or bust up your buddies - with pain- inflicting ease! i Each GWF maniac has his own mean set of merciless moves -Pile Drivers, Airplane Spins, Gut Busters, and more! HCW TOORDBB: Iffs/t your ntailei or cttl 800-Z27-S900 for direct Visa/MastarCsnl onlefs. Direct price is S2S.SS for the Commodore 64/128' version. A ship/ring and handling charge of 54.50 applies to ali direct orders. Sales tax will be added to orders in CaHfomia and Texas, f Win the GWF championship belt, then strut your stuff around the ring so the chicks can check you out! C^mmoderw M xcntas shown. Catoatv md Ttkt Dowa an tndamtrki of GimttMr Camatodota B4/12S tn ttgittend trvdamariii ofConuoodon Dntnaia Umited. INSIDE Q-UNK' by Robert W. Baker Downloading Help Explore the inner workinjfs of the Q-Link telecommunications senice with network pro Hob Baker. A few issues back there was a discus- sion about downloading problems and potential causes or cures. Well, Q- Link has added a special section in the Software Libraries of CEN to help new- comers and those who may not feel too comfortable about downloading program files. There are actually two areas of inter- est— the DowTiloader's Starter Kit and the Downloading Help Desk. There's a wealth of information for new users in the Down- loading Help Desk along with a Dowti- loading Help Message Boaiti where j'ou can ask questions about downloading. Q- Link has assigned a staff member to man- age this area on a full-time basis, so you should get a response to your message in a i reasonable amount of time. Besides the message board and an over- view of the area, you'll also find a list of common questions and answei's, plus a list of hints and tips for downloading. If the world of telecommunications is new to you, this is the best place to stait. You'll find infonnation on the vaiious types of software available, with comments on copyrighted programs. Shareware and public domain software. Concerning the downloading oi>eration itself, there's information on problems like i being disconnected from the system, hav- ing your computer lock up, or getting disk error messages in the middle of a down- load. As mentioned in the September col- '. umn, Q-Link will issue credits for incom- plete downloads under certain circum- stances. Download credits are nonnally is- sued for disconnects, lock-ups and similar downloading problems, but check the in- , formation provided in the Downloading Help Desk for more details. Since you'll need to know the complete filename and uploader's ID to get credit for the file you were trying to download, be sure to scrib- ble it down somewhere before you start. Most lock-up conditions usually relate to a minor problem mth the T^TiiNet net- work. If you use TymNet and start to ex- .--'^ Jr^h* ^i-V//.- "1 J Si-^^nz' perience this problem occasionally, there's a patch available for the Q-Link software to help overcome lock-ups. Under the Q-Link Utilities in the Soft- ware Libraries you'll find a download patch program. It can also be do\«iloaded directly, with a filename of "updateq" uploaded by "QLink" to the library. The Q-Link Update Program was designed to help correct problems some people experi- ence when dosmloading long programs via the T^-mNet system. The file com- ments contain complete installation instructions that are pretty simple. All you have to do is load and njn the update program and insert your Q-Link disk when requested. It only lakes a few sec- onds for the progi-am to be updated. Another update progi-am is available for those with Q-Link disks without a ver- sion number on them. This program will activate the screen name ftmction on youi' Q-Link program disk, so you can create different names to use on Q-Link. You should find the "screen names" file uploaded by "QLink" in the same library where the updateq utility can be found. You only need to download and run this program once, as indicated in the program comments in the software libraiy. The in- stallation instmctions are basically the same as for the update utility: you simply load and run the utility, then insert the Q- Link program disk when requested. After this feature is added to your program disk, you'll have to log back on to Q-Link and go to the Customer Semce Center to add new screen names. There's a Create a Screen Name function under the Screen Names and Pi-ofiles area. Just follow the prompts to add up to four additional screen names to your disk. You're limited to a maximum of five active names, but you can delete and add names at any time within that limit. Just keep in mind that , once a name is deleted it cannot be re- claimed. If you've added screen names to your Q- Link Program disk, you'll i-eceive a prompt to select the desil^^d screen name whenever you log on to Q-Link. Your original screen name will be the default at the top of the list, with the added names listed following that entiy. lb use a differ- ent name, simply use the cursor key indi- cate the desired name and press Fl or RETURN. Keep in mind that you cannot change your selected name while online. You have t« log off and then log back on again to change your active screen name. How- ever, having multiple screen names can be a great advantage in spite of the incon- venience involved in changing fiiom using one or another. The most obvious use of multiple sci'een names is to create a separate name for each member of your family all under the one account. This way you'll get only one bill each month 'aom Q-Link with all your online charges combined. Another handy trick is to create added names for online notes to yourself via E-Mail. Oi- you may want to use different names for various groups and clubs when you're online. Getting back to the topic of download- ing, don't forget that you can save a lot of time by directly downloading a file if you know the fiall filename and the uploader's id. You do not have access the comments associated with the file when you down- load directly. However, you can oi-der a printed director}- of the available public domain libraiies with a description for each file. Combined with the direct down- loading featmie, this can be a great time saver You'll find infonnation on oitlering a copy of the latest directory in the Down- loading Help Desk. Cantimied on page 60 50 DECEMBER 1988 The wait is over... but the excitement hasj just begtin. ore than two years in the making, Warriors - of Destiny sets the new standard fqjf role- playing games. No other game can o|per<- you as beautifully detailed a world .4fe * or as exciting an adventure. "^ si. -^ - Ultima V is the game for all role-playing gamers: Warriors of Destiny will enchant the novice and challenge the expert. Highlights of Ultima V • Powerful new combat and magic Vs systems, increasing in sophistication *^ as your sliill increases. '•! • Over twice the graphic detail, anima> tion and sound effects of earlier games. , • Hundreds of truly life-like people who can^ carry on complex conversations * and interactions — i - • with yoi -.•Ai:-/^Ty^yu;-; "mfo^ y^^^xvsi^- Si^^s'k^ Wv^^ i I r=^t •^%^ fe^ Screen displays shown from Ihe tpplo™ . Oyicrs maT vary. tUltlma IV i Ultima Buikline 'K' Available for: IBM-PC I Tandy / compatibles, Appts il Series, Commodore 54n2fl, Amiga, Atari ST. > gst your copy of URima V, (1) visti your local retailer, (2) call 1-600-999-4939 Bam to Spm EST to order by VISA'MC, or (3) mail check (tl.S, S) or VIS A/MC #, cardlroider name : and exp. ' (make that 1.5 MB if you want to hear the digitized sounds i will be amazed by this great example of the results you can achieve by using reflective surfaces in ray-traced animations. GT: by Greg Cunningham (AmigaZone file # 12968) This is version 1.2 of GT, which is a ter- minal program with some very different features. For instance, GT has no menus whatsoever Instead, GT has a set of gad- gets where the title bar would normally be. lb use any of these title-bar gadgets, click on the right mouse button. This is sure to surprise (and possibly confuse) many Amiga users at first. GT's protocol Ust includes WXmodem (for PeopleLink) and Ymodem. There is limited script file support, in that you can attach a set of IF- THEN-type statements (up to twenty per number) to each and every number that you dial to automate the log-on process. It supports autoredialing, including a queue sj'Stem. GTalso supports phone directo- ries, although unfortunately it does not support the AMIC PD TERM phone direc- tory format needed to use Chet Solace's The Final List. Although I can't say I was as excited about GTas many of the folks on PeopleLink, it is a reasonable alterna- tive to the likes of AMIC PD TERM and Communicator and is worth considering. Access! version 1.4: by Keith Young (AmigaZone file #13151; Shareware: $25) This is version 1.4 of Access!, the coior- fiil terminal program I talked about last in the August 1988 "Amiga Public Do- main." Version 1.4 holds many improve- ments. The routine in Access! that allows you to load and read text files has now been removed and has been transformed into a separate program. However, if you are running Access! when you load the text reader program (called "rd"), rd's win- dow will appear inside the Access! screen. Also text files are now loaded completely into memory for faster scrolling. If you clear the screen (by selecting an option like a spHt screen or switch to'fiiDm an in- terlaced display!. Access! will re-display any text that was on the screen before the screen was erased. For those who use Bill Hawes' commercial shell product WSHeU, Continued on page 56 54 DECEMBER 1988 urNPics By Dynamix, Inc. and Greg Johnson Before corporate sponsors and fashion gear, there were Cavemen. Competition ^M^as ugh-ly. Athletes won by isashing the other guy first. Pick your favorite Ugh-lympian. Club your v^ay through six pre-hysterical events. Beat your friends to the Caves Of Fame. ^*^^^ Mate Toss j^#yii^ x^^ ..•.7-;>. ■■■ J ■ I "Swing fosf circles. Remember let go. Good for medals. Not good for getting dates" — Crudla. Dinosaur Race "Club dino head, go faster. Too much club, dino bite dust, Vincent hate dust^' —Vincent. "Become one with club. Don't fall for look-at-birdie-in-sky trick. Don't check feet for fleas." — Glunk. The greatest Neanderthal athletes of all time share their secrets. "Rub sticks fast. Moke bright, ouchy hot thing first. Try not get dizzy. Remember to duck" — Ugha. "I like plant pole in totolly cave-ularsand, soar high In air, wave to way-hungry dino" — Thog. Sabertooth Tiger Race _: J . ■ \ ' -^^,-t ■■■'■■ ■ -* -^^J^'M'^-^ "Run fast fast from tiger. Watch out for cactus. Trip other cave-guy. Him big lunch for kitty" — Gronk. Visit your relailefs of coll 800-245-4525 from U.S. or Conado 8am to 5pfi\ PST. Screen shots represent C64 version. C64 is Ci pr'TROMTP ARTS* o registered trademark of Commodore Electronics Limited. Amiga Update/Amiga Public Domain Continued from page 54 Access!'s NewCLI command will open a NewWSH right on the Access! screen in- stead of opening a NewCLI. You can now load in a font of your choice into Access. When using chat mode, you can even use two different fonts at once; one for the bottom send window and a separate one for the top receive win- dow. The phone directory now includes "Multi-Dial" gadget, which is Accessl's version of queue support for it's aut»re- dialing. Although Accessl's queue support is basically of the sequential type (Similar to AMIC PD TERM, and unlike Online!, which has a more powerful user-program- mable queue system), Access! at least al- lows you to tell it which number in the queue it should dial first (after dialing ijiat first number. Access! proceeds to dial in a sequential fashion). Keith has introduced script support with this version. Script commands can send and receive ASCII text (including a command that will toggle an ASCII cap- ture), send a beep to the console, execute EF-THEN-type statements, set an inter- nal delay period, hang up the modem, send a string to the modem and create la- bels. Of course, Access! allows you to at- tach a script file to any phone number in its phone director^'. However, Access! does not sacrifice phone directory compatibility with the AMIC PD TERlVLThe Final List standard to do this. There have been many other enhancements, including MoreRows support, increasing the size of the Review buffer, color graphics changes, so those who use only two bitplanes with Access! will still have a decent looking screen, and more. Although Access! still doesn't support the powerhouse protocols Ymodem and Zmodem (Keith says these are in the works), Access! is becoming a formidable terminal program. There's now much more to this terminal program than just pretty colors! BattleFort: by Ralph Reed (AmigaZone file #12787; Shareware: $25) This is not a new game, but rather the new name for version 2.0 of Ralph's com- plex robotic combat game BattleMech, (last discussed in the September install- ment of this column). The reason for the name change is that BattleMech now has a new component to the game. Instead of just two or more players controlling robots in combat against each other, robots can now attack a computer-controlled fort in- stead. The most important aspect about the additions efforts is that you can new- play BattleFort by yourseff against the computer. As you might expect, you can design your own forts for BattleFort, but only after you send in your shareware fee to Ralph. Video-Film: by Jim Robinson This VideoScape 3-D animation is a se- quel to the animation TfeUStar reviewed in the September installment of this column . Video-Film is also a three-part animation, although this time several spaceships are flying by a planet instead of just one, and the views are a bit different than in Tbll- Star. ClickDOS: by Gary Yates (AmigaZone file #13438; Shareware: $15) ClickDOS is another entry in the long list of DirUtil (Directory Utility) pro- grams out for the Amiga. ClickDOS in- cludes a small size (32K), iconification support, built-in commands and a prefer- ence for FAST memory instead of CHIP memoiy whenever possible. Snap: by Jerry Fitzpatrick (Shareware; $25} This poor man's version of SPICE will perform nodal analysis on various electri- cal cireuits. Snap includes support of de- pendent sources, and will analyze a circuit with up to 50 nodes and 1(X) components. The input file for Snap is a simple text file format. Addlcon: by Donald Meyer (AmigaZone file #11957; Shareware: $10) This is a powerful program used for cre- ation and/or modification of icons. Its sim- plest use is to create icons for a file, or add/ alter icons for each and every file in a cer- tain directoiy, including any sub-directo- ries. Wildcards are allowed, and you can also have Addlcon ask you for each file if you want the program to touch it or not. Workbench users can even use extended selection to tell Addlcon which files to act upon. However Addlcon goes far beyond that. First, you can tell Addlcon to touch only certain types of files, for example, files that are flagged by Workbench as Pro- jects, Drawers and/or Tbols. Addlcon even allows you to be much more specific. You can tell it to work on executable files, text files, IFF pictures (including different res- olutions), ARC files and/or ZOO files. And naturally there is a configuration file in which you specify what file extenders de- note that a particular file falls into one of the 13 programmed file types (unfortu- nately the user can not add his own file types). You can also tell AddlCon to modify only certain aspects of an existing icon. These options include changing the im- age, stack size, icon type, default tool, po- sition and/or tool types. In the fiiture Don- ald plans to add a file requester as well as a means to add an automation process, so the user can program a default operation. This would enable Addlcon to automati- cally perform that operation when asked without additional user input. BarsnTone: by Mike Berro (Shareware: $15) If you work at video on your Amiga, this program can help you fine tune your equipment. Barsnlbne generates a SMPTE color bar pattern as well as a IKHz tone. The tone volume is adjustable within the program. Bugs: by Jimmy Maher (AmigaZone file #11823) For those who have the Amiga session record/playback program Journal, this ar- chive contains five Journal files which demonstrate five different bugs in version 1.2 of the operating system. Included in the demonstration are examples of the window resizing bug and the annoying Workbench 'Tcnown volume" requester bug, IBM: by David Donley (AmigaZone file #12686) If you liked the joke Commodore 64 emulator I mentioned last month, then you're really going to like this joke IBM- 1 PC emulator! For you worry-warts out there, when you see a Guru first, don't panic. Space: by Richard Stockton (AmigaZone file #13180) For those who already have a clock pro- gram, but are still looking for a titlebar program that displays info on free mem- ory and drive space, Space contains four different such programs. Most of them dis- play how much fiiee space is left on the disks in drives diO: and dfl; as well as how much free memory is left in RAM: and vdO;, although one also displays iree space left on df2:, df3: and dhO:. Stairs: by (jeorge Nolan (AmigaZone file #12978) A good-looking SculptlAnimaie 3D ani- mation of a metallic ball bouncing up and down a set of steps. Although the ray- 56 DECEMBER 1988 Amiga Update/Amiga Public Domain traced graphics are quite good, the anima- tion of the ball as well as the digitized sound effects could use some improve- ment. VirusX version 1.7: by Steve Tibbett (AmigaZone file #13213) Here is version 1.7 of the powerful and vital virus detection/elimination program VirusX. Last month I reviewed version 1.4 of VirusX. Version 1.7 of VirusX in- cludes detection of three more viruses. The Byte Warrior virus and North Star Antivirus were created to combat destruc- tive viruses in the first place, but instead they have simply made the problem worse. VirusX also now looks for the "Ob- elisk Softworks Crew" virus. As I've stated before, if you think you have been infected with a new virus, please send a copy of this virus to Steve so that he can update VirusX to detect and eliminate it. Finally, for those who are thinking about writing an anti-virus virus program, don't do it! You are making the Amiga virus situa- tion worse, not better! DiskX version 2.1: by Steve Tibbett This is version 2.1 of Steve's disk editor DiskX, (discussed in the November 1987 installment of this colunrn). Some im- provements to DiskX include interlace support, the ability to search for any AS- CII string on a disk, support of all DOS de- vices, case independent string searches and recoverability of files that were de- leted with the AmigaDOS DELETE com- mand. DiskX now uses arp.libraiy, so you need to install ARP on your Workbench disk before loading DiskX. SPUDclock: by H. Bret Young This unique clock program will speak to you. You can tell SPUDclock when to tell you what time it is. For example SPUD- clock can announce the time every hour, every half hour or eveiy quarter hour. The volume of the speech is adjustable. You can give SPUDclock a message to say when it announces the time. For those who like to run their Amigas 24 hours a day, you can even give SPUDclock start and end times for which to wake up and go to sleep, and when SPUDclock wakes up or goes to sleep, it announces this with a polite "good morning" or "good night." BetterSpeech: by Dexter Orange If you don't mind the overall quality of the Amiga speech, but are annoyed by the ridiculous pronunciation of some words, BetterSpeech can help. BetterSpeech will intercept any word the Amiga incorrectly interprets, and reinterpret for it. Better- Speech's exception list comes with almost 50 entries, and you can add to that list if you like. Xboot: by Francois Rouaix (AmigaZone file #13011) This small utility will transform the code on the boot blocks into an executable file. If you have a disassembler or debug- ger, this will allow you to take a closer look at any boot blocks in which you sus- pect a virus. Display: by Martin Hash (AmigaZone file #12785) Finally a superior alternative to ShowANIM has arrived. Although Dis- play was first written to show animations created with Animation : Apprentice iix)m Hash Enterprises, Display also will show any ANIM format animation as well. Some of the features Display supports in- clude varying the playback rate, freez/e frame, single-frame mode and display of fiume numbers. All these ftmctions can be accessed via the keyboard while the ani- mation in playing, instead of having to specify in the command line with Continued on page 109 Ann ST. ConmodU! 64 ■ ;23 Suie ftu'fE to'irg "ore fun Ihan you aver Ihougtll possible. See how vou feel eiter the neil 23 levels. Hit the streets with two romps through the urban jungle. First, Metrocross. A high-speed race tiirough level after level oi twisted subway tunnels. It's you against the clock. And a barrage of barriers bent on your destruction. Like rats the size of taxi cabs. Good thing you've got a skateboard and a cata- pulting springboard or two. Or be the coolest cat in town in Street Cat. Navi- gate your way through a tangle of city streets. And compete in the craziest events ever dished up by man or computer. Like oozing your way through the slimy sewers. Or bowling fof bulldogs. Whatever the event, it's sure to bring out the animal in you. U S Gold II a irjdemarl d1 GO firenca Lid Wslrctrq^s and Siraa! Ca! aia iLcarwd licm &0 Anefica Ltd Mflrccross is a Irademail o1 Nsmto Lid Cana program lar Merrocrois C.13B& Namco Lid Afl rrghli resarved, Um pregram for SIroot Cat c laH? Solljold/ Raintia* Arts c; 193B Ewi, Irr: Nd other gams serves up brawi^y bullrlogs for you to bowl over. ^lip, Atari SI CtrrnrrinioiB M/13B. IBM r^ £ Conpatrbis- UPDATE" by Matthew Leeds Allen Hastings: Film Maker Allen Hastings' creation of VideoScape 3D was part of a natural progression that started in a seventh-grade BASIC programming class in junior high school. By the ninth grade he had written his first 3D program on the school's HP 3000; it printed out pictures of the Death Star's trench using a teletype terminal and ASCII characters. Two years later he started working for Lockheed in their So- lar Physics department writing image- processing software in FORTRAN for Tbk- tronix terminals. He has been both work- ing for Lockheed and writing software ever since. In November of 1985 he purchased his first Amiga. Less than a year later he showed the first movie produced using what was to become VideoScape 3D at a First Amiga User's Group (FAUG) meet- ing in Belmont, California. Titled "Venc," it was an interstellar saga of space war shot with an 8mm film camera and trans- ferred to videotape. Since then he has pro- duced "Infinite Loop," "ANIM Demos," "Apocalypse Real Soon Now," "Halloween 3D" and "The Machine." His newest film, "Rush Hour," breaks new ground in several areas. It makes ex- tensive use of HAM imagery, shifts from black and white to color and back again, runs about two minutes in length, and is one of the first three Amiga videos to be accepted into the SIGGRAPH film and video show. SIGGRAPH (Association for Comput- ing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics) is the oldest contin- ually running annual conferen(» for com- puter graphics. It is considered by many to be the most significant computer graphics event of the year. SIGGRAPH is a combination of panel sessions, courses, exhibition, film and \ideo show, art show, special interest groups and social flinc- tions. Individuals and organizations re- sponsible for advances in computer graph- ics technology present discoveries and in- novations through formal papers and dis- plays. SIGGRAPH, held in Atlanta during the first week of August, drew 20,000 people who attended more than 28 courses, pre- sentations of 37 technical papers . 13 panel discussions, and wandered through exhibits of over 250 vendors. Commodore Business Machines previewed the Amiga at the 1985 SIGGRAPH in San Francisco, and it has remained an important venue for the Amiga's remarkable graphics. The SIGGRAPH Film and Video Show is known as the world's premier event of the year for computer graphics animation. Film makers and computer animation specialists from around the world submit their most technically excellent pieces for this prestigious event. Selected pieces are chosen on the basis of innovation in tech- nology and visual creativity by a jury of computer graphics experts. Tickets to the film and video show are so valued that they are often scalped at prices usually found only at rock concerts. This year, for the first time, SIG- GRAPH selected three Amiga-generated entries for their celebrated Film and Vid- eo Show; "Rush Hour," Winners Circle Productions' 'Time and Again" and Byte by Byte's 'Ttesktop 3D" were featured. Special events at this year's SIG- GRAPH included a night-time laser light show at Geoi^a's Stone Mountain nation- al park. The laser beams create dramatic stories, flm characters and graphic images choreographed to popular, jazz and classi- cal music. The laser show is projected onto a natural one-million-square-foot granite screen. I interviewed Allen Hastings just prior to his departure to Atlanta regarding his fthn "Rush Hour." Allen talked at length about the inspiration for his films, the techniques he uses and some thoughts on the creative process: Allen Hastings: The film Fm doing for SIGGRAPH is created entirely with inter- laced overscan HAM images. The film is being made with a new program; I guess you could consider it either a new version oiVideoScape or an entirely new program, 1 depending on what else I add to it before it's finished. It has some new features like texture mapping, and it also supports the use of a 68020 with a math chip. Fm using the Hurricane board with a 68882 math chip. I used Aegis Modeler 3D for all the ob- jects in the film. It is definitely the most logical and consistent user interface. The different selection modes and the way in which all the operations work in each se- lection mode are very intuitive. It's an ele- gant system, and it is also very precise. It only creates the polygons required for an object, without any extraneous points or polygons left over. Some other object-cre- ation programs create objects mth extra polygons inside the object that just slow down rendering or interfere in other ways. Modeler also keeps its coordinates con- sistent. Some other programs don't always keeps points at the exact same locations all the time. In the film, I did a lot of real- world simulation, pictorial-quality anima- tion. Modeler lets you use real-world mea- surements like meters and kilometers. The film was an attempt to model the San Francisco Bay Area in 3D, in particular downtown San Francisco, That turned out to be too big a job, but I did succeed in cre- ating a very detailed Golden Gate Bridge, which features prominently in the film along mth lots of detailed cars. I spent about four months designing everything for the film. I just close my eyes and see it. I can imagine in 3D. I often do that as I'm fall- ing asleep. Unless I picture it in my mind, I don't know where to place the objects and how to move them. The film is a fantasy that most people have when they are stuck in rush hour traffic. The title of the film is "Rush Hour." It's about a driver stuck on the Golden Gate Bridge, trapped in a long line of cars. He drifts into a fantasy where his car transforms into a Lamborghini. Wings slide out from the sides, and he be- gins to take off and fly over everyone's head. I thought about that for a long time. 58 DECEMBER 1988 Amiga Update/Allen Hastings; Film Maker" The film is veiy short, no more than about two minutes, although that is quite a long time for computer animation. It's long enough to get the plot across, and there are a lot of exciting developments that occur. He gets chased by helicopters, runs out of gas and falls; the helicopters accidentally blow up a landmark. The whole thing is very fast paced. Finally he drives up to his home, a nice place on the coast, and the sun is setting into the orean; a loud car horn sounds and the scene fades back to the bridge where a small gap has formed in the line in iront of him. The beginning and end of the film are done in black and white, and the dream sequence is done in color. When I create a film like this I start with a stoiyboard. I draw still frames for each scene and try to keep in my mind de- tails like camera angles and that sort of thing. There are a lot of film-making rules that I use to make the editorial flow go nicely. It is verj' important to keep the di- rection of objects, left to right or right to left, consistent during the film. I started out making films with models and stuff, not computers, I did claymation, used plastic models, anything that I could get my hands on. I also read a lot on direc- tion, film-making. That's something any- one interested in film-making should do, regardless of what they are using to make their films. I haven't always been able to get my films to come out the way I wanted them. Sometimes the tools are just not there yet. A good example is when I was limited to making films vrith ANM files. I had to limit myself to camera motions that would work in an ANIM file. They had to be small enough and short enough to play back smoothly, and that cut out some of the scenes I wanted to do. Now that I've gone back to single-firame animation, I can do whatever I want motionwise. I use a Sony 5850 y4-inch single-frame- capable video recorder interfaced through a Lyon-Lamb single-fi-ame controller This lets me record my film a single fi-ame at a time. The setup works perfectly, no glitches, no missing frames, and no multi- ple frames. The single-framing capability in VideoScape works just fine with tMs setup, but I wrote my own controller soft- ware to work with the new animation soft- ware I'm using. The software I wrote lets me single frame AMM files to the 5850. It turns out that I had to do it that way instead of re- cording after rendering. The new software takes longer to render a frame because of its use of interlaced overscan HAM, and the extra time exceeded the time the 5850 would stay in record/pause mode without damaging the tape. I could have used the Microlllusions transport controller and rendered each frame as an IFF file, stored it to disk, and then single framed them to the 5850, but the amoimt of storage need- ed for the number of frames I created would have required an optical disc for storage. Storing them as compressed ANIM files worked much better. The en- tire file fits on about a third of my hard disk. Using the Lyon-Lamb controller the pre-roll time is about five or ten seconds. Adding the time to bring the image up still kept me within the record/pause limit on the 5850. When Infinite Loop was cre- ated we hand edited on a 5850, and there were some duplicated frames. I did discov- er during editing on Rush Hour that the Sony edit controller is only accurate to about two frames, so its not as accurate as the Lyon-Lamb. I did use an S-VHS Panasonic AG-7500 as an experiment, and I found it was sin- gle-frame accurate. They don't claim that it is but it was. The coimter is not accu- Continued on page 66 events. Ba/anShf^^"'"^)' ^ cbS^g^ ;--*«l &:. 'm ^:. K %n 'Vv,\ m^^ \-Ky ■ :r^\ ^^ lintensely fun games from ■:^^%Vi•i:i^^i COMMODORE MAGAZINE 59 Inside Q-Link/Downloading Help Continued from page 50 Most of the files you'll download fkim Q- Link are meant to be used on your Com- modore 64 or 128 system, but there are other files available. You'll find files and programs for the Amiga, MS-DOS and CP/M machines as well as GEOS-related items. Each of these has a special method or utility required to get the file to the ap- propriate environment once it's download- ed to your 64 or 128 system. Q-Link can only upload torn or download to a 64 or 128 system, so check the various special interest areas for additional information on handling these situations. Always be sure to check the description and comments associated with a file be- fore you download it. Many times you'll find important information on how to start or use the program that may not be obvious. Also, there should be some indi- cation of special file fonnats that may need to be converted before the files can be used. Be sure to watch for ARC, Lynx, Li- brary and other file archives created to fa- cilitate downloading a group of related files as a single file, besides compressing the data to save transfer times. By the way, one user recently asked about the serial numbers that appear in every message in the message boaixls and in every file description in the libraries. Well, these numbers are assigned when- ever a message is entered or a file is uploaded to the system. The serial num- ber appears in the header line following the "S#" prefix and uniquely identifies each message in the system. The serial numbers are used primarily by the folks at Q-Link for system mainte- nance when deleting or relocating a mes- sage. So if you're reporting a problem with a message or file to link, include this number with any other pertinent infor- mation to make it easy for the people at Q-Link to locate a given message. Another recent user comment con- cerned comparing the cost of using People Connection to the new local telephone hot- lines or party lines. They pointed out that at $6.00 per hom' on Q-Link, you actually get quite a bargain compa]^^d to as much as $60 per hour or more for the new wave of party lines. Well, that's it for another month. Keep those comments and suggestions coming, and maybe I'll mention your screen name here in print some day! As usual, 1 can be reached almost daily via E-Mail to RBaker. Hope everyone has a happy holi- day season! g Adventure Road/Staying Alive ' Coniiniii'd from page 52 an adventurer asks this question, or ut- ters any of the following: "Now where am 1?"; "Those stairs were here a second ago, weren't they?"; or "Nothing can kill my party now that I've got this Magic Ob- ject!") A neat trick that vrill spare you hours of redrawing the same maze is to tape a piece of clear plastic over the map sheet and draw on it with a liquid-based pen like the kind used with overhead projec- tors. When you make a mistake, just wipe ; it off and redraw it — much easier and less messy than erasing lines drawn with a pencil. After the maze is completely '' mapped, copy it to paper and file it in the notebook, since you'll often have to return I to a dungeon later in the game. Maffic and Combat 1 lb work wonders with magic, reread the manual and study any relevant clues. ' Many monsters are particularly suscept- ible to one spell or spell type. Once you've discovered that Smokey the Ogre's weak , point is a Fire s]k11, you've got it made. Look for convenient ways to restore spell points, for the toughest mazes sometimes have a few Spell Regeneration squares Adventure Road/Staying Alive scattered about. EiFective combat means mastering a few elements of tactics and strategy. Long- range weapons (and spells) can wear a group of monsters down before they get close enough to wear your group down, then a few well-placed swords and maces will finish them off. Magic weapons often exist, though you may have to experiment to learn their effects and most appropriate targets. Sometimes their targets are ap- parent, such as the Golem Staff in Wiz- ard's Crown. In a Hurry? Cheat! A few words on cheating— it's your fan- tasy, so if you want to cheat, go right ahead. (All's fair in love and dungeons, I always say.) Some people, and it's amaz- ing how many of them are game design- ers, will say you're only cheating your- self—but you paid the $39.95 for it, so you're entitled to do with it as you please (ex{»pt, of course, make 40,(X)0 copies and give them to all your friends.* Some games have bugs, others suffer design oversights that leave loopholes large enough to fly a Golden Dragon through. But why complain when these of- ten allow you to quickly score thousands of experience points or gold and build up a powerful party in no time? Once your team can muster enough MIBL and DRBR spells to defeat the Berserkers (at 5N, 12E, 2U in the Castle) in Bard's Tale I, for example, you can return there and wipe them out over and over and over — netting 60,000 experience points for each character every time. Yes, it is repetitious and boring. But so is getting killed over and over and over . . . In many RPGs, you can return to the spot where you found the Sword of Sockit- tome and — lo and behold! — it's still there. You can arm someone with the powerful weapon or sell it. Programs that erase items when taken ( Wasteland) can be sidestepped by simply making a new play disk of that particular dungeon disk or re- setting the dragon (Wizard's Crown). Li many games that permit you to make several copies of your character disk, you can move people back and forth to "clone" weapons, objects and gold. Here's a quick lesson from Phantask I: Make two copies of the scenario disk, then label one "good disk" (the one you want to keep playing on) and the other "dummy." After you get lots of potions (crucial to this gamel and weapons and other valuables, sell everything you want cloned to a Tbwn, say Pineville (Tbwn 2), then teleport to Tbwn 3. (When you teleport, the program writes to disk the fact that the goods are now in the shop in Town 2.) Remove the good disk and insert the dummy. Tfeleport to Tbwn 4, insert the good disk and teleport to Tbwn 2. Buy back the stuff you just sold, insert the dummy disk and teleport to Tbwn 3. (The purchase of the goods is now written to the dummy disk, so as far as the program is concerned, they are still in the shop in Town 2 on the good disk.) Insert the good disk and continue cloning, or proceed with the real game. By noting when a program writes things to a disk, you can find loopholes like this in lots of games. (But always make a back- up of your disks before tr^nng such ma- neuvers, just in case something goes I wrong— you are, after all, fiddling with j bits and bytes for which the programmer has reserved exclusive fiddling rights.) , Ivet me emphasize that the above meth- : ods for cheating should, in the opinion of This Adventurer, be used only as a last re- sort. Observe the Adventurer's Creed- get the gold, kill the monsters, save the land— and apply the preceding advice, and you'll have a clear conscience and feel a stronger sense of accomplishment when you finally solve the quest. ra irsiMR. And the fate of the free Fasten your SEatbelt. lai'te in foill«[ti]glighlDl¥Dyrlile. world rests in your capable hands. Take hold of the controls and your wits. Because 20,000 feet below you thunders the most feared battleship in all of Ger- many's fleet: The Bismarck. Enemy fighters zoom above you, anxious to turn you into fish food. And all around you lurk treacherous U-Boats, E-goats and minefields. Steady, mate. Remember all those practice flights? With these details, its no wor.* we fJflW it'S fOr real. YOU'Ve OOt (lyinttieteolF-iBStnkeEagle ... . . ..^ . position reports to monitor in- coming intelligence. A fully detailed instrument panel. And you can fire from one of two gunnery positions. All of which'll come in mighty handy when you've got 42,000 tons of riveted killing machine in your sights. WELL CAPTAIN, IT LOOKS LIKE F-15 STRIKE EAGLE' IS^T SO STRIKING, AFTER ALL DIVE BOMBER F-15 STRIKE EAGLE Easy la us8, lully ilelailed instrumenl panel Of course Mope Look oi enemy planes S ships True to life Stick figure Pace of enemy attacks Constant Lagging Tal(eofls Breathtaking Nonexistent Landings Brace yourself Liinited Nola CtiirpaciiDrs aft t)*l»d M curiifit Applfr IBM, anilCommadore 6iy1?B virvoni ot rUg p! slr^dETArkolCOArfnralld &ami progriiTi li»ns(!ifrDm&0 AtntricsLTd C1387 A>cni( Anlmjligr/GfRinlinCripllKsLtd c ISBB E|Iyi. !nc from US. GOLD' Create fonts up' to 192 point. These days, you can find all kinds of pro- grams that call themselves desktop publishers. Oh, one may drop a drawing here or create a column there. But don't let anyone kid you. Nobody's got anything like geoPublish. You see, geoPublish is a real desktop publisher. With hundreds more features that unleash your layouts across an endless number of pages, and leave your non-GEOS friends frenzied with frustration. Texl autnnuitiL")tty flows aixund jiraphk's. "Full featured desktop publishing on the Com- modore 64? Including laser printing? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes on my own Commodore 64, 1 wouldn't have believed it, either." — MicniTimes, March, 19KH With geoPublish, you pour your geoWrite text into col- umns and around graphics. Automatically. You can use any of the 21 preset page layouts or any of the zillions you come up with yourself. After that, it's off to fun city. The geoPublish toolbox is filled with goodies that help you create all kinds of special effects in almost every area, for example, you can customize over 80 GEOS compatible fonts. In bold, italic, underline, or outline. In any combination you choose. Up to 192 points high. "Ofthe three soft- ware packages I used (geoPublish, Personal Newsletter, Outrageous Pages), geoPublish most resembles professional desktop publishing programs:' _,,,,Marchl988 And that's just what you can do with type. You can also create columns. Boxes. Banners. Enlarge or reduce graphics. Zoom in for detail work. Preview the entire page. And print the whole thing out on a LaserPrinter for a razor sharp look. Of course, those aren't the only reasons we're excited about geoPublish. It's also because major magazines — like the tough guys at INFO miRESTORir. — are raving about it, too. Saying that people will use geoPublish "to retire their Print Shops and Print Mas- ters" and that "Newsroom pales in comparison'.' geoPublish Features General • WYSIWYG. What-You-See-Is-What-You-Gel. • Import graphics froni (jeoPaiiU. • Import graphics from Print Shop. Newsnjdm. I'rinl Master'" using (IHOS Graphics Graliber (sold separately witli l»eskpack I'lus). • Full page aiiti zoom disiplay modes. •On-screeii rulers, digital cursor control allows exact placement in full page edit modes. Work in full paw prci ieiv iiukIc Zoom intoacitial size WK "^ >Xrii 4:? Cf4a^lJ GEOPUBL MAKES BIG H Lreate ill i-^il r p it.i fc>swjn^ s^"*^ ^M' Ij J«llilKfllHHrB^< 1 LJ ^ >^*! I DiKMetiub lap" ^ LI w -^CJ m ■I ilmtK Wi«fc- ^Vfi] J4 jTt(T(.r>li^ Flow tex! into coiumns Huadlmes in -t lo 192 poiiitb =b Easy t;ni|)liic object manipulation Hey, with press like that what more need we say? Well, we can say we ve got even more features. In fact, a whole What-You-See-Is- What-You-Get wish list in the chart to your right, filled with features that mean busi- ness. Things like text in any pattern and automatic font smoothing and stuff that nobody else ever thinks of. So if you're serious about desktop publishing, take a look at geoPublish. For Com- modore owners, it's the only feature story worth taking seriously. The brightest minds are working with • Supports over 80 GKO.S tompatihle fonts in point sizes rauKiiiK from -1 lo 192 point (.1)15" to 2.6"). • ['lain, bold, underline, outline, italic, super- script and subscript, and any combination of these typestyles allowed for each font. • Supports dot matrix and Post Script laser printers. I • Supports up (0 16 pages in length, larger docu- ments can be created by setting the startinfi page number. Master Pa^e Mode 1 • Support for left and ri^jht master pages. • Set up to Hi guidelines for aiiiinK graphic and column layout. • Automatic page numbering can set starting Diige. • .'\utomatic date stamping. • Full graphic tool box for master page graphic design. II Softworkfe • Library feature for saving m;(ster page layouLs. product comes with a master page library with several standard layouts. Page Layout Mode ■ Imports text from any Commodore word processor. • F'lcxible design and piacement of text columns, column layout, size and combinations can be altered at any time. • Built-in editor supports full wonS processing features of geo Write 2.1 for text flowed into geoPublish columns. • Snap to guides feature allows for easy layout using master |)age guidelines.^ • User-scltctable gutters (space between columns). • Support lor unanchored (flow with text) as well as anchored (text flows around) graphics. • Automatitally flows text around graphics and from pag(! to page keeping track of up to 16 separate Kord processing docdments. ' Page (irni^hic Mode • Contains a complete object oriented draw pro- gram. Graphic tools include: ' Place picture: Picture can be centered and clip- ped, scaled to any size, stretched and scaled. • Special text: Any font may be output in any point size from 1 to 192 point. 1ext may also be primed in any st>'le and in any of the 'Sl (jEOS s)sleni patterns. Text may be printed either horizontally or vertically. • Lines, connected lines and curted lines (splines); may be drawn in 8 different thick- nesses, have round or square eildpoints, and be drawn in 32 different patterns. • Rectangles, polygons, circles, and ellipses: may be framed orunfnimed and filled williany of the .'i^ system patterns. Frame thickness can also be varitd. ■ Any graphic object or group of objects may be selected at any lime and moved, cut, resized, brought to the foreground (drawn on top of everything) or pushed to the background (drawn unddr e\orything). • Automatic smoothing option for pictures and text. • .-Ml tools work in either full page preview mode or zoom mode. To order call 1-800-443 -0100 ext. 234 geoPublish (California residents add 7% sales tax. ) $2. 50 US/$5. 50 Foreign for shipi)inK and handling. Allow six weeks for delivery. KkMnniis, Ud. IjliUS. #npWrilt, >vil'jinl. *iid Btrtj:k-> Siai^ijfki.ir,- vMrfUltits I'f K*TVrlty SJflw*trks 1^1 nl Sl