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LEARHIN6 STRATEGIES! POWER TIPS! GA
January 1990
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THE CHOICEOF HOME PC ENTHUSIASTS SINCE 1979^
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NERS!
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Top Home PC Products
Readers' Poll — Vote for YourChoiceL
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► Amiga
► Apple 11
► C64/128
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Learning to Write Can Be Fun!
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IN RECOGNITION OF
EXCELLENCE IN A HOME
COMPUTER PRODUCT
Desktop PublishinglGraphics PublisWt! Lire!
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Go back through time into mysterious,
dislntti lands, alive with conflict, intrigue
and passion. Koei products transport you to
real countries zoith a real past. Your
survival and conquest will take valor and
discretion, battlefield guts and financial
finesse, heavy handed rule and
gentle diplomacy.
Huge databases, gorgeous graphics and a
friendly user interface make Koei historical
simulations a joy to play.
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Experience Japans Greatest
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Live Second Century China
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I'eatures Include:
• 25S Characters, each ivith a distinct IKriOimlilif
• Military, economic and diplomatic simulation
• Five different scenarios
• For one to eight players
• Complete operations matiiiatand historical notes
You are a warlord in second century China. Central government has collapsed, creating a power vacuum you long to fill. Success means triumphing against other warlords and the elements, to control the nation.
Winner:
1989 Strategy Game of the Year
Computer Gaming World Magazine
IBM & Compatibles, Amiga
Nobunaga's Ambition
The Struggle to Become Shogun
Features Include;
• For one to eight players
• Two Scenarios, five levels of play
• Instruction manual, historical notes and reference included
The Best, Longest Selling Simulation Game Ever Released in Japan
iMaiigftvAmt/tfpn
Take the part of a Daimyo during Japan's bloody, sixteenth century, warring states period. Increase the strength of your states slowly, or risk everything in a desperate, all or nothing grab for power.
I-inalist:
Software Publisher's Association's
Excellence in Software Awards.
IBM & Compatibles
Genghis Khan
Conquests Of Love And War
KHM-^i^r^
Features Include:
• For one lofour
players
• Two separate scenarios with five levels of difficulty
• A Quick Resolution Mode that resolves battles in seconds
• Advanced combat system
• Characters ivith dis- tinct personalities
Destroy your enemies in battle, or by assassination, while you keep your populace happy, your treasury full, and your subordinates loyal. A seduced princess can produce heirs to govern conquered territories.
Finalist:
1989 Strategy Game of the Year
Computer Gaming World Magazine
IBM & Compatibles, Amiga
KOEI... We Supply The Past, You Make The History
Realistic, complex scenarios and intelligent computer opponents make Koei simulations a challenge to win. Each game offers hundreds of hours of non-repetitious playing time.
Koei is japan's leading producer of entertainment and educational software. The simulations you see on these pages are Mine of the best, and longest selling titles ,;ver seen in Japan. A few moments with any Koei product will make it clear why.
Strategy Simulations
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Bandit Kings of Ancient China
Features Include:
• Four separate scenarios;
• One to seven players;
• Military, Economic and Diplomatic Simulation;
• Cast of 255 characters with unique abilities, personalities, and social positions;
• Sophisticated battle system that incorporates everything from seasonal terrain changes to fireballs and magic;
• Not copy protected.
IBM & Compatibles
The newly appointed Minister of War has seized all imperial authority, and rules the Empire with malicious glee. Those who oppose him are branded and exiled. The En:\peror, reduced to a shadow in his own palace, has one last chance to restore order and justice... you.
But Gao Qiu, the evil Minister of War, will use his considerable power to destroy you unless you get to him first. And if things weren't bad enough, the northern border is swarming with barbarians, bent on taking the Empire's riches for their own.
KOEI
Koei Corporation, One Bay Plaza, Suite 540,1350 Bayshore Highway Burlingame, CA 94010, Tel. 415-348-0500
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines
Circle Rasder Service NumtMr IBS
COMPUTE!
THE CHOICE OF HOME PC ENTHUSIASTS SINCE 1979
CONTENTS
IN fPCUS: PRIZEWINNING SOFTWARE
1990 COMPUTE! CHOICE AWARDS /22/ the editors
OF COMPUTE!
We give blue ribbons to our favorite PC programs this year.
MY VIEW /36/ AMY NEWMARK
Learn to picl< the cream of the educational crop.
BEST OF THE REST /39/
Big Blue aside, we shout hooray for other winners.
RESOURCES /48/ EDITORS
Find the best software your hardware can handle,
COMPUTEi's JANUARY SHAREPAK DISK /so/
A superb shell, a typing teacher, a puzzling pastime, and a math marvel.
DEPARTMENTS
NEWS & NOTES /6/ editors
SPA update, grading computers in school, Japanese screen
pyrotechnics, and more that's new.
LETTERS /ii/ EDITORS
Faster pool, power clarification, SharePak info, and finding Working from Home.
COMPUTE! SPECIFIC
MS-DOS /12/ CLIFTON KARNES AND JACK NIMERSHEIM
COMMODORE 64/128 /14/ neil randall
APPLE II /14/ GREGG KEIZER AMIGA /16/ DENNY ATKIN MACINTOSH /1 6/ HEIDI E. H. AYCOCK
REVIEWS /100/
NEW PRODUCTS /139/ mickey mclean
HOTWARE /144/ SOFTWARE BESTSELLERS
Cover Photo ® 1989 Mark Wagoner
COMPUTE! The Choice of Home PC Enthuilaals Slhce 1979 (USPS: 53?250) is published montnly by COMPUTE' Publica lions Pnc . ABC Consumer Magazines, Inc , Chilor Company, one al the A8C Puyishing Companies, a part o1 Capital Cities ABC Inc Editorial Offices are located at 324 IVest Wtendovet ^wenua. Grean$bOfo. NC 27406 Domestic Sjt>scncKon& 12 isstjes Si9 94 POSTMASTER; Send Form 3579 to: COMPUTE!. PO Bo« 3245, Hajtan. lA 51 537 SecoM-dass postage paid at New Vax (J¥ and additional mailmg oltces. Enure contents cocrynotii © 1 990 tw COMPLITEi Pucticalwns. Inc, All ndrts reserved ISSN oi 94- 357X
I^^SSISSSSIJB3^3
PRDDUCTIViTY
COMPUTE! CHOICE /52/ steven anzo/in
Brag about animation on your PC with Autodesk Animator.
DISK ANATOMY /sa/ jack nimersheim Everything you need to i<now about floppies.
PC PRIMER /64/ HINTS AND TIPS FROM OUR READERS
Switch graphics modes for PC Paintbrush IV and bypass text editors in DOS.
COMPUTE! CHOICE /66/ richard Sheffield Ciimb into the commander's seat in Ml Tank Platoon.
GAMEPLAY 2001 /74/ keith ferrell
Grab your arcade armor and head for the 21st century.
GAMESCOPE /82/ HINTS and tips from our readers Get through Deja Vu, dissect adventure games, pian a good city, and choose the winning play.
|
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COMPUTE! CHOICE /84/ heidi e. h. aycock
Ramble through a statistical dimension of the U.S. with PC USA.
ONCE UPON A TIME /90/ Leslie eiser
Start your kids off with a good story opening, and they'll finish
with a surprise ending.
HOMEWORK /9S/ hints and tips from our readers Chart your child's progress and aim for improvement.
EDITORIAL LICENSE /4/ peter scisco
We live in a time of growing pains and a time for dreams.
IMPACT /5€/ DAVID D. THORNBURG
Think of what you can do with online services.
GAMEPLAY /to/ orson scott card
Computer adaptations should improve old favorites.
DISCOVERIES /88/ DAVID stanton Educational software speaks for itself.
CONVERSATIONS /i38/ keith ferrell
It's ali software to Les Crane of Software Toolworks.
OFF LINE /142/ DAN GOOKIN
Get what you want.
JANUARY 1990 • VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 1 • ISSUE 116
DITORIAL LICENSE
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PETER SCISCO
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Some notes from the un- derground— Montreal's underground, to be exact, which is located just a few blocks away from the site of the fifth annual Soft- ware Publishers Associa- tion conference. Centu- ries old, Montreal rises from its rocky archipelago in southern Quebec to flourish amid a rich French heritage.
All that history seemed lost on the attendees, however, who were more content to cast their eyes on the future. That's no surprise — the com- puter industry is a future-driven busi- ness in which advances in technology define new areas before older ones can be fully explored.
Jim Dezell of IBM, for example, delivered a keynote speech that fo- cused on improving education in America and on the role the computer has to play in furthering that goal. He then treated us to a fantastic display of multimedia wizardry. From cusp-of- the-century animation to a full-tilt, full-motion video newsreel of space shots, moon walking (the real thing, not the Michael Jackson shuffle — that's another bit of history), and Wal- ter Cronkite, it was enough to warm the cockles of any skeptic's heart.
But as I walked out of that huge room, the graphics still a twinkle in my eye, I began to wonder what school system could possibly afford that kind of futuristic setup. While the mavens of technology tout the amaz- ing technicolor audiodigital universe, schools across the country depend on the same audiovisual gadgets they used when I was a kid. I can stilt hear the slap, slap, slap of celluloid that ac- companied every broken film, still see the blaze that burned through the mo- tion picture frame and cast its watery shadow-fire upon the screen at the front of the room. I think there was a lesson there.
The computer-in-education revo- lution notwithstanding, most schools are limping along with eight-year-old 8-bit computers while big business rel-
egates 1 6-bit systems to the mainte- nance staff The lesson here isn't too hard to grasp: Corporations generate income and can afford the best, while schools generate nothing (except the workers who are expected to know how to operate all this new hardware) and can barely afford to maintain the equipment they have.
I'm not saying that American business doesn't deserve the best. I'm just saying that schools also deserve access to the latest technology, and it's going to take more than a handful of companies like IBM, Apple, Tandy, and Commodore to make sure they get it. And don't look to Uncle Sam — he's so broke he can't pay attention.
Meanwhile, at another SPA ses- sion, Microsoft glibly defined the 386SX with a megabyte of R.A.M as a home computer and not one person in the audience batted an eye. Not even Tandy, which continues to pursue the 8088 and 286-based home market with its jOe^ArMafe applications. I
guess the 386, the 286, and the 8088 do have a lot in common: a huge in- stalled base, billions of invested dol- lars, and MS-DOS. No matter how you feel about it, the inertia of the hu- mongous MS-DOS software market has given that platform status as the standardbearer of home computing.
It would be a shame, this early in the history of home computing, to ral- ly behind any one standard. A newer, better personal computer — and I mean better than the Macintosh, the Amiga, and the PC — may never see the light of day if we're not prepared to take that technological leap of faith that will catapult us into the next wave of personal computing.
The home computer of the future will have more than one face, and the home of the future will have more than one computer. A dedicated game system incorporating the latest in multimedia gadgetry will reign as the vehicle of choice for those family flights to fantasia. A more familiar system may reside in the den or office, with terminals in bedrooms (so Jack and Sally can access the CD version of the family encyclopedia) and the kitchen (so you can do your shopping online). In the family office, the busi- ness of running a dynamic home economy thrives.
Idle dreams? I don't think so. The basis for such a scenario is al- ready here. With a little luck, we'll look back on this period of personal computing as a time of immense growing pains, of startling new tech- nological developments, of innocence in a brave new world. We may never get in the book, but we're history. a
'e were saddeneoto hear of the death of John Anderson in the Bay Area earthquake in October. John was senior editor of features at MacUser magazine. He previously worked on the s\a^ oi Computer Shopper Sind, in its heyday, Creative Computing. John was a fine writer and editor. His fam- ily has our deepest sympathy.
COMPUTE!
JANUARY 1990
I never thought I'd have so much fun getting good grsldes.
U
T
Davidson Software Age Level Guide
PROGRAM
AGE LEVEL
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SpeU It Pltut Jlieit'^ Speed Beader "'
Bead IN Boll
Homeworker
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trCLA study* Verifies Davidson Software Improves Grades
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English Lisd^ OiavKlsan sottware.
Math Readlng.Wrillng Spelling uiiog Davctun samara.
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Call us toll free TODAY to find out how your kids can have fun and improve their grades.
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To hear it told at last October's Software Publishers Association Conference, defin- ing the cxjnsumer software market is akin to the old story of the blind beggars describing an elephant. "It's not clear, from the development standpoint, how to manage the process of development in fight of changing hardware platforms," said Mediagenic's Bruce Davis, For instance, he noted, magnetic media can't sustain the complex products that companies now proouce.
Robert Garriot of Origin Systems claimed that consumers are looking for standards in computing. Phillip Adam of Spectrum HoloByte echoed that state- ment, saying that standards are the only way to in- crease the penetration of personal computers into the home.
By sheer market weight, the MS-DOS platform holds the best promise for a standard, a fact not lost
on entertainment software developers. Many of their products come out on IBM-compatible systems before being ported to other platforms.
But some problems remain unsolved. Most noticeably, said Adam, the PC's poor sound-and- graphics capability. The advent of VGA and third-party sound cards may have some influence in those areas.
Beyond personal computers, the future of the home computer market would seem to involve dedi- cated systems of one kind or another, most likely game systems such as the Genesis and TurboGrafx- 16, which boast more powerful graphics processors than the first-generation Nintendo Entertainment Systems. —PETER SCISCO
Less Business, More Fun
Medlagenic has divested two product lines: the Apple 11- orlented Activlsion Presenta- tion Tools and the Macintosh- oriented TENpolntO.
The company wants to focus on entertainment, according to spokesperson Loretta Stagnlto.
Medlagenic will continue to sell and support products
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In the Activlsion Presentation Tools and TENpolntO lines. However, the company won't release upgrades to such programs as Palntworks Go/tf and Reports. Stagnlto said Medlagenic will try to sell the two lines to another com- pany. The Z-Sott division, a PC graphics group, wlil re- main part of Mediagenic's family.
Although the company will con- tinue to support such Mac enter- tainment favorites as fhe Manhole, Cosmic Osmo, and Shanghai, few new games will emerge for the Apple il line. —HEIDI E. H. AYGOCK
Mediagenic will still release Mac games like Shanghai, but Apple productivity is over when the stock runs out.
IT'S A DATACRIME
Where are the after-the-fact horror stories from the Datacrime virus? The much-publicized virus was supposed to wipe out hard drives on October 12, 1989.
After all the panic, though, il seems that few people lost any data. Most people heeded the warnings and backed up their drives. Many other savvy users got copies of Viruscan or similar programs that check for this and other nasty vi- ruses. Besides all of the prevention, this particular sickness wasn't as widely distributed as was pre- viously feared.
Now that Datacrime has run its course, we can all wait anxiously for the next virus. Or we can back up our hard disks regularly and use a virus-detection and disinfection pro- gram like Viruscan (SharewarePlus Software, 1 50 South Magnolia Ave- nue, Suite 248, Anaheim, California 92804; 714-821-5090). Also, some legislatures are fighting back by making virus spreading illegal. —RICHARD C. LEINECKER
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Teacher's Pet
According to a July, 1989 poll of teachers, the computer in your child's school may be voted most likely to succeed. The IBM-funded survey showed that teachers give computers an A-plus for their contribution to education. Comput- ers have become a basic instruc- tional tool, not just a passing fad.
In a sample of 1 100 teachers nationwide, 98 percent of the repre- sented school districts had access to a computer. Teachers overwhelm- ingly supported computers in education — 87 percent favored in- creased use and 85 percent think computers have already had a pos- itive impact on education.
.4s a weapon in the war on so- cial problems, computers also earn high marks. Three-quarters of the teachers said that computers can help reach students with messages about drugs, alcohol, and sexuality. Computers can also help reduce the illiteracy rate, according to 82 per- cent of the teachers. When it comes to classroom problems, the re- sponse isn't quite as dramatic. However, 64 percent said comput- ers could fight the dropout rate, and 62 percent said they could help reduce discipline problems.
The downside is that most
so
40
20
Teachers overwhelmi
computers in educat
an
ngly support the use of ion.
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tax
R2X
Use
Concuters to Teach
Favor
Increased
Use
Source: "The Computef Report Card." 1989, The Wirthlin Group.
teachers believe a lack of funding will hold back developments in educational computing.
From the teacher's point of view, computers are important to the educational career, and educators need to learn more about them. From the student's point of view (according to the teachers), computer literacy is essential to be- ing prepared for college. —HEIDI E. H. AYCOCK
Of ThQse Uith an Qpfnion^
Favor
Introduction In Early Grades, (4U Say No Later Than Ffrsc Grade)
Think
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Have
Already
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Positive
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on
Education
Numbers Game
Dataquest, a market-research firm in San Jose, California, re- leased preliminary numbers irom its 1989 home computer- market survey in October that cast some light on the population of personal computer users outside of big business.
Out of the 4070 households interviewed, 18 percent have personal computers, up 17 percent from 1986. Dedicated video- game systems were in 23 percent of the homes.
Eleven percent of those interviewed call themselves en- trepreneurs, yet only 23 percent of those use computers. The three most frequently booted software packages are word processors, games, and spreadsheets, in that order.
Forty-four percent of the computer owners have hard disks, and 57 percent of them have color monitors, Surprisingly, CGA, EGA, and VGA divide almost evenly across three-fourths of that 57 percent.
Illustrating the scope of software piracy, almost 40 percent of computer users get their software through means other than computer dealers, mall order, or software stores, Still, 46 percent of those computer users spent more than S50 on software in the six months prior to the survey.
The survey did reveal one surprise: Twenty percent of the computer owners use their systems for music applications, from playing and composing to sound editing. —PETER SCISCO
Screen Show
The age of the color laptop — the color everything — has arrived.
Vistora to October's Japan Electronics Show, held in Osaka, saw color screens hlossoming in all shapes and sizes. At first glance, the most notahle display was the num- ber of color laptops. But the new generation of sleeker, sex- ier HDTV receivers stood out a bit more dramatically.
Closer examination re- vealed color wriBtwatch-sized TVs; hrief case -portable VCRs witli built-in screens; full- color, sleek, flat LCD screens; and more.
The show wasn't all im- ages— Sony unveiled its new Mavioa digital camera. This year's model digitizes ten sec- onds' worth of sound along with, the image it captures. Looks like the era of personal sound bytes is here. —KEITH FERRELL 0
Color-display technology from Japan.
%■'*' JANUARY
199C COM PUT.
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Multiple skill levels, technically accurate head-up-displays, actual flight characteristics, multiple views, multiple targets. Black Box flight recorder, and complete weapons system are just a few of the features that set FALCON AT above all other flight sfmulations. Due to the unsur- passeii realism of FALCON AT it has been selected as the basis for a simulator for the military. Whether yoL are an experienced "top gun" or a novice pilot, FALCON AT is for you,
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How to build a high-paying career,
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Start with training that gives you hands-on programming experience -at home and at your own pace. Tt-aining that begins with BASIC, then continues with Pascal, C, and COBOL-toda/s hottest computer languages. Training that even includes a powerful IBM-compatible computer, modem, and program- ming software you keep.
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No matter what your background,
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Your career in computer
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For all the details about NRI's at-home training in Computer Programming, send the coupon today. Soon you'll receive NRI's fascinating, information- packed, full-color catalog.
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You master today's hottest computer languages, gaining the skills you need to build programs for a wide variety of real-world applications.
With your personal NRI instructor on call and ready to help, you use your computer and software to actually
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Send for your NRI catalog today, if s yours, free.
If the coupon is missing, write to us at the NRI School of Computer Program- ming, McGraw-Hill Continuing Educa- tion Center, 4401 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008.
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Only NRI gives you an IBM-compatible computer with modem, 512K RAM, disk drive, monitor, and software-BASIC, Pascal, C, and COBOL— all yours to keep!
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NAME |
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AGE |
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ADDRESS |
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CITY/STATE/ZIP |
Accredited by the National Home Study Council |
5403-010 |
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Artffldar Inlelligenie & CAI
EI79 PCCAI(I)
Alowrt you ID (iMte youi own tutoriob, tests, end riema's
rood & Nulrilion
NF101 TlwNiilTiruiiilt(1)V.3.0
Ttie program for total fitriess. {Hotd diive re(ottj imnw).
Educational
El 04
Tht World {1)V. 2.09
Batter liiar :ny gbbe fw con buy (CGA, or EGA le-
quired). EI07 Amy's first Pnmer(l]V. 17
Hie perfect prc^tam for pt&icfxKilen. ICGJI, EGA, a
VGA lequifedj. EI09 KrDilrpi(UV.3.0l
A |yc»grQir ikit iiicludfl typing tutM and ruty dilH for
drfier^l ikilf levels. fCGA requird). EIIO Whizqulztn
Tlie Jiimote elemeniofy ralti tvtof. (CGA tefluied). E 1 1 1 Sron^n't LyndilKM { I )
Kjdi 37 m! bef}e!it geflflY fiom this lutoiid. (CGA
Gamos/Cards
GI03 V1901 Fio Vviet Pokir |l] V. 1.0
lane to pb/ pder wiliv Hie best. (EGA 01 V&i le
(jyirod). GIU LimoHiiiid»GeiKrotor|l)V.ll)0
Con be toteed to yoji siotes lotiu. Glin l^loHo(1)V.2.1
Hon >-(i3 cffi pid itie 'suetbin^, bngsbcte and bind
pitts,' G1I7 WogStrMtdJ
This w3 shew you how the tnitket reolY wois ftstti
It* bjl to rhe tern, (BASIC renoiiedl. 01 If Owis(l)
Great [or Itte begrrmef 'tM six levels for Irrpioveinerd.
(CGA requ^ed). G12I SlirTieli(l)
One of ttre clo^s t^ tirs been updated. G137 D[«iiiiTeoiiiE«(bgll|l)
Yfli fkk 'fim md ploy tbe romputer. (CGA rei;iired). G135 WllyTlMWsniid)
[iByone wnB to bclp Wily nole it to the top. [CGA
teqiRfed). 6136 Monopoly 11 [1]
Hard to irrip(Me..,[iul tfirs orre has, GMO CoptainCoink(l)
lop game of 1?S?, yoii wfll rtoi lie able to pot it dowrr
(CGA leqoieiil G141 Sttker (1)
You're the prkit of ths hekepter, gonsKps, onj nissioTs.
(CGA Bioireif)
GenMlogy
KP107 EZ Tree {I) V. 1.26
hoiKJIa up to 90 fornk; ol <m tirne.
Real Estate
El 19 HighSdMolMathC)
Prepare yocj higfr uhool sludenl for (oioge ivw.
RE101
Frinieton Seal Ooiil (1| V. 3.03
Ktffli Kliile !is!i:ig dntnlase tint nrwi^ oB itre dote. DEIOS PropeftyMomgerV. 1.0
haili dota on rent ortd rrantenonre letoids.
RE10Z LoonWovrbrll)
ilses both rued cod voiioHe tale tnottgoges.
SIO! Itiinobgll)
Pofl time [cggei or dlsronce m^.& S103 Football Pool (1)
t^onderfLJ erQoniier for lunning ifie brol pools.
Slo(kf/Tai
ST104 StodMorlietAinlyierll)
A gita; woy to flroV^e storb in graph form. STIOS PC Ohm (2) V. 1.01
Dis menu lirjeii tool helps y«o buy and sdl stods ond
tommorfities. 5TI12 PCTnitSd)
Eeody to do ynjr 1988 toies, with ol sdseduies. 5TI15 TheSa«Tro<ler(11
One ol me oil hme ilfBsic inveVn^r^ tocls, (CGA re-
iJiKed).
CAB/Pninl
CADIOl PC Draft II (I) V. 3.52
Hie mcsf ranpJete CAD progrom, tM mcny furxhons to tst. CADI 03 PCRigcr Point (1)
Most smght ofler gnpiik progrom o( the yeoi. (CCA
Attounting Pertonnl
IHMtOI Fost>ii(i[iI2)
Greor (01 fiome imikBlg ond tudgehns — The lotesll (?
fkifliy drhre). BHMIOSExprestCliedid)
Design your owi rhetkbooE program fiom EjprBSSimy. BHM103 Genesis t1)
Home vE5ion d tlie (ommeickil chakbook piogronr. BHM1 13 OimUwoIi Mminenieiit d) V. 1.0
A 'da iiP" pioginm for ricse who hote to bokmte ihea
(tecUmk. 1192k tom, DOS?,! 01 blei.)
Aiiaunting BuilneK
BHM1ISPalnltsiAKiwnttng|3)
tverythiig you need fur mpintoining Genen^ ledger, Bil- iiij, Acfounts Ee<eiviblc/Piiriile, Ikeguires 512k ori hold (fa kl,
BHMIItKGtMrdLedgerdl
Eosy tg use iaiit etitty E^neiol ledger system loi smd busmss.
BHM135EiiBtsiCiili(2)
AbiSf^ to aaie spieod sheets up 10 i1 rolwiiis.
BHM129 Merdioot Aiairattag[2]
System designed for retai or wholesale with built-in In- ventory monogefncnt
Aslrolooy & Personal
CADI 06 FbwOwtingll)
Designed jut for H™ ond dgowoiiciid (hods. ICGA required!. CAD107 WariPHf«tS,0aipArt(5)
Lrgest Wod Perfect dp ir (orter^
Word Processing/Tools
WPIOI PC Write (3) V. 3.02
Akirosl IE good OS Word Paleft with spei <M. (3S4K Kam leqjiredl. WPI05 WotdPeriefl 5.0 Tools d)V. 2.0
Eleven ptogorrs [o leoch you ev&yitNng yoo'H need re know. WP113 Word ProfflsHiM For Kids (11
Chikfren from 4 lo 9 yeuR of oga enjoy Ihis inlioductkin (CGA re(]utfEd!. WP114 PtIStyled)
A Bitiomwre pmgioni witti red styie.
ABI01
Asho (3J
liic tore! EEiToic^irGl piug-nr lev those who k)ve cstn^ ogy (Hold Disk rviili 1 o- 7 Rofliiesl. ABID2 BloHiyrini(l)
All rile iiJoimDhon you need to coltukite bcdtyltms.
Stress Tesi
Ano^re youi sfiess leveb witli rtys easy to use prognm.
Aslrology 9.5
Perloims leqtned rokiiotbns to (onstiutt 0 nittl dot
l2Sit ilooi, CGA leiiuiied).
AB106 AB10S
Utililies
UTIO2 Alio Mem (1 1
for e-zeryone wirh o hold disk wfio walls lo mcke it
Eosy. UT10S TdeDoiyOoieiid)
Yoj ton do ol sons of llfngs..xhDnfle names, bod up,
screen s^tvei, aid noie. Un07 DohtOelendetsd)
Woke recoveiy as easy a, a smp vridi this one UTlOe Loplop Bridged I
file Itonsfer between 3 1/2 and 5 1/4 via pons UrilO Epson Mostetd)
For all Epson iMters who wont ite cisiom louh. UT112 Banner Moketd)
Mokes megj^ngifi signs. UT114 File Sqveeie d)
Squeezes files b^ SO^i, great br bokup, urns ProltuioHlMjiitifKeylll
Sitndoi to Kotot Urithes - giea Id fit Kioieiy ool
(tsfloy mop ol dek space.
BHMIIO
BHMI34
BHMI35
BHMI40
BHM143
BHIH14S
BHM149 6HM152 BHM132
Business
ril)
Custoniize youi own pcogir] to prepore bis ad bep
{Quip^le [Bcotds.lhod (fek reqiiiedj.
Slock (1)
Fcir itnse binmnses m^ sfonlad imenlVY and t^
^Iffitinn teguirtmefit5.
Pflyroll USA Syifem (2}
llii^ QK dees ofl ific cdojlatiom kt up tD 2,000 eir^
plff/eft (640k fKpjiried).
TlieWInmngBh!{1)V.11
For both nmoteut end piole^iioiidl auctions. Q Boppies
ck]uwkI1.
PCfKkletDV.I.O
No need fo forgsl or oppoinlinerrf wiili Butlonwore's
linesi ithedulef,
Mr. Bill (2) V. 3.29
let Wi, Bill piCpcie you- invoitcs — oko piint^ oidil
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Pfiflorjn mf toltifchon Icf bitsinesi of personal Jooi.
FoFin Master (])
A powfiitl piograin fn genaotsq mory types ci Fomii
Tbt Business Conloctt Minoger |2)
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Clri:re Reader Service Number 179
COMPUTE!
lot CHOiCE OF HOME PC If^lHgilAsrs SJNCI I«J«
Editor
Senior Aft Direclor
Features EdilOf
Assistant Editors
Manager Disk Products
Assistant Features Editor
Editorial Assistants
Copy Editors
Contributing Editor
ART DEPARTMEm'
Assistant Art Directcjr
Mechanical Art Supervisor
Junior Designers
Peter Scisco Janice R. Fary Keith Ferrell Denny Atkin Heidi e. K. Aycock Richard C- Leinecker David Hensley, Jr. Tom Netsel Elliabelh Casey Mickey McLean Karen Slepak Karen Uhlendorf David Ttiornburg
HtMn L Strelow Robin Case Scotty Billings Meg McArn
PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT Production Director Mark E. Hillyer Assistant Production Manager De letter
Production Assistant Barbara Wiiiiams Typesetting Terry Cash
Carole Dunton Advertising/Production
Assistant Tammie Taylor
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Executive Assistant Sybil Agee Senior Administrative
Assistant Julia Flemirig Administrative Assistant Linda Benson Customer Serv«:e
Coordinator Elfreda Chavis
COMPUTE! PUBLICATIONS
Group Vice President,
Puljlisiier/Ediloria! Director William Tynan
Assodaie Publisher/Editorial Lance Elko Associate Futjiisfier/
Advertsing Bernard J. Tiieobald, Jr
Managing Editor Kathleen Martinek
Editorial Operations Director Tony Roberts
Editorial Marteting rv^anager Caroline D. hianlon
ABC CONSUMER MAGAZINES, INC.
PresiOent
Senior Vice President
Director. Rnancial Analysis
Oreelor of Circulation
CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT
Subscriptions
Gary n. Ingeraoll
Riciiard: D. Bay Andrew D. Lartdia Harold Buckley
Maureen Buckley Beth Kealy Raynnond Ward Peter J. Birmingham Jana Friedman
ONE OF THE ®
COMRHNiES ^
Robert G. Burton, President
825 Seventti Avenue
New York, NY 10019
ADVERTISINO OFFICES
New York: ABC Ckinsumer Magazines, Inc., 825 Seventh Ave-, New York, NY 10019. Bernard J. Theobald, Jr., Assodaie Publisher/Advertising, (201) 989-7553. (201)989-7554 FAX.
Greensboro: COMPUTE) Publications. 324 West Wetidover Ave., Suite 200. Greensboro, NC 27408: (919) 275-9809. Kathleen Ingram, Mariteting Manager. New England * Mid-Atlantic: Bernard J. Theobald, Jr. (201) 989-7553- Kathleen Ingram (919) 275-9B09. Midwest & Southwest: Jerry Thompson. Ludlle Dennis (312) 726-6047 [Chicago]: (713) 731-2605 [Texas]: (303) 595-9299 [Colorado]: (415) 348-8222 [California]. West, Northwest, & Brilish Columbia; Jerry TTiompson (415) 348-8222: LucilJe Dennis (415) 878-4905. Southeast & International; Bernard J. Theobald, Jr. (201) 989-7553: Kathleen Ingram (919) 275-9809. National Accounts Office:
Midwest: Slan Lane, National Accounts Manager (31 2) 462-2872, 191 S. Gary Ave., Carol Stream, IL 60166-2089, Address all advertising materials to Tammie Taylor, (XIMPUTEI Publications. Inc. 324 West Wendover A/o., Surle 200, Greensboro, NC 27408. Editorial inquines shouto be addressed to T^e Editor. COMPUTE!, Suite 200. 324 West Wendover Ave.. Greensbofo, NC 27408.
PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.
^
Audit
A New Pool
Thank you for reviewing our Pool bil- liards game in the October issue of COMPUTE!. We were encouraged by your observations that Pool offers a variety of game scenarios including competing against the computer, col- orful graphics, and easy playing instructions.
The version of Pool which you re- viewed was limited in that it required a math coprocessor to run at an excit- ing pace. Recent modifications to Pool make it 50 times faster on ma- chines without coprocessors — fast enough to run on any PC. We feet that this change makes Pool the most ex- citing, competitive, and fun billiards game available.
DAN CWr' AMES. lA
Mr. Coy is the author o/PooI. The game is available for $39.95 from HeartLand Software, 234 South Franklin, Ames, Iowa 50010; (515) 292-8216.
Magic Disk Drives
Imagine my astonishment when I read in the November issue of COjU- PUTE! that Zenith has introduced a 2-inch, 720K disk drive that con- sumes 1 50-percent less power com- pared to 3 '/2-inch drives. If it consumed 100-percent less power, it would of coune consume zero power. Why, this is even greater news than the Utah superconductor break- through! A disk drive that not only consumes no power, but actually gen- erates power as it runs! With enough Zenith disk drives strategically scat- tered around the nation, we could dis- pense with nuclear power, coal and oil-fired power, and even hydroelec- tric power and wind generators.
I'm having fiin, of course. Mark Twain once remarked that there are three levels of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics. Rumors of existing sub- stantiations of his witticism are not exaggerated.
CURT SCOTT GLENDALE. CA
The 150-percent figure Zenith claims comes from the fact that its MiniDisk drive requires .04 watt of power in standby mode, compared to .10 watt for a typical low-power 3'/2-inch drive. Just to be sure, we tested your theory by hooking a MiniDisk drive up to the office cof- fee machine. The drive didn 't gener- ate any power, the coffee was cold, and everyone in the office was really grumpy that morning.
How to Share
We have subscribed to COMPUTE! for many years now, and I only re- cently heard about a disk version of the magazine. Is this true? Does it accompany, supplement, or replace the printed version of the magazine? Is it a special anniversary offer only?
MiriiAEL ALLAN WESTLAKE, OH
COMPUTEI's SharePak is a monthly supplementary disk that contains top-quality shareware and public domain software. It comple- ments the magazine but doesn 't re- place it. If you have a favorite shareivare program that you think would make a good addition to a SharePak disk, we'd like to hear about it. Send suggestions to COM- PUTE! Feedback. P.O. Bo.x 5406. Greensboro, North Carolina 27403.
Where is Home?
In the "Letters" section of your Sep- tember issue, you referred to a book called Working from Home, by Paul and Sarah Edwards. Could you give me the publisher's name or infor- mation on where to order this book?
Thank you, and 1 love your magazine.
TINAMAYDEN rfilLLECOTTE, MO
Working from Home, by Paul and Sarah Edwards, is published by Jer- emy P. Tarchcr and distributed by St. Martin's Press. 175 Fifth Ave- nue, New York, New York lOOIO; (800) 221-7945.
JANUARY 1990
COMPUTE!
11
COMPUTE! SPECIFIC
POWER UP
PC Expo in Chicago isn't just the Second City's version of the PC Expo in New York; it's different. IVSidwestern practical- ity atrounds (where else can you find seminars on cabling?), and exhibitors tend to fall into one of two groups: established companies with high-end prod- ucts or up-and-coming txin- cerns trying to get every bit of visibility they can.
This year's most excit'ng high-end offerings were dem- onstrated by WordPerfect and Borland. Hot on the heels of version 5-0, WordPerfect {1555 North Technology Way, Orem, Utah 84057; 801-222-4437) has developed WordPerfect 5.1, due to hit the shelves by the time you read this. The new WordPerfect boasts several in- novative features topped off by an exciting facelift — pull-down menus and mouse suppor?. The retail price is $495, and an upgrade will cost $85. The menus looked great, but there wasn't a mouse in sight at WordPerfect's booth. Old hab- its must die hard.
Borland demonstrated its soon-to-be-shipping Quattro Pro (Borland International, 1800 Green Hills Road, P.O. Box 660001, Scotts Valley, Cal- ifornia 95066; 408-438-5300), a $495 Lofus-killer. The new Quattro boasts full mouse sup- port; multiple, resizable win- dows; and dazzling graphs.
One of the new program's most welcome features is its on-board paint module, which allows you to customize graphs without ever leaving Quattro,
Three of the most interest- ing new products were shown at up-and-comer Stanvrood's booth. Developier Shayne Nel- son demonstrated Simply In- genious, billed as the wodd's simplest database; Ingenious Edit, proclaimed as the world's simplest editor; and Ingenious, touted as the world's fastest database (Stanwood Asso- ciates, 303 East Ohio, Chicago, Illinois 6061 1 ; 312-828-9734).
Simply Ingenious is a $40 program with just one com- mand: N. If you want to add something to the database, you type N followed by the text. If you want to search, you type N followed by the text you want to search for.
Ingenious is due to be re- leased soon. Its projected $500 price tag puts it in direct com- petition with all of the heavy- weights.
I don't know if Ingenious Edit is the simplest editor around, but it's certainly the strangest. There's no cursor; you enter commands with key- strokes— definitely on the un- usual side.
The practical side of PC Expo was displayed by Lehn &
Fink's Glass Mates (Sterling Drug, fvlontvale, New Jersey 07645; 212-696-4744; S2.95), moist towelettes for cleaning glass and other PC surfaces (like keytwards, cases, and printers). The Glass Mates booth struck a resonant chord with Chicago's Expo attendees: The company was swamped with questions and requests for samples.
Publisher's Powerpak
For the last five years, desktop publishing (DTP) has been a PC growth area. The DTP tide has shifted recently, however, away from dedicated products such as PageMaker and Ventu- ra toward high-powered word processors with DTP features. Leading this group are Word- Perfect and Microsoft Word.
Although t»th programs have high-end DTP features, there's one other thing you'll need to produce snappy memos and newsletters: fonts.
Your printer— whether dot-matrix, ink-jet, or laser — will probably have some on- board fonts, but chances are they're variations on Courier, a typewriterlike face. For DTP that's not enough: You need at least two special typiefaces. one with serifs, such as Times Roman, and one without serifs,
PC EXPO NEWS
REDUCED CHARGES
C64 REFLECTIONS
APPLEFEST UPDATE
AMIGA SHUFFLE
MAC FONT ORCHARD
such as Helvetica.
With Publisher's Power- pak (Atech Software, 5962 La Place Court #245, Carfsbad, California 92008; 619-438- 6883; S139.95) and either WordPerfect or Microsoft Word, your font problems are over.
Powerpak is an add-in for WordPerfect or Microsoft Word (versions are also avail- able for Ventura and PFS:Flrst Publisher) that turns either of these products into a versatile DTP engine.
The best thing about Pub- lisher's Powerpak is that it's completely transparent. With Microsoft Word, the program creates a special printer- definition file. When this file is loaded. Word's page preview and other output functions work as they always do.
The program comes with three typefaces: Marin (Times Roman), Dixon (Helvetica), and Cobb (Courier). One of the package's most valuable as- pects is that it lets you install fonts in almost any size. You can add more typefaces with optional Atech Font Packs ($29.95 each) or Monotype Font Packs ($79.95 each).
I tested Powerpak with Microsoft Word and 9-pin, 24- pin, and laser printers. It worked flawlessly with each and produced amazingly good output — especially with the la- ser printer.
The company offers a free demo disk, which allows you to select your printer and word processor — Worcf, WordPer- fect, \^ntura, or PFSiFirst Pub- lisher— and then prints a test page. After this live, in-house demonstration, you'll probably find Publisher's Powerpak hard to resist.
Save the Environment
Just like earthworms and whales, your PC's DOS has an environment. It's a special area in memory that's set aside
12
COMPUTE
JANUARY 1990
for important information the operating system needs to reference.
Your RMH resides in the environment (type PATH at the DOS prompt to see the current setting) as do other variables. Some variable names are re- served, such as PROMPT and OOMSPEC; others can be freely created and assigned with the SET command. To see all your system's current vari- ables, including PATH, enter SET at ttie DOS prompt.
The trouble with the DOS environment is that in its native state it's too small— a scant 160 bytes. If you have a large PATH and several variables, it's easy to exceed this limit. There's a fix, however.
With the SHELL com- mand, you can tell DOS ver- sions 3.0 or higher you want a larger environment, and you can specify just how large to make it. SHELL goes in your CONFIG.SYS and has the fol- lowing syntax (make sure it's on one line when you type it in):
SHELL= ame:path \ COMMAND.COM /E:size /P
If you're using DOS 3.0 or 3.1, s/'ze has to be expressed in 16-byte paragraphs, with an upper limit of 62 paragraphs or 992 bytes. With DOS 3.2 or higher, you can specify size in bytes with a top end of 32K.
Let's say that COM- MAND.COM is in the root di- rectory of your hard disk, and that you'd like to enlarge your environment to 51 2 bytes. Here's the command:
SHELL=C; \COMMAND.COM/E:512/P
The P parameter tells the system to run AUTOEXEC- .BAT after CONFIG.SYS, which you'll want to do, so be sure to inciude it. Although you can make your environment larger, 512 bytes is a good upper limit you probably won't exceed. There are other limits you'll bump into first.
The biggest environmental limit is the length of a DOS line — 1 27 characters. This means that a variable and its assignment are restricted to 1 27 characters. Chances are this will only be a problem with your Rft,TH statement, which many users would prefer to be twice that length. So keep in mind that, while you can make your environment larger, vari- able assignments, including your PATH statement, can't ex- ceed 127 characters. — Clifton Karnes
DOS PROMPT
Over the past three weeks, I spent a lot of time accessing distant electronic bulletin boards (BBSs) and various on- line information services. My bills reflected this activity and were unusually high. As a re- sult, I'd like to offer you a few tips on how to reduce your own online communication costs.
A PC, a communications program, and a modem can lit- erally put the whole world at your fingertips. Just the other night, I had an opportunity to chat with an award-winning science-fiction writer when Mike Resnick and I happened to cross paths on Delphi. (Mike's Kirinyaga vwjn the es- teemed Hugo avrard for short story of the year at the 1 989 World's Science Fiction Con- vention.) But while telecommu- nicating can tie a lot of fun, it also can quickly get expensive.
On- and Offline
Like it or not, the least efficient factor in any online session is you — or, more correctly, your human limitations. If typing a typical letter takes you several minutes, and you compose all your messages online, then using a commercial service or distant BBS for regular corre- spondence can be an expen- sive proposition, indeed. Using front-end access programs can minimize the cost of telecom- munications by allowing you to perform the majority of your online activities offline.
Different front-end access programs are designed to work with different online infor- mation services. One such pro- gram is TAPCIS (Software Group, P.O. Box 130, McHen- ry, Maryland 21541; 800-872- 4768; $79.95) which allows you to automate many activities you'd normally perform on CompuServe.
TAPCIS includes a built-in word processor that can be used to compose messages destined for CompuServe sub- scribers. The advantage is that you compose messages off- line when the clock isn't ticking. TAPCIS also lets you create a user file, containing the names and CompuServe user IDs o( people to whom you regularly send messages. This infor- mation is used to identify indi- vidual users, thereby ensuring that your messages get sent to the correct mailing "address." After a message is written and addressed properly, entering a single command teils TAPCIS
to call your local CompuServe access numtier, move to Easy- Flex or any one of the more than 50 user forums Compu- Serve supports, send that message to the specified indi- vidual, and then end the cur- rent session and disconnect your call. Since TAPCIS per- forms all these activities auto- matically (that is, without user intervention), your online — and, therefore, billable— time is kept to a minimum. Additional oper- ations TAPCIS automates in- clude downloading any messages sent to you over CompuServe, monitoring con- versations and conferences in the various CompuServe user forums, and simplifying online research by quickly retriev- ing threads of related infor- mation appearing in multiple messages.
Other front-end access programs are available that perform similar yeoman's duty with competing infor- mation services. Aladdin (Bret Mulvey; contact GEnie user BRETMULVEY for information; $59), for example, is designed to automate GEnie access, while Lotus Express (Lotus De- velopment, 55 Cambridge Parkway, Cambridge, Massa- chusetts 02142; 617-577-8500; $1 95) endows MCI Mail sub- scribers with similar capabili- ties. If you use a specific online service, it tiehooves you to in- vestigate whether there's a front-end access program spe- cifically available for it. This is one category of software that will quickly pay for itself several times over in saved time and reduced billing charges.
Do It Yourself
Even without a front-end ac- cess program, it's still possible to automate many of your on- line activities, especially if your communications program in- cludes a built-in macro feature or script language.
A macro is a group of commands assigned to a sin- gle keystroke or key combina- tion. You could, for example, design a macro containing all the commands your communi- cations program needs to dial your local CompuServe access number and assign it to an Alt- C key combination. Once this macro is created, pressing Alt- C would automatically initiate the steps required to access the log-on prompt for that com- mercial service.
A script resembles a mac- ro in that it can contain compli- cated command sequences
you execute by running that script. Scripts are generally more flexible than macros, however, because they can in- clude special instructions for monitoring responses from a remote computer and then can alter the command sequences they execute, based on those responses. TTiis is similar to the branch feature supported by many programming lan- guages. Using a script, for ex- ample, you can monitor an online session to determine whether any messages are waiting for you on a given ser- vice. (Most services display some special message during sign-on if you have electronic mail waiting.) Should any mes- sages exist, you can program your script to automatically ac- cess the proper user area and download the messages to a file on your system. If a mes- sage waiting (or some similar) prompt does not appear, the script can be designed to branch to a different com- mand sequence that immedi- ately ends the current session, thus reducing your connect charges- Creating scripts may re- quire some extra effort on your part, since vrorking with a script language is similar in many ways to programming. With minimal effort and some determination, though, you should t>e able to master scripts. Writing scripts for your regular software has one big advantage over using front-end access packages: A single communications program can be used to access multiple BBSs or commercial services. Popular MS-DOS communica- tions programs that include comprehensive script lan- guages include ProComm Plus (DataStorm Technologies, 1621 Towne Drive, Suite G, Columbia, Michigan 65205; 314-474-8461; $89), fle/ay Gold (Relay Communications, 41 Kenosia Avenue, Danbury, Connecticut 06810; 800-847- 3529; $295), Smartcam III (Hayes Microcomputer Prod- ucts, P.O. Box 105203, Atlanta, Georgia 30348; 404-441-1617; $24), and CrossTalk (Digital Communications Associates, 1000 Holcomb Woods Park- way, Roswell, Georgia 30076; 404-998-3998; $245).
Now that I have that out of my system, I'll render unto Caesar (or in this case. Ma Bell and VISA) that which is his and get back online. I hope that these tips will help you keep your online charges within reason. — Jack Nimersheim
JANUARY 1990
C O M P U T E I
13
In the year 2025, when some- one writes ttie definitive history of computing, the 1980s will surely be seen as the decade in which computers entered the home. I hope, when it hap- pens, that the writer doesn't overtook the accomplishments of the Commodore 64.
Sure, it has been techno- logically bypassed. Sure, it has tieen ignored by the "serious" computer crowd. Sure, it has been supplanted by MS-DOS machines as ttie computer of choice for the development of entertainment software. And, sure, it's even overpriced.
But, if not for ttie 64, where would computer anima- tion and sound be? (Apologies to the Atari 800, but the 64 made it happen.) If not for the 64, where would quality games be? (Same apologies to the Apple II.) If not for the 64, where would affordable word processing, spreadsheet, and database-management pro- grams tie? (No apologies at all to fvlS-DOS.) If not for the 64, how many people would have computers in their homes?
Despite all of the techno- logical advances made by oth- er platforms, the 64 is still alive. Ctommodore is expecting an- other good Christmas (I'm writ- ing ttiis in Octotser) m\h a product that refuses to become an orphan. Software compa- nies continue to release soft- ware for it, even if most of it is games. To cite just one ex- ample. Strategic Simulations {producer of the AD & D series of fantasy games) cites its sales of C64 software as par- ticulariy strong. The machine just won't go away.
Not bad for a high-tech product into its eighth year.
Starflight
By the time you read this, Star- flight should be available for the 64/128. Distributed by Elec- tronic Arts, Starflight has be-
come a mainstay of the MS- DOS science-fiction gaming community. A game of pure ex- ploration, Starflight lets you wander the galaxy, running into alien races and fascinating arti- facts as you find a way to save your star system.
It's Star Trek-based. From a variety of races, you select a captain, science offi- cer, medical officer, communi- cations officer, and so on. Then you equip your ship with the best your measly sum of money can buy and head off into the galaxy.
The fascinating parts are planetary exploration and alien communication. You meet all kinds of creatures on the plan- ets, and you can actually nego- tiate with aliens as you attempt to learn their cultures.
Starflight is a long game. But, then, ttie 64 community is used to long games. And if the conversion is a good one, ttiis one will he worth trying. For more information, contact Elec- tronic Arts, 1820 Gateway Drive, San Mateo, California 94404; (415) 571-7171,
Might and Magic II
Speaking of long games. New Wortd Computing, through Electronic Arts, has released M/g/)f and Mag/c // for the 64/128. The original Might and Magic debuted on the Apple II, then danced successfully over to the 64/128. MS M// is big- ger and actually better.
Three full disks are needed to contain this game, but the size does not impede play. The interface is intelligent- ly designed, the graphics are striking, and the quest is huge without being frustrating. The reason is simple: You aren't forced to slavishly stick to a particular order of events.
As in most fantasy games, you can concentrate on battle expertise or on learning magic spells, or you can combine the two by sacrificing a bit of each. The game contains a wealth of different weapons and an equally impressive list of usable spells.
And M A M II thankfully solves role-playing's traditional mapping problem. By paying a few coins and having one of your characters become a car- tographer, you have access to an overhead map at almost any point in the game. Ttiis vmnderful feature makes the game not only easier, but posi- tively friendly.
Unlike some of these games, M &M II lets you ex-
plore areas and cities in what- ever order you wish. Portals are available to take you from place to place. Many events are timed, however, with the clues giving you the game day on which they will occur, so complete randomness isn't recommended. There's no need, though, to go from level 1 to level 2, or for any other ar- tificial means of advancement. For more information, contact New Vtorld Computing, 14922 Calvert Street, Van Nuys, Cali- fornia 91 41 1 ; (81 8) 785-0401 . — Nell Randall
AppleFest, the largest Apple II show around, is starting to look more and more like a swap meet. Once the national trade and user show for the Apple II, AppleFest is in danger of either disappearing or turning into a local fair where people shop for software and hardware bar- gains, not news and infor- mation atxjut their computer.
The most recent Apple- Fest, held in San Francisco during September, sported large booths filled with soft- ware mail mari<eters and retail- ers. Crowds jammed those booths like no others. To make it even worse, many traditional exhibitors were absent, includ- ing Claris, publisher of App/e- Works, and Activision, a longtime developer of Apple II software. Both had been pre- sent at San Francisco's 1988 AppleFest.
Although the number and quality of exhibitors were off from years past, the numtiers of people packing the hall v/ere not. And those people were just as enthusiastic aboul their computers as ever. Educators especially were eager to find out more about how to use their own, and their class- rooms'. Apples.
And though no extraordi- nary announcements were made at AppleFest this year,
though no new groundbreaking software was introduced, there vvere some highlights.
Broderbund demonstrated its dedication to the Apple II by debuting three new products: Where in Time Is Carmen San- diego?, Prince of Persia, and Ancient Art of War. Beagle Bros, and Applied Engineering, the premier Apple-only soft- ware and hardware compa- nies, respectively, used new and not-so-new products to show that the Apple II is no- where near the end of the line. And Roger Wagner Publish- ing's HyperStudio reminded AppleFest attendees that new software technology, in this case hypermedia, is within their reach.
If AppleFest makes it back to San Francisco next fall (not a sure bet), look for it to have been transformed into a teach- ers-only show. That's the di- rection Apple likes to see the II line heading (even the powerful and adaptable IIgs). And often, what Apple wants, Apple gets.
No New llGS
In mid-August, Apple finally put to rest the rumors of a new Ap- ple IIgs computer. Yes, ttiere vvould be a new gs. No, it wouldn't be a new computer.
The confusion is under- standable. The new IIgs is the same as the old one with more memory. TTie IIgs now comes witii 1 .125 megabytes of RAM (up from 51 2K) and 256K of ROM(upfrom128K).
More memory means that an out-of-the-txDx IIgs v^II be able to run almost all GS soft- ware. That wasn't tme of the weaker 51 2K machine. Now, rather than immediately spend- ing money for more RAM, a IIgs buyer can spend that mon- ey on something else.
Say What?
One of the best quotes to come out of AppleFest in San Francisco was hidden in an Ap- ple press release. In a section dedicated to discussing how the Apple II and the Macintosh can peaceably coexist, Jean- Louis Gassee, president of Ap- ple Products, said, "We recognize that our customers have different needs and re- quirements for the computers they choose. . . . Just tjecause the world now has automatic transmissions, doesn't mean that we no longer have stick shifts."
Think a moment: If you
14 COMPUTE!
JANUARY 1990
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Circle Reader Service Number 1SB
# # Open House .. .
, . . and you're invited to participate in a new and extremely important program for COMPUTE! readers. In order to fully understand your opinions, attitudes and reading preferences, we are establishing a Reader Research Panel.
Scientifically selected samples of our panel members will receive up to four survey mailings over the next 12 months. Survey results will help us to better design COMPUTE! with your interests in mind.
Please apply to participate in our Reader Research Panel today by completing the attached application form and mailing it back to Data Processing Firm, Media Research Associates, no later than January 31, 1990. All statis- tical information must be provided in order to select a panel representative of our entire readership. All infor- mation will remain confidential.
If selected, you will be contacted accordingly. Thank you for your cooperation.
Ccu/:/^6^
William Tynan Publisher
RSVP
to Media Research Associates
230 Park Avenue, Suite 1567, New York, NY 10169
APPLICATION FORM COMPUTE! Magazine Reader Research Panel
ALL INFORMATION WILL REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL.
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4. What was your total household income (from all sources) in 1989?
Under S25.000 D
S25,000-S34,999 D
$35,000-$39,999 D
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$100,000+ n
5. What is the highest level of education ttiat you have attained to date?
Attended High School D
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6. What group t)elov^ best descrities your occupation?
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7. How did you acquire this copy of COMPUTE!?
(Please check only one answer.) I subscribe and received it through the mail D Another member of this household subscrit)es
and received it through the mail D
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COMPUTC! Publicationsjnc.®
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wanted to really rip out from a standing stop, what would you want on your car? A sticit shift you can jam yourself, or an easy-to-use, yet sluggish, automatic?
Slam your ancient Apple lie into first gear and hit the gas. — Gregg Keizer
In my youth, I used to defy Mom's orders and frequent the penny arcades to get in a few games of air hockey with the unsavory characters who hung out there. Today's kids can stay home and save their quar- ters by playing Broderbund's Shufflepuck Cafe.
If you've ever played air hockey, Shufflepuck will be a snap to learn. Your onscreen paddle exactly mimics the movements of your mouse: Slam the mouse forward and your paddle hits the puck tiard. Shufflepuck Cafe has the most reafislic control of any game I've ever played.
The effect is enhanced by excellent graphics and stereo sound. When you ricochet the puck back and forth across the table, the puck sound moves from speaker to speaker. Your opponents' unique personal- ities are reflected by their gmnts and comments, such as Biff Raunch muttering "Wimp!" when you miss a serve.
If you're looking for the perfect computer sports game, give Shufflepuck Cafe a try Contact Broderbund, 17 Paul Street, San Rafael, California 94903; (41 5) 492-3200.
EA EA OH!
Electronic Arts (EA) and affiliate label SSI unleashed four new Amiga games this month, three of which aren't copy-protected and can be installed on hard drives.
I guess EA figured that
Powerdrome ($39.95) was too cool to risk releasing without copy-protection, and it was probably right. Sort of a hybrid of Ferrari Formula One and Jet, Powerdrome puts you in the cockpit of a futuristic Ty- phoon racing aircraft.
Unlike automobile racers, you have to contend with tracks that twist not only left and right, but also up and down. On higher-level tracks, strange atmospheres and vary- ing gravities make the game even harder. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to fly an F-16 around a domed stadium, grab Powerdrome,
Swords of Twilight ($49.95) is a new game de- signed by Free Fall Associates, the folks who brought you Ar- chon. A fantasy role-playing game. Swords of Twilight al- lows up to three people to play at once.
There's more to this game than exploring mazes and opening chests. Your actions in the game can affect your repu- tation: Slay a group of innocent commoners in the center of town and you'll have a hard time getting anyone to trust you. You can talk or trade with various characters, or, it that doesn't virork, you can engage in arcade-style combat.
Swords of Twilight actual- ly does a better job of captur- ing the flavor of role-playing games than does Hillsfar, the new Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure from Stra- tegic Simulations. Hillsfar ($49.95) is more a collection of arcade games and puzzles tied together with an AD & D theme.
Still, HW/sfar is fun. You'll need to gain experience in the Arena, atTanna's Target Range, and by picking locks and breaking into various build- ings. Then you'll be ready for more serious threats in the cemetery and Maalthiir's cas- tle. Unless you're a diehard die-rolling AD & D player, you'll probably like the arcade action in Hillsfar.
Finally, there's Star Com- mand ($49.95), which could be the role-playing sleeper of the year. This is a game sure to fascinate folks who've played Traveler, the noncompuler sci- ence-fiction role-playing game.
In true role-playing style, your characters gain expe- rience and skills as you take on a variety of missions ranging from antipiracy patrols to a final mission to save mankind. While the graphics are barely up to even Commodore 64 stan- dards, the number of weapons.
planets, and alien races in the game is impressive. This one won't get repetitive after a few hours of play,
For more information on these games, contact Electron- ic Arts, 1 820 Gateway Drive, San Mateo, California 94404; (800) 245-4525. — Denny Atkin
Along with the Macintosh's friendly interface, fonts have made the machine what it is to- day. But tomorrow, a new era dawns for desktop publishing on the Mac.
Adobe, the company that brought us PostScript, brings us Adobe Type Manager ($99), a type-enhancement package that lets you use high-quality PostScript fonts on the screen and on your ImageWriter. While the package is intriguing, it's also a little finicky. It works only with the outline fonts that Adobe has created. My beta version included Helvetica, Courier, Times, and Symbol, if you own Adobe fonts already, they'll vrork fine with Adobe Type l\^anager. On the other hand, if you want to use Pala- tine and your version of the font came from Apple, you'll need to buy another group of fonts for $198. The program works well, particularly when you set aside a big chunk of memory, print with a good rib- bon, and use best mode. Al- though printing doesn't take much longer than usual, draw- ing the screen when you first open a file does. The worst problem is that you have to bal- ance-Adobe Type Manager's memory needs against other programs' requirements. My one-megabyte Mac SE couldn't run SuperPaint when Adobe Type Manager was run- ning with a 256K memory cache. A smaller cache means worse-quality printing.
From Apple, we get new outline fonts that were an-
nounced with System 7.0. Out- line fonts are described by mathematical formulas instead of patterns of pixels. Besides taking up less memory, they are smoother, you only need one size to generate any other size, and the characters are more easily manipulated. (PostScript fonts are outline fonts.) In a later development, Apple agreed to share outline- font technology with Microsoft in return for a PostScript clone that Microsoft has acquired. As the first competitor (or Post- Script's market, Apple's prod- uct will certainly undermine Adobe's grip on the laser-printer market. On the other hand, those of us who use the Macin- tosh will reap the benefits be- cause we'll see less-expensive printers and better output com- patibility between Macintosh and PC files.
Outside of the desktop publish- ing and graphics orchard, there are some telecommunications bushes and even an ambula- tory apple tree.
When you choose a tele- communications service, count America Online in the list of nominees. Offered by Quan- tum Computer Services, this new telecommunications ser- vice includes bulletin boards, forums, and multiplayer games. Pull-down menus, icons, and windows make you feel at home. Membership costs $5.95 each month plus an houriy charge of S5.00. Contact Quantum Computer Services about introductory rates at 8619 Westwood Cen- ter Drive, Vienna, Virginia 22182; (800) 227-6364.
Finally, just so you know it's out there, the Macintosh portable has been released. This laptop won't (it in your lap very well; it weighs between 14 and 1 6 pounds. It's also more expensive than most low-end laptops — nearly $5,800 without a hard drive and $700 more with one. OK, so maybe it's not aimed at the home computer market, but the Macintosh por- table is well equipped with a beautiful display, a trackball (In- stead of a mouse), and a SuperDrive (a high-density disk drive that reads MS-DOS disks and Mac disks). If you have to take your Macintosh wherever you go, this new machine may be v/orth the money, but most of us can function with an MS- DOS laptop and some good file-translation software. — Heidi £. H. Aycock B
16
COMPUTE
JANUARY 1990
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M ^L ccolade's hot ^^B^^K racing Sim ula- m ^ tionstake
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The Duel Test Driiv U" is the best selling driving game of 1989, Head-to-head racing between the Porsche 959'and Ferrari F40' puts heat on the street. And
now Accolade lets you duel itout with 4 add-on car and scenery disks— The Supercars^The Muscle Cars™ California Challenge" and European ChaUens^c^
Grand Prix Circuit—". . . hands down the fatst driving game we tested, //it uere any more realistic, you'd need to wear Nomex under- wear to play ir."-CAR St Driver
Grand Prix Circuit^whlsks you to the exclusive world of Formula One Racing. Slither and slide through the curves of glamorous Monaco. Blast down the straightaways of Germany. Plunge into the tunnels of Japan. You'll race on the legendary Grand Prix courses, driving for
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And in the wake of its racing success. Accolade launches thunder on the water. Heat Wave: Offihore Superboat Racing" captures the thrills of one
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Stop by your software retailer and take Accolade's racing sim- ulations out for a spin. And while you're there, get the lowdown on Accolade's "Life In The Fast Lane Sweepstakes'— your chance to win a weekend trip to one of three major racing events; a Grand Prix Motorcycle race, a Formula One/Indy Car Grand Prix or an Offshore Powerboat Race.
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YouT Choice of a "Life in The Fast Lane" Fantasy \Vesl<a\d '
ACCOLADE "LIFE IN THE FAST LANE" SWEEPSTAKES OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM
To enter, complete this entry form and mail it via First Class maQ to: ACCOLADE "LIFE IN THE FAST L^NE" SWEEPSTAKES. RO. Box 8973,Wesrport.CT 06888. All entries must be received by March 15. 1990 to be eligible. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN PRIZES,
My choice of a "Life in The Fasl Lane^ faniasy weei<£nd is... (dieck ONE please): D A Grand Prix Motorc>'cle Race weekend (US. International Grand Prix ai
Laguna Seca. CA.- April 1990) D A Ibrmula One or Indy Car Grand Prix weekend (Race and date to be
determined by Accolade) D An Offshore Powerboat Race weekend (Ebce ai^d date to be determined by
Accolade)
KAME OF RETAIL OUTLET VOU SHOP FOR SOFTWARE
CtlY fi STATE OF THAT STORE LOCATION
apfrequirefl)
Type of computer owned^ Q Macintosh D Apple II Series Q Apple IlGS
□ IBM/Tandy & Compadbles D Commodore 64/128 D Commodore Amiga
OPFICUU. RULES
to EntonOfi an Official Enliy Foftn or a plain piece d 3'x S'oapei. harO pnni your name
and Kvrpltte address. If>e name ind aOdress ot tlw rela i ouPel where you ehoo 'Or SOftwate.
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"LHe in T^e Fast Lane"Sweereiates.PO Box B973,Vtesl[jojl.CT OSesaEnlef as often as you wish,
but each enifv fi^sjsi M scri in a separate enviJtope wia firs! Class Mail and recetved by Wa^cli 15.
1990 NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO EWTER OR VJ\H Pfii2ES
Three 13) diHerenl 'life m The Fas^t Lane" lanlasy weekend prizes wll Be awatdM: a Grand Prix Motoicycie Race weeWifid. a Fofmuia One or Indy Cat Grand Ptik weekend and an Olfshore Ftw^etboat Race weekend Each pnze will include such iransponaion airanaements and nther accommodaiions as may be necessary (or iwo people traveling together, including Ihe sports even! ickels. All arrangements shall do made by JlccoJadeal Is deoetKXi^ as to place and e«:rt seiedKin Applicable penod lor faniasv weekend an-angefmenis shall be 4/1/90- i2/3i/90. Eacft winner wifl Dc ottered Tho ogiKxi c* recetvingi $t ,500 ca^Ji instead ol Km lantasy weekend tor two. II One winner wiB be selected lor each ol the Ihrtjo Ofleftml lanlasy •Mi^ietyiptiiestr/rnearisdlAmiiesdlfanaorndtatirnQS to be conducted on 3/l&90bv AUA, Lid,, an indeperident n-tSging organizatcn whose deostorks are tinat Pr i:*e winners witi be rollied by ma<f tv 3/23/90 The wWs ol winning witl depend upon the numoer ol vaJid entries received WjnnerswiH be required ID provide social security number [fo* 'ji^ purposes), and tosqn an atfidavH ol e!igii>iiiiy and fkj&ticiiv/lability retease.Tax liaWiry on prize winnirngs, IS the icsponsitiiliiy at eadi winner Prizes are not transteraWe; however, any prize won ty a minor wpII &e awarded m iho name ol a patcnl or guardian. niolbllltyi Otter good only m USA and US Governmen! insiallaiions, Employoosot Accolade, Inc.jis marketing a9enccs,lhi.5 program's supplfCTs.ondlheir immediaiefsrniliosaio notGliQibleio win, WjkJ wherever piohitMled or restrictsd DyJaw To requesia lis! o! If>e prce winrwrs. send a siafflpeti.sel-addressod envelopo belwo ^15^ Lite in The FaS Lane" Winners. PO Box 9?0. V*!Sipon,CT 06881.
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Terminals where futuristic aircraft designs are modified in just seconds.
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You'll receive not only the highest-quality technical training, but guaranteed hands-on e}q)erience Use equip- ment and technology so advanced, it may be years before the rest of the world even reads about it
But there's much more to the Air Force than mainframes and megabytes.
We offer equally exciting opportunities in to- day's most sought-after fields. Electronics.
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Circle Reader Service Number 200
N FOCUS
GRAB YOUR FUNNY HATS, YOUR CUMMERBUNDS, AND YOUR SEQUINED PURSES. WE'RE THROWING A PARTY AND PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS. THE NEW YEAR IS A TIME FOR CELEBRATION, AND WE NEVER RUN OUT OF EXCUSES TO CHEER. FIRST, WE'LL CHEER FOR THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST— THE PC PACKAGES THAT WON THE 1990 COMPUTE! CHOICE AWARDS. IMAGINE A ROOMFUL OF OPINIONATED EDITORS, EACH WITH A BUNDLE, OF FAVORITE NEW PACKAGES, EACH CAMPAIGNING FOR A DIFFERENT PROGRAM. WHEN THE TUMULT SUBSIDED, WE FOUND A LIST OF 19 WINNERS. READ ABOUT THEM ON PAGE 22. PC PACKAGES
/EREN'T THE ONLY SHINING STARS THIS YEAR. OUR SPECIFIC SPECIALISTS CHOSE FIVE TOP PRODUCTS AND SOME RUNNERS- UP FOR EACH COMPUTER WE COVER. COMPARE YOUR LIST TO THEIRS ON PAGE 39. CHOOSING AWARD WINNERS IN EDUCATION MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT TEST YOU TAKE THIS YEAR. READ ABOUT THE HALLMARKS OF GREAT TEACHING TOOLS IN ^^MY VIEW" ON PAGE 36. ON OUR DISK, YOU'LL FIND FIVE TOPNOTCH PROGRAMS THAT COULD WIN TOP HONORS WITH YOUR FAMILY. YOU CAN READ ABOUT THEM ON PAGE 50, ''RESOURCES," ON PAGE 48, WILL TELL YOU HOW TO FIND FUTURE FIRST- PRIZE- WORTHY SOFTWARE. A NEW YEAR— AND MANY NEW REASONS TO GET EXCITED ABOUT HOME COMPUTING AND HOT NEW PACKAGES COMPETING FOR NEXT YEAR'S FIERCELY COVETED
JANUARY 1990
C O M P U T E I
21
THE 1990 GOMPUn!
ONLY A FEW HOME
COMPUTING PRODUCTS
CAN BE THE BEST.
HERE'S WHAT WE
THINK THEY ARE.
▲
THE EDITORS OF COMPUTE!
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Ei or the second year in a row, the editors of COMPUTE! have dug out ^^from under an avalanche of software and hardware to crown the year's best home computer products. Not all of them are flashy; not all of ihem are fun. But each one carries with it certain qualities that lift it I above its peers. I This year we've expanded our categories to 19 and covered the
areas we address every month — productivity, entertainment, and education. .■Across the board, we found many worthy contenders and a not a few pretenders to the throne. Some especially strong products in j--^the simulation categories made choosing difficult, as did some great j| utilities, word processors, and hardware. In the end, though, we could choose only 19 — 19 out of the multitudes.
Of course, these awards don't encompass the entire computer spectrum, as we limited our choices to MS-DOS-based products. The other computer systems we cover had their own share of notable products this year, and we asked our staff experts and contributors to fill us in. You can read about their choices in "Best of the Rest" on page 39.
Last of all, we would never expect our readers to take our choices sitting down. To that end, we've devised a ballot so that you can vote for your personal favorite. You'll find it on page 32. We look forward to hearing from you and getting your views from the front lines of personal computing.
We try to maintain a healthy perspective on home computing here, which isn't always easy when bombarded with more software in one week than most people buy in a couple of years. We know it isn't easy for you to choose from among all the packages and products at your local computer dealer's store and in the mail-order catalogs. Our job is to tell you which products can enhance your computing experience and which ones will frustrate you. The breadth and depth of our experience with these products can help you make up your mind when it comes time to buy. We hope the COMPUTE! Choice Awards add to your knowledge and help you find the perfect packages for you.
SMALL BUSINESS
BetterWorking Eight-in-One
Integrated packages are a boon to home-office workers and others in small businesses who have to keep a sharp eye on the bottom line. Almost anyone who buys a computer from a retail store will walk out the door with some kind of integrated soft- ware. By offering Ihrfee or four pro- grams under the umbrella of a similar interface, integrated packages make a lot of sense for both begin- ning and experienced users.
When it comes to balancing price and performance, it's hard for any integrated package to compete with Spinnaker's BetterWorking Eighl-in-One. For under $60, you get a word processor with a spelling checker and a thesaurus, a spread- sheet with a companion graphing program for bringing presentations to life, a database, a telecommu- nications module, an outliner for brainstorming, and a slew of desktop
JANUARY 1990
C O M P U T E I
23
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accessories. This is a package you can live with for some time, and one that many people may never leave. Couple the program's features with its ease of use and you have a package that can get right to work for your home business and your fam- ily's computing tasks as well. The
You also get a cache program, a hard disk optimizer, a program that encrypts and compresses your data, and a hard disk backup program that's fast and easy to use.
Best of all, the various compo- nent programs are well integrated with a common user interface, are of
key to computer productivity is a short learning curve and flexibility between applications. On the strength of its versatility alone, this is one program that can carrj' you into home computing without letting you down.
very high quality, and represent an excellent value. Or, to put it in just 12 words: PC Tools is the best utihty you can buy for your PC.
UTILITY
PC Tools Deluxe 5.5
Describe PC Tools in 200 words? Impossible!
OK, here goes. The desktop por- tion of PC Tools, which uses as little as 40K., includes a notepad (you can load as many as 1 5 at a time), an appointment scheduler (with mem- ory-resident alarms), a database
'. ; (which reads and writes dBase files),
ti three calculators (algebraic, financial,
and programmer's), a telecommu- nications program (with scripting language, XMODEM, and back- ground transfers), a keyboard macro program, and an outliner.
The shell portion of PC Tools. which uses as little as 1 OK, can launch your favorite applications with a single keystroke, work with two drives or two paths simulta- neously, locate lost files, undelete files, and display a map of your computer's memory.
24 COMPUTEI JANUARY 1990
PERSONAL ORGANIZER
Arriba
This personal information manager (PIM) is as speedy as its name, offer- ing a variety of useful tools for keep- ing track of contacts, addresses, dates, and memoranda. Good Soft- ware has lived up to its name as well, making sound choices about features and tradeoffs in Arriba's design.
Although a character-based pro- gram, Arriba uses the file folder and file cabinet as its central metaphors. You store informational notes in folders; you gather groups of folders into file cabinets. You can search, link, and examine all of the infor- mation in your folders and cabinets in a variety of ways. Searching is particularly fast, and the program in- cludes calendar functions that are among the best and most fiexible anywhere. \ resident function lets you keep Arriba in memory while you run other applications.
While there are some limita- tions— the size restrictions imposed
on notes makes it difficult to co- ordinate large, text-intensive projects — Arriba nevertheless brings together a package of surprising suppleness and variety. Its interface is straightforward and simple, and the program contains plenty of help screens.
More affordable and easier to use than most PIMs, Arriba is the kind of program the personal com- puter was invented for.
WORD PROCESSING
Microsoft Word 5.0 When Word was introduced seven years ago, it set new standards for word processing. Microsoft, not con- tent to rest on its laurels, has contin- ued to improve, refine, and extend the program with each new release.
The latest version of Word has everything you'd expect to find in a high-end word processor — integrated spelling checker, thesaurus, macros, online help, and redlining — but you'll also discover an array of other powerful features including graphics import, math, style sheets, annota- tions, bookmarks, and a comprehen- sive tutorial.
Word's success, however, lies in the way it integrates its features through easy-to-follow menus, speed keys, and user-defined macros. This program's interface is also unusual in that it pairs a flexible text mode with a WYSIWYG graphics display, both powered by excellent mouse support and extensive keyboard control.
Microsoft Word 5.0 wins the 1990 COMPUTE! Choice .-^ward for best word processor because of its depth and its intelligently integrated, elegant, and accessible interface. Microsoft's continued dedication to improving the program and support- ing its user base is a model of in- dustry commitment.
DESKTOP PRESENTATION/VIDEO
Perspective Junior
Perspective Junior earns its 1990 COMPUTE! Choice Award by pack- ing so much power into a $149 pro- gram and including features usually found only in packages costing sev- eral times more. With its highly intu- itive interface, you can be creating and printing presentation-quality graphics within an hour of installing the program.
By using a row/column data- entry format similar to that of spreadsheets, the program's data manager lets you easily enter the information — as values, headings, legends, titles, and so forih — that you
?
The Ad Lib Music Card:
Openyour ears and blowyour mind.
Asteroids are hurtling by. Enemy photons are de- stroying the rear deflectors. Engines strain as they reach critical mass. Suddenly you hit the retros, loop ( around, and fire with everything you've got.
And what kind of awesome, breath-taking music is youf computer playing? "Bleep, bop, beep." Pretty weak, eh?
Well listen up. Because now there's the Ad Lib Music Card. It's the digital music synthesizer that's conquering the final frontier of truly realistic game playing— totally ear-blasting sound.
Confront the dark overlord, and Ad Lib's 11-piece orchestra will back you up with gutsy, heart-sweliing music. And if you meet
an untimely death, rest assured that Ad Lib's funeral dirge will bring tears to the eyes of your loved ones.
In fact, the Ad Lib sound is so hot, major game developers are now designing dozens of new adventures with special soundtracks just for the Ad Lib Music Card.
Call us at 1-800-463-2686 for the name of your nearest dealer, for more information, and for the ever-growing list of major game titles with spectacular Ad Lib soundtracks.
Add the missing dimension to your games with the Ad Lib Music Card. From a solo to a symphony. Ad Lib's music makes the adventure come alive.
Ad Lib Inc., SO Staniford Street, Suite 800, Boston, MA D2tM. 1-S00-4S3-2BBB in U.S. or Canada, t-m-529-3676 International. Fax: 1'418-529-rm.
New Compatible
Games.
Here are just some of the hottest new computer games designed for use with the Ad Lib Music Card:
^^^'S^J'^^ISVtS '■
Lucasfilm's Thcii Finest Hour. Batlleol Britain
Mic[oPfose's F-15 Strike Ea^le II
Taiia's ArhaniQild I) Revenge of DOH
Activision's Ghoslbusleis II
Sierta's Hero's Quest
System requirements: IBM PC. XX AT, or compatible with Z&6K RAM, \XS 30 pr higher, CGA. EGA. or monochrome gr^hics edaptor. and headset or exleriial ^jealer. ® 1989 Ad lib. Ad Ub is a registered trademaric of Ad Lib Inc. IBM is a registered tratJemdrk of InternstionjI Business Machines Corporation- Circle Readef Service Number 194
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want to render graphically. Perspec- tive Junior is compatible with other popular PC programs including Loliis 1-2-3. Microsoft Excel, and Miiltiplan as well as with ASCII files.
Multiple printer support, along with the ability to print to disk, brings even more flexibility to the program. Save your graphics to disk in either GEM or TIFF formats for export into other programs.
Even if you're only beginning to experiment with presentation graph- ics. Perspective Junior can get you out of the lab and into the real world of desktop presentations.
LANGUAGE/OS
DOS 4.x
Big Blue's favorite operating system got a shot in the arm with this latest version. Although DOS was tempera- mental in its first release, IBM and Microsoft have ironed out the kinks and provided users with an in- cremental step toward future PC- compatible operating systems.
Among this version's more nota- ble features are its support for mem- ory above the 640K limit and its ability to work with hard disk par- titions larger than 32 megabytes. Simple to install and flexible to a fault, DOS 4,x makes moving up from DOS 3.3 a viable option for many users.
Also distinguishing this package from earlier versions — and perhaps acting as a harbinger of the DOS world to come — is its shell. If you've grown weary of the notorious DOS prompt, you'll appreciate how this graphics interface simplifies many of your computing tasks. You can per- form several file operations in the shell, including loading a file and its governing application by means of the Associate command.
With indications that IBM will
bundle Windows with DOS some- time this year, a graphics interface is a timely addition because it will initiate people who before opted for the command line or a third-party menu system.
The shell in DOS 4.x isn't Win- dows, and it isn't Presentation Man- ager as we'll see it implemented under OS/2, but it is a step in the right direction.
ADD ON/PERIPHERAL
UltraVision
It doesn't seem that long ago that you bought your state-of-the-art EGA adapter for your PC. Now VGA is the rage and, though you'd like to keep up in the graphics race, you can't justify spending almost $1,000 for a VGA adapter and a new monitor.
Enter UltraVision from Personics. This hardware/software combination gives EGA users many of the capabilities of a VGA system for only $120. This product adds a number of new display modes to the standard 80 X 24 EGA display. You can, for example, view 132 columns of text when working with large spreadsheets. With a multisync mon- itor, UltraVision makes your EGA card compatible with VGA's 640 X 480 pixel 1 6-color graphics mode.
With UltraVision, you're no longer limited to the default EGA colors; you can select any 16 colors from the 64-color EGA palette to use with your programs. The software also includes 1 7 custom screen fonts designed for better readability in the new high-resolution text modes. And best of all, UltraVision only occupies 7K-17Kof RAM.
UltraVision takes home a 1990 COMPUTE! Choice Award for its power, usefulness, and value in a world of high-priced hardware.
STAND-ALONE HARDWARE
Sharp Wizard
The Sharp Wizard can't compete with a laptop, but then a laptop can't fit in your pocket or purse. The most popular media phrases used to de- scribe the eight-ounce Wizard — elec- tronic organizer, information manager, hand-held productivity de- vice— are all on the mark. The Wiz- ard offers an impressive array of features at the push of a button: cal- endar, phone directory, notepad, cal- culator, scheduler, and two clocks (local and world). It comes with 32K of RAM, a 16 X 8 Hne display win- dow, and separate alphabetic and nu- meric keyboard layouts. The Wizard operates on two lithium batteries with a long-life battery backup.
But what makes the Wizard even more impressive is its array of support peripherals. Sharp offers IC cards that can be inserted into the Wizard's touch-sensitive window port. Available cards include 32K and 64K R.AM cards, Time/Expense Manager, Thesaurus/Dictionary, and 8-Language Translator. Several more cards will be available shortly. An- other offering is a cable-and-softwarc package (PC and Macintosh versions available) for bidirectional down- loading between the Wizard and your computer. Other support prod- ucts include a small printer, a cas- sette data-storage device, and a Wizard-to- Wizard cable for exchang- ing information between units.
The Wizard gamers a COM- PUTE! Choice Award this year not just because of its dizzying array of features, but also because it provides a glimpse of the future of portable computing.
DESKTOP PUBLISHING/GRAPHICS
Publish-lt! Lite!
Between the worlds of desktop publishing and word processing is a nether region of document proces- sors, form makers, and label gen- erators that offer specific functionality at the cost of overall fiexibility. Not every user needs the power of PageMaker, nor is every user able to get by with a copy of The Newsmaster II. But a lot of bud- ding publishers will find that Time- works' Publish-It! Lite! fits the bill with power to spare.
Essentially a slimmed-down ver- sion of the company's Publish-Ii!. the Lite! version sacrifices little in its bid for ease of use. It nins under the GEM graphics environment, giving it a look similar lo Ventura Publisher. Lite! can import formatted text from
26 COMPUTEI
JANUARY 1990
The
Jandy 1000
Strength in numbers*
Whether you're balancing your
company's books or just
balancing your checkbook, the
Tandy 1000 provides the
financial muscle you need.
Figure and refigure at will. Without the endless stream of calculator tape, the worn out
erasers and the headaches.
A built-in graphical user
interface frees you from learning
confusing computer jargon.
DeskMate® software, with its
spreadsheet, word processor and
filer, is included. Once you use
it, you can easily master any of
a variety of programs designed
like DeskMate.
Need more power? We offer America's broadest PC line.
Remember; more people use
Tandy lOOOs than any other
PC compatible. Now that's
strength in numbers.
RadM» /haelf
The Technology Store""
A DIVISION OF TANDY CORPOflATION
Circle Reader Service Number 199
a number of word processors, as well as graphics in PCX and IMG file formats.
The few shortcuts LUe! makes are in the areas of document size, style sheets, and adjustable kerning. Still, even without those features, this program is all the publishing power many of us will ever need. To top it all off, Timeworks offers an in- expensive upgrade path to Publish-lt! should you want to do more. Few publishing packages can deliver so much for under S60.
^ij-r^ij-rj.\j/jjVJ^jtr
ADVENTURE SIMULATION
SimCity
So many computer games take you to fantastic, unreal places — space, haunted dungeons, early history. SimCity takes you home.
This intricate, absorbing simula- tion will keep you occupied for hours. When you start with a blank tract of land, the possibilities for growth are infmite. Place a residen- tial zone over here by the lake; drop an industrial zone over there by the river. A commercial zone buffers the cozy cottages from the belching smoke stacks, and roads connect all three. Add a little patience and you get cars moving along the highways, houses growing into apartment build- ings, citizens complaining about taxes. Before long, you're building a stadium to host the Super Bowl.
Starting your own city is challenging fun, but you'll also enjoy playing the scenarios that Maxis Software has included on the disk. Tackle the simple malaise of a turn- of-the-century Dullsville, or solve the baffling nuclear meltdown of a futur- istic Boston.
SimCity'i graphics are detailed
and translate well across a variety of computers. The designers have taken great care to use the strengths of each machine. Sound also speaks well for this game — a traffic reporter an- nounces bottlenecks, Godzilla cries out in triumph, and the bulldozer buzzes across the landscape.
Maxis Software has created a game unlike any other and opened up a new genre of simulations. That ef- fort alone is worthy of a COMPUTE! Choice Award, but the game's success speaks for itself We hope a lot of software publishers are listening.
SPORTS GAME
Kings of the Beach
Take it from a volleyball player who has been sidelined with an injury. Kings of she Beach is an extremely realistic simulation of doubles in the sand. One day 1 was jumping up to spike the ball; the next day I was consoling myself on Electronic Arts' software beach, my knee in a brace and my next game postponed indefinitely.
Few other sports simulations re- produce the real feel of the game as Kings of the Beach. Take spiking, the high point in every volleyball junk- ie's game. This power hit is no trivial press of a joystick button. You have to time your double-click so that you jump and swing just right. One sec- ond off and you'll be at the apex of your leap while the ball bounces accusingly across the sand. Real life is no different, just more humiliating.
It's this sort of attention that makes Kings of the Beach a COM- PUTE! Choice winner. It's also the interface, which works very smoothly; the sound, which com- plements the game with such effects as cheering crowds; and the graphics, which add detail, color, and humor to the game.
If you decide to play, a word of
advice: The game's referee comes equipped with a stack of penalty cards. Don't argue with him; he'll give you a yellow card faster than you can shake the sand out of your shorts.
VEHICLE SIMULATION
\*tte!
For years, the best computer vehicle simulations were over our heads — literally. Jet fighters and attack heli- copters ruled the roost. When it came to more pedestrian pursuits, hke driving, we were left with scroll- ing screens and a limited gaming universe.
No more. Spectrum HoloByte has succeeded in blending the best of night-simulator technology (3-D solid-modeling graphics and a wide- open terrain) with the beat of city streets. The result is Vette!, a driving simulation so close to the real thing that GM could well see a decline in car sates.
In this game, you're not limited to a racetrack or a single ribbon of road. The designers have captured the city of San Francisco and ren- dered it faithfully on your computer. From the Golden Gate Bridge to the San Francisco Zoo, the entire down- town is your private Le Mans. Turn down almost any cross street you like in this point-to-point rat race against one of four exotic imports,
Vettel garners the COMPUTE! Choice .Award for vehicle simulation by taking a genre — driving games — into the next generation. Although the hardware price is high {you need an .AT-class computer with 512K of RAM and EGA graphics to get real satisfaction from playing), this pack- age is both a fine example of what the PC game experience is all about and a harbinger of games to come.
ARCADE GAME
Archipelagos
The strange worid of Archipelagos is so real that you may forget that you're sitting in front of a computer. Looking across the vast checkered landscape of a desolate future Earth, it's easy to lose your grip.
Your goals in Archipelagos are to shut down a network of nuclear- power nodes, clean up the Earth, and make the planet safe for humans. The spectacular graphics in EGA and VGA modes include an eerily alien landscape, blood-red toxic waste, and strange alien plant life. Your quest is made hazardous by waste patches, necromancers, and malfunctioning air cleaners. >
28 COMPUTEI
JANUARY 1990
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11 A H *i^< |
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By Robert Weatherby |
"^.■eSs&i^x
... With All Their Signature Moves
Jl
Kareem's patented skyhook
• Jordan's air show
]
The Mailman delivers the jam
• Isiah drives the lane
• Bird hits the 3-pointer And yon control all the action.
:-';iC-.^-v-^VO-|
Full-court. Five-on-five.
You make the calls. You
make the substitutions.
You play offense. And
defense. All this in either
a one- or two-player
competitive mode.
Play single games or enter the playoff tourney. Real players. The top teams. Hope for an "easy" first round matchup.
ELECTRONIC ARTS'
How to Order.
1. Visit your local ntaihr.
2. Phone with VtSA/MC: USA or Canada 800-245-4525, Mon.-Fri. 8AM-5PM Pacific time.
1 Send check or money order (US S. US Bank) lo Eiectroaic Arts Direct Sales. P.O. Bom 7530. Son Mateo CA 94403. Add £7.130 shipping and handling, CA orders gdd7% sales^ tax. Allow 2-4 weeks when ordering by mail.
IBM version S45.35 (5 1/4" or 3 J/2' disks available j. Ail screen shots represent actual IBM version. IBM is a registered trademark of Intarnaticnat Business Machines. Corp.
Circle Readar Service Number 190
r^ni^^^^M^i"^
Archipelagos wins its COM- PUTE! Choice Award for the way it combines great graphics, ease of con- trol, smooth scrolling, and a fascinat- ing and environmentally conscious scenario. With 9999 levels of play, you'll probably still be at it when the 1991 awards are given out
WAR/STRATEGY
Red Storm Rising
If you thought reading Tom Clancy's
bestseller Red Storm Rising really brought you into the heat of under- sea battle, wait till you play the com- puter game.
Red Storm Rising is a sub- marine simulation based on best-sell- ing author Tom Clancy's vision of World War III, and it is, quite sim- ply, a gaming tour deforce. You command a modern submarine in combat against Eastern Bloc subs and ships as the war in Europe waxes and wanes according to the success or failure of your actions.
A wide variety of torpedoes and missiles make a number of combat tactics possible. Modern submarine combat is guided from radar and so- nar screens, not from a periscope. Fast action and realistic displays give you the feeling that you're really in the heat of underwater combat.
Red Storm Rising does take time to learn. You begin with a few training missions, where you learn the ins and outs of maneuvering your sub and firing at enemy ships. Then it's on to the battle scenarios, where you encounter everything from a lone enemy sub to that great- est of prizes: a carrier. Finally, you reach World War III, where your sub's actions can have a direct im- pact on the outcome of the conflict.
Rich in detail and surprisingly playable, Red Storm Rising sets the standard for submarine simulations.
FRP/ADVENTURE
King's Quest IV
The ever-popular King's Quest series continues with King's Quest IV, The Perils ofRosella. Complete with a ten-minute mini-film introduction through which you learn of King Graham's impending death, the Fairy Queen Genesta's missing magic necklace, and Rosella's uncommon bravery as she places her own life in jeopardy and accepts the call of duty, the journey winds through the king- dom of Daventry and environs. You'll encounter strange characters and creatures, whether in the light of day or in the dark of night.
The program's nine 5'/t-inch disks contain an enormous amount of outstanding graphics and sound. When viewed on an EGA monitor, the characters and settings are as real as anything you'll see in a computer game. Sierra's 3-D effects add an ex- tra dimension of enjoyment during your journey. The excellent audio, with music composed by Sierra's own musicians, supports many popular sound cards, including the Roland MT-32, the Ad Lib, and IBM boards.
We gave King's Quest IV a 1990 COMPUTE! Choice .Award because of its inventive story, three megabytes of code, outstanding 3-D graphics, and unmatched sound capabilities. The game sets a standard others will be hard-pressed to match.
CHILDREN
The Children's Writing & Publishing Center
The Children's Writing & Publishing Center emerged this year from an ex- cellent list of educational titles. Tar- geted for ages 8-14, the Learning
Company's feature-laden package is not only an excellent introduction to desktop publishing, but is also a gen- tle initiation to word processing. Describing CWPC as "easy to use" is an understatement.
What really makes CU^PC stand out is its ability to offer so many fea- tures without bogging down the user. Menus let you choose page format (newsletter, story, report, or letter), heading, and font style and size. All of these choices are graphically dis- played, so all you do is view, decide, point, and select. The clip art is outstanding: 159 pieces are a couple of keypresses away. And placing your art is a snap; Move it wherever you like and the text wraps around neatly. A good-looking page takes but a few minutes of time. All popular printers, including color printers, are supported.
In its ads and packaging. The Learning Company makes the point, and rightly so, that CIVPC is a tool that helps children to write and think clearly. A point not made, however .Adults will enjoy using CWPC as much as kids will.
YOUNG ADULT
College Explorer
Practically in a class by itself College Explorer eases the laborious process of choosing which college seems most suited to the tastes of graduat- ing high-school students or other young adults. The program's data- base of 2800 colleges, along with its 400 features and preferences that you can use to narrow or broaden your search, provides the enormous flexibility needed to find just the school that best fits your goals, abil- ity, and financial situation.
Beginning with broad criteria specifications, the program narrows your choices with categorical ques- tions about location, size, campus life, fees, competitive sports, majors, and more. By matching your preferences to its database, College Explorer lets you take that campus tour without shelling out for airfare or spending all your time and money ordering cat- alogs and poring over facts in the guidance counselor's office.
The database, the easy-to-use manual, and the helpful menus make College Explorer a simple pleasure in the search for higher education.
By assembling such a useful database and then providing ease of access. College Explorer makes choosing a college less a chore than a challenge. And that makes our choosing it for a COMPUTE! Choice ,Award all the easier. t>
30
C O M P U T E I
JANUAf?Y 1990
Electronic Arts introduces three state-of-the-art simulations for air, land or sea!
Prices are suggested retail prices f 5.25" version; actual prices may vary by dealer. 3.5 "version available. To order, visit your retailer or call 800-245-4525 Irom US or Canada Sam -5pm Pacific Time.
Available for most IBM," Tandy"" and PC-compatible computers. Screen shots represent IBM version. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines, Tandy is a registered trademark of Tandy Corporation.
CHUCK YEAGER'S Advanced Flight Trainer 2.0^
The hit is improved. New realistic terrain, Yeager's Flying Insights"" cassette, Thunderbirds formations, 18 aircraft, and more! White knucl<le thrills with the master test pilot. $49.95. By Ned Lemer
ABRAMSr BATTLE TANr
The world looks hostile from an MIAI gunner's sight. Feel the blast of your 120mm cannon in tough, realistic combat action. $39.95. By Dynamix
688 ATTACK SUB"
Command the billion dollar high tech US 688 or Soviet Atfa sub. Hunt and evade unnervingly human enemies. Unmatched color, realism, and 3D
, ^ graphics. $49.95.
*^*^ By John W. Ratcliff
circle Reader Service Number 149
wmm mm j^hie
ADULT
The Perfect Career
Choosing a career intimidates so many of us because it seems as though the quality of our lives de- pends on the quality of our job choice. The Perfect Career can help take off some of the pressure.
Through a series of nearly 180 questions, the program determines
your abilities and interests in re- sponse to your answers. It then sug- gests possible careers suited to your interests and skills and directs you to in-depth profiles of those recom- mended careers.
Easy to use. The Perfect Career makes good use of its menu inter- face. At each juncture, you choose your next step from a hst of possibil- ities. Summon charts with a key-
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1990 COMPUlt! READERS' CHOICE AWARDS |
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You've seen what we had to say about this year's crop of home computer packages. Now tell us what you think. Below are the top vote getters in each of our 20 categories. Check ttie products that won your support this year and mail in your ballot by f^/larch 1, 1990. Don't agree with whal you see? Use the line below each group to write in your pick and the computer on which you use it. Mail your ballot to COMPUTE! Choice, P.O. Box 5406, Greensboro, North Carolina 27403. Small Business FRP/Adventure Game D BetterWbrking Eight-in-One D King's Quest IV n Lucid 3-D D Hillsfar D Quicken version 3.0 n Space Quest III |
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Word Processing D Microsoft Word 5.0 DAml a MacWrite II |
Sports Game D Kings of ttie Beach D The Games: Summer Edition n Jack NIcklaus' Greatest 18 Hdes of Maiof Championship Gol! |
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Personal Organiser D Arriba D Instant Recall D WeatthBuiWer |
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War/Strategy D Omega D Red Storm Rising D Genghis Khan |
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Language/OS D DOS 4.x D Hyperpad D Topspeed Modula-2 |
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Vehicle Simulation D \*tte! D F-19 Stealth Fighter D Jet Rqhter: The Adventure |
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Utility n PC Tools Deluxe 5.5 □ ViewUnk O Norton Utilities 4.5 |
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Adventure Simulation D SimCtty D Hidden Agenda D Search for the Titanic |
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Desktop Publishing/Graphics D Pubfish-ltl Lite! D Go-Script |
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Children D T^ie Children's Writing & Publishing Center |
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Desktop Presentation/Video D Perspective Junior n Studio 1 |
D The New Talking Stickybear Alphabet |
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Young Adult D College Explorer |
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Stand-Alone Hardware D Sharp Wizard D HP DeskJet Plus D NEC Ultralite |
n Wildlife Adventures: Grizzly Bears |
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Adutt n The Perfect Career D Mastering the LSAT |
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Add On/Pertpheral D UifaVision D VGA-TV |
D Music Studio 3,0 |
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Reference D PC Globe 3.0 |
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Arcade Game D Archipelagos n Hole-in-One Miniature Golf D Outrun |
D UnkWay |
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1 |
Stroke; choose lest answers by hitting a letter.
The program's interest and expe- rience tests are detailed and probing. By the time you finish answering all the questions, the computer can tell you which jobs would be most in- teresting to you and compare them to the jobs for which you are most qualified. Mindscape's program in- cludes work sheets that help you identify your career goals and gain the qualifications you lack for land- ing the ideal job.
We gave The Perfect Career the COMPUTE! Choice Award because it's such a great place to start your career search, whether you've just graduated from school or you're just ready for a change. This program fills a need with plenty of useful information. Armed with the facts, looking for that perfect job could be a lot less stressful. Landing it, of course, is up to you.
REFERENCE
PC Globe 3.0
Why didn't someone do this sooner? Organize the information you'd find in a top-flight world atlas — maps, geography statistics, demographics — and put it all together in the form of a disk-based interactive database. That's what Comwell Systems did, and did right. In fact, it did a great job.
The premise of PC Globe 3.0 is simple: Present a world map and let the user target a continent, a region, an international group (NATO, OPEC, or Warsaw Pact, for ex- ample), or a country. From here you can find major cities or geographical features, or even take a look at the selected area's topography. Beyond this, you can get facts and figures — presented as text or graphs — on population, age distribution, lan- guages, ethnic groups, religions, health statistics, city information, gross national product, agricultural and industrial resources, imports and exports, government, culture, and tourism for any country selected.
Dig deeper in, say, health statis- tics, and you can get such data as pharmacists per capita. Want to compare this number with those from other countries? Select the countries you want from the menu and then press a key.
All of these features are but a hint at what PC Globe 3.0 offers. The program gets high marks for design, especially in case of use, crisp graph- ics, and speed. It cleariy dem- onstrates why more people should own and use personal computers. Q
32 COfvlPUTE
JANUARY 1990
f^ ^lundr«ls of other Prizes
New Orleans. The Superdome.The biggest game of the year! All as close as your local software dealer! That's where you'll find ABC's Monday Night Footbair-first in a hot new series of fast-action games from Data East MVP Sports:"
Win the Grand Prize! A trip for four to football's premier event- Super Bowl XXIV Plus hundreds of other major prizes! You can win $5,000 in cash, Sony* entertainment systems or Data Easfs ABC's Monday Night Football pinball machines!
Its simple. Just take this ad to your participating dealer and compare the symbol on the game piece below to those on the back of ABC's Monday Night Football package. If they match, you're an instant winner!
ABC's Monday Night Football from Data East MVP Sports. Experience it! Up close and personal. More action, more color and more fun.The sights and sounds of ABC's Monday Night Football. Available tor
the IBMTC/compatibles, and the Commodore 64."
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' DaQ Eafl MVP Sports is a ^aoemarv (rf Data EasI USA, Ina
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Hew ki WW: Sifrpiy take ffie pnffi synW '53™ P»»i"n ta ad 10 yotf jbtoq- patiogreaiKExaaiyrraldiDspnzEsyTn^nivajii ;;anc piece w^ one of the prix syn«{A Ituid on speiiaty mahnl packages D( Oab E^ MVP Sports A^ Monday MlgM Rnltal games and fou win Ow ptus iiKUautt. Vou may also obtain a maicf! and wm pnM symM game p«ra {*TBie supplies Uaj and a copy rf iSie winning pnrE symDoti by sen^ asOmped, s&l-addioscd Envriope byDeconber 31, t939 loDala Easi MVf Sports Sweeti^skcs F^epjests, RO. Box fi455,BeaveftDr>, OR 97076.*W and VT rssidenQ need nrt atftt postaoe to iHum cfrwitope. I you ae a pnre winff, c±am ywr pfiffi by se«ki6 ycur ift^mino pfiffl syiTibd 3^ p«ece tfiOi ynii signature ^nd ymi narra. avnptete aOiress and ^ttona lum- be-KitheipatxspnnnPedv^CHt^edortgoisieredmail loDaa East MVP Sports Stwwahs Winner PC. Box U%. B«av«rain. OB 97C76. A(l winning diains musl ba i«Hved by Jaruary 10. 19$<1 Af7 Dfticd o^ire Cibx cv P^^ f syiTiCot trfue^ a lageO. tampvod wrlh, muttatK]. conOH^ prirrEing er-n or $ rnUsned trrouQ^ QtM Dhd approwd dSDibuQon. a vCNd Decoion ol |u4q« r on a[l mattfcs All indaimed ffizcs wil3 be awarded m a Second C^<lIlce jsindoni drawing !lvou are noc an jrs&ntwiriiwpnnlyDU name. corriMCt address. And pfiofM! numw m tfw spaces prwsied on yuw ptue symtwl ffane pisw anfl riui] to Daia EiS If^'P Spcre Second ChajH Sweepstakes. PO- Box 64$8, 6«3^^ OB 970rs. Second Cfi^K Sweepsfekes entries tnjst be maiW separately and rKfiived by January 10, 1990. rf tficra a;e arry undamed pniw. Second &ance winrras wU be randomhy drawn on Janiiay 15, 1990. by ACS Martettnij SetviCKS, krx,, jn indepesiOentjiitJgirjg oroanuHboo wtBsededsions ae final Oditertwirinirm Second Chance Drawing depwid on the numMr of unclaimed priies am) valid wtDTCS reoetved 'Joi responsible iw lost late, mssdirected. inaxifpleiE a lUegiUe emrieLWinnas wia be nctifed By maji. One Grand Ptim winnci wtll recctve 3 Uip lor lout to Suptf Bowi XXIV ui New OrCear^Tnp indudn louc^ irig tyjutfi atlare \a/ itason^At ffsuni Eran^xxtauinri3£K>k2l>iei.trirBenioiTti lodging. tK:icetslor Utf to ihe Si>(£r Bowl lOOV game, trandss b aixl trcm the gan^. pit- ;^rrie brjnch afti S500 casT, tv expenses, appciDoniate rstai vabe iibased on lurthesi poni ^ Oepanufe] SS^SOO, One FirS PriiE wnrw will rscefv? S6.000 wi C3s^-Tw1> Second FTiffi wniers wtl each receive a Sony Sitalainmeni Cwtei. ajKH'owmals retsl i^bM $3,500 EacJi.TNee Thn] PfiZEwi^iners wil recervea Data EjsI ABC^MoxJs^ Nght l^octOall Pinbail game, approximate lelal value $3,000 tach 1.OOC Fmtrth Prize wKifws win ea* recede w ABC Sportt Monday Nigm FogIIbII 20m Annwrsafy Commerwabve vjdeo. app(OK>maie letail vaiui $J0 eacii. Total aopfOKlnaiefaall vafue Ol all ptizcs $49,500. Odds of winning inslanUyjieGrnndPiua-l;? ,000.000, Rrst Pnff-l:2.0CO.00O, Second Priffi- VI, 000.000, Third PiUh-I 666.557, FftjflJi Pnffi-t:2.000 SwKOSUiies open lo iBSdenisof Uie US escefll employees and lamilies (tf Data Eaa USA Inc^. IB aJPslK sulBtiian(!s.a*Titsrfl afil pfCfra^ agefoes and pnrters. AJI pares wifl be awsdee. bmil gne prtne pa fsnih/^KxjSi- hold. Ato sJatAjbOTB cr C3sn Bqenateots^'bra ar? rspcnsebri^ aates vcM «fm []rriil)itBd.taud n rBstrtSBd Winners ruy t^ rnjuiiBi ic sufi affidavit crirtgbRy and putttcMy and tmcl reieses To obtain an ofAcu! imnefs ha. send a lOmped. sOtdibtsaBS owclope by t*an:t\ 1J990 10 CHa Est MVP Sports Sweepstaikes Wmns? Use. RQ. Bct B49C;. Beavtfton. W 9707S
1st Prize : $5,000. Znd Prize : A complete enlertainmeni center featuring big screen TV, stereo and CD (VCR not shown). (2 Winners!) 3nl Prize: ABC's Monday Night Football pinball game from Data East Pinbail. (3 Winners!) 4th Prize: ABC's Monday Night Rx)tbail 20th anniver^ry videocassette featuring the greatest plays from the past two decades. (1.0O0 Winnerel)
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
If the prize symbol shown here exactly matches one ot the prize symtwls found on specially mari^ed packages of Data East MVP Sports ABC's Monday Night FooHmII Games, you win tiie prize indicated.
If you are a prize winner, claim your prize by filling in the infomiation below and sending via certified or registered mail by Januajy 10, 1990, to Data East MVP Sports SweepstaltEs Winner, RO. Box 8456, Beaverton, OR 97076.
|
Name |
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See Official Rules for details.
prize symbol
© Copyright 19B9, Data East USA, Inc.
Circle Reader Service Number 13S
MONEYCOUNTS6.0
FROM PRICE Jo PERFORMANCE . . . THERES SIMPLY NO COMPARISON!
MonkyColint.s- sman aceouni biilancer makes fast work of even the toughest bank siaienienis.
MONEVCOLINrS'
Tax Estimator helps you quickly size up your federal tax slluaiion.
All reports can be displayed to screen and easily viewed using vertical and horizontal title locking.
.1-D pie chans let yuu quickly visualize your complete financial picture.
.1-1) h.ir ciiiiii-- let you easily compare your actual and budgeted resuhs.
Version Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price
Account Balancer
Automatic Error Finder
Accounts Can Be Added
When Entering Transactions (Data)
Financial Reports
Actual Financial Results Month and Year to Date All Months On One Report Budgeted Financial Results Acltial Compared to Budget Actual Compared to Prior Month General Ledger Report Accountant'.s Trial Balance Net Worth Computation
Inquiry Reports
Check and/or Deposit Register
Account Analysis All Transactions with Party Cash Requirements Forecast Aged Invoices Payable
Reports Kxport to Lotus or Quattro
Graphics
Bar Charts Pie Charts
Optional Password Protection
Financial Calculator
Prints Amortization Schedules Prints Accumulation Schedules
Mail List Manager
Prints Address Labels and Index Cards Prints Telephone Directory Mail Merge with Word Processor
Check Writer
Prints Laser Checks Prints Any Pin-Feed Check
Personal Income Tax Estimator Pop-up Note Pad Pop-up Math Calculator
Optional Canadian Features
International Dating International Terminology
Capacity
Total Number of Accounts Per File Total Number of Open Transactions
|
MoheyCounts* |
QUICKEN* |
MANAGING YOUR MONEY* |
UULLAH SENSE |
|
6.0 Parsons Technology |
3.0 Intuit, Inc. |
5.0 MECA Ventures, Inc. |
3.1 Monogr Software, |
|
$35.00 |
$59.95 |
$219.98 |
$179.< |
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YES YES |
YES NO |
YES NO |
YES NO |
YES
YES
YES
NO
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999 |
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** |
120 |
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00,000 |
65,535 |
** |
4,000 |
•Trademarks of their respective manufacturers. *'Varie,s based on RAM memory and disk space available.
ANNOUNCING THE NEW $35 MONEY MANAGEMENT SOLUTION...
■Comes with perhaps the 1'riendliest user interface of any financial program ... an excellent value." —Compute! Magazine
"One of 1he best personal finance managers published." —PC Computing Magazine
GUARANTEED.
"MoneyCounts is one of the finest _ examples of just liow good ^ inexpensive software can be."
— Leonard Hyre, PCM Magazine
Ve invite you to examine MONEYCOUNTS. It's the clear choice for home and business. MoneyCounts is CPA designed, easy-to-use, menu-driven with on-line help, and requires no accounting experience. Youll appreciate the ease with which MONEYCOUNTS . . .
Manages your cash, checking, savings & credit cards.
Prepares your budget and compares it against your
actual results.
Quickly balances your checkbook.
Prints eight types of financial statements (including net
worth) and six types of inquiry reports:-
Prints general ledger and accountant's trial balance.
Lets you optionally save any report to disk or display it
on screen. You can even export tiimctty to t^tus 1-2T, or Quattro'
Prints any type of pin feed (or laser) check.
Handles up to 999 accounts and 100,000 transactions a year.
Estimates your personal income tax.
Links directly with the Personal Tax Preparer software.
Analyzes financing options & savings programs — computes
interest rates &: loan payments — prints amortization and
accumulation schedules.
Manages maU lists — prints labels and index cards.
Displays and prints three dimensional graphics (both pie
charts and bar charts).
Provides password protection, fiscal year support, pop-up
notepad, pop-up calculator, DOS shell, automatically backs
up your data files and much more.
375 Collins Road NE Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402
<^2i>
Hard to believe the low price? Don't worry! There's no catch. ff you're not 100¥o satisfied, return MONEYCOUNTS within 30 days far a full refund (excluding shipping).
Over 120,000 users have decided in favor of MoneyCounts! Order today and see for yourself!
For Same Day Sftipping
VISA, MASTERCARD & C.O.D. ORDERS CALL
1-800-223-6925
(In Canada call 319-395-7300.) Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.. Sat. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST Or send check or money order payable to Parsons Technology
"^ ^^ MONEYCOUNTS'' 6.0
$35 + $5 shipping
NOT COPY PROTECTED
INCLUDES PRINTED MANUAL AND
F«££ TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Dept COM
375 Collins Road NE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402
NAME
ADDRESS .
CITY
STATE/ZIP .
_ PHONE .
CHECK □ MONEY ORDER D VISA D MASTERCARD Q
CARD # .
. EXR DATE .
Cirele Raader Service Number 167
MONEYCOUNTS 6.0 requires an IBM'^Tandy'/Compaq* or compatible computer, 3(MK or more RAM, DOS 2.0or higher. 2 disk drives (or a hard disk). Works ivilh ,iU prmtere and monitor. Add SIG shipping/handjing outside North America. Io\*-a residents, please add 4% sales tax.
'I,o(us i-2-!}, Qujitra IBM. Tandy 3ndCi)mp«]jrrjlln,)^L^rnMtlTddeiTurksafL(ilLisDe\¥tapm«nt Cofp. tkiTljnd Intcmjiianji. Inc. Jrbti.'m*t»[injlbusin*isMjcliiiv,s Corp., Tandy (. nrp^ndCwnp^ Cwnpulcf Curp respt.,clivcly- [
I
MY VIEW
AMY
N E W M A R K
FOR GREAT
EDUCATIONAL
SOFTWARE,
MATCH
THE
LESSON
TO THE CHILD
Kathy, age 9, looks intently at her computer screen, her mouth set in concen- tration. "Eight times sev- en is ... " She raises her eyes to the ceiling for in- spiration. "Sixty-eight?" She types it on the key- board and wails, BUZZ! "Sorry, that's not right, Kathy," a robotlike voice responds. "Try again." Her father, hearing the buzz, peeks in. Kathy's certainly deahng with educational ma- terial, but is she really having any fun?
Down the street at the Peterson house, Timmy and Mike laugh out loud as they zap an intergalactic glob with their space ray. "Wow! Did you see the colors on that one?" exclaims Mike. "Yeah, let's get another one like that!" Timmy agrees. His mother, hearing their laughter, looks in. Wasn't this supposed to be an educa- tional game?
When you buy educational soft- ware for your children, the choices can be overwhelming. It's not simple.
but here are a few guidelines for peo- ple who don't know where to begin and for people who want to get the most value for their money.
First, remember that your chil- dren's abilities and interests change often. What's appropriate for them now might not be in a year or even six months. Look for programs that are open-ended, programs that can grow with your children. Another option is to look for programs that have multi- ple skill levels; your children can start at an appropriate level and still be challenged for some time to come. But be critical of software claiming to be for age 4 through adult— chances are the folks on either end of the scale won't find the program appropriate.
Second, consider your goals and your children's preferences. You may want your children to use educational software as reinforcement or remedia- tion. They may want to create and ex- plore artistically or musically. Examine carefully the software's con- tent. Make sure you match your chil- dren's needs and interests to what a program offers.
The more you know about a package before you buy it, the better. If it's a package your children use at school, ask a teacher for a demonstra- tion. Some public libraries also have educational software you can use. Read package descriptions and pro- motional material carefully — skip over the high-sounding claims and get down to what activities are actually in the program. Don't forget to look at the hardware requirements of the pro- gram. If you don't have the requisite computer memory, joystick, and so on, the program could be useless.
Third, pay attention to the style of the program. Is it an arcade game? A tutorial? Is it a tool your children can use for writing, experimenting, or analyzing? Consider the method the program employs to get across educa- tional information. Programs that are little more than electronic workbooks, even if they have interesting pictures and sounds, aren't any better than tra- ditional teaching materials. Look for
programs that take advantage of the computer as a unique medium. Your children should have some control over what level to start at, how fast to go, and when to exit a particular activity.
Match your children's learning styles to the program. If they need to work with long division, a program without any help features or visual tu- torials won't be much good. If your children need a slower pace and get confused by too much information, look for programs that don't clutter the screen with a lot of text, moving ob- jects, and arcade-style score counters. Are there any negative themes or representations in the software? If you're critical of the TV programs and movies your children watch, you should be just as critical of the soft- ware they use. Programs with subtle sexist, racist, or violent themes should be ruled out.
Finally, educational software should be fun. but fun in a broad sense. It should intrigue. It should motivate. Educational software should let children create things and solve problems they make themselves, not just the problems given by others.
Educational software is never a substitute for good teaching or parental involvement in children's education. It can supplement experiences in school, but it can't provide a cure-all for learn- ing problems. Good programs are worth finding — they get children excit- ed about learning, they make certain tasks much easier, and they take ad- vantage of a computer's power to do things creatively and uniquely. Parents who take the time to investigate educa- tional software for their children will find it is time well spent.
Amy Ne^vmark is director of the Compiiler Center at Lesley College. The college, locat- ed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, offers advanced degrees in Computers in Education. q
36 COMPUTE
JANUARY 1990
I
Bn-
■ji'-v . ■ ••
ACTUAL 256 COLOR VGA SCREENS
^
A powerful crime
syndicate has taken l
over large areas of our
major cities turning ttiem "
into vast criminal wastelands. •'
Arson, extortion, drug distribution, ,i
murder and now. ..terrorist abduction! You
have just learned that they have taken the U.S. President's
daughter and are holding her and our country tiostage.
YOU'VE HAD A GUT FULL! . . . YOUR PURPOSE: To wipe out this criminal organization and rescue the president's daughter. Even w/ith the most sophisticated Assault Technology available, it w/on't be easy. You are the only one thai can save the country from this sinister infestation . . .
Bring arcade action home like never before!
Crime Wave, vtfith RtAl you^hJ- and 256 color digitized VGA grapfiics, puts you on the streets for real!
Circle Reader Service Number 133
SOFTWARE INCORPORATED
545 WEST 500 SOUTH, BOUNTIFUL UTAH 84010 (801)298-9077 '-800-824-2549
FOUR COMPUTER HACKERS ARE ABOUT TO
RAID YOUR DISK DRIVE.
No computer will go unscathed, as Ultra's version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles storms into your disk drive to duke it out with Shredder -a maniac more menacing than an army of mind-altered Bruce Lees.
But if they're to survive, you must command the role of each turtle, rumbling through a maze of Mouser" infested sewers, criminally polluted rivers and alleys patrolled by the fanatical Foot Clan"
Along the way, search for bonus weapons like the Triple Shuriken. You'll have to also think fast, switching turtle identities in order to match their karate skills with those of the enemy
So grab your joystick and nunchukus, then control every leap, chop, slice and dice, until you splatter Shredder senseless or get yourself hacked into turtle soup.
Now featuring the ULTRA "GAME SAVE" command.
G A At e s
tffiage Miflant Ninja XjntesT Shredder r Foot Ctm^ and Mouser' are registered tr^Jerrwrks ot Mirsge Sludcs. USA_ Alt Pi^cs ffeservrd Lhed wirh perrmssjon. Bawd on charaaers and comic t»oks created Cy Kevin Eastrrwn^rvj Peter Uiird & 1969 Mrage^Tixiios. USA. ExcljsrveV licensed bySurge Licensing. Inc IBM' IS it regislered trademark of International Busirwss Machines, fnc Commodore' is a registered trademark of Canvnodorettectrooics Ltd-Amjga'ts a registered trademark nf Commodore-Amrga, IrK. tJLTRAGAMES' is a registered trademark of Uitra SoFrw-are CorporaDon. © 1989 Ultra Software Corporatjon Teenage Mutant NInJa Tlrrtles is avatJabfe for IBM, Commodore and Amiga.
Circle Reader Service NumlKr 130
Not everyone uses a PC. We know that because our staff is as diversified as our readers. So, while we're blowing the horns of this MS-DOS word processor and that MS-DOS game, we'll take some time out for the Macintosh, the Amiga, the Apple, and the Commodore 64/128. We asked our columnists and editors to choose the five best packages released this year for their computers of choice. Besides listing the top five, we also included some runners- up. None of the COMPUTE! Choice winners were eligible for the Best of the Rest list. A product box that accompanies each hst will help you find these packages easily.
When it comes to good software, 1989 was a very good year. You'll find some of your favorites in the lists that follow. Some may be predictable; some may be surprising, We found all of them worthy of our attention— and yours. >
77W
77V
77V
JANUARY 1990 COMPUTEI 39
Best of the Rest
HEIDI E. H. AVCOCK
MacWrite II and WriteNow 2.0.
These two packages run neck and neck for the best word processor. They're less expensive than the excellent new version of Microsoft Word, but you still get a good assortment of features. Unless you need a Goliath of a word processor, one of these Davids makes a great buy. Each includes footnotes, mail merge, spelling checkers, and other features you would expect, and you don't pay for features you might never use.
Studio 1, This new package is Electronic Arts' entry into the Mac- intosh graphics category, and I have to place it among this year's best releases because it's significantly different and innovative. I'd call Studio I a new ap- proach to graphics, but it's really a close relative of the DeluxePaint pack- ages available for other computen. Be- yond the excellent painting tools, Studio I 's real advantage is its easily learned animation module,
SuperPaint 2.0. Silicon Beach has developed an excellent upgrade to a package that was already best in its class. Custom painting tools, Auto- Trace, and Bezier curves are just a few of the new features in this hybrid of drawing and painting packages.
MacScuba. This game took a long time to master — I had to break down and call Paradise Software for lips — but it was well worth the effort. You won't find the game in a shck, shrink- wrapped box, but you will find it fas- cinating. Besides simulating scuba diving, the game challenges you to ex- plore a sunken ship and to negotiate with some of the carnivorous fish that swim around the wreck.
Just Enough Pascal. This educa- tional package is a companion to
THINK's Lightspeed Pascal from Symantec. Stored under the Apple Menu, the tutorial leaches you how to program in Pascal while you build an application you can be proud of The program is easy to use: Just click on buttons to get from your lesson to more help; click another button and you're in the program-tinkering ses- sions. Adults and children alike will enjoy this program. By its nature, programming is hard to learn for most of us, but Just Enough Pascal makes it a little easier.
Notable Nominations
Gather your kids around you and take a trip into the entertaining fantasy world of Mediagenic's the Manhole. It's a journey through teacups, into rabbit holes, and up beanstalks.
The fiin's not as sophisticated as a simulation, but if you want an enter- taining arcade game that runs ahead of the pack, try Broderbund's Shufflepuck Cafe.
Priced well and full of good fea- tures, Brederbund's Drawing Table offers something other midrange graphics packages don't offer: the abil- ity to wrap text around objects.
Add-on spelling checkers face a big challenge from most word processors. But the other features in Electronic Arts' Thunder II, particularly the glossaries and the search-and-replace macros, are well worth the money.
Figuring out fonts can be tough, but Erfert Fenton has taken much of the work out of it with the book The Macintosh Font Book. Published by Peachpit Press, the book explains how fonts work, how the Macintosh keeps track of them, and how you can take control of them.
Where to Rick Up These Riclcs
Drawing Table— $129.95 Shufflepuck Cate— $49.95
Broderbund
17 Paul Dr.
San Rafael, CA 94903-2101
(415)492-3200
Just Enough Pascal— $75.00
Symantec 135 South Rd. Bedford, MA 01730 (617) 274-4800
The Macintosh Font Book— $23.95
Peachpit Press 1085 Keith Ave. Berkeley, CA 94708 (415) 527-8555
MacScuba — $49.95
Paradise Software PO. Box 50996 Phoenix, AZ 85076 (602) 893-8324
MacWrite II— $249.00
Claris
5201 Patrick Henry Dr.
Box 58168
Santa Clara, CA 95052-8168
(408) 987-7000
the Manhole— $49.95
Mediagenic 3885 Bohannon Dr. Menio Pari<, CA 94025 (415) 329-0500
Studio 1— $149.95 Thunder II— $79.95
Electronic Arts 1820 Gateway Dr. San Mateo, CA 94404 (415) 571-7171
SuperPaint 2.0— $199.00
Silicon Beach Software 9580 Black Mountain Rd. Suite E
San Diego, CA 92126 (619) 695-6956
WriteNow 2.0— $195.00
T/Maker 1390 Villa St. Mountain View, CA 94041 (415) 962-0195
DENNY ATKIN
Populous. Within days of first booting Populous, I had shelved my Great American Novel, friends had reported me missing, and my cat had taught himself how to open a can of 9-Lives. In what must be the most intriguing game scenario of the year. Populous makes you a god. Your goal is to make the world livable for your followers. This would be a lot easier if there weren't another god on your worid with the same plan. You have to increase the size and strength of
your population by leveling out moun- tains and creating new land for your people to build homes and fortresses on. At the same time, use your divine powers to create volcanoes, earth- quakes, swamps, and other disasters to make life miserable for the followers of your evil nemesis. If you do man- age to conquer the world, there are 499 others wailing. Fascinating as a solo war game, Populous also lets you play against a human opponent using a modem.
40
COMPUTE
JANUARY 1990
Falcon. Takeoff, eh? Spectrum Ho- loByte's F-16 flight simulator hit the Amiga with a sonic boom this year and came back at Mach 2 with an upgraded version and the Operation: Counter- strike mission disk a few months ago. With five ranks (difficulty levels) from First Lieutenant to Colonel and a vari- ety of air-to-air and air-to-ground mis- sions, Falcon should satisfy both casual and dedicated flight-simulator fans. Is this game realistic? Well, after seeing Falcon, the Pentagon asked Spectrum HoloByte to help develop simulators for military pilots.
Dungeon Master. I don't know how they managed to cram a dungeon
is
MllWIKPUTOOtliThBnnly tank combal game that lets yuu perlorm real-lile combal mariBiivers! You' II leai not one , but four tanks anij sliteen men— a whole tank jj lalMui— Into battle wIttiltieSovlDtil
For combat simulation as real as it gets, no one beats MicroProse. We constantly blaze new trails with Super 3-D Graphics, heart-racing action and real-life situations that put you in the hot seat of actual combat. And you call the shots. For hours and hours of thriUing play, choose the name that's always one step ahead. MicroProse. The first, last and best name in combat simulations.
Rlsl
F-1 9 STEALTH FIGHtEH; Pilot the Air Fortes (Dp settet, ra- dar-elusive jet. Strike snd roar away before they know you're ttiere! Ttiis ooe revQlutionizeil computer game tecbnologv wittt new iieiipectives ant) dazztlrtg Super 3-D Giaphlcs.
F-1S STRIKE EA6LE II; The ac- tion-packeil sequel lo Hie clas' sic jet combat game thai sold a million copies! Hundreds ol real-world combat missions, incredible snitnati on and new breakthroughs in game {l&sign promise hour^ and h{)uis of thrill-packed playl
CUN5HIP
GUNSHtP. You control the world's most sophisticated at- tack helicopter with awesome firepower at yoar lingerlips. Grace unfler pressure required lo survive intense aerial combati
RED STDfllA RISING: War eru pts between NATO and thfl Warsaw Pacll Trouble runs deep as you lead an American luclear attack submarine inio battle against a barrage ol Soviet ships, subs and helicoptersi
MicroProse Makes Cieat Holiday Gifts!
can't tind these gamM? WWrt?1^115f raffifSdiys 8:3D am Id 6:30 pm Eastein Time ami orte, "^ «C,V,sa'A™or Ask tor '^'^j''?^^ nrnet order pniStases. Aftow 2-4 weeks lor U.S. delivc-iY. IHIcroPrt.se SoUware, lnc.;,180 Ukfiirtrt Dnve; Hirnl WIe,, IVID 21030. m-PC/XTiATIPSlI TanilylComiialiiil^si'fipo/tMCllA/veA. SOA. CGAanilHemilesgispDics.
PR06E
Just For Fun.
i: i3Ba, MicroProse Somvare. liiL.
Circle Reader Service NumDer 192
Best of the Rest
into my Amiga, but there's no way that Dungeon Master could be just a computer game. It's too realistic. Your parly of adventurers must descend 1 4 levels into a subterranean hell filled with monsters and traps to recover the stolen Fire Staff. The graphics down there are fantastic, and the sound has to be heard to be believed. Make sure you have stereo speakers hooked up when you play — hearing which direc- tion the monsters are approaching from can save your neck. There are numerous puzzles to solve (the de- mand for Dungeon Master maps and hint books has spawned a cottage in- dustry), and you also have to find food and water. Don't forget that you need such sustenance in real life, too — soon after Dungeon Master'^ re- lease, a number of Amigans were found draped over their computers, suffering from malnutrition and dehydration, mumbling "But I was al- most down to Level 12. . . ."
DeluxePaint III. Just when we wondered how DeluxePaint could pos- sibly get better, the program re- appeared with a bang this year when ace programmer Dan Silva added animation capability. The new version is faster and supports the Extra Half- Brite mode, ColorFonts, and overscan drawing. Once you've created a static masterpiece, adding motion is a snap with the help of the new Move re- quester. Add that to the already impressive repertoire of features, including custom brush wraps, perspective, and palette remapping, and you have an immensely powerful art tool. This is the first Amiga anima- tion program so easy to use that even / am able to create a decent sequence.
A-Max. This Macintosh emulator from ReadySoft really does turn your Amiga into a Macintosh (and in some ways it's better than the real thing). Because the Mac and the Amiga use the same 68000 microprocessor, A- Max doesn't suffer from slowdowns associated with software emulators such as the Transformer or 64 Emu- lator U. Benchmarks show that, except for disk access, an /l-A/iOX-equipped Amiga runs slightly faster than a Mac- intosh SE. Plus, you can take advan- tage of the Amiga's higher screen resolution when running the emulator. Software compatibility is excellent. The only negative aspect is that the emulator doesn't support hard disks yet. However, there's a shareware driver for the IVS Trumpcard hard disk controller, and ReadySoft has promised hard disk support in a fiiture A-Max software upgrade.
|
Where to Pick |
Up These Picks |
|
A-Max— $199.95 |
Hole-in-One Miniature Golf— $39.95 |
|
ReadySoft |
DigiTek |
|
30 Wertheim Ct. |
8910 N. Dale Mabry |
|
Unit 2 |
Executive Center |
|
Richmond Hill, Ont. |
Suite 37 |
|
Canada L4B1B9 |
Tampa, FL 33614 |
|
(416) 731-4175 |
(813) 933-8023 |
|
DataStorm— $39.95 |
MSSprint— $385.00 |
|
Visionary Design Technoiogies |
M2S |
|
45 Wh'rtehorn Cres. |
P.O. Box 550279 |
|
North York, Ont. |
Dallas, TX 75335 |
|
Canada IW2J 3B1 |
(214) 340-5256 |
|
(416) 497-0833 |
PageStream— $1 99.95 |
|
DeluxePaint lll~-$1 49.95 |
Soft-Logik Publishing |
|
Populous— $49.95 |
11131FS. TowneSq. |
|
Electronic Arts |
St. Louis, MO 63123 |
|
1820 Gateway Dr. |
(314) 894-8608 |
|
San Mateo, CA 94404 |
ProWrite 2.5— $124.95 |
|
Dungeon Master — $39.95 |
New Horizons |
|
Software Heaven |
206 Wild Basin Rd. |
|
6160 Lusk Bivd. |
Suite 109 |
|
Suite C-206 |
Austin, TX 78746 |
|
San Diego, CA 92121 |
(512) 328-6650 |
|
(619)453-5711 |
|
|
Falcon— $49.95 |
|
|
Operation CounterStrike — $24.95 |
|
|
Spectrum HoloByte |
|
|
2061 Chailengsr Dr. |
|
|
Alameda, CA 94501 |
|
|
(415) 522-3584 |
Notable Nominations
New Horizons has done it again with the latest upgrade to ProWrite 2.5, a WYSIWYG word processor that lets you combine graphics and native printer fonts on the same page.
The programming category award has to go to M2S's M2Sprint Modula- 2 compiler. This wonderful integrated development system includes tons of "easy" modules for novice pro- grammers. It's the sure cure if you can't C.
SoftLogik's PageStream brings quality desktop publishing output to
the dot-matrix masses. Although the first releases have been a bit buggy, you can't beat this package for desktop publishing on a nonlaser budget.
DigiTek's Hole-in-One Miniature Golf may not be a graphics dazzler, but it's a great game to play with fam- ily and friends.
Remember the days when people were impressed if the computer adaptation of a game looked as good as the arcade version? Visionary De- sign Technologies' DataStorm, a sort of Defender 1990, puts the original Defender to shame.
GREGG KEIZER
AppleWorks 3.0. Big and bold. That's the best way to describe AppleWorks 3.0, the best thing to hit the Apple II all year. As an integrated word proces- sor, spreadsheet, and database, this brand-new version of the 1 984 classic brings powerful applications to any 128K-equipped .Apple 11. Created by a programming team from Beagle Bros., this version includes enough new fea- tures to satisfy even the most accom- plished AppleWorks hound. The word processor boasts a spelling checker and true tabs, the spreadsheet tallies addi- tional functions, and the database fields multiple sorting levels. And with
42
COMPUTE!
Claris's generous upgrade offer ($79), the new AppleWorks is a real steal.
Transwarp GS. This accelerator board from Applied Engineering was the Apple II hardware highlight of the year. Although critics pounce on the snaillike pace of Apple IlGS-specific software, the fault is almost always hardware-related. Stick a Transwarp GS board into one of your GS's slots and your machine suddenly takes on a new (and more pleasing) personality. AppleWorks GS quickens enough to use comfortably and DeluxePaint II moves brushes effortlessly. The 7- MHz Transwarp GS makes the IlGS
JANUARY 1990
LUCASFILM ON THE ArT AND SCIENCE OF ENTERTAINMENT
The Battle of Britain. Up Close and Personal
One pilot described a World War II dogfight "like being on the inside of a beehive." And that's just what it feels like to play Their Finest Hour: The Bank of Britain" The new air combat sim- ulator from Lucasfilm Games that's keeping sim- ulation buffs and action gamers alike on the edge of their seats.
Their Finest Hour includes all the acclaimed features of our Battle- hawtis, 1942. Plus a few new twists.
A Luftwaffe gunner position is the
quickest way to get acquaimed with
■ the RAF.
How's That Again?
Want to show your friends how you erased that
Flying Pencil with fancy deflection shooting? Their Finest Hour lets you save your proudest com- bat performances to disk. And relive them in real time, fast forward, or frame by frame.
breathe easier tomor- row. Who knows— you might even change history. And if you don't like the odds, Their Finest Hour lets you change sides.
lUCASFILM
Replay combat action sequences
from any angle, even from the nose
of a bomb!
The Realism Is Unreal.
From the moment you pull back on the throt- tle, TIteir Finest Hour grips you with near- photographic realism of aircraft, smoke, terrain, and flying debris. To really get your adrenalin pump- ing, we've added a cacophony of roaring engines, chattering machine guns, and thundering explosions.
IBM KrtW! ilio»n. AvliliHt for IBM linclidti Adl.ib" loooil cinl supporll, Aniji. lad AUri ST.
TM ani £ IIW Liicunin Ud. All riglits rtsintd. Luciifilm Gimti >nd Ittir FIohI Hour: Tin Billk of Brtliiu tn Indcniirki of Uiunin l.ld. I B M i> I [ridtmirii oMmrniiiMEHl Buslntss Mirtlors. I irc. Conmigdiiit 64 is i Indcairii of CoBSOdort FJcclrolici. Lid. Aniii h I Iftdtmirk of Conmodore.'Aini ji Inc. Aliri md ST irt tridcmlriu of Allri Coip. AiUb is i Iradtmrk of AdLib. Inc.
Circle Reader Service Number 103
Look At Life
FVom Both Sides Now.
Take on the Luft- waffe in a tough little RAF Hurricane or fabled Spitfire. Or test your skills at the controls of the Spitfire's nemesis, the formidable Messer- schmitt 109. Pulverize ground installa- tions from your Messerschmitt 110 fighter/bomber or your screaming Stuka. Or fly as pilot, bombardier or gunner in a Junkers 88, Domier Flying Pencil, or Heinkel Spade.
Your success in each mission impacts the next one: knock out a radar installation today, and you'll
Best of the Rest
the computer it should have been
from the beginning.
Arkanoid II. Fast action has never been one of the IlGS's strongest suits, but Taito's Arkanoid II: Revenge of DoH is a stellar sequel to a proven ar- cade performer. Essentially a hyper- active variation on Breakout, Revenge of DoH includes another 33 screens of brick patterns that you clear by bounc- ing balls off walls, squirming aliens, and bricks that may ne\'er disappear. Best of all, though, is the package's Arkanoid Construction Set. It's rel- atively simple to change the existing screens or make up entirely new ones to test your mouse skills. Revenge of DoH may be a repeat, but with its ,3 construction set, you might never see 'n the same screen twice. And it's still the best Apple lies arcade out there.
System 5.0. Faster performance and more developer tools are the hall- marks of 5.0. The first real operating system for the .Apple IIgs, this system is a Mac-like OS that should make a big difference in the year(s) to come. Although it had some bugs in the beginning (what doesn't?), Apple quickly started stamping them out. And professional programmers are flocking to the 5.0 standard for power software. Is this a vision of things to come? Will the Apple IlGS and Mac- intosh computers meet in a mutation known only to those in Cupertino? Anything's possible.
The New Talking Stickybear Alpha- bet. Like most of the best Apple soft- ware, The New Stickybear Talking Alphabet requires a IIgs. As befits its audience, the program is simple to use and as colorful as all get-out. It's also equipped with human-quality speech. Pressing the right key animates the su-
|
WKere to Pick: |
Up These Ricks |
|
Apple IIgs— $1,149.00 |
Jigsaw— $39.95 |
|
System 5.0— S49.00 |
Brittanica Software |
|
Apple Computer |
345 Fourth St. |
|
20525 Mariani Ave. |
San Francisco, CA 941 07 |
|
Cupertino, CA 95014 |
(415) 546-1866 |
|
(408) 996-1010 |
The New Talking Stickybear |
|
AppleWorks 3.0— $249.00 |
Alphabet— $49.95 |
|
Claris |
Optimum Resource |
|
5201 Patrick Henry Dr. |
10 Station Pi. |
|
Box 58168 |
Norfoli<, CT 06058 |
|
Santa Clara, CA 95052 |
(203) 592-5553 |
|
(408) 987-7000 |
Slide-On— $9.95 |
|
Arkanoid II: Revenge of DoH — |
Night Owl Productions |
|
$34.95 |
5734 Lamar Ave. |
|
Taito |
Mission, KS 66202 |
|
267 W. Esplanade |
(913) 362-9890 |
|
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada V7M 1A5 (604) 984-3344 |
Transwarp GS— $399.00 Applied Engineering P.O. Box 5100 |
|
DB Master Professional— $295.00 |
Carroliton, TX 75011 |
|
Stone Edge Technoiogies |
(214) 241-6060 |
|
P.O. Box 3200 |
|
|
Maple Glen, PA 19002 |
|
|
(215) 641-1825 |
|
|
Flodd, the Bad Guy— $44.95 |
|
|
Jack and the Beanstalk— $44.95 |
|
|
Tom Snyder Productions |
|
|
90 Sherman St. |
|
|
Cambridge, MA 02140 |
|
|
(617) 876-4433 |
per-hi-res graphic (two different pic- tures for each letter) and starts the IIgs saying the letter and word. Three activi- ties keep the kids coming back for more. The New Stickybear Talking Al- phabet puts the capabilities of the pow- erhouse IIgs to work for kids and parents alike.
Notable Nominations
The mid-August 1989 lies. Different?
Not really. It just has the memory the computer should have had from the start — 1. 125 megabytes of RAM. Too bad it had to be so long in coming. Brittanica Software's Jigsaw
scrambles Apple IlGS graphics for you to reassemble.
When your IlGS's battery goes dead, don't despair. Put an inexpen- sive replacement battery on the motherboard yourself with the Slide- On.
Database users rejoiced with the release of DB Master Professional, a relational database for the Apple II family.
Put your kid on your lap and boot up Jack and the Beanstalk or Flodd, the Bad Guy, computerized sto- ries from Tom Snyder Productions' Reading Magic series.
COMMODORE f 64/128
NEIL RANDALL
IVord Writer IK The latest incarnation of Timeworks' well-established Word Writer series is full-featured, attractive, and fairly easy to use. Sacrificing a WYSIWYG display in favor of greater speed. Word Writer IV ofTersei^t fonts, ranging in size from 9 points to 72 points. A macro and some book- marks automate your work. Add an 85,(X)0-word spelling checker, a 60,000- word thesaurus, and a simplified out- liner, and you can get down to a good writing session.
Curse of the Azure Bonds. With incredible success, SSI's new Ad-
vanced Dungeons and Dragons series tackles the challenge to squeeze a full- blooded fantasy role-playing game into the Commodore 64's limited memory. Pool of Radiance, first in the series, was big, bold, and — on the Com- modore 64 — almost unplayable. Curse of the Azure Bonds streamlines the sys- tem even as it adds strong new fea- tures. The result is a playable adventure with fast disk access, no mean feat on our favorite machine. GEOS 128 2.0. With the Com- modore I28's 80-column display and fast disk access, the upgraded GEOS
shines. Sporting a graphical interface, GEOS lets you forget the unwieldy commands of the Commodore 64 BASIC, and it offers desk accessories such as a calculator, an alarm clock, and a notepad. Add full-featured ver- sions of geoWrite and geoPaint, and you have an impressive collection. Among the new additions are geoSpell, geoLaser (a laser-printer driver), and full support for the 1571 and 1581 disk drives. GEOS 128 is now a true alternative to other stand-alone programs.
Neuromancer. Based on William Gibson's groundbreaking cyberpunk novel. Interplay's unusual game emphasizes the seedy, the high-tech, and the downright disorienting. Given the unrelenting smoothness of the novel, such an adaptation is a major
44 COMPUTE! JANUARY 1990
Welcome to the Fight Palace.
"Humaits come apart so easily in the pit. Especially when you pull on their arms'.' — Mondu the Fat
Two creatures in a pit, strange moves, magical weapons, wild betting and your host, Mondu the Fat. Pick your lifeform, load up on bio-weapons, then punish or perish in the most outrageous game ever created — Tongue of the Fatman.
n
Pick Your Lifeform
Control and combat a variety of aliens, each with different moves and special animations, Ten beings to master.
Visit Dr. Kadaver
The Muttimax 764Steroids pumped you up. Grasfur Slug Eggs might slow the Cryoplast long enough to nail him.
AcliyiTiOK
See your local retailer, or call 1-800-227-6900 to order.
e 19S9 .■\CTIViS10N All brsrvd nimcs and trademark, are :he ptoptTtv ol their respective Soldcn.
CirtI* Reader Service Number 108
Best of the Rest
achievement. You learn to ride data links into high-security areas. If you're good, you'll not only become a successful "cowboy," you'll also find a way to save yourself
Storm Across Europe. Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the start of World War 11, and SSI was the only computer-game company to mark the event properly. This game attempts nothing less than a simulation of the en- tire six years of the war, on a glorious and grand strategic level. Best of all, the game has a three-player mode. You and two friends, in a single evening, can try to change the course of the largest war in history.
Notable Nominations
With two separate days of Gettysbui^ and four other well-chosen battles, De- cisive Battles of the American Civil War (Volume 2) represents war gam- ing at its finest.
Until now. Commodore 128 own- ers have waited in vain for 128-spe- cific software. Spectrum 128, a paint program, takes full advantage of the machine.
Might and Magic II, a fantasy role-playing game, gives Bard's Tale
Where to Riok Up These Picks
Arkanoid 11— $29.95
Taito
267 W. Esplanade North Vancouver, B.C. Canada V7M 1A5 (604) 984-3344
Curse of the Azure Bonds— $39.95 Storm Across Europe — S59.95 SSI
Distributed by Electronic Arts 1820 Gateway Dr. San Mateo, CA 94404 (415)571-7171
Decisive Battles of tfie Civil War (\A>1ume 2)— $39.95
Strategic Studies Group 1 747 Orleans Ct. Walnut Creek, CA 94598 (415) 932-3019
Destroyer Escort — $39.95
Epyx
P.O. Box 8020
600 Galveston Dr. Redwood City, CA 94063 (415) 366-0606
GEOS 128 2.0—369.95
Berl^eley Softworks 2150 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94704 (415) 644-0883
Might and iViagic 11— $39.95
New World Computing 14922 Calvert St. Van Nuys, CA 91411 (818) 785-0401
Neuromancer — $39.95
Interplay
1575 Corporate Dr. Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (714) 545-9001
Spectrum 128— $39.95
Free Spirit Software P.O. Box 128 58 Noble St. Kutztown, R<\ 19530 (215) 683-5609
WordWriter IV— $49.95
Timeworks
444 N. Lake Cook Rd, Deerfieid, IL 60015 (312) 948-9200
and Wizardry a run for their money. Arkanoid was so popular, it's no wonder Taito released a new version called Arkanoid II. Breakout was
never like this.
Strong graphics and an interesting theme make Destroyer Escort a superb blend of action and strategy. □
THE NEW TESTAMENT GAME THE OLD TESTAMENT GAME
GUAl^ANTEED NONMNOMINATIONAL 3 Game Levels make learning Fun for all ages!
m 111 f i
iiilliiiiii Fii iiiif i
Nearly 300 Bible Passages per game
iLiiFilLi ^"-"*— ^'^"^'^
For fastest service, send check or
money order for $29.95 eacil
plus $3.00 shipping/handling to:
The Family Jewels
5631 Kent Place Santa Barbara, CA 93117
IBM 3 1/2" disks available for an additixmal $2.00 per game.
Latter— day Saints: Please request a copy of our brochure detailing our special LPS product line.
NOT TK[t;;iiH - HQ PRIOR KNlQiy^lLEDSE NEEDED Hardware Systems Supported: 100% IBM Compatible Commodore 64/128
MS-DOS 2.1 or higher
Color monitor preferred,
Monochrome monitor also aupport&d
CB4 or C128 with color TV or monitor
C128 with 80 colomn monitor
1541 or 1571 (5 1/4") disk drive only
For more information, or to order by phone
Call (805) 683-4568 EC. O. D. orders only]
California residents, please add 6% sales tax
|
COLOR RIBBONS & PAPER |
|||
|
RIBBONS: Red, Blue, Grn., Brwn., Purple, Yel. |
|||
|
Ribbons Price Each |
Black |
Color |
Heat Transfer |
|
Apple Image l/ll |
3.76 |
4,50 |
6.60 |
|
Apple Image II - 4-Color |
- |
7.60 |
10.50 |
|
Brother M1109 |
4.35 |
5.95 |
7.00 |
|
C. l!oh Prowriter Jr. |
7.00 |
9.00 |
_ |
|
Citizen 120D,:180D |
5.O0 |
6.00 |
7.95 |
|
Commodpre MPS 302,1526 |
6,25 |
7.26 |
_ |
|
- MPS 803 |
4.95 |
5.95 |
7.00 |
|
• MPS 1000 |
3.95 |
4.95 |
6.75 |
|
■ MPS 1200/1250 |
5.00 |
6.Q0 |
7.95 |
|
Epson MX80:LX800 |
3.75 |
4.25 |
6.75 |
|
IBM Proprinter |
5.76 |
8.00 |
12,00 |
|
Okidaia 82 92 |
1.75 |
2.25 |
4.50 |
|
Okidata 182192 |
6.50 |
7.50 |
6.00 |
|
Panasonic KXP 1080 |
6.75 |
7.75 |
_ |
|
Seikosha SP 800.1000 |
5.25 |
8.50 |
7,95 |
|
Star WXTO'NLIO |
5.00 |
6,00 |
7.95 |
|
Star N XI 000 |
4.50 |
5.50 |
6,75 |
|
Star MX100D - 4 Color |
- |
8,75 |
- |
|
T-SHIRT RiBBONS (Heal Transfer) - |
Red, Blue, Grn„ |
||
|
Brwr,, Purple, Yel., BIk. Call For Pri |
e & Availability |
COLOR PAPER
BRIGHT PACK -200 Sheets.'SO each r;olOr; Red, Blue, Green, Yellow. 9 1.'2 k 11 ^ S11.90/pk
PASTEL PACK-200 Sheets/SO each color: Pink, Yellow, Blue, Ivory. 9 1,'2 ic 11 - S11.90,'pk.
COLOR BANNER BAND PAPER - 45 ft.,TDll-S9.95,ea.
For nbbans & paper rot iFSted above, call for price h avatl. Price & spec- subject to change w/0 notice. Min order S25.00. Mm. S&H S3. 50 min. Visa, MC, COD.
RAMCO COMPUTER SUPPLIES
P.O. Box 475, Manteno, IL 60950 U.S.A.
(U.S. A, I 800-522-6922 ICanadal 800-621-5444 • 815-468-8081
46
COMPUTE
Circle Reader Service Number 137
Circle Reader Service Number 189
Guaranteed Window Seat
You've got the best seat at
the air show — the cockpit of your F/A-I8. And you're about to fly where only angels dare.
Then dance with danger in one of four Blue Angel F/A-18s- a jet that can Rvist 500 knots into a 5g vertical climb,
Pierce the clouds on a wing and a prayer. Engage your formation in delta rolls, left
rf tw ei'n* Oin*' «n«3«i may **v
You can watch all of your maneuvers from a variety of camera angles, review the performance on Instant Replay — even take a bird's-eye tour of the entire airfield in "Free Flight" mode.
If you're a blue chip Blue Angel, they'll induct you into the "Pilots Hall Of Fame!' Because only the best and the brightest can take 32,000 pounds of military thrust and mm it on a dime.
Blue Angels Formation Fligfit SiinuiaiioTi. Everything you've ever experienced in flight sim- ulation is about to take a 360- degree diamond roll.
How to order; Visit your favor- ite letailer or call 800-245-7 744.
The best in entertainment software."
Circle Header Service Number 123
W ^' -:
RESOURCES
CHOOSE YOUR SOFTWARE CAREFULLY
REVIEWS AND BOOKS
Read as many reviews as you can get your hands on. Reviews are subjec- tive, and they reflect ihe audience they're written for. If you're looking for home computing software, don't read reviews in a magazine for high- powered business users; check reviews in a home computer magazine.
Reviews are usually published anywhere from one to six months after the release of a title. If it's an old- er package that you're considering, you should look at old magazine is- sues in a local library.
Make sure that you pick up the December and January issues of your favorite magazines and save them. Al- most every consumer-oriented com- puter periodical will publish its annual picks and recommendations. You can refer to these issues through the next year, even longer for some products.
There are a number of books that will prove valuable when you're searching the software ranks. We've included a list along with the publish- er's name, address, and phone number.
Connimer Product Guide — S26.95 Simon & Schuster Guir+ Wcsiern Building One Gulf + Western Plara NcwYarl<,NY!0O23 (800) 624-0023
The Computer Blue Book—% 15.95 National Association of Computer Dealers 14925 Memorial Dr. Building ,'\ Houston. TX 77079 (8CX)) 223-5264
Online Communications Software — S24.95 McGraw Hiil Princeton Rd. Highlstown. NJ 08520 (800) 262-4729
The .MKNU Sofi-.mre Guide for IBM &
Compatible Personal Computers — S29 95 MENU
P.O. Box Menu Pittsburgh. PA 15241 (800) 843-6368
The Conneclion — free 7249 Whipple .■\vc.NW North Canton. OH 44720 (800)336-1166
Before You Go Looking
Know exactly what you want, and you'll find the best software for you. If you answer several questions in advance, chances are you'll match the best features with the best price.
Decide what you want the package to do; then list specific features that you'll need. Assess your equipment's limitations and assets — which features are necessary and which could be traded for other capabilities? Last, determine how much you're willing to spend.
With those preliminaries decided, and this resource page as your guide, you'll have a much better chance at getting the most from your software dollar.
STORE DEMOS
Most stores have trial copies of soft- ware, or the salespeople will take a package offof the shelf so that you can try it. If the sales staff isn't very ac- commodating, try another store.
Make sure that you try titles from different companies. Unless you al- ready know what you want, you'll need to see a variety of products to make an adequate comparison.
Many retail stores, especially chains like Babbages^ post listings of what is currently the best-selling soft- ware. (COMPUTE! publishes its own Hotware list, supplied by Egghead Discount Software, at the back of each issue.) While you're in one of these stores, be sure to check for the titles that you've been looking at. Populari- ty doesn't necessarily indicate the best product, however, so don't base your decision solely on these top-seller hsts.
Find Out
from the Source
Every software vendor will answer questions over the phone. Vendors won't be totally objective since they want you to buy their product, but the information will be accurate. If you don't know the name of the manufac- turer, your local computer store will be able to help. .4 salesperson can tell you the names, addresses, and phone numbers of software publishers. COMPUTE! lists that information with its reviews.
Online Answers
Most online services have vendor- support areas, CompuServe {P,0. Box 20212, Columbus, Ohio 43220; 800- 848-8 1 99) and GEnie (40 1 North Washington Street, Rockville, Mary- land 20850; 800-638-9636) are two ex- amples. For specific publishers on CompuServe, trv entering GO BOR- LAND, GO ASH-1 (Ashton-Tate), GO WPSG (WordPerfect), or GO WORDSTAR. These are just a few of the specific vendor SIGs. You can find smaller companies by entering GO PCVENA or GO PCVENB. It's simpler on GEnie (and less compre- hensive): Just type FCSUPPORT and you'll see a menu of vendor-support areas.
User Groups
Often, user groups can answer your questions, too. Most meetings include demonstrations of newly released soft- ware. Whoever demonstrates the pro- gram can tell you how easy it is to use and can discuss its features.
User groups usually meet once a month. You can find out when and where they meet by calling a local computer retail store.
Some groups support local elec- tronic bulletin boards and telephone information lines. .Almost everj' group publishes a newsletter that will tell you about meetings and list contact num- bers; sometimes the newsletters will even review new software. Local deal- ers may have the newsletters on hand.H
48
C O M P U T E I
JANUARY 1990
NeuraTCybertank Design and Simulation
Cybertank engineers control the destiny of the Organization for Strategic Intelligence, They're the heart of the OMEGA Project, a classified military contract that's shaping combat's future. Employing , tomorrow's technology, OSI cybertank engineers design the ch'assis and artificial intelligence (Ai) / for the next generation of neurai armored warriors — and they gauge their success on asimulaled '- ■ field of battte. Join these elite ranks, and pil your designs against the world's best.
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IBM/COMPATfBLE VERS10M "" ' !m/C0MPAT!8LE VERSION
APPLE VERSION
Avaibbte lof: IBMflafldy coirfjatibles, C-64f128. Apple li series, Alari ST and Amiga, coming som lor. Macinlosh and Apple llgs; actual screefls may vary.
Cam IM OMEGA 31 your tocal reJa;fer?Cal! 1 -SOO-SSMSas (Bam to Spm ES71 tor VisafMC outers: or mai! check or money order (U S S| ID ORIGIN. All versions $49.95, sWpping is FREE va UPS Allow 1 -2 weeks for deSvery. ORIGIN, P.O. Box 1 61750, Austin, Texas 76716.
COMPUTE!'s SHAREPAK
for IBM PC and Compatibles
Compiled by the Editors
Get top-quality software — handpicked from the best of shareware — and all the documentation you need on one easy-to-use disk. You pay just one low price for the complete package and sample some of the best noncommer- cial software available,
COMPUTEI's January disk offers four different faces of software: a flexible mask for DOS, a mirthful math teacher, an adventure shrouded in mystery, and a terrific typing tutor.
Directory Master
Customize your inierface wiih the 30 programmable keys in ihis full" featured DOS shelL Access commands such as copy, move, and deleie with a sin^e kcyslroke. or program hot keys to peiform complex and multiple operations. Dircciory Maslcr replaces the standard IX)S prompt with an iniuittvc inicrfacc, yet il occupies only I04K. Requires 256K and DOS 3.1 or higher.
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Skullduggery
Search for clues in the tcxi-bascd maps and diagrams in this Iricky game of mystery-. Vou'il get hours of cntcriainment — and anxieiv — as you sglve ihe counilcss puzzles and enigmas thai reveal the secret of Skutlduggen: Requires 256K and DOS 2.1 or higher.
MathMagic
Test your mathematical skills with these four educational games: Math Catch, Math Run, Math Lander, and Math Shoot. Master all four levels in a game before advancing to ihc next game. Choose the addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division problems, or lei the computer se- lect for you. Game features include high-score save, custom key defi- nitions, onscreen help, and difficulty-level settings. Requires 256K, EX3S 2.1 or higher, and any monitor except Hercuics.
Quick Type
When it comes to typing, are you all thumbs? Practice makes perfect with this tool designed 10 improve your typing skills. Unique graphics entertain you as you hone your technique. Varying skill levels provide a challenge for all typists. Requires 256K, DOS 2. 1 or higher, and Hercu- les. CGA, or higher.
YES! Send me the January 1990 COMPUTE! SHAREPAK for my IBM PC or corttpaiiblc. 1 pay $7.95 for each S'/j-inch disk attd S8.95 for each SVj-inch disk plus $2.00 shipping and han- dling per disk.
Please indicate how many disks of each format you'd like: 5'/j-ingh disk 3'/2-inch disk
Name
Address
City
, Slate/Province .
. ZIP/Postal Code.
Shipping and handling $2.00 per disk Total amount enclosed %
Mail coupon with payment to
COMPUTEI's SHAREPAK
P.O. Box 5188
Greensboro, NC 27403 Payments must be in U.S. dollars by a cheek drawn on a U.S. banSt. Please allow 4-6 weeks tor delivery. Fof delivery outskie the U.S. or Canada, add St for surjace mail or S3 (or airmail.
.Available on 5'A-inch disk for $7.95 or 3i/!-inch disk for $8.95 (plus $2.00 shipping and handling per disk).
Disks available only for IBM PC and compat- ible computers. Offer gcKid while supplies last
Shareware Agreements
COMPUmrs SHAREPAK is a collection of shareware and public domain programs. Public domain programs are free; you can use ihcm and pass ihem around as much as you like. On the other hand, shareware isn't free; you pay the shareware author if you decide to use the pro- gram. Here's how shareware works.
If you like a program on the disk, vou should register yourself directly with the shareware pub- lisher (not with COMPUTE!). Each program in- cludes a license agreement that explains whom to contact and how much the program costs. Share- ware prices are very low compared with similar commercial programs.
Registering means you pay the software au- thor for a program he or she developed, plus it entitles you (O technical support and information about upgrades. You'll find shareware publishers are easy to work with and eager to help.
Will he make a out of you?
Original music • A cartoon on a disk!
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Circle Reader Service Number 151
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CHOICE
LOADED WITH FEATURES, THIS PROGRAM OFFERS PC ANIMATION THAT'S WORTH BRAGGING ABOUT
STEVEN ANZOVIN
S2 COMPUTEI JANUARY 19 90
For years, PC users had to suffer in silence when tiresome Amiga and Mac- intosh owners boasted about the amazing ani- mation and presentation capabilities of their ma- chines. As ever>' artist knew, PCs were great for spreadsheets and data- bases, but, without add- ing expensive custom graphics boards and software, MS-DOS just couldn't cut it in the animation arena. Even with the advent of the VGA display standard, you couldn't find PC ani- mation software that matched what was out for the Amiga and the Macin- tosh. So, serious animators and desk- top presenters shunned the PC for other platforms. A new program, Autodesk Animator from .Autodesk, may change all that, luring the dedi- cated computer animator into the PC studio.
Autodesk Animator is a complex, professional-level program that in- cludes full-color paint tools, image- processing effects, several types of animation, and a flexible text editor with video-style titling effects. The program runs on any IBM PS/2, AT, 386. or compatible with MCGA or VGA graphics and a hard disk (the program writes temporary files that can overwhelm a floppy's storage ca- pacity). Currently the program works only in the 320 X 200 pixel, 256-color MCGA mode, which keeps animation files down to a manageable size. You'll also need a Microsoft-compatible pointing device for drawing and ani- mation, though you can select most program options from the keyboard. Two thorough, well-written manuals and a demonstration videotape guide you through the labyrinth of program features.
You access Autodesk Animator's cornucopia of features through a se-
ries of panels. The Home panel, which appears whenever you open the pro- gram, conlains a basic subset of paint- ing and animation options: drawing and magnifying tools; a small color palette; buttons that control playback of animations; a selection of ink types, including glass and smoothing inks; and buttons to call up other panels. As with most graphics applications, you select options from drop-down menus, clicking on buttons (called slots), typ- ing text into dialog boxes, and drag- ging things around the screen.
From the Drawing panel, you se- lect any of the more than 20 drawing and painting tools, as well as color ef- fects like drizzle (a dripping brush ef- fect) and gel (translucent overlays). From the Ink Types panel, you choose painting/image-processing effects, such as embossing, smearing, soften- ing colors, sparkles, tiling, and antia- liasing (a technique that softens the jagged edges of images to make them appear smoother).
The Color Palette panel offers full control of all 256 onscreen colors in RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) and HLS (Hue, Luminance, and Satura- tion) scales, plus extensive color re- mapping and arranging tools. Using options in the Titling panel, you speci- fy and edit color text in a full spec- trum of fonts, styles, and inks. (One nice feature imports ASCII text files
The videotape uses examples like this to guide you through Animator's features.
into the program and lets you edit them; this is a good tool for turning an outline created with a word processor into titles for a slide show.)
The tools in these panels, with their context-sensitive menu options, make Autodesk Animator the most complete color-graphics program yet for the PC. The selection of special- effects inks and brush types alone is worth the program's price because the choices aren't available on any other microcomputer graphics program. If all you needed was a high-end paint program, Autodesk Animator would do the job, even though some artists might wish for MacPaint-siyls icons and a point-and-click interface. The 320 X 200 resolution might also be a point of complaint for artists wanting the increased detail of a higher resolu- tion, especially for onscreen text.
Still, as wonderful as color paint may be, animation is where the action is, and this program can act. Autodesk Animator creates five types of anima- tion: traditional eel-type, frame-by- frame animation; optical effects;
polymorphic tweening; titling effects; and color cycling.
Cel animation, the kind that is traditionally used in cartoons, in- volves painting successive images on a series of frames and playing the frames back quickly enough to create the illusion of motion. This type of animation is easy to understand. If you've ever buzzed through an anima- tion flip book, you know how eel ani- mation works. But all that drawing and animating adds up to extensive manual effort. Autodesk Animator's blue-framing feature thankfully re- duces the work. This feature shows a temporary silhouette of preceding frames on each new frame, allowing you to line up a succession of pictures quickly and accurately.
Optical and polymorphic tween- ing animation take even more of the load off of you. With optical anima- tion, you select an area of a picture and tell Autodesk Animator to move or rotate it along one of the screen's Cartesian axes— horizontally on the X-axis, vertically on the y-axis, or into
JANUARY 1990 COMPUtEl 53
# PRODUCTIVITY
and out of the screen on the z-axis — across a specified number of frames. Once you get the hang of navigating in illusory three-dimensional space with two-dimensional pictures, you can create spectacular spinning and tum- bling effects. Titling animation works much the same way (you can spin and tumble text as easily as pictures) but adds slow and fast scrolling for sub- titles and end-of-program credits.
Polymorphic tweening automati- cally transforms the shapes of special polygons available from the Draw panel. Say you want to transform a star polygon in one frame to a square polygon in the next. You draw the star on the first frame, copy it to the next, and drag the points of the star until it looks like a square. Autodesk Anima- tor gencmes the in-between images of the shape change for a smooth, fin- ished animation.
Color cycling is a simple form of animation in which a selected area cy- cles through a range of colors at a set speed. This feature creates glowing and flashing effects.
All the varieties of animation that I tested played with impressive smoothness, although I did notice some staticlike artifacts in the upper part of the screen during animation playback. I'm not sure whether these were a product of the program or of my display hardware. Otherwise, Autodesk Animator is quite robust.
You can play animation files, called ///cs in Autodesk Animator lin- go, backward and forward or one frame at a time at any speed up to 30 frames per second. You can also edit these files by splicing, dicing, cutting, pasting, merging, superimposing, and underlaying. You edit the flics with tools from the Frames and Time Se- lect panels. Through the Player utility included in the package, you can run flics outside of Autodesk Animator. You can, for example, set up an ani- mated presentation on a single disk and play it automatically when it's loaded into any compatible computer. You can also set up a presentation to respond to mouse or keyboard com- mands as you narrate the show. Using Autodesk Animator's scripting tools, you can chain together a series of ani- mations and play them in sequence. In essence, the length of an Autodesk Animator presentation is limited only by the capacity of your hard disk. Chaining animations is helpful when you transfer animation to video, elim- inating much of the splicing that would otherwise have to be done in video postproduction.
What can you do with Autodesk Ammator?Basica[\y, the program is best suited as an engine for desktop presentations and desktop videos. The typical animated bar graph or pie chart, the meat-and-potatoes of desk- top presentations, is easy to create with Autodesk Animator's polymor- phic graphics. Just create a flic, paint a background, create the foreground polygons — the bare of a bar chart, for example — and move them over the background across a series of frames.
Teachers can apply the same principles to school and training pre- sentations. Imagine demonstrating the difference between the Ptolemaic and Copernican models of the solar system with a simple animation. Or try showing the exact assembly meth- od for your company's new widget with a moving presentation.
A skilled animator can draw
NT-'j^TCR PUC PIE QEl. TRHCE gftcr EyTRft
Animator tweens the frames between your first image and your last one.
Disney-style (if not Disney-quality) eel animations for commercials, pre- sentations, and art animations in re- cord time using the blue-framing feature. Autodesk Animator's titling and optical effects offer some of the same features that video-graphics pro- fessionals play with on their big guns, the ADOs and the Quantels; the pro- gram is perfect for creating the type of flying text and logos that are so popu- lar on broadcast television. And, be- cause Autodesk Animator imports pic- ture files from AutoCAD and other Autodesk CAD products, you can use it to create technical presentations, such as a fly-through of a three- dimensional architectural model cre- ated with AutoCAD and AutoShade.
.Animation is a highly specialized application, and most computer ani- mators choose a particular computer platform based on whether it offers a program that creates the effects they need. Many artists and designers run their business on a PC but buy an Amiga 500 or a Macintosh II just to create animations. So Autodesk Ani- mator's software rivals are not in the
PC world but in the Amiga and Mac- intosh worlds.
Holding its own against such competitors as DeluxePaint HI for the Amiga and Macromind Director for the Macintosh, Autodesk Animator stands up quite respectably. It offers animation capabilities that are more flexible than those of DeluxePaint III. Polymorphic tweening, blue-frame sil- houetting, and color and ink effects are impossible to create with the Ami- ga's venerable graphics and animation standby. Autodesk Animator lacks De- luxePaint Ill's custom-brush and per- spective tools, however, and its tool set is not as easy to use. You could get the best of both worlds if you created graphics in the PC version of Deluxe- Paint II and imported them io Auto- desk Animator for image tweaking and animation. Under the Pic and Ric menus, you'll find options for import- ing still-image files from other PC graphics-file formats. You can also import graphics files from the Mac, the Amiga, and the Atari ST, plus anima- tion files from the Amiga and the ST.
As for Macromind Director, Autodesk Animator offers similar color paint and animation features — albeit with a less polished interface, no integration of digitized sounds with animation, and a lower screen resolution {Macromind Director uses the standard Mac II screen format of 640 X 480 pixels and 256 colors). Still, just about any presentation or animation effect you can create with Macromind Director can be duplicat- ed with Autodesk Animator, and this PC program can do some things, such as image processing, that Macromind Director can't handle. Both programs have a sharp learning curve and take some study to master, but you can ex- pect this with any full-featured anima- tion program. Given that Macromind Director lists for more than twice the price of Autodesk Animator and has to run on a $7,000-plus color Macintosh, the .Autodesk program is a steal.
In short, with Autodesk Anima- tor, cartoon jockeys can boast boldly about animations created on a PC. Autodesk Animator is one of the pro- grams that will help usher in a second golden age of animation.
54
COMPUTEl JANUARY 1990
Autodesk Animator
IBM PCs and compatibles with 640K, a hard disk. VGA/MCGA, and a Microsofl- compadble pointing device — $295
AUTODESK
2320 Marinship Way Sausalilo, CA 94965 (415)332-2344 c
AM @ F A a €
^By^B ou are the young Dauphin, Charles VII, bom to be JM I king of France. The yearis A.D. 1429 and your ^H ■ country is torn by warfare. The hated English and ^^kI Burgundians have already occupied much of fair \~__W France. But now the tide is turning.
Leading your armies is Joan, a 17-year-old maiden from the tiny \Tllage of Arc. A vdsionary, she is intensely dedicated to serving you in your struggle to unite all of France.
Before victory can be yours, however, you will face dozens of crucial battlesand decisions, any of which couldmean freedom for your people ... or cruel slavery. You'll need the wisdom of a king ... the \'alor of a soldier . . . and the spirit of a saint.
hi tfiis stirring advenhire, you have the opporhmit)' not simply to relive history but to rewrite it!
'f' 5 t\'pes of realistic medieval action sequences, and you control them all.
'Tf 73 authentic pro\'inces and towns.
X 31 Kistorically accurate charac- ters, each with different strengths and weaknesses.
4* Lip to 20 options on each turn .
Braderbund'
Call (800) 521-6263
or see your BrSderbund dealer Joan bravely rallies your armies!
Fight English soldiers hand-to-hand.
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DAVID
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Jane Miller, a semiretired school teacher in north- ern Cahfomia, is a grand- mother whose life has changed in the past six months. As a computer resource teacher, Jane learned the ins and outs of educational computing at a point in her career when many teachers are looking forward to retirement.
Not content to leave computers at school, she brought the revolution home in a box when, to her surprise, she won a complete IBM PS/2 Model 25 system in a drawing. Jane also re- ceived a modem and a free subscrip- tion to Prodigy, the dial-up informa- tion service created by IBM and Sears.
As a grandmother, Jane is a member of a growing segment of our computer-using society, so I was inter- ested in her perspectives on Prodigy. Her first response was that working with Prodigy is like creating a maga- zine. You can explore any topic from stocks to recipes and examine specific subjects in depth. All this with just the press of a key.
While browsing one day, she came across an online version of the Los Angeles Times Cookbook and has since found some good recipes that her family enjoys. Through a connec- tion to the Grocery Express, she has been able to create a master shopping list from which she can then order food. Orders placed by noon are deliv- ered that day. While she isn't able to order frozen foods through this ser- vice, she thinks it will be a boon to those who are shut in and unable to make trips to the market.
Jane's grandchildren, Brian (8) and Jill (4), have found their own worlds to explore through her com- puter and Prodigy. Among their fa- vorite computer pastimes are the Storyteller's Corner, where each day brings a new chapter from a story. Previous chapters can be seen as well for those who missed a day.
One of the more interesting ser- vices is called Punch Line. A cartoon
is shown on the screen and users are invited to submit their own punch lines. Winning entries are made avail- able in a file, along with the names of the contributors. Another interactive exercise allows children to write their own stories and have them judged. For a service that costs only a few dol- lars per month (plus local phone charges), Prodigy has a lot of special- ized capabilities.
Jane hasn't had the time to chat with other users through the electron- ic mail service, but she did address a software question to Broderbund through the program and received a response in one day.
.As she puts it, "With services like this, you never have to be bored; there's always something to do."
Her only complaint was that she gets tired sitting in front of the screen for long periods of time.
Jane's enthusiastic response to computer-based information services is quite heartening. Services of this
type have been available since the late 1 970s, and many fiiturists have had to eat their words as they predicted the revolution that such services would bring.
In their landmark book on the subject. The Network Nation, authors Starr Hiltz and Murray Turoff pre- dicted that the use of such services
would be commonplace by the mid- 1980s. This prediction (made in 1978) has not come true. Even with govern- ment support, countries like Canada and England have failed to bring the power of this technology to the citi- zenry in other than small ways.
While the technologists were de- bating the relative merits of Telidon, Viewdata, and other formats, the pub- lic was unconvinced. Shortly after the introduction of the Color Computer, Tandy marketed a nifty low-cost tele- communications terminal in the same compact box. 1 am one of maybe ten people who bought one.
The capabilities of the infor- mation services have always been im- pressive, even in the late 1970s, yet the use of such services has always been limited among personal com- puter users.
The argument used to be that of "tying up the telephone," yet the rapid rise of home-based fax machines seems to weaken that one. Another argument relates to Jane's fatigue after sitting in front of the CRT for a long time. However, many avid home computer users gladly spend hours mastering a new adventure game, so this can't be the critical factor.
Expense may be a factor, al- though Prodigy seems to have ad- dressed that issue by offering its service for a low monthly fee and then selling advertising space on the network.
Perhaps the hesitancy has noth- ing to do with any of these factors. Perhaps the limitations are not tech- nological or financial. The only limi- tation to the use of these services is that provided by the mind of the user. Perhaps, just perhaps, the reluctance of the vast majority of home com- puter owners to take advantage of such services is that they can't think of any interesting ways to use the sys- tem. If this is the case, we need to work on increasing our collective imagination. We need to think about what can be, not about what has been. We, like Jane Miller, need to create our future, not just live it. 3
56
COMPUTE!
JANUARY 1990
His mummy doif t dance and his daddy don't rocic and roll.
Horns isn't a happy guy. ^ You see, his father, Osiris, was murdered. His mother, Isis, just lays around the pyramid, grieving. And evil Uncle Set — who's caused all the problems — has challenged him to a fight to the death. 4 '1^'s the original family feud — Egyptian style. ')i And it's all in The Eye of Horus™. A brand new game from Fanfare™ — based on Gods and legends as described in ancient Egyptian mythology, i Set has ripped Osiris's corpse into seven pieces and hid them in a dark forbidden tomb deep below the scorching Sahara sands. Your tasl< is to Iielp Horus find the remains, and avenge his father's death, ii But first Horus must search the dark catacombs for weapons and sacred amulets to aid him in battle And he'll need all the help he can get. Because in the final confrontation, Set will turn into a dragon to destroy him. j Self mapping arcade adventura ^ State-of-the- art animation, j High resolution graphics. '^ The Eye of Horus. An exciting new game for the MS-DOS, Amip, and Atari ST systems. Look for it at your local software store. Or, call us at 800/572-2272 (in CA: 415/546-1866). j It's no cruise down the Nile. In faa, it's downright ungodly.
LOGOTRON
Circle Reader Service Number 112
FANFARE"
An Encyclopnlia
FW«- iJ indfmjrtof BriUr»Kj« Sotam © 1?S9 B<iui>iuSo(»m « 1«9 l«Diron Uiarcl Df^
YOU USE FLOPPY DISKS EVERY DAY
BUT HOW MUCH DO YOU REALLY ' KNOW ABOUT THEM?
58 COMPUTE
JANUARY TV90
cspilc all iTiegee-whiV. tiigli-tcdi storage media noatiiigaioiiiKl out tlii'iv in iIk- PC inarkL-lplaiv — .130- nu'giil>\lc hard disks, stroaining tape drives. WORM drives. CD-ROM drives — it will lie a long time before we abandon the good old depend- able lloppy disk as the medium of choice lor many day-io-da\ ojiera- lions such as software disiribiitiun
floppies are as common as white bread, how much do you really know about them? Ntnicc eonipmcr users can always Ix-nefit from a basic understanding ofliow their eiiuipment works — even the tloppx disks the\' bu\ at the drugstore. .\nd if you're an experienced computer user who has been taking the iried-and-lrue floppy disk for granted, here's a chance to get reacquainted.
Floppy Autopsy
Floppy disks come in two basic sizes: 5'A- and 3'/:-inch. (Recently. Zenith introduced a 2-inch floppy disk for its newest laptop. It's still loo early to predict, however, how much of an im- pact this new si/e will ha\c on personal comput- ing, or even what success that particular laptop can expect.) You might think that only the .S'i- inch model warrants being called a llopp) disk, based on its pliable construction. But the basic design of a lloppy disk is fairly straightfor- ward, regardless of its size. Inside both the soft, protective shell of a 5V4-inch disk and the solid plastic case of the 3'/2-inch version rests a circular piece of oxide-coated, flexible mylar or polyvin\l chloride (PVCl— the true source of ihal endearing sobriquet: /'/();?/;r disk.
The ni\ lar or PVC disk (called a awkie within the disk industry-) lies between two layers of nonwovcn cloth or synthetic fabric, called a Una: This liner ser\'es a dual purpose. First, it re- duces the friction of the cookie spinning against the disk's outer shell. The liner also sweeps away dust and other panicles as the cookie rotates, thus preventing these minuscule objects from contaminating the disk. Once this "cookie sand- wich" is prepared, it's enclosed within an addi- tional protective covering, the outer shell that you associate with the \c^m floppy disk.
.A 3'/:-inch disk (also called a microfloppy) has an outer shell of molded plastic, a much , more rigid material than the flexible sheet of i plastic used to manufacture the protective sleeve on 5'/4-inch disks. The microfloppy disk also
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SINGLE- AND DOUBLE-SIDED
DISKS ARE MADE OF
IDENTICAL MATERIALS
sports a sjx'cial tncial shutter thai covers its head aperduv — the opening through wtiich a disk drive's rcad/v\'rite heads access (he disk's record- ing surface — when the disk isn't in use. This shutter slides back each time you insert the microfloppy disk into a dri\e to allow read/write operations. Because of the rigid shell and the spe- cial shutter device, a 3' >inch disk is luore dura- ble than its .S' j-inch coiuiierpart. I've sometimes lieard 3' .■-inch disks called sliin-pik'kct floppies. since they can be carried easily in a shirt pocket without much risk of damage. . j
Both si/es of lloppy disks include some form of w rite-protect de\ ice. On a .S' j-inch disk, it's a small notch cut into one corner of the disk sleeve. Coxering this notch with a piece of tape (orihe special tab included with most ?''j-inch
) prevents data from bemg wituen to a disk. Microfloppies, on the other hand, use a plastic slide tab built right into the disk's outer shell for write protection. Slide this lab back so you can sec tlirnugh the disk's wriic-protecl hole, and you can't write to ihat disk. These two opposite tcch- nitjues can lead to confusion for new users, but ttie simple rule is this: Cover the notch of a 5'/-t- inch disk to protect its data: uncover the write- protect hole on a 3V:-inch disk to do the same thing.
Floppy disks store data by recording mag- netic fluxes on an oxide coaling lltat's applied to the mylar or PVC cook- ie. One type of flux cor- responds to a binary 0, while a diilerenl mag- netic llux is associated with a binarv' 1 . The pattern of these fluxes are then correlated to specific data values in much the same way that the binary notation 00000101 represents a nu- meric value of 5. Three factors come into play when determining how much data (that is, how man\ magnetic tluxcs) a specific floppy disk can store: number of sides, density, and formatting.
Taking Sides
A floppy disk can be single-sided or double- sided, meaning data can be stored on either one or both surfaces of its cookie. Both single-sided and double-sided disks arc made using identical methods and materials and may even come from the same production lot. Whether a disk is certi- fied as being single- or double-sided, however, depends enlireh on how well it passes a series of quality-control tests. If both sides of a disk pass these tests, the manufacturer certifies the disk for use in a double-sided disk drive. Should only one side of the cookie pass musicr, the manufacturer
JANUARY
COMPUTE!
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Nine Steps to Floppy Awareness
A circular piece o( oxide-coated, tiex- ibie mylar or polyvinyl chlonde, called the cookie, lies between two layers of nanwoven cloth or synthet- ic fabric, called a liner.
Density depends type of oxide coating applied to that disk's cookie.
Both sizes of floppy diste have a
write-pfotect device. On a 5M-inch
disk, it's a smalt notch cut into one
corner of the disk sleeve; on a 3'A-
inch disk, it's a plastic slide tab.
Tracks are concentric circles that radiate outward from the center of a disk; sectors are sections of those tracks.
Whether a disk is certified as being single- or double- sided depends on how well it passes a series of quality-ointrol tests.
A 3^-inch disk
has an outer shell
molded plastic, unlike
the flexible sheet of plastic
that's cut to nsiake
5M-inch disk sleeves.
Don't set your floppy disks near magnetic sources, expose them to extreme temperatures, or use them as beverage coasters.
Once the "cookie sandwich" is prepared, it's enclosed within an additional protective covering.
60
C O M P U T E I
is expected to sell that disk for use with single- sided disk drives.
Double-sided disks work perfectly well in a single-sided disk drive. I don't recommend, how- ever, that you use single-sided disks for double- sided operations. Attempting lo store data on an unreliable disk surface can result in the loss of that data — always, in accordance with Murphy's Law, when you least expect or can afford it.
Density
Density refers to how tightly magnetic signals can be reliably packed onto a disk. And this, in turn, depends on the type of oxide coating applied to that disk's cookie. Rather than having a standard oxide coating, high-density disks use special al- loys that allow more information to be packed onto a smaller space.
There are three types of density ratings for floppy disks: single density, double density, and hi^ density. Single-density disks are a leftover
JANUARY 1990
from the early days of PCs, when floppy drive technology was relatively primitive. Such disks have become pretty much obsolete in recent years. You generally need only concern yourself with double-density or high-density (sometimes called quad-density) data storage. In the 5 '/4-inch formal, you need a high-density disk to take ad- vantage of the 1.2-megabyte drives installed on many AT-class machines. Similarly, high-density disks allow you lo store up to 1 .44 megabytes of data on a 3'/2-inch floppy disk (provided you have a high-density drive in your computer), as compared with 720K of storage on a 3V2-inch double-density disk.
Density ratings on disks are backward- compatible. That is, a high-density floppy disk can be used in a double-density disk drive. You should refrain, however, from formatting a double-density disk for high-density operations. It might do in a pinch, but you can never be sure that your data won't be lost or damaged. >
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62
Formatting
Before you can use a floppy disk to store data, you have to for- mat the disk. Format- ting a disk is com- parable to laying the foundation of a build- ing. How you lay a foundation greatly influ- ences a building's final appearance. Similarly, how you format a disk determines its ultimate data-storage capabilities. (Some systems, like the Macintosh, refer to for- matting as initializing.)
Prior to being for- matted for the first time, a floppy disk resembles a blank sheet of paper in that its oxide or alloy coating is distributed even- ly across the cookie's entire surface. During for- matting, two critical items are magnetically encoded into this featureless surface: tracks and sectors.
Tracks are concentric circles that radiate outward from the center of a disk, much like the individual lanes delineated on a running track. Tracks allow a disk drive's read/write heads to position themselves properly as they move back and forth across the recording surface of a floppy disk, searching for the specific data you have re- quested. How many tracks a floppy disk contains after formatting depends on your disk operating system and the type of format you specify. On a high-density 5'/4-inch disk formatted to 1.2 mega- bytes with MS-DOS 3.0 or later, for example, 80 tracks are encoded onto the disk.
Tracks are broken down into sectors. Think of a sector identifier as resembling the wooden barriers placed across the lanes of a running track during the high-hurdle event. Individual sectors are analogous to that portion of the lane situated between each of the barriers. And, the number of sectors dividing a track, much like the number of tracks created on a disk, depends on your version of DOS and the type of format you specify.
Once you have created tracks and sectors on a disk, that disk is ready for data storage. But how does your disk drive know the specific track and sector on which it should save a particular piece of information? And how does it know how to retrieve that data once it's stored? To coordi- nate these activities, a disk requires a road map.
The File Allocation Table
In addition to tracks and sectors, a third critical item is encoded on a floppy disk during format- ting: the file allocation table (FAT). The FAT stores important information about each disk sector.
Most important, the FAT is used to record which areas of a disk are already in use and which ones are still available for data storage. Each time you create or erase a file, a disk's FAT is updated to reflect this activity. The FAT also keeps track of the specific sectors allocated to
COMPUTEI JANUARY 1990
each file a disk contains. For example, the FAT for a floppy disk contain- ing your word processing program might specify that the beginning of its built-in dictionary is lo- cated in sector 3 of track 1 0. Each time you go to look up the spelling of a word, the program looks to the FAT — its road map — for directions on how to get to the dictionary.
Floppy Care and Feeding
By now you've probably picked up some usefiil information about how floppy disks work. But you need to know how to keep your floppies working or you could be in for a nasty surprise. Though not as fragile as some people believe, floppy disks can fall victim to a variety of poten- tial hazards.
First and foremost, there's magnetism. Since data on a disk is stored magnetically, the pres- ence of a magnetic field can send that data off to never-never land. I once had a client who en- countered problems retrieving an important data file from one of his floppy disks. I traced his dif- ficulties to the fact that he kept track of his disk by attaching it to a metal filing cabinet next to his desk with a magnet. Other, less obvious sources of magnetic fields include ringing tele- phone bells (real bells, not electronic tones), tele- vision picture tubes, and even small motors such as those used in electric pencil sharpeners.
Floppy disks, especially the 5'/4-inch variety, are also susceptible to extreme temperatures. As a rule, you should store your disks where the temperature is fairly constant, ideally between 50 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat from direct sunlight can also damage a floppy disk. Leave a disk on the front seat of your parked car in the noonday sun, and it will warp faster than a re- cord album on a radiator.
Finally, don't use a floppy disk as a beverage coaster. This may sound obvious, but the obvi- ous is what you're most prone to overlook.
Floppies Forever, Redux
Despite the emergence of megasize hard disks, CD-ROMs, WORMS, RAM cards, and a pletho- ra of other exotic offline storage devices, floppy disks are going to be around a long time, and with just cause. Rarely has so simple and elegant an object found such success in the PC market- place. With your newfound knowledge of this durable medium, you can make the right choice when it comes to choosing, using, and treating the floppies in your life. q
Jack Nimersheim is an independent computer consul- tant in Covington, Kentucky, You can read his news and views for beginning and intermediate DOS users in "DOS Prompt," part of tfie MS-DOS section of COM- PUTEf Specific.
How to tell if an integrated software package is righi for you.
Look How Things Have Changed.
When integrated software first appeared, it had limited functionality, was difficult to leam, cumbersome to use, and cost between $300 and $500. Today most integrated pnxiucLs have a more complete set of features, are easier to leam, and are priced between $149 and $259.
Amazingly, critics say Eight-in-One™ , a product costing only $60, is the easiest to leam, easiest to use, yet has the highest perfomiance. Who needs an integrated package the most? And what can you do with them?
Home Office and Small
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Woridng in a home office or small business usually means that you do a little bit of everything - write reports, do financial analysis, schedule appointments, track customer information, and anything else it takes to run a business without lots of jKople. If you have all of the tools you need in one integrated software package you get several immediate advantages.
Imagine having a collection of robust applications, poised in a single program, ready to tackle all of those tasks you always thought that a computer should be good for . . . to put a graph into a letter and have it finished three minutes later . . . to instantly check your next appointment, or automatically dial a customer on the telephone while you're in the middle of working on a spreadsheet
W^ith integrated packages you can save a lot of time. Since you probably teach yourself how to use software (unlike working in a large corporation where you'd get training and support from the department down the hall) you'l! appreciate how much more quickly you'd become productive using one integrated package rather than many separate programs. Because when you le£un one tool, you've learned them all.
A nd you can save a lot of money too- over Si 000. Because you won't have to buy many separate packages like a word processor, spreadsheet, database, graphics, and communications program, just to get all of the tools you could find in one complete, affordably priced, integrated package.
What Do You Get In The
Best Integrated
Packages?
1 he best integrated packages put a complete solution at your fingertips. They provide you with all of the useful tools that you need to do your job- a word processor, spreadsheet, database, outliner, desktop organizer, communications module, graphics program and powerful spell checker and thesaurus.
Well designed integrated packages are obvious-to-use. All of the options are right there on the screen. And each tool should work in the same way, so that after spending a few minutes working with one of the applications, you've virtually mastered the entire program.
What's more, the best integrated packages are lightening fast. Doing things like recalculating a large spreadsheet or spell checking
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a letter should never slow you down. So with a high quality integrated package you take full advantage of the power of your computer. Many users say they gel their work done in half the time.
With Eight-in-Cftie you get more useful tools than you find in other integrated packages. You not only get a powerfiil spreadsheet, word processor, database, graphics, and communications program, but also a desktop organizer, outliner, spell checker, thesaurus and pop-up calculator
Y ou might expect the most expensive packages to have the highest perfomiance. But Eight-in-One actually outperformed Microsoft Works® and PES: First Choice™, costing more than twice as much, in a recent test conducted by a nationally recognized independent software testing laboratory.
iLight-in-One is the only program that's truly obvious-to-use. Knowing what to do next is always apparent ftom the on-screen prompts and drop down menus. According to Eight-in-One users, this experience goes beyond "easy learning". They say it's more like not having to leam at all, because everything is so obvious on the screen.
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A nd, amazingly, Eight-in-One costs only $59.95- a fraction of the price of other integrated programs!
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V isit your local software dealer today, or call Spinnaker at 1-800-826-0706, lo leam more about why Eight-in-One is the right integrated software package for you.
A
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Every time you want to change graphics modes in PC Paintbrush IV. you must run PBSETUP and install new graphics driv- ers. Luckily, you can use DOS batch files to get around this unfriendly requirement. After deciding which graphics modes you want to use, install the program using PBSETUP for each mode. Rename PAINT.BAT to something that's rep- resentative of the mode you selected, such as CGA4.BAT, EGAI6.BAT, or VGA256.BAT. Now, instead of typing PA I NT 10 run PC Paintbrush, type the filename that puts you in the desired mode.
A more elegant solution is a batch file that gives you a menu for different video modes. Before creating the batch file, you'll need to create a special program using DEBUG. The following example is simple for the sake of clarity, but you can add your own enhancements.
Let's start by making a file called KP.CXDM. Make sure that you're in the PC Paintbrush /f^ subdirectory (usually called PBRUSH) and enter the following. The computer's prompts are in plain text; you should type the characters listed in boldface.
C>PBRUSH>DEBUG KP.COM
File not found
- E 100 2B CO CD 16 34 4C CD 21 C3
-RCX
CX 0000
:9
-W
-Q
Now you'll have to write the menu batch file using a text editor or EDLIN. Keep it simple until you get it working. You can embellish it once it's functional. The following example allows you to choose from one of three batch files named CGA4.BAT, EGA16.BAT, and VGA256.BAT. You can have as many choices as will fit on your screen.
@ECHO OFF
CLS
ECH01)CGA
ECHO 2) EGA
ECHO 3) VGA
ECHO 4) Quit
:GETKEY
KP
IF ERRORLEVEL 52 GOTO END
IF ERRORLEVEL 51 GOTO
MODE3 IF ERRORLEVEL 50 GCTTO
MODE2 IF ERRORLEVEL 49 GOTO
MODEl GOTO GETKEY iMODEl CGA4 :MODE2 EGA16 :MODE3 VGA256 :END
The ERRORLEVEL numbers are ASCII codes for the keys; your DOS manual will contain a table of these if you want to use different ones. The IF ERRORLEVEL statements must be in descending order with re- spect to the ASCII codes.
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Power users may want to add some additional features. Instead of invoking a batch file with only its file- name, enter CALL RLENAME and control will pass back to your menu batch program. You might then want to put a label before the CLS called :BEGIN. After calling each batch file, add a line that says GOTO BEGIN. Then you can select another graphics mode without having to retype the menu batch file.
One last thing. If you want to make sure that only the specified key- presses are honored by the batch-file processor, you'll have to add to the IF ERRORLEVEL statements. Instead of IF ERRORLEVEL 8 1 GOTO END, make the line read IF ERROR- LEVEL 8 1 IF NOT ERRORLEVEL 82 GOTO END. Richard C. Leinecker Winston-Salem. NC
Free Text Editor
You can easily add a few lines (such as DEVICE = ANSIS YS) to your CON- FIG.SYS file without using a text edi- tor or a word processor. The DOS COPY command is all you need. If you enter
COPY CONFIG.SYS + CON
at the DOS prompt, the computer copies the current contents of the CONHG.SYS file back to CON- FIG.SYS. Then it displays the file- name (CONFIG.SYS) and CON and waits for you to add as many lines as you want to the file. Type the line you wish to add and press Enter to contin- ue on to the next line. When you've finished, press F6 or Ctrl-Z to write the amended file to the drive. Tony Roberts Greensboro. NC
Do you have advice that makes a PC more productive? If so. we 'd like to hear from you. Send your tip. no mat- ter how brief to COMPUTE! Feed- back. P.O. Box 5406, Greensboro, North Carolina 27403. If we publish your suggestion, we 'II send you a gift. B
64
C O M P U T E I
Spock! — aren't you supposed to
I rebooted!
Actual IBM® Screen
[lii
hese arethe continuing voyages of the starship Enterprise ", brilliantly rendered with ultra- realistic graphics, digitized film footage, and spectacular sound. This is your chance to take com- mand of the ship— and embark on an adventure of strategy, action, and excitement unlike any you've experienced.
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NTERTA
COMPUTE! CHOICE
COMMAND A PLATOON OF
TANKS IN THIS INCREDIBLY REALISTIC WAR SIMULATION
RICHARD SHEFFIELD
You scramble to button up the Tank Commander's hatch as whistling Soviet artillery shells rain down on your position. They'll be coming now. Your pla- toon of four Ml Main Battle Tanks is tucked in neatly behind a ridge line with just their gun turrets exposed. You wait, the sound of approaching thunder grow- ing ever nearer.
Off to the east, a wave of Soviet armored vehicles roll forward, toward the hill you've been commanded to defend. The enemy consists of T-72 and T-80 Main Battle Tanks, BMPs, BTRs, missile launchers — everything but Sputnik.
A quick scan of the battlefield shows more enemy activity off to the northeast. More T-72s — bad news. They start to move toward your flank. Luckily, you've planned for such con- tingencies. The two Bradley Fighting Vehicles you have on overwatch duty spot them from the big hill behind you. A flash and a puff of smoke let you know that they're engaging the tanks with TOW antitank missiles. That should keep them busy for a while.
You turn your attention back to the advancing swarm. The valley be- low you looks like Red Square on May Day. To keep from wasting ammo on long-range shots, you let the range close before giving the order to fire. When the laser beam you're bouncing off the lead tank gives a range reading of about 3000 meters, you figure that should do. Over the ra- dio net you give the fire-at-will order and each of your tanks starts to oper- ate on its own.
"Gunner, HEAT!" The loader slides a HEAT round into the gun breech and jumps back out of the way.
COMPUTE! JANUARY 199 0
"Up!" comes the reply.
"Engage front!" you cry. Your gunner is way ahead of you. The ene my T-72 is square in the gun sights and the big gun is laid on.
"Fire!"
"On the way!"
Sounds like war, but war was never this fun. And this is only half of the simulated combat experience MicroProse brings to you in Ml Tank Platoon. This fantastic game is really two games in one. On one level, it's like a miniature war between toy sol- diers that have come alive. You order your tanks and support vehicles to move, and off they go, firing when they spot an opponent. At the same time, you have to react to a rapidly changing tactical situation. Your units will respond to your orders and en- gage the enemy as best as they can.
Once you get the battle going, however, you don't have to just sit back, give orders, and watch. Not in this war. Shrink yourself, jump into one of your tanks, and do your best to affect the battle's outcome. You get the best of both worlds in this game: the tactics and unit placement of a strategic board game and the driving, shooting, and first-person views of a pure simulation.
The action takes place over the roUing hills and valleys of West Ger-
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As platoon commander, you must guide your troops into battle.
many, and with good reason. There are only two places in the world with any concentrations of Mis: Germany and Texas. .As co-designer Arnold Hendrick puts it. "In Texas, all there is to fight against are other Americans and various armadillos."
You won't find the large, full- color maps you see in other Micro- Prose games. "New terrain is generated for every mission to keep the game from being repetitive," ex- plains designer/programmer Scott Spanburg, who has been working on Ml Tank Platoon since 1987. The ter- rain takes on strategic importance be- cause the gently sloped hills allow you to place your tanks in realistic "hull down" positions.
One of the first orders of business after you load the game is to receive your platoon and give it a macho name. I called mine Rich's Rogues. (After getting plastered in my first couple of missions, a more fitting name would have been the Reeing 59lh.) Then you must select your as- signment. When you first start out, it's best to spend a good bit of time in the two training assignments: Static Gun- nery, where you shoot at stationary targets, and Moving Gunnery.
Operating the gun is only one of many things you need to learn on the
live- fire range. Take this time to mas- ter the somewhat complicated process of giving orders and moving your troops. Learning to split and reform your platoon, to give platoon and in- dividual vehicle orders, to jump from one vehicle to the next, and to call in accurate mortar fire is extremely ben- eficial to your health. Fortunately, Ml Tank Platoon 's keyboard overlay, op- tional joystick commands, and clear interface make it easy to learn your way around. But once the metal starts to fly, it's easy to get flustered and give an order to the wrong group. The manual provides two well-written tu- torials that lead you, step by step, through your first two training sessions.
When you're ready for the real thing, you can hone your combat skills by choosing Single Engagement. These battles vary in difficulty and let you experience all of the classic armor- battle types: Break Throughs, Meeting Engagements, Hasty Attack, .A.ssault, Defend Position, and Rearguard Action.
Once you're comfortable with the rigors of combat, you can select Cam- paign to start a series of connected battles. Your performance during each battle determines your next as-_ signment. If you stop the initial Soviet
T E I 67
JANUARY 1990 COMPU
#ENTER1AINMENT
advance, your next mission will prob- ably put you on the offensive, and you can try to pound the Reds back into East Germany. The campaign contin- ues until one side or the other can put together a string of victories. If you lose all four of your tanks in any one battle, or lose an entire campaign, the history of your platoon will end and you will have to start a new one.
The level of difficulty is set by choosing the experience level of the troops you will be fighting. You can start off by beating up on green Sec- ond-Line troops, then move up to First-Line, Veteran, and finally Elite opponents. Each time you move up a level, you affect three battle compo- nents: The enemy troops have higher skill levels and better command, the enemy has newer and better equip- ment, and the operation of your equipment changes from optimistic (Department of Defense-advertised specifications — in other words, propa- ganda) to pessimistic (the way it is in the real world).
Your last stop before rolling into battle is the Bivouac Area, where you outfit your platoon and get your brief- ing. The Outfitting area gives you your first look at your All-Volunteer Army troops. You have 16 men under your command, 4 to a tank: Tank Commander, Gunner, Driver, and Loader. Each has a skill rating from Inept to Excellent. They'll be poorly trained at first, but if they live long enough, you can improve their skills through promotions and decorations. Think of managing your troops as a kind of game within a game, and you'll increase the complexity of this simulation even further.
At the Briefing Area, you'll get your orders for the day and find out if you have any support in the form of Bradleys, APCs with Infantry Squads, M90IA2 Missile Carriers, or even an- other platoon of M60 tanks. On some missions, a little artillery and air sup- port are thrown your way. Scout and attack helicopters ("helos") may be called in, but they last about as long as blue jeans in a Moscow department store. Air Force A- 10s ("Warthogs") are much more useful. They can punch portholes in enemy tanks as well as scare off Soviet Su-22 attack aircraft. Unfortunately, the Warthogs are rarely available.
When you issue the Go to Battle command, the balloon goes up and the battle is on. This is no place for the meek or the faint of heart. The battlefield is all rock and roll, so you'd better get your platoon on the move
and be prepared for losses. Even at the easiest levels, you'll likely come home with a bloody nose your first few times out. But while the learning curve is steep, your command deci- sions will improve quickly with expe- rience— so jump right in and take your licks. You'll quickly learn that it's much easier to keep up with the action from the Map Board screen. If you try to "micromanage" and do everything at the vehicle level, the sit- uation can quickly get out of hand.
The 3-D graphics in this game are some of the best I've seen. Everything scrolls very smoothly, even on my mediocre 10-MHz AT. By using the lower level of detail, you'll get very good results even at 4.77 MHz, As you would expect, the game supports
A direct hit gets you out of a jam.
CGA, EGA, MCGA/VGA, Hercules monochrome, and Tandy 1 000 graph- ics modes. Tandy sound is also sup- ported, as is the Ad Lib sound card.
Borrowing from its flight-simula- tor technology. Micro Prose has not only painstakingly reproduced the tank interiors, but also included supe- rior external views. Using Outside View, for example, you can hover above your platoon as it moves into contact with the enemy. Watching your four tanks respond to your or- ders for formation changes and swing their gun turrets to engage the enemy is a new and truly awesome sight in simulation gaming.
Once the battle is over and the dust settles, your evaluation takes place at the Bivouac Area. The screens describe how well you did in attempt- ing to accomplish your mission and how effective you were in stopping the enemy from accomplishing his. Your performance is measured in two ways and. just as in a real conflict, there may not always be a clear winner. You get a numerical rating based on the combat power of the enemy vehi- cles destroyed, the enemy quality lev- el, and how well you accomplished your mission. You also get an efficien-
cy score, which tells you how close
your rating was to the maximum score available for that mission.
Depending on how well you do, you get a certain number of promo- tions and decorations to hand out to your platoon members. Each time sol- diers are promoted or decorated, they improve one skill level. This is really the only part of the game I have a gripe with. Unlike other MicroProse games, there is ver>' little fanfare or feeling of accomplishment associated with promotions and decorations. And since you never know what med- al you are awarding until after it has been given, you don't have that series of short-term goals to shoot for. I miss the chance to win the Bronze Star and then the Silver Star — all the way up to the Congressional Medal of Honor. The totals of Average, Good, and Outstanding career points are listed in the manual, but they only apply to a completed career of 99 missions. Be- lieve me, that's a long way off.
Ml Tank Platoon uses Micro- Prose's standard dual copy-protection scheme: identifications embedded in the manual and a key disk. If you hat- ed it before, you'll hate it again.
Still, these obstacles and objec- tions are minuscule in comparison with the superb gameplay and graph- ics. All things considered, this may be MicroProse's best release yet. The bottom line is that good tactics work and bad ones don't — that's as it should be. Ml Tank Platoon is fast- moving, exhilarating, and probably as close as most of us will ever come to the experiences of the young tank commanders Harold Coyle described so well in his book Team Yankee:
As his tank raced along behind 66. Garger realized that he was thor- oughly enjoying himself. At first it was frightening. Men were dying there in the valley. But there was no denying the feeling. He had never feh so alive. Standing in the turret of 3} as it raced along, the image of the U.S. Cavalry riding out to the rescue flashed through his mind. The only things missing from the scene were the troop's guidon and a bugler sounding the charge. This was his moment. This was why he had Joined the Army. "To hell with it, " Garger thought, "This is great! Too bad it can't last."
Ml Tank Platoon
IBM PC and compatibles-
MICROPflOSE IBOLakelrontDr. Hunt Valley, MD 21030 (301)771-1151
-S69.95
C O M P U T E I
JANUARY 1990
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Sometimes, it s wise to play the FooL
ClKle Reader Service Numtwr 177
Aenteriainment
GAMEPLAY
ORSOK SCOTT CARD
Believe me, I am not afraid to fly. 1 like airplanes. I especially like big air- planes, the kind that look like office buildings lying on their side. It's takeoffs and landings that bother me just the teeniest bit. My first hint that maybe I had a problem was when I was reading Time magazine right through a bumpy descent and landing. When we finally got safely on the ground, I realized that I couldn't re- member a single word that I had read. And then, when I tried to turn the page, I found that my sweat had glued several pages together so thoroughly that they couldn't be separated with- out tearing.
I needed help.
It happened that on one trip I bought a pack of playing cards with a different piece of Japanese art on each one. Waiting for takeoff on the return flight, I pulled the cards out of my carry-on bag and began to look through them. It was then that I re- membered a solitaire game that my Aunt Delpha had taught me when I was a kid. A game that didn't require a spread — I could play it with two piles of cards in my lap.
I lost five straight games (you can't actually win this game, you un- derstand), and then I noticed that we were in the air. Solitaire was the dis- traction I needed!
I've been a solitaire junkie ever since. I guess this is the phase you come to when you're too old and slow to get your name on the vanity board in the arcades.
But much as I enjoy playing, I was appalled when I saw that Spec- trum HoloByte had actually gone to the trouble of creating a computer version, Solitaire Royale. I mean, are there people so stupid and lonely that they need a computer to help them play solitaire?
Then one day I was waiting for an endless printout on my 386 ma- chine, and there was the Amiga and
there was Solitaire Royale. I fired it up and discovered that the game de- signers had done everything right — and in some ways solitaire could be significantly better on the computer than with a real deck.
For one thing, spreads take al- most no time; gone is the tedious gathering, shuffling, and dealing be- tween games. (Yes, I'm that lazy.) There are several different decks of cards, and you can customize the background color so you don't get bored staring at the same screen. The interface is obvious and intuitive with plenty of help. There are a lot of dif- ferent solitaire games; if you cycle through them, you can compete with yourself or someone else and put points up on a vanity board.
One good thing about Solitaire Royale is also a bad thing; You can't cheat. Or, rather, you can't "impro- vise new rules" when you get stuck. The only fudge factor is that you're able to peek into a pile or back up one move — not enough for serious soli- taire cheaters.
But the sheer pleasure of playing with such a beautiful, weU-designed computer game makes up for the en- forced discipline.
I wish I could say the same for the Leisure Genius's (Virgin Master- tronic) Monopoly. In some ways it's a fine adaptation of the venerable board game — the screen looks terrific, and the game has been transferred without modification. This is real Monopoly, without compromises to computer limitations.
That makes it all the more frus- trating to find mistakes arising from sheer carelessness. For instance, I couldn't find a way to back out of a trade when I'd mistakenly pressed Y instead of N. The only way out was to make an outrageous proposal to the computer opponent. More annoying was the computer's failure to display how much money you had when you had to make financial decisions. Why should I have to write down my cash total on paper when there's plenty of room on the screen?
In all, I found the annoyances in Monopoly grsvj more vexing the long- er I played. Why shouldn't the escape key back me out of a procedure? When it's my turn, why don't all the properties I own flash slightly? Why are we forced to use forgettable num- bers to refer to players instead of choosing from a menu of memorable names? Why can't I make immediate counteroffers when the computer pro- poses a trade?
Don't get me wrong, Monopoly is fun, and the computer adaptation didn't completely kill that. But for me, the advantages of playing the game on
computer (you can play alone, you can save a game, and setup time is neariy 0) just doesn't make up for the annoyances.
I think computer adaptations should make board games more fun — without adding any annoyances. Without more control, more varia- tions, a more pleasurable experience, you might as well get the real game off the closet shelf and start shuffling cards and rolling dice. H
TO COMPUTE
JANUARY 1990
(Airline Transport Pilot)
Fly a Boeing 737, 747, 767, or Airbus A300 jet airliner! Flight Simulaiur: A.T.P. includes over 350 U.S. cities with service to 25 major city airports, automatic weather generation, Air Traffic Control feedback, six types of airborne traffic, and much more! The program comes complete with heavy-aircraft flight manual, maps, and instrument approach charts. Available lor the IBlVI/compatibles for the suggested i-etail juice of $49.95. See your dealer, or call SubLOGIC for direct order inlbrmation.
Flighl Simulator; A.T.P. and UFO are irademarks of SubLOGIC Corp.
Circle Reader Service Number 1 10
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Ml Tank Platoon With a lull platoon o( (our and sixteen men. you a whole shooting mate*"'
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74 COMPUTE
keft££
; ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT HAS COME X A LONG WAY |lN TEN YEARS. N ANOTHER TEN ^ YEARS IT WILL GO EVEN FURTHER.
KEITH FERRELL
irst: Tomorrow's games look great, sound great, play even greater. Second, they're everytvhere.
By the turn of the century, the interactive electronic en- tertainment revolution that began with 1970s videogames has become one of the cornerstones of an increasingly elec- tronic global culture. Everyone's plugged in, everyone plays games.
As the new millennium opens, interactive electronics ex- ceed both motion pictures and television in revenues. Before another decade passes, electronic games will be larger than all other entertainment media combined. It's easy to understand why.
After half a century of sitting passively and spoon-feeding from television images, the audience is ready for the interactive revolution. The more interactive, the better.
And in 2001, interactive entertainment is better than ever before. ►
JANUARY 1990 COMPUTE
GAMEPIAY 20D1
PlayTV
Game consoles are no longer simply discrete pieces of equipment, although the giant game manufacturers still produce plenty of stand-alone decks that can be moved from place to place.
For the discriminating, aflluenl consumer, sophisticated gaming is built into the smart TV that's the center of household entertainment
More than slightly intelligent, able to tailor its output to its owners' tastes, these televisions represent the pinnacle of consumer electronics, and supergames are the flags planted on the peak. The flat screen is mounted directly on the wall, an electronic window into worlds real and imag- ined, a high-definition window that responds in an instant to its owner's entertainment whims.
Superb sound augments gorgeous images. A serious electronic game room has speakers scat- tered throughout, tomorrow's version of sur- round sound, aurally enhancing gamcplay by adding symphonic scores to heroic sections, sub- tle sounds to suspensefti! scenes. Whole studios have sprung up to provide digital scores and ef- fects for interactive entertainment.
Multiple Media
The most visually and aurally realistic games ar- rive via disk, disc, or fiber.
Laserdisc games deliver motion-picture- quality video and sound. With gigabytes of stor- age capacity, the laserdisc has become the preferred publishing medium for interactive sto- ries, games in which narrative plays as large a part as strategy or reflexes. Stories unfold against photographic-quality backgrounds.
Compact discs, with storage more limited
than laserdiscs, nevertheless serve a large seg- ment of the game market. Strategy games are particularly popular on CD, where icons and maps achieve stunning levels of detail.
There are still plenty of personal computer around, and plenty of people who play games on them. New personal computers take this into ac- count; they're virtually multimedia machines with hi-res graphics, stereo sound, and fast game- play. Most personal computers include a CD drive, as well as ports for other peripherals, input devices, and dedicated game controllers.
Game control has evolved along with game quality and style. The traditional joystick has long since given way to more sensitive devices, many of them adapted to specific pursuits. The basic controller owes much to cartridge game de- vices of the late 1980s, with directional input, menu-selection buttons, and fire/action toggles.
Flight simulator yokes give flyers a complete instrument panel; sports car drivers and space- craft pilots use similarly designed consoles, shaped for the games they play. Electronic golfers swing electronic clubs that deliver data to the computer and then to the TV; a living-room slice slices onscreen as well. There are interactive ten- nis rackets, fishing rods, exercise mats, boxing gloves, and more.
For many game players, though, the most exciting peripheral of all may be the telephone line.
Play Phone
As optical fibers replace traditional telephone wires, they ehminate many of the technical diffi- culties that have plagued telecommunications
The Ethics of Entertainment
(n 2001 , some problems remain unsolved.
Questions of excessive violence still plague the interactive entertainment industry, questions that have grown more serious as the games grow ever more realistic.
Taking a cue from the film industry, arcade games have added slow-motion death, flying body parts, and gore. One of the year's big hits is a tiody suit equipped with blood squibs: One wrong move and the game draws fake blood.
Sex, too, rears its head. Both erotic and overtly pornographic software find a ready market— and a ready cadre of protestors. Interactivity makes possi- ble degrees of pornography exceeding even the worst of the smut-film boom. Statutes against por- nographic softvrare appear in several states, but the portability of pornographic code makes enforcement neariy impossible.
Some people even protest the nonviolent, non- obscene software. Literacy dropped sharply during the latter halt of the 1990s. While passive television takes much of the blame, interactive entertainment carries its share of responsibility as wrell. Kids can't read, but they can play. A few ambitious adoles- cents have gone so far as to file suit against school systems that impose traditional reading, writing, and arithmetic requirements, arguing that education should have more relevance to their electronic en- tertainment environment.
Educational software remains the poor cousin of the entertainment industry, forced to adopt game-
style techniques and approaches lo academic content
Organized lobbying efforts in the mid-1990s failed to achieve legislated restrictions on game con- tent, but the handwriting is on the electronic wall. Much as the comic-book and motion-picture indus- tries have done in earlier decades, entertainment software developers and publishers impose certain restrictions and standards upon themselves.
Conferences are held and aimmittees calied to order. These groups develop and implement a sys- tem of rabng codes. Game packaging now ttears clear statements of content and suggested age restrictions.
Some developers think the industry's self- regulation is still too lenient. Their concerns extend beyond the well-being of their audience. They see themselves as engaged in the creation of an artificial reality, one that bears certain obligations.
For these developers, as well as for many dedi- cated players, the electronic playground is as real as, if not more real than, the actual worfd. Because of that, the ethics of artificial reality carry a very real weight
The Association of Ethical Game Developers gathers strength and influence. Its credo states: "Our games enhance and enrich players' lives. Our products treat their electronic characters with re- spect and dignity."
As yet, no one has sued to protect the rights of a wholly electronic character. But the lawyers are talking
76 COMPUTEI
JANUARY 1990
k/Stttdk
i I
Voiume I
ii-
.
19S9
Role-Playing Game of the Year.
COMMOCTORE 64
IBM
IBM
— Computer Gaming World
"Bottom line: Definitely recommended."
— Scorpla, Computer Gaming World
"Countless original touches and innovations. . ."
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"The Magic Candle is an addictive game. . .weeks of exciting entertainment."
— Lesser, Dragon Magazine
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grounds. . ." — Scott Mace, inCider
"Such skill, thoroughness, and attention to detail, . .an entire new class of fantasy games." — William R. Trotter, Game Players
"The Magic Candle is one of the best RPG's to come along." — Guy Wright, PC Games
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.RAFT
Mlndcraft Software, Inc.
2341 205th Street, Suite 102, Torrance, CA 90501
der Service Number 178
GAMEPLAY 2001
games. Clear phone signals and high-speed mo- dems make possible high-quality group games between dozens or even hundreds of players. Es- pecially popular are the online electronic wars in which players choose vehicles, ordnance, and al- liances, wreaking artificial destruction on each other.
Telephone games also find a ready audience among role-playing enthusiasts. For the most dedicated role players, a group electronic reality has come to exist, an alternate place whose ap- peal is limited only by the player's time and abil- ity to pay his or her phone bill.
.Athletics and board games are also building large long-distance followings. Organized leagues exist for computer sports enthusiasts, while chess end other board games have spawned telephonic tournaments avidly followed by both players and spectators.
Body Play
Fast-action, reflex-driven arcade scenarios re- main the hottest game medium for kids and teenagers. To play the best, you need a body suit: neuroelectronic arcade armor, softwired for flexi- bility, able to detect even the subtlest physical re- sponse to visual input. These "living" arcade suits come close to dumping the player into the game world — too close, some parents say.
But parental disapproval hasn't hurt game- suit sales. Some parents find themselves joining in, eager to prove that they can be as adept in a game suit as they once were with joysticks. (Chi- ropractors have enjoyed a booming business as a
consequence of middle-age arcade enthusiasm.) Of all the game categories, though, athletics remains the industry leader. It's a sports-minded world, and electronic sports are on almost every- body's mind.
Play Ball
A typical setup for an electronic-sports enthusi- ast consists of a huge wall screen that has win- dows for the scoreboard and for closeups of various parts of the field. Game control is exe- cuted via dedicated controllers that vary with each sport.
Our athletic gamer partakes of both real and imaginary contests. If baseball is your particular enthusiasm, you can put together a setup that gives you a multimedia diamond in your living room. When playing defense, use the top half of your controller, where a nine-button layout sim- ulates field positions, a separate control area gives you access to an array of pitching styles and strategies. For offense, you can can swing from the controller or with a Smart Bat, which trans- mits your body language to the machine. (Prac- tice batting sessions are available on disk.)
Every major league stadium, present and past, is stored on optical disk, as are player and game statistics. Extending a trend begun in the earliest days of interactive electronic sports, play- ers can build their own dream teams and pit them against the best players in history. For a fee, you can download the day's games and re- play them to prove your superiority to that of your favorite team's manager.
Everyday People on CompuServe Sit Down and Shop.
No matter how close you live to the local mall, it'll never be as convenient as CompuSei^'e. Because Tlie Electronic Mall® is as close as your keyboard, and it's open 24
"Prices in the Mall are very good for comparison shopping especially for someone like me who lives in a small town where there's only one store, and no
- Greg Thtter, College Student
hours a day.
You'll find a wide variety of shops you might not normally find locally Like Spiegel software. or Walden Computer Books. There's a discount shopping club c<illed Shopper's Advimtage.**' You can talk directly to merchants. And you can make informed shopping decisions with Comumer Reports online.
Call 800 848-8199 or see your computer dealer. Then, instead of shopping till you drop, you can just pull up a chair.
CompuServe
Even better, players can exercise a degree of control over on-field action that should satisfy even the most ardent armchair manager. Instant replay is available at the touch of a button. Ques^ tion the umpire's calls. Indulge in strategy. Insti- gate a fight.
And that's just baseball. You should see boxing.
On the Road
Leaving home? This much fun can't be left behind.
Portable games have been a growth market for more than a decade, and the growth shows little sign of letting up. Twenty-first-century portable games provide high-quality, if not high- definition, color images, fast screen movement and animation, and stereo sound (delivered through headsets, eliminating the boom-box di- lemma). Most game manufacturers release their products in formats compatible with the most popular portable decks, as well as for stationary home units.
But you don't have to have a portable con- sole to play while away from home. The newest airliners offer passengers, for a fee, the opportu- nity to play games on consoles built into the seat- back trays. (First-class passengers play for free.) Interactive games are built into the TV sets in better hotels, and concierges are more than will- ing to put you in touch with other guests who share your gaming tastes.
Electronic gaming has become a destination, as well as a way to pass time while en route. In-
teractive game resorts provide places where like- minded gamers can get together to compete against each other, hobnob with top designers, and acquire tips and hints to improve their play.
The best of the players are in it for more than play. Both Las Vegas and Atlantic City offer an increasingly wide range of interactive games in which you pit your skills against the house.
The motto for gambling pmers: Pul your money where your mouse is.
Brave New Game World
It's a strange and interesting place, this global game culture. Philosophers and pundits argue the deficits and profits of a society that spends so much of its time responding to electronic entertainment.
For the players, and that includes most of us, it's simpler.
Interactive entertainment transports us to worlds not entirely of our own making, but ones which we make, through our actions, our own. That's something TV could never do.
And in those electronic worlds — half imag- ined, half real — we're able to exert a degree of control perhaps denied us in the real world. We can take charge of our destinies, whether athletic, strategic, simulated, or arcade, and guide an elec- tronic counterpart to glorious triumph or in- structive defeat.
That's the fancy explanation. There's a sim- pler one.
Electronic games are fun.
And the fun has only j ust begun . s
Everyday People on CompuServe
Communicate.
When it comes to getting your message through, nothing delivers like CoinpuSer\'e Mail. Businesses, families, aiid friends can communicate across the coun- try and around
"/bought my son in New York a CompuServe package and modem, and we often keep in touch that way. It's nice to be able to send messages or share files when we need to. "
— David Babb, Attorney — James Babb, Physicist
the world. Mem- bers can also send messages to postal addresses, MCI Mail,® Telex,® Internet, and fex users directly from their computers. There are hun-
dreds of discussion forums and the original CB Simula- tor, where you can "talk" to other members from all ages, professions, interests, and even cultures. Call 800 848-8199, or see your dealer. Then the next time you want to drop someone a line, simply go online.
CompuServe'
Circle Reader Service Number 119
Blood, Sw(
Enter the present. Tense.
Accolade has crafted two con- temporary role playing games that are guaranteed to raise your heart rate and send shivers down your spine.
Your mission ? Track down the Third Gjurier— a ruthless assassin hiding out in modern- day Berlin with hijacked NATO defense plans. He murdered two couriers to get them. Now
Or maybe you'd like to go some place scary? Really scary?
Journey to the haunted house on the hiil in Don't Go Alone" Your Grandfather went mad
Contemporary themes. Mystery. Depth. Non-stop action. If you're looking for adventure, Accolade has the perfect role models.
How to order : Visit your favor- ite retailer or call 800-245-7744.
r-KKJLS^ L7~\l_/l_
The best in entertainment software.'"
Ciicle Reader Service Numiier 133
I im
M
GAMESCOPE
HINTS
AND
P S
FROM
OUR
READERS
Here are some tips for mak- ing it through Mind- Scape's /Je/a Vu. To get a lot of quarters for cab fare and ammo, go to the casino in the basement of Joe's Bar by taking the elevator from the Weird Room and pressing the second but- ton from the bottom. Once there, start taking your quarters one-by-one from your wallet and put- ting ihem into the shorter slot ma- . chine on the right.
The machine will happily eat the first 5 or so quarters you insert, but with the next, your persistence will be paid off by hitting the jackpot! Now you have 24 more quarters.
To get rid of the mugger, simply give him a quarter. He'll leave you alone for the rest of the game.
To get confessions from Marsh Vickers and John Sternwood, get the vials of sodium pentothol from Dr. Brody's office and take a cab to 626 Auburd Road. Once there, punch out the butler at the door, go upstairs to the bedrooms, and inject each sleep- ing subject with the truth serum. Kevin Jiang Balhhurst, N.B., Canada
Adventure-Game Peeking
If you've ever played an adventure game and wished you could look through all of the clues and keywords in the program, this tip is for you. All you need is some patience, persever- ance, and the DEBUG program in- cluded with MS-DOS.
Start by running the adventure game you want to eavesdrop on. Quit back to the DOS prompt and type DEBUG. When you see the hyphen prompt, type D 0000:0000 and hit En- ter. What it's doing is showing you the contents of memory at segment 0, off- set 0. Pressing D and Enter shows you the next set of locations. Pressing D and Enter enough times will get you to the end of your computer's memory.
You won't see much that has to do with the game at first. The lower
part of memory is dedicated to system stuff and device drivers. Once past this, you will begin to see what you're looking for. If you happen to see something that you want to come back to, write down the eight numbers that are separated by colons — for ex- ample, 1236:0012. To get back here later, you would type D 1236:0012 at the hyphen prompt. To quit, type Q and press Enter.
You might discover some inter- esting clues that you could send into "GameScope," such as the purpose of the mysterious leaf in Space Quest. Richard C. Leinecker Winston-Salem, NC
Sim Time, Sim Cliannel
Creating a town in Maxis's SimCity is a lot of fun, but keeping a growing population happy isn't easy. Here are some tips to make your mayoral term easier.
Set aside a remote area for indus- trial zones. Factories breed crime and
pollution. If you put all of the fac- tories in one distant area, you'll keep these slum-level factories from bring- ing down residential property values.
Build a town with no roads. If you only have a rail system, you'll never have to worry about lraff"ic problems and automobile pollution. The citizens will complain about a
lack of roads, but it won't affect your rating.
If all else fails and you run out of money, type the word FUND on the main screen and you'll find yourself with an extra $10,000. Be careful, though: If you embezzle often, you're likely to be caught. Denny Atkin Greensboro, NC
Tlie Whole Ten Yards
The Sufjer Bowl will be upon us short- ly, and if you've been getting into the spirit by playing Accolade's 4th and Inches, I have a few pointers that will turn you into a living-room Lombardi.
First, you have to establish your running game. My two favorite plays are the sweep and the screen pass. Be- cause the computer's defense is so heavily weighted against the pass, you can usually spring a runner around the end for a good 20-40 yards.
Use a halfback or fiillback for both of these plays because they're quick and big, making them hard to tackle. For a screen pass, which works great on a first-down situation, let your quarterback stand in the pocket for as long as possible, fooling the de- fense into thinking you're going long; then toss the ball to the runner and watch him go.
Running a sweep is a little tricki- er. The key here is learning how to run with the ball. As the defenders come at you, you'll notice that they tend to line up as a group. When they get close, move quickly to either side and then straight ahead. If two ranks of de- fenders are after you, step into the space between them — many times you can get past before the computer can react. Peter Scisco High Point. NC
If you have game tips and shortcuts of your own, we'd like to hear from you. Send vour tip, no matter how brief, to COMPUTE! Feedback, P.O. Box 5406, Greensboro. North Carolina 27403. If we publish your suggestion, we 'II send you a gift. h
82 COMPUTEI
JANUARY 1990
Rocket into the striking realism and spectacular visuals of SPACE ROGUE, the phenomenal 3D space flight simulation. You'll discover authentic flight dynamics, precision navigational aids and sophisticated weapons technology as you maneuver through turbulent ion storms and confront alien foes. You 11 visit space stations and mining outposts— swapping tales with pirates, drinks with friends and goods with merchants. It's the seamless integration of space flight and role playing that makes SPACE ROGUE the first ORIGIN Cinematic Experience™.
/ We create worlds'"
IBM/COMPATIBLE VERSION IBM/COMPATIBLE VERSION APPLE VERSION
Available tor: IBM/Tandy/con?>atibles, C-&V128, Apple II series, coming soon for, Amiga and Macintosh; actual screens may vaiy.
Cani find SPACE ROGUE al your kxal retailer? Call 1-800-999-4939 (Sam to Spm EST) for VisayMC orders; or mall check or money order (U.S J) to ORIGIN. All versions $43.95; shipping Is FREE via UPS. Allow 1-2 weel<s for delivery. ORIGIN, P.O. Box 161750, Austin, Texas 78716.
Circle Reader Service Numbsr 13S
PC USA
HIKE ACROSS THE U.S.A. WITHOUT LEAVING HOME
COMPUTE! CHOICE
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Stricken with a case of wanderlust, I grabbed my walking stick and booted PC USA. Oh sure, I could have played same fantasy role-playing game and ex- plored the depths of dark- est Mordor. Or I could have chosen a military game and cut a path of si- lent but dangerous in- trigue through the sea. But there are so many interesting things about the United States that I decided to gather treasures and encounter strange crea- tures in a land that is both familiar and unusual. With PC USA as my guide, I was on my way to new knowl- edge and understanding — as long as
my hiking boots would hold out.
PC USA is an educa- tional program for people of all ages. It presents sta- tistics and charts about the United States in a manner that makes the information clear and useful. Besides the numbers and graphs, you get maps of the coun- try, broken up into states and regions.
At first, 1 simply ram- bled across the countryside, traveling from state to state on PC US4 's map. I started by calling up the USA menu and choosing a re- gion. The map magnified a view of the Southeast, In- terested in which states were bought in the Louisi- ana Purchase, I chose the Group command and asked to see those states. Again the map zoomed to another view of the coun- try, with the Louisiana Pur- chase marked in green. To find the city of Bluefield, West Virginia, I went to the menu again and asked where the city was. A green square marked my destination. From other menus, I could choose re- gions by the states or cities that 1 knew. State maps show rivers, major cities, and geographical features. A special utility figures distances be- tween cities, and another draws a top- ographical map for you.
If the maps had been the featured players in PC USA, the program wouldn't be exceptional. But there's more.
Like a demographic compass, this program points you to population statistics, crime rates, industrial pro- files, and other facts and figures. You'll also hike through historical
B4 COMPUTEI JANUARY 1990
Like a demographic compass, this program points you to population statistics, crime rates, industrial pro- files, and other facts and figures. You'll also hike through historical sketches, information on distances be- tween cities, and other trivia that make each state a little more interest- ing. You can compare states by asking the program to represent the statistics on a map. You can also look at a pro- file of a state, flipping through screen after screen of average pay scales, av- erage migration, and so on. Think of something you want to know; PC USA will probably be able to tell you.
The program designen have gathered statistics on 150 topics. Some are measured per capita; others are presented as raw figures, unrelated to a population or other base figure. All are based on data from such gov- ernment agencies as the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Education Association. To keep the information current, the program will be updated yearly. The updates will cost between S20 and $30.
Not interested in statistics? Choose another trail and discover concise state histories. PC USA has listed the important names and dates in each state's past. For example, you may discover that in 1 820 both Mis- souri and Maine joined the United States — Maine as a free state, Missou- ri as a slave state. Stick this tidbit in your knapsack for any number of pro-
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State maps show rivers, forests, major cities, and other geographical features.
jects, from trivia contests to research papers.
Maybe you're graduating from nursing school, and you must decide where to go to find a job. So you com- pare the number of people per nurse in the United States, calling up a mapped representation of the statistic. PC USA color-codes states by the ra- tio of people to nurses.
You can ask for the figures to be represented in five or nine ranges. The nine-range map is more detailed and therefore more precise. When I checked North Carolina's traffic fatal- ities in five ranges, the map showed between 800 and 2000 incidents in 1987. So I asked to see the map in nine ranges; North Carolina was in the 1300-2000 range. For still more precision, 1 called up North Carolina's database profile and found that the exact number was 1598. You can get as much or as little precision as you want from PC USA.
You can also ask for a bar graph that compares several states. Try lin- ing up teachers' salaries in Alaska, Colorado, North Carolina, and Utah. You'll find that Alaska is the place to go if you want to make a lot of money teaching; $40,000 is the average teach- er's salary there. But, after you check the climates of the four states, you may decide that you'd rather live in North Carolina.
Often you want to compare sev- eral characteristics of several states.
This is possible to some extent with PC USA. For instance, you can ask for data on crime statistics, average life span, and climate for New York, Washington, and Texas. PC USA won't show you a compiled graph of all of the information, but it will cycle through the individual graphs and charts of this data so that you can draw your own conclusions.
If you can believe the standard tests you read about or that you hear about on television, not many Ameri- cans have studied geography. Myself, I always think Illinois is much farther west than it really is. (Sort of makes you thankful that you're not hiking across the country with me, doesn't it?) Using PC-USA 's Point and Shoot command, you can move the pointer to any state and see what its name is. You can also label states with their postal abbreviations. I'm getting bet- ter at naming the states every day.
For homes across America, and even for those outside our country, PC USA will prove to be an extremely valuable resource. It's easy enough for the youngest information hunters in your family and meaty enough for the most diligent researcher.
The program's menu interface is simple to operate; you travel through clearly marked lists that branch from one choice to the next. Hitting any key summons the menus, but no one key is dedicated to one menu. Which- ever menu was last called is the menu
JANUARY 1990
COMPUTE
85
# LEARNING
that pops up the next time you hit a key. Once you've activated a menu, though, choosing a command is a sim- ple matter of moving the cursor with either the cursor keys or the mouse and then hitting Return or the mouse button. You could also select menus and commands by a code letter or number.
Some commands branch out to lists of items you must choose from. For example, when you issue the State Comparison command from the Database menu, you must then choose which stales to compare on which topics. Again, this is a simple process: Move the cursor to the items you want to choose and hit Return; then move the cursor to the Done command and hit Return again.
1 found the interface a little con- fiising at first. Not because it was hard to accomplish anything, but because it was so easy that I kept issuing com- mands when I thought I was just browsing. No problem, though. It's easy to get back to where you started, DO matter how far afield your explora- tions take you.
Exploration is, in fact, the name of the game with PC US.4. To get the most out of this program, you must be prepared to wander around the menus and experiment with the commands. The manual is short and concise be- cause it can't really tell you much be- yond the mechanical operations of the program. You have to discover the most useful ways to find information. It's up to you to figure out whether the map is more helpful than the bar graph, whether nine ranges of frequen- cy are more helpful or more compli- cated than five, whether to compare three or seven states at a time. For children, this exploration is a wonder- fiil way to learn how to read and ana- lyze graphs and numbers.
Most important, you have to catch the unusual numbers. Would you be surprised, for example, to find that Alaska has the highest per capita number of sexual assaults? Less sur- prising, but equally fascinating, was a comparison of violent-crime rates, property-crime rates, and unemploy- ment. Louisiana is one of the top two states for unemployment and one of the top states for violent crimes. The three states at the northeastern tip of the country are low in unemployment and violent crime. Property crime is more middle-range for Louisiana and the upper New England states alike. But here's a conundrum: West Virgin- ia is the other state with the highest unemployment rate, according to PC
86 COWPUTEI JANU
USA. So you'd expect that state to have a high violent-crime rate also, in keeping with the pattern I had discov- ered earlier. In fact, West Virginia has one of the lowest violent-crime rates in the country and a very low property- crime rate. If this sort of riddle is in- teresting to you, then you'll love this program.
But even if you're not fascinated by such inconsistencies, you'll get a lot of value out of PC USA. Offering the same reference qualities as an alma- nac, this program is packed with easy- to-access data that will add detail and precision to reports, speeches, and de- bates. Children will be particularly pleased with how helpful this program can be when they write papers for school. They can find interesting triv- ia to add color to their reports, and
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This U.S. map shows which states have the highest average teachers' salaries.
they can learn to uncover trends sug- gested by statistics.
To use PC USA, you need a PC or compatible with 512K of RAM. It runs best from a hard disk but can run off one floppy drive. PC USA takes advantage of most graphics adapters, but it doesn't support Tandy 1 6-color graphics. Although the program does offer printing, it only supports a few output devices so fan the HP Laserjet, the IBM Proprinter, and IBM color printers. Other printer drivers will be available later.
Printing may be the most impres- sive feature of PC USA. -As long as you have a compatible printer, you can reproduce any of the screens on paper. You could print individual pic- tures of each state to create a set of flash cards to teach your kids to recog- nize states by their shapes. You can also print any of the graphs. For re- search projects, these graphics could be very useful, but you should check on how to document PC USA as a source.
I can highly recommend this pro- gram because it does everything it sets
A R Y 19 9 0
out to do. On the other hand, there are some weaknesses, and the primary one is the hardest to solve. PC USA is filled with numbers, but they are static numbers, statistics that don't lead to new statistics. The numbers are repre- sented on charts and graphs, and the program makes only the simplest cal- culations on the data. You can't take several variables and measure them against several other variables. What I'm asking for is more than PC USA intends to be. However, as a newly blazed trail calls out to your traveling shoes, this program practically begs you to go further than it's willing or able to take you.
There are a few easily implement- ed improvements that would make PC USA a much better program. First and foremost, if the program won't make new comparisons from the data, it should include a memory-resident calculator so you can do your own fig- uring. I'd like to be able to calculate traffic fatalities per registered automo- bile when the program provides only raw numbers, for example.
I wish PC USA would let me bounce one statistic off another, for example, cross-tabulating data on the average life span for men against the top industry in the state. Lacking that feature, the program should let you split screens, perhaps offer multiple windows, so you can see data for one state side by side with that for anoth- er. You could also look at several dif- ferent topics at one time for one stale. As it stands now, not only must you understand how to make some com- plex comparisons of data, you must also remember the data from screen to screen.
My desires for even more com- prehensive features spring from the fact that PC USA points you to all kinds of information and to dynamic relationships between numbers. If you have any curiosity at all, you'll start wondering why Massachusetts has such a low ratio of citizens to nurses, why Alaska has the highest rate of sex- ual assaults in the country, why the Joe Everyman in North Carolina lives to be 68 and Jane Everywoman lives to be 76. You can't find the answers in PC USA, but maybe finding the ques- tions is enough.
PC USA
IBM PC and cxHTipaSWes with 512K- S69.95
PC GUOBE 210OS. RuralRd. Tempe. AZ 85282 (602)894-6866
ON A COMPUTER Ni^RtuU
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SCRABBLE* |
$39.99 |
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llonopoly* © 1 33S, 1 sas. Praducad under llesRM from Piilnr aram**, iMvWon ol Tonka CoiparatkxL Rlik ~ @ 1 99^
C(tj^ Uastar DetKthro- © 1M& PraducKi undar fIcMiM from P«1(« Bfoliiw*, dlvltlon MTonka Corporation, ^ SnIAto ' UcanHd by SahiNiw and fUghtsr Conipviy, a ubaldtaiy c« Colwn kxluitifn, Inc^
Distributed by:- ViRGIN MASTERTRONIC INTERNATIONAL Inc.
18001 Cowan, Irvine, California 92714 U.S.A.
Tetepiione (714) 631-1001 Telefax (714) 631-1004
CircJfl Read«r Service Number 136
m
-Leisure Genius
# LEARNING
DISCOVERIES
DAVID
STANTON
A voice cried out from Ma- tilda Maxima, my broth- er's constant travel companion, "Left door is oi)en! Left door is open!" "Fuel level is low," inter- jected her Parsec friend just as a new onslaught of space aliens began their attack. "Fuel level is low. Fuel level is low," repeat- ed Matilda as if mocking our inevita- ble demise. "A — apple. B — bicycle. C — cat," babbled Stickybear, obvious- ly overcome with fear.
Cousin Mac, forever imperturb- able, began quoting profound words of wisdom from the ancient sages: "Why not start your own BBS? Par- ents can even include their own word lists in custom lessons. Every year readers eagerly await . . . the basic fail- ing of Ma Bell," he advised. The vaguely familiar words didn't make much sense, but they provided a feel- ing of comfort, and we imagined there must be deep and eternal truths hid- den within them somewhere.
All these utterances came not from human friends but from micro- chips and computer software. Some of it, many of us would rather not hear. Do we really need automobiles that nag? Or talking refrigerators? In day- to-day experience, talking appliances seem to add little to the quality of life. Still, the ability to simulate human conversation can prove useful in many educational applications.
Consider Listening to Learn. De- veloped about four years ago for the ill-fated IBM PCjr, the program is ac- tually a beginner-level word proces- sor. With it, children can write short essays, save them, and print them. What made Listening to Learn unique in its day was its ability to speak. The program uses a Street Electronics Echo voice synthesizer to sound out whatever is typed into it. Type A and the computer speaks the letter. Enter any word, real or imagined, and the machine attempts to pronounce it The program even reads an entire text if you wish.
I first encountered Listening to Learn at Houghton College's Buffalo Campus. A professor there vras study- ing its effectiveness with preschoolers from three to five years old. Could children learn something about the re- lationship between written and spo- ken language through a process of relatively unstructured discovery? The results were encouraging, but sev- eral factors kept the program from achieving the success it deserved.
Scholastic's Talking Text Writer offers comparable features and is more widely known. In addition. Scholastic publishes two other note- worthy "talkies," Talking Text Li- braries, a series of talking classics on disk, and a spelling tutor called Talk- ing Text Spelling. All three require a compatible speech synthesizer.
Several other publishers have also recognized the advantages of in- corporating speech into their software for nonreaders. Children as young as 3 can work independently with Opti- mum Resources' Talking Stickybear Alphabet, Talking Stickybear Oppo- sites, and Talking Stickybear Shapes. The company also has talking soft- ware for IBMs and Apple IPs. The Learning Company's Talking Reader Rabbit uses digitized speech to help kindergarten to second-grade students improve their reading, spelling, and vocabulary skills.
Talking software can help older students with language-related learn- ing problems, too. According to a re- cent press release. Optimum Resources has been awarded a grant
FOR ITSELF
to develop software that uses voice synthesis and voice recognition capa- bilities to help 8- to 1 3-year-old dys- lexics learn to read. When released, the programs will run on IBMs and compatibles connected to additional hardware from Street Electronics.
Laureate Learning Systems specializes in talking language- development software for students with special needs. Many support spe- cial input devices for the handi- capped: Touch Window, The Power Pad (a touch tablet), and left/right rocker switches. Laureate's products are widely known and highly praised. They're good, and they come with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.
Even 2fenith has recognized the value of communicating by voice with a computer. It has introduced two sys- tems that convert spoken commands into traditional keystrokes for operat- ing all of the system's standard PC- compatible components, making it possible for quadriplegics and other disabled people to perform a wide range of tasks. Voice commands con- trol a telephone-management system where calls can be placed and re- ceived, notes can be taken, and phone indexes and directories can be created. A special computer arm picks up heavy books and retrieves documents from the printer.
A home computer with speech capabiUties can also assist those with impaired vision. A few months ago, this column mentioned two public do- main programs for Macintoshes — Macintalk and CNSay. The first is a CDEV that gives the Mac a male voice. The second is a simplified word processor that can read any ASCII text file aloud through Macintalk. Of course, the process only works with documents stored on Mac-readable magnetic media. Add a scanner and the right OCR software, though, and your Mac could read written docu- ments much like some very expensive specialized hardware you may have seen advertised lately.
Increasingly, educational soft- ware speaks for itself! a
COMPUTE!
hildren's Writmg & Publishing
, ^ For childrenragesTto 14" ?
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This Is Clearly Writing.
This Is Writing And Thinking More Clearly.
Now there's a tool that encourages children to write down what they think: The Children's Writing & Publishing Center This new fun and easy-to-use software program picks up where pencil and paper leave off. The Children's Writing & Publishing Center stimulates the natural creativity of young people and makes the process of writing both fun and rewarding, It combines powerful features in word processing, picture selection, and page design to help children, families and schools produce first-class illustrated reports, letters, stories, newsletters, and more. Now children can write more freely and creatively. . .and explore more possibilities! The Children's Writing & Publishing Center: an easy, powerful way to ^^^^^^^^^^^—^^^^'^^^—^^^ get it in writing.
Call for information and your free Parent/Teacher Software Selection Guide mi free: 1-800-852-2255
Suggested retail price: $69.95 (IBM/Thndy & compatibles), $59.95 (Apple II/IIGS)
Circle Reader Service Number 169
The Learning Company'
HELP YOUR KIDS MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE WRITING PROCESS
90 COMPUTE! JANUARY 1990
upon A Time
LESLIE EISER
Hunched over the blank sheet of paper, his mind churned with a hodgepodge of misshapen ideas and incomplete thoughts. His palms itched and his fingertips hurt from scrunching up pieces of paper. As he wiped the sweat off of his hands onto his jeans, he muttered angrily, "Three whole paragraphs on my summer vaca- tion! ril never be able to do it." Your kids never feel this way, right? Wrong. From a quick letter of thanks to a formal book report or a term paper, free com- position can be a painful process. As parents, we want our children to be part of that rare minority that actually enjoys writing. To help your child develop a taste for writing, read on. By using some smart strategies and your home computer, you can help your child develop a taste for writ- ing that will last a lifetime.
Communication First
Start helping your children write by encouraging them to talk. Ask your children to summarize the stories of books they've read, to describe movies they've seen, and to tell stories about what happens at school. Let them know that they have something of value to share, something worth communicating. The more descriptive they are in their verbal summaries, the easier it will be to encourage them to be descriptive in their writing.
Try to give your kids reasons for writing that are unrelated to school. Use letters to friends or grandparents, handmade birthday cards, and even shopping lists to teach children that writing is something you do every day. Have your kids label the photographs of a family trip, make up movie reviews for a friend, or just make up bed-
/oo=cooccoc \
time stories for a younger brother or sister. If your kids have trouble writing bedtime stories, you could tape them telling a story and then write it up yourself Sometimes kids are very sur- prised that they can tell a good story.
If you're really serious about improving the writing skills of your children, the very best ad- vice is this: Take the time to read to them. Studies have shown a definite relationship in children between hearing stories read
aloud, reading independently, and writing.
A Good Start
When faced with a specific writing task, just get- ting started can be the hardest part. We've all seen our children gather their notebooks, sharp*- en their pencils, and then stare at the ceiling for hours while they work up the nerve to actually write something down. Help your children develop good prewriiing skills by encouraging them to spend constructive time thinking about their sto- ries before they start to write.
Begin by moving your kids away from the paper. Let them talk about some of the specific events in their stories. Once they've thought of what they want to say, getting it down on paper is much less difficult. Ask leading questions. "Will anything funny happen?" "Is this going to be a scary story?" "What are some words you can use to describe how the character felt at the beginning, in the middle, at the end?" Encourage them to think about a story as a series of events leading to a climax. The trick is not to offer spe- cific answers, but to encourage your youngsters to think about the questions, to generate their own ideas. Try brainstorming for vocabulary
JANUARY 1990
C O M P U T E I
91
nee Upon ATime
Bssufimi
The Three
words or helping your young writers think up a good opening sentence that will quickly capture the reader's interest.
Another way to start is by describing the characters in detail. Allow your youngsters time to picture the characters, to imagine exactly what they will be like. Giving the char- acters names and describing the clothes they will be wearing also helps complete the image. For many children, drawing a picture at this point is an excellent way to solidify their ideas.
Some writers like to make notes or jot down an outline. Taking notes helps them deter- mine exactly what to communi- cate at each point in the story, and it reminds them to keep a vi- sion of the audience they are ad- dressing in their minds as they write. Later, these notes will form the backbone of the story.
So where does a computer fit in? It fits very well in two places. First, a word processor alone will encourage children to write more oi\en and
|
Little |
Pigs |
|
I^SJI^ |
Stone
Explore-a-ClassIc
starts kids off
with an established
story line they
can modify.
in greater quantity. And, while Q\ the need for skillful editing hasn't
NQllTI changed, a word processor defi- L nitely makes that task far less
painful. As an additional benefit, the printed results look reassur- ingly professional.
Second, story-starting mate- rials, like those you'll find in the software discussed below, can add important structure to a child's work. Since the pressure to think of something to say is re- duced through the leading ques- tions and interesting graphics, frustrated writers can relax. Once they stop worrj'ing about what they'll say, ideas will flow unimpeded. You prob- ably won't turn your youngsters into great writ- ers this way, but you'll show them that they can communicate effectively.
In the last few years, com- puter programs have attempted to develop writing skills by spe- cifically encouraging the prewrit- ing techniques described above. Unlike word processors that start you off with a blank page, these programs provide a structure for the young writer. Despite their differences in interface and de- sign, they share one thing in com- mon: their purpose. All of these word processors are specifically designed to encourage your children to write, to inspire them to be narrators.
Kid-Friendly Word Processors
Fill-in-the-blank stories, like those found in Di- nosaur Discovery Kit, from First Byte, can help young readers bridge the gap between writing and reading. First, a simple story with several in- complete sentences appears on the screen. After displaying each sentence, the program prompts
msBanm The Princess and the Pea
your child to select an appropriate word or phrase for the blank. The program modifies the picture above the text so that it represents the new sentence, and then a computer voice reads the entire sentence out loud. When your child finishes the story, you can read it again or print it as a bedtime story. Combining oral and visual ef- fects is a very effective way of reinforcing the connections between what you see, what you hear, and what you write down.
Writing the story down is easier with a word processor designed specifically for young users, such as Muppet Slate, from Sunburst Communi- cations; Children's Writing & Publishing Center, from The Learning Company; and Cotton Tales, from MindPlay. All three sport oversized letters, easy-to-use interfaces, and attractive graphics de- signed to inspire frustrated writers.
Real beginners often find it easier to use a picture in place of a word. Both Muppet Slate and Cotton Tales have anticipated this need — pictures and words are interchangeable in these programs. They also offer hidden control options so that you can modify the word lists and limit the choices.
In addition to its graphics capabilities, Mup- pet Slate also contains a sophisticated word pro- cessor. There is a powerful fill-in-the-blank mode and an insert/typeover toggle. As in grown-up word processors, the text can be edited interacti- vely anywhere on the screen. Muppet Slate also features attractive printouts, complete with a choice of several different border designs.
Children 's Writing & Publishing Center is one giant step closer to desktop publishing for kids. It offers a choice of fonts in several differ- ent sizes, automatically wraps text around pieces of art, and supports either one- or two-column layouts. The final results look surprisingly pro- fessional for such an easy-to-use program. You can't exchange pictures for words, but the sim- plicity of the interface and the colorfiil graphics make this program such fun to use that your youngsters will actually want to write more often.
Picture-Perfect Software
With all the fuss being made about right-brained versus left-brained learners, it's not surprising to find a lot of software specifically designed for visually oriented children. In these programs, children create individualized pictures with a modified art program before writing the story. Examples of this kind of software are Puzzle Sto- rybook, from First Byte; Kidwriter Golden Edi- tion, from Spinnaker; and Transportation Transformation, Dinosaur Days, and either package in the Story Starters series, from Pelican Software. In all of these programs, writers start by selecting a background; then they choose clip- art props and familiar characters to complete the picture. Finally, young authors use an indepen- dent part of the program to write a description of the picture or to tell a story.
The programs from Pelican provide the most intricate artwork and printing routines. On the other hand. Puzzle Storybook and Kidwriter Golden Edition offer more sophisticated word
92 COMPUTE
JANUARY 1990
Sorry Spot
' C.«iP«?
Everyone but the family dog will find something to love in The Family Software Library. Each of the three programs is designed for use by adults as well as children.
Individually, the programs have won 11 awards of merit, including Outstanding Software Award and Best Learning Product.
We've also included a special Par- ent's Guide packed with ideas on how to get the most out of each program .
With a new family computer, the Library is an ideal starter kit. Bu t ifs definitely not just for begiimers.
Each program is a proven favorite you can use for years. And you'll save $50 off the combined prices of the three individual programs.
So give our "farrily" to your family. And give Spot an extra scratch behind the ears.
Bank Street Writer Plus'* is an easy-to-use word processor that's simple enough for kids, yet power- ful enough for adult needs. It includes a 60,000-word spelling corrector and an on-line thesaurus!
Where in Europe is Carmen Sandiego?™ Playing this thrilling
detective game, children of all ages have a great time learning geography, history and culture. (Includes Rand McNally* Concise Atlas of Europe.) Type!* helps you develop basic keyboard and typing skills. There's even a special set of exercises for younger children.
See your Broderbund dealer or call (800) 521-6263
Broderbund
IBM PC/Tandy' and Apple' II versions $99.95. *Commodore version S69.95; comes vrith orig- inal Bank Street Writer, which does not include speUing corrector and thesaurus.
I« rSSf?!^-™* '^T'l i"^ lf2.°™ IT-^"™"^ isCamen Sandiago? are trsdomarks, andType! and Brwfertiund afB fogisfered tradomarks of BrodKbund Softwara, inc. Bank Stroel Writor and Bank Slfoal Wriwr Plus a« r«|i8tered trademarks of Bank Strest C0II89. of Education. Rand McNally is a registarad Irademark ol Rand McmiyVnd Company, ^ 1989 Braderbiind SoftwarB, inc. Andghts rassrv^ flflr n^
ice upon Afime
Body - Page 1
Kelp j File | Font , Picture Next Print
The Story of Our Move
by Mary Benson
One night my father came home with Ibig news. He said, "Guess mhat, me are
going to Jeawe our little house for the Imuch nicer one lue haye been hoping for.
I got a raise and noiu lue can afford iti"
m} for Help
Young writers get professional results with Children's Writing and Publishing Center.
processing tools. Most importantly, they keep the text and graphics visually paired. In Kid- writer Golden Edition, you can place clip an or text anywhere on the screen at any time and edit it at will. Puzzle Storybook shows the graphics and text in separate boxes on the same screen. When the story is finished, Puzzle Storybook's speech synthesizer reads each sentence aloud, a decided plus.
If your children really have trouble thinking of something to say, you can start them out mod- ifying an existing story line. In the Explore-a- Story and Explore-a-Classic series, students begin by reading the original story, which is shown on the screen in a cartoonfike format with animated characters. Next, you encourage your children to change the actors, move the props, and even add text. These programs are very entertaining, but it's easy to spend more time playing with the ani- mated actors than writing about them.
Structured Writing Exercises
The Writing Adventure, from DLM, and The Railway Snoop, from Sunburst Communica- tions, provide highly structured writing environments.
The Writing Adventure is an older program that effectively uses graphic storyboards. As young writers explore a large cave, they take notes on what they observe. The program actual- ly checks a notepad to be sure that they are tak-
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ing adequate notes. Il checks the quantity, not the quality, of the recorded observations. The program provides structured questions to make this task easier, and children choose from a menu of branches to get around.
After your young writers visit between 5 and 15 sections of the cave, the program instructs them to write a story using their notes as a guide.
Although the random nature of the branch- ing makes the stories sound disorganized, the concept itself is interesting. The cave is fun to ex- plore, and your children's notes can be quite in- volved. Even weak writers will spend significant amounts of time creating the notes and then writing and rewriting each adventure.
The Railway Snoop is a companion to Mag- ic Slate II. a word processor specifically designed for children. The Railway Snoop stands out from similar programs because it carefully focuses and directs young writers while it leaves room for free composition. It sacrifices neither structure nor creativity, so your child gets the advantage of both.
Through prompt boxes that appear only on- screen, children write multichapter adventure stories. Extensive teaching materials include cut- out models of railway stations and instructions for building an entire railway yard. The Railway Snoop encourages youngsters to write more de- scriptively, to include personalised elements that add interest to a narrative, and to think about a long story as a sequence of related events, o
You discover the entrance to a cave. You enter the cave hoping to find adventure and excitement. PRESS SPACE BAR
Children learn about gathering notes and writing stories in The Writing Adventure.
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The PRODIGY® Service Start-up Kit is your key to a world of helpful services at a price that won't eat you out of house and home.
After you purchase your Start-up Kit, all it takes is a flat S9.95 a month, with no on-line charges, to bring you and your family hundreds of featuresf Now, shopping is easy, banking is a breeze, plus you can get the latest news, send messages, book your own flight, play games that are fun and
educational, and that's just the beginning.
Up to six family members can choose their own personal password and then customize the PRODIGY service to fit the way they want to use it. Weather forecasts, member clubs, stock quotes, plus the features you like are all waiting for you.
The PRODIGY Service Start-up Kit comes complete with everything you need to get on-line easily There is also a Start-up Kit with a Hayes® Personal
Modem 2400 at a great price.
To find out where to get your Start-up Kit, just call 1-800-822-6922, ext. 591- Once you're on-line, you'll find that good help is not only easy to find, it's affordable.
Finally, What The PC Was Invented For:"
c.c,e Reader s«rv,c, Numur t63 Call 1-800-822-6922, cxt. 591, for 3 dcoler near you. 'SSl^KrpS'
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nee upon ATime
From Cartoons to Branching Stories
Sometimes the best way to convince youngsters to write is lo make them think that they aren't writing at all. Several writing programs disguise themselves as art programs: Cartooners. from Electronic Arts; Create with Garfield. Deluxe Edition, from DLM; and Story Tree or Super Story Tree, from Scholastic.
In Create with Garfield, your children place Odic, Jon, and Garfield in difFerenl poses and different situations. Students practice their writ- ing skills by adding text balloons to each frame, composing short stories similar to those they see every day in the newspaper.
Cartooners effectivly uses the Apple lies by letting kids design animated cartoons from a se- lection of actors, backgrounds, and special ef- fects. The results can be very attractive, and, in designing a cartoon, the young author is practic- ing important communication skills that can lat- er be transferred to paper.
Super Story Tree provides writers with the
structured framework of a branching story. Tre- mendously open-ended, the combination of graphics and sound capabilities make this pro- gram an attractive alternative for older children who still can't commit more than the minimum effort to their writing.
The End
Is a computer necessary for encouraging kids to write? No, but there are many good reasons to introduce a young writer to a word processor and some story-starting ideas. Whatever we can do as parents to relieve the anxiety of our children, to encourage them to communicate both orally and in writing, is going to help them be more success- ful in the future. To accomplish that goal, let's get writing. e
Leslie Eiser has three children and lives in Montreal. She has many years of experience as an educator, a computer user, a writer, and a mom.
Cures for Writer's Block
Cartooners
(Ages 5-14)
Apple llGS 1 MB— S59.95
Beclronic Arts
1820 Gateway Dr.
San Mateo, CA 94404
(800)245-4525
(415)571-7171
Children's Writing & Publishing Center
(Grades 8-14)
Apple II with128K—S59.95
IBM PC and compatibles with 384K—
$69.95 The Learning Company 6493 Kaiser Dr. Fremont, CA 94555 (800)852-2255 (415)792-2101
Cotton Tales
(Ages 4-8)
Apple II— $49.95
IBM PC and compatibles— $49.95
Mind PI ay
3130 N.Dodge Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85716-1726
(800)221-7911
(602)322-6365
Create with Garfield, Deluxe Edition
Apple II— $39.95
Commodore 64/1 28— $39.95
IBM PC and compatibles- $39.95
The Writing Adventure
Appie IS— $59.95
Commodore 64/128— $59.95
DLM
PO. Box 4000
One DLM ParK
Allan, TX 75002
(800) 527-4747
(800)442-4711 (in Texas)
Dinosaur Days
Apple II— $39.95
IBM PC and compatibles — $39.95
Macintosh— $39.95
Dinosaur Days Plus Apple M wrth 128K— $49.95 Story Starters: Science
(Ages 5-14)
Apple II with 12SK— $49.95
Story Starters: Social Studies
(Ages 5-14)
Apple II with 128K— $49.95
Transportation Transformation
(Ages 6-12)
Appie II— $39.95
Pelican Software
21000 Nordhott St.
Chatsworth.CA 91311
(800) 247-4641
(800) 222-7026 (in California)
(818)341-9611
Dinosaur Discovery Kit
(Ages 3-8)
Amiga— $39.95
IBM PC and compatibles with 512K and
cdor monitor— $39.95 Macintosh— $39.95 Puzzle Storybook (Ages 3-8) Amiga— &39.95 IBM PC and compatibles with 51 2K and
color monitor— $39.95 Macintosh- $39.95 First Byte
3100 S. Harbor Blvd. Suite 150
Santa Ana, CA 92704 (800)523-8070 (714)432-1740
Exp lore-a-C lassie
Appie II with 12BK— $49.95
IBM PC andcompatibtes— $49.96
Explore-a-Story
Apple II with 128K— $39.95
IBM PC and compatibles— $39.95
William K. Bradford
594 Marretl Rd,
Lexington. MA 02173
(800)421-2009
(617) 862-2570 (in Massachusetts)
Kidwriter Golden Edition
(Ages 6-10)
Apple lies with 768K— $49.95
IBlirt PC and compatibles with 514-(nch
drive— $49.95 IBM PC and compatibles with SViMnch
drive— $54.95 IBM PC and compatibles (combination
package with 5Va- and 3Vi-inch disks) —
$59.95 Spinnaker Software One Kendall Sq. Cambridge, MA 021 39 (800) 826-0706 (617)494-1200
Muppet Slate
(Ages 5-7)
Apple II— $75.00
The Railway Snoop
(Ages 11-13)
Apple II with:12eK—$S9.00
Sunburst Communications
39 Washington Ave.
Pieasantville, NY10S70
(800) 431-1 934 (in the Untied States)
(800) 247-6756 (in Canada)
Story Tree
(Ages 12-17)
Apple II— $32.95
Commodore 64/128— $32.95
IBM PC and compatibles— M2.95
Super Story Tree
(Ages 12-17)
Apple II with 128K— $72.95
)BM PC and compatibles— $72.95
Scholastic Software
730 Broadway
NewYork, NY 10003
(800)541-5513
96 COMPUTE!
JANUARY l<?90
WRnEHOME
tlie cliaiice.
six Missions: Knock out the terrorists' comnrantGation postconnnamla- style.
Locate the heavliif-guarded enetny ammo dump and blow it sKy-tiigh.
Master The World's #1 Arcade Game
Situation critical. l\flurderous extrem- ists have taken innocent Americans hostage in a jungle stronghold.The valleys echo with salvos of gunfire and the whir of chopper blades.
As leader of Operation Wolf", you are ttie hostages' only hope for freedom. You've got to blast your way in, hit the terrorists hard, and get out-fast. The enemy forces have you outarmed and outnumbered. To survive, you'll have to outfox them.
Expect howling action and arcade- quality realism. In Operation Wolf. Where you've got a fighting chance in hell. But thafs all you've goL FromTaitof
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Hnally. airifft the rescued capliii es to safety— and escape with your life.
Penetrate the prison camp, pin down tlw terrorists.and tree the hostages.
TAITO
Look for thisTaito hit at your local retailer, or call 1-800-663-8067 for further information.
Actual IBM VGA screens shown, other computer formats may vary. Taito ' and Operation Wolf ^ are registered trademarks of Taito America Corporation. Copyright © 19B9. All rights reserved. IBM is a registered trademark
of International Business Machines, Inc.
circle Reader Service Number 195
* LEARNING
HOMEWORK
HINTS
AND
I P S
FROM
OUR
READERS
Nothing encourages success as much as success ilself. This is as true for some school children as it is for most entrepreneurs, so tr>- using the spreadsheet, an old favorite of the business world, to get your kids motivated in the education world. Start by setting up a spreadsheet to keep track of grades. If you have more than one child, you can set up their scores on the same spreadsheet. However, don't try to compare the kids' scores against each other: The assignments won't be com- parable and the subsequent rivalry wouldn't be constructive.
For each child, name the spread- sheet columns after the assignments you're tracking. For example, call them .Addition Test, Subtraction Test, Fractions Project, and so on. You may not know how many tests your children will take, but you can always add new columns as you go. Make sure to name the row after the child being tracked.
To get a graph for the per- formance of each child, follow the charting instructions included with your spreadsheet. Use the line graph, as it presents a history' of your child's performance, showing improvements and declines.
Before you start this project, con- sider whether your child would re- spond well to this kind of motivation. Troubled students — those with learn- ing disabilities or emotional stress — might not benefit from this kind of evaluation.
Aiming High
For more motivation, try calculating what test score your child needs to earn in order to jump into the next grade range. For example, if I have an 87 average after three tests, what would I need to make on my fourth test in order to have an A average? You can use the same spread- sheet you set up to chart your child's progress. Just below the row of test
scores (mine are 80, 100, and 81), set up a cell to hold the child's average. I used cell C5. Select the cell that will hold the average (C5, in our example), and type = AVG(C3:Z3). In this case, C3 is the cell that holds my first score, Z3 is the cell that will hold my last score, and the colon instructs the spreadsheet to average the infor- mation in any filled cell between those two points. The cell, Z3, is an arbi- trary choice for the last cell; I'm just assuming that I won't have more than 24 grades. It's easy enough to change this by going into the formula and adding more cells to the range. The spreadsheet will count the filled cells in that range (that is, only the cells that hold grades) and use that number in the averaging function.
of the equation figures out what total score I need to bring up my average to 90. The second half totals my current test scores. In short, I'm subtracting what it took to make my current aver- age from what it would take to make the higher average, and the answer is the score I must aim for (99 in this example).
Check the documentation for your spreadsheet to see if the AVG and COUNT functions are available to you. If they're not, you'll have to write your own functions. That's not too hard: Simply type =SUM(C3: E3)/3 for the average, where C3 is the first cell that holds a grade, E3 is the last, and 3 is the number of cells. For the score that would improve your let- ter-grade average, type =C8*4-SUM
Fitu Mil Print .Sulccl Fopn,il Options Chart USikIdu ft B C D E F
Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 lest 4 Tests
Heidi 88 IBB
fluerage Grade Heedetl
Desired fliwrage
lie
A simple spreadsheet formula figures the score you need on your next test.
Now my average shows in cell C5. In this example, my average is 87 after three tests. I want my average to be 90 or better, so I select cell C8 and type 90. If I needed to move from a C average to a B, or if my teacher's scale put an A at 94, 1 could move to cell C8 and change the number to fit those needs. To figure what score is needed to move from an 87 to a 90 average (which would move my grade from a B to an A), select cell D5 and type = C8*(COUNT(C3:Z3)+ 1)-SUM (C3:Z3). In this case, C8 holds the grade point average I need to earn an A. The COUNT function counts all filled cells in the range (C3:Z3), much as the AVG function did. We added 1 to account for my next test. That half
(C3:E3), where C8 refers to the desired average, 4 is the number of tests you've taken plus the one you're about to take, and (C3:E3) refers to the scores for the tests you've already taken. The only drawback to this method is that you'll have to change the formula each time your child takes another test. Heidi E. H. Aycock Chapel Hill, NC
Do you have advice that makes a bet- ter teacher out of your PC? If so, we'd like to hear from you. Send vour tip, no matter how brief to COMPUTE! Feedback. P.O. Box 5406. Greensboro, North Carolina 27403. If we publish your suggestion, we'll send you a gift.B
98 COMPUTEI
JANUARY 1990
EAT SWORD, LIZARD UPS!
Employ all of your cunning to cannuer the CastJe Guardians.
NOW,
DRIV'EA
#1 ARCADE
HIT TO
THE HILT.
The Time: Many centuries ago, I^^^^HI^'as clear. The Place: Lograth. the mythical land of perdition and doom.
You are Rastan; the bravest warrior lord in Lograth.The male olent Castle King holds the world in his deadly reign of darkness] A life-or-death confrontation is vour destiny. i
s
Endowed with iron strength and lightning reflexes, you set forth. Your perilous quest to save the land takes you over raging ■• ■ ' .: -s-fj- rivers and volcanic gorges. Horrid
'^ gargoyles, demonic dragons, and the /retched servants of the Castie King ; uiust taste the fire of your sword, j
: So summon your courage and call;
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Whitewater and chasms of fi
leeLs Goyle arcade epic. From Taito?
and the reign of terror.
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IBM and Apple are resisiered Iradcmarlcs iw(i«iiv-el> of iniiThaiional Business Madiines. Inc. and AppleComputer. Inc.
CIrcIa Reader Svndce Number 19t
REVIEWS
WRITE WELL, PRINT POSTSCRIPT, FLUSH FLOOZ, TELL TALES, TALK THROUGH WINDOWS, ZAP ALIENS, MAIM MATH MARTIANS, SPIN SPELLS, CRAFT WORDS, AND MORE.
VOLKSWRITER 4
Try weighing Volkswriter 4's good points against its bad points and the scale balances evenly. The ad- vantages simply don'l cancel the disadvantages. On the good-points side of the scale, you have speed. You can't outtype Volkswriter 4 and, though it doesn't reformat text at the speed of light, your pages take shape pretty quickly. Finding and re- placing is, in fact, lightning-fast.
Also on the good side of the scale is Volkswriter 4'i list of features. This package boasts file merging that is as simple and elegant as you'll find in any other word processor. You have plenty of formatting choices — regular tabs, decimal tabs, indented para- graphs for long quotations, and so on. Style sheets transfer layouts from file to file, but they aren't as powerful as those in some of the more popular packages. As you find in much more loudly praised word processors, there's an option for sorting column information, and there's a function that performs mathematical opera- tions on columns of numbers.
Most writers would demand that a word processor include a spelling checker, and Volkswriter 4 answers that demand more than sufficiently. One of its most significant strengths — and biggest selling points — is its gram- mar and spelling checker.
Correct Grammar is a very apt grammar checker. But, although I ap- preciated its thoroughness, some people may find this computer gram- marian a little overcautious.
The checker stops very often, sometimes on sentences that you've
written with a particular style in mind — perhaps on a sentence frag- ment, included for poetic reasons. And it stops on every single sentence that you start with a conjunction, pa- tronistically telling you, "It is prefera- ble to avoid starting a sentence with a conjunction." (If you ask me, it's pref- erable to be more direct and simply say, "Don't stan a sentence with a conjunction unless you have a good reason.") Sentences that are written in passive voice, however, aren't flagged. I confess that I shook my fist at the computer a few times.
Verify and change spelling mistakes with VolkswrltBt's spelling checker.
Correct Grammar finds most er- rors but, because it has to follow rules, you can trick it into thinking you've written grammatically graceful prose even when you've really written non- sense. It didn't, for example, catch the word taught used in a place where taut would have been the right choice.
AH in all, Correct Grammar is a good utility, but if you get too frustrat- ed, turn off the grammar checker and simply check spelling.
Volkswriter 4'i negative points aren't as numerous, but each one weighs heavily against the program and is linked to the program's inter- face. It simply isn't intuitive enough. You can't guess at anything, and even the help screen takes some decipher-
ing. Thank goodness the manual is so well written or you'd be in real trouble.
Volkswriter 4 isn't menu-driven, and there's no mouse support either; it's function-key driven. Until you learn which key controls which opera- tion, the interface can be very hard to figure out.
For example, the escape key closes your file unexpectedly and un- saved. Finding text is equally clumsy. Hit F7 to find text, hit it again to keep finding that same text string, Volks- writer 4 searches through your docu- ment, looping from end to beginning until you stop hitting F7. It never tells you that you're at the end of the docu- ment. You must hit FIO and then F7 to change the text string. If thai doesn't sound like a bother, you prob- ably won't mind the interface. Word- Perfect users have lived with this function-key style of movement for years — but even they are getting menus and mouse support in the lat- est version of that package.
If you can live with the quirki- ness and obscurity of the commands, then you might get a lot out of Volkswriter 4. And, actually if Volks- writer 4 \^ your first word processor, you might not be as critical of the pro- gram's interface as I was.
However, if you need a smooth and simple interface as much as you need power and variety in features, this word processor is out of balance. >
HEIDIE. H. AYCOCK
IBM PCs and compatibles with 384K— SI 95
Requires hard drive and 512K for Gram- mar Checker
VOLKSWRITER P.O. Box 1429 Monterey, CA 93942 (408)373^718
100
COMPUTE!
JANUARY 1990
COHFUUBFB&^yOi
M^^"*
Fool of Radiaike uses the legendary ADVAnCED DUHQEOriS fif DRAQOMS' role- playing system to make all your computer gaming fantasies come true. Embark on dan- gerous quests in the magical FORQOTTEn REALMS'game world - made real by com- puter animation with combat that adheres stricUy to AD&D' game standards. Prepare yourself for the ultimate fantasy role-playing
experiencel
MAcrprrosH
C-64/i28 IBM APPLE n
ConrHC Soon: AMIGA ATARI ST APPLE 11 OS
'M'ilrpi
Heroes of im Lai\(x gives you non-stop excitement and fully animated action in the mystical DRAQORLANCE' game world. Guide eight Companions, each with different skills, deep into the treacherous ruins of the temple Xak Tsaroth. They'll need all your skills to help them survive the attaci^ of giant spiders, demons, dragons and count- less other ten-ors. Retrieve the precious
Disks of Mishakal — if you dare!
AMIGA ATARI ST C-64/128 IBn
■^
ADVANCED DUNGEONS i DRAGONS, AD&D, FORGOnEN RMLMS, DRAGONLANCE snS Ihc TSfl logo are Irademsrks owned: by and used under license frcm TSR, Inc. ©1969 TSR. Ire. EI19S9 Slralegic Simulations, Inc. Ml rtghts leurved.
1
HiiLSFAR is the training grounds for your heroes. Transfer your characters from Pool of Radiance or Curse of the Azure Bonds and increase their skills through real-time workouts such as combat, maze- running, iock-picking, archery and horse- back riding. Succeed in Hillsfar and your characters' statistics will actually improve. They will emerge from Hillsfar more pre- pared than ever to sur- vive further adventur- ing.
AHIGA ATARI ST C-64/128 IBM
To Order: Visit your retalier or call 1-800-245-4525 to charge on VISA or MasterCard. To receive SSI's complete product catalog, send Sl.OO to; SSI, 675 Almanor Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086.
GOSGRIPT
Professional-quality desk- top publishing output doesn't come cheap, with PostScript laser printers costing over $3,000. LaserGo's GoScript soft- ware is an inexpensive al- ternative to purchasing a laser printer. With Go Script, you can print files intended for a PostScript printer on inexpensive dot-matrix, ink-jet, and low-end laser printers. GoScript translates PostScript code into bitmaps that can be printed on non-PostScript printers. PostScript is a page-description language that's used to describe complex formatting information to laser printers. One of its most usefiil features is that it al- lows you to scale fonts to any size. Unlike most other printers, which only print in a few type sizes, Post- Script printers can produce type in sizes ranging from minuscule to gar- gantuan. They can also print reversed and rotated text, a feat unmanageable by simpler laser printers.
With GoScripi, a LaserJet, Etesk- Jet, or dot-matrix printer can print many of the same files you could print to an expensive PostScript printer, complete with high-quality fonts and EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) graph- ics. I say many because I encountered files that were too complex for the program to print.
While it's obvious why a DeskJet or dot-matrix user would use Go- Script, LaserJet or compatible owners will also benefit. For example, the LaserJet can print neither reversed nor rotated type. GoScript can give you both these effects.
Printing with GoScript is a two- step process. First you create a Post- Script file, and then you print it using GoScript. PostScript files can be creat- ed two ways: You can create page lay- outs using a desktop publishing, word processing, or graphics program and print to disk in PostScript format; or, because PostScript is a computer lan- guage, you can write programs to pro- duce graphics files. To print, you simply type GS followed by the name of the PostScript file.
Print times vary with the com- plexity of the files and the speed of your hardware. Without at least I megabyte of memory, GoScript is forced to do all of its computations on your hard disk, which makes the pro- gram extremely slow and inefficient. On an 8-MHz AT-compatible with 1.25 megabytes of EMS memory, a
page with mostly text with three small line-art files took approximately 2'/i minutes to print on a LaserJet at 300 dpi. On the same computer without EMS, the same page took almost 20 minutes to print. An actual PostScript laser printer took only ! minute to print the page, so 2 'A minutes is a reasonable amount of time, but 20 minutes is simply not practical. Files with bitmapped images from paint programs or scanners will take sub- stantially more time, with or with- out EMS.
GoScript gives you taser-printer-quality output from your dot-matrix printer.
Having EMS memory also helps dot-matrix and ink-jet print times. Printing the same file on an Epson 9- pin without EMS took 22 minutes and 42 seconds; with EMS, it look 9 min- utes and 26 seconds. The HP DeskJet showed a similar improvement, print- ing the page in 25 minutes and 49 sec- onds without EMS, and 5 minutes and 35 seconds with it. (All print times are for the printer's highest resolution.)
I tested GoScript with files creat- ed by WordPerfect 5.0, GEM Ariline, and Ventura Publisher. In most cases the files printed perfectly. However, using WordPerfect, a page with one graphic would only print if the body text was unjustified. When 1 justified the text, GoScript could not print the file, even with 580K of available memory. LaserGo suggests you re- move all TSRs and device drivers to ensure that you have as much memo- ry as possible, but even then there were files that wouldn't print. This can be especially frustrating because you can waste several minutes before GoScript announces that it can't print the file.
GoScript also had problems with some Corel Draw files. Pages with fountains (continuous tones of gray
progressing from light to dark) took so long to print that I thought the pro- gram was frozen. A LaserGo represen- tative said that even with EMS, Corel Draw's fountains can take up to an hour and a half to create on an 80386 PC or four hours on an 80286 setup. Also, you must manually add a Show- page command to some Corel Draw files with a text editor before you can print them with GoScripi.
GoScript includes the same 1 3 typefaces that are built into basic PostScript printers. The fonts are sharp, well designed, and look good even at small point sizes. The Roman font looked odd when printed at 12 points, however. Because all of the in- cluded fonts are PostScript-width- compatible, you can use GoScript to accurately proof pages that will even- tually go to a PostScript printer or typesetter.
GoScript can add more desktop publishing power to your printer. If you can work around the occasional incompatible file and you have plenty of time or memory, this program gives you PostScript power without a PostScript price.
DANIEL WILL-HARRIS
IBM PC and compatibles with DOS 3.0 or later, 640K, and a hard disk; ofie mega- byte of EMS merrory recommended — $195 A version with 35 PostScript (onts— $395
LASERGO
9235 Trade PI.
Suite A
San Diego, CA 92126
(619)530-2400
PIPE DREAM
To be a plumber, you've got to learn the basics. And the first basic is this: It takes more than a new leather tool belt and a shiny wrench. It takes experience, common sense, and, most of all, a feel for the odds. What are the odds that you're going to pick the right pipe joint from the box when all the li^ts are out and all the flooz is flowing?
The odds are better if you stick with me. I'll show you the ins and outs of the flooz, the twists and turns of the pipes. I'll show you how to win in the plumbing war, the game we hke to call Pipe Dream.
First off", you've got to learn about the flooz. Now water — hot water, cold water, clean water, rusty
102 COMPUTEI
JANUARY 1990
Instant Bible Access ■ Only $49
QuiCK\^RSE Bible Concordance
QuickVerse Bible Concordance is a fast, easy-to-use tool for general Bible study and in-depth Bible research. QuickVerse puts the complete text of the King James, New International, New King James, or Revised Standard Version of the Bible at your fingertips, allowing you to:
■ Instantly locate any word or verse in the entire Old and New Testament in only tenths of a second — as fast as any Bible research program available today — or faster.
" Perform partial phrase or word searches. For example: searching for Bapt' With would locate any verse containing Baptize Wifl). Baptized With, and Baptizing With.
■ View verses in context. You can easily browse back and forth through surrounding verses and chapters.
■ Limit your searches to a particular range of books, chapters or verses.
■ Print passages with the search phrase in bold type, and with words added by the KJV translators in italics.
■ Use any monitor and printer.
■ Export passage selections to a file for use with your favorite word processor.
■ Display or print scripture in several popular formats (e.g. verse reference following or in front of passage, etc.).
Hard to believe the $49 price? Don't worry. Parsons Technology is known for software that outperforms products costing much more. And the QuickVerse Bible Concordance is completely guaranteed. If you're oot 100% satisfied, return the QuickVcrse Bible Concohoanci within 30 days for a full refund (excluding shipping).
^^^i^ll^^^t^mL-"^
375 Collins Road NE Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402
Available in IBM or Macintosh versions, with printed
manual. Not copy protected.
For Same Day Shipping
VISA, MASTERCARD & C.O.D. ORDERS CALL
1-800-223-6925
(In Canada, call 319/395-7300) Weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. CST Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Or send check or money order payable to Parsons Technology. J
L
s^^i'it^SiiiitJu-'^
QuickVerse Bible Concordance
$43 + $5 Shipping/Handling
NOT COPY PROTECTED INCLUDES PRINTED MATERIAL
n
Dcpt. COM
375 Collins Road NE
Cedar Rapids, lora 52402
Customer may select:
□ King James Version
D New Inlematiunal Version (.Add S)0 publisher's royalty)
D Revised Standard Version (Add S4 publisher's royalty)
n New King James Version (Add $4 publisher's royalty)
Then select IBM or Macintosh version:
■ ■ IBM or Tandy version G Macintosh version
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iowa residents please add 4% sales tax. Orders outside North America please add StO shipping and handling.
IBM version requires IBM, Tandy or compatihie computer with 256k or more memory, two floppy disk drives or floppy disk drive and hard disk drive, and DOS Release 2.0 or lafer. (.'\ iiard disk drive is recommended but is not required.)
Macintosh version requires 512k or more memory and works with any disk drive configuration.
J
Circle Reader Service Number 146
water — it's no big thing. We can easily deal with water. But flooz, flooz is an- other story altogether. When the green flooz flows onto the floor, you don't get a puddle, you get a monster. You get lost. It's fast-moving goo that moves sure and steady through all the trouble spots in your pipes. So just keep adding pipe segments to that tan- gled nest of copper snakes, and hope that the flooz doesn't pick up speed.
Now that you understand the flooz, let's move on to the tools. You get around the web of pipes with a mouse or a keyboard. (No sense wear- ing holes in the knees of your cover- alls.) There's a frame that you move around in your work area, and when you find a place where you want to put the next pipe, just click that mouse button or the space bar and the segment hooks up to the others, as simple as that.
Well, not quite as simple as that. See, when that flooz is flowing, you don't have an extra second to rifle through the box of pipe segments to find the straight one for that spot or the elbow joint for this spot. You just take what's closest to you, use that pipe, then move on to the next spot. Sometimes, when the flooz is really flying, you'll be tossing pipe parts this way and that way all over the place.
Then you'll get to a spot where you'd give your best pair of shoes for that cross pii>e you tossed aside a few min- utes ago, and who knows when the next one will turn up?
Quickly connect sections of pipe and keep the flooz flowing in Pipe Dream.
As you get better at the work, you'll come up against tougher snags. Why, just the other day, I was work- ing on a place with gaps big as your boot. Couldn't place a pipe there, no way. Just had to go around those spots. A friend of mine got a box full of one- way pipes, and I mean to tell you he was hopping mad. Nothing like facing a gullet-full of green goo and not hav- ing the right pipe to hold it.
When you get into a nest of pipes, you'll see some strange colors. Some-
times you go into a VGA-equipped place and you'll see bright, neon col- ors— vibrant blues, blinding green, and glowing yellow. Nothing like it. EGA-type basements look nearly as good. Other times you'll have to go to the CG.A side of the tracks, where ev- erything's pretty much rust-colored or black. Except tlie flooz. The flooz is always green.
Besides the colors, there's the sounds. The flooz has a song all its own. Sounds like a waterfall of lava or a whirlpool of jello. Not quite what you'd call a pretty tune, but it's a warning that the flooz is flowing. Some folks say they can hear some other songs, too. I think they're just getting plumb-drunk. I've heard the music, but I didn't really like it. I tuned it out pretty easily, just a simple click of a button.
Getting into each job isn't so sim- ple, though. There's some newfangled lock on ail the doors, something they used to call copy protection. Now, you just have to know the right combina- tion to get in. Your boss will give you one of these paper dials, see. Just match up the picture on the front door with the color and you'll see the combination in this slot right here. Seems mighty troublesome, but it keeps crooks out.
WHEN REALITY JUST ISN'T ENOUGH. . .
Take one giant step beyond reality! UFO puts you at the conltois ulan advanced spacecraft capable of aerodynamic and quantum flight. Yjour mission; scour planet Earth lor the fuel needed to power your galactic ships, then return to the orbiting mother ship to trade raw fuel lor supplies. You Am al.so explore
KbLOClC Scenery Disks in an entirely new way wilh this easy-to-lly simula- n. Available ibr IBM/compatibles, Amiga, and Atari ST compulers for the suggested retail price of $49.95. See your dealer, or call SubLOGIC for direct order infbr — "' — "' - ^ »? ^
UFO is a tradi IBM screen sh<
|
Bin |
|
lyl!l |
lOGIC
Corporation
501 Kenyon Road
Champaign, 1L61S20
TELEPHOrjL .;"7, sVlhiV^ ORDER IINE (8001637-4983
104 COMPUTEI
JANUARY 1990
Circle Rea<)er Service Number ISO
On the other hand, the people who run this business made it pretty easy to get in — once you have that dial. The company gives you a S'A- inch and a 3'/4-inch disk, so you don't have to worry about getting to a job and finding that you've got the wrong- size disk.
Next job we go to, I'll show you how we have some fun. We fight the flooz together. The two of us, hooking up pipes all over the place, at the same time. When the flooz flows through, we can tell who laid the most useful pipes. It's pretty confusing at first, but it's my favorite part of the job.
Plumbing's a tough job, and lots of folks who try it don't stick around to see what it takes to clean up a pile of flooz. But then there's others who can spell their names in pipe joints and never spill a drop of the green goo. They'll tell you that the job has got its rewards.
They'll tell you that even though you never win the war, there's those glorious battles where you take on the flooz and emerge victorious. They'll tell you how your blood races faster than the green goo. And how each lev- el of the battle is — at the same time — more wearing and more challenging, more complicated and more fun.
If you've got it in you to fight the flooz, you can get that feeling, too.
HEIDI E. H. .ttCOCK.
Amiga— $39.95 Apple II— $29.95 Atari ST— $39.95 Commodore 64/t28— $29.95 IBM PC and compatitiles- $39.95 Macintosh— $39,95
LUCASFILM GAMES Distributed by Electronic Arts 1820 Gateway Dr. San Mateo. CA 94404 (415)571-7171
A custom house design is the dream of any home- owner, but the costs asso- ciated with that dream have been, until recently, pretty prohibitive. Design Your Own Home bills it- self as a tool with which homeowners can produce professional floor plans and construction prints or drawings. To get things started, sever- al standard floor plans come with the package. You can modify these pre- drawn plans or develop your own from scratch.
To start your home-designing ca- reer, choose an option from the main menu or from one of the drawing-tool icons. Although Design Your Own Home works without a mouse, I strongly recommend using one. Menu choices, commands, and cursor movements are clumsy without a mouse.
One of the program's nicer fea- tures is its capability to make as many as four image screens available at one time. Although you can't view the screens simultaneously, you can switch among them with a function key or the mouse. As you work, first and second floors lake shape along with front and side views of your dream house.
You can merge or add previously saved floor plans to new plans, and you can also compare an existing floor plan with one on disk. For drawing, there are four difTerent line types, five different line thicknesses, and up to 16 different colors.
Three more items worth men- tioning are a symbols library, a di- mensioning box, and text capabilities. The symbols library' consists of pre- drawn architectural shapes that are commonly used in floor plans; sinks, lavatories, tubs, wiring, and lights, to name a few. You can modify these
shapes or create your own.
Whenever you draw geometric shapes such as boxes, lines, circles, or arcs, a dimensioning box at the lower right comer of the screen displays the width, height, length, area, or degrees of the shape, whichever measurement is appropriate.
For labeling, you can place two sizes of text either horizontally or ver- tically. After selecting the text tool, position the cursor, type the text, and then press the Enter key.
Design Your Own Home meets two important software criteria: It does what it's advertised to do, and it's easy to use. Anybody who has worked with an object-drawing pro- gram will easily pick up the com- mands and menu structure.
The program does have some limitations, however, especially when you compare its capabilities to CAD packages in the same price range. For example, the program doesn't let you easily erase, move, or copy different objects (unless they are tightly grouped), or undo individual mis- takes. You also can't rescale objects that are already drawn or change the size of text.
Another problem is the pro- gram's grid function. Traditionally, a grid is used to align objects or drawn
Circle Reader Service Number 175 JANUARY 1990 COMPUTEI 105
items at regular intervals. Eight-fool grid setting means that an object (such as a rectangle, a circle, an arc, or a line) will only be placed or started at eight-foot increments. With the typi- cal grid function, if you locate the mouse at less than an eight-foot dis- tance, the object automatically moves to the closest eight-foot interval. Un- fortunately, Design Your Own Home's grid system cannot do this. Abraca- data is aware of this problem and says it hopes to remedy it in the next release.
If your desire is to daydream about what your dream house could be, this package can assist you in your reverie. But if you're serious about producing floor plans or construction prints, a fiiU-featured C.4D package may be more in order. Several other drawing or paint packages offer the same capabilities as Design Your Own Home, excluding the symbols and predrawn floor plans, and come with a similar price tag.
BRUCE HAASE
Apple il with 64K— S69.95
Apple lias with one megabyte — $89.95
IBM PCs and compatbles with 640K and
CGA Of EGA— S99.95
Macintosh— S99.95
ABRACADATA P.O. Box 2440 Eugene, OR 97402 (503) 342-3030
CROSSIAIK FOR WINDOWS
Communications is proba- bly not high on the list of applications you'd think would benefit from a graphical user interface. After using CrossTalkfor Windows, though, you'll wonder how you ever got by with a text-based pro- gram. Windows' mtn\x%. scroll bars, and poinl- and-click interface are a natural for working with such esoteric functions as capture buffers and log-on scripts. You'll need Microsoft Windows 2.03 or higher to use the program — a runtime version of Windows isn't in- cluded. Using the multitasking abili- ties of Windows, you can up- or download files in the background while working with other Windoyvs- based software such as Ami, Arts & Letters, or Excel. For instance, you could enter E.vce/. have a macro call up Crosstalk for Windows, and down- load stock information from Compu-
Serve using Windows' Dynamic Data Exchange facility to place the infor- mation directly into the worksheet.
Crosstalk for Windows emulates a number of popular terminals, in- cluding VT52/ 1 02, IBM 3101, and VIDTEX. The program also supports IBM ANSI graphics, so you can view all of the neat graphics on your local bulletin board system.
The file-transfer status is portrayed graphically in Crosstalk for Windows.
Crosstalk for W-^^^^ok'j' powerful script language allows you to auto- mate online sessions. This BASIC-like language can access all of the program's functions. However, most users won't have to learn the script language, since sample log-on scripts for various on- line sendees are included with the package.
The program supports a variety of file-transfer protocols, including XMODEM, YMODEM, 2M0DEM, Crosstalk, DART, CompuServe B. and Kermit. You can also do .ASCII text transfers. Crosstalk for Windows handles baud rates up to 19,200.
The powerful text-management system lets you capture, edit, and send text without leaving the program or breaking off communications. A large scroll buffer captures text as it appears on the screen. You can set the size of the buffer up to 64K. You can edit text in this buffer by clicking on the menu bar to activate the scroll system. When you've finished making your changes, double-clicking on the menu bar returns you to the communica- tions program.
You can use the mouse to initiate any Crosstalk for Windows command or function. Double-clicking the mouse on an empty space on the screen will send a carriage return, while double-clicking on the first char- acter of a word will transmit that word as if you'd typed it.
You can create up to 48 separate macros, which are displayed by key- word at the bottom of the screen. Clicking on the keyword sends the macro. Macro assignments are saved along with the instructions and de-
faults for each system you want to use. Whether you are calling MCI Mail or CompuServe, Crosstalk for Windows comes up customized for that environment.
Even if you don't already know how to use Windows, you'll be im- pressed by how easy Crosstalk for Windows is to use. All features are ac- cessed through four pull-down menus. Each menu has submenus that will pop up dialog boxes with examples, information, items to type in, or but- tons to click on.
I told Crosstalk for Windows that I had a Hayes-compatible 2400-baud modem, and it automatically set all of the parameters for communicating with the modem. About the only thing you'll need to type is your name, your user ID for each of the services you use, your passwords, and the phone number you use to reach those services.
I couldn't find anything I disliked about Crosstalk for Windows. It's the best communications program I've ever used.
WOODVLISWOOD
IBM PC and conrpalibles vjiV\ Microsoft Windows— $^9S
CROSSTALK CCiMMUNiCATIONS 1000 Holcomb Wbods Pkwy. Rosweil. GA 30076-2575 (404) 998-3998
You've just entered strange worid of Psygno- sis's Menace. You're fly- ing a short-range fighter through a vast array of guardians, creatures, and weapons that will try to foil your mission. They all have different strengths and attack methods. Defeating them requires quick decisions, split-second reactions, and the proper method of attack.
The gameplay takes some getting used to. You must use both hands and five keys to control your ship. Once you get accustomed to flying the ship, the game gets good. Wiping out the entire Draconian sortie on the screen leaves matter that can be converted into new weapons for your ship. You'll develop new strategies to anni- hilate enemies, and as you pick up new weapons you'll find the Dracon- ians become mincemeat under your improved laser and cannon fire.
In typical Psygnosis fashion, the graphics are superb. Animated mon-
106 COMPUTE
JANUARY 1990
sters maneuver over horizontally scrolling scenery. Everything is smooth and flicker-free.
The sounds are typical shoot- 'em-up effects. Shots, collisions, ex- plosions, and lasers add energy to the game. Even on the IBM speaker, the well-done sound effects keep players on the edge of their chairs.
Be forewarned that this is an ad- dictive game and you probably won't have any short play sessions. If fast- paced enemy blasting appeals to you and you appreciate smoothly animat- ed graphics, give Menace a try.
RICHARDC. LEINECKER
Amiga ~$a9.9S Atari ST— S29.95 Commodore 64/1 28— $24.95 IBM PC and compatibles-.S39.95
PSYGNOSIS
1 St Floor, Port of Liverpool Bidg. Pier Head „„,UvBrpool,UKL31BY
MATH CASTLE
There's trouble in the Land of Given, and it's up to your child to save the day. Welcome to Math Castle, a new educational program from Envision. Alien spacecraft are headed toward your cas- tle. You have just one chance to stop them: the Super Energy Beam, which zaps them with pure brain pow- er and uses math problems as the cat- alyst to make it happen.
A steady stream of invaders is raining from the skies, and whenever one appears, a math problem appears, loo. Answer the problem correctly and you activate the castle's Super En- eiTgy Beam and zap the invader. If your answer is wrong, the aliens blast the castle's protective force field. If you miss loo many problems, the force field fails, the aliens bring in the Ultimate Castle Destroyer, and your castle is history.
Math Castle's main menu offers addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems and 1 2 play levels. The levels don't directly relate to difficulty but instead determine which numbers are emphasized in the problems. For instance, selecting level 7 and addition presents addition problems that involve the number 7 (7 + 1, 5 -F 7, or 3 -I- 4, for example). Additional levels up to 40 are avail- able through a user options screen.
The learning mode, which con- sists of target practice at the Weapons
Training Center, is great for getting the feel of the game, but the real ac- tion is in the regular play mode. There, onscreen monitors track your remaining shield energy and your to- tal score. Correct answers zap invad- ers, but if you make a mistake, the invaders let you have it. A warning appears on the screen, followed by the correct answer, and you gel to try again with the same problem. This continues until you blast all the aliens or run out of shield energy.
Math Castle's problems come in predefined sets, and all problem sets are listed in the manual. You can also create your own custom problem sets — a feature that teachers and par- ents are sure to appreciate. Math Cas- tle will store as many as 1 2 custom sets, each with up to 76 individual problems.
Math Castle is designed to rein- force general math skills rather than to teach a specific operation such as carrying. It accepts multidigit answers in tens/ones format. That is, the cor- rect answer to 7 -h 8 would be entered by typing a 1 and then a 5 ( 1 5). There is no need to press Return. This ap- proach lets the program quickly detect wrong answers.
Math Castle is a positive pro- gram, even when problems are
missed. If your child's defense wasn't perfect, the program transports him or her to the Weapons Training Center for practice with the missed problems. Practice sessions continue until the child correctly answers each problem that was missed. These review ses- sions can be bypassed, although you'll probably want to leave them in place.
You have to answer this problem quickly to protect the Math Castle from aliens.
Recognizing that children love to see their names in lights, Math Castle maintains a tally of the top ten scores for each level. Even when playing alone, children may find the Hall of Fame to be a great incentive. In fact, my daughter wouldn't rest until she had placed her name in all ten posi- tions— and by the time she was
Episode One... "
Jetting a*air hum i^tif'l island, the Qiteit teon is off tH inltiguing myslftYin^^lC jmigledaikn^Ji^' of Gualcmolo. .WJio is siBoIing the ^M^'y' Moyon/'Diliftrcli? Wlint le^regji^'lr Ac liifeclT Temple ol Tit "" ""' splinter of licoven? "J
ionny Ouesf Qi\i\e ^Hiilicof Heovcn possesses u!l 'tSe Adidi^ dud^ suspense of llie gnimated series. Plus yrni tlioose lliB loufsi! of ndvcnlurt witlt inlcriKtivc dialogue and hands on tiglilln| sequenres. Itre world Is yours la exploieX - Olid yo'UiWiirfecl lilie you'ic in it os you ^^ ,. salve ppnles ond lomljoi ervemies s ' " oltcmpiing to solve the myslciy; ' , ,
Episode One is just the begintiii Slay luncfl for further Jnslallolionsint ongoing series ol stand olonc r-*— —■
PRODUCTIONS, INt /'
AWsifsrA : -
ImJjWWjJ^inS l)»fuil!t»'IM;S!!!Ml
Circle Reader Service Number 160
C O M P U T E 1
107
through, 1 could see a noticeable im- provement in her ability to answer that particular set of problems.
According to the packaging, Math Castle is designed for children in grades 3-12; however, it doesn't seem sophisticated enough to hold the at- tention of the usual action-oriented teen. But with most elementary- school children, it's sure to be a hit. It's definitely worth checking out if you're looking for a package to help your kids build math skills.
STEVE HUDSON
Apple It— $34.95
IBM PC and compatibles— $39.95
ENVISION SOFTWARE
720 S. 333 St.
Suite 203
Federal Way. WA 98003
(800)468-6555
FAERY 1ALE ADVENTURE
Dne of the best-animated, role-playing games ever seen on the Amiga has ventured into the realm of MS-DOS ore-slayers. But Faery Tale Adventure is far more than just an- other clone of Ultima or Bard's Tale. This is the story of Julian, his broth- er Phillip, and his other brother Kevin, who lived peacefully in the land of Holm until an evil necromancer hit town. Up to seven quests are involved in your struggle to eliminate the villain, each netting you a different artifact.
This one-player game starts with you playing the part of brother Julian. Leaving the village of Hambry to seek keys, weapons, magical tokens, and other objects, you'll wander through brilliant wheat fields, between narrow mountain passes, and into labyrinths, towns, and castles. Nightfall is subtly reflected in the way the light slowly ebbs away, eventually leaving you in the dark unless you have a torch. Sun- rise creeps in just as effectively. You can teleport long distances to save time by using Stonehenge-like circles of stone that are scattered about the land. This is an imaginative mecha- nism for a universal game element.
The landscape encompasses more than 14,000 screens. That's 144 screens high by 100 wide, so I hope you like drawing maps. All scenes are depicted with an aerial view of the surroundings, with characters seen in
profile. And though it's a big, big world, the designer paid extra atten- tion to the fine points. You'll notice one such detail when your character's head slowly sinks lower in the water as he crosses a stream: All the lakes, rivers, and creeks vary in depth, a dis- crete yet significant display of detail.
Battles unfold in the open field or dungeon hall where you meet the monsters, not in a special combat are- na as in many such games. Crisply an- imated, your character and the monsters swing maces, shoot arrows, and hack at each other with long swords. Long-range weapons are use- ful, for magic is limited to a few kinds of stones, jewels, and such. One spell will blast every monster on the screen into atoms, but most serve noncom- bative purposes, such as curing wounds.
The fint few times Julian gets killed, a wimpy fairy godmother flits across the screen and revives him. But after a while this tactic no longer works, and at this point something novel happens: His brother Phillip materializes in their home town, en- abling you to carry on the mission in his shoes. And if Phil gets killed, his other brother, Kevin, picks up the quest. Usually when your character dies, you must either restart with a fresh character or load a saved game. Both of those options, with up to eight saved games, are available.
Faery Tale Adventure requires you to perform a little magic of your own.
An inventive interface imparts information such as combat results and conversation in the form of text on a parchment scroll. A variety of push-button menus lead to submenus where you pick spells, use items, talk to people, and so on. Mouse, numeric- keypad, and joystick control are sup- ported on all systems (even the Commodore 64), and you can switch among them at any time. Your char- acter is exceptionally responsive to the mouse, and keyboard commands offer a handy way to manipulate objects.
Tandy and EGA adventurers will
enjoy all 1 6 colors but will miss the startlingly authentic sound effects found on the Amiga and C64 ver- sions, since the MS-DOS version doesn't support any third-party sound boards.
While I enjoyed and highly rec- ommend Faery Tale, I must point out some minor blemishes on an other- wise picture-perfect complexion. Be- cause the landscape is so extensive and there aren't enough clues to steer you in the general direction for each quest, it's too easy to just wander around until you die — and we've all been there before. A few more clues from tovraspeople would have made a big difference.
And of the seven artifacts to be found, you can complete the game rather easily with just three, and, with extra effort, you can even finish off the necromancer with just one of them. Even so, Faery Tale Adventure is a smooth-playing, rewarding quest.
SHAY ADDAMS
Amiga— $49,95
Commodore 64/1 28- $49,95
IBM PC and compatibles— $39,95 for Hie
5V*-inch version, $49,95 for the version
includir>g both disk sizes
MICROILLUSIONS 17408 Chatswonh St, Granada Mills, CA 91344 (818)360^715
HOfflEWDRD R
Tandy has lined up devel- opers around the block to support its DeskMate graphics interface, which it hopes will become the environment of choice for 8088 and 8086 comput- ers. HomeWordll, from Sierra, newly released in a DeskMale-compa.VLh\e. version, offers usen a ser- viceable word processor with a dic- tionary and thesaurus.
Installing the program on the DeskMate desktop is relatively sim- ple, and anyone familar with that en- vironment will recognize the title bar at the top of the screen when the pro- gram loads. Drop-down menus titled File, Edit, Layout, Text, Options, Word Check, and Help augment Home Word H's word processing attributes.
Under File, you may perform the normal DeskMate fiinctions such as save, delete, and print, as well as save documents as ASCII files, turn on automatic backup, and merge a creat- ed logo. >
108 COMPUTE
JANUARY 1990
Home Word II really shines, how- ever, in its use of the Desfc^afe envi- ronment. You can view a graphic rep- resentation of your page, for example, and show underlined and bold text onscreen as they would appear on the page. To define text for editing, you use the Shift-cursor key combinations standard on DeskMate applicalions.
The program's main problems lie in its snaillike pace (it's easy to outrun the cursor while typing) and its sparse documentation. Sierra would like to think that the program is so easy to use that you don't need the documen- tation, and that's laudable; however, some of the program's functions aren't explained in the manual, which could be disconcerting for new users.
If you're a DeskMate user who has grown tired of the word processor that comes with that package. Home- Word II is worth a look. But before you make the leap, check out some of the higher-end word processing pack- ages coming out under that interface. You may want a little more power for your prose. PETER scisco
IBM PC and compatibles, DeskMate envi- ronment encouraged — $69.95 Upgrade from HomeWord or HomeWord Plus— $25.00
SIERRA P.O. Box 485 Coarsegold,CA 93614 (209) 683-6856
MURDER CLUR
Does watching "Murder, She Wrote" make you wonder if you could solve mysteries? If the answer is Yes, then Murder Club, from Kyodai might be for you. Game control is ex- tremely easy: The arrow and enter keys do it all. Using a joystick or mouse may make things even easier for you. This game requires no special knowl- edge of computers, so it's ideal for a beginner. For those of us who prefer relaxing to blowing out our minds at the arcades, this thoughtful strategy game offers an alternative to high- speed, quick-reaction games.
The playability, unfortunately, became a drawback as I got more deeply involved in the game. I had to follow the computer's lead rather than my own imagination. I'm an armchair detective who never misses "Co- lumbo" and has always longed to di- rect her own investigation. A lack of
options frustrated my attempts. When I read a mystery novel or watch a mystery show, I know in the back of my mind that the author has every- thing under control, and all will be known if I'm patient and allow the story to unfold. I found I needed the same kind of patience with Murder Club.
-IiUitlieaiKlliKHxdtiidoilbiEainlRiUaK*
Carefully Interrogate the likely suspects to solve the mystery in Murder Club.
You begin with a basic rundown of the victim and the circumstances of the murder. A menu allows you to in- vestigate; check with the lab, the li- brary, or the prosecutor; or select from several other options. When you in- vestigate, another menu asks you to choose one of three geographical loca- tions. Within those three general loca-
tions, there are one or two specific businesses or homes you can go to. Once at your destination, you're con- fronted with a witness that you can in- terview. What I wanted at that point was the freedom to phrase my own questions or to ask follow-up ques- tions if I knew the witness was lying or being evasive. What I actually got was a lot of menus with preplanned questions that elicited canned an- swers. As you get more dieply in- volved in the mystery, this becomes increasingly annoying. I felt as though I were reading a choppily written nov- el rather than playing a game. The only real control was choosing the or- der in which locations and witnesses were investigated.
To compensate for the tedium, Murder Club provides a nifty note- book with pictures of all the witnesses and suspects. I enjoyed making notes as I went along — just like a real detec- tive! Eventually, after a great deal of tedious interviewing, there came a point at which I felt more in control. Even though many witnesses had told lies or were not what they wanted to seem, I was unable to obtain search warrants or arrest warrants for quite a long time. But once I did obtain my first couple of search warrants, 1 was able to locate some clues and ask a
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few follow-up questions. Witnesses who had lied finally had to explain discrepancies in their statements. But again, it was all done through menus. I had to be satisfied with what the game was willing to feed me. 1 couldn't pull a Jessica Fletcher-style wide-eyed look, a Columbo-like, "Pardon me, ma'am, but ..." comeback, or even a Ko- jak-ian strong-arm tactic to get more out of my witnesses. In negotiating with the prosecutor for a search warrant, I couldn't show him all the evidence I had to justify a search. All I could do was call up his menu, select search warrant, hope that my suspect was included on the list, and then hope that I would be granted a warrant.
Of course, I'm just an armchair detective — maybe that's what it feels like in real life, too!
Murder Club supports all of the PC graphics modes and requiresjust 384K of RAM. The graphics are fairly static and aren't particularly relevant to the mystery; don't feel like you're missing out on anything if you don't have state-of-the-art equipment. The game uses two disks, so two drives or a hard disk are handy.
This is a good game for beginners who like slow, cere- bral games. For about the price of a hardcover book, it's more challenging than simply turning pages and waiting for a fictional detective who is smarter than you to hand you the solution on a platter.
BETH ANN MURRAY
IBM PC and compatibles— S39.95
KVODAI
5S Mitchell Blvd.
San Rafael, CA 94903-2101
(415)492-3590
SWORD 0^ mm
CAUTION: BOOT UP THIS GAME AT YOUR OWN RISK! These words should be stamped in bold red letters on every copy of Sword ofAragon that hits the shelves. I'm not exaggerating. This game is, in a word, addic- tive. And like any other addiction worth its salt, it will take firm control of your life. You'll realize it's time for bed only when the sun appears above the horizon. Though you may be trying like the devil to concentrate at work, it Wl seep into your thoughts. New strategies and tactics will occupy your mind.
This one-player game has a simple premise: The Duke of Aladda has launched a campaign to unify several different townships and kingdoms under one flag. You be- gin the game with one city, the duke, and a small army. These forces expand through conquest and experience un- til you capture the entire region.
Along the way you encounter your standard fare of fantasy monsters — ores, goblins, giants, minotaurs, and ti- tans. You have to successfully administer the cities cur- rently under your control, balancing urban development and city defense with taxation and conscription. If all goes well, you ultimately achieve final victory.
You start the game by choosing a character class for your duke — either warrior, knight, priest, ranger, or mage. To a large degree, the class you choose will determine the kind of army with which you will campaign. A warrior will fight primarily with infantry. .A knight will concen-
YouVe played fiH^^^i^ff-
Now the REAL CHALLENGE!
Adventure of the CRYSTAL KEEP
jantasy role playing climbs lo new heights of challenge and excitement as you descend into the depths o! the CITADEL. Your quest is to free the Lady Synd, cruelly imprisoned by the evil Wizard Ncquilar. You must rely on your skill and cunning to merely SURVIVE.
3vea hires: • Create your own heros using the complete, heritage oriented, character generation system ^jf. including character image customizing,
^t'-^ ^ • Select from over 200 weapons and items, • Over 60 spells/scrolls at your command. • Most graphically realistic, three dimensional maze exploration ' - '*' . ever created.
'• • Hundreds '•
• of rooms on ':h
multiple levels. , ..
I • A constant , . - challenge is
T. provided from over ;
"> animated monsters |
I must be overcome. • The sound and
animation will take you to the edge of your scat!
Now avaikitile for
Mjcintoish nus or Ijinuter and Atari ST.
Soon available jor IBM and Amiga.
Contjcl your nearest dc.ilcr or call:- 805) 257-1797
Dealer inqu^nss invllod.
Cilactol IS a rrgistered trademaj't of Posteratt Intemalwal Inc AH other trademarks cm tfartd names are the propofT)^ ot tScrr respectve hokSera.
Circle Reader Servico Number ISI
DEMO DISK DIRECTORY • DEMO DISK DIRECTORY • DE
DEMO DISK DIRECTORY
Based on the overwhelming response to COMPUTERS 1st Deino Disk Pack offered last year, we've decided to make economical software demo disks available to you on an on- going basis. Every month you will now be able to choose from some of the newest Demo Disks available for many of the "hottest" software releases being offered by some of the leading software publishers. These disks have been designed to give you a representative picture of what each title has to offer and to try and let you experience directly the graphics look and general feel of each software product — ibetore you
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THE CX)IjONEL'S BEQUEST
Why has the reclusive
Colonel Dijon called his
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It's a mysterious re-union at
his secluded mansion, deep
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Louisiana!
Available in 3.5" and 5.25"
^ SIERRA
Free Poster Offer
Graphic Adventure
Get an authentic Indiana Jones and the
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the purchase of either game. See your
participating retailer for details.
liSL'M
™ and © 1989 Uicasfilm Games Ltd. All rights reserved.
WIDE OPEN. FULL TILT.
IT'S PURE PRO CYCLEACTION.
Zipupyourleathersand rev up thai engine. It's full tilt, two-wheel boogie time. From#1 in the arcades to #1at home. ,
WILL BLOW YOU AWAY!
I blew you away in the arcades. Now Data East brings this arsenal of action home.
naTa data east usa, inc.
^nr>'? 1850 LIHLE ORCHARD ST. .EAST SAN JOSE. CAg5125
■ P 1 989 DATA EAST USA. INC. t TM 4 S 1987 SEGA ENTER- PRISES INC . MFD UNDER UCENSE BY DATA EAST USA. INC.
/\n i
I ancient land is in tuimoil since the king and his young child disappeared 20 years ago, leaving various warlords to battle for control.
Preview the outstanding graphics, ihc rich detail and the easy-lo-use menu and icon interface. See the blend of continuous action, absorbing storytelling and intricate conver- sations. One of Computel's "9 Best Games of 1989"(Juiy 1989 issue) From ORIGIN. (IBM-PC Vh" & S'A", Apple,
64/128)
/
mmmmmm
/ P.O. Box 1 61750 ■ Austin. Texa!
omciAL
Advanced DungeonsJB^iagons'
COMPUTER PRODUCT
QkSE OF THE ytZlKE BOfTOS
The exciting sequel to Pool of Radiance, the first AD&D® computer fantasy role-playing game.
SPECIAL OFFER!
If you purchase the special Compute! Curse
of the Azure Bonds demo disk(s) and the
Curse of the Azure Bonds game, send us
your game purchase receipt and we'll send
you a free ftill color limited edition AD&D
"Real Stuff computer products poster. Send
your receipt to:
Fiee Poster Offer
c/o Strategic Simulations, Inc.
675 Almanor Avenue
Sunnyvale. CA 94086
^ffer good while posters last.
Fatmania is Here!
TONGUE OFTHF FATMAN
AcfiVisioM
0 DISK DIRECTORY • DEMO DISK DIRECTORY • DEMO I
^IGRQPROSE
3IUULAII0N • aciTHini
Juat for funl
Demo Disk Offer
Airborne Ranger
Dr. Doom's Revenge
F-19
Gunship
Pirates!
Red Storm Rising
MEDALIST
INTERNATIONAL
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IBM ISM 3.S S2i C64 |
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Discover the DeskMate® Difference!
New DeskMate 3 makes your PC compatible easier So use! Graphically lists all your programs and lets you access them with |ust a point and a click. Translates MS-DOS commands into plain English. Features word processing, spreadsheet, filing, scheduling, drawing, PC-Link" online information service and more— all in one $99 program! Send in for a demo disk, or come in for a personal demon- stration and get 15% oH any software with the DeskMate Interface— the friendly face in the PC crowd!
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* DIVISION or TAfJUV COF^F'ORAIION
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DISKS
SAVE $3
SPECIAL NOTE
The totlowir>g Demo DisKs have special require- ments: Al and A2 requira 512K and CGA; B1, B2, B5, and B6 require DOS 3.3 and EGA; B3 and B4 require 256K. CQA, and [X)S 3.3. El, E2, E7, and Ea require EGA and 512K; LI requires 512K: R1. R2. and R3 require S12K; 81 requires a highKiensity drive; S3 requires 51 2K (640 tor Tandy 1 6-color) and tv« disk dnves or a hard dnve; and 84 requires 512K (640 (or Tandy 16- color|. E7 and S3 are WvtKfisk packages. M3. M10, and M13 are no longer available.
HilW
//
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"...the concept alone is worth the five star rating." INFO
"Graphically, this game is stunning, perhaps even shocking," - Computer Gaming World
Archipelagos is the universally acclaimed Alien World Simulator. Come visit Earth, now haunted by strange life forms and lost souls.
Order the Demo, and enter our contest for a free trip to a different archipelago - Hawaii.
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Electronic Arts Presents |
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^ F-16 COMBAT PILOT™ Squadron strategy and modem piay! |
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1 KEEP THE THIEF TM Ttiieves have more fun,.. 2 disk demo! |
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i- CHUCK YEAGER'S ADVANCED FLIGHT TRAINER 2.0™ |
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New terrain, formation fiying, more! |
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-■i^ABRAMSBAnLETANK™ Tougti, realistic combat action! |
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^ ^1 ■* V |
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ELEtTRONR ART** |
How to Order Your Demo Disks
Demo Disk Order List
ACnVISION
Al Tongue ol me Fatman MS-DOS 5V4
A2 Tongue of the Fatman MS-DOS 3W
BRITTANICA SOFTWARE
B1 Archipelagos MS-DOS 5'A
B2 Archipelagos MS-DOS 3'/j
B3 Designasaurus MS-DOS 5'A
B4 Dflsignasaurus MS-DOS 3'/!
B5 Jigsaw! (MCGA/EGA only) MS-DOS SVi
B6 Jigsaw! (MCGA/EGA only) MS-DOS SVi
DATA EAST
01 Heavy Ban-el MS-DOS 5V»
02 Heavy Barrel MS-DOS 3'/i
03 Super Hang-On MS-DOS 5V4
D4 Super Hang-On MS-DOS 3Vi
ELECTRONIC ARTS
El Abrams Battle Tank MS-OOS 5V*
E2 Abrams Battle Tank MS-[X3S 3Vi
E3 Chuck Yeager 2,0 MS-DOS 5V»
E4 Chuck Yeager 2,0 MS-DOS 3'^
E5 F-16 Combat Pilot MS-DOS 5y4
E6 F-16 Combat Pilot MS-DOS 3'A
E7 Keel the Thief MS-DOS 5'A (2 disks)
E8 Keel the Thief MS-DOS 3'/z
LUCAS FILM
LI Indy— The Graphic Adventure MS-DOS SVi.
MICR0PR05E
Ml Airtxjrne Ranger MS-DOS 5V4
M2 Airborne Ranger MS-DOS SVz
M3
M4
MS
M6
M7
MS
M9
MID
Mil
M12
M13
M14
M15
M16
ORIOIN
01
02
03
04
Airtxxne Ranger Commodore 64
(No longer availatite) Dr. Doojn's Revenge MS-DOS iVt Dr. Dooms Revenge MS-DOS 3W F-19 MS-DOS 5'A F-19 MS-DOS 3'/! Gunship MS-OOS 5'A Gunship MS-DOS SVi
Gunship Commodore 64 (No kjngaf availablel Pirates! MS-e»S 5'A Pirates! MS-DOS y.'i
Pirates! Cofnmodore 64 (No longer availablo) Red Storm Rising MS-DOS 5'/« Red Storm Rising MS-DOS 3'/! Red Storm Risng Commodore 64
Tmes of Lore MS-DOS 5'A Tmes of Lore Apple 5'A Times of Lore Commodore 64/128 Times of Lore MS-DOS 3'/;
RADIO SHACK
R1 DeskMate MS-DOS 5V4 CGA
, R2 DeskMate MS-DOS 5y4 EGA, VGA
R3 DeskMate MS-DOS 3',^
SIERRA ON-LINE
SI Colonels Bequest MS-DOS 514
S2 Colonel s Bequest (sIS-OOS 3'/i
STRATEGIC SIMULATIONS
S3 Curse o( the Azure Bonds MS-OOS S'A
(2 disks!
S4 Curse ol the Aiura Bonds MS-DOS 3'/z
Select the demo disks you wish to receive and check ttiem off on the aitactied ofdef list. Be sure to order the correct disk formal. Encbse S3.95 (S4.95 for SVi-inch disks) for each disk ordered and return your payment in this postage-paid envelope.
• 5-Disk Discount: Take S3.00 off for every 5 disks you order.
• MasterCard or VISA accepted for orders over S20.00.
• V^'ll pay tt>e postage and handling.
Name
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. ZIP .
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C01
Amount
Subtract $3.00 for every 5 disks
Subtotal
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Total
MasterCard or VISA accepted for orders over 520.00.
Credit Card #:
Expiration Date: Signature:
Send your order to: Demo Disks P.O. Box 5188 Greensboro, HC 27403
■HesxSenis of New Yorx. Pennsyjvania, and North Cardpna add appropriate saws tax for your sute. All orders most tie paid m u S- funds drawn on a US. bank. MasterCard or VISA aseplsd tor orOera ovsc S2O.0O. F=lea5e alksv i-i ytm^s lor dakvsry. For delivery outside the US. or Canada, add 51 00 for surface mall or $3,00 for ainnail. Otter expires January 31. 1990
JANUARY 1990
C O M P U T E I
113
trate on cavalry. A ranger will have mostly bow units. Priests and mages will have a variety of the three.
Each of these military strategies has advantages and disadvantages that are clearly defined, allowing you 10 play several times before you tire of the game. You journey through the realm, gaining experience for both your characters and yourself until you are ready to tackle your first major challenge, a nearby city.
Maintaining a working budget with your city's taxation income and building a powerful army are the hardest parts of this phase. .After a lime, money will start to flow; then the game becomes an exercise in de- stroying and conquering tougher and tougher adversaries. Eventually you steamroll through the final few cities standing between you and the throne.
View the landscape from overhead and pfan strategies in Sword of Aragon,
There are just a few problems with the game. For example, the battle sequence, at limes, moves very slow- ly. The computer can take up to 15 minutes deciding just where it wants to put those goblin armies. Some bat- tles can take up to an hour and a half
Another problem is that toward the end of the game your armies be- come so skilled that nothing can stand up to them. Much of the finesse that made the game so challenging in its early parts is lost. There is also very little problem solving of the type that makes D & D games so enjoyable.
Lastly, the documentation is oc- casionally in error or incomplete. The rules intimate that you can train char- acters to gain experience without fighting battles, but I found this not to be the case. You can only train ar- mies. There is also no information in the documentation concerning some of the unit information that appears on the screen during the battle se- quence. You can eventually figure this out while playing, but it would be helpful to have it spelled out in the rules.
Those objections aside, to pass up Sword of Aragon could be a great
mistake. Ifcommanding armies and
characters and managing cities inter- ests you, if becoming a computer Na- poleon gets your blood going, then Sword of Aragon is for you.
ADAM STARKWEATHER
IBM PCs and compatibles with CGA, EGA, Hercules, or Tandy 16-cotor graph- ics—$39,95
SSI
Distributed by Electronic Arts
1820 Gateway Dr.
San Mateo, CA 94404
(415)571-7171
STAR SAGA: TWO-THE
INAGE
Challenge and suspense await you in Star Saga: Two — The Claihran Menace. This second in- stallment of a three-part adventure from Master- Play has an engrossing story line and superior writing. As a sprawling science-fiction epic, it's equal parts interactive novel and computer-moderated role-playing, a self-contained scenario that picks up where Star Saga: One — Be)vndthe Boundary left off. Opening moves summarize the action that took place in the first game in case you missed it or forgot some of the details.
The Clathran are an alien race, bent on conquering the universe and extinguishing all human life. Their vast armada of warships form the Sur- vey Line, which is sweeping inexora- bly toward the Nine Worlds and which, incidentally, cuts off segments of the game as it advances. Why the Claihran possess such an obsessive hatred of humans and how they can be slopped are only two of the myster- ies that you must solve. Flay the role of one of six characters who set out lo discover what they can about the in- vading aliens.
The heart of the game is a set of 14 booklets, which contain more than 970 entries spread over approximately 560 pages. Dozens of cultures, hundreds of encounters, and a multitude of deci- sions permeate the entries and pro- vide you with a pulsating adventure. This nongraphic computer pro-
gram serves as an electronic dungeon keeper that moderates each turn and handles all the essential bookkeeping. Each participating player selects moves and actions from the onscreen choices via the keyboard or mouse, and the computer responds to the player's choices by directing him or her to the appropriate text entries. If combat or a transaction take place, the computer logs the transactions and reports the results of combat.
Trade and combat are essential elements of the game. The strong eco- nomic segment is based upon a pseu- dobarter system. Much of the early and middle segments consist of trad- ing in order to obtain offensive and defensive weapons needed to upgrade your ship for the inevitable encoun- ters with the Clathran Survey Line.
Combat occurs frequently. While this adds to the excitement and pace of the story, the fact that combat is to- tally controlled by the computer di- lutes its impact as a gaming element. When a battle occurs, the computer selects an offense and a defense for you and matches it against the ene- my's offense and defense, applying all ratings to an internal combat matrix. It then displays its choices and the results.
Plan strategies carefully as you play Star Saga: Two — The Clathran Menace.
Although you can improve your
offensive and defensive options through trades, purchases, and train- ing, you have no input once combat ensues.
Star Saga: Two can be played solo without losing any of the story's punch. However, more than any other computer adventure game, this prod- uct is designed to be played by a group of people, each taking on the role of one of the well-developed, multidi- mensional characters. Engage in meet- ings, trades, and the cooperative exchange of information with one an-
114 c o M p u T E I
JANUAI?¥ 1990
The World's BEST 101 Programs
The World's BEST User-Supported Software for IBI^ PC Compatibles
All Disks Are Easy to Use — No Computer Experience Needed!!
Same-Day Sfiipping • UPS 2nd Day Air Available for only S2 Extra
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Unconditional Money-Back Guarantee!!
Act Now!!
BUSINESS/
ACCOUNTING/FINANCE
D Finance Manager II (1601) Complete double-entry bookkeeping.
D Form t-etters (1607) 1 00 business and legal forms (contracts, employment applications, filings, etc.).
DBIakbook (1603) Great for keeping track of addresses and phone num- bers. Prints an address book.
D Stock Charting (1612) A complete portfolio system to track, analyze, and chart your slocks.
n Small Business Accounting (1617) A must for all small business ownersi
DSoive-lt! (1618) Does over 20 vital financial calculations including amor- tization, PV, FV, and IRR.
D PC-Books (1621) A complete, easy to use bookkeeping system.
DPC-lJ)ans (1628) This package sup- ports all common loan methods.
DEasy Project (1629) A powerful project manager software package.
D FormGen (1630) Design and print any office form, easilyl
DATABASE/MAIL LIST
HlFlle Express (1700,1701) A powerful, easy to use database (2 disks).
ID Doctor Data labels (1703,1704) Com- plete and powerful! A professional mail list manager. (2 disks) HD
[I]PC-File:dB (1705-1707) The most powerful dBASE compatible program available! (3 disks) HD 5i2K.
n Label Master (1715) A great mail list manager and label printing utility.
SPREADSHEETS
[I]PC-Calc■^ (1800-1802) Tfie most powerful spreadsheet package. (3 disks) 512K
DQubeCalc (1806) Take your spread- sheets 3-D! Highly recommended.
D Lotus Macros (1807) A large collec- tion of Lotus macros and templates.
[E Lotus Learning System (1810.1811) -l^aster Lotus 1-2-3! (2 disks)
WORD PROCESSING
[a PC-Write 3.03 (1851-1853) The BEST word processor for under $200! Has spell checking and hundreds of other features (3 disks) 5i2K
D PC-Stylist (1855) Analyzes and helps you to improve your writing skills.
□ PC-Outline (1860) An excellent idea organizer and free form database.
SWP S.O Learning Sys. (1863,1864) Helps you learn and master Word Perfect 5.0. (If you have WP 4.2, select disks #1861 & #1862.) (2 disks)
ilWP 5,0 Macros (1857) Several macros for Word Perfect 5.0. (If you have WP 4.2, select disk #1856.)
a PC-iype-i- (1870-1872) Complete word processor with 100,000 word dictionary and mail merge. (3 disks)
BIBLE/RELIGION
DBIble-Q (1551) Test your Btbtlcat IQ!
□ BIBLE Men (1570) A fun quiz on the people in the BIBLE.
lilSeedMaster (1555-1567) The com- plete King James version of the BIBLE on disk! (13 disks) HO-
3 FREE DISKS
Limited Time!!
HOME BUDGETS/ FAMILY APPLICATIONS
□ Fast Bucks (1100,1101) Keeps track o( all your personal finances and prints great financial reports (2 disks).
□ Home Budget Manager (1103) Tracks all your household expenses and helps you to set budgets and goals.
□ Express Check (1104) Excellent checkbook program with reconcilia- tion and great screen displays. 512K.
□ Home Inventory (1105) Keeps (rack of all your personal property.
□ MealMate (1115) Helps you to plan nutritionally balanced meals.
[U Ednafs Cookbook (1115,1119) An easy to use computerized cookbook. Comes with several great recipes- add your own favorites. (2 disks)
EBrather's Keeper (1120,1121) A great genealogy program that allows you to trace your family history (2 disks).
EDUCATION
d] French I & II (1200,1201) Learn and practice French vocabulary (3 disks).
E] Spanish I & II (1205,1206) Test and train with these excellent Spanish vocabulary drills (2 disks).
□ Geography (1215) Learning is fun with this great geography trivia game.
□ PC-Gradebook (1217) Record and monitor your students' grades.
□ World (1221) A computer encyciope- dia of global information. CGA
□ Typing Tutor (1224) Helps you improve your speed and skill. CGA
□ PC-Professor (1229) This program teaches BASIC programming.
□ Balloon Speller (1230) An introduc- tion to spelling for children. CGA
□ Math Lessons (1233) A great pro- gram that teaches algebra. CGA
□ Facts SO (1234) A graphic geography lesson of the U.S. CGA
□ Computer Tutor (1235) Become a more effective computer user.
□ Play 'n' Learn (1236) A set of 6 team- ing games for preschoolers. CGA.
UTILITIES
□ MasterKeys (1400) Like Norton Utili- ties (recover deleted files, disk edit- ing, change file attributes, etc.).
□ SImCGA (1404) Allows monochrome PCs to run many CGA programs.
□ PC-DeskTeam (1406) Several useful desktop accessories (clock, calendar, calculator, notepad, etc.).
□ Automenu (1 409) A very professional hard disk menu system. Run any of your programs from a custom menu.
□ SideWrlter (1410) Prints your spread- sheet print files sideways.
□ Baker's Doien (1411) A set of 13 utilities that everyone needs!
□ Space Maker (1412) Ttiis utility allows you to fit more data on any disk.
□ alt (1413) It's like Norton Utilities, the Sidekick desktop accessories, and a menu program all In one!
□ still River Shell (1414) A superb file and directory management utility.
□ HD Backup (1415) Allows you to backup/restore all the data on your hard drive with floppy disks. HD
□ NewKey (1416) Save time and increase efficiency by using this (the BEST) keyboard macro program
GRAPHICS/PRINTING
□ Express Graph (1106) Turns raw data into great business graphics.
□ DlskOver (1320) Prints informative disk sleeves for all your disks.
□ Banner Maker (1502) Prints banners in various sizes, styles, and fonts.
□ PrintShop Graphics (1503) A large collection of Printshop clip art.
□ EDraw (1508) Design tool for creating flow charts and schematics. CGA.
□ PC-Art (1509) A color graphics paint- ing/drawing package. CGA
[H Epson Utilities (1514,1515) Enhance the prim quality of your Epson- compatible printer (2 disks)
□ PC-Key Draw (1520-1523) Powerful CAD design system. Works with mouse or keyboard. (4 disks) CGA
□ City Desk (1525) Simple desktop pub- lishing for aewsletters.
MISC. APPLICATIONS
□ Weight Control (1302) Let this pro- gram help you get fit.
□ Personal Blorhythm (1310) Will dis- play or print a personal chart
□ KwikStat (1314,1315) A professional statistics package. (2 disks)
□ Wisdom of the Ages (1316-1319) Great quotes from the greatest minds of history. Quick access to 6000 quo- tations in several categories. (4 disks).
□ Make My Day (1627) Puts you in con- trol by organizing your time! Keeps track of appointments and deadlines.
□ Piano Man (1901) Compose and edit music or play the keyboard.
GAMES
□ AdventureWars (1934) Five excellent adventure games.
□ Armchair Quarterback (1905) A fun football strategy game.
□ Baseball (1916) Great arcade action and baseball strategy. CGA.
□ Trivia! by PAS (1953) Test your knowl- edge in several categories.
□ Checkers (1954) See if you are good enough to beat the computer. CGA
□ Crime Lab |1955) Play this exciting graphic murder mystery game. CGA
□ Flightmare (1923) Futuristic fighter pilot arcade game. CGA.
□ Ford Simulator (1956) A great driving simulation game from Ford. CGA,
□ Hopper (1902) Frogger clone. CGA.
□ Kid Games (1938) These games are both fun and educational. CGA.
□ Kingdom ot Kroz (1952) An excellent, award-winning adventure game.
□ ijs Vegas Style Craps (1914) Play and improve your skill. CGA
□ PAC-Man & More! (1930) PAC-Man and l^s. PAC-N/lan clones. CGA.
□ PC-Gammon (1907) Play a tough computer opponent, anytime. CGA
□ PC-Pro Golf II (1975) Choose your club and swing away at one of the world's most beautiful country clubs (Amherst). Excellent graphics! CGA.
□ Pearl Harbor (1959) Save your fleel from the invading planes. CGA
□ Risk (1946) Play the famous board game on your computer. CGA
□ Scrabble (1957) Test your word power with this always fun game. CGA,
□ l8-Hole Miniature Golf (1915) Kids really love this one! CGA,
GAMES coNT
□ Sleuth (1903) Play detective in this "Who done it?" adventure.
□ Solitaire (1940) The computer makes sure you don't cheat! CGA.
□ Space War (1958) Battle it out In outer space— ship vs ship. CGA
□ Sports Games (19Z7) Bowling, arch- ery, and pool. CGA.
□ Star Trek (1948) Two versions for all you TREKies out there.
□ strategic Games (1926) Fight on land and sea in this war simulation.
□ striker (1904) Helicopter attack and rescue arcade game. CGA,
□ PInball (1941) Great sound and fast play on 5 different "machines." CGA
□ Video Poker/Ultima 21 (1945) The BEST poker and blackjack gamesl.
□ Wheel of Misfortune (1935) Like TVs Wheel of Fortune game.
IMPORTANT
CGA = Requires Color Computer HD = Requlre5 Hard Drive 512K = Requires 512K RAM
For multi-disk sets, count all disks In set.
* With your order of 5 or more disks, select an additional 3 disks FREE (limit 3 free disks per order).
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Circle Reader Service Number 172
other, while at the same time pursuing clearly defined individual goals.
In spite of the weakness of the combat module. Star Saga: Two rates high marks. The writing contains all the elements of topnotch science fic- tion, and the game, though quite lin- ear, is so rich in detail, puzzles, and surprises that you'll have a hard time ending each play session. As a matter of fact, now might be a good time to start Sfar Saga: Two; after all, the Sur- vey Line is moving closer and closer!
JAMES TRUNZO
IBM PC and compatiMes— S79.95 Apple IlGS— S79.95 Apple lie— $79.95
MASTERPLAY PUBLISHINQ t)417 Sun State St. Tampa, FL 33634 (8131 888-7773
SUPERBASE 2
Now you can add database management to the grow- ing list of compelling ap- plications that make Microsoft Windows worth looking into. Superbase 2, from Precision Software, is a Windows-hdiStd. rela- tional database manager. As is common with Win- i^ovra-based applications, Superbase 2 includes a runtime ver- sion of Windows 2.0, handy for users who don't already own the stand- alone version of thai graphical operat- ing environment.
In addition to the standard Win- dows menu bar, Superbase 2 uses a second row of icons positioned across the bottom of its display screen to simplify the process of retrieving re- cords in a database. To view the next record in a file, for example, you sim- ply click on an icon showing a single arrow pointing to the right — reminis- cent of the play button on a VCR, Conversely, a single-arrow icon point- ing left calls up the previous record in the current database. Double arrows pointing right and left (fast forward and rewind) allow you to scan records in ascending or descending order, re- spectively. Other icons let you quickly access the first or last record in a file, pause a database scan, and even enter SQL-like queries to extract records matching specific search criteria. Su- perbase 2's implementation of this VCR-based icon structure noticeably decreases the program's learning curve for any new user already famil- iar with operating a home video recorder.
Another area in which the Win- dows interface elevates Superbase 2 above traditional DOS database pro- grams is in the flexibility it allows while examining individual records. Character-based database programs tend to present your records in a rela- tively static manner; once you create a report or display screen, there's no easy way to alter its original design. .Analyzing data with Superbase 2, on the other hand, is a much more dy- namic process. To change the position of a data field on a Superbase 2 dis- play screen, for example, you simply use the mouse to drag that field to its new location. As a result, you're more likely to examine the records in your Superbase 2 file from several different angles. This enhances your under- standing of the relationships between the data that files contain.
Super/base 2's graphics interface lets you integrate graphics with your data.
Of course, simplicity and flexibil- ity mean little if a program doesn't possess enough power to make it worth using. But Superbase 2 has power to spare. Record size is limited only by the amount of memory in- stalled on your system. Theoretically, a single file can contain up to 16 mil- lion individual records. How many records your databases will hold de- pends on the available disk space. You can assign up to 999 index fields to a single database file. Superbase 2 supports limited relational capabili- ties by including a special lookup function, which allows you to access data stored in multiple files from within the current database. Because it's a graphics-based program, Super- base 2 even lets you incorporate graphics into your database records. You could, for example, include scanned images of employee photo- graphs in a personnel file. As an added attraction, Superbase 2 can read dBase data files in their native format. This feature alone should alleviate some of the pain commonly associated with switching from standard DOS to the Windows environment.
Power comes at a price, of course. In the case o{ Superbase 2, you'll have to contend with increased hardware demands and decreased speed. Graph- ics programs inevitably perform more slowly than their text-based counter- parts, so if blinding speed is an over- riding concern in your database oper- ations, then Superbase 2 mi^l not be right for you.
Superbase 2 operations are fully explained in the program's compre- hensive user's manual. It includes a Windows primer for those unfamiliar with that graphical environment. Though not context-sensitive, an in- dexed online help system is available to answer most questions.
Superbase 2 adds a new dimen- sion to DOS database management and is a must for any Windows user. Even if you don't run Windows, you may still consider switching to Super- base 2. It's definitely a harbinger of things to come.
JACKNIMERSHEIM
IBM PC and corrpatibles with 640K, a hard disk. DOS 3.0 or later, Winctows 2.0 (runtime version included), graphics dis- play required, mouse recommended — $295
PRESTIGE SOFTWARE 8404 Sterling St. A Irving, TX 75063 (214)929-4888
counteupdint
Running applications occu- pies your computer most of the time. Faced with the dreary DOS prompt, you must remember what directory holds your pro- gram and what command starts it. If you're tired of that routine, consider an alternative: a graphical user interface (GUI). The term is applied to a wide variety of programs that differ greatly in cost, complexity, and system requirements. The common element is that menus and icons replace the DOS command line. Just point and click and the com- puter does the rest.
Busarow's Counterpoint is a sim- ple, easy-to-install GUI, although it calls itself a Graphical Menu System. While it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Windows, it takes you quickly to your program from a menu and an icon screen.
Counterpoint requires a hard disk. Once you've installed the pro- gram, type CP from your root directo- ry and the program's screen will appear.
116
C O M P U T E I
JANUARY 1990
ONLY
$]65
PER DISK
FOR OVER 10 DISKS
GAMES
STRIKER (110) Fly hBlicop- ter against enemy (CGA) TWO BIT POKER ¥2.0 (172) Just like the casino poker mactiines in Vegas (CQA) STARL0nD(GAM9S)Play Star Trek on your PC (CGA) DRACULA IN LONDON (GAMS4) Great graptilcs game based on novel (CGA) DND »1.2 (119) Like Dun- geons and Dragons. ROUND 42 (120) Like Space Invaders. 42 levels (CGA) MONOPOLY (169) Great color and sound (CGA) BRIDGEPAL (171) Contract or rubber bridge, w/tutorial. SPACEWAR (158) Using phasers, photon torpedoes. WHEEL OF MISFORTUNE (181) Spin wheel and watch out!
PC-JIGSAW v1.1(GAM71) Beautiful computer jigsaw puzzles. Color or mono. EAT -EM II (GAM 74) Like Pac Man but with a bigger Held.
KID-GAMES (GAMS) Math, clock, alphabet, etc. (CGA) KINGDOM OF KROZ (GAMS) Arcade, adventure, and stra- tegy game with 25 levels. CHESS (GAM9) Incredible. 2D and 3D. Playback moves, store games, etc. (CGA)
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EGA RISK (GAM11) World domination in great color. With EGA Asteroids (EGA) NETHACK (QAM20) Adven- ture game. Many dangerous levels, rooms, corridors. PC-GAMMON (GAM33) Easy to learn, yet challenging. BLACKJACK! vl.S (GAM47) Professional. Superb gra- phics (Mono or EGA) MORAFPS REVENGE (GAM 86) Adventure with castles, dungeons, maps, monsters! SCRABBLE (GAM72) Exact rendition of the all time favor- ite (EGA)
CRIBBAGE PARTNER (GAM 9B).The complete board game!
CADDIEHACK EGAGOLF (GAM100) 8esl1B-hole share- ware golf game around! CGA ver. is GAM101 (EGA) MAH JONGG(GAM103) High tech simulation, CGA and VGA version included. SOLICARD (GAM106) Eight great solitaire card games. PAS TRIVIA V3.02 (GAM 11 4) Family oriented trivia game tor up to 6 players,
INCREDIBLE SOFTWARE
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Thousands of Programs Available to Meet Your Every Computing Need.
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ONLY
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FOR 1 - 9 DISKS
CROSSWORD CREATOR (GAM 108) Shareware's lin- est crossword pu22le gen- erator!
SHARP SHOOTER (GAM84) Tank vs. lank warfare game. Up to eight players (CGA)
PROGRAMMING
WINDOW PRO (1613, 1614/2
dliki) Create windows and titles for menus, etc. PC-BASIC PRIMER (1625) Learn BASIC in a very color- ful way (CGA, BASIC). PERSONAL C COMPILER ¥l.2 (1627) Learn the C lan- guage (2 FDor HD) A8S-D8e (1707, 1709/2 ditkt) World's best assembler, dis- assembler program.
WORD PROCESSING
WORDS & EDITS (TXT2)
Full-screen text editor (or ASCII.
PC-WRITE V3.02 (434-436/3 ditkl) Very popular. With spell checker (2 FDor HD| GALAXV v2.4a (407) Easy to use. Mouse, EGA support. PC-WRITE MACROS »1.2 (458) 100 commands tor PC-Write.
GRAPHICS
SIMCGA/HGCIBM (1027, 1062/2 disks) Use with Her- cules graphics card/compat- ible to run CGA programs on your monochrome. IMAGE-3D (1048) Create, edit 3-D objects. Move, scale, rotate image (CGA). FINGER PAINT v2.00 (1050) Use keyboard or mouse to draw. Like MacPAINT (CGA)
DRAFT CHOICE (GRA6)
Excellent menu-driven CAD program. Mouse support. CHARTS UNLIMITED (GRA 16) Complete system for flow charts: organizational, elec- trical, etc., with symbols.
i,j.iaHii»jgj;;»!.^,
SPREADSHEETS
AS-EASY-AS (505) Has
screen help menus. A Lotus clone that reads Lotus hies PC-CALC+vl.O (512-514/3 dUks) Jim Button's famous Lotus clone (2 FD or HD) PIVOT vl.01 (516) Prints Lotus or As-Easy-As tiles sideways.
EDUCATION
GOOGOL MATH (EDU15)
Math learning system. Many levels of difficulty. (CGA) MATH CASTLE (EDU 18) Save castle from aliens by solving math riddles! Fun! FUNNELS AND BUCKETS (201) A (un way to learn math. For ages 5 through 8. THE WORLD (235) Shows and prints maps in all loca- tions of the world! FACTS 50 (239) Geography lessonsfor U.S. (BASIC), PC FASTYPE V3.01 (241) Touch typing instruction with WPM, accuracy, etc. (CGA|
AMY'S FIRST PRIMER (248) Game that teaches letters, numbers, keyboard (CGA)
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MIND CHART (GRA37-GRA 38/2 disks) Menu charting and drawing programs.
Circle Reader Service Number fa2
AHV't niST ?RIKD
SPANISH I & II (211, 232/2 disks) Great tutorial (BASIC)
UTILITIES
SCREENSAVER vl.05 (UTL
21) Save monitor from iDurn- tn. For all video displays, DBS-KAT (UTL 30) Catalog your floppy disks (HD) PAS MASTER MENU v1.Q2 {UTL33) Interface for multi- ple user passwords. (HD) BRADFORD v2.0 (2729) Beau- tiful fonts for your dot matrix. PROFESSIONAL MASTER- KEY v3.0 (2805) L.ke Nor- ton's. Retrieve deleted files. Alitesaver (2 FD or HD) TECHSTAFF TOOLS (3068- 3069/2 disks) 13 utilities no computer should be without!
DOS
TUTOR.COM V4.4 (1301)
Interactive DOS tutorial. STILL RIVER SHELL V2.58 (1304) Run DOS commands from menu. Makes DOS easy. HELPDOS v2,0 (1326) On- line DOS help with menus. Includes DOS dictionary of terms and a hints menu. HARD DISK MENU IV (1332) Organize HD tor speed, ease of use. Password protection.
RELIGION
BIBLEMEN (3330) Excellent Bible quiz program.
BIBLEWORKS (3356-3361/6 disks) Bible with concord- ance, allows editing. Old and new testaments (2 FD or HD)
MUSIC
CHRISTMAS SONGS (311)
Collection of your favorites. COMPOSER (313) Create, edit and play music. (CGA)
ACCOUNTING/ FINANCE
MARKETCGA »2.2 (BUS17)
Analysis on stocks, funds, etc. EGA ver, is BUS 16 (CGA)
TICKLEX (BUS62) Appoint- ment calendar with reminder, alarm, timetable, etc. (HD) AMORTIZE (BUS113) Calcu- late, print loan amortization schedules.
FINANCE MANAGER II G/L vl.3 (751) Personal or small business (2 FDor HD) MEDLIN ACCOUNTING (757) G/L, A/P, A/R and payroll.
EXPRESS CHECK V2.06 (786) Checking account with run- ning balance, monthly re- ports, etc. Prints checks.
APPLICATIONS
FOOTBALL FUN (MISI) Man- age an office football pool. LOGITI (UTL27) RAM resi- dent computer logging pro- gram.
EZ-FORMS (1909) Make forms to meet different needs. CATALIST (2059, 2064/2 disks) Mailing list manager. Prints labels, reports.
FAMILY THEE (2201) Create files, genealogical reports, THE NUTRITIONIST (2334) Evaluates foods, meals and recipes for nutrition, etc. LOTTO PROPHET ¥2.7 (2364) Best lotto program around.
PC-DESKTEAM (2603) Desk- top organizer. Many features!
TELE- COMMUNICATIONS
TELIX V3.11 (1161-1162/2
disks) Total package. Sup- ports baud rate to 115,200 (modem, 2FDor HD) WILDCATl¥l.03 (1141, 1143/ 2 disks) Flexible bulletin board system (modem, HD| PROCOMM V2.43 (11S9) Out- standing modem software.
SECURITY HACKING
VIRUS STOPPER ¥2.0 (1223)
Protect your system from viruses and trojan horses. FLU SHOT+ ¥l.5 (1225) Pro- tection against viruses! COPY PROTECTION IV (1226) Latest release. For advanced programmers (2 FDorHD)
DATABASE PROGRAMS
FILE EXPRESS (S03-B04/2
disks) Powerful system. Allows 3Z,(J00 records. Sorts up to 10 fields (2 FDorHD) PC-FILEiDB (853-855/3
disks) Report-writer, dBASE III* compatible. (HD)
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(You can load the program automati- cally from yourAUTOEXEC.BAT file, loo.) Designed for use with a mouse, the program also operates well with keystrokes.
Icons are the heart of the pro- gram. Selecting Icons from the main screen brings up a submenu from which you can create, edit, or delete icons, as well as edit commands. When creating an icon, you're allowed three Hnes of 1 1 characters each.
I use Quicken often, so I decided to install it first. You can specify the installation as an application or a sub- menu. I wanted to go directly to Quicken, so application was my
choice. You'll have to decide whether to leave Counterpoint resident while your application runs. The program isn't as hungry for memory as many other GUIs are, but it does swallow between 70K and lOOK.
Quicken isn't large, so I let Counterpoint stay resident. I entered the lines so that the program could be found and run {CD 1Q2 and Q), and was back at the main Counterpoint screen. I moved the cursor over the icon labeled Quicken, clicked twice, and up came the main menu of Quicken. Exit returned me to the main Counterpoint menu.
I also use WordPerfect often, so I
«s^^^^
Available tor ttie IBM PC and the Apple Macintosh
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created another icon and labeled it WP 5.0. Because I keep my WordPer- fect files in several subdirectories, this time I specified a submenu. I created several new subicons, labeling them and making their command sequence appropriate for my subdirectories. Since my WordPerfect program is quite large, Counterpoint couldn't stay resident.
Get organized and navigate easily with the Counterpoint graphics interface.
Now when I clicked on the WP 5.0 icon in the main menu, a new screen offered the icons of my sub- directories. When I clicked on one of those, there I was, promptly, in Word- Perfect with the files I needed.
Additional features of the pro- gram include a screen-saver and a logo editor (it lets you replace the Counterpoint logo on the screen with one of your choice).
Busarow's documentation is terse, but adequate. No mention is made of technical support to the user.
GLJIs are acclaimed as the wave of the future. If you want a fast, rela- tively simple, inexpensive vehicle for your first ride on that wave, Counter- point is an attractive choice.
CHARLES IDOL H
IBM PC and compatibles— $69.95
BUSAROW SOFTWARE 282 Kenderlofi Beavercreek. OH 45430 (513)429-9876
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118 C O M P U T E I
JANUARY 1990
Easy to use
software for all
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THE BEST OF EVERYTHING
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Unconditional money-back guarantee ■ All orders shipped same day ■ Easy-to- use instructions on each disk ■ Latest ver- sions ■ No membership fees ■ Free cata- log of over 200 programs with every order or by request ■ Airborne Express over- night service only $5.00
BUSINESS/HOME
n Eifireti Checli 3JI7 (1117) -A great program to manage your checking accounts! Even prints ctieclts!
O Home Invsntory 3.4 (3137) - Helps yflu keep track of every- thing yau own. Great for insurance.
□ Painless Accounting AS (3 disks) (1120) -Easy to use and loaded with features. General Ledger. Accounts Receivable/ Payable, invoicing, check printing and more. (HD)
DATABASE/SPREADSHEET/ WORD PROCESSING
D PC-Calc-i- (3 disks) (3410) -A very powerful spreadsheet.
D PC-Flle:dB (3 disks) (133D) -An excellent dBase compati- ble data base program. Very pewerful! (HD)
D PC-Outll no 3J4 (3915) -An e«;ellent ttiaught oulliner! Can also be used as a free-form database. (Resident and non- fesident versions included!)
D PC-Stylist 1.2 (3917) -Improve your writing style.
D PC-Write 3.02 (3 disks) (3820) -One of the best mrd processors available anywtiere. Easy to use and loaded with features including spell ctiecker.
EDUCATION
D Amy^ First Primer (1717)-Six different learning programs
for cfiildren ages 4-8. (CGA) a CompulerfDOS Tutor 4.4 (1415)-Learn how to use your
computer and DOS easily with this educational program.
A must for anybody trying to learn aliout computers' O The DOS Liarnlng System (1417) - l^arn how to use DOS
with this great tutorial. All versions of DOS 2.0-3,3. D Funnels and Buckets (1727)-A tun way to teach children
basic math skills! (CGA| n Lotus Learning System (2 disks) (1420)-Learn Lotus2.0
easily and quickly. D Play 'n' Learn 2.03 (1735) -A collection of six programs
for children 18 months to 4 years. ICGA) O Typing Teacfier (1425) -This disk contains 3 program
designed to i mprove the speed and accuracy of your typing! D World 2.S3 (1849) -The ultimate globe! Learn about cities,
countries with this computerized globe. (CGA)
GAMES
n Arcade Games 1 (1811)-f^c-man (3 versions!), Hopper.
Space Invaders, Janitor Joe and others. (CGA) D Arcade Gamas2 (1B12)-Q-Ben, Donkey Kong. Breakout,
Beast and others. (CGA)
□ Artade Games 3 (1813) -Striker, Space War & more. (CGA) D Ed's Chess (2425) -The best chess game available any- where. (It beat Chessmaster 2(X)0)
D EGA Cunning Football Z3 (1327) -The best football simu- lation anyvBhere. EGA or VGA Graphics required,
n EGA Games 1 (1911) -A collection of the best EGA games including EGAroids. RetleK. Aldo, Flees and others. EGA or VGA Graphics required.
D Graplilc-Less Games (2111) -A collection of games that don't require color or graphics. (Will work on ANY system!)
n Great Adventures 1 (2531) -Five exciting games.
a Kids' Games (2317) -Fun for the under-f2 set.
D Master the Market (2435)-3 great stock market simu- lators!
Q Mind Puzzles (2439)- 3 programs that challenge the mind! (CGA)
n Miramar Fliglit Simulator (2319)-Go to Top Gun flight school and pilot an F-18 into combat. (CGA)
D Monopoly (2445) -A great rendition of the classic game. Great color and sound! (CGA)
D PC-Pro-Gol(4.2 (2327) -Tee it up, and play f8 holes! (CGA)
D Pinball 1 (1821) -Five great pinball games. (CGA)
□ Strategy Games (2461) -Risk, Othello, Chess, Nyet(Tetris clone), and others. (CGA)
n Star TVek Games (2341) -Three games: an arcade game, standard Star Trek game, and a trivia game.
MISCELLANEOUS
G Banner S Slfln Malieis (321S) - Make banners or signs for any occasion. Works with any printer
O Brotlier^ Keeper 4.3 (2 disks) (3120) -Excellent, full- featured genealogy program that's easy to use.
□ Calendar Maker (3129)-Create calendars for any month or year
n Express Graph 1J)5 (2815)-Create regular and 3-0 graphs,
easily (CGA) D FormgenSJI (3227) -A very versatile form generator fiiake
any kind of form for business or home on any printer! D Kwlkstat 2.0 (2 disks) (3130) -A complete, easy-to-use
statistics package. D PC-Key-Draw 3.65 (4 disks) (2780) -An exceptionally
powerful graphics program. Comes with a large coHection
of ready-made graphics. (CGA) (HO)
Order: 800-876-3475 Information: 503-776-5777 Fax: 503-773-7803
D Planoman 4J) (3147)-Creale and play music on your PC! Lots of fun!
□ SpeedRead (1846) -Learn to speed read!
n Wiltklt (3157) - Prepare a will that is valid in all SO states.
UTILITIES
□ Aulomenu 4.5 (3515) -Latest version of the most popular menuing program of all time!
□ Backup Whiz 2.1 (3517) -Back up your hard disk quickly and safely with this easy-to-use program.
a Best DOS Utilities (3S25)- Essential utilities for DOS. File tinders, listers and numerous other handy utilities that will save you time. Very easy to use!
G Epson Utilities (2 disks) (3210)-A collection of utilities for Epson and Epson-compatible printers.
D Hercules Util Itles (3625) -A collection of utilities tor Her- cules graphics cards. Includes SIMCGA.
D Mr Label 4.1 (3235) - Powerful & versatile label maker
G PC-Deskteam 2.01 (3549) -A Sidekick-like program with even more features!
D Professional Master Key (3S55)-A collection of utilities like Nortotts. Recover erased files easily!
□ Vaccines and Virus Kll lets (3627) -A collection of utilities designed to protect your system from viruses! This disk includes Flu-Shot -f 1.S2.
WORDPERFECT 5.0
G PC-Draft II (2 disks) (3T60)-Create clip art graphic files
(in .WPG format) for WP 5.0. Includes dozens of images
to help get you started. (CGA) (HD| D WordPertect 5.D Art/Grapli)cs (2 disks) (3710) -Dozens of
clipart images and clip art viewer. D WordPertect S.0 Learning System (2 disks) (3730) -Learn
WP 5.0 easily and quickly with this great tutorial (WP 50
is NOT required).
□ WordPerfect 5.0 Macros (2 disks) (3720)-Hundreds of helpful macros tor WP 5,0,
D WordPerfect 5.0 Menu/Mice (2 disks) (3740)-Menu sys- tems, mouse drivers.
□ WortPertect 5.0 Tools (2 disks) (37S0)-A collection of ^7+ utilities for WP 5.0.
(CGA) RsQuires Color Graphic Adapter
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The #1 best selling pro- gram of all time has been Improved w/fantastic new features. Hi res printing, New Graphic editing, Color, , More fonts. Huge signs, Calendars & more! NEW PRtNTSHOP SDA List $59,95 Discount Price $39
ACCESS
Mean Streets |w/Eound) . .539
ACCOLADE
Bar Games (R-Raied) ... .525 Blue Angels Flight Sim. . .S29
Bubble Ghost ,.$14
Don't Go Alone S3Z
Frighlmare S98e
<lth S Inches FcxJtball -.$14
Grand Prrx Circuit 124
Hardball S9.88
Hardball 2 S26
Harnef 7 S9.88
Heatwave Boat Racing . . . S2S
Jack Nicidaus Golt S32
J.N. Goll Champ Courses. $14
Mental Blocks S9-8S
Sleei Thundef S25
Test Drive 2. The Duel . . .S29 T.D 2 Caltf Scenery . . . ,$14 T.D 2. Europe Scenery $14
T.D. 2: Muscle Cars $14
T-D- 2; Super Cars $14
Ttie Cycles $25
The Third Courier $32
ACT1VISI0N
A-10. TankKiller $32
Apache Stnke $9 S8
Battle Ctiess $32
David Won Secret Agent $32
Dealh Track $29
Die Hard $29
F-14 Tomcat $29
GhosI Busters 2 $29
Grave Yardage ........ .523
USI f^tinja $9.66
Manhole S23
Mech Warrior $32
Music Studio 3 0 565
NeurorriarKer $29
Rampage $24
The Manhole $32
Tongue ot the Falman . . .525
ARTWORX
Bridge 6.0 $25
Centerfold Squares $19
Kateidokubes $19
Linkword Languages . . . Call Stnp Poker Data Disk . . . Call
StnpPoker2 $25
BETHESOA
Wayne Gretzky Hockey $35
BLUE UON
Ticket to Hollywood $25
Tickei to Wash. D.C 523
BRrTANNICA/DESIGI^WARE Archipelagos .......... .525
Desjgnasaurus $25
BRODERBUND
Acieni Art of War at Sea . , $29
Acieni Land o1 Vs 532
Banner Mania 523
l^rmen S.D - Europe . . .529
Carmen S D - Time 529
Carmen S, D - US A $29
Carmen S.D- - World .. ..S25 Jet Fighter Adventure ... $32
Licence to Kill 529
Murder Club 525
Omni-Play Horse Racing $32
New Ptintshop S39
PS Sampler Graphics . . .$23
P S- Party Graphics S23
P-S. School/Business GR .$23
Sim City $32
Star Wars 525
VCR Companion $32
Wibami _ $25
CENTRAL POINT
Copy 2 $»
PC Tools Deluxe 5.5 $79
CINEMAWARE
Krystal $32
Three Stooges 532
TV Sports Foottiall S32
DATA EAST
Bad Dudes $25
Batman $25
Guerilla War $25
Heavy Barrel 525
Ikari Warnors $9 88
ABC Monday Nite Foott)all532
Platoon 59.aa
Rotjocop $25
Super Hang-On $25
DATA SOFT
Hunt lor Red October 532
Time & Magik $26
DAVIDSON
Aigeblaster 529
Math Blaster Plus 529
Reading 4 Me 524
Word Attack Plus $29
ELECTRONIC ARtS
Abrams Battle Tank 526
Bards Tale2 $32
BattlehaiMis 1942 532
Beyond Black Hole 532
Bruce Lee Lives ........ .$32
Caveman Ugti-Lympics . , 521
Chessmasler 2100 $32
Cnbbage/Gin King $39
C Veagers AFT20 $32
Deluxe Pjinr 2 saS
Mind-Holl $14 88
Project Neptune $16.88
Purple Saturn Day 514,88
Revenge of Defender . . $16,83
Snova Strike $1688
Summer Games 2 $7,88
World Games $7,88
World Karate Champ . . $988
FREE SPIRrr
Sex Vixens from Space , , , $25
GAMESTAR
Face Off Hockey .529
Take Down Wrestling . . . .523 GAMETB<
Chutes 4 Udders $988
Double Dare $9 88
Hollywood Squares ... 59 88
Super Password $9 B8
HI-TECH
Fun Mouse 58.88
Muppet Print Kit $3-86
Remote Control $8 88
Ses- St. First Writer 59.88
Ses. St. Print Kit S9.B8
Swim Wear 56.88
INFOCOM
Battletech 532
Beyond Zork $9 83
Hitchhikers GuJde $9 83
DATA EAST
Awesome gut wrenching
football action w/the best
digitized sound, graphics &
DJiliRe anTmations ever!
This is the game you've
been waiting for.
ABC MONDAY NITE
FOOTBALL gDA
List $49.95 Discount Price S32
Electronic Arts * stocking stuffers
Deinon Slalkers Legacy of the Ancients • Modem Wars Pinball Conslaiction Set • Skate or Die Sky Fox 2 • Super Boulder Dash Wasteland • WorldTour Goll • Zany Golf
5,fi^ONLY $9.88 ea ^^
d
opeedy Delivery T\eep Discounts
Double Dragon $26
Earl Weaver Baseball $26
Empire $32
F/16 Combat Pilot $32
Ferrari Formula One . . ; . .$26
Fools Errand .$32
Indy Jones: Crusade
Action Game $26
Indy Jones, Crusade
Graphic Adventure .... $32
Jordan vs Bird $26
Keef the Thief Call
Lakers vs, Celtics $32
Madden Football 532
Magie Candle $32
Maniac Mansion (Hi-Fiesl ,529 Might & Mage 1 or 2 . $32 Ea
Rpe Dream $32
Puzzle Storybook $25
Scavengers $32
Sentinel Worlds $32
688 Attack Sub $32
Star Fleel2 539
Slarfligni $32
Zak McKracken . , $29
EPYX
Axe of Rage S24.88
California Games 517.63
Destroyer $7 88
Games Summer Edit, 524,88 Cannes Winter Edit .524 88
Journey 532
King Arthur 525
Leather Goddesses 59.88
Mines of Titan 529
Shogun 539
Zork Trilogy S16
Zork Zero 539
LEARNING COMPANY
Reader Rabbil $25
Think Quick $32
Wriler Rabbit $32
LEISUREATIRGIN
Doubte Dragon 2 Call
Monopoly ..526
Scrabble $26
Scnjples $26
MELBOURNE HOUSE
Hershiser Strike Zone 525
John Elway'sOB $19
Magic Johnson B-Ball . . .$25
War in Middle earth $32
World Trophy Soccer $25
MICHOPOSE
Airtx>rr>e Ranger $25
F-15 Strike Eagle 2 535
F-19 Stealth Fighter $44
Gunship $32
Mi Tank Platoon $44
Pirates $29
Red Storm Rising $35
Sv«jrd of the Sarnurai . . . . $35
Astronomical Selections L Kymi can't find what >(ju'rc lo<ikin|ifririnourad, call us.
Send check or money orders to:
P.O.Box ni327-Dept. CP Blawnox, PA 15238
liSA/C AN AD.\ orders
1-800-225-7638
PA Orders 1-800-223-7784 Customer Service (4121 361-5291 Fax Order Line (412) 361-4545
• Free shipping on orders o^er $100 in eontinental USA.
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Our Largest Selection ever for your IBM or Compatable
.^■'^S^ii^-
REauw
T E c H N o (. o a I e s Ttie auttiors of Money Mag. help you create personal financial objeclives & ttien matcties those objectives to a specific investment strat- egy whichi includes real products. WEALTH BUILDER SDA
List $249.95 Discount Price S1 59
MINDSCAPE
Alter Burner $25
Balance ot Power 1 990 ... $32
Captain Blood $25
Combat Course $23
Fiendish Freddy's Bigtop 529
Gauntlet 1 or 2 $25 Ea.
Inn Team Sports , $23
Out Run $25
Paperbcr/ $25
Shinobi $23
Space Harrier ...$25
star Trek 5 Final Frontier $32 Super Star Ice Hockey , . . 525
Super Star Soccer VS
ORIGIN
Omega 532
Quest For Clues Book 2 .$19
Space Rogue $32
Tangled Tales ...519
Times ot Ijxe 525
Ultima 4 or 5 $39 Ea,
Ultima Tntogy 539
POLARWARE
All Dogs go to Heaven . . . $25
Tracon w/'Sound ....... S29
PSYGNOSIS
Baal 525
BallistiK $25
SHARE DATA
All New Family Feud. . . $8.88
Avod the t*)id 59.88
Concentration 1 or 2 . . . $9.88
Jeopardy $8.88
Jeopardy 2 or JR . . $9 88 Ea. Nightmare on Elm St ... S23
Sports Jeopardy 58.88
Wheel of Fortune .... $8,88 Wheel of Fortune 2 or 3 $9.88
Wipe Out 59.83
SIERRA
Black Cauldron $25
Colonels Bequest $39
Gold Rush SS
Heco's Quest $39
Hoyle's Book of Games 523 Kings Quest 1 ,2.3 or 4. $32 Ea,
Leisure Suit Larry .525
Leisure Soil Larry 2 532
Leisure Suit Larry 3 $39
Ma nhunter S F or N y S32 £a
Mother Goose- 519
Polce Quest 1 or 2 532 Ea
Silpheed $23
Space Quest 1 or 2 , , $32 Ea.
Space Quests $39
Thexder $23
SIR TECH
Heart ot tvtaelstroni 532
Retjrn of Werdna $39
Wizardry Trilogy .532
SOFrWARE PUBLISHING PFS IstCh /Quicken... $115 PFS Ist Publisher 2 1 ... .$89
Prolessronal File 2.0 $207
Prolessioral Wnte 21 , , .$149 SPECTRUM HOLOBYTE
Falcon 532
Solitaire Royale 523
Telris $23
Veite , $32
Welllris 523
SPOTUGHT
Darlisidc $25
Deathbnnger $25
Speedball $25
Total Eclipse $25
SPRINGBOARD
Cortilicale Maker 524
CM Library' u 1 519
SSI
Curse ol Azure Borrds , . .532
Demon s Winter $23
Dragon s of Flame $25
Gettysburg $39
Heroes ot the Lance $26
Hiiistar $32
Pool of Radiance $32
Red Lightning $39
Stellar Cnjsade 532
Sword ol Aragon 526
SUBLOGIC
Hawaii Scenery $19
UFQ $32
TArro
Arkanoid 5988
ArkanOJd 2, Rever^ . , , . 523
Bubble Boblile $23
Operaiion Wolf $23
Qix $23
Rambo3 $23
Rasion ,.S23
Renegade. - $23
Sky Shark $23
MISC. UTIUTIES Dac Easy Accounting 30 $65 Superbase 2 w/Window5.$173 Timeworks Publish l|i . . .$129 Timcworks Word Writer $32 Tobias Mgl-Money . . . .5139
Word Perfect 50 $235
ACCESSORIES
Analog & Joystick 525
Disk Case 5' ; or 3'. $688 Ea, Dnve Cleaner
Sv.orS.. $6e8Ea.
Epyx 500XJ Joystick $25
SonyS'. DSOD... 516 90 Bk SonyS.DSOD 56,99 Bx
Software Discounters
ofQ^
America
tmmm ^^ Biawnox, f A l3.iJS • Vbur card is not charged until we ship.
■3™ ^®^ 'Purchase orders accepted.
Order Line Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 9:00 AIV1-9:00 PM, l-ri. 9:00 AM-7:00 PM, Sat. 10:00 AIV1-4:00 PM Kastern Time
•Please Read The Following OrcJering Terms & Condiliofis Carefully Belore Placing Your Order: Orders with cashiers check or money order shipped immediately on in-stock ilemsi PefSonal&Companychecks.ailowSweeksclearance. rJoCODs' Shipping: Continental U.S,A,-OrdersunderS100add S3, freeshippingonordersover$100 AK HI FPO APO-add $5 on all orders Canada a Puerto Hico add S7 50 on all orders Sorry, no other international orders accepted' PA residents add 6% sales tax on the total amount of order includino Shipping charges CUSTOMER SERVICE HOURS Won -Fn 9 AM.5:30 Plvl Eastern Time REASONS FOR CALLING CUSTOMER SERVICE-412-361-5291 (1) Status of order o> tjack oriler (2) i( any merchandise purchased within 60days from SDof A is detective, please call for a return authorization number. We will not proces a return without a return aulh #i Defective merchandise will be replaced with the same merchandise only. Other retums subject to a 2Wo restocking charge! After 60 days from vour purchase date please refer to the warranty included with the product purchased 4 return directly to the manufacturer Customer service will not accept collect calls or calls on SD of As 800 # order linesi Prices & availability are subject to changei New titles are arriving dailyi Please call lor more information j.i,j.|g Rejtjgr Service Number 102
MODEIVI OWNERS You can orijer on-line from our [BM shop via the CompuServe, GEnie and Q-Link electronic malls
i
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m |
T[ |
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The best accounting for non-accountants!
DacEasy Light Accounting sheds a new liglit on and statemenlfornisfor a professionallook. • Up-
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DacEasy Light is not just another checkwriter - lutely no risk. it's complete accounting that performs tasks and routines that come naturally to you. In | addition to checkwriting for business and/or personal use, DacEasy Liglit Accounting:
• Prints pre-printed checks • Provides Instant Balance Sheets and/or Personal Net Worth Statements • Reflects Cash Flow Analysis • Tracks Monthly and Yearly Budgets against Actuals for Summary or Detail Comparison Reports
• Allows Complete Invoicing, I and utilizes pre-printed invoice
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n5 1/4" 3 J 1/2" nilacinrtish
Name:
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Checkn Card":
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.Mail Ui: DacEasv. Inc. ■ 1 /950 ['re.ston Road •Suite fiOO • nalliis. Tx • 7'5252 ••Offer expires 1/}I.'90 • I .\letlia Qxle 610 • Texa.s rL'sitlents add wiies tax
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Inc.
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Minimiitii hardware requ!remein.>i: Light for lilt- PC runs on IBM or 100% conipiiliblci. • MS or I'C-DO.S 2.1 or later • Macinto,sli Lisht runs on Plu.VSE/n Trademarks: IBM, Intuit, Paisons Teclinology, MECA, Apple, Microsoft • DacEasy Lif^ht is a rc'si.stered Iniclcniark of DatEa.sy, Inc. • "IBM version only.
Circle Reader Seitviee Number 156
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S27.50
Lakers vs. Celtics $33.95
David Wolf Secret Ageni $30.95
Life and Death $33.95
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Where mthc World is C. SandiegoS2S.95 Wherein iheUSA is C. Sandiego $2^.95 Crossword Magic $30.95
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ALWAYS cAu 1-800-272-1600
TOIl-FREE
VISA
1-800^38-1 168 (Ohio)
1 -6 1 4-847-4050 CCentrolOhio)
U.S. FPO. and A.P.O., add 3% Cniimmum $4.00) for each shipment. No COD. In Ohio, add 5.5% Sales Tax. MasterCard, VISA, and American Exwess— No extra charge. We accept puiohase orders from schools, "univesities and other quoliiied organizations. FROM HOME TO SCHOOL AND BACK AGAIN. FAS-TRACK DEUVHSi
SPEECH THING
For all PCs, compatibles, laptops
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S69.9S
CLEAR, CLEAN, DIGITIZED SPEECH AND MUSIC, UNLIMITED TEXT- TO-SPEECH! /attaches outside the computer.
Speech Thing is a full-featured 3 bit D/A sound converter that attaches in-line witti Ihe parallei printer port. Does not interfere with normal printer operation. Demo programs give your PC many useful applications. Incorporate the prerecorded digitized words in user wriiien BASIC programs. Editor allows for special elfecis. new words, and music. BONtJS: Unlimited teict-to-speecti with SmoothTaliier (TM) from Firsi Byte. Use for proofreading scripts, electronic mail and message distribution, educational software, product tutorials/demonstrations, more.
Speech Tiling is ttie most advanced, lowest cost, hardware/software speech system you will ever need. Comes complete with audio amplifier speaker with headphone jack, software, and manual. Only $69.95. 30-day satisfaction guarantee. One year warranty. (Add S5 shipping and handling lor USA, $8 Canada, $12 overseas). Visa. MasterCard phone orders accepted.
Call or write today for FREE Catalog on Speech Thing and other speech recortjing/voice recognition products
COVOX iNC (503) 342-1271 675 Conger St., Eugene, Oregon 97402
FAX {503)342-1283
Circle Reader Service Number 144
Circle Reader Service Number 145
Great Public Domain and Shareware Programs* Beat Selections* Latest Updates Fully Tested - Virus Free • Free Technical Support • Fast, Fast Delivery
Featuring: MORE...MORE...MORE PROGRAMS per DISK
LETTERHEADS PLUS <13£) Deslgnrprint custom letterheads, envelopes, labels to Epsgn/lBM compatible printers.
EZ'FORMS (119) Create cuslom forms. £a£y, powerful,
ON^IDE <121) New! Print sideways with custofn fonis. Menu-driven,
CITYDESK (123) Desktop publishing tor 2 column newstetters.
MR. LABEL (124^ Most versalite & powerlul label printing program.
ADORESS-0-MATlC (127) Grabs names and addresses from letters and automatical- ly prints envelopes.
IMAGEPR1NT (128) Remarkable letter quali' ly prmting on a 9 pin dot matrix printer.
BANNER MAKER <130) Create signs and banners with multiple fonts & styles.
COLUMNAR PRINTING UTILtTY (133) Prints proportionally lustilied text tiles in 1 lo 3 columns.
CRIME LAB i2T&i Great, unique graphic murder mystery game, CGA or EGA.
CAPTAIN COMIC (260) CommerciaJ quel ity arcade game Exccllcntl EGA or VGA.
DRACUU^ IN LONDON (271) Super graphics adventure game. Great fun. CGAor EGA,
NtNJA (201) Corr^mercial quality karate arcade game. Neat graphics. CGA, EGA.
PGA GOLF (202) 18 hale course. Great graphics. CGA or EGA required,
3-D CHESS (2051 Superb 3-D game. Loaded with ophons U&G w/any graphics card.
PC-RAtLROAO (210) Trams run on ready- made routes or design your own. You tiavc total control CGA required.
CARD GAMES (214) Draw Poker, Hearts. Canasta and Bridge.
ARCADE GAMES #5 (220) Rockets, Snake. Xonix. Nemon. Spacewar. Needs CGA.
FAVORITE GAMES (221) Pango, Qbert. Frogger, Packman, 3-Demon, CGA.
CLASSIC GAMES ^222) Pinball, Breakout. Flightmare. Ratmaze, Space Com- mander. Needs CGA.
ADVENTURE GAMES fli (22S) Sam Spade, Castle Adventure. Pleasure Dome.
GAMBLING GAMES (229) Blackjack. Poker. Roulette, Craps. CGA required.
BOARD GAMES FI1 (230) Monopoly and Risk Requires CGA.
MONOCHROME ARCADE GAMES (243) Horserace. Beast. Sknng. Fire Fighter.
EGA ARCADE GAMES t>\ (251) Aldo, EgaBreakoui. Egaroids Needs EGA.
EGA ARCADE GAMES #2 (252) Snarfs and Eg[a-Star Trek. Requires EGA.
BOARD GAM ES A3 (245) Scrabble, Concen- tratlon. Boris, Seek & Sink. Needs color monitor
MAJOR LEAGltE BASEBALL (203) Super baseball game. Neai graphics. CGA,
F0RDSIMULAT0R(2t1) New. exciting driv- ing simulator trom Ford. Test your skills on 4 tracks. Needs CGA or EGA.
EGA GOLF (250) \B holes of tt^e best scenery available. Requires EGA.
BASS TOUR {258) New! Feature -packed fishing game. Select rod. reeK bait, everything. Needs CGA or EGA.
BOARD GAMES #2 (231) Checkers, Chess, Dominoes. Backgammon Needs CGA.
ADVENTURE GAMES Hi (2461 Empire & McMurphy's Mansion.
STRATEGIC WAR GAMES (226) War on the Sea, Tank & African Desert Campaign.
KINGDOM OF KROZ (244) Unique arcade- adventure game. National priie winner.
ARCADE SPORTS GAMES (223) PC-Pool. PC-Bowl & Archery. CGA or EGA.
ARCADE GAMES #1 (21G) Spider^. Tank Wars &. Disk Crash. Requires CGA.
PINBALL GAMES (225) 10 pinball games for 1-4 players. Requires CGA or EGA.
EGA FOOTBALL (257) New! You control all the great action. Plays like a real fool- ball game- Needs EGA.
POmt-SHOOT BACKUP/RESTORE (401) Superior hard disk backup CGA or EGA,
QUICKCACHE{443, 444) (2 disks) Dish cadg- ing speeds up your PC, Best we've seen!
BAKER'S DOZEN (406) Powerful package oH 14 utilities from Jim Button. Top rated ,
FLU-SHOT + (411) New! Effective protec- tion against virus programs.
CGA SIMULATOR (433) Run most CGA pro- grams Oh Hercules compatible mono- chrome cards.
HARD DISK UTILITIES (437) Very useful set of bard disk utilities.
EGA FONTS (441) More than SO fonts to make your EGA shlne-
CATDISK (452) Easy, menudrlven disk cataloging system,
SPACE MAKER (467) Data compression package to save disk space.
BEST BATCH UTILITIES (473) 25 programs put power in VQur batch files.
MENUS and DfSKTOf
POWER MENU (702) Excellent, easy menu- ing proQfam. Needs hard dislt.
HOMEBASE (601-602) (2 disks) Desktop organiser puts SidGkick to Shame,
THEEVIEW (706) Newf Our favorite DOS
^command shell with pull down menus.
—"-Li"^ '" —
iiAii
i^
WORDPERFECT 5j0 TOOLS (Ml) ASCSI lo WPS format ronvefler ptus other super utilities to improve pertormance.
PC-WBITE 3.02 (809-811) (3 disks) New! Top rated w/spell checker.
WORDPERFECT CLIPART (843. Ml 12 disks) Over 180 great grapli>c5
PRO'SCRIBE (822) New! Really improves impact and clarity of your writing,
WORDPERFECT MACROS (831) for 6.0, (837) for 4.2. Over 70 great macros & templates.
OBAPMCS
GRASP <1&05) Create and run fabulous
graptiic dr^mos Any graptlics card. PC-KEY DRAW (1607-1609) (3 disks) Power-
lul drawing!CAD program witfi clip art.
CGA, EGA, or HERC w/CGA emulation. OPTIKS (16191 Edit, merge, conven files
Itom over 24 different graphic formats. FINGER PAINT (l«20) Like PC-Paint brush.
Requires gratJfiics card. VGA PAINT (1622) Nevj! Grapfilcs/drawing
in 248 colors. Requires VGA, 450K PRINTMASTER GRAPHICS (1602, 1603) (2
disks) New! Over 1,000 great Prinfmasler
graptiics, ReOuires Printmasler. PRINT SHOP GRAPHICS (1663. 1664) (2
disks) New! t-08O graptiics tor Print Stiop.
IJLITE (1031) Amazing dBASE multi-utility incl. cut & paste, and mucti more.
FILE EXPRESS 4.ix (1002-1003) (2 disks) Easy, powerful database. PC-Magazine said it "performs like a tfiorougfibred."
dPROG (1022) Fantastic dBASE III auto- programmer writes all codes for you.
WAMPUM (1006, 1007) (2 disks) Superb, lull- featured ABASE III clone. Rer]ulres 512K, hard disk.
dFLlPPER (1025) New! Directly edit dBASE 4 compatiOle files from OOS-
PC-FILE J. 2.D I1009-1D11)(3 dislts) New ver- sion. Jinn Button's relational database masterpiece.
CREATIVnY
CREATIVITY PACKAGE (3000-3002) (3 disks! Unique. 3-ph3se pkg. Computer brainstorming unleashes youi creativity.
IDEA TREE (3003) Unique thinking too! & mfo manager. Gajn contfol of thoughts with graphic display of ideas, Topbpnors.
MOeRAMMMO
ABE and 086 (1403-1404) (2 disks) Finest
macro asserr&ler * detwgger. Lightening
fast. Rave reviews. EBL It OPAL (1407) Two lantastic batch
language processors. Super-charge your
batch files. SCREEN DESIGNER (1431) Hew! Sidting
feature-packed screen designer lor batch
files & most programming languages.
Needs 364K.
Ij
AS EASV AS (902) Great Lotus 123 clone. Latest with 256x1024 grid. Does atmosi *-vety Lotus function.
OUBECALC f9fl3) Unique, powerful 3-0 spreadsheet. View data as riever before.
LOTUS TEMPLATES (907) Ready to run. Re- quires Lotus 123.
LOTUS MACROS (908) Saves loads ot t ime. Requires Lotus 123.
123 POWER WORKSHEETS (911-912) (2 disks) 13 great worksheets for Lotus
PC-BARTENDER (1823) Professionally mix
almost any Orink. GAROERNER'S ASSISTANT (1309) Plan your
garden rn every detail. VIDEO LIBRARIAN (1812) Catalogs your
virJeo tape iibrary Menu-driven, SHOPPERS ASSISTANT (1816) Easy grocery
shopping and coupon liter. COMPUTER CHEF (1817-1818) 12 disks)
Compiele cooking program. Loaded with
recipes.
Call Toll Free for 800-359-9998
SAME DAY SHIPPING OrdersOnly& FreeCatalog
CIRCLE DISK NOS. Of^ SEND ORDER ON SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER
Name
Adtlress
Cily/Slale/,Zip
No. of disks X S2.89 ea. (Pay for ea. disk in mull ipl8 disk sets) =
($2.39 eacfi 10 or inote cilsksl Checks. Money Orders, 3.5" disks- add $1 ea. = VISA/MC, COlJ Accepted CA residents add 6.5% sales tax : (AddS4forC0DI Stiipping an(j handling ■■ Check disk size: 5V." 3'A" Total:
$3.50
VISA)MC«
. EXP. DATE.
~ The Software Labs o
3767 Overland Ave. #112 Los Angeles, CA 90034 (213) 559-5456
CPUtao
Immediate pickup for WALK-IN customers
COMMIMICAIIONS
PROCOMM (1700, 1701) (2 disks) Newest.
All features, menu-driven. Top rated. TELEDISK (1713) NEW! Converts entire
diskette Into a compressed file (or
faster transmission.
EDUCAnONftfUTOIIIALS
WOROPERFECT LEARNING SYSTEM (353,
3M) for 4.2 (355, 356) lor 5.0, BASIC PRIMER (3301 Great Basic tutor. Fle-
quires CGA, cotor monitor. TUTOR 1302) Complete inlEractive DOS and
computer tutorial. EASY DOS (305) Two g real programs make
using DOS very easy. PC-FASTYPE(311) The very best interactive
typing instructor. Needs CGA or EGA. THE PRESIDENTS (341-342) (2 disks) Super
biograpf^y & quiz on all US. presidents. SPANISH TUTOR (3S1) 3 powerful pro- grams to tielp you learn Spanish.
lUSINiSS ft FINANCE
LABEL MASTER (1974) Mair list manager.
PC MAG Editor's Choice. YEAR PLANNER 1508) Powerful organizer
prints wall calendars. Needs 520K. AREA CODE FINDER tt962> Quickly finds
US & foreign area codes. RENTALS (1951) Fasi. powerful property
management. Men u-driven. easy to use.
Requires 42QK, 2 fioppes or fiard disK BUSINESS ACCOUNTING (1902) Complete
A;P. A/R, G(L Payroll. ZIP CODE FINDER (19001 New! Compuleriz-
ed zip code book. Ultra last searcf^. UPS RATE MASTER (1955) Complete UPS
shipping program. A real time saver, FASTBUCKS (1903) Fast, easy, complete
home finance package. Requires
graphics card. FLQDRAW (1904*19051 (2 disks) Total flow- charting sysiem. CGA or EGA, 320K. SOLVE-IT! ^,^^^9\ 29 menu'driven financial
calculations. EXPRESS CHECK (19ZZI Newl Great check
book mgr. Menii-driven. prints checks
and reports. TfCKLEX (1926) Most powerful Tickler- Calendar-Scheduler for one person or
entire office. Needs 512K. hard disk. EASY PROJECT it932l Total project
manager. Ganlt charts, reports. ASC IN-CONTROL (1952, 1953) (2 DiSksl
Nei^! Sales prospecmgaracking, billing
& activity scheduling, autc^dial, mail
labels, much more. FONE (1954) Newl Price your phone calls
while you're on the line & save money. BUSINESS FORM LETTERS (1936) 100
common business letters. Fill in bl^anks.
-iiii;iJ.(
HANDWRITING AMAUYST l2l32) Produces detailed, stcuraie personality analysis,
MICRO WORLD DATA BANK <2608-2612) <5 disks) Ultra detailed world mapping. Producefl by the CIA. Needs C6A or EGA. Features 2 types of mapping.
PIANOMAN 4.0 (2202) Play and compose music. New update is better than ever.
SCICALC (2304) 250 menu driven math & pf>ysics tools with unit conversions. Need CGA or EGA.
WORLD (2600) Stunning! Feature-packed wortd map w/zoom. Needs CGA or EGA.
ASTROLOGY 9.5 (27Ql) Complete, accurate chart calculation,
LOTTO BUSTER (2130) Lottery program i-eaHy works on any plck-a/pick-7 lottery.
WISDOM OF THE AGES (1216-1218^ (3 disks) Newl 6500 quotes on 81 subjects Irorn history s greatest minds.
ELECTRON (2321) Electrical/electronics tables, drawings, performes calcula- tions & designs. For hobbyist, student, technician, etc. Needs CGA.
Circle Reader Sefvice Number 121
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■ir PLUS— Free Quality Word Processor
TRIPLE THE VALUEUl
1 . We want you to be the first to toke advantage of this opportunity. VIP Computer Inc. hos made Computer Direct your source for the best deal In the country!
2. If this computer fails due to workmanship or quality during the first year, we will replace it.
3. NO RISK! 30 Day Home Trial! ! !
Thnw Away Those Keyslll
1 MB 16 Mhz* 0 Wait Computer
Here's V/hat Yoa Gut...
I ( Or 1? Whs Swiichoble Turbo ' 80286 MicroproctiSQf
I I MEG Slandard. Eipondobll To 4MB > CsmpiDibl* With All vid«j Corijt ' Dual Floppy/Hard Driv* Cmlrolltn
I I PoralW, iStfiol, F Gomg Pofi >ll)1K«YAT®5lrl*K*yb«ini ' 1 .3 MEG Flofipy Driv« I Built-in Wath C&-pr«Hur Slot I 300 Watt Powtr Supply ' Operation Sp««d IrxJicotor
' IBM®. OS/2. Novttl. UniiCompOtifal*
HI0/2J0VACSwit£h
' Suntoc Chip-M! T«chnoloQy
' EMS 4.0 Sohwon IncluiM
$949
95
List $1199.95
Lowest Price 286 16 MHz* Ever!
AT® Compatible
Includes MS-DOS 4.01 & GW BASIC
Conwt Completely Anembled & Tettad With All ThoM Stondard Foaturet
• 51 2K, Expandable to 4 MB
• 80286/12.5 Microprocessor Runs ot 16 MHz*
• Switchable Turbo 8, 10, 12,5 Mhz
• Phoenix BIOS
• High Tech Aero-Dynamic Case
• 101 Key Enhonced AT® Keyboard
• Dual Hard/Floppy Controller
• 2 Serial, Porallel 8 Game Ports •1.2 MEG Floppy Drive
• MGP Card
• Built-in Math Co-processor Slot
• 5 Device Boys • 3 Open, 2 Closed
ffi^
NEW! State Of The Art Soft Touch Security Keypad,
'IdMHlon LondmarV
Pwfcmiona Rating Moniler Optional
i& IBM. AT. and K.T arm R»giil*r*d Trod«niarkt of Internationol 6utln«it Machln«i.lr>c.
800-BUY-WISE EXT. 51
800-389-9473 EXT. 5t Out$i<Je Service Area Call 312-382-5058
FAX ORDERING! 312-382-7545
JUST ARRIVED!
*1 6 MHz on Londmorli PerFofraonce Haling
® IBM XT and AT ar> r«gl>t<r«l trodtmarkt of Intsrrxrtlonol Bviiinttt Mochlrwi
AAonilor Opitorul
779"
List $1299.95
We Love Our Customers
COMPUTER DIRECT 22292 N Pepper Rd. Barringfon, IL 60010
BEST SERVICE IN THE USA price is not enough
• 90 Day lantsdlBH ll(pl«<*B«Bl
• Exparti In Cuitonsr SaHffadien
• Fr*« TKhiilcal Auiitanu
• BmIIaHii Board Service
• Fott, lew Cetl Delhrery
• Ne Credit Cord fees
15D«yHe«e1Hal Free Catates*
^
i LOWEST PRICES EVER!
SEAGATE Hard Drives & Cards
20 MEG Half-Height Drive Kit Includes Controller
$229
95
LItt ST-225
40 MEG Super Fast Drive
g^ ^ List 95 $799 Model ST-251-1
$378
80 MEG Hard Drive
$599
Model ST-4096
20 MEG Hard Card
^ ^ ^^ ST-125
30 MEG Hard Cord
'•'Model ST-T38RLL
$334'
Magnavox 8762 Color RGB Monitor
$234
10" 180 CPS Printor with NLQ
NLO 1M-II
95
$1 49...
Ho one can w// thh printor for hal
720 CPS 6 Head Printer
15" Carriage
$699
Th0 fattast prinioT you'll enr nood.
95
Lis!
i1995
100% IBM® Compatible
Laptop Computer
Magnavox EGA Monitor
$299
95
t599
The 8-300 is a 286based unit that gives you the power of an AT® at only 15lbs. With its built-in20 MB hard drive
and 1200 Baud Hayes
compatible modem, this is
the one you've been
waiting for!
$2195!?
5%"DSDD Disks As Low As...
QlroflOOO 19<
{wi^oul deflvas]
Q^ of 100 2K'
(will ileavosj
Lowatt Prico In th» Country!
19
SVa" High Density Disks
As Low As...
OtyolH 45'ioch
..(r
145*
«eh ^ ^^^ aa
QlYoflOO
IkMi 4r«Kh
ir Mado In fha USAI ir
3ya"D$DD Disks
As Low As...
LotsoMO
Wm _
•a
No Umitt - LIfotlmo Warrantyl
59
1 OO*^^ Hayes
Compatible Modems
1 200 Baud Internal
Modem Software Included ...a $29.95 Valuel
^W^W UsIJl 29.95
1200 Bawd ixternal
Fits in the palm of your handl
Modem Softw/ore Included
...a $29.95 Valuel
95
Uit SJ38.90
2400 Baud Internal
Made in the USAI
Modem Software Included
...a $29,95 Valuel
95
UriJl 29.95
2400 Baud External
Made in the USAI
95
Uil $W9,00
Save 1 Vo *On Any Product
in Our Discount Catalog with the
Computer Direct Credit Card
Him
High Speed UlfrthConpecf KwithSapertmitttdDliplay
Computer Direct, Inc
"We Love Our Customers"
Call Now 800-BUY-WISE
to Apply for the Credit Card and Get You r FRiE Catalog
• Introductory Offer - Apply Now I
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COD
Prices do rol include shippinq charges. Call to gel your lowest delivered cost. We insure oil shipmenis at no entrd cost to youl AB nSckoqes ore ?^'molly" ^mpSJ UPS^Ground. 2nl diy ond overraqhl delivery are ovoi nUe at extro cosl We ship to oil pomls m tKe G^S Canada P^erTo *co Kska, Hov^oii, Virgin Islonds and APO-FPO. Monitors only shipped ,n Continental OS. Illinois resider add 6 5*laleVtox Price and ovdiobilily subjlcl lo change wilhoul notice. Not responsible for typographical errors or omissions.
Circle Beadsr Service Number 1t4
Lyco Computer
Marketing & Consultants
Since 1981
Wow get all your computer needs with }ust one phone call!
Panasonic,
OHice Aiiloniatianj
• 24 pin print head
• 192 cps (draft)
• letter quality text at 63 cps
• push/pull tractor, 5 resident print tonts, parallel Centronics interface and a standard 6K buffer
Printers
Panasoriic
1180 $169.95
1181 S2ie.95'
1124 SZa7.9S
1S92 S379.95
U95 $429.95
1524 24 pin $527.95
44SD Lastr S1339.95>
' OuantHlts Umllotf
Epson
iJT-SIO S1S4.95
LQ-510 S319.9S
FX-SSO J339,95
FX-1050 $439.95
LQ^ISO SS12.95
LO-950 $529.95
LO-IOSO - $709.95
I.O-2550 $909.9S
$287'
mXTTFUJ
• ISO cps draft
• 45 cps NLQ
• 4 resident fonts
• 216 X 240 dpi resolution and print pilcties (rorn 3 to 20 dpi
NX-1000 II
$169
95
EPSON LQ510
• 24-P1n letter quality printer
• 180 cps draft
• 60 cps NLQ
• SelecType front panel, and Smart Park feature,
• Epson one year limited warranty
$319^^
Epson is a registe red tradetnartf of Seiko Epson Corporation.
Star
NX-tflOO Series II $1 69.95
NX-IOOO $149.95"
NX-IOOC) RslntHW CokK S2DS.95
NX-2400 $274.95
XR-1000 $329.95
XR-1S0O $419.95
XB-24-10 $419.95
XB-24-15 $549.95
Lasers $1729.95
' with cabit purehtsm
Toshiba
321 SL $499.95
351 SX 400 cps $999.99
P311 Portable $379.95
M170B $34S.9S
M1724L $519,95
HB20 $319.95
HR40 $639.95
1809 $349.95
1B24L $469.95
HL8ps (Post Script) . . .$CALU ML8b $1799.95
Rfbbons, cables and
paper available for
all applications.
Citizen
120 D $138.95
120 D Serial $164,95
180 D $154.95
HSP-SOO $315,95
HSP-550 $445. EI5
Premiere 35 $499.95
Tribute 124 ,$382,95
Tribute 224 $559.95
OSX-1 40 $31 9,95
Drives
^^
Okidata
172 $195.95
182 TurtlO $229.95
183 $219.95
320 $329.95
321 $459,95
390 $459.95
391 $629.95
393 $979.95
393C (color) $1069.95
LassrB $1299,95
AnEraN EDUCATIOHAL IHSWUTIOMI
« ifou lie not cunmily using onr educillonsl
umlcc pro^rdln. pieasc can li}r
^pteienlilivcs lar dclails.
(^Seagate
5.25" Hall Heights:
ST225 20Meg 65 MSEC MPM . SI 94.
ST 225N 20 meg SCSI S263.
ST 23eR 30 meg RLL $204.
ST 251 40 meg 40 MSEC MFM .$309. ST 251-1 40meg 28 MSEC l*FM .$319, ST-277R 65 meg 40 msec RUL . $349.
ST 277N 64 meg SCSI $415.
ST 296N B4 meg SCSI $465,
3.5'-:
ST 125 20 meg 40 MSEC MFM $225.
ST 125N 20 meg SCSI 5274.
ST ISBR 30 meg RLL .$239.1
ST 1 38N 30 meg SCSI $305
Monitors i
NEC
Multisync GS $249.95
Multisync XL $2099,95
Multisync 30 $649.95
BM75S2 Mon. Comp $84 95
BM7e22 Mon, Comp $84,95
7BM623TTL $94.95
CMe702 Color Comp $169 95
CMB762 RGB $234.95
SCM.51 5 RGB $259.95
9CM-043 EGA $319 95
9CMM53 EGA $329 95
9CM-0B2 VGA $399 95
Hard Drives
ST 157H 49 meg RLL $299.95
ST 157N 48 meg SCSI $329.96
5.25" Full HelQhls;
ST-4096 80 mag ZrMSEC MFM. $559.95
ST-4144R 122 meg
28 MSEC HIL $809.95
Paired Solutions:
22SP 20 meg MFM $239.95
ST 225 RP 20 meg RLL $225.95
ST 236 RP 30 meg RLL $249.95
95 ST 250 BP 40 meg RLL $255.95
gS ST 138 RP 30 meg RLL .,..,. . .$289.95
95 ST 157 RP 49 meg RLL $339.95
.95 Cantrellsts strallBble ham Hfpsifm Disn&t to DTC. Call tor prictng.
Seagate hard
drive's
Toshiba floppy drive's
TOSHIBA Floppy Drives
To&htba disk drives offer you the latest In VLSI lechrtology and lovi power consumplton S'/i" 360 KB PC/XT
Corapattble N0.04D $87 95
3'-i' 720 KB PC/XT
Compalible ND-364A $69.95'
3V," 1 44 MB PC/AT
Compatible ND-356T S82.95"
5'/." 1 JZ MB PC/AT
Compatible ND-08DEG S82.95
' tJnlvBr^al tntlillatfoit Kit Included
DON'T LIMIT YOURSELF! Buy top quslfty tirhes to su/te your needs.
Modems
GoldStar
21 05 A Composite $74.95
1410 CGA 14" S214.9S
1420 EGA 14" $314.95
1430 VGA 14" $349.95
1 440 Supartcan S4B9.95
Everex Video Cards
Everex E«ergrapttlcs $54.95
Everei! MicroEnliencer $92.95
Everex MicroEnhencer
Deluxe $99.95
Everex Viewpoint VGA ....,,, .$199.95
Cardinal Video Cards
Cardinal VGA 200 $159.95
Cardinal VGA 256 $189.95
A vatex:
12008 $69.95:
1200I1C $99,95
2400 $129.95
Everex:
Evofcom 1 2 tlNTl $54.95
Evercom 24 (INT| $119,95
Evercom 24 + MNP $1 49.9S
Evercom 246+ MNP $109.95
Cardirral:
MB2400EX EXT $109 95
MB2450 INT $88 9S
MB1 200EX EXT $69 85
MB12S0tNT $55.95
FlashlInK MNP
(sortware) $39.95
■VEREX-
IWODEIVIS
. LYCp COMPUTER
has lust the modem for YOU!
tS^.?n„n?ILL, , . "^ 'm" ^m-!/.?r=IS ""^ """"=• "" "'^ ""' ""■ *'" ""^ '■^'' Cl""P"l« you; llrsi choice Wt,>, about mita^t, « se rtc' o'r C° s omer ^^ I ,K7m " "r^''^^ "1 ("'M«-16T() 10 >ss.s! 1«:. We back all ol our minulaclurer's slated warranly terms. Before r«urning an, ilem Ih. ap™a"s^o llSlS « asH Ihal you call our Custom« Service Oepartrnenl. mil fou rush ar> hem to ms? We offe. rexl day air, !*o Day air, standard UPS and oosla ™amaS 5hin=hn ^■^ '^..''"'S'".?™. "°:™ L 'il'' "''^[". 1° ^l*^ ti^J". ' "'"''J W' 1'" =l*=»^ °«»™cl COD. orders in'ough UPS. Prepaid casKdars^rjlleS
Prepatd cash orders over S50 are shipped frelghl-
ot people a,.,y »i.* capllali^ on «r s=,lngV8nd«T;i«s: "^H™'„r,l: l":!,^^^^^^^^ Senice Departmont is awifable at (717) 4341670 lo assist you. we ask that you call our Customer Service Oepartmenl. Will jol
Our friendly sales staff can help with any questions you have!
Seles: 1-800-233-8760 or
717-494-1030
Hours: Mon-Fri 9a,m.-9p.m.
SattOim.- ep.m.
Cu$toiner Service:
717-494-1670
Hours: Mon-Ffi 9am,.5pm
Fax: 717-494-1441
|
idi^ |
^ |
For Fastest
Service
Call Toll Free
800-253-8760
bince 1 981 . we have led (tie ifidustry by cotitmulng to oiler ,
liie lowest national prices while providing qiralny service
MansT conipanies have coitm and gone Uying lo miilaie our
, oualiiy an<t service II h> some oversight, wb do noi hnvo Ihe
^lowest pnces sdverhsod on Ihe producis ,ou desoe, Ihpn i',
v^culd appreciate tlif npporluiiilv lo rec-ifv litis ijvr-isirjiit
Call LYCO First AND SAVE!!!
Panasonic FX 1 650 808e/4j8MZ
"The FX ffiSO represents a very good entry level computer rnatte in the USA toe the business person, "
Standard Features IncEude
• 8096 mlCrOpjaceasor • A driiie bays 12 3.5", t (4I8MH2) b.25")
< 640K HAM * S Expanakcn slot?
■ CGA/MDA, compaskle iridaa • l PArAllel, l 3aila\ pon
conlrollar built (n • Sockat laad^ lar &C67
• 720K 3.5" floppv drUo coprocas.sar
■ 101 Kfiy aniianced keyboard
EXTRA FEATURES FREE!'!
1^ CGAMDA. composite vldm canlrollir S99 VALUE
»^ FULL 6MK fl*M (not JUKI StO VALUE
1^ MS-DOSfGW BASIC SS9 VALUE
$579
95
Starter SyBtem
|
FSf Ifitin VIDEO OPTIONS r/\ IV^U jincludinQ moriiloi and display card! |
||||
|
DRIVE OPTIONS |
MONO 12" |
CGA Id" |
EGA |
VGA |
|
1 FLOPPY 3,5 |
S629 |
S789 |
S949 |
S10S9 |
|
•DUAL FLOPPY |
5695 |
S8S9 |
S1019 |
S1159 |
|
1 FLOPPY 30MB |
S889 |
S1039 |
S1209 |
S1349 |
|
1 FLOPPY lOMB |
S929 |
S1079 |
S1249 |
S1389 |
' Inclutlos 3.i" rnd 5.?S" Uoppy (St\<m.
VENDExHeadstart ll{ 28e/i2MZ
" ^endex believes that many novice and ex- perienced users MQuld rather start wittt a futty festured, component rich system.^'
Standard Features Include
* Ii0266 MIctoproceisDi B or -1 10/220 switchabto power
f2 MHi (ivrltchsbli)
* Sochel lor 80297 co-procetsoi
* AwftFdrH«a<lslin custom BIOS
' 1,2MD5.2yM(cppy dl^k
supply
■ B Eipansion ilols |Bn€ bin • 2&«K VIdM RAM
■ 101 K«y «nhanc*d iiflyboird
■ Paiatlel. serial, gama pan and tju& mouse poj;!
EXTRA FEATURES FREE!
t^ VGA manilor with VGA color adaplef 1999 VALUE
*^ 32,1MB Hard diuQ
P-^ \M 3.5" floppy dfine
t^ 2 button Mouse (t^y Logilecli)
w^(h (Jrlvers and utlllliss
t^ \m RAM
*^ MSrOOS;GW BASIC t 3.3
t^ 18 monlh on sight warranty
• Hund^inM AdvdMGDd Opomtlng En-
flronmonl • Floppy Drivar ■ r
II thy A3titon-T»l9 • Pmrapectl Qraptilcs • Jw*»l » Stwiii SplflfilvVQA iMlnl «how ' Dl»k • Computer Eaas • coufton book
cod Oporntliig En-
t Drivar ■ Frumnwoik |
i StHiiit ' f'ublliihll - \
aas ■ Monay uvliig 1
iW VALUE S149 VALUE
sue VALUE J279 VALUE SS9 VALUE . INCLUDED
FREE
$23ir
Loaded SfStdm
M»l-:J*'' ' IU«.<4«4
aa^iB^ ' 'i
IfflLASER Turbo || aosa/io mz f LASER 2afi/2
ZB6/121VIZ
...t^e/'yrnmjT you expect from an 8088 CPU plus a hast at powerlut faatures."
Standard Features Include
« 30BS-1 MicrDpracirssor * 102 Way A^^J)nce[] ka)f)»arE]
(4.77/10 MHz} * 1 3G0K S.2S" lloppy drive
• Sockal loi 809 r-l * 3 oitpanslo^ slots C[>-pFOce5sor * ParalFal. sorliil. game porlfi
■ FULL 6dOK RAM standat'd • CGAfMDA. Comp. video adaptor
• 3 50 watt power supply • Fronlpanol indlealar lights
• 4 drive baysfexposed * VLSI gale array lochnology
EXTRA FEATURES FREE!!!
(^ CGAIMDA. ComposilB ililaa nbplai-- S99 VALUE
1^ S40KRAMInDt|usi:i2K) SJO VALUE
(^ MS-DOS)GW BASIC 3.3- 199 VALUE
)>' PC TOOLS DELUXE |>1 iilM OoU top ogininf l S1» VALUE
t^ Joysllekpofi , . INCLUDED
t^ One-Year worranly (pjris and labor) INCLUDED
$599
95
Startct System
|
TIIDPn II VIDEO OPTIONS 1 UnDIJ II imcludinQ rsonilor And display card) |
||||
|
DRIVE OPTIONS |
MONO |
CGA |
EGA |
VGA |
|
1 FLOPPY |
Sfie9 |
SB29 |
S999 |
sn49 |
|
•DUAL FLOPPY |
S739 |
S899 |
$1059 |
S1199 |
|
'3DMB SEAGATE |
S939 |
S-,099 |
SI 249 |
51399 |
|
*40NB SEAGATE |
$969 |
S1129 |
St279 |
tt429 |
' Second dr ie Toshiba J. S oi S.25 floppy tSfive
^VEREJ^AGI 3000G 386SX/16MZ
<MADE IN THE USAJ
The ACI 3000G by Evbfbx represents the perfect combination of performance and value tor users wanting the power of a 386 bated system.
Standard Features Include
• Notion SI 17.6
• Intel 80386SX 0 wait siaio
16MK1
• 1MB RAM siandaFd
• 1.ZMB 5.25" lloppy drive
» tiard diskJfloppy con1.(1:l knl.)
■ 6 expansion stDt5|4I16 tMt.2fB bi\)
• Socket lor e03e7$!t coprocessor
■ 101 Key antianctd k«ybo*<d
EXTRA FEATURES FREE!!!
t^ 48 hour lactory bum-in . INCLUDED
P^ 2 Proprietary eipan^ton £|qIs Iq up^'ado to 1&MB flAM *^ One year warrsTily Iparls * littwr) - INCLUDED
■• Hard drive ael-ups In
ROM (45 hard drive
comt>lnati'Ons)
■ 200 Wall powe« tuppiv
{U0I220)
• LED readouts lor power
and dlftk access
• CkKklCalendar WlballarY
• Ftor^l parcel keylock and! ipaakfii or\}otl ivn'iich
$1299
95
SrarfOii' System
|
tnnnr ^'"^0 OPTIONS | OUUUIJ (including monUor and display card) |
||||
|
ORIVE OPTIONS |
MONO |
VGA mono |
EGA |
VGA color |
|
30MB Seagate |
S1739 |
S1B99 |
S2029 |
S2149 |
|
40MB Seagate |
S1779 |
S1939 |
S2069 |
52189 |
|
50MB Seagate |
S2D29 |
S2169 |
S2299 |
S2419 |
TOSHIBA T-1000 Laptop TOSHIBA T-3200 Laptop
Pick up on ttia T'lODD and you'll go far. Give yoursall
desktop PC powar whsravar
you need it. Toshiba's
T-IOOQ includes Sl2K
RAM. ana buillifi 720KB
3,5" disk drive supen-
wist LCO display MJIh
CGA capabiltly.
$639^
|95
Tostiiba T-1200F
For a desktop computer that won't leave you desk bound, ctioose ttie Tostiiba T-3200. Ful! desktop (eatures include: ^2MHz clock speed. A0W3 hard dJsk. EGA video card, in- leFnal ejcpansion slots and t»th Centronics/RS 232 intei lace pods. Experience the power of Ihe T.JZOO- >-<3
...Here's proof that power does not have to be expensive, nor do you have to sacritice brand name quality for 'generic' prices."
Standard Featuras Include
• B02B6 Microprocossor J6il2 MHf)
' Socket for 90287 co-processor ' 640K RAM iQxpandablo to 1MB]
• 1.2M& 5.25" lioppv disk driuQ
• Seagals ST02 SCSI Ftosl adapter
• I drive bays (2 eip^sedj
• B Expanslcn stats (9MB t^tl)
• 107 key entiancad koybaord
• 1 P^rallai antt 2 serial pOfll ■ Front panel LED lurbo readout
• From panel reset and keylock
• Clock/ calendaf Wlbaitary
EXTRA FEATURES FREE!!!
SBO VALUE
$89 VALUE
S129 VALUE
INCLUDED
Full S40K RAM mot just 512K»
MS^DOS/GW Basic
PC TOOLS DELUXE i-l dest^I)p wgniil*]
One-Year warranty (parts antj latnr)
$799'^
SIsrter Sjrstem
|
ODCn VIDEO OPTIONS 1 20ol2 (including monilO' and dispJay card} | |
|||
|
DRIVE OPTIONS |
MONO |
EGA |
VGA |
|
30 MB Seagate |
S1199 |
S1499 |
S1649 |
|
48 MB Seagate |
S1299 |
S1599 |
S1749 |
|
84 MB Seagate |
S1499 |
S1799 |
S1949 |
Osicom MORE 386/25 mz
"When MORE speed, MORE performance and compact size are on order/'
Standarct Features Include
■ 8038B Microprocessor 2SMHZ{D waiti6MH; swiichabia
• AMI glOS wilh ints^ratad $atup £ Diagnostics.
• I MB RAM Standard (expan- dable to IGMB)
• 8 Eipargsion siois {1 32 bit, 6 16 bJi. 1 e bill
■ 1.2MB S.2S*' floppy drive
• iDi key enhanced keyboard
• 64K SRAM Cachie msfnory » S Drive bays
• 1 Parailfil and 2 Serial poirlfl
• Clock/calendar Wfbattery
• 150 Watt power supply
■ aOJ^a? Coprocessor
EXTRA FEATURES FREE! ! !
1^ FREE ONE-YEAR ON SIGHT VIARBANH
THUOUGH DOW-JONES INCLUOEB
i^ AM! BIDS witli Inlsgratad Setup md
Diagnostics INCLUDED
1^ 5 OrliB beys (not just 31 INCLUDED
$1599
95
starter System
|
iQcnc VIDEO OPTIONS ^ , 1 Jobr^O (includmo mo5l!or and display) \ |
||||
|
DRIVE OPTIONS |
MONO |
VGA mono |
EGA |
VGA coler |
|
48 MB Seagate |
S2139 |
S2299 |
t2429 |
S2S99 |
|
84 MB Seagate |
$2259 |
S2399 |
S2549 |
S2749 |
|
120 MB Seagat! |
S2S99 |
S2679 |
S2799 |
S2999 |
VW MITSUBISHI MP 286L Laptop
• 80286 Processor Runnirvg at 12 MHi or d MHi ■ cA KB
RAM * tt" OiAganoi B£W Display * Color Graphic»_
Adapter ■ 1.44 MB capacity
3-5" Disk Drive • Centronics
ParaiEel Port • 2 RS-232C
Setiai Ports ■ 4 Eispanslon
Card SiOtS • MS-DOS 3,30 •
GW Basic 3,20 • inlernal
Spaalter * t-Yeer Manu'lac-
turer's LimileC Warranty
$3439
LAPTOPS TO GO!!
$1939
95
Circlet Roader Service Number 1U
MIBRO CO.
64 WEST 36th STREET, NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. 10018
ORDERS ONLY
^t^ l^
COMMODORE 64 25 PC. DREAM OUTFIT
OUTFIT INCLUDES: Commodoie 6-1 Keyboard •1541 Disc Drive •Commodoie Primer •12" MonocliromB Monilor •10 Disiielles
O
$348
com
COMMODORE COLT i'tef 25 PC. PACKAGE ''~- IBM XT
COMPATIBLE- OUTFIT INCLUDES: ComuiodorB Coll 'aual Drive •Keyboard •12" Computer Monitor •10 Disketies •Software Bundle $ COft
SAME PACKAGE AVAILABLE WITMl
IX" COLOn HONITOR S748
10 MEGABYTE HARO ORIWE S79»
40 MEGABYTE HARP QHIVE .5890
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I ■800"4S I "9780 **'^' RESIDENTS (111) 695-7
U| C^f°"^"^°^°C2, all |HL LEADING EDGE [B
COMMODORE 64
25 PC PROFESSIONAL OUTFtT
DUTFIT INCLUDES: CDrrmdofe 64 Keyboard -ISIl Disc Drive •Commodore Printer •13" Color Monitor •10 Diskciies
$398
Tiodore
COMMODORE
PC-40
25 PC. PACKAGE IBM AT COMPATIBLE- PACKAGE INCLUDES: CommodoTTITSO -O" VGA Monnchrome Monitor *40 MB Hard Drive 'S'l" Floppy Drive •Keybooril S I *% A A
•10 Oiskettes •Sottware Bundle I XV"
SAME PACKAGE AVAILABLE WITH:
VGA COLOR MONITOR SI4«»
MODEL D
25 PC PACKAGE
IBH XT COHPATIBLr
PACKAGE INCLUDES: Model D CPU & Keyboard •12' Compuiei Mnnttoi 'X] Qiskelii^s "Ward Processor *Spiead Sheel *DaTa Base S f >i O
SAME PACKAGE AVAILABLE WITHi
10 MEGABYTE HARD DRIVE £748
30 MEGABYTE HARD DRJVE . S7«a
40 MEGABYTE HARD DRIVE ......... £846
MODEL D2
IS PC. PACKAGE
IBM AT COMPATIBLE^
?fiCUGi INCLUDES: Modtl 02 CPU & Keyboard 'l?" Compurer Moniwr *10 Diskeiies •Word Processor •Spread Sheei •Ds!3 Base S Q A O
SAME PACKAGE AVAILABLE WITHl
20 HEGABTTE HARD DRIVi, > |IOM
10 HICABYTE HARD DRIVE. ...... .SI 1411
40MECAaYTE HARD PRIVI SUM
EPSON
VENDEX*
HEADSTART II
25 PC. PACKAGE IBM XT COMPATIBLE- FEATURES WCIUDE: Headslart II -Dual Drive 1514" ■ Sfi"! •640K Ram '12" Compuler Monilor •Original Sotlware Bundle •ID Diskettes
SAME PACKACE WITHl
IS HECABYTE HARD DRIVE S»4B
VEHDEX EXPLORER IN n'OCKII
*748
HEADSTART III 25 PC. PACKAGE
IBM AT
COMPATIBLE' £«ri£KL__
PACKAGE INCLOOES: Headstan III 'Dual Drive
I5'-." • aVi"! -1 MB Memory •I? Megahertz •SO
MB Hard Drive '12" VGA Monochrome Monitor
•Original Sottware Bundle
• ID Diskettes
SAME PACKAGE AVAILABLE WITHr
VGA COLOn MONITOR. SIOSB
EQUITY II +
25 PC. PACKAGE
IBM AT COMPATIBLE
■PACKAliE INCLUDES: Equity II + CPU 8 KtjbDarfl •!2' Computei Monitoi •!) Dijkettw .Won! Processor .Spread Sh«el .Qals SDse SOOO
SAME PACKACE AVAILABLE WITH:
10 MEGABTTE HARD DRIVE Sll>«
30 MEGABYTE HARD DRIVE SII4B
40 MIGABYTE HARD DRIVE Sll«>
POWERMATE 386-SX
,Y 15 PC. PACKACE
it, IBM AT
EQUITY 386 ^
25 PC. PACKAGE ~ IBM AT COMPATIBLE^
PACKAGE WaiiDES: 3B6 Pmctsio '20 MtgMrti •! MB Memoiv •5ii" Fh}ppY Drive .12'" Canifluler MqrilDr
■10 Distelres ^1998
SAME PACKACE AVAIUBLE WITH!
20 MEGABTTE HARD DRIVE S1I98
10 MECABTTtrECA COLOR STTTEM . . S1498
SEC
af»^Bwm\
COMPATIBLE-
M888
PACKAGE INCLUDES; 386 Processor •» Megahertz "5'.4" Floppy Orive •IZ" Computer Monitor •Software Bundle S I f O O
•10 Diskettes ^l>00
SAME PACKAGE AVAILABLE WITHl
10 HECABYTE HARD DRIVE SI7a>
10 MEGABYTE/ECA COLOR SYSTEM. . SlOBfl
EPSOivr
~7^.
'^'if
EQUITY I +
.y^^Mi^"- IS PC. PACKAGE ^^^ - - IBM XT COMPATIBLE'
PACKAGE INCLUDES: Equily ! 4 CPU » Keyboanl -12' Compulflr MDi>rl(ir ^ID Uisltettes •Woid Pii>»ssDr .SpieBd Sheet •Data Base ^ ^ jm ^
SAME PACKAGE AVAILABLE WITHl
10 MEGABYTE HARD DRIVE $798
XO MEGABYTE HARD DRIVE. ........ SB48
40HECABTTE HARD DRIVE St9a
Panasonic
EQUITY IE
25 PC. PACKAGE ,^,
IBM XT COMPATIBLE 3fl
PACKAGE IftCLUDES: Eqiilv IE CPU i Keyboard 'U" Computsi Monjtoi •10 Disksttes •WonI Processor •Spi&act Sheet •Data Bau $ f OQ
SAME PACKACE AVAILABLE WITH:
10 MEGABTTE HARD DRIVE $(48
10 MEGABYTE HARD DRIVE $696
40 MEGABTTC HARD DRIVE S«4B
•Si3/ is PC- PACKAGE
^^i^^iiO/ IBM XT COMPATIBLE'
PACKAGE INCLUDES: Panasonic fXlSSD CPU S Keyboard ^12" Computer Monitor •lO Diskettes •Word Processor £^AO
•Spread Sheet 'Data Base ^O9o
SAME PACKAGE AVAILABLE WITH:
10 HECABYTE HARD DRIVE t99a
10 MEGABYTE HARD DRIVE 1IS»«
40 MEGABYTI HABO DRIVE >l 198
COMPUTERS
IBM AT COMPATIBLE'
•PANASONIC FX1750 'PANASONIC FX185D
•PANASONIC FX1900 'PANASONIC FKIOSO
AVAILABLE WITHr
20-30-40 MEGABYTE HAHD DRIVES
AVAILABLE WITH:
HCA-CGA-ECA-VGA MONITORS
POWERMATE 386
25 PC. PACKAGE IBM AT COMPATIBLE'
PACKAGE INCLUDES: 38d Priii:essor
'20
Megaherlj 'Sli" Floppy Drive •12" Computer Monitor 'Sottware Bunrtle * •10 Diskettes •2MB Ram * _
SAME PACKACE AVAILABLE WITH:
40 MEGABYTE HAHD DRIVE. . . S1T««
IP MEGABTTE/VCA COLOR SYSTEM. .tliSi
^2488
IBM
ORIGINAL IBM
IBM XT 25 PC. PACKAGE
PACKAGE INCLUDES: IBM XT CPU & Keyhoaid •12" Computer Monilor •lO Diskettes 'Word Processor •Spread Sheet SitOO
• Data Base *OVo
SAME PACKACE AVAILABLE WITH:
10 HECABYTE HARD DRIVE SaOB
30 MEGABYTE HARD DRIVE. S94B
40 MEGABYTE HARD DRIVE St«B
ORIGINAL IBM
IBM AT
15 PC. PACKAGE
PACKAGE INCLUDES: IBM AT CPU & Kcyhoard •12" Compulei Monitoi •ID Diskettes •Word Processor 'SprearJ Sheet S I ■ A O
•Data Base I I 7 O
SAHE PACKAGE AVAILABLE WITH
10 MEGABYTE HARD DRIVE SII9B
SO MEGABYTE HARD DRIVE. ...... .SI44B
40 HECABYTE HARD DRIVE . .SU9B
15 PC. PACKAGE
>l IBM XT
COMPATIBLE'
768 Ram 'lO Megaheiij •5%" Floppy Drive
Premier
PACKAGE INCLUDES:
• aOaa ProcBssar
*12" Computer Monitor STOQ
•Softwarp Bundle # TfO
SAME PACKACE AVAILABLE WITH:
DUAL DRIVE (f." - 1 i") . .S94I
10 MEGABYTE HAHD DRIVE $|0«B
40 MEGABYTE HAHD DRIVE jllflj
Y<^naaT^T>-TnTiY V,
25 PC. PACKAGE
IBM AT
COMPATIBLE- .
PACKAGE IN'CLUDES: 286 Processor '\i Mesahertr •1 ME Memorf •12" Computer Monitor 'Software Bundle •lO Diskettes S I i^ AO
•0 Wait Slate ' I Z90
SAME PACKACE AVAILABLE WITH:
10 MECABVTt HAHD DRIVE 3IS9B
10 MEGABYTE HARD DRIVE SIA9B
40 HICABYTE HARD DRIVE tl?9B
PANASONIC PRINTERS
•KXP-IIBQi •KXP1124 •KXP1191i •KXPT524
.KXP1092I -KXPTSaZ
FULL LINE OF PANASONIC PRINTERS GREATLY DISCOUNTED
EPSON PRINTERS
. LXBID •LQ-850
• LD-510 •LQ-950
•FX-1D50 •LQ105D
FULL LINE OF
EPSON PRINTERS
GREATLY DISCOUNTED
■ HEWLETT PACKARD Laser IIP •HEWinr PACKARD-HP Laser Shks II ■HEWLEn PACKAflDDesk Jet •PANASQWC KXP445D Laser FULL UNE OF LASER PRINTERS GREATLY DISCOUNTEP
•Tosliiba moo •Toshiba 1200 •Toshrba iSflfl •Toshiba 32D0
LAPTOP COMPUTERS
■NEC Multispeeil •NEC Ultra Lite •Zenith Superspori •Toshitia 5200
^commacdcsre SOFTWARE
FOR IBH HARDWARE SOFTWARE
•S4 C COMPUTER ■1280 COMPUTER •1541 DISC DRIVE •1581 DISC DRIVE • I7QQ EXPANDEIt •1660 MODEM •1G70 MODEM •1084 MONITOR •IDS') S MQNITDP
•WordPerfei:! •Q 8 A •LOTUS 1-2-3 •DAC Easy •OUATTflO •WINDOWS •WordStar 'D BASE III •Ventura •BUSINESS WORKS PC
CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-451-9780
NEW YORK STATE RESIDENTS CALL (212) 695-7133
CUSTOMER SERVICE CALL (212) 967-2353 FAX (212} 69S-0982
MON. - SAT. 10:00 AM-7:00 PM SUNDAYS 10:30 AM-6:00 PM
ALL SYSTEMS AVAILABLE WITH: 10/30/40/60/80 HARD DRIVES
• ALL SYSTEMS SUPPORT MCA/CGA/VGA/MULTISCAN
Use Mi'C, Visa. AMEX or send morwy order, cerlitied dllecia Ail merclianilise brand new Ijclor^ fresti, Sb<p0ing chaiges non relundatile MiriiitTuin stupping and haidling $9.99. maiimum 159.00 Shipping costs reflect individual packaging. Air shipping additional Far mail orders please call befoie sendirg in monev orrler. All prir:es J subfer:! ra mariLracturers ii:cre3$^ecreaS£ Refunds withn 7 days only with original packaging & unliEed guaiantee card, ^a lefunds accepted without prior veibal aiilhoiiiarion Custorner service betweei 12 pm £ pm Pictures are for yiuslralion purposes only Not responsible for lyposraphical errors Consumei Aflaiis License Na 600 253.
Circle Reader Service Number 161
Advertisers Index
Reader Service Number/Advertiser Page
193 Access Software, Inc 37
124 Accolade 17-19
123 Accolade 47
133 Accolade 80-81
108 Activislon 45
194 Ad Lib 25
200 Air Force 20
Broderbund 55
Broderbund 93
131 Compsult 132
119 CompuServe 78-79
114 Computer Direct 124-125
144 CO/OX Inc 122
162 DAC Easy 121
184 Damark International, Inc. ... 134
135 Data East 33
197 Davidson 5
1 90 Electronic Arts 29
149 Electronic Arts 31
1 1 2 FANFARE/Britannica 57
145 Fas-Track 122
182 Freew/are Unlimited 117
118 Gemini Marketing,
Incorporated 130-131
172 Gold Hill Software 115
183 Golem Computers 134
122 Gosselin Computer
Consultants 132
188KOEI IFC-1
103 Lucasfilm Games 43
143 Lyco Computer 126-127
161 MibroCo 128
175 Micro Illusions 105
180 Micro Illusions 107
174 Micro Illusions 109
187 Micro Star 133
192 MicroProse 41
177 Miles Computing 69
178Mindcraft 77
151 Mindscape 51
120 Mindscape 65
Montgomery Grant 110
NRI Schools 9
198 ORIGIN 49
138 ORIGIN 83
1 36 Parsons Technology IBC
157 Parsons Technology 34-35
166 Parsons Technology 61
146 Parsons Technology 103
181 Postcraft International, Inc. . .111 117 Precision Images 132
163 Prodigy 94-95
199 Radio Shack 27
179 Rainware 10
189 Ramco Computer Supplies . .467 170 Reasonable Solutions 119
164 SIERRA BC
102 Software Discounters
of America 120
159 Software Excitement! . . . 136-137 142 Spectrum HoloByte 8
185 Spinnaker 63
Strategic Simulations, Inc. ... 101
IIOSubUDGIC 71
leOSubljOGIC 104
Reader Service Number/Advertiser Page
195TAITO 97
191 TAITO 99
1 37 The Family Jewels 46
168 The Gopher Gradeworks 15
169 The Learning Company 89
121 The Software Labs 123
148 The Software Labs 141
140Toyogo, Inc 132
130 ULTRA/Konami 38
196 Virgin Leisure Genius 87
144 XOR Corporation 118
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Classified Ads |
. . 135 |
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COMPUTE! Back Issues |
. . 129 |
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COMPUTE! Readership Survey |
.. 15 |
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COMPUTEI's Demo Disk |
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Directory 112-113 1 |
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COMPUTE'S PC Demo Video |
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Cassette |
72-73 |
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COMPUTEI's SHAREF%K for |
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IBM PC & Compatibles |
...50 |
MAIL TO:
COMPUTE! SUBSCRIBER SERVICE
P.O. Box 3245, Marian, 1A 51537
Change o( Address: Please advise as early as possible. Attacii label with your old address and write in new address below.
New Subscriber: Fill in your name and address below- Use separate sheet for gift orders.
PLACE LABEL HERE
Renewal: Attach label.
One year $19.94 Two years S34.95
(Foreign subscribers please add S6,00 per year for postage)
CITY/STATE/2IP .
Please bill me Payment enclosed
For other subscription questions or problems, please write a note and send entire form to the above address. OR CALL TOLL-FREE:
1-(800) 727-6937
COMPUTE! Publications
Back Issues/ Disk Orders
Individual back copies of maga- zines and disks are available by mail only while quantities last.
Please clip or ptiotocopy, and mail completed cx>upon and check to:
COMPUTE! Publications
Single-Copy Sales
P.O. Box 5188
Greensboro. NO 27403
Name; Street:
Crty:
Stats:
, Zip:
Type of Hxnputaf: .
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Quantity |
Issue (fiflonth/lfear) |
Magazine or Disk Name |
Price* |
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SUBTOTAL: |
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Sales Tax:t |
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Shipping: |
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TOTAL: |
• Back issues of COMPUTE!, and COMPUTEI's Ga- zette are S6,O0 each. No issues dated pnor to Janu- ary, I9S6. are available. In addition, the follcwing issues are NOT available: Gazette: 1/66, 3/86. 4/86.
■ Single disks for COMPUTErs Gazelle are S15.00. Disk/magazine combinations are S16.00 NOTE Ho disks daied prior to June 1986 are available. Ttie filay 198S arjd October, 19B7 GazflKs disks are no longer available.
■ Back issues of COMPUTEI's PC Maganne are S16-00 each. Ttiis putMicaiion is available only as a magazine/disk cormbir^ation. Our tiack issue inventory consists mainly ol magazines with 5.25-inch disks, but we v^ill attempt to supply 3.5-incli iJisks if re- quested. The following issues are NOT available: PC Magaifne: 9/87, 11/87, 3/88, 9/86, 1 1/88.
■ Back issues of COMPUTEI's Amigs Resouce maga- zine are available beginning with Spring, 1989 lor $6,00 each. Back issues ol COMPUTES Am:ga Re- source Dish are available beginning with Summer, 1989 for $10.00 each. Disk/magazine combinations are SI 200.
Shipping and handling included (or U.S. and Ca- nadian residents. Oltiers add S2.00 for surfaoe mail, $5,00 (or air mail.
Payment must be in U.S. dollars by check drav^n on U.S. bank, (VlasterCard or Visa credit cards accepted on orders of rrtore tfian $20.00. t Nortti Carolina, New York, and Pennsylvania res- idents must add appropriate sales tax
297
JANUARY 1990 COfVIPUTEl 129
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• No M/C Visa fee
• S 1/4" or J 1/2" Format
So easy to use! Type GEMINI to get started!
BUSINESS & ACCOUNTING
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■/^•Kf i»a)lorac*a^und»Mrd)gijrr*ea*iK'«'
£ CiSxS] A tioryaii t^^rtfi [— ^--j- te il* tmaa «m"W3a
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EVwn* nitfTiMn,.iij)>ccyiUCM Mc. [HDnqSi
AooRidvlt EMfifsi »liKalcii.lt>^«i-4e«M nWTVitVvTilH
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TiifBirlonnaiffl" [lif»aY*ron jfour soBsr and t*tj« i"^ acuswnJMta (fatuiEiju.naMiyt'barDiiSLt;^; iHQ'tqai
Entrepreneurs! Call (206) 746-7671 for details of our dealer/distributor operations.
PC IQJC^
FtAOS
PHfSCS
SPANISH
ALGEBRA
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vmOOUDFTNEACfS
F«MCMI
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Refer HI [>riL-e lahlc al left lo calculate cosl jvr 4li'.k (mWf surIK projirums comprise niulliple disksj. .Shipping and liandling please add S.1,IX) per orJsr. COD uelcome, addilional S.1.50. Foreign urders additional S4.00 air mail US lands only plea-ie, drawn on US bank, WA residents please add 8.1 ri safes tan. We ship by Ure and US Mai] depcndinf i>n wciglil UPS blue available for nisil orders at extra ehwrj;e.
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Circle Reader Service Number 11B
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COMPUTE!'s MARKETPLACE
Looking for a Widget
for your Printer
and need it now?
Call Precision!
Precision Images stocks a complete
selection of parts, supplies, and
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C. ITOH, QUME, CITIZEN,
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-K ••••**• ••••••••••• 3f
J ATTENTION ROLE PLAYERS J
HELP IS OM THE WAY! BUILD UP CHARACTERS WITH OUR EDITORS OR SOLVE RIDDLES WITH OUR HINT BOOKS.
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Circle Reaaer Service Number 117
SOFTWARE CLOSEOUT!
IBM, MAC, APPLE II,
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ALL NAME BRANDS NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN.
ALL ITEMS ARE NEW IN ORIGINAL PACKAGING! SUPPLIES LIMITED & CHANCE DAILY.
DON'T WAIT, CALL NOW!!!!
FREE PRICE LIST!!!
OUR PRICES ARE THE LOWEST!!! MOST ITEMS PRICED UNDER $10 MANY NAME BRANDS UNDER $5
• CHARACTER EDITORS - S19.95 each
Might and Magic, Ultima 3, Ultima 4, Ultima 5. Bard's Tale 1, Phantasie 1, Phantasie 3, Sentinel Worlds 1 Might and Magic 2, Pool of Radiance, Bard's Tale 2, Wizardry (Edits 1-3). Wizardry 4, Wizardry 5, Magic Candle. Curse of the Azure Bonds.
• HINT BOOKS -$9.95
Might and Magic, Legacy of Ancients, Wizardry (1. 2, 3. 4 or 5).
■ OTHER MIGHT AND MAGIC PRODUCTS
Monster Editor • $12,95
Apple & Commodore versions also available. Add $3.00 tor shipping and handling.
GOSSELIN COMPUTER CONSULTANTS
P.O Box 1083 - Dept. C0M1 Brighton, Ml 48116 (313)229-2453 * *•••■*-••*•••••••••■*
Circle Reader Service Number 122
COMP5ULT
PO. BOX 3233
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93403-3233
(805)544-6616
3*-
3f
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Prepare to meet your NEMESIS™ The only Go program to suc- cessfully imitate human play.
Go has been a way of life in the Orient for over 4,000 years. As much a philosophy as a game, many think Go is the secret of Japanese success
'If you are looking for a captivating game suitable for children or mathematicians... I strongly recommend you try the NEMESIS
software" J.McConnick.ModernElrclninicsS/SS
'NEMESIS Go Master provides a smooth, flexible, option-loaded introduction to the
game [ofGo]" C. Enismingw.MicniComucopialM
Toyogo, Inc. (soo) 4-toyogo, mv 86i-iMg«
76 Bedford Strccl, Suite 34cp. Lexington MA 02173
S79 NEMESIS Go Master $6 S&H
GLOW IN THE SPIRIT!
THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS
Please help The Salvation Army make Christmas joyful and bright for those in need!
SHARING IS CARING
This publication is available in microform from University Microfilms International.
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Circle Reader Service Number 131
Circle Reader Service Number 140
DON'T FORGET COMPUTEI'S VIDEO DEMO BONANZA!!
SEE PAGES 72 & 73 IN THIS ISSUE PREVIEW THE LATEST SOFTWARE— BEFORE YOU BUY!!
132 COMPUTE!
JANUARY 199 0
Great Software
Micro Star has been selling shareware for IBM and compatible computers since
1986. longer than any other company in this magazine. And we offer the best
prices with prompt delivery. Others say "World's Best Shareware" yet include
lemons like Jet Set, City Desk and Mr. Bill. But our technicians have carefully chosen
the best software availoble. Try us and see! GUARANTEED NO LEMONS!
STRIKER (110) FIv helicopter against enemy CCGA) TWO BIT POKER v2.0 (172) Just like the casino poker machines in Vegas (CGA) STARLOHD (GAM95) Ploy Star Trek on your PC (CGA) DND vl.2 (119) Like Dun- geons and Dragons, ROUND 42 (120) Like Space Invaders. 42 levels (CGA) MONOPOLY (169) Great color and sound (CGA) BBID<;EPAL (171) Contract or lubber bridge, w/tutorial. SPACEWAR (156) Using phosers. photon tofpedoes- WHEELOF MISFORTUNE (181) Spin wheel and watch out' PC-JIGSAW vl.1 (GAM71) Beautiful computer jigsaw puzzles. Color or mono- DRACULA IN LONDON (GAM 94) Great graphics ganne based on novel (CGA)
;-:;.'5"i-nt3t-Jti-f u.Ili.!'-''
Bttt"
yi.
EAT 'EM (I (GAM 74) Like Pac Man but with a bigger field KID-GAMES (GAM8) Math. clock, alphabet, etc. (CGA) EGA RISK (GAM11) World domination in great color. With EGA Asteroids (EGA) NETHACK (GAM20) Adven- ture game. Many danger- ous levels, rooms, corridors. PC-GAMMON (GAM33) Easy to learn, yet chollenging. MORAFFS REVENGE (GAM6A) Adventure with castles, dun- geons, nnaps. monsters! SCRABBLE (GAM72) Exoct rendition of the all time favorite (EGA) CRIBBAGE PARTNER (GAM9S) The complete board gome' CHESS (GAM9) Incredible. 2D and 3D. Royback moves, store games, etc (CGA)
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CADDIEHACK EGA GOLF (GAMIOO) Best 18-hole shore- wore golf game around! CGAver, isGAMIOI (EGA) SOLICARD (GAM104) Eight greof solitaire card games. BLACKJACKI vl.5 (GAM47) Professional Superb gra- phics (Mono or EGA) PAS TRIVIA V3.02 (GAM 11 4) Family oriented trivia game lor up to 6 players. KINGDOM OF KROZ (GAMS) Arcode, adventure, and strategy gome with 25 levels.
CROSSWORD CREATOR (GAM
108) Shoreware's finest cross- word puzzle generator! SHARP SHOOTER (GAMS4) Tank vs. tank warfare game. Up to eight players (CGA) MAH JONGG (GAM103) High tech simulotion. CGA and VGA version included,
.^(13-Xt'ilii \ <.- \-
::l>J*l*iHi<
SMmm
PROGRAMMING
WINDOW PRO (1413. 1414/2 disks) Create windows and titles for menus, etc PC-BASIC PRIMER (1625) Learn BASIC in a very color- ful way (CGA. BASIC), PERSONAL C COMPILER vl.2 (1627) Learn the C lan- guage (2 FD or HD) A86-D86 (1 707, 1 709/2 disks) World's best assembler, dis- assembler progrom.
WORD PROCESSING
WORDS & EDITS (TXT2) Full- screen text editor for ASCII PC-WRITE V3.02 (434-436/3 disks) Very popular. With spell checker (2 FD or HD) GALAXY V2.42 (407) Easy to use, t>/1ouse. EGA support. PC-WRITE MACROS vl.2 (458) 100 commonds lor PC-Write.
COMPOSER (313) Create, edit and play music, (CGA) CHRISTMAS SONGS (311)
Collection of your fovorites.
PROFESSIONAL MASTERKEY v3.0 (2605) Like Norton's. Retrieve deleted files. A lite- saver (2 FD or HD) TECHSTAFF TOOLS (3046-3069 /2dliki) 13 utilities no com- puter should be without! SCREENSAVER v1.05 (UTL21) Save monitor from burn-in. For all video displays. DBS-KAT CUTL 30) Catalog vour floppy disks (HD) BRADFORD V2,0 (2729) Beau- tiful fonts for your dot matrix, PAS MASTER MENU v1.02 (UTL33) Interlace for multi- ple user posswords. (HD)
TUIOR.COM v4.4 (1 301) Inter- octive DOS tutorial. HELPDOS v2,0 (1324) On- line DOS help with menus. Includes DOS dictionary of terms and a hints menu. HARD DISK MENU IV (1332) Organize HD (or speed, ease of use. Password protection
Circle Reader Service Number 187
STILL RIVER SHELL v2.5e (1304)
r)un DOS commonds from menu Mokes DOS easy
MIND CHART (GRA37-GRA3e/
2 disks) Menu charting and dtowing programs. SIMCGA/HGCIBM (1027, 1062/2 disks) Use with Her- culesgraphics card/com- pofible to run CGA pro- grams on your monochrome, IMAGE-3D (1048) Create, edit 3-D objects. Move, scale, rotate image (CGA). FINGER PAINT V2.00 (1050) Use keyboard or mouse to draw. Like tvlacPAINT (CGA) DRAF CHOICE (GEA4) Excel- lent menu-driven CAD pro- gram. Mouse support.
It wwmmw/
CHARTS UNLIMITED (GRA14)
Complete system for flow charts: organizational, elec- trical, etc.. with symbols.
SPREADSHEHS
AS-EASY-AS (505) Has screen help menus. A Lotus clone that reods Lotus files. PC-CALC-^v1.0 (512-514/3
disks) Jim Button's famous Lotus clone (2 FDorHD) PIVOT vl.01 (514) PrintsLotus or As-Eosy-As files sideways
ACCOUNTING/FINANCE
MARKETCGA V2.2 CBUS17)
Analysis on stocks, funds, etc EGA ver. Is BUS 16 (CGA) AMORTIZE (BUS113) Colcu- lote, print loan omortlzotlon schedules,
TICKLEX (BUS62) Appoint- ment calendor with re- minder, alarm, timetable, etc. (HD)
MEDIIN ACCOUNTING (757) G/L A/P, A/R and payroll. EXPRESS CHECK v2.06 (784) Checking account with run- ning baloncs. monthly re- ports, etc. Prints checks. FINANCE MANAGER II G/L v1.3 (751) Personal or small business (2 FDorHD)
APPUCATIONS
FOOTBALL FUN (MIS1) filon- age an office football pool. LOGITI (UTL27) RAM resident computer logging progrom. THE NUTRITIONIST (2334) Evaluates foods, meals and recipes lor nutrition, etc, EZ-FORMS (1909) Moke forms to meet different needs. CATALIST (2059, 2044/2 disks) tvtailing list manager. Prints labels, reports.
NOTE: rvlinimum progrom requirements ore In parentheses at the end of dascriptlons FD fkjppy drive, HDhord drive. CGA at least CGA or better (for example. EGA or VGA)
FAMILY TREE (2201) Create files, genealogical reports. LOnO PROPHET V2,7 (2344) Best lotto program around, PC-DESKTEAM (2403) Desk- top organizer Many features!
TELfCOMMUNICATIONS
TELIX v3,11 (1161-1162/2
disks) Total package. Sup- ports baud rate to 115.200 (modem. 2 FDorHD) WILDCATIvl.03 (1141, 1143/ 2 disks) Flexible bulletin board system (modem. HD) PROCOMM V2.43 (1 159) Out- standing modem software.
SECURITY/HACKING
COPYPROTECTION IV (1224)
Latest release, for advanced programmers (2 FD or HD) FLU SHOT■^ Vl.5 (1225) Pro- tection against viruses VIRUS STOPPER V2.0 (1223) Protect your system from viruses and trojan horses.
DATABASE PROGRAMS
PC-FILE:DB (853-655/3 disks)
Report-writer. dBASE 111+ com- patible. (HD)
FILE EXPRESS (803-804/2 disks) Powerful system. Allows 32.000 records. Sorts up to 10 fields (2 FD or HD)
BIBLEMEN (3330) Excellent Bible quiz program BIBLEWORKS (3354-3341 /6 disks) Bible with concord- ance, allows editing. Old and new testaments (2 FD orHD)
THE WORLD (235) Shows ond prints maps in all locations of the world!
AMY'S FIRST PRIMER (248) Gome that teoches letters, numbers, keyboard (CGA) FACTS 50 (239) Geography lessonsfor U.S. (BASIC).
PC FASTYPE v3.01 (241 ) Touch typing instruction with WPM, accuracy, etc. (CGA) SPANISH I ft II (211, 232/2 disks) Great tutorial (BASIC) MATH CASTLE (EDU 18) Save costle from aliens by solving math riddlesl Fun!
Micro Star
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W/giM^i-
TurboSPORT 386
PORTABLE PERSONAL
COMPUTER
^386 40 WB
Hard OrWei^
• 80386 32-bil processor, 12/6 MHz (switchable). •MB (28ms) hard drive.
• One 3 5' 1 A MB floppy disk drive. ■2 MB RAM. • 100% IBM compaliWe.
• "Page- White" llourescent backlit LCD display. 10.5" viewing area. ■ MS-DOS 3,21 included,
• Supports: MS OS'2 version 1.0, Xenix, and also Microsoh Windows/3a6 environments.
' Zero wait state.
• Socket tor 80337 numeric co-processor.
■ lnterr:al Hayes 2400 baud modem.
■ Serial and parallel printer ports.
• Resolution: 640 x 400 pixels
• 79-key Ijll tunaion detachable keyboard,
- Real time clock and calendar. • AC adapter
• "Fast" charge NiCad batte^ pack included.
• Dim.: 13.25-W X 14.75"D x 4.75-H. •Weight: 14.7 lbs.
• One Year Warranty! -^X5^„YMEW|-^i3iSYPERFHCTl_
Due to a special ar- rangement, we were able lo obtain a large inventory of these portatile com- puters. As a result, we can now offer them to you at HUGE SAVINGS!
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail ^, $8,499.00
$'
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Name
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Circle Reader Service Number 184
GOLEM COMPUTERS
PLACE ORDERS TOLL FREE
1-800-248-0363
CA 1-805-499-0197
Monday - Friday 7am - 6pm
Saturday Sam - 4pm Pacific Time
ENTERTAINMENT ACCOLADE
Bar Games
Test Drive II
Scenery, Cars
Jack Nicklaus Goll
Hardball II
ACTIVISION
The Manhole
F-t4 Tomcat
Death Track
Ghostblasler II
Die Hard
Grave Yardage
Tongue of the Falman
BRODERBUrfD
Sim City
Ancient Land of Y's
CINEMAWARE
Death Bnnger
The Kristal
Rocket Hanger
Speedball
Three Stooges
TV Sports Football
DYNAMIX
A-tO Tank Killer
ELECTRONIC ARTS
Bards Tale II
Abrams Battfe Tank
Keel the Thief
Lakers vs Celtics
Madden Football Yeagers AFT II INFOCOM
Battlelech
INTERPLAY
Batttechess
Neuromancer
MICROPROSE
Ml Tank Platoon
F-1S Strike Eagle II
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MICROSOFT
Flight Simuiator
MINDSCAPE Outrun
Balance of Power 1990
ORIGIN Knights of Legend
Space Rogue
Times of Lore
SIERRA
Space Quest Ml
Gold Rush
Leisure Suit Larry I, II
SSI Curse of Azure Bonds
Dragons ol Flame
hteroes of the Lance
Hillslar
Pool ol Radiance
TAITO Arkanoid II
27, 30. I. 14 32. 27.
32. SO- SO, 30, 27, 24. 27.
32. 32.
27, 32. 27. 27, 27, 27.
32.
32, 30, 27, 32. 32. 32.
32.
32. 30.
47. 37. 47.
40. 27. 32. 32, 32. 27.
32. 32. 32. 32. 27, 27. 32. 32. 24.
EDUCATION BRODERBUND
Wtiere in Ihe USA is Carmen 29,
Where in (ho World in Carmen 27,
Where in Europe Is Carmen 29,
Where in Time is Carmen 29,
DAVIDSON Math Blaster Plus 29
Spell It 29.
Math Blaster Mystery 29.
Alge Blaster 29.
Read it Roll 29,
Math & Me 24,
Reading & Me 24,
Word Attack Plus 29,
ELECTROhflC ARTS Chessmasler 2100 32,
Mavjs Beacon Teaches Typing 32,
THE LEARNING CO. Reader Rabbit 32.
Children Writing 5 Publishing 47.
Math Rabbi! 27.
Gertrude Secrets 27,
Magic Stjeiis 27.
Writer Rabbit 32.
Think Quick 32.
Midnight Rescue 32.
ALL ITEMS SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY, PRICES i STIPULATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE To order cati toll liee or send ctieck or money order VISA/MC. AMERICAN EXPRESS OR COD orders welcome. Personal and company checks allow 10 working days lo clear, Caiitornia residents add 6% saJes isx. Shippir^ and Handling: Coniinenial US. add SS.OO, APO, FPO Alaska, Hawaii and Canada add SS.OO Call tor hardware shipping prices. All s^les rinal. Detective items will be exchanged or repaired at our discrelioo Call for return auttioriza- tion. Sciiool PO s welcome. Mail orders to:
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P.O. BOX 6698 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA 91359
till Rajictw Conejo Blvd. S4CI7. Newbury Park, CA 91320
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Statement of Ownerslilp, Management, and Cfroulatlon as Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685
COMPUTE!
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9-28-69
Monthly ,
Twelve
524.00 (Elfedive 6-1 a9 S19.94)
825 7lti Are,, Nav Ybrt<, NV t(»l9
Same
Pubteher, Williiim Tyian, 825 7tti *e.. New ttnk, NY 10019:
Eitilor, Lance tliio, 324 W, Wendover Hie., Suite 200. Greenstxmi,
NC 27408: Managing Etiitor. Katlileen Martinek. 324 W. Wenilover
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m2K |
211.601 |
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241.601 |
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3255 |
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I tsrWy that tlie statements matte 6y me above are cotrect and complete, William Tynan, Ptiblishsf.
CIriile Reader Service Number 1B3
CLASSIFIED
SOFTWARE
YOUR IBM & COMP SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTOR. Over 700 in library-SVi" & 3Vj*, Send 50t U.S. stamp (or fall callg. T&Z Software, PO Box 780217-C, Sebastian, FL 32978-0217. Approved vendor by Ihe Assoc, of Shareware Professionals.
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DISCOUNT COMPUTER PRODUCTS Software, books, diskettes, labels, training cassettes, and much more!! For FREE information, write to; DOYLE SYSTEMS, 12178 Creenspoint Dr. No. 318, Houston, TX 77060
TRY BEFORE YOU BUY: C64, 128. AMIGA. Games utilities, educn'l, classics, new re- leases, lOO's of titles. Free brochure. Specify computer. RENT-A-DISC, Frederick Bldg. #221, Hunt'n, WV 25701 (304) 529-3232
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BEAT UOTTERY BIASESI
NEW DOS RELEASE! TOUR LOTTERY IS BIASED! Un- ■^'^X intentionally certain number patterns ■^(i)''-' will be selected with a greater frequency than others. lOTTO PICKER 3 will uncover & ^' exploit these biases & tell you wtiicti numbers to play— no guesswork required I GJARANTEED to work for all lotteries worldwide or your MONEY BACK! WHEEL- IMG now included in DOS version! BEAT THE LOTTEHT TODAT! S39.95 (+2.55 s/h). 3.5" add S5. Vfer, 2,1 for Apple IIE.C64/126. NYaddtax.
ORDER TODATI 1-a00-634-5463 ext 203 (M-F 8-5) EE RIDGE SERVICES, IMC, 170 Broadway, Suite 201-CP. New York, NY 10038 Info/Dealers 718-317-1961.
Quality IBM SOFTWARE from $2 per disk. Games/VVProc/DBases/Educ/Spreht/Util/More. PD/Shart?\vare- Latest Versions! Free Catalog. SOFSOURCE, Box 828, East Lansing, MI 48826 (517) 349-3560 CALL OR WRITE TODAY!
Break the Law of Probability
Allow your PC to make money (or you. Eliminate Chance with the scientific edge. Play to win with Ihe finest lottery winning software available
Enclose $3495 plus S2«> For Handling
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AIOA SYSTEMS INC. P.O. Box 66-C, Parlin, New Jersey 08859
FREE DISCOUNT SOFTWARE CATALOG- Amiga Apple, Comm., IBM & Mac. Disk- Count Software, P.O. Box 3, Carteret, NJ 07008 Call: (800) 448-6658
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IBM PD & SHAREWARE only 90 cents per 5W disk! Send $1 for 5 'A disk catalog and sample software, 3V3 disk add $1. Finto Software, Rt 2, Box 44, Rosebud, TX 76570
ABC LOTTO. Let your IBM PC select the winning combination. Histories files, 3 play strategies, unlimited wheeling. Any game up to 80 with 5,6 or 7 draw set. 5,25 DOS disc $24. 95 + 1.95 HfaS 5% FL tax. CTSOfT CO, PO Box 691384 ORLANDO, PL 32869
Numerology — Get a 10 page report about j'our strengths, weaknesses, and destiny. Send your full name at birth, birthdate, current name, and S9.95 to The Network, P.O. Box 1102, Westboro, MA 01581.
COMPUTE! Classified is a low-cost way to tell over 250,000 microcomputer owners about your product or service.
Rates: $25 per line, tninimum of four lines. Any or all of the first line set in capi- tal letters at no charge. Add $15 per line for boldface worcis, or $50 for the entire ad set in boldface (any number of lines.) Inquire about display rates.
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Notice: COMPUTE! Publications cannot be responsible for offers or claims of advertisers, but will attempt to screen out misleading or questionable copy.
Classified Display Rates: Classified display ads measure IVt" wide and are priced according to height. 1" = $250; V/i' - $375; 2" = $500; 3" = $600; ($100 for each additional inch, e.g. 4" = $700, etc.) Preferred supplied material is Velox or PMT.
FREE G\TALOG— OVER 1000 PUBLIC DOMAIN Programs of IBM PC and Compatibles, Buv or Kent. Low as Sl.OO/disk. Write to Soflshoppe, POB 709, Ann Arbor, MI 48106
LINCAD, CALCAD, CONVOLV, EFT SPECTRA. Design, analyze analog & logic circuits. Call (614) 488-3400 or send for info. SOFCAD, 1609 Essex Rd, Columbus, OH 43221
BIBLE TEXT. GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT $50 Ascii files load in your Apple II w.p. or 40K AW Desktop K.J.V. or N.I.V. 3.5 or 5.25 or IBM K] 5.25 ascii text disk. Use own wp. to: Four His Church, Box 13141, OP, KS 66212
"MAIN MENU- for IBM PC and COMPATIBLES! Organize your programs on menu screens. Select them with just a single key. Send $7 for 5.25 or $9 for 3.5 to Friendly Ware, P.O. Box 38237, Cleveland, OH 44138
FREE CATAUOG OF DISCOUNT SOFTWARE. Apple, Atari, Commodore and IBM. WMJ Data Systems-C, 4 Butterfly Drive, Hauppauge, NY 11788.800-962-1988 ext. 122
TAX RUCKAGE FOR ATARI, APPLE, IBM, C64 128
& Plus/4 S19.95-I-S2 s/h. Forms 1040, 1040A, A,B,C,D,E,F,SE,21 06,2441. Yearly updates $10. Prints IRS forms! Steve Karasek, 855 Diversey, Crestwood, MD 63126 (314)961-2052
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
$97,500 'HIDDEN' IN YOUR COMPUTER? YESI
(Free) Report. Write: Simpson, Dept. CP Battle Ground, WA 98604-0771
HOW TO MOONLIGHT WITH COMPUTER Free information. Must reading for everyone wanting their own business. AlCrC, Box 2615, Pasadena, CA 91102
DISCOUNT COMPUTER BOOKS. Thousands of
titles available. Please call or write
for your free catalog today. BOOKWARE
147 Campville Rd, Northfield CT 06778
(203) 283-6973 (800) 288-5662
HARDWARE
EDUCATION
B.Sc. & M.S. In COMPUTER SCIENCE
the A,Tercan tnsJMe tcx Computer Soences offHS an in deplh conespon- flenCE po^pam la fijin ywir Bacficfor of Somw ami Maslw oJ Soeres de- grws in Computw So^ce il home, BSc, subjects covpfnl are: MS/DOS. BASIC. WSCAL, C. Daia File Proc*$S<ig. Data Slnjclures & Operetng sys iLTTis MS fiF'OQram inciufles sut!»ecis !fl Software Engineering ajid Afliliaat IjilcHiqeria!
AMERICAN rNST. lor COMPUTER SCIENCES 1704-CP 11* Atrenue SoijHi
Birmin^m. AL 35205 TOLL FREE 1 -300-872- AlCS
JANUARY 199 0
COMPUTEf 13S
The World's Best IBM-PC Compatible
BUSINESS
Form Master (4177^ — Designand create any business form quickly and easily. Stock Charting (4121)— A very compre- hensive stock charting, analysis, and portfolio management package. PC-Calc+ (4130-4132)-The most powerful spreadsheet package available for under S200! (3 Disks) 512K As-Easy-As (4138) -A fantastic, easy to use Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet clone. Small Business Accounting (4141)- A must for all small business owners! Solve-lt! (4143)-A complete financial formulas package. Great for bond, mort- gage, and investment calculations. Itour Financial Consultant (4146)-An effective money management system for individuals and small businesses.
Programs as low as $1.49 per disk!
PC-Books (414e)-A complete easy to use bookkeeping system. Comes with on-screen help and a tutorial. Manager's Planner (4162)- Become a more effective manager. This excellent package helps you with planning, organi- zation, and time management. PC-Project Manger (4165)-Ttiis excel- lent menu-driven project manager does job scheduling, critical path analysis, Ganit charts, and more. Mr. Bill (4171, 4172)-Complet6 billing system. Keeps track ot your accounts receivable and payments. Prints invoices and statements (2 Disks) PC-Lxtans (4144) -A complete package that supports most loan methods. Prints monthly payments and balances. Legal Form Letters (41 75) -Dozens of form letters for contracts, employment applications, filings, etc,
PC-Payroll (417B, 4179)-A complete and powerful payroll system! (2 Disks) Blaktiook (4185)-Great for keeping track of important addresses and ptione numbers. Prints an address book.
HOME MANAGEMENT
Fast Bucks (4099, 4100) -Tracks all your personal and family finances (2 Disks)
Home Budget Manager (4103)— Helps you to design and stick to a budget. Checkmate (4101)-A fantastic check- book program with reconciliation fea- tures and great screen displays. Home Inventory (4180)- Keeps a per- manent record of all your property. Edna's Cookbook (4217, 4218) -A handy electronic cookbook with several great recipes— add your own (2 Disks) Family History System (4852, 4853)- Helps you trace your family roots and prints genealogical reports (2 Disks)
WORD PROCESSING
Letter Writer (4603) -Simplifies letter wriling and mail-merge. Maintains a file of names and addresses. PC-Write 3.03 (4510-4612)-AII Ihe fea- tures you need including spell-checking. The BEST word processor under S200! (3 Disks) 512K.
Writer's Heaven (4620) -A great add-on far PC-Write users. This package extends and supercharges the features of PC-Write. Highly recommended! PC-Write Macros (4621) -A collection of too practical, time-saving macros.
DATABASE/MAIL LIST
File Express (4202, 4203)-An easy to use, yet powerlul database. Highly rated by PC-Magazine. (2 Disks) Mail List (4205) -Keeps track of your mailing list and prints mailing labels. Doctor Data Labels (4209, 4210) -Has the features otherwise found in only the most expensive mail list software. Power- ful and complete. (2 Disks) 512K PC-FiIe:dB (4213-4215) -This database package is complete, powerful, and dBASE compatible! (3 Disks) 512K HD
Idea Tree (4225)-An AfVlAZING, FAN- TASTIC, WONDERFUL program that lakes your ideas and thoughts and organizes them into a hierarchy which you can display on your screen or print.
EDUCATION French I & II (4500, 4501)- French vocabulary for students. (2 Disks) Spanish I & II (4505, 450B)-Spanish vocabulary and verb drills for beginning- intermediate students. (2 Disks) Spanisti Hangman (4507) -What a great idea— make Spanish vocabulary tun by turning it into a game of hangman! Japanese (4510)- Designed for the business traveler and language student. German I & II (4512, 4513)-German vocabulary instruction. (2 Disks) Algebrax (4524) -Excellent algebra tutor which has different levels lor the basic to advanced student. CGA
Facts 50 (4525)— A graphic geography lesson of the United States, CGA
FREE Disk Drive Cleaning Kit With your order of 7 or more disks from this ad, receive this vital mainten- ance kit, FREE! (a S9.95valuB!). Additional kits may be purchased for a special price of only S5.95 each. Both ZVi" and SVt" sizes available. (Limit one free kit per order)
Geograplry (4526)— Make learning fun with this geograpliy trivia game. Math Tutor (4529)-A !un approach to learning math. For kids ages 5-13. Are %u Ready for Calculus? (4534)- This is an excellent pre-calc tutor which reviews algebra and trigonometry. Funnels & Buckets (4535)-A fun, more effective way to leach kids math. It's a fun math learning game! World (4537)— A fascinating electronic globe/database at your fingertips. CGA Puzzle Search (4538)-An educational game with questions on American his- tory, world history, and geography. Balloon Speller (4541) -An Introduction to spelling tor children. Games to make learning fun for pre-schoolers. CGA The Presidents (4542, 4543) -A very comprehensive tutor and quiz of the presidents and their terms. (2 Disks) Flags of the World (4544)-See and learn the flags of 115 countries. This great program even plays the national anthem of several of the countries. CGA Typing Tutor (4SS0)-Quickly improve your typing skills and speed with this friendly typing teacher. CGA Play 'n' Learn (4555)-A set of six learn- ing games for pre-schoolers. CGA
Lotus Learning System (4556, 4557) -A very complete package that makes Lolus 1-2-3 easier to use. (2 Disks) DOS-a-matic (4559)-A menu-driven program that makes using DOS easy! PC-Professor (4560)-An easy to use programming tutorial which teaches you to write or modify BASIC programs. Computer Tutor (4562)- If you are a new user or computer novice, THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED! Learn in a fun, pressure-free environment. Highly recommended!
UTILITIES
Masterkeys (4300)- Uke the popular Norton Disk Ulilities, only better!
SimCCSA (4305) -Utilities which allow you to run many programs that require CGA on your monochrome system.
Grabber (4342)-A memory-resident program that will save to disk any screen image. You can then run a slide-show of saved images. CGA
PC-DeskTeam (4375) -Large collection of Sidekick-like desktop accessories (clock, calendar, phone book, etc.) Master Menu (4386) -Puts all the pro- grams on your hard disk onto an auto- booting, one-touch selection menu. Q-Modem SST (4715-4717) -A modem telecommunications package which is powerful and versatile. (3 Disks)
GRAPHICS/PRINTING
Epson Utilities (4333, 4334) -A set of
fonts and utilities to enhance your printer's print quality. (2 Disks)
LaserJet II Fonts (4335, 4336)-Several new soft fonts for the HP-LaserJet II and compatible printers. (2 Disks) City Desk (4340)— A simple desktop publishing program for newsletters. Charts Unlimited (4343)-A fantastic design tool for creating almost any type of chart, schematic or diagram. Excellent priming capabilities. CGA PC-Draft (4344, 4345) -A high-qualily drawing/painting program. (2 Disks) CGA Express Graph (4161)-Turns raw data into great graphs and charts. A picture is worth a thousand words! Insta-Calendar (4835) -This calendar design tool and printer is easy to use.
Banner Maker (4801) — Make banners of various styles and sizes. Requires an Epson or compatible printer.
CFREE Disk Holder In addition to yourFREEdisk drive cleaning kit with your order of 20 or more disks from this ad, receive your choice of a 5'A" (holds 75 disks) or S'A" (holds 40 disks) disk holder, FREE! (a S12.95 value!). Additional disk holders may be purchased for a special price of only S9 95 each. (Limit one free holder per order,)
PC-Key Draw (4391-4394) -Powerful CAD design software system. Works w/keyboard or mouse. (4 Disks) HD
PrintShop Graphics (4397)-A large collection ot PrintShop clip art, PrIntMaster Graphics (439a)-Lot3 of clip art for Printfjlaster users. On-Slde (4387) -Prints your spread- sheets (or anything) sideways!
RELIGION/BIBLE
BIBLE-O (4552)-Test your Biblical IQ! A very fun to play BIBLE knowledge quiz. Church dBASE (4812) -Automates membership record keeping for church congregations and other organizations. SeedMaster (4837-484 9) -The com- plete King James BIBLE on disk! Allows quick access to any word, phrase, topic. Requires hard disk. (13 Disks) HD
MISC. APPLICATIONS
ELISA (4805)- Let the famous com- puter psychiatrist analyze you. It's fun! Lotto! (4823) -Complete system for most states' lotteries. (Requires printer) Biorhythm (4826)-Generales a chart for any month and prints the results. The Diet Disk (4827) - Provides the tools for successful weight loss. Astrology (4831)-Let the computer tell you what lies ahead in your stars! Baseball Cards (4859) -A custom base- ball card inventory database program for collectors and baseball card stores. PC-Musician (4900)- Compose, record, and play back music on your computer. Piano Man (4902)- Record, edit, and then play back your favorite tunes. Also lets you turn your computer's keyboard into a musical instrument!
GAMES
Striker (4400)-Arcade helicopter attacl< game. Bomb and shoot enemy targets. (CGA-Will ncl ivof'; .vilh EGA/VGA] Q-Bert (4403)- Play the famous arcade hit on your computer. CGA Backgammon (4404) — Play against a challenging computer opponent. CGA Monopoly (4405)- Really fun! Great color graphics and sound. CGA JetSet (4407) -A jet flight simulator that teaches airplane navigation.
Programs as low as $1.49 per disk!
TRON (4409)-Race your lightcycle but don't hit your opponent's trail! CGA
Bridge Pal (4412) -Play bridge anylimel Includes a bridge tutorial. 18-Hole Miniature Golf (4414)-Kids really love this one! CGA Baseball (4415)- Pick your team and swing for the fences! A game of base- ball strategy and arcade play. CGA D & D (4418)-lmmerse yourself in the ultimate adventure, anytime! AdventureWare (4420) -Five challeng- ing text adventure games sure to keep you intrigued for several enjoyable hours. PAC-MAN & More! (4421)- Several realiy lun arcade hits. CGA
Wheel of Misfortune (4422)-A really fun version of the popular TV show. Master the Market (4425) -A challeng- ng stoci( market simulation game, More realistic and all-around better play than the popular "Millionaire" game. Kid Games (4426) -A set of educational games for kids 2-7 years, CGA Ed's Chess (4427) -Challenge a lough computer opponent. Beats the expen- sive games like ChessMaster 2000! Solitaire (4428)-The computer deals and makes sure you don't cheat. CGA Super Pinball (4429) -A collection of five great video pinball games. CGA .
Software- Alld MOR !
video Poker/UHima21 (4435) -The very best poker and blackjack games.
RISK (4436) — For all of us who love this great board game. Conquer the world.
(CGA-Will not work with EGA/VGA)
COLOR DISKETTES
We now use these excellent, brand- name, color diskettes lor all our duplication. (One ^^a
TTiore way that SE! ^^B
stands apart from ^^r
the competition -whichuses second- rate, black generic diskettes)
Star Trek (4439) -You are captain as you lead the Enterprise into space battlel PC-Pro Golf (4442) -Choose your club and swing away at the Amherst Country Club in this excellent golf game. CGA
NINJA (4445)-Use your fists, feet, sword, and throwing stars as you battle the evil Ninja warriors. CGA Round42 (4446)— It's like a new and improved version of the all-time favorite, "Space Invaders." CGA Sam Spade (4448)-Play detective and solve the case in this adventure game.
For Our Customers Who Need 3Vi" Disks
If you need the SVa" disk size, we have good news for you! 3V2" disks are only 50e extra! {Others charge S1 .00 extra or more!)
Trivia! (4455) -Have hours of fun test- ing your trivia IQ. For 1-6 players. Marooned Again (4456)— A great adventure game set in outer space. McMurphy's Mansion (4457)-You have inherited a fortune, now all you have to do is find it! A fun adventure game. PC-JIgSavK (4458)-A beautiful picture s displayed and then jumbled into several pieces. See if you can put it together again. FANTASTIC! CGA Checkers (4459) -Think you're good? See if you can beat your computer! CGA
Scrabble (4460) -Test your word power with this always fun game. CGA Games for Everyone! (4461)— A super collection of arcade games that don't require color or graphics cards-they will work great on ANY system.
EGA GAMES
(Requires an EGA or VGA syslemj Bass Tour (4447)— An amazing game with excellent graphics. Fish your choice of lakes. Very realistici EGA EGA Football (4480)-You call the plays and control the key players. EGA EGA Trek (44ei)-You command the Slarship Enterprise in this, the ULTI- MATE Star Trek adventure. EGA
EGA Golf (4482)-A challenging golf game with beautiful graphics. EGA
EGA Arcade Hits (4433)— EG A versions of Breakout and Asteroids. EGA EGA Risk (4484) -Enjoy the great color graphics as you settle for nothing less than total world domination! EGA
COLOR DISKETTES!
as low as $ .39 ea.
Brand-Name Diskettes
(Bulk priced tor tremendous savings for you!) 5y4''DS/DD -10 25 50 100 500 BASF (Black) ,55 ,49 .45 .39 .35 KAO (Colors) .59 .55 ,49 ,45 ,39 (Include disk sleeves) 3y2"DS/DD 10 25 SO 100 500 KAO 1.05 .99 .95 ,89 ,85
SONY 1.20 1.10 1.05.99 .95
Allblankdisks CO mewilhdisk labels for your convenience. Pre-formatling available— call for details..
Microsoft-compatible mouse w/mouse driver, Dr, Halo III (painting/drawing software), and mouse pad!
Only $59.95 completel
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PRINTER RIBBONS Call us for the lowest prices on ribbons for your printer. |
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COMPUTER PAPER 500 Sheets S 7.95 1000 Sheets 13.95 2500 Sheets 30.95 |
Programs as low as $1.49 per disk!
Why Choose Software Excitement?
That's easy! Only SE! offers the best quality Shareware' and Pub- lic Domain Software at prices this low, with same-day shipping, easy to use menus on almost every disl<,amoney-bacl<guaran- tee to ensure your satisfaction, technical support, free accesso- ries with yourquantity orders, toll- free orderlines, brand name color diskettes, and SO f^^UCH MORE!
"Shareware is the future of software mar- ketingl Shareware allows you to use a great, commercial quality (or better) pro- gram. If you find that the Shareware pro- gram fits your needs, registering directly with Ihe program's author brings many benefits which may include free phone support, a printed manual, and program updates. Shareware is exciting!
Call Today 1-800-444-5457
CMP13 ORDER FORM
Complete and clip for mail orders. Please list program disk num- bers below: (Please list blankdiskettes and other items on asepa- rate sheet— include quantity, complete description, and price).
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(see price chart) Need 3V2" disks? Add 50IC ea. per disk $_
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FREE Catalog with order or request Call for FREE IBM PC, Mac, Amiga, C64 or Apple Catalog
Send to: Software Excitement!, Inc.
6475 Crater Lake Hwy. • P.O. Box 3072 ■ Central Point, OR 97502-0003
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Price |
Chart |
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Disks Ordered 1-4 |
price per Disk S2.99 |
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5-9 |
2.49 |
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10-14 1 5-24 |
2.25 1.95 |
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25-49 |
1.75 |
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50 + |
1.49 |
Remembertocounteachdiskinthe multlpledtsksetsandto add 50* per disk If you need ttie 3Vz" size.
Order/Shipping Info
There is a$3.00 handling/packag- ing charge per order. All items shipped anywhere in thecontinental U,S, for no additional charge (Canada add S2, other foreign add S4—AK, HI, PR pleasecall if ordering blankdisks or paper). COD available S4 extra (U,S, only). Sorry, we cannot send blank disks or computer paperoutside the U.S. and Canada.
UPS 2nd Day Air is available any- where in the continental U.S. Add an additionalS3forthisdelivery service (Blank disks-add S3 plus 4Cperdisk. Paper — 2nd Day Air not available without prior arrangement— please call).
CGA = Requires Color System HO = Requires Hard Drive 512K = flequlresmln. 512K RAM
1-800-444-5457
CircJe Reader Service Number 1S9
i GOHVERSniONS
SOFTWARE IS A MIND TOOL BY y WHICH WE UNLOCK ALL OF THE CREATIVITY AND INTELLECTUAL ENERGIES WE POSSESS,
KEITH
F E R R E L L
TO Les Crane, chairman and CEO of The Soft- ware Toolworks, it's all software. "I've been in the software business all my professional life," Crane says emphatically. This despite a career that in- cludes Slims as a contract actor for Universal, pio- neering radio and network television talk shows in the sixties, and a Gram- my for his recording of The Desidera- ta in the seventies. Software?
Sure — since college, even. In 1952. while attending Tulane Univer- sity, Crane landed a job as a disc jock- ey for a commercial radio station. "The first time I picked up a copy of Nat 'King' Cole's 'Mona Lisa' and put it on the turntable," he explains, "I was programming entertainment software."
He goes on. "In television, when I was making videotapes for broadcast on .A.BC, we were certainly producing entenainment software. When I was making movies, the film was enter- tainment software. In 1972, 1 pro- duced and recorded The Desiderata; certainly that was entertainment software."
The lure of interactivity is noth- ing new for Crane. "That has always been the appeal for me in all electron- ic media. I was one of the pioneers of two-way talk radio." He made a name for himself with an innovative call-in program in San Francisco.
He pursued interactivity in new media, as well. '"We invented two-way television. At KGO-television we dis- covered that you could delay video- tape. 1 did a show where people could call in and interact live with what was going on in our studios."
It's all software, it's all interac- tive. "The focus of my interests and activities has not changed at all over the years. The hardware has changed a bit. But the software itself still looks like records, a little different size and shape maybe, but it looks like records.
So I've always been in what I like to think of as the interactive software business. Interactivity has always been the leitmotif of what I've done."
Computers were a natural for Crane. "1 bought mv first computer, a TRS-80, back in 1977 or 1978. It had a gigantic 4K RAM and 4K ROM. I saw the interactive potential and got tremendously excited. That's when I began programming my first com- puter software venture, a computer- ized version of the / Ching" The program still sells by mail.
Hooked. Crane expanded his software business, releasing Software Golden Oldies, a collection that in- cludes Eliza. Pong, Adventure, and Life. The anthology did well, but The Software Toolworks really look off" with the 1986 release of Chessmaster 2000. Crane followed that smash with Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, a so- phisticated typing instructor; Twist & Shout, a spreadsheet utility; and, more recently. Life and Death, an interac- tive medical movie.
With sales measured in the hun- dreds of thousands and products that are respected by peers as well as con- sumers. Crane and The Software Toolworks have become an important part of the software firmament.
The range of products, as well as the name of Crane's company, says something about his attitudes and goals, "Software is a mind tool by which we unlock all of the creativity and intellectual energies we possess and unleash them through the powers that are made available to us by the computer. A computer engages you even more effectively than a book or a movie because you are changing the programmatic material and interact- ing with the media in ways you've never been able to before."
How does Crane decide which products to release? His years in the entertainment industry help. "Com- ing from a show-business background, I've never wanted to be subject to the vagaries of the faddish entertainment marketplace. I like to think about mu- sic publishing. There are hits, and
then there are standards. I'd much rather have the rights to White Christ- mas than to Madonna's next single. When we look at a product — Chess- master, say, or Mavis — we want to make sure it becomes the standard in its area."
A man of enormous personal charm and persuasiveness, naturally enthusiastic about his company and the software industry, Crane is not un- aware of the large social risks that electronic media may bear: People in- teracting with machines may have less time to interact with other people.
"We may see." he says, "a social devolution, in that people are going to be spending much more time cocoon- ing, if you will. Having an interactive home entertainment center might see us move toward a reemcrgcncc of nu- clear types of families and family groups."
That's not necessarily negative, but extensions of the trend could be. "As electronic media become more appealing, people arc going to spend less and less time with literature, say. and more with electronic amusement devices. I think that would be a terri- ble Hobson's choice. It's not a great tradeoff."
But it is a tradeoff that's taking place. People are reading less. Despite his enthusiasm for computers. Crane remains a committed reader, pepper- ing his conversation with references to books.
He's concerned that, thanks again to electronics, the shift from book to electronics may take place rapidly. "Because of television, because of game machines, computers and Nin- tendo, and so on. we are raising a gen- eration of illiterates — and that's scary as hell."
Crane isn't running scared, though. He's confident that the com- bination of interactive electronics and human imagination will ultimately produce a new synthesis — new enter- tainment, new tools. It doesn't matter what form it takes, what platforms or media they require. To Les Crane, it will all be software. 13
138 COMPUTE
JANUARY 1990
NEW PRODUCTS
1
Star Boosts Speed
The Star Micronics NX-1000 II Multi-Font printer is 25-percent faster than the original NX-1000 Multi-Font model. This nine-pin dot-matrix printer offers near-letter-quality text at 45 characters per second (cps) ver- sus 36 cps for the previous model. The draft output is 180 cps compared with 144 cps vifith the older model.
Star's NX-1000 II Multi-Font printer is now a full 25-percent faster than before.
Features include four internal fonts, a 4K buffer, and a paper- parking feature that lets you feed sin- gle sheets without removing tractor- fed paper. The four internal fonts — Courier, Sans Serif, Orator I, and Ora- tor II — can be selected from the front control panel. Italic printing is also available in draft and NLQ print modes.
A parallel interface with Epson LX-800 and IBM Proprinter II emula- tions enable you to run almost all ex- isting software. Other features include automatic paper loading and an ad- justable push-style tractor feed.
The retail price for the NX-1000 II Multi-Font is $299. Star Micronics, 200 Park A'e.. Suite 3510, New York, NY 10166 Circle Reader Service Number 200.
The Great One
The award-winning Amiga sports sim- ulation, Wayne Gretzky Hockey, by Bethesda Soft works, has now been re- leased for IBM PCs and compatibles. Endorsed by the Canadian Amateur
Hockey Association, the game fea- tures many realistic aspects including penalties, power plays, sudden-death overtime, instant replays and fights on the ice, in addition to the chance for you to play with The Great One. You can assume the role of player and/or coach or let the computer play both teams.
Hand-pick your own team and set each player's skill level, or choose from four classic Stanley Cup teams — the 1970 Boston Bruins, the 1970 St. Louis Blues, the 1971 Montreal Cana- diens, or the 1971 Chicago Black- hawks, If you want to join Wayne on the front line, select either the 1988 Edmonton Oilers or the 1989 Los .A.n- geles Kings. Additional International and NHL Team DataDisks are also available separately.
Wayne Greizky Hockey for the IBM PC and compatibles carries a suggested retail price of $54.95. The Amiga version sells for $49.95. Bethesda Softworks, 15235 Shady Grove Rd, Rockville. MP 20850 Circle Reader Service Number 201.
Taxing Times Ahead
Chipsoft's 1989 TurboTax Personal/ 1040 package features pull-down menus and increased mouse support. Online help, including IRS instruc- tions, is available, as is enhanced tele- phone support with a toll-free fax number and an IRS bulletin board.
TurboTax offers the Visual 1040 system for graphics-based machines. New forms offered this year include Schedule Dl , a second copy of Sched- ule F, Schedule 2 (Form I040A), and Forms 4952, 8283, 8808, and 8814. An automatic interview function asks you appropriate questions to deter- mine which forms you'll need.
The program will print IRS- approved forms, including the 1040, on dot-matrix and laser printers. It also prints out all worksheets and schedules.
The TurboTax Personal/ 1040 sells for $75, while updates are half off the current year's price. Each state
version retails for $40, and individual
state updates are $25.
ChipSofi. 5045 Shoreham Pi. San Diego.
CA 92122-3954
Circle Reader Service Number 202.
Pigskins, Pits, and Playoffs
Electronic Arts has extended its sports offerings for the IBM PC and compa- tibles with John Madden Football, Ferrari Formula One. and Lakers vs. Celtics and the NBA Playoffs.
John Madden Football v/as previ- ously released for the Apple II series and features three levels of difficulty to ease you into the fray. QuickPlay, with a reduced playbook, gets the game going within a minute of boot- ing. The Standard Game can be played in Strategy or in Action mode. The strategic game runs the plays you call as you watch the action from the sidelines. The action game lets you make the coaching decisions and run the plays by controlling the key player.
The game retails for $49.95 on the IBM PC and compatibles and the Apple 11.
Race your way to first place and become driving champion In Ferrari Formula One.
With Ferrari Formula One, you can live out your fantasy of racing a Ferrari Fl/88. This detailed driving simulation puts you behind the wheel on famous racecourses such as Mona- co, Detroit, Monza, and Brands Hatch. You can race on a favorite course at any time or take on the chal- lenge of recreating an entire Formula One season. The IBM PC and compa- tibles version has a retail price of
JANUARY 1990 COMPUTEI
139
$39,95. A previously released Amiga version sells for S49.95.
Lakers vs. Celtics features the classic rivalry between two of the NBA's most successful franchises. This NBA-licensed, five-on-five game also features six other 1989 playoff teams along with the 1989 East and West All-Star teams. The teams' sta- tistics are taken from the 1989 season. You can choose any two teams to play a scrimmage game, or you can select one team to enter the playoffs and try to win the World Championship.
Players are faithfully modeled after real-life NB.A stars. The game in- corporates true-to-life rules including ten-second backcourt, three-second lane, and five-second inbounds viola- tions; team-penalty situations; and five-minute overtimes. Lakers vs. Celtics retails for $49.95. Eteclronic Arts. 1820 Gate^vay Dr.. San Mateo. CA 94404 Circle Reader Service Number 203.
Accolade Assumes New Role
With the release of The Third Courier. Accolade enters the role-player game segment of the market. The game takes you to the city of Berlin, where you'll assume the role of Moondancer, the free world's best secret agent. Your assignment is to recover N.ATO's sto- len nuclear defense plans and iheir components from an elusive courier before they are delivered into the hands of the Eastern Bloc.
In this realtime role-playing game. you can tailor Moondancer's back- ground and character traits. You also have at your disposal several high- tech devices. All of the action takes place on a first-person-perspective view screen surrounded by onscreen informational files you can access at any time. ,A status box briefs you on your current location and explains to you through icons what kind of estab- lishments are on your path such as ho- tels, bars, shops, and cash machines.
The IBM PC and compatibles version is hard disk-installable and has a suggested retail price of $49.95. An .Apple IIgs version will be avail- able soon and will retail for S49.95 as well. .Accolade also plans to release a clue book.
Accolade. 550 S. Winchester Blvd.. Suite 200. San Jose. CA95128 Circle Reader Service Number 204.
Laptop Light
The Tandy 1 iOO FD laptop weighs in at less than 6'/: pounds and features the DeskMate graphical user interface and MS-DOS 3.3 built in. DeskMate
includes DeskMate Desktop, Desk- Mate's Text application, and Desk- Mate's 90,000-word spelling checker in ROM. The computer comes equipped with one 3'/3-inch 720K disk drive.
Also included with the computer is a removable, rechargeable battery that lasts for more than five hours and an AC adapter/recharger. Other fea- tures include an 80 X 25 high-con- trast liquid-crystal display with 640 X 200 resolution, an NEC V-20 micro- processor with a clock speed of 8 MHz, 640K of available memory, a full-size 84-key keyboard with en- hanced keypad emulation, a low- battery indicator, a battery-saving standby mode, a built-in realtime clock, a parallel printer port, a serial communications port, and one dedi- cated internal modem slot.
The Tandy 1 100 FD has a retail price of $999.00. Options include an internal modem for $199.95, a re- placement battery for $29.95, and a choice of carrying cases. Tandy. 1 700 One Tandy Center, Fort Worth. TX 76102 Circle Reader Service Number 205.
Tangled Up in Tales
Origin has released the IBM PC and compatibles version of TangledTaies, a fantasy role-playing adventure. Sub- titled The Misadventures of a Wiz- ard's Apprentice, the game, which casts you in the role of the wizard's apprentice, offers a lighthearted, witty approach rather than the typical dark and heavy themes of role-playing adventures.
As the wizard's apprentice, you must complete three progressively dif- ficult tasks as proof of your worthi- ness. On your quest, you'll visit haunted houses, medieval fortresses, and contemporary' countrv' farms. There are over 50 odd characters to meet including a medieval knight, a California surfer, and a Shakespeare- spouting elf maiden.
TangledTaies features a menu- and-icon interface along with state-of- the-art graphics. The suggested retail price $29.95.
Origin. 136 Harvey Rd.. Bldg. B. London- derr}:.\'H0305S Circle Reader Service Number 206.
Software to Sneeze At
Positech's WellAvare traces food- allergy and -intolerance symptoms to the foods that trigger them. It analyzes what you eat to relate ingredients to symptom patterns and then identifies the foods and additives most likelv to
cause the symptoms.
Designed for both home and pro- fessional health care, WelL^iwe lets you conduct your own food-sensitivity studies. It provides a diary to record what was eaten and when and the se- verity of symptoms. The diary can be printed out for reference. The pro- gram's Food Sensitivity Report ranks suspected ingredients or food groups in order of probable cause. WellAware also provides an Ingredient/Diet Cat- egorization Report that helps you plan meals by showing what foods you eat that involve the suspected ingredients or food groups.
The program contains a database of hundreds of meats, seafoods, fruits, vegetables, and grains and the ingredi- ents and additives in over 3000 brand-name processed foods, popular fast foods, and commonly prepared dishes. You can also add your own recipes to the database. It sells for $99. Posiiech. 484B Washington St.. Suite 350, .Moniere}', C-l 93940 Circle Reader Service Number 207.
Playtime
Broderbund's Playroom is built around the theme of a child's play- room filled with games, toys, and sur- prises. It includes seven games that introduce children to early math, reading, telling time, beginning key- boarding, art and creativity, logical thinking, and spelling.
In the first game, called The Play- room, children can explore the room and select from more than 20 toys and objects. The first game teaches chil- dren to recognize or read key safety words. Six of the objects in the room lead to the other six games. The cuck- oo-clock game teaches children how to tell time to the nearest hour while the computer focuses on reading readiness, spelling, and computer key- boarding skills. The mixed-up toy en- courages creativity and helps develop analytical skills. The mousehole, a three-level counting game, introduces addition and subtraction. With the .ABC book, children can learn some creativity and basic reading skills. The spinner toy can help teach kids how to count and recognize the nu- merals 1-12.
The Playroom has a retail price of $44.95 for the IBM PC and compati- bles. $49.95 for the Macintosh, and $39.95 for the Apple II. Included in each package is a small stuffed toy (Pepper the Mouse) and a Parent's Guide.
Broderbund. 1 7 Paul Dr.. San Rafael, CA 94903-2101 Circle Reader Service Number 208. b
140
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The winter holidays are over. Garish paper lies spread upon the floor, and the eggnog stain on the carpet is but a memo- ry and a faint ring. It's only January 5 and al- ready the excitement pro- voked by those delight- fully wrapped, heavy dBase I V-size boxes that once were nestled beneath the tannen- baum has given way to gloom and de- spair. They say it's the thought that counts, but whoever folded those flop- py disks so that they'd fit in your Stocking couldn't have been thinking very hard.
Every year, it boils down to the same thing. You hint, suggest, and beg. You hold aloft copies of your fa- vorite computer journals and point frenetically at the ads. You drag your loved ones through Software-O-Rama and deliberately pick up software packages, nervously flip through books, and joyfully behold hardware add-ons that anyone with one good eye could see you wanted. But it does no good.
Why? Because your friends and loved ones have no idea what you're talking about. Forget about the com- puter gibberish you spout every day; during the holidays it's about as intel- ligible to them as Sanskrit. Even though they have the best intentions, they always buy something that doesn't work with your equipment. And if they do figure out what you want, and they're willing to surprise you with it, the cost of the thing blows them away. Four-hundred-eighly dol- lars for a memory chip! Why can 't yvu raise finches like your brother?
To educate potential gift-givers, it helps to remember all the many months of training you underwent before you could remember what size disk your PC likes to mangle. It pays to look back on how hard it was to memorize what type of three-letter- acronym graphics adapter you have in your machine. And remember how you used that valuable knowledge to
systematically drain your bank account?
My first high-tech holiday, I was really stupid. I thought: They know I'm into computers. All I need to do is sit there and be surprised when 1 open up the complete C library and unwrap all the books I've ever wanted — and that lO-meg hard drive. After all. Uncle Jack didn't have to ask for his hula-hoe, did he? Everyone knows he's into gardening — his nickname is Ortho.
.All I did was set myself up for disappointment. Instead of the C compiler, I got a mug that said / Pulled an All-nighter with Dave. I didn't fair any better the next year, even though I had left magazine ads
all over the place and bought a poster that pictured the software I wanted. Spare yourself a holiday depression: Noncomputer people don't read com- puter ads. They took one look at my poster and said, "Gee, Dan, I guess you're over your naked-lady stage."
The following year, I handed out a suggestion list. I knew by then that I wasn't going to get anything unless I asked for it. Then I discovered how little that noncomputer people know about computers. The phrase C pro- gramming language means something to me, but, to my relatives, it means something completely different, some- thing possibly to do with the ocean.
Only one relative bothered to look at my suggestion list. She got me a real neat shoot-at-the-orange-blob game. At least I think it's neat. It didn't run on any computer I'd ever heard of
Finally, last year, 1 told my Mom exactly what I wanted. I even told her how to get it mail-order. Well, I got what 1 wanted, but 1 sacrificed totally the element of surprise. 1 also sparked my mother's peculiar sense of sibling fairness. My brother and sister each got a semitrailer full of clothes and a trip to the Bahamas.
The moral of the story is this: To have a happy holiday, you have to be direct. Come right out and say what you want. I've even prepared a script.
Say, [name of loved one], I want [name of program]. It's a [type of pro- gram]. I need the [size of disks] disk format for my [name of your com- puter). Buy it at [name of the computer store where you go all the time]. Tell them you 're my [potential gift-giver's relationship to you}.
Once you've delivered your speech, you need only worry about in- significant things like the ambulance and triage unit your loved ones will need when they see the price tag.
Finally, remember to feign sur- prise next year when it comes time to open your goodies. Face it, those Microsoft-size boxes are hard to conceal.
It's too late for gift suggestions this year, but at least you now know why you didn't get all that you expect- ed. So, put this column away till next Thanksgiving, when it can do you some good. But for right now. pick up all that paper, for crying out loud, and take out that tree before it rots. H
142
C O M P U T E I
JANUARY 1990
See The World
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And Never Leave Home
Discover a world beyond
word processing and spread
sheets. Let your computer take
you to new lands. Take flight!
Spread your wings and travel to
exotic places. Let your computer
thrill you with new experiences.
1
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1101 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 901
Washington, DC 20036
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FREE BROCHURE!
t 1-800-333-3944 J
To learn more about
home software, call
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It describes the variety of software
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Let your computer entertain and
educate you!
S U M E R SOFTWARE SECTION
Circle Reader Servlcfl Number 162
HOTWARE
HOME PRODUCTIVITY
1. Quicken
Manage your finances.
Intuit
IBM. Macintosh
2. The Print Shop
Make banners and more.
Broderbund
Apple II. Apple llss, Commodore 64/128, IBM,
Macintosti
3. PC USA
Explore the United States.
PC Globe IBM
4. IManaging Your Money 2.0
Allocate your income.
MECA
Apple II. IBM. Macintosh
5. BatinerMania
Print banners, pennants, and more,
Broderbund
IBM
6. Bank Street Writer Pius
Word processing for the whole
family.
Brederbund
Apple, IBM
7. Print Shop Graphics Library
Add variety to your Print Shop
creations.
Broderbund
Apple II, Apple llss. Commodore 64/128, IBM
8. Resume Kit
Help for landing the right job.
Spinnaker
IBM
9. PC Globe +
Explore world demographics.
Comwell Systems IBM
10. WillMaker
Gel help in writing a will.
Nolo Press
Apple II. IBM. Macintosh
HOME ENTERTAINMENT
1. Flight Simulator
Head for the wild blue yonder.
Microsoft
IBM. Macintosh
2. SimCity
Run the world's first simulated city.
Maxis
Amiga, Commodore 64/128. IBM. Macinlosh
3. The Duel: Test Drive ii
Fast-paced car racing.
Accolade
Amiga, Apple IIgs, Commodore 64/128, IBM,
Macintosh
4. Operation Wolf
Lead a hostage rescue mission.
Taito
Amiga. Apple II. Commodore 64/128. IBM
5. ChessMaster 2100
Board strategy that isn't boring.
Electronic Arts
Apple II, Apple IIgs. Commodore 64/128. IBM
6. 688 Attack Sub
Command a prowling sub.
Electronic Arts IBM
7. Falcon
.Air combat at its best.
Spectmm HoloByte Amiga, IBM, Macintosh
8. Tetris
Deceptively addicting falling-block game.
Spectrum HoloByte
Amiga. Apple lies. Commodore 64/128.
Macintosh
9. F-15 Strike Eagle II
Fly the Air Force's hottest fighter.
Electronic Arts
IBM
10. King's Guest IV
Rosella must save her father.
Sierra
Amiga, Apple II. Apple lies. IBM
HOME LEARNING
1 . Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing
Learn to touch-type. Electronic Arts Apple 11. Apple lies. Commodore 64/128, IBM. Macintosh
2. Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
Chase Carmen around the world.
Broderbund
Amiga, Apple II, Commodore 64/128, IBM.
Macintosh
3. Math Blaster Plus!
Teaches basic math concepts. Davidson & Associates Apple II. Apple IIgs. IBM
4. Where in the USA Is Carmen Sandiego?
The chase moves to the USA.
Broderbund
Amiga. Ajjple II. Commodore 64/128, IBM,
Macintosh
5. Reader Rabbit
Helps children learn to read.
The Learning Company
Apple II, Commodore 64/128, IBM, Macintosh
6. Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?
Can you find Carmen in time?
Brederbund IBM
7. Learning DOS
Learn the ins and outs of DOS,
Microsoft
IBM
8. The Children's Writing & Publishing Center
.A desktop publisher for kids. The Learning Company Apple II. Apple IIgs, IBM
9. Think Quick
Children learn problem solving. The LEarninQ Company Apple II, Apple IIgs, IBM
10. Magic Spells
Sharpen spelling skills.
The Learning Company Apple II, Apple IIgs, IBM
COMPUTE! s Holware lists were prepared by Egghead Discount Software and are based on retail sales of Apple IL Macintosh, and IBM software from September 17 through October 14 1989 at 206 Egghead stores in the United States and Canada, '
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