JULY 1993
PENTIUM
SPECIAL REPOItr!
(SEE PAGE 56)
T*y.
WINDOWS APPS!
EXPERTS
PICK THEIR 10 i
FAVORITE
PROGRAMS
PLUS!
<a'. O Q
VISUAL C++
GREAT GOLF GAMES
BIOS BASICS
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We've been groping for an appropriate description of our
4DX2-66V. Screaming. Yeah, this machine definitely screams, but
the acljcciivc is worn. Drai;xiei: Good, but that's what PC World
called it when the_\ s;iid it was "by far the fastest machine we've
evertesicd." We didn't want a used word, Greyhound. Fast, but
this system mosi certainly cannot be compared to a dog.
Then one of our Walter Mitty surfers said it: The Big Kahuna.
in surfing vernacular, the Biii Kahuna is ihe ultimate surfer -a
surfer whose performance is most awesome and whose reputation
L/ 4DX2-66V
■ 66MHz 4S6DX2 InteP Processor
■ 16MB RAM. I56K Cache
■ .3,5" Diskelte Drive AND CD-ROM Drive
■ 340MB 13ms IDE Hard Drive
■ Local Bu.s IDE Inierface
B Inlel Pentium™ Technology Ready
■ ATI Ultra Pro with 1 MB VRAM on VL-BU!
■ 15" Color CtysialScdiV 15721-S
■ Desktop Case ITower Upgrade)
■ 7 16-Bii ISA Slots. 2 on VL-Bus
M 124-Kcy.AiiyKey' Keyboard
■ MS-DOS ^6. Diagnostics. Windows'" & Mouse
■ Choice of Application Software
$2995
is truly magnificent. To PC dudes and dudettes, Gateway's 4DX2-
66V is the Big Kahuna of personal computers - the most awesome
PC on the planet.
But you won't find this Big Kahuna flashing on just any beach.
This totally tubular machine can only be found at Gateway 2000.
Check out the price. It's radical, man.
If you're looking for the Big Kahuna, get a Gateway 2000
4DX2-66VI
GArEmiy2ooo
m--?^
8 0 0-846-2071
61(1 Gateway Dnvc • P.O. Box 2000 • Norlli SioM Ciiv. SD 57049-2000 • 60.^-232-2000 • Fa.\ 605-?
Sales Hours: 7ani-10p!ii Weekdays. 9am4pm (CTi
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December 1992
BEST VALUE. March 1993
March 199:
cannpuTE
VOLUME 15, NO. 7, ISSUE 154
JULY 1993
FEATURES
6
TOP 10 WINDOWS TOOLS
By Kimberly Havlena
Power users name their top
Windows applications and
tell how they use them.
16
TEST LAB
Edited by Mike Hudnall
We corral ten 66-MHz local-
bus thoroughbreds and put
them through their paces.
60
WHERE HARDWARE MEETS
SOFTWARE
By Richard C. Leinecl^er
How does your hardware
communicate with your
software?
66
PRODUCTIVITY CHOICE
By George Campbell
Visual Basic 2.0 from
Microsoft.
COLUMNS
4
EDITORIAL LICENSE
By Clifton Karnes
Windows 4 and DOS 7.
40
NEWS & NOTES
By Jill Champion
Top computer news.
46
FEEDBACK
Answers to tough questions.
49
READERSHIP SURVEY
Tell us what you think!
50
WINDOWS WORKSHOP
By Clifton Karnes
Microsoft's Visual C++ sets
a new standard.
52
TIPS & TOOLS
Edited by
Richard C. Leinecker
Tips from our readers.
Cover photo by Mark Wagoner. Computer from Gateway 2000.
54
INTRODOS
By Tony Roberts
DOS is alive and well.
56
HARDWARE CLINIC
By Mark Minasi
Special report on Intel's new
Pentium.
58
PROGRAMMING POWER
By Tom Campbeli
PowerBASIC is back!
68
PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY
By Rosalind Resnick
Leasing versus buying a
personal computer.
70
MULTIMEDIA PC
By David English
Encarta is tops.
72
ART WORKS
By Robert Bixby
Finding that special paper.
120
NEWS BITS
By Jill Champion
Top stories at press time.
ENTERTAINMENT
74
DISCOVERY CHOICE
By David Sears
The Animals!
76
GAME INSIDER
By Shay Addams
The hottest new
entertainment software.
78
ENTERTAINMENT CHOICE
By Peter Olafson
Alone in the Dark from
I • Motion/Interplay.
80
GAMEPLAY
By Paul C. Schuytema
A look at some game
programs that are off the
beaten path.
83
HITTING THE LINKS
By Paul C. Schuytema
When the masters tee up,
which ones can dhve a hole
in one?
REVIEWS
89
Sony Desktop Library,
Dashboard for Windows 1.0,
Smith Corona Coronajet 200j,
DEC 433DX LR
AutoCAD Release 12,
Gobliiins,
Quantum Hardcard EZ 240,
Wyse Decision 486si,
Pacific Islands,
Suncom FX 2000,
Insight,
Grandmaster Chess,
Air Force Commander,
Best Data Smart One 9624
FP Traveler Fax/Modem,
Mutanoid Math Challenge,
Space Ace l\: Borf's
Revenge,
Coffee Break Gambling,
The Operation: Fighting
Tiger,
Practical FaxMe,
and Mixed-Up Fairy Tales.
ADVERTISERS INDEX
See page 97.
COMPUTE (iSSfJ 0194-357X) Is published monthly in the United Slases and Canada by COMPUTE Publications internalional Ltd , 'S65 Braadivay New York NV 10023-5965 VoluiT.e 15
Number 7, Issue 154. Copyright E 1993 by COMPUTE Publications International Ud All rignls reserved COMPUTE is a rDQislcred trademark of COMPUTE Publications iniernaiionai Ltd
Disiribuled waridwide (except Auslraiia and the UK) by Curtis Circulalion Company, PO Box 9102. Pennsaukcn, NJ 08109. Dislribuled in Australia by The Horv/ite Group RO Box 306
Cammeray NSW 2062 Australia and m the UK by Northern and Sholi Pic. RO Box 381 , Miliharbour. London E14 9TW. Second-class postage paid al New York NY and at addilional maiiing
oirices POSTMASTER: Send address changes to COMPLTTE Magazine, PO Bon 3245. Harlan. lA 51537-30'! 1, Tol, (BOO) 727-6937 Entire conlenls copyrighted. Ail rights rcscn/od
Nolhing may be reproduced in whole or m pan without wrinen permission from the publisher Subscriptions; US. AFO - SI 9 94 one year; Canada and elsowhoro -$25.94 one year Single
copies $2 96 in US. The publisher disclaims all responsibility to return unsolicited matter, and all rights in portions published Ihereol remain the sole property of COMPUTE Pubiicalions
Iniernaiionai Ud Letters sent to COMPUTE or its editors become Ihe property of the nuagazine. Editorial offi[:es are located at 324 W. Wendover Ave Ste 200 Greensboro NC 2740B
Tel. (919) 275-9809, ' '
Printed in the USA by R. R. Donnelley & Sons Inc.
2 COMPUTE JULY 1993
#R126607415
Not just a new Sound Blastet
A new 16-bit audio standard.
Introducing the Sound Blaster" 16
Digital Audio Platform. A new concept in
sound cards. And a new standard for
16-bit PC audio.
YOU WON'T Believe Your Ears.
PC audio never sounded so good-
genuine CD-quality audio with fully 127i>
more dynamic response
and 15% better signal-
to-noise ratio
Upgrading to Dilvimcat
teclmologies if iK fimpk'iK
plugging ill II dauglitiT hmd.
than any com-
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Plus softv^'are data
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But there's more. Included in the Sound Blaster 16
package is the biggest advancement in PC conh-ol since the
in\'ention of the mouse: our exclusive VoiceAssist ' software.
It's a sophisticated speech recognition interface that uses a
32;000-command library to control Windows applications
lumds-frce!
THE ONLY SOUND CARD THAT GROWS WfTH YOU.
Urdike other 16-bit cards, Sound Blaster 16 comes with built-
in interfaces for CD-ROM, MPU-40i MIDI and joystick control.
And the unique modular, scalable
architecture lets you add more
ad\'anced features
and technologies
(75 you need them.
Like our Advanced Hands-free
Signal Processing chip '*'' '^'"""''■
that delivers 4:1 real-time hard-
ware data compression while
reducing CPU time by up to 65%.
Or professional-qualit}' sampled
wave synthesis with our plug-in
Wave Blaster " daughter board.
The new 16-bit PC audio standard: Includes programtmbk miwr, miaophone,
VoiceAssist spmli recognition softicarc. plus nare than SlUW in so/hiurc appliaititms.
StatMf-thfrArt PC Sound with
76-bit Ci\lcc i%!fii/ iiudia chip.
l&btt Data Compression saves
rfM' space witlml loss 4sig-
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Ui^radaWe, Modular Pjatlami
mahs it easy to aiid ncir tech-
nologies like Advanced Sigml
Processing and Wave Blaster.
100% Compatibility ii!itft(l/r
Sound Blister apjilications,
plus cross platform support for
mtdowiJXDOSorOS/i
And- also unlike other cards-the Sound Blaster 16 is
100% compatible with every game ami appiication ever written for
the Sound Blaster. . .which is to say vhfeally every game and
application available for sound.
NOBODY Packs in more Value Than
THE INDUSTRY LEADER.
And as if that weren't enough, we've completed
the package with more than $1000 worth of leading
software-not too shabby, considering the entire
package retails for just $279*
So let's face it. When it comes to audio
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With the Sound Blaster 1 6 -the new 'ppii^otions tim
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For more information about Creative Labs products
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ftM^iMi Intcmaliorxal ir^qoiries: Creative Teclinolngy Ltd.. Singapore, TEL feS-TTSHJiaa FAX 65-773-0353.
Cittle Reader Service Niunberl25.
EDITORIAL LICENSE
Clifton Karnes
W I hat's ahead tor Win-
fdows and DOS? That's
a question we all ask
ourselves, and those of
us in the business of following
the PC industry ask it more of-
ten than anyone else. This
past April, at the Windows De-
velopers Conference in Bos-
ton, we received an answer.
At the conference, Micro-
soft made a presentation that
focused on two things: OLE
2.0 and 32-bit Windows, How-
ever, the talk ranged over top-
ics that included NT, Win-
dows for TVs, and Chicago
(Microsoft's newest hush-
hush project).
It's clear that
OLE is an
extremely important
technology to
Windows' future.
First off, Microsoft sees
three Windows families. The
first family is Modular Win-
dows, which includes Tandy's
VIS (the only shipping prod-
uct built on Modular Windows
to date), the as-yet-to-be-devel-
oped WinPad operating sys-
tem for PDAs (Personal Digi-
tal Assistants), Windows for
TVs (a joint venture with Intel
and General Instruments),
and Windows Telephony (an-
other joint venture with Intel).
You could call this family con-
sumer Windows, because
that's clearly the market Micro-
soft is going after.
The next family is called per-
sonal Windows, and this
group includes Windows 3.1,
Windows for Workgroups,
and the yet-to-be-announced
Chicago project.
The last Windows family is
Windows NT which most of
us have heard a lot about in
the last year. NT, which
stands for New Technology,
is the corporate branch of the
Windows family tree.
One thing that's worried
some of us is the future of Win-
dows 3.1. Will it be replaced
by NT? From the evidence at
the conference, it doesn't
look as if it will be. Microsoft
said that 89 percent of its fu-
ture business is planned to
come from its personal Win-
dows products— Windows 3.1
and its successors — with the
rest divided between Modular
Windows and Windows NT
So if personal Windows is
so important, why the empha-
sis on 32-blt Windows? Most
of us think of NT as the 32-bit
version of Windows. Although
that's true now, NT won't be
the only 32-bit Windows
around by 1994. Windows 4,
planned for release next
year, will be a full 32-bit oper-
ating system. Interestingly,
DOS 7 will be part of Win-
dows 4. And the Chicago pro-
ject, mentioned above, con-
sists of both Windows 4 and
DOS 7. And what about Win-
dows for Workgroups? Micro-
soft plans to include all the net-
working capability of WFWG
in Windows 4, so WFWG will
disappear as a separate prod-
uct, just as Multimedia Win-
dows did when 3.1 included
multimedia support.
As you might expect, DOS
7 will be a full 32-bit operating
system. It may even come
close to the "DOS NT" colum-
nist Mark Minasi talked about
in his May "Hardware Clinic"
column.
One thing's for sure: The dif-
ference between personal Win-
dows and Windows NT won't
be the difference between 16-
and 32-bit operating systems.
It will be the difference be-
tween an end-user version of
Windows and a high-perform-
ance, security-intensive work-
station version.
This is good news for all of
us. it means that in order to
move up to high-performance
32-bit computing, we can sim-
ply upgrade to Windows 4.
And what will Windows 4
be like? It's certain to be
more object-oriented than Its
predecessors. And here, ob-
ject-oriented means "easier to
use." Drag and drop will be
the primary vocabulary, and
perhaps most important, the
emphasis will switch from ap-
plications to documents.
As documents become
more integrated (containing
text, graphics, sound, and vid-
eo), each document will be
created by a suite of applica-
tions. The document, then,
will become the focus of our at-
tention, and the applications
that create it will become
more transparent.
This application transparen-
cy is one of the goals of OLE
2.0, v/hich I discussed six
months ago. With the new
OLE, as you work In a com-
pound document and as you
move from application to ap-
plication, your document
stays the same, but the frame
window changes (usually as lit-
tle as possible) to reflect the
proper editing environment
for the current part of your doc-
ument. This is a powerful
tool, and something we can
look forward to in the very
near future.
Interestingly, this emphasis
on OLE 2.0 doesn't come
from some ivory tower philos-
ophy cooked up at Micro-
soft's Redmond headquar-
ters, but from user surveys,
According to figures present-
ed by Microsoft, end users
have told the company that
what they really want from Win-
dows applications is better in-
tegration. And with Windows
4, DOS 7, and OLE 2.0, we'll
all have it. □
COMPUTE JULY 1993
Mission
IBM Programming Systems introduces
C Set++,™ the most complete application
development package you can buy for
'OS/2® Its 32-bii C/C++
compiler lets you unleash
all the pow-er of OS/2 — so you can
create the most advanced, high-
performance applications.
It has an extraordinary code optimizer with a
full set of options. Even a switch to optimize for the new
Pentium™ processor. Plus a full set of class libraries,
including application frameworks for PM, container
classes and classes for multitasking, streams and more.
There's also a full complement of other helpful
features. Such as an mteractive source level debugger.
And the unique Execution Trace
Analyzer traces the
execution of a program,
then graphically displays
^^^^ diagrams of the
C^^^^^^^^ i^Li^a analysis. Plus a class
^^^^ ^^ T ^ library browser that
shows class library relationships.
What's more, you get Workframe/2,™ a language-
independent tool that lets you customize your own envi-
ronment. It's adaptable and flexible — you can use any 16
and 32-bit DOS, Windows™ and OS/2 tools.
^ C Set -I-+ Technical Features
ANSICX3.159-19B9
Standards
NIST validated
ANSI C-H- X3J16 (Full ARM)
150 9899:1990
1
Global
Inler-module
Optimization
Function inllning
...^^^^^^^
1^^
Instruction sctieduling
Upgrade until August 31, 1993, from C Set/2 or Work Sel/2
for only 3149. CD ROM prices slightly lower.
To order C Set++, contact your nearest dealer or call
1-800-342-6672 (USA) or
1-800-465-7999 ext. 460 (Canada).
Qearly, there's only one place to start. C Set++ .
starts
here
ManLfactLrer's suggested relail price is S595. IBM and OSS are regislBred Irademarks and C Set++ and Worlrframe/2 are tradamarta of IntemBtional Business Machines
Corporation. Pentium is a trademark of Intel Corporation. Windows Is a trademark of Microsoft Corp. t 1993 IBM Corp.
ower users name
the top
Windows
applications and
^ tell how
they put them
I to use.
yivimberly Havlena
Looking for the Windows applications
tliat offer the most in terms of tools,
speed, and intuitiveness? Here are the
experts' opinions to help you in your
search for the programs that will best
meet your needs.
The experts whose opinions we
solicited have reviewed hundreds of
programs and identified the ones that
they i!l<e best. Whatever sparks your
interest — word processing, spread-
Sheets, databases, or graphics— here
are the Windows application programs
that will provide the greatest ease,
efficiency, and enjoyment.
Getting the Words on Paper
Word processing took a long time to
come to Windows. Once it arrived, the
word-processing arena suddenly filled
with contenders. There is hardly a
major word processor that doesn't have
a Windows version available. With all
that software to choose from, which
programs are the most popular among
users who spend hours a day making
their living by writing?
Leslie Eiser has been writing in
■fi^:'':
'.■-■.'••H»
■t^-M^^MiM^&■a'mf^^^i^:^.AM^:
COMPUTE and elsewhere about edu-
cational computing for ten years. Eiser
says Microsoft Word for Windows is
her pick as thie best word processor.
She likes it not only because it's pow-
erful and easy to use, but also
because it's helpful in a school envi-
ronment. It has well-integrated tools,
such as a style checker and the-
saurus, that make it a great help to
teachers. Another advantage is that
it's a word processor equally power-
ful—and popular— in its PC and
Macintosh versions. And in compari-
son to WordPerfect, Word for Windows
is much easier to use, Eiser finds.
Tom Campbell owns and operates
the South Bay Company, which devel-
ops software; he writes the "Program-
ming Power" column for COMPUTE.
Campbell uses Word for Windows
because it's the best word processor
he can find for large documents. He
uses It for creating everything from
brochures to 800-page manuals.
Desktop publishing expert William
Harrel has written five books about
publishing and hundreds of articles
for COMPUTE and other magazines.
When it comes to word processing,
Harrel prefers Ami Pro. "As a review-
er, with my extensive knowledge of
the three top Windows word proc-
essors. Ami Pro is the most so-
phisticated and the most useful," says
Harrel. Ami Pro, a full-featured word
processor, excels in its page layout
features. While it can be used as a
simple word processor for typing and
creating documents, it can also han-
dle "relatively sophisticated page lay-
outs, such as newsletters," says
Harrel. The advantage of using your
word processor for layouts is that you
don't have to do any extra work to
transfer text between your word
processor and your layout program.
George Campbell is a conthbuting
editor for another computer magazine
and a shareware author. Campbell is
also a fan of Ami Pro; he thinks that it
makes the best use of the Windows
environment and offers outstanding
tools for page design. Campbell feels
that Ami Pro is easier to use than its
competitors (specifically Word for
Windows and WordPerfect for
Windows). He uses Ami Pro for every-
thing from basic correspondence to
high-end desktop publishing.
Word processing is more than get-
ting words down on paper, though.
What kinds of word-processing add-
ons do our experts rely on?
Regular COMPUTE contributor
Richard Mann is a certified public
accountant as well as a writer. Mann
recommends Microsoft Bookshelf as
8 COMPUTE JULY 1993
an add-on for word processing. This
electronic library comes with handy
reference tools, including a dictionary
and an encyclopedia, Bookshelf is a
CD-ROM product. In fact, Microsoft
Bookshelf now comes as a premium
with Multimedia Word for Windows
and Bookshelf. If you find a quotation
in the dictionary or encyclopedia that
you want to use in your text, you
merely highlight it and, with the click
of a button, it's inserted into your
Word for Windows document. In ad-
dition to this, an automatic footnote is
inserted to tell which reference book
the material came from.
Steven Anzovin spends most of his
time writing books, but he's also a free-
lance writer, an editor, a computer con-
sultant, and a database programmer.
Anzovin uses MacLinkPlus as his prin-
cipal word-processing add-on. Mac-
LinkPlus transfers files between the
Macintosh and PC over a modem con-
nection, automatically translating be-
tween various PC and Mac file formats.
Tony Roberts operates a desktop
publishing business and is a COM-
PUTE contributing editor, To Roberts,
helpfulness means OmniPage Direct.
OmniPage Direct allows him to place
a typewritten page on the scanner
and read it into a word-processing
file. With OmniPage Direct, you can
do the scanning from within your own
applications without having to exit to
another program.
it's so easy to lose the cursor on
your computer screen. ArrowSmith is a
cursor enlargement program that will
be sure to catch your eye and add
some fun to computer input. Not only
does it enlarge the cursor, but it allows
you to choose what form you want the
cursor to take. You could choose an
ordinary arrow or opt for something
with a little pizazz such as a syringe, a
heart, a flag, or a magnifying glass.
ArrowSmith also allows you to modify
the wait symbol to a picture of a stop
sign, a stoplight, a don't-walk sign, a
snovi^lake, a smiley face, even a com-
puter in jail. "I like ArrowSmith because
it's the best cursor enlargement pro-
gram I could find. Plus, it's lots of fun to
use," says Tom Campbell.
trun<hing Numbers
Spreadsheets were an early port to
Windows. First and foremost was
Microsoft Excel. Recently, publishers
have been creating and porting spread-
sheets to Windows in increasing num-
bers. Which are the cream of the crop?
Richard Mann says that Excel and
Quattro Pro are both excellent spread-
sheets for Windows. Because Quattro
Pro has the newest version, it currently
does a few more things than Excel. But
the features race wiil continue.
Quattro Pro gives you a three-
dimensional spreadsheet which
allows you to work not only in rows
and columns but also in stacks of
pages, The 3-D metaphor resembles
a three-ring binder with tabs at the
bottom of each page that you can
click on to move back and forth
between all the pages in your spread-
sheet. Quattro Pro also has graphic
tools for drawing and making slides
that give a professional touch. "It's not
only a spreadsheet, but it's a little pre-
sentation-building package as well,"
says Mann.
George Campbell thinks that Excel
is the best Windows application. With
its intuitiveness. it simpiifies complica-
tions, and the final output is easily
made to look presentable.
The World of Publishing
Is ease of use your prime considera-
tion when you're looking for a desktop
publishing and layout program?
William Harrel says that in his opinion,
Aldus PageMaker is the easiest desk-
top publishing software to use. It has
a pasteboard metaphor that Harrel
likens to working on a layout table.
Anybody familiar with laying out
pages on a drafting table or a paste-
up table would be more comfortable
with PageMaker than with some of the
frame-based programs. If price Is
more important than ease of use,
Harrel recommends Microsoft
Publisher or Express Publisher.
Tony Roberts uses PageMaker in
his desktop publishing business to
create newsletters, brochures, and
books. He prefers it to other desktop
publishing software because of its
many options, Roberts says that he
has never liked Aldus PageMaker's
keenest competitor, Ventura Publish-
er, in any other incarnation {Macin-
tosh and DOS) and that he is going to
stay away from it in Windows,
Ever the contrarian, Robert Bixby,
features editor of COMPUTE and
author of "Art Works," COMPUTE's
desktop publishing column, prefers
Ventura Publisher because it keeps the
text closer to its original condition, eas-
ily editable by a DOS or Windows word
processor. He finds PageMaker unintu-
itive and difficult to use.
Using Data
When it comes to managing data, the
options for Windows users have multiplied
over the past few months with the intro-
duction of Microsoft Access and Microsoft
FoxPro for Windows. How does our panel
of experts rate these packages?
^ESSSSiSfusa**'*
Quiet.'
Quiet Tecliiwhgij lor
near kier-quiel opcratim.
When you already have a
best seller like the KX-P 1 1 23 Dot Matrix
Printer that delivers outstanding print quality, speed and
reliability for the money, what do you do for an encore? We asked people just
like you and they told us to make it quieter.
WE ASKED PEOPlf HOW
TO IMPROVE OUR BEST SELUNG PRINTER.
THEYTDLDUSTO BE QUIET.
So, we added Panasonic's Quiet Technology and created the new KX-P2023 24-pin Dot
Matrix printer. But, we didn't stop there. At the same time we made it easier on your ears, we
made the KX-P2023 much easier to use with an all-new, user-friendlier control
panel. We also made it easier to load and even
more reliable with a belt-drive tractor feed and a
Sliiipl/Nnl Cmtrel Panel Bclt-Drkr Tnidur Fi-nl
simplified paper path. Plus, like all Panasonic Dot Matrix Printers, the KX-P2023 is backed by a
two-year limited warranty.' No wonder the 1 992 PC Magazine Service and Reliability Survey
rated Panasonic "Excellent" on reliability, service and support.
Why would Panasonic take a proyen winner and improve it? Because the surest way to
create another best seller is by making things better.
For more information visit your Panasonic dealer or call 1-800-742-8086.
POI0.COM Circle Header Service Number 134
Office Automation,f='^\
George Campbell uses Access to
manage his data. In addition to being
easy to use and having powerful out-
put, "it uses a subset of the Visual
Basic language for development,
which . . , makes it easy to work with,"
Campbell says.
Tom Campbell uses Access for the
databases to run his business. One
reason he likes it is that it has a pro-
gramming language similar to ones
that he already knew. He warns, how-
ever, that Microsoft tries to market Ac-
cess as a product that is supposedly
so easy that even a beginner could
start working with it right away, "I think
Access is a tremendous program —
I'm even writing a book on it— but it is
not for beginners," says Campbell.
"FiieMal<er Pro 2.0 from Claris is much
better for beginners than Access or
FoxPro for Windows. Instant Database
from Asymmetrix is another easy and
inexpensive alternative. FoxPro is
great if you're already familiar with
FoxPro for DOS or dBASE, but it
doesn't do things in an intuitive v/ay
for a seasoned Windows user."
Why isn't Access Campbell's first
choice for beginners? "When dBASE It
came out, it was a lot easier than any-
thing else available, but it took a lot of
work to learn to use it. It's the same in
the case of Access. I simply don't think
it's as easy to use as FileMaker Pro
when you first start using it. If you're
willing to work to learn Access, though,
your efforts will be richly repaid. If your
time is limited, stick to FileMaker Pro or
Instant Database."
Making Contact
Windows has always been an excel-
lent environment for telecommunica-
tions. In these days of instant faxes
and high-speed interchange of data,
it makes even more sense to do your
communicating in Windows, William
Harrel stands by Procomm Plus for
Windows because he's found it to be
powerful and easy to use. He says
that Procomm is the telecommunica-
tions product that has something for
everybody.
George Campbell joins in the
praise for Procomm. He says that it's
easy to script for logging on and other
functions. It also has a good dialing
directory that's easy to set up and
works well at high communication
speeds.
Robert Bixby recommends WinFax
Pro as the foremost product in the
field of direct faxing. Sending a fax
with Winfax is exactly iike printing to a
local printer. When you select Winfax
as your printing device under
Windows, it pauses to get the sending
information (recipient, fax number,
and cover page), then formats the
page as a fax. It dials the remote fax
machine and sends the file automati-
cally. Many similar programs are
appearing, including programs that
receive faxes and convert their graph-
ic information into ASCII text for easy
editing and compact storage. Among
these is Caere's FaxlVlaster.
Keith Ferrell, editor of Omni maga-
zine, says, "RapidFAX for Windows
[from The Complete PC] handles my
fax material more efficiently than any-
thing else I've tried. It certainly beats
printing it out, walking to the fax
machine, and transmitting it manuaily.
Seriously, the program is almost
effortless to use, resides nicely in the
Fun and Windows don't seem to go
together for most people. But the
fact is that some of ihe most innova-
tive educational and entertainment
software is beginning to appear
ready to run in the formerly all-busi-
ness Windows environment,
Parents quickly learn the names
of good children's stories and their
authors. Brederbund's Just Grand-
ma and Me and Arthur's Teacher
Trouble are two computer programs
based on the popular children's sto-
ries of the same names. "These are
well-known, well-respected chil-
dren's stories, which makes them
very appealing to the parents," says
Lesiie Eiser.
Just Grandma and Me, by
Mercer Mayer, is designed for chil-
dren who are learning to read. A
page of the storybook comes up on
the screen, and the computer reads
the story in beautiful, accented voic-
es. Behind the pictures on the
screen, animated sequences are
hiding. Once you think you know
what to expect, the animated
sequences change.
The animation of Just Grandma
and Me resembles the author's iilus-
trations and style. "For children, one
doesn't use the same graphics [as
Just for Fun
in adult productivity software].
Children are not little adults . , . they
need to be . . . talked to differently,"
says Eiser. These programs ap-
proach children in a completely dif-
ferent way from a lot of other chil-
dren's software.
Arthur's Teacher Trouble, written
by Marc Brown, is for older children.
It focuses on human relationships
rather than reading skills. The plot
that moves the program is that
Arthur is having problems with his
teacher at school and is contemplat-
ing how to solve his dilemma without
upsetting everyone.
THE ANIMALS!, developed by
the San Diego Zoo, is another espe-
cially appealing children's program.
It's an encyclopedic view of animals.
Its interface uses the multimedia
extensions that come with Windows
to provide a colorful picture of the
zoo. When you click your mouse on
a certain section of the zoo, you are
given information on the animals liv-
ing in that habitat. THE ANIMALS! is
meant to be used in a classroom sit-
uation with children who are either
planning to visit the zoo or are
putting together projects on animals,
(THE ANIMALS! is reviewed else-
where in this issue.)
Windows has always been aimed
at productivity, but important
Windows entertainment software for
grownups has begun to appear, "A
lot of [Windows] games are just
rehashes of DOS games," says Paul
Schuytema. But Microsoft Golf, a
version of the Links golf games, uti-
lizes the Windows format and comes
complete with digitized sound and
excellent graphics. Instead of cram-
ming everything into one window, as
a lot of the DOS games do,
Microsoft Golf uses full windowing to
show you such things as your power
bar and information on how far your
clubs can hit, (See "Hitting the
Links" elsewhere in this issue.)
Maxis has recently released a
Windows version of SimCity — The
City Simulator, It's another game
that follows the Windows format of
opening and closing windows and
being able to pile them on top of
each other. By doing so, it gives a
new perspective to SimCity. It's easy
to switch back and forth between a
world view and a city view, and
graphs can also be brought up.
"Once you've played SimCity on
Windows, you can't go back to the
DOS version because it's just so
good," says Schuytema.
10 COMPUTE JULY 1993
FOR THE DISCRIMINATING MOVIE FAN.
<s:>
■'--■'i'^^ii^^h
Doiith Becomes Her
*\o-- -
A League Of Their Own
1070UUb
Passengers?
* 1037709
Sneakers
* 1071604
Top Gun
0426908
Allen
0000206
Aliens
0360909
Allen 3
* 1042506
Boomerang
* 1064005
Dune
0211102
The Blues Brottiers
0211706
Goodlellas
*0969808
Hook
•0854307
Back To The Future
» 02 11409
Back To The
Future Part 11
*0921304
Back To The
Future Part III
*0497008
Field 01 Dreams
0920306
Fried Green TomatoeB
1OO5404
The Prince Of Tides
*0847103
Patlon
0788703
The Empire Of The Sun
*0633206
The Addams Family
* 1000900
National Lampoons
Animal House
0211508
Bugs Bunny Clasaics
0297705
Fatal Attraction
0439307
*nq5iqn5
Bugsy
•0853408
The Bible
* 0074708
Casablanca
0050708
It's A Wonderful Life
(4&th Anniversary Ed.)
0392306
New Jack City
0971507
ThQ Man Who Would
Be King
*OOB5803
Far& Away
* 1046507
Patriot Games
* 1051 309
The Sound Ot Music
♦00039O5
Backdralt
•0559005
The Hunt
For Red October
♦0625000
The Silence Of
The Lambs
0805309
Robin Hood:
Prince Ot Thieves
*0976e03
Die Hard
♦0367607
Die Hard 2
•0041806
LASER*
DEO-
SEE DETAILS BELOW.
The Abyss
• 0881102
2001 : A Space Odyssey
Edward Sclssorhands
C3r>
SlarTrok:
The r.lotion Picture
♦0203505
Star Trek II:
TheWralhOIKhan
•0201301
Star Trek 111:
The Search For Spock
♦0201608
Star Trek IV:
Tho Voyage Home
♦0430603
Star Trek V:
The Final Frontier
♦0446605
Star Trek Vi: The
Undiscoyered Country
♦1001007
Ghost
♦0826008
E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial
0681106
Scarlace(1983)
0216804
Chinatown
♦0202507
North By Northwest
♦0844209
Beverly Hills Cop
0205302
BsvcriyHliisCopii
0431 90S
Wayne's World
Conan Tho Barbarian
Forbidden Planet
♦0853705
♦0220509
•0844407
Jaws
0100008
Kindergarten Cop
0523407
Henry V (1990)
0040303
The Commitments
0691303
Caddyshack
0602300
Black Bain
♦0911701
The African Queen
0061102
Hard To Kill
0953505
Hamiel (19901
0970603
Msmphis Belle
•0983502
Superman: The Movie
• 0001305
Bectlejuice
0633003
Dangerous Liaisons
•0638700
Blue Velvet
•051 6007
Road Warrior
0602805
Ail Dogs Go To Heaven
0289702
American Graffiti
0211300
TheGodtather
□000802
TheQodiather Part ill
0842302
The Wizard 0( 02
0001404
Batman (1989)
♦0642504
Batman Returns
♦1029909
Home Alone
♦0104208
The Last Boy Scout
• 0779108
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon 2
♦0642702
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♦Letterbox © 1993, The Columbia House Company
background, and is something upon
which I have grown quite dependent."
Out in Public
presentation software is one of the
fastest-growing areas in Windows.
What do our Windows pros like when
it comes to taking information to the
people?
For presentations, William Harrel
prefers Microsoft PowerPoint because
it's both feature rich and easy to use.
Harrel says that the approximately 20
Windows presentation programs
available right now all work with basi-
cally the same idea. You create an
outline, and from the outline the pro-
gram automatically generates slides.
PowerPoint, however, imports Word
for Windows outlines. Linked to Excel
and Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets, Pow-
erPoint creates graphs and charts.
"It's just all-around versatile," says
Harrel.
Aldus Persuasion is Tony Roberts's
choice among presentation pro-
grams. His desktop publishing busi-
ness uses Persuasion extensively to
create slides, overheads, and presen-
tation material for speeches.
Every Picture Tells a Story
Creating graphics of all kinds was the
earliest use of graphical environ-
ments. Windows and the Macintosh
operating system made it easy to cre-
ate a standard interface and a stan-
dard set of graphics tools, and the
mouse— though not perfect— was still
a very good drawing tool. While over
the past couple of years Windows
software has taken great strides
beyond drawing and painting, and
now includes virtually every kind of
software, graphics remain the heart of
the Windows experience and the prin-
cipal attraction of the graphical user
interface for many users. But which
graphics programs are the best?
Steven Anzovin considers Adobe
Illustrator the standard in the field of
graphics: "It may not have every tool
that you want, but it has the great ad-
vantage of being a standard that
many other artists are familiar with
and use." Adobe Illustrator is geared
to the professional artist, and so is
Fractal Design Painter, which Anzovin
says is an excellent paint program. It
gives you tools that don't exist in other
programs, such as watercolor, oil
paint, and charcoal. For the best
effects in painting, Anzovin says
Painter is the only choice. Anzovin
also admires the program Arts &
Letters Graphic Editor for its extensive
typeface and clip art libraries.
When asked for his choice of the
12 COMPUTE JULY 1993
best graphics program, William Harrel
comes out strongly in favor of
CorelDRAW!. "The reason I use it is
[that] I'm not a graphics artist, and it
has a lot of features that make me look
like one," says Harrel. CorelDRAW! is a
vector drawing program that excels for
nonillustrators because it has a lot of
automatic features for creating 3-D
objects, for mirroring objects, and for
wrapping text along a path; it can also
give an object perspective to make it
look more three-dimensional. Co-
relDRAW! comes with about 250 type-
faces and 14,000 pieces of clip art,
along with a charting application, a
bitmap application, a slide-show appli-
cation, and other utilities. "So it's not
only powerful — It's a great value," says
Harrel.
Tom Campbell joins in the praise
for CorelDRAW!, mostly for technical
illustration. "I have to admit [that] it's
kind of fun to play with, too," says
Campbell. His reason for choosing
CorelDRAW! is that it has the best
combination of features and price.
Tony Roberts uses Aldus Free-
hand and PhotoStyler In conjunction
with PageMaker when he draws maps
or diagrams or scans in photographs.
The programs work hand in hand in
production of Roberts's books and
brochures,
You may have noticed that the pro-
grams Roberts uses are generally
Aldus products. He says that that has
something to do with why he has cho-
sen to use these applications. Page-
Maker was the first Aldus application
he owned, and he felt so comfortable
with it that when he began to add
drawing tools and tools for scanning
and photo manipulation, he decided
to go with the Aldus products as they
came out. The programs are
designed to work together. Roberts
says, "I felt confident that If I was
working in one program, I would be
able to use the output of it in the other
without too much trouble. And that's
been fairly true."
"CorelDRAW! and Arts & Letters
Graphic Editor are fine products,"
Robert Bixby says, "but if you're look-
ing for a complete professional vector
graphics package with a robust trac-
ing program, Micrografx Designer is
second to none. It has most of the
tools of the other programs, plus that
incredibly powerful trace that no one
else can match. It suffers slightly from
having an outdated interface, but
those who use it swear by it."
Programming
COMPUTE was built on programming.
When there were few commercial pro-
grams available, COMPUTE printed
listings that would enable readers to
create their own word processors,
spreadsheets, databases, and graph-
ics programs. Now that programming
is largely the province of profession-
als, what tools do the pros like to use?
George Campbell chooses Visual
Basic 2.0 for programming. Accord-
ing to Campbell, it's easy to use, pow-
erful, and by far the best way to cre-
ate Windows applications.
Tom Campbell uses Borland C++
to write programs. The reasoning
behind his programming choice is
that Borland C++ happens to be the
only C compiler that currently has a
Windows-integrated environment,
which makes It easier and more
pleasant to use. And when it comes
time to test one of his Windows pro-
grams, he's already in Windows, so
he doesn't have to take the time to
start up the environment,
Windows Productivity Suite
Windows has come a long way. The
environment that once utilized only
applications designed for graphics
and spreadsheets now supports soft-
ware of virtually every variety. In fact,
there are so many applications avail-
able today that it's sometimes difficult
to decide which one to buy. That's
why experts were called in to help
narrow the selection.
The programs most recommended
include Microsoft Word for Windows,
Ami Pro, Microsoft Excel, Quattro Pro,
Aldus PageMaker, Microsoft Access,
Procomm Plus for Windows, Microsoft
PowerPoint, Aldus Persuasion, and
CorelDRAW!, with minority support for
Microsoft Bookshelf, MacLinkPlus,
OmniPage Direct, ArrowSmith, Ven-
tura Publisher, Instant Database, File-
Maker Pro, Microsoft FoxPro for
Windows, Aldus FreeHand, Aldus
PhotoStyler, FaxMaster, WinFax Pro,
RapidFAX, Adobe Illustrator, Fractal
Design Painter, Arts & Letters Graphic
Editor, and Micrografx Designer.
When it comes to programming lan-
guages, our experts like Visual Basic
and Borland C++.
How can you choose between
such powerful programs as Word for
Windows and Ami Pro or between
Excel and Quattro Pro? If you have
some specific application in mind,
look for the program with the feature
set that most closely matches your
needs. Word for Windows is better for
writing, while Ami Pro is better suited
to publishing (though it's also very
good for general writing). If you
choose any one of the best products
in a category, you can't go wrong. □
^n.^^
: Swwta
[ Hyto
Create Songs on
Your Sound Card with
MusicTime.
Whatever your musical
ability, MusicTime will
inspire you to create your
own breathy love songs,
foot-tapping jazz or
head-slammin' rock 'n'
roll. With MusicTime
and either a sound card
or a MIDI instrument,
you can compose, edit,
play back and print, sheet
music on your ?.C.
Bring Your Music to Life.
Use your mouse to click
musical notes and
symbols onto a staff
sheet. If you've got a
Miracle'" or MIDI key-
board, MusicTime will
record and transcribe
your live performance into music notation in real
time — right before your eyes!
Easy to Play Back, Edit and Print.
Play back instandy through your sound card or MIDI
gear. Editing is easy with MusicTime's cut, copy and
paste commands. Automatically transpose notes into
any key. Add guitar chords. Write beautiful lyrics.
Print out publishing-quality sheet music.
MusicTime couldn't be
easier to use.
Windows, Mac and
MIDI Compatible.
MusicTime is available
for PC's with Windows'"
or the Macintosh? and is
compatible with The
Miracle Keyboard, Sound
Blaster Pro? Media Vision
Pro Audio Spectrum' and
Thunder Board'," AdLib
Gold ' and most popular PC sound cards.
For your copy of MusicTime, call Passport or visit
your nearest computer or
music store. If you're tired of
just playing games with your
sound card, get MusicTime and
turn your beeps and blasts into
be-bop and hip-hop.
m
PASSPORT.
MKROSin-
■WIN00i\S-«
i
a
m
Marks
> *
Passpoit Designs, Inc. ■ 100 Stone Pine Rd. f Half Moon Bay, CA 9-1019 USA • Phone: (413) 726-0280 • Fax: (41 3) 726-2254
Pas5pon Music'imE is i liademarti of ^sspori Designs. Ire A!i olhef piofluds and brands ate Irademarks or tegisteiedlradcmartis ol tiieir respective tioldsrs.
Circle Reader Service Number 273
Adobe Illustrator for Windows 4.0 —
$695.00
ADOBE SYSTEMS
1585 Charleston Rd., Box 7900
Mountain View, CA 94039
(800) 833-6687
(408) 986-6555 (overseas)
(415)961-4400
Aldus FreeHand 3.1^$595.00
Aldus PageMaker for Windows 5.0—
$895.00
Aldus Persuasion— $495.00
Aldus PhotoSty I er— $795.00
ALDUS
411 First Ave. S
Seattle, WA 98104-2871
(206) 628-5739
Instant Database — $95.00
ASYMMETRIX
110 110th Ave. NE, Ste. 700
Bellevue, WA 98004
(800) 448-6543
(206)637-1500
Borland C++ 3.1— $495.00
Borland C++ 3.1 with Application
Frameworks— $749.00
Quattro Pro for Windows 1.0 —
$495.00
BORLAND INTERNATIONAL
1800 Green Hills Rd.
Scotts Valley. CA 95067
(800)331-0877
(800) 461-3327 (Canada)
(408) 438-8400
Arthur's Teacher Trouble— $59.95
Just Grandma and Me — $49.95
BR0DERBUND SOFTWARE
500 Redwood Blvd.
Novate, CA 94948-6121
(800)521-6263
(415)382-4400
FaxMaster— $109.00
OmniPage Direct 1,0— $595.00
CAERE
100 Cooper Ct.
Los Gatos, CA 95030
(800)643-3915
(408) 395-7000
FileMaker Pro 2.0— $399.00
CLARIS
5201 Patrick Henry Dr., Box 58168
Santa Clara. CA 95052
(800) 544-8554
(408) 727-8227
Product List
RapldFAX for Windows— $49.00
THE COMPLETE PC
1983 Concourse Dr.
San Jose, CA 95131
(800)229-1753
(408)434-0145
Arts & Letters Graphic Editor 3.12-
$695.00
COMPUTER SUPPORT
15926 Midway Rd.
Dallas, TX 75244
(214)661-8960
CorelDRAW! 3.0—5595.00
COREL
1600 Carling Ave.
Ottawa, ON
Canada K1Z 8R7
(800) 836-7274
(613)728-8200
Procomm Plus for Windows 1 .01 —
$179.00
DATASTORM TECHNOLOGIES
P.O. Box 1471
Columbia, MO 65205
(314) 443-3282
MacLinkPlus/PC 7.0— $199.00
DATAVI2
55 Corporate Dr.
Trumbull, CT 0661 1
(800) 733-0030
(203) 268-0030
WinFax Pro— $129.00
DELRINA TECHNOLOGY
6830 Via Del Oro, Ste. 240
San Jose, CA95119
(800) 268-6082
(408) 363-2345
Fractal Design Painter 2.0-
FRACTAL DESIGN
335Spreckels Dr., Ste. F
Aptos, CA 95003
(408) 688>8800
ArrowSmith— $17.00
CLIRON KARNES
2519 0verbrookDr.
Greensboro, NC 27408
CompuSen/e 75300.2103
Ami Pro 3.0— $495.00
LOTUS DEVELOPMENT
55 Cambridge Pkwy.
Cambridge, MA 02142
(800)343-5414
(617)577-8500
-$399.00
SimCity for Windows— $59.95
MAXIS SOFTWARE
2 Theatre Sq., Ste. 230
Orinda, CA 94563-3346
(800) 336-2447
(510)254-9700
Micrografx Designer— $695.00
MICROGRAFX
1303E. ArapahoRd.
Richardson, TX 75081
(800) 733-3729
(214)234-1769
Microsoft Access 1.1— $495.00
Microsoft Bookshelf for Windows
1993 Edition— $195.00
Microsoft Excel for Windows 4.0—
$495.00
Microsoft Golf 1 .0— $64.95
Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows
3.0— $495.00
Microsoft Publisher for Windows
1.0— $199.00
Microsoft Word for Windows 2.0—
$495.00
Multimedia Word for Windows and
Bookshelf 2.0 Video and Sound
Edition— $595.00
Visual Basic for Windows 2.0 —
$199.00
Visual Basic for Windows
Professional Edition 2.0 — $495.00
MICROSOFT
1 Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
(800) 426-9400
(206) 882-8080
Express Publisher for Windows —
$79.95
POWER UP SOFTWARE
2929 Campus Dr.
San Mateo, CA 94403
(800)851-2917
(415)345-5900
THE ANIMALS!— $119.95
THE SOFTWARE TOOLWORKS
60 Leveroni Ct.
Novato, CA 94949
(800) 234-3088
(415) 883-3000
WordPerfect for Windows 5.1 —
$495.00
WORDPERFECT
1555 N. Technology Way
Orem, UT 84057
(800)321-4566
(801)225-5000
14 COMPUTE JULY 1993
!
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Circio Reader Service Number 161
TEST LAB
Edited by Mike Hudnall
Reviews by Tom Benford
Combine the blazing speed
and colossal computing pow-
er of Intel's 486DX2/66 with
the latest local-bus technolo-
gy, and you've got a computer
ready for the most demanding
applications. Windows programs
that seem sluggish on older com-
puters are downright snappy on
these systems, so you can
spend less of your time waiting
for the Windows hourglass and
more of it taking care of business.
Not inexpensive by any means,
these systems nevertheless deliv-
er lots of value, especially when
you consider what you could get
for the same price a year ago, how
much time you can save, and how
expandable they are.
You may be asking yourself
whether you really need this
much power and speed right
now— a fair question. Here at
COMPUTE, we see today's cut-
ting-edge technologies as tomor-
«■
row's consumer technologies,
and with the current dizzying
pace of change in the computer
industry, tomorrow will probably
be here sooner than you think.
Already Intel has announced its
new Pentium chip, which by all ac-
counts significantly outperforms
the 486DX2/66 but is likely to
cost significantly more, and I sus-
pect that by the time this issue
hits the stands, most computer
companies will offer VESA local
bus as a standard feature rather
than as an option.
In setting up this month's
lineup of systems, we asked for
Industry Standard Architecture
(ISA) because it's less expensive
than Extended Industry Standard
Architecture (EISA) and because
most of our readers won't need EI-
SA's performance benefits. We
asked for 8IVIB of RAM because
many of the systems include 8MB
as the standard complement and
because some of the more
demanding applications that
would benefit from the extra horse-
power of 4B6DX2/66 chips also
require more than 4MB. We also
asked the manufacturers to install
whatever cache was part of the
standard configuration, since
many COMPUTE readers will opt
for standard packages. Because
these high-powered computers
are likely to handle high-powered
applications and mountains of
data, we requested hard drives of
at least 200MB, not at all an unusu-
COMPUADD EXPRESS
12301 Tectinology Blvd.
Austin, TX 78727
(800) 925-3000
Oirect price: $2,595 for review
eonfiguration; $2,195 for standard
configuration
Warranty: one year, parts and latior;
30-day monev-tjact< guarantee; 30-
day exchange (new system
components); one year free on-site
service
al size for these machines.
All ten of the systems in this
month's Test Lab come with Win-
dows 3.1 and DOS, and they're
all, of course, 486DX2/66 sys-
tems with local-bus video.
Beyond those common elements,
you'll find a variety of prices and
features. While most of these com-
puters, for example, use stan-
dard VESA local bus, some com-
panies use proprietary local-bus
video. At least a few include a
local-bus drive controller along
with the local-bus video adapter.
And in some cases the video
card is accelerated for optimized
Windows performance.
For the specifics of configura-
tion, expandability, and other fea-
tures, you should find the fea-
tures grid helpful. Whether or not
you understand the differences
among local-bus video stan-
dards, you'll appreciate the bench-
mark graphs, which provide not
only Norton index data but also
real-world performance data —
how long a particular computer re-
quired to find and replace text in
a word processor, index and sort
a database, play back video, and
so forth. These systems were so
fast that our lab had to redesign
the benchmark test suite to pro-
duce more statistically significant
data. In fact, we had to drop a
planned spreadsheet benchmark
because even a Windows spread-
sheet proved too small a chal-
lenge for these machines, Tom
Benford's reviews home in on sig-
nificant features of these comput-
ers, whether it's their strategies
for handling the heat given off by
their microprocessors, their mem-
ory expansion capabilities, their
case designs, their use of cach-
ing, or their ability to accept
upgrade chips,
Whether you're ready to buy
one of these systems now or just
want to see the kind of system you
couid be buying before long. Test
Lab has information to help you
understand the technology and
make a more informed purchase.
MIKE HUDNALL
COMPUADD EXPRESS
466/DX2
The CompuAdd Express 466/DX2
is the current top-of-the-line mod-
el in the company's series of "scal-
able" computer systems designed
with upgradability in mind.
Scalable is, for all intents and
purposes, another word for mod-
ular in that the Express lets you
change the configuration by sim-
ply replacing the CPU and chang-
ing the jumper switch settings.
The company offers six varieties
of the machine, ranging from a 40-
fvlHz 386DXL-based system to
486SX models and the 466/DX2
model reviewed here.
You'll find many of the essen-
tial system functions integrated
right into the motherboard itself:
the IDE controller, the floppy
drive controller, the parallel and
serial ports, the keyboard connec-
tion, and local-bus video for fast-
er video performance.
The full-profile case occupies
a baby-AT footprint and provides
three bays accessible from the
front: two half-height 5y4-inch
bays and a vertical 3y2-inch bay.
A hidden SVs-inch bay is also avail-
able. To power any additional
drives you might install, just use
the three available connectors
from the 200-watt power supply
A Western Digital Caviar 2340
(333MB formatted) hard drive pro-
vides the mass storage for the sys-
tem, while a combination SVs-
inch/5'/4-inch half-height unit
occupies the uppermost bay and
provides floppy disk I/O.
Because the Express inte-
grates so much into the mother-
board, all of its full-length 16-bit
slots are available. A proprietary
slot holds a proprietary video adapt-
er card and is, apparently, the
local-bus connection: Tseng Labs
manufactures the video BIOS. I
found no other local-bus slots.
The high-speed, high-pow-
ered 66-MHz i486DX2 CPU gen-
erates an enormous amount of
heat, the archnemesis of electron-
DEU COMPUTER
9505 Arboretum Blvd.
AusUn, TX 78759-7299
(800) 289-3355
(51 2» 338-4400
Direct price: $3,409 tor standaril
configuration
ic components. The CompuAdd
folks, however, have taken some
serious measures to ensure that
heat won't be a problem with this
system. A high-volume fan mount-
ed at the front of the case less
than six inches from the CPU
pulls in outside air through the
case vents. A deeply finned heat
sink and a miniature fan mounted
atop the CPU itself also help:
under this arrangement, the heat
sink dissipates the chip's heat and
the fan keeps cool air circulating
over the heat sink to further aid in
keeping the interior case temper-
ature "comfortable" for the compo-
nents. The design apparently
works well, as I didn't experience
any problems or anomalies during
the time I spent using this system
for the review.
A three-button mouse supplied
with the system has a switch that
lets you select either a Microsoft
(two-button) mode or a Mouse Sys-
tems (three-button) mode. While
the mouse itself resembles a Mi-
crosoft mouse in style, feel, and
shape, the clicking action could
best be described as erratic: fre-
quently, several rapid clicks
were required to enter a Windows
command or function.
I wasn't entirely satisfied with
the keyboard (made by Lexmark
here in the USA), either. I found the
action quite stiff, there was no au-
dible click, and it had a straight
cable (which looked very similar to
RJ-14 telephone cable) rather
than the heavier, coiled cords usu-
ally found on keyboards.
Aside from the mouse and key-
board difficulties, the CompuAdd
Express 466/DX2 local-bus sys-
tem provides good performance,
features, and expandability.
Circle Header Service Number 371
DELL SYSTEM
466/M
Dell has built its reputation on
high-quality, dependable PC sys-
tems that are popularly priced.
Maintaining that reputation, the
Dell System 466/M proves itself to
be a sterling performer.
The baby-AT-sized desktop
case provides a surprising
amount of expansion room,
thanks to large-scale integration
of components on the system's
motherboard. Components critical
to the system, including the video
adapter, input and output ports,
and disk controllers, are all integrat-
ed rather than requiring separate
expansion cards. As a result, you
have five full-length 16-bit expan-
sion slots available for user-
installed peripherals, in addition to
a single three-quarter-length 16-
bit slot for shorter boards.
Looking for room to add
drives? The system has two avail-
able exposed half-height bays
and an internal 3'/s-inch bay.
Dual floppy drives are provided
as standard equipment on the sys-
tem, but rather than being individ-
ual units that require separate
bays, the two floppy drives are
integrated into one half-height
combination drive — a nice touch
that conserves space and
improves expansion capabilities.
A 240-watt power supply pro-
vides more than enough power
for the system and sports three "pig-
tail" connectors available for pow-
ering any additional drive devices
you might install in the system.
JULY 1993 COMPUTE 17
TEST LAB
An extra-large finned heat sink
on the 66-MHz Intel 486DX2 CPU
helps dissipate the heat this fast
chip generates. To aid the heat
sink in its cooling functions, a high-
volume fan mounted almost direct-
ly in front of the CPU provides
excellent air flow inside the case.
Dell uses a proprietary local-
bus standard w^htch is not VESA
compliant, and there is no local-
bus slot available for user-instal-
lable cards, since the local-bus
features are integrated into the
motherboard's circuitry. Dell han-
dles video through this local bus,
using the popular S3 accelerated
video chip set, which can gener-
ate 1024 X 768 noninteriaced res-
olution with a maximum color pal-
ette of over 32,000 colors.
The integrated IDE interface fea-
tures a 32K cache buffer, which
helps to keep things moving at a
brisk pace in the system, You can
also get an optional 128K internal
system cache.
Knowing that users naturally
upgrade their systems as their
needs for power and speed
grow, Dell offers a motherboard
with a 238-pin (low insertion
force press-pin) socket that can
accommodate future upgrades,
such as higher-speed 486 chips
or the P24T (Pentium Overdrive)
when they become available. The
flash memory Phoenix/Dell BIOS
is disk upgradable, another fea-
ture which ensures the system's
longevity.
The review system contained
8MB of RAM, but you can up-
grade the memory to a maximum
of 64MB using 16MB SIMMs in
the four sockets provided on the
motherboard. Dell also included
a Maxtor LXT-340A 320MB IDE
hard drive and a Dell UltraScan
14C SVGA monitor as part of the
standard equipment.
A Microsoft tvro-button mouse
supplied with the system plugs
into the built-in PS/2-style mouse
port. MS-DOS 5.0, Windows 3,1,
and an enhanced keyboard
round out the system and ensure
that it's ready to go to work as
18 COMPUTE JULY 1993
DIAMOND TECHNOLOGIES
171S5 Gillette Ave.
Irvine, CA 92714
(800) 989-7253
(714) 252-1008
Direct price: $2,695 (review
configuration)
Warranty: one year on monitor,
floppy drives, and hard drives; 15
months on ail other parts
soon as you plug it in.
Deli has an excellent system
here in the 466/M, and it
deserves your serious consider-
ation if you're in the market for a
486DX2/66 local-bus system.
Circle Reader Service Number 372
DIAMOND
486DX2/66
Smart styling, good expansion
potential, and snappy local-bus
performance make the DT 486DX2/
66 system from Diamond Technol-
ogies a pleasing package.
A fud-height baby-AT case pro-
vides expandability while maintain-
ing a reasonably small footprint
for the desktop. For adding
drives, this system includes two
half-height bays accessible from
the front of the machine. No
additional unexposed bays are
available, but since the Diamond
comes equipped with dual flop-
pies, two bays should suffice for
the vast majority of users. The
200-watt power supply is also
adequate for such expansion,
although it comes with only one
extra "pigtail" connector for power-
ing another drive.
The 14860X2/66 CPU, mount-
ed in a standard press-pin sock-
et, has a deeply finned heat sink
to minimize heat buildup and the
problems associated with it.
Since the AT-sized case affords
plenty of internal "breathing"
room for air to circulate, this
arrangement works well, keeping
the CPU and other components
cool and thus contributing to
system reliability.
The motherboard, a fairly com-
pact unit manufactured by S&A
Labs, uses an American
Megatrends, Inc. (AMI) BIOS.
Eight SIMM sockets on the mother-
board accept either 1MB or 4MB
SIMMs, yielding a maximum
configuration of 32MB on the moth-
erboard itself.
The system came with two
local-bus siots on the mother-
board, both occupied; a Dia-
mond Viper SVGA card is
installed in one, while the (DE
caching disk controller resides in
the other. Five of the six full-
length 16-bit slots are available
for adding expansion boards (the
sixth slot contains the multi I/O
card, which provides the parallel
and serial ports).
At the front of the case, above
two flush-mounted push-button
switches for changing to and
from turbo mode and resetting the
system, you'll find three LEDs for
signaling power on, hard drive
activity, and turbo status. The SVa-
inch high-density drive is vertical-
ly mounted next to the 1 .2MB 5 '/i-
Inch drive which occupies the
topmost bay in the case. Look for
the power switch on the rear pan-
el of the case at the right side.
A comfortable enhanced key-
board (no audible click) comes
as part of the standard package,
along with a three-button Micro-
soft-compatible serial mouse.
While considerably larger and
bulkier than a Microsoft unit, the
mouse is still quite serviceable.
The system delivers excellent
video performance, thanks to the
combination of the Diamond Viper
board equipped with 2MB of vid-
Introducing the first dot matrix printer
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CIrcte Reader Service Number 166
TEST LAB
eo RAM and the local-bus slot. If
your eyes tire easily from staring
at a screen, you'll appreciate ttie
CTX CMS-1561 SVGA monitor
tfiat came with this review system;
the monitor can display 1024 x
768 noninterlaced resolution with
256 colors. This combination of a
high-powered SVGA card, a local
bus, and an excellent monitor is
DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION
Desktop Direct Irom Digital
P.O. Box 4076
Wobum, MA 01888
(800) 722-0332
Suggested retail price: $2,949
(incluiling SVGA monitor, 245MB
hard drive, and 8MB RAM) for
review configuration; $2,549 (with
VGA monitor, 122MB hard drive, and
4MB RAM) tor standard
configuration
hard to beat if you do lots of graph-
ics-intensive work.
Word processing, desktop pub-
lishing, database operations, and
spreadsheet work all benefit
from the overall power of the DX2/
66 CPU and the local-bus archi-
tecture, resulting in overall per-
formance that is above average
in all respects.
MS-DOS 5,0 and Windows 3, 1
are supplied already loaded on
the system, which enables you to
get off to a productive start imme-
diately, I found the system and
software manuals thorough and
well organized.
The Diamond DT 486DX2/66
puts lots of muscle into a baby-
AT-sized case and certainly
mehts your serious consideration
when shopping for a 486DX2
local-bus system.
circle Reader Service Number 373
DECPC 466D2 LP
The design of Digital Equipment
Corporation's DECpc 466d2 LP
exemplifies how good expansion
possibilities can be incorporated
in a diminutive case.
The footprint of the PC approx-
imates that of a baby AT, but the
case has a much lower profile
than that of a standard desktop.
THE NORTON OVERALL INDEX
The Norton Overall Index factors in microprocessor and disk performance, among other
things, to indicate how well a computer performs when compared to a 4.77-MHz IBM XT.
The greater the index value, the faster the computer.
150
120
Overall
Index
Disk Speed
CPU Speed
20 COMPUTE JULY 1993
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TEST LAB
measuring less than four inches
from the top of the desl< to the top
of the case. On the front of the ma-
chine, you'll find recessed LEDs
for power, hard drive activity, and
turbo status. The reset button and
power switches, similarly unobtru-
sive, contribute to the streamlined
appearance of the machine,
A single SV^-inch high-density
drive comes installed as standard
equipment on the DECpc 466d2
LP, but there's a front-accessible
Sy^-inch half-height bay available
underneath the drive for accepting
another device of your choice. By
virtue of its dual-sized plastic bay
cover plate, this bay can also
accommodate a 3y2-inch drive.
DEC has provided a hidden 3'/?-
Inch bay inside the machine, and
two power connectors are availa-
ble for powering any user-
installed drives,
DEC has integrated the paral-
lel, serial, mouse, and keyboard
ports; the video adapter; and the
floppy and hard drive controllers
into the motherboard itself to
keep the design compact and
leave as many expansion slots
free as possible. An extension
card inserted vertically into the sys-
tem board provides three full-
length 16-bit expansion slots for
any peripherals you choose to in-
stall. There are no 8-bit or local-
bus slots provided in the system.
The 66-fv1Hz 486DX2 CPU and
related performance components
reside on a separate board
(referred to as a CPU module in
DEC'S manual) attached via an
nterlocking connector to the
main system board. This module
permits quickly changing the sys-
tem's configuration, presumably
allowing upgrades. The module's
vacant 238-pin socket certainly
seems to support such a conclu-
sion. The CPU itself resides in a
press-pin socket on the module
board.
I was somewhat surprised to
find that the only means of dissi-
pating heat generated by the
CPU was a deeply finned heat
sink attached to the top of the
chip. There was no cooling fan to
circulate air within the case inte-
rior which, compared with the oth-
er systems reviewed, was much
less spacious. However, heat
buildup didn't seem to be a prob-
lem; the system performed as ex-
pected during the review period.
The system's integrated local-
bus video adapter, based on the
popular S3 accelerated chip set,
comes with 512K of video RAM in-
stalled. Even though the review
unit came with an additional
WINWORD 2.0 TEXT SEARCH & REPUCE
WORSE 6
BEHER
■
III 1
l.lil
\ % \ % *
%
22 COMPUTE JULY 1993
A NOTE ON PRICES
With computer products changing
more rapidly than ever and with
options more plentiful than ever,
computer prices can be a tricl<y busi-
ness, indeed.
It pays to keep the following
points in mind:
Street and direct prices can be
considerably lower than list prices.
Shopping around helps you find the
best price.
Because computer technology
evolves rapidly, a product may
have changed by the time our re-
view sees print. A manufacturer may
decide to change the video card or
the hard drive, for example.
Because consumers are more
sophisticated than ever about what
they want in computer products and
because manufacturers have
responded with more options and
configurations than ever, one com-
puter model may be subject to doz-
ens of variations, each with a slightly
different price.
At COMPUTE, we make every ef-
fort to verify prices and differentiate
between the price tor a review con-
figuration and the price for a stan-
dard configuration. It's still a good
Idea, however, to call the manufac-
turer or vendor to make sure that the
configuration you want matches the
price you have in mind.
—MIKE HUONALL
51 2K of video RAM installed (yield-
ing 1 MB total), i was unable to in-
itiate or use Windows in 1024 x
768 256-color mode. Since run-
ning in 800 X 640 256-color
mode wasn't a problem, that's the
mode I used. DEC provided a Dig-
ital PC7XV-DE monitor with the re-
view unit, and I suspect that the
monitor, and not the video card,
prevented accessing the 1024 x
768 mode successfully.
DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.1
come supplied with the system,
as does a copy of Diagsoft's
QAPlus software.
If your expansion requirements
aren't too demanding and you
like the idea of a slimline case,
this DEC machine may be worth
a closer look.
Circle Reader Service Number 374
If you think this
is "juggling Bggsr
magbe gouTB not
ready for BIS.
On the other hand, if you juggle eggs
every day, you should be on BIK.
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If you can hack it
circle Reader Service Number 288
TEST LAB
EPSON
PROGRESSION
486DX2/66 PC
Epson has taken a modular ap-
proach wilh its Progression series
of computers, and the Progression
486DX2/66 PC model is represen-
tative of this design trend.
The Progression's full-height
baby-AT case provides room for
expansion without requiring lots of
desktop real estate. The review
unit came with a single one-third-
height high-density S'^-inch
drive, leaving three front-accessi-
ble bays (one one-third-height and
two half-height bays) available for
additional devices. Two half-
height internal bays are also avail-
able for upgrading the system.
There's lots of room for expand-
ing RAM beyond the system's
standard complement of 4MB.
With four SIMIvl sockets, you can
expand up to a maximum of
128fvlB using 16MB SIMfVls. The
review unit came equipped with
12MB of RAM: the lab removed
one 4MB SIMM so that this sys-
tem could meet the 8MB config-
uration requirement for the bench-
mark testing. During the review,
however, I used the full 12MB con-
figuration and found performance
to be respectable for ail types of
general computing work.
The 14860X2/66 CPU resides
on a separate card which plugs
into a special slot on the mother-
board. Under this modular
arrangement, someone with a Pro-
gression 486SX/25 or 486DX/33
machine could upgrade to a
486DX2/66 simply by replacing
the CPU card rather than chang-
ing the chip itself. Future
upgrades to more powerfui
CPUs as they become available
will also be easy to perform under
this design scheme.
The review system's CPU,
installed in a low-force press-pin
socket, has a deeply finned heat
sink. A vacant ZIF (Zero insertion
Force) socket is located adjacent
24 COMPUTE JULY 1993
EPSON AMERICA
P.O. Box 2842
Torrance, CA 90509-2842
(800) 922-8911
(310! 782-0770
Suggested retail orice: $3,976 lor
review configuration with monitor
and 12MB RAM ($3,353 esllinateil
street price); $3,398 tar standard
configuration with monitor and 4IVIB
RAM ($2,862 estimated street
price)
Warranty: one year, including on- .
site service witiiin 75 miles ol
auUiorized service center
to the i486 chip on the CPU card
itself, presumably for future
upgrade options. The proprietary
slot that accepts the CPU card
looks like a local-bus slot, but it
is not one; it is a slot designed to
accept the modular Epson CPU
cards only.
You1l find all of the I/O ports
(parallel, single serial, mouse, vid-
eo, keyboard) integrated into the
motherboard. This leaves six fuli-
length 16-bit slots open and avail-
able for use. A 200-watt power sup-
ply provides the essential
operating voltages for the system.
Instead of the local-bus archi-
tecture found in other systems cov-
ered in this issue, the Progression
uses its own Wingine Graphics
Acceleration Technology for
improved video performance.
The heart of the Wingine is a
CHIPS and Technologies display
controller equipped with 1MB of
video RAM (upgradable to 2MB)
and a BrookTree RAMDAC. Rath-
er than using an expansion card,
Epson's Wingine integrates the vid-
eo controller into the mother-
board itself.
Another unusual aspect of
Epson's Wingine technology is
that the total amount of system
RAM can also affect the video
performance. For example, with
only 8MB of RAM instaiied, the sys-
tem could not support 1024 x
768 256-color noninterlaced resolu-
tion in Windows; 800 x 640 was
the highest video mode that
J
s
T
.5 - -
• -
31-
.-1
0
\M^\
■^^^M
"^-^-j-mi
i
would operate with the monitor sup-
plied for review, a 14-inch Epson
T1183A extended VGA model.
Curiously, Epson lists the 17-inch
Professional Series monitor as the
standard unit for this system.
A two-button mouse and a com-
fortable enhanced keyboard pro-
vide the means for inputting data
and controlling system and appli-
cation functions.
The Progression provides a
workable alternative to the local-
bus technology of this month's oth-
er systems, and it provides some
appealing features that make it
worthy of consideration.
circle Reader Service Number 37S
GATEWAY
4DX2-66V
Gateway 2000's 4DX2-66V is a
local-bus PC in an attractive, stan-
dard-sized AT desktop case with
reasonable expansion options. A
vacant front-accessible half-
height bay beneath the dual flop-
py drives is ready to accept a CD-
ROM drive or tape backup unit,
and two additional half-height
bays are available at the front of
the case adjacent to the drives, if
you want to mount additional in-
ternal devices. (Editor's note: A CD-
ROM drive now comes standard.)
In this system. Gateway uses
a standard-sized, highly integrat-
ed motherboard that incorpo-
rates the floppy dhve controller
and a local-bus IDE hard disk
interface. The motherboard can
support up to 64MB of RAM direct-
If you ME to your computer with one of these...
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for Sound Blaster compadble cards
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1
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JCOVOX^ VOICE E
From the developers of the U.S. Air Force's "Bionic
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The DOS and Windows 3.1 voice recognition pro-
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popular education, business and entertainment pro-
grams such as WordPerfect, F117A, Lotus 123, Secret
Weapons of the Luftwaffe , DAC Easy, and hundreds
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Easy to install and use, you will be up and rurming
at the speed of sound in no time!
Also included are DOS and Windows 3.1 record-
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Voice annotation software included brings your
Windows 3.1 word processor to life by adding your
own recorded messages to your documents.
The COVOX E/Q module and headset provided
with VOICE BLASTER will improve your sound
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best voice recognition possible. VOICE BLASTER
will change the way yon use your computer!
VOICE BLASTER is available at CompUSA, Electronics Boutique, Egghead Sofhvare,
Software Etc. and other fine computer retail outlets. Suggested retail price $119.95.
To order call Covo.x at (800) 432-S970. Dealer inquiries (818) 446-9932.
Copyright lEHJJ C-OVOX, rXC. All produtlh
name^ ^re irAd'einarka and TKfii^irTcd trjdfi
ii:tb .iiul <t>rp'.i<'Atu
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eT-i Conner Si. Eugcnt. OR *>7iQi I503> J42-127]
Circle Reader Service Number 205
TEST LAB
ly using 16MB modules in its four
SIMM sockets.
The 66-MHz Intel 486DX2 CPU
resides in a standard press-pin
socket and is lilted with a heat
sink with crosshatched fins to dis-
sipate its heat. An upgrade sock-
et next to the CPU lets you add
an upgrade chip, such as the
Intel Overdrive accelerator. How-
ever, since the 486DX2/66 is the
fastest CPU currently available,
GATEWAY 2000
610 Gateway Dr.
N. Sioux City, SO 57049
(8001 846-2000
Direct price: $2,985
Warranty: one year, parts and iabor
there is no advantage or benefit
to be derived by adding an Over-
drive chip at this point in time,
The system includes two local-
bus expansion slots, one holding
the ATI Graphics Ultra Pro video
card. Of the five 16-bit expansion
slots available, four can accom-
modate full-length cards; the oth-
er 1 6-btt slot can only accept a half-
length card. Of course, you can
use the remaining local-bus slot as
a 16-bit slot for non-local-bus
expansion cards if you need to.
The reset and turbo selector
switcHes, flush mounted on the
front of the case, reside next to
the key lock, just above the illu-
minated power, hard drive activi-
ty, and turbo LEDs. The power
switch is located at the right rear
corner of the machine.
The machine comes with a spe-
cial 124-key keyboard, but you
can order a traditional AT-stan-
dard 101 -key keyboard if you pre-
fer. The 124-key keyboard has an
enhanced cursor-control station
with extra keys, which I found con-
fusing, I found that both key-
boards, made for Gateway by
MaxiSwitch, feel great.
Gateway's 1572 FS 15-inch
CrystalScan SVGA monitor accom-
panied the system unit and pro-
vided an excellent display for the
high-speed graphics processed
through the ATI video card and
the local bus.
Overall, the performance of this
machine was excellent, especially
DATABASE TESTS
WORSi 150
120
I
90
60
30
BETTER 0
1
1
1
r-
1
1
r-
1
1
r-
p
1
p
1
1
Sort
Index
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26 COMPUTE JULY 1993
We created our new line of laser printers
under very strict guidelines.
Introducing Star's LS-5 series of laser printers.
when we set out to create our new laser printers, we were
bound by the same standards that enabled our dot-matrix
and ink-jet printers to garner so many industry awards.
Our mission was to produce a line of lasers that pos-
sessed the very same attributes: superb print quality unsur-
passed compatibility and excellent paper handling.
The result is a family of laser printers of uncompromis-
ing quality, yet outstanding value.
Introducing the Star LS-5, LS-5EX and LS-5TT. The LS-5
series has all the features youd expect from a high-end
printer: dual-bin printing, which allows you to use two types
of paper; a maintenance-free, high-definition one-piece
IhieTypt is a trademark of Apple Compuler, Inc. Windows is a Iradtmark of Microsofi Corporaliun.
toner/drum cartridge for blacker blacks and more striking
detail; and 15 scalable TrueType™ fonts for Windows™ 3.1.
Plus, the added assurance of Star's ^^A'o Year Warranty With
so many features at such an affordable price, you're sure
to be hearing a lot about the LS-5. And judging by our past
successes, reading about it, too.
For a brochure or your nearest
Star dealer, call 1-800-447-4700.
To have additional product
information sent to you by fax,
call 908-
572-4004.
Clrcls Reader Service Number 203
THE LASER PRINTERS
TEST LAB
when running Windows. Even with
a screen resolution of 1024 x 768
with 256 colors, Windows was fast
and snappy. And the Mach32 con-
troi panel, which is a dedicated
front end that manages the ATI
local-bus controller, makes it very
easy to change resolutions, colors,
and system fonts.
All in all, the Gateway 4DX2-
66V is a first-rate local-bus system
in a well-designed package. It's def-
initely worth considering.
circle Reader Service Number 376
INSIGHT
4a6DX2-66 VL
Need a 486DX2/66 local-bus
system with plenty of expansion
possibilities as your needs grow?
Well, then, you'll want to take a
closer look at this tower configu-
ration from Insight,
The full-size tower case has a
base that pulls out lateratly, from
both sides, to provide stability.
The full vertical configuration
affords lots of room for adding
drives or tape backup units, with
three half-height front-accessible
bays still available even with the
system's dual floppies and
210MB Western Digital hard
INSIGHT OlSmiBUTION NETWORK
1912 W. Fourth St.
Tempe, AZ 85281
(800) 927-7848
(602) 902-1176
Direct price: S2,779 for review
configuration; S2,199 lor standard
configuration
drive installed. If you need addi-
tional mounting room, there's
also a concealed full-height bay.
A beefy 250-watt power supply
should adequately power any
drives or expansion boards you
add to the'system.
The motherboard, manufac-
tured by ASUS, IS one of the small-
est 486 motherboards I've seen
to date, and it looks out of place
in the gargantuan cavity of this
tower configuration. Small size not-
withstanding, the motherboard
still provides five available full-
length 16-bit expansion slots,
which should prove to be more
than adequate for most users.
The motherboard also contains
two full-length local-bus slots,
which are already occupied; the
video controller occupies one
local-bus slot, and the combina-
tion multi l/0-drive controller
card resides in the other.
VIDEO FOR WINDOWS
VIDEO PLAYBACK
WORSE
BETTER f>
u
% "^ % \
^4 \
2B COMPUTE JULY 1993
The Intel 80486DX2 CPU is
mounted in a ZIP socket for easy
removal or upgrading. I found no
heat sink on the chip (to help dis-
sipate heat); however, owing to
the spacious area of the tower
case, heat buildup doesn't seem
to be a problem. The large front-
mounted cooling fan does a
good job of circulating the air with-
in the case to keep things cool,
and I didn't experience any prob-
lems usually associated with over-
heating during my review.
The manufacturer integrates
the drive controller and I/O ports
all on a single board, which
occupies one of the VESA local-
bus siots. In addition to the par-
allel, game, and dual serial ports,
this card aiso provides an IDE
interface for the hard drive as well
as control for the dual floppies.
A comfortable enhanced key-
board (no audible click) comes
with the system, along with a
Microsoft-compatible Insight three-
button serial mouse. Software sup-
plied with and installed on the sys-
tem consists of fvlS-DOS 5.0, Win-
dows 3.1, Dr. Solomon's Anti-
Virus, and Stacker 2.0.
The Insight machine had a qual-
ity assurance slicker plainly
affixed to the rear of the case, yet
I was greeted with a HDD control-
ler failure message when I first
turned the machine on, I decid-
ed to remove the system cover to
look for any obvious problems be-
fore calling Insight's tech support
number, and as soon as the cov-
Who cares how
they can sell it
for $18,995.
Just get one before
they change
W
their minds.
M-
■■ — '■■. ■'^S^jf j^-^^!^
.J
('it
i-r
Eight}/ Eight Siuviat Eililioii
*■*' All for just $18J995. How do we do it? We'll be happif to tell you. Call 1-800-24
IOLDSMOBILE
'$afchf belh, rjTrr with an air tii^f.
TEST LAB
er was removed I found the cul-
prit: Thie ribbon cable coming
from the hard drive had become
disconnected from the pin connec-
tor on the I/O card. I reattached
it and reinstalled the cover, and
the system booted and per-
formed perfectly, without inci-
dent, from that point on.
The machine proved to be
quite a snappy performer for all
types of applications — from
word processing to spreadsheets
and charting to 3-D modeling
and other graphics-intensive
tasks. The system came supplied
with a 15-inch Viewsonic 6FS mon-
itor which provided excellent view-
ing and enabled the STB Power-
graph video card (S3-based) with
1 MB of RAM to show its stuff (aid-
ed in the express department by
the system's 32-bit local bus).
Performance for today with
room for expansion is what the In-
sight 486DX2-66 VL delivers.
Circle Reader Service Number 377
KEYDATA INTERNATIONAL
111 Corporate Blvd.
S. Plalnfleld, NJ 07080
[800] 486-7010
[908] 755-0350
Direct price: $2,675 (standard
conliguratlon)
Warranty: one year, parts and labor;
on-site service; 30-day money-back
guarantee
KEYDATA
486DX2-66 VL
If you're looking for 66 MHz of local-
bus speed and power but prefer
full-size tower computers, you'll be
interested in Keydata's 486DX2-
66 VL Bus WindowStation.
t^ike the Insight tower also
covered here, the Keydata uses
the Taiwan-manufactured ASUS
local-bus motherboard. This com-
pact motherboard provides two
VESA-compliant local-bus slots.
■-'>--^-i;^SPTB^
In the first of the local-bus
slots I found a Genoa Systems
Windows VGA 24 video card
{model 8500VL) with 1MB of RAM
and a Cirrus Logic chip set.
Keep in mind, however, that Key-
data may furnish a different vid-
eo adapter.
The second local-bus slot pro-
vides a home for the IDE disk
controller card, which also
includes the parallel port, two seri-
al ports, and a game port. By
CAD TESTS
50
WORSE
40
30
20
10
SETTiR
■
_ ::; — — .^ —
1 LL L L rrii 1
I Drafix Windows
CAD 130
Rotation
AutoCad 3-D
I Concepts Files
\
%
H
%
\
30 COMPUTE JULY 1993
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The academic program includes comprehen-
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AMERICAN
INSTITUTE
COMPUTER
SCIENCES
The leading edge ofletinimg
TEST LAB
using these two local-bus slots for
the video, disk functions, and I/O,
the manufacturer leaves five full-
lengtti 16-bit expansion slots free
for adding expansion cards of
your choice.
Four front-accessible half-
height drive bays are available,
as well as an additional hidden
half-height bay. All of these avail-
able bays are located above the
SYs-inch and 5y4-inch floppy
drives and the 250MB Conner
30254 IDE hard drive, A particu-
larly nice feature of the Keydata
case is its use of a hinged door
that conceals all of the drives and
drive bays, giving the case an
extra-clean, streamlined look.
The flush-mounted power, tur-
bo, and reset switches, as well as
their related LEDs and the three-
place speed LED, are all mounted
at the top of the case at an angle,
which makes them easily accessi-
ble. I consider the Keydata case
one of the best-looking tower units
I've seen, with lots of eye appeal
in addition to its functionality,
The i486DX2/66 CPU mounted
in a ZIP socket is directly in the
line of air flow coming from the
front-mounted cooling fan. The
manufacturer doesn't use a heat
sink on the massive chip, and the
chip apparently doesn't need
one, thanks to the excellent circu-
lation provided by the fan and the
large open area of the case. I
didn't experience any heat-relat-
ed problems while using the ma-
chine for extended periods.
The CTX Model 1560 ProScan
SVGA monitor I used with this
system provided excellent color
and definition. Other standard
equipment includes an
enhanced Chicony 5181KT key-
board with audible click and a
three-button serial mouse. Keyda-
ta preinstalls MS-DOS 5,0 and Win-
dows 3.1 on the system and sup-
plies floppy backup copies.
If you expect to expand your
system's capabilities as your
requirements grow — perhaps add-
ing a CD-ROM drive, a tape back-
up unit, a sound card, a digitizer,
32 COMPUTE JULY 1993
MICRO EXPRESS
1801 Carnegie Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(800) 989-0900
(714) 852-1400
Suggested retail price: $2,375
(standard contlguration)
Warranty: two years, parts and
labon 30-dav money-bach
guarantee; optional on-site ^rvice
and so forth — it's comforting to
know that the Keydata's 250-watt
power supply has plenty of mus-
cle and three available power con-
nectors to service these addition-
al devices. Clearly, this system
delivers plenty of performance for
today while affording great poten-
tial for tomorrow's expansion.
Circle Reader Service Mumber 37B
MICRO EXPRESS
486-VL/DX2/66
Building upon the success of its
486-Local Bus, which used a pro-
prietary local-bus implementation
for high-speed graphics process-
ing, Micro Express now offers the
486-VL/DX2/66 for your purchas-
ing consideration. This model fea-
tures two VESA-compliant local-
bus slots for accommodating a
graphics processor and another
local-bus expansion card, such
as a disk controller.
The minitower configuration of
the Micro Express case provides
a nice compromise between stan-
dard desktop cases, which eat
up lots of desktop space, and a
full tower case, which sits on the
floor. The minitower should work
equally well either on a desktop
or next to it.
You'll find flush-mounted pow-
er, turbo, and reset switches
aligned vertically on the front of
the case, just above the key lock.
LEDs indicate power on, hard
drive activity, and turbo status,
and another LED display indi-
cates the current CPU speed.
An ATI Graphics Ultra local-
bus SVGA video card equipped
with 2MB of video RAM ensures
speedy graphics processing.
The card resides in one of the
486-VL's two local-bus slots, leav-
ing one vacant and available for
a user-installable local-bus expan-
sion card. This slot can also be
pressed into service as a stan-
dard 16-bit slot if needed.
Of the six 16-bit expansion
slots built into the motherboard, on-
ly four are available for accepting
expansion cards. Of the available
slots, two are full-length and the oth-
er two are three-quarter-length.
One 16-bit slot has the IDE cach-
ing hard and floppy controller
board inserted in it, and another 16-
bit slot holds the I/O board with par-
allel, game, and serial ports.
The system includes dual flop-
py drives (a 3y2-inch and a 5Va-
inch), leaving two 5'/4-inch bays
and one 3'/?-inch bay available
for adding drives. For mass stor-
age, the system uses a Western
Digital Caviar 2200 (210MB)
hard drive. Micro Express installs
Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS 5.0 on
the drive for you, and you get flop-
py copies along with manuals.
The system comes with 8MB of
RAM as the standard comple-
ment, but you can expand the
memory up to a maximum of
32MB by replacing the 1MB
Benchmark/performance testing
was conducted by Computer Prod-
uct Testing Services Inc. CPTS is an
indepencfent testing and evaluation
laboratory based in Manasquan, NJ
Every effort has been made to en-
sure the accuracy and complete-
ness of this data as of the date of test-
ing. Performance may vary among
samples.
CompuServe does Windows.
SL "m
irrrnaL"/r.~TtrT
Introducing a whole new way to look
at CompuServe: CompuServe Information
Manager for Windows {WinCIM"). It's a fully-
integrated Windows application, and lets you
take advantage of Windows
when you're on CompuSen'e.
It'll make your session
faster, more efficient,
easier, and a lot more fun.
With the help of icons
and pull-do\'sTi menus, you'll
find ^•our CompuSer\'e time is almost effortless.
Cruise the forums, browse through your
messages, download files — it's all about as
simple as clicking a mouse button.
Visit us ai PC Expo, Javiis Center, New York.
\S'iitdowi ii i iiadtmark of Microsoft CorporiUon.
r-
i»H i.
Urn
9
And with WinCIM you can do more
offline, too. That means everything from
writing letters to reading the answers to your
hardware and software questions can be done
much more economically.
So take a look for yourself.
If you're already a CompuServe
member, just type GO WINCIM.
If you aren't, call us for more
information at 1 800 848-8199.
Either way, you'll soon see why
the best view is the one from CompuServe
Information Manager for Windows.
Ct]
CompuServe*
The information service you won't outgrow.'
June 28 through July 1, Booth 430.1
circle Reader Service Number 108
TEST LAB
SIMMs with 4MB units in the
eight SIMM slots. The review unit
came with 512K of cache memo-
ry, and this, too, can be upgrad-
ed to a full megabyte.
The manufacturer uses two
methods of dissipating heat from
the i486DX2/66 CPU: a deeply
finned heat sink mounted atop
the CPU chip and a miniature fan
attached to the top of the heat
sink. The fan serves two func-
tions: It dissipates the heat which
is transmitted through the heat
sink's fins, and it also pulls cool-
er air through the fins to keep the
chip's operating temperature with-
in reasonable limits. Since heat
buildup is the major cause of
CPU and component failure, it's
reassuring to see that the Micro
Express folks have taken the bull
by the horns, so to speak, with
these preemptive measures.
I liked everything about this sys-
tem except for the mouse. A three-
button serial mouse from XOA, !
found it to be a bit too bulky and
stiff for my liking, but this is a
minor point and purely one of
taste. The enhanced keyboard sup-
plied with the system is available
in either audibfe-click or silent ver-
sions (a silent model came with the
review machine), and it has a nice
slope and comfortable action.
The minitower configuration pro-
vides lots of installation flexibility,
and the 486-VL should prove to be
adequate for the needs of most
users. It certainly merits a closer
look if you're interested in moving
your data on the local bus,
circle Reader Service Number 379
ZEOS 4860X2-66
When you unpack and set up as
many computer systems as I do,
you really appreciate it when the
manufacturer has done a good
job of preparing and testing the
machine before it leaves the fac-
tory. The folks at ZEOS deserve
some kind words in recognition of
the exemplary job they do in mak-
ing sure everything's right with a
system before they ship it.
34
COMPUTE JULY 1993
ZEOS INTERNATIONAL
1301 Industrial Blvd.
Minneapolis, MN 55413
{800] 423-5891
Direct price: $2,893 (review
conllguration)
Warranty: one year, parts and labor;
ao-day money-ttach guarantee
In addition to a detailed pack-
ing slip with a complete invento-
ry of the system components
(both internal and external} and
their associated part numbers,
ZEOS also included a quality
assurance checklist with the sys-
tem. This checklist confirms that
all aspects of system preparation
and component quality assur-
ance checking have been per-
formed— not just once but twice —
and that everything passed.
There's even a parts check sec-
lion that ensures all required
cables, manuals, power cords,
and other required elements are
also present and accounted for pri-
or to sealing the box and ship-
ping the system. Kudos to ZEOS
for going the extra mile here.
Every computer system is the
sum total of all its component
parts, and ZEOS has supplied a
shining example of what a good
system is made of. The 200-watt
power supply with built-in surge pro-
tection provides the operating volt-
age to power the system's dual flop-
py drives, its 245MB Seagate ST-
3283AT hard drive, and the sys-
tem board.
The spacious case provides
lots of expansion room. Flush-
mounted push-button reset, pow-
er, and turbo switches have LED
status indicators, and a system
key lock is also mounted at the
front of the case. A snap-off plas-
tic cover conceals the screws
securingthecase cover to the chas-
sis and gives the rear of the ma-
chine a smooth and uncluttered
appearance. As far as vacant
bays go, you'll find a 5'/:-inch bay
and a vertical 3'/?-inch bay, both
accessible from the front of the ma-
chine; inside the case there's
t~J ucu Usi£j^
room to add two additional 5Va-
inch half-height drives.
ZEOS uses its own mother-
board, which provides a total of sev-
en full-length 16-bit expansion
slots and a single three-quarter-
length 8-bit slot. Two of the 16-bit
slots have local-bus extensions on
them as well. In the review unit,
one of the local-bus slots was oc-
cupied by the Diamond Viper
SVGA card, while all of the other
slots were vacant and available.
To dissipate the excess heat gen-
erated by the CPU, ZEOS
installed a large heat sink about an
inch longer than the 80486 chip it-
self. A ZIF socket makes removing
the CPU for future upgrades an ef-
fortless procedure that consists of
lifting the socket's locking lever.
replacing the chip, and pushing
the locking lever back down again.
I found the system's perform-
ance beyond reproach, handling
both text- and graphics-based
applications quickly and without
a whimper. A comfortable
enhanced keyboard with audible
click and a Microsoft serial
mouse make using the system a
pleasure, and Lotus Organizer
software, DOS 5.0, and Windows
3.1 all come standard. And if
that's not enough, you can
choose either Lotus 1-2-3 for Win-
dows, Ami Pro, or Lotus
Freelance as an additional includ-
ed software package.
ZEOS builds a solid machine
that should deliver excellent, trou-
ble-free performance for many
years to come. If you're thinking
of purchasing a 486DX2/;66 local-
bus system, this one should be
high on your list of potential
candidates.
circle Reader Service Number 3B0
x^^
Fly higher.
Higher. Faster. Farther.
CH Products is defining new
standards of design and
performance for computer pilots.
We'll empower you to effortlessly
relay commands with a feel of
absolute control.. .to swoop, loop
and soar like never before.
Get your hands on the
red-hot precision
FLIGHTSTICK™ series joysticks. Or
our lightning-fast GAMECARD 3
AUTOMATIC". And VIRTUAL
PILOT"-', a yoke that will defy your
concept of reality. And there's
more on the horizon. d__-.|- farther
From drawing board "ts***-" icirwi«sr-
to your fingertips, ours is a relent-
less pursuit of new and better
products. CH Products began with
a dream 25 years ago, and we've
never looked back.
Today, we give you the wings to fly.
Higher.
Faster.
Farther.
970 Park Center Drive Vista, CA 92083
Phone:619.S9a.2518 Fax; 619,598.2524
TM 1993 CH Producta, H Joystick Toclinologjea inc. Co.
Circle Reader Service Numtsr t56
SYSTEM FEATURES
Hard drive
Make
Western Digital
Maxtor
Maxtor
Diaital
Quanium
Model
Caviar 2340
LXT 340A
Da213A
Digital
ProDrive LPS
Formatted capacity
333MB
320MB
213MB
239MB
24QM8
Conlfolter
IDE
inlegrated IDE
IDE
integrated IDE
IDE
Conlroller caclte
32K
32K
4K
NA
Ottier drives
1.2MB
NA
1.44MB
MOTHERBOARD
^^^^Mi
; , '^^^M
Manufacturer
BCM AOvancefl Research
Deli
S&A Labs
Digital
Epson Portiand
Standard RAM
4MB
BMB
8MB
4MB
4MB
Max RAM
32MB
64MB
32MB
64MB
12BMB
No. of 8-bit slots
0
0
0
0
0
No. of 16-bit slots
6
6
6
3
6
No. of VESA focal-bus slots
0
0
2
0
0
BIOS
AM!
Ptioenix/Deli
AMI
Phoenix
Epson
External cache
128K
128K (optionai)
256K
128K
yes'
Max cache
256K
128K
256K
256K
variable-
CPU socket
press-pin
pfess-pin
press-pin
press-pin
press- pir,
Upgrade socket
yes
yes
no
yes
yes
Power supply
200 W
240 W
200 W
NA
200 W
INPUT OUTPUT
Parallel ports
Serial ports
PS,^ mouse port
Game port
Mouse supplied
SUPPLIED SOFTV/ARE
DOS
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
Windows 3.1
yes
yes
yes
yes
Floppy backups
yes
yes
yes
OJher software
Close-up 4.0 and choice of
one: Lotus Organizer. Lotus 1-
2-3 lor Home, Lotus Write,
Lolus Works
NA
NA
QAPius
NA=not applicable or information about ttiis feature not available
'noninterlaced
^Epson uses wfiat it calis VirtualCache. a proprietary cache that can let you use all of your system memory as a virtual cache pool.
yes
t^A
36 COMPUTE JULY 1993
Meet One Of Our Wildest Titles
"Eye-popping, ear-tingling, mind-
blowing" - Software Toolworks'
products like The San Diego Zoo"*
Presents The Animals!'" read more
like hit movie reviews. Even
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates called
The Animals! "...a must get!" at the
1993 CD Expo.
.-jC
The Animals! is the latest in our
multi-media edutainment series
and just one of the dozens of titles
from the world's largest supplier of
CD-ROM Software. In fact, every
four seconds of every business day,
someone buys a Software Toolworks
CD-ROM.
i<9h
Look for The Animals!, Mario Is
Missing!'", Mavis Beacon Teaches
Typing! *, The Chessmaster-, World
Atlas, and many mind-expanding
titles from the world's leader in
CD-ROM - The Software Toolworks.
^_-^^^^H^H Fcr [he dealer nearest you
^F- ' '^^^B or to order, call loll-free
Biiykial 1-800-234-3088
■
"he San Diego Zoo™ Presents The Animals!'" was designed by Arnowitz. Inc. Programmed and produced by Amowitz, Inc., and The Software Toolworks. Inc.
-cTofliworis I
Wfved
TEST LAB
^^^H
SYSTEM FEATURES
^H
Gsleway
Insight
Keydata
Micro
Express
ZEOS
1 DIMENSIONS (in Inches)
^^
bsngth
16.00
17 50
^ { Q-j
16.50
18,25
Width
16.25
7.75
7 20
8,00
18,75
Height
4,25
25.25
24,&0
24.80
6.25
1 VIDEO "^^^^^BT 1
Monitor
CrysialScan 1572 PS
ViewSonic 6PS
CTX 1560
ME PM 360
ZEOS 14-inch SVGA
Video adapter
ATI Graphics Ultra Pro
Local Bus
STB Power Graph
Geno
a Windows VGA 24
ATI Graphics Ultra
Local Bus
Diamond Viper VLB
Adapter max Nf resfcoiors 1024 x 768/256
1024 X 768/16,7 million
1024
X 768/16.7 million
600 X 600/32.768
1024 X 768/16.7
million
DRIVES
Hard drive
Make
Western Digital
Western Digital
Conr.e.'
Western Digital
Seagate
Mode!
Caviar
Caviar 2200
30254
Caviar 2200
ST 3283AT
Formalted capacity
333MB
2tOMB
250MB
210MB
245MB
Controller
integrated IDE
VL-bus IDE
VL-bus IDE
IDE
VL-bus iDE
Cantfoller cache
128K
no
no
2S6K
no
Other drives
1.2MB 11111
1.«MB
1
1
1
1
1
MOTHERBOARD
Manuladurer
Galeway
ASUS
ASUS
Micro ExQfess
ZEOS Imemational
Standard RAM
8HB
8MB
8MB
8MB
4MB
Max RAM
64M3
32MB
32MB
32MB
64MB
No. of 8-bit slots
0
0
0
0
1
to. of 16-bii slots
6
5
5
6
5
No. of VESA local-bus slots 2
2
2
2
2
BIOS
Phoenix
AMI
AMI
AMI
Phoenix
External cacite
2S6K
256K
256K
512K
128K
Max cache
256K
256K
256K
1MB
256K
CPU socket
press-pin
ZIP
ZIP
press-pin
21F
Upgrade socl^el
yes
yes
yes
no
yes
Power supply
200 W
250 W
250 W/
200 VV
200W
iNRjTiOUTPirr '
^^m: ^■■B^^ 1
Parailel ports
1
1
1
1
2
Serial ports
2
2
2
2
1
PS,'2 mouse port
0
0
0
0
0
Game port
0
1
1
1
G
Mouse supplied
yes
yes
yes
yes
SUPPLIED SOFTWARE J
• 1
DOS
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
Windows 3.1
yes
yes
yss
yes
yes
Floppy backups
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
Other software
Cooi Tools. PC Tools,
QAPIus
Dr Solomon's
Anti-Virus. Slacker
Choice of one, Morton Desktop
for WinOows. OOjecl Vision,
Sidekick, Turbo 0++. Paradox
dBASE IV
m
Lotus Organizer and
one: Ami Pro or
Freelance
l>iA=not applicable or intonr
■noninterlaced
ation about this featLire not available
38 COMPUTE JULY 1993
RETURN
m
PHANTOM
TheFIjiure
OfAdveniure
Ganung Begins
m When The m
Phantom Returns!
PticroProse pushes adventure gaming to its
limits with the most significant innovations in
graphics and animation to date!
•KaatyassHcmeDWiUfliiTiRi
i
Tragedy awaits you
and the audience
inside the famed
Paris Opera Housel
Explore the
opera's labyrinth
of catacombsl
Confront the
^SP Phantom face-
to-face!
'is--'
tal
^^Sf^^ml
E
BQII
mi'"--'^
'i^WW
i^HIE
1
l^^fo^
I^PJ^Sl " ii'..0---^^^^-<"" " ""fefe
t:^
^^^^-^
Search for clues
along the catwalks,
through the wings,
and into the many
backstage rooms
of the opera house!
Try Rex IHebular And
The Cosmic Gender
Bender^*^' for more
mind-blowing
adventures!
^<W
II
li Piante
|l Address .
City
To get our free catalog, call 1 -800-87 9-PLAY.
(Mon.- Fri., &30 am-5:00 pm EST.)
Or nil out this coupon and mail it to: MicroProse Software, Inc. _ . . ,
180 Lahefront Drive • Dept. D-10 ■ Hunt Valley, HD 21030-2245 GAM
_ State .
-HP-
J i u
Seriously Fun Software
© 1993 MicroFrose Software, Inc. ALL KIGHTS RESERVED
Circle Reader Senlce Numbef 174
NEWS & NOTES
Jill Champion
PLANMaker
helps you
put together
a winning
business plan.
For Capital Seekers
There's nothing like gridlock.
While small businesses hold
the greatest potential for cre-
ating new jobs, they also
have the hardest time obtain-
ing venture capital. Add to
that bleak picture, according
to one study (by Coopers and
Lybrand), the fact that only 1
in 100 business plans ever
shows promise of being seri-
ously considered because it
is concise and well written,
and you can see that hope-
fuls with poorly constructed
plans are working against a
huge disadvantage.
A new software package
called PLANMaker, not your or-
dinary fill-in-the-blanks busi-
ness program, is designed to
help overcome such odds. It
#»mbines all the ingredients
necessary to formulate and
publish a sophisticated busi-
ness plan — one that conforms
to the standards now demand-
ed by bankers and investors.
Its suggested retail price is
$129. For more information,
contact PowerSolutions for
Business, 1920 South Broad-
way, St. Louis. Missouri
63104: (314) 421^0670. (314)
421-0668 (fax).
Future Teleconferencing
We all remember the classic
line from "Star Trek": "Lieuten-
ant, can you put that on-
screen for me?" Even three
decades ago, remote commu-
nications in sci-fi programs
and flicks involved visual as
well as audio contact.
Now, NCR is bringing to
market NCR Telefvledia Con-
nection. It's a combination of
hardware and software that
lets PC users communicate
with each other through tele-
conferencing while they collab-
orate on files and documents
in realtime.
"NCR TeleMedia Connec-
tion will change the way we
work," says Neil Whittington,
assistant vice president of
NCR's Multimedia Products
business unit.
The product consists of
two 16-bit ISA bus plug-in
cards to support video and
graphics on 386- and 486-
based PCs, as well as soft-
ware that allows users lo col-
laborate on Windows-based
files. It also supports an option-
al video camera and audio
unit. As a result of all this tech-
nology, a widely dispersed
group of people can work to-
gether as if they were in the
same room.
NCR plans to introduce
products utilizing TeleMedia
Connection technology later
this year. For more informa-
tion, contact NCR, 1700
South Patterson Boulevard,
Dayton. Ohio 45479: (800)
225-5627 or (513) 445-5000.
Beatles Tour — 30 Years Later
The Beatles have begun an
ambitious worldwide tour on
CD-ROM. Voyager is launch-
ing a new CD-ROM edition of
A Hard Day's Night, an inter-
active program that includes
the complete uncut movie,
the entire script, a book's
worth of text about the
Beatles and the rise of rock
'n' roll, a Beatles photo gal-
lery, and profiles of the songs
and the film cast.
The suggested retail price
is $39.95 for the Mac version.
40 COMPUTE JULY 1993
A PC version of the program
is scheduled for release later
this year. For more informa-
tion, contact Voyager. 1351
Pacific Coast Highway, Santa
Monica. California 94041:
(310) 451-1383, (310) 394-
2156 (fax).
Decrypting the Code
The Computer Museum in Bos-
ton opened From Words to
Code: How People Make Com-
puters Work this April, the
first exhibit to reveal in a light-
hearted, interactive way the
mysterious world of program-
ming and how it affects daily
lives.
Using video, computer sta-
tions, and 3-D objects, the ex-
hibit takes visitors on a jour-
ney into a "land of languag-
es" to discover how pro-
grams, or sets of instructions,
are all around — from recipes
to lock combinations — and
how these sets of instructions
are turned into code using pro-
gramming languages. Visitors
are even able to build their
own programs. The grand fina-
le, a nine-foot-high 3-D tower,
graphically illustrates the vari-
ety of programming languag-
es that have evolved since
the early 1950s. The exhibit is
on display through Septem-
ber 6. 1993. For more informa-
tion, contact The Computer
Museum, 300 Congress
Street, Boston. Massachu-
setts 02210: (617) 426-2800,
(617) 426-2943 (fax).
Don't Dump That Old Laptop!
Why spend more money on a
new laptop when you can
have your current one upgrad-
ed? Laptop Solutions of Hous-
ton replaces the current hard
drive with a brand-new, high-
er-speed, higher-capacity
drive. "We have a rigorous
quality-control program,"
says Ken Duckman, presi-
dent of Laptop Solutions. "We
pride ourselves on our 0-per-
cent defect policy — every ma-
The best sound is not in the cards.
Perk up your
presentations. Make
training more eflective.
And, put some guts
into your gaming
pastimes, Anytime.
Anywtiere, Intact, if you
are not a card carrying
member ot the computer set, you liave to hear
PORT-ABLE Sound Plus from Digispeech. You
know, those real smart people who make simple
sound solutions.
PORT-ABLE Sound Plus is She first portable
external sound peripheral to deliver 16 Bit CD
quality music with stereo audio capabilities.
And. since you just plug into your IBM PC or
compatible, desktop or laptop parallel port, you
do not need an engineering degree or even a
screwdriver.
When you compare
PORT-ABLE Sound PUs to
any other external sound
peripherals, you will see
why anything else is just
noise. PORT-ABLE Sound
Plus is based on advanced
Digital Signal Processing
technology, so you
will enjoy the greatest
compression capability with the highest quality
sounds. Here is something else that will be music
to your ears. PORT-ABLE Sound Plus comes
complete with everything you need including a
high fidelity speaker and builtnn microphone.
There is an "Audio-in" for a CD or tape player
and a "Line-out" for external powered stereo
speakers. Even a built-in smart parallel port pass
through so you can keep printing.
Whether you take your work across the hall
or across the country, with PORT-ABLE Sound
Plus, you have all the cards you need to play
right in your hip pocket. The hinged design lets
you flip up the unit if you are short on desk space
Of lap space. And, the power will always be with
your whether you use rechargeable or non-
rechargeable AA batteries. PORT-ABLE Sound
Plus also comes equipped with an AC/DC power
converter.
As a bonus, you will get
allthesottwareyou need to
communicate. Like Lotus
Sound'" an OLE server for
Windows 3.1. WinReader for
Windows 3.1, a handy text-
to-speech utility, Digispeech's
DOSTalkandDOSReader
text-to-speech applications.
Show & Tell For Kids' for
POBT- ABLE Souno Plus is a trademark al Digtspeecti. Inc. All olher produU
names are irademarks or registered trademarks of llieir lesoecliw owners
Circle Reader Service Number 168
Windows - an easy to use MultlMedia Authoring
program. It is also Sound Blaster and AdLib
compatible.
Why compromise on quality, portability,
compatibility or affordability? When all the cards
are on the table, PORT-ABLE Sound Pius from
Digispeech, Inc. is your ace in the hole.
Suggested retail is only $198.95.
To order or obtain more information about
PORT-ABLE Sound Plus, write or call Digispeech,
or, contact your local dealer.
Sales Office: 550 IVlain Street, Suite J, Placerville,
Califomia95667. Telephone: (916) 621-1787.
Fax (916) 621-2093.
^^
.rtNIXJAS..
m
I
NEWS & NOTES
chine must go back to the cli-
ent in better condition than
when we received it."
The entire process takes
48 hours. During the sec-
ond 24 hours, after compo-
nents have been upgraded,
the machine is put through
an intense "burn-in and
test" period in which the
hard disl< is exercised
through a variety of software
applications and environ-
ments. The new drive must
perform perfectly before the
company will release the ma-
chine. Such meticulousness
has helped Laptop Solu-
tions win licensing agree-
ments with Toshiba and Com-
paq, but the company is al-
so skilled in upgrades of
many other manufacturers'
designs, including Sanyo
ZEOS, Tl, Tandy, Compu-
Add, and AT&T
For more information, con-
tact Laptop Solutions,
10700 Richmond Avenue,
Suite 114. Houston. Texas
77042; (800) 683-6839.
Finding Silicon
Do-it-yourselfers take note:
JDR Microdevices has a
new catalog designed specif-
ically for engineers, techni-
cians, hobbyists, and hack-
ers that offers the compa-
ny's largest selection ever of
electronic components, pro-
totyping products, and devel-
oper's tools. Featured are
components for today's ad-
vanced designs. Readers
will also find Hitachi oscillo-
scopes, solder accessories,
and even hard-to-find refer-
ence books from National
Semiconductor, Intel, Motor-
ola, and other chip makers.
The catalog also features
insightful information to
make the buyer more produc-
tive. Derrick Moore, director
of engineering at JDR,
shares his development strat-
egies in "Derrick's High-
Tech Corner" columns, and
numerous "Tech Tip" col-
umns offer insightful tips. To
order a free catalog, contact
JDR Microdevices, 2233 Sa-
maritan Drive, San Jose, Cal-
ifornia 95124; (408) 559-
1200, (408)559-0250 (fax).
Floppy Jukebox
Once you've tried the Disk
Dispatcher, a "point-and-
click floppy jukebox. ' you
might never go back to con-
ventional disk storage meth-
ods again. The Disk Dis-
patcher, from Select Prod-
ucts, organizes, indexes,
and dispenses SV's-inch flop-
py disks or Flopticals.
Simply list up to 20 of your
most-used disks or Fiopticals
on the reversible index and
punch in your selection, and
the patented selector-action
mechanism on the box instant-
ly hands you your disk.
The Disk Dispatcher also
has the smallest operating
footprint of any 20-disk hold-
er currently on the market,
so it will save desk space.
Its suggested retail price is
$21.95. For more informa-
tion, contact Select Products,
520 First Street, Fillmore. Cal-
ifornia 93015; (805) 524-
1747, (805) 524-1767 (fax).
UNKS 386 PRO
"PC Game of the year"
— Game Player Magazine
"READER'S CHOICE AWARD"
— Multimedia World
"Golden Triad Award"
-Computer Game Review
"Compute's Choice Award"
— Compute
"Best Graphics Award"
— Video Games and Computer Entertainment
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FEEDBACK
Key depression,
specialty viruses,
virtual air
traffic, liigh-llying
memoiv, colorful
forms, easy virus de-
tection, and more.
Keyed Up
Some time ago, you showed
how to set or reset the Caps
Lock key and other control
keys. But what about ordinary
keys? Is there a way to tell
which key has been
pressed?
JOHN JACKSON
DETROIT, Ml
This program might work for
you. It's written in OBASIC.
CLS
DEF SEG = 0
top:
LOCATE 1, 1
FOR i = 1G49T0 1088
PRINT (PEEK(i));
aS = INKEY$
NEXT
GOTO top
This program displays the key-
board buffer (bytes 1053
through 1085), a pointer that
keeps track of the current char-
acter in the buffer (byte
1052). and a pointer that
keeps track of the most re-
cent character read (1050).
When increasing the value of
1050 will make it equal to the
value in 1052. your computer
beeps to alert you that your
keyboard buffer Is full. To
print onscreen the ASCII val-
ue of the most recent
keypress, use this program.
(The line that reads aS=IN-
KEYS keeps the beginning
and end pointers in the same
position.)
CLS
DEF SEG = 0
top:
q = tPEEK(1052)-3ZJ
IF q = -2 THEN q = 30
LOCATE 1,1: PRINT PEEK{1054 +
q)
a$ = INKEYS
NEXT
GOTO top
Viral Spiral
The article on viruses in your
February 1993 issue an-
swered quite a few questions
for me, but can you answer
these?
Is it theoretically possible
for a compiler, if infected with
any of the viruses the article
described, to generate an in-
fected EXE file?
Is it theoretically possible
to vy/hte a virus that would in-
fect a compiler and cause it
to generate an infected EXE
file?
If the answer is no to both
questions, can a newly com-
piled and not yet executed
EXE file be considered virus
free, assuming the source
code contains no viruses?
RICHARD M. SANDERS
BURNSVILLE, MN
Anything is possible. Some of
the viruses described in the ar-
ticle Install themselves as TSR
files which constantly scan
the hard disk for uninfected
files. A new EXE file (one that
was just created) would be vul-
nerable to the Dark Avenger,
for example. As far as we
have been able to determine,
no virus currently in circula-
tion specializes in infecting
compilers In such a way that
they would generate dis-
eased EXE files (although
novj that you've raised the
question, someone some-
where will probably try circu-
lating one). Such a virus
would be too specialized to
spread and would quickly be
isolated and destroyed. The
answer to your final question
is that no file can be assumed
to be virus free.
Rights and Wrongs
In response to the "News
Bits" item called Controlling
the Infectious (December
1992), I believe that there
should be controls both on
weapons and virus construc-
tion kits. Nobody sets a load-
ed and cocked gun in a room
and then says, "Be careful." Vi-
rus construction kits are load-
ed guns. They're all too easi-
ly put to use. Viruses, like
guns, will not disappear un-
der stricter controls, but by re-
stricting their availability, few-
er people will suffer.
JOSEPH LEWIS LOUTZENHISER
ASHLAND. OR
Taking Control
I wish to point out a miscon-
ception regarding virtual real-
ity and aviation. In "Virtual Re-
ality" (February 1993), Jeffrey
Hsu suggests that "air-traffic
controllers may one day take
direct control of the planes on
their radar scope through
VR." In fact, it's more likely
that pilots will one day re-
place the ground controllers.
Technology currently exists
(GPS navigation and data
link transponders) which
would allow pilots to provide
their own separation and se-
quencing. It should be noted
that these are the sen/ices cur-
rently offered by ground con-
trollers.
C. SEBERG
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA
Infection Control
I would like to take issue with
one of Philip Chien's com-
ments in "The Great Virus
Scare" (February 1993). He
states, "In all cases, viruses
are programs that were writ-
ten by an outlaw — a hacker
who specifically sets out to
damage other people's com-
puters." In all deference to
fvlr. Chien, this is simply not
true. Paul Mungo and Brian
Clough, discussing Teodor
Prevalsky, a Bulgarian engi-
neer who was an early virus
writer, state, ". . . for Teodor,
destruction of data or pro-
grams was never the point.
He wrote viruses as an intellec-
tual challenge. None of his
viruses had ever been inten-
tionally damaging . . ." (from
Approaching Zero, 1992).
scorr MOSER
DANVILLE, IN
45 COMPUTE JULY 1993
TICHNOLOGY UPDATE
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hy Charles Antoii
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INDUSTRIES
2820 Waterford Lake Drive. Suite 106
Midloltiian. Virginia 23113
Circle Reader Service Numt>er 206
FEEDBACK
Good point. There 's a bit of inteliectual
chailenge in writing a virus virulent
enougii to plant itself unl<nown in tieav-
ily defended computers. If that were all
that viruses did. no one would care
about them. Unfortunately, most virus
writers go that extra mile to mal<e their
creations destructive, or at least trouble-
some. Recall that some say Nero 's pur-
pose in torching Rome was to receive
the inspiration for a poem. Should we
forget the damage that resulted from
his flight of fancy simply because he
was seeking an intellectual challenge?
In retrospect, we probably should
have changed the word all to most in
Mr. Chien's article. !\Aany people be-
lieve in She doctrine 'All absolute state-
ments are false. "
Flying High
I have DOS 5,0. How can I load my
TSRs into high memory?
JOSHUA NEWMAN
COOPER, TX
We get a lot of letters about this. DOS
programs (particularly games) have be-
come so memory hungry that you
need every byte of conventional mem-
ory you can get your hands on.
You can save significant amounts of
conventional memory by loading your
TSRs high. You do this with Loadhigh.
If you have a TSR called Nicholas, in-
stead of simply putting its name on a
line by Itself in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
put Loadhigh Nicholas.
A couple of other ways to save mem-
ory are to use DOS=HIGH and to use
Devicehigh for ttie drivers in your CON-
FIG.SYS file (as in DEVICEHIGH=SET-
VER.EXE). Make sure DE-
VICE=Hlf^Elvl.SYS comes first in your
CONFIG.SYS file. You can't load
HllvlEM.SYS high.
Color Forms
Are there any form programs that can
use PCX graphics and make color
forms?
STEVEN KILIAN
APO. AP
FormWorx (Power Up Software, 2929
Campus Drive, San Ivlateo, California
94403) can import uncompressed black-
and-white PCX files up to 64K and print
text and fills in color PerFORM Pro Plus
48 COMPUTE JULY 1993
(Delrlna Technology 6830 V/a Del Oro,
Suite 240, San Jose, California 95119)
will import and print grayscale PCX
files and print text and fills in color
Drafted into Service
I'm a deputy sheriff and editor of a
small journal for an organization of traf-
fic crash reconstructionists. We've
found that MacDraft is a great program,
But because most sheriffs' departments
have PCs rather than Ivlacintoshes, I'm
looking for a PC product that's as good
as MacDraft on the Mac for drawing
crash sites for courtroom presentations.
WILT rslELSON
HOWELL. Ml
MacDraft is now available in a Win-
dows version called f^acDraft for Win-
dows. Contact Innovative Data Design,
2280-A Bates Avenue, Concord, Cali-
fornia 94520: (510) 680-6818.
Looking for Trouble
I wanted to alert your readers to the
fact that you can often detect viruses
that infect EXE and COM files because
they change the size of the infected
files. Also, there's a simpfe test for cer-
tain viruses, particularly Stoned and
fvlichelangelo, These viruses decrease
the amount of base memory DOS
thinks it has. If you run Chkdsk, you
should see 655360 total bytes of mem-
ory, If you see a value less than that,
your computer may have an infection. Al-
so, if you think you have an infection,
you should turn your computer off imme-
diately and seek professional help.
There's a chance that the virus can be
stopped before it does serious harm to
your computer.
MARK ANDERSON
DEL NORTE, CA
Readers whose letters appear in "Feed-
baci<" will receive a free COMPUTE's
PC clock radio while supplies last. Do
you have a question about hardware or
software? Or have you discovered
something that could help other PC us-
ers? If so, we want to hear from you.
Write to COMPUTE'S Feedback. 324
West Wendover Avenue, Suite 200,
Greensboro, North Carolina 27408. We
regret that we cannot provide person-
al replies to technical questions. 3
Editor
Art Director
Managing Editor
Features Editor
Reviews Editor
Editor, Gazette
Editor, Amiga nesource
Senior Copy Editor
Copy Editor
Edttarial Assistant
Contributing Editors
Intern
Giilton l^rnes
l^bin C Case
David Englisn
Robert Bixbv
Mike Hudnali
To-Ti Meisei
Denny Atkin
K^ren Huffman
Margarel I^msey
Poliy Cilfparr
Sylvia G?aiiam. Edde Hultman.
Tony Roberts, Karen Si&oak
Kfm Havlena
ART
Assistanl Art Director Kenneth A Hardy
Designer Katie Murdock
Copy Produelion Manager leny Cash
PRODUCTION
Produelion Manager De Potter
Traflic Manager Barbara A Williams
PROGRAMMING & ONLINE SERVICES
Manager Troy Tuci-eT
Programmers Bri^ce M Bowden
Sieve Dfaper
Bradley M Small
ADMINISTRATION
President, COO Kainy Kaeton
Executive Vice President,
Operations
Ediloriai Director
Operations Manager
Otrice Monagar
5r. Administrative Assistant
Administrative Assistant
Receptionist
\V,:liam lynan
Keilli Ferreil
David HensJey Jr
Sybil Agee
Julia Fleming
Lisa G Casrnger
LeWanOa Fox
ADVERDSiNG
Vice President, Peter t Jctinsmeye'
Associale Pul)1islier (212)196.6100
ADVERTISING SALES OFFICES
EasiCoas! P. i , ;■ ■ i ■■■iif- li; : .■■.■ :,iiTjonris-
meyef. Chris Cul': 1 fu.. CiM'-uri^i ..L ,i;,;:..i:i !:,-,u-::.jlianal Lid ,
1965 Broadway. Neiv York, NY t0023; (212) -196-6100 Soulh-
east— Harriet Rogers, 603 A St.. SE, Washington, DC 20003;
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(}6'3 (FAX) Nor|h^\esi— Jerry Thompson, Jules E Tivompson
Co , 1290 Hov/ard Ave,, Suite 303, Burlngame. CA 9J010. ii}S)
3i&-ai22 Li/CiMe Dennis, (707)451-8209 SOLlflwesl— Ian Ling-
wood, 6723 Elon Ave . Canoga Park, CA 91303; (818) 992-
4777 Product Marl Ads— LuciJie Dennis. JUes E, Thompson
Co , 1290 Howard Ave. Suite 303. Buflinsame, CA 94010: (707)
45--32tB U,K a Europe— Beverly Wardale. Fiat 2. 10 StaJford
Tenace. London W87 SH. England; 011-4711-937-1517, Ja-
pan—fniergroun Communications. Ltd,; Jiro Samba. President.
3F Tiger BIdg 5-22 Shiba-koon, 3-Chom9, Minalo ku, Tokyo
105, Japan: 03-43J-2607 Classified Ads—Karia lulanasen, 1
Woods Ct,. HunttrlQton, MY 11743; (TEL/FAK) (516) 757-9562,
THE CORPORATION
Bob Guccione (chairman ano CEO)
Kathy Keeton (vice-chairman)
David J Myerson (president and CEO)
\Vi' iam F Marlieb (presidani, marketing, saies and circulation)
Patrick J Gavin (senior vice president and CFO)
Ricnaro (^ien (executive vice president and treasurer)
Jeri Winston (executive vice president, corporate services)
Haf Haipnet (vice president, director o( rnanutactuFing)
William Tynan (vice president, technology and inlorTnaiion
services)
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
Sr, VP/Cprp D,r tie^t Bi.sin(>ss Devsiopmen!, Beverly
Wardale, VP/Dir Group Advertising Sales; Nancy Kesienbaum:
Sr VP/Southern and Midwest Advertising Dir, Peter Golasmitfi,
Off ces: New York 1965 Broadway. New Ywk. NY 10023-5965,
Tel (212) 496-6100, Telex 237128 Midwest: til East Wacker
Dr„ Suite 508, Cfiicago IL 606D1; (312) 819-0900, (3)2) 819-
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20006. Tel (202) 728-0320, West Coast; 6723 Eton Ave,. Can-
oga Park. CA 91303, Tel, (BIS) 992-4777, UK and Europe Flat
2. lOSiatford Terrace. London WB7 BH, England: Tel, 011-4711-
937-1517 Japan intergroup Jiro Semba, Telex
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402Kunsnin Annex BT "' ' ' n:-,-, "■;■,■; ,,-Ku, Seoul.
Korea(121), Tel 719. ■ '
ADMINISTRATION
Sr VP. CFO- PalricK J Gavin, EVPiCorporale Sarv.ces Jeri Win-
ston; EVPy'Grapnics Director Frank Devi no; EVP/Clrcuiation:
James, B, Martise: VP Director Sales Promotions: Beverly Grei-
per; Dir. Nev/ssland Circulation; Paul Roinick, Dir,. Newsstand
Operations- Joe Gallo: Dir Subscription Circulation; Diane Mor*
genthalef: VP Director ol Research Robert Ratlner: Advertising
Production Director: Charlene Smilli; Advertising F^oduclion Trat-
fic fvtgr; Pam Rizk; Traffic Dir William Harbutt: Dir. Budget and
Finance; Tom Maley. Production Mgr Tom Slinson; Asst F^oduc-
lion Mgr.: Nancy Rice. Mgr,. International Div,: George Rotas:
Exec. Asst, to Bob Quccione: Diane O'Connall: Exec. Asst to
David J, Myerson: Ten Pisani: Special Asst, 'D (job Guccione
Jane Homlisti
READERSHIP SURVEY
V\le want COMPUTE to be as useful and
interesting as possible and to provide
you with the coverage you want. Please
iielp us by taking a moment to fill out
and send us this questionnaire. You can
mail the completed questionnaire to us
(photocopies are fine) or fax it.
Mail:
COMPUTE Readership Survey
324 W. Wendover Ave., Ste. 200
Greensboro, NC 27408
Fax: (919) 275-9837
What computer(s) do you own or plan
to buy?
Plan
Own to Buy
n n 8088/8086, brand
D 80286, brand
n 80386, brand
D 80486, brand
n Pentium, brand
n Notebool</laptop, brand.
D Macintosh, model
D Game system, brand
a Other
Which video display system(s) do you use?
D Monochrome
D Hercules
n CGA
n EGA
D VGA
D Super VGA
Which peripheral(s) do you own or plan to
buy?
Plan
Own to Buy
D n Sy^-inch disk drive
n n SVs-inch disl< drive
a n CD-ROM drive
D D Dot-matrix printer
D n Fax modem
n D Hard disk
D D Laser printer
D n MIDI device
n D Modem
n n Mouse
D n PostScript printer
□ □ Sound card
D n Speakers
D D Tape bacl<;up system
How much memory does your computer
have?
D 640K or less
n 1MB
a 2MB
D 4MB
n 8MB
D 16MB
Which operating system(s)/environment(s) do
you use?
D DR DOS version
D Microsoft Windows version
O MS-DOS version
n OS/2 version
a Other
Which parts of the magazine do you iike the
most?
D Art Worlds
D COMPUTE'S Getting Started With
D Editorial License
n Features
D Feedback
n Game Insider
n GamePlay
n Hardware Clinic
D IntroDOS
D Multimedia PC
D News & Notes
n News Bits
D Pathways
n Personal Productivity
D Programming Power
n Reviews
D Test Lab
D Tips & Tools
n Windows Workshop
Which of the following computer-related top-
ics do you like to read about?
n Databases
D Desktop publishing
n Disk management and MS-DOS
□ Education
n Games and entertainment
D Graphics (paint, draw, or CAD)
D How to upgrade your PC
□ Integrated software
n Local area networks (LANs)
a Money management
□ Multimedia
a New computer technologies
n New hardware
D Pen computing
D Programming
n Spreadsheets
D Telecommunications
D Windows
n Word processing
n Other
Where do you use your PC?
O Home
n Work
a School
n Other
Where did you get this copy of
COMPUTE?
D Subscription
n Newsstand
D Other
How long have you been reading
COMPUTE?
D Less than tvro years
n Two years or more
If you have a modem, which online service(s)
do you use?
D America Online
D BIX
D CompuServe
n DELPHI
D GEnie
D Internet
D Prodigy
n Other
Comments -
JULY 1993 COMPUTE 49
WINDOWS WORKSHOP
Clifton Karnes
Visual C++ is a
superb development
environment
that has just about
everything.
COMPILER WARS
Back in January, I talked
about Borland's C++ 3.1 and
what a great Windows devel-
opment environment it was.
The quality of Borland's new en-
try in the compiler market
wasn't loston anyone, especial-
ly Microsoft. Now Microsoft
has countered Borland's C++
3.1 with Visual C++, a superb
development environment
that has just about everything.
There are lots of modules to
Visual C++, and they all work
together. The heart of the sys-
tem is Visual Workbench,
which is the Windows-based
integrated environment. It
boasts an interface much like
QuickC for Windows but with
many added features. There's
a toolbar for quick access to
common commands; a syntax
highlighting editor; and a Tool
menu, to which you can add
your own commands.
The editor is not configura-
ble (you can't remap the key-
board), but it's fairly powerful
and has lots of useful com-
mands such as one that lets
you change the case of text
and another that indents and
unindents blocks.
Next on the list is App Stu-
dio, which you can use to edit
all your resources, including di-
alog boxes, icons, cursors,
menus, and bitmaps. You can
also edit resources in EXEs,
DRVs, and DLLs. App Studio
is like Borland's pioneering Re-
source Workshop, but it's eas-
ier to use and more powerful.
App Studio is written entirely
in Visual C++, too, which
brings us to this product's cen-
tral theme: C++.
One of the reasons that M\-
crosoft created Visual C+ +
was to make it easier for C pro-
grammers to move to C++,
and two of Visual C++'s mod-
ules— AppWizard and Class-
Wizard— focus on that task.
If you've misspent your
youth starting each new Win-
so COMPUTE JULY 1993
dows' project by copying the
canonical Generic, you'll real-
ly appreciate AppWizard. It's
an application generator that
lets you create a program's
source files based on a series
of options. You can create pro-
grams with an fvlDI interface,
a toolbar, printing and print pre-
view functions, custom VBX
controls, context-sensitive
help, and OLE client support.
AppWizard can also create
external makefiles, and it will
generate source comments.
What language does
AppWizard use? C++ and Vis-
ual C++'s new rvlicrosoft Foun-
dation Class 2.0 library. It's
worth noting that you use
AppWizard only once — when
you create your program. It's
not a CASE tool, like Windows-
MAKER or Caseworks, that
you can return to in the devel-
opment process.
After creating your program
skeleton, ClassWizard lets you
make connections between us-
er-interface elements, messag-
es, and code by pointing and
clicking.
When it comes to debug-
ging. Visual C++ really packs
the Raid. It boasts a Windows-
hosted debugger that's inte-
grated with the Visual Work-
bench editor. Just press F8 or
click on the step button on the
toolbar, and you're debug-
ging. Find an error? Just start
typing to correct it. This is the
way Windows debugging
ought to work!
The integrated debugger
features normal and condition-
al breakpoints, watches, and
register display. If you need
more powerful debugging,
there's CodeView for Win-
dows, which, using technolo-
gy from Nu-Mega, runs as a
nonmovable Windows app in
one corner of your screen. It's
not as convenient as the inte-
grated debugger, but it's a
heck of a lot easier to use
than Borland's full-screen de-
bugger that makes you flip
back and forth between the de-
bugger and Windows.
Other debugging aids in-
clude HeapWalker, DDESpy,
Spy, Stress, Zoomin, and
Hotspot Editor.
In addition to all this, N/licro-
soft's online help, which has al-
ways been good, is even bet-
ter now. The entire API refer-
ence is online, and you'll find
tons of TechNotes — articles
on programming problems.
The documentation is excel-
lent, but all the 3.1 SDK docs
aren't included. You can get
the missing ones for an extra
$99. 1 consider them a neces-
sity, and they're a steal at $99.
Other useful features in-
clude a first-rate Browser and
precompiled headers that are
finally easy to use.
Visual C++ comes in two ver-
sions: a Standard Edition for
$199 and a Professional Edi-
tion for $495. The Standard Edi-
tion has everything in the Pro-
fessional Edition except for
the Windows debugging appli-
cations, DOS program gener-
ation, and the optimizing com-
piler.
The Standard Edition replac-
es QuickC for Windows, and
the Professional Edition replac-
es C 7.0 and the SDK.
The bottom line with a devel-
opment environment is how
fast it compiles and how small
the executables are. With a
few informal tests on medium-
sized programs with 1000-
4000 lines, t found Visual C++
to be slower at compiling than
Borland C++, but the EXEs
were considerably smaller
(the in-memory images were
the same as those generated
by Borland's compiler).
One thing that has won me
over to Visual C++ is the small-
er executables. Another thing
is the integrated debugger.
This feature alone saves
hours and hours with every pro-
ject. Visual C++ is hard to
beat, but I'm sure Borland's go-
ing to try. □
ALL-NEW!
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Send your order to COMPUTE'S Windows PowerPak, 324 West
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■ Postage and handling for standard delivery (4-6 weeks) is $3.95
per disk. Additional charges apply lor express delivery and
foreign orders. Offer expires September 15, 1993. S
TIPS & TOOLS
Edited by Richard C. Leinecker
Checking COM files
with a new
Checksum, finding
files from any
directory, and using
ttie extended
power of Xcopy
and M.BAT
Checksum Redux
Here is a new Checksum De-
bug script. The original Check-
sum was published in the Ju-
ly 1992 "Tips & Tools" column
in COMPUTE. In this column
and in future columns, this is
the Checksum program that
will be used to verify the accu-
racy of COM files.
Make sure the DOS pro-
gram called Debug is in your
path or the current directory.
In these examples, the italic
text represents what the com-
puter prints; the reman text
represents what you should
type. One way to be sure you
get these programs exactly
right is to have someone
read the numbers to you as
you type them in. Another
way suggested by one of our
readers is to read the num-
bers into a tape recorder and
then play them back as you
enter the program code.
debug checksum.com
File not lound
-e100 M 70 01 be SO 00 ac Oa
-elOB c(] 74 61 ac 3c M 74 5c
-BlIO 3c 20 74 (7 8b (16 4a ac
-ellB 3c Dd 74 04 3c 20 75 f7
-e120 c6 44 ft 00 2b If 8b 15
•e128 b8 00 3d cd 21 72 3d 8b
-e130 d8 b4 31 b1 01 8b d5 cd
-e 138 21 Oa cO 74 06 8a 04 03
-e 140 f8 eb ee b4 3e cd 21 8b
-e148 c7 bb 10 27 8b fd 2b d2
-e150 f7 13 04 30 aa 52 2h d2
-e158 8b c3 bb Oa 00 f7 fS 8b
-e160 d8 53 Ob db 75 eS 8b dS
-e1B8 b4 09 cd 21 b4 4c cd 21
-e 170 00 00 00 00 00 Od Oa 24
■RCX
CX 0000
:78
•W
Writing 0078 bytes
-Q
To use Checksum, type check-
sum filename.com. If you run
Checksum on Checksum, you
will see the number 13907 on
your screen.
RICHARD C. LEINECKER
MIAMI, FL
No Scroll
In your December 1992 is-
sue, you had a batch file
called M.BAT that lists sever-
al different file specs in a di-
rectory, It also lists the vol-
ume name and free disk
space after each file spec,
and this can make the listings
scroll off the top of the
screen. I added the /b switch
to Dir to eliminate these super-
fluous items. Here's my ver-
sion, called DIRR.BAT
ECHO OFF
IF"%1"==""GOTON0PARAIVI
:L0OP
01 R %1 /b
SHIR
IF"%1"="" GOTO END
GOTO LOOP
:NOPARAM
ECHO Parameter missing
ECHO Usage: DIRR filejpecj
llle_spec_2. . . file_spec_9
:END
I also wrote a batch file that
will find a file anywhere on a
disk from any directory. You
can add the /b switch to the di-
rectory to get rid of everything
except the found files and
their paths. I call it FF.BAT
ECHO OFF
IF '■%1"=="" GOTO NOPARAM
DIR \%1 /s
GOTO END
:NOPARAM
ECHO Parameter missing
ECHO Usage: FF filename
:END
JIM KROON
WALLINGFORD. CT
Even Easier Backups
In your December issue, you
showed how to do easy back-
ups. There's an easier way
with Xcopy and the right
switches. The following batch
file backs up the current
directory, but only files from
the given date forward. The
batch file is called X.BAT.
For it to work, you must
give it the date from which
to start backups in the form
mm/dd/yy.
ECHO OFF
IF"%1"=="" GOTO NOPARAIVI
XCOPY *.' A:/M/V/D:%1
GOTO END
:NOPARAIVI
ECHO Usage: X mm/dd/yy
ECHO Files from the given date
ECHO lorward will be tiacked up to
ECHO the destination drive.
:END
You can modify this batch file
to include subdirectories by
adding a Is switch to the
Xcopy line. Here's X.BAT re-
worked slightly to include
subdirectories.
ECHO OFF
IF"%1"="" GOTO NOPARAIVI
XCOPY *.* A:/IV1/V/S/D:%1
GOTO END
: NOPARAIVI
ECHO Usage: X mm/dd/yy
ECHO Files Irom the given date
ECHO forward will be backed up to
ECHO the destination drive.
:END
You can also do a selective
backup and get prompted for
each file by adding the /p
switch. Here's X.BAT with the
/p switch so that you're prompt-
ed for each file.
ECHO OFF
IF "%1 "=='"' GOTO NOPARAM
XCOPY •.' A:/[VI/V/P/D;%1
GOTO END
:NOPARAIVI
ECHO Usage: X mm/dd/yy
ECHO Files from the given date
ECHO forward will be backed up to
ECHO the destination drive.
:END
BARRY L. REHEARD SR.
LANCASTER, PA
52 COMPUTE JULY 1993
Clearing Keys
I've used GETKEY.COM from
the October 1991 issue many
times in my batch files. Once
in a while, users press keys be-
fore my screens are dis-
played. This can lead to the
wrong input. The way I
solved this problem was to
write a short file called
CLKEY.COM that clears the
keyboard. Then, GETKEY-
.COfvl can wait for a key
when the display appears.
You can type in Clkey us-
ing the DOS Debug com-
mand. You will type in the
text in roman. The italic text is
provided by Debug.
debug clkey.com
File not found
-e100 b4 01 cd 16 74 06 2a e4
-e 103 cd ie eb f4 b4 4c cd 21
■RCX
CX 0000
:10
-W
Writing 0010 bytes
-Q
If you run the new Checksum
on this file, you will see the
number 02000 appear on
your screen.
In case you missed the Oc-
tober 1991 issue, here's
GETKEY.COM. It returns the
keypress as an errorlevel
code; this code is the ASCII
value of the l<ey. If A was
pressed, it would return 65. If
you want it to capitalize all re-
turn values, pass it any com-
mand line parameter,
debug getkey.com
File not found
-e100 be 80 DO 2a e4 cd 16 80
-e 108 3c 00 74 Oa 3c 61 7c 06
-ellO 3c 7a 7f 02 24 df b4 4c
■e118 cd 21
-RCX
CX 0000
:1a
-W
Writing 001a bytes
-Q
If you run Checksum on this
file, you will see the number
02480 on your screen.
You might want to clear the
keyboard buffer and then
wait for a key, all in one step.
Here's a program that does
just that. It returns the same
values as GETKEYCOM,
debug clgetkey.com
File not found
-e100 b4 01 cd 16 74 06 2a e4
-e1D8 cd 16 eb 14 be 80 00 2a
-ellO e4 cd 16 8D 3c 00 74 Oa
-e 118 3c 61 7c 06 3c 7a 7f 02
-e 120 24 df b4 4c cd 21
-RCX
CX 0000
:26
-W
Writing 0026 bytes
■Q
If you run Checksum on this
file, you will see the number
03986 on your screen.
Vir^CENT D O'CONNOR
BABBITT, MN
Safer File Moves
I've read a number of batch
files that move files from one
directory to another. Ultimate-
ly, the file is copied to the des-
tination and then removed
from the source.
Unfortunately, a few mis-
takes can cause a user to
lose the file. That's why I
wrote a batch file called COP-
YMOVE.BAT that makes sev-
eral checks and tries to pre-
vent accidents.
ECHO OFF
IF "%1"="" GOTO NOPARAM
IF "%2"=""G0T0 NOPARAM
IF EXIST CHECK.DIR DEL
CHECK.DIR
IF NOT EXIST %1 GOTO NOFILES
IF NOT EXIST %2\NUL GOTO
NODIR
IF EXIST %2\CHECK.DIR DEL
%2\CHECK.DIR
ECHO TESTING > CHECK.DIR
IF EXIST %2\CHECK.01R GOTO
SAMEDIR
GOTO COPYMOVE
:NOFILES
ECHO %1 file(s) not found
IF EXIST CHECK.DIR DEL
CHECK.DIR
GOTO END
:NODIR
ECHO Directory of %2 not found
IF EXIST CHECK.DIR DEL
CHECK.DIR
GOTO END
:SAMED1R
ECHO Files cannot be
ECHO COPYMOVED into the
ECHO current directory.
ECHO Change to
ECHO any other directory
ECHO and try again.
IF EXIST CHECK.DIR DEL
CHECK.DIR
GOTO END
:NOPARAM
ECHO Missing parameter
ECHO Usage:
ECHO COPYIVIOVE
ECHO filespec
ECHO destinationjath
GOTO END
iCOPYMOVE
IF EXIST CHECK.DIR DEL
CHECK.DIR
COPY %1 %2
FOR %%F IN (%1) DO DEL %%F
ECHO 7o1 file(s) COPYMOVED
ECHO to the %2
ECHO directory
:END
DENNIS T MILLER
DALLAS, TX
// you have an interesting tip
that you itiinl< would help oth-
er PC users, send it along
with your name, address, and
Social Security number to
COMPUTE'S Tips & Tools.
324 West Wendover Avenue,
Suite 200, Greensboro. North
Carolina 27408. For each tip
we publish, we 11 pay you $25-
$50. All tips submitted be-
come the property of General
Media international. n
Three batch-file-
enhancing COM files
and a saier
tile moving pragram
JULY 1993 COMPUTE 53
INTRODOS
Tony Roberts
Overcoming fear of
the DOS prompt
just takes a little
understanding.
GRASPING P(MER
Windows may get all the atten-
tion these days, but DOS-
based computing is still alive
and well. Just because a com-
puter doesn't have the horse-
power to run Windows applica-
tions doesn't mean it's a can-
didate for the landfill. Jay At-
las, a reader who is a profes-
sor of philosophy at Pomona
College in Claremont, Califor-
nia, made this point to me re-
cently during an exchange we
had over Internet.
Atlas contends that most
homeowners, small business-
es, and students in particular
can get by just fine without get-
ting all wrapped up in Win-
dows. I have to agree. Al-
though the potnt-and-click en-
vironment makes a computer
a little easier to use, there's a
great deal of overhead (fast
processor, fast hard disk, lots
of RAM) involved in attaining
that ease of use.
If you're into desktop pub-
lishing, multimedia, CAD, or
graphics design, then you
probably need Windows and
Windows software. But if your
computing needs are less
lofty and you're willing to es-
chew the glitz and glamour
that the latest machines offer,
you'll discover that even an
80286 with 1MB of memory
can be a powerful workhorse.
Let's look at what a DOS ma-
chine can do.
Word processing. Most peo-
ple I know use their computers
for writing, and as far as I'm
concerned, no graphical appli-
cation compares with DOS
when it comes to word process-
ing. I'm not talking about type
styles and headlines; I'm talk-
ing about content. A student
writing a term paper should be
more concerned with what
words say than how they look,
The same can be said for a
businessperson preparing a
business plan. Parents will ap-
preciate a plain and simple let-
ter just as much as one
gussied up with fancy fonts
and dingbats.
Telecommunications. Even
if you have the fastest comput-
er on earth, your telecommu-
nications progress is meas-
ured by the speed of your mo-
dem—1200, 2400, or 9600
ops. A modem and telecommu-
nications software provide a
gateway to vast quantities of
information. Sign up for GEnie
or CompuServe and tap into
whatever field of data interests
you there. For exampie, own-
ers of small businesses can
learn to avoid numerous stum-
bling bloci<:s and pitfalls with in-
formation found on GEnie's
Home Office/Small Business
RoundTable. DOS computers
telecommunicate so well that
several Windows users I know
have set up their older, slower
computers as telecommunica-
tions stations.
Database applications. To-
day's newest database soft-
ware has gone graphical, allow-
ing you to include a digitized
photo with each employee re-
cord, but most of us have da-
tabase needs that are far less
demanding. Mainly we want to
manage an address and
phone list for a few friends, as-
sociates, and customers.
There are numerous DOS ap-
plications that do this well —
and fast.
So there's still plenty that
can be done at the DOS
prompt, but therein lies the
problem; the DOS prompt, the
C;\ with the bad reputation.
I won't deny that DOS can
be cumbersome and difficult
to use, but the same can be
said for a sewing machine or
a power saw. Using any tool
properly requires an under-
standing of the process and
the expected outcome. For ex-
ample, a seamstress under-
stands how to use a sewing ma-
chine to assemble a garment.
The sewing machine is a
great tool, but it can't be put
on autopilot. The operator is re-
quired to use judgment, make
decisions, and decide what
steps will be completed in
what order.
Computer users get in troub-
le with the DOS prompt when
they try to engage the autopi-
lot— they try to memorize com-
mands rather than to under-
stand processes. For exam-
ple, I'm continually amazed at
how troublesome the DOS sub-
directory structure is for most
computer users. Let's look at
a simple example. On our
disk, we have the root directo-
ry, C:\, and two subdirecto-
ries, DIR-1 and DIR-2.
Assume you're working in
DIR-1 and you want to get to
DiR-2. If you enter cd dir-2. all
you'll get is the message Inva-
lid Directory because there's
no subdirectory named DIR-2
that branches off the current
subdirectory {DIR-1 ). To avoid
this frustration, you've learned
that when changing directo-
ries, you must first go back to
the root directory and then
change to the target directory.
So you type cd \ to get to the
root directory and then cd dlr-
2 to change to DIR-2.
Mission accomplished, but
without full understanding of
what's happening, What you re-
ally need to know is that the
full name for DIR-2 is C:\DIR-
2. The backslash is important;
it represents your disk's root di-
rectory. When you know that
DIR-2 is a branch of the root
directory, you can easily
switch to it from any subdirec-
tory by typing cd \dir-2. In this
case, the CD command uses
the root directory (\) instead of
the current directory as the
starting point in looking for the
DIR-2 subdirectory.
If you're computing at the
DOS prompt and feeling blue,
it's time to snap out of It. Com-
mit yourself to understanding
the processes, and you'll dis-
cover you have a most helpful
tool at hand. □
54 COMPUTE JULY 1993
connpuTEs
ULTIMATE POWER DISK
Don't miss the dazzling, ready-to-run DOS and Windows
programs on this issue's disk!
Hold Anything
Hold Anything
gives you a flexible
free-form
database with no
setup
hassles.
^
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System Check
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HARDWARE CLINIC
Mark Minasi
Why is a Pentium
faster ttian
a 486, and how
fast is It?
PENTIUM POWER
By now, you've heard a lot
about Intel's new microproces-
sor, the Pentium, Wondering
how much of the stuff that
you're hearing is actually true?
Well, the Pentium is a good
chip in many ways, although
not the amazing world-beater
that some of the {ahem} compet-
ing computer magazines claim
it to be. This month, let's take
a very quick look at what's fact
and what's not concerning In-
tel's newest engine.
I said you'd probably heard
a lot about the Pentium; actu-
ally, hearing is about all you'll
be doing about the Pentium
for a while, as Intel will be
lucky to be able to produce
200,000 of them by the end of
the year. While 200,000 may
sound like a lot of chips, it's on-
ly about 1 percent of Intel's pro-
duction run for this year's 386
and 486 chips, and an even
smaller percentage when you
add in the folks like Cyrix,
AMD, and IBIVI who make
clones of those CPtJs.
There are lots of things to
like about the Pentium, and
not a lot of space to describe
them. Here's a whirlwind tour.
Greater raw speed. The Pen-
tium comes in 60-MHz and 66-
MHz flavors. If offering two
speeds that are so close togeth-
er seems odd, it is — usually.
The Pentium is such a difficult
chip to make, however that the
percentage of manufactured
chips that can operate at the
goal rate of 66 percent — the
yield, in chip talk — is much low-
er than it is for, say, 386 or 486
chips. Lowering the bar of ac-
ceptability to 60 MHz allows In-
tel to sell the chips that almost
made it. That means that the 60-
MHz Pentiums failed the 66-
MHz test but passed the 60-
MHz test, whereas the 66-MHz
Pentiums passed both tests. Per-
sonally, I'd look closely at a re-
turn and service policy before
buying a PC based on a 60-
MHz Pentium,
Why is the Pentium so diffi-
cult to make? For one thing, it's
much bigger than the 486, The
486 contains 1 ,2 million transis-
tors; the Pentium contains 3.1
million — over two-and-a-half
times as many (That's not the
biggest jump we've seen, how-
ever. The 386 is only a quarter
million transistors,) The Pentium
is also a hot chip in the literal
sense. The Pentium overview
document from Intel says that
the chip should be expected to
run at up to 85 degrees Centi-
grade— that's 185 degrees Fahr-
enheit— prompting the inevita-
ble observation that it'll not only
crunch your numbers, but it'll al-
so cook your dinner. Look for
makers of Pentium-based com-
puters to tout their unique cool-
ing facilities.
The greater raw speed re-
fers to the fact that the 66-MHz
clock rate is a pure clock rate,
unlike the 486DX2/66 chip,
which runs at 66 MHz internal-
ly but interacts with the out-
side world at only 33 MHz. A
486DX2/66 is a relatively sim-
ple chip to design a PC
around; that it communicates
at 33 MHz externally means
that all a designer needs to do
is to mate a DX2/66 GPU chip
with a run-of-the-mill 33-MHz
motherboard, and it's an in-
stant 66-MHz computer.
With a Pentium-66, on the oth-
er hand, both internal and ex-
ternal communication is at 66
MHz, requiring a motherboard
that runs at 66 MHz. While it
may seem that building a 66-
MHz motherboard would be a
small incremental change from
the currently available 33-MHz
and 50-MHz motherboards, it's
not — the task gets harder as
the speed gets greater. It turns
out that 66 MHz is around the
frequency of TV channel 4, so
a Pentium-equipped PC has a
serious potential noise prob-
lem. Run one without the prop-
er shielding (with the cover off
or with an inadequate cover).
and you're, well, on the air. Cur-
rently, anyone can design a
motherboard with a few chips
and a processor. That won't be
true with Pentium-based sys-
tems. Don't be surprised if the
early 66-MHz Pentium-based
PCs vary in usable speed by
as much as 50 percent.
Smarter cache. Since the 20-
MHz 80386DX's introduction,
PC designers have been
faced with a difficult choice —
what kind of memory to use in
their machines. The majority of
PC RAM is called dynamic
RAM (DRAM): It's relatively
cheap, but it's not available in
the kind of speeds needed to
keep up with systems of 20-i-
MHz. You can't get DRAMs in
40, 25, 20, or 15 nanosecond
access times, the times re-
quired by those systems.
There's a different kind of RAM
called static RAM (SRAM)
that's available in those higher
speeds, but SRAM is much
more expensive than DRAM.
How do manufacturers build
high-speed machines and still
find RAM that won't drive the
price of the PCs out of sight?
By using a lot of DRAM and a
little SRAM. The DRAM serves
as main memory, and most sys-
tems have megabytes of it. But
many motherboards have be-
tween 64K and 512K of SRAM
called cache RAM. When the
CPU needs the next item of da-
ta from the system RAM, it
looks first in the fast SRAM
cache to see if it's there. If the
data is in the SRAM cache,
then the CPU gets it from the
SRAM without delay.
If, on the other hand, the re-
quired data isn't in the SRAM,
the CPU must go to DRAM for
the data, which slows the sys-
tem down considerably. The
whole idea of a cache is that
some smart hardware called a
cache controller {it's built into
the 486, and it's an optional
chip with the 386) must essen-
tially look into the future,
guess which data the CPU will
56 COMPUTE JULY 1993
soon need, and go get that da-
ta before the CPU asks for it.
While many 386 mother-
boards incorporate some kind
of cache memory and cache
controller, the 486 actually
builds a cache and cache con-
trolling into the CPU. The 486
chip contains 8K of cache, and
most 486 systems have addition-
al cache on the motherboard.
The Pentium's cache system
is better than the 486's in four
ways. First, the Pentium has
twice as much cache, with two
8K caches — one for data, one
for program code, Second, the
cache's method of organizing
its cached data is more effi-
cient, employing a write-back ai-
gorithm. The opposite of a write-
back algorithnn, a write-through
algorithm, forces data written to
the SRAM cache memory to be
immediately written to the slow-
er DRAM memory. That means
that memory reads can come
out of the cache quickly, but
memory writes must always oc-
cur at the slower DRAM time. Be-
cause not every piece of infor-
mation written to memory stays
in memory very long, the Penti-
um's cache algorithm puts off
writing data from SRAM to
DRAM for as long as possible,
unlike the 486, which uses a
write-through cache.
Third, there's the time wast-
ed by the cache controller in
searching to see if an item is
in the cache. The Pentium re-
duces that time by dividing
the cache into smaller caches,
each of which can be
searched more quickly; that
technique is called a two-way
set associative cache.
To explain the fourth v/ay in
which the Pentium's cache is
better than the 486's, I have to
first make an important point
about what a cache must do.
Recall that a cache has to
guess which data and pro-
gram code the CPU will need
soon, and then go get that da-
ta before the CPU asks for it.
Guessing what the CPU will
need isn't a straightforward
task, particularly when there
are decisions to be made. Sup-
pose the cache sees that the
GPU is currently executing
some instructions that mean:
"Compare value A with value B.
If A is greater than B. then set
the value MAXIMUM to A; oth-
erwise, set the value MAXI-
MUM to B." That simple state-
ment boils down to a bunch of
instructions that had better be
in the cache if the Pentium is go-
ing to continue to run without de-
lays. But since the cache con-
troller can't know whether the
CPU will take the "A is greater
than B" or "B is greater than A"
fork in the road, it doesn't know
which result's code to go grab
and put in the cache. For
years, mainframe cache control-
lers have used a technique
called branch prediction to
guess which way the CPU will
go, and now a PC chip — the
Pentium — has a cache control-
ler builtinto it with branch predic-
tion capabilities.
Two processors in one.
There are essentially two CPUs
in this chip. The first one is a sim-
ple 386-like CPU; It does inte-
ger operations, not floating-
point operations. The second is
like the 486— a 386 with floating-
point capabilities built right into
it. That means that the Pentium
is essentially a parallel-process-
ing CPU, with the ability to do
two things at once. Those two
CPUs-within-a-GPU are called
the U and V pipelines, and the
fact that the Pentium has more
than one pipeline makes it a su-
perscalar CPU. Without special
programming, only the 486
pipe (the U pipe) is active. New
programs and operating sys-
tems, such as Windows NT
and OS/2 3.0, will be required
to make use of these multiple
processors.
Fault tolerance. The Penti-
um is designed to be linked
with another Pentium on the
motherboard that's dedicated
to fault tolerance. The second
Pentium constantly monitors
the first. If the main Pentium
malfunctions, the other one
jumps right in and takes up
without skipping a beat.
Benchmarking the Pentium
How much faster is a Penti-
um, really? As I said, the ac-
tual speed of a Pentium-
based PC will depend heavily
on motherboard design, as
the Pentium relies upon the
motherboard to access both
its DRAM and its external
SRAM cache, if those re-
spond slowly, the Pentium
can only run slowly.
Simple small benchmarks,
on the other hand, will run like
greased lightning because
they'll fit entirely into the Penti-
um's 16K cache. They'll return
some great numbers, but
those numbers will be of very
little real-world value in judging
system effectiveness. After all,
how many applications do you
run that will fit in 16K?
I should also mention that
modern benchmarks don't ex-
ploit multiprocessor capabili-
ties, so any benchmark values
on the Pentium are values de-
termined while it works with
one hand tied behind its
back — that is, while the V pipe-
line isn't doing anything. Using
a common set of benchmarks,
the Pentium-based PC built by
Intel (who should, after all,
know how to make a Pentium-
based PC) turns in a perform-
ance 76 percent faster than a
DX2/66 on basic processor op-
erations, with memory through-
put almost exactly the same
as the fastest current DX2/66s.
This underscores my previ-
ous point: The CPU performs
amazingly well in a vacuum,
but hook it up to peripherals
on a motherboard — such as
RAM chips — and you'll see
that while the Pentium is a very
special chip, it will need some
very special hardware surround-
ing it before it can soar to com-
puting heaven. n
JULY 1993 COMPUTE 57
PROGRAMMING POWER
Tom Campbell
There's a sparkling
"new" BASIC
on the scene, one
that might be
familiar to old hands.
POWERBASIC 3.0
There's a sparkling "new" BA-
SIC on the scene, one that
might be familiar to old
hands. PowerBASlC 3.0 from
Spectra Publishing {1030-D
East Duane Avenue. Sun-
nyvale, California 94086, 408-
730-9616) has just been re-
leased, and it's very hot. If the
name doesn't ring a bell, it
used to be Borland's Turbo Ba-
sic two versions ago. PowerBA-
SlC 2.0 was the first release
from Spectra, and I loved it.
Uppermost in many peo-
ple's minds is: How compati-
ble is PowerBASlC with Micro-
soft's QuIcl^BASIC? The an-
swer is that they're fairly close.
But any large program will prob-
ably require major rewriting.
PowerBASlC is a lightning-
fast native code compiler, just
like QuickBASIC's Make EXE
file option. But this one always
compiles, and it compiles in-
sanely fast. For large projects,
you can break programs up in-
to precompiled versions
called units, just like Turbo Pas-
cal's. You can also use OBJ
files, but they aren't as good
as units.
PowerBASlC has a ton of
new features. My favorite by a
landslide is its ability to create
any kind of TSR imaginable.
TSRs can be triggered by hot
keys, by interrupts, by timer
ticks, and by a few less obvi-
ous methods. You can swap
them out to EMS memory or a
disk file, so that the executa-
ble can be 200K yet still con-
sume only 4,5K of convention-
al memory. The TSRs are quite
stable, working well under my
rather strenuous test condi-
tions. In all. this feature alone
is worth buying the product if
you need to develop TSRs. It's
cheaper than many C libraries
that offer the same feature, yet
it offers the convenience of BA-
SIC. Related to that is the new
ASM statement (with the alias
.' for brevity), which allows you
to embed assembly language
statements right into the BA-
SIC code.
A less sexy feature (but per-
haps a more important one) is
the ability to create huge ar-
rays, which may contain more
than 64K of data. Unlike "the
other BASIC," PowerBASlC
lets you create these huge ar-
rays in any size, not just a
space-wasting power-of-two di-
mension. Hand in hand with
huge arrays is the ability to cre-
ate compound data types —
not only the TYPE variety, but
the UNION variety as well,
which lets you overlap similar
data structures, like the variant
records of Pascal or the union
of C. And anyone who writes
directly to the screen or reads
from the BIOS frequently will ap-
preciate the ability to deciare
arrays at an absolute memory
location. Ever since Turbo Pas-
cal added this one, I've been
champing at the bit for a bet-
ter DEE SEG.
Last on the list of my favor-
ite new features is the addition
of a deceptively simple option
that requires you to declare
variables before using them.
Although this seems like a
cruel trick on BASIC program-
mers, I have found it absolute-
ly essential on large projects.
Until now I haven't been able
to use BASIC for programs
over a thousand lines or so be-
cause BASIC will simply initial-
ize to zero any new variable it
finds. Too many times, my de-
velopment has ground to a
halt at 2:00 in the morning
while I read and reread my
code, missing every time that
an array called SymTable has
quietly transmogrified into
SymbolTable. That C and Pas-
cal require variable declara-
tions went from an onerous bur-
den to a basic requirement.
Now I can look forward to us-
ing PowerBASlC even in seri-
ous development.
Besides these major new ad-
ditions that hit home with me.
there are scores of other fea-
tures you'll find it hard to resist,
such as byte, word, and dou-
ble-word types (all unsigned,
at last!): ON ERROR LOCAL
for intraroutine error trapping;
an editor that can handle
huge files and. finally, mice;
reasonably good hypertext
help; and a stand-alone debug-
ger. But call for a brochure —
there are even more.
This month's program is writ-
ten in PowerBASlC and is avail-
able on CompuServe in the
IBMPRO forum under the file-
name DBFDIR.BAS. If you
have any trouble finding it,
you can send me E-mail at
75530,3607. It both highlights
and improves one of Power-
BASIC's most useful features,
the DIRS function. DIR$ is
meant to be called once with
a file specification, such as
"C:\DBFV.DBF", and after
that in a loop without the file
specification. The first time it's
called, it returns the first file
matching the specification;
the second time, and on sub-
sequent invocations without
a parameter, it returns the re-
maining matches. The prob-
lem is that it only returns a
filename and extension, not
the drive and path. So, in the
example of ■*C:\DBR*.DBF", it
might return "TODO.DBF",
"ACCTS.DBF", and so on, but
not '■C:\DBRTODO.DBF", and
so forth. DBFDIR.BAS, the
PowerBASlC program I wrote,
acts like dBASE's Dir com-
mand and lists database char-
acteristics (last update and re-
cord size) of all the dBASE
data files in the specified direc-
tory. I ported SplitPilenameS
from an earlier column with no
effort at ail; it's used to recon-
struct the matching filenames
so they can be opened and
the DBF header data read in.
As usual, this is modular
code, so you can easily hollow
out the dBASE-specific por-
tion and just use the frame-
work for your own files. □
58 COf^PUTE JULY 1993
With LOrUlPUTE's SharePak, You'll
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HOW DOES YOUR HARDWARE
COMMUNICATE WITH
YOUR SOFTWARE? THE SOFTWARE
HARD-WIRED INTO
YOUR COMPUTER'S BIOS IS LIKE A
BRAIN WITHIN A BRAIN.
i
By Richard C. Leinecker
Illustration by Bill Bruning
Today's computers think faster than
mere mortals can comprehend.
But without software — the instruc-
tions the processor performs — a com-
puter is just a pile of scrap iron, wire,
and silicon.
Application software has to run on
virtually an infinite variety of hardware
configurations. That's why each IBM-
compatible computer has a liaison
layer that acts as a compatibility-
assurance arbitrator between the
application software and the hard-
ware. This layer is called the BIOS
(Basic Input/Output System}. It usually
resides in two ROM chips on a com-
puter's motherboard.
Imagine the difficulty software
developers would face if they had to
worry about whether their products
were saving data to a 20MB or a
200MB hard drive. They'd need to
treat each variation as a different
case. Or worse yet, what if they had
the additional difficulty of providing
separate routines to deal with each
drive type, whether it was an IDE,
MFM, SCSI, or RLL drive? If not for the
BIOS, applications would be many
times larger than they are. The BIOS
shields developers from these
headaches by providing a standard
way of talking to hard drives and other
hardware.
There's a standard way of dealing
with all peripherals, including floppy
and hard drives, modems and serial
ports, printers, video systems, and
keyboards. DOS (the Disl^ Operating
System) builds its own routines
around the BIOS routines. That's why
different versions of DOS run on all
IBM-compatible systems.
Some peripherals, like video cards,
have their own embedded BIOS. In
most cases the specialty BIOSs add
functions that extend the original
BIOS. A good example is a VESA-
compatible (Video Electronics
Standards Association) Super VGA
card. At runtime the video card patch-
es the base BIOS so that new routines
are available to application software.
This is necessary because video stan-
dards change rapidly and many peo-
ple upgrade their video systems many
times before replacing their comput-
ers. The motherboard manufacturer
couldn't possibly anticipate which of
the hundreds of types of video boards
users will install.
In addition to allowing the operating
system to communicate with the hard-
ware, the system BIOS also contains
diagnostic programs that check out
the computer each time it's turned on.
This series of diagnostic tests is called
the POST, or Power-On Self Test, and
62 COMPUTE JULY 1993
Power*On Self Test
Here's the sequence of tasks your
computer performs when it starts
up.
1. The microprocessor begins
execution at address FFFF;0OOO,
an area almost at the end of the
ROM BIOS area.
2. The microprocessor is tested,
usually with a self-test mode that's
built into the microprocessor.
The system board, the system
buses, and the system memory
containing the POST code are
tested, too.
3. The system timers are tested.
4. The video display system is
tested, usually the video memory
and the signals that drive the dis-
play.
5. All memory is tested.
6. The keyboard is tested.
7. The disk drives are tested for
their status.
it involves checking the microproces-
sor, memory, video system, and other
internals. Not ail installed options are
tested. For example, printers and
modems are not tested.
The more comprehensive the
POST, the better your computer can
diagnose itself and alert you to prob-
lems. And the more memory you have
installed, the longer the tests take to
verify it all.
BIOSs Aren't Created Equal
IBM was the creator of the first BIOS
used in a PC, but it was the develop-
ment of third-party BIOSs that made it
Support Reference
AMi
Distributed by Washburn &
Company
3800 Monroe Ave.
Pittsford, NY 14534
(716)248-3627
(404) 246-5825 (BBS)
Award Software
IBOKnowles Dr.
Los Gatos, CA 95030
(408) 370-7979
(408) 370-3139 (BBS)
Phoenix Technologies
Distributed by Micro Firmware
1430W. LindseySt.
Norman, OK 73069
(405)321-8333
(405) 321-3553 (BBS)
possible for virtually anyone to build a
PC. The three major companies that
specialize in development and sales
of compatible BIOS products are AMI
(American Megatrends, Incorporated),
Award Software, and Phoenix
Technologies. Each one licenses its
BIOS to hardware manufacturers.
Selecting a BIOS for motherboards
isn't easy. A list of questions has to be
addressed in order to choose a BIOS
that's already been designed or to
custom-develop a BIOS.
The AMI BIOS has a built-in setup
program activated by pressing the
Delete l<ey in the first few seconds
after the boot procedure begins. In
addition to the setup program, the
AMI BIOS features a built-in, menu-
driven diagnostics package.
The Award BIOS has a built-in
setup program activated by pressing
Ctrl-Att-Esc. Award is unique among
BIOS manufacturers in that it provides
its code to hardware manufacturers
and allows them to customize the
BIOS themselves. Because of this
customization, the hardware compa-
nies can fine-tune the BIOS to work
best with their computers.
The Phoenix BIOS has been the
standard by which others are judged.
It was the first third-party BIOS on the
market. One area of particular
strength for the Phoenix is its POST.
The BIOS outputs an extensive set of
beep codes that help diagnose prob-
lems on the motherboard. It can even
isolate a memory failure to an individ-
ual chip. This simplifies identifying
system problems for the owner or the
repairperson.
If you have a modem, you can get
support from these BIOS manufactur-
ers (or their distributors) or from their
BBSs (see the "Support Reference"
sidebar). All of these BIOSs have
been on the market for years.
Although they offer different kinds of
diagnostics, alf are extremely reliable
and have proved themselves over
time. But since they have to be updat-
ed every time a new piece of hard-
ware is introduced, a few bugs have
cropped up from time to time.
BIOS Bugs
Like all software, the ROM BIOS is not
Immune to bugs. If your BIOS is from
one of the major manufacturers, you're
probably safe. But even then, don't
forget that BIOS manufacturers have
had some minor problems.
How can you protect yourself from
problems when you're buying new
and used equipment? If you're consid-
ering the purchase of used equip-
ment, you should install the applica-
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tions you'll be using and make sure
they perform the way you expect
before laying your money down. For
new equipment, you should Install
your applications and put them
through their paces as soon as you
can. If you find a problem, contact the
source that sold you the computer.
BIOS Upgrading
You'll rarely be In the position of need-
ing a BIOS upgrade. Here's a list of
reasons why you might want to con-
sider it.
• Adding support for 720K 3Va-
Inch, 1.2MB 5V4-lnch, and 1.44MB
3V2-lnch drives.
• Allowing a user-definable hard
drive type that matches an MFM. RLL,
IDE. or ESDI drive.
• Adding support for 101-key
enhanced keyboards.
• Correcting known conflicts or
bugs. It's best if you contact the hard-
ware or software vendor's technical
support to verify that there is a prob-
lem with your particular BIOS.
• Adding features and perfor-
mance found in newer BIOS versions.
Before you go shopping, you'll
need some Information.
• Make and model of the system.
For many popular systems this is all
that's needed to find the right BIOS.
For less common clones you'll need
more information.
• The CPU type (286, 386SX, 386,
486SX, 486).
• The make and version of the
existing BIOS. This is necessary
because some revisions will require
that the keyboard controller be
replaced, too.
• The type and number of the
Flash BIOS
You've probably heard the term
Flash BIOS al some point and won-
dered what It meant. It doesn't
mean an ultrafast BIOS. It's just an
alternate way of placing informa-
tion in the BIOS. A BIOS is simply
an EPROM (Erasable Program-
mable Read Only Memory). Flash
BIOS is a special l<lnd of EPROM
that can be erased and rewritten
while it's still on the motherboard.
That allows manufacturers to make
minor changes in the BIOS to con-
form to new computer designs.
Don't think you can simpiy go into
your Flash BIOS and start chang-
ing things, though. Altering the
BIOS requires specialized equip-
nfient. The Award spokesperson
told me that eventually the BIOS
could be available in CMOS, which
would allow you to upgrade your
BIOS in place with a manufacturer-
supplied utility.
—ROBERT BIXBY
existing BIOS ROMs. Locate the part
number on one of the ROM chips. You
may have to peel back a label. The
part number will usually start with 27.
• Check for an integrated chip set.
This will consist of square, flat, large-
scale integration chips with pins
around all four sides. They'll usually
have a manufacturer's name or logo.
Some examples are CHIPS. SUNTAC,
VLSI, and OPTI. An integrated chip
set performs the functions of hun-
dreds of smaller chips. Even IBM uses
third-party Integrated chip sets on
some models.
To get this information, open your
computer's case and start taking
notes. It only takes a few minutes.
With this information you can accu-
rately order BIOS upgrades.
There are some alternatives to
upgrading your BIOS. Some compa-
nies (Washburn & Company, for
example) supply accessory ROMs to
augment the existing BIOS. They can
fit in the two empty sockets that are
found on most AT motherboards, or
they can go on a card that fits in any
8- or 16-bit slot.
If you've identified a specific prob-
lem, some technicians are well versed
at patching BIOSs, But it may be risky
if the person doing it doesn't possess
the skills. (I don't think I've ever heard
a technician admit he or she couldn't
do something until it was too late.)
Unless you have complete confidence
in a technician, leave this option out.
Don't Be Fooled by Imitations
Just because your computer boots
and shows you the copyright of a
major BIOS manufacturer doesn't
mean you're home free. If you bought
your system used, bought it from a
cut-rate source, or have had it ser-
viced by cut-rate technicians, there's a
small chance you have an illegal BIOS
copy. I've heard of more than one per-
son who, having experienced system-
level bugs and incompatibilities,
inspected the motherboard and found
a BIOS copy — not the real thing.
This is illegal and dilutes the BIOS
manufacturer's ability to provide the
best possible product for paying cus-
tomers. Besides that, those BIOS
copies may not be the best fit for the
systems.
Compaq actually created the first
BIOS clone, but It was only interested
in providing BIOSs for its own
machines. Only when Phoenix intro-
duced its version of the PC BIOS did
the clones and compatibles war really
begin. Since then, many other makers
have entered the market, notably the
makers mentioned in the article, One
additional BIOS maker, Quadtel, was
recently purchased by Phoenix.
I called various BIOS makers and
asked them about their products. I
was surprised by their responses.
The question Why is your product
better than the competition? usually
Invites a fusillade of marketing
squibs, but this time, most of the
people I spoke with echoed the
statement, "A BIOS is a BIOS." The
Ending BIOS Fear
principal differences among BIOS
makers are their market niches and
small utilities and improvements that
are quickly incorporated by the com-
petition.
For example, a spokesperson for
Award stated that the Award BIOS is
outfitted with a boot-sector virus
detector which is expected to appear
soon in new BIOSs from other manu-
facturers.
AMI sells primarily to motherboard
makers while Phoenix sells primahly
to OEMs (Original Equipment Man-
ufacturers— companies that make
the whole computer and some
peripherals).
One irony of the modern BIOS has
resulted from IBM's decision to mar-
ket its BIOS to compatibles manufac-
turers (in the industry, this is called
opening the kimono), which would
allow non-IBM computer makers to
advertise an even higher level of IBM
compatibility, Since a system's
design is such an integral factor in
BIOS design (virtually all BIOSs are
customized at least a little to match
the system they serve) and since no
OEM wants to provide detailed sys-
tem design information to IBM, an
avid competitor, IBM has decided to
market its BIOS through Phoenix, the
first company to release an IBM-
compatible BIOS. This will allow
Phoenix, a disinterested third party,
to make the tweaks necessary to
allow the IBM BIOS to work with an
individual system.
—ROBERT BIXBY
64 COMPUTE JULY 1993
Beep Beep
1 Here's the scenario. Your computer won't boot, but you
Phoenix
hear beeps, Interpreting those beeps nnight mean the
The Phoenix
BIOS beep codes are three groups of beep
difference between rectifying the situation yourself and
counts.
calling a technician. Here's a list of the error beep codes
1-1-3
CMOS write/read failure
for AMI, Award,
IBM, and Phoenix BIOSs.
1-1-4
ROM BIOS checksum failure
1-2-1
Programmable interval timer failure
AMI
1-2-2
DMA initialization failure
1 short
DRAM refresh failure
1-2-3
DMA page register write/read failure
2 short
Parity circuit failure
1-3-1
RAM refresh verification failure
3 short
Base 64K RAM failure
1-3-3
First 64K RAM chip or data line failure.
4 short
System timer failure
multibi!
5 short
Processor failure
1-4-2
Parity failure first 64K RAM
6 short
Keyboard controller gate A20 error
1-4-3
Fail-safe timer feature (only EISA
7 short
Virtual mode exception error
BIOS)
8 short
Display memory read/write test failure
1.4.4
Software NMI port failure {only EISA
9 short
ROM BIOS checksum failure
BIOS)
1 long, 3 short
Conventional/extended memory failure
2-1-1, 2-1-2,
First 64K RAM chip or data line failure
1 long, 8 short
Display/retrace test failed
2-1-3,2-1-4,
2-2-1,2-2-2,
on bit 0-F
Award
2-2-3. 2-2-4,
AH Processors
2-3-1 , 2-3-2,
1 long, 2 short
Video error
2-3-3, 2-3-4,
2 short
Any nonfatal error
2-4-1,2-4-2,
1 short
No error during POST
2-4-3, 2-4-4
3-1-1
Slave DMA register test failure
80286/80386/80486 Processors
3-1-2
Master DMA register test failure
1 long, 3 short
Keyboard controller error
3-1-3
Master interrupt mask register failure
3-1-4
Slave interrupt mask register failure
IBM
3-2-4
Keyboard controller failure
1 short
Normal POST system OK
3-3-4
Screen memory failure
2 short
POST error — error code displayed on
3-4-2
Screen retrace failure
CRT
4-2-1
Timer tick failure
No beep
Power supply, system board
4-2-2
Shutdown failure
Continuous
Power supply, system board
4-2-3
Gate A20 failure
Repeating short
Power supply, system board
4-2-4
Unexpected interrupt in protected
1 long, 1 short
System board
mode
1 long, 2 short
Display adapter (mono/CGA)
4-3-1
RAM test of memory above 64K failed
1 long, 3 short
Enhanced graphics adapter (EGA)
4-3-2
Programmable interval timer channel 2
3 long
3270 keyboard card
test failed
4-3-4
Realtime clock test failed
4-4-1
Serial port test failed
4-4-2
Parallel port test failed
4-4-3
Math coprocessor test failed
It's pretty easy to distinguish the
real McCoy from a fake. Take a look
at the ROM BIOS chips on the moth-
erboard, '/ou should clearly see the
name of the manufacturer, along with
a serial number, usually on a label. If
you buy a new system with a fake,
report the supplier to the manufactur-
er of the BIOS cloned on the fake
chips, and return the system for a full
refund, If you're looking at a used sys-
tem with a copied BIOS, tell the seller
you're not interested. Even if you buy
it at a bargain price, you're in for trou-
ble in the future.
Into the Sunset
Most people never consider the BIOS
version and manufacturer when pur-
chasing a computer. We take it for
granted that such an integral compo-
nent is carefully checked by the sys-
tem manufacturer for correct opera-
tion, and it almost always is. But as a
system ages and newer peripherals
become available, you need to be
thinking about a BIOS upgrade to
support newer hardware. Generally, a
BIOS upgrade is a step involved in
some other kind of major equipment
upgrade. If you install the hardware
correctly and it still won't work, your
BIOS automaticaily becomes the
prime suspect.
The guidelines I've presented
should help you make your purchase
and upgrade decisions now and in the
future. If you have any questions,
though, a reputable technician will
help you out. And if you're adventurous
and want to upgrade, order the chips
yourself and have at it, J
SPEAK UP!
Is there a feature topic
you'd like to see covered in
COMPUTE? Let us l^now by
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California 90078.
JULY 1993 COMPUTE 65
PRODUCTIVITY CHOICE
The improvements to this development system
keep it the preferred choice for Windows programmers
who vaiue ease of use and extendible power
George Campbell
VISUAL BASIC 2.0
Microsoft brought about a rev-
olution wlien it introduced Vis-
ual Basic 1.0, malting Win-
dows programming accessi-
ble to just about anyone with
some BASIC programming ex-
perience. With the introduc-
tion of version 2.0, program-
mers get even more of a
good thing.
Like version 1.0, VB 2.0
gives you a quick way to de-
sign the interface for your Win-
dows programming project.
Since interface design has al-
ways been the most difficult
part of programming for Win-
dows, using VB lets you get
down to the business of the
working part of your program
with very little delay You sim-
ply draw your interface on the
screen, much [ike using an ob-
ject-oriented paint program,
and then whte code to tell the
program what to do when
something happens. For exam-
ple, if a user clicks on a com-
mand button in your program,
you need only write the code
for that button click. List box-
es, text-editing windows, and
all other interface objects
work in the same way.
This event- oriented program-
ming style is the key to VB's
ease of use, Since you write
less code to make your pro-
gram work, you can concen-
trate on the important code,
rather than on code that sim-
ply displays your program. Us-
ing language syntax familiar
to all BASIC programmers,
VB makes writing simple pro-
grams fast and easy. While
Windows programming was
once the province of dedicat-
ed C or C++ experts, anyone
willing to learn some new
rules can use VB 2,0 to cre-
ate professional-quality Win-
dows applications and utili-
ties. Since you can also ac-
cess most of the commands
embedded in the Windows
API, you can even extend VB
far beyond its own internal
statements.
There are two VB packag-
es: Standard and Profession-
al. The Standard Edition, de-
signed for casual or personal
use, lists for $199. The Profes-
sional Edition, listed at $495,
includes enhancements more
advanced programs need.
You can begin with the Stan-
dard Edition and upgrade if
you want. Both packages
have good documentation
and extensive online help. An
online tutorial and plenty of
sample code and applica-
tions also ease the transition
from DOS programming.
Both editions offer im-
proved performance over the
original VB. Programs general-
ly run about 20 percent fast-
er. A program's EXE file is
now smaller, although the
VBRUN200.DLL runtime li-
brary needed for all programs
has grown. The program de-
sign environment is also im-
proved; you now get a sepa-
rate window for setting the
properties, like color, fonts.
and size of objects (such as
command buttons, list box-
es). Since this window can al-
ways be onscreen, setting an
object's properties is fast. An
icon-based toolbar also
makes programming easier^
you click on an icon to carry
out most functions in the devel-
opment environment.
New graphics controls let
you insert bitmapped images
in your program or draw
lines, boxes, and circles with-
out using as much precious
Windows memory as needed
with version 1,0. The program
also offers support for Win-
dows OLE (Object Linking
and Embedding) plus a
spreadsheetlike grid control
from the earlier Professional
Toolkit, You also get support
for the fvlultiple Document in-
terface (MDI), a huge array li-
brary for arrays larger than
64K, and tools to create auto-
mated installation systems for
your applications.
Other programming tasks,
too, get a boost, with im-
proved debugging features
like watch and break expres-
sions. You can also select mul-
tiple controls and set com-
mon properties for all of them
66 COMPUTE JULY 1993
in a single step. A new varia-
ble type, called Variant, can
substitute for any variable
type, such as Integer or
String; and you can shift be-
tween variable types automat-
ically when needed. Using Var-
iant, you don't have to con-
vert a numerical variable to a
string variable to display it in
a text area onscreen.
With the Professional Edi-
tion, you get additional tools,
such as a communications
module, a help compiler for
creating full-scale hypertext
help systems, support for the
MAPI E-mail system, ODBC
database libraries, and more.
Custom controls available on-
ly in the Professional Edition in-
clude a group of 3-D controls
like command buttons and
check boxes, an animated
command button, access to
the Windows Common Dialog
w/indows, multimedia controls,
controls specific to pen-
based computers, plus a hand-
ful of other useful additions.
For programming profession-
als, the additional features
are well worth the cost.
Overall, the additional fea-
tures and improvements in
both VB 2.0 editions are very
welcome and help keep VB
well ahead of competitors
like GEA Basic and Turbo Pas-
cal for Windows. It's still by
far the easiest development
system you can find for Win-
dows, and it's a pleasure to
work with
That said, however, VB is
not the be-all and end-all for
Windows programming. A
number of limitations keep it
from becoming the only lan-
guage Windows program-
mers need. Eirst, its inability
to use Windows API functions
that require callbacks keeps
VB programmers from access-
ing some important Windows
tools, such as setting printer
options without user input. Elir-
ther technical limitations in-
clude an inability to use point-
ers to memory locations and
a requirement that a runtime li-
brary be included with each
program. While VB can use Dy-
namic Link Libraries (DLL) to
extend the language, it can-
not create them— a particular-
ly annoying limitation for ad-
vanced programmers, who
must turn to other languages
to create modular extensions
to VB.
Then, too, while fvlicrosoft
fixed some bugs that
plagued VB 1.0, it introduced
some new problems in 2.0. Es-
pecially irritating is a bug
which sometimes causes pro-
grams that run perfectly in the
development environment to
crash after being compiled.
There's an easy way to work
around this bug, but it's a both-
er. A bug in the Professional
Edition's Common Dialog
tools makes the Printer dialog
difficult to use, requiring addi-
tional code to change the de-
fault printer from within a VB
program. Microsoft acknowl-
edges these problems and of-
fers work-around solutions,
but the company apparently
has no plans to issue an Inter-
im version of the language.
A final limitation can cause
problems for some users.
While you can effortlessly dis-
play bitmapped graphics on-
screen, it's very difficult to
send them to the printer. In-
deed, there's no direct meth-
od in VB itself to print graph-
ics and text on the same
page. Printing bitmaps
means using a complicated
set of Windows API com-
mands and, even then, it's al-
most impossible to print graph-
ics on a PostScript printer with-
out purchasing an add-on li-
brary from another source.
Fortunately, an entire indus-
try has already grown up
around VB. Vendors like Cres-
cent Software and MicroHelp
offer extensive add-on librar-
ies. These libraries, which be-
come part of the VB develop-
ment environment, extend the
language and fill in the gaps
fylicrosoft left. VB's popularity
also means that support on fo-
rums such as fvSSBASIC on
CompuServe is excellent, with
many advanced users offering
IBM PC or
coniDalibie (SOZSS
comiiatjtile); IMB
RAM; Hercuies,
EGA, VGA, or better
graphics; one liigti-
density floppy
drive and one hard
drive with 18MB
free; Winitows 3.0
or higher; mouse
solutions for VB problems and
even free add-on libraries, f^i-
crosoft, too, is active on the
CompuServe support forum, of-
fering solutions for many prob-
lems and answers to tough
technical questions.
All in all. Visual Basic 2.0 is
the ideal way to get started in
Windows programming. Its
ease of use and extendible
power may make it the per-
fect platform for most program-
mers, especially for creating
uncomplicated appiications
and utilities. If you have any
desire to create personal or
professional applications for
Windows, definitely look into
this development system. 0
Circle Reader Service Number 391
recommended—
$199 (Standard
Edition), S495
(Professional
Edition)
MICROSOFT
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA
98052-6399
(800) 426-9400
JULY f993 COMPUTE 67
PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY
Rosalind Resnick
When it comes to
financing your lieast
take tfie time to
crunch the numbers.
Vbu miglit be
surprised at the
hidden costs.
LEASING VERSUS
BUYING
Flip through just about any
newspaper or magazine
these days, and you're sure to
find ads for cut-rate comput-
ers. With computer prices in a
virtual free fall, millions of com-
puter users are finding it diffi-
cult to justify not upgrading to
an 80386 or 80486 with the lat-
est features. And no matter
what computer you buy or
where you make your pur-
chase, it's hard to overpay.
Even so. there's more to
shopping for computers than
simply deciding how much
RAM you want and how big a
hard drive to get. To entice
shoppers to part with their mon-
ey, computer dealers nation-
wide are offering not only low
prices but seductive lease
deals, too. Let's face it: If
you're just starting a business,
you may not have enough mon-
ey to buy a new computer
with cash, but you might easi-
ly be able to afford a monthly
payment that costs little more
than a business lunch with a
new ciient.
The troubfe is that some
computer leases are far more
costly than they first appear.
Recently, one national comput-
er chain ran a newspaper ad
offering a brand-new 25-MHz
386SX IBM-compatible com-
puter for $1,150. It also of-
fered buyers the option of fi-
nancing their purchase with a
three-year, $42.55-a-month
lease — and buying the comput-
er for $1.00 when the lease
term was up.
The beauty of the lease, of
course, is that you don't have
to tie up that SI, 150 right now
(assuming that you have the
money in the first place). And
you don't have to tie up your
credit cards, either, leaving
you free to spend on other
things.
So is leasing the better
deal'' Not really.
In preparing this story, I
asked my accountant. Art
Berkowitz of Mission Viejo. Cal-
ifornia, to crunch the numbers
and compare the two options.
What he found out amazed
me. Leasing the computer for
three years would cost
$1 ,532.80 (including the SI .00
you'd pay at the end of the
lease to buy it) — only $0.08
less than you'd pay to finance
it with a credit card at the stan-
dard 21-percent interest rate!
(In fact, Berkowitz says, what
the chain bills as a lease is ac-
tually more like a financing ar-
rangement than a true lease,
in which you pay only for the
use of the computer and not
the retail cost.)
That's why, Berkowitz says,
the most economical way to
buy a new computer is with
cash, unless your business is
so hot that you can invest the
money in your company and
reap double-digit returns.
"For the person who has
the funds available, cash is
the best way to buy almost all
of the time," Berkowitz says,
"Only if you're making more
from your business than you'd
payout in interest, [or] if you're
squeezed for cash, does it
make sense to finance your
computer purchase."
Even if you don't have the
money, Berkowitz says, there
are some other options to con-
sider. Your credit card, for
one. Though many credit
cards charge interest as high
as 21 percent, some cards of-
fer lower rates, occasionally
as low as 10 to 15 percent, to
customers who have good
credit ratings. Many newspa-
pers publish a list of low-rate
credit cards in their business
sections.
By charging the computer
on your credit card, you can
pay off your purchase as fast
or as slowly as you like. If your
business kicks into high gear
sooner than you expected, for
example, you can pay off the
computer more quickly. If
sales are sluggish for a while,
you have the option of making
only the minimum monthly pay-
mients until things get rolling.
Under the terms of most leas-
es, Berkowitz says, you're
stuck making the same month-
ly payments until the lease
term is up, forcing you to con-
tinue financing your purchase
at high interest rates even
when you can afford to pay it
off completely
Another option is a home eq-
uity line of credit. Because a
home equity credit line is se-
cured {that is, the equity in
your house acts as collateral
for the loan), banks are willing
to lend you money at lower
rates than you'd get with a cred-
it card. In fact, many banks
are so eager to lend you mon-
ey that they'll waive all the
fees and costs involved in do-
ing the papenA/ork and assess-
ing your home's value. While
it doesn't make sense to mort-
gage your house just to buy a
computer, a home equity cred-
it line might make sense if
you're starting a business and
need, say, $10,000 in working
capital.
"A home equity loan makes
sense as long as you remem-
ber the biggest caveat of all,
which is that you could lose
your home," Berkowitz says.
"And frankly, that scares me to
death."
The bottom line: When shop-
ping for a computer, it's just as
important to check out the
fine print on the financing con-
tract as it is to read the reviews
in the computer magazines.
And if you're not so handy
with a calculator, there are plen-
ty of software programs (and
accountants) that can crunch
the numbers for you.
Remember: The old adage
"Let the buyer beware" ap-
plies not just to shopping for
computers but also to paying
for them. □
68 COMPUTE JULY 1993
^
m^
■
■
— • RSZffiStt
*=-^^^^^
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HI
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ETA, Autumn 1993.
1^800- WEB-FEET
Circle Reader Service Number 280
MULTIMEDIA PC
David English
Encarta is so good
you no longer
have an excuse for
not owning a
CD-ROIVI drive and
sound card.
THE WORLD
ON A PLATTER
Until recently, you could sum
up the major CD-ROM encyclo-
pedias like this: One has bet-
ter multimedia, while the other
has better text. The better mul-
timedia encyclopedia has
been Compton's Interactive
Encyclopedia (Compton's New-
Media, 2320 Camino Vida
Roble, Carlsbad, California
92009; 619-929-2500; $395).
Formerly called Compton's
Multifvledia Encyclopedia, it
has introduced several innova-
tive techniques for gathehng
up electronic inforrTiation.
The better text encyclope-
dia has been The New Grolier
Multimedia Encyclopedia (Gro-
lier Electronic Publishing, Sher-
man Turnpike, Danbury, Con-
necticut 06816; 800-356-
5590; $395). Its text is written
on a higher grade level than
Compton's, with many of its ar-
ticles penned by experts in
their respective fields.
Duhng the last nine months,
Grolier has worked hard to
close the interface gap by final-
ly introducing a Windows ver-
sion of its encyclopedia. It's
much easier to use than the ear-
lier DOS version. Compton's
has responded with its new Vir-
tual Workspace technology
that more closely approximates
how we collect information in
the real world (sort of a books-
open-and-scattered-in-a-logi-
cal-order approach).
Just when things had settled
into a predictable two-way com-
petition, along comes Microsoft
to shake everything up. Micro-
soft's entry in the world-on-a-
platter sweepstakes is called
Microsoft Encarta Multimedia
Encyclopedia (Microsoft, One
Microsoft Way Redmond, Wash-
ington 98052; 800-426-9400;
$395). Ouite simply it's one of
the best nnultimedia applica-
tions I've seen. While the
25,000 articles that Microsoft
has taken from the Funk & Wag-
nails' Encyclopedia may not be
as strong as the 33,000 articles
contained in Gro-
lier, Microsoft
has added so
much additional
information and
organized the
material so well
that Encarta is
easily the most
browsable and
usable of the
three products.
Like Comp-
ton's and Groli-
er, Encarta of-
fers a time line for a chronologi-
cal view of events, an atlas for
a geographical view of events,
and a knowledge tree for a con-
ceptual view of events. All
three CD-ROM encyclopedias
let you get at their vast bodies
of knowledge by letting you
choose the most appropriate
path. This multiple-path ap-
proach lets you follow from one
fact to another until you've ex-
plored a series of connections
guided by your own interests.
Encarta improves on the mul-
tiple-path approach by offering
a more logical structure and
building up the components
that are best suited to multime-
dia. The overriding structure for
Encarta is its 93 categories,
which include 9 primary catego-
ries (Physical Science and Tech-
nology; Life Science; Geogra-
phy; History; Social Science;
Religion and Philosophy; Art,
70 COMPUTE JULY 1993
Language, and Literature; Per-
forming Arts; and Sports,
Games, Hobbies, and Pets)
and 84 subcategories. For in-
stance, the primary category of
Performing Arts includes the
subcategories of Music; Musi-
cal Instruments; Musicians and
Composers; Dance; Theater;
and Cinema, Television, and
Broadcasting. Once in a subcat-
egory it's easy to view a list of
each entry in that subcategory,
browse each entry in alphabet-
ical order, or switch to a new cat-
egory or subcategory By stress-
ing a categorical organization,
Microsoft has recognized how
we learn best: by exploring a
group of associated ideas and
then jumping to a related
group of associated ideas.
Wherever possible, Micro-
soft has added material to
Funk & Wagnalls' Encyclope-
dia to exploit the new medium
of multimedia. Fully half the CD-
ROM is made up of images
and audio, with another 10 per-
cent devoted to animations and
videos.
For example, the Gallery sec-
tion, where you can quickly
browse Encarta's 7000 photo-
graphs and seven hours of au-
dio, includes a Special Lists but-
ton. Included among the spe-
cial lists is a Foreign Language
Samples list, which, when com-
bined with the automatic slide
show, lets you sample common
words and phrases (spoken by
native speakers) from 46 na-
tions and cultures, A slide
show of World and Folk Music
offers a similar tour with a gen-
erous helping of musical exam-
ples and stunning pictures.
I could go on and on about
the gems of wisdom you'll dis-
cover as you explore Encarta.
Suffice it to say. if you're the
tyfDe who can spend hours in
a library moving from one refer-
ence book to another, this is
the one product that will make
it worth your while to buy a CD-
ROM dhve and sound card.
It's that good. a
Role Playing Then
You push a button. You open a door. Leave the life of paperwork and laundry, of squalling kids and car trouble.
Enter new worlds. Of adventure. Horror. Magic. Love. Death. Solve a mystery. Save a kingdom. Live by your wits, tap
the reserves. Find out who you are, the sruff you're made of With the power of 1300 floppies on a single disc,
CD-ROM LETS YOU ESCAPE INTO THE DEPTHS OF YOUR OWN IMAGINATION.
Role Playing Now
Video clips from David Lynch's cult
film of Frank Herbert's famed sci-fi epic
heighten ilve reality of DUNE"; as you
battle to control production of the
consciousness-expanding spice Melange,
THE 7TH GUEST"; assembles a cast of 23
actors I 24, including you| in the world's
first true Interactive Drama'", set inside
the haunted hilltop mansion of twisted
loymaker Henry Stauf.
In FABLES AND FIENDS'": THE
LEGEND OF KYRANDIA", you are
the rightful prince of Kyrandia who
must tecover the precious Kyragem, the
source of all the magic in the land.
Circle Reader Service Number 122
IHE 7IH tXtST <«J Inwcta Dk™ .™ i™d.r«Ai d Vi^ Go~M. I« ond t.k*^. In,, e i Mi . .g- G=™. i^ ^ Tr.ob,*, kK. Al .^» .«,^ FAfllES 4 FINDS »d ™ lEOEW Of KySAMM
ART WORKS
Robert Bixby
A specialty paper
supplier will make
any desktop
publishing project
easier and
more attractive.
WHO ARE YOU?
As the hit song by The Who
says, "I really want to know."
I'd be interested to know what
software you're using and
what you're using it for. If you
have a moment to spare, drop
me a letter or postcard to tip
me off. Desktop publishing
has become so widespread,
and desktop publishers are en-
gaged in such a broad array
of activities, I feel the need to
focus on the things that are of
most benefit to you. I want to
provide information that will
directly assist you in the kinds
of projects you are pursuing.
If you have tips or ideas that
make publishing easier or
more rewarding, I'm interested
in hearing those, too. If I use
your tip in the column, I'll give
you full credit (and maybe
something extra besides).
Here's what I've been up to.
Recently I've been involved in
making my bocks more visual-
ly interesting by using different
kinds of paper. In the begin-
ning, I simply used a card-
stock cover, usually in buff or
gray because those were the
most attractive cardslocks
available from my printer.
What finally drove me to
search for alternative sources
of paper was a book I was put-
ting together for a poet who
used very long lines. I decid-
ed the easiest way to present
her material Vtias by using sad-
dle-stitched legal-size paper
to yield a 7- X 8'/?-inch page
(as opposed to my standard
5V?- X 8'/2-inch page, I could
find iegahsize paper in many
different colors and textures,
but I also needed cardstock in
a precut 8M'- x 14-inch size to
make the cover I couldn't find
anyone who stocked it, and no
one would provide it in the
quantity needed (75 sheets).
Finally, serendipity took a
hand in my quest when I re-
ceived, unsolicited, the Paper
Direct catalog (Paper Direct,
205 Chubb Avenue, Lynd-
hurst, New Jersey 0707 1 ; 800-
272-7377). If you haven't
seen this little collection of spe-
cialty papers, you're in for a
treat. All you need to do is call
to get a free catalog.
About half of the catalog is
filled with specially printed pa-
per for letterhead, invitations,
presentations, and pam-
phlets. If you think you can't af-
ford to print up a four-color
pamphlet, buy a box of beau-
tifully colored pamphlets from
Paper Direct and fill them in
with your information.
The other half of the catalog
is a desktop publisher's
dream. I won't say that every
weight and color of paper is
available (only three colors of
cardstock were available in
the size I wanted, for exam-
ple— white, pale gray, and
pale blue), but a wide enough
variety is available to meet
virtually any need. Paper Di-
rect has many different kinds
of recycled paper, textured pa-
per, and even translucent vel-
lum in many different styles.
Because its primary custom-
ers are desktop publishers, Pa-
per Direct also provides tips
on using its papers, mainte-
nance supplies for Hewlett-
Packard laser printers, and in-
teresting, hard-to-find items
like foil, a pamphlet folder, and
a paper recycler you can use
to make your own paper out of
scrap, A minimum order is $30
(plus $6 for UPS shipping; the
charge is slightly more for over-
night delivery). With your first
order, you can request a
sampler containing a sheet of
each type of paper offered by
the company and a fan of pa-
per strips to simplify ordering,
A couple of months ago, I
mentioned the nVIEW line of
video projectors. Since then a
couple of other very interest-
ing product announcements
have crossed my desk. The
Eiki (pronounced "achy" as in
"achy, breaky wallet") LC-300
provides up to a 300-inch pro-
jection picture (diagonal meas-
ure) of any composite video im-
age for $4,395, To use this
with a computer, you would al-
so need a VGA-to-composite
converter, The LC-200 pro-
vides a 200-inch picture for
$3,995. Expensive, yes. But a
video display 15 x 20 feet in
size (10 X 13-3 feet for the LC-
200) is bound to impress. To
find out more, write or call Eiki
International at 26794 Vista Ter-
race Drive, Lake Forest, Cali-
fornia 92630: (714) 457-0200,
Another product that will in-
terest people making traveling
presentations is the Cruiser
notebook computer. This com-
puter features a detachable
translucent LCD screen that
can be used with an overhead
projector. It has a 25-MHz
386SL chip, built-in trackball,
fax/data modem, removable
hard disk, and an optional ex-
ternal 16-bit expansion bus.
To learn more, contact Rever
Computer at 8F, Number 2, Al-
ley 6, Lane 235, Pao Chiao
Road, Hsin Tien, Taipei, Tai-
wan, Republic of China, n
72
COMPUTE JULY 1993
Incltides AT-compatible computer plus diagnostic hardware and softumrel
Earn good money fiill-time,
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There's no doubl atiout it: Businesses spend billions of dollars
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NRl's step-by-step lessons and unique hands-on Discovery Learning
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WCheck one FREE catalog only
3 PC Troubleshooter
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J At;crediled Member. National Home Study Council
4537-0793^
DISCOVERY CHOICE
See strange and exotic creatures
from around the world when you visit the San
Diego Zoo — in your own living room.
David Sears
THE ANIMALS!
See lions and tigers and
bears and more wlien you vis-
it the world-famous San Die-
go Zoo. Don't think you can af-
ford the plane fare and hotel
accomodations (not to men-
tion the time off from work)? If
you own a CD-ROfvl drive,
you can send your favorite
youngsters all the way to San
Diego without their having to
leave your home — for a very
reasonable fee. The Animals!,
a true multimedia tour de
force featuring the San Diego
Zoo, makes this thp possible,
and it's more than worth its
price of admission.
The Software Toolworks
took advantage of the vast
world available on a CD-ROM
drive and made The Animals!
almost as much fun and as
easy to explore as the real
zoo. After loading the pro-
gram but before you even
reach the fvlain menu, you
have the option to browse
through exfiibits by looking
up animals by name. You sim-
ply click on the appropriate
icon on the title screen, and a
windowful of animal names,
all alphabetically listed, ap-
pears. Click on the name of
any animal, and you'll see the
animal beautifully and very
sharply digitized before you.
The Animals! creators did a
fantastic job both collecting
and transferring the visual da-
ta to disk. From the title
screen, you can also click on
the Sky Tram icon for an over-
view of the zoo's exhibits, or
you can click on the tvlain
fvlenu icon, which opens the
fvlain fvlenu map, On to the
zoo!
The Main IvSenu is essential-
ly a large map divided into
sections. These sections in-
clude Tropical Rain Forest,
Montane, Tundra, Desert, Is-
land, Grassland, Savanna,
Temperate Forest, Taiga — all
the earth's biomes. The Ani-
mals', like the San Diego Zoo,
displays its animals in sur-
roundings that approximate
their natural habitats. The
map also includes the Center
for the Reproduction of Endan-
gered Species (CRES). a
Kids section, a Storybook The-
ater, a Nursery, and a Tours
booth, among other things. At
the CRES, you can learn
what the zoo does to repopu-
late dwindling species. At the
Storybook Theater, you can
watch films about the zoo and
its inhabitants. The Kids sec-
tion even contains a few quiz-
zes. There are hours of fun
and learning to be spent
here.
Navigating The Animals!
does not consume much of
your time — it's faster than walk-
ing to exhibits at the actual
San Diego Zoo. At the top of
the Main Menu, you'll find the
Navigation Palette, which
holds a band of command but-
tons that allow you to travel
quickly to any point in the
zoo. These are simple
enough to operate, and you
can move forward or back-
v/ard one exhibit, jump to any
exhibit within the biome that
you selected, and summon ex-
tensive online help related to
your situation. A Copy to Disk
option allows you to fill the Win-
dows Clipboard with text or
graphics data from The Ani-
mals!. If you ever seem lost,
it's very easy to retrace your
footsteps: You simply click on
the Go Back icon (which dis-
plays a list of all the places
you've visited so far).
You may also locate ani-
mals by searching for key-
words such as bird or tiger.
Clicking on the Media Library
icon presents you with a list
of all the pictures, video
clips, and sounds found on
the disc,
When you discover an inter-
esting animal, you may read
about it in the text window or
view the snapshots and vide-
os of it in the picture window.
Just click on the necessary
icons, and in a second or
(wo, the show begins. Other
icons include the Information
Profile, which offers a summa-
ry of the exhibit; a Kid's Plan-
et, which features a simplified
overview for younger zoogo-
ers; an Endangered Species
section; and more.
Before any of this matters,
though, you have to choose a
section of the zoo to visit. To
74
COMPUTE JULY 1993
do this, examine the Main
IVIenu map, clioose a biome,
and clicl< on it. Tine Animals!
transports you to the first ex-
hibit in that particular section.
Now, the fun really begins.
The San Diego Zoo is home
to more than just lions and el-
ephants, and finding these
more unusual creatures can
prove enlightening as well as
entertaining as you use the
Text and Audio/Visual options
to explore links between one
animal and another.
For instance, while I was vis-
iting the grasslands, I came
across the greater prairie
chicken exhibit. This less pop-
ular animal had only a single
color snapshot and a single
sound on disc. The text win-
dow did little to liven up the
display with its brief summary,
but it did mention that the prai-
rie chicken and the blue pea-
cock are related. So, I ex-
plored the text-media link by
first clicking on the A/V Links
icon; this led me to the Califor-
nia quail. I went to the top of
the screen to click on the
Next Exhibit icon, passed by
a number of exhibits that wer-
en't particularly interesting to
me — all still in the grasslands,
of course — and stopped to
stare at a peculiar bunch of an-
imals, the meerkats.
Cute and ferretlike, they war-
ranted a few minutes study
and observation time. I click-
ed on the Facts and Figures
icon to quickly read up on the
little creatures. It turns out
that they're related to the slen-
der-tailed mongoose: are na-
tive to Angola, Namibia,
Botswana, and South Africa;
and love to eat eggs.
The Animals! let me down
a bit at this point, however.
The meerkats' "chitchat,"
which is mentioned in the
text, wasn't used as a sam-
pled sound in the A/V Links
menu. The meerkats did get
to star in their own short vid-
eo, however, and their exhibit
sported four additional snap-
shots besides.
The playback panel for the
video clips appears after you
click on a video clip's icon. It
offers Play, Pause, Frame Ad-
vance, Frame Rewind, Re-
wind, and Fast Forward but-
tons— and all work exactly as
you'd expect, though the
Frame Forward and Frame Re-
wind do cause the otherwise
smooth playback to jar and
display some disorganized pix-
els for a moment.
Also, the playback can be
viewed in any of three
modes: 160 x 120, 320 x
240, or full screen. The larger
the display area, the blockier
the images become. If you
want the finest resolution, you
should select the smallest dis-
play area option on the Cus-
tomization menu. But if you
want to view a reasonably
sized movie, you should go
with the 320 x 240 display
mode. The fantastic, high-qual-
ity sounds remain synchro-
nized with the images, no mat-
ter what image size you've
selected.
The meerkat exhibit also
contains a Kid's World icon la-
beled Crazy Ways. I clicked
on this and read some of the
more amusing and peculiar de-
tails of meerkat life. The text
seems considerate of young
readers and contains as
much information as kids prob-
ably could retain from a visit
to the zoo. This is, alas, also
the major weakness of The An-
imals!: It provides as much in-
formation as a trip to the zoo
and can show you pictures of
the animals there, but it often
doesn't include an overwhelm-
ing amount of factual detail.
Certainly the extensive on-
line bibliography will aid any-
one who is interested in re-
searching meerkats or other
of the less-famous zoo ani-
mals, but much more informa-
tion could've gone onto this
CD-ROfvl program than the
amount that goes onto the ex-
hibit placards at the actual
zoo in San Diego.
Don't think The Animals! is
run-of-the-mill, would-be mul-
timedia PC (MFC) fare,
though: The Software
Toolworks did an outstanding
Windows version; IBM
PC or compatible
(803B6 compatible),
2MB RAM. SVGA,
Windows 3.1, CD-ROM
drive. MFC-
compatible sound
card, mouse~$1 19.95
DOS version: IBM PC
or compatible (16-
MHz 802S6 or taster),
1MB RAM or higher
wttti extended
job of packaging more than
82 short films on a single CD-
ROfVI, along with 1300 256-
color pictures, 2500 pages of
text, and 2'/? hours of sound
data. The DOS (non-CD) ver-
sion offers fewer options but re-
tains all the educational val-
ue. But the real deal is the CD-
ROfvl version. Its incredible im-
ages, animation, and sound
will motivate you to learn
about all the animals in the
San Diego Zoo.
If The Animals! is any indi-
cation of the next wave of
fvlPC products, an upgrade to
CD-ROfvl would make a most
worthy investment. □
Circle Reader Service Number 392
-.am
a drive
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THE SOFTWARE
TOOLWORKS
60 Leveroni CL
NovatD. CA 94949
(3Q0) 234-3088
JULY 1993 COMPUTE 75
GAME INSIDER
Shay Addams
•«• ■fT>, * :
EVERYTHING'S
COMING UP ACES
Following up on last year's hit,
Aces of the Pacific, ace design-
er Damon Slye has turned in
his latest tour de force with
Aces over Europe. The P-51
Mustang, the Me 109 and Me
262 fighters, and many other
g war birds seen in World War II
i| games are incfuded. One nov-
el addition is the German Ara-
do, a light jet bomber. Surpris-
ingly missing, though, is the Ju-
87 Stuka, Nazi Germany's
main dive bomber
Aces incorporates
more ground action
as it moves
from t)ie Pacific to
the European
llieater, but you'll
still see plenty
of stomach-ctiurning
dogflgtits.
The action, spanning
events from D-day to the end
of the war in Europe, unfolds
across your screen in much
the same manner as in Aces
of the Pacific. You choose a
side and the branch of service-
and then begin a series of mis-
sions based on the historical
research of Dynamix's in-
house war historian, John Brun-
ing. Another part of the pro-
gram allows you to practice
specific mission types or dog-
fights on either side.
Aces over Europe employs
new flight models and an en-
hanced version of Slye's 3-
Space graphics system, Major
differences in the new game
are that it incorporates a great-
er and more detailed empha-
sis on ground attacks, reflect-
ing the nature of the war in
Europe, and that the dogfights
are even more stomach churn-
ing than in the ohginal Aces.
Improved polygon graphics
now show legible insignia on
the planes, so you'll know
which enemy squadron you're
fighting. And each enemy
plane in an engagement is
now numbered, enabling you
to know which pilot you're chas-
ing— or which is about to
shoot you out of the sky
While most games released
for CD-ROM have been mini-
mally enhanced versions of
the programs available first on
floppy disks. Spectrum Holo-
Byte's new Iron Helix was de-
signed specifically for CD-
ROM by CJrew Pictures. It's an
action adventure with a sci-
ence-fiction scenario reminis-
cent of Suspended, Infocom's
classic all-text adventure.
The goal in Iron Helix is to
track down certain DNA sam-
ples on an abandoned space-
ship. To explore the six-level
ship, you must direct the ac-
tions of a remote-control
probe as it travels throughout
the corridors and rooms. The
obstacle is the ship's security
probe, The security probe de-
tects your probe's every move
and tries to blow it away.
Graphics and animation look
sharp on a screen divided in-
to four quadrants. One quad-
rant depicts a television view
of the probe's vicinity the oth-
er quadrants show icon-
based commands and other el-
ements of the interface. Iron
Helix is available for Macin-
tosh as well as the PC.
With the recent release of a
MiG-29 mission disk. Spec-
trum HoioByte has added yet
more life to what remains the
v/orid's top jet flight sim. The
new missions are set in the
same theaters that appear in
the original game. This time,
however, you can fly one of
the other side's craft — the MiG-
29 Fulcrum, one of the few
light fighters to employ Be-
yond Visual Range capability,
a capability which the F-16
doesn't possess. What may
prove even more fun than the
new missions is the opportuni-
ty to choose either the F-16 or
MiG-29 in a head-to-head
game played via modem.
A pair of new mission disks
for X-Wing offers more chal-
lenges for veterans who have
already completed the first
two Tours of Duty. LucasArts
is calling the new mission
disks Space Combat Tours.
The first of these, which pro-
vides another series of mis-
sions set in the Star Wars uni-
verse, should be out by the
time you read this. By early
fall, look for another mission
disk that will include a new
craft^the B-Wing— in addi-
tion to a new Tour of Duty, And
if they prove popular with the
public. LucasArts will turn out
at least one more X-Wing mis-
sion disk. (There is, however,
no truth to the rumor that X-
Wing designer Lawrence Hol-
land and Wing Commander de-
signer Chris Roberts are team-
ing up for a joint production
called X-Wing Commander.)
For X-Wing and the super-
realistic air combat sims of the
1990s, a new breed of joystick
has emerged with lots more
buttons for all the sophisticat-
ed flight commands. The lat-
est entry is the Gravis Pro. dis-
tinguished by adjustable ten-
sion and a pair of extra but-
tons. The buttons correspond
to the buttons on a second joys-
tick (which many major flight
Sims support for various fea-
tures). The tightest of the ad-
justable-tension settings
makes it far easier to fly jets
that require a light touch (like
the Harrier in Domark's AV-8B
Harrier Assault), especially if
you tend to overcontrol and
wind up like me: out of control.
When set at one of the four loos-
er positions, the Gravis Pro is
at home in action games. O
76
COtVlPUTE JULY 1993
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ENTERTAINMENT CHOICE
You'll want to sleep with a
night-light on after playing this scary
action-adventure game.
Peter Olafson
ALONE IN THE
DARK
I sense that some line has
been crossed; I can't leave
now — even if I wish to. Even
the most innocent volume on
the bookshelf fills me with dis-
quiet, A rocking horse seems
to move on its own, and I
don't like the look of that
trapdoor.
I finally spot the piano in a
distant, shadowed corner of
the attic and am on my way to-
ward it when I notice a sugges-
tion of movement outside the
window; something tattered
and ungainly fluttering in the
air. A wrecked flag, perhaps,
I imagine, though I recall no
flagpole. I look more closely,
it's not a flag. The fluttering
form looks back at me. It has
teeth— many teeth. It's almost
at the window. Help! The
stairs! The stairs!
I wish a thousand bless-
ings upon anyone trapped in
the wonderful, terrifying
place that is Alone in the
Dark. This three-dimensional
adventure game from the
French company I ' fvlotion is
the first computer game I've
seen that has fear running
through it like an electric cur-
rent. Raw emotion is a rare
enough quality in real life, and
its appearance in this virtual
world definitely defines Alone
as a breakthrough product.
A line has indeed been
crossed: Alone is the first of a
raft of fright bytes that were to
hit the market in the first half
of 1993. But it isn't the first of
the breed, of course. We
have Accolade's now-niter-en-
crusted role-playing game
Don't Go Alone, and Horror-
soft's two Elviras and the qua-
si Elvira, Waxworks. But
there's a delicate line be-
tween horror and terror: One
is as easy as turning your eye-
lids inside out: the other is the
art of setting you on pins and
needles. The Elvira games
may make you recoil at their
carnage, but they aren't gen-
uinely scary.
Alone is genuinely frighten-
ing without ever being grisly,
When you run from its horrible
creatures, you'il do so in shud-
dering terror. The first time
you open a door and find
something unspeakable wait-
ing for you on the other side,
something which proceeds to
advance on you with arms out-
stretched, you'll feel a genu-
ine shock.
The game blurs the line be-
tween actuaily being there
and being at home, safely in
front of a computer. Play it in
the dark for maximum effect.
Even writing about it two
weeks after playing gives me
the creeps. It's that good.
The adventure is based on
the works of the author H, P,
Lovecraft, who penned won-
derful horror and fantasy sto-
ries back in the early part of
the century. They aren't the
best stories ever written, but
they are responsible for cre-
ating the foundation for a won-
derful cosmology called
Cthulhu f\/lythos, which postu-
lates an ancient monstrous
race of creatures lying in
wait, creatures who can be
gated into this world, invaria-
bly with disastrous conse-
quences for the gate opener.
As Alone opens, the gate
is wide open and swinging.
You're cast as either Edward
Carnby, who is a private detec-
tive, or Emily Hartwood, who
is the niece of the last ten-
ant— who killed himself. You'll
quickly find that the vague
agendas found in the docu-
mentation have little bearing
on the task at hand. In no
time you'll be exploring, fight-
ing for your life, solving puz-
zles, reading books, and enjoy-
ing a good deal of stimulating
action-adventuring
You get to explore the
three-story house and its un-
derpinnings, and they are a
delightful hybrid of filled poly-
gons and bitmaps. They're as
solid and real a place as
we've visited this side of Ulti-
ma Underworld. Actually, it is
not all that dark in this world,
and you're hardly alone. The
house comes fully equipped
with a staff of splendid terrors
ranging from the mundane
(like spiders and rats) to the
completely outrageous (such
78 COMPUTE JULY 1993
as a rabbit with a ferocious
Tyrannosaurus rex head).
When you begin your adven-
ture, you're armed with noth-
ing more than your wits and a
passing knowledge of karate.
But if you're nosy enough,
you'll eventually come across
more conventional weapons.
Combat is fun even when
your weapon of choice
doesn't quite do what you
had hoped. The aiming is fun,
and the enemy's recoil and
the fine mist of blood are
nice rewards when you do
make contact. And your op-
ponent's collapse and disinte-
gration into a hail of polygon
circles — to the distant crackle
of thunder — are truly satisfy-
ing. (I prefer to play the
game with the theme nnusic
turned off, but the sound ef-
fects and spot musical effects
are quite superb.)
Quite different from that of
any other game, the perspec-
tive in Alone is as if you're
watching your character from
a trapdoor just above and to
the side. What's especially
nice is that the view shifts,
sometimes a number of
times, depending on where
you're standing. Finding the
different views is fun and
lends a sense of the house as
an environment rather than as
a series of snapshots. This
haunted house really seems
to occupy space, inside and
out: Fights started in one
room can spill through a door-
way into another, and the pro-
gram takes up over 5.5MB of
hard disk space.
Alone is very easy to con-
trol. The keyboard interface is
almost as transparent as the
game's ethereal critters. Char-
acters move around smoothly
and realistically on a 33-MHz
80486. You simply hold the
space bar to invoke your cur-
rent mode (Fight, Open/
Search, Close, or Push), and
hit Enter to change it or in-
spect your inventory The com-
mands available are keyed to
the designated object, and
it's easy to change gears on
the fly.
You'll quickly acquire a thor-
ough sense of being a real
character inhabiting a real
place. It's a quality that
seeps into the opening copy
protection (picking the
game's 3-D objects from a
book) and is sustained into
the save-game mechanism
(each save is accompanied
by miniature screen cap-
tures).
Alone is very much of a
piece; it even possesses a
properly apocalyptic, roof-com-
ing-down Lovecraftian end-
ing. And when the game's
over, delightfully, it's not
quite over You'll still need to
make your way back up to
more civilized surroundings
and out the front door. Since
all the unearthly critters have
been pacified, this is a per-
fect opportunity for unbridled
exploration. As you play,
you'll discover lots of books
and documents that are use-
ful but not exactly essential in
the solution. It's easy to over-
look them when you're run-
ning for your life. (Save your
game anyway: a couple of
books have decidedly nasty
properties.) Now's your time
to enjoy them.
At the same time, Alone's
very consistency of tone
makes doubly disconcerting
the occasional hiccup in the
program engine. For in-
stance, while your character
may be standing immediately
in front of a cabinet, both of
his arms extend to the left of
it when you move to open it.
Likewise, toward the end of
the adventure, when you
have to explore a decent-
sized maze, the game sudden-
ly abandons its multiple cam-
era angles and adopts an over-
head perspective similar to
that used in games like Lu-
casArts' Indiana Jones and
the Last Crusade. It's a bit jar-
ring, and it's unnecessary; the
designers at I ' Motion might
have had a bit more respect
for the purity of their other-
wise impeccable creation.
But these complaints are a
IBM PC or
compatible (80Z86
compatible, 80386
recommended),
640K RAM, MCGA
or 25G-color VGA,
hard disk with
SifiB free; supports
Sound Blaster,
Covox Sound
small exception rather than
the rule.
! truly had a fantastic time
playing this game — so fantas-
tic, in fact, that 1 not only fin-
ished the adventure but also
went back a second time to
see if I had missed anything.
And the morning after I fin-
ished playing it, after a rest-
less night of dark and unre-
membered dreams, I thought
twice every time I had to
open a door.
Alone in the Dark has been
described as "a poor man's
7th Guest." We should all be
so poor! This game is a tri-
umph of the spirit — in more
ways than one. □
Circle Reader Service Number 393
Master 2+, Ad Lib,
and Disney Sound
Source— $59.95
I * MOTION
Distributed by
interplay
Productions
17922 Fitch Ave.
Irvine, CA 92710
(8001 9G9-GAME
JULY 1993 COMPUTE 79
GAMEPLAY
Paul C. Schuytema
PANT YOUR WAY
TO VICTORY
When I think of the Olympics,
the sports that excite me are
the individual ones like pole
vaulting and the javelin throw.
On my PC, I have the oppor-
tunity to play superathlete,
trained in a variety of Olympic
sports and honed to take on
the best. Summer Challenge
(Accolade; 800-245-7744;
$54.95) gives me the chance
to be the track-and-field ath-
lete I've always wanted to be.
It encompasses a wide array
Experience the
rush of victory as
you s!real<
past the finish line
or oulshoot,
outski, and autjunip
ttie best
Olympic atliietes.
of sports, including pole vault-
ing, throwing the javelin, kay-
aking, cycling, and hurdling,
You can even try your abilities
in archery, the high jump, and
an equestrian jumping event.
Control is simple — you use the
joystick, mouse, or keyboard
or a combination of the three.
!n cycling, for example, you
can use your fingers to tap the
Enter key for pedaling while
steering with the joystick. For
a high-speed sprint, you'll
want to switch hands midped-
al, since bashing the Enter key
is remarkably exhausting.
In the kayaking event, you
paddle by pushing the joy-
stick fonward and turn by mov-
ing the stick left and right. The
graphics are smoothly scroll-
ing 3-D polygons.
The Carl Lewis Challenge
(Psygnosis; 617-731-3553;
$49.99) is another take on the
Summer Olympic events. In it,
you control not only the ac-
tions of the athlete but also the
rigorous prematch training.
You play coach to a team of
athletes, and training can vary
from isomethcs and circuit train-
ing to several methods of
stretching. The individual train-
ing activities aren't controlled;
instead, you assign workouts
with varying levels of intensity
and time spent on each meth-
od of training. The goal is to
produce a team of perfectly
trained athletes, either ail gen-
eral ists or specialists trained in
specific events.
Once trained, the athletes
compete in sprints, hurdles,
javelin, high jump, and long
jump. Performance depends
not only on how well you con-
trol the athletes but also on
how well you've trained them.
The graphics consist of a
scrolling side view and feature
fluidly animated competitors.
As a departure from the typi-
cal stab-the-keys-as-fast-as-
you-can approach, Psygnosis
offers three control options.
One is the typical key-bashing
(which is nice since it simu-
lates exhaustion so well); the
others are rhythm control and
gearing control. Rhythm con-
trol challenges you to tap the
Ctrl key as a pendulum pass-
es the center of its path. The
more accurate your control,
the faster the athiete. In gear-
ing control, you tap the Ctrl
key as the athlete reaches cer-
tain strides; hitting the strides
right increases the speed.
When I long for the snows
of winter, I dive into Winter Chal-
lenge (Accolade; $54.95),
which is easily the most addic-
tive of all the Olympic games
I've played. Players compete
in the luge, the downhill, cross-
country giant slalom, two-man
bobsled, and the biathlon.
You can also compete at
speed skating and ski jump-
ing. The wide array of wildly
different sports makes play
exciting, and there are so
many different types of con-
trols that my hands don't
cramp up on me.
The downhill, with its breath-
taking background and fast
polygon graphics, conveys
the illusion of superspeed. As
I whip down the course, I
have visions of Franz K!am-
mer's brilliant, out-of-control
gold-medal run in the 1976
Innsbruck games. Fortunately,
Accolade's games feature a
VCR which allows you to relive
your brilliant runs.
Probably my favorite Winter
Challenge event is the expert-
ly modeled biathlon, that curi-
ous marriage of cross-country
skiing and marksmanship.
Smooth graphics give the illu-
sion of skiing through the Eu-
ropean countryside, and as
you control every stroke, you
must watch the stamina meter,
which shows a combination of
breath and heart rate. When
your skier reaches the shoot-
ing range, the steadiness of
the aim is determined by how
exhausted your skier is; if your
skier is frazzled, the aiming reti-
cle bounces up and down
with every labored breath.
These games are great for
parties. Four players can com-
pete in The Carl Lewis Chal-
lenge, while ten can go head-
to-head in Accolade's games.
Sports games aren't limited
to baseball, football, and golf.
Go beyond the standard fare
and see if you have what it
takes to be an Olympian. □
BD
COMPUTE JULY 1993
CHIPS & BITS inc.
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AdLib Sound Card S39
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Adv Gravis Ultrasound SI 39
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Sony SRS7 Speakers S15
Sound Blaster 16 S229
Sound Blaster Deluxe S89
Snd Blaster MM Upgd Kit $499
Sound Blaster Pro Deluxe $129
Sound Galaxy BX2 S65
Sound Galaxy NX2 389
Sound Galaxy NXPRO $125
Sound Machine S99
Thrustmaster PCS S67
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Ttirustmaster WCS Mark 2 S99
Thrustmaster Weapons CSS72
IBM CD ROM
7th Guest S56
Advent W/illie Beamish S45
Battle Chess WIN & DOS S46
Buzz Aidrin Race Space S59
Chessmaster 3000 S46
Curse of Enchantia S26
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Eye of the Beholder 3 $48
Indy Jones Fate Altantis $52
King's Quest 5 $42
Laura Bow 2 $42
Legend of Kyrandia S49
Loom $48
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Shuttle $24
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IBM STRATEGY
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Airbucks
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Armada 2525
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Ashes of Empire
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Battle Isie
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Buzz Aidrin Race to Space $42
Caesar
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Castles 2
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Civilization
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Clash of Steel
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El Fish
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AH-64 Helicopter
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Fields of Glory
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Aces of the Pacific
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Global Conquest
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Aces over Europe
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Koshan Conspiracy
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Air Duel
338
Lemmings 2
$32
Air Warrior SVGA
S35
Liberty or Death
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Armoured Fist
S38
Lost Admiral
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Bt7 Flying Fortress
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Mercenaries Tegel's
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Fl 1 7A Stealth Fighter
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New World Order
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Pacific Theater Ops
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Great Naval Battles
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umbef 261
If golfers and caddies be not better neighbours
Than abbots and soldiers, with crosses and sabres,
Let such fancies remain with the fool who so thinks,
While we toast old St. Andrews, its Golfers, and Links.
—Andrew Carnegie, from a toast delivered in Chicago in 1874
BY PAUL C. SCHUYTEMA
Golf is a game with a long, rich heritage.
Golf enjoys such popularity as to have
become a staple of our popular cuLture
and iconography. It's no wonder, then,
that golf simulators have been chipping
around computer screens as long as
there have been CRTs.
!n the early days, aspiring comiput-
er golfers had to work with blocky,
unrealistic graphics and limited play
options. As computer technology
evolved, so did golf simulations. Now,
players enjoy stunningly realistic
scenes, compensate for wind and the
slope of the green, and choose from a
variety of options. They can play
against PGA pros in a tournament,
play against other computer golfers
over the phone, piay a skins game for
a million-dollar purse, shoot for par in
Hawaii, or even design a golf course.
Indeed, the modern computer golfer
can play under the blustery, overcast
skies of Scotland without even leaving
home.
In addition, golf simulators have
reached the level where they can
actually assist players in their real-
world golf games. Players who had
never before picked up a real club
are now hitting the links after discov-
ering the fun of golf via a computer
simulator, and computer users who
don't play ordinary computer games
discover that computer golf offers
something different from the run of the
mill and become hooked on the virtual
country club on their hard disk.
Different Strokes
There are a wide variety of golf simu-
lations, each with a different spin on
the game. Links 386 Pro strives for the
ultimate in visual realism, while PGA
Tour Golf lets players play in a PGA
tournament and go head to head
against the tour's best players. The
Jack Nicklaus Signature Edition
allows players to design a fantasy
course and share it with people
around the world. David Leadbetter's
Greens IS an expert-level tutorial that
features dynamic camera tracking,
which makes the experience seem
more like televised coverage than a
computer game.
Most of the games employ some
type of power meter to judge the shot
and generally require three actions
from the player. In a drive, you might
tap the space bar once to begin the
swing. Tfie power meter then moves
to reflect your backswing. Then, you
tap again at the power point — the top
of the stroke — and the power meter
begins to recede. You must time your
third tap to fall at a precise moment to
strike the ball straight on; any vari-
84 COMPUTE JULY 1993
\llmm lat^itl Sj'T ..L .■::■ -J^ | Om 1
PGA Tour Golf: fast and fun
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Links 386 Pro: many views
David Leadbetter's Greens: dynamic
ance can lead to a hook or a slice.
You may enjoy having such control
over your strokes. Or you may prefer
spending your time designing the per-
fect course or playing against the
masters. Whatever simulation you
choose, the addiction level is bound
to be high. Each of the games dis-
cussed here will lead you to many
late-night piaying sessions and to true
bragging rights for that one-in-a-miU
lion shot.
PGA Tour Golf
Electronic Arts' entry in the golfing
competition, PGA Tour Golf for
Windows, satisfies that deep need to
go up against really expert competi-
tors— the best the sport has to offer —
and to beat them at their own game.
In this simulation, the only PGA-
licensed product, the pros are the real
fvlcCoy; Their abilities are modeled on
PGA players' actual performances.
PGA Tour Golf uses stylized ren-
derings of the players, courses, and
objects, but the level of realism is
quite acceptable. The natural scenery
surrounding the course is a little on
the sparse side, but there are enough
trees to get in the way of nearly every
golfer. The game features four cours-
es: PGA West, Sterling Shores, the
Tournament Player's Club at Avenel,
and the Tournament Player's Club at
Sawgrass.
This game's hallmarks are its
speed, its challenge, and its playabili-
ty. The courses may look easier than
those in games with more visually
complicated graphics, but the play is
extremely demanding. One thing lack-
ing, though, is the sense of rolling ter-
rain: The fairways are flat and expan-
sive, without either visual or play-
affecting slope.
This changes when you reach the
green, however. A window appears
that models the green in 3-D with an
imposed grid. You can rotate the pic-
ture to judge the break and adjust
your aim accordingly. The view then
shifts back to the playing screen to
allow you to attempt the putt.
Far and away the most notable fea-
ture of PGA Tour Golf is the PGA tour-
nament. The game proceeds in tele-
vised fashion, with an announcer com-
menting on each shot and giving
reports from other holes. It's very tough
to beat the pros, but it's extremely sat-
isfying when you start to win.
Electronic Arts also sells a DOS
version of PGA Tour Golf, which dif-
fers from the Windows version only in
that it doesn't require Windows. PGA
Tour Golf Limited Edition is a special
packaging of the DOS version of PGA
Tour Golf that includes the tournament
course disk (normally sold separate-
ly), plus a VHS tape containing a doc-
umentary history of PGA tour golf,
including interviews with players.
Links 386 Pro
The Links simulation has been with us
for a while, but only recently has 386
Pro, the flagship of the Access
Software line, made an appearance.
A visually stunning achievement, 386
Pro requires Super VGA, at least an
80386 processor, and a whole lot of
RAfvl (Access suggests 8MB, but
4MB seems to work just fine). With all
of that computing power behind the
game, the results are incredible.
The play window, a view from
behind the goifer, approaches photo-
realism, with varying textures in the
grass, subtly rolling hills, and gently
shaded sand bunkers. Access allows
you to set up many viewing options,
from a full-screen window of the
course to a split screen featuring a
front view and a view from the pin.
Otfier windows include a top view, a
slope window, a stance window, and
a scorecard.
To aim your shot, you use a unique
"barber pole" ttiat you move around
thie course with the mouse. When the
shot is set, you use the mouse to con-
trol your swing. As in the other two
Links products, the power bar is
curved to simulate the arc of the golf
swing, and there's a realistic time-lag
from the moment you attempt to stop
the swing until the club reacts. This
takes getting used to, but it accurately
reflects an actual swing.
There are no tournaments in 386
Pro, but you can play against several
friends or a recorded player shot for
shot for some heated competition.
If there are any weaknesses in 386
Pro, the foremost would be its speed.
The game really needs an 80486 to
play as fast as the other games. With
an 80386SX, the redraw tirhe can take
quite a while. The other weaknesses
are poor-quality sounds and no golfer
animation when the shot is viewed
from the green in reverse angle. It's a
little odd to just see the ball leap from
the fairway with no golfer in sight.
There's no course-design feature
in 386 Pro. but Access is providing an
ever-increasing array of co'urses, and
original Links courses can be convert-
ed for play with 386 Pro (the resolu-
tion isn't as good as that of the 386
Pro courses, but the quality is still
high). I had the opportunity to play
golf in Hawaii (via the computer, of
course) using the Mauna Kea course
disk. The Championship disk contains
files to play this course with Links 386
Pro, Links, or Microsoft Golf for
Windows 1 .0 — and it's a gorgeous
course. Playing the third hole in 386
Pro, a par-three iron shot over a vol-
canic Pacific inlet, is arguably reason
enough to go out and buy a PC.
David Leadbetter's Greens
Greens takes two different approach-
es to simulating golf: it strives for real-
world instruction, and it uses dynamic
views of play.
The game is endorsed and heavily
influenced by David Leadbetter,
arguably the preeminent professional
golfing instructor. The manual includ-
ed with Greens consists of a richly
detailed instructional course, featunng
everything from club selection to
stance and play strategies. Micro-
Prose sets up the game as a vehicle
for players to learn more and improve
their regular game of golf, as well as
for entertainment.
The second unique aspect of
Greens is the view. There are a number
of different camera angles, and if you
select the intelligent camera, a shot is
visualized more like television footage
than a static view: The camera cuts,
pans, and follows the ball in 12-frame-
per-second animation. As a result, the
quality of the graphics is a far cry from
that of those in Links 386 Pro, but the
way IvlicroProse executes the cuts
makes up for the lack of resolution.
Greens also features an amazing
amount of player control over the
shots. Golfers can experiment with
Jack Nicklaus Signature Edition: solid
stance and tee placement beyond the
usual club selection. The power meter
in Greens is also different: As you
twist into a backswing, the "sweet
spot" where you must hit the ball
shrinks, which corresponds with the
increasing difficulty of hitting a power
shot accurately.
On the green. Greens allows a
golfer-to-hole view, a hole-to-ball
view, and a perpendicular view. Using
these different angles gives you a
wealth of information about the lay of
the green.
Greens features tournament and
skins game options as well as modem
or direct-connect play, allowing two
players to battle against each other in
realtime via phone.
Microsoft Golf for Windows 1.0
Microsoft, in an arrangement with
Access, ported the original Links
game to the Windows environment.
More than just a quick fit, Microsoft
Golf for Windows 1.0 is a true
Windows program and takes full
advantage of the operating system.
Windows can be dragged and
resized, and the game can wait in the
background while you switch to a
spreadsheet when your supervisor
walks in.
Microsoft Golf also borrowed the
golfer animation from Links 386 Pro,
giving the swing animation greater
depth than that of Links. All original
Links courses are fully compatible
with Microsoft Golf. The game can
handle eight players simultaneously,
but there are no options for tourna-
ment play or any of the other varia-
tions (such as a skins game, a record-
ed player, or an Al opponent),
As in the original Links and Links
386 Pro, you have complete control
over your golfer's stance, swing
plane, and ball position. As in Links
386 Pro, you have the option to step
back from the ball and swing the club
a few times before addressing the ball
for a solid hit.
The game plays very smoothly, but
aiming the ball is a little awkward,
since your golfer disappears when the
barber pole appears. Occasionally,
the windows seem to get in the way of
each other, and you have to make
sure that the swing window is active
before attempting a swing: otherwise,
the delay as the window pops to the
forefront will play havoc with any
attempts at timing.
Microsoft Golf, like Links and Links
386 Pro, enables you to print out a
scorecard (which must be signed and
attested to be valid, of course).
Linlcs
The most venerable of all the versions
mentioned, the original Links is still a
solid game that can be played ade-
quately on an 80286, and up until the
recent explosion of quality golf
games, it was the king of the heap.
Links and Microsoft Golf have a
library of over eight courses to choose
from, including Troon North, set in the
deserts of Arizona, and the Dorado
Beach East Course in the heart of the
Cahbbean.
Jack Nicklaus Signature
Edition
The Signature Edition is a significant
rewrite of Accolade's Jack Nicklaus
Ultimate Goif and is a youthful
descendent of the old Mean 18 golf
simulation.
Signature Edition is an extremely
solid program and features 256-color
graphics: while the resolution doesn't
approach that of 386 Pro. the sense of
JULY 1993 COMPUTE 85
he Dark Army encroaches.
King Richard falls. And Scotia
beckons you, laughing.
In her mad quest for power, Scotia has ravaged the
kingdom. She seeks the throne, yet it eludes her.
She's getting desperate. She's getting mean.
M Can YOU STOP HER? DO YOU DARE?
^ Make Friends and Influence
People - Cooperate with the helpful,
sidestep the treacherous and destrov
the dangerous.
^ Quick and Easy Combat and
Spell Casting.
FEATURING
^ Compass and Aufom^^ier
Included - Ad ven tu re through
ancient keeps and living forests.
Unearth hidden ruins and
haunted caves.
^ Indulge in a Land of Sensory
Delights- Over 20 megabytes of
compressed art and special
effects. Actually hear the clash of
steel! Feel the blows of terrors
who slip beneath your guard!
AN INSPIRED FANTASY
RPG EXPERIENCE FROM
THE DEVELOPMENT
TEAM TFiAT CREATED ^
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER™ I AND 11.
WestwQOd
.-^^
Distributed Exclu'^lvelv bv
Available for your IBM PC.
Eye of the Beholder I and 11 are trademarks of TSR, Inc.
The F.ve of ihe fteholder uame^XSR, Inc. and .SSI arc not connected or related
in an) way to tlie Lajjds of Lore game. Virgin Gaines, Inc-»or Westwood Studios,Ino, -
Lancis of Lore is a trademark ofWest-AOod .Studio^. Inc. © 1993 Westwood Studios, Inc
All rights reserved -Virgin is a n^gistered tradeinark of Virgin Enterpribe*-, Ltd.
Circle Reader Service Numbef 132
^-l^.
rolling terrain is amazing. Also,
Accolade chose to use a deep, rich
palette of colors that seem to drip
right off the screen.
The gameplay is solid, with most of
the features you'd expect from a top-
of-the-line golf simulator. One item it
lacks, however, is player control of the
golfer's stance or ball position.
You can choose stroke play, tour-
nament mode, or a skins game, with a
number of players competing at once.
Signature Edition possesses a solid
arsenal of AI golfers to battle against,
and you can create computer players
of matching ability (or inferior ability
when you need a victory for psycho-
logical reasons). You can even com-
pete against the Golden Bear himself.
But if you do, it's a serious challenge:
Nicklaus just doesn't seem to miss
any shots.
The most striking feature of the
Signature Edition simulation is its
course-design program. 'With it, you
can get your hands dirty and tackle
the tedious, frustrating, and amazing
task of terraforming a course. After
you've designed a hole, you can piay
it through to examine its subtleties.
The design program and the golf sim-
ulation do a credible job simulating
the rolls and dips of terrain.
Course designers have control of
the scrolling background, the pixel-
by-pixel construction of the various
objects that populate the course
(such as trees, flowers, and the occa-
sional caddie shack), and the type of
terrain, from green to cart path.
Utilizing a paint program type of inter-
face, you draw terrain, select areas,
and impose hills, dips, cliffs, and even
railroad-tie shoring for a raised green.
Hundreds of user-designed cours-
es, from Mark Willett's beautiful and
fictional Alhambra course to Links set
entirely on the surface of the moon,
can be found on CompuServe and
many other online services and BBSs.
You can also join a tournament on
Prodigy, download a course, and bat-
tle for position on the leader board,
posting scores each week.
Wilson ProStaff Golf
Konami enters the world of computer
golf with Wilson ProStaff Golf, a game
that prides itseif on the speed of its
play. In a field of games battling for
visual supremacy, Konami's entry
takes a different approach. Instead of
offering photorealistic graphics,
Konami chose instead to make the
screen redraws lightning fast.
In that area ProStaff Golf succeeds
completely. The panoramic screens
pop up almost instantly, and each
88 COMPUTE JULY 1993
shot is followed by a televisionlike
gallery replay, focusing on where the
ball lands. The graphics are well ren-
dered and have something of the
same flavor as the graphics in PGA
Tour Golf and Greens.
ProStaff Golf features a very nice
overhead view of each hole, showing
where the ball will probably land if hit
correctly. The overhead view breaks
Pro Shop
Links
$59.95
Links 386 Pro
$69.95
ACCESS SOFTWARE
4910 W. Amelia Earhart Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 841 16
(800) 800-4880
(801)359-2900
Jack Nicklaus
Signature Edition
$69.95
ACCOLADE
5300 Stevens Greek Blvd.
San Jose, CA 95129
(800) 245-7744
(303)352-3183
PGA Tour Golf
$49.95
PGA Tour Golf for Windows
$59.95
PGA Tour Golf
Limited Edition
$49.95
ELECTRONIC ARTS
1450 Fashion Island Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94404
(800) 245-4525
(415)513-7555
Wilson ProStaff Golf
$49.95
KONAMI
900 Deerfield Pkwy.
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089-4510
(708)215-5111
David Lead better's Greens
$49.95
MICROPROSE
180LakefrontDr.
Hunt Valley, MD 21030-2245
(800) 879-7529
(410)771-1151
Microsoft Golf
for Windows 1 .0
$64.95
MICROSOFT
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052
(BOO) 426-9400
the shot distances into 25-percent
intervals, making it easy to gauge how
much force to put on a pitch or a
choke shot. Konami has also
rethought the basic power-bar
approach to hitting the ball. The game
features a circular bar for the power
stroke, similar to the power bar in the
Links games. But when a player
selects the power for the stroke, the
action then moves to the face of a
stylized golf ball, where a red dot cir-
cles around the dimpled surface. To
actually make the shot, the player
must tap the selector key when the
dot IS exactly in the center of the ball.
This approach accomplishes the
same thing as the traditional power
bar, with the added ability to purpose-
ly hit the ball either low or high, there-
by controlling the spin.
ProStaff Golf features an impres-
sive array of games, from stroke play
to several skins games to a game
called bingo-bango-bongo, in which
points are awarded for being first on
the green, closest to the hole, and first
in the hole. The game also features an
entire array of team games.
ProStaff Golf, for all of its features
and fast gameplay, is somewhat limit-
ed. It only provides one course, which
can get old fairly quickly. There are no
facilities for playing against recorded
players or connputer players, so the
game can get lonely during the early
hours of the morning. Finally, putting
is more difficult here than in any of the
other games I've played. Some
greens are so sloped that they appear
to be located on the side of a moun-
tain, and the aiming reticle is located
at the top of the screen, a long way
from the hole and the player's best
line of sight.
Still, the play is fast and engaging,
and the ease of the game, the short
learning curve, and the ability to play
teams makes it a great choice for a
computer golf party after the links
have been rained out.
Grab Your Clubs
Golf is a rich and compelling game,
and computer golf simulation has
finally become nearly as challenging
and enjoyable as the real thing.
Whether you prefer head-to-head
competition with a friend on a BBS,
tournament play with the pros, creat-
ing a challenging course, or working
on your golf game on a rainy day,
you're sure to find a golf simulation
that matches your style. And when
you do, prepare to lose track of time.
You won't want to quit until you've
mastered your game — and then you'll
want to challenge the world. □
64/128 VIEW
Gazette celebrates Its tenth
birthday with this issue — and launches a
new column to help celebrate.
Tom Netsel
Fhat were you doing
'ten years ago this
month? If you hap-
pened to visit a news-
stand, you may have picked
up a new magazine called
COIVIPUTE!'s Gazette.
I was working at the Uni-
versity of Central Fiorida in
Orlando, and I had just
bought a 64. I was wonder-
ing what to do with it when I
spotted a Gazette at my lo-
cal grocery store. I'll have to
confess that I missed the
first issue. I didn't see Ga-
zette until the second issue
hit the newsstand, but I've
been hooked ever since.
Gazette was billed original-
ly as being "for owners and
users of Commodore VIC-20
and 64 personal comput-
ers." As time passed and
Commodore introduced the
Plus/4, the 16, and the 128,
Gazette's coverage expand-
ed to those machines. But
when the smoke finally set-
tled over the personal com-
puter battlefield, the 64 and
128 emerged as the survi-
vors, and Gazette narrowed
its editorial focus to those
Commodore veterans.
Speaking of veterans, as
I browse through the mast-
head of that first issue, i see
the names of four people
who are still associated with
the magazine. Regular read-
ers will recognize colum-
nists Jim Butterfield and
Fred D'Ignazio, but two oth-
er veterans may not be as
familiar. Terry Cash is now
copy production manager,
and De Potter is production
manager. Without their val-
ued assistance, there
wouldn't be any magazine,
Editorial's staff has
changed frequently, but Ga-
zette's goal of providing its
readers with the best of Com-
modore-related information
and entertainment has not
changed. In large measure,
each Gazette editor has re-
lied on 64 and 128 owners
who are willing to share
their knowledge with our
readers. From that first issue
through the one you read to-
day, we've encouraged you
to submit articles and pro-
grams for publication, that
need is just as strong today
as it was a decade ago.
Some things don't change.
Change is inevitable, how-
ever, and you'll see it in this
issue with the addition of a
new column. Over the years
we've published original pro-
grams and reviewed com-
mercial software, but we've
seidom covered public do-
main programs and share-
ware— until now. GEOS coi-
umnist Steve Vander Ark ex-
amines this vast source of
programs in his new col-
umn, "PD Picks."
The programs Steve will re-
view and recommend can
be found on bulletin
boards, commerciai online
services, user group librar-
ies, and elsewhere. If you
can't locate a convenient
source for these programs,
look for them on our month-
ly Gazette Disks. These pro-
grams— unlil<e the Gazette
type-ins— are not copyright-
ed, and you may distribute
them freely. All we ask is
that you honor the fee re-
quests of shareware authors
if you use their programs.
In closing, I'd like to
thank all of you devoted
Commodore users for your
support over the past ten
years. Without your help, Ga-
zette would have folded
years ago. But with it, look
for Gazette each month for
years to come. □
GAZETTE
64/128 VIEW G-1
Gazette marks a milestone with this issue — ten years
of serving the 8-bit Commodore market.
By Tom Netsel.
11 YEARS IN 8-BiT HEAVEN G-3
In 1982, dozens of home computers were struggling
to pull ahead of the pack — then, along came the
Commodore 64.
By Larry Cotton,
REVIEWS
Jara-Tava, Mathbooster, and Flyer.
G-8
FEEDBACK
Questions, answers, and comments.
G-14
PD PICKS G-1 6
This new column focuses on the best of public
domain and shareware programs.
By Steve Vander Ark.
MACHINE UNGUAGE G-1 8
To read a file successfully, you must know how it ends.
By Jim Butterfield.
PROGRAWMER'S PAGE
More great programming tips from readers.
By Randy Thompson.
G-20
BEGINNER BASIC
Here's how to activate your user port.
By Larry Cotton.
G-22
DIVERSIONS
The 64 can be a toddler's ideal first computer
By Fred D'Ignazio.
G-24
PROGRAMS
Ultimate ML Monitor (64)
Rascals (64)
Scud (64)
Cryptarithm Solver (64)
Flasher 64
Type-Sim (64/128)
G-25
G-31
G-33
G-36
G-37
G-39
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|^,;.^.' ,f><*;^-;
YEARS IN 8^BIT HEAVEN
BY LARRY COTTON
THE YEAR WAS 1982.
The Vietnam War Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C.
England and Argentina fought over the Falkland Islands.
The Equal Rights Amendment lapsed without ratification.
The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series.
Barney Clark became the first person to receive an artificial heart,
the Jarvik-7.
And in the autumn of that year, the Commodore 64 personal
~~t computer was born.
Commodore International, a dar-
ling of Wall Street investors at
that time, was known primarily
for its calculators; the PET series of
computers; and a successful, albeit
memory-deficient older sibling of the
64, the VIC-20. The company was run
by the inimitable Jack Tramiel and
sons, a team famous for squeezing
the most bang from a buck,
The personal computer market was
in a frenzy at the time, and Tramiel
brazenly introduced a new computer
called the Commodore 64. This new
machine was priced at $595, a ridicu-
lously low price for that time. A disk
drive or a monitor were extra.
The Field
The 64's major competitors were the
Apple \\+ ($1,530), Atari 800 ($899),
IBM PC ($1,565), and TRS-80 Model
III ($999). The 64 was exactly the
machine the world had been holding
its breath for, with a third more built-in
memory than the Apple ll-f- — four
times more than the Atari 800 — yet
priced at two to three times less than
the Apple and a third less than the
Atari.
The 64 featured (as it does today)
a breathtaking 16 colors: 40 charac-
ters per screen row; eight Movable
Object Blocks (sprites); and, best of
all, an unbelievable 64K of random
access memory, 39K of which was
available for BASiC programs. Even
without a drive and color monitor, the
64 was still far and away the feature
leader with outstanding color, graph-
ics, and an integral three-voice music
synthesizer. Its musical talents alone
rivaled those of many dedicated key-
board synthesizers at the time.
I must confess that I was not one of
the original personal computer enthu-
siasts. I hadn't assembled an Altair in
my basement back in the 1970s. My
computer-related background consist-
ed of occasionally perusing Byte mag-
azine and assembling a few Circuit
Cellar projects. Later, my interest
expanded into creating some original,
but primitive, rats-nest circuits around
various Radio Shack chips. One such
device featured four toggle switches
to input data to a tone-generating
chip. It could play tunes stored in its
minuscule 1K of memory! I began to
see the need for a real computer.
Full List Price
After extensive comparative research,
I decided to invest in a 64. I bought
the shiny little machine (serial number
10917, with no colored bars in the
logo) from a nearby dealer for full list
price. I sold my prized 1959 Mer-
G-4 COMPUTE JULY 1993
TUNNELS
Larry Cotton is the author of
Gazette's popular and long-running
"Beginner BASIC" column. The fol-
lowing program is the first one that
he wrote for the 64 and was among
the first that he sold to Gazette.
10 PRINT POKE 53280,0: POKE
53281,0; PRINTCHR$(147)
20 A=1 : B=-1 : C=40: D=-40: N^l :
P=54272: V=1984
30 F0RZ=1T012: GOSUB 110
40 V=V-39: N=N+1
50 NEXT
60 V=V+42: N=N-1
70 FOR2=1T012: GOSUB 110
80 V=V+42: N=N-1
90 NEXT
100 END
110 Q=INT(15*RND(1))+1
120 FORX=1TON:POKEV+A,67:
POKE V+A+P,Q: V=V+A; NEXT
130 POKEV,75: POKEV+P,Q
140 FORX=1TON: POKEV+D,66:
POKEV+D+P,Q: V=V+D; NEXT
150 POKEV,73: POKEV+P,Q
160 FORX=1T0N: POKEV+B,67:
POKEV+B+P,Q: V=V+B: NEXT
170 POKEV.aS: POKEV+P.Q
180 FORX=1TON: POKEV+C,66:
POKEV+C+P,Q: V=V+C: NEXT
190 POKEV,74: POKEV+P.Q
200 RETURN
cedes to raise the cash to finance it.
In addition to the computer, I proudly
took home a disk drive (instead of the
more common Datassette tape drive),
a printer, and a 13-inch color televi-
sion to use as a monitor. My sons,
David and Michael (then 13 and 10),
and I cleared some working space
and unpacked each component with
loving care. With great anticipation
and excitement, we connected the
parts with cables, plugged them into
the wall, and gingerly threw the power
switches. Everything worked beautiful-
ly! We were thrilled!
As we tentatively put our new toy
through its paces, we marveled at its
wondrous capabilities. The only
demonstration program our Com-
modore dealer supplied with the 64 (in
anticipation of a wildly successful
Christmas selling season) showed
Santa Claus sailing around a chimney
and surrounded by flurrying snow, all
the while accompanied by back-
ground music playing "Jingle Bells."
Software Shortage
Our giddiness soon diminished with
the slow dawning that, however won-
derful the computer itself was.
Commodore had introduced the 64
with virtually no available software.
The company's first ads had vaguely
promised a word processor; a data-
base; a spreadsheet; and several
games, including Gorf, Visible Solar
Systenn, Radar Rat Race, Mole Attack,
Avenger, Ace of Aces, and Jupiter
Lander.
With a dearth of software, we duti-
fully turned to the user's guide and
began teaching ourselves to program
in BASIC. My first program (beyond
the sophisticated 10 PRINT "HELLO")
was one I called Tunnels. This gem
printed multicolored rectangles to the
screen that overlapped in increasing
and decreasing sizes. It was eventual-
ly published in a series of demos
called "Baker's Dozen" that were pub-
lished in the January and February
1985 issues of COMPUTE! 's Gazette.
(That was back when COMPUTE had
an exclamation point.)
Magazine Scene
After tiring of driving 45 miles every
month to my dealer, I started a sub-
scription to COMPUTE! in February
1983 and voraciously read every word
written about the 64, That was when
COMPUTE carried articles and type-in
programs for all of the popular PCs of
the day. Charles Brannon, Jim
Butterfield, and Richard Mansfield
became my gurus of the 64, educat-
ing me on every aspect and minutiae
of video, inputs, outputs, machine lan-
guage, and math. I snipped hundreds
of articles from that magazine and
from Gazette after it premiered in July
1983.
Articles in that first Gazette includ-
ed a review of the strange Exatron
Stringy Floppy, a mass storage device
that's sort of halfway between a cas-
sette recorder and a disk drive. There
was a column by Fred D'lgnazio
called "Computing for Kids," and tuto-
rials on sound, reading paddles in
BASIC, accelerated IF statements,
and joysticks, I still have my volume 1,
number 1 safely stashed away with
other prized memorabilia.
Many other Commodore-specific
magazines have appeared — and dis-
appeared— during the past 11 years,
among them Ahoy!, Commander,
Transactor, Midnight Gazette,
Commodore Magazine, Power Play,
and RUN. Today, only the Gazette
section of COMPtJTE remains.
Software at Last
Commercial software soon started to
catch up with 64 sales, and I could
finally put my 64 to work. Among the
first programs I bought for the 64 were
Since the Commodore 64's debut in 1982. worldwide saies of it and tli9 64C, siiown liere,
liave topped 10 million.
the Commodore Macro Assembler
Development System, Editor Pak,
Word Machine, f^ame Machine and,
TotI Time Manager 2.6. Although it has
long been excelled by other assem-
blers, I still use MADS for my feeble
attempts at machine language pro-
gramming. The first BASIC program I
ever typed in was a sprite editor by
Donald A. Pitts. It appeared in an arti-
cle called "A Shape Generator for the
Commodore 64" that was published in
COMPUTE (November 1982} .
SpeedScript
Perhaps the most famous type-in pro-
gram ever published in any computer
magazine is SpeedScript, the pro-
gram that I'm using to write this article.
It was written by Charles Brannon and
first appeared for the VIC-20 and 64 in
the January 1984 Gazette. Updated
several times over the years, its latest
version, SpeedScript 3,2, was pub-
lished in May 1987. The program has
been enhanced many times, allowing
users to customize the program to
their liking. Among these programs
are SpeedScript-80. an 80-column
version: SpeedCheck, a spelling
checker; SpeedSearch, a fast utility
for finding any phrase within a
SpeedScript file on disk; SpeedCount,
a word-counting enhancement;
ScriptRead, a fast SpeedScript file
reader; and Instant 80, a true WYSI-
WYG preview for SpeedScnpt. Some
of these enhancements were pub-
lished in Gazette and others appeared
in COMPUTE when it still published
type-in programs. (All of these pro-
grams are still available on the
SpeedScript disk.)When I considered
myself proficient in BASIC (I wasn't), i
wrote a 92-block program called
Muzic! which I attempted to package
and sell, I think I sold a grand total of
four disks— and these probably went
to my 64-owning friends.
Meanwhile, back on the hardware
front, finding the television hookup
inadequate, I bought my one and only
upgrade for the 64 — a 1702 monitor.
I'm staring at it still. What a wonderful
improvement! No more zigzag lines
and blurry characters.
Rabbits and Snails
Although it represented a quantum
leap in data transfer speeds over the
interminably slow tape cassette, the
1541 disk drive soon earned a reputa-
tion of its own for snail-like loading
and saving (90 blocks — 23K — in
about a minute) and an easy-to-mis-
align read-write head.
To alleviate the first problem, I
bought an Epyx Fastload cartridge. If
there ever was a 64 accessory that's
deserved to become a classic, it's this
cartridge. Soon thereafter. I read an
article on how to add an on-off switch
to avoid plugging and unplugging the
cartridge to accommodate programs
which did or didn't use it. My
Fastload's been sticking out of its port
ever since.
The head alignment problem was
much more frustrating. I read many
articles, sent the 1541 to several
repair shops, and drilled holes in the
bottom housing to access the stepper
motor's adjustment screws. Finally,
someone managed to fix it, and it's
been fine ever since.
Prke Wars
As the years flew by, the 64's price
plummeted. By June 1983, the 64's
mail-order price was $395; a year
later, it had slipped to $199; in May
1987, $169.95. Today you can buy
one for about $150.
Part of the reason for its decreas-
ing price was the onslaught of other
low-priced competitive machines
which vied for the computerphile's
attention: APF Imagination Machine,
the Apple-compatible Franklin Ace
1000 and 1200. Timex/Sinclair 1000
and 2000, Apple lie, more Tandy
machines, Texas Instruments 99/4A,
Coleco Adam, Atari 520ST, and IBM
PCjr (born November 1983 and died
March 1985). When used 64s began
to hit the want ads at rock-bottom
phces, I bought a spare.
Meanwhile, Commodore wasn't
resting on its laurels. While simultane-
ously boosting production and cutting
the price of the 64, Commodore was
trotting out the portable SX-64; the
anomalous Plus/4 and 16; the 128 and
128D: the breakthrough Amiga family;
and the IBM compatibles, variants of
which became especially popular in
Europe. None of those computers
approached the sales of the 64, which
is still being built and sold internation-
ally today as the cosmetically
enhanced 64C.
Software Bonanza
Within 18 months after its splashy
introduction, more and more software
companies had climbed aboard the
lucrative 64 bandwagon. Ads for pro-
grams like EasyCalc, Sprite-Magic,
Mail Mate, Choplifter, Sargon II,
General Ledger, Busiwriter 64,
Monopoly, Centropod, Software
Automatic Mouth (an amazing voice-
synthesis program known as SAM),
Script 64, Typing Tutor, SuperTerm,
and WordPro Pius/64 proliferated in
Commodore-specific magazines.
Programmers who knew the 64
were in demand. Even Braderbund
Software was advertising for software
authors in December 1983.
A New Operating System
In March 1986, Berkeley Softworks —
now GeoWorks — introduced GEOS,
the Graphic Environment Operating
System, Although I'm not a GEOS fan
(without an REU and extra drives,
molasses is fast in comparison), I
seem to be in the minority. Com-
modore quickly adopted GEOS as its
"official operating system" for the 64,
and many apparently excellent soft-
ware products have greatly helped
the 64 stay alive and kicking.
Gazette's GEOS column first ap-
peared in September 1987.
Applications
By November 1988, 64's were being
pressed into service for almost every-
thing but cleaning the kitchen sink. A
radio station in Phoenix used one to
JULY 1993 COMPUTE G-5
report activities on a call-in talk slnow.
Many people, such as one avid user
in Niceville, Florida, used their 64's to
tracl< stock market investnnents. One
commercial application used 128s to
monitor and control furnace settings in
a large apartment complex.
Teachers calculated students'
grades with them in Richmond,
Virginia. A fireman in Tulare Country,
California, used his for eliminating
some of the paperwork involved in
running a fire department. A preacher
in Asheville, North Carolina, tracked
the recreational activities of his church
with his 64. A Union, Iowa, farmer
used a spreadsheet running on a 64
to keep an eye on his farm's financial
condition. At Bosch Power Toois,
where f work, we used a 64 for years
to calculate and generate graphs of
motor-performance curves.
Hardware
While millions of owners were putting
their 64s to creative uses, hardware
manufacturers were busy as well. Here's
a short list of peripherals that have made
life easier and more interesting.
• Card? printer interface (Cardco)
• VIC-1520 plotter/printer
(Commodore)
• Fastload cartridge (Epyx)
• Command Control Trackball (Wico)
• The Voice Box voice synthesizer
{The Alien Group)
• Hearsay 1000 voice
synthesizer/recognizer (Hearsay)
• fvlinimodem-C (Aprotek)
• Super Graphix printer interface
(Xetec)
• SWL shortwave listener cartridge
(fvlicrolog)
• Flexidraw 170-C light pen (Inkwell
Systems)
• Stringy Floppy storage device
(Exatron)
• Ultimate Interface (Schnedler
System)
• Lt. Kernel hard drive (Xetec)
• ComputerEyes video digitizer
(Digital Vision)
• MW-302 printer interface (Micro
World Electronix)
• Home Control Interface (X-10)
• interpod interface between comput-
er and various peripherals
(Limbic Systems)
• VIC 1650 modem (300 bps, original
ly $150) (Commodore)
• 1750 RAM expander (Commodore)
• Sonus MIDI interface (SOFTpacific)
• Video Byte II video digitizer (The
Soft Group)
• 1351 mouse (Commodore)
• Ten Key Pad (Quality Computer)
• Super Expander 64 cartridge
G-6 COMPUTE JULY 1993
(Commodore)
• 1581 3v2-inch drive (Commodore)
• Bodylink fitness system (Bodylog)
Perhaps the most bizarre peripher-
al of all was the heavily advertised
Spartan adapter for interfacing the 64
to Apple 11/11+ peripherals (Mimic
Systems). I'm not sure it ever attained
volume production.
Soltware
Here are some of my favorite pro-
grams and applications for the 64.
Chances are you probably have some
of these, too.
SpeedScript 3.2 word processor
(COMPUTE Publications)
Instant 80 80-column preview
(COMPUTE Publications)
Print Shop card/sign maker
(Braderbund)
Doodle drawing program (City
Software)
Flexidraw (Inkwell Systems)
Generic Librarian MIDI software
(The Music Software Exchange)
Simon's BASIC cartridge
(Commodore)
PractiCalc spreadsheet (Computer
Software Associates)
CADPAK-64 drawing program
(Abacus)
Screen Graphics-64 graphics
enhancement to BASIC (Abacus)
Tax Master (Master Software)
Datafile (RUN magazine)
How about a few games?
Space Taxi (Muse)
Summer Games II (Epyx)
Impossible Mission ("Stay awhile;
stay forever!") (Epyx)
Raid on BungeiingBay
(Braderbund)
Tetris (Spectrum HoloByte)
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
(Strategic Simulations)
Bard's Tale (Electronic Arts)
Pinball Construction Set
(Eiectronic Arts)
Zork series (Infocom)
Dragonworld (Trillium)
Flight Simulator II (subLOGIC)
Choplifter (Brederbund)^ Where in
the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
(Broderbund)
In a Babbage's one day, I ran
across Light and Temperature Labs,
scientific experiments from Hayden
Softv^are. They were on sale for $10
each. In case you missed these sadly
underpromoted products, each one is
a series of scientific experiments on
disk, supported by great documenta-
tion, along with an interface box which
connects to a joystick port. The box
accepts either a photocell or an accu-
rate temperature probe — also fur-
nished! What a find!
Gadgets
Over the last decade-plus, I've whiled
away quite a few hours building and
writing supporting software for my
own collection of miscellaneous gad-
gets that connect to the user, car-
tridge, or joystick ports. Some of these
include the following.
• A numeric keypad
• A plotter (although plodder would
be a better name), which could
draw with four felt pens whatever
appeared on the monitor screen
• A fvllDI interface (I still use it almost
daily with my spare 64)
• A relay interface which controls
small electrical devices
• A room measurer which uses an old
Wico trackball mechanism to roll
around the periphery of a room, tak-
ing the room's measurements
• A model "drummer boy" which uses
relay-switched solenoids to control
drumsticks
• A device to synchronize taped
music and kaleidoscopic images
(works with a four-track tape deck)
• A talker, based on a Radio Shack
voice synthesis chip
In Retrospect
I've spent literally thousands of pleas-
ant hours with my 64 over the past 1 1
years. The computer is still perfect for
the vast majority of my purposes.
Back in May 1988, Rich Mclntyre, then
Commodore's senior vice president of
sales and marketing said, "Eight-bit?
Who cares? You're buying a machine
for a specific reason. If it satisfies that
need, it's never obsolete. Only your
requirements become obsolete. ... If
the need continues to exist until the
year 2000, that machine is still satis-
factory."
Maybe Jim Hilty said it best in last
December's issue of Gazette. "The 64
has always been kind of a barnstorm-
ing computer . , , just plug it in and fly
by the seat of your pants. It's a fun
computer, a truly personal computer, a
computer that an individual can enjoy
programming, a welcome friend."
Thank you, Commodore. Thanks
also to everyone who builds the hard-
ware, writes the software, and publish-
es information about this marvelous
machine that is the Commodore 64.
Here's to 11 more happy, productive,
profitable, educational, and entertain-
ing years in 8-bit heaven. □
SOFTWARE SUPPORT
INTERNATIONAL
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* Extensive Catalog.
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sive. Wc say it's the least wc
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wouldn't have it any other way.
Simply call or write for your
free copy.
SPRING 1993 CATALOG
SanU]HRt USt CUUaJMT(U.-fnEEILIK:Rl&^»>117)
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GAMES
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Nord & Bert $12.97
Blue Angels (Special) S4.97
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Beyond Zork 128 $12.97
4 X 4 Off Road Racing $9.97
Arcade Smash Hits $14.97
Batman /Robocop Bundle $9,97
Jeopardy 1-2-Jr. Bundle $9.97
EDUCATIONAL
Thinking Cap $17.97
Stickybear Math S12.97
Carmen U.S.A $26.97
Typing Tutor 3 $12.97
Word Attack $9.97
Donald's Alphabet $9.97
Sky Travel $19.97
Perfect Score SAT $9.97
Word Spinner $12.97
PRODUCTIVITY
Super 1750 Clone $99,95
.Newsroom $14.97
Certificate Maker $14,97
Cadpak64 $14.97
Mach 128 Cart $24.97
Paperclip III 64/128 $29.97
Printmaster Plus $19.97
Superbase64orl28 $24.97
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Bob's Term Pro 64 824.97
Items Lfslcd .Above Do Not include Shipping. CallOr Write For Your Free
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REVIEWS
MATHBOOSTER
I don't think there's a kid left
in the universe who doesn't
respond to failing images on
a computer screen with a de-
sire to stop them, to be the
good guy, the hero. Witness
the fact that even kids who
own videogames and
whose parents won't give
them quarters can't resist
checking out the games in
malls and stores.
What does this have to
do with an arithmetic drill-
and-practice program for
the 64? Boosting falling sat-
ellites back into space is the
premise behind fvlathboos-
ter, a program imported
from Australia.
To prevent these satel-
lites from tumbling down
and crashing into the earth,
students must quickly and
correctly solve math equa-
tions. This program provides
a drill with positive reinforce-
ment that's fun.
Mathbooster is not a teach-
ing program. It's designed
to reinforce through practice
the math skills that the stu-
dents have learned in class.
When the game starts, sat-
ellites are strung across the
sky, and a booster rocket
waits atop its launch pad. Be-
low each satellite is an equa-
tion. This first wave of satel-
lites begins to fall. Using the
appropriate keys, you place
the launch pad beneath a
satellite and type in an an-
swer to the equation. Press-
ing Return or the space bar
launches the booster rock-
et— only if the answer is cor-
rect. If so, the booster rock-
et then pushes the satellite
back into space. If the an-
swer is incorrect, the satel-
lite continues its fall toward
earth. Once you've success-
fully propelled the first wave
back into orbit, a second
wave begins to fall — at a fast-
er rate than the first!
G-B COMPUTE JULY 1993
The third wave consists
not of satellites but the
space shuttle! It's a very
large space shuttle that
needs a very large booster
rocket to restore it to orbit.
Points are accumulated for
boosting satellites and the
shuttle back into space. If a
satellite or the shuttle reach-
current problem type,
change it, change the
speed settings, load and
save the problem type and
settings, or return to the
game. When you view a
problem, the screen lists the
type of operation that's be-
ing displayed; addition, sub-
traction, addition and sub-
Boost falling satellites back into space with Mathbooster. a
program that combines arcade action with math drill.
es the ground, the game
ends. As in arcade games,
the program keeps track of
current high scores.
fvlathbOQSter comes with
ten sample games already
prepared. However, its pow-
er comes in the variations
you can create by altering
the type of problems. The
main menu lists three op-
tions: Start the game. Load
different problems, and
Change problems. The first
one is self-explanatory. The
second option lets you load
other files of problems al-
ready created and saved on
disk. The third option lets
your create these other
math files.
The first menu under op-
tion 3 allows you to view the
traction, multiplication, divi-
sion, or multiplication and
division,
Next, it tells you what
form the equation will take,
such as A -I- B = C, Then,
for each A, B, C, or other var-
iable, the program sets the
parameters. For example, if
you're practicing addition
where the sum, C, never ex-
ceeds 12, then A's parame-
ters would be 1-6, and B's
would be 1-6 also.
The next option is to
change the problem type.
The Operations List lets you
do this. For each operation
there's a screen that guides
you through the steps of
choosing the parameters for
the variables. This requires
care and thought, but it isn't
difficult. The screen instruc-
tions and the manual enable
you to create the exact drill
you want for your student.
Speed Settings govern
the actual game, controlling
how fast the satellites and
shuttle fall, how quickly that
speed increases, when the
first shuttle appears, how
many times per wave it ap-
pears, and whether or not
the sound effects are
turned on. With these you
can customize a game to
best challenge students with-
out overwhelming them.
The manual is thorough.
Aside from a couple of ty-
pos, it provides helpful in-
sight and guidance in devis-
ing games that will provide
the kind of drill that will
most benefit your children
or students. Included are
some appendices describ-
ing the ten sample games al-
ready on the disk and provid-
ing some examples of how
to set up game formats,
Mathbooster also carhes its
own copying program to al-
low you to make backups.
fvlathbooster is the sec-
ond Free Spirit import from
Australia that we've re-
viewed. These two pro-
grams by Satchel Software
are copynghted by the Min-
ister of Education and are
used by the school systems
in South Australia, (fvlathboos-
ter's manual even makes ref-
erence to the South Austra-
lian curriculum modules.) As
with the first program. Dr.
Spellingstein, we are im-
pressed by the solid pro-
gramming that provides the
actual computer game yet al-
lows you to create and mod-
ify within the program to
make it fit your needs. It's
powerful, flexible, and easy
to operate.
Kids love computers and
computer games. f\/lost kids
also love learning, although
they'd deny it if you'd ask
JTTTTtXI
XSXU
Only tim ^
uiusxzuijx
FOR THE C61 AND
CT26 IN en noDE
un Graptiics ETIactiinE
GflRPmCS mnCHIHE (ftunt is an "flLL-IN-ONE" GRRPHIC'
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lllll*lll*HI*HHiri«wi.imiT.»xTj» » .■■l.......di....j.....r.,.,,,.,.,-,l„.,,l^^y„..^.^,..t.... — ■
->F0LL0UIIHC DISKS REQUIRE THE FULL BLOIUN UEBSION DF FGiH <-
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rem CLIP ART UOL.Z DUER 150 EXCELLENT GRAPHICS S5,D0
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FGin UPDATE DISK U6 ■ 5 UPDATES FGdl 1^6 , n TO FOm IJ6.5--12.00
PLEASE ADD FOR SHIPPING RHD HflNQLIHG PER ORDER (3.50
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CRNRDfl/niEXICO tl.OO, AUSTRAL Ifl 110,00, ALL OTHERS »S,00
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SUMMER SIZZLER—15X OFF Coct » C-64 *» C-128
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Availabla-JIM HEHL CQLLECTIOH +/4 » C-1& » C-64
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PR0££33ING: Bank Chk/MO-Flrct •* Chk H/claarad.
SEMD/PATABLE TO: Keonath Franklln/KF-PO SOFTWARE
- P.O. Boot 470464 » Lou Angclaa, Ca. 90O47-04&4
Mainly, ho have the PO Salact Convnodora Librarjrl
THAMtCS FOR HELPING US INTO OUR 'THIRO' YEARB
Circle Reader Service Numh«r 197
ATTENTION
ALL COMMODORE 64/640,
AND COMMODORE
1 28/ 128D OWNERS
A complete self-lutoring BASIC programming course is
available that starts witli turning your computer on, to
programming just about anything you want! This course
is currently used in both High School and Adult Evening
Education classes and has also formed the basis of
teacher literacy programs. Written by a computer
Studies teacher, this programming course is one of the
finest available today. This complete course of over 220
pages is available for the COMMODORE 64/64C,
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This course (Volume 1) will take you step by step
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can do It all in your leisure time! The lessons are lilled
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well as many programs lor you to make up. At the end
of each lesson is a test of the information presented.
Furthermore, ALL answers are supplied to all the
questions, programs and tests. Follow this course step
by step, lesson by lesson, and turn yourself into a real
programmer! You won't be disappointed'
FOLLOW-UP COURSE (Volume 2) - A 200 page
self-learning course for each of the above named
computers dealing exclusively with sequential and
relative files. Our teacher uses a unique approach to
file handling that was designed especially for students
with absolutely no prior file handling experience. Yet by
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of your own personal and business file programs. All
our courses involve active participation by the learner.
You do the specially designed examples, read the
complete explanations, follow the instructions, answer
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Each course is only $21.95 plus $3.00 for ship-
ping and handling. We have been developing and
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you do not think thai we have the best self-
lutoring course you have yet come across, then
just send the course back to us within 10 days of
receipt for the FULL $24.95 refund.
STATE/PROV:
CODE:
I desire the BASIC programming course (Volume 1) [ZI
FOLLOW-UP course on file handling (Volume 2) D
The computer that the course is needed lor:
_ COtviMODORE 64/64Cn COMMODORE 128/12800
' For U.S. and Can. customers, send $24.95 per course
j in the currency of your country. Can. orders add 7%
GST. Overseas orders, send $29.95 U.S.
Brantford Educational Services
222 Portage Road 6 Pioneer Place
P.O. Box 1327 or Brantford, Ontario
Lewiston, New York 14092 N3R 7G7
5 Fax: (519) 756-6534
C64/128 PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE
REQUEST FREE CATALOG or send S2 for sample disk ond catolog (RE-
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Circle Reader Service Number 242
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REVIEWS
them. Computers and learning games
can be an irresistible combination
wtien blended properly. Mattibooster
provides the perfect recipe for turning
math practice into a real treat.
DAVID and ROBIN HIMNICK
Satchel Software
Distributed by Free Spirit Software
720 Sycamore St.
Columbus. IN 47201
(812) 376-9964
$39-95
Circle Reader Service Number 414
JARA-TAYA
G-tO COfilPUTE JULY 1993
Want to take a trip to an exotic loca-
tion; hunt for buried treasure; and fight
crocodiles, sharks, and hungry
snakes? Then Satchel Software's latest
text adventure, Jara-Tava, is your tick-
et to adventure.
Jara-Tava begins, like many good ad-
ventures, with the inheritance of an an-
cient treasure map. A letter from your
dear, departed Uncle Bartholomew sug-
gests that Captain Kidd's treasure
might be found on the island of Jara-
Mau. It also warns of danger should
you go to neighboring Jara-Tava, the
Isle of Fire.
With no further urging, you're on
your way Of course, you learn early in
the game that the treasure isn't on
peaceful Jara-fvlau but across the
shark-invested strait on Jara-Tava.
Satchel Software designed this inter-
active text adventure with junior high stu-
dents in mind. It has colorful graphics,
easy-to-use text commands, and a
challenging plot. Familiar elements
from classic literature, si<illfully woven
into the game, are sure to please teach-
er, student, and parents alike. In addi-
tion to Kidd's treasure, you'll find Robin-
son Crusoe's tree house and Captain
Nemo's submarine. Nautilus. Also,
straight from an Indiana Jones adven-
ture, there's a golden idol that's pro-
tected by a large boulder.
Teachers in Southern Australia
have been using this text game in
their classrooms since 1988. However,
the game has only recently been li-
censed for distribution in the U.S. by
Free Spirit Software. The package
comes complete with three disks and
a 134-page combination instruction
and resource manual.
Teachers who decide to use this
game as part of their classroom curric-
ulum will be delighted with the hidden
teacher's controls built into the pro-
gram. Accessed by pressing Shift-T at
the beginning of the game, teachers or
parents can set options like help com-
mands, maps, and multiple moves.
They can also encode messages on
statues to increase the difficulty of the
game and teach students about deci-
phering codes. But don't get the idea
that the game is only useful in scholas-
tic situations. It's a package that will pro-
vide hours of computer fun at home as
well.
In fact, the game's design is perfect
for the solitary player or for young play-
ers who want to do it themselves.
Most popular text games require verb-
and-noun commands such as Climb
Tree in order to move through the
game paths. This can be confusing to
a young player. Jara-Tava's designers
simplified the process by creating a pro-
gram that analyzes individual words,
not two-v/ord sequences. Game play-
ers can type in whole sentences be-
cause the program searches for key-
words and strips out unknown ones.
This lets players use more natural lan-
guage in the game.
Since the game was designed with
the junior high player in mind, older,
more experienced players may not
find it challenging enough. However, it
succeeds quite well v/ith the targeted
age group.
Maps are important in solving this
and any text game. The Jara-Tava man-
ual gives students and first-time text
game players a brief lesson on how to
keep a map. Teachers can build on
this for other map-making exercises for
their students. The section gives lei-
sure-time players new ideas for ways
to use their maps, too. All can benefit
from it.
The game itself offers several choic-
es at every point of play. Since most
people learn more by their mistakes
than their successes, expehment with
the game. Try all the options — build a
glider, ride the sub, feed the croco-
diles. You can save your game on
disk and go back to correct any mis-
takes you make. You'll learn something
new with everything you do. At the con-
clusion of the game, the screen will dis-
play how many steps it took for you to
solve the game. You can play it over
and over again, trying to beat your pre-
vious best score.
But there's more to it than just the
game. Like other software packages
from Satchel, there's a resource disl< in-
cluded with this one. This disk has a
simple database, an easy-to-use word
processor, a disk copying program,
and the Tree of Knowledge guessing
game.
The word processing program is de-
signed for the junior high student who
is beginning to do research papers
and reports that need to be typed. It's
a program that students can continue
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GALACTIC CONQUEST
GALACTIC CONQUESTh the t>est conquest game for tlie C64!
Command hundreds of siar ships as you conquer other worlds and extend
your empire. Watch out for blact holes, pholon storms, stars that go nova
and General Badguy. 1-6 players. Comes with Mario's Sister Giana,
Saiudon, Kiary-Kar and 5 other arcade quality games. Send your return
address and S12, which includes shipping, to:
pOUierdi/k, 6S13 Lotus Way, West Jordan, UT 840S4
Research works.
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MAPPING
THE
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please add appropriate tax: Canadian orders add 79c Goods and Servic-
es Tax.) All orders must be ptiid in U.S. litiids drawn on a U.S. bank.
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supplies last.
JULY 1993 COMPUTE G-11
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No Wild, No Wildlife.
Polar bears, musk-ox, grizzlies,
caribou — more animals than you'd
find in Yellowstone — can be found
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Unfortunately, this por-
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eiEWS
to use for simple reports as they enter
high scliool. It's also useful for people
who have never used w/ord processing
progranns or have been intimidated by
them in the past. Called Tell-a-Tale, the
Jara-Tava word processor is a very sim-
ple-to-learn program that lets you
write and then save your work to a
disk. You can also center titles,
change cases of words and letters,
work with existing files, and print out re-
ports. The program will not do more
elaborate functions like footnotes and
headers, but it's sufficient for most
word processing needs.
The database is useful for storing
word lists and simple groups of informa-
tion. The word lists can then be import-
ed into the word processor to make
spelling lists or to use in essays. Satch-
el has already begun five databases
for the user. The names are Pirates, Is-
lands, Volcanoes, Whales, and
Sharks. You can build on this basic
base by adding additional files. Each
file may be up to 29 characters. Files
may be deleted; however, the erase
function has been restricted so no
more than one file can be erased at a
time. This safeguard keeps you from ac-
cidentally wiping out your entire data-
base.
The Tree of Knowledge game pits
the player against the computer's abil-
ity to guess. There are five trees on the
disi< that you can select: Animals, Pi-
rates, Whales, Sharks, and Snakes.
New information can be added to the
existing trees to make a more complex
guessing game. These can be saved
and replayed again and again.
The resource disk takes the Jara-
Tava package far beyond mere game
software. In my opinion, this one disk is
worth the modest price of the package
all by itself.
And there's still more. Take a look at
the extensive, spiral-bound instruction
manual. Tucked in the center of the
manual is a 68-page section that is
filled with activities related to the
themes found in the Jara-Tava game.
There are word games, crossword puz-
zles, word searches, drawing activities,
and group games. There are ideas for
crafts, too. You can build your own mod-
el volcano, make beanbags shaped
like whales, or do any of a variety of
activities. All the instructions are includ-
ed. As an added bonus. Satchel has
given permission for teachers to copy
any or all of the manual for use in their
own classrooms.
All in all, Jara-Tava is an outstanding
package that does more than merely
entertain players. It stimulates and ed-
Keep our
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MARTI PAULIN
Satchel Software
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Circle Reader Service Number 415
FLYER
Flyer is a deceptively simple but mad-
dening little arcade game for the 64.
The idea is to guide a paper airplane
through the rooms of a house, avoiding
furniture and other obstacles.
Helping you in your fight against grav-
ity and wind resistance are a number
of air vents that provide lift and a series
of rollers that give your glider extra
speed and maneuverability. As your
glider passes over a vent, push up on
a joystick to gain altitude. Maintain a
light touch, though. If you climb too
high, you'll smack into the ceiling and
crash.
As your plane glides from left to
right across the screen, aim for the dia-
mond-shaped rollers in the middle of
the room. When you fly through one,
push your stick hard to the right to
pick up speed. Control is rather limited
with this flyer, but you can lose altitude
quickly by pulling back on the stick.
As in any house, furniture is a major
obstacle for paper airplanes. Beds,
lamps, stereos, and bookcases seem
to suck the planes into thenn. When
you crash, you start again in the first
room which is filled with nothing but air
vents and rollers. Since I crash so fre-
quently I'm glad that author Cameron
Kaiser lets me keep the action moving.
To restart, simply press the fire button.
The music playing in the back-
ground is a great rendition of "The
Blue Danube." It puts the 64's SID
chip to good use, but that tune just
about drives me crazy! The volume con-
trol takes care of that, however.
That melodic but cursed back-
ground music is Flyer's only sound ef-
fect, but it's really not that bad. I just
get annoyed when I can't nnaster a
game.
It took me quite some time to devel-
op just the right touch with Flyer, guid-
ing the plane through the house. Get-
ting through the first room filled with
rollers and vents was a breeze— par-
don the pun — but I thought I'd never
make it past that bed in the next room.
I'd gain a little altitude, pick up some
speed, fly over a vent, pull back to
clear the bed, and then swish! Back to
the beginning.
Flyer's graphics are pretty simple:
Everything's in black, wtiite, and gray.
The rooms fill only a narrow portion of
the 64's monitor, (Each one is only
about two inches high. That's why you
have to be careful about not flying into
the ceiling. I think a little more creativi-
ty could have been shown here to ex-
pand the playing screen, and the gray
rooms could use a bit of color to give
the game more visual appeal.
The documentation is clear and con-
cise. It consists of a two-sided sheet of
instructions and hints that's well written
and easy to understand.
All in all. Flyer is a simple game, and
that could be its biggest drawback. If
you're the type who gets discouraged
easily, you'll probably get bored with
Flyer rather quickly. On the other
hand, if you're the type who refuses to
let a computer beat you, you'll proba-
bly get addicted to fiying this little elec-
tronic paper airplane.
CHRISTIAN FLEMING
Computer Workshops
3612 Birdie Dr.
La Mesa. CA 91941
S9.95
Circle Reader Service Number 416 □
JULY 1993 COMPUTE 6-13
FEEDBACK
Where to find chips
and whether
excessive poldng can
he hazardous
to their health.
Character ROM Chip
Can you possibly tell me
where I can get the 9011225-
01 chip for my 64? I have
been looking since 1991 but
haven't been able to locate
one in my country.
DAVID SANIEL SUAREZ LOPEZ
VERACRUZ, VER.
MEXICO
The chip you want Is the Char-
acter ROM chip, and you can
order it from The Grapevine
Group. 3 Chestnut Street,
Suffern, New York 10901. The
latest price Is $9.50 plus
$8.50 shipping costs to Mexi-
co. Ask for part number
CI 225. You can order the
chip by mall or by calling
(914) 357-2424. Readers In
the U.S. can order by calling
(800) 292-7445. Ask for the
free catalogue of Commodore
and Amiga chips, too.
Poked to Death?
Question: After about a year
of sustained use, the SID
(Sound Interface Device)
chip in my Commodore 64
has stopped functioning. Can
this be caused by misusing
the chip? For instance, is
there such a thing as exces-
sive poking?
DONALD DRAPER
RICHMOND. VA
The SID chip Is designed to
be poked. Such activity is con-
sidered normal use and will
not damage it. In general, noth-
ing any program does will
ever damage any of a com-
puter's internal hardware.
Like all other electronic com-
ponents, SID chips occasion-
ally fail. The only cure is to
replace the chip. Replacing
the chip can be either simple
or difficult, depending on
whether the one In your com-
puter Is socketed or soldered.
The SID chip, which has the
numerical designation 6581,
is located near the center
of the circuit board In
both the 64 and 128.
Math Errors
When using my 64 for math
homevifork, I keep running in-
to some problems. If I raise a
variable containing a negative
number to a fractional expo-
nent, the computer returns an
ILLEGAL QUANTITY ERROR.
It doesn't happen with con-
stants. For example, if I have
the computer print -8 to the
power of .5, it viforks fine. But
if [ make X equa! -8 and then
try to print X to the power of
.5, it doesn't. Why is this?
TARQ WILLIAMS
LAKE GENEVA, Wl
Computers follow a rule
called order of operations or
operator precedence, which
tells them which functions or
operations to perform before
others. For example, PRINT 3
+ 2 ' 7 will give you a result of
17, not 35. because multiplica-
tion has a higher precedence
than addition. The result of 2
' 7 Is calculated before the 3
is added in.
The up-arrow (power) func-
tion has a higher precedence
than the negation (-) function,
as you'll see if you PRINT -4 1
2. The 64 prints - 16 as the an-
swer But squaring -4 should
result in a positive 16, not a neg-
ative one. V/hat happens Is
that the result of 4 to the pow-
er of 2 Is calculated; then the
minus sign is appended.
Although PRINT ~8 t ,5
seems to work, you'll get an er-
ror message if you try PRINT
(-8) T .5. So it's not a matter
of variables versus constants;
it's strictly a problem with rais-
ing a negative number to a
fractional power
Raising to the .5 power Is
the same as finding the
square root of a number The
square root of -8 would have
to be a number that multiplied
by itself yielded -8. But when-
ever you square a real num-
ber, the result is positive, so
there's no such thing as a
square root of a negative num-
ber, at least among the real
numbers. Mathematicians use
Imaginary numbers to handle
square roots of negative num-
bers, but your 64 isn't built to
handle imaginary numbers.
A Teacher's Thanks
I would like to thank Gazette
for providing me with a
source of programs that I
have incorporated into an in-
tegrated computer-use pack-
age for the teachers of my
school board. Our education-
al system, like many, is facing
financial cutbacks, with little
or no money available for com-
puters or software. Your pro-
grams filled that need. We
have numerous 64s in our sys-
tem, and now we are able to
make much greater use of
them.
I selected programs from
Gazette that provided word
processing, spreadsheet, da-
tabase, graphics, and key-
boarding skills. Other pro-
grams supplied language
arts, programming sugges-
tions, science, social studies,
and telecommunications re-
sources.
With the current wave of up-
grading, many educators felt
that the 64 had nothing to of-
fer. In fact, it has much to of-
fer if it is utilized to the fullest
possible extent. The comput-
ers are already in the system,
and the Gazette and well-writ-
ten public domain programs of-
fer a viable way to provide for
integrated programming for
our students. Thank you.
CAROL A NAUSS
CHESTER, NS
CANADA
Send your questions and com-
ments to Gazette Feedback,
COMPUTE Publications, 324
West Wendover Avenue,
Suite 200, Greensboro. North
Carolina 27408. D
G-14 COMPUTE JULY 1993
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Yes, save time and money! Subscribe to the Gazette
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disk!
Subscribe today, and month after month you'll
get all the latest, most challenging, and fascinating
programs published in the corresponding issue of
COMPUTE.
New on the Gazette Disk! In addition to the
programs that appear in the magazine, you'll also
get outstanding bonus programs. These programs,
which are often too large to offer as type-ins, are
available only on disk— they appear nowhere else.
As another Gazette Disk extra, check out
"Gazette Gallery," where each month we present the
very best in original 64 and 128 artwork.
So don't waste another moment. Subscribe to-
day to COMPUTE'S Gazette Disk and get 12 issues
for only $49.95. You save almost 60% off the single-
issue price. Clip or photocopy and mail completed
coupon today.
Individual issues of the disk are available for
$9.95 (plus $2.00 shipping and handling) by writing
to COMPUTE, 324 West Wendover Avenue, Suite
200, Greensboro, North Carolina 27408.
YES!
Start my one-year subscription
to COMPUTE'S Gazette Disk right away
for only $49.95.*
D Payment enclosed (check or money order)
D Charge a fvlasterCard n Visa
Acct. No. _
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Exp. Date.
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Mail to COMPUTE'S Gazette Disk, P.O. Box 3250, Har^n, I A 515932430
■ Residents of NC and NY. please add appropriate sales tax tor your area. Canadian
orders, add 7% goods and services tax,
PD PICKS
Steve Vander Ark
Explore the exciting
world of public
domain and shareware
programming
in this new Gazette
column.
A NEW COLUMN,
VERSION 2
Yep, version 2. This is the sec-
ond time I've written this col-
umn. If you feel as though
you've just walked into the mid-
die of a movie, let me explain.
This is a new column that
deals with public domain pro-
grams and shareware. I wrote
the first version a few weeks
ago, but when I reread the intro-
duction, I just shook my head.
It was boring.
Oh, it was OK. I might use
it as part of an article some-
where along the line. It defines
shareware and a few other re-
lated terms, chatters about
how nice it is to be writing this
new column, and warns
everyone — in no uncertain
terms — to pay their shareware
fees. It ends with a flourish
about how shareware is on the
cutting edge of Commodore
programming today.
I'm talking bold, new, and ex-
citing programs that push the
limits of Commodore's 8-bit
wonder! I've got to be spitting
a little flame. I don't want you
to read this column once and
then next time decide to save
it until you've read the part
again about how to type in the
programs. I want you to turn to
this column first!
I'll be covering programs
that 1 hope will provide some
of the old spark that made the
64 so exciting — and made its
owners so gung-ho, so (let's
face it) nuts about their ma-
chines. That spark is what
keeps me coming back to this
great little machine.
I've been rummaging in
some of the stranger corners
of QuantumUnk's libraries,
tracking down programs to
throw at you, Feel free to down-
load them, I've provided file-
names and uploader names
for easy downloading. If
you're not on 0-Link and you
can't find these files on local
bulletin boards or at your user
group, you'll find the programs
mentioned here on the Gazette
Disi<. Now, let's take a look at
this month's programs — a cou-
ple of fast and furious, arcade-
style shoot-'em-ups.
Astra
By Chris Batchelor
QuantumLink filename: AS-
TRA3.SDA, uploaded by Chris-
EMM.
OK, for you 128 users out
there, here's an 80-column pro-
gram that will cost you hours
of sleep. The way I see it,
Chris Batchelor, the sadist
who created this arcade tor-
ture, must lie awake nights him-
self, chortling like the Wicked
Witch of the Vi/est as he imag-
ines poor joystick jockeys like
me with chppled thumbs and
glazed eyes, trying desperate-
ly to fight off these endless
waves of death. After playing
this fast-paced shoot-'em-up,
I know I need a continuous
fire button on my joystick, an-
ything to save my left hand
from being twisted into a per-
manent claw.
Astra starts innocently
enough. It seems so easy to
pour merciless fire into those
little bugs that swoop into
those little chutes. But then
there are more and more of
them. Before long, bugs are
hurtling down in droves, piling
up like spilled gummy bears.
There just aren't enough
blasts per second to clear
them all out. Before long,
they get you. And then you
play it again, and again, and
again.
You'll love this game, espe-
cially if you get a rush out of
annihilating all those little
bugs like I do. It works its hor-
rors in 80 columns, which
means that you won't be able
to complain at all about the
graphics. As far as speed
goes, well, just try to keep up
with it. I can't honestly say
how great it is a higher levels
(I never survive that long).
This is the third incarnation
of this game. The fine-tuning
has made it a real corker. So
flex that thumb a bit, slam
back Mountain Dews until
your eyes bug out. and face
the endless hordes in Astra.
Odiir
By Frank Lindsey
QuantumLink filename: ODIN,
uploaded by Mondain.
OK, all of you 64 users
who've been reading this and
growling nasty things about
those 128 users and their fan-
cy graphics, here's a game
that will make a red-eyed,
thumb-happy zombie out of
you, too.
Odin is one of those
games that put you in a space-
ship at the bottom of the
screen, armed with an end-
less supply of energy bolts or
whatever. As usual, the de-
tails are unimportant. What is
important is that all those
crazed blobs plummeting to-
ward you will turn your space-
ship into pixel dust if you
don't keep pounding that fire
button. There's no continual
fire here (the one major flaw
in an otherwise outstanding
game), so plan on some actu-
al finger or thumb pain as you
try to clear a path in the weav-
ing mess.
Odin does Astra one better
by hurling a nifty variety of
nasties down the screen.
They're all animated with blink-
ing lights and flapping wings,
making them nice to look at
for that split second before
you obliterate them or vice ver-
sa. Once you get past the
first level, they fire back, lob-
bing little bombs your way.
Once again, I have to ad-
mit that I can't vouch for the
higher levels. I count myself
lucky to live past level 2.
Launch yourself into either
of these games. Have fun
and let me know how you
make out! □
G-16 COMPUTE JULY 1993
NEW LOWER PRICES
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CMDi
COMPUTE'S
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A powerful word processing
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and 1 28 owners
A Great Deal for Commodore
Users!
• SpeedScript for the 64
• SpeedScript 128 — 80-coIumn version
• Spelling checkers
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• Plus more than a dozen other SpeedScript
support utilities all on one disk (including
full documentation)
r^
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MACHINE LANGUAGE
Jim Butterfield
In order to read a tile
successrully, you
have to l(now what's
at its end.
FILE END CHECK
BASfC's INPUT.# statement
has limitations that can cause
a program crasli during a file
read. The problem surfaces
when two conditions are met.
First, the program wants to
read the whole file, using tN-
PUT# to get the data and test
the system variable ST (status)
to detect the end of the file.
The second condition occurs
when the file ends with more
than one Return character.
A quick pair of programs
will show this effect. First,
write a file as follows.
1D0 OPEN 1,8,2,"0:BADFILE,S,W"
11D PRINT#1, "JINGLE"
120 PR!NT#1, "JANGLE"
130 PRINT#1
140 CLOSE 1
Line 130 creates the prob-
lenn by writing a blank line at
the end of the file. In other
words, there will be more
than one Return character at
the end. Now for the doomed
reading program.
100 OPEN 1,8,2,"0:BADFILE"
110 INPUT#1,A$
120 PRINT A$
13D IF ST=0 GOTO 110
140 CLOSE 1
The program will read "reg-
ular" files without trouble. But
on our bad file, the program
will read JINGLE and JAN-
GLE anti then lock up.
Why does this happen? It's
a conflict of two system rules.
Rule 1: The INPUT# com-
mand always reads to the
next Return character. If it
finds a blank line, it immediate-
y goes back for another
read. Rule 2: If the file han-
dler is asked to deliver data
beyond the end of the file, it
will supply a Return charac-
ter. Combine these rules, and
you'll see that if the last line of
a file is blank, the INPUT*
statement will continue to
read blank lines — and it'll do
so forever!
Our first project is to write a
program that will scan a file
quickly and find out what's at
the end — a single Return, the
normal condition; no Return,
unusual but not fatal; or more
than one Return, possibly a
crash. So our program de-
tects the danger. Another
time, we'll add to the program
so that it will fix the problem.
The BASIC part of our pro-
gram will ask for the name of
the data file and open it as log-
ical file number 1. Then it
calls the following machine lan-
guage program at address
8704. hexadecimal 2200.
First, connect the input
stream to logical file 1.
22Q0 LDX #$01
JSR $FFCB
Our plan is to store the last
character of the file at ad-
dress S2101 and the previous
character in $2100. As a pre-
caution, we'll prepare to store
0 in this last address.
LDA #$00
As we go around our loop,
the A register will contain the
last character received from
the file. Store this, and read an-
other character.
2207 STA $2100
To read a character from a
file, we may use a subroutine
call to either SFFCF (INPUT)
or $FFE4 (GET). The result Is
the same either way.
JSR $FFE4
The received character is in
A. We may test for end-of-file
by looking at our system stat-
us variable ST That variable
is located at hex address 90.
In Commodore machines pri-
or to the VlC-20. it's located
at address $96.
LDY $90
If ST has a value of 0, the file
read is proceeding normally,
and we have not reached the
file's end. In this instance,
BEQ takes us back around
the loop.
BEQ S2Z07
If we didn't take the BEQ
branch, we may assume that
we're at the end of the file.
The final character, still in the
A register, is stored at $2101 .
STA $2101
The last instruction in our pro-
gram jumps to $FFCC,
CLRCHN, which restores the
input stream to its default
path (screen/keyboard).
JMP SFFCC
It's a small program, a fast pro-
gram— and it will leave the
last two bytes of the file in
addresses $2100 and $2101
and 8448 and 8449 respective-
ly. BASIC should now close
the file and test these bytes.
Here's the program in the for-
mat of a BASIC loader.
CJ IBB PRINT"F!LE END CHECKER
(SPACE)- JIM aUTTBRFIEL
D"
XR HB DATA 162,1,32,198,255,1
69, B,H1, 8, 33, 32, 228, 25
5
GS 120 DATA 164,144,240,246,14
1,1,33,76,204,255
PC 160 DATA 72,32,204,255,162,
2, 32,201,255,174,3,33
JF 20O FOR J«8704 TO 8726
EJ 210 READ X:T"T+X
BP 220 POKE J,X
AE 230 NEXT J
XS 240 IF T<>30ia THEN STOP
XF 300 INPUT "NAME OF FILE";FS
JQ 310 OPEtl 15,3,15
FJ 120 OPEN l,a,2,F'S
GB 330 INPUTJ15,B,ES:IF EOfl T
HEN PRINT ES:STOP
Q!l 340 SYS 9704
SB 350 CLOSE 1
SD 360 CLOSE 15
GC 370 IF PEEK(8449)<>13 THEN
(SPACE)PHtNT"FILE DOES
{SPACeJnQT end WITH <RE
TyRN>,": END
SE 380 IF PEE!i;(8448)<>13 THEN
(5PACE)PRINT"FILB ENDS
{SPACE )WITH A SINGLE <R
ETURN>.": END
XS 390 PBtNT'FILE ENDS WITH HU
LTIPLE <RETURN> CHARS."
G-18 COMPUTE JULY 1993
The Gazette
Productivity
Manager
Harness the productivity
power of your 64 or 128!
Turn your Commodore into
a powerful workhorse, keep track
of finances, generate reports
in a snap, manage your
money in minutes-
all with the
Gazette ProductioUy
Manager! Look at all
your 64/128 Productivity
Manager disk contains.
GemCalc 64 & 128—
A complete, powerful, user-
friendly spreadsheet with all
the features you'd expect
in an expensive commercial package
(separate 64 and 128 versions are included).
Most commands can be performed with a single keypress!
Memo Card — Unleashes the power of a full-blown
database without the fuss! Nothing's easier — it's a
truly simple computerized address file. Just type in
your data on any one of the index cards. Need to edit?
Just use the standard Commodore editing keys.
Finished? Just save the data to floppy. What could be
easier?
Financial Planner — Answers all of those questions
concerning interest, investments, and money manage-
ment that financial analysts charge big bucks for! You
can plan for your children's education and know
exactly how much it will cost and how much you need
to save every month to reach your goal. Or, decide
whether to buy or lease a new car. Use the compound
interest and savings function to arrive at accurate
estimates of how your money will work for you.
Compute the answer at the click of a key!
DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS
POWERFUL WORKHORSE!
(MasterCard and Visa accepted on orders with subtotal over S20).
U YES! Please send me — , Froductiuity Manager ih]i{s)
(S14.95 each).
Subtotal
Sales Tax (Residents of NO and NY please add appro-
priate sales tax for your area. Canadian orders, add
7% goods and services tax.)
Shipping and Handling (S2.00 U.S. and Canada, S3.00
surface mail, S5.00 airmail per disk.)
Total Enclosed
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Lrtdil t;ard No.
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Send your order to Gazette Productivity Manager,
324 W. Wendover Ave., Ste. 200, Greensboro, NC 27408.
PROGRAMMER'S PAGE
Randy Thompson
Use these
readers' tips to
read your
64's memory,
remove REM
statements, and
more.
SNOOPERS AND
REMOVERS
Readers have come through
again with some great tips.
Let's get right to them.
Memory Snooper
Here's a simple BASIC pro-
gram that searches an area
of memory for text messages.
SD 18 S=4111S:E-41365
PF 20 FOR I-=S TO B
HS 39 C=PEEK(Il ; If 031 AND C<
123 THEN PRINT CH8S(C);
EX 48 GET K5:IF KS=CHR$(13} TH
EN PRINT
MP 59 IF KS<>"-<" THEN NEXT I
As listed, this program scans
the area of ROM that contains
BASIC keywords and error
messages. You might try
searching the area of memo-
ry that contains BASIC pro-
grams: 2049-40959. To do
this, in line 10 make S equal
to 2049 and E equal to
40959. I find this program use-
ful in searching for and read-
ing E-mail that I have neglect-
ed to read completely before
logging off QuantumLink.
You can make the text eas-
ier to read as it prints to the
screen by pressing Return.
This forces the program to
print a carriage return. To
stop the program before it fin-
ishes searching memory,
press the back arrow key.
BRIAr^ KISSINGER
EVANSVILLE, IN
Function Keys 128
When programming in BASIC
on the 128, the GET state-
ment doesn't return the Com-
modore 64 character codes
for function keys (133-140) un-
less you execute a POKE
828,183 first, thus disabling
the keys' preprogrammed def-
initions, (POKE 828,173 re-
turns the 12B's function keys
to normal.)
Rather than disabling the
128's function key definitions,
you can use them to simulate
a string of keypresses that
your program recognizes. For
example, I recently wrote a
game that lets me press G at
any time to access a game-
oontroi menu. From that
menu, I can press L to load a
game or S to save a game, af-
ter which the program dis-
plays the prompt Are you
sure (V/A/;? before continuing.
To simplify the selection of
the game-save option, I pro-
grammed the f1 key to simu-
late pressing the G. S, and Y
keys with this command:
KEY1,"GSY"
Now when I press the fl
key while the game is run-
ning, the character codes for
the G, S, and Y keys are put
into the keyboard buffer and
read by the game's GET state-
ment. This calls up the game-
control menu, selects the
save-game option, and an-
swers Y in response to the
Are you sure (Y/N)? prompt.
This gives me three keypress-
es in one!
RICHARD R. HARVEL
FORT WORTH. TX
REMover
The following program re-
moves all REM statements
from 64 BASIC programs. To
use this handy utility, load
and run the program shown
below. Then load the BASIC
program containing the un-
wanted REf^ statements, and
type SYS 49152.
5H laa
AJ IIB
JF 120
C\ 1311
JP HO
MK 150
XK 16a
FX 178
GS 189
GD 198
REMOVER
FOR 1=49152 TO 49
AO D:POKE I,n;C=C
T 1
IF C033534 THEW
(SPACEf'EHROR IN
TATEMENTS"
DATA 24,165,43,10
3,253, 155,44,105,
DATA 254,32,294,1
,60, 24, 165, 253, in
DATS 133,253,165,
5,0,133,254,168,8
40,192,177,253
DATA 240,a,2tll,14
37,200,76,33,192
DATA 152,24,1(15,3
9,192,32,204,192,
DATA 24,165,253,1
33,253,165,254,10
3
DATA 254,160,3,76
392:RE
+D:MEX
PRINT
DATA S
5,2,13
0,133
92,176
S,2
254,10
,140,2
3,240,
, 32,21
176,1!)
05,2,1
5,0,13
33,19
PP 200
KK 210
BK 220
GB 230
PX 240
GH 250
PA 260
AH 270
GR 280
BB 290
MQ 30S
DC 319
GF 329
2,76,51,
DATA 1,1
92,160,0
DATA 2BB
141,239,
,201
DATA 0,2
9,192,10
DATA 56,
33,253,1
DATA 13 3
,72,109
,165,254
DATA 73,
60,0,177
DATA 191
,176,3,7
DATA 133
3, 56,165
,133,45
DATA 233
,76,48, L
DATA 251
230,253
6
DATA 24
206,7,16
DATA 208
9, 192,24
9,192
DATA 133
5,0,133,
165,192,0,240
36,152,32,219,1
,177,253,249,4
,76,92, 192,152,
192,173,240,192
08,22,24 ,173,23
5,5,141,239,192
163,253,233,5,1
65,254,233,0
254,24,165,353
239,192,133,251
105,0,133,252,1
,251,145,253,32
,192,32,204,192
6,151,192,104
,254,104, 133,25
,45,237,239, 193
165,46
0,133,46,160,0
93,239
208,2,230,252,
209,2,230,254,9
165,254,197,46,
5,253,197,45
,1,56,96,141,23
,165,253,109,23
,253,165,254,10
254,096,0,9,0,0
Besides making a program
smaller, removing REM state-
ments can make a program
run faster because the comput-
er no longer has to skip over
those descriptive but nonfunc-
tional lines of code.
At first glance, line 100
may appear to be missing a
REM statement before the pro-
gram's name. Of course,
when the program runs, BA-
SIC will interpret the first
three letters of the word as
REM and pass on to the next
line. This means you can test
the program on itself.
Be careful not to run this util-
ity on programs that have
GOTO or GOSUB commands
that jump to lines that begin
with a remark. Those tines
wiil also be deleted.
VINCE TAGLE
GRANADA HILLS. CA
"Programmer's Page" is inter-
ested in your programming
tips and triciis. Send all sub-
missions to Programmer's
Page. COMPUTE's Gazette.
324 West Wendover Avenue,
Suite 200. Greensboro. North
Carolina 27408. We pay $25-
$50 for each tip we use. D
G-20 COMPUTE JULY 1993
Gazette
Index
Everything's included!
Features, games, reviews,
education/home applications,
programming, bugswatter,
feedback, and columns!
A superb interface includes pull-
down menus, help screens, and
keyboard, joystick, or mouse con-
trol. Features include super-fast
searching and sorting capabilities.
An options screen allows you to
choose text colors, drive number,
and input device. And there's full
documentation on disk.
Choose from three modes of opera-
tion— browse for quick scanning,
view for detailed information and
descriptions, and edit for adding
items from upcoming issues — and
print to any printer. There's even a
turbo-load option for maximum
disk-access speed.
To order, send $7.95 per disk, the
quantity of disl<s ordered, ciieck
or money order,* your name and
complete street address:
Gazette Index
324 West Wendover Avenue
Suite 200
Greensboro, NC 27408
' Please add S2 shipping & handling (£5 foreign) for
each disk (residents o1 NC, NJ. NY please add appli-
cable safes tax; Canadian orders, add 7% goods
and services tax)
All payments must be in U.S. lunds. Please allow 4
weeks for delivefy.
KeyDOS ROM Version 2 is here!
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G-21
BEGINNER BASIC
Larry Cotton
Here's how to
activate your 64's
user port at
any time of day.
USER PORT CLOCK
(PART 2)
The 64 is blessed with four
ports to connect with the out-
side world. Two of them are
quite well known: joystick
ports 1 and 2, which are locat-
ed on the right Side of the com-
puter next to the power
switch. As we learned some
time back, those ports can be
used for output as well as for
normal joystick input.
The other two ports may not
be quite as familiar to you. Fac-
ing the computer as you nor-
so have a basic knowledge of
digital electronics or know
someone who does.
Please remember two
things: that all ports are con-
nected to the innards of your
computer and that their out-
puts are rather feeble and sen-
sitive to abuse. Avoid static
electric charges like the
plague, and always connect
ports to low-voltage circuits by
means of properly matched op-
to-isolators, transistors, and/
or relays.
The figure below shows the
user port as you face the rear
of the computer. The pins
USER PORTS LOOKING AT REAR OF COMPUTER
(GROUNDS AT PINS 1, 12, A, N)
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
ABCDEFHJ KLMN
POKE:
2 4 8 16 32 64 128
mally do, the port at the ex-
treme right rear is the car-
tridge port. It normally accepts
game and other types of car-
tridges, such as the common
fastload cartridge. The port on
the extreme left rear is the us-
er port, to which I referred last
month. When you want to
make a connection to the out-
side world, that's the one to
think of first. This port is easy
to program in BASIC. I'll show
you how to turn on and off
each of its pins.
In fact, the programming is
easier than wiring the hard-
ware. As I warned you last
month, 1 won't go into a lot of
detail about user-port connec-
tions. If you decide on a pro-
ject, you'll need a card-edge
connector with .156-inch termi-
nal-to-terminal spacings, avail-
able at Radio Shack or Mous-
er Electronics. You should al-
which we can control easily
are those on the bottom row let-
tered C through L (skipping G
and I).
Here's a very simple pro-
gram that looks at the key-
board to see if C, D, E, or F is
pressed.
10 P=5B577; REM USER PORT
20 POKEP+2,255: REM ALL PINS
OUTPUT
30 POKEP.O: REM ALL PINS OFF
40GETAS: iFA$='" "THEN40
50 tFAS="C"THEN POKEP.I
60 IFAS="D"THEN P0KEP,2
70 IFAS="E"THEN P0KEP,4
80 IFA$="F"THEN POKEP,a
90 GOT040
Line 20 sets up the user
port so that all subsequent
POKEs are interpreted as out-
puts, line 30 turns all pins off,
and line 40 waits for a key to
be pressed.
When you run this, press-
ing C, for instance, turns pin
C on. (In the jargon of electron-
ics, the voltage on pin C
goes high or jumps from 0 to
+5 volts DC.) This voltage is
enough to power a Light Emit-
ting Diode (LED) or trigger a
sensitive transistor or relay,
which must be connected be-
tween the controlled pin and
a ground (pin 1, 12. A, or N).
Now let's finish last
month's program. Add lines
10-30 from the above pro-
gram, change line 420, and
add lines 430-470.
420 PRINT"lCLR][DOWN]USER
PORT PIN C ON.
430 PRINT"[DOWN]PRESS ANY
KEY TO TURN OFF.
440 P0KEP,1
450 GETA$:IFAS=""THEN450
460 POKEP.D
470 PRINT'1D0WN]USER PORT
PIN C OFF.
Now when you run the pro-
gram, enter the times as you
did last month. When the
"alarm" goes off, pin C in the
user port is turned on. Poking
other values to P in line 440 ac-
tivates other pins as follows.
Poking
Turns On
1
C
2
D
4
E
8
F
16
H
32
J
64
K i
128
L
Combinations of pins can
be activated by adding the val-
ues in the left column corre-
sponding to the pins you
want to turn on. For instance,
to turn on pins C and H, poke
17 (1 -1- 16) to P (56577). To
turn on pins J, K, and L, poke
224.
I've just about run out of
space for this month, but I'll
mention some of the pro-
gram's highlights.
G-22 COMPUTE JULY 1993
The subroutine in lines 290-
410 gathers user input in
hours, minutes, and seconds
to set the clock and the
alarm. Line 90 pokes values
based on this user-supplied
information to three clock regis-
ters 56329-56331. Line 130
forms a variable B which is
calculated from these values.
B is the number of seconds
from midnight to when the
clock's alarm is set— when
the user port is to be activat-
ed. For example, B would
have a value of 25,200 for
7;00 a.m. Line 160 starts the
clock by poking a 0 to the
tenths-of-seconds register
56328.
The clock is updated and
printed to the screen in a
loop in lines 170-280. The
same registers we poked are
continually peeked in line
170, from which printable val-
ues are derived in lines 180-
220. A in line 230 is the actu-
al time of day in seconds
from midnight. Line 240 con-
tinually compares A to B.
When they're equal, the alarm
goes off; control zips to line
420 which turns on pin C in
the user port. Here's the en-
tire listing in case you missed
last month's column. Remem-
ber, always set the user port
to activate within 24 hours of
starting the clock,
BM 10 P=56577:REM USER P
OHT
BF 20 POKEP+2,255:REM AL
L PINS OUTPUT
CC 30 POKEP,a:REH ALL PI
NS LOW
DS 40 PRINTCHRS (147) :POK
E53281,14:POKE646,
6
KR 50 PRINT"SET CLOCK AT
-.{DOWN)"
PK 60 R=3:GOSUB290:K=432
00:REH 43200 SECON
DS IN 12 HOURS
GX 70 IFIS="PM"THENX=K
EB 80 F0RI = 1T03:H = INT (T (
I)/10) :L=T(I)-10*H
:T (I>=16*H+L:NEXT
MC 90 C=56331:POKEC,T(l)
:P0KEC-1,T (2) :POKE
C-2,T(3)
Fft 100 PRINT" (DOWN] ACTIV
FD
IIH
HS
120
JB
130
SK
140
RE
153
SB
163
PH
170
XG 180
XH 190
GJ 200
HD 210
FD 22(
HA 230
SG 240
BJ 250
XX 260
MD 270
HG 280
DE 290
KE 300
KA 310
HP 320
PG 330
CE 340
GG 350
DC 360
ATE USER PORT AT:
(DOWN)"
R=18:GOSUB290
IFI$="PM"THENV=K
B=Y+T(1)*3600+T (2
)*60+T(3)
PRINT" (DOWN)PRESS
ANY KEY TO START
CLOCK, {DOWN}
GETA5:IFAS=""THEN
150
POKEC-3,0
H=PEEK(C) :M=PEEK(
C-1) :S=PEEK(C-2) :
T=PEEK(C-3)
C1S=CHR5( (16ANDH)
/16 + 48)+CHRS C (ISA
NDH)+48)
H«VAL(C1S)*36O0
IFC1S="09"THENC1S
= "12"
C2$=CHRS( (240ANDM
)/16+48)+CHR$ { (15
ANDM)+48) :M=VAL(C
2S)*60
C35=CHR$( (240ANDS
)/16+48)+CHRS( (15
ANDS)+48) :S=VAL(C
33)
A=X+H+M+S:IFA=2*K
THENPOKEC,0:POKEC
-3,0:X=0
IFA=BTHEN420
IFA<KTHENJ$="AM":
GOTO270
J$="PM"
PRINT"(WHT}TIME I
S "ClS+":"+C2S+":
"+C3S+":"T;J$+"
{UP}"
GOTO170
HS="";INPUT"HOURS
";HS:IFHS<"0"ORHS
>"9"THENPRINT"
{2 UP)":GOTO290
T(1)=VAL{H5) tIFT (
1><0ORT(1)>12THEN
PRINT"(2 UP}":GOT
0290
IFT(1)=12THENT (1)
= 0
MS=""; INPUT"
(down}mikutes";mS
:ifhs<"0"orms>"9"
thenprint"(3 up}"
:GOTO320
T (2)=VAL(MS) :IFT (
2)<0ORT (2)>59THEN
PRINT"{3 UP}":GDT
0320
S$="" :INPUT"
{DOWN}SECONDS";S$
:IFS5<"0"ORS9>"9"
THENPRINT"(3 UP)"
:GOTO340
T (3)=VAL(S$) :IFT(
3X0ORT (3)>59THEN
PRINT"!3 UP}":GOT
0340
PRINT"{DOWM)AM OR
PH (PRESS A OR P
[ID 370
EE 330
FH 390
JD 400
EX 410
AQ 420
XK 430
GS
440
HO
450
HF
460
HB
470
)"
GETIS:IFI$<>
ENIFI$<>"P"T
0
IFIS="A"THEN
M": GOTO 4 00
I5="PM"
POKE214,R:PR
0KE211,24:PR
RETURN
PRINT" {CLR}{
USER PORT PI
N."
PRINT" {DOWN}
ANY KEY TO
{SPACE}OFF.
P0KEP,1:REH
ON PIN C
GETAS:IFA$»"
450
POKEP,0
PRINT" (DOWN)
{SPACE)PORT
OFF."
"A"TH
HEK37
IS»"A
INT:P
INTIS
DOWN)
N C 0
PRESS
TURN
TURNS
"THEN
USER
PIN C
□
ATTENTION
WRITERS,
PROGRAMMERS
Gazette is looking for utili-
ties, applications, games,
educational programs, and
tutorial articles. If you've cre-
ated a program that you
think other readers might en-
joy or find useful, send it
and the documentation on
disk to
Gazette Submissions
Reviewer
COMPUTE Publications
324 W. Wendover,
Ste. 200
Greensboro, NC 27408
Please enclose an SASE if
you want your materials re-
turned.
Send New Product
Announcements
and/or Press ReSeases
on your
Commodore 64/128
products to:
Tom Netsel c/o
COMPUTE
JULY 1993 COMPUTE G-23
DIVERSIONS
Fred D'Ignazio
A 64 can be an ideal
first commiter
for toddlers— as well
as a great
teaching tool.
TODDLER'S CHOICE
For a recent Public Broadcast-
ing Service show, "Learning
Matters," we videotaped my
segment, Technoiogy Corner,
in my family's study. We re-
viewed ttie newest multimedia
CD-ROM titles for toddlers, in-
cluding Just Grandma and Me
{Br0derbund); Mottier Goose
(Sierra On-Line); Silly Noisy
House (Voyager); and Millie's
Math House (Edmark). Our re-
viewers were my three-year-
old daugtiter Laura and her
one-year-old buddy Alex.
At the end of the segment,
the show's producer, John Mer-
row, noted that the equipment
and software we used was
"expensive and possibly out
of reach" for many families. He
wanted to know if there was an-
other toddler we could inter-
view who had a more down-to-
earth computer setup.
I thought of Tommy Kurek,
Laura's next-door neighbor,
and we called Tommy's par-
ents and scheduled a visit.
Tommy's computer, it
turned out, was a perfect tod-
dler configuration: a second-
hand Commodore 64. Most of
the software titles and extra
equipment were purchased at
yard sales or flea markets. The
price of Tommy's entire setup
was well under $400— the
price of a single CD-ROM
drive.
The computer station was
on a small table in the corner
of the family living room sur-
rounded by books, Tommy's
toys, and two or three loung-
ing cats. When the family did
their computing, Tommy sat in
his chair, and his mom and
dad sat on each side of him
on the floor. This made them
all about the same size.
To begin the interview, we
asked Tommy's daddy, Keith,
if Tommy had suffered from
not having the latest multime-
dia computer equipment.
"I don't think so," said
Keith. "Tommy just turned
three. While he was still two, us-
ing the Commodore 64, he
learned how to write his own
name, his friend Laura's
name, my name, his mommy's
name (Leanne), and the
names of all four family cats.
"Also, while he was two.
Tommy used the computer to
learn how to count to 39,
count objects on the comput-
er screen and press the cor-
rect number on the keyboard,
and recognize and find every
number from 0 to 9 and every
letter in the alphabet."
"Do you have any advice
for fellow parents who have tod-
dlers?" we asked Keith.
"Tell them to find or buy a
Commodore 64," said Keith.
"If the parents buy an expen-
sive computer, they'd be so wor-
ried about its safety they'll nev-
er be relaxed around it with
their two-year-old, and they'll
be afraid to turn their child
loose on the computer. The
great thing about this comput-
er is it's 100 percent Tommy's
computer He can do anything
he wants, and the Commo-
dore can take it.
"The other good thing
about the 64," Keith contin-
ued, "is that lots of Tommy's ed-
ucational programs come on
cartridges. When we go visit
Grandma on weekends, we
just throw the computer into
the car along with a couple of
Tommy's favorite cartridges.
At Grandma's we plug into her
television set, and Tommy is
busy for hours working on his
number, shape, and letter
games. When it comes time to
go home, it takes about ten sec-
onds to unplug the computer
and toss it back into the car"
We asked Tommy to pick
out his favorite 64 programs to
recommend to other toddlers
who are just starting to com-
putey. Here's his list:
• KinderComp (Spinnaker
Software). A set of shape-, num-
24 COMPUTE JULY 1993
ber-, and letter-recognition pro-
grams perfectly suited for
your toddler computer whiz.
• Astro G rover (CTW-Sesa-
me Street). Same as above,
featuring the lovable Sesame
Street muppet Grover.
• Ernie's Magic Shapes
{CTW-Sesame Street). Shape-
recognition program featuring
Ernie.
• Big Bird's Special Deliv-
ery (CTW-Sesame Street).
More early learning programs
featuring Big Bird. AH three pro-
grams (Grover, Ernie, and Big
Bird) can be found in a single
package entitled The Sesame
Street Learning Library.
• Kids on Keys (Spinnaker
Software). Helps with key-
board recognition.
• Alphabet Zoo (Spinnaker
Software). Letter recognition.
• Learning with Leeper (Si-
erra On-Line}. Fun, education-
al games hosted by cute little
onscreen characters such as
Leeper.
• Design-a-Saurus (Britan-
nica Software). Dinosaur rec-
ognition and naming program.
(Tommy is a dinosaur nut. He
carries a Tyrannosaurus Rex
doll to bed with him instead of
a blanket.)
• Dinosaurs Are Forever
(Polarware). More reptiles for
young dinosaur enthusiasts.
• Kermit's Electronic Story
Maker (Simon & Schuster).
You and your children can
cook up your own online pic-
ture books.
The cost of these programs?
"At worst, under a hundred dol-
lars," Keith says. "The impor-
tant thing is to watch for yard
sales where you can pick up
children's software for just a cou-
ple of dollars. Also, sign onto lo-
cal bulletin boards where you
can pick up lots of freeware edu-
cational programs. Join a 64 us-
er group, and you're sure to run
into other young parents who
are eager to share with you and
your kids." n
PROGRAMS
ULTIMATE ML MONITOR
By Ted Green and Ed Balchick
Examining and debugging troublesome
machine language (ML) routines or trying
to see how well machine code actually
works is usually a struggle, ML programs
run so quickly that it's difficult to
determine exactly what happens and
when it happens without altering the pro-
gram. A standard monitor's breakpoint re-
turns are not much help because the dis-
play is corrupted and the program halts.
Now, with the Ultimate ML Monitor, you
can execute any piece of ML code in
slow motion or single step through it one
command at a time! A special user inter-
face lets you interact directly with the ML
program. You can view and control the ac-
tual operation of the program in text or hi-
res mode as it runs; examine and modify
the program, data, or register values; and
allow the Kernal serial bus to access rou-
tines while in the single-step mode.
These and many other features, such as
full implementation of 6502 quasi-op-
codes, make the Ultimate ML Monitor a
powerful programming utility that you'll
wonder how you did without.
Getting Started
Ultimate ML Monitor consists of three
programs: two small programs that
make up the loader system and the
main program. These three files must
all be saved to the same disk, but the
program that you wish to monitor can
be on any disk, even another drive.
The setup portion of the loader sys-
tem is written in BASIC. To avoid typ-
ing errors, use The Automatic Proofread-
er to enter the program, See "Typing
Aids" elsewhere in this section. When
you finish typing this portion in. save it
to disk with the filename ULTIMON.B.
Next, the smart portion of the loader
system is written in machine language,
and you will need MLX, our machine lan-
guage entry program. Again, see "Typ-
ing Aids." When MLX prompts, re-
spond with the following values.
Starting address: CC13
Ending address: CFFE
After you type in the loader program,
be sure to save a copy to disk with the
filename ULTIMON.L
The monitor portion of the program
is written entirely in machine language
for speed and compactness. You
must enter this program with MLX.
When MLX prompts you, respond with
the following values.
Starting address: SOOO
Ending address: 8EBF
Be sure to save a copy to disk with the
filename ULTIMON.O,
Looding the Program
Ultimate is very easy to use. Load and
run Ultimon.B as you would any BASIC
program. Before you run it, however,
you should have the program available
that contains the ML code that you
wish to examine. This program should
be copied onto the same disk as the Ul-
timate system if you are using a single
drive. If you are using Ultimate with a
two-drive system, have each disk in a
drive before running Ultimate.
As for what kind of program to look
at, the possibilities are almost limitless.
You aren't limited to looking at a pure
ML program, the kind you load with the
,8,1 extension and start with a SYS com-
mand that you often forget. Ultimate
will examine an ML program that
loads like BASIC or even a BASIC pro-
gram that reads the ML from data state-
ments and pokes them to memory and
then calls them with a SYS command.
In the latter two cases. Ultimate can
catch the ML portion just as BASIC
tries to execute it (if you start in single
step}. This means that for BASIC pro-
grams in general, all of the BASIC is ac-
tually run by the interpreter. However,
once you are in the ML routine, you can-
not go back to the BASIC program.
When you have selected the pro-
gram that you wish to examine, load
the drive(s) and run Ultimon.B. The
screen will clear and display the follow-
ing prompt.
ADDRESS TO LOAD MONITOR:
The address must be entered as a dec-
imal value. The Ultimate program can
be put at any unused area from 2048
($0800) up to and including 36864
($9000), It can also be put at 49152
($C000), If you try to place it above
49152, you will get an error message.
Placing the monitor in the RAM under
ROM (BASIC or Kernal) is possible, but
not recommended, except for ad-
vanced users. The most important fac-
tor in choosing the load address is de-
termining where there will be 4K of
memory that won't be used by the pro-
gram to be monitored.
Don't forget about BASIC variables.
If they are a problem, protect 4K for Ulti-
mate first. Ultimate will protect itself
from any memory access commands
while in any mode except full speed.
This protective feature will cause the
monitored program not to execute
those commands, possibly causing an
infinite loop in the monitored program.
If this happens, it's best to start over
and choose a new load address.
You'll then be prompted for a pro-
gram to monitor and a drive number
from which to load. If you enter the
same drive as the current drive, you
must copy your program to the disk
with the Ultimate system on it because
there is no time to switch disks.
You'll then be asked whether you
want to run the program in single-step
mode or at full speed. Enter Sfor sin-
gle step or Ffor full speed. You'll usu-
ally want to start in single-step mode
for most small programs or anytime
you want complete control over the
whole monitored program. Full-speed
mode is a good choice when you
want to monitor a large program, and
the piece of code that you're interest-
ed in is executed sometime after the
program begins.
If you select full speed, hitting the Re-
store key at anytime will break into the
program in the single-step mode (un-
less the program changes the NMI vec-
tor at $0318 while in full speed). When
the single-step mode is activated, the
status line will be displayed at the bot-
tom of the screen.
Using the Program
Once you enter the single-step mode
of Ultimate, the main program interface
is the interactive status line. Note that
all numbers on the status line are
shown in hex. The main features of the
status line are the foliowing: PC
(which shows the contents of the emu-
lated program counter of the program
you are examining) and A, X, Y, and
SR (which are the current contents of
the emulated accumulator and the X,
JULY 1993 COMPUTE G-25
PROGRAMS
Y, and status [flag] registers).
To the left of PC is the space for the
full-speed Kernal routine indicator, an
asterisk (*). More about that later.
The most important feature of the stat-
us line is the command display field.
This contains the opcode mnemonic of
the current instruction and the operand
field. The operand field can be toggled
between two different types of displays
for some commands. The secondary
mode is like a standard disassembler
listing of the command.
The main display mode is what
gives Ultimate its powerful debugging
features. It has the ability to convert the
addressing mode into the actual mem-
ory location used by the CPU and to dis-
play it on the status line. For example,
if locations OE = 75, OF = 10, and
Y = AF, then the command above
would display as LDA $1124. You can
toggle between these two modes at an-
ytime with the asterisk key, even view
the two modes of the same command
without stepping. There are some com-
mands that will show an address
(branches, RTS, JSR, and so on) that
look identical. The command field also
indicates the address of the destina-
tion if a branch is taken. An RTS will dis-
play the actual address of the com-
mand after the JSR, not the address 1
that it pulls off the stack. There are
some other features used in the status
display, but these will be discussed in
the appropriate key description below.
Key Functions
A single keystroke activates many of Ul-
timate's key features.
F7
Pressing f7 executes the next program
instruction and displays the results on
the status line.
Press S to enter slow motion program
emulation from single-step mode. The
approximate execution speed of this
mode varies greatly, but generally
takes about 150 times longer than real
execution speed. If there are a lot of
Kernal routines, the Kernal mode can
speed up the program considerably.
The back arrow exits the monitor and
G-26 COMPUTE JULY 1993
runs the monitored program in full
speed {real execution). Ultimate may
be corrupted if set at a bad address.
This key is good for running through a
large piece of code to get to a particu-
lar point. It also sets up the Restore
key to go to single-step nnode.
Restore
Restore triggers Ultimate from ful!-
speed mode, breaks into the program,
and enters single-step mode at the cur-
rent command.
The asterisk toggles the operand field
display between disassembly mode
and address-calculation mode.
f1
This function key toggles the status
line on and off without running the pro-
gram. It's used to view the current vid-
eo display area under the status line.
Single step (f7) and slow motion (S)
are the only valid keys while the status
line is off.
H
Hunt allows you to enter an address
that is the actual computed address op-
erand of a command. The program
runs in slow motion until it finds a com-
mand that uses that address. This is
useful for seeing when a particular mem-
ory location is accessed in a program.
If the hunt is successful and the status
line displays the command iine and
PC, you can toggle the display mode
(*) or look at the source code iisting.
Hunt can also be exited at anytime
with the @ (At) key.
R
The R key will let the program run until
an address is reached. Enter the PC of
any command in the code and then
the program will run in slow motion un-
til the command is ready to be execut-
ed. This means that when the single-
step mode display comes on, the com-
mand before the one you selected will
be on the display line. That is because
when a command is shown, it has al-
ready been executed and the new PC
has been calculated. This is useful to
get the program to the beginning of a
specific subroutine or section of code
that you are interested in without hav-
ing to try to stop it by hand at the right
spot. This mode can be canceled at an-
ytime by pressing the @ (At) key.
Use the J key to run through a subrou-
tine in slow motion until the correspond-
ing RTS is encountered. This means
that all nested subroutines will be exe-
cuted and normally the program wiil dis-
play the RTS command when it returns
to single-step mode. Since this com-
mand triggers off the emulated stack
level, the program could also drop
back into single-step mode if two val-
ues are pulled from the stack or the
stack pointer is incremented by 2 be-
fore an RTS is encountered. This is use-
ful in allowing you to see if the routine
pulls its return address off the stack so
it can jump somewhere else. It's safe
to enter J-mode anytime after a JSR. If
it's used outside of a subroutine, it may
never drop back into single-step
mode on its own, but you can exit at an-
ytime with the @ (At) key.
P sets the emulated PC to a new ad-
dress; the beginning of a program; or
the end of a loop, subroutine, or wher-
ever. The new address is entered in
the PC space on the status line. After
the address has been entered, the val-
ue will reverse to show that you have to
make a decision. You must either
press Return or f3. Return resets the em-
ulated stack pointer to the top of the
stack, $FF. This is useful when restart-
ing the monitored program so that
stack doesn't wrap around. Pressing f3
will not change the current stack point-
er. This is useful for going to the begin-
ning of a loop or jumping over some
code where you may need the values
that are on the program's stack. Noth-
ing changes but the location of where
the monitor reads the next command.
Dump has the same usage as Hunt ex-
cept that all occurrences of the desired
address usage (PC) are sent to the
printer. This will not stop until the @ (At)
key is pressed to cancel the mode.
K
This key toggles Kernal mode, the de-
sired execution mode of calls to Kernai
subroutines listed in the Kernal jump ta-
ble (SFF81-$FFF3}. The default mode
is step-by-step emulation (in single-
step or slow mode). The special mode
is full-speed execution, which is desig-
nated by an asterisk to the left of PC
on the status line.
This mode is useful for speeding up
programs with heavy Kernal usage
where you are only concerned with the
routine's net effect on the program. It al-
so allows serial bus I/O routines such
as disk access even in single-step
mode. Most Kernal routines that use
the serial bus cannot be successfully
single stepped. Note that if the Kernal
LOAD is used, the monitor program
could be corrupted because the self-
protection feature is temporarily disa-
bled.
If the Kernal mode is off, single-
step mode will still let you choose how
to execute each Kernal call. When you
get to a Kernal call, the address of the
routine will reverse. Return will execute
the routine in full speed, and f3 will
take it out of reverse mode and allow
you to continue to single step through
the routine.
If you press Return, the routine will ex-
ecute, and the next command shown
will be the RTS of the routine. Also, the
PC will show the address of the routine
itself and will be reversed to show that
you just executed that Kernal routine.
The RTS shows where the program is
returning to. If Kernal mode is on, then
all Kernal routines will be executed in
full speed with results as mentioned
above.
Fill lets you change the contents of any
memory location. Note that the monitor
will not protect itself, so use caution
when altering any monitor parameters
given in the article.
M
Memory will let you examine the con-
tents of a memory location. For areas
that have layers of memory such as
$D000 (character ROM and I/O device
RAM), the memory configuration used
by the monitored program determines
where the value comes from. To view a
different area, alter the offset value,
START + $0055, with the Fill com-
mand. START is equal to the address
you loaded the monitor to at the begin-
ning of the session. If you do this, you
must change it back before you contin-
ue, or the monitored program may
crash.
A, X, or Y
Enter a new value into a CPU register.
After a value is entered, it will reverse
to show that you have to make a deci-
sion. Return will modify the emulated
status register like an LDA command,
while f3 will leave the flags unchanged.
These features may be useful for alter-
ing loop indexes or putting a keycode
into A to be checked when letting the
program go to the routine that handles
the key.
W
W redisplays the status line in the cur-
rent screen configuration. This is use-
ful in single-step mode when stepping
through code that alters VIC parame-
ters and the screen changes so you
can't see the status line anymore. Press-
ing W will recover it without stepping.
C cycles the color of the status line
text for text mode and hi-res mode stat-
us line displays independently. All 16
colors are available. A separate color
can be locked in for each mode and
will stay the same even if you toggle be-
tween monitor and full-speed modes.
You won't have to change it after switch-
ing modes.
In hi-res mode, the foreground and
background colors are changed.
Since the background color changes
only after all 16 foreground colors
have changed, it may take a while to
get the desired color combination. !f
you know the color codes that you
want for the foreground and back-
ground, you can put the proper value
into START + $052D. (See F key
above.) The value should be in the fol-
lowing format: High nybble equals back-
ground; low nybble equals foreground.
See any 64 reference book for more de-
tails. To actually implement the color af-
ter changing the memory value, hit f1
twice.
V toggles multicolor mode. This key
will have effects in both text and hi-res
modes. You may find it useful to turn
off multicolor mode to read the status
line clearly and then turn it back on.
G toggles hi-res display between text
mode and hi-res mode. This is for see-
ing the status line should the display
mode change while single stepping
(like W key). Note that the proper
mode will be selected automatically
when changing between single-step,
slow, and full-speed modes.
Del
The Delete key has two functions. It re-
prints the current status line with the
command after using M or F keys, and
cancels data-entry modes of any keys
requiring hex input, such as H or P.
@
The @ (At) key cancels any slow-mo-
tion mode {from S, J, R, H, or D) back
to single-step mode.
Operotionat Notes
Not only are the regular 56 commands
of the 6502 interpreted, but also the 14
quasi-opcodes as defined by Raeto Col-
lin West in "Programming the 64" by
COMPUTE books. Most of these op-
codes have reproducible results, al-
though many don't seem to lend thenn-
selves to most programming tasks.
The new mnemonics that you may en-
counter while experimenting are ASO,
RLA, LSE, RRA, AXS, LAX, DCM, INS,
ALR. ARR, OAL, SAX, SKB, and SKW.
While there isn't enough space to dis-
cuss quast-ops at length, most of
them essentially decode in a way that
is similar to the LDA-type commands.
SKB branches over (skips) one byte,
and SKW skips two.
These codes are included here
when most other monitors ignore them
because some software may use them
to hide codes.
Another debugging feature is that Ul-
timate stops automatically at a BRK or
any invalid commands. BRK com-
mands can be continued normally, but
invalid opcodes will display three
back arrows (♦-<-<-) and the hex value
of the invalid opcode that has been en-
countered. At this point, reset the PC
to a new piece of code to continue.
Ultimate executes quasi-ops like it ex-
JULY1993 COMPUTE G-27
PROGRAMS
Bcutes all other commands. They are ex-
ecuted by the 6502 after any address-
es are decoded.
The program works by emulating ma-
jor features of the 6502 and 64. The re-
al stack and CPU registers are copied
to a protected area of memory within
tine monitor, and all memory activity is
monitored in protected mode so that
the monitored program behaves as if it
were running in real mode. Also, win-
dow space is maintained and protect-
ed for the text screen line, color mem-
ory line, and one hi-res line so that the
status line may be displayed while any
program access to the real memory ar-
ea is sent to the window. All of this win-
dowing Is generally transparent to the
user and the monitored program.
For example, an access to the first lo-
cation of the status line LDA $07C0, in
default area, is shown as such, al-
though the real load comes from the
screen window maintained by the mon-
itor. If a command tries to access the
monitor's protected memory, the com-
mand will not be executed. In single-
step mode the operand field will be re-
versed to alert you of this condition.
Advanced Uses
The Uitimon.O program is a stand-
alone program, it contains the routine
that actually performs the absolute ad-
dress conversions necessary to relo-
cate the program to the new address.
This makes it very useful to load and
run after another program has already
been loaded.
During the first call, Uitimon.O mod-
ifies itself so that later calls to the start
address enter the monitor mode. This
feature may be useful when a program
that you wish to monitor is so large
that it would overwrite Ultimate. Usual-
ly programs using some hi-res graph-
ics are like this. The solution would be
to load the monitor over a 4K section of
a bitmap that may not be needed
while you are trying to figure out some
portion of the program. The loading
could be performed by replacing a
small piece of code with a JSR to the
following routine (WEDGE). Then, the
wedge routine would have to be piggy-
backed onto another piece of the mon-
itored program.
SETLFS = SFFBA
G-2e COMPUTE JULY 1993
SETNAM =$FFBD
LOAD = SFFDS
DEVICE = $BA
WEDGE LDA #1
LDX #<NAME+1 ;lo byte
LDY #>NAME+1 ;hi bytsi JSR SET-
NAM
NAME LDA #69 jElecimai
LDX DEVICE
LDY #0 ;relocate
JSR SETLFS
LDA #0 ;loail
TAX
LDY #>BEGINI JSR LOAD
JMP BEGIN
This loader wiil load, relocate, and kick
start into single-step mode any ML pro-
gram as long as Uitimon.O is saved as
filename E, BEGIN = safe area
(bitmap). Just find free memory for
WEDGE and insert JSR WEDGE into
code. Another technique is to load Ul-
timate ML Monitor with a standard mon-
itor that can perform a relocatable
load to any address. Then run Ultimate
so that it initializes itself to the new ad-
dress. The initialization routine ends
with an RTS. Now Ultimate is ready to
use or can be resaved from the new ad-
dress with a length of 4K. To call it,
just use JSR or SYS to go to the new ad-
dress.
ULTIMON.B
HG 5 REM COPYRIGHT 1993 - COMP
QTE PUBLICATIONS - ALL RI
GHT.S RESERVED
MP 10 IFATHENSyS52243
KD 20 D = PEEKa86) ;A = -1:L0AD"UL
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84 2E
F0 09
A0 03
14 C8
R6 20
73 00
D0 38
E6 7A
B7 38
E9 03
FE A5
83 8D
03 4C
85 7B
A9 E4
09 03
20 9B
65 85
FB 00
A9 20
00 00 00
ULTIM0N.0
8000
8008
8010
8018
8020
8028
8030
8038
8040
8048
8050
8058
3060
8068
8070
8078
8B88
8038
8090
8098
80A0
80Aa
80B0
30B8
80C0
80C8
80D0
80D8
EA EA
E3 BA
69 0D
2F 83
8E B2
8D 18
A9 81
00 01
8E 73
E0 83
20 CI
A0 00
8C 96
82 8C
BE ED
3B B9
C9 8C
20 3E
10 08
B0 25
01 DC
F0 25
55 83
0D 20
CI 82
20 36
3D C9
49 01
EA A5
CR 9R
48 A9
29 EF
82 20
0 3 A9
8D 71
9D 4A
86 CA
20 34
82 78
8C 61
83 8C
49 84
8A 8E
C8 8C
8D 87
83 A9
AD B2
A9 DF
C9 BF
CE A7
FB 0B
A8 FF
20 CE
87 F0
04 D0
80 86
03 43
63 85
43 43
8D 49
3E 83
82 8D
86 A2
8D E8
9A A9
8A 20
A9 00 3
84 8C
BE 83
20 D0
E0 83
8D 86
80 20
00 FB
8 2 CD
80 00
F0 11
80 F0
4C 53
23 AE
83 20
F5 C9
13 AD
85 F0
20 89
03 18
63 20
8D BA
A9 C0
19 93
00 BD
D0 F7
7B 8D
13 83
5 01
03 86
aC D9
32 A8
BC EF
80 B9
FF FF
33 58
DC 3 2
DC AD
A9 00
05 20
30 A9
FF 20
85 85
03 F0
86 85
E0 20
7D
8F
AB
F7
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89
96
4C
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91
40
02
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74
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70
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38
80
35
11
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71
35
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51
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28
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24
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70
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60
03
34
65
31
05
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38
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04
42
AD
A9
66
39
61
35
52
AA
80E0
80E8
80F0
80F8
8100
8108
8110
8118
8120
8128
8133
8138
8140
8148
8150
8158
8160
8168
8170
8178
8180
8188
8190
8198
8iA0
81A8
81B0
81B8
81C0
81C8
81D0
81D3
81E0
81E3
81F0
81F8
8200
8203
8210
8218
8220
8228
8230
8238
8240
8248
8250
8258
8260
8268
8270
8278
8280
8288
8290
8298
32A0
32A8
82B0
82B8
8 2C0
82C8
8200
8208
32E0
82E8
82F0
32F8
8300
8308
:92 86 30
:C9 00 00
:AS 86 85
:18 AC B2
:82 A9 80
:85 00 0 3
:80 C9 11
:D9 86 68
:C9 29 D0
:84 A2 04
:82 8D Dl
:D2 82 A2
:48 83 D0
:82 20 06
:1F D0 0B
:8D 16 D0
:D0 0B AD
:ai 84 4C
:09 20 92
:C5 80 C9
:86 A9 40
:80 C9 15
:A9 80 80
:21 87 20
:4C C8 80
:D9 86 A9
:3D 20 21
:01 20 OB
:43 83 D0
:A2 16 20
:48 CA CA
:33 D0 00
:68 08 68
:68 4C C2
:A2 IB 20
:4C 00 81
:20 20 EB
:D0 81 C9
:O0 49 20
:81 C9 14
:D0 09 EE
:4C 31 82
:84 80 62
:C8 80 C9
:89 49 01
:03 A9 2A
iSR 4C C2
:20 09 86
;A9 04 20
:A0 00 20
:20 BE 84
:84 C8 28
:20 A8 FF
:F7 60 C9
135 AD 55
:BD 4A 8D
;F7 A9 17
:03 A9 80
:03 A2 00
:AD Dl 82
:43 20 E9
:80 80 86
:BD FF FF
;EA EA 60
:40 8D 61
:08 A9 03
:01 80 F9
(69 00 80
:69 00 80
:82 80 09
E4 54 47
04 A9 40
D0 D3 C9
82 C8 C8
80 8C 80
20 92 86
00 0B 8A
AA A9 01
23 A2 04
20 OE 86
8 2 AD DD
04 20 A3
05 A9 FF
83 4C 53
AD 16 00
4C C8 30
01 84 49
C2 30 C9
36 20 E9
ID 00 OB
80 67 83
D0 16 20
DB 82 A9
EB 86 20
C9 24 D0
AD 8D DB
87 AD
55
20 BE
0A
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43
82
B3 C9
EB 86 80
20 A6 83
AD 49 80
80 49 8D
80 C9 17
EB 86 8D
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86 80
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2D 85 AD
EF 84
63
16
8D EE 89
2C A9 20
80 C9 12
A9 30 80
Bl FF 20
84 32 AD
AD DC 8 2
84 82 4C
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00 A9
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85 20
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39
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18 03
19 03
9A AD 02
48 20 20
84 A9 00
85 80 67
99 07 82
EA EA EA
84
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82 18 20
01 82 AD
02 82 60
82 AD Dl
45
42
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83
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00
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OB
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80
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11
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71
82
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90
18
80
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32
78
67
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DB
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82
13
20
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93
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80
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82
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13
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80
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8310
8318
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8328
8330
8338
8340
8348
Q353
8358
8363
8368
8370
8378
8380
8388
8390
8398
83A0
83A8
83B0
83B8
83C0
33C8
83D0
8 3D8
83E1?
83E8
83F0
83F8
8400
8408
8410
8418
8420
8428
8430
8438
3440
8448
8450
8458
8460
3468
8470
8478
3480
3483
3490
3493
84A0
84A3
84B0
84B3
34C0
34C8
8400
84D8
34E0
84ES
84F0
84F3
8500
8508
8510
8518
8520
8528
8530
8538
D8 82
8D AD
AD 49
:47 80
:8D 46
:30 68
:8D 55
120 36
:05 00
;8C 80
;61 84
;F0 26
;D1 32
:D2 82
:44 80
; 20 BE
:E8 60
;04 20
;4C BC
;83 BD
;87 20
;BA 83
;21 87
;C8 EO
;B9 44
:84 88
;00 BD
;EE 8B
;03 0E
;90 F7
1A9 00
lOE 4C
;EF 8B
;87 DO
:02 FO
;B9 36
;A9 10
;05 A9
;20 BE
;A9 00
;20 99
;A2 0E
;A9 00
;0B 4A
:07 82
;AD 3F
;34 A9
;A2 09
;20 99
;84 A9
;84 AO
;01 82
;81 84
;AD 08
;4A 4A
;0F 7 8
;83 30
:69 40
103 4C
;6a A9
:8D 62
; 80 E9
;F0 3C
;29 C0
;29 08
:1E 80
;E8 8E
:8C 80
:eS fl9
:8D D4
60 AD 02
Dl 82 3D
80 4 8 AC
AO 46 8D
80 8E 47
80 49 8D
80 A9 36
87 C9 01
F5 4A 60
4A B0 0E
C9 30 00
24 A8 AO
00 ID AD
00 IS E8
20 BE 84
84 A9 20
A9 00 60
9C 83 20
83 20 A6
9F Bh 49
B7 83 20
A9 00 ID
B9 08 8A
13 00 F5
8D BE 3E
10 F4 20
ED SB SO
SO 00 82
DD 82 2E
9D AB 8 9
00 08 23
B4 83 AC
E0 03 B0
04 E0 02
El A2 0C
8D AS 20
ED F9 82
00 20 BE
84 A2 00
C9 6C 00
84 A0 00
00 DD A2
30 4B F0
B0 32 20
00 07 88
8 4 2 0 BE
20 20 21
20 90 84
84 20 99
20 4C 21
D2 82 20
20 BE 84
AD D9 82
8 2 4C AA
4A 20 C9
F3 18 69
05 90 03
08 58 2C
A8 FF 9D
DB 80 67
85 A9 FF
BC AD 11
20 6C 85
BD S9 3C
0A 0A 0D
E9 8C 8D
EB aC A9
00 86 A9
9A 80 D3
86 20 C2
32 80
45 3D
48 80
28 63
8D 8C
60 A5
85 01
F0 04
A2 00
A0 07
2A A2
DC 82
DD 82
10 13
AD 45
20 A8
AO 00
9F 83
83 20
80 4C
B7 83
9F BA
20 21
60 AO
80 20
95 B3
DC 82
A2 FD
DC 82
E8 00
5C 34
E0 83
3 2 AC
F0 E5
20 99
C2 83
AA 4A
84 A9
4C Bl
B6 A2
20 C2
0C A0
27 4A
81 84
23 81
84 4C
87 00
20 93
84 20
87 20
BE 84
00 EA
20 BE
84 48
84 68
90 2C
69 00
67 83
9F 8A
85 A9
80 EB
00 29
80 67
AD IS
E9 8C
01 86
00 SO
10 80
36 A9
86 20
4 4 0B
60 BO
AE 06
08 26
4 8 FB
01 A0
60 38
C9 18
AD AC
AD C8
00 EE
09 40
09 B0
AO 50
80 EF
FF 40
A2 81
98 94
A9 9C
21 83
20 B9
4C FB
87 90
05 53
BE 8A
A2 96
BO 70
A9 IE
2A 77
EF 36
A2 96
BE AS
95 7D
C0 08
84 65
38 23
90 53
00 8B
83 44
ac DS
83 F3
24 08
B0 62
AD 80
84 DC
93 EE
13 18
84 82
99 5B
81 FF
AD BC
20 88
84 85
4A 26
29 27
67 65
2C 3B
10 50
E8 FC
01 86
8C 39
20 EO
85 14
00 44
09 C5
AA 07
EB OA
62 eA
8E 2F
6C SE
JULY 1993 COMPUTE G-29
PROGRAMS
8540:85
8548:95
8550:A0
8558:B9
8560:F1
8563:8^
8570:F0
8578:AD
B5S0:49
8588:10
8590:B9
8598;F7
85A0:D9
3SAa:78
85B0:1A
85B8:85
85CB:85
85C8:aA
85D0:2E
85D8:9D
85E0:85
85E8:EE
85F0:A5
85F8:Afl
3600:03
8608:84
8610:06
8618:20
8620:C9
8e28:0A
8630:E0
8638:48
8640:AD
8648:82
865ffl:D9
8658:82
8660:8D
8668:86
8670:A9
8678:1A
8680:AD
8688:F9
8690:8C
8e98:9A
86A0:86
86A8:E9
3eB0:A0
86B3:B9
86C0:F1
86C8:D1
36n0:FF
8608:60
36e:0:86
86E8:DC
86F3:F6
8D El
85 8D
27 B9
C0 DB
A9 00
10 FA
4A 4A
00 DD
C0 09
AD EB
9F SA
60 8A
85 AD
AD 18
8D BD
01 A0
B9 9F
2E D7
D7 8 5
FF FF
69 08
DA 85
01 09
60 A0
86 A9
86 B0
90 EC
84 86
04 F0
AA 38
8C 8D
FD El
D8 82
AD D9
82 20
68 8D
SB 83
AD 49
00 A0
D0 AD
0D DC
E0 BC
60 AD
8D D0
AD E8
8C 8D
27 B9
72 8E
60 A0
86 EE
FF 99
20 88
80 00
82 60
86 20
86F8
8700
870B:2A
R7ia:F0
8718:05
8720:80
8728:85
8730:68
8738:48
8740:CA
8748:80
8750:20
3758:05
3760:87
8768:C6
07 87 0A
87 20 07
23 21
IB A0
88 10
9D 9F
68 AS
68 68
A5 C6
D0 FD
02 DC
9F FF
8D 6C
F0 D9
68 AA
ac 8D
54 85
C0 07
99 72
A0 27
60 AD
09 03
SA eA
00 60
80 F0
99 C0
43 AD
E9 8C
D0 4A
85 A5
00 A9
8A 0A
85 0A
A2 07
CA 10
8D 09
C8 C0
04 85
FF 8C
00 0A
0A AD
4C EF
B0 EF
3A B0
AD D8
D8 82
8C 8D
79 00
82 79
SF 37
D8 82
4C F4
8D 29
00 80
19 D0
60 38
AD D9
E8 8C
86 A9
8C 8D
D4 86
4A 8E
99 C0
00 20
D4 86
FF FF
84 A2
82 20
20 EF
96 84
0A 0A
87 09
87 CA
0F D9
F8 30
8A 98
E8 60
4C C2
48 A0
88 00
A9 00
A5 C5
87 F0
8D 6C
A9 40
E3 ac
8D B7
99 4A
BE 88
99 C0
18 Da
8D 83
6A 29
A9 00
0C A0
07 88
E8 8C
SD DA
29 01
01 29
00 BD
2E D7
80 06
BD FF
F7 AD
85 90
28 D0
01 58
03 86
0A AS
03 86
87 C8
AD 03
40 0A
82 48
AD D9
D9 82
8D 8D
01 8D
63 8D
60 A9
82 20
04 D0
0D DC
8D 19
AD D8
82 P-9
D0 19
8E 8D
D3 86
20 C2
99 C0
DB 88
CF 86
A0 3F
88 D0
09 20
P7 86
86 60
A2 00
0A 8D
00 60
20 36
0E 8D
EF B9
48 20
68 68
83 78
flA A2
F8 A9
BD 03
C9 40
DE CD
37 68
58 60
8D
19
86
CE
SE
7A
10
74
DB
D5
29
B9
35
3B
C0
CC
D0
FB
27
0D
10
SE
8D
45
85
24
09
6D
FB
BB
07
IB
85
D7
85
71
FF
F2
09
F4
33
EB
CC
74
63
B9
EE
Fl
20
4F
C9
FF
C3
9E
86
F4
A3
IB
FD
26
82
11
13
DE
08
GC
8D
DD
D9
C0
80
69
26
70
13
34
8C
4D
D0
CD
82
F5
El
E5
A9
C3
Dl
4D
AD
B8
86
80
07
17
10
41
EE
2F
B9
7A
F7
CC
F7
EB
8D
F3
8E
FB
23
57
05
ES
A9
E6
87
9B
F0
76
IE
30
85
A5
68
95
SA
F2
FF
A4
FF
EE
DC
ED
D0
58
6C
5E
35
5B
AD
B6
8770;
8773;
8780;
8788;
8790;
8793;
87A0;
87Aa;
87B0;
87B8:
87C0;
87C8:
37D0:
3708:
87E0:
87EB:
87F0:
87F8;
8800;
8808;
3310:
8818:
8820:
8828:
8830:
8838:
8840:
8848:
8850:
8858:
3860:
3868:
8870:
3878:
3880:
8888:
8890:
8898:
88A0:
8SA8:
88B0:
BBB8:
8aC0:
38CB:
8800:
3803:
88E0:
BBEB:
83F0:
88F8:
3900:
3903:
8910:
8918:
8920:
8928:
8930:
8938:
8940:
8948:
8950:
B958i
8960:
8968:
8970:
8978:
8983:
3988:
8990:
8998:
D7
29
82
07
;8D 8D
;0C 8D
:32 BD
;95 37
;06 20
;BA 87
:D9 82
:D0 05
:6D DB
:3D 60
B5 00
.F7 60
, IC A0
:O0 82
:20 20
:83 28
:1D A0
:84 20
34 AD
35 A0
0A 4A
4C 0C
90 0B
Al 87
20 CA
F0 97
82 08
87 4A
AD 07
AF D0
D0 8F
29 DE
37 4C
55
A0
03
88
00
23
82 D0
88 A0
IB
DB
20
32
D9 82
69 01
83 ED
D2 82
AD 08
90 03
61
03
84
4C
Dl 82
60 20
4 9 3D
0E E0
99 4A
0E C8
30 46
B9 4A
32 60
09 AD
EF 82
B2 32
49 80
C9 54
18 AD
BD C8
4A 8D
13 83
CB 20
3F 84
48 8D
3D 95
F9 82
D7 82
3F 84
C9 03
B3 87
AD 09
60 AD
AD 4 7
B2 8D
CB BC
99 DB
20 6F
01 BC
A9 EA
83 20
4C F4
02 20
97 87
8C 83
02 4C
4a 43
8 8 AC
A2 00
4C 0C
87 30
C9 02
20 20
4A 90
82 C9
96 A9
4A 90
C9 BE
0C 88
C9 78
23 74
70 86
AE AD
01 20
13 83
AD 02
4C DF
8D DB
D8 82
E9 00
82 69
EE D9
AD 49
EC 82
AD 09
EF 32
AE E0
6C F0
8D CE
48 28
8D 68
8D 8D
AD ES
47 8D
AD 49
08 8E
4C EF
D0 IB
Dl 82
AD D2
SB 33
A0 01
D0 82
80 D2
55 88
87 A8
68 29
A0 01
A9 00
F0 14
4C AA
82 69
48 SD
8D A0
DB 82
Dl 87
82 CA
87 C9
61 84
8D 09
D7 82
82 eA
D0 82
A9 80
DO 03
FC 85
E7 20'
DS 82
20 CA
88 AE
C7 20
00 0B
83 EA
15 4A
AE F0
06 8D
97 AD
D0 A7
AD 07
00 07
86 C9
A9 01
07 82
00 82
6D DB
B2 69
as 49
82 38
SD DS
80 09
32 SD
82 A9
SD 48
AO 08
82 30
AC B2
33 E0
03 AO
B2 32
B9 4A
4C 3B
49 8D
83 C9
8D B2
8D 43
47 8D
82 AD
AC B2
69 02
82 69
8C B2
20 D0
BE Dl
82 BD
4A 4A 99
B9 2E 69
E3 09 D9
20 D0 3E
63 AD 30
4 A B0 DA
87 20 E5
00 8D 91
AO 07 F4
OF 18 C0
8C 3B 0B
AO 01 87
88 10 DB
02 D0 2F
83 20 SD
82 08 CS
20 2F C2
6A 90 CF
8D 3A EF
BD 61 9A
4C FA 8E
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Ed Balchick is an electrical engineer
from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, wtio en-
joys programming in maciiine lan-
guage and in C. Ted Green is an un-
employed painter from Cleveland,
Ohio, who also enjoys programming.
They both enjoy modifying other peo-
ple's games so they (Ed and Ted) can
win them.
RASCALS
By Bob Broderick
Just before dozing off during another bor-
ing tiaul of galactic space animals in
your freighter, you notice a red light on
the control panel. Uh-oh! That warning
light means there's been a power failure
in the cargo hold, and all of the animals
have escaped from their electric holding
cells. They are a wild and dangerous
bunch, but you've got to get them cor-
ralled. Without a moment's hesitation, you
suit up and set out to recapture those in-
tergalactic rascals!
Rascals combines arcade action with
strategy in a fast-paced game for the 64
that is written entirely in machine lan-
guage. To enter it, you'll have to use
MLX, our machine language entry pro-
gram. See "Typing Aids" elsewhere in
this section. When MLX prompts for start-
ing and ending addresses, respond
with the following.
Starting address: 0801
Ending address: 10B8
Be sure to save a copy of the program
before you exit MLX. Although Rascals
is written in machine language, it
loads and runs tike a BASIC program.
Playing the Game
As the brave freighter captain, you con-
trol the figure in the lower right-hand cor-
ner of the screen. Use keys I, J, L, and
K to move it up, left, right, and down,
respectively. The object is to trap afl
the moving creatures on the screen. To
do this, you must push crates that are
scattered around the screen to form a
corral, surrounding a rascal. The rascal
mustn't be able to move in any direc-
tion, including diagonally, or it will es-
cape. You can move as many crates at
one time as you like.
Warning! This is a serious game.
You have one life and can lose it by
coming in contact with a rascal. If all
the rascals have been boxed in, you've
won the game. After each game, type
Vto play again or Wto end.
A Few Questions
However, before you can begin play,
you must answer the questions on the
opening screen. The first question will
ask you how many rascals you want
loose in the hold. Enter a number from
1 to 7. Remember, the fewer rascals
there are, the faster they'll go!
The next question regards the num-
ber of crates available to you. A high-
er number will give you more boxes,
making the game easier. A setting of 1
will give you the least amount of
crates.
The third question regulates the
speed at which the rascals move. A set-
ting of 1 is the lastest, while 9 is the
slowest. Finally, you will need to con-
firm your answers to begin play.
A timer at the top of the screen
counts the number of moves the ras-
cals have made, so you can compete
against your best efforts. Enjoy — and
get those rascals!
RASCALS
0301:3C 03 0A 00 9E 20 32 30 64
0809:36 34 00 00 00 00 FF A2 E3
0811:00 BD 49 03 9D EB IF E3 FD
0319:D0 F7 EE 14 03 EE 17 08 E0
0821:AD 17 08 C9 29 D0 E3 A9 73
0829:38 A2 31 A0 39 8D 07 03 44
0831:8E 08 08 8C 09 03 E3 SE ID
0839:0A 08 4C 00 20 00 00 00 DA
JULY 1993 COMPUTE G-31
PROGRAMS
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G-32 COMPUTE JULY 1993
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A2
Sob Broderick is a student at California
High School and has been program-
ming for about five years. He wrote Ras-
cals because he wanted a small ar-
cade-style game that he could play
with relative ease and few rules. He
lives in San Ramon, California.
SCUD
By William F. Snow
There has been a lot of discussion over
the past few years about how little peo-
ple know about world geography. For ex-
ample, do you know the names of all of
the countries in the Americas? Can you
at least venture a guess as to how many
there are in North, Central, and South
America? Give up? There are 35! Despite
its military-sounding name. Scud will
help you learn the names and capitals of
these 35 countries.
Enterlig the Program
Scud is an entertaining and fun way to
learn something about the countries of
the Americas. It's written entirely in BA-
SIC. To help avoid typing errors, enter
it with The Automatic Proofreader. See
"Typing Aids" elsewhere in this sec-
tion, Be sure to save a copy of the pro-
gram before you try to run it.
Playing Scud isn't difficult. Plug a
joystick into port 2 and then load and
run Scud. The opening screen will
give brief instructions for playing the
game. After a short pause, you will be
presented with the name of a country
and asked to choose the capital from
a list of three. If you choose incorrect-
ly, you are given the correct answer in
a special bulletin.
Defend the Gty
If you choose correctly, the city will be
displayed, sirens will wail, and missiles
will be launched at the city. It will then
be your responsibility to use your
Scud missiles to try to shoot down any
enemy rockets before they reach the
city. Use the joystick to aim your
Scud. A total of three missiles will be
launched from different positions dur-
ing each attack. If you shoot down all
three, you will have saved the city.
Modifications
Scud was written to help teach the
names and capitals of the countries of
the Americas. Since Scud is written en-
tirely in BASIC, it should be very easy
to modify the game so that the capitals
of any other group of countries or
states could be taught. The names of
the countries, followed by their capi-
tals, are in data statements in lines
1200-1300.
In order to modify the game,
change this data to whatever group
you wish to work with. Then, the foltow-
ing code should be changed to reflect
the number of countries or states you
have entered into the data statements:
the dimension statements in line 40;
the FOR in line 80; the number of coun-
tries in tines 150, 160, 170 (the scram-
ble routine); and the end-of-game rou-
tine in line 200.
Scud is fun to play and wilt quickly
teach the names and capitals of the
countries of the Americas to anyone
who wants to learn them.
SCUD
BH 10 REM COPYRIGHT 1993 - COM
PUTE PUBLICATIONS - ALL
{SPACElRIGHTS RESERVED
OD 20 REM BY WM. F. SNOW
GG 30 GOSUB1020
XJ 40 CLR:DIM QS(35) ,AS(35) ,C0
$(35) ,CA$(35) ,Y(35) :V=53
24 8:StJ = 5 4272:POKESN+24,l
5
GS 50 POKE53280,7;POKE53281,7:
POKEV+31,0
QD 60 POKESN+4,0:PRINT"{CLR}
{8 D0WbJ}"SPC(14)"{BLU}PL
EASE WAIT":PRINT"
{3 DOWN) (3 SPACESlOUR SP
lES ARE";
CD 70 PRINT" CHECKING ON THE E
NEMY"
DE 80 FOR QA=1T035:READQS(QA) ,
A$ (QA) ;NEXT
BE 90 FOR S=12288 TO 12351;REA
DSP:P0KES,SP:NEXT
AB 100 FORS=12352TO 12415:READ
SP;POKES,SP:NEXT
QD 110 FORS=12416 TO 12479:REA
D SP:POKES,SP:NEXT
BM 120 FORS=12480TO12543:READS
P:POKES,SP:NEXT
AK 130 FORS=12544 TO 12607:REA
D SP:P0KES,SP:NEXT
JE 140 FORS=12e08 TO 12671:REA
DSP:POKES,SP:HEXT
FH 150 FOR 1=1 TO 35
KG 160 X=INT (RND (. ) *35)+l
FC 170 FOR CK=1 T035:IF X=Y (CK
)THEN160
SM 180 NEXTCK:Y{I)=X
BD 190 CO$(X)=Q$ (I) :CA${X)=AS(
I) :NEXTI
GS 200 SC=0:FORI=1TO4:POKEV+I,
0 : NEXT : POKEV+ 21 , 0 : P=P+1
:IF p>35THENP»35:GOT011
40
AS 210 POKE53280,13:POKE53281,
1
MD 220 JR=INT (RND(.)*10)+2
RC 230 PRINT" {CLR}{ 10 DOWN}
{4 SPACES} SCUDS HAVE BE
JULY 1993 COMPUTE G-33
PROGRAMS
PB
240
SF
250
BK
26a
GJ
27a
RF
280
MP
290
JD
300
OF
TO"
: IF Q
:IF R
HD 310
MX 320
SB
GC
330
340
HG 353
XP 360
SG
FG
370
330
KG 390
QE 490
PE
AK
410
420
JG 430
n (^Me)440
CR 450
HX 460
AB
HC
470
480
EN LAUNCHED AT THE
PRINTSPCO) "CAPITAL
[SPACE} CBLK)"C0$ (P)
PRINT:PRINTSPC(12) "
(BLU) SHOULD YOU GO
Q=INT (RND(.) *10)+1
=P THEN260
R=INT (RND(.) *10)+1
=P OR R=Q THEN270
POKE2040,192:POKEV+2 9,1
:POKEV+4 0,1
S = IOT (RND(. )*3}+l:0N S
{SPACE}GOTO300,34 0,383
PRINT:PRINTSPC (9) "{BLK}
A) {BLU}"CAS(P) :PRINT:PR
INTSPC(9) "lBLK)B) (BLU]"
CA$(Q)
PRINT:PRINTSPC(9) "{BLK}
C) {BLU}"CAS (R) :PRINTSPC
(9) "{3 DOWN) {CYN}HIT Q
CSPACE)TO END GAME"
G0SUB6aQ:IF BS="A"THEN4
20
GOSUB820:GOTO200
PRINT:PRINTSPC(9) "{BLK}
A) {BLU)"CA$ (Q) :PRINT:PR
INTSPC(9)"{BLK}B) {BLU}"
CAS{P)
PRINT: PRINTS PC (9) "{BLK}
C) {BLU)"CA$(R) SPRINTS PC
(9)"{3 DOWN} {CYH}HIT Q
[ SPACE }T0 END GAME"
GOSUB6a0:IF B$="B"THEN4
20
GOSUB820:GOTO200
PRINT:PRINTSPC(9) "{BLK}
A) {BLU}"CA$(R) :PRINT:PR
INTSPCO) "fBLK}B) {BLU}"
CA$(Q)
PRINT: PRINTSPC{9) "{BLK}
C) {BLU}"CA$ (P) :PRINTSPC
(9) "{3 DOWN}{CYN}HIT Q
{SPACE}TO END GAME"
GOSUB6a0:IF BS="C"THEN4
20
GOSUB820:GOTO200
PRINT" {CLR}": POKES 3 280,
13:P0KE532S1,13
PRINT" {HOME} (18 DOWB}"S
PC (8) "{BLK}B": PRINTS PC (
7)"{PUR}NPE2 SPACES}
{RVS} {OFF}"
PRINT"{3 SPACES}{BLK}
{H}{A}rOP* OP": PRINT"
{4 SPACES) {PUR}OP^T}
{RVS} {OFF)<{N>BP{@}NP"
PRINT" {3 SPACEST{BLKTo
{SPACE){N> {RVS} (off!
{N>B{PUR}M M{N>";GOS0Bl
120
POKEV+21,3:XA=7 5:YA=200
: POKE 204 1 , 1 94 ; POKEV+39 ,
11:POKEV+40,6
SC=SC+1:IFSC>3 THEN GOS
UB970:GOTO200
PS=INT(RND(.)*3)+1:0N P
S GOTO490,720,77a
SQ 490 POKE2040,192:POKEV+39,1
1;X=60:XX=255:FORA=1TO2
5 : XX=XX-3 : POKEV, XX
XX 500 POKEV+1,X:GOSUB570
QA 510 POKEV+2,XA:POKEV+3,YA:N
EXT
EH 520 POKEV+3a,0
SX 530 POKE204a,l93:FORA=lTO50
:XX=XX-3:X=X+3: POKEV, XX
:POKEV+1,X:GOSUB570
KE 540 IFFB=0ANDPEEK(V+30) AND2
=2THEN GOSUB630:GOTO470
BF 550 POKEV+2,XA;POKEV+3,YA:I
F(P'JEK(V+31) AND1)=1THEN
910
RR 560 NEXT;GOTO200
MP 570 JY=PEEK(56320) AND15:FB=
PEEK(56320)AND16:REM RE
AD STICK AND BUTTON
FA 580 IFJY=7THENXA=XA+JR: IF X
A>255THEN XA=255
Bfl 590 IFJY=11THENXA=XA-JR: IFX
A<1 THEN XA=1
JD 600 IFJY=13THENYA=YA+JR: IF
{SPACE}YA>250 THEN YA=2
50
SS 610 IFJY=14THENYA=YA-JR: IF
{SPACE}yA<l THEN YA=1
XR 620 RETURN
HQ 630 POKE2040,195:POKEV+39,2
:GOSUB1100:POKEV,+ 23,1:P
OKEV+29,1
DM 640 F0REC=1T03:P0KEV+39,EC:
FORDE=1TO70 : NEXT : NEXT : P
OKEV,0:POKEV+1,0
MS 650 POKEV+3l,0:POKEV+23,0:R
ETURN
GS 660 GET B$:IF BS="" THEN66a
QB 670 RETURN
MM 680 GET B$: IFBS=""THEN6a3
KB 693 IF BS="A"0RB5="C"0RB$="
B"THENRETURN
SA 700 IF BS="Q"THEN1140
XC 710 GOTO 6 80
XF 720 POKE2a40,196:POKEV+39,l
1 : POKEV, 60 :FORVS=3T0 203
STEP5:GOSUB570
EG 730 POKEV+1,VS:POKEV+30,0:P
0KEV+2,XA
EG 740 P0KEV+3,YA:IFFB=3ANDPEE
K (V+30) AND2=2THENGOSUB6
30:GOTO473
JR 753 IF (PEEK{V+31)AND1) =1 T
HEN910
GS 760 NEXT:GOTO200
DG 770 POKE2040,197:POKEV+39,1
1:POKEV,255:POKEV+1,220
DC 780 FORX=25STO0STEP-3:GOSUB
570 : POKEV,X: POKE V+30, 0
HJ 790 POKEV+2,XA:POKEV+3, YA:I
FFB=0ANDPEEK (V+30) AND2=
2THENGOSUB630:GOTO470
BM 800 IF (PEEK(V+31)AND1)=1 T
HEN910
BR 810 NEXT:GOTO200
AP 820 PRINT"{CLR}{4 DOWN}
{6 RIGHT}{RED}OM <H>
{N}{2 SPACES}<H}
{2 SPACES}{HH2 SPACES}
0{Y> {Y}H2 Y} B -(N}M
T2 SPACES}{HJ-"
DB 830 PRINT"{6 RIGHT5LN <H}
{NJ{2 SPACES }{H}
{2 SPACES}{HH2 SPACES}
L-fP}{2 SPACES}<N>
13 SPACES}B {NJ M {H}"
KR 840 PRINT"{6 RIGHT}<H}M <H}
■tN>{2 SPACES}<H}
{2 spaces}{h}{2 spaces}
<hH3 spacesHn}
{3 SPACES}B <N>
{2 SPACES}H{H>"
FB S5^ PRINT"{6 RIGHT}LN M{P>N
{2 SPACES}L{P> L-fP} L
<P}{2 SPACES}{N>
{3 SPACES}B {N}
(3 SPACES HH}"
MA 360 PRINT "(3 DOWN} {BLK} "SP
C{4)CA5 (P) : PRINT "{BLU}
{SPACE}THE CAPITAL OF
{BLK}":PRINTSPC(4)C0$ (P
)
CQ B70 PRINT"{BLU}{2 SPACES }HA
S BEEN DESTROYED " ;
RP 880 PRINT"BY SCUD MISSLES.
{3 SPACES}THE PERSON WH
0 COULD HAVE SAVED THE
{SPACE}CITYDID";
BA 890 PRINT" NOT HAVE ENOUGH
{SPACE}lNF0RMATI0N TO G
ET{2 SPACES}TO THE RICH
T CITY IN TIME."
XS 900 PRINT"{3 DOWN) {a RIGHT)
■C6JHIT ANY KEY TO CONTI
NUECBLU}":GOSUB660:RETU
RN
MP 910 POKEV+21,0:PRINT"{HOME}
(20 DOWN)"SPC (4) "{RED}M
•tF>{5 SPACES)N N":GOSU
B1100
AR 920 PRINTSPC(4)"N M
{4 SPACES }N NNM N"
QP 930 PRINTSPC(3) "TM MfQ^IBBN
{ + JP{2 £j-Q":POKESN + 4,0
MC 940 FORDE'l TO500: NEXT : FORC
L=1704TO190 3:POKECL,32:
NEXT
FJ 950 PRINTSPC(3) "{UP}{BLK)
{D}{0} <K}{£}{2 IJR{R}
L{£>@-C + ><7}":F0RDE = 1T
Oia00;NEXT
QF 960 POKEV, 0:POKEV+1,0:POKEV
+31,a:GOTO230
PC 970 POKEV+21,0
RH 980 PRINT"{CLR} {5 DOWN)
(4 RIGHT} {BLK}THANK YOU
! !":PRINT:PRINT"{BLU}YO
UR KNOWLEDGE AND MARKSM
ANSHIP";
AM 990 PRINT" HAVE {4 SPACES )SA
VED{BLK)": PRINT :PRINTCA
S (P) :PRINT;PRINT"{BLU}T
HE CAPITAL OF{BLK}"
HR 1000 PRINTlPRINT COS(P):PRI
G-34 COMPUTE JULY 1993
NT"iBLU)"
DB 1010 PRItJT"(5 DOWN} (WHT)HIT
ANY KEY TO CONTINUE
[BLU)":GOSUB660:SS=SS+
1:RETURN
JA 1020 POKE532a0,10:POKE53281
,10
PG 1030 PRINT"[CLR) {3 DOWN}
[BLK)"SPC{12) "N{2 T}
[2 SPACES)H<(2 T>
{2 SPACES XGJ {M}
{2 SPACES )OM":PRINTSPC
(12)"Ht@>{3 SPACES}-tGJ
{4 SPACEsitG} (M}
{2 SPACES}{G}{H}"
qa 1040 printspc{14) "h
{2 spaces j-cg j
{4 spacesHg> <M>
{2 spacesHghm}":prin
TSPC{12) "{2 @>N
{2 SPACES }M{2 @>
{2 SPACES}Mi@>N
{2 SPACES }LN"
JD 1050 PRINT" {3 DOWN}{BLU}
{3 SPACES }THE enemy IS
LAUNCHING SCUD HISSIL
ES at national CAPITAL
S";
KM 1060 PRINT" in the AMERICAS
. {3 SPACES}YOUR JOB IS
TO GET TO THE CAPITAL
UNDER ATTACK";
KG 1070 PRINT" AND DESTROY THE
MISSILES. USE A
(2 SPACES}JOYSTICK IN
{SPACE) PORT TWO,";
RP 1080 PRIST" BUT BE CAREFUL,
[2 SPACES}EOUIPMENT IN
DIFFERENT CITIES DOES
NOT ";
DF 1090 PRINT" ALWAYS RESPOND
{SPACElWITH THE SAME S
PEED. ":GOSUB900: RETURN
KG 1100 POKESN+4,129:POKESN+5,
92:POKESN+l, 1:P0KESN,1
00:FORF=1TO9 99:NEXT:PO
KESN+4,0
CE 1110 RETURN
PD 1120 p6kRSN+14,5:P0KESN+13,
16:POKESN+3,l:POKESN+6
,240:POKESN+4,65
CJ 1130 POKESN,240:POKESN+1,20
:POKEV+30,0:RETURN
QD 1140 PRINT"{CLR} { 5 DOWN}
{7 RIGHT} YOU SAVED "SS
" OUT OF THE "P
SG 1150 PRINT:PRINT"{8 RIGHT}C
ITIES THAT WERE ATTACK
ED"
AA 1160 PRINT"{5 DOWN}
{5 RIGHT }W01ILD YOU LIK
E TO TRY AGAIN (Y/N) ":
GOSUB660
FA 1170 IF B$="N"THEN END
AX 1180 IFB$="Y"THEN RUN 40
CR 1190 GOTO1140
SJ 1200 DATAANTIGUA & BARBUDA,
ST. JOHNS, BAHAMAS, NASS
AU, BELIZE, BELMOPAN
EK 1210 DAT ACANADA, OTTAWA, COST
A RICA, SAN JOSE, CUBA, H
AVANA, DOMINICA, ROSEAU
PB 1220 DATADOMINICAN REPUBLIC
, SANTO DOMINGO, EL SALV
ADOR,SAN SALVADOR, GREN
ADA
FS 1230 DATAST. GEORGE ' S,GUATE
MALA, GUATEMALA, HAITI, P
ORT-AU-PRINCE, HONDURAS
XC 1240 DATATEGUCIGALPA.JAMAIC
. A, KINGSTON, MEXICO, MEXI
CO CITY, NICARAGUA, MANA
GUA
KG 1250 DATA PANAMA, PANAMA CITY
, SAINT LUCIA, CASTRIES,
SAINT VINCENT & THE GR
ENADINES
HJ 1260 DATAKINGSTOWN, TRINIDAD
& TOBAGO, PORT OF SPAI
N, UNITED STATES, WASHIN
GTON D.C.
BP 1270 DAT AARGENT I NA, BUENOS A
IRES, BOLIVIA, LA PAZ, BR
AZrL,BRASILIA,CHILE,SA
NT I AGO
MX 1280 DATACOLOMBIA, BOGOTA, EC
UAD0R,QUITO,GUYANA,GEO
RGETOWN , PARAGUAY , ASUNC
ION
KE 1290 DATAPERU,LIMA,SURINAME
, PARAMARI BO , URUGU AY ,M0
NT I VI DEO, VENEZUELA, CAR
ACAS
FS 1300 DATABARBADOS,BRIDGETOW
N,ST. KITTS 4 NEVIS, BA
SSETERRS
FE 1310 DATA00a,000,000,000,00
0,000,00 0,000,000,000,
00 0,000,000,000,000,00
0,000
GG 1320 DATA001,00a,000,003,00
0,000,007,000,024,015,
000,104,127,000,143,25
5,000
EB 1330 DATA143,255,000,104,12
7,000,024,015,000,000,
007,000,000,003,000,00
0,001
SG 1340 DATA000,000,000,000,00
0,000, 000, 000, 000, 000,
000,000,000,000,000,00
0,000
CJ 1350 DATA000,000,000,000,00
0,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,004,00
0,000
FR 13-60 DATA006,000,000,007,00
0,000,007,12 8,00 0,00 7,
192,000,007,224,000,00
7,240
PX 1370 DATA003,007,248,000,00
7,252,000,015,254,000,
028,000,000,120,000,00
0,144
RF 1380 DATA0g0,000,144,000,00
0, 224, 000, 000, 000, 000,
000,000,000,000,000,00
0,000
KK 1390 DATA000,000,000,000,00
0,000,000,000,000,000,
000, 008, 000, 000, 008, 00
0,000
GK 1400 DATA008,000,000,008,00
0,000,255,128,000,008,
00 0,000,00 8,0 00,0 00,00
8,000
AC 1410 DATA000,008,000,000,00
0,000,000,000,000,000,
00 0,000,00 0,000,000,00
0,000
MA 1420 DATA00a,000,000,0OO,00
0,000,032,000,008,03 2,
032,004,032,000,000,03
2,000
KF 1430 DATA001,002,000,000,13
2,000,000,072,000,128,
048,000,064,120,002,09
2,252
FH 1440 DATA248,128,120,002,00
0 ,048,000,003,072,000,
00 0,13 2,0 00,001,002,00
0,000
CS 1450 DATA016,000,000,016,O0
0,008,016,032,016,016,
032,000,000,000,000,00
0,000
BK 1460 DATA000,003,255,128,00
1,215,000,000,214,000,
00 0,12 4,000,000,056,00
0,000
RR 1470 DATA040,000,000,040,00
0,000,040,000,003,040,
000,000,040,000,000,04
0,000
EC 1480 DATA000,340,000,000,04
0,000,000,040,000,000,
056,000,000,016,000,00
0,016
QP 1490 DATA000, 000, 016,000,00
0,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,00
0,000
BA 1500 DATA000,000,000,000,00
0,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,00
0,000
FK 1510 DATA003,000,000,007,00
0,000,025,015,255,241,
000,00 0,0 2 5,000,000,00
7,000
JE 1520 DATA000,003,000,000,00
0,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,00
0,000
PD 1530 DATA800,000,000,00O,00
0,000,000,000,000,000
William Snow, a teacher for more than
27 years, is vice president of the
McHenry County Commodore Comput-
er Club in fvicHenry, tllinois.
JULY 1993 COMPUTE G-35
PROGRAMS
CRYPTARITHM SOLVER
By David Pankhurst
When I first bought my Commodore, i
used it often to solve math problems. I
liked the brute-force approach the com-
puter allowed. I'd just have a series of
FOR-NEXT loops go through the possible
answers until a solution would appear,
That was fine most of the time, but even-
tually I came across a type of math prob-
lem the computer couldn't help me with,
the cryptarithm. You've no doubt seen
this type of problem before.
HELP
+ THE
YOUNG
Each letter represents a different digit,
0-9. In this example, there are ten dif-
ferent letters, so all ten digits are
used. The words HELP and THE each
make numbers that, when added to-
gether, match the result in YOUNG.
There are no restrictions, except that 0
can't be the first digit in any number.
Clearly, this isn't a simple loop prob-
lem. Let's say the H above was as-
signed 1; the E, 2; the L, 3; and so on
throughout the puzzle. A sample addi-
tion could then be tried, and the result
checked.
So how many times does this need
to be done? To completely check the
puzzle, H has to be tried out for each
of the 9 digits (leaving out 0), Eby
each of the remaining 9, the L by the
remaining 8, and so on. This gives ap-
proximately 9x9x8x7x6x5x
4x3x2x1 choices, or 3,265,920 dif-
ferent combinations. That's a lot of
loops in BASIC! If the 64 managed one
calculation per second, it would take
more than 35 days to complete.
To the Rescue
Enter machine language. Cryptarithm
Solver brings ML brute force to these
puzzles. In a matter of hours, it can
solve most cryptarithms. A puzzle is
first broken up into combinations, and
the computer tries different substitu-
tions for each letter.
If the result is correct (totals on both
sides of the equal sign match) the puz-
zle is solved. The program then goes
on to see if there are other solutions.
G-36 COMPUTE JULY 1993
Typing It In
Cryptarithm Solver is written in BASIC,
but it pokes machine language rou-
tines into memory to speed calcula-
tions. To help avoid typing errors, en-
ter the program with The Automatic
Proofreader; see "Typing Aids" else-
where in this section. Be sure to save
a copy of the program before you try to
run it.
Solving Equations
When you run Cryptarithm Solver, the
program will prompt you for a puzzle.
To solve the above problem, enter it in
the following format, ('y'ou may use low-
ercase letters.)
HELP+TH£=YOUNG
After you press Return, the program
displays a constantly changing sum in
the bottom of the screen. This is a win-
dow into the processing of the pro-
gram. The display is the test result pro-
duced by each combination. Usually,
the result is wrong, and the next com-
bination is then tried. However, when
the result is true, the solution is dis-
played, along with the time it took to
find. Processing then continues with
the next combination.
No Key Words
You need to watch out for one thing
when you're preparing input for Cryp-
tarithm Solver. If you typed SEND +
MORE = MONEY, the program would
display an error message informing
you that the words contained an em-
bedded BASIC function or command,
This is because the BASIC commands
END, OR, and ON are embedded in
the formula, and the computer tries to
encode these as commands. To avoid
this problem, insert spaces between
the letters. SEND + MORE=MO
N E y would work fine,
Cryptarithm Solver works well with all
sorts of mathematical operations, not
just addition. One example is the follow-
ing multiplication.
ABCDE*9=FGHIJ
Entering it this way fixes the 9; only let-
ters are changed in the puzzle. By the
way there are two solutions to this puz-
zle. As with other computer math opera-
tions, be sure to enter an asterisk for
multiplication.
Cryptarithm Solver works at ML
speeds, but even that isn't fast enough
for instantaneous results. Depending
on the formula, the program can per-
form as many as 60 tests a second, so
it would still take half a day to solve
some puzzles.
Even Faster
One way to shorten the time is to put
the result first on the line. As an exam-
ple, look at MONEY=SEND+MORE.
Cryptarithm Solver starts by assigning
1 to M: usually, that is the correct digit
for the first place in the sum. So, you
can save testing for the other eight dig-
its, and this can mean solving most puz-
zles in less than an hour. The exam-
ples here ranged from 40 seconds to
three hours, using these tips.
Other Longuages
Cryptarithm Solver is not restricted to
English. It also works in French.
ELEVE+LECON=DEVOIR
This translates loosely to become STU-
DENT+LESSONS=HOMEWORK. If we
entered the words into Cryptarithm
Solver as ELEVE+LECON=DEVOIR.
the D (which logically is 1), would be as-
signed 7, and it would have to go
through the whole cycle to solve. By re-
versing the order, D is assigned 1 im-
mediately, and the solution is that
much quicker. It took me 64 minutes.
(Ill give you this one. The answer is
69656 + 96078 = 165734.)
When the program finds a solution,
leave it running to search for other an-
swers. When all reasonable solutions
have been tried, however, you'll want
to stop it. To quit, hold down the Q
key. You'll be asked if you wish to con-
tinue. Press Y to continue or N to stop.
To slow the action, hold down the Ctrl
key. But be warned; the solutions take
much longer.
I hope you enjoy Cryptarithm
Solver, yet one more way the brute-
force methods of computing can yield
practical results and eliminate all that
difficult thinking for us humans. To end,
here are two more puzzles:
PETER+PETER+PETER+PETER=REP£AT
IVIARS+VENUS+SATURN-i-URANUS=NEPTUNE
CRYPTARITHM SOLVER
PH 100 REM COPYRIGHT 1993 - CO
MPUTE PUBLICATIONS INTL
LTD - ALL BIGHTS RESER
VED
RH 105 POKE 53280, 0:POKE 53281
,0:PRINT"{CLR} CYELKH}
W"
XK 110 PRINT" {8 SPACES }CRYPTAR
ITHHS[2 SPACES}^OLVBR
AQ 120 PRINT" {11 SPACES }BY D.P
ANKHURST
BX 130 PRINT
RE 140 INPUT "CODE STRING";XS
XB 150 DIM L(2fi) :L=0:GOSUB350:
PP=P:YS="10234567a9"
EM 160 FOR 1=1 TO LEN(YS);POKE
C-l+I ,ASC(MIDS (YS,I ,1)
):NEXT:POKE CH,LEN(Y5)-
1
AR 170 FOR 1=1 TO LEH(X$):P0KE
511 + 1 ,ASC(MID5 (XS,I,1)
) :NEXT:POKE I,0;SYS 491
55
SD 174 FOR J=l TO I-1:IF PEEK(
SH+J)THEN 178
AM 176 PRINT"{RVS} EMBEDDED BA
SIC FUNCTION OR COMMAND
{OFF}":END
GE 178 NEXT;Y=1
JX 180 IF PEEK(511+Y) <>0 THEN
{SPACE)Y=Y+1:G0T0 180
QQ 190 FOR K=l TO Y-1:C=PEEK(5
11 + K) :CS=CHR$ (C) :IF CS<
"A" OR C$>"Z" THEN250
PX 200 IF L=0 THEM230
CR 210 Y=-1:F0R 1=0 TO L-1:IF
{SPACE)L(I)=C THEN Y=I
CG 220 NEXT: IF YO-l THEN240
PA 230 L(L)=C: Y=L:L=L+1
SA 240 POKE PP,K:POKE PP+1,Y:P
P=PP+2
HC 250 NEXT: POKE PC,PP-P:FOR I
=0 TO L-1:P0KE X+I,I:NE
XT: POKE MX,L-1
DC 260 PRINT"{CLR)" ; :F=0
CS 270 PRINT"{HOMEl {24 DOWN] "
XS;:SYS 49152
MS 280 POKE 198,0:Y=PEEK(78i)
EB 290 IF y=255 AND F=0 THEN P
RINT:PRINT"{UP} {RVS| SO
RRY-KO MATCH {OFr)":GOT
0340
SO 300 IF Y=255 THEN PRINT: PRI
NT"{UP}{RVS} END OF LIS
TS {OFF)":GOTO340
PP 310 IF YOl THEN330
DK 320 F=F+1:PRINT"{2 SPACES}"
INT (T 1/6 )/10 "SECONDS"; :
PRINT: PRINT" "X$;:SYS 4
9158:GOTO280
QH 330 IF Y=0 THEN PRINT"
{2 SPACES3C0NTINUB?"; :W
AIT 198,255:GET Y$:IF Y
S="Y"THEN270
EF 343 PRINT:PRINT" FINISHED A
T"INT (TI/6)/10 "SECONDS
":END
DD 350 TIS="000a00":DS=1984 :IF
PEEK(44)<>18 THEN GOSU
B 400
RC 360 DX=50432:NX=DX+1:MX=NX+
l:X=MX+l:T=X+30:CM=T+8fl
:C=CM+1:PC=C+30:P=PC+1:
R=P+a0
DR 370 RETURN
RS 400 RESTORE:FOR 1=0 TO-1 ST
EP-l:REAn y$:I=VAL (YS) =
-1:NEXT:X= 49152; data -
1
HQ 410 READ Y:IF YO-2 THEN PO
KE X,Y:X=X+1:G0T0 410
KA 420 RETURN
HP 430 DATA{2 SPACBS)24,144, 3
0, 76, {2 SPACES)9,192,
{SPACE}56
AQ 440 DATA 176, 24,165,122, 7
2,165,123
FC 450 D&T&{2 SPACES)72,169,
{2 SPACES}2,133,123,169
,{2 SPACES }0
SH 460 DATA 133,122, 32,124,16
5,104,133
SE 470 DATA 123,104,133,122, 9
6,173, {2 SPACES} 2
FK 480 DATA 197,141, {2 SPACES}
0,197,165,122, 72
XH 490 DATA 165,123, 72,176,
C2 SPACES}6, 32, 63
KR 500 DATA 192, 76, 56,192, 3
2,137,192
ER 510 DATA 104,133,123,104,13
3,122, 96
FB 520 DATA 174,244,197,142, 6
9,198,206
JD 530 DATA{2 SPACES)69,198,17
4, 69,198,188,245
KM 540 DATA 197,190,(2 SPACES}
3,197,189,164,197
JE 550 DATA 206, 69,198,174, 6
9,198, 48
PA 560 DATA{2 SPACES)15,188,24
5,197,153,192,
(2 SPACES}7
HF 570 DATA 153,255, {2 SPACES}
1,174, 69,198, 76
SC 580 DATA{2 SPACES } 69 , 192 , 16
9,255,162,(2 SPACES}1,1
33
HB 590 DATA 122,134,123, 32,11
5,(2 SPACES}0, 32
RS 600 DATA 158,173,165, 97,24
0,{2 SPACES}3,162
HQ 610 DATA{3 SPACES}!, 96,165
,197,201, 62,208
JJ 620 DATA{3 SPACES}3,162,
(2 SPACES}0, 96,173,141
,(2 SPACES}2
HD 630 DATA 201,(2 SPACES}4,20
8, 17,169, [2 SPACES}5,1
60
DS 640 DATA 255,162,255,202,20
8,253,136
KC 650 DATA 208,248,170,202,13
8,208,241
XH 660 DATA 174, {2 SPACES}0,19
7,188,(2 SPACES}3,197,2
00
HQ 670 DATA 140,(2 SPACES} 1,19
7,174,163,197,169
AD 680 DATA(3 SPACES } 0, 157 , 83
,197,202, 16,250
JS 690 DATA 174,(2 SPACES}0,19
7,169,255,202, 48
AX 700 DATA(3 SPACES } 9, 188 ,
(2 SPACES}3,197,153, 83
,197
JM 710 DATA 202, 16,247,173,
(2 SPACES}1,197,205
HB 720 DATA 163,197,240,
(2 SPACES}2,176, 48,172
KQ 730 0ATA(3 SPACES } 1, 197 , 185
, 83,197,208, 12
RP 740 DATA 174,(2 SPACES}0,19
7,173, (2 SPACES}1, 197,1
57
QQ 750 DATA(3 SPACES } 3 , 197 , 76
,235,192,238,(2 SPACES}
1
RX 760 DATA 197, 76,199,192,17
3, (2 SPACES}0,197
QF 770 DATA 205,(2 SPACES} 2, 19
7,208,(2 SPACES}3, 76,
(SPACE} 63
RF 780 DATA 192,238,(2 SPACES)
0,197,169,(2 SPACES}0,1
41
HM 790 DATA(3 SPACES } 1 , 197 , 76
,171,192,206,(2 SPACES}
0
EM 800 DATA 197, 16,155,162,25
5, 96
XK 810 DATA -2
David Pankhurst, the author of the
Calc II spreadsheet, lives in Montreal,
Quebec, Canada.
FLASHER 64
By Henry Sopko
Focus attention to where you want it on-
screen with Flasher 64. You can make
words or graphic characters flash, scroll
the screen while they flash, and have as
many characters flashing as you want.
Flasher 64 is a short machine lan-
guage program. To enter it, use MLX, our
machine language entry program. See
"Typing Aids" elsewhere in this section.
When MIX prompts, respond with the fol-
lowing addresses.
Starting address: CCOQ
Ending address: CDF7
JULY 1993
COMPUTE G-37
PROGRAMS
Be sure to save a copy of the program
before you exit MLX.
With just two commands, you can
mal<e a word or a graphic character
flash anywhere on the screen. As with
the 128 in 80 columns, you can use
the command CHR$(15) to turn on the
flashing and use CHR$(143) to turn it
off. All characters can be made to
flash with the exception of characters
254 and 255. These two characters are
used in a special way in the program.
However, they can be used in the non-
flashing mode.
You can also use your own custom
characters as long as the screen mem-
ory stays at $0400 (default). Flasher 64
commands can be entered in both di-
rect and program modes. Since Flash-
er runs in the background using the
IRQ routine, your BASIC or machine lan-
guage programs will continue to exe-
cute as normal without slowing down.
How It Works
A second screen was necessary to ac-
complish this flashing technique. The
second screen, located at $C800, is
filled with the byte value of $FR Then,
when the command CHR$(15) is
used, the character{s) are redirected to
the second screen. The command
CHR$(143) or a carriage return will can-
cel the printing of the character(s) to
the second screen and resume print-
ing them to the main screen. While
this is happening, the IRQ routine is
scanning for characters on the second
screen. Any character other than 255
will be printed to the main screen locat-
ed at $0400 (1024).
Two phases are required to make
characters flash. The first phase puts
the characters on the screen, while the
second fills them with blank spaces giv-
ing the effect of flashing characters.
Also, it was necessary to copy the
BASIC ROM and the Kernal ROM to
the underlying RAM to support the
scrolling of the flashing characters. A
few changes were made to the Kernal
so that the two screens would be in
sync with each other when the screen
is scrolled.
To use Flasher 64 in your program,
you must first execute the program
with SYS 52224. Do this only at the be-
ginning of your program. After you
have issued this SYS command, use
G-38 COMPUTE JULY 1993
the commands CHR$(15) and
CHR$(143) to turn on and off the flash-
ing sequence.
For example, after you've entered
the SYS command, enter the following
line in immediate mode.
PRINTCHR$(15)"FLASH 0N"CHRS(143)
" FLASH OFF"
It's also possible to turn off all or
just part of a flashing word. Simply
send the character 255 to the second
screen in the area that you wish to
have the flashing stopped. In order to
send the character 255, you must first
use the PRiNTCHR$(15) and then in
quotes press the Ctrl-Rvs keys simulta-
neously. While you're still in quote
mode, hold down the Commodore logo
key along with the B key. This produc-
es a character value of 255.
A Demonstration
For a demonstration of how these com-
mands are used, enter the demo pro-
gram and study its commands. The
demo is written in BASIC. To help you
avoid typing errors, enter it with The Au-
tomatic Proofreader. Again, see "Typ-
ing Aids." Since the demo loads and
runs Flasher 64, make sure both pro-
grams are on the same disk. After
you've studied the demo, you should
easily be able to use Flasher 64 in
your own programs.
Some cartridges may interfere with
Flasher 64. To use the program with Su-
per Snapshot v5, use the cartridge's
>Q command to quit the wedge since
Flasher 64 changes the IBSOUT vec-
tors to point to its own routine. This prob-
lem occurs only in the direct mode,
FUSHER 64
CCO0:20
B6
CD
A2
75
86
SI
20
23
CC08:96
CC
A9
20
78
A2
C6
A0
D3
CC10:CC
8E
14
03
8C
15
03
58
7D
CCie:A2
00
86
92
A2
26
A0
CC
B8
CC23:8E
26
03
8C
27
03
8E
94
AA
CC2 8:CC
AE
95
CC
F0
06
20
7B
AE
CC30:CC
20
60
CC
C9
93
F0
22
Bl
CC38;C9
0F
D0
03
20
60
CC
C9
AA
CC40:aF
D0
03
20
7B
CC
C9
0D
E7
CC48:Da
0A
AE
88
02
E0
0B
90
5F
CC50:03
20
7B
CC
AE
94
CC
4C
5D
CC58:C\
Fl
23
96
CC
4C
38
CC
16
CC60:8D
91
CC
A5
02
8D
92
CC
D7
CC68:18
69
C4
85
D2
A9
CB
8D
B5
CC70:88
S2
A9
01
8D
95
CC
AD
IE
CC78:91
CC
60
8D
91
CC
AD
92
A0
CC80
CC
85
D2
A9
04
8D
88
02
40
CC88
A9
00
80
95
CC
AD
91
CC
0F
CC90
60
80
00
00
00
00
BE
91
09
CC98
CC
8C
92
CC
A2
00
A9
FF
43
CCA0
A2
00
A0
C8
86
FS
84
FC
56
CCA8
A0
00
91
FB
C8
C0
00
D0
9E
CCB0
F9
E8
E0
04
F0
05
E6
FC
44
CCB8
4C
AA
CC
A9
FE
80
E8
CB
23
CCCO
A 9
93
AE
91
CC
60
08
48
43
CCC8
8A
48
98
48
E6
02
A6
02
DF
CCD0
E0
14
F0
03
4C
21
CD
A2
53
CCD8
00
86
02
A2
00
A0
C8
86
19
CCE0
FB
84
FC
A2
00
A0
04
86
74
CCE8
FD
84
FE
AB
00
Bl
FB
C9
15
CCF9
FE
F0
28
C9
FF
D0
08
ca
04
CCF8
C0
00
F0
18
4C
ED
CC
A6
EC
coaB
92
E0
01
F0
aA
91
FD
C8
A7
CD0B
C0
00
F0
08
4C
ED
CC
A9
FF
CD10
20
4C
35
CD
E6
FC
E6
FE
44
CD18
4C
ED
CC
A5
92
49
01
85
8A
CD20
92
68
A8
68
AA
68
28
4C
4E
CD28
31
EA
A9
C8
A0
28
8D
46
DF
CD30
CD
OC
45
CD
A9
CB
A0
00
0D
CD38
8D
4D
CD
BC
4C
CD
A2
00
4F
CD40
A0
00
84
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B9
00
00
C9
44
CD4 8
FE
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28
99
00
00
C8
C0
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CD50
28
D0
Fl
18
AD
45
CD
69
7B
CD58
28
B0
25
SD
45
CD
18
AD
F0
CD60
4C
CD
69
28
B0
27
80
4C
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CD68
CD
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03
A6
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CD70
lA
D0
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A0
00
A9
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99
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CD78
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28
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60
63
CD80
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45
CD
EE
46
CD
E6
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CD88
A0
00
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CD
8D
4C
CD
EE
CD90
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CD
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00
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44
CD
78
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91
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04
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02
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91
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CDA8
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91
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20
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CD
AE
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CDB0
91
CC
58
4C
FF
E9
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30
01
CDB8
34
02
A2
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84
FB
86
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93
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00
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FB
91
FB
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82
CDC8
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20
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20
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CD
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02
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02
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DF
CDD8
02
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07
A2
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86
FC
4C
24
CDE0
CB
CD
A2
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CD
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10
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A2
A9
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CD
08
CDF0
8E
14
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8C
IS
E9
60
00
EF
FLASHER DEMO
HG 5 REM COPYRIGHT 1993 - COHP
UTE PUBLICATIONS - ALL RI
GHTS RESERVED
DR 10 REM FLASHER 64 DE^10
KG 20 POKE53280,0:POKE53281,0
KQ 30 IFL=aTHENL=l:LOAD"FLASHE
R 64. ML", 8,1
DE 40 SYS52224:REM TURN ON FLA
SHER 64
EH 50 :
CD 60 PRINTCHR$(147) ; :REM CLBA
RS SCREENS
AH 73 PRINT"{11 SPACES} (RVS)
{YELjDEMO OF FLASHER 64"
FM 80 PRINT
KC 90 PRINT" {WHT}USE THE COMMA
ND: {RED)PRINTCHR5(15)
(2 SPACES }T0 TURN ON FLA
SHING"
KR 100 PRINT"{RVS}{CYN)EG:
PR IK
KE 120
QA 130
DH 143
BS
150
EF
160
KS
170
KB
180
AP
190
CP
200
RB
210
CS
220
CM
230
KJ
240
CE
250
EK
260
EK
270
BD
280
CG
290
BE
300
MH
310
MK
320
QX
330
CG
340
HK
350
GF
360
(OFF) {2 SPACBS}PRINTCHR
$(15) "CHRS(34) "FLASHER
{SPACE}NOW ON"CHRS(34)
PRINTCHR$ (IS) "FLASHER N
OW ON": REM COMMAHO TO T
URN ON FLASHING
FORD=lTO6000:NEXT
PRINT: PRINT"{WHT)USE TH
E COMMAND: (RED}PRINTCH
RS(143){2 SPACEG3T0 TUR
N OFF FLASHING."
PRiNT"{RVS}{CYNlEG:
{OFF} [2 SPACES }PRINTCHR
S{15)"CHR$(34) "FLASH ON
"CHR$ (34) "CHRS (143) "CHR
S(34);
PRINT" FLASH OFF"CHR5(3
4} "
PRINTCHR? (15) "FLASH ON"
CHR$ (143) " FLASH OFF"
FORD=1TO6000:NEXT:REH D
ELAY LOOP
PRINT;PRINT"(WHT}USE TH
E COMMAND: {RED}PRINTCH
RS(15) "CHR$(34) "{RVS}
{7 B}"CHR5(34) ;
PRINT"TO TURN OFF A FLA
SHING WORD."
PRINT:PRINT"{RV33 {CYN}E
G:{0FF}{2 SPACES}PRINTC
HRS(15) "CHR$ (34) "FLASH
{ SPACE }OH"CHR$ (34) :PRIN
T
PRINTCHR$ (15) "FLASH ON"
FORD=1TO3000;NEXT:REM D
ELAY LOOP
PRI NT : PRINT "{CYN}{ RVS }E
G:{0FF}{2 SPACES}PRINTC
HR$(15)"CHR$(34)"CRVS}
■f7 B}"CHRS(34) ;
PRINT "TO TORN OFF A FLA
SHING WORD."
REM IFPEEK(146) OlTHENX
40: PEEK THIS LOCATION F
OR ON OR OFF CYCLE
REM IF PEEK(146)=1 THEN
CHARACTERS ARE ON SCRE
EK
REM IF PEEK(146)=0 THEN
CHARACTERS ARE OFF SCR
EEN
IFPEEK(146)<>1THEN250:R
EM ]
PRINT" {4 UP}"; :REH MOVE
UP TO WORD
PRINTCHRS (15) "{RVS}
{8 B}"
FORD=1TO6000:NEXT:REM D
ELAY LOOP
PRINT:PRINT:PRINT
PRINT"SCROLL FLASHING C
HARACTER5 OFF SCREEN"
FORX=1T024:FORD=1T025;N
EXTD;PRINT:NEXTX
PRINT" {WHT }***********"
CHRS (15)" {PUR}tRVS}THA
TS ALL FOLKS! {OFF} "CHR
$ (14 3) " [WHT }****** *,^***
{CYN}"
Henry Sopko lives in Hamilton, Ontar-
io. Canada.
TYPE-SIM
By Donald G. Klich
This program was designed to let you
use your 64 or 128 as a typewriter for fill-
ing in the blanks on preprinted forms, ad-
dressing envelopes, typing labels, and
other such tasks. Preprinted forms are
usually designed with vertical spacing of
six lines to the inch, the same as most
printers. Therefore Type-Sim allows you
to set your printer on the first entry line
and move down the form as necessary.
With Type-Sim you can set a left or right
margin to orient your entries.
Typing It In
The program is written in BASIC 2.0
and will run on either the 64 or 128.
Use The Automatic Proofreader to
avoid typing errors. See "Typing Aids"
elsewhere in this section. Be sure to
save your program before using it. To
take advantage of Type-Sim's upper-
and lowercase printing, be sure your
printer is in the ASCII conversion
mode or an equivalent mode.
Operation Menu
When you run Type-Sim, you'll see a
menu that offers four data-entry oper-
ations (options) and an exit option. Op-
tion 1 allows you to set up a form in the
printer so that your text will print in the
desired location. You must first supply
a column position, perhaps along the
edge of the form, where you can test-
print an X. When the Xprints, the com-
puter sends a backspace and a re-
verse linefeed. You should adjust the
form to make sure the printing is in the
desired location. You can repeat the op-
tion by pressing the space bar. When
the form is correctly positioned, press
Return to go back to the menu.
Option 2 allows you to select wheth-
er the following entries will be left (L) or
right (R) justified. For instance, a busi-
ness address would be left oriented
while entries on an income tax form
would be right oriented. See the next
option for setting margin settings.
Option 3 is where you enter your
text. Before you start, however, you
must indicate the left or right margin set-
ting from which your entries will print.
The program will pack data to the
right of a left margin or immediately to
the left of a right margin.
After you've entered the margin set-
ting for this particular entry and
pressed Return, you'll be prompted to
enter the phrase or line of text to be
printed. Press Return to print. If you
need linefeeds to move the print
head, you'll have that option after you
print each entry. To return to the menu,
press the up-arrow (t) key.
Option 4 permits you to select any
additional linefeeds you may require to
move down the form.
Option 5 exits the program.
nPE-SIM
HH 10 REM COPYRIGHT 1993 COMPU
TE PUBLICATIONS IHTL LTD
- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
GS 20 REM TYPEWRITER SIMULATOR
GB 30 POKE53281,0:POKE53283,0:
0PEN1,4:PRINT"{CLR}"SPC(
8) "(2 DOWN) (BLU}UCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCI"
XH 40 PRINT"{BLU} {8 SPACES}B
{IJTYPEWRITER SIMULATOR
{BLU)B";PRINTSPC(8)"JCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCK"
AK 50 PRINT" {DOWN} {CYN}
{10 SPACES}MENU OF OPERA
TIONS:"
AF 60 PRINT"{D0WN} {7 SPACES}
(RVS) {YEL}1{0FF) {WHT} SE
T UP FORM IN PRINTER"
RB 70 PRINT"{7 SPACES) {RVS}
{YEL}2{0FF}{WHT} SET OP
{SPACE}L-R POINTER"
DA 80 PRINT"{7 SPACES) {RVS)
{YEL}3{0FF} {WHT} INPUT T
YPING ROUTINE"
RR 90 PRINT"{7 SPACES) {RVS}
{YEL}4{0FF}{WHT) EXTRA L
INE FEEDS"
JH 100 PRINT"{7 SPACES}{RVS}
{ YEL35{0FF} {WHT} QUIT P
ROGRAM"
FP 110 GOSOB440:ONVAL (AS)GOTOl
2 0,190, 2 5 0,4 10, 430: GOTO
110
SA 120 PRINT"{3 DOWN}{GRN}TO A
LIGN THE FORM, ENTER TH
E HORIZONTAL"
BX 130 PRINT"COLUMN WHERE A RE
PEATED <1}X{GRN) CAN BE
PRINTED"
SC 140 PRINT" {DOWN}USE SPACE T
0 REPEAT THE <1JX{GRN}
{SPACE]AND RETURN TO EX
JULY 1993 COMPUTE G-39
PROGRAMS
FD
150
PR
160
EH
170
CX
180
FG
190
QK
200
HK
210
FG
220
CQ 230
GD 240
PA 250
GP 260
FR 270
GK 280
SA 290
DS 300
QG 310
PH 320
HQ 330
XK 340
DM 350
PR 3S0
IT";
PRINT". {2 SPACES}ENTER
(SPACE) COLUMN NUMBER:";
IINPUTN
PRINT#1,SPC(N) "X":PRINT
#1,CHR$(27) ;CHR5(106) ;C
HRS(0) : PRINT #1,CHR5 (27)
;"«";
GOSUB440;IFAS=CHRS C32)T
HEH1S0
IFAS=CHRS (13)THEN50
PRINT"{2 DOWN} {GRN)ENTE
R AN {YEL)L{GRN} IF YOU
ARE PLANNING TO"
PRINT"ORIENT YOUR ENTRI
ES TO THE LEFT":PRINT
PRINT"ENTER AN {VEL)R
{GRN) IF YOU ARE PLANill
NG TO"
PniNT"ORIENT YPUR ENTRI
ES TO THE RIGHT":PRINT"
L/R?{2 SPACES}"; :G0SUB4
40:M$=AS
PRINTMS:IFM$<>"L"ANDH$<
>"R"THEN190
GOTO50
PRINTCHR$ (14)
IFMS<>"L"ANDM$<>"B"THEN
PRINT" (2 DOWN)n}
{4 S PACES }L OR R LOCATO
R ?":PRINTCHR${142) :GOT
0190
PRINT"{CLR} (GRN)
(2 DOWN) (5 SPACES}ENTER
AN UP ARROW ( [YELlf
{GRN}) TO QUIT"
L0$="LEFT":IFf1$ = "R"THEN
L0$=" RIGHT"
A$="":PRINT"{GRN) ENTER
THE PRINT POSITION FOR
YOUR ";L0$; : INPUT" MAR
GIN";A$
IFAS=CHR$(94)THENPRINT"
{CLR)"CHRS(142) :GOTO50
IFVAL (A$) >80ORA$=""THEN
250
P=VAL(A$) :AS="": PRINT"
{5 SPACFS}ENTER PHRASE
{SPACE}TO BE PRINTED
{WHT}":INPUTA$
IFRS=CHR$(94)THENPRINT"
{CLR5"CHR$(142) :GOTO50
IFM$="L"THENN=P: IFN+LEN
(A$)>80THENPRINT"NO
(SHIFT-SPACE} ROOM
(SHIFT-SPACF,]T0
(SHIFT-SPACE) PRINT": GOT I
0290
IFHS="R"THENN=P-LEN (A$)
+1:IFN<0THENPRINT"NO
{5HIFT-SPftCE}R00M
(SHIFT-SPACE)TO
{ SH I FT -S PACE ] PRI NT " : GOT
0290
PRINT#1,SPC(N) ;A$:PRINT
#1,CHRS(27) ;CHR$(106) ;C
HRS (0) :PRIOT#1,CHR$(27)
HX 373
DJ 380
DF 390
HQ 400
PD 410
PRINT"{GRN}{5 SPACES}LI
NE FEED? y/N{3 SPACEST"
; ;GOSUB440;PRINTA$
IFA$=CHR$(94)THENPRINT"
{CLR}"CHRS (142) :GOTO50
IFA$="Y"THENPRINT#1,"":
GOTO250
GOTO 250
PRINT"{GRN}(2 DOWN)
(5 SPACES3ENTER NUMBER
{SPACE}OF LINE FEEDS";:
INPUTA$: IFVAL (A$) =0THEN
50
F0RI=1T0VAL{A$) tPRINTll
:NEXT:GOTO50
CL0SE1:END
A$="";GETA$:IFA$=""THEN
440
RETURN
Donald Klich is a frequent contributor.
His most recent program, CrossRef
128, appeared in tlie May 1993 issue.
He lives in Mount Prospect, Illinois. O
FC
420
SM
430
RJ
440
FC
450
TYPING AIDS
MLX, our machine language entry
program for the 64 and 128, and
The Automatic Proofreader are util-
ities that help you type in Gazette
programs without making mis-
takes. To make room for more pro-
grams, we no longer include
these iabor-saving utilities in eve-
ry issue, but they can be found on
each Gazette Disk and are printed
in all issues of Gazette through
June 1990.
If you don't have access to a
back issue or to one of our disks,
write to us, and we'll send you
free printed copies of both of
these handy programs for you to
type in. We'll also include instruc-
tions on how to type in Gazette pro-
grams. Please enclose a self-ad-
dressed, stamped envelope. Send
a self-addressed disk mailer with
appropriate postage to receive
these programs on disk.
Write to Typing Aids, COM-
PUTE'S Gazette, 324 West Wen-
dover Avenue, Suite 200, Greens-
boro, North Carolina 27408.
ONLY
ON
DISK
In addition to the type-in programs
found in each issue of the magazine,
Gazette Disk offers bonus programs.
Here's a special program that you'll
find only on this month's disk.
Mergee
By Robert Quinn
Kooringall, Waga Waga
NSW, Australia
This month's bonus program is a
tough, thinking-person's game for
the 64 that can be played from the
keyboard or joystick. The game be-
gins with a playing field that's filled
with single-digit numbers, random
boxes, squares, and open spaces.
The object of Mergee is to move
the numbers around so that they
merge with other numbers and disap-
pear from play Only like digits can
merge, however, and when all of the
numbers are gone, the game is
over. The rules are simple, but there
are a few surprises waiting for you
that'll make Mergee almost as frus-
trating to play as it is entertaining.
Public Domain Programs
Don't forget that Gazette Disk now
contains the best of public domain
programs and shareware. For a com-
plete rundown of the programs on
this disk, see Steve Vender Ark's
"Share This" column, which makes
its debut in this issue of Gazette.
You can have these programs and
all of the type-in programs found in
this issue — ready to load and run —
by ordering the July Gazette Disk.
The price is $9.95 plus $2.00 ship-
ping and handling. Send your order
to Gazette Disk, COMPUTE Publica-
tions, 324 West Wendover Avenue,
Suite 200, Greensboro, North Caro-
lina 27408. You can order by credit
card by calling (919) 275-9809, ex-
tension 283.
G-40 COMPUTE JULY 1993
REVIEWS
SONY DESKTOP
LIBRARY
Here's your chance to enter
the world of multimedia.
With the Sony Desktop Li-
brary, you get everything
you need: a CD-ROM drive,
a sound card, and a collec-
tion of real multimedia soft-
ware. This next-generation
product goes beyond early
CD-ROM products, giving
consumers more of what
they want and need: plenty
of software and an easy-to-
use front end to the CD-
ROM titles and hardware.
My evaluation package
had an external drive. Two
other packages are availa-
ble (at a reduced price, too)
with internal drives. The da-
ta-retrieval speed of 150K
per second was right in line
with multimedia standards.
Right now these multime-
dia products ship with a
Spectrum 16 sound card,
It's Ad Lib, Sound Blaster,
and Real Sound compati-
ble. Software that supports
the card in native mode
sounds superb, even better
than Sound Blaster emula-
tion. A nice set of desktop
speakers provides an alterna-
tive to running wires to your
stereo.
Six full-blown multimedia
software titles will get you
started. There's so much ma-
terial, it'll take several
weeks before you'll have
enough time for more than a
brief sampling.
In addition to solid, relia-
ble hardware, the Sony Desk-
top Library includes the
GeoWorks CD-ROM Manag-
er as part of the package.
It's a front end to all of the
CD-ROM software that's in-
cluded. All you do to run a
program is click on its icon.
The package includes even
more than front-end soft-
ware, though — it's a graph!-
SONY
Desktop Library.
nw CiMpMfv «dMm«U Cfi-HM &r^tm\ C£;^ \
wait Bxttml Oiivt
With the Sony Desktop Library you get all sorts of stuff, including a
CD-ROM drive. CD-ROM titles, and speakers.
^E*!*!* l>jrk»f, ^Ej-»*lfl ^r<B
^ €
B
%t QQEBaS
a:
m E
f a; V i
"4 v>
— »•""< ocM Stoti. F^;.
1
With Dashboard lor Windows 1.0. a new Windows utility from Hewlett-
Packard, you can drive your computer more effectively.
cal environmenL Many of
the GeoWorks niceties that
make DOS easier are there
as a bonus.
You can create icons for
other CD-ROM titles as your
library grows. That way,
you'll always have the same
easy interface when you ac-
cess your CD-ROM titles.
I wasn't sure I could run
CD-ROM programs from
DOS until I called Sony, i
didn't find any mention of run-
ning from DOS in the Sony lit-
erature, but I'm not a good
manual reader, so I could
have missed it. After talking
to the company, I was able
to install an icon and a
group in Windows. I ended
up spending more time run-
ning GeoWorks from Win-
dows than DOS and had no
problems.
The bundled software var-
ied in quality, but my two fa-
vorites were Where in the
World Is Carmen Sandiego?
and The New G roller Multime-
dia Encyclopedia. My kids
loved them, too. If you have
children, the accompanying
software will provide enter-
tainment and edification for
them as well.
Some of the programs
did the unthinkable and cop-
ied a large portion of them-
selves to my hard drive.
Thinking I had plenty of avail-
able space, I tried installing
an application and was tak-
en aback when I discovered
the intrusion.
The GeoWorks installation
was a two-stage process re-
quiring a Ctrl-Alt-Delete
boot between stages. I wish
it had done what many oth-
er installations do and reboot-
ed itself, followed by auto-
matic spawning of thie sec-
ond half of the procedure.
In spite of several small
complaints, I think highly of
the package. If you're seri-
ously thinking about getting
a CD-ROM drive, take a
good look at this package.
It may be just what you
need. And Sony, one of the
leaders in CD-ROM technol-
ogy, will probably be in the
busiriess for a long time.
RICHARD C LEINECKER
Sony
(800) 352-7669
$1,069.95 (external package)
Cfrcte Reader Service Number 434
DASHBOARD FOR
WINDOWS 1.0
It's compact, neat, conven-
ient, and fast. In fact, I like
Dashboard so well that I reg-
ularly use it in place of Win-
dows' own standard Pro-
gram Manager.
Like the dashboard in to-
day's high-tech cars, this
Windows utility presents an
impressive collection of high-
ly visible gauges and easily
accessible controls. The re-
source gauge, for example,
resembles an analog fuel
gauge and allows you to
monitor your Windows sys-
tem resources. The memory
meter below it looks like an
odometer and lets you mon-
itor available system memo-
ry. If you run too low on re-
sources or memory, a gas-
pump icon blinks to alert
you.
In Dashboard's printer
manager, you choose from
available printers by clicking
on a printer's icon button; a
light at the bottom of the but-
ton shows the default printer
or, if you have a fax board,
the fax software to which
you "print." To print or fax a
file with ease, just drag and
drop it from Windows' File
Manager to the appropriate
icon.
Forget double-clicking
when you use the Quick
Launch buttons. A single
click launches your most-
used apps, identified by
icons and, with enough
room, the names of the pro-
grams, To launch less-used
apps, click on one of the
group buttons in the Pro-
JULY 1993 COMPUTE 89
The screen saver for
high-powered PCs.
F:
"inally, there's a
screen saver
that shows off ihe
blazing speed,
stunning graphics
-^ and spectacular
sound* in your PC.
ORIGIN FX delivers 256-color, high-
res images** running under Windows
- with 27 entertaining modules cre-
ated by ORIGIN'S award-winning
computer artists.
Special Bonus:
If you own Strike Commander, Wing
Commander II or Serpent Isle,
ORIGIN FX wtil play their cinematic
sequences as separate modules when
the games are installed on your
hard drive. And
that's just the
beginning-
many future
ORIGIN games
will support
this feature as
well!
Available ot a software retailer near
you or calf 1-800-245-4525 for
MC/Visa/Discover orders.
ei9n CflCM Sr^n. K. FX. Svpv^ Ut tnj Sri« Ommt^ {I* Irdmaii d
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Cbcle Reader Service Number 163
90 COMPUTE JULY 1993
REVIEWS
gram menu bar; when the group win-
dow pops up, click on the app you
want.
You also have buttons for the Sys-
tem menu (like the one in Windows),
the Task menu (to switch, run, and
close programs), and the Layout menu
(to create, edit, or load Dashboard lay-
outs). The Dashboard panel also has a
help button, a customize button, a min-
imize button, a maximize button, and a
button that lets you hide or show the
Program menu.
The Dashboard clock (digital or an-
alog and available in several versions)
lets you set the date, the time, and
alarms. And Dashboard's mini program
windows visually represent what you
have on a particular screen. If you dis-
like the clutter on a screen with a pro-
gram running, an uncluttered screen to
the left or the right can be just a click
away
Don't let its compactness fool you:
Dashboard is highly customizable and
offers much more depth of utility than
meets the eye. If you enjoy using wall-
paper to add variety to Windows
computing, you'll love the way Dash-
board takes no more room than nec-
essary Most important, however. Dash-
board steers you through Windows
with minimal clutter and maximum
speed and efficiency.
MIKE HUDNALL
HewlBtt-Packard
(800) 554-1305
$99
Circle Reader Service Number 435
SMITH CORONA
CORONAJET 200J
With laser-quality output, 20 resident
fonts, and a compact form factor only
slightly larger than a loaf of bread, the
Smith Corona Coronajet 200j ink-jet
printer is going to be as popular
as . . . well, sliced bread.
If you add its optional automatic
sheet feeder, the 200j takes up only
about as much desktop space as a
loaf of bread spread cros sways on an
average-sized manila folder. This
should be welcome news to people
who would want to use it at home or in
a small business {the target market for
this printer), who often need all the ex-
tra space they can get.
You can make each of the 20 resi-
dent fonts bold, italic, or underlined,
including Courier, Times Nordic, and
Letter Gothic. For even more variety,
you can use the 14 optional font
cards. The 200j prints in portrait and
landscape modes, and its easily in-
stalled ink-jet cartridge is replaceable.
Smith Corona claims laser-resolution-
quality printing — 300 x 300 dpi for
text and graphics — and my experi-
ence confirms the claim. Everything I
printed was crisp and dark — I just had
to be careful not to smear freshly print-
ed pages by touching them before
The Coronajet 200j packs laser-quality
printing power into a little package.
they were dry The printer proved equal-
ly adept at printing spreadsheets, docu-
ments in XyWrite and fvlicrosoft Word,
OnTime calendar sheets, and BMP
files in black-and-white from Windows'
Paintbrush program. It handled multi-
ple fonts and a variety of files with no
hesitation.
The 200j owner's manual proved es-
sentially adequate, with clear setup in-
structions and a helpful troubleshoot-
ing section but, unfortunately, no in-
dex. The automatic sheet feeder
comes with its own skimpy booklet,
which is helpful but confusingly organ-
ized, with entries in multiple languages
for each section.
To be honest, after I inserted the
200j's print cartridge, 1 barely glanced
at the manuals unless it was to consult
the troubleshooting section. It's easy
enough simply to open the box, con-
nect the printer to your computer, set
your software to the common HP
DeskJet Plus emulation, and go to
work. To install the 70-sheet-capacity
feeder, you simply push the 200j on
top of it until it locks into place.
The 200j doesn't present you with a
host of LEDs and switches to set,
though its front panel does conceal
more than 50 easily accessible switch-
es to make adjustments for different
fonts, manual or automatic paper load-
ing, and other commands. The graphs
that show how to set the switches
proved somewhat confusing, so I was
relieved that the only change I needed
to make came when I added the au-
tomatic sheet feeder, The 200j's pow-
er switch is on the back of the printer,
a location I found mildly inconvenient.
Besides its size, printing quality, and
ease of use, the 200j also impressed
me with its quiet operation. If my dot-
matrix printer provides no smearing
problems, it does provide plenty of
noise pollution. Compared to it, the
200]— rated at less than 45 dB — was vir-
tually inaudible, even in my cramped
10- X 10-foot home office. 1 can't imag-
ine anyone being bothered by its
noise level.
The only real problems 1 encoun-
tered using the 200j involved loading
paper. It wouldn't accept envelopes
loaded longways, a necessity for the
HP DeskJet Plus emulation in Nvelope
Plus. It also gave trouble when 1 tried
loading it with recycled office paper —
the backs of old press releases, errant
printouts, and the like — sometimes feed-
ing two sheets at once at odd intervals.
Using fresh paper, though, I had no
trouble using the 200j.
At worst, the problems I had using
the Smith Corona Coronajet 200j were
minor quirks. Anything this small that
prints this well without making any ap-
preciable noise deserves an unre-
served recommendation.
EDDE HUFFK/AN
Smith Corona
(800) 448-1018
(203) 972-1471
Coronajet 200j— S499
Optional sheet feeder— $89
Circle Reader Service Number 43G
DEC 43aDX LP
Deciding which computer system to
buy can be difficult. In most cases,
once a business commits itself to a spe-
cific product, it must stick with it.
That's one reason DEC (Digital Equip-
ment Corporation) has targeted business-
es for its new family of PCs. The upgrada-
ble DEC 433DX LP based on Intel's 33-
MHz 486DX processor, can be used for
demanding desktop business as well as
for technical applications.
How difficult is it to set up the DEC
433DX? The system comes with DOS
5.0 and Windows installed. First, 1
checked the user's guide for anything
unusual. Then, I plugged in the appro-
priate cables and power cord and
turned on the system.
The easy-to-understand Getting Start-
ed handbook provides all the neces-
sary information, as well as helpful illus-
trations for inexperienced users. You
also get the DEC 300/400 LP Series Us-
er's Guide, the MS-DOS 5.0 User's
Guide and Reference, and an opera-
tions manual for QAPIus, an advanced
system diagnostics software package.
1 ran a variety of applications to
check the system's compatibility, includ-
ing Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint
for Windows, Picture Wizard, the Win-
dows and DOS versions of Express Pub-
lisher, a couple of DOS shareware pro-
grams, and several other commercial
programs. 1 found no incompatibilities.
To remove the system cover, 1 had
to unlock the safety lock on the back of
the unit with the key provided. The cov-
er is easy to remove. I found it hard to
reach the system battery, but it seldom
needs replacement, fortunately
This 33-MHz system includes a DEC
two-button mouse, one parallel and
two serial ports, two floppy and two
hard drive controllers, a Super VGA vid-
eo adapter integrated with the system
board, and three open expansion
slots.
Vents along one side of the unit
should be adequate to keep the sys-
tem's power supply from overheating.
You'll probably find the fan noise bare-
ly noticeable.
Easy access to reset and on/off but-
tons is essential. You can find both of
these buttons on the front of the DEC
433DX.
You can get a 66-MHz upgrade for
the DEC 433DX, and it's easily in-
stalled thanks to DEC'S ZIP (Zero In-
sertion Force) slot, The 486DX includes
a coprocessor in the CPU chip, but
DEC accommodates a separate
coprocessor to aid the computer in
CAD-CAM operations.
It's easy to access the unit's 4MB of
SIMM RAM chips. The standard
amount of DRAM can be increased to
64MB using the four SIMM sockets.
The DEC 433DX requires SIMMs with
an access time of 70 ns or faster.
The price of the DEC 433DX
doesn't include a monitor. Several are
available, including monochrome or col-
or VGA ranging from the basic 640 x
480 to a multisync 1024 x 768 nonin-
terlaced model.
No surprises come with the DEC
433DX keyboard. It features a stan-
dard layout with soft-click keys and func-
tion keys along the top.
The one-year on-site warranty is com-
parable to those found with a lot of oth-
er systems and is better than some,
The company offers a toll-free custom-
er and technical support hot line and a
consulting center.
1 found the DEC 433DX to be a sol-
id, dependable, easy-to-use system,
Businesses looking for an upgradable,
modular (80 percent of the compo-
nents are common to the other DEC
PC family members), and net-
work-ready system would be advised
to check this one out.
JOYCE SIDES
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See page 91
Want to speed up Windows?
See page 55
Don't like mice?
See page 251
What do you do when your
computer won't boot?
See page I
Need help organizing
your hard drive?
See page 35
What is TrueType and what
does it mean for you?
See page 104
COMPUTE
MAGAZINE'S
POWER TIPS
has the answers to
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Books, c/o CCC, 2500 McCtellan Ave,
Pennsauken, NJ 08109. (Residents of
NC, NJ, and NY please add appropriate'
tax; Canadian orders add 7% GST.) All
orders must be paid in U.S. funds
drawn on a U.S. bank. VISA and ft/lasler-
Card orders accepted: be sure to in-
clude your card number, expiration
date, and signature. Offer good while
supplies last.
REVIEWS
DEC
(800) DIG-ITAL
S2,t99
circle Reader Service Number 437
AUTOCAD RELEASE 12
AutoCAD Release 12 is an upgrade
wish list for casual users, as well as for
hardcore progran"iming hackers and
third-party developers. While more pow-
erful and advanced than any other
CAD program, previous versions of
this premier drawing program foun-
dered in the aspects of speed and
ease of use. They required regenera-
tions for all but the slightest size chang-
es, and operators had to memorize
and enter archaic commands for even
the simplest tasks. As a teacher with
more than 20 students, I had to pro-
gram a command sequence in the ear-
ly evening and let it run overnight be-
cause the equipment and software
were so antiquated.
With Release 12, the program's new
speed and flexibility take full advan-
tage of 32-bit computing capability,
evolving networks, and advanced plot-
ting technology. The difference from
previous versions is immediately appar-
ent. AutoCAD has emerged from
dweebware into the trendy — and time-
saving — arena of graphical user inter-
faces, with pull-down cascading men-
us, cursor menus, programmable dia-
log boxes, TIFF and EPSI raster image
inputs and outputs, and internal render-
ing capability.
Eminently user-friendly, Release 12's
pull-down menus also remember your
last input choice. Expert users who
type commands at the prompt line will
find all suboptions of the commands
on the side menu, which can be
turned off to provide a wider screen.
The 3-D capabilities of cameras and
lighting angles that distinguish CAD
from paper-and-pencil drawings now
appear within AutoCAD inside the pull-
down Render menu, so you no longer
need to enter AutoShade.
The 25 new dialog boxes replace
cumbersome line commands in start-
ing and opening drawings (no more
hunting around the hard drive), plotting
{with a brand-new paper-saving pre-
view option), and customizing.-
You can enter the command and
quickly change any of the settings with-
out having to scroll through needless
text questions. And you can correct mis-
takes if you catch them before press-
ing the OK button, or you can simply
cancel and start again.
Programmable dialog boxes consti-
tute a veritable revolution for AutoCAD
users, allowing a new dialog box to be
defined by the programmer rather
than by the limitations of the program.
The Dialog Control Language (DCL) is
incorporated with LISP.
Release 12 brings plotting into the
nineties. The plot dialog box allows
multiple plotter configurations for both
':■:^^^r 1
■^-'//j'Jrr 1
\m
' "
AutoCAD Release 12 boasts 174
enhancements over the previous version.
plotters and printers. The plot preview
function displays the plot image in par-
tial or full format, superimposing the pa-
per extent over the image. Zoom and
Pan ensure that your plot is correct pri-
or to sending it to your output device,
I found one error in which a plot set to
Vs inch = 1 foot 0 inches did not plot
to the correct scale and had to be re-
set to 1 = 96, but Autodesk has appar-
ently compiled a new plotter driver to
counteract this oversight.
With the program's ability to output
raster files from EPS, FITS, TIFF, GIF,
and TGA formats; image resolution as
high as 1024 x 768; up to 256 colors;
and programmable layers, linetypes,
and line widths, perhaps Autodesk
should be targeting the desktop publish-
ing crowd. RASTERIN.EXP a Release
12 AutoLISP Xload function, pulls in
the faster image similar to a block.
Even network users have a produc-
tivity feature, with the ACAD-P option al-
lowing them to plot from outside Au-
toCAD without requiring an additional
license.
Taking a cue from the fvlacintosh, Re-
lease 12 now lets you alter the verb/
noun technique in up to 14 commands
using the Pickfirst variable. No more
choosing commands and selecting ob-
jects— you simply click and drag! And
a new Grips feature, the Dgrips dialog
box, lets you stretch, move, copy ro-
tate, and mirror entities as edit func-
tions without going into a command.
Entities can be arcs, lines, circles,
blocks, plines, or text. The grip, basi-
cally an attachment, is a small colored
square that appears at definition
points of an entity changing color as
it becomes hot (activated). The grips
also let the operator grab the end-
92 COMPUTE JULY 1993
point, center, midpoint, and quadrant
of an entity without using OSNAP (Ob-
ject Snap.)
Long, slow regen or hide com-
mands are a thing of the past with the
introduction of algorithims that accel-
erate graphics from 50 percent to 500
percent. In fact, a performance en-
hancement practically eliminates re-
generations -for zooms and pans!
Graphics acceleration for Zoom
with the old 16-bit display space is fi-
nally gone, and in its place a 32-bit vec-
tor space now provides an extremely ef-
ficient Zoom. I did a Zoom Extent fol-
lowed by a Zoom Vmax to force a draw-
ing out as far as possible without a
drawing regen, and even a Zoom
5000000X (yes, six Os) did not entail
a regen — undreamt of in previous re-
leases. The dynamic range of the
Zoom command is increased from
50 : 1 up to 5,000,000 : 1 before a re-
gen is issued.
Advanced users and third-party de-
velopers will appreciate Release 12's
new organizing tools. A means of cre-
ating a "tree structure," oct-tree spatial
index divides drawing entities into log-
ical groups or sort order.
Release 12 achieves graphic accel-
eration for faster entity selection and re-
draws (spatial index) through the new
variables of Treedepth and Treestat.
Treedepth fine-tunes the oct-tree in-
dex. Treestat files report values in
both the model and paper space
branches of the spatial index.
The AutoCAD Sequel Extension
(ASE) enables operators to pass infor-
mation directly from AutoCAD to a da-
tabase system without requiring
shells. Since nongraphical information
can be stored outside the drawing and
linked with entities inside a drawing,
you can reduce a drawing's size with-
out losing useful data.
New conversion functions convert
text strings into decimal values, and a
geometry calculator allows you to cal-
culate geometry using command line ex-
pression and interaction with existing
AutoCAD entities, (For instant insider ac-
cess to undocumented advantages,
you may want to check out the new Re-
lease 12 edition of 1.000 AutoCAD
Tips and Tricks, a book I edited pub-
lished by Ventana Press,)
I don't have enough space to in-
clude all 174 enhancements in the new
AutoCAD Release 12, but you obvious-
ly get your money's worth when you
upgrade to this version.
BRIAN MATTHEWS
Autodesk
(800) 964-6432
$37.50
Circle Reader Service Number 438
GOBLIIINS
Imagine the Three Stooges cast in a
graphic adventure, and you've got
Gobliiins, a puzzle quest with a delight-
fully twisted sense of humor.
Developed by European publisher
Coktel Vision, the game is typical of
those by the new wave of innovative
French designers, including Delphine
Pair your brain with tiie tiiree Gobliiins' halt
a brain for a successful quest.
(Out of This World) and Sensible Soft-
ware (Mega Lo Mania). Graphic artist
Pierre Gilhodes created the game's dis-
tinctive look, from the lush 256-color
backdrops to the title characters' often
hilanous animation.
The game consists of 22 full-
screen, interactive puzzles strung to-
gether in storybook fashion. The tale in-
volves a king who's suddenly gone
stark, raving mad — the victim of an evil
wizard's voodoo doll. To the rescue
come Hooter, Dwayne, and BoBo,
three well-meaning goblins with only
half a brain among them. You provide
the missing link, directing the goblins
on their pehlous lourney to find a cure
for the ailing king.
Because each goblin performs only
one special task, they must work togeth-
er to solve puzzles. Hooter, the magi-
cian, casts spells on objects, often
with unpredictable results. Dwayne is
the technician, able to pick up and use
one object at a time. BoBo is the war-
rior, whose only talents are the abilities
to climb and punch things. Use the key-
board or mouse to select the goblin
you wish to control.
Game mechanics are kept simple, fo-
cusing attention on your powers of
observation and deductive reasoning.
To advance through a screen, you
must find and manipulate a series of
items, often in a specific sequence, util-
izing each of the goblins. The ultimate
goal of one puzzle might be to secure
an object to be used in the next, more
difficult screen. Experimenting is an es-
sentia! and entertaining aspect of the
game, yet you should be careful not to
dally with the wrong items. Negative ac-
tions such as falls, frights, or losing im-
portant items result in the loss of en-
ergy Although no time limits are im-
Looking For Good
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eiEws
circle Reader Servtee Numbsr 103
94 COMPUTE JULY 1993
posed, when all energy has been de-
pleted, the game ends. Energy power-
ups are available midvi^ay through your
quest: passwords are also awarded up-
on completion of each screen
The game's few faults are only minor
quibbles. Although many puzzle solu-
tions require multiple-character input,
only one goblin can be active at once.
A multitasking feature for assignments
would speed up many tedious chores
and lend the game a welcome sense
of urgency. Another possibility might
be puzzles solved only through simulta-
neous character actions. [Harsh, sporad-
ic sound effects belie the game's
warm and fuzzy demeanor. f\/lore ex-
pressive voice samples and back-
ground effects are needed to fully con-
vey goblin gibberish, Finally, unlike the
clever introductory screen, the game's
victory screen is quite anticlimactic.
Ivlost puzzles are surprisingly intri-
cate and might prove too difficult for
younger players. Unlike the ones in Si-
erra's similar Castle of Dr. Brain, the
puzzles here rely less on logic than on
arbitrary cause and effect. A multitude
of red herrings ensures plenty of
wrong guesses, often with hilarious,
game-ending outcomes. The trick is to
think with slightly bent logic, placing
yourself in the goofy shoes of these
three little knuckleheads.
Brainteasing fun with a sly comic
flare, Gobliiins could be one of the
year's sleeper hits.
SCOTT A, MAY
Sierra On-Line
(8Q0) 326-6654
S39.95
circle Reader Service Number 439
QUANTUM HARDCARD
EZ240
Need more hard drive space? Got an
extra slot in your PC? Don't want to get
involved in major PC surgery? If you an-
swered yes to all these questions,
you're in luck.
Quantum offers a quick and easy
way to add 42MB, 85MB, 127MB, or
even 240MB to your PC, All you nQ%<i
is a Hardcard EZ 42, Hardcard EZ 85,
Hardcard EZ 127, or Hardcard EZ 240.
Each Is essentially a hard drive on a
PC card, so installation should take ten
minutes or less. And Quantum guaran-
tees that any Hardcard E2 will work
with your 286, 386, or 486 system, or
you'll receive a full refund.
These days, you don't have to pay a
performance penalty for the conven-
ience of a hard drive on a card. Av-
erage seek time is rated at 19 ms for
the EZ 42, 17 ms for the EZ 85 and
EZ 127, and 16 ms for the EZ 240,
That's in line with the faster internal
hard drives. The Hardcard prices are
also in line with those of standard
hard drives: S269 for the EZ 42, $319
for the EZ 85, $419 for the EZ 127,
and $689 for the EZ 240,
\{'s easier to install the Quantum Hardcard
EZ 240 than a conventional hard drive.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to use
the EZ 240 with an older ZEOS 386
computer. The manual explains that
the Hardcard E2 drives may not work
in systems with older SCSI adapter
boards (in many cases, you can re-
solve the problem by changing the
SCSI adapter's memory address),
some 16-bit VGA adapters (you may
have to switch from 16-bit to 8-bit trans-
fers), and NEC's version of DOS 3.3
(Quantum includes a work-around).
The ZEOS's early SCSI adapter, it
turns out, is incompatible with the EZ
240 (that's where Quantum's money-
back guarantee would have come in
handy), but the Hardcard worked fine
in the two other systems I tried.
The Hardcard EZs from Quantum
are fast, inexpensive, easy to install,
and guaranteed to work. With their
field-tested life of 250,000 hours be-
fore failure, you'd be hard-pressed to
find a better hard drive.
DAViD E^^JGLISH
Quanlum
(800) 624-5545
S689
circle Reader Service Number 440
WYSE DECISION 486SI
Wyse Technology knows hov/ to make
a quality product. The company's de-
signers take the lime, and spare little ex-
pense, to add conveniences and fea-
tures not often found on other systems.
But these extras and conveniences
come with a price— namely, a higher
price tag for Wyse computers.
I tried a Wyse Decision 486si,
which includes an Intel 486DX/33 CPU
with 4MB of RAM, a 200MB IDE hard
drive, and a VGA color monitor. The sys-
tem I tried, which costs about S2,159,
also came withi two floppy drives and
256K of external cache and a local-
bus video w\[h 1MB RAM. Wyse de-
scribes this unit as a high-performance
graphics workstation, since its video Is
much faster than standard VGA and
It's easily upgradable.
Using its own local-bus video, Hyper
16 VGA, Wyse can boast the fastest
high-resolution graphics performance
available, with more than 300-percent
Improvement over conventional VGA sys-
tems. And Indeed, I did find the graph-
ics to be fast and of high quality.
The CPU In this system Is Intel's lat-
est 80486, the easily upgradable
486si. In addition, the memory Is ex-
pandable to 64fvlB. And since many of
the system's features are integrated on
the motherboard, all six ISA bus slots
are available. The system Includes up
to five mass-storage bays that support
both 5Va- and 3 '/2-Inch floppy drives.
Other conveniences include the
placement of the on-off switch on the
front of the system, as well as a front-
panel door that covers all the floppy
disk drive bays. This door helps keep
dust out of the drives, as well as giving
a sleeker appearance to the unit. The
keyboard is a 102-key enhanced PC-
style keyboard, and Its quality is high-
er than that of nnany keyboards I've
seen.
Setup of the system Is simple and
fast. Everything you need Is included,
and all the ports are clearly marked.
The setup manual is one of the best
I've seen. Its illustrations and explana-
tions are easy to follow. The only DOS
manual Included is The fvlS-DOS Ver-
sion 5.0 User's Guide and Reference,
Concise Edition. And, although it
gives an excellent introduction to com-
puters and fvlS-DOS, it's not a com-
plete DOS manual. It would've been bet-
ter for Wyse to have included the full
MS-DOS manual, too. The system also
comes with Windows 3.1 and a
mouse.
I put the system through its paces us-
ing Windows 3.1 and running Word for
Windows, Quattro Pro for Windows,
and PageMaker 4 employing the stan-
dard VGA display. In addition, I tried
some graphic-adventure games and
flight simulation programs. I was satis-
fied with the Decision 486si's perform-
ance and was especially impressed
with the general quality of the system.
But. as mentioned above, this quali-
ty comes with a higher price tag. If
you're willing to pay for it, you'll probably
be quite happy with this system. If you
need a high-performance, top-of-the-
llne graphics workstation, I can certainly
recommend the Wyse Decision 486si,
STEPHEN LEVY
Wyse Technology
(800) 433-9973
S2.159
Circle Reader Service Number 441
PACIFIC ISUNDS
War gamers who like to get their
hands dirty on the front line rather
than view a battlefield as icons scat-
In Pacific Islands, the mal<ers of Team
Yankee offer more excitement.
tered around a strategic map will get a
real bang out of Pacific Islands. It's a
tactical level tank simulation from the
makers of the popular Team Yankee.
In Pacific Islands, you control up to 16
tanks as you try to retake the islands of
the Yama Yama atoll. The action is hot,
realistic, and as addictive as a war
game can get.
You start your campaign by buying
the tanks and equipment you need for
your mission. Four types of tanks are
available: the Ml Abrams, the Ml 13,
the M2 Bradley, and the ITV. To arm
these iron-clad vehicles, you can
choose from heat shells, SABOT
shells, TOW missiles, and smoke
shells. If you like to get into the action
fast, though, you can skip over ail of
the purchasing screens, and choose
the default setup, which instantly sup-
plies you with vehicles and equipment,
subtracting the cost from your cash.
Once equipped, it's off to the brief-
ing room, where a map of the battle ar-
ea and an accompanying notebook ap-
praise you of your mission's details.
The notebook outlines your objectives,
while their approximate locations are
marked on the map. Occasionally, mil-
itary intelligence has helpful clues
about what surprises might greet you
in the pending confrontation. In addi-
tion, before entering the fray, you can
request artillery support and smoke
bombing for specific locations at given
times.
When the battle commences, you
control four platoons of four tanks
each. ReadySoft recommends using a
mouse to play. Although you have 16
vehicles under your control, each pla-
toon receives commands as a group,
so you don't have to command each
tank Individually. Plus, you can select
several screen views for each platoon,
LookingFor Stiff
Competition?
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For strategy, there's no game lihe Bridge, and
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REVIEWS
the most important of wtiich
are the 3-D view, which of-
fers a first-person perspec-
tive from the tank, and the
map view, which shows an
overhead shot of ttie area.
You can zoom in and out in
either view, which is especial-
ly helpful on the map
screen. Using the zoom,
you can look at the entire
map, focus on individual ve-
hicles, or view the area at
several different intermedi-
ate magnifications.
You also can have all
four platoon views onscreen
simultaneously, each pla-
toon showing a different
map or area of the battle-
field. Or if you'd like, a sin-
gle platoon's screen quad-
rant can be magnified to full-
screen size, a view from
which tank controls are
more accessible. These con-
trols include a weapons fir-
ing panel, turret-rotation com-
pass, laser range finder, in-
frared view, zoom, and
more.
On the map screen, you
can access even more tank
and screen controls. You
can set a platoon's forma-
tion, speed, and direction;
and you can zoom in or out
on the map display. Target-
ing enemy units on this map
is a breeze: You just mark
the unit with the map cross
hairs and then return to the 3-
D view, where the compass
icon will swivel your turret to-
ward the marked target. You
also use the map cursor to
set your platoon's next desti-
nation by clicking on the
map. You can set your tar-
gets and mark your destina-
tions at any zoom setting.
All in all, with its well-ren-
dered 3-D graphics, realis-
tic battle scenarios, easy-to-
master controls, and blister-
ing hot action, Pacific Is-
lands is a delight. I highly
recommend it.
CLAYTON WALNUM
96 COMPUTE JULY 1993
ReadySofl
(416) 731-4175
$49.95
Circle Reader Service Number 442
SUNCOM FX 2000
Ergonomics and aesthetics
can make strange bedfel-
lows, especially when ap-
lows identical handling and
performance capabilities for
both left- and right-handed
players. Twin fire controls —
front trigger finger and top-
mounted thumb button —
can be manually switched
between A and B settings,
as designated by the soft-
ware. The V-shaped top but-
You'll want the solid Suncom FX 2000 handy when you're playing
games, though you may want it hidden otherwise.
plied to joysticks. What's
pleasing to the touch is of-
ten peculiar to the eye, and
vice versa. Suncom's FX
2000 is one such duck, a
flight control stick resem-
bling an errant prop from a
Roger Gorman sci-fi flick,
First impressions, however,
can be deceiving. Despite
its odd, anamorphic shape,
Suncom's latest offering is a
marvel of user-friendly, func-
tional design.
The pistol-grip controller
is 8 inches high and 4y2 inch-
es wide at the base, with a
cord that's 5 feet, 9 inches
long. Symmetrical design ai-
ton is particularly well suit-
ed for ambidextrous play.
Both buttons can be set to
autofire by controls con-
cealed in the base or to fire
on demand with a top-mount-
ed switch. Sliding x- and y-
axis trimmers are located
on the bottom, recessed to
prevent accidental adjust-
ments. Finally, a throttle
wheel is located .at the front
of the unit — a handy option
utilized by a growing num-
ber of flight simulators.
The stick performs best
when firmly anchored, via
built-in suction cups, to a ta-
ble or desktop. The stability
of this arrangement de-
pends on surface texture,
cup moisture, and how vigor-
ously the device is handled.
If the seal is too dry, the rub-
ber cups will not maintain
the suction. The little-known
fvlurphy's Law of Joystick
Suction dictates that if a
seal can break, it wili, and at
the worst possible moment.
Few things are more frustrat-
ing than having the front
end of the stick pop off the
desk in the midst of an in-
tense aerial battle. Try using
a small, damp sponge to
lightly moisten the cups be-
fore securing them to the ta-
ble, and pause the simula-
tion and reapply pressure to
the base before the action
heats up.
If you prefer to hold the
stick, you're in for a pleas-
ant surprise. Unlike square-
based controllers, the FX
2000 features smooth, round-
ed curves, molded on the
top and bottom to fit your
ghp. Another unique feature
is the ability to lift and lock
the joystick handle at a 45-
degree angle to the left or
right. In theory, this dramat-
ic shift creates a more natu-
ral line between your wrist
and forearm. The results
are less fatigue and poten-
tial pain, allowing you to
play longer and, hopefully,
score higher. Although awk-
ward at first, prolonged
tests in both positions fa-
vored this new twist on an
old technology
The controller tested well
in such diverse and demand-
ing environments as Aces of
the Pacific, Chuck Yeager's
Air Combat, 'Wing Command-
er, and Falcon 3.0. The pistol
grip's short-throw and stiff, tac-
tile feel account for its quick
and steady response — a
pleasant change from com-
monly loose and sloppy ana-
log sticks. Primarily intended
for flight simulations, the
Advertisers Index
Reader Service Number/Adverliser
259
162
1B9
142
268
157
244
298
151
152
120
288
173
218
304
181
156
149
166
139
128
ISO
108
254
206
205
125
123
113
226
161
131
188
180
187
167
253
20S
182
285
115
21ST Cenluiy EnlBrtairaranl . . . .
B-Bil
Access Soflware
AlCS
Amazing Sources
Amish Oullaw Shareware Company .
AMTEX Sallware Corp
Aniigrav Toolkit
Bare Bones Software
Bear Technologies
Bear Technologies
Best Personalized Books
Belter Concepts
BIX
Blue Valley Software
Body Cello
Branllord Educational Services . - ,
Cal Ad Software
Caloke industries
CH Products
Ctiips & Bits
Citizen American Cofp
CtvlD/Cfeative Micro Designs . . ,
Columbia House
ComPro Soltware Systems
CompSult
CompuServe
Computer Business Services . . , .
Computer Friends, Inc
Computers For Tracts, Inc
Comtrad
Co¥OX, Inc
Creative Labs
Creative Pixels Ltd
Creative Pixels Ltd
Crosley Software
Delphi
DemoSource
Digispecch
Digital Directory Assistance
Digital Expressions Research . . .
Disks O'PIenty
Disks O'PIenty
Disk-Ccunt Software
D&K Enterprises
Eagle Tree Software
fW C[)nnection
Finetastic Coraputets
Free Spirit Software
Gateway 2000
Page Reader Service Number/Advertiser Page
. - A-3 159 Grapevine Group G-12
, G-15 177 Grapevine Group A-29
. 42,43 Hope Career Center 112
. . 31 234 Horse Feattiers Graphics G-12
. . 117 207 IBM 5
. 117 300 ID Software 63
, - 77 231 Jactison Ivlarking Products Co., Inc 1 12
. G-21 140 JemmaSolt 115
. A-23 JP PBM Production G-11
. A-23 170 Keystone Sollwate G-10
. G-10 197 KF-PD Software G-9
. 113 Kid Secure o( America 112
. A-11 178 LACE 117
. , 23 117 Legacy Software 112
. 114 13B Legendary Design Tech, A-19
, 109 137 Legendary Design Tech A-28
. G-9 14B Living Proof. Ltd G-19
. 117 260 Mad Um Software G-13
. G-10 280 Mallard Software 69
. , 35 194 MegageM A-19
, . B1 200 Microl^agic Productions 116
. . 19 174 MicroProse 39
. G-17 289 MicroStorm Soltware G-19
. . 11 249 MSI/Micro Systems International A-7
, 109 191 Needham's Electronics, Inc 110
. 114 124 Neuralink A-19
. . 33 135 New Horizions Software G-21
. 112 NRI/McGraw Hill 73
. 116 141 Odyssey OnLine 114
. A-11 Oldsniohile 29
. - 82 163 OriQin 90
. . 25 134 Panasonic 9
. . . 3 1B4 Parsons Technology 21
. A-11 106 Parth Galen A-2a
, G-10 273 Passport Designs 13
, 114 186 Patch Panel Software 116
. . 15 250 PC Enterprises 116
. 113 Pendragon Software 109
. . 41 103 Penthouse OnLine 94
. Ill 107 Penthouse Modem 110
. A-19 153 Performance Peripherals G-21
. A-19 185 Po]r Person Software A-19
. G-12 168 Powr Shareware , A-28
. 103 PowerDisk G-11
. 113 119 Professor Jones Ill
A-9 256 Profit Group. The 111
. G-9 Pure Entertainment 101
- A-9 198 Puzzle Factory, The - A-23
. . 99 Z57 Ratico Computer Supplies 109
, IFCI Safe Computers 116
Reader Service Number/Adtierliser
Page
212
112
116
171
261
148
189
196
121
126
194
297
190
210
118
203
130
179
147
202
242
301
122
132
155
172
SaleSoft Systems Inc 116
School of Computer Training 112
SeXXy Software 114
Shareware Central 116
Sierra OnLine 47
Sierra OnLine 91,93,95,BC
Smart Luck Software 116
SMC Software Publishers A-19
SMC Software Publisheis 114
SoftShoppe 114
Software Studio, The A-19
Software Support International A-29
Softrvare Support International G-7
Software Support International 116
Software Toolworks 37
SOGWAP Software A-9
SOGWAP Software G-15
Star Graphics 101
Star Micronlcs 27
Stariivare Publishing Corp 115
SubLogIc , 44,45
Thrustmasler 115
TEAS A-23
Tycom G-ID
US Robotics IBC
Virgin 71
Virgin 36,87
Virtual Realily Labs 107
Wedgwood Computer 109
Windows 9O0 110
Classfieds 118,119
Product Mart 109,110,111,112,113,114,115,116,117
104 COMPUTE Books 92,A-15,A-23,G-11
COMPUTE Editor 900 Line 100
COMPUTE Free Windows Offer 51
COMPUTE Library Cases 101
COMPUTE Ultima Power Disk 55
Gazette Disk Subscription G-15
Gazette Index G-21
Gazette Productivity Manager G-19
Gazette Single Disk Order G-40
Gazette Specialty Disks G-2
Gazette SpeedScrlpt G-17
SliarePak Disk Subscription . . . 59
CRED TS
Cover: photo by Mark Wagoner, computer
from Gateway 2000; page 4: Juan Alvarez/
Image Bank; page 8: John Mattos; page
18: Mark Wagoner; page 20: Mark Wagon-
er; page 28: Mark Wagoner; page 30:
Mark Wagoner; page 32: Mark Wagoner;
page 34: Mark Wagoner; page 60: Bill Brun-
ing; pages 66-67: Mark Wagoner; page 72:
courtesy of Paper Direct; pages 74-75:
Mark Wagoner; pages 78-79; Mark Wagon-
er; page 83: Uniphoto/Pictor.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
FOR
COMPUTE DISK
SUBSCRIBERS
COMPUTE offers two different disk products for
PC readers; the SharePak disk and PC Disk.
SharePak is monthly and has a subscription
price of $59,95 for SV'i-inch disks and $64,96 for
3V2Hnch disks. A subscription to SharePak
does not include a subscription to the maga-
zine, PC Disk appears in odd-numbered
months and has a subscription price of $49,95,
which includes a subscription to the PC edition
of COMPUTE. You can subscribe to either disk
or to both, but a subscription to one does not
include a subscription to the other.
JULY 1993 COMPUTE 97
REVIEWS
stick also performs reasona-
bly well with driving, sports,
and arcade games, its only
drawback is its size, which
may prove too bulky for small-
er hands.
Though not the ultimate
flight control stick, as tout-
ed by Suncom, the FX 2000
succeeds on three key
points: response, comfort,
and price. That's enough to
send most armchair pilots
soaring with delight.
SCOTT A. MAY
Suncom Technologies
(708) 647-4040
S39.99
Circle Reader Service Number 443
INSIGHT
A blue-tinted closeup of a hu-
man eye shows through a
jagged tear on the white cov-
er of the Insight box, just
above the full program title:
Insight to Greater Personal
and Professional Success —
A Kahler Process Model.
What have we here? New
Age software? Palm reading
by your PC? Something mys-
tical ... yet practical?
None of the above, actu-
ally, though you'd be forgiv-
en for making any of those
guesses after a casuai
glance at Insight's packag-
ing. Unless you're already fa-
miliar with the Kahler Proc-
ess Model, it's hard to tell
that Insight is actually a de-
tailed personality inventory,
or psychological profile, pre-
sented in software form.
Using Insight means an-
swering a series of ques-
tions that allows the pro-
gram to issue reports with
details on topics such as
Your Personality Structure,
Your Success Factors, and
Your Distress Warning Sig-
nals. It's based on the
Kahler Process Mo6e\
(KPfvl), developed by Dr.
98 COMPUTE JULY 1993
Taibi Kahler in the mid
1970s. The package and
documentation include en-
dorsements from busi-
nesspeople from around the
country as well as from Dr.
Terence fvlcGuire, a long-
time psychiatric consultant
for NASA who has used the
KPfyi in selecting astronauts.
According to Insight's doc-
umentation— which focuses
on background information
and details of the profiles,
since Insight is about as
easy to use as computer pro-
grams get— Kahler's model
classifies you as one of six
personality types, none
good or bad. The program
goes out of its way to estab-
lish itself as a tool for seif-
discovery and self-improve-
ment, not something that will
"teach you to manipulate oth-
ers or use this information in
harmful ways." Scoundrels
needn't apply.
If you're looking for a psy-
chological quick fix, In-
sight's not for you, either. Al-
though you can copy it onto
your hard drive in a few min-
utes via a standard batch
file, once you start Insight,
you have a lot of reading to
do, You move through the
program using nothing but
your cursor keys, with a
long, colorful series of intro-
ductory screens offering
background on the KPM, pro-
files of Kahler and other
KPM developers, and ama-
teurish graphic portraits of
those people. The picture of
the KPfvl that emerges from
Insight's long introductory
screens is one that spices
basic psychological models
with a pinch of humanistic
philosophy: "We believe
that people are OK, al-
though their behavior is
sometimes negative."
When you finally make it
to the inventory, you're
asked a series of 22 ques-
tions with six possible an-
swers each. You can
choose up to five answers
that fit you, ranking them in
order of importance. A short
example is "I prefer: people,
ideas, values, fun things, ex-
citement, privacy." it takes
15-30 minutes to complete
the inventory, after which
the program issues a copy
of Your Personal Insight Sum-
mary. It's presented on-
screen with detailed descrip-
tions of each basic person-
ality type — Reactor, Worka-
holic, Persister, Dreamer, Re-
bel, or Promoter— along with
other information to accom-
pany suggestions of how
you can maximize your suc-
cess and contentment and
minimize your stress. You
can also get a printout of
your inventory results with a
couple of simple keystrokes.
As the bit about "profes-
sional success" in Insight's
full title tells you, it's de-
signed with businesspeople
in mind. Though some of
the blurbs on the box come
from people who used In-
sight to help them communi-
cate better with family mem-
bers, many of the questions
and subsequent sugges-
tions relate to business situ-
ations. (I work alone at
home, so I had some difficul-
ty answering the questions
about my colleagues.}
Whatever you do. don't
rush through the Insight in-
ventory with plans to answer
more thoroughly another
time: The Insight package
comes with a Profiles disk
that limits you to two person-
ality profiles. Additional Pro-
files disks have to be or-
dered at a cost of $69,95
apiece. (You ai^e given a
chance to back out before'
the program completes a
profile.)
I won't reveal the results
of my profile, though I will
say it seemed reasonably ac-
curate, with information that
looks helpful but not really
surprising. If you'd like
more, well, insight into your
own personality, however, or
if you're looking for sugges-
tions on improving your life
at home or at work. Insight
wouldn't be a bad place to
start. It comes with good cre-
dentials, it thoroughly ex-
plains every conclusion and
recommendation, and it's an
easy-to-use program.
EDDIE HUFFMAN
Three-Sixty Pacific
(408) 879-9144
S99-95
Circle Reader Service Number 444
GRANDMASTER
CHESS
Capstone makes big claims
for Grandmaster Chess, call-
ing it the most powerful
chess program in the world.
It backs up that claim by in-
viting comparison to other
programs, including a
unique guarantee on the
front of the box: If another
chess program defeats
Grandmaster Chess using
identical computers under
tournament conditions, you
get your money back.
It takes approximately ten
minutes to install the pro-
gram, and installation in-
cludes options to support ad-
vanced video and sound fea-
tures. You can choose from
three chess sets: standard,
human, or monster, The
board can be viewed in ei-
ther a two- or a three-dimen-
sional position. The entire dis-
play fits on one screen and
includes the board, move
lists, options buttons, and
menu buttons while in two-
dimensional mode. You can
choose to play with black or
white pieces, and the board
can be rotated accordingly.
New chess players will
find the program less than
I
Only
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35.00 Game Masler
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49.00
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Goter^vinkle's Adventures
45,00 Putt Putt Parade
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35.00 A Plus Grade Builder
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39.00
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Animals in Motion
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119.00
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California Travel 45 00
Great Cities VI 35.00
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National Paj-ks 33.00
Street Atlas USA 89.00
US Atlas wAulomap 29.00
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Asian Ladies 33.00
Busiy Babes 29 00
CD Movies 33 C'Q
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Free Spirit Software, Inc. - 720 Sycamore Street - Columbus, IN 47201 - Questions? Phone (812) 376-9457
Circle Reader Service Number 115
SPMKtP!
\A/E at COMPUTE
strive to provide you with the latest
and most useful home, business
and entertainment computer news
and information. Now we're
opening the GOMPUTE EDITOR
LINE-a direct link to our editorial
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Using this program, you can
comment on articles and features in
COMPUTE. After hearing the
introduction, you'll be asked to
leave a message for the editor. Your
message will be reviewed and may
be published in a future issue.
REVIEWS
Here's how it works:
1. Call the COMPUTE EDITOR
LINE: 1-900-884-8681 The
charge is only $0.95 per min.
2. Select the month of the issue
you want to talk about.
3. Enter the extension number
printed at the end ol the feature
or pictorial spread you want to
discuss. If you don't have the
extension number, just listen to
the menu selections, and they
will lead you to the proper
extension for each item.
4. Listen to the comment or
information corresponding to the
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5. Then, at the tone, leave your
desired message!
6. If you would like to make
another selection, press " "k' to
return to the main menu.
PET INC, Box 166, Hllywd., CA
90078. Must be 18 or older.
Touch Tone phones only.
adequate for teaching the game. Includ-
ed with the documentation is a brief fli-
er, published by the United States
Chess Federation (USCF), that ex-
plains the rules of chess. But nothing
within the program teaches the begin-
ner about piece movement.
^M
H H[~^|
■■ ^^H
i^m
Granomasitii Ciiess wilt sun experienced
players better than novices.
The chess player with some experi-
ence will find the program both enter-
taining and helpful. When you push the
hint button, the computer displays its
analysis, which includes point values
for each possible move and its contin-
ued line of play, and then animates the
best possible move. You may also
turn on or off the computer's opening
library of moves, which includes ap-
proximately 12.000 positions in 4500
standard openings. When you press
the book button, all legal moves are list-
ed, and those in the opening book are
rated and ranked.
The intermediate club player will al-
so find the program a solid chess part-
ner. You can choose from a variety of
playing strengths and styles for the com-
puter, and you can select time con-
trols. Irom 5-minute speed chess match-
es (best played with the computer's
opening library turned off) to 120-min-
ute tournament matches. The program
includes a rating estimate that approxi-
mates your USCF ranking, and games
can be saved, imported, or printed. It's
easy to edit the board and to set the
computer to quickly solve puzzle posi-
tions. When set at Grandmaster tourna-
ment level, the program is quite formi-
dable. If you defeat the Grandmaster,
the program prints a certificate.
While Grandmaster Chess is power-
ful and entertaining, it does have
flaws. It wouldn't run as a DOS appli-
cation under Windows, crashing every
time I attempted it. In fact, the program
crashed on one occasion while run-
ning under DOS, The hand cursor also
tended to stamp itself on various parts
of the screen regularly. Although the
program includes synthesized
speech, it's limited to a few trite ex-
pressions such as "Gotcha" and "Bad
move." I found the speech feature lit-
tle more than annoying.
The program does have several
strong, unique features. Its options but-
tons make play fast and easy It's very
nice to be able to turn the computer's
opening book on or off, as well as to
change its strength and play variability.
The program plays chess well at a vari-
ety of levels, and it's particularly nice for
the player with limited experience.
Grandmaster Chess would make a
good addition to any software library,
but I'd advise waiting until a Windows
version becomes available.
JIM SMITH
IniraCcrp
(SOC) 463-7226
S59.95
Circle Reader Service Number 445
AIR FORCE
COMMANDER
As Coalition forces demonstrated dur-
ing the Persian Gulf War, achieving air
superiority can be an important first
step toward reaching your military ob-
jectives. With Air Force Commander,
you'll get the chance to direct the op-
erations of your own air force with the
ultimate objective of doing just that —
achieving air superiority in several sim-
ulated military conflicts.
Air Force Commander is a strategic
game of modern air warfare set in the
Middle East. The game features 14 sce-
narios of varying difficulty and complex-
ity involving the United States and sever-
al N/liddle Eastern countries, including
Iran, Iraq, Syria. Jordan. Israef. Saudi
Arabia, Sudan. Kuwait, Qatar, Leba-
non, Egypt, and the United Arab Emir-
ates. Some of these scenarios are loose-
ly based on histohcal conflicts such as
the Iran-Iraq War of 1973, the Yom Kip-
pur War, and the Persian Gulf War,
while others are based solely on hypo-
thetical situations.
As the name implies, Air Force Com-
mander puts you in control of an entire
air force, not just a single fighter plane
or bomber. Thus, your view of the ac-
tion is from a radar map in a war room
rather than from the sky. Here, all air-
craft are represented by vertical dotted
tines that travel across the map in ac-
celerated realtime. The length of each
line indicates the altitude of the plane
it represents — the longer the line, the
higher the plane.
Although you can direct your fighter
squadrons to intercept specific enemy
aircraft, your fighters are used more ef-
ficiently if you simply set up patrols
100
COMPUTE JULY 1993
Healthscope
P 93
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18 or over. Touch-tone phone only.
Sponsored by Pure Ent., Box 166,
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around the areas you wish to protect.
In addition, bombers are available for
high-altitude bombing and ground
strike missions against specific targets
in enemy territory. To extend your ra-
dar coverage, it's important to provide
air cover for your bombers as v/ell as
for AWACs planes performing circular
sweeps,
Squadrons can be placed on auto-
launch so tfiat after a mission they'll au-
tomatically return to base, refuel, and
head back out. It's important, however,
to monitor the efficiency of your squad-
rons and rest and repair them as nec-
essary to make sure they perform at
peak efficiency.
While the real objective of Air Force
Commander is to achieve air superiori-
ty, the game can also be won by turn-
ing public opinion in the opposing coun-
try against the war. You do this by
attacking its power stations and sourc-
es of food and water.
As for Air Force Commander's
sound capabilities, the digitized voice
(with a Sound Blaster) is a nice touch,
but the loud explosions that accompa-
ny air combat and bombing raids are
more of a distraction than an enhance-
ment to the action.
The various maps are nicely drawn
and seem to be fairly accurate, but in
general the graphics remind you that
you're playing a computer game rath-
er than participating in a realistic simula-
tion. Air Force Commander is an enjoy-
able game, but not one that's likely to
win any awards.
BOB GUERRA
Impressions Software
(203) 676-9002
$59.95
Circle Reader Service Number 446
BEST DATA SMART ONE
9624 FP TRAVELER
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Even though you could phone in your
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COMPUTE
UBRARY CASES
store your issues of COMPUTE in our
new Custom Bound Library Cases made
o( blue simulated leather embossed with
a white COMPUTE logo on the spine.
It's built to last, and it will keep 12 issues
in mint condition indefinitely. Each case
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Send your check or money order (S8.95
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TO: COMPUTE IVIagazine
Jesse Jones Industries
499 E. Erie Ave., Phila., PA 19134
CREDIT CARD HOLDERS
(orders over SI 5)
CALL TOLL FREE: 1-800-825-6690.
Or mail your order, clearly showing
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PA. residents add 7% sales tax.
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
JULY 1993 COMPUTE 101
REVIEWS
ever having to pick up the
receiver.
Tine 9624 FP tal<es up on-
ly about as mucin space as
a walkabout cassette player
trailing a cord or ttiree. You
tiook it up to your computer
directly througti a 25-pin
port or via cable through a 9-
pin port and then plug in a
phone line and a pov^er
cord (or, if you prefer, you
can power up the 9624 FP
with a nine-volt battery). Red
indicator lights tell you wheth-
er the battery's low, if the mo-
dem's operating at 2400
bps or faster, whether a con-
nection has been estab-
lished, and if the modem is
ready for communications to
begin. tJnIike some porta-
ble fax/data modems, the
9624 FP connects directly to
the phone line rather than
strapping onto the receiver,
so don't buy it expecting to
use it easily from public
phones or in office buildings
with odd-sized plugs for
their phone systems. Also,
the modem has a slightly
clunky feel because of
loose nuts and a power-
cord receptacle that gives
slightly when you plug the
cord in. those are essential-
ly cosmetic concerns, howev-
er, and they have no bear-
ing on the performance of
the 9624 FP.
Anyone who has ever re-
moved a desktop PC's cov-
er to install a fax/data mo-
dem board will appreciate
the convenience of the 9624
FP's external connections.
Best Data has even adapt-
ed for use by the genera!
public a Velcro strip used
by the company's employ-
ees to attach the 9624 FP di-
rectly to a monitor, out of the
way. I had the modem
hooked up and its accompa-
nying software installed with-
in about ten minutes of open-
ing the box. The user's man-
ual provided relatively clear
102 COMPUTE JULY 1993
instructions, though without
illustrations, an index, or the
kind of literary spark that
can make phrases like re-
tractable locking screws
come alive.
The software accompany-
ing the 9624 FP— WinFax Li-
te and Quick Link II —
makes communications an
and when you're viewing a
fax that you're sending or
you've received, it offers no
helpful onscreen guidelines
telling you how to move
around the page or pages. I
used both programs for suc-
cessful fax communications,
however, and their inclusion
with a portable modem that
The Best Data Smart One 9624 FP Traveler Fax/Modem is even
smaller than its name, making faxing easy and convenient.
intuitive breeze. Both pro-
grams allow you to send
and receive faxes, as well
as view them onscreen or
print them on your printer. If
you run Windows, I'd advise
sticking with WinFax Lite,
though. Quick Link II gets
the job done, but it has an in-
terface on a level with an av-
erage shareware program,
can transmit at 9600 bps
makes the 9624 FP a bar-
gain at $199 suggested re-
tail. (WinFax Lite .isn't availa-
ble as a stand-alone prod-
uct, but WinFax Pro retails
at $119.)
The bargain looks even
better when you consider
the error correction and da-
ta compression technolo-
gies built into the 9624 FP. It
incorporates V.42bis and
MNP 2-5 technologies,
which are imposing-looking
monikers for the intelligence
that makes the modem fast
and its transmissions clean.
Using data compression,
V.42bis allows for a transmis-
sion throughput up to four
times the bps rate of the mo-
dem itself, which allows the
2400-bps 9624 FP to send
in your lunch order at 9600
bps. (V.42 covers the error
correction, while bis covers
the data compression.)
MNP 2-5 is a subset of
V.42, and, in a nutshell, it
means the 9624 FP can com-
municate with other fvlNP mo-
dems, a standard protocol.
If you're simply looking
for a way to get that memo
you needed yesterday here
today, at least, don't let all
those weird letter and num-
ber combinations confuse
you. The Best Data Smart
One 9624 FP Traveler Fax/
Modem packs a lot of pow-
er into a small package, ful-
filling your fax needs without
crowding you a! all.
EDDIE HUFFMAW
Best Dala Products
(800) 632-2378
(81B) 773-9600
SI 49
Circle Reader Service Number 447
MUTANOID MATH
CHALLENGE
Legacy's Mutanoid Math
Challenge brings the charm
and nonsense of a Saturday
morning cartoon to acade-
mia's most abstract subject
and packages it with
enough weird and wacky
characters to keep the kids
calculating until dinnertime.
Although the game is rat-
ed for kids 7-adult, it has on-
ly three skill levels: grades 2-
3, 4-5, and 6-8. Its 60
quirky animations, fast-
DISK-COUNT
SOFTWARE
Lowest deliverd prices with great customer service.
800-448-6658
A Train 39
Constnjction Sel 22
Aces Over Europe 44"
Aces of ma Paafc 39"
Mission Disk 25
ADiO Colled Ed 2 42"
ADiD Starter Kit «"
AD4D Unlimited 31"
Adlbou&JuniorVijl)34"
Ajr Bucks W
Air Duel 33"
Air Wanior SVGA 35"
AlgeBlaster Plus 30
Algebra Wade Easy 25
Aliens Ale Babysitter 32
Alone in The Dark 35"
Alphabet Blocks 29"
Amazon 38"
Ambush 37"
Amsrican Cm! Waf 25
Ancient Art War Sky 35
Anciem Ernpires 30
Animation Studio 75
Armored Rst 37"
Asties o( Empire 45"
A.T.A.C. 35
Automap 44
Autoroap Windows 57
Automap Europe 74
B-17 F^ing Fortres 39
Bane Cosmic Forge 36
Barbie Design ^E
Baitia Fashion 25
Barbia Adventure 25
BaIUediess4OOOVGA30
BatliocheM4000SVGA3e
Baltielield 37«'
Battle Toads 24"'
Battles o( Destiny 35"
Beat Die House 29''
Betrayal at KrondOf"35"
Bettv Croci;. Cookbook
Bill Elliott NASCAR 30
Birds o( Pray
Bluelorce 39"
Boi^ Illustrated 47"
Bodyworks 42
Bridaomaster 30
Bug Bunny WrkShp 31
Buzi Aldnn 39«*
Campaign 34"
Capitalist Pig 38"
Car and Driver 37*=
Carrier Strike 39
Carriers at War 37"
Castle 2 35"
Castle of Df. 8rain 30
Ceasar 35"
Ctiallnge 5 Realms 33"
Champions 35"
Clisriiisiry Works 38
Chassmastef 300029"
Chessrastr 30O0 Win 35
Chrldren Writ i Pub) 39
Cruilization 37
Civiliiation UPi 45
Classii; Adventure 36
Coaster Zi
Comanche 42"
Mission Disfi 25"
Combat Classics 31"
IDomic Book Cf eatoc 1 7
Cohort 2 19"
Conquered Kingdom35"
Conquest of Japan 35
Contraption Zat 25"
Creepers 29"
Cnisader Dr* Savnt39"
Cudioo Zoo 31"
C^ber Space 34"
Ijemonsgate 32"
Daoger of Amon Ha 39
Da3? Half 39
Darklands 33
Oarkseed 39
Oarit Sun 47"
Daughter of Seipnt3l"
DIx Paint Animalion 85
Oil Paint II Enhncd 85
DeiaVuli2 31"
Design Yr Own Hm 39
Design Your Raiird 35
Designasaunis It 23
DiBt?raOOS/Win25/35
Dinosaur Adventure 34
Dog Fight 37"
Dr Jam Wind. 59"
Dr. Quandry 3)
Dragon
Dragon's iJif I 25
2 or Singe CasUe 37
Dragon Lair III 39"
Dune 2 36
Dungeon Master 29"
Dynamix Bundle 42
Eagle Eye Mystery 31"
Eco-Ouest 1 or 2 29"
B Fish 35
Empire Deluxe 35
Entr Pak Win (ea) 28
Eric the Unready 35"
Eye of Beholder 20"
Eye of Beholder 2 36
Eye of Beholder 3 42
F 15 III 44
F 15 III Umited 49"
F117a Stealth Fight 41
Facts in Action 31
Falcon 3.0 45
Opec Fight Tiger 25
Family Tree Maker 42
Fami Creativity Kit 1 8
Fatty Bear BirthdaySI"
Femme Falale 26
F. F. Data Disk 21
Relds a Glorv 33"
Right Simul A.T.P. 37
Right Simui (M.S.) 41
Air The Cntrtr 34"
Arcft/Scen Osgn 28
Aircraft Adv Factry25
«685 17
« 701 17
Airport Facty Loc 17
Calilornia 37
F S Pro 24
Great Britian 37
Hawaii 1 9
Instant Faclt Ljdc. 19
Instmmnt Pltot Scan
Japan Scenery 19"
Pilots Pwer TIs 24"
East/West U.S.ea 59
Rescue Air 911 17
ScenaiV St A or B 37
Sesnery Enhn Ed 2 5
Sound it Graphic 25
Tahiti 19
Western Europe 19
Follow the Reader 29*'
w/ Sound Source 40
Four Crystal Trazer
Free DC 37
Front Paoe Sports 39"
G-Force 19"
Gambit 31"
Game Maker 69"«
68mes:Summer Chi^5
Games:Winler Chig 35
Gateway 35
Gamfira 31
Global Conquest 35
Gobblins 1 or 2' 22
Gods 25
Grand Slam Brdge 1131
Grandmaster Chess 36
Great Naval Battle 43"
Super Ships 20"
Greens 35
Gunship 2000 36
Scenario Disi( 24
Guy Spy 29
Hardball 3 35
Date Disk ea. 17«
Harpoon Designer 32
Harpoon Signature 49"
Harrier Assault 34"
Haadline Harry 37
Health i Diet Pro 26
Heaven & Earth 30
Heimdal! 19"
Haros of 357th
Hole In 1 Golf Dlx 25
Hong Kong Mahiong 32
Hoyfo Bk Game 2 22
Hoyle Bk Game 1f3 30
Humans 25
Inca- 29"
Incredible Machine 29"
Indiana Jones 4 37
Inspector Gadget 35"
Island of Dr. Brain 29"
Jack NicWaus Signt39"
Jeopardy Silver 25
Jeopardy Super 25
Jetfighter 2 39
Adv. Mission Disk 1 9
Bundle Price 49
John Madden 2 31"
Jump Jet 3S"
KGB 19
Kid Cuts 35"
Kid Desk 25
Kid Pkaures 19"
Kid Pix 35"
Kid Pii Companion 25
Kid Works 2 36"
Kings Ransom 34"
Kings Quest 1 VGA 37
King's Quest 6 45
Knowladga Advent 42
L A Uw 31"
Land Of Lore 34"
Latter Utility 22
25
29"
32
37"
39
35"
17
Leather God Phb 2 24
Legacy Necroraanal 9"
Legend of Xyrandia 35
Legends ol Vatouf 38
Legion's ol Krelia 37
Leisur Suit Lar^ 5 39"
Lemmings 29
Oh No Mora Addon 22
Lomm.-Oh No More 31
Lemmings 2 35"
Liberty or Death 35
Life and Death 2
Line in the Sarx]
Linlis
Links 386 Pro
Course Disk aa
386 Courses aa
Lord of Rings 2
Lost FilaSRerlci(H41"
Lest Treas tnfocom 42
Lost Treasures 2 29
Lost Thbe
Lost Vikings
Lura of Temptress
Magk; CarKlle 3
Mantis
Mario is Mlssirig
Missing City Disk
Mark) TaatJies Type 25
Math Blaster Mystiy29"
Math Blaster Plus 29"
Math Blaster Wind 36
Math Coptef 25
Math Rabbit 25
Math Zone 31
Mavis Beacon Type29"
Mavis Beacon Wind35"
McGee 3 Pack 32
Mega Lo Mania 29"
Mental Math Gaines 37
Mercenaries 37"
MetroGnome Music 31
Michael Jordon Right42
Mickey ABC's.
Color or 1-2-3's 19"
Mickey's Crossword 1 9
Mickey Jigsaw Pzl 31
Mickey Word Advent 2 5
Micro CooktxKik 4.0 32
Mksoleagu 4 BaseB 32
Mictoleague FB Dlx 32
Microleague Soccer 25
MiCfOSOlfGolf 39
Midnight Resoja 35
Might and Magic 3 38
Might & Magic 4 40
Mike Dilka Oltimi FB 37
Millie Math House 31
Miied-Up Fairy Tale 30
Miied-Up Mother Gs30
Monkey Island 1 or 223
MonoK>Iy Deluxe 34
Moonbase 25
Mystery at Museum 35
New Math Rabbit 29"
N.Y. Times X-Word 32
NFL Challenge Pram59
NFL F.B, Konami 30
NFL Video Pro 45"
Nigel's World 31
No Greater Glory 20"
Nqbunagas Ambition37
Numljer Maie 36
Omar Sharif Bridge 37
Operation Neptune 35
Orbits
Oregon Trail
[Jaluxa
Origin FX
Onca Upon Time
Out of This World
Outnumbered
Pacilic Islands 2
Pacific Wars
Paladin 2
Paperboy 2
Palriol
PC Globe
PC USA
PC Study Sm
Peppers Advenlura29"
Perfect General 36
Data Disk 22
Phonics Plus 25
Pirlate's Gold 38"
Playroom w/ Sound 31
29'
28
34"
25
30
36
30
29"
47
35
27
42"
39
31
42
Police Quest 3
Populous 2
Pool Shart(
Power Hits Kids
Movies
Sports
Sci-Fi
Batlleteoh-Mech
Powermongar
Phnt Shop Deluxe
39"
37
19"
31
25
25
32
32
32
45
PRODUCT INFO & OTHER BUSINESS:
908-396-8880
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SURCHARGE.
SHIPPING IS ONLY $4.00 PER ORDER,
NOT PER ITEM
Graphic Coll. (ea) 30
Print Shop. New 36
Graphics (ea) 22
Print Sp Compankm 31
Privateer 47"
Pro League Basaball3S
Prophecy' 22
Prophecy of Shadow38
Protostar 39"
Putt Putt Parade 32
Putt Pun Fun Pack 26
Quest for Glory 1 22
Quest for Gtory 3 39
Rags to Riches 35"
Railroad Tycoon 19"
ReachForTne Skies19'*
Reader Rabbit 35"
Reader RabbS 2 35"
Ready for Letters 35"
Read 'n Roll VGA 31
Reading Adv In Oz 36
Red Baron 39
Mission Disk 17
Realms 19"
Return 0 the Phnlm33"
Rex Nebular 37
Riders of Rohan 31
Ring World 34"
Risk lof Windows 29"
Risky Woods 25
fload & Track Pres 35
Road to Rnal Four 37
Robosports Wind 34"
Rodney Fun Screen 31
Rod( i Bach Shjdk) 35
Romanes 3 King 2 39
Rome 29"
Rule Enoagment 2 38
Sargon V 36
Scienca Adventure 42
Scooter Magk: Castle32
Scrabble Deluxe 30
Sea Rogue 19
Seal Team 37"
Second Front 20"
Scrt weapon Luftw(39"
Tour of Duty ea. 20
Sesame St Lm Clas31
Sesame Si. PuWish 25
Sesame si Voi.l of2 1 7
Seven Cities of Gold 38
Shadow Prasident 39"
Shadow Prophecy 30
ShadowgatB 27
Shadowfands 29"
Shanghai II 31
Siece 3B
[Jogs at War 20"
Sierra Actton Five 25
Sierra Award Winner47
Sierra Family Fun 32
Sierra Starter Bndl 39"
Silent Service 2 19"
Sim Ant 34"
Sim City 30
Sim Anl French 35
Sim City Windov*S 34"
Sim Earth 39"
Sim Ule DosAVind 35"
Simpsons 31
Snap Dragon 32
Snoopy Game Dub 29
Solitaire Window 29"
Solitaires Journey 35
Spaca Acs 2:Bort 36
Space Adventure 42
Space Hulk 37"
Space Quest 4 37
Spaca Quest 5 39"
Spaceward Ho 35"
Spear ol Destiny 39"
Special Forces 29
Spectre 35"
Speed Reader 31
Spellbound 31
Spellcasling 301 35
Spell Craft 35
Spslirt Plus 30
SpelUammer 37*'
Sports Adventure 33
Sproutl 39
Sfar Control 2 35"
Star Legkms 37*'
Star Trek 258i Aniv. 37
StarTrek AudioClip34"
Next Generation 38"
Star Trei( Screen Sav37
Slickybr Math Tutor 30
Stidiybr Pra-SchooJ 30
Stickybr Read Tutof 30
Sti*ybr Spell Tutor 30
Sionn Across Europe38
Storybook Weaver 29"
Strike Commander 47"
Studyware Bk>lqgy,
Calc.,Chem..Econ
Physics, Statistic 25
Studyware LSAT 37
Stunf Island 37
Summer Cfiallenge 34
Super Tetris 31
Take a break X-Word29
Pinball • 26"
Task Force 1942 37*'
T.M.N.Turtle Arcade 25
T.M.N.TurtiB Advntr 32
Tengens Arcade Hit 25
Tenninator 2029 39*'
Tnnnlr 2 Cybrchass 35
Tetris Classic 31
Tetns Tno 30
The Legacy 33"
The LoS VikJnss 29"
Time Riders America35
Time Treks 36
Time Quest 37
Tom Landry Football 30
Tony ijRussa Base. 17
Tony LaRussa II 37"
Expansion Disk 15
Top ijlass Sieries 9al6
Traders 19"
Treasure Cove 35
Tisasure Hath Slonii35
Treasure Mountain 35
Treehouse 35
Tristan Pinball 32
Trolls 25"
Tmmp Castie 3 29"
Turbo Science 30
Turtle Tools 69
Ultima 7 47"
Forge ol Virtue 1 7
UltimaT Part 2 47"
Ultima Trilogy 1 37"
Ultima Tritogy 2 47"
Ultima Underwork) 47"
Part 2 47"
Ullrabots 37"
Uninvited Windows 31"
U.S. Atlas DOS 31
Utopia 29"
V lor Victofy 1/2 ea42"
Veoas Games Win 19"
Val of Darkness 37"
Virtual Realty St 2 59"
Wacky Funster 19"
Waxworks 35"
Wayne Gretzky 3 35
Western Front 22"
When2Worids War 35"
What's My Angle 30
Wheel Fortune Vana 25
Where Camn SanDiego
America's Past 34"
Europe 30
Time 30
USA 30
USA Deluxe 44"
World Deluxe 44"
Wild Science Arc3d35"
Wilson ProStallgolf25"
Waen:Tha Prtcy 34"
Willy Beamish 25
Wng Comandr 2 47"
Wizardry Trilogy 31"
Word Munchef 30
Word Torture
llal. Gann. Span 25
Wordtris 29
Workl AUas DOS 39
World Circuit 34"
Write? Rabbit 30
X Wirig 39"
Your Prsnl Train SAT30
Zodiac Signs 39"
Zoo Keeper 36
Zug's Spelling Adv 22
Adv of Eco Island 22
Dinosaur World 22
Race Thru Space 22
m\m\m^mt
Appoint MousePen 70
Miaosott Mouse 85
ipoinl MousePen
fiaosott Mouse 85
Mouseman Serial 69
Trackman Serial 79
n
im-iAumH
MaxFax 9624 Fx/Md99
Practical Peripherals
PM 14.4 Int. 129
PM 14.4 Ext 175
Sportster 9600 Int 129
Sporistf 14.4 v.42bs309
Zoom External 62
Zoom Internal 59
Aesops Fabies 33
Aifcralt Eneyciopda 45
Akiha Hawaii 45
Amar Bus. Phnbk. 39
Amer Hert Pfc) Dk* 75
Arthur Teacher TrW 41
Audubon Mammals 37
Autodesk Explorer 119
Barney Bear Goes
to School 26
into Space 26
Batik Designs 45
Battlechess 49
Beauty & Beast 49
Beethoven Ninth 59
Bertiti Think S Talk
French 105
Spanish 105
Bible Library 49
Bibles i Reiigon 30
Bookshalf 129
Bfilanica Family Che 75
Business Master 32
Buzz Aldrin Race 59
Carnien Worid Dlxe 65
Career Opportunilies42
Cautbus Condor 45
C D Game Pack 55
C D Speedway 57
Challenge 6 Flealms
(Christmas Carol 33
CIA WorM Fact 39
CIA Wodd Faa M/M 42
Clipart Goliath 30
Conan Cimerion 35
Corel Draw upgd 139
Crossword Cracker 32
Curse of Enchantia25"
Deathstar Arcade 30
Dkaionaries & Lang 30
Don Quixote 33
Education Master 32
Electronic Cookbook 75
Elect Home Library 49
Ekrtm TravelanCalt 33
Encarta Encyclpd 249"
European Monarchs49
Fam^ DodOf 59
Font Master 39
Food Analyst 49
Fresh Arte 49
Front Page News 29
G Force 19"
Game Master 32
Game Pack 2 39
GettysburgMM Hist 43
Gofer Winkles Adv 33
Golden Immortal 28
Graat Citias Vol 1 49
Guinness Book Rec 59
Guy Spy 32
Ham Call 49
Inspector Gadget 37"
Interactive ad Test 52
Interactive StorytimB45
InO Bus 1 Econ Atlas39
Inuo Games Fr/Sp 79
Jazz:Multimedia Hist 69
Jets i Props 55
Jones in Fas! Lane 37
Just Grandma & Me 36
Jutland 54"
Kings Quest 5 42
Land 01 Lore 34"
Languages of Worid 99
Laam to Speak Span59
Leisure Suit Lanv 42
LiOry of ArtiRenaiSfl 65
Ubry of Art:OvBrv>ew65
Library ol Future 99
Loom 39
Lovely Ladies II 49
MacMlllian Child Dicl49
Manhole 49
Magazine flack 45
Mantis 45"
Marketing Master 39
Mavis Beacon 39
Mixed Up Molhr Gse37
Monarch Notes
Monkey Island
M S DOS Archives
MM Muse: Mozail
MM Music Vnraldi
North Amer Fax Bk
North Amer Indians
Officers Bookcase
Our Solar System
PC Game Floom
Peter & WoH
Pod Shark 19'
Prssdntll Slrt Geo 105
Programmers ROM 59
PutjTish iti 69
Relerenoa Library 59
RotorJAlrtjall/Time
San Dieqo Zoo
Secret Weapons
Seventh Guest
Sherlock Holme
Shed Holmes 2
Sleeping Beauty
Sound Works
Space C^est 4
Spaca Serias-Apollo 49
Spirit of Excalibur 37
Slallar 7 37
Strange Bedfellows 39
Star Child 33
Star Trek Enhanced 49
Street Atlas 99
Talking Classk: Tale 75
Taikng Jungle Salari 75
Tme Mag Almanac 49
Time TatSe Science 59
Too Many Typelonts35
Ulfima 1-6 49
Ultimata Shareware 59
U S Atlas 42
US Atlas w/Automap49
US History 39
US Presidents 49
USA State Fact Bk 45
USA Wars:Civil War 49
USA WarsiKoraa 49
USA WarsiVielnam 49
USA Wars: WW II 49
Voyage Planet l-3aa-69
White HorsB Child 33
Who Killed Sam Rup26
Willy Beamish 37
Win CD 32
Wing Comm & Miss 45
Wing ConVUllima 6 45
Wino Comm 2 57
W CfZfUlti. Undiwld 57
Wortd AUas 42
Adults Qntv-Must be 21
Animation t-antasy 65
H.lll.t.l.<.IJ.H
Ad Lib MKFOchannai S9
Ad Ut) GoU 10O0 179
ATI Stereo FIX 109
VGA StreoF/X 1MB 369
Covox Snd Mster 11145
Gravis Ultra Sound 129
Logitech Soundmn 1 79
'Isdia Ws/on
.udio Port 139
---■■■ ,199»5
139
_ 'ort
CDPC / XL
Pro Audio Spec +
M.M. Upgrade Kit 765
Pro Audio Spec 16 194
Pro IS Multimedia
Upgrade Kit 955
Thunderboard 95
Thunder & Lightng 229
Sound Blaster 99
Snd Blast Pro MCA 259
Sound Blaster Pro 189
S e Pro 16 239
S B Multimedia Kit 560
S B MM Starter Kit 459
S B CDROM Inlnil 360
Sound Mactilne Ind.
SB.Speaker.Joy stick 95
Roland SCd-l GS 375
Sound Canvas 559
Roland MA-12C ea 105
SPEAKERS Shialdeies
w/3 band Eqyilizef45
Attac Lansing 200 219
ACS 300 wfsuljwof 299
Mkllator lOl Serial
PC Midi Card
MQX-32
MPU-IPC
■iin»jn.iia'f.ig
95
79
179
135
PC Pix Vol 1 or 2 ' 65
Private Collection 65
Prtv. Pictures 1 or 2 65
Seeity Vol 1-7ea. 65
Stonn 1 Of 2 65
Visual Fantasy 65
Volcano 65
Caddies 7.95ea. 3/$ 19
w
Band in a Box 69
Cadenza 129
Cakewalk 95
Cakewalk Pro 169
Cakewalk Window 240
Encore 379
Piano Works 95
Play (t tjy Ea* 69
Waster Tracks Pro 249
Mldlsoft Studio 159
Music Bytes Vol t 65
Music Mentor 79
Music Printer Plus 419
Musk: Time 169
Musicator 375
OuK* Score Deluxe 99
Rhythm Acs 69
Sofijwrighl 5 65
Trax lor Windovts 60
cfflghlsS(37
- iigl.-.-
CH Game Card 3 31
CK Mach 3 31
CH Wtual Pitot 65
CH Virtual Pitot Pro 64
Eliminalor Game Cd 26
Gravis Anakjg Pro 39
Gravis Joysti* 32
Gravis PC GamaPad21
■IIJI fmm.) t !■■ Kraft KC3 Joystick 16
.1!niCT;ian»E»i^,.t. Thunderstlck 28
Dust Covers 15
Grotjnded Wrist Strap 9
Keyboard Skins 15
Static Pads
Maxx Right Yoke 69
Maxx Pedal 39
Mouse Yoke 29"
Quickshol Game Cd 14
1 5 QuJckshot Warrior 1 8
8 Thrustmastar Right 69
Stax (Oust Repelleni) 5 iThnjstmaster Pro 109
Slab! Cornplete iWeapons Control 79
Cleaning System 15 iThruslmaster Pedal109
Large- System
Wrist F*ads
Houik; K-F 9AH to ai'M Sac 10/vH to 3PM
store Hours: M-F 9AM to 6PM Sat 10AM to 3PM
Store: 1060 Randolph Ave. Rahuiy N.J. 01065
Strip Poker 3
32
fiala Disk (ea) 17
Studyware lor ACT
GMAT.GRE.SAT 30
Jcanmaker II
Scanman 32
Kranman 256
8591
133
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
l^jastei Cat d. Visa American Express It Discover Accepted. Ho
Surcharge on Credit, Cards. By mail: P.O. Box 3, Carteiet. N.J.
0700e. All Sales Are Final. NO SEFUNDS! Exchange on defective
merchandise with the same item only. No exceptions. All
Producta are new. We do not guacentee con^atability. Shipping
chargeg; 4S contiguous states, S4 per order. Alaska, Hawaii,
and Puerto Rico SlO 1st pc. , Sl oa. add. APO/PPO and P.O. Boxes
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Circle Reader Service Number 208
REVIEWS
paced action, and out-of-
this-world cast will keep new-
comers to matin engrossed
in the computative environ-
mental chiallenge the game
presents.
After loading the pro-
gram, kids enter the year
2020, when Earth has ex-
hausted its landfills and be-
gun to send its solid waste in-
to outer space. Smart-
mouthed aliens who don't
want the useless junk threat-
en revenge by dumping
glop on the planet. Prime
minister Monitron, a kind of
futuristic fvlonty Hall, per-
suades the aliens to settle
their dispute in a contest of
math abilities. The games
take place in the Cubix Can-
tina, which Legacy calls
"the restaurant of choice for
solar slimeballs."
The program features a
single-page quick-start
guide that lets kids or teach-
ers get into the game imme-
diately. The 58-page play-
er's guide is imaginatively
illustrated, and notes on in-
stallation, instruction, game
tips, and troubleshooting
are presented in a story-
telling fashion that sticks
with the theme of the game
and won't turn off those kids
who take the tinne to read
them. Legacy recently add-
ed support for sound
boards, and the new musi-
cal accompaniment greatly
enhances the PC speaker
sound found in the previous
version.
The game is copy-protect-
ed by documentation. To
get past Vectra. the securi-
ty guard, players must
match a number Vectra
gives them to a planet
name printed on the corre-
sponding page in the man-
ual. Up to 40 players can
play, and multiplayer com-
petitions make it ideal for
classroom activities as welf
as group play at home.
104 COMPUTE JULY 1993
Parents, teachers, or kids
themselves can customize
levels of difficulty to make
the game easier, eliminating
multiplication tables, divi-
sion, or cube equations.
Kids select their Mutanoid
challengers from a cast of
ooky-looking characters
with appropriately juvenile
mouse support.
Legacy's arcade-game ap-
proach to instruction, com-
plete with sound and anima-
tion, brings routine drill-and-
practice exercises alive. Mu-
tanoid Math Challenge will
entertain any kid who plays
it individually, but its contest
approach to teaching
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M
aaflBiEa. 305
- 2 = 25
Sudsy has 18 Elvis records
in his cdlecilDn. He has 3
more than Camernn. How
man<j Elvis records does
Cameron have?
0 8 0 e
0(S{
Mutanoid Math Challenge makes learning math concepts fun, and
it's ideal for use either at home or in the classroom.
names like Barbie Q., I.M.
Tall, and Lotta B. Hinds, The
game board presents prob-
lems in crossword-style
grids, where players fill in el-
ements of the equations,
and as word problems. Kids
enter the answers by select-
ing numbers on an on-
screen calculator pad.
From time to time, green mu-
tant "gelatotd" creatures zip
across the screen, and a
player who can direct them
to diamond squares earns ex-
tra points. Scores are kept
in a Hall of Fame, so kids
can check to see how their
scores compare with those
of the Mutanoid (the comput-
er) or other players.
The game employs some-
what unconventional key as-
signments: To quit, you hit
F8 instead of Esc, for exam-
ple. But kids don't seem to
mind. The game does have
maKes it perfect for groups.
Kids love competition, and
this game's support for mul-
tiple players makes it one of
tfiose educational games
that can turn a computer in-
to an activity center in a
classroom or family den.
CAROL ELLISON
Legacy Software
(800) LEARN-92
S49,95
Circle Reader Service Number 446
SPACE ACE II:
BORE'S REVENGE
step into the world of Satur-
day-morning superheroes
with Space Ace II: Borf's Re-
venge, a nonstop arcade bat-
tle of good versus evil.
In the previous episode,
the villainous Borf un-
leashed the terrible Infanto
Ray— a weapon capable of
turning anyone into a help-
less infant with a single
blast. The big, blue fiend
had hoped to turn the Earth
into one big day care cen-
ter. But Space Ace turned
the tables and saved the
day, zapping Borf into a
harmless peewee.
As the new game begins,
Borf's tenacious Goon
squad has restored its pint-
sized leader to his larger-
than-life evilness. An en-
raged Borf then kidnaps
Ace's girlfriend, Kimberly,
and attempts a getaway.
You must race to her de-
fense, battling a relentless se-
ries of monsters, robots,
and other deadly threats.
The game's look and feel
is Inspired by Don Bluth, a
former Disney animator who
pioneered the first laser
disc coin-op game, Drag-
on's Lair. The theater-quality
cartoon graphics and digit-
ized sound are nearly seam-
less on a hard drive. This
type of game begs for a CD-
f^Of\/l treatment.
Though beautifully drawn
and smoothly animated, the
design suffers from serious
structural flaws. Simply put,
the story doesn't flow, it lung-
es forward at breakneck
speed. Transitions between
scenes are usually clipped,
and often missing entirely.
The results are disjointed
and confusing, with no
sense of plot progression.
Another problem is a com-
plete lack of strategy Player
input is limited to simple
knee-jerk reactions — press-
ing one of five keys in re-
sponse to the onscreen ac-
tion. The game's linear story
line allows absolutely no di-
gression from the pre-
scribed course of action.
False moves are rewarded
not with an alternate direc-
tion, but with instant death.
Even the fastest, cruelest ar-
cade games offer more
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REVIEWS
than one path to success or failure,
This game is a bullet train with no
stops and only one destination. Fail to
switch tracks at the precise moment
and the whole thing derails.
Average games last under a minute
for experienced players and mere sec-
onds for arcade rookies. Having only
three tries to complete the adventure
adds to your frustration; luckily, a save
option lets you start the game at the be-
ginning of the last unfinished scene. Un-
fortunately, once invoked, this save fea-
ture is automatic: If you fail once or
twice and then succeed, the game over-
writes your last position, leaving you
stranded with severely limited resourc-
es. Contrary to the old maxim, if at first
you don't succeed, give up before try-
ing again. As if admitting to this unfor-
giving difficulty, the manual offers fair-
ly explicit hints for each of the game's
27 scenes.
More satisfying examples of this gen-
re include Interplay's Out of This
World, Dynamix's Adventures of Willie
Beamish, and even ReadySoft's own
Guy Spy series. In addition to a solid
mix of arcade action and logic puzzles,
each of those games takes time to tell
a viable story, using such "camera"
techniques as panning, noninteractive
segues, and long tracking shots.
Technically brilliant, Space Ace II:
Borf's Revenge successfully emulates a
studio-quality animated adventure, As
an interactive game, however, most of
the fun seems to have been left on the
Gutting room floor.
SCOTT A. MAY
$59.95 READYSOFT
(416) 731-4175
Circle Reader Service Number 449
COFFEE BREAK
GAMBLING
As new game designs begin to stretch
the limits of time and space — your
time and hard drive space, that is —
Villa Crespo heads in the opposite di-
rection with its Coffee Break Series.
These compact, budget-priced
games deliver instantly accessible qual-
ity entertainment that's playable from
floppy or hard disk.
Villa Crespo is best known for casino-
style gambling simulations, so it's not
surprising that the top picks in this bur-
geoning series are games of strategy
and chance. Dr. Wong's Jacks & Vid-
eo Poker is an abridged version of one
of the company's biggest-selling titles.
Where the original offers five variations
106 COMPUTE JULY 1993
of video poker, the condensed version
contains only Jacks or Better, by far
the most popular style.
Features include an adjustable bank-
roll, online tutorial and advice, hand
analysis, and calculated returns. The on-
ly feature sorely missing from the orig-
inal is simultaneous two-player tourna-
ment mode. Bells and whistles include
somewhat garish — albeit realistic — low-
resolution graphics and digitized
sound effects.
Dr. Thorp's fvlini Blackjack is the ab-
breviated version of another full-
fledged simulation. Up to six players
can compete against the dealer, utiliz-
ing such standard casino options as
double down, split, surrender, push,
and insurance. Advanced features in-
clude two levels of house rules, each ful-
ly adjustable and surprisingly detailed.
In addition to online strategy tables
and a basic blackjack tutorial, the
game also teaches three methods of
card counting.
Casino Craps is a delightful re-crea-
tion of the fast-paced dice game. High-
resolution graphics and much-im-
proved mouse controls embellish this
dynamic one-player simulation. Exten-
sive onscreen help thoroughly explains
the nuances of odds and wagers, field
bets, hard numbers, and center-table
bets. Highlights include three levels of
statistical analysis and player histories.
Animated onscreen characters and dig-
itized sound samples give this game a
distinctive personality. Casino Craps is
easily one of the best in the series.
Last, but far from least, is Amarillo
Slim's 7 Card Stud, a condensed ver-
sion of Villa Crespo's outstanding pok-
er simulation. Better than a heated
match in a smoke-filled back room, the
game pits one player against 2-1 com-
puter opponents. Online help screens
and tutorial advice guide greenhorns
through the rules and strategies of build-
ing a winning hand. Choose from the
15 available players, each with a digit-
ized voice and unique style of play,
who are divided among the game's
three skill levels. You can also custom-
ize the house rules — maximum bets,
raise limits, blind bets, and so on — to
make every session unique. More than
any game in the series, this one beck-
ons players to seek out the full-blown
version. Dealer's Choice, featuring 28
poker variations.
Short and sweet, the Coffee Break
Series from Villa Crespo proves that big-
ger isn't necessarily better.
SCOTT A. MAY
Villa Crespo Software
(708) (taa-osoo
SI 2-95 each
Circle Reader Service Number 450
THE OPERATION:
FIGHTING TIGER
The apple doesn't fall far from the
tree, as they say, and The Operation:
Fighting Tiger expansion kit for Falcon
3.0 from Spectrum HoloByte is an en-
hancement of its rich, dense parent
game. Falcon plus OFT equals fighter-
plane heaven. This is the only way to
fly.
Disk 1 of OFT patches the parent pro-
gram all the way up to the current ver-
sion (3.01); this should make happy all
those who expected Falcon 3.0 to fly in
full trim right out of the box and weren't
prepared for the open-house gamma
test — with a consequent stream of fix-
es and tweaks — that was the sad real-
ity. OFT adds three huge and varied
(and alliterative) new theaters of opera-
tions— Korea, Kashmir, and the Kurile Is-
lands— which should please pilots who
found that the game's scope didn't
match its size.
And OFT improves the game engine
with a wide variety of pleasant new wrin-
kles: new commands to issue to wing
men, the ability to set difficulty levels
for campaigns, an overcast sky
(which looks great), more night flying,
and too many lesser refinements to
mention. It's also more stable and reli-
able, and hence more satisfying — and
not just in the new theaters. The origi-
nal theaters, which are not overwritten
by OFT, enjoy ail the benefits of the
new features. And, of course, all the
best features of the original game —
from the masterful terrain to the in-
volving campaigns — are in full force
here. (Indeed, the campaigns here
seem tougher, if anything.)
OFT is a bit more demanding of mem-
ory— now requiring a touch over
616,000 bytes (and another 3MB on
your hard drive, for a total of 14MB) —
and even that extra 2K RAM meant I
had to jigger my four-meg system a bit
in order to load a mouse driver ancf get
the digitized voice in radio broadcasts.
And, unfortunately, OFT also in-
herited a touch of the original
Sim's . . . shall we say, unfinished qual-
ity? The installation program in the
initial release couldn't find the cor-
rectly named FALCONS directory on
my C drive and, once I identified the
directory for it, wouldn't install the
files. (That's about the worst possible
place for a bug to appear. Imagine
buying a toaster oven and finding
the power cord cut in half.) Mercifully,
Spectrum has been quick off the line
with a fix, and a new installation pro-
gram— followed by a full-blown up-
grade of the upgrade (to 3.01.1) —
was issued in October.
However, my criticism isn't of OFT
so much as of Falcon 3.0. I do wish it'd
been closer to tliis condition when it
was originally released. In a sense,
this set of data disks isn't so much an
add-on as the final upgrade. I suppose
that in a competitive market exploiting
new technology, the phenomenon of
games like Falcon and Darklands grow-
ing up in public sfiouldn't be such a sur-
prise. But we wouldn't settle for it in any
other type of consumer product, and i
don't see why we should here, (Other
developers — notably Sir-Tech with Cru-
saders of the Dark Savant — have opted
to keep long-awaited games under
wraps until they were ready.)
I don't mean to minimize the achieve-
ment here, however. This is a brilliant
piece of work, and I can't imagine any
devoted Falcon 3.0 fiyer not loving it,
Some things are worth waiting for.
This is one of them.
PETER OLAFSON
Spectrum HoloByle
(800) 695-GAME
S39-95
Circle Reader Service Number 451
PRACTICAL FAXME
First, there was Long Distance Xerog-
raphy; then came the first desktop fax,
the Telecopier I. Soon after, improve-
nrtents in fax technology developed to
the point where today we have auto-
matic, plain-paper fax machines and
computer software and hardware that
can turn your system into a fax ma-
chine. Recently, Practical Peripherals in-
troduced the new Practical FaxMe car-
tridge. This device turns any Hewlett-
Packard LaserJet series II or III printer
with at least 1MB of expansion memory
into a plain-paper fax machine for re-
ceiving faxes.
Unlike adding a fax board to a com-
puter, the Faxfvle is easy to install. You
simply insert the cartndge into the slot
of the LaserJet and attach the phone
connector — and you're all set. If you
do nothing else, as long as your print-
er is on and the phone line is connect-
ed, the FaxMe changes your LaserJet
printer into a plain-paper fax receiver.
f^ost people, though, won't want to
simply turn their printer into a fax ma-
chine; they'll also want to use the Las-
erJet for its original purpose. Don't wor-
ry, you still can. The FaxMe cartridge is
designed with a full range of settings
and options, the most important being
the three operations modes: fax receiv-
ing only, printer only, and automatic
switching. You can also set the FaxMe
with the date, day of the week, time,
speed, and other usual settings you'd
expect to set on a fax machine. As
Data,
iRajicli
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Means never having to use a typewriter to fill out a form...
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when you make changes to the set-
tings on the LaserJet, setting or chang-
ing the settings of the FaxMe involves
pushing a series of buttons on the print-
er's control panel in the correct order.
I tested the FaxMe on the LaserJet
II and IIP by sending faxes that varied
in length and density of type and graph-
ics. All faxes were received in accept-
able quality on plain paper. I also sent
the same faxes to my office's regular
fax machine, which uses standard
rolled fax paper. As you'd expect, plain-
paper faxes are much easier to han-
dle, not to mention more convenient.
There wasn't much difference in the
quality of the graphics on the LaserJet/
FaxMe combo compared to the regu-
lar fax machine with rolled paper. The
text, though — including the entire Tru-
eType Wingdings font — printed more
clearly with the FaxMe.
Who needs the FaxMe? It doesn't re-
place a regular fax machine or a fax
board in a computer, since it doesn't ■
send faxes. The FaxMe is priced lower
than most plain-paper fax machines,
though. Therefore, if you have a Laser-
Jet with enough memory and only
need a fax-receiving device, this may
JULY 1993 COMPUTE 107
REVIEWS
be just what you need. You
also might find the built-in
battery an important option
to consider, Once you've
set the cartridge, you don't
tiave to keep resetting it.
The FaxMe operates as
advertised and comes with
a lifetime limited warranty.
But it's not for everyone.
Those who need to both re-
ceive and send faxes might
want to consider another op-
tion. But if you only intend to
receive faxes or if you're con-
sidering replacing your fax
machine because you're
tired of rolled-up faxes, you
might consider the Practical
FaxMe cartridge as an effec-
tive alternative.
STEPHEN LEVY
Praclica! Peripherals
(800) 442-4774
$259
Circle Reader Service Number 452
MIXED-UP
FAIRY TALES
Have you seen this child?
Not if the child's been play-
ing Mixed-Up Fairy Tales, a
new educational adventure
game from Sierra On-Line. It
teaches children to disap-
pear with threatening-look-
ing strangers.
Of course, in fvlixed-Up
Fairy Tales the stranger is a
benign, bespectacled drag-
on called Bookwyrm who ap-
pears to the child in a li-
brary, materializing from a
book. Bool<wyrm encourag-
es the child to follow him to
a magical land where water
tastes like grape soda and
every action plays against a
synthesized soundtrack pro-
vided by Bach and Mozart.
And while Bookwyrm may
be a stranger in the begin-
ning, his land has charac-
ters as familiar as Snow
White and the seven dwar-
ves. Jack (of beanstalk
108 COMPUTE JULY 1993
fame), and Cinderella.
All is not well in Book-
wyrm's fairy tale sphere,
though. An aptly named lit-
tle hairball called Bookend
has— you guessed it-
mixed up all the fairy tales.
It's the child's job to put
them together again.
Thanks to the well-de-
signed, mouse-oriented inter-
face of Mixed-Up Fairy
Tales, doing so becomes an
entertaining, educational
challenge loaded with
enough difficulties to be inter-
esting but not enough to be-
come frustrating.
The package comes with
a concise, helpful manual; a
book with bowdlerized ver-
sions of the real fairy tales;
and a fvlixed-Up Fairy Tales
coloring book complete
with crayons. The disks
come with a self-explanato-
ry installation program,
which takes even novice
computer users by the
hand and walks them pain-
lessly through the process.
My biggest problem was find-
ing enough memory to run
the program — you need
about 535K RAM free to
load fvlixed-Up Fairy Tales.
Another problem I encoun-
tered was a virus Norton An-
tivirus discovered in the
sound drivers for Mixed-Up
Fairy Tales. Repeated at-
tempts to call Sierra's tech-
nical-support iine yielded on-
ly busy signals. Later, Norton
Antivirus reported the same vi-
rus in a sound driver for an un-
related program, making me
wonder whether the virus re-
port was accurate. I still don't
know, since I never was able
to get through to Sierra and
find out.
f\/lixed-Up Fairy Tales is in-
tended for children ages 7
and up. There's a fair
amount of reading required,
but no typing. Every action
comes as the resutt of a sim-
ple mouse click (or a much
less intuitive keyboard com-
mand: you really need a
mouse). Whether you're look-
ing at an object, moving to
a new screen, or talking to a
fairy-tale character, manipu-
lating your character quick-
ly becomes second nature.
If the classical music nev-
er sounds quite as good as
in the concert hall — at best
it's a synthesized approxima-
tion, at worst a bad imitation
of funeral-home organ mu-
sic— Mixed-Up Fairy Tales
comes with a better-than-av-
erage soundtrack and a
good mix of sound effects.
You can hear water stream-
ing down a waterfall and lis-
ten to Cinderella disappear
in her pumpkin coach in a
dizzying flourish, afthough a
frog's hops sound more like
a series of barely audible vi-
olin squawks. The better
your sound capabilities, the
better the sound, of course.
After a brief introduction
from each character you en-
counter, you must guess
which of five fairy tales the
character belongs to. It
takes two or three actions to
help each character com-
plete his or her story, all of
which end with a reassuring
"And they lived happily ever
after." The fairy tale territory
looks like a pleasant enough
place to run out the clock, al-
though visually it leaves a
few things to be desired. I
played the 256-color VGA
version, which features a
nice array of backdrops but
rather choppy characters.
The land bears an unsurpris-
ing resemblance to Sierra's
companion game, Mixed-
Up (vlother Goose.
As with Mixed-Up Mother
Goose, most of the action in
fvlixed-Up Fairy Tales takes
place at a gentle pace, but
there are a couple of mo-
ments of high drama. At one
point you get to chase Book-
end cross-country to re-
trieve an object, and anoth-
er time you get to watch the
giant crash to the ground
from Jack's beanstalk, leav-
ing a giant-shaped hole in
the ground.
Don't worry about a child
disappearing into the
game, though: It's actually a
nice place to get lost in, and
an educational way for mod-
ern technology to bring to
life some vintage stories.
EDDIE HUFFMAN
Sierra On-Ltne
(800) 326-6654
S49.95
Circle Reader Service Number 453 O
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P.O. Box ^75. Manteno. IL e00-522'692Z Of B15'458'80at
Circle Reader Service Number 257
PENDRAGON
Software Library
Public Domain/Shareware for
IBM & Compatibles
ASP Member
No Viruses * Latest Versions
Over 2500 Programs
FREE 80 page Catalog
We also carry CD-ROM discs
75 MeadowbrookRd
E.Greenwich, Rl 02818
(401)884-6825 for inquiries
1-800-828-DISK
Floppy & CD-ROM Pixxiucte
Doaiulclli (ilamoiir ^
I'nririilios CD-ttOM
(h'crinO«>l(>r«B&W
|>lioti» featuring
iiutli' & [Kiitlally
iiudc wiiini'ii,
*3. ill.f $'t<).')5
, \ La Fciiinic
Venus CD-ROM
Over 75 images
portrajfliiB
woman's natural
I nude iK-auty.
""' ' *.vi7S7y.y?
DLSK.Sin-S ► .#5-10 Sampler. ■sii.>kb.$3'>.">=i
Eavli set ,,j.,3 ^^^^r^ color .....S39.')i
mdudc^ >5 „ . J
idlor iiurliin,'!!, ' '
pldurc vicm-r "'•''■' '''™'" ^'"'''^'^ ....$,VJ.9S
ITti-fi w/firsi °*.'- 1 5 Prom Ikhiiid S.^J.')?
order, use #88» »«-l6 Big Ones S,19.9')
ShlppuJ im L,i nic^ lk^p]iyd(^k
FREE color uncensoreil catalog w/purctiase or
senil SZ.Oa to: BoilyCello P.O, Boi 9iaS31,
Sorienlo Valley CA 92191
Order: 1-800-922-3556 Info: 619-578-6969
FAX: 619-536-2397 Include $4.75 tor s/ll
^ foreign add SIS s/h CA. residents add sales tax
Dealer Inqdrc^ Wclcamf-
1-8QQ-922-3556
MUSTBEDVEItlaiaDilDEII
Circle Reader Service Number 216
SHAREWARE
for IBM COMPATIBLE
ALL single Items $1.25
Same Price for 3.5" or 5.25"
Shipping & Handling: $2/order
VISA / MASTERCARD
REGULAR ITEMS $1.25
FP_207 SUPERB Virui acanning/clMnino,
SCAN 102 McAMm's Latest Virus scannef.
We will ship most racant vorsion availablal
W0LF3D Super 3D view aame. The bes^ IVGAI
GALACTIX Real Arcade Space-waj Action (VGAI
KEENDRMS He's back in KEEN DREAfVIS (EGA)
MAZEWARS Virtual Reality maje. (VGA+MOUSEl
IVIAHJONGG New Versionl 6 differnt setupsi (EGA)
ANCIENTS Dealhwatch 3-0 D&D. Create your
piertv of tour. Fantastic! VGA+MOUSE Het|.
MEGATRON 1 12 person FObot battles VGA, hrd drv
BARGAIN BUNDLES !
BASm NEW! MonstciBash 1 .0 by Apageel S2
The greatest, most animated, largest
Ever! EGA & 80286 of belter, req'd.
CATABS13 Catacombs Abyss - Like W0LF-3D
Great Effects. IEGA,Faat PCI 32
APOGEEZ KEENl, AGENT, DARKAKGES S3
E0UKID2 Sch.Mom, Funnels, StateCap, more S3
IfHEE CATAtOG I
ComPro Software
P.O. BOX 4426
Star City, WV 26504
1-800-PC-DISCS
Circle Reader Service Number 128
File Edit Search Dial 1-90CMJ54-4370 690 per minute
WIN[?OWS 900
The #1 Shareware Source For . . .
o Business a Programming
d Utilities a Fonts
CI Games
^
a Graphics
LARGE m ADULT AREA!
Must be 1b or over to call...
Use Your High Speed Modem & Call
900-454-4370
2400bps -- 9600bps V.32/biS V.42/bis 8,N,1
NO CREDIT CARDS
NO MEMBERSHIP
NO LONG DISTANCE CHARGES
FAST, EASY ACCESS
Callors undar 19 yein of agt UUST htvt ptrent') permission
' Easy to use software, on-line help
full sceen editor
• Made in USA
• 1 & 2 Year Warranty
• Technical Support by phone
• 30 day Money Back Guarantee
" FREE software upgrades available via BBS
• Demo SWvia BBS (EIVI20DEM0.EXE| (PB10DEMO.EXE)
• E(E)proms 2716 -8 megabit, 16 bit 27210-272'I0, 27C400 & 27C800,
• Flash 28F256-28F020, (29C256-29CO10 (EMP-20 only))
• Miliros 8741 A, 42A, 42AH, 43, 49,43H,49H. 55, 87C51, 87C51FX. 870751,752
• GAL, PLD from NS. Lattice, AMD-16V8, 20V8, 22V10 (EMP-20 only)
..i=,>.t,.=.=...M=i..=i..,r..
NEEDHAM'S ELECTRONICS, INC.
4539 Orange Grove Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95841
(Moncfay-Friday, 8 am-S pm PST)
C.O.D.
(916)924-8037
BBS (916) 972-8042
FAX (916) 972-9960
circle Reader Service Number 191
EXCLUSIVE MODB^ OFFER
ORDER YOUR LIMITED-EDITION PENTHOUSE ONLINE
9600 DATA/FAX MODEM TODAY AND SAVE!
Penthouse magazine Inas teamed up with U.S. Robotics to
offer a top-grade 9600-bps data/fax modem for only $279
(internal board) or $299 (external). These high-speed V.32-
compattble modems feature V.42/MNP 2-4 error control,
V.42bis/MNP 5 data compression, and throughput of up to
38.4. The external model (shown) has a custom, limited-
edition black case with the famous Penthouse Key symbol.
Features include autodial and -answer, frequently called
number storage, nonvolatile RAfvl (stores all modem
settings), summary of current modem setting display,
speaker with volume control, onscreen call progress
reporting, five-year parts and service warranty, an extensive
owner's manual, and a quick-reference card. The internal
modem comes on a 10-inch board that fits all IBM PC bus-
compatible computers, and can be addressed on COM
ports 1-4.
Plus, you will also receive the BLAST® FAX PC™ fax
software, which lets you send or receive faxes from your
computer. Compatible with all G3 machines, BLAST®
FAX PC™ allows transmission scheduling, hot-key faxing
from within applications, background operation, and much,
much more.
circle Reader Service Number 107
D-ROli I
□
Volumes 1 , 2, and 3
For Adults Only
"Wife Proof Labels"
256 color SVGA GIf's,
Plus Animated
Ri's, Gl's, & Dl's,
Includes Games, &
ASCII Fantasy Text,
3 Disc Set 1.892 Megs
With Over 16,180 Files!
Retail Price
all/3 5199.00
How, tot a LlmHed Time Bnlr!
lull set all 3 lot onW
$69.00 set
4^wmw 4^\mi2'
/l(0*^em<i and Test contains 350 megs of PC Shareware & PD software, Including Special CD-ROM Benchmark & Test USSties written
by our programming slafi, and NOT available on any other C[>ROM Discs, Our Special Test Utilities measure throughput as well as
access times in a reliable and consistent manner for a meaningfull real-world benchmark for CD drives. The Disc and Interface
Softv.are are (ulty functional (even for BBS use) and not crippled in any way. When purchased seperalely Mega Demo & Test is
S14,00 plus S6,00 tor S&H - However for a Limrled Time Only this Demo and Test CD-ROM Disc is Free with any CD Disc purchase.
Theseare the Only Shareware & PDCD-ROM Discs with both a DOS, anda WindowsS. 1 "Hypertext' Retrieval Intefiace. PlusAII
CD Discs are BBS Ready, and Include files, bbs plus our BBS Door with a 'Remote User" Mouseable Pull-Down Menu Interface.
Best of the Best
For Adults Only "Gold"
"Wife Proof Latiels"
Over 600 l^egaBytes
IVIanyNotOnFA0123
256 color SVGA Gifs
With No BBS Logos!
Plus Animated
Fli's, Gl's, & Dl's.
Includes Games, &
ASCII Fantasy Text
Retail Price S79.00 ea.
ATow, tor a LJmlteil TItno Oalyl
The Best of tie Best!
$39.00 ea.
PC Shareware Spectacular
650 Megs
7,000 Virus Free Files
65% different or newer
files than Mega CD-ROM 1
PC Audjo/ Visual
Over 600 l^legabytes
of PC Graphics & Sounds
256 Color ,Gifs, Animated .Fli's, plus
.fulod, .Rol, ,Wav, & ,Voc Sound Files
Our Newest Release!
Windows and OS/2 Sharew^are
600 Pius Megs of Windows & OS/2
Shareware With Over 4,860 Files!
Plus MegaWin Windows 3,1 Interface
Retail Price S79,00 for Each Disc
Now, for a limited time only!
$29.00 each
or get all 3 of these fantastic
MEGA CD-ROM Discs for only!
$69.00
PROFIT PRESS, 2956 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719
Information (602) 577-9696 FAX (602) 577-9624
Profit Press BBS (602) 299-0693 FAO BBS (602) 577-6969
SONY Caddies S4.75 with any Non Demo CD purchase!
The prices listed above do riot iriolude shipping and haridling.
Special shipping and shipping lo foreign countnes is available.
For More Information or Questions Call (602) 577-9696
ORDERS ONLY! Call Toll Free
1-800-843-7990
!UaticiCsdj
Circle Reader Service Number 256
BASEBALL
fSKETBALL • LOTTERY
TBALL
Artificial Intelligence
Now Available
Grid Master
Pro Series
Bookie Buster
Collegiate
Bulletin Board
S 99.95
199.95
149.95
199.95
150.00
Football Special 499.95
(Includes all items)
Shipping 450
This year Prof Jones has
added a sophisticated Neu-
ral Network to the Football
software that produces a
higher win percentage than
ever before. Get it now!!
Call to Order, or for a FREE Catalog
1-800-553-2256
PROF. JONES. INC. • 1940 W. State St., Boise, Idaho 83702
THOROUGHBRED- GREYHOUND •STANDARDBRED
circle Reader Service Numlier 119
Brand CD-ROM's
The best quality, best software, best price.
Locate lost family, friends and sweethearts. Find
new suppliers. Begin a job search. Plan a trip. Verify
credit applications. Locate debtors. Plan sales
routes. Check for trademarl<s. And much morel
PhoneDIsc USA
Search residences by name. Search businesses by
name, SIC code, business type, address or phone
number. Narrow business or residence searches by
state, city, street or ZIP.
PhoneDIsc' USA Business Only $99
9.5 million U.S. Business listings. Just one disc
PhoneDisc USA Residential Only $99
75 million U.S. residential listings. Just two discs
Buy both and save
Only $159
PhoneDisc Reverse
Extend your search powerl Same powerful search
software as above plus telephone and address
searching of residences too. 85 million businesses
and residences. Just 5 discs Only $499
Buy just your geographic region Only $1 29
Winner: IIA Best CD-ROM. OPA Achievement in
Business. Accurate listings from Database America.
Cali To Order; Digital Directory Assistance
1QAA 'iQA Q1C1 51S1 River RdBldS
-Ol/U-Zo4-OjJJ Belhesda, MD 20816
Circle Reader Service Number 180
Build A Lifetime Income
From Your Home
With A Computer!
Quit spending money on your
computer and let it earn money
-, for you. This is a proven turnkey
business an individual or couple
can run. If you purchase our soft-
ware and business program, we
will give you the computer and
printer. If you already own a com-
puter, you may receive a discount.
Begin part-time and still retain
the security of your present position. We will provide free, home
office training. Financing available.
Learn how other couples, and individuals like yourself,
are building a lifetime income!
To receive free cassettes and color literature, call toll-free:
l-800-'343-8014, ext. 303
(in Indiana: 317-758-4415) Or Write:
Computer Business Services, Inc., CBSI Plaza, Ste. 303,
Sheridan, Indiana 46069
Here's What You Receive
MAJOR HOME BUSINESS
OPPORTUNITY OFFERING
' Home • OHicB • Part Time • Fu!l Time • Spare Time
The Hope Career Centers, Helping Others Pur-
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company. No other company offers a state-of-the-arl
unique business and career opporiunity that provides
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planning, information to college bound students, cor-
porate reimbursement programs, displaced workers,
undergraduates, veterans, disadvantaged citizens, and
individuals wanting career change.
Interested bu/ers are offered a lurn-key inspira-
tional program lor sen/ing their community with unique
benefits to include manuals, detailed marketing plans,
guides, instructions, art-wotli, and tree unlimited con-
sultations for an easy-to-follow program that's not
expensive.
'A career planning business that includes so many
services," says the company's president, Manning
Mann.
For over seven years the Hope Center has been
admired lor integrity and having a more acceptabie
and superior program. Guaranteed not to be medio-
cre.
$495.™ PERIOD!!!
MAKING IT BIG STAYING SMALL
FREE
Inronnjtion
& Details CALL:
HOPE
CAREER
CENTER
2735 Snulh Ncwtun Strcel, Denver, CO 80236
This extraordinary program
provides a sense of "seturrty"
by providing a complete
identimation of a child should on
emergency occur.
• A Business You Can Be Proud Of
• full Of Port Time
• Continued Dealer Support
• Turnkey Package - Compuler,
printer, software, ID system supplies
and training just S6995.00
CALL TODAY for
rNFORMATION
2T4-248-9100
3216 Commander Dr.
Suite 101 • DepI 21
tarrolllon, TX 75006
303-934-1018
Hope
Uale K H\m
Kitki
t2/15/M Sro Bro «aiil «lb
Oe/M/92
JiBSiltoii Mln
laiUnltrttt
tuiB, htss
KiflM-iaz
Hoc
A
- SIGNS RI\1D
,- ^v^ RU666R STRMPS
l^o'*''' for your oujti use or Q
profitable sideline business
Self-Inking and traditional
knob handle stafnps can
be made for less tnan '$1,
Retail prices will start in
the $10+ range,
Informational signs, nameplates,
control panels, name badges,
and hundreds of olfier signage
items can be made for pennies
per square inch.
JdCKSON MORKING nowm CO. INC
Brownsville Rd., D-KOO, Mt. Vemon. IL 62864
Phone: 800-851-4945 Fax; 61 8-841-773 B
Circle Readsr Ssrvics Number 231
"^^ Learn
Computers!
Home study.
Learn the per-
sonal compu-
ter for a better
career and an
easier home
life. Exciting,
easy to follow.
Free booklet.
Call 800-223-4542
The School OF
Computer Training
6065 Rosevvell Road
- Depi. KHfiSta. Atlanta. GA 30328 .
Circle Reader Service Number 112
Have FUN vihWe
learning with...
ySoff
I
wcire. s
MUTANOID MATH CHALLENGE
7\fitkmi;Jic-. pi'cictice
Ove.1' 200 woi'd pi'oblejms
tr^fi+ical tl^l^l<il1g skills
MUTANOID lA^ORD CHALLENGE
Speiling/vocabHiai'y pi'QC+ice
65^000 worcl on-i;lisl< dictionafy
(Ct'ific.al flAinkint:) skills
MS-DOS or Macintosh
Ages 7 and up • 449.95 each
Call for FREE demo disk 1-800-532-7692
112
Circle Reader Service Number 117
Make Money With \biir Computer
Imagine owning a
lifetime license for a
patented product that will
please adults, delight and
educate children, and
return high profits on a
minimal investment.
That's the surefire success
formula that Best
Personalized Books
offers to distributors who
are building strong, easy
to run, highly profitable
businesses.
Charmingly illustrated
by top artists, Best
Personalized Books
become instant favorites because
the child is the star of each story
and friends and relatives join in on
every adventure. An extensive array
of titles appeals to a wide range of
ages and tastes, and includes well-
written stories on religious and
ethnic themes that reinforce family
With a small investment, you can build a highly profitable btisiness
at home. Create personalized children 's books with your computer.
values. There's never a renewal fee,
and new titles are available for just
S5 per software update.
Because no computer experience
is necessary, creating Best
Personalized Books is a snap. A
comprehensive training manual
shows you how to personalize a
book in just minutes. And
with Best's strong marketing
program, you'll find seUing
options are limitless. You
can work at home, on
location at malls, wholesale
clubs, craft fairs, flea
markets, or home parties, or
in conjunction with local
business or fundraising
groups.
Strong dealer support is
a Best priority, as is the
commitment to helping you
make even bigger profits with
other popular personalized
items including audio
cassettes, party invitations, holiday
letters, birth announcements,
calendars, and stationery for teens
and adults.
FOR A FREE KIT, CONTACT:
/(I'.v; PersonaUzeil Books Inc.
475 Hal Persomlizcd Plaza
4350 Sinma Drive. Dallas. TX 75244
(214) 385 -.miO
'Ven^ ^0^ T^^v^it
• With our process and a computer you can instantly produce ttie tiighest
quality personalized ctiildren's books and stationery on the market
today.
• All books are liardbound witfi full color illustrations and laser quality
printing. Ideally suited for tiome based business, malls, department
stores, fairs or mail order.
• Very simple to operate and tiigtily profitable.
• Only a limited number of dealersfiips available.
For a tomplete information packel tall today.
D&K ENIERPRISES, INC. • 3216 COMMANDER DRIVE
SUITE 101 * DEPT 27 • CARROILfON, TEXAS 75006
oice
Mail
Cash
Machine
^ . S. -^.^ ■ ^ ^- S- S ■ % • % f S« SV V< S* %• V'SW*
Press 1 for
soles, 2 for
service, 3 for
live operator
mm
JVLake thousands of dollars effortles^iy by installing a BigmOuth voice
package in your286/3 86. Use it to answer your home-office phone, rent
pocket-pagers, advertise products, or operate a pay-per-call service
using major credit cards, passwords or a nationwide 900 #.
Xo get started, order our '25 PC Opportunily Toolkit It contains all
the information you need & its cost is applied to all future purchases.
A Few Home-Based ventures Featured In Our '25 Toolkit!
BIgmOuth
voicc/l"ax/pager
rentals
. »295. (Dorrx) *25)
^ -J
''KinderChek
lalchlkey cblkj
momt^
. *2250. (Demo *25)
QuIckUne
wrtic programs
In QDaac
n745. (DemQ^25)
XlientCaller
opibound
pros pec lof
01450. (Demo *25)
Rise'n'Shlne
wakc-up &
remiDdcT jKTvice
nWS, (Demo '25)
< TollBridge
dj5 lance tiiDe
=1995. (I3emo!25>
DemoSource""
"nM Voice AppUcadon Sup
• •••••••
aMSf^m«i<iSi.staa]2
Nonhridgg, CA 61324 USA
tfL»brl.n,) to Ijictr iniblL.hW*
TRY
our ciemolinel 816 718-9560
-®-
To order, call 24 hours:
800.283.4759
m
Circle Reader Service Number 131
SeXXy Softwrare
SeXXv DtSKS
SeXXcapades . . . The GAME
The First Adult Game with TRUE SOUND
and 256 Color VGA Graphics
^
tSeXXy Saftwrare
SeXXy CD-ROMS
The g^irrto sveryone has been wa^Iincj tor. Foi Thai svening ycu wQnl loicjet wlh Q 10\sd onB or group at verv dosQ
Itierd^. Fulfill fDut seiual des;rB5. Find our hew your psmer wcu!d really lika 10 nnakB [ova. I Ower fiO Cofof VGA Scenes *
Real Voicas Guide Bia Ac;iOfl • Fu*ep^y Op::on ■ Play wilh 2-3 Close Fr lerxjs
S79- Special Dftef S69 wilh purchj^e C.I arivCG disk. /VGA and h3fd tii5l< required - shipped on high density disks.
CONNOISSEUR COLLECTION ALL NEW! In 256 Color VGA.'!
SelXy Disk ICCI • -t TDU BE TXE STAR *T1K H RST CUSTOMIZABLE mom allows you 10 urnle the dialog and Uie mle, ONLY AVAIL-
ABLE FROM US!
SeXXy Disk tCCZ • TtHE FIRST SOUND NOUIEI The liij; comculer movie with EOUriD Sec ttx incndibic 256 color VEA graphics while
hoinni) Ite 3CIUJ1 ilij!™ OUS 5 EXCLUSIVELY!
SeVXy Diik'CD3"THEBESTMQVIE!Thi;bi;^l convulcr movie salable. Only lor Itie senaiis collect or 256 stunning VGA coiois.
SeXXy Diik *Ct4 • VOLUPEUOUS MOVIEwilh Sound! See and heat 3 syrtipliony ol e«tepTionsliy prcportjoncd women
SeKXy Disk fCCS*QODIEIES MOVIE Willi SDund! SiH: men olmcrediblcpropcrtiDns and women with pnicue abilities -UNBELIEVABLE!
Prices: ? Mo^is S29. 3 Movies SS5, 5 Movies S94
NEW!! Exclusively imported from Europe!! 256 Color VGA Games
SG4 PORNTRIS - Adult version ol the popular gome. Vou reveal a hidden ittowie whae ootit/olling blocks tailing down
yauf stieen Multiple levels, MUST SEE!
SG5 PORNPIPE - Ad jit version ol Pipe tor Windows (Windows not required) - Mult pie n^ovies revealed as the gaine pro-
gresses HOURS OF FUN!
SG6 MOZAIK • Adult jigsaw puzzles with over d5 celebrity pictures - you re.tssemble the most exciting women on eaith
Price: $35 each or all 3 lor $89
ORIGINAL SeXXy DISKS - 6 disk set wilh movies, pictures, games $32
ADD S3 SH ■ 3.5" Or FOREIGN ORDERS ADD S2DISK ■ W PA ADD TAX • MUST STATE AGE OVER 21 YEARS.
VISA/MC Orders Only: 800-243-1515 Ext. 600FG 1 24HRS I 7 DAYS
Or CICMO to: SeXXy Software. P.O. Box 220. Dept. BOOFG. Hatfielti, PA 19ii0
SeXXcapades .
. The MOVIE
First eoOMB MovlB far the FC
Tb« nasi inci«djbl4 MEW COROTil PnxJuci' The FIRST compltTe 600 MB MOVIt wiEh SOUND lor me
IBM PC Tlw movie fejlziies i g/wp oJ Iriefids plvfinj our ScXXcsMiJes Qumt. Tlw jc'ton is liol and
inciediBle! Vou will m« unbf hevjtie uhs ot i msuse 4n<J joystick. This beaublul 256 mIoi VGA mi?M
filK 2/4 ol !l}i« "^ittn Yqu wtd csMd it ku£t i 2a€SX tomiMjli:r. you tin piust & Sun u on i \ltK
OURS EXCLUSIVELY.
Price: t129 or jW v.U ans' ot^sr CD-RO'.^ cu'chase. SeXXmmdeg g:ame5D% DFf wttfi rmwte purctuse
S&XXy CD-ROMS
ScXXy CO #1 th« ^rcmsTE ac^i x:o:oi> ■x:*n- 6S0 M3 ot aa^Oi wm; 52667(3* pCJufBv 87 movies.5Ti so
rOT.gjmBDAfi£T(}COMPAft£S
SoXXy CO #2 jr. wclus.v« Golletl on Mfiiaintng cve( 900 Svper VGA |>iciufKO0?i)( 763 » ?S61 anj (p(er
400 VGA p cljrK (540 x 480 1 2:!*) These vt pet j/m Itiil UIWI be found atiywtiwe bJsb! TIw womai
andlhflcuiJ'ivaresljfT'.tng
ScXXy CO <o af^oiNe; co'ettioi cf over6W H3 of \t\i fwirw prciures JOilable, O/er5.0O0 VGA^ciufes.
mvK a-d L*li!« tnatwiiJ h?/5^tj'j ^pe-Cr^ dT/s j-j^t trying IQ see ilafi!
MENU DRIVEN VIEWING - NO DUPLICATION / PRICE: SH eich {SSd ^tti ^ny CCdi^ u
SeXKcaj^fle^S /SLi^ER CD BUHDIE -TAKE ALL 3 XXX CD-RQ^JS FOR SIM
MtX & MATCH CD-ROMS
First 3; $99 oach or 3 for $ 199;
Thert: $69 &ach or 3 far $ J 49
ADULT TITLES
MY PRIVATE COLLECTION I & i1
PCPIXI.IISIII
EROKCEHCOUNTERS
DUSTV BABES
ANIUATIOM FANTASIES I 4 II
STORM III • ECSTASY- ADULT PALETTE
350ms inierna! Drive Kit - S249
[whti 3 CO purchase).
COMMERCIAL TITLES
^JiJEoul Cta^ri^cUi/tiTit^tii Mirrn-.u
AJ:niV)Ri4A1is
Pri<i4i^Ei SJiar^ifb-t^DO- pi^g^ar^i ■ ir-inij «jfii«n
5hv1cd[h^4iiMC^nii/i>^gCitfM3vi'
V^^rxj^n Sg!4 «h] SournJ- Hjiriii. pdjiM. ubbtai
So U'jcn Scrs«rwar»- S^Q Mb dI br^tonl picns. irmvt
5i> \J'jth Sriiftmni* -O^i 1 CB ^ ri,-^n*u pafi-.^s. ^a^nn
i««tw5 C3 - t5Cfl Pi*4. tens. iMifi •:&
Circle Reader Service Number 1T6
WhereAdults
Come To Play!
I Local NLDribas Qmrtag 700 U.& Cities!
■ CB-ayle Group and Private Chatl
■ 1000'3 Of Sharewarn: Programs!
I Business and Pereona] Scrviccsl
■ Travel & Flight Scheduling with QAGI
I Giant Message Foroins & Ctassifledsl
I Live Multlplayer Gaincsl
■ Matchmaker Dating Database!
■ Designed For Adult Uacrsl
For Signup, Mosf. !\ro«.»ATton, Or A
Local Nvmber Near You Call
818-358S968
By Modem, e/N/i-3/is/24oo Baud
Circle Reader Service Number 14t
For IBM/MS-DOS:
MICHOPHOSE »18.50 EACH
GUNSHIP PUNISHER,
SWORD OF THE SAMURAI
FLAMES OF FREEDOM,
X-MEN 2, COVERT ACTION.
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CLASSIFIEDS
MISCELLANEOUS
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EDUCATION
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NEWS BITS
Jill Champion
Bringing ethics
to Justice, sending
mice into
space, pacl<aging
TSN for the
masses, winning big
money witti
software, ami more
Tlie Riglit Stuff
Product design gave Micro-
soft's Ballpoint mouse the
edge when it was chosen for
NASA's shuttle mission last
April. The BallPoint mouse
was launched with the Discov-
ery crew, attached to the Pay-
load and General Support
Computer that ran the shut-
tle's primary scientific project,
the Atmospheric Laboratory
for Science and Applications
(ATLAS 2).
Historically, NASA has en-
countered problems working
with computer mice in space,
as zero gravity tends to send
the user floating in the oppo-
site direction of the mouse.
Microsoft's Ballpoint
mouse design, particularly its
breakaway mounting, made it
acceptable to the crew and
safe for other equipment.
"However," said Patrick 0.
Wilson, project engineer at
Johnson Space Center, "the
main advantage was that we
didn't need to nnodify the
mouse to keep the trackball
from floating in zero-g."
Score Your Own Video
Binary Zoo, a Broderbund af-
filiate, is sponsoring a Rock
and Bach Studio Best Video
Contest, in which contestants
create their own music videos
using Binary Zoo's new Rock
and Bach Studio software pro-
gram. Entries must be submit-
ted on PC disks, and all en-
tries must be created using
Rock and Bach Studio tools.
The Best Video Production
winner will receive $100 in
Brederbund software, the
Best fvlusic winner will receive
$200 in software, and the
Best Overall Video winner will
receive $300 in products.
Each winner will also receive
his or her choice of a Binary
Zoo product.
The deadline for entries is
September 30, 1993. If you
would like to have further infor-
mation about the contest, con-
tact Binary Zoo, P.O. Box
3210, Champlain, New York
12919; (514)846-4059.
Game Modem
Best Data Products and The
Sierra Networl< (TSN) recently
announced a new bundled
product. Game Modem, that in-
cludes TSN's multiplayer
game software and Best Data
Products' internal 2400-bps
modem.
"Our goal is to work with
TSN to position the modem
as a standard game-playing
peripheral, just like a joystick
or sound card," says Tony
Esfandiari, Best Data Prod-
ucts' executive vice president
of strategic alliance. "At less
than $50 for the modem and
more than seven megabytes
of game software in the pack-
age. Game Modem is already
competitive with other prod-
ucts on the computer game
shelf priced $10 to $15
more." Plus, the TSN Member-
ship Kit that's included gives
members three free hours of
evening or weekend access
to the entire interactive net-
work and a $30 credit toward
TSN membership and usage.
The Sierra Network is al-
ready low-priced at its flat-
rate fee of $12.95 per month.
Look for Game Modem in
the games software section of
your favorite retailer.
Inoculate Your PC
Avoid virai infection for less,
Virex for the PC, the popular
antivirus software, is now avail-
able in a newly released ver-
sion and at a newly suggest-
ed retail price that's been cut
in half. Version 2.7 will retail
for around $49.95; previous
versions sold for $99.95.
"The price reduction re-
flects Datawatch's commit-
ment to be the industry lead-
er in antiviral solutions," says
Andrew W. Mathews, general
manager of Datawatch's Trian-
gle Software Division, (3700-
B Lyckan Parkway, Durham,
North Carolina 27707; 919-
490-1277, 919-490-6672 fax).
Along with the price slash, Da-
tawatch also offers free up-
grades via BBS.
Display Your Best
Dust off that screen saver
you've been working on.
Berkeley Systems announced
its After Dark Display Contest
for 1993. This year's contest in-
cludes categories for both Win-
dows and Macintosh environ-
ments and a category for com-
puter artists.
A $10,000 grand prize will
be awarded for Best Entry
Overall. Other prizes include
a Fujitsu 2.0 GB M2652SA
hard drive, a Compaq Centu-
ra 3/25C Model 84 PC, and
an Epson ES800C color scan-
ner with interface kit,
Winning displays may be in-
cluded in future releases of Af-
ter Dark products, and all win-
ners will receive an engraved
Flying Toaster trophy.
The deadline for submis-
sions is midnight, July 15,
1993. To obtain entry forms,
contact Berkeley Systems at
(510) 540-5535, (510) 540-
5115 (fax).
You Can't Cheat on This One
Legend Entertainment, known
for its sci-fi and adventure
games, has a contract to de-
velop an interactive ethics-
training program for Justice
Department employees.
In the game. Justice Depart-
ment employees will learn to
do well by doing good. They
will choose career goals and
then make choices that will
bring them "career, happi-
ness, and ethics points — or
land them in trouble," accord-
ing to Legend's president.
Bob Bates.
The worst that can happen
to employees who mess up?
Jail time or (most reformative
of all) having their unethical be-
havior exposed on TV. □
120
COMPUTE JULY 1993
cannpuTE
roRFASraSBOnCICKDIICAiiDHOlDEKCAllMFRB 1-800-7274937
PtwsB aHow S-a wsaka lor delht^ry of ftrsi issuB. CanatSan cvders B^nd $24.56
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onty. Regidar subsajpOan prtca fur 1 2 taaues Ja 91 0.94.
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cannpuTE
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COMPUTE'S FREE PRODUCT IHFORNiAWN SERVICE
Name.
Address _
City
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ZIP-
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A. Whai type compuiBfls) flo you own? :]4»6PC uSaePC , 386SX PC tJ 286 PC
12 3 4
- Other IBM/PC Compatible c Laplop'ftolebaoH
0. Al home, do you use your computec mostly lor n Personal Pr-ance c Worfi/Hofne BoSine&s
7 e
',! Enlertarnmenl li An ol iha Above
9 10
C Would Y0\^ dss^y yourself as. a{n) n Ent/epmneur n Teliscommuier n Moonlighle/
II 12 13
■ Corporalfl Employee who brinfls wofh home
D Whic^ oniine &ervice(5) do you UB6? :: CompuSefve cGEnia l"^ Amertca Onlina g Prodigy
IS 16 17 IB
E. What other computer magazines do you subscftoe lo? n PCCompuiing n MPC World
[1 Computer Gatning W>rld ii Home Office Compolirvg a PC MagazirvB c PC Vftwid
21 73 23 24
F Which Graphhcal User Interiace do you use? d Windows o GeoWorks n Other c: Mono
K Jfi 2T 2B
G Toial limo you spend readir>g COMPUTE? [i < 30 min d30* mm ij 60* mtn [j 90t mir
?9 3Q 31 32
H Do you regularly purchase hafdwars/sottware as a 'eauH of ads (n COMPUTE? u Yes
33
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J Whal IS your total hmusehoU Income^ ikWO.OOO n 530.000+ i:$SO,000-t- o $75,000+
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CIRCLE 101 lor * ont'yetr «ub»crlptlofi to COMPUTE, >^ will b* bUlMl $12.97.
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