: ^ofcc'

Vol 4 No 9e& t&e, faatidttHQweeMtf Sinclair reaches agreement with major creditors

SINCLAIR Research Clive Sinclair, will r< reached agreement w major creditors le troubled unchanged. micro company -

The deal was hammer, oul last week between t CBM expands The* EMI, Tim keen to enlarge on the nature C64 and single- C128 28 memory c mechanism and COMMODORE is The CI b stood to take Sinclair safely apparently a response tc sided discs. The C128 itself is schedule for release to up to the peak sales period at hoards lor its C128 micro up launch of machines still on will no shops mid-September. Christmas. Then, if Sinclair grading it to 258K and 51ZK Amstrad's 8356, the by can hold its 44% market and a cheaper version ol itf available in the UK until have are: share, it will be looking again 1S71 disc drive for the Euro- year and no prices s C64 cassette lor additional [inance. pean market. been decided. 1) C64 plus C2N four software Sinclair's chief executive Also The new I decks plus rear- three new special packages — £198; Bill Jeffrey has also nounced — ranged the management team package deals for the Com- 2) C64plusl541dtscdrive and there will be changes to £298.89; the board of directors. Sir 3) 1941 disc drive, MPS 801 printer. Easy Script and Ar- cade Extravaganza (a cas-— LIFE AFTER HAMPSTEAD- SEEdIO sette ol four arcade games) £199.99. ' 'These deals will be taking over from our holiday promo- tion which ends on Septem- ber 30, and the three packs mm the CM will be available from the be- ginning of October," said a

1 Commodore spokesman, Melboiuit "The four software packages with the first special offer are m EPFi Conu INSIDE ) HARDWARE EXPANSIONS FOR THE AM STRAP CPC AN D QL ) 48K SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM

"NIGHTSHADE" recommended retail price £9.95 inc VAT. Available from W.H.SPIITHS, BOOTS, J.PIENZIES, WOOLWORTHS and all good software retail outlets. Also available from UETIPIATE FLAY THE GANE, The Green, Ashby de la-Zouch, Leicestershire LE6 5JU (POT are included) Tel: 0530 41 1485 CONTENTS 4 NEWS Memotech prices slashed 10STREETLIFE - Christina Erskine takes the trip of a lunchtime toTerrormolinos 12 SOFTWARE REVIEWS Mount Challenge on Spectrum 17 HARDWARE REVIEWS Timatic Multi-interface for Amstrad 18 STAR GAME More arcade action - Smasher on Amstrad 21 COMMODORE 64 Play the numbers game on the 64 22 SPECTRUM A selection of demo routines for ZXIBasic 6 Letters 35 Peek & Poke 24 THE QL PAGE 28 Music Box 41 Adventure Helpline statement creator for QL owners 43 New Releases A Data 29 Book Ends 44 This Week 27 BBC & ELECTRON 31 Arcade Avenue A useful conversion table for programs 32 Adventure Comer

EDITORIAL

being non-software compatible else is il choosing logical advance ovar the CW and w Commodore appears to be getting paranoid Why tt never gained much software support no! lo review 11b Amiga micro In public a! Inis week's Personal the earlier machine

wasn't C64 compatible

vavar exciting the Amiga m

>mpatioili!y The C128. again I cessiul Commodore W not a slgnlt

expensive way or running CPJM soflwa

io irteCiM In this

Popular Computing Weekly. Tel: 01-437 4343. [Her articles, and any accompanying programs, should be orlg

5-11 SEPTEMBER 1E Memotech MTX prices plunge MEMOTECH hag announced Comprising MTXS12, New Significant price cuts for im £178. Word word processor, Su- eluded in the Speculate

two machines, the MTX300 percalc. Contact communica- package- Having entered it and MTX512, a new range of prise 2S0K, 500K tions software disc drive and correct loading routines si disc drives, and a Spectrum pacity models. For the last disc interface board. lected by menus, the us< software emulator for the two Digital Research's CP/M The Spectrum software ei then is able to load and n MTX512. 2.2 is also available. The BOOK ulator, called the Speculatt The 80K MTX512 now costs CP/M system costs £439.00 is priced at £39.95. The pac £123.35, down from £199, and the IM version £549.00, age also includes a tape cc Further cassettes at aroui taining loading routines for £4 are planned to make mo Spectrum programs inclu Spectrum titles available, ing Flight Firebird goes for Simulation (Si The Speculator will 1 clair). Tornado Low Level available initially only i (Vortex), Manic Miner (Soft- disc software ware Projects). Starion (Mel- Details from Memotech, St FIREBIRD is to bring oi bourne House), TWin King- tion Lane Industrial Eslat

range oi budget titles on i which we will be putting dom Valley (Bug Byte] and Witney. Oxon (0993 2977). 6- for the Commodore Atat ndisc. rt. Don't Poiry Pigeon (Gremlin). The XL and XE and Amati Chicken Chase and machines. Cylu," said Firebird's Tony Rainbird. Super Silv Another silver range Commodore game, Booty, will be appear- progress "We are however in a good - r the QL position to capitalise on our coupled new families of machines and games with a new game called rently working on the succes- the investment we have made sor to the first Amiga model, in the PC 10 and 20 in Europe being developed in the US and Amiga products." which will offer increased Karateka launch set memory and probably a built-in hard-disc unit. Micro help for KARATEKA, the karate simu- months is set for release in "The Brat machine lation by US company this country by Ariolasoft this the disabled launched in the States last Broderbund, which topped autumnat£9.95. WITH a Little Help from the month—the AIQOO—is the ba- the American charts for some "We should see EarafeJra Chip is a new TV series be- sic model in the series there — ginning on BBC2 on Septem- ber 6. looking at ways said John Collins o( Commo- dore Electronics. The Amiga A 1000 is unlike- There ly to sell for under £1,000 in the UK. "The price will de- on Fudays i pend on how the dollar settles down, but the Amiga is tiol a first-rime entry level comput- Yet er," said Gail Wellington, more Commodore's European Soft- Spectrum ware Manager. She discounted speculation deals that Commodore mighl offer ANOTHER bundling deal has the Amiga without a monitor put togethe to break the £1.000 barrier. Spec - ?!lis a by Spectrum drum elusive selling contract for six The Amiga was received Group, which has continued from page 1 months with an order of 8.000. warmly at its US launch, and 300 fnanchised stores Specdrum costing £39.93, "We see the Specdrum as a Commodore needs high sales throughout the country and which uses the latest sampling to counteract the slump of the supplies to a further 200. techniques lo recreate a wide mer for all kinds of people For £149.95, the package varie ty ofpercussive sounds. who play music and it's not so Commodore International Spectrum Plus. The Specdrum is shaped anti-social," said Boots' John has announced a projected Curr like a joystick interface and Greengraas. Boots expects SBOm (around £S8m) loss. speech unit. Qtiickshot comes with a program on tape IheSpecdrum to be in stock by Sales had halved in the com- stick and Stack rifle. The com- which alio ws library a ofexist- mid-September. pany's third quarter—J 168m pany is also planning a busi- Cheetah is currently pre- as against $32 6m for the cor- ness pack comprising a paring a series ofadd-on cas- responding period last year. Rotronics wafadrive and settes for the Specdrum which "Business has been slow," printer with the micro. Prices a phono plug, to most existing will contain different drum commented Paul Lazovick of tor this package have yet to hi-fi units. Using a (ape-synch Commodore US. "The whole option the unit can also be details from industry More Cheetah has been experienc- : of I major high used with other electronic Marketing, I Willowbrook ing a slow-down since June Science Park, Crickhowell last year, and foreign ex- Boots has arranged a. Road, St. Mellons. Cardiff. changes against the dollar number, he heard a taped Eureka! message asking him to ex- Ocean signs plain why he had called. won by "After the five wrong num- bers that we received during the year that Eureka! t V licence schoolboy been out. it's a great rel ONE of software's richest two new Demon titles— are Mark both planned for release this ward for cracking Eureka!. fiction soap-opera V, in time autumn Transformers is a has been won by a 15 year- ury that the game might b for Christmas. ahoot-'em-up style game, old Middlesex schoolboy. V, which was first shown as while Cosmic War Toads in- Ma thew Woodley reck- ui ITV mini-series during (he oned he had discovered Ihe Los Angeles Olympics, is been disconnected. a hill length series about ber last week. On ringing the invasion and planned over of earth by a replil- Softek goes for 68000 :ace from another galaxy, cean programmers are SOFTEK' ' 'Rhythm is really a combi- working on a linked arcade Softechnics. specialising ir nation of calculator, pocket game for Commodore, Spec- 68000 processor program computer and spreadsheet. n and Amstrad machines. ming, has produced its It's configured like an ex- Development is still in the tremely powerful program- very early stages, but il is Tlmelink and Rhythm hoped the game will come out been completed for the Ap- s £99.99 and before Christmas. ple Macintosh, and are now Rhythm £49.99. Softechnics 1 Ocean is also 10 publish two convened for the Atari S20ST. next big project is the devel- more games developed by side In i "Timolink is a temporal opment of a new suite of inte- Denton Designs, the team volves intergalactic explora- database and time manage- grated programs, to be which programmed the com- ment system, which we are called Proteus, for Atari ST, pany's Fiankie Goes to Holly- mous load's spawning hoping to link up with Amiga and Macintosh ma- ion' as well as Shadowfire ground. The games will be Tripos's electronic mailbox chines, which is planned for Beyond. Transformers released on Commodore Bl in Cambridge," said Tim completion by tl i Cosmic War Toads—the and Spectrum. Langdell of Softek, next year.

THE MCE BEGINS ON COMMODQRr 64, AMSTRAD & SPECTRUM ON OCTOBER 8ffi more 'standard', if you can data bus (not the muln-piexed The following program is call anything standard these 8-bit as per QL). which means also related: days, than Intuition. it should run faster than the 10 PRINT; COPY:PRINT suckers' who recently One other major error QL instead of more slowly. purchaaed an Arnattad CPC cams lo my attention, that is A machine which comes completed the I6K monitor that the ST, QL and Amiga run with monitor, S0OK disc drive program. the Spectrum hi 6MHz and that program advanced operating system would have had an extra IK of speed is slower 'to allow the and hard disc interlace, etc, as standard knocks spots of Microdrive owners who Ram'. This is partly true, but the likes of the QL and its think they will have two un-

also it is because the 68000 micro drives. How much used locations should reset just four months. relies heavily on microcode would il coal to equip the QL their machines and try: I would hope thai the c lo the ST standard? Call: Print Peek 23729. puter press would present a and anyway both the ST and united front to Arnstrad in a Amiga allow their graphics G Wear-month campaign aimed at persuad- processors to access Bam 48 Dongala Road without slowing the system a London N17

CPC6I28 and give the 'suck- Why did the reviewer say a Dipswitch era' a fan deal. lot of hype had been made of Undocumented Like many other people, 1 the ST range? Why not get consider Amstrad's market- excited - it offers Mac-style was amused to read the X spondenca recently con- ing policy to be to ally unac- facilities , and that's real POW- I letter in the August B issue cerning interfacing the Broth- ceptable and unethical. ER, for only a third of the of D Haliiwell's "discovery" er M-1009 printer with the QL. of the standard CP/M Use: n Perhaps my advice might G Wylie In fact, it's just the computer

19 Meikle Crescent I have been wailing for and This The Sinclair printer cable is Wattston both the 260STD and 52QST documented, as Mr Halliwell wired incorrectly at the prim- byAirdrie beat the Amiga pound for will find if he cares lo look er end for the M-1009 and pound. through the CP/M section of should be as follows: Coincidence? the DD 1 disc drive handbook. Black to 1, white to 2, green It is also used in Amstrad to 3. blue to 20, red to 5. and

Basic (1 User n). orange to 6. Connections 4, 6 Any book on CP/M will and S should be linked.

I the give a description of the User Now the dip switch thai the Atari ST range did not n command — it is a standard settings, these should be: if (he graphics tech- feature of CP/M 1.3 upwards SWITCH 1 nology used on (heir 8-bit to CP/M 3. 1-ON; 2-OFF; 3-ON: 4-ON; S- range. Well, I believe he has ON;6-ON;7-OFF;8-OFF; come (o an incorrect conclu- write in response to the Robert Grower SWITCH 2 sion because of the following: I letter penned by Barry Ad- Tulnell Park Computers, 1-ON: 2-ON: 3-OFF: 4-ON: ams, "Supercomputer?". Vol t$junction Road OFF: 6-OFF; 7-OFF; 8-ON; there have been pictures of a 4 No 30. concerning his com- Archway With these settings the FX 520 ST producing the famous ments on having to load Gem 80 printer driver works per- Atari multicolour 'rainbow' from disc. While thiB may be fectly. Lianngs are obtained effect, which, as far as 1 know, so on the systems just New concept by: only Atari's Antic chip can shipped in, the STa propel Open £channei no, Ser will h i The Spectrum owners may be Secondly, why have a vid- first ST computers will be interested in the following The printer driver can easi- eo shifter/ processor working purchased mainly by soft- program which works best ly be changed from any of the at such a high clock rate ware houses and not really by without a printer. existing print styles to any of

(32MHz) when only about the general public. 10 FOR i = 84 TO 87 the others documented in the

10MHz is needed to produce As to his point t 20 POKE 2363U Brother manual. the graphics resolutions we ho Kol- re hen at '2 30 LPRINT " Popular Com all know about. Perhaps the puling Weekly" DTCJaik extra speed is to produce 40 NEXTi 50 PAUSED Wear Lothian many other things. The 'unused' memory loca- Finally, Atari designed a tion. 236B1. is a new concept Nightshade successor to Antic and put it in computing - a system con- ushing 7B00 stant. It is the high byte of PR- To get infinite lives in ProSystem, launched at a CC and should always contain Nightshade: Poke 33442, press conference on May 21 decimal 91. and Poke 53443, 12. These

1984. This chip, interestingly, The implications are obvi- should fc gave exactly the same resolu- ous and if readers have a Sand Usr c

i and colours as. yes, disassembler or belter still, a you've guessed it, the ST, copy of Dr ian Logan and Dr

i, including 100 Frank O Hara's Spec!ram sprites. Coincidence? I don't , they will ed it with 67% and a

1 think the two chips following routines: n has very powerful Po-Store. Po-Fetch. Ci-Set. VDI and AES routines includ- The Copy Command, Copy- ing graphics routines and is BuS, and Clear-Prb.

H COMPUTING WEEKLY BOULDER DASH

One of the great classic games of all time is no available to even more of you - Amstrad and ?' Atari owners everywhere can now experi- ence the ultimate underground journey.

% Search through the 16 caves, each with 5 levels of difficulty, and collect as many jewels as quickly as possible. Don't forget '$ to block the amoebas, transform the ff butterflies, or outmanoeuvre the fire- flies— or you'll never get out alive!

Available September 5th

'Ashkeron is something for everyone: a complex, chc Ity game for the adventurer, and its got pretty picscstrfT p'em crowd. An excellent gome — buy it!'- Home Computing Weekly

mal,sophisticated software... in

walls lies a challenge everyone will find interesting i rewording'- Crash Micro

This game c '

Available now for Amstrad CPC464 £6.95 Spectrum 48K £5.95

Maxwell House,74WorshipStreet, London EC2A2EN Trade orders to: Purnell Book Centre, Paulton, Bristol BS185LQ DOM A R K

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SM2 ^ 01-309 1111 -^-' Streethfe

Holidays in the Sun

Christina Erskine, herself unable yet to attain Hampstead, strikes out for Melbourne House 's package holiday

ampstead was one of last year Quill, which I got as a Christmas present "It's all very low-end technology - we H have one Spectrum between us, which is my elves, rinc stuck together with Sellotape and only hard. mystical quests, while il was verted works if you hit really puter game of the year in, of all maga- "For some reason it always crashes on zines, The Listener. A fitting award: I b Fridays, so lhat'B when we go to the pub, there are quite a few Listener readers in but it usually works perfectly all week- London's select NW3 postal area. end when we'd really like to go to the Those who completed the game and attained the Hampstead way of life were soon eagerly awaiting a sequel, which snap-shots the player must lake in order provided a poser for authors Peter Jones to complete the game - it is not enough and Trevor Lever - the program had just to survive your ghastiy holiday. "The pictures are rather interesting." Now, a year later, the Hampstead said Peter. "We've Itad them done so yuppies can start all over again al rock- that they look jusl like those saucy pic- bottom - the follow-up i3 Tercormolinos, ture postcards - which probably means a nightmare package holiday based on a we'll gel lots of complaints for being location not unadjacem to the Costa del musl take ten particular photos, and "Suitably enough, the idea came to us when you lake a correct one, the appro- while we were walking on Hampstead priate 'picture postcard' unfolds like a Heath- a game about goinaon holiday," Polaroid on screen." said Peter Jones. "Trevor and 1 just Melbourne House's Australian graph- looked at each other and you could ics programmers worked on the 'sea- illustrations, e ideas u.t of. 01 side postcards' but Peter and Trevor had to send fairly detailed Miny Mole or something," said Peter. sketches - saucy postcards being a The duo has probably been helped by somewhat unknown quantity in the fact that neither has a background in Holiday horrors Melbourne. programming or adventures, The part- The game retains Ihe same light touch nership goes back some years and be- played in bands, writing "And since the game's been written, throughout, and you gel the feeling that gan when they such rock legends as The Dave people keep suggesting all sorts of the last laugh will always be with Ihe songs for asking for and Things in Bags, things we could have put in. It seems as programmers. It's no good though everyone in the world has had a Help, (or example. If you do, you will be dreadful holiday experience of some advised to phone Kwikhol (your tour Promo video kind, Irom luggage going astray to shar- operator) for assistance, Then a text ing a hotel room with assorted livestock. message ostensibly from Kt that took our musical careers "Trevor, who works for a computer *-( l'-iq machine appears, suggesting "Not we

seriously. ' said Peter. In fact our consultancy, went to a sales conference very in Lloret de Mar shortly after we began "I'd love to know how many venues as Kill- work on rerrormo/inos, and came back d up talking to their TVs after playing the same sort of Birthday Party, and bursting with ideas," 3's gone beeeeep." grinned ing Joke and The obscure as were "Not only that, but after my holiday they were just as we then, of Ihe Troggs once came this year, in Greece, all the things we'd But the and one and said he liked Ihe band." used in Terrormo/inos nearly happened a iong-suffeiing Dad you musl up 10 us then started his career with to me," added Trevor. "There were family all in one place. You Trevor Peter into jour- people getting horrilically sunbi mainframes, and moved itingrr i/ent Ken Jr from being gored nalism, first on Melody Maker and then heat- an ill-fated magazine called Musicians singing on the coach t is quite and save them all from prophetic." stroke, p isoning and juggernauts. Only. even trying to get into televi- As a partnership. Peter and Trevor "We'te - concentrate on the writing using Claim to fame Gilsoft's adventure generator program Polyteclmic series, and we even The Quill. Terrormolinos, unlike Hamp- Open stead. includes illustrations, which were The move away from any hint of Dun- developed at Melbourne House, which geons and Dragons or Tolkien (there is also completely reprogrammed the one screen slightly reminiscent of Edgar game, using lext compression tech- Rice Burroughs* Martian Chronicles, but is from Gerry Anderson. He didn't slay niques so that the illustrations could fit in, you're dead if you get to this location) interesled for very long, however, al "Peter and 1 are not programme entirely deliberate. "I think adventures should become though he did try to cheer us up bj more and more like novels: one adven- felling us lhai Stai Wars was rejected foi ajcli call u Eeny Meeny "

paign on Channel 4, the pair plan 10 use the same approach as ihey did wilh Hampstead, which was to send out let- ters informing software companies of the product without enclosing a tape or any evidence that the game existed. "Luckily Melbourne House trusted us and wanted to follow it up. With rerrornioiinos they weren'l so sure. Wilh the company being run from Aus- tralia, the final decision was taken in

Melbourne, and 1 don't think they could quite reconcile the scenario of

1 Terrorrnolrnos with Bondi Beach. '

In fact, it was ex-Activision managing director Geoff Heath's move to Mel- bourne House which clinched the deal.

Han .1 the s signed. As for any more games from die Le- ver-Jones Quill, this entirely depends on the success of Teiroimolmos. "You could say that if we don't write

another one it means that Terrormolinos was an unmitigated disaster," said Peter. "Peter is always such a pessimist." added Trevor. "When we did Hamp-

would take ft on. "Then when Melbourne House re-

leased it, he said it wouldn't sell. Then

when it sold he said we'd never manage

to do another one. [I was exactly the same with rsrrorrnolinos.

IT MAKES DRUMMING SOUNDLIKE HARDWORK

SYNTRON DIGIDRUM The Syntton Dlgldrum Ib an professional digital drumc signed to operate w Commodore 64. Using 'live' digital sound which ate encoded onto software user has 3 programmable d machine with a sound Quality m

Easy visual grid programming, hear :he sounds you enter, 51 patterns available In memory plus 10 songs Oe sent to SYNDROMIC MUSIC. 35A Giove Ay. Ing 100 patterns together are SYNDROMIC MUSIC GUARANTEE your n sible with full copy, Insert and o Bank rte functions. Please allow 21 days tor delivery dlgi «ver he or such a sound?

4-11 SEPTEMBER 1985 iNfi^M

the choice of go i H West. But the descriptions The big city are so brief and bland, t wondered if this wasn't Milton Keynes rather than the rich tapestry of life in the smoke. It's a pity £4.95 Supplier Fridaysoft, Unit F, The Meltings. Station know the area well enough. Road, Sawbridgaworth, Herts Soon another failing be- CM21 9JX cabulary the program is de- cidedly unhelpful. Now you adventure set in Lon- might argue that the same L don sets you after a could be said about the aver- foil une hidden somewhere in age hurrying Londoner, but I the environs of this thriving kept finding myself frustrated metropolis. What a good in attempts to do things and

idea, thought I, to replace the there's no help. Sorry, but omnipresent elves with while the core idea is good, hordes of tourists, and substi- the implementation demon- flexible enough to enable you tute big red buses for angry strates all that can be bad to inject a good deal of skill dragons. about Quilled adventures. State of play into your play. The search starts in Green- John Minson

Program Match Point Micro lainly adds new relevance to QL Price £14.95 Supplier Psion, 2 Huntaworth Mews. London NW1 i balls and linesmen sit in atten- dance -no swearing or outra- Home Account geous temper tantrums though., accounting packages and the Spectrum, then converted Wiih Psion's Match Point which does much to justify to the Commodore 64 and there is evidence thai the QL Supplier No Man's Land. 1 their exist a nee. This is really could support some bos. avenue du Generi pricipally due to the fact that - sued on the QL. pretty superb software : Leclerc 93506 Pantin-Cedi there is a separate business

What makes the program i the it for Cenlre5of! UK. graphics package available the best version is the quality of the graphics - clever ani- mated tennis players. Con- trols are simple to use but

how to accumulate points for

them - nol an easy task. I Mad magic hasten to add. Described as being at 'advanced difficulty Program Faerie Micro Com- level*, the game is set in a modore St Price 12.50 Sup- fantasm of both under- and plier Bth Day, 18 Flaxhill, over-worlds, where magic Moreton, Wural will certainly be needed 1o faerie is the sixth ma There are some nice touch- series of eight Quilled es of humour especially when X adventures from 8th meeting the inhabitants of this Day and it proves just what strange land for example, a can be done with patience trout that talks - bizarre - and and imagination. a witch straight out of Hansel which is compatible with your

1 have always had some and Gretel - 1 was on my Budge! data. On the Olhei reservations about The Quill guard the moment she of- French database File hand Badge? does have sc and the adventures created fered me 'some spicy ginger- Manager bul they seem lo neal and fairly original touch- by using it. however, I now have decided that picloral es, such as the ability lo add feel that Bth Day have taken a representations of personal giant step towards dispelling price, I feel there is going 1o One or two other points my doubts. be much wand-waving and Home accounts programs, about the package are irritat- Faerie is a delightful mix- many pleasant surprises for especially tape based ones, ing, the fact that the entry ture of a middle-earth and the players of faerie. cursor Dashes and flickers in adult fairy-story, set in a sur- Owners of other micros application type that has little a most disturbing way. but it realistic world of magic and lo offer compared to simple could be quite a powerful mayhem. II is full of traditional of this adventure are also pen and paper. The features package w' atmosphere and excellent available for the Amstrad and text descriptions. Spectrum. Roger Garrett though, are on a par with any Tony Send!

Your quest is to locale Ihir- other budgel program and it appears reasonably priced -

Reviews

machine a at the moment al- though without the mouse robot of response. On file control - Wip rather thar More speed I'rr In play the game is a slight- Wimp 1 suppose, which Android 2 Micro ly different derivative of their Program File Manager Ml- not sure isn't an improvemen Program release Android Amarrad CPC Price AmstTad CPC Price £7.96 earlier Supplier Software, £12.95 Supplier Vortex Vortex Mouse. 24 Kansas Ave- the Berserk arcade game. nue. Off South Langworthy You have a suitably unlikely Road. Salford. M3 3GL, task to do which includes righting your way through a the pre Knight-bore very tight maze to destroy the Indays Vortex were heart of the enemy base and undisputedly the masters then return to your transport- of 3D graphics on the Spec- er capsule within the given trum, and indeed their latest time. Obstacles on your path Spectrum release Highway include mines and three dif- Encowiler is still technically ferent types of enemy. Be - in the foieliont of releases for warned it is not easy and that machine. AndroidS was five lives seem pitifully few. their first 3D game and at the The only technical quibbles I "*""' time was quite astounding. would put forward are Today on the Amstrad it the sound could be imprc

still looks good, even though and 1 don't like the way the "*"~ the 3D affect is dated and less screen pages rather scrolls smoothly as you it and even though there are no along but it is still a game 1 attribute piobleras with the would recommend strongly machine, the amount of action to arcade fans everywhere. going on at once on the Tony Kendle tained seem to be handled mm

ship of the federation and yoti Ihe intrepid hero(ine) have Solid fare sertainly got a lot of work Ic

it is hard to guess what the - grams a good example is this icons represent for example tape based database from a camera is used to stand for is France. As a utility it seems to 'copy a record' which More i. Wirral Ouann Tiilla c be sensibly priced for its ca- something that only makes retrospect. 1 also pabilities - it supports 200 sense in luxu- your blood- quite logical, ttie action then records of 20 fields and 240 wonder if they are not a Opening eyes you realise e final conflict characters per record and ry when you have to fit your shot difficult on a distant alien planet. there are competent sort and data into a limited amount of that it is very screen descriptions is welcome to breathe! Quickly leaping The search facilities. It doesn't Ham. Still it a from your suspend- bubble, this text- only adventure co ; the sophistication or the grope around in the thick pare quite favourably w ibility of Masrerfile hut not you many of the more expensi everyone wants something black smoke for your air- Having found this item adventures available. that complex. friendly as possible and In mask. solid adventure teach it is time to explore your sur- A good Where File Manager does that sense it has much to release. roundings and there is plenty which will keep many people score heavily is in the style of 'professional' CP/M busy at the keyboard for presentation. It uses windows Tony Kendle Tulla is the third many enjoyable hours. " icon driven front end so Ouann Quilled adventure from 8th Roger Garrett much in vogue with 16 bit fcfefcfe Day. The action takes place aboard the once mighty Flag-

In one you'll hook the ball. On the handicap games. surprised to find if green it Works slightly differ 1 was ently, producing a soft, not- growing on me, with the mi Program 77ie> Open - Royal o write. mal or hard putt. iature golfer adding a w< fl£rJcda/e Micro Spectrum 48K. Based on the Royal Birkdale en- There's a great choice of come physical aspect to B Price £.4.00 Supplier Watsofl. :ourse it seems to be an options, including constant or brainwork of judging angle 49 Abbolsview. Waddington. hanced re-release of a game wind speed: wet, Up to four can play, which East Lothian, EIM13QU previously published by variable should be fun, and I'd recom- CCS. Whatever, it's a tradi- dry or nonnal ground; medal wanting a version with the above or championship tees; and mend this to those i days of tional it seems cerebral yet playable golf Hyper Sports, boxing mentioned inputs present like though I'm no golfer aims for accuracy. old friends. In addition game that B John Minson d golfer of Ihe game's variables. Turn Spectrum there was. . .golf! over the tape and there's a Golf, you see, is easily re- determine shot type. Press choice of match play and duced to inputting angle and

5-11 SEPTEMBER 1985 - The idea is simple you lions 1 have about the game must climb around the plat- design. Unless there is sc forms avoiding being eaten information missing from and waiting for a large white documentation (not unknown dragon which flies along the with Amsoft games) Si lop of the screen dropping parts of the platforms appear eggs. As long as you aren't nil lo be dead ends with no way by an egg you can push them of getting back off them, or on top of the dragons thus sometimes (o them, making squashing them. The Objec- collecting all the gams impos- sible, Also, although scTsen screen. Also dotted around One is fairly easy, the second are several gems - collecting all of these rums all the dr;

ons. temporarily, into I

least aggressive type but, I

fortunately they mutate into a several other people 1

much nastier type afterwards. found it so difficult that il rap- mediately consigned to the It welds themes and ele- idly spoil! the enjoyment of Smaug's absolute tedium bin, by some ments from a variety of gameE the game. bored marvelous cute graphics. The into what is generally i dragons of the title appear as cessful package. However, Program Dragons Micro long nosed pot bellied beasts Amstrad CPC Price £8.9S highly remeniseen! of chil- Supplier Artisoft, Brentwood dren's TV series such as Nog- jump, avoiding deadly plants, House, J68 Kings Road. Brenl- gin the Nog. Animation is ghouls and demons. One wood. Essex. CM 14 4EF good as is use of - Challenging colour the Original parr of the game ir dragons come in several hues volves the coloured plat- is a platform Dragons each of which have different Program Mount Challenge forms. On the green ones, the and ladders characteristics ' game of movement Price £2,40 Micro Spectrum professor's jet pack musl sawed from being im- and aggressiveness similar to Supplier Aasvoquelle, Blakemoor. Marshbrook. across. Once a red platfor Church Stretlon. Shropshire. reached the pack can

you gel not only , switched off as normal jui thought oul and conce: •Jaith 1987. ing and moving is again pos- The Business business finance course, but volcanic sible. If a double height or also an easy to use program J suddenly emerged length jump is needed whilst Program Qitreprensiir Mi- lo apply the techniques n shark-infested cro QL Price £39,95 Supplier Sinclair Research. 23 Willina There are in fact two appli- Road. Cambridge CB1 2A0 cations programs. In one, the direct or variable costs are One of the attractions of entered as a percentage of computers is their sale price. Up to 10 percent ability to package lines can be handled easily. knowledge in a readily us- The other application takes able form. For example, in up to 20 direct cost items for assessing the financial as- just one product, and allows pects of introducing a new you to specify varying credit product or company, the diffi- terms and invoicing frequen- culty is rarely one of concep- cy for each of ihe items. Other tual subtlety. Rather, it is (he reports are your projected sheer volume of tnter-related final accounts, ratios, and a information and the calcula- sensitivity analysis. This last varies the Bales, direct costs, pl Bjtrepraneur packages wages, expenses and depre- and inter-relates much tech- ciation by 10% either way nique and knowledge to help and calculates the percent- the hard pressed manager age impact on the after tax again. Clever with a new product or enter- co-ordination of power oi prise launch. The teaching The programs and manual off is required as the blocks program included in the were written by Triptych. All very well, but, after all are interwoven. package explains en- and The QL's windowing and 80 the scene setting this is effec- The game has reasonable sures adequate understand- column display have been tively just another platform sound and smooth graphics ing of assets, liabilities, ex- used to great advantage. The the Manic Miner id will provide the experi- penses, overheads and direct is result a useful and business mould. Whilst not graphically enced platform player with costs. The crucial ideas of like management aid which as good as the original few few problems. contribution and break even could prove a considerable can complain at the £2,40 Games like this are now analysis are thoroughly benefit to a wide range of rather dated, but cannot be covered. There are 39 screen which bad for this price. This is a valuable educa- John Tucker consist of green and red plat- tional aid in finance for busi- forms on to which the simply- ness managers. For your £40 n^kfaftfa* fcifelfcfe'fe drawn Professor Burk has lo

POPUUB COMPUTING WEEKLY YOU CHOOSE MERCBNATHE ACTION IN/

K 800 XL 130 HE DISK £12.95 ssssgs WHICH WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE? A LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT OR A iv HEAVY LI * \

l ACT IVI'S'lON I I

1 IS IwVn Hu.sa>. Mntyliilnnfi Bo Hardware Reviews

Rom gives access to a series of menus Wide choice ' and information about the use of the Stretched out board. It also provides you w Program Timatic Multi-interface Hardware Double Expander Micro Micro Amstrad 464/664/612B Price OL Price £39.95 Supplier Miracle £89 Supplier Timatic Systems, Systems, Avondale Workshops, Fareham Market, Fareham., Hants. idependently. Woodland Way, Kingswood. Bristol BS1S1QL (0272 603871), possibly desire, within the upper came to the tore by pioneering the machine's abilities; ie, you With many disc drive systems A the transfer of CP/M programs on limited to the standard 1200/300. and Ram cards as well as other to Amstrad discs. Now it has graduated most communications devices, Docu- peripheral devices now on the to producing a range ol add-on boards is adequate, market, the need for multi-bus expan- to plug soma gaps in the hardware Iso some accompanying soft- sion cards, or motherboards, has arisen. capabilities. makes controlling baud The are currently two manufacturers The interface board comes in a choice > ther of motherboards - CST and Miracle Sys- of configurations; but Timatic has found pro bier tems Limited of Bristol. 1 went for Mir- that by offering a variety of ports on one acle's Doable Expander at £38.99 rather CST's more expensive Plus 2 at printed circuit-board it can cut out a lot Switch modes than of unnecessary chip duplication and pro- E69.9S. duce a package that, whilst not cheap, Miracle's card can only be used for seems remarkable value for money. If The value of such a peripheral can see arrangements where one of the boards you buy the board in its most extensive dubious if you haven't got specific usi (o be plugged into the motherboard is form you get no less than lour ports, plus in mind but Timatic hasn't been slow to Ram card. This is because the san a through bus for the disc drive or investigate its potential. It has a power peripheral select address is used Ii whatever. On top of the case are two supply modification that allows you to both parts. This makes the Doublet E. parallel interfaces - one is just an edge run a BBC Cumana graphics touch-pad pander suitable for, say. 256K Ram and connector of the same form as the normal through their board, together with ac- floppy disc interface configuration CPC primer port but this allows full 8-bit companying software that includes some where Serl or Ser2 is being used as the codes to be sent which many printers of the nicest graphics features available printer port, However, one brand, Sim use (o control graphic characters. The on the Amstrad to date, including the plex Data's S66K cords are nt otheT parallel port comes in the form of a ability to switch screen modes without compatible. BBC-style user port allowing easier con- losing the picture onscreen. nection to many BBC peripherals rang- Timatic can also provide cables and ing from plotters to robots. On the right is the RS23B part of the ware that lets you hook your Amstrad up board - there are two channels here, one to spectnims (with interface), BBCs or The Doable Expander comes as a verli- of which is provided as a standard D even mainframe computers. You could connector, and the other is again com- send text from Spectrum Tasurord to version of the ZX81 Ram pack, around patible with BBC-style cables. There is Amsword without having to retype it for six inches wide and three and a half also a small 5 volt external power socket. instance, access data or programs from inches high and sticks out of the QL's You may not need to use this, but experi- an Apricot when you aren't even in the port al the left-hand side. This doesn't ence has shown that problems occur if same room, use your 664 or 6126 disc for look very stylish and neither is it practi- too many peripherals are run off of the saving BBC programs or even, if you get cal, as I discovered when typing charac- Amstrad's expansion connector. Timatic a copy of BBC Basic (Z80), stand a reason- ters at the left of the keyboard, as your has been clever m developing a system able chance of running them on the hand can easily knock the box. that automatically cuts in if power de- Amstrad. Inside, the Double Eipander consists mand gets too high. The most obvious application is in of three 64-way Din connectors, two schools or computer user groups - any- male and one female. The female one Change channels one who has already invested in a range connects the motherboard to then QL's o( micros and peripherals and wants to main circuit boards via a PCB, which be able to fit Amstrads into the scheme extends through the cavity underneath

without a lot of duplication of effort and the keyboard and which is covered i expense. Together the mixture of power black masking tape. The two male coi and flexibility, ease of use, and contin- rectors are mounted vertical on the po

trols the various outputs of the board, the ued support from a very active company of the PCB sticking out at the side, I other can either be left blank for your make this a peripheral that some CPC accept cards with matching femal own use, or can be provided with a copy owners would do well not to miss. of the Maxam assembler. The controller Tony Ken die H you have a need for a simple Ram

affordable price, then the Double Ex-

rectangles by 1 1 rectangles. Also in the pander maybe ideal. Turabull Mapped out package is a felt tip pen which is easily Alan erasable from the plastic surface with a Hardware Mapit Mapmaker Micro the centre of the adventure was offset Any Price £4.48 Supplier Mapit, 166 Mapit scores over the paper booklets from where I started in the centre of Robert Street, Ynysybwl, Mid-Gla- which you can also get to do the same job board. And, of course, you can't morgan CF3 73E. because it is so easy to wipe off a mistake stick on another sheet of paper. IT A; 1 5! At £4.48. it is slightly expensive fo a photocopied. The snag is usefulness, but fanatical adventu:

that I found I frequently ran out of space may well find it handy for at least Ml on Mapit. either because the adventures initial mapping, when mistakes are n likely to be made.

selves to a 1 3 * 11 rectangle or because Christina Erskine Star Game Smasher A sophisticated version of Breakout for Ams trad owners - written by A Williams

Smasher isa version of flrsaJtoul. but Type in Program One, and save 10 a containing a new command ([Scroll) blank tape with Speed Write 1: Save as printed in Popular Computing "Smasher 1". Beset the computer, and For those »ho do n a type u

Weekly Vol 4 No 6. type in Program Two. and save straight i listing. 1 can supply a copy for El .00 if so contains a subroutine ior writing after Program One with Speed Write 1: you send me a blank tape and your name normal size, background music, a Save "Smasher 2". Rewind the tape, and and address. Write to me at 122 Caledo- score table, joystick or keyboard the whole program will run with Run. nian, Glascote Keath, Tarnworth, Staffs. si and nine skill levels. This week we present Program One B77 3EH.

It OKII 1501*51 J[K61IB. 1511;

LKfilE S.lilPtttlll OKIUBir |Cft«il]5i - tit 5,171 mm CHRHH1!; MSHIHI " m LDM1E i.U.PBISI CHRtlKllt* *|0IK 3l01KtI{5,l!tP!IN[CUtt(l17li5tltll«!tH.lltl;Mltl!

i' ilKI'JWijjni'HI-.CHmdNCHRtlJWjCHUll

5 RErl t«PR0GRAn TWD«» 10 ENT 4, 15.-1. 10 20 ENV 7,15,-UlOlENV 8,15,-1.1

POPULAH COMPUTING WEEKLY Star Game

, 550 PEN ?iI=l;Y=2I: 60 SYMBOL AFTER 12 570 REN THE EAHE 70 POKE IBDEE.I95 5B0 BAL^10;BALY=10 Xt=STRIWBt(2«J,3 BO DIN A17.8) S70 X=>l:BATX-tO:HHILE ]HKEY*=" :KMD: 90 CLSilSK O.OsBORDER 2h60SUB 1370 100 RESTORE 600 REN SCAN KEVB0RD/J0YS1 ICK 110 FDR T=l TO 7;F0R Y=l TO B:READ ftn.YJtNEITilOT 610 IF INKEYJ=CHRI(252I THEN 1480 THEN NUSIC=1 ELSE 120 DATA tO. 102, 96, 60,6, 102.40,0 620 IF INKEYI1B1=0 THEN IF NUSIC*0

130 Dftifl l7a,23B,254,254,214, 198,198,0 MUS!C=0 INKEYU6)O0:E05UB 24B HO DATA 24,60, 102, 102, 124, 102,102,0 630 IF INKEY(79)=0 THEN WHILE ISO DATA 60,102,96,40,4,102,60,0 Biwn BATK,24:PR 160 DATA 102,102,102,126,102,102,102,0 640 IF !NKEY(L1)=0 AND BftTDl THEN LOCATE , • 170 DATA 254,98,104,120,104,78,251,0 INT !BATI=BAn-l LOCATE BATI,21:P 180 DATA 252,102,102,124,108,102,226 650 IF lkKEf:U)EATE BAL 70,70,126,0,120,8,8, 12,12, 12, 12,0,60,46,64, 60,70,70, OUHD • 60,0,60,66,66,60,6,6,126 I.BALYsPRINl "iSBTO 730 IBALIOBAU OR 230 SYMBOL 164,124,129,189,161,189,129,126 720 IF BALY=24 AND BAUOBAT1H! MR LIVE 240 60SUB B30 GDSUB I530:REH LOSE A 250 DIN BRICKI20,20l:BRICKSO=lOO 730 IF BALN>7 THEH BAL(=8AL 760 IF BALD20 THEN 290 NODE 770 LOCATE BALI.BALYiPEN 2:PRINT CHRH2il! Sflill EOSUB 1690sREN HUSIC 300 H='ENTER SKILL LEVa..." 7B0 IF HUSIC 1HEN DN 310 I=t;¥=2:PEN IsEtMB 1390 770 REN HIT A BRICK , 320 I*= I=HARD...... 9=EASf!l=li(=5!PEH 2:S0SUB 13 BOO IF 9ALYC10 THEN GOSUB 17B0 THEN BALUD-l: BALM- INT ;EYf : BORDER RND126 350 NENDilF INSlRI'12345i7B7\Ail-0 THEN 340 840 POKE 1BDEE.195 2,22:INK J,2i!NK 4,5: INK 5,24 360 HOOE 0;l=2iPEN 4i»=At:GDStlB t390 850 NODE OilNK 1,6:11* 370 SCILL=lNSTRC123454789',At) slNK 4, 24; INK 7,15 380 DELAY=ISKILLH0)-10 840 REN ANIMATION 390 BDNUS=ft9-SKU±l*lDH!0 B70 <=6:F9R 1=1 TO 7 400 GGSUB 1390:BALB=1 BBO SYMBOL 200,MT,8):I=I*I:*=2:P£N T:«*=CKRt<200l!G 410 NODE OiStKBOL 233,0,126,126,126,126,126,126,0 OSUB 1390;G0SUB 13B0 1390 4Z0 POKE IBDE£,201 890 SYMBOL 200.AU.7I ,AIT.B):»=CHRf !Z0O]:6OSUB 430 BORDER :6QSUB 13B0 440 FOR 1=1 TO 5:FBR W TO 20:LDCftTE S,U1:PEK TsPR 900 SYMBOL 200,A(T,6),ftfT,7l,A(r.8)i»=E!fflH200l:BOS INT CHRf(233):BRlCt(Tt4,SI=l:NEn S.T UB 1 390,1180 450 FOR T=l TO 3iF0R (=1 TO 1: BRICK IT, Y)=0:IOT Y,I 910 SYMBOL 2QO,Afl,5),A,A(T,7),AIT,B):W 170 I*="SCORE :':I=1:(=1:PEH TjGOSUD 1390 -CHR1(200I:60SUB 1390.13BO 480 »='L1VES , :I=!1:Y'1:G0SU8 1390 730 SYMBOL 200,A(I,3>.AU,4),A(T,5).AtT,6],An,7),A< 490 DEF FH m=RlEHTf(STRitPQINULEH(SIRtlPDIHII-!l T,B): If»CKRf 12001 iGOSUB 1370,1300 500 SC-0:Li=5;F01N=SC:PEN 9:I=B:»1=FN IU:BOSUB 1390 740 SYMBOL 20O.A(T,2),A(T,3I.AII,41,AIT,5KA(T,6),Al 510 I=20:P0IN=LI:It=FN Ut:G0SU8 1370 T,7),A(T,BI:It=CHRt<200):GQSUB 1370,1380 520 6R1CK6DM20 950 SINBOL 20O,A(T,ll,AIT,2I.An,3l,A(T,4),Aa.5l,Al 530 INK 7,10,2 T,41,AH,7].A(i,H):l»=CHRli200l:G0SUB 1370,1380

540 EEI«S^1240 7411 MEIT ARE YOU THE BRIGHT SPARK WE ARE LOOKING FOR?

Electric Dreams Software (5 a publisher of original programs for Amstrad, Atari, Commodore and Sinclair home computers. We are interested in hearing from authors conversant in machine code on the ZBO senes. 68000 series and 6502 processors who are involved in recreational software development If you are seeking full international exposure and promotional support for your programs and wish to enjoy the rewards your efforts merit, please contact Paul Cooper for an informal discussion. SOFTWARE HOUSES

Allow Electric Dreams Software to market and distnbute your titles, leaving you to concentrate on product design and development To take advantage of this opportunity and gain financial security, please do not hesitate to telephone Rod Cousens. All enquiries will be treated in strictest confidence.

POPULAR COMPUTING WEEKLY Commodore 64

2S0 Convert the number inputted to 9 Name, rank and ouune^li ning total ( 'C). 270-290 Tak^each ducracw i of DS in The numbers game explained on the Commodore 64 with the aid of Peter Graves vert it back to a n urttoer and ^Numerology assigns the numbers single digit, print out result and add it lo the running total tr. l\l one to 26 lo the Sellers of the go back to 130 for more, 300 If 'C has more thai making 11 alphabet, A numerical value can 250-310 Subroutine to convert multi dig- repeat the process by ~ and using the be found (or any name by adding the it numbers to a single digit by DS SOSCO again. final sin- single digits for each letter and reducing adding the digits without re- subroutine The digit will be in 'C. the total to a single digit by repeatedly gard to their place value. gle adding the digits o( the number. For example, a name number of 92 reduces to 11 (9 i 2) and finally reduces (o 2 (1 * 1). From the final digit numerologists make deductions about the characteris- tics of the named person. Any attempt to check the claims of numerology involves much tedious cal- culation of these name numbers. The program helow will find the final numer- inputted word. The ological digit of any 10 REM NUMEROLOGY BY PETER GRAVES input string is taken character by charac- ignoring spaces and other non-alpha £9 REM ter, '3" = characters. The numerological value of 1G0 POKE 532:-:0. 6 : POKE 53231,7 PRINT the character is found by Srst adding its 11@ POKE 646,0 value and subtracting 84 so that ASCII 120 Ta : C=0 = = using the A l, B 2 and so on. Then, 130 INPUT "HBEMTER NRHE:";N* subroutine starting at Line 250 two digit numbers are reduced to a single digit. 14fl FOR N=l TO LEH The subroutine has no effect on a single 150 B=RSC>-64 digit number. The final single digit is 160 IF B<1 OR B>26 THEN 130 1 which is added (o a running total (T ) 176 60SUB 250 also reduced to a single digit by the 138 T=T+C subroutine once all the characters in the input string have been processed. The 190 NEXT : final result is then printed out. 260 B=T GQSUB 250 The input to the subroutine is always a 218 PRINT "HNUMEROLOGICflL VALUE «";C number {'B). To reduce it to a single 220 GOTO 120 digit it is converted to a string (DS) and 250 REM SIMPLIFY TO fl SINGLE DIGIT the value (using the Val function] of each character of the string is added to run- 260 Ii*=STR*-C=0 first character of DS H=2 TO LEN > used the first character of the string is 290 NEXT blank for positive numbers (the space is 3QO IF C>3 THEN TJ:£=STR* < C > -C^-GOTO 270 left for the s sign but it is not actually 510 RETURN printed out), ff the final value of V is more than 9 (ie. 'C'has more than one 400 REM digit) the subroutine is used again until il 410 REM **:^*::+::t::*:+:?f:**.T:*:**:********** is reduced to a single digit. Whether or 420 REM * * not numerology has any validity is not a 430 REM * * question that can be tackled herel You * PETER GRAVES * are referred lo books on the subject and 440 REM you will have to make your own mind up. 450 REM * WESTB0URNE GROVE * 46G REM * WESTCLIFF ON SEFl * Program Notes 470 REM * ESSEX * border and 100-120 Set up screen, 430 REM * * 490 REM * 1935 * 130 Input name 500 REM * * 140-190 Take each character of NS in 510 REM *******+:+:+*+:************* turn, find its ASCII value, sub-

tract 64 bo that A = 1 , elc. 170 Reduce to a single digit with subroutine (Line 250), Numbers that are already a single digit are not affected. 1B0 'Cis the reduced single digit, it is added to the running total 'T". 200-220 When all the characters have been processed reduce T'to a J.M4JJJJ,il

just a few lines (virtually in ordinary Spectrum Basic), Learning by example ha programs deal with lew

You 've typed in the code, now try the demo - The line numbers are unimportant, but ' more ZX! Basic by Stuart Nicholls as they stand allow the programs to 'merged' together to form one long entered the machine Having code action be quicldy as possible. With this in from the previous articles and mind 1 have put together a series of ahorl hopefully managed to rati get every- demons! on programs to give you Basic and that your programs will benefit thing running correctly, perhaps you some idea of the potential " of ZX1 Basic, i now available. The majority of the programs are of a graphics nature and produce striking

fl COMPUTING WEEKLY BJlfMWI,M

ii-11 SEPTEMBER 1S85 The QL Page

up, presented as Data statements! Living by numbers The SuperBaaic program will ask you

A machine code to Data statement converter brought to on file in which it you by Alan Turnbull will create a SuperBaaic program of Data freelance contributors like my- be easy for short programs but for long statements. The program reads bytes of Forself who produce machine code machine code iitiUtie*, il would be nice machine code and outputs them as justi- programs, there is also a need to to have a way of automating the process, fied formatted Data items, 10 per Data provide a Basic loader with the machine In this article, 1 present just such a statement. When finished, the destina- code bytes in Data statements for read- uitility - written initially in QL Super tion file may be Loaded or Merged into ers who do not own assemblers. The Basic and then translated into Motorola the QL as a SuperBaaic program and production of such Data statements may MCSSOOa assembly language to speed it renumbered.

100 REHark SuperBBSIC program to implement MC6600B routine 110 REMark COPYRIGHT tc> 19B5, Alan Turn till, B.Bc.

ISO LET raaarvad addraaa-REEPRtS 2)

ISO LET mdrm-riHrvnl.dddriH 160 P.EP-at raad and itoci machine codn 170 IF EOF THEN EXIT r«ad and storm math ISO READ machine coda byta 190 POKE addraaa, machine, cod b_

210 END REPaat raad_and_atora_nat

230 CALL, reserved addrsas 240 250 DATA 11B, 255, 32, 124, 260 DATA I, 64, 32, 120, O 146, 102 270 DATA 0, 176, 116, 43, 112 2, 67 250, 1 ISO 2B0 DATA 76, 67, 74, 126, 102 0, 290 DATA 67, 250, 1, 114, 90 129, 67 250, 1 300 DATA 52, 120, 0, 206, 76 138 310 DATA 112, 2, 67, 250, 1 136, 78 128 320 DATA 102, 124, 83, 63, 67 230, 1 129 330 DATA 69, 290, I, 74, 116 0, 112 340 DATA 76, 66, 74, 126, 102 72, 65 250 390 DATA 1, 100, UB, 2, 112 1, 76 66, 74 128 60, 3 232 370 DATA 97, 106, 103, 70, 74 3SO DATA 0, 132, 102, 62, 97 106, 102 58, 97 390 DATA 0, 136, 102, 52, 124 1, 97 80, 103 34 400 DATA 74, 128, 102, 42, IBS 124, 10, 103 410 DATA 114, 44, 97, 88, 102 30, 114 32, 97 82 98, 102 16 430 DATA 62, 70, 96, 216, 114 10, 97 64, 102 6 440 DATA 82, 71, 96, 182, 112 0, 47 0, 32 124 430 DATA 0, 1, 0, 1, 112 15, 78 67, 32 77 460 DATA 112, 65, 78, 67, 112 2, 76 76 470 DATA 112, 2, 76, 66, 32 31, 78 460 DATA 112, 0, 76, 67, 176 255, 235 246. 490 DATA 76, 117, 32, 76, 112 1, 78 67, 74 12S 300 DATA 76, 117, 32, 77, 112 9, 78 67, 74 128 910 DATA 78, 117, 30, 7, 97 54, 102 6, 67 250 320 DATA 0, 134, 97, 36, 78 117, 26 1, 186 930 DATA 0, 100, 100, 16, 114 32, 97 220, 102 18 940 DATA 186, 60, 0, 10, 100 32, 97 20B 330 DATA 102, 6, 114, 0, 16 360 DATA 32, 77, 92, 120, O 20B, 78 146, 78 970 DATA 32, 77, 92, 120, O 580 DATA 0, 34, 68, 101, 118 109, 99 101, 47 110 390 DATA 97, 109, 101, 32, 111 102, 32 109, 97 99 600 DATA 104, 103, 110, 101, 32 32 610 DATA 102, 103, 108, 101, 63 10, 36, 68 101 620 DATA UB, 105, 99, 101, 47 32 630 DATA HI, 102, 32, 10O, 97 116, 97 32, 113 640 DATA 97, 116, 101, 109, 101 105 650 DATA toe, 101, 63, 10, O 660 DATA 69, 32, 0, 0, O 0, 670 DATA 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 680 DATA 0, 0, 0, 0, O 0, O, 690 DATA 0, 0, 0, 0, O 0, 0, 700 DATA 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 710 DATA 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 720 DATA 0, 0, 0, 0, o, o 0, 730 DATA 0, 0, 0, 0, o, o 740 DATA 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, t )

The QL Page

110 REMai i?.0 130 DEFir e PROCadure JUHTIFY(ch«r ial ,byt

140 IF tiyte<100 THEN PRINT #eh« i rn.1 | 150 IF bytoslO THEN PRINT ttchar Ml|" " 160 PRINT #channel|bytB| 170 END DEFina JUSTIFY ISO 190 MJJSt 4 zoo CL.S 210 LET .-..! ! 230 INPUT "Machina cod* flla 7 SAO INPUT "Data •tatsmant file ? "|d.ta_ Bflfl OPEN IN «4,machtnB coda file! 260 OPEN NEW «3,aata_Etatanwnt_f

I REPeat gBr)ar-ata_data_atataria

1 IP EQF(aa) THEN EXIT gener i te_ dat a _st at ansr "| 1 PRINT »3plina_noi" DATA > JUSTIFY 5,CODE)

) REPnat gBnBrata_dat«_iti

) IF E0F(»4) OR itBm_coi 'data_per-_llne THEN EXIT ganar-atB„data_item ) PRINT #5|", "I

) JUSTIFY 3,CODE(INKEY*<«4)

) LET itam_count-ite(n_coiint+l ) END REPeat gBnerata_data_it»m ) PRINT #3 ) LET llne.nD=HnB_nDtllne_no.inc ) END REPeat gonBrata_data._atatamants ) CLOSE «S ) CLOSE #4

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Justified figures IS. at position x, y on the screen. J>ef Procsetup - This procedure sets up Print a handy number conversion table on the BBC B - the various printer facilities. It is well documented by Rem statements if the John Beckett and Peter Renwick control codes on your printer are differ-

his program prints t select ed for ai ent to the Epson compatible ones listed justified figures. Eac on the program. contains the decimal. binary, Def Procdisplayftf) - This procedure ASCE prii will print the U'th number of fables. Program Notes Def Fnb(c) - This function will display vo, lour or eight columns depending on Def Piodntro - This procedi any number contained in the brackets as le width of your printer - four should be to print anything contained Lr its binary equivalent.

IBREri Conversion Table 370VDU1.27, 1,07, 1,0:REM Enlarqe off 20REM Electron/BBC B 3B0vDUl,15 :REM Condensed on 30REM Epson and compatable printer 390ENDPROC 40REM John T W Beckett/ 400DEFPRDCintrc. 410VDU23,1,0;0;0;0;0 Peter D Renwick 420c*=" Conversion Table": 50ON ERROR GOTO 540 60MDDE4:PRaCintro PRDCdtc*,10,l> 70V=0 430PRINT '"This program provides the user with a" BBREPEA1 ' 90PRDCsetup 440PRINT "handy reference table of I00PROCdisplay(H> number bases. 110v=v+liUNTIL v=X 450VDU2S,0,31,39,10 120CLS:*FX15,1 460INPUI '"How many columns "H 470IF N0T(H=2 OR H=4 OR H=Q) 130PRINT"Continue " 5 t X*=GET* vDU7:GQTO460 140IF X*="Y" OR X*="y" GQT06B 480INPUT "'How many copies "X 150END 490IF X<1 VDU7:GOTO4B0 16BDEFPROCdi splay "Your table is N+(25&-(25e>/U> ) IBBFOR F=N TO beina printed" STEP (256/U) 520VDU2, 1,27, 1,82,1, 0,3s 19BB*=CHR*(F> REM USA char !IF F<32 OR F>126 B*=" " 530ENDPROC 21BPRINT F;SPC(2);FNB(F>;SPC(2>; 540VDU3 2201F F<16 PRIMT-0": 550IF ERR=17 G0T012B ; 230PRINT" " ^F; SPC t2) ; B*j 560REPORTsPRINT" at line n ;ERL' 240NEXT : PRINT: NEXT 570USCLI ("KEY0 LIST"+STRS£RL+" !M"1 250VDU3*. ENDPROC 5B0#FX138, 0,12a 260DEF FNB(c) 59BEND 270a*="" 600DEFPRQCd(l*,x,y) -1 2S0FOR i=7 TO STEP MBA7-=S>-t-a* 620FOR b=l TO LEN(1*> 300c=c DIV 2-.NEXT 630?Z=ASC(f1ID*il*,b,l)):CALL8( FFFl 310=a* 640VDU23,224,Z?i,Z?l,Z?2,Z?2,Z?3, 320DEF PROCsetup Z?3,Z?4,Z?4 330vDU2,l,12 tREM -farm -feed 650VDU23 , 225 , Z?5 , Z?5, Z?6 , Z?6 , Z?7 340vDUl,lB sREM Condensed off Z?7,Z?B,Z?B 350vDUI,27,l,B7,l,IsREr1 Enlarge on 660PR1NT TABl«+b,y);CHR*224; 36BPRIN1 TAB<2>;c*' TAB(K+b,y+l) ;CHR*225 670NExr:ENDPRDC

5-11 SEPTEMBER 1? .

The music Box

sic at Durham University with a very limit- mention of programmable since 1973 and he has been ed range of musical styles' is sound generators or the tide responsible not only for de- how Manning describes the of sophisticated musical soft- veloping the Un pop and rock world - which, from Abba to Zappa, has pro- micros and personal comput- r promoting music ers, jack Tramiel has proved to have his finger more firmly

ham. His experience and (he past 30 years than, I dare- on the pulse of computer mu- knowledge are clearly both say, all the classical studios in sic by building-in Midi to the

extensive, but the feeling I the world have done since the Atari 620ST.

get from reading his book is Instructive as it is to read ' somehow i Theb might serve to indicate the extent of Manning's elitism: book remains incomplete, the computer Lbs Paul, Leo Fender, Phil hopelessly inadequate and expert, and its coverage ot Spector, Beaver and Krause, definitely overpriced. w technology practical John Ono, Gary and Lennon and Yoko Herman

I the subject has technique is sketchy. Where Stevie Wonder, the Mookees age. This worries me since, Manning comes into his own (who Mot as they might, the OUP is in providing detail about synthesiser on record laina tied to its elitist the history and style of so- 1967), Vangelis, Trevor Horn, traditions. called 'serious' work in elec- mixing desks, record pro- Thai said, one would hope tronic and computer music. duction. He seems never to

il elitism would at least be Unfortunately, even here he have heard of a tremolo arm on a guitar and apparently comprehensiveness - espe- believes that Rick Wakeman Any readers with experieni cially in a book priced at is called Rick Waterman. 3f computer music melting < -'-.80. 1 have to report, with descriptions ofwoE rks. In short, Manning reveals ;ompflniQ3 with new product

te regret, that Peter Man- 1 found il alarming a an unwarranted prejudice x's Electronic and Com- time and in this field that against music produced in they're doing to: Gary Ht er Music is far from a de- one could be quite so dis : Box, 12-13 Little sive of the contribution tc texts. While he waxes lyrical Manning has been Senior field by pop and rock n about the possibilities of digi- Experimental Officer in Mu- dans. 'Groups of perforn tal technology, he avoids any

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COMPUTING WKF.KtV Book Ends

based schools in a changing 'learning' and thought. Turn the page, though, and ries recommended by OL- Logos available ioi home it's back to pages ol listings User magazine end with fore-

1 the compilers for all the usual examples, words by Nigel Searle ol themselves axe also dis- from the 'Eliza' style conver- Sinclair Research, which both cussed, though ineviiably ihis sation generator to the add ol ' information is already some- Noughts i ' what dated. However, the ;h.,.-,: All The book attempts, in a book's main value is its expla- brisk, business-like fashion, nation of Logo's full impact rather nest logical relation- to introduce the computer's and intentions. Mr Hammond ship analyser, but then again capabilities. Not too much whether there's a totally irrelevant Considering t screen drawing listing. of books recently, the ;nging To have real value, a book

Logo cult must be gaining .t AX i Of these many more context than this. If you o 'turtle training' only want listings most are parents and available elsewhere at far even teachers suddenly less than you'll pay here. faced with a micro. The po- John Minson mainly mathematical and sci- tential for failure by such nov- entific programs, ranging ices who don't realise that 'best-fit' straight lines on Logo is far more than just graphs to missile trajectories. another language is high- lighted in Forward 100, short listings, concentrating Kay Hammond doesn't list on the handling of formulae, programs, but discusses the will be ol great- philosophy of the language with practical examples from educational case histories, a it started by ques- Others will probably find its philosophy which includes tioning how 'real' human in- approach and short- learning by experimentation telligence is. Good, thought 1, age of program notes less and discovery. In doing so he discussion of the philos- helpful. presents a picture of Logo- ophy of computer and human John Minson

11 SEPTEMBER 1985 II [AST. CHAP HI IEFII IK Dll UIUI LOOK

'' •-.'. IB! .

You don'l have to have a ml towel wrapped round your head anil a bottle ofaapfrfo ]:.-.[• earn :o program your Commodore fi4 in machine code — there is an You can do it! alternative method. ByconcemralinEoii simple concepts. and by- explaining every step carefully, with plenty of

examples, David Lawrence and Mark England show it to you in tlieir book Beginning MachineCode on the Commodore 6-1.

AlthouRh it can be difficult to become fully- proficient ;n machine code programming, each instruction, in itself, is relatively simple to understand. The authors art careful to bring out this in their approach, showing clearly and

carefully what each instruction does and htm it is used.

Then , when you feel more confident as a machine code programmer, you can begin to construct more and more

I,- : '..::- -. :;(!',':-!,:. :;.,r:. = r.: .-n ::,, . ,;i. yh : individual instructions.

David Lawrence and Mark England are experienced *«&and machine code programmers on the Commodore 64, being aulhnrs of Machine Code Graphics and Sound for the Commodore 64 and The Commodore 64 Machine Code Masler, but nni so i-xpen-n'-eri rh?: they have forgotten the pitfalls and confusing points that await the beginner.

So, if you are ready to take ynur first steps into the world 3f machine code programming on the C64. this is the book foryou.

•<- "*•*

D PlaifthiiEcm Via'AccHicariis

'-r

SmflKSuMMK «*M«al*Mtent ,-..\»M,:n\\X-m:W. ; .

Arcade Avenue

the room - one byte defines sticks in tandem and pull the casino, put all your money on the object type, and how second one left. Steven the best odds and save the many there are is shown by Huchlnson gives these pokes game. If you lose, restore - adding 1 for each extra one for 3D Starstrike Poke your saved version, if you you want - eg, 36 + 3 - 38 &3S65.0 keeps you on level I win save the game again, gives you three tables. The and Poke &2640.0: Poke leaving the money on the next few bytes tell you where 2641,0put the shields back (o table.

in the grid these objects are, maximum after every run. He I can't let an Amstrad ori- so the sequence 58, 0. 64, 128 also gives us a highscoring ented column go by without will put three tables i code for Gnosfbusters - enter mentioning the Amsdub User

i left c . Use 'Michael' and 10241424. Group which can be contact- Amstrad help Ant's example as a model for Richard Pemberton has ed at 43 Mount Stewart Street. redesigning more rooms. these high scores Carluke. Strathclyde. Scot- are the long await- Knightlore finished with 73% land ML6 5EB. They are a Hereed poke routines (or lower case Rocky Horror Show finished young but very active group the Amstrad versions 30 Memory 4331 on 12th July; Super Pipeline B and each month they produce of Knight Lore and Alien 8. As 40 Load ".'", 4352 144,630 before getting bored a tape based megazme'. 50 often happens, alter we ask 90 Restore 140 (if you can find a safe position for help on a particular game 60 For (= 1 to 7: read a,b: on the pipe for shooling the Keyboard choice we gel many replies and 1 poke a,b: next hazards the barrels fill up want to thank Henry Clark, 10 Call 4352: locate 1,1: print quickly); iSfarAvanrrer 7,410; 'Hacker', Paul Denman, Rich- "infinite lives by ANT" Sorcery 92,250; DT's Decath- aid Pemberton, Andrew 80 Data 4353. 0. 4354, 0, 43SS, lon 743,630 with rune Uvea left ber 6, is particularly notew 0, 4403. 201, 4424, 149. 4425, having given up with Decath- thy because it includes so 233, 4426, 191 lon elbow. He recommends pokes that allow you to load 90 toad "I", 81B2 all these plus Kong Strikes and list protected programs. ton 100 Poke 18889, 0: Rem infi- Back and Ghostbusters. Lets finish with this excel- only as Ant. To start with he Richard feels that Amsoft lent set of pokes from Mike is his JUien Spokes: 110 Poke 13438, 0: poke are responsible for the Smith. One flaw with Amsoft 10 Openouf "d 13439, 0: poke 15440. 0: Rem traordinarily high pria games, other than their prit 20 Locate 1,1: Print SpaceS no change and endless days Amstrad software. 1 agree is the fact that keyboard (6): "infinite Uvob byANT" or poke 13567. x where x is with you. Richard, but things choices and the inlay blurb 30 Memory 4351 number of days 1-99 should change n are frequently abysmal. As 40 Load }", 4332 120 Rem poke 15103, x where Amsoft are getting competi- Mike says, "A lot of people 50 For 1= 1 to 7: Read a. b: x is number of objects tion from releases such as have found Cddename Mat Poke a. b,: next 130 Rem design room Al oi Mastertronic's awkward: (he joystick option 60 Data 4363. 0, 4354, 0. 4355, Knightlore map Vol 4 issue 4 finders Keepers. is confusing and the key- 0. 4392. 20, 4414, 4B, 4413. 235. 140 Restore 230 Richard also has i board option Was designee' 4416. 131 ISO For t= 1 to 19: read at: help with Dun Darach, some- by a Myon. However. Poire 10 Call 4352 poke! + 21475. VaJf"«" + a thing that many people have 9012, 8: Poke 9021. 1: Poke 60 Load -I", 8192 JJ.-nexf echoed since 1 hinted you 9030, 2: Poke 9039, Olels you 90 Poke 16782, 0: Rem infinite 160 DatabO. 03. bO. Ob, bO, 13. could cheat at making money use the cursor keys for mo bO, 13, 01. 11, 10, 98, 11, 98. 27. (I'm glad to see that the game ment. Poke 9048, 47 makes 100 Poke 12638, x: Rem 98, 36. 98, 3c is driving you all as mad as it the space bar the fire key and X- number of chambers 170 Call 4414 is rae). Well, D Goodwin has Poke 26148, 68: Poke 26135. 110 Poke 12018. 0: infinite sent in some tips and a map 70 turns Tab and Caps Lock for the game, which I have into accelerate and deceler- 120 Call 44N passed on to Tony Bridge. ate respectively." that res- Ant's routine for Knight However, 1 will give away Any other routines Lore stands out by the inclu- the low down sneaks method cue a good game from a dire sion of a redesigned room tips. Hacker says to clear lev- of clocking up the readies key choice will be v using a system simitar to (hat els on the Artisoft game, Go which Mr/Ms Goodwin has we printed for the Spectrum lactic Plague plug two joy- also discovered - go to the Tony Kendie version some months back. Game Wlltrd Entry For, To recap, picture each room We are searching for the top UK computer a grid of maximum size B * as games player - the best there is! 8 squares and four squares high. The bottom layer is The very best of Britain's game players will get to numbered 0-63 running top to - fight it out on a number of top secret new games bottom and left to right, layer scheduled for release in the autumn. two is 64-127, etc. Each object has a number in the range to

324 going up in jumps of Stit) lkt IlMt t*!t* oi lut at lit cdIibi In ill iicliu ym hre - ibut nit lit pan eight. For example, a table is ml! u*i ii Hstn. Sad rnt nit Rita b) « lit fna tali", aitin nit Hit yw inrn signified by number 58, a m MrbniHMtri by i rtnwnblt uuvisni iqunj lkt Inn. by tent aclittt*. uiii Address knight by 64, a ghost by 73. Mono! oan-nti - ad n ufnitt Cra Prtti - will in! b- icttpiti Experiment to see what other brant » iid Stplnta Itoy btCi "ill br knsiiy. yii up It date m lit Aiade numbers represent. Avenue pici wilt jut *ta ta u> ma ti tat Tin, it icpiHulm. (be lip ItiH men It lbi ton play The rooms are stored from a mi uctisi will built il hi to > plan it lit dial uJ lit dim u It location 21476 upwards and consist of bytes for the shape Spectrum Witness's signature . and colour of the room fol- lowed by a byte 235. The data tin] Sliai lit Bapidi following this shows what is in

5-11 SEPTIMBEH 1985 '

Tony Bridge's Adventure Corner

I he Pit in the Maze, hoping do there. You can contact him direct at: nuld disappear while I was 53 Stockfold, Fatfield, Washington. Tyne > such luck." and Wear NE38 SRU. don't know, as I've said, if Interceptor is a company which has Melbourne House's pirate routine is the gained a well-deserved reputation for lough, well illustrated adventures, and pirate, but in the traditional game, the

Warlord is one of their latest releases. 1 chest will only appear when you have a haven't seen it yet, bul ! assume that the actually had some loot nabbed by the old pictures are of the usual high standard, salt, and this is likely to happen at ran- and the puzzles, according lo Richard dom (so don't carry too much treasure!). Hewison of Luton, are also up to scratch. The chest will appear in a location previ- He's sent me a comprehensive map and ously marked 'Dead End', which may very helpful hinls about the B0% that he's

solved so tar, but has come up against a That should also help R J Knapp, who blank after entering the Ring. "What is is, or was, halfway through Level 9's Source of confusion the meaning of 'Try a more measured version of the classic — he also wants to

approach? What am I supposed to do in From kind adventurers offering the Crystal Cavern and Named 'a that a friend who played the original on a Shrine?" If you'd like to swap experi- mainframe reckoned that the game ends those seeking help. ences with Richard, you can contact him after playing it lor a long time. Not

For the Grand Elf and i. one of the at: 16 Bushmead Rd, Luton, Beds LU2 atricUy true. Mr Knapp, although it would reasons for indulging in this hobby is the JEU. certainly take most of a long time. The interreaction with other adventurers, Now to Colossal Cave Adventure, the mainframe versions allowed players and even non-adventurers (my family very first adventure thai started it all off. who reached a certain score to effective- has long become immune to my inane There are many versions of Ihis. most of ly 'lock' (he later stages of a game. mutterings about Menhirs, Zorks, which only differ in the small details of Level 9, using their in-house memory Agidiarepl and Fasti toca Ions). descriptions, the larger puzzles being 3 managed to The first reader wanting help is Simon a 70 e Davis, who is stuck in Jewels in Babylon, the very popular adventure from Inter- different towards the end. You have (he ceptor. "I have reached the locked door Platinum Pyramid, good, bul there ai in the dusty corridor, but cannot find the more treasures, and many more objects key. 1 assume thai it is somewhere over to be used. Still on Level 9, Andrew the bridge but as yel I can't find a way Wright of Wokingham is playing Lords across. Also, what is the smooth slab of ol Time. He has several questions: 'How rock behind the waterfall, is it a door or do I use the Wheel to get back lo the red herring?" The key is, I'm (old, es- Clock? How can I get paal Pirate Pete? sential (o completing the game (aren't Can 1 remove the grali they always?) — a clue is, you 11 need the Zone S? Where is the Cold Nugget? Can 1 plank. I notice, Simon, that you have this get out of the maze behind the set in your inventory, so keep working on it] panel in Zone 6? Where is the fur o Objects that you presently have but actu- ally don't need are the Bottle, Coconut, /await ofBabyloa As you'll know, Andrew, from reading Skull, Sextant or the Shoe. These hints the documentation supplied with the ad- come from Sgt. Ivor Williams, who'll be the si nail. 5 eHoc venture, Level B will supply you with a quite happy to help you if you send him a lion, however (which they call Classic clue sheet in return for the coupon, and a

SAE:910Sgi Williams, I.. 26 Engr. Hegt.. Adventure), has some novel twists to the very good one it is loo. However, for a Wksps. REME. BFPO 24. storyline which make the procedures quick rundown on your problems: Bill Whale is in Hampstead. Well, actu- rather different than in moat of the oth- The wheel, found in the Invention ally, he lives in West Sussex, but he's ers. Now I haven't actually had the plea- Room, may simply be dropped at any playing Hampstead, the UMA (upward- aura of seeing this one, and all my location to return to the clock, and you'll ly-mobile adventure) from Melbourne references to the classic adventure are find the wheel there. If you c House. It's a game that I've not had time based on the most traditional programs, present to the shivering Viking, he will to play much, but Bill is obviously having such as that from Level 9 (called Colossal give you a Lure. That's a Viking Hom a lot of trouble. He's been allowed lo buy thai can be used to sum

Doreen Barton's confusion: 'I have read when you need to get rid at unsavoury about the Pirate's Chest in The Comer, characters (incidentally, i

but it isn't there. I have tried dropping to Pete Austin's Colossal Adventure, any treasure thai the Pirate rucks from yoi: will end up in his chest). Yes, you car

Adventure Helpline may be able lo help. move the grate ... if you're very strongl The gold nugget is a gift from a grateful Cavewoman. Yes. you can es- cape from the maze. The coal is left by

the mammoth when you scare him off. .

Many other players seem to be slue on getting the sword to deal with th Black Knight — you'll find Ihis in Zone 2, in the Throne Room. You'll hav smash the Ice Block with a special in men!. Next week, more help on a va

GOOD a.*- rl WANTED -A WRITER

Can you write witty, informative, intel- ligible prose about computers? And can you program as competently as you can write for a wide variety of micros?

If so put your writing skills to use and drop us a line! mj-Mjt*<\»rH> ^s its eS^o?" Due to our constant expansion we're looking for someone like you to fill our new editorial posts.

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BLACK KNIGHT JJU'ITIT COMPUTERS LIMITED PO Box 132, Chislehurst, Kent BR7 6JX Tel: 01-463 2451 BINDER £3.50 + p&p Keep your issn:^ in : -:l

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Return this coupon togetlie: with payment tc PCW BINDER Programtnes/ProgrammeTS 12-13 Little Newport Street always wanted London WC2H IPP , UK Peek & Poke

by the 6128, but the same Poke 808.251 you have to do is restart th<

remarks still apply. Poke 808,239 tape, and away you go. . You can use another moni- Either of the above two playing Manic Miner or whal tor with the Amstrad GB4 or Pokes will disable the Slop ever with as many lives a 61 28. as you say utilising only key. To prevent the program the power supply of the sup- being listed, should the little plied one. devils manage to break in Amstrad doea not oner any somehow, use Poire 775.0. Dragon up-grading package, where- routines by monochrome users can up-grade to colour by some Extra Andrew Brocklehursl of sort of trade-in arrangement. lives

can buy a modulator package Ban Dewhurstof Yale, Bristol, ^\ I read some time ago allowing you to use an ordi- \J ihat you wanted Pokes nary colour TV with the ma- and other routines from chine - although you won't ^\ I have just recently your readers. What do you gel the same quality as you \J pru chased a Spectrum, think of these for would with a monitor. and several games. I have Dragon? heard a lot about Poking Poke 113,0 (acts as an on games for extra lives or oth- witch) Program er functions. So please The following rant break-in could yon tell me how to go Merges two B« am considering buy- about Poking a game? programs: 21ing a now Amstrad CIoad"l" 66-1 with a mono- flenflesf, Essex, writes: The only games thai are Poke 25, Peek (27) chroma monitor. la there A easily Pokeable have Ba- Poke 26, Peek (28)-2 an? way of up-grading this sic loader programs. Instead Cload "Z" i colour monitor in the ^)#stop people breaking of loading your game with bml future. Could I use the pow- into my program and also Load "", you need (o use Poke 25,30: Po*e2ff,J "". r supply only from the how to 'hide' the listing so Merge You then stop the

, mid chrome monitor? that nobody can read it. tape, hist the loader program and enter the supplied Poke

> be commandfs). When you then Run the loader program, all

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T-bfeg. -" 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 | II II SEPTEMBER 198S Amstrad Top Twenty

(3) Way of the Exploding Fist (Spectrum! 64) Melbourne House (-) Summer Games II (C64) Epyx/USGold (-) Nightshade (Spectrum) Ultimate (4) Frank Bruno's Boxing (Spectrum) Elite (8) Beach-head (Spectrumj C64j BBC) Amstrad! Atari) Access/US Gold (1) Hypersports (Spectrum! C64) Imagine S (3) Beach-head lIccits/tBCnMl (2) Frankie Goes to Hollywood (Spectr \\CSi) Ocean. (15) Finders Keepers (Spectrumj C64j A. tradjMSX) Mastertronic Challenge (Marlaon) (6) Action Biker (Spectrum! CS4) Master-Ironic (5) Dambusters fSpec'mm/C64} Sydney/DS Gold (12) Elite (C64I BBC!Electron) Fireb ird/Ac orn so ft (1) Beach-head (Spectrum! C64JBBQ Amstrad! Atari) Access/US Gold Atari (-) FormuIaISimulatorfSpecfrum/C64/City Mastertionic (9) Soft Aid (Spectrumj C64) Various Artists Ghost Ctawi IDS Goli) Consultants |Ieml)| (-) Southern Belle (Spectrum) Hewson I Bed Moon Start (Spectrumj C64) i Bounty Bob Slnia Back (US Gold) (-) Kik Mastertronic (14) Fed Moon (Spectrum! C64JBBCJ Election! Amstrad) Level 9 (-) Cylu (Spectrum! C64) Firebird (ll)IetSetWillyIIf5pecrriiiTi/CS4) Software Projects (Ariolnjon) i Chiller (Spectrumj CB4j Amstrad) Mastertronic (Unl 9) (19) (Bin) urea compiled by Gallup/Leisureicope

BBC Readers' Chart No 40

!!.: <:. .",., : .. 1 HI BwcbsHid (Kc i/USGoldj ,.,, ! I HI Elite (C64/BBC/Electron) Fi J HI Alien 8 lUWmatel Way of the Exploding Fist (C64) I Cranial Lyra [Dunelll Soft Aid (Spectrum/C64) Various Br list i m (Ultimate) Dun Darach (Spectrum /Amstrad]

* (51 M>ni Office frank Bruno's Boxing I Specimen) i m |AcBniioft| Red Moon (Spectrum/ C64/BBC/E! ecu on/Amstrad) Shadowfire (Spectrum/ C64) ' H Bad Mwn (Laval 5) Knight Lore (Spectrum /BBC/Amstrad) frankie Goes to Hollywood (Spectrum/C64) Alien 8 (Spectrum /BBC/ Amstrad)

: "TyplM ™«. i Commodore 64

[Epyi'rjsc-ii.L.i - to 1 Summer Camas I! on week 42 £25 win (-) Now voting Z |Z) BeartiheadU (Sccaai JUS Cold)

3 111 Way if [he Eiptaimg Fill (Melioanie Each week Popularis compiling iis own special software top ten chart -compiled by YOU.

4 |3) FiinheC&s

You can still vote in the cha it without making up a slogan - butyouwon'tbein wilh a chance of winning the pritse.

All you have to do is fill in the form below (or copy it out if you don't want to dam- age your magazine) and send it off to: Top 10. Popular Computing Weekly, 12-13 Spectrum Ciltle Newport Street. London WC2H 7PR

Voting for it 2pm on Wednesday Se pi ember II 1985. Entries receive' 1 (-1 WafolihuEiploduvg (MelbnninnBonu) eligible for inclusion in that week's voting. The Judge: miry per Individual per week will be allowed. 2 (-1 ftgrobade (UlUnutB)

3 (1) Frank Bnino'i Bonng (Ellin)

I (I) Bypeupom I •-•T- Name My lop 3: Voting Week 42 > (fl '-.; itasivUSCc ;

Address 1 New Releases

less blemishless than Knight e that each tooth of the cog THIN LorejAlien S. For another, it TOO may have cost quite a bit of lo be made up of hundreds of Nightshade, what on earth 10 memory and explain the pau- Utile teeth giving the impres- say about it? 1 delayed com- city ol plot. sion of a smooth surface and menting on the latest Ultimate The plot is the real prob- then imagine that these little game last week for fear of lem, it's just too thin. Here is a teeth are in tact. . . you having missed some point to summary: move little sabre- the game. Surely, 1 had man type figure around the The fractal system gives though!, this can'! be all there town, dodge the nasty little is to it? monsters which infect you

Maybe I just didn't gel what with diseases, watch out foi

1 expected from Nightshade little bottles which restore and that's what rankles. But your health and be practice, though, where ;i essentially the game is a step technique is used in the game away from the 3D 'what shall 1 to create alien landscape seems lo me to be of only limited effectiveness. will provide you with ai The plot has you piloting a nition to defend yourself from liih a taste of the orient) from spaceship around the rocky Undarworide. baddies. The aim is lo find ie evil Myrons. crags of an alien planet seek- The graphics are pretty im- four specific weapons and You sap around using long ing oul stranded pilots using a pressive, there are various destroy four specific radar detector. You must land lands oi monster, including one particularly appealing The map appears to be for him lo run in. Constant one with toothy grin and up- large, but apart from different attack from ground-based ei stretched arms, thai lurk wall ft

pear to be any 'exciting loca- the choice of damage repairs, horrifying fact that some < of a complex town. The ani- tions' lo be sought. After a lis very much the same ar- your 'pilols' turn out lo r. mation Is slick and as ever, small initial 'gosh wow' at the rangement as Mai I. aliens form the problems : the graphics are beautifully pretty graphics, I began lo Graphics are of the 'updat- designed—they remind ma get bored. ing sprite' type and it works Actually the graphics ai of the kind oi thing you used Obviously, the game will quite well, chasing the bad- pretty gocd; the spaceman to see in Scooby Do cartoons. sell in droves, so what 1 say running towards your ship is The Filmarion 2 comes with here is largely irrelevant to pretty exhilarating if also particularly well done and the game's success. But 1 think frustrating. You get a flashing whilst the fractals don't nec- of the walla, windows, doors this is Ultimate's worst for control panel, battle comput- essarily create, a more con- and other outside features of ages and there's none sadder er, good explosions and most vincing landscape they da

places within tile city. These than me at having to say it. of Ihe other things a apace produce a different 'look' to scroll very smoothly and are cadet needs to enter tinlo the the graphics.

continuous, unlike Bay Alien 8 i Nightshade swing of things. In that sense Ultimately, ] think the game where once you left a room a Price £9.as it's a thoroughly worthwhile could get a bit tedious. Basi-

completely new one was Micro Spectrum cally the plot is a bit thin and i drawn. The landscape is con- Supplier Ultimate Play the For me the game was a doubl thai it's going io be;

tinuous in Nightshade and to disappointment, though. 1 great number of plays.

t multi-coloured. Ashhy Computers really had hoped for some- & Graphics thing that would move The Green from Codename Mat, but Ashby de la Zouch stead Codename iVfaffl me Leicestershire ly marks time. IE65JU n Codename S Price £8.95 DIFFERENCE Micro Spectrum NO Supplier Domark 204 Woiple Road London SW20 BPN

of my favourite apace games. Somehow the balance of blasting, docking with plan- ets, warping and strategy was Rescue on Fractalus is the first gol righl and the game game from the software proved very durable. house set up by George 'Star The sad thing about Wars' Lucas - Lucasfilm

COdename Ma t H is thatovera Games. It's a space rescue

The decision I bring back year later nothing seems to game with quite a few sophis- Program Rescue on multi-coloured ," have improved technically - ticated touches. Fractalus

fact, be the sour s of the pro- Ihe game looks exactly the The name Fractalus comes Price £9.95 grams problen same when one might have from the term fractalus which Micro Commodore 64

thing it brings back sc hoped for more Elite style describes a way of building Supplier Actirision our attribute pr graphics. The plot isn'I that up convincing landscapes us- IS Harley House which, ihough shghi different either - defend the ing recursive patterns, eg, Marylebone Road

the game look that I a (hot a imagine a cog and then imag- London NW1 SHE

5-11 SEPTEMBER 1905 New Releases

scrolling to where the action

is. I would estimate the whole campaign map to occupy about 13-14 screens, so keep- ing track of your forces can be cpiite a challenge. "3 - ' page I STRATEGIC iputer war games for quite h the cas:

! half a L half o Ghost Chaser is a multi (16) exception. One, two, , . even and histor three playei options are giv- - 1 would have preferred left, right, jump variety, albeit en, with rive scenarios in all. slightly clearer instructions, with a few new features and covering the infamous Oper- but they serve well enough. rather good graphics. Basic ation Market Garden - possi- Nothing radically new here, ideas are blast ghosts, dodge bly the worst case of needless but it holds the attention well other things, collect the eight heroism since The Charge of enough to pull you back to the keys of tharg which open the the Light Brigade. keyboard time and lime ghost chamber. Like the Spectrum version, again. Amstrad -owning Nice aspects to the game this is very playable, and wargamers form an orderly uiclude hidden trapdoors, a quite reasonable as s queue here. strategy element as you work game. . . but as a simulation Doubtless there's a strate- Program Amhem gy involved in finding your puter wargames would lake Price £9. 35 way around the various sec- advantage Ql the possibilities Micro Amstrad 464/664 lions of the maze (to find the of hidden movement. As a Supplier CCS eight destruct codes that will nod in this direction, the ene- HLangdon Way activate the self-destruct fire directtonaUy using the y unit types in Amhem are Blackheath mechanism of the ship and joystick and use occasional

it revealed until you attack da-da da-da da, you know the bars to move hand over hand them. But what about supply? kind of thing] but the real to negotiate gaps in the floor. Beyond the scope of a simple point and feeling to the game simulation perhaps. SELF-DESTRUCT is to zap away at the aliens that Complaints are that the The actual battlefield is block your passage. They re- presented as a colourful map, Project FisniiB m one of the bleeps and wizzes and the zappiest games I've seen on stantly so Ihe tension doesn't whole thing has the aura Amstrad for a long time. In let up for a minute. something that would h; iact there is very little else !o It's last, and the bright col- been brand new and exciting " it that I've been able to dis- ours and better than average two years ago. With somt cover. The setting is the maze sound give the whole game a the budget priced Commo- like corridors of the SS Fu- faintly fairground atmo- dore games that are arou sphere. Maybe it's the way this looks a bit silly at £9.9! the aliens look so harmless

Graphics are colourful be- funny: anyway against my

ing chock full of flashing better judgement I liked it. lights, a zillion different kinds Ditch your brain and get your Supplier US Gold

of aliens (one of which Looks finger on the trigger. , , Unit 10 like Gonzo from the Muppet Parkway in dtistria! Show(and other sci-fi objects. Here and there you might find Heneage Street a matter transporter that will Birmingham zap you on to another level. Supplier Gremlin Graphics B7 4LY

This Week

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.99 JPSoMwflri

Commodore (Si EB.95 Hut-Ne Bii'.

Biology Ed BBC Ctumlifry English Llti Ed BBC Geoflrephy Ed BBC

.Ft COMPUTING WEEKLY New Releases

Hunt the Wumpua. It took me ages to figure RELOADED what the hell you were sup- ALL TOGETHER posed to do in the game. More from the French compa- Even watching the animated ny Innelec, sometimes called Ii looks vary much as though instruction program proved No Man's Land in this country, thiB Christmas is going to of limited help until 1 realised which has moved into a lot of games coj everything had to be in tower Amstrad software. CP Graph a - collections of past case. Really it's a maze, made is a basic graphic drawing on one tape heavily pro- more complicated because utility program, which on first ' ud through the T' * glance looked good. representing excellent val- nails, revealed by signs The blurb assured me that ue ior money. amongst the hieroglyphics on handbook was necessary First of! is Virgin Games's compilation Now Games. You'll either find it intermi- enough, 1 quickly sal up a pie available (or both the Spec- nably tedious or a iascinahng Chart for 12 items under vari- trum and Commodore. For puzzle in logic and patience. ous headings which was £8.95 you get the following: The occasional animated drawn quickly and Lords of Midnight graphics don't add much to colourfully. Each section of Beyond 'a complex adven- the game, but nevertheless the pie was labelled and ex- the detailed background pressed as a percentage of Bloodaxe - a reasonable iant on Manic Muter Then troubles began: pressing Esc was supposed excellent multi- to take me back to (he begin- cade game with detailed ning, the screen did nothing graphics and lots of fea- and I had to reload the thing rs. Arabian Nights - an OXish arcade from Inter- On another occasion typing ceptor and Falcon Patrol tt~ in some entries quickly caused me lo accidently superb on the Commodore Micro

naff < again it had to be reloaded. Spectrum. ippliei Virgin Games Whether these were errors excellent value - Z-i Vernon Yard on my part or bugs in the

Lords of Midnight alone Ponobello Road program. I can't say lor sure, £9 .95 usually and London but in any event it shouldn't somehow the instructions WI1 2DX

PATIENCE i adventure game. Program Cneoos Hunt around 300 chambers Price £3.95 Price £12.95 seeking out fabulous trea- Micro Amstrad Micro Amstrad

hat I first came across as a sures, watch out for deadly Supplier Innelec Supplier Innelec supplier of Oric games. Since snakes, spiders, etc. Instruc- llObis that computer wasn't entirely lions are a mixture of abbre- Avenue du successful in this country it's viaied text input (JS for GeneraJ-LecJerc

> surprise that take statue) and single key 95506 n the presses, though the general Pannn Cedex Amstrad. feeling is of a souped-up France This Week

vision. 15 Harley House. Marylebone Road. London NW1. 01- Borough Road London SE1 1DW Melbourne House. 39 Milton 7588 Bubble Bus. 87 High Street Tonbriflge. Kent TN9 1RX Trading Estate. Abingdon, 0*on 0X14 4TD. 0233 S35001 0732 355963 CDS, Silver House. Silver Streel, Doncasler Mlcrodeal 41 Truro Road. S! Austell. Cornwall PL25 5JE 0726 Domark. 204 Worple Road. London SW20 8PN. 01-947 5624 73456 PSS. 452 Stoney Stanton Road Covenlry CV6 5DG 0203 rmlln Graphic. Alpha House, 10 Carver Streel Sheffield SI S67S5B Oulcksllva. Palmerston Park House. 13 Palmerslon Ftoad.

4FS. 0742 753423. Hewson. 7 Gratmme Close. Blewbury, Oxon Southampton. Hampshire SOt 1LL 0703 20169 Superior, Re gen I OX11 9QE 0235 332939. JP Software. 2 The Avenue. Fallings Park, House. Skinner Lane. Leeds LS7 1AX 0532 453453. US Gold, US Iverhamplon WV1D ORG. Kosmos, l Pilgrims Close. Harling- Gold. Unit 10 The Parkway Industrial Cenlre, Heneage Street.

. Dunslable, Bedfordshire LU5 6LX. Letts, Diary House, 77 Birmingham B7 4LY 021369 3020. -

iportant things such

Panic No 113 When Dumkins ol MIS sends his holiday postcards to colleagues at the office he always

slaying at Blackpool and wished to send the message 'Wish you were here' he would Aral

beneath it (repealed if necessary),. WISH YOU WERE HERE BMC KPO OLSL ACXP YTJTK JEJ LQTQ IHCU

:ofle a led by

s advanced by two le > (ss 'B', ter of 'BLACKPOOL' is the second e alphabet) and so becomes 'Y'. leaming ol another. le alphabet ia regarded as 'cyclic' Overskill Computing is a very complex skill reqiii Ing typing ability, reasoning powers and bi owners are remark knowledge of a computing language. Parts over-learnl 11 l when it comes 10 the the skill are definitely isptob Dis- H ir particular micro. ZBrBUH II LJFNM AJGJ KFR RW HTPU JKLL

What does it say, and where is Dumkins

lsers can be found by studying the psycholo- emly depends upon their la

J over -familiarity . with thei

When a skill is learn! il is possible that an unfamiliar machine, p: lomolhing of what wo learn gives us an might into some other skill. A good badmin- :on player, for example, may find thai a/he IB language is tempore an play tennis to a reasonable standard Mlhoul much additional practice. This is be- cause playing badminton is a skill which has manufacturers is the fact thai people » much in common with playing tennis. A squash player, on the other hand, may chine will invariably 61

and il more difficult to learn tennis than The program lesls each of Ihe so-called 'Ho*' 15 appear infinitely supeik primes in turn, from 31 upwards, forprlmali- ty. The number to be tested is first generated 70. producing a string with li isn't }ust the language which computers in Lines 10 la by 3i. This effect se; ilia the choice of peripherals, the type of

r of learning. eyboard, the display method, even the sue adding a final one on to Ihe end. This is then nd colour of the casing, which all go together convened to a numeric in Line 70. more than one component), somi This value is then tested for primality in Lines BO to 140 by dividing by ascending odd car, lor example, each action il thought about. Eventually (he ox

ately recognisable and familiar.

The Hackers

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POPULAR COMPUTING WEEKLY hosymtomm:™^