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June 1987 £1.20 Denrrsa" DKf 36 00

DM 460 00

Pli >125 00 ADAMS' APPLES GALACTIC HITCH-HIKER f* AND HIS COMPUTERS TRANSPUTER POWER FOR THE ATARI ST

fj mk " X ^^•r PC PROGRAMMING: \ THE TSR EXPLAINED jti

10 PAGES OF SOFTWARE REVIEWb SPECTRUM, C8HK4, AMSTRAD MONSTER MEhO GET YOUR HANDS ON THE NEW SINCLAIR I28K+2. BEFORE EVERYBODY ELSE DOES.

The new 128K ZX Spectrum +2 is more than just a monster memory. Ifsthe ultimate family computer. With a built-in datacorder for easier loading, superb graphics capability, two joystick ports, a proper typewriter keyboard ana more games available than you can shake a joystick at (well over 1000 software titles, in fact). Better get your hands on the new 128K ZX Spectrum +2 soon. Before they do. £149

r To: Sinclair, P.O. Box 462. Brentwood. Esse* CM 4ES Please send me more information a boot the Sinclair t28K ZX Spectrum +2. El* ORY- MONSTER VALUE ! Name Available from: Allders, Boots, Clydesdale, Comet, Connect, Co-op, Currys, Address Dixons, Electric Supreme, Laskys, John Lewis, John Menzies, Power City, Rumbelows, Ultimate, WH Smith, Wigfalts, and good independent stores. We recommend Sinclair Quality Controf Software. inczlairr contents JUNE 1987 REVIEWS DEFENDER OF THE CROWN 26 The latest Amiga games concept brings the Middle Ages to life in glorious colour. WORDSTAR 4 56 The latest rejuvenation of the long-running word processing series. BOOKS 18 Carol Alack rounds up the month's batch of bedside reading. SOFT RELEASE 66 Our joystick-weary reviewers file their combat reports.

COVER FEATURE ADAMS' APPLES 28 Since writ ing The Hitch-hiker's Guide lo Ihe Galaxy, author Douglas Adams has become hooked on micros. He talks to Your Computer about the books, adventure games and music his Macintosh collection makes possible. GHOST \VRITli\G 59 Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency mixes science fiction, fantasy and today's computer world in equal proportions. Steve Mansfield goes into analysis.

Your Computer, Distributed by Quadrant Publishing Ser- wise stated We cannot be held respon- cheques'postal orders payable to focus Greencoat House, vices, Quadrant House. Surrey. SM2 sible for the safe return of any material Magazines (allow 5 weeks from receipt 5AS Telephone 01-661 3239 submitted for publication Please keep of order 10 delivery of first subscription Francis Street, a copy of ail your work and do noi send copy) Send orders to Your Computer LONDON SW1P IDG Reasonable care is taken to avoid errors us original artwork Subscriptions. OakftekJ House, Per- TELEPHONE: 01-834 1717 m this magazine but no liability (or any rymount Road. Haywards Heath. RH16 FAX: 01-828 0270 errors which may occur. No material in Unfortunately wo are unable to answer 3DH Telephone <04441459188 this publication may be reproduced m lengthy enquiries by telephone Any TELEX: 9419564 FOCUSG any way without the written consent ol written query requiring a personal Back issues of the magazine from Janu- the publishers The publishers will not answer MUST be accompanied by a ary 1986 onwards are available for ISSN 0263 088S accept responsibility (or the return of stamped, self-addressed envelope, £1 50 (U K £3 (Overseas) from the © 1987 Focus Magazines Limited unsolicited manuscripts, listings, data please allow up to 28 days for a reply Back Issues Department Greencoat Printed by The Riverside Press, tapes or discs House. Francis Street London SW1P England Subscriptions: U K £15 for 12 issues. IDG Typeset by Time Graphics Ltd, We will assume permission to publish Overseas (surface mail) £25 - airmail Northampton all unsolicited material unless other- rates on request Please make INE 1987 YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 4 KEGILARS NEWS 6 COMMENT The latest from your favourite software houses. Apple gets a When will computers bigger bite, plus a better image from your PC clone. disappear? A popular debating LETTERS 12 point in the Your Computer Your opinions on the new look Your Computer and more. office this month has been the Douglas Adams" suggestion LINE NOISE 14 that over the next few years The latest reports from the communications front. computers will become as much a part of t he furniture as ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND 22 refrigerators and electric Mike Gerrard offers some advice to novice adventure gamers. motors. The actual hardware is only MUSIC MAESTRO 42 interesting as long as it fails to Stereo sound for your Amstrad CPC. live up to people's FEATURES expectations - most computer users look forward to each MACHINE LEARNING 34 new announcement with bated How can a computer learn from its own mistakes? Marcus breath, hoping that each new Jeffrey examines the programming concepts involved. machine will at last answer all TRANSPUTER TRIAL 40 their needs. Once personal computers reach a The K-Max board is claimed to turn an Atari ST into a Transputer software development system. Adam Denning evaluates its respectable stale of usefulness. development they will become Inherently boring. The DATA SOLVED 44 interesting element will be not For some people computers are not just sophisticated toys but the computer but the essential means of communication. Datasolve wants to show computing- the amplification how computers can help the disabled. of individuals: native abilities ATARI SHOW 47 The latest PC clone arrives and a low-cost laser printer is promised. MAQAZINES ADVENTURE BUILDING 48 Editor Simon Craven Further exploration of the gentle art of adventure programming Slaff Writer accompanied by your guide Pete Gerrard. Carol Mack Sub Editor Harold Mayes MBE POP-UP PROGRAMS 60 Production Editor Nick Fry Sidekick. Word Finder and Turbo Lightning are all examples of Design TSR programming. Adam Denning examines the principles and Chris Winch Neil Tookey details a type-in program. Cover Andrew Sullivan COMPETITION 54 \rl Editor Jim McClurc Free copies of those all-time classics StargliderandThe Pawn to Croup Advertisement Manager suit all popular computers. Dory Mackay Acting Advertising Manager NEXT MONTH Tim Seymour Space Max is an innovative Classified Paul Williams space station construction simulator for IT, owners. It Editorial Secretary faithfully reproduces the Sheila Baker economic and technical Managing Editor pressures of running a space Brendon Core Publisher program, selecting a crew and Paul Cosier managing all the resources at financial Director your disposal to get the NASA Brendan McCrath space station Into orbit. Managing Director Richard Hease

INE1987 YOU R COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 5 news Fantasy games evolve from sublime to ridiculous The world of famasy games is taking further steps into the ridiculous with every new release. Programmers no longer seem to be satisfied with the traditional scenario - you know, the one where the shining young hero marches around slaying trolls and collecting elvish treasures to take to the captive princess. Barbarian, a recent release from Palace Software, takes the less obvious option of having more muscles on its hero and basing the princess on the well publicised charms of Page Three model Maria Whittaker. Palace claims that Barbarian is the most realistic combat game ever, so perverts among you can get excited now; your £9.99 also gets you a dark sorcerer to rescue Maria from and a hideously deformed dwarf, presumably to satisfy minority tastes. Gore freaks are catered for by a decapitation scene and riveting music is promised from the maestro of The Sacred Armour of Art tiriad. You don't get a wig like model Michael Vanwigk or a 53 inch chest but this is a fantasy game and you are allowed to pretend.

Where Palace is content to No prizes for guessing which is the programmer... write camp versions of reliable cliches, the latest offering from the Ladies of St. Brides who wrote the game, somewhere." for a fantasy game? Is the School is an adventure based explained that they were In the game you are casi as pleasure derived by players on the real life historical Jack reflecting the centenary of the an innocent passer-by who going to be slightly dubious in the Ripper murders. For those murders recently as stumbles across the first of terms of taste? Ms Langrtdge of you who don't believe in the speculation about them has the Ripper's victims and defends the subject matter; "I Ladies of St. Brides, they are linked black magic and reports it to the police. That, don't think a computer game an adventure writing team freemasonry to them and you soon discover, was your is any different to any other based in Ireland and run and bizarre theories have sprung first mistake as you are drawn media. It is just as appropriate establishment where people up as abundantly as bizarre into the ghoulish events and as any other form, just another can relive their schooldays. adventure games seem to do. are forced to prove your way of telling a story " Apart from providing welcome " Nobody knows who innocence - this can only be The game is serious in its relief for sensation-starved committed the murders. It done by finding the real intent and perhaps playing this journalists they also produce could have been a madman or culprits. Corrupt authorities terrifying adventure will give adventures like Bugsy, about a a secret society practising and black magic conspire to brave enthusiasts unexpected three foot high blue rabbit who ritual magic. This is all in the make this far from easy. insights into police corruption becomes a gangster. game so I'm not going to say Gory graphics are provided and sadistic murderers. It is This is quite a departure for any more, except that we've to enhance your enjoyment of certainly a long way from the ladies in terms of subject researched the case very the horrible happenings. Are magic lands and lost matter. Priscilla Langridge, thoroughly and it's all in there these crimes suitable material princesses. INE 1987 YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 6 Low cost EGA display Enhanced graphics will become slightly more affordable wtth the launch of Opus' upgrade. For £399 plus VAT you get a super high resolution monitor and EGA card combination, suitable for the IBM PC/XT and compatibles. The card is equipped with 256K of display memory, a light pen interface and a special screen save feature. Soft scrolling, panning and windowing are also possible. The monitor can handle 16 Hi-res PC lillttP screen colours from a palette graphics at of 64 and offers 640 x 350 reasonable \ pixels resolution for enhanced cost. graphics operation. The card Disks are notoriously boring to games. None of them seems screen to collect things emulates the IBM enhanced took at and elaborate particularly novel but for the though with intriguing plots; in graphics and colour graphics packaging is usually employed price you will not be expecting one game you are a bubble of adaptors, its monochrome to disguise this fact. anything other than retreads water bursting to escape from display adaptor and the Players is relying on a of classic concepts. a tank. hercules monochrome simple blister pack and The covers helpfully include Twee as this may be it graphics board. extremely loud graphics to screen illustrations so if you makes a change from In addition to offering the drag your eyes to its products; can see exactly what you're shooting down the invading EGA upgrade Opus is it hopes you will find it hard to getting, though with names alien hordes and Players are incorporating the system into ignore the rows of Zap-paks like Killapede you can probably probably to be respected for the PC II Turbo model which it currently being crammed into guess. Most of the other this. The first releases in this also makes. This is your favourite shops, games in the first wave of series hit the shops on April 15 accompanied by a £200 price shops. releases employ the all too and more are to follow in the cui across the range which Each Zap-pak contains two familiar jumping around the near future, leaves the introductory EGA model at £799 plus VAT, making it the cheapest machine of its type.

Budget disk development At last the trend towards budget software has spread to the disk-based games market. Players, a company based at Aldermaston. has released a series of games ai hitherto quite unthinkable prices - £4.95 for BBC. Atari and CBM 64 128 and £6.95 for Amstrad versions. A feature of the series is the newly designed packaging. • Zap-paks ... cheap disk games.

INE1987 YOU R COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 7 The Atari 520 ST gives you the power to defeat deadly enemies, slaughter monsters and outwit cruel captors.

aBiPPm * r». •I if* N

ATARI "7 ATA* I

Gauntlet - U.S. Gold. Enter a world of monsters, mazes, Tai Pan - ocean. Voyage to 19th Century Hong Kong for mystery and combat in the ultimate role playing fantasy game action and excitement with pirates smuggling and mutiny

Metrocrot* - U.S. Gold* It takes lightning reflexes to get Arkanoid - Imagine* The latest smash hit com op game' past the potholes, obstacles and forbidden zones to reach Are your reactions quick enough to handle 33 different play the other side And that's just the beginning' screens?

ATARI ATARI

Star Raiders - Atari. Star Raiders are the only force strong Flight Simulator II - Sublogic. Take the controls of a Cessna enough to hold off the Zycroids vour task is to command the 182 or leanet 25G With high speed 30 graphics for take-offs, Starcruiser - are you up to it> landings and acrobatics. It's just like the real thing'

•Stf«ofholi 11 It- *

INE1987 YOU R COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 8 iltltl'M

Kt Word Plus - C.S.T. Professional word processor featuring u K spellings and integration of graphics including ist Mail lor full control ol form letters etc

FLEET STFftf Nfw; 04 Data! Ralutna Allw Fiouct SeorwM

rflJL «y* l >•

Fleet Street Publisher - Mirrorsott. The complete desk-top VIP GCM - Silica Distribution. VIP Prolessionat is an inte- publishing package Gives you page make up combining text grated spreadsheet database, and graphics package GEM and graphics for sophisticated, professional looking documents environment plus Lotus 1-2-3 compatibility

Mixing business with pleasure is no problem with an Atari 520 ST Not when you've got over 1,000 software titles to choose from You'll find all the latest games and a huge range of business titles from the top business software houses And the range is growing all the time You won't be short of power, either The Atari 520 ST is twice as powerful as most business micros So you'll be able to create spectacular colour graphics Even animate them to make your own films, i. / / / (r-f ry if you're musically minded, you can compose and 11 * 111»i»• 111 > i » i /I ' 1• ' • •• »< • i • •J l t i I i I i t I I1 I i 111 I4 i play a full symphony I f » ,*>!,( t Or, for those who'd rather write programs than music, the 520 ST supports over thirty programming languages in fact, whatever you're looking for in a computer, you'll find it in the Atari 520 ST ATAR# »I#1IXII WORK5 2S HARD 0- PLAYS HARD

:r»»unoH t'P* Original Arcade gam* If you require any turtner mloiiration conttrnmf tottwire featured pieate «nt* to PO Boi iii. Alartrtout*. Railwa y Terrace Sfoujtv SerU SL2 S6Z

INE1987 YOU R COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 9 news

PS/2 hype Following the recent IBM announcement of the Persona! System/2 range, software manufacturers have been falling over themselves to announce versions of their product compatible with the new machines, and to endear themselves to IBM in fantastic adulation of the long-awaited new system. Only New System Persil can have received so much hype and excitement in the public relations industry. First to arrive at the Your Computer offices was a missive from Micropro, makers of the mighty Digital Research jumps on the PS/2 bandwagon. Wordstar. Wordstar 4.0 and Wordstar 2000 Plus 2.0 will be claim to be delighted by the of membership of Telecom increase in sales in the first made available and eventually improved running of their Gold can hardly reduce sales quarter of 1987 compared adapted to run under the new programs on the new models. of the add-on components. to'the same period last year. • ••••• . They will To qualify customers will be Although sales totalled $575.3 make use of features of the given an application form by million net income was $33.9 new system including Cold freebie their Tandy dealer, and million, a growth of only six Windows and multi- Tandy customers who buy a Telecom Gold will allocate a per cent. This discrepancy is tasking. Of course with the new Tandy business or mailbox number and password attributed to increased new system the programs will portable computer will be free on reciept of this. spending on an extensive run faster and belter than on offered free registration with Purchasers of Tandy colour research and development your mouldering old PC. Telecom Gold This usually and pocket computers will not programme. These costs rose Probably, anyway. costs £40 and will be qualify for this offer, sharply over the last year as • ••••• Digital Research will be particularly useful to owners the company developed and making the entire family of of the 102/200 portables launched new products. GEM presentation graphics which come equipped with a Ripe Apple Marketing costs were also applications available from modem and communications Following the success of the high, almost trebling from the June in the new 3.5 inch software suitable for use with new Macintosh and the 1986 figure. Those self- format. They will be the same Telecom Gold. Although this revamped Apple II families of sconsciously lustrous TV ads price as the current versions, equipment is not standard to computers. Apple Computer evidently cost Apple a lot of and again the manufacturers the business models the offer Inc reports a 41 per cent money.

MAN LOGIC By NEIL BRADLEY ytS.MKMS TO COME THE TtCHHCAL REVOLUTION WLL LERVE PEOPLE RGHftST AT IT'S SPEED P)ND ENCOMPRSSMENT Of OUR EVERY- DftVUP£!

INE 1987 YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 10 To help you destroy the aliens

and defeat the taxman,

we've massacred the price.

For a limited period, the Atari 520 STM is even more of a knockout than usual. We're offering it for just £449.95 (inc. VAT) complete with SF354 disk drive, SM125 monitor,* a mouse worth £24.95 and 1st Word, worth £49.95. So as well as saving you from the enemy, the 520 STM will also save you £184. You'd better hurry though, because it won't ATA HI 520 STAA

be long before our stocks are wiped out. M 1 I f 11 VI WORKS HARD ' PLAYS HARD •OtWf imlu(J« mono monitor The 520STW ptuf< nto J standard tolo,A' Tv

1INE 1987 YOU R COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 11 INE 1987 Green green grass Protest and breadth of the UK and has spread, so far to Spain, lettersof JFK I read with interest the article Germany, Norway and I am wmmg to you about the in the April issue on Protext. I Australia. Benefits of review of Flight Simulator IIfor bought this word processor membership include a 20 per the Atari ST featured in your program on the strength of cent discount on all full-priced March issue. similar raving reviews of it and CPC software, many hardware I have bought this on your much regretted it. Your review discounts and a free software recommendation and enjoy it reads like a list of unobtainable library. There is also at least very much although I note that goodies. My copy has one one competition each month - some airports, notably John F major drawback: it does not in fact, last month we had no Kennedy, do not have tarmac print. Or. more accurately, it less than 14 games up for runways and are virtually usually does not print. A print grabs including Starglider and indistinguishable from their command is answered by Rasputin. environs. I sent the disk back either "unknown command" Annual membership costs to the shop which replaced it or when it does recognise £12 (UK). £18 (Europe), and with another with exactly the "print" as a command it limits £24 (Overseas), half these same problems. itself to asking for paper and amounts for a six month Is this common to the moving to starting point. subscription. Mention Your and fewer pages and so much program or am I getting a raw Occasionally it goes as far Computerand you will receive less interesting that I most deal? as printing, though without a 10 per cent discount on your certainly would not have Michael Hall, form enabling. I have not been annual subscription. renewed my subscription. Lochboisdale, able to find out what triggers Jeff Walker, Now here let me say that as Isle of South Uist. these different responses to Hillingdon, a pensioner, I own a computer the same command and Middlesex. purely for the pleasure I get frankly I am tired of trying: I Editor's reply: This feature is out of programming routines have never seen a program common to all versions of and data handling programs, like it. Flight Simulator II. notiust the for my own satisfaction in I wrote to Arnor asking for Atari ST variant. Big. Pinball rip oft solving the associated help in this matter, but I have complicated airfields are problems, and generally to had no response whatsoever. shown the same colour as the Please pass on my marvel at the fascinating Locoscript has a great ground whereas some congratulations to Mr D K Huff things which can be advantage over Protext for simpler runways, often those whose program Pinball you accomplished with a me: it works, and works which one would assume to published in the March issue. computer. I have not the always. be grass strips, are shown in By sheer coincidence he has slightest interest in games of Chant at Hamilf, bold black. This apparent managed to write a program the shoot-em-up or adventure Livingston, exactly the same at a Mr paradox has never been variety. West Lothian. Cromwell in the December 86 explained, though it may well I prefer games where the issue of Amstrad Computer be that the complex outlines computer provides a worthy User, although Mr Cromwell of big airports can not be opponent in a game of has put REM statements in his manipulated sufficiently non-fantasy basis, such as version. Hopefully you did not quickly if they are shaded in chess. So the articles I enjoy in part with any money for this fully. WACCI times your magazine are the news work of art. items on the latest hardware I am writing to tell you about R. G. Allan, Congratulations including peripherals, utility WACCI. a rapidly growing PIU, software, programming Worldwide CPC user group BFP032. This is an almost unique techniques, program listings based at 75. Greatfields Drive, occasion as I am not given to and items on modems and Hillingdon. Uxbndge. writing to magazine editors, inter-communication. Middlesex UB8 3QN WACCI Editor's reply: This is a but I am compelled to let you What I am trying to say is is in its eighth month now and perennial problem with know how pleased I am with that I heartily approve of the we pride ourselves on program listings. The the new format of Your new format and will be producing the best amateur impossibility of keeping tabs Computer. Several years ago renewing my subscription magazine on the market. It is on every listing printed m I started subscribing to the when the time comes. Please, A4 format and includes every magazine, together with magazine which at that time never fall back into being |ust a illustrations and some readers' unfortunate consisted of many pages full games review magazine; advertisements every month, propensity for stealing the of information, news, listings there are enough of those along with articles and work of offers and passing it and material of general around already, columns on all the popular off as their own. is one of the interest. Over the years it D. F. Gordon, subjects, as well as a few on reasons why we now place became more and more Calver, the less popular ones. less emphasis on readers' games oriented, with fewer Sheffield. .The club covers the length programs.

YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 12 Something to say about personal computing? It by not share it w ith other readers? Write to Readers 'Letters, Your Computer. Greencoat House. Francis Street. London SW1P IDG. Letters may be edited for length. Don 't forget to include your name, age and full address.

Byte back Rainbird's The Music System read Your Computer every the Microdrive in 1985 made it to show off the capabilities of month would en|oy reading politic to go for that and to On March 31 I purchased a machine and software to news about the Amiga and suppress the other but that is copy of your magazine. I am pupils and fellow teachers. reading about the new water under the bridge now. not a regular reader and I only At one school where I software titles as they come People are progressing from occasionally purchase a taught recently some of the out. tape to Microdrive but there is magazine other than my little darlings decided to have a That's all for now and a bigger hurdle to more regular Byte, if there appears go at re-writing my disks, thanks again. substantial disk dnve systems. to be anything worthwhile, t including the TMS disk itself. Nathan Singer, We find these cheap floppy purchased this copy because I The result was the TMS disk Safed, lobs a useful and educational noticed a competition for an was damaged and most of my Israel. interim stage, leading to more Atari 520 STFM while music files would be been lost effective use of the Spectrum browsing at the newsagents. I if I hadn't had back-up copies Editor's reply: Thanks for the and better appreciation of the checked the front of the at home. letter. Nathan-more Amiga later generations of Z-80 magazine and the issue was As 1 only teach intermittently coverage will be coming soon. descendants. dated April 1987. I was unable to replace the We do not seek to raise any After I got home, having disk and was at a loss what to awkward questions but we paid £1.201 found that the Disk trouble do, so I finally decided to put are desperate to find a source closing date was the end of print head to paper and write down under for the 3in. floppy disks and for March. There is nothing in this to Rainbird, asking them to a Triton centre or agency. magazine which I do not I hope the drastic broom help me. The result was that I Could anyone direct us to already know or is of any use which swept your editorial received a new copy of TMS them? whatsoever - the price staff to their present positions by return of post and a We have been faithful seemed OK for a competition has left some links with the voucher worth £3 towards any followers of Your Computer entry. I have therefore past and the stories and Rainbird game. I would like to for some years and hope to returned your magazine for a moves behind cold published thank Rainbird for their continue to find guidance from refund of my wasted money. facts. I wonder why Singapore extreme kindness, not to it. B. D. Johnson, drops off the cover after 1985. mention their sheer speed in Denis McMahon, St Leonards on Sea, leaving New Zealand the sole helping me out. 14 Gear Terrace, Sussex. readers' representative in the M. J. Lyons, Porirua, southern hemisphere. Burnage, New Zealand. Editor's reply There's no The Hardware Hithst article Manchester. escaping the fact that we (Your Computer, May 1985) made a blunder The closing contains the best of the Editor's reply: Anyone who can date was originally intended to Amiga apology tenuous leads we have traced help Mr McMahon and his be the end of April, not March. on the mysterious Triton fnends in New Zealand, please I want to thank you for printing To give e veryone a fair crack of Quick Disk Drive for 3in write to him and help him find my letter in the March issue of the whip we re-ran the floppy disks. That was a his floppies. Your Computer I did think, ir 86 competition in last month's well-written review - alas, all however, when reading the •er issue with an extended too brief. letter over again that my /ell closing date - the last working In the West Coast region ot wording of the letter was a n his day in May. Sorry for the Wellington I represent a club little strong and I apologise for I not inconvenience. of mainly Spectrum 48K it. I do think you were correct Disgruntled of lis users. Recently a small in saying that there is a computer firm went out of Chertsey llan, definite lack of coverage business with a sale where PIU, Rainbird to the I think that all us Arhiga we purchased a few Tnton I have taken computer ) 32. users who enjoy our rescue Quick Disk Drives, each with magazines regularly for the computers very much and an interface and one floppy last few years and find that I would like to devote this disk. whenever I stop taking a letter to a brief, but heartfelt The firm knew nothing particular magazine, it ceases thanks to everyone at Rainbird about Sinclair Computers but publication in a short period. Software, who have graciously I have a complete set of bs the box labels show that these saved my bacon! Never let it Triton devices were probably Your Computer magazines be said that British Telecom from Vol 1. No 1 to date. You wth from Hongkong and were are penny pinchers; 1 have may be interested to know t intended for use with proof that they are anything Spectrum computers. that in view of its poor but. Experimentally, we found that content I have now stopped Jit In my work as a supply the drives worked very well taking this magazine. the teach of music I usually take Above: The Commodore with some Spectrums but not D. O. J. Hiscock, e my faithful CPC 6128 into Amiga inspires devotion with upgraded models. Chertsey, school with me, and use from its users Perhaps the promotion of Surrey.

INE 1987 YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 13 7 *

Communications

7 lineThere are many ways of notse crossing the Channel. You can get seasick on a ferry or spend half your life in what are ironically known as departure lounges at airports. For others there is the option of sitting in some Kentish field waiting for someone to dig a tunnel. Alternatively you could stay at home and leave the hard work to your computer, your modem and your bank account. The point is that it is possible to enjoy the atmosphere of life on the European continent by accessing Teletel, the French equivalent of Prestel. once you have the proper software. What is more, doing it will soon have you thinking about the type of service the French are being offered, compared to what the British companies are providing. To start, it is worth looking at typical Teletel and Prestel users. Prestel was having a THE TELETEL EMULAT bad time trying to get off the (C)1386 ALDODA INTERNATIONAL ground before the likes of BY OIL MftOR Viewfax and Micronet arrived. Manual modem -• Dial number, on tone The vast majority of Prestet switch to iQfi users are travel trade and Above: the emulation computer users. software from Aldoda is Teletel, on the Other hand, largely self-explanatory. has a far wider range of users, and for one very good reason - most Teletel users were given their equipment. It all started about five years ago when the At least Minitel owners have about 1,200 at the last count - All the hosts are available French state telephone to use their telephones to find all conforming to the Teletel from the three main VAPs, t» company decided to put its a number. The system grew standard and linked to form a known imaginatively as di directories on-line, where they from there. It expanded, with vast network. Some of them Teletel 1,2 and 3. The last, bl would be easier and cheaper hundreds of information are available by direct dialling known as The Kiosk, has the y< to update The company then providers setting-up their own but most are accessed most popular areas. Charging gave a large number of its databases. Now directory through three main varies according to which VAP p< th subscribers terminal sets enquiries account for only exchanges, or Videotex you use. With Teletel 1. for known as Minitels, worth about one-third of all Teletel Access Points, example, some of the data lit G about £300 each, rather than accesses. The hosts range from connection charges are billed printing-out paper copies of Like Prestel, most of the micro-based, home-grown to the hosts, which is why re the directories. There are a system is free, which is why systems to large commercial many of them require a el reported 2.5 million Minitel you can access it from the operations. Some demand subscription. it users now. U.K. without first having to that you take a subscription A recent article in The As well as saving the cost of open a French telephone but that can often be done Observer colour supplement si tl printing and distributing thick account. Unlike Prestel, the on-line with a credit card highlighted some of the more u: wedges of paper, the system is not run from a number. salacious activities on Teletel. w company also gains revenue central base. The general The information supplied is The system has a chat mode from the on-line system by videotext system, known as also varied, from train where you can converse selling advertising space and Teletel. consists of hundreds time-tables to assistance with directly with one or more charging customers to use it. of independent systems - personal problems. users. The facility is even

YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 14 \tiomnews from jin Phillips

usual viewdata software. The mentioned a scheme to open system uses different codes a London-based node for the and protocols, so you need system, probably using PSS special software. Aldoda for the link with France. A International produces a London node is already up and a software package called T* for running. The problem is the mm m m • m 1 I the BBC micro and is working French. They have not m m m• • m • • a • m on versions for IBM PC- determined how to organise • I 1 • m m m m compatibles and the Apple billing but once that is sorted m m m m m • Macintosh. out the U.K. node should III 1 1 II 1 m m mm m m The simplest way to get on swing into action. w * m 1 I 1 to Teletel is to telephone By this lime you could be • m »• m mm* » • France. But if the thought of forgiven for wondering I I III making international calls whether it is worth the mill mi a > makes your hair stand on end. trouble. If your French is good the answer is to get yourself a - and with the cost of •iiiiiiiiiii PSS account. international calls you do not For those who do not know want to read too slowly - 11 m 11111111 what PSS is, it is a way of Teletel has much to offer. making long-distance data There is little benefit for the 1III1IIMIIIIIII • • *• • calls cheap The idea is that BT casual user but for anyone urn takes all the data emanating interested in comms it is a i • • • « a • «• a • from various people, squeezes worthwhile experience. The 11*11 it into packets and then puts range of the systems on offer « • • • • •I •« *II •I • together the packets, so there will make the average Prestel is very little idle time on the user weep. It is the system. diversification of the system You have to pay a £25 which makes it interesting. joining fee, plus quarterly It has been made easy for subscription and usage people who have no real charges. For the vast majority interest in computers to take of people the telephone call part in the world of information you make is charged at local technology in a painless and rates, no matter where in the entertaining way. If only that world your data is going. For could happen in the U.K. international calls, and even some trunk calls inland, you Software for Teletel save money eventually. Teletel software for the BBC B The PSS system connects and Master micros is available to the French equivalent. at £27.50 from: able being used for the kind of based on a page numbering Transpac. which is also used Aldoda International. 201 Ps. dialogue more usually found in system. In the early days for linking the hundreds of Haverstock Hill. London NW3 blue movies. many Prestel sets had single hosts on the Teletel network, 4QG. Tel: 01-794 0991. ast. You are never sure to whom numeric keypads. The system although that part of the Telecom Gold: 72:DTB10179. is the you will be talking. Many was designed so that it could operation is invisible to the Prestel: 017944999. arging people live their fantasies be used from a push-button user. :h VAP through their computers. It is a telephone. Once you are on. you will Accessing Teletel .for little like playing Leather Only recently, and in face the next problem - it is all You can dial direct on the lata Goddesses of Phobos with half-hearted fashion, has in French. That is not wholly following numbers using billed real people. Prestel allowed you to move unreasonable but there is 1,200/75 baud: /hy It is the oldest game in the around by typing-in words. some good news. First, it will Teletel 1:010 33 36 13 91 55 electronic book. That kind of Teletel. on the other hand, help you improve your Teletel 2: 010 33 36 14 91 66 thing happens with any started with sets equipped command of the language; Teletel 3: 010 33 36 15 91 77 9 system offering chat facilities. with full alphanumeric and. second, there is an The main services available ment I know of one Telecom Gold keyboards and so, in addition increasing number of English- via PSS on 1,200/75 baud at i more user who made his dates that to the customary menus, language sections scattered the moment are the telephone eletel. way. keywords are used about the network. directory on A9208035000613 node There is one other major extensively - there are no The English content could and Infotel which has a e difference between Prestel page numbers. increase, too. When Aldoda chatline and on-line romance e The catch with this is that introduced Teletel software in service. It is on . >n and Teletel. Prestel, and most other viewdata systems, are you cannot log-on with your the U.K. the company A9208076001663. iE 1987 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 15 line noise INE 1987 Hackers appeal word according to text size. Viewfax closes wine bar and restaurant and a More details on Cotel can be computerised sound system. obtained from the company's after six years Micronet is negotiating to Steve Gold and Robert Luxembourg base: Tel: keep certain independent Schifreen, who were both 010352 438 388. Long-standing Birmingham- Viewfax areas operating. prosecuted successfully in • •••••• based Prestel Information April last year for hacking Provider Viewfax has closed. Prestel, are to have their Speed approval The popular area aimed at appeal against the convictions The new director of the BT users on Dacom Quad heard on June 29. They were telecoms approvals board. Prestel had been on-line for six Dacom have unveiled a £599 arrested in March. 1985, soon David Clarke, has re-affirmed years and was one of the plus VAT state-of-the-art PC after the national press went the need to speed equipment forerunners of Micronet card modem, the Quad. The into top gear regarding the approvals at BABT. Clarke is Although Viewfax had a device runs all the popular hacking of the Duke of committed to recruiting more big-time image on-line, it was data speeds from V21 - 300 Edinburgh's Prestel mailbox engineers to carry-out run as a small private venture baud - up to V22bis - 2,400 and other embarrassing technical testing and by Lindsay Reid, often with a baud. An important feature of security breaches at Prestel unspecified improvements to staff of only two or three but the Quad is that it has its own They were eventually fined testing procedures are also with the generous help of a V24 port, permuting RS232 £1.250. It is understood that mooted. There is no indication customised BBC Econet connection to a local data the appeal relates to the action that test standards will be network and several legendary network when the modem is of BT in attaching data taps to reduced to ease the flow of Technalogics viewdata not being used on-line the telephones of both test applications. computers. externally. Therefore you can defendants without a warrant, • •••••• Reid. who admits that either save on an extra RS232 as would have been required if Viewfax was really more of an comms card or avoid the need the tap was for monitoring Gold fax expensive hobby, will now to unplug your printer every voice conversations. The BT Gold has begun devote more time to his more time you need to access your appeal is expected to last up to experimenting with a fax-style lucrative ventures, a bustling local network. three days. messaging system whereby • •••••• subscribers submit typed pages to a special BT Gold fax Translation bureau top be digitised and BTI launch Text Direct The European Centre for then sent as normal electronic Automatic Translation has mail. The newly-set-up BT division. simpler, requiring only a announced a new on-line Unlike true fax. where the British Telecom International, nine-digit Telex number. language translation service, whole document is scanned at has unveiled a new Telex Although TextDirect costs a Cotel. Accessible via PSS, text one end and reproduced at its service for electrical mail £20 joining fee plus £25 per in English, German, Italian or destination, the Gold system users. Most commonly-used quarter standing charge, French can be entered via a can understand only typed electronic messaging regular use of the facility standard comms terminal and script, though within that systems interface to the provides competitive value - in a short time the text will be limitation Gold is claiming national and international 10 pence per minute connect translated into any of the good flexibility and both Telex network, usually by time and a very reasonable selected languages. Roman and Arabic characters utilising one central Telex one penny per 100 characters On-line translation services are legal. centre forwarding Telex for inter TextDirect customer are not entirely new but what Obviously the system messages between the e-mail messaging. makes Cotel special is that the cannot cope with custom system subscribers and the External messages cost 3.5 sen/ice is automated and fonts, drawings, diagrams or outside world. pence per minute while they translations are usually letterheads. Unrecognised Prestel and BT Gold have are being sent, or about 3.5 completed in just a few characters are marked by a offered the system for some pence per 400 characters, in minutes. The computerised padding character. BT Gold time, though its disadvantages the London catchment area. translation system. Systran, claims one of the advantages are that a special answer-back That rises to about 10.5 pence has a 100,000-word dictionary of the system is that it should code, usually your e-mail per 400 characters outside and a special technical be more accurate than a mailbox number, must be London. TextDirect long vocabulary. manually-transcribed service placed strategically on the distance rates are very ECAT admits that the So far the service is document being transmitted competitive compared to the translations produced by available only to limited for it to be forwarded BT Gold flat rate of 5.5 pence Systran are not so good as number of Gold users. The successfully to a subscriber's per 100 characters. human versions but speed system effectively is mailbox. The Telex war looks as if it and convenience outweigh undergoing trials, though for The BTI TextDirect service will hot up with the the disadvantages. Price is the record Gold fax items cost still requires an answer-back MercuryLink 7500 entering also competitive, from £2 per 1,000 characters, with code but BTI claims that its the fray shortly. More details between 10 and 30 pence per a minimum charge of £4. new system is now much on Freefone TextDirect.

YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 16 •UIUJ. •t:>[z>(l>t.tl;.uiu Und your programming errors the fun way with Ctrace. MIX priM/i-wvali* K —in. la*); furU! * :>l < Software '.v exciting C source debugger makes it so easy lo track far «1 > for' !••» < Ox able values change as you watch your source code execute. A unique fart IMIald-l « animated trace feature highlights each C statement as il executes. It's like tfC I) watching the bouncing ball as the cursor mores from one statement to the next. The internal workings of your program are revealed through 6 win- II!) I I*I II t « I km dows: source, output, variables, watch, memory, and sympholx. View up rlr Ml 1 rtr May a to «/ of these windows at the same lime. a fcrl infl You have complete control of your program. Execute one statement at a !W I aatr!• tl •r time, or run the program at trace or full speed. Insert an unlimited number itiiin !• i mm rtr->Mm of break points to stop execution at selected statements. Insert watch points •IIIIII DIM rtr-haaaOl •safr •mm 1.1 m« 1 to stop execution when selected variable values satisfy your defined condit- •mm uttzu f ions. Interrupt the program at any time, even in the midst of reading input •mm ii {•mm i mmtt-m from the keyboard. You can even change variable values, alter the execu- tion path or trace the flow of control backwards. Ctrace is so simple lo operate. You can almost use it without thinking. So complicated commands to remember, just press a key. Help screens list the keys and pop-up windows list the options. After 30 minutes, you 'II be using Ctrace like a pro. Your productivity will improve dramatically and your programs will work more reliably. What was once a dreaded chore becomes an enjoyable experience. Debugging is fun when you have Ctrace Pul aom» fun kilo your prognimiiiirvfl with thli excitkvg C source debugger doing all the work! So order your copy of C'trace today and start working

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£2995 The Complete MIX C- Works Only £69.95 includes Editor, C , Ctrace. Examples, and ASM Utility. 30 Day Money Back Guarantee. Not Copy Protected. MIX C is the per- fect choice for the Ainslrad PCI5I2 and other PC Compatibles. Enquire about PCW/CPC, CPM & Apricot formats. MIX Software, 1152 Commerce Drive, Richardson. Tx, t'SA (214) MIX C Compiler £29.95 783-6001 have appointed Analytical Engines as their L'K Distributors and Technical Support Agents. Discounts for educational establish- You can see lh.it Ctracc is not your typical debugger. It's powerful but ments. Trade enquiries. easy to understand and simple to operate. MIX C is designed the same way. Cnlike other c , it's small and test, in fact if* the only YES! MIX C is fabulous! Please rush me:- standard, full featured C compiler that can Ik- operated comfortably on ( | Comprehensive KttKK 12 page colour brochure on (he fabulous MIX C pro- floppy disks. And as you would expect MIX C is easy to use. It produces (tramming environment! a complete program listing with all errors clearly identified and ex- 1 I C Compiler L.M.44 Ine. VAT! Bts/inglv fast powerful linker! Missive 450 plained. page typeset book! FULL library source code! Optimising loots! The best tutorial Although it's small, MIX C Is not a subset. MIX C supports the full available! K&R standard, including the exteasions that are often omitted in other | (.Split Screen Editor 122.94 inc. VAT! Compile, link, and executive al the touch C compilers. MIX C comes complete with a fantastic 450 page book, a of • button in viv seconds! Positions cursor lo first error! 112 page book! Execute library or more than 175 functions, a bla/ingly fast linker, and tools for DOS commands! KlIN other programs! Macros! Variahles! Customise! Split optimising your programs for minimal space or maximum speed. All screen horizontally or vertically between (wo files! Online help! Temporarily this is yours for little more than the cost of most (.' books alone. EXIT to DOS and return exactly where you left ofT WordStar compatible! The combination of CTrace with MIX C makes C programming a real | | (trace £.M.44 inc. VAT! The friendliest, most powerful. State of the Art, C joy. MIX C provides the power of a compiler while ('trace provides an Debugger in thr World! 112 page book! SIX Windows! hull colour! I nlimitrd execution environment that's better than an . Now you can break points! Watch points! Customise! Expand variables to 16 levels! Much, have the best of both worlds at a very down to earth price. murh more! Absolutely amazing!!! | }C-Works £80.44 inc. VAT! The world's friendliest. moM powerful, most Split Screen Editor £19.95 complete C programming environment! More than 670 pages of documentation! | | ASM I lility £7.99 inc. VAT! Assembly lunijuajic interface! Pocked with Another great companion lo the MIX C compiler Is MIX Software's examples! split-screen editor, it makes writing programs even Taster and easier. | (Examples Disk £6 X4 Inc. VAT! Nearly 70 evamptes (rom the brilliant tutor- With the MIX editor you can compile, link, and executc or trace your ial! FULLY tested! Clve your linger* a break! programs at the touch of a key. Compiling is fast because the Mix C | (Amstrad PCI512 - 640k Memory Upgrade £14.89 inc. VAT! fi l l ins- compiler reads the program directly from memory. Correcting errors mictions! ISOnS chips! Create a J60k RAM dUk! Superchargr your PCISI2! is easy because the editor automatically positions the cursor lo Ihe first No VAT on export orders! Postage £J inc. VAT per order I K, £5 lo the rest of error in the program. The editor is similar to Micropro's WordStar hut Europe. Worldwide AirMail £20 for C-Works! p^, ^ with additional programming features like split-screen, macros, and much more. Together with the C compiler and ( trace, Ihe editor forms Name an integrated programming environment. Address ASM Utility £6.95 MIX Software's ASM utility is available if you want to link assembly language functions to your programs. It works with Microsoft's MASM I enclose cheque/Earotheq«c for £ made payable tu: Analytical Engines l.td or MHO assemblers. Call assembly language functions just like C Analytical Engines Ltd., PO Box 35, Eastleigb. Hampshire. functions. Call C functions from assembly language. Lots of useful Knglaud SOS 5VVf assembly language functions are included as examples. Telephone 0703 262U99

INE1987 YOU R COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 17 booksMastering the Atari ST vital element ol choosing a printer. The The Information given is all very clear obvious differences between daisy-wheel and the diagrams simply drawn. The lark Vulhor: John M Hughes and dot-matrix printers are pointed out of an index could he a problem If you are Publisher: Sigma Prm This is all a prelude to the main strength of faced with a reluctant robot and need spe- this book which Is the four chapter guide lo cific ad\ Ice to get II moving. Building a cir- This is another of those hooks which pic- IsiWnrtl cuit and controlling a robot could, as the lures you as the new owner standing there By this point Hughes has introduced author says, prove extremely interesting with your brand new computer in front of quite complex operations and all aspects and add a new dimension to your comput- you and. the authors hope, their hook in of word-processing, priming. composing ing activities, your hand. Votir Ignorance Is catered for: and editing text with ist W ord are covered Carol Alack "You don't need I he natural caution with in enough detail and depth to make this a which most people approach computers very useful guide. The book is well for the flrsl time" states the Introduction, Mastering View, organised with detailed chapter headings and ihe sensible ordering of topics leads ViewSheel and ami a comprehensive index so whatever you through setting up to making real use your difficult) help should be close al View St ore or the machine. In the opening pages you hand. Finally there Is a less detailed look at are wondering where on earth all those \uthor: Clhe Williamson databases and spreadsheets, based on wires can possibly go and 200 pages and Publisher: Sigma Press Luserbast' and \IP Professional. Good twelve Informative chapters later >ou arc design and a chatty hul Informative style zipping around spreadsheets as if it was a make the book a pleasure to use and Atari human activity. Tiilus Is another of the \laslvrlngseries of owners whether experienced or bewil- guides and covers the Mew range of MASTERING dered should he able to benefit from It. software for \corn computers. It Is Carol Alack Intended to be of use lo both newcomers lo the programs and those who want to Electronic circuits for Improve their usage and gel more out of AtarJOHN M HUGHEi SST the computer control of View . It is based on version 3. and the total advice offered to those possessing earlier robots copies is to upgrade: in the author's opin- Initio r: R \ ('enfold ion the superiorities of version 3 are such Publisher: Bernard Bahani that no lesser action will suffice. L2.»r» The book Is sensibly laid oul with a set- ting-up section preceding a detailed run "Robots and robotics offer one of the most through the ihree areas In which View Interesting area for the electronics hob- operates. Installing program and printers byist to experiment in" says Ihe blurb on on both the Electron and the BBC Micro is Ihis little hook, a companion to ihe book covered. Including changing screen col- about controlling train sets we reviewed ours. \ printer menu program for Epson last month \ recurring fantasy for most ol models Is given, as is more shopping those with an Interest In computing and advice, urging you to acquire a disk drive circuitry is to hulid a robot, if not to the INE 1987 should y ou still be struggling on with cas- This book aims lo provide a guide to the specifications of sci-fi or Flat at least to small business, home and educational the extent that II will scuttle round the uses of the ST which comes down to lots floor to your satisfaction and amusement. about word processing and an Introduc- This booklet may not show you how lo tion to databases and spreadsheets. create the rather disturbing tin man on the Before this however there is an Introduc- cover hut II does provide a wealth ol dia- tion lo using the machine and the GEM sys- grams to overcome the sticking point the tem. This Includes the manipulation of win- author has identified in amateur robot dows and how to move and size them. builders' attempts. This Is the interface of Everything you need to master ihe GEM the computer anil the motors, and the feed- environment is outlined and each point Is back from robot to computer. The circuit labelled clearly enough for easy reference. diagrams included in Ihe booklet are all Two more chapters cover organisation designed lo address this problem and get of disks, start-of-day disks and exploring ihe computer and Ihe robot talking lo each ways of working. The emphasis Is on speed other. and efficiency . Naming and renaming (lies, It Is assumed thai you have already putting them In folders Is covered again acquired a robot, perhaps by means of a with the intention of gelling the most effi- kit. and the opening chapter tells you what cient performance oul of the system. sori of motor should drive the beast ^our CltveWillomson After a quick run through operating sys- computer will need to be equipped with a SIGMA tems. accessories and more general hints user port or parallel port, and a standard on running programs there is a look at the RS232C or RS423wlll sulfit e.

YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 18 settes Here Is a suggestion for a very use- dear ful guide - mastering your computer with- e lack out lavishing every last penny on it. >u art* Bus tut: a guide to a program to he told d spc- that your version Is yesterday's thing and I a clr- Successin all vou can do is buy a new one Isn't much as Hie good when what you want is to gel the most Software eStlllg out of what you've already bought. With mput- new versions of programs succeeding each other more and more rapidly not every-one is going lo rush out and upgrade every time they're expected to by greedy publishers and opportunist guidebook w rlters w ho gel Ihese things free. Jfift Back to Mastering \lew. MewSheet and \ leu Store The word processing section begins w Ith a guide to all the commands for moving text, deleting and altering the for- mal The next chapter covers page layout, commands for altering said layout, line spacing and headers and footers. Printing and problems come next, with the most space devoted to running out of memory. By Richard Hanson Two solutions, using separate files and continuous processing are offered As an afterthought a software patch to Improve the operation of Mew 2.1. which Ihe aulhor Success in Software petition is such that all margins Including claims is dogged by compatibility prob- aulhor royalties have been cut. That lems. Is included, as are techniques for \Uthor: Kir hard llanson doesn't mean that you should sign for less - such speeding up the operation of version 3 and Publisher: Superior Software Lid than your work Is worth, simply that you search and replace commands may have Inflated ideas about Ihe worth of a set- The section on VlewSheet Includes sim- II you are a whizz-kid programmer anxious games programs In the first place. You are pler explanations of the purpose of spread- to get your games on the market you would wisely adv ised by this book to seek profes- sheets and using VlewSheet. with useful be very silly to ignore ihis book. It goes sional advice at every juncture and a good examples such as calculating gas bills. through every step of the procedure for accountant is a necessity once your prog- Other examples given to explain ihe turning your programming skills Into hard ram is out and selling. role of the spreadsheet as a database. II cash via a top selling computer game. The In addition to financial and legal advice that Isn't too confusing, Include home market for games software Is Increasingly Success In Software provides useful advice insurance listings. The chapter on sophisticated and this book will provide on hou lo bring your work to Hie attention advanced use includes windows and set- you with the Inside knowledge to create a of software houses in the first place. The Scas- ting their parameters, expanding the game you can sell first chapter shows the dedication to prog- spreadsheet and what to do If small prob- Additionally II describes the pitfalls ramming that Is needed; about thirty hours lems such as a rogue % sign appear on the which await the unwary, such as rip-off Is reckoned lo be the minimum. The book screen. payments. You are advised to settle for a provides a list of guides to Individual \ lew store is Introduced by a considera- fixed royally rate rather than anything as machines to help you overcome program- tion of w li.il Is a relevant use for a database nebulous as a percentage of profits or a ming problems, though if you're working In a home environment. The examples one-off payment. This is quite sound with a software house their experts, the given involve personnel records and though ii has to lie added that whatever book suggests, will be there to help you library catalogues, and the section con- your agreement you should ensure thai it Iron out the difficulties. cenlrales on office uses. No mention Is is made with a thoroughly reputable com- Mihough this book Includes ideas lo made of the Data Protection Act; so pany or that you have independent advice. boost your creativity (basically, read de perhaps you should stick to the library Success In Software covers It-gal aspccis Bono on lateral thinking} it is down lo you applications. like signing contracts and points out ihe to come up vv ilh the original concepts fmm Finally a section explains how to Integ- agreements you should be wary of. Of which games are created and clones of rate the three sections of View which Is course If you are under 18. as the enticing existing games are unlikely to bring you especially useful If you want lo perform examples of high achievers in the book are. fame or wealth. I nlorlunately imagination calculations on Information held in a you shouldn't sign anything unless you and creativity cannot be side-stepped or database. If you've anv cash left. \ lewplot. want to commit yourself to months ol legal Ignored and whatever advice how-to books a graphics add-on. and Overview, an Integ- action in the future like this can offer without these charac- rated version with VlewSpell and extra It may he irresponsible of books like this teristics your programming lime will be help sections, are temptingly described. lo suggest dial there is a fortune to be wasted. made In the games software market. Com- Carol Alack Carol A tack YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 E1987 19 \79SA

Spellmaster contains 59,536 separate English words stored in 131,072 bytes in one cnip

• Compatible with all BBC models • Works with INTER-WORD WORDW1SE PLUS and VIEW • Checks spelling at up to 10,000 words per minute. • Checks text as it is entered SPELL-MASTER ROM This is the first completely ROM based spelling incorrect word is entered the computer will checker in the world. As a result it out-performs bleep: the word may then be corrected or simply all known spelling checkers on this machine or Ignored. any other micro-computer. The single 128K EPROM contains over 59,000 separate words and 22K of program. User Dictionaries SPELL-MASTER supports extensions to the main dictionary in sideways RAM or ROM. This Compatible with all has the advantage that there Is no speed degradation when checking against user BBC Micros dictionaries, since there arc no disc acccsses Special switching techniques ensure thai the required at all. Once a word is added to a user 128K ROM appears to the machine as one single dictionary it is treated as if it is present in the 16K ROM - this guarantees that it is completely main dictionary. compatible with the ROM sockets In all versions of the BBC Micro- computer. SPELL-MASTER can support a number of separate dictionaries at once, each sideways Compatible with all the RAM or ROM holding up to 3000 additional' words. Once a dictionary has been created it can major word processors be burned' into an EPROM to form a permanent SPELL-MASTER has been designed to fully extension to the main dictionary. integrate with the most popular word processors Provision is made for editing any dictionary on the BBC. WORD WISE and WOKDWISE PLUS. extension, for adding or deleting words In bulk, VIEW and of coursc INTER-WORD. While editing and directly loading or saving user dictionaries in these word processors all that Is necessary to from or to sideways RAM. control SPELL-MASTER is to press one CTRL key (Usually CTRL-J). This causes a menu to appear listing a variety of options such as "Check Additional star entire text'. Check word at cursor'. 'Continuous check - on/olT etc. Text is checked directly in commands memory while in the word processor. There are These can be issued from any language ROM even short-cuts to the menu, for example, such as spreadsheets or BASIC (they can even pressing CTRL-V in any of the above word be Included into BASIC programs). Some of the 8 processors will start checking the text commands arc: immediately from the current cursor position. Compare this with the process of checking text •CROSSWORD Will search the entire dictionary in the most highly rated competitive product - for words that exactly Hi the scarch pattern. For VIEW SPELL. example 'CROSS. ##M#U#ER would list ARMOURER. COMMUTER. COMPUTER. It takes VTEWSPELL SPELL-MASTER about 8 scconds to chcrk against all 59.000 words. •Save text from •Press CTRL V word processor. •ANAGRAM - Will list all the words in the •Enter spelling dictionary that contain the same letters as those checker. specified. •Load text Into spelling checker. •FUZZY - Will list all words that sound •Check the text. something like the one you are searching for. If •Go back to word you arc not sure of the spelling of a word then processor. entering the approximate spelling here will •Load marked text. •...finally, make • make corrections. generally list the word you arc looking for. corrections. Price: £59.00 incl.~l Check entire text In a word processor. SPELL-MASTER can check at up to 10.000 words per minute. Whenever a Upgrades word is indicated as misspelt the user Is given Owners of the older two chip versions of SPELL- three simple choices. Replace the word with MASTER can upgrade to the single chip version another selected from the dictionary. Ignore the for £25.00. However this new version is word altogether or add it to a user dictionary. functionally equivalent and so it should not be necessary to upgrade. Check as you type Because the dictionary Is ROM based It is 2nd processors possible to check words as they are typed. This Due to its unique design SPELL-MASTER will not feature works with all the above named word work with word processors running on the 6502 processors and does not slow the operation of 2nd processor, although there are facilities the word processor at all. Whenever an provided for checking long text files. % VtSA Computer Concepts Gaddcsdcn Place, Hcmcl Hempstead, Herts HP2 6EX Telephone: (0442) 63933 Newcomers to adventuring can be disenchanted before they reach their first game problems says Mike Gerrard

One thing It is easy for old hands at available, ^ou will lind on the whole that who were stumped by an early problem, in adventures lo forget Is that new people are adventure players lend lo he very which you had to gel oul ol a lilt by discovering adventures every day. H Is friendly. 1 know ol many people who seem climbing on a chair, remov ing a panel in more difficult for me to forget il because in to spend all their spare time answering the celling and then climbing out of the lilt the various magazines tor which I wrile; other people's problems and. il you Having got on the chair and removed the readers are constantly reminding me uoi to subscribe to one ol the specialist panel, the only command which will work overlook the needs of absolute beginners. adventure magazines, you will discover Is CLIMB Ol TOP LIFT. This has been particularly true in our addresses and advice galore. That might seem straightforward with sister publication. I'litllnfi )twr \mstrad It vou are a newcomer lo adventures. I hindsight - the solutions to most problems in Work where I have had many letters recommend lhat you start taking at least are glaringly obvious once you see Ihem- from people|usl buying \mstrad PCW and one adventure magazine. Since the bui it took me hall an hour to hit on the PC machines and asking me to recommend demise of Micro \(hcnturer. there has correct combination of words. Commands adventures for beginners, or asking how been no magazine from a commercial like GO TltkOl Gil PAMEL, CLIMB to solve problems which seem reasonably publisher devoted exclusively to adventure ill KOI (III CEILING. CLIMB INTO HOLE straightforward to the more experienced games hut enterprising adventurers have and even CLIMB OLTOF'TIIE LIFT would player. started publishing their own magazines. not work: II had to be those precise four I knew one reader was gelling Into ihe The most professional-looking, and words and nothing else. That Is bad spirit ol things w hen he w role to me about hence the most expensive, is What Now'.' programming, so do not take it as meaning UicrshiH k. in which he was having and costs ill ."><) from ll&l) Services, I33H that you are a poor adventure playerifyou dilflcully getting a ramp away from an \shton Old Road. Higher Openshaw. are slumped by something like that elephant He said that he had tried Manchester Mlt IJ(i. Il was originally Back to the magazines, and Insifiht. everything ol which lie could possibly under the title of The Uhenturer's w hich Is only 28 pages or so each issue, think even to the extent ol hitting the Handbook. and the latest issue Is HO pages concentrates exclusively on hints and elephant with a pickaxe he had round, but long. It includes reviews and general solutions and costs LI From Kon Dawson. he had to report that ihe elephant was not articles and Is rapidly expanding to take in -II I nlon Court, Westgate. Otley. Leeds amused. almost every aspect of the adv cnture LS2I HAS. Il is also fairly well-established. That Is partly what adventuring is about world but. like many magazines, it will In a field where some magazines appear - and I mean hitting elephants w lib always he centred oil the hints, solutions for a few Issues and then disappear, and is pickaxes, along with all the other crazy and maps it publishes. The most recent well supported by avid adventurers like things you try when you are desperate to Issue includes no fewer than eight John Barnsley and John Wilson, w ho have solve a problem. Incidentally. I told the excellent professionally-drawn lull maps, each solved more than 100 adventures. reader the answer to the problem was for games as small as the budget title Two more excellent publications glaringly obvious, as the elephant liked '/acantn Mystery on Uie Spectrum, anemanatd as e from \\ Igan: I suppose I could say what all elephants like lie wrote to say large as Inlocom's Enchanter they arc magazines with no peer Iml I will that he had been lorced to go lo friends Do not he ashamed to look at the not. It is noticeable lhat all the magazines doing a Les Dawson to lind what (his was: answers to problems II you are just I have mentioned an- published In the 'If lain going to get a ramp off an elephant starting adventure games and feel you north of England. The two U igan I have to give it a BI.ANK or Bl, WkhTV need help, as II w ill not be long before you magazines are both very different and if Bl.Wk lie discovered that everyone in will he solving everything yourself well you think you will he interested in the world, except him. seemed to know almost everything The reason you are In adventure writing, whether programming that elephants like buns. difficulty may be lhat you are not typing-ln them yourself w 1th adv Ice from the likes of The co-operation you can get Irorn other the exact phrase needed to solve

YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 >lem. In y inel in i Ih* lilt, edthe ill work

<1 wltli rohlems • them - n I he nmands

IIOLK I would ;e four id neanlng • Left: This is what to expect when you •rifyou begin adventuring. it. than the few best-sellers, ihe \dventurers' fefct Club Includes an adventure sales service issue, among Its offerings. It also publishes a and regular dossier containing the usual mix aw son. of reviews and solutions, plus .eeds competitions It manages to attract Wished, articles from leading names in Ihe ippcar adventure field, like Fergus McNeill and r. and is I'ele \uslln of Level f). who Is Ihe club's sllke honorary president ho have There are other magazines, some on tape for loading Into a micro, tint the ones that I have mentioned coverall computers mild say and I also see them regularly so can Hit I W lit recommend them in the knowledge that igazlnes they do arrive in the post month alter i llie month. from Pal V\ Instanley. lit llollingtou Way. from Sandra Sharkey. 78 Morton Road, I mentioned that one ol the adventure- \v igan \V 61,8. lllghficld. WlgnnWVIHYI. solving hurdles Is the parser in Ihe game Tlu- companion magazine is \d\vnltirr Striking a rather solitary blow for llie II is the part of the program which I'rohc. It is much more Ihr general south of tiflgland is the \dvenlurers' Club interprets what you type-In. In the adventure magazine. wlih reviews, maps. Ltd. I) l-c Mcnelik Road. London NW2 example given, Ihe parser for Utcmhock Idlers, software swaps, a telephone ;tRII, \ stamped addressed envelope to has been told lo accept only CLIMB Ol T helpline sen Ice and several pages that address will bring at) outline of the OK LIFT at that point in the program containing the addresses of people club's many services. If you have difficultv before taking the player to Ihe next prepared lo offer help on a bew ildering obtaining copies of adventures, with some location. \ better parser would accept a variety of titles \ sample issue costs LI shops seeming reluctant to stock more much wider range of Inputs, provided ihe

YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 ihe large-scale mainframe adventure in had received many letters complaining ihe humble 16k home micro, as Ihev then that iis adventures were loo difficult, so II were, ami therefore feel thai for historical decided to publish one tailored more lo reasons they will start with a Scott Vdams the beginner, with early problems being game, perhaps also I hinking that those uld lairlv easy but Increasing in difficulty games must automatically be easier and without suddenly confronting you wiili an smaller-scale than more recent lilies. almost impossible problem in the early That Is noi so and I would never stages. Some adventures take that recommend a Scott \dams game for your approach, incidentally, so be warv of lirsi foray into advenlures. 1 would be those which begin bv placing you in a reluctant in recommend any nf them lo sealed room with no ob|ects to help >nu plaver could show the right intention, luid anyone ai any stage, as I find the screen and expecting you to provide some climbed nn ihe chair, removed the panel, layout in be confusing, some of ihe obscure command like SMASH IIKM) anil was trying lo gel through the hole in problems to require needlessly \(i \I\ST BRICK W ILL If you are to Ihe celling. complicated solutions, and ihe location escape. Newcomers to adventuring have in become accustomed to parsers, (hough, and (heir occasional limitations. Despite the ever-improving parsers, like those of Infocom. Magnetic Scrolls and Level ft. the ma|orlly ol adventure games published will still work on a simple \ KRB-NOt N basis. Mm have to gel used to thinking In those terms anil Ihul causes many a newcomer to come lo grief, oral least loa temporary hall. W here in normal Kngiish you would expect tosay something like GO Til KOI GIITHKDOORorW \LKTIIROl (ill niK DOOK. in the two-word adventure language I hat often becomes the rather ungrammatlcal CO DOOK w- II it Is the door In a cottage you might also Iry

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INE1987 YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 25 Fanfare to rival any brass section.

CINEMAWARE IS THE LASTEST GAME CONCEPT FROM MINDSCAPEJTHIS FIRST TITLE MIXES ARCADE AND ADVENTURE THEMES IN A WORLD OF STUNNING GRAPHIC DISPLAYS

• An Englishman's home is his castle.

ake yourself interactive movies than Space back to a time Invaders. To make sure the when men game created a real stir, were men. and Mindscape spared no women loved expense in its development, U A time when hiring two of the most heroes reigned supreme, and outstanding Amiga baddies were hanged, drawn programmers around. R. J. and quartered (and that was if Mical and James Sachs. To they were very luckyl. All this put things into perspective. and more can be experienced Mical was hired to take over in the comfort of your own the graphics side of the living room, providing that is program, something he ought you have a Commodore to be good at, considering he Amiga and a copy of Defender was responsible for designing of (he Crown, by Mindscape and programming the Amiga (distributed in this country by graphics chip. something very special To help you in your goal you Mirrorsoft). Like most recently released indeed. The game starts with can call upon Robin of Defender of the Crown is games, it requires you to have an orchestral fanfare, and Sherwood to aid your troops in the first in a series of version 1.2 of Kickstart. and continues to tell the storyline times of dire need. But be Mindscape games to be twin disk drives unless you of the game You take on the warned, you can only use released under a sub-label want to be continually role of a good Saxon who Robin three times, after which called Cinemaware which, as interrupted by disk change must gain as much land as he will politely tell you to "Go its name suggests, is intended requests. Almost immediately possible while defending your away!!!!". to be a new generation of upon loading it becomes clear castle from restless Normans. As with most Amiga games. games more similar to that Defender of the Crown is Defender of the Crown is INE 1987 YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 26 r

Making your choice of opposition and weapons.

for fame or, more profitably, Once you are past the first for land. As with the game in group you must penetrate the general, the graphics in this inner section of the castle, and section are stunning, with here your swordmanship is charging horses, waving really put to the test. Again, maidens and animated the graphics are of an exchanges. incredibly high standard, with If you win all three of your flickering torches illuminating jousting matches, you can your passage and reflecting accumulate a large amount of off your blade as you fight. land, which in turn soon starts Red-blooded males are also bringing in enough revenue to catered for in Defender of the hire more soldiers, and buy Crown with a fair maiden who more castles and equipment. must be rescued from the If you are the daring type devilish grasp of some you can always instigate a Normans. If you are successful sortie on one of your in your rescue, the gentle lady falls head over heels in Jove, and devotes herself to you for eternity. For sheer quality of animation, the castle-raiding section is unbeatable. Using glorified catapults to hurl huge rocks at the enemies castle, you must successfully create a hole big enough for your men to charge in and wreak destruction on all the inhabitants. Overall. Defender of the Crown is a spectacular game The graphics are incredible, and unsurpassed by any other game yet released. In technical terms too, the game is remarkable. Very few programs of any kind have taken advantage of the multi-tasking abilities of the Amiga, but Defender of the Crown really does, with screens loading at the same time as you are playing a game, and screens switching in and out almost instantaneously One criticism that can be levelled is the lack of gameplay. Sometimes there is almost no player I you played completely using the that confronts the unwary opponent's castles which, if participation for minutes on mouse, although there are player is a tournament. These successful, will earn you a end. and this does become OS in times where this becomes are held all over England, and fortune in gold. Anyone slightly tedious. Nor is it i annoying. Generally it is are essential to any plans of familiar with Errol Flynn as cheap, at around €40. preferable to deplorable empire building. Robin Hood will immediately However. Amiga fans who hich microswitch joysticks. All a tournament really feel at home on these raids, as want the finest games for "Go In play. Defender has five consists of is a series of you and your merry men use what can only be described "games within a game', and it jousting contests against all your skill and determination as the finest machine will find nes. is this which makes the game various opposition. Each to battle past some resilient it hard to avoid buying this so long-lasting. The first action individual joust can be either baddies. classic.

INE 1987 YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 27 28 BEING A PERFECTIONIST IN A WORLD WITH DEADLINES MEANS THAT A LOT OF YOUR OUTPUT IS OVER-WRITTEN AT THE EXPENSE OF THE REST"

ouglas singing for the right years you end up When l was writing Dirk Gently I was Adams' singing all the different parts, from teble collecting the synthesisers and music latest book to alto to tenor to bass If you work programs. Sometimes I would decide to features a through a large proportion of Bach, as we spend half an hour on them as I was character did, you can't help but learn from the settling down to write, and I'd suddenly who owns experience, the harmony and the find it was midnight. Eventually I had to no less than six Apple Macintosh counterpoint At the other end of the dismantle it alt and put all my synthesisers computers. When rumours reached us scale I taught myself the guitar pretty in the wardrobe. Then I wrote the book, thatthis was the same number owned thoroughly. The one thing I was never and I've only just been putting them back by Adams himself, we decided to very good at was keyboard playing, together again. The thing I've had the investigate further. How can anyone because I never wanted to practise when most difficulty with is the two networks; make use of six identical machines? I started at the age of eleven. I'm there's the MIDI network which deals "Actually. I have only five at the extremely left-handed, without much with information and the audio network moment, but I see your point. I keep four dexterity in my right hand, and I kept which never works There are always a here and one in New York One is for my getting it wrong I've always retained the variety of crackles and hums on the audio Msecretary , one for my girlfriend, and I ability to read and write music, but much side which irritate me greatly. I prefer the need two on my desk I'm working on the as I read and write French - slowly, with computer side," sixth; it's going to be a Mac II when I can a dictionary, and being drunk is extremely You started writing Hitch-Hiker in cjet hold of one. I need two machines on helpful!" 1976 - before word-processing on a my desk mainly because of number of Have computers made the process microcomputer had become possible. times i find myself doing two things easier? When did you first become interested simultaneously. "One of the breakthroughs with music in the idea of using a computer for "Most of the different types of applications for computers is lhat if you writing? music-making sofiware are incompatible have the ideas and the basic skills, it "When I started writing Hitch-Hiker I with each other; they each have different doesn't matter if you happen to lack the was taking ihe mickey out of technology, editing capabilities and structures and dexterity You write on the computer, writing a kind of anti-science fiction. I the best way to get music from one and tt does the playing for you That was spent so much time writing and re writing sequencer package to another is to play it a revelation Computers can relieve you that 1 would frequently get to a stage over the MIDI, which is laborious. from doing things you can't do very well. where the first ten per cent of the script There's no equivalent in music to the I found that I had a certain ability to write was absolutely perfect but there was straight ASCII text file which enables you music, but that the mechanical nitty-gritty only ten per cent of the allotted time left to port documents between different of writing it all down and playing it had over to do the rest." word processors, and until there is one prevented me developing what talent I Is that the price of being a you are really going to need two had The moment I started writing music perfectionist? computers for music applications. But I on the computer screen I started learning "Being a perfectionist in a world with would probably still need them anyway very fast. In the past I would write down deadlines means in the end that a lot of as well as the sequencer programs there a rhythm and never be sure if I had got it your output is if anything over-written at are patch editing programs, library quite right. The only way of checking was the expense of the rest. You quickly programs, sound wave programs for to read over the notes, and naturally in a encounter a law of diminishing returns, sound sampling, and it's actually beyond situation like that you hear what you think with a huge amount of time making a tiny the ability of the Switcher to keep them you have written rather than what's really difference to the good parts, and then the ail co-habiting happily at once." there If you write it on the computer need to meet a deadline forces you to The rows of compact disks adorning screen you get instant playback, it stops leave some passages a great deal less one wall of the room would not you making silly mistakes. It's a very than perfect. The balance is never exactly disgrace a record shop but don't good illustration of the way computers right. declare any particular bias. What is can help in all kinds of learning, simply "In theory using the computer should your musical background? because the feedback is instantaneous 4 save me a lot of time. I would frequently i nave been something of a musician Do you have any plans to unleash retype a whole page just to make a minor all my life. I began, oddly enough, in the your music on the public? change to a speech Somehow, though, school choir One of the advantages of "I'd like to, though I don't know where the work still expands to fill slightly more being male is that if you stick at choir I'd fit it in Time is always a problem. time than I have available."

INE1987 YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 29 ST BOOKS from EGSE •

USING ST BASIC ON THE ATARI ST Dick Meadows This book explains Atari ST BASIC to both the newcomer to programming and to the programmer unfamiliar with ST BASIC. It covers many features of ST BASIC, including ideas and methods for programming, beginning to write programs, the input and output of information, making decisions, repeti- tion. special functions, processing strings of text, and using arrays, procedures and user defined functions The book con- tains many worked examples

Price £7.95 ISBN 1 85181 051 X THE CONCISE ATARI ST 6800Q Other titles in the series PROGRAMMER'S REFERENCE GUIDE Using LOGO on the Atari ST

Katherine Peel Practical LOGO on the Atari ST Practical BASIC on the Atari ST This book is a complete reference manual tor the ST comput- Ail iit%f trofn four local dMtof or ers. It ts designed to be used both as a quick reference manual OOOktHOp HOWHW >n CIH Ol (VftlCufliW and as a source ol detailed technical material Topics include tfwy can b* oot&rwd 0«®a Irons The Glcntop Press Ltd Giontop-pottage & packing C1 fUK) machine-code programming, details ol GEM, and the operat- C250(0v«fjoas) Standfast House ing system. Much of the material included is unlikely to be avail- Bath Place able from any other source, making the book an essential refer- High Street Barnet ence manual for every Atari ST owner Herts ENS 5XE Price £15.95 ISBN 1 85181 017 X Tel: 01 4414130

ATARI COMPUTERS COMMODORE COMPUTERS Commodon An.*j p ASC O Compuui (133 (CU4I Moduli. CA lt»l OS An.a* AS00 wKh MAKE YOUR INTERESTS PAY!! 1080 ootOoi morntOf fS48 <(W9l r$46 Conimo doi* lit cwnpuw • wtwir* • ior« (Mil Comrnodoff 1780 (S1fl (C4«irU9 Train at home for one of these Career Opportunities 1S71 OiK d'.vc (77* l(7M( f7» Commodo-* MCraxvotf naftlfisstmo Comnodoro*4C axnputei itwum uimiii tKonki *nd More ttian 8 million students throughout the world ens if?47) (777 Cwwtrtoi lo »How tfw uH Of mow Ol(fcn*iy mono »M«H fetwdfl have found it worth their while! An ICS home-study wlh trw Commodor* ITS md Commodore U course can help you get a better job, make more AH All ST computer* com* with mem* and (9 78 ,f9l (It Comirodof. MPSIOOO (V.nt« toftwaia Alan lOWSTf without mon,iof fWO Atari I040STF wi,h Uw monitor (8)7no t ir*»! tm Nn Am. irosrrM with bo* « *K years experience In home-study courses and is the d«nr« i MM rfil OM If C4CO Atari UOSTTM • (1000* ton I (4« l(44J. (4*1 Ate. S70STFM »th AMSTRAt> D PRODUCTS largest correspondence school In the world, YOU learn w monitor MM l(470l (M0 Auri WOSTM f76J icm&i not au. stostm* iioook >*mi cjw W. c*l tuop»y • wtds r*no* ol ulMwi lor IH» at your own pace, when and where you want under 1417 >lwPtV«7»lr1dm.>CW»l2-wi.t*10<» l£348l OS? Cunwu 10C0K d-K BM P«fton»i Com the guidance of expert personal' tutors. Find out how 470STM vngte ( U7 1[ 147)£183. dual £247 I£?36pvtol r Clonw ISU uvnpuici w.in bngK Mc r?*0 Alan icSOK ST due .Ir.vn cut l£l»i tl» d»i« and ti w momof £499 If499) (006. dj*l d-lI we can help YOU. Post or phone today for your FREE Alt" 1000* STi»k duvet E183 If182)£186 Atari STb w «19 (£6141 (671. kralo colour («S9 if«6W monoctvom* monitor £137 It 147111W Ain. 17" £787. dual colot* CT71 U7«l £»SI. 10MB Iwd INFORMATION PACK on the course of your choice. maUnim motuUjri ST tolou' nwrulo. (388 IOUI*Kb » (W3 1 l'K>:' CT70. 70MB HO t>w (HI £41} 70 ST hard diK (No A t«*laM froml£9C7 : £1047. 10MB HO COlOu' (1014 (£M1I itocll Ct36 ft'3•(673 Canuonm pnnlar cable «or£110 1 70MB HO totou- £1107 (£103I> fllTt Ihe ST raw £1* It 161 f?0 We oler jood d-icounttOMFJ00 0 pr.nt». (110 1(1 »3I £776 «W (186 OK incut ST aoftwm lor «umfM Hiaotl DCVFAK trim (704 now (4*7 K4.10. c4to >ic>70 nn Introduction to i c*i «*2i r*t veiKomt® uttua c rti ton (». IfVtOKWO AmUixJCfCWconipuIwi . W froAmUi« till. Atari 130 Xt compute • aame f*4 l£171>£JOt Ertud icdr vrdfil»[S9 (991 ('» AUr.lSOXE • d.K drive • !024f».'.ter • i£T«i (136 A^wt'td DOl l>« Oiv. £ 154 irlSil »ttw«'c (3(3 ni!>( C373 Ann ciiHiif I KOI do (186 Amdrad K>W<* £ 11 I£l2)£ie Programming £34 (t38> {48 Alan 1020 4 colour pr.M*r (») K»4i Electronics CtU Ate-, 1039dot main" pr.nter 1118 If 1241f 141. in COBOL Am. 10»On drrv* with DOS 3f 118 If 1741 (lit) CUMANA 3.5" AND 5.25" Electrical Electronic SINCLAIR PRODUCTS AND CASED DISC DRIVES WITH CAMBRIDGE COMPUTERS CABLE AND POWER SUPPLY Engineering Engineering 40tO UK* nnKtuUa douW« J-i) 10 tuit 'loopy Spectrum 1W PKit Two comouter tef- «K .nl#rfKH ol IM SmcljM OL. Sinclair SpK «<• andlofT*4r« P4U (148 1(1401 f180. With tOf tiumtndBSCB 34'(»,v»» unit £134 (£134) Elec. Contracting/ Radio, Audio and «<» and totTwtr* pact £148 :(i67i TIM £146. dual C774|£Il«i (741 67Vdti»» microdriw cartridge* for Ihe OL jnd ttw Sf>*.t>uii (177 IC180I £199. dual (310 (£3061 £347 installation TV Servicing It SO 1(3) (4 at ftcecv OK iimoHk* iSnCmm d'K wflon for iu> £46 (£471 £47 with tracior rsoo I£7981 £347 Star NL10 (734 Came* -doa computars 288 CJ97 lf?71)£7» Mara if234! £270 Intarfacn lor W.10 £37 (fJJI OT Course of interest adaptor fUtCinai TTtX ram carl • -v C6o If 47) Broihn M1108 £720 1(2241 (M Shinwa CTt (87 CPA90- £208 1(2101 (247 Cannon PWI080A £303 If798t £338 M MP164 £3l» Name ionicm Address SWANLEY ELECTRONICS The Computer Export Specialists p. Code Dept. YC, 32 Goldsel Rd . Swanley, Kent BR8 8EZ, England international correspondence schools, Dept ETS57 Tel: SWANLEY {0322J 64S5I 312/314 High St., Sutton. Surrey SMi 1PR 0«mI ixdn tnVtymt UK prima a'a ahowr> r.nrand .rvAida po« and VA T Tht uttind pnet m bttc»tt it Sk ni»t tintenn « [woo* an» nuitfpni:a nfat r>po n cuiromKa Tel 01-643 9S68 or 041-221 2926 <24 hours) YC V67 o u f»"J p furoe* (ndu^ng AuatraKa ttc) and ncijdM xviu'ad a-mail poua^r

INE 1987 YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 30 M S ' A Experience on Your Computer shows that in some cases word- processing software can make it too easy to make changes. The temptation is always to make just one more slight revision, often at the expense of much-needed time. Oo you find it harder to reach the stage where you can regard your work as finished? "Immensely. A very interesting thing occurred in the last stages of Dtrk Gently. "I HADN'T THE I was doing the typesetting on the Mac. FAINTEST IN- largely to buy myself extra time past the deadline, and I suddenly realised that for TEREST IN GAMES some reason I'm allergic to hyphenation. -I THOUGHT I caught myself rewriting a line in order to make it look better on the page, which is THEY WERE ALL ABOUT SHOOTING LITTLE ALIENS". mildly ridiculous. "Incidentally, since I did that exercise was, it all seems rather naive, but I fell in with computers themselves In fact I'm I've found it almost impossible to read a love with the potential of the Macintosh just about to start work on a new book, book for pleasure. The sense of it hasn't concept as much as with its actual which I've got to get done by the end of been going in because I've been capability at that time." this year, and it's come out of a rather concentrating on its appearance." What software do you write with? neat little idea I've had about the way you Is Dirk Gently the first project that "MacAuthor It's a British program, use word processing programs. I think you have word-processed from start very powerful. One of the many nice the reason the Mac has started to feature to finish? things about it is the attitude of the in the book is that I spend eight to ten "I think I first used a word processor in authors. Icon Technology. They are hours a day sitting in front of it." late 1982.1 spent several months in Los incredibly responsive to user feedback But there is a lot of computer-related Angeles - which I hated - and while I was They update versions fairly regularly and material in Dirk Gently... there I acquired a DEC Rainbow. I didn't they constantly add features which "I tried to put in something which not really know anything about it at the time, people have asked for. Mike Glover, who everyone would understand, but keep it but the great thing about it was supposed runs the company, came over to help me to a minimum Anyone who does to be ihat you could run eight-bit CP M with the typesetting, to see how the understand it is going to be pleased, but andsixteen-bn MS-DOS software. program actually worked for professional on the other hand anyone to whom it isn't Unfortunately hardly anyone wrote writers, and to see if I had any complaints. immediately familiar will be able to anything for it, which made the whole They are about to do a major revision; in understand it from context They won'i exercise rather pointless Anyway, I cut fact they're starting from scratch with be turned off by the idea that something my teeth on that machine, with various completely new code. is being directed past them It's detail versions of Wordstar But the only really "Of all the word processors available which you may as well get right It's like good programs I could find for the for the Mac it's the only one with which horse-racing and Dick Francis I love Rambow were the Infocom games you can write and typeset a novel, Dick Francis but I've never been near a Whenever a new machine comes out including the new Microsoft Word 3. horse in my life. I always find that I've they're among the first with the sof tware. Word 3 is a very powerful and infinitely learned something about horses by the I hadn't the faintest interest in games at configurable, and so is MacAuthor, but end of one of his books, and I am sure that stage I thought they were all about the difference is |ust three lines of code that is a key reason for his success." shooting little aliens and chasing them which give you something called smart There are one of two places in Dirk round mazes The first Infocom quotes The kind of output you get on a Gently where you sound rather adventure I played was Suspended, and typewriter and most computers up to cynical about the way computers are it was a revelation I was startled by it now isn't typesei quality because used by the military. here was something that was witty, computers use generic quotation marks "The whole thing about military high intelligent and literate I enjoyed it very the same vertical mark at either end of technology and Star Wars is that anyone much. A mutual friend put me in touch the quotation. Entering proper opening at all involved tn computers knows that it with the people at Infocom and f spent a and closing quotation marks is extremely can't be relied upon to work Software day with them. we got on extremely well difficult and error-prone on the Mac, even always needs nursing along and and I ended up doing the Hitch-Hiker if you can remember to do it But with tweaking up. and the idea of a sudden game for them. smart quotes, MacAufhorauiomatically emergency coming about and all this "I replaced the Rainbow with an determines whether you want an untested software coming into operation Apricot XI. I still wasn't really happy with opening or a closing mark and acts is ridiculous.'' that. I knew I was getting hooked on accordingly." You seem to have a talent for computers but I still hadn't got the right Computers are certainly prominent spotting the absurdity of many machine Then one day when I was at in Dirk Gently but they are not crucial mundane things ... Infocom they showed me a funny- to the plot. Given your interest have "The contrast between the ordinary looking machine which turned out to be you ever been tempted to make them and the extraordinary fascinates me. I the Macintosh In the first few seconds I a central theme? particularly enioyed writing Dirk Gently. fell in love with it I started playing with "I wouldn't want to make something but it is no secret that I was unhappy Macpaint and I felt instantly at home with primarily about computers, because the about the last of the Hitch-Hiker books. it. I bought one as soon as I could in fact. technology changes so fast that So long and thanks for all the fish I'd run I think mine was the first ever Macintosh whatever you write will be very rapidly out of steam on Hitch-Hiker because I in this country Thinking back now about out of date I'm more interested in the tend to work best where the mundane how feeble the original 128K machine things you can do with computers than and the bizarre meet and towards the end

INE1987 YOU R COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 31 M P L E S of Hitch-Hiker there was nothing ordinary but in fact he is because he is leading the everyday life so that they become left. I was aware of this and trying to bring audience to do certain things. You're practically unnoticeable it all back to Earth, but Arthur Dent, doing the same thing in writing a "He says he saw a picture many whose original role was to be the ordinary comouter game." decades ago of when the electric motor guy, was now the stranger, and he was There's a science-fiction novel, was the big new thing which was going no longer our representative. The whole Dream Park, in which people go on to revolutionise our lives. People were thing got cock-eyed " holiday in theme parks run by the rushing around like headless chickens Tell us something about your latest people who now write adventure saying that you would be doomed, Infocom adventure, Bureaucracy. programs. The players take part in unemployable, a social outcast unless "It involves you in increasingly superbly realistic games, complete you were electric-motor-literate. He saw horrendous adventlires, great disasters, with simulated animals, nasty a picture of the home of the future of that catastrophes, and you end up lost in the weather, black magic and other time The artist had drawn it with just one jungle being pursued by natives. Your traditional adventure themes. If the enormous electric motor in the attic. It basic objective is to get your bank to technology becomes available do you was running everything in the house off acknowledge a change-of-address card, think that would be the logical belt drives, the way the Victorian and everything flows from that. progression? engineers powered their factories with a "When I started work on the game "It's a good idea. If people could go on single stream engine. That, he says, is with Infocom it became a much more simulated holidays it would avoid a lot of our current understanding of computers. collaborative thing than Hitch-Hiker. environmental damage A lot of holiday Eventually computers will disappear into because everybody had bits they wanted resorts have had to be altered to the things we use." to put in. Generally the response I've had expectations of the people who go there Does this mean that computer is 'Yes, this has happened to me!' The It would be much better if the people magazines will become redundant? sensation of having someone recreate who wanted that kind of holiday had their " I doubt it. The activity of computing is these horrors for you makes people holidays simulated for them and the always going to be a great deal more share them - a kind of catharsis in a places could be left as they were. If interesting than the computers computer game. people are going to have a holiday in a themselves. Right now. though, "At Infocom they have long wanted synthetic resort it may as well be computers arevery interesting. The great me to do a second Hitch-Hiker game but I simulated without damaging the thing about the Mac is that conceptually think I'd much rather base my next original." it's the least out-of-date computer on the adventure game on my experiences of About the Hitch-Hiker game ... market. While we need more power and trying to get a movie made of Hitch-Hiker " I had to do it myself because if I hadn't flexibility on computers to get them to in Hollywood That was a bizarre been involved it wouldn't really have where they ought to be. it is interesting experience. The role you would play been a Huch-Hiker game. A lot of people simply to look at them to see what's would be Shakespeare transplanted to want me to do a comic book but again I'm wrong with them. You can see what you Hollywood and trying to get Hamlet not interested and if anyone else did it it ought to be able to do with one of these made as a film " wouldn't be the real thing. It was only wonderful machines, but you can't quite What are the differences between after seeing the Infocom games that I get there When each new model comes writing an adventure'and writing a thought that this was something that out everyone wonders if this is finally the novel? would be quite fun to do. Coincidentally machine that will let them do everything "It's a totally different way of thinking. the Infocom people has been talking they want, so that they can stop worrying When I was first told about adventure about finding some-one to work with about computers and just get on with life. games I didn't really like the idea The who was from a writing background "Right now, watching the computer writer seemed to be abdicating rather than a computing background, and industry is like watching the fridge responsibility for the plot, if the player they'd held back because they weren't industry in the thirties. People would rush was making it up as he went along, the sure about finding a writer who'd around at parties talking about the fridge player might as well sit down and write it understand the logical structures they had just bought. There were fridge himself But in all kinds of ways you the involved They hadn't thought of anyone magazines too, the equivalent of Your writer have an extra level of control If you in particular but I was on their list. We Computer now. but soon there came a write a book you assume that after a spent a day chatting about it and we just point where the hardware reached a while the reader is on your wavelength, got on like a house on fire." satisfactory stale of development so and has picked up what you want him to Did you find your lack of computer people instantly lost interest. Everyone pick up so you can spring the surprises knowledge a drawback? has a fridge now, and they have you want to spring. With a game you "So much nonsense has been talked revolutionised the way we cook and eat, know exactly what the player will be about the need to be computer-literate. but you don't feel any urge to talk about thinking or expecting; they can't have got It's the computers that need to be the new models. there accidentally So you can play cat people-literate There's a great friend of "That's what I mean when I say and mouse with the player a great deal mine who works in Los Angeles, and as I computers will eventually disappear. more than you can with a reader got to know about computers I They will still be there, of course, but "It's rather like being a practised discovered that this friend was rather when they are good enough they will be stand-up comic; you go out in front of an more involved than I'd thought. His name taken for granted and no-one will pay audience and you know the things is Alan Kay he invented the whole them any attention they're going to try to throw back at you WIMP idea at Xerox PARC " "An interesting application of the You always have your response ready Was he one of the people who came disappearing computer is the colour and it can sound completely spontaneous up with the idea of the Dynabook? television. They're so easy to use and so even though it isn't. "The Dynabook was his concept, yes rarely go wrong that you forget that "When you begin to know how an When 1 became involved with the Mac I fifteen years ago that it was a pretty audience will respond you can begin to suddenly realised how significant he laborious task to get a decent picture tempt them in certain directions, was. which sent quite a shiver up my Now you jusi push a button and it works because you're ready for their reaction, It spine. He has a very nice analogy for how first time. It isn't black magic - it's looks as if the performer isn't in control computers will eventually integrate into because of the computer in there." INE 1987 YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 32 s THOUGHTS & CROSSES (COMPUTERS) LTD. 33 MARKET STREET, HECKMONDWIKE, WEST YORKS COMPUTERS KOrtpFi; Kvna tAOOO ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE InM OKM* o KSpraad) m C7JOO ACT HrtxASnn Oww pmitar Uamaaoll tITOO Kwaoi (3)40 • C1CCIf*( Kf Cakhnoaca Bv^oeatiTm (1000 Afna»ajCPC»l?»...... MOT Unc*K CH40 knaMatttHtmCnonprn IWvnoc »0» WnJSiaJw ciooo AmrMPCliijeWOOftwrOWctaew tkwUwx •AscSludo trmaiiltWasHA Macaoinco C4400 Artwfl C2Z40 Portal *WW C2JS0 hrmxs PCIS12 CM SO .irgw MMO* Afflevedemmeonportenerwi — tCK AAeeaccmco aooo Amatrad PC prn» . . 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INE1987 YOU R COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 33 MACHINE LEARNING CREATING THE THINKING MACHINE IS THE AIM OF PROGRAMMERS WORKING IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. MARCUS JEFFREY EXPLAINS

niricial Intelli- irue. as The Hitch Hikers Guide to the gence Is a rather Galaxy surmised, that the mice are actu- widespread su ti- ally studying us?! led with bound- There are a number of approaches m aries which tend to be difficult to define. machine learning. One of ihe easiest to Despite this, there are a few areas which understand Is thai of trial and error are undoubtedly still within the realms of Imagine yourself in a completely alien the thinking machine. One such is that of society. You W3lk up to a man In ihe street Machine Learning, which we are going to fall into the field of artificial intelligence and say "I lelto", only to find yourself flat on take a brief look ai in this article. and even these may have a limited life. Kor your back, having been punched in the If you were to ask people to define the Instance, If a new technique were face! Nol a very pleasant fellow, was he'' term Artificial Intelligence, you would developed which allowed the computer to I nfortunately. exactly the same procedure almost certainly get a different answer play a perfect game of chess based on a Is repeated with two other men. who you from each person y ou spoke to. Originally. few simple algorithms, then suddenly the approach in the same manner. By now. you till \riificial Intelligence was defined as any game would lose Its stains and would no are probably very sore, have a couple ol Co machine action which. If performed by a longer be considered as an artificial intel- black eyes, and will be very reluctant lo human, would he said to require Intelli- ligence problem. repeat the procedure, ^ou have Just gone gence. I nfortunately. this definition was One of the areas w hich few people would through a process of learning by trial and never particularly satisfactory. Kor exam- deny lies solely within the bounds of artifi- error. ple. at the turn of the century, simple cial Intelligence is that of machine learn- Continuing the learning process, you mathematics would have been said to ing. Humans develop and learn from mlghi try approaching women rather than require Intelligence, however, computers experience, and leaching a computer to men. or you may try something other than and even hand-held calculators can easily use this process must surely embody the ihe word "Hello", which may be taboo in perform these operations, and they cer- concept of the thinking machine This Is. such a strange society. Thus, the learning tainly do not fall into the categories of arti- to some extent, emulating the laboratory process would continue. If for Instance, ficial Intelligence as it is known today. rai experiments, where tests of Intelli- after your first three abortive attempts at I could go on. citing examples of spread- gence and behaviour were performed by communication, you continued to repeat sheets. accounts packages, simulators, sending mice through mazes. Would they the process, and the next eight men you chess, computer v ision, and so on. Only the learn from their earlier mistakes, lo find spoke to were very amenable, then you last few ol these would he considered to the correct way through ihe maze? Or Is ll may change your original hypothesis, cal- INE 1987 YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 34 • Menacing moves teach a computer to play- to Uic are plenty of programs around which can aclu- # play this game perfectly, but the point of # • this exercise was to let the machine start les to by playing random moves and learn from est to • experience how to play Ihe game better. error, The model was constructed by assigning a alien different matchbox to every board posi- street CORNER tion These matchboxes bad variously col- lal on oured beads in them and a V-shaped slot n the cut in the front, such that when the match- is he? • There are only three possible opening moves in thegame of noughts and crosses. box was tilled forward, one of the beads edure was selected by chance, by being the first 10 you to roll through the slot. This arrangement a. you ling the first three attempts unfortunate (heir response It they punch you. the prob- Is shown In Figure One. pie of coincidences. ability of a favourable response would When il was time for Menace to make a ml lo This learning process can he concep- decrease. Alternatively. If they turned move, the matchbox corresponding lo the gone tualised In Ihe form ol a stimulus model. around, smiled, gave you a meal and a presenl position would be shaken then 11 and Starting with a list of all possible actions house, and generally heaped riches upon tilted to select a coloured bead at random. (in this case opening lines), each would you. then you would almost certainly There were nine colours, one for each you have assigned to it a probability of suc- Increase the probability of success for the square, and boxes only contained beads r than cess. When you are first in the alien envi- action w hich led to this favourable result corresponding lo legal moves in addition, r than ronment. these probabilities may all be the symmetry w as used to reduce the number •00 In same, or they might be modified if you Matchbox of beads. For instance, the box for the first irnlng decide lo ir> to apply uhal you know of Machine learning of Ihis sort Is not move (Menace always moved first) con- ance. >our own environment. On first meeting entirely restricted to computers. In fact tained only three beads, corresponding lo pis at somebody, you would try one of Ihe open- one of the earliest experiments was In the the centre, side and corner (Figure Two). epeat ing lines, either randomly or the one with form of a matchbox model, called Menace As the game progressed. Menace would n you the highest probability. You would then (Matchboxfclducable Nought s And Crosses make random moves, based upon which- n you Increase or decrease the probability Engine), which was designed lo play the ever bead happened lo roll through the s, cal- associated with the action based upon game of noughls-and-crosses Now. there slot. \l Ihe end of the game, stimulus Is •

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7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 36 w

• Tree diagrams are important in artificial Does it have more than intelligence. 48K of rwpiory ?

Does it have more than SPECTRUM <48K Does it have a built 48K of rwnory ? in Cassette Player ?

SPECTRUM 48K BMSTRAO CPC464 RMSTRfiD CPC464 COMMODORE 64

By asking these questions a computer can learn to identify objects.

4 applied If Menace lost, then a bead of the selves to just a subset of Items to choose The computer adds this lo Its tree, which appropriate colour Is removed from each from: thai of computers. The computer Is now looks like Figure Four, and continues of the used boxes, making it less likely that starting with absolutely no knowledge of with the nexl micro It Is fairly obvious Menace will play the same move in a future the sub|ect area. To give il a chance, we that, as this continues, the computer game Similarly. If Menace won (ordrew. If will give It the name of one computer which builds up more and more Information. This playing an expert), then a bead of the we mighl think of, such as Ihe Spectrum Is an example of rote learning. appropriate colour is added to each of the •18k Now we are ready to start the game. A different method of rote learning was used boxes, encouraging Menace to play a used very effectively by A. L. Samuel In his similar move in the future. Knowledge draughts (checkers) playing program. This This approach, which essentially has the Let's begin by thinking of ihe Amstrad program usjed a look-ahead tree followed computer mimicking human behaviour, is CPC464. The computer will use the only by an evaluation function. So. for instance, nol necessarily the best. Though the know ledge It has. and ask If we are think- w ith a look-ahead of only two-ply (It would human brain is well beyond the best com- ing of the Spectrum 18k W e tell ihe com- normally be more lhan this), the computer puter In terms of memory organisation and puter that this Is nol the micro we an* would test all of its own moves, followed by processing, we do still have a number of thinking of. Lacking any further know- all the opponent's possible replies. draw backs. One ol these is our tendency to ledge. the computer Is forced to give up. At this level. It would forget things. We seem to store informa- However, before starting the next game. It then evaluate the posi- tion In a variety or unusual ways, and the asks us three questions: tion using a number of Trigger' to. say. recall a name cannot 0: What micro were you thinking factors, such as the fO always be found |ust when we need It. 1 am about? number of pieces, their IM sure you have come across the situation A: \mstrad CPC464 positions and so on. Il where you recognise a face, but cannot 0: What would be a good question would store these evaluations, and assign remember Ihe name. Barring a complete which would distinguish between ihe numbers to the bottom level nodes of failure of main and backup storage, com- the Spectrum 48k and Ihe \mstrad the tree. The computer Is trying to puters neu'r forget anything unless they CPC464? maximise these evaluations, and the oppo- are told to, Consequently, much more effi- \: l)oe> il have more lhan 48k of nent is trying lo minimise them. Therefore, cient knowledge building techniques can memory? at the second level, the low est score from be used. 0: In Ihe case of the \mslradCPC464. the subtrees at the bottom level Is taken. Ihe answer would be? Finally, again trying to maximise these Questions A: Yes scores, the computer looks for the highest \ very simple game, which most of us Having entered this question and score at the second level and makes this have played al one lime or another Is answer session Into memory, the com- move. Twenty Questions One person thinks of an puter can now ask a further question in its If this process seems a bit complex. look object, and a second tries to guess Lhc search for the correct micro. The com- at the diagram in Figure 5. The numbers at object by asking no more than twenty sim- puter has effectively built the tree shown In the bottom are the evaluations of the posi- ple questions. This game Is often started Figure 3. tion at a depth of two-ply. where the com- with the question Is it animal, vegetable, puter Is trying lo attain the highest possi- or mineral? ", though officially all Ihe ques- Memory ble score. Ideally, this would be the node tions should be of a form such that they We can now think of another computer, labelled '9\ However, since the opponent require a yes or no answer. If you were to say the Commodore 64. The computer will would be trying to minimise the com- listen lo people playing the game, you first of all ask whether the micro we are puter's score, he would not play a move to would no doubt find many different thinking of has more than 48k of memory, the node labelled '9*. bui would instead methods used For example, some people to w hldi we answer Yes'. It therefore asks choose the one labelled T. This lowest have a collection of useful"' questions if we are thinking of the Amstrad CPC464. figure is placed at the node on the second which will quickly narrow down the to which we must answer No'. Having level, and the other second level nodes are search However, the majority of people reached the bottom of the tree, the com- treated similarly. Now. the computer has a lack the ability for totally logical thought, puter Is forced lo give up. but It again asks choice between three nodes where, after and many of the questions they ask will he the two questions. This time our answers the opponent's move (assuming the opj>o- of little or no help. A computer can be might be: nent plays as expected), the value of Ihe taught differently. Commodore 64 position will be 3'. T or '2' respectively. For the purposes of demonstrating how Does II have a hulll-ln cassette player? Obviously, in this case, the computer ihe computer can work, we will limit our- \o would play move a' leading to the node •

INE 1987 YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 37 • Minimaxingisonewaythe computer can move through a tree diagram.

7 Willi the highest value. This operation IN would find If we could search further. The "Is the computer connected lo Ihe T\ known as Minlmaxing' and Is frequently problem which now arises Is how to (Y/N)?" used In trees of this sort choose these weights. The answer Is lo let Based on ihe answers to these. It would try The problem with this tree-building the program amend them Ihrough experi- to diagnose what Is wrong with the com- method is the time It lakes lo search the ence. This is similar lo the Menace match- puter. and if II was unable lo find (he fault, tree. If we assume an average of ten moves box model, hut far more sophisticated. would suggesi that you return ihe com- from any position, then a search of fust two- The program Increases or decreases lis puter lo the dealer. ply will require evaluating 10 x 10 x 10. or weights for various features based on ihe 100, positions. Searching lo a depth of six- difference between the mlnlmaxed score Rule Induction ply would require searching a million posi- ('3* in the above example) for the current tions (le. 1000000). Samuel's program position, and the evaluation score for the The problem with expert systems Is the Improved upon this by storing its evalua- current position, which will have been knowledge acquisition stage. In other tions. So, for the position in Figure Five. II worked oul at a previous level. If the evalu- words, the dlfflculiies Involved In entering would store the board lor the lop node, and ation function were perfect, then these two Information into an expert system assign it the value '3' Now. when search- numbers whould be the same throughout database In a logical form. For Instance, ing to a depth of two-ply, rather than ihe game. Working in this way. the prog- let us assume that we are trying to develop Immediately evaluating ram can be set lo play Itself. Not only w ill it an expert system which will help you to Ihe position. It would Increase Its stored library know ledge, bul choose the best game programs available search through Its list of It will also tunc Its own evaluations, based for your computer Now. this Is quite a sub- stored positions. If II on experience. jective decision. Do you like games to be found a match, then It fasl. do you wanl graphics, adventures, would use the evaluation Expert systems shoot em ups or Intellectual challenges? already stored. Thus, it has effectively Trying to present all this knowledge to a searched lo a deplh of four-ply. Now, by Eventually. Samuel's Checkers program computer could be quite a headache. storing the position yel again, If during had "remembered" all Ihe worthwhile Instead, a number of currently available anouther game ll matches it to a two-ply board positions, and had tuned its 40-odd expert systems learn from experience. search. It w ill have an evaluation to a deplh factor evaluation (Unction to play at close Given basic knowledge on a subject, they of six-ply. and so on. The only draw-back to championship level. form Ihelr own set of production rules to with ihls method Is the Intensive use of Up to ihls point, we have been studying handle the database. They Ihen test them- memory to slore all the positions. There- game-orientated topics, and you may be selves by trying to pick oul games which lore. only the most frequently used pos- wondering whether all this research Is you w ould like. If they make a mistake, and tlons were stored, and housekeeping ever going to achieve anything. Game- choose a program which you did not like, routines were written to keep the number playing is a very important aspect of artifi- then 11 will require a modification of the of stored positions reasonably low. cial intelligence, provided an enclosed system. The computer will explain Its rea- environment in which to lesl ihe prog- sons for choosing ihe game, and you w ill Evaluation rams. However, machine learning Is now tell it why ll was wrong. Based upon (his being used for practical applications at the updated Information, (he computer will In addition to this method of learning, forefronl of technology. modify Its rules, and consequently Improve Samuel's program also learnt from its own You have probably heard the jargon Its experience In the field of choosing play. The evaluation function was based on phrase 'Expert Systems' mentioned during games. a number of distinct features such as the recent years. An expert system Is essen- These rulc-lnduclion based expert sys- number of pieces, centre control. Ihreal of tially an intelligent database. It has lots ol tems are becoming Increasingly popular. fork, and so on. Bach of ihese had a w eighl dala and a set of rules which operale on This Is not only because ihey do not require assigned lo It. such thai the more Impor- the data. In its simplest form, the expert explicit know ledge to be programmed, bul tant features had higher weights. The system can be viewed as a series of IF .. also because Ihey often tend lo organise eventual evaluation was of the form: TIIKN statements. For Instance. If you had knowledge In a far more efficient, and S = Hl'Hl + »2N2 + . . . + tttl'sll an expert system to diagnose faults with often revolutionary way. They are begin- Now. if we could search the entire game your computer (not very useful If Ihe ning to reach the stage where they can do Iree to the end of the game, we could expert system is based on (he computer!) it (hlngs better than Ihe human expert. assign scores of T for a w in 0' for a draw might ask Ihe follow ing questions: and —1 for a loss. I nforiunaiely. this isn't "Is the Power light on ?" designed to give an indication of what we "Is Ihe power switch oil (Y/\»?"

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7 f W he Kuma K-Max is a II transputer development system for the Atari ST. The hardware is sup- plied in a small box with a short ribbon cable which plugs into the side of the ST, and the software is supplied on a normal ST-format 3.5" disk. The transputer box can house either one or two transputers, depending upon the configuration you desire. The box we examined contained one transputer - obviousty the cheaper option, but the upgrade path is followed by sending the unit back to Kuma. The transputer and the ST communi- ence is that attempts at parallel proces- RISC concept is certainly catching on. cate via a fast serial link chip, specialty- sing on one transputer are rather slower By providing the right set of instruc- designed by the transputer designers than when executed on multi-transputer tions, a RISC chip may carry out any com- Inmos. which is capable of data transfer systems, as genuine parallel processing putation by combining suitable at rates up to 20Mb (20M bus) per sec- is unable to proceed if there's only one sequences of simple instructions. For ond. This is extremely fast for a micro- chip to do the hard work. example, an 8086 assembly language computer serial port. The transputer units programmer is likely to perform division used are Inmos T414s, which is best SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS by using one of that chip's two divide described as the standard transputer. Secondly, the transputer is a form of instructions; a 6502 assembly language A transputer is a microprocessor RISC chip, standing for Reduced Instruc- programmer, on the other hand, would whose mode of operation is somewhat tion Set Computer. RISC is the currently write (or steal from a book!) a division different from normal microprocessors - fashionable method of microprocessor algonthm using shifts, rotates and Inmos is bound to say fundamentally dif- design. Its followers believe that by con- mathematical operations. This does not ferent. but others see it as a matter of centrating on simplicity of design, greater imply that the 6502 is a RISC chip but it degree. Firstly, the transputer is designed speed can be achieved. Obviously this is does demonstrate that complex compu- for parallel processing; running more than true so long as the majority of instructions tations may be performed with simple one computation at the same time. This is performed in a computation are relatively instructions. done by having more than one transputer simple instructions. A RISC chip has a in your transputer system, although most small instruction set containing only a few FLOATING POINT of the software written for transputers is instructions, while chips not following the As a parallel-processing RISC chip, the effectively ignorant of the number of RISC school of thought contain a wide transputer's main boast obviously is its transputers available and will in fact run variety of built-in instructions to perform speed It is said that the latest transputer, happily m a pseudo-parallel fashion on even the most obscure functions. Here is one which incorporates a floating-point one-transputer systems such as the one not the place to say whether one method arithmetic unit on the chip (not the unit we examined. The only obvious differ- actually is better than the other, but the supplied in the K-Max). is as fast as a DEC

YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 40 tions and programs printed anywhere are enhanced by a more friendly and more going to be in Occam or in some other powerful (Gem-based, perhaps?) editor high-level language such as C for which but programmers seem able to cope with Inmos has written a compiler. The C com- most text-entry methods. piler produces Occam, too. The message The debugger is a useful tool. It allows from Inmos, in large flashing lights, is that you to examine and alter transputer mem- iim ory, disassemble transputer assembly if you intend to develop applications for uo the transputer, stay away from assembly language, run programs and fill memory language programming. Any large user of with given bytes. It does not allow single- the chip is going to follow this rule so stepping, though. learning the assembly language of the Some example source files are pro- chip may provide intellectual stimulation, vided on the distribution disk, including but it does not provide the information the inevitable Sieve of Erastothenes one really requires for development. prime number program. The sieve is writ- As yet an Occam compiler is not avail- ten using a 'virtual' algorithm, allowing it able, although Kuma plans to release a to calculate prime numbers far greater number of high-level language products than the normal sieve program using real including Occam and C in the near future. memory. Certainly this program runs fast, When these appear the programmer will but the examples aren't exactly exciting be able to use the K-Max with much A graphics demonstration would be nice, greater confidence. for example. The problem is of course that the transputer in the K-Max is not ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE implemented as a co-processor for the This is not to say that the K-Max is use- Atari's own 68000 processor, so it is less, as there is something to be gained unable to provide what we all want - a Vax 8650 supermini from learning about the chip's memory faster, more powerful ST. This may well JC- The transputer clearly is a scientific map and its basic workings. The over-rid- prove to limit its appeal in commercial m- curiosity, one which most programmers, ing factor though is that data on the terms. Die engineers and dabblers would like to get assembly language accepted by the The documentation supplied with the :or their hands on. Kuma's little plastic box transputer is very hard to come by. There unit is rather cheaply produced, complete 9e provides a relatively cheap way, as long is a little information provided in the K- with irritating lapses in spelling and gram- on as you already own an Atari ST. There are Max manual but programmers interested mar. It covers the basics of transputer de some drawbacks, though in this system are sure to want more. operation, fast serial link operation and Se The first problem can be overcome The software supplied with the system general transputer assembly-language ild simply by spending more money: a trans- consists of an assembler, debugger and programming, and it also describes the on puter development system really needs editor combined in the usual Kuma man- use of the editors, assembler and debug- nd more than one transputer unit to be use- ner. Since this is the only transputer ger. it seems to repeat itself often and 101 ful. The second problem is a little more assembler we have ever seen it is impos- undoubtedly could hold more informa- lit serious, though. To take advantage of sible to make meaningful comparisons tion. KJ- parallel processing such that the applica- with rivals. Certainly it does its job of In summary, the K-Max is potentially >le tions being processed are unaware of assembling source code into object code very educational although many users how many transputers are present. with commendable speed. The editor is a may find it rather daunting. With a better Inmos recommends programming in combination line-editor and screen editor, manual it could be useful to some deter- their own specialty-designed high-level one keypress taking you between the mined hackers, but inevitably the lack of he language. Occam. They enforce this point iwo. The screen editor limits you to Occam hinders its usefulness, especially its strongly, saying that the assembly lan- movements through the text, deletions as it cannot be used to enhance the Atari er, guage used by the chip is liable to change and insertions. All the more advanced ST's own operation. Buy it if you fancy int without notice and that the Occam com editor features, such as search and yourself in the role of white-coated mad nit piler produces code as good as hand- replace, are performed only from the line scientist, otherwise you might be better EC compiled code. All the transputer applica- editor. The package would certainly be advised to save up for an 80386 machine.

INE 1987 YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 41 r When the Amstrad was launched over two years ago it had a number of advantages over its rivals, one of which was the ability to create stereo sound. This is achieved by the use MUSIC of the programmable sound generator chip from General Instruments desig- nated AY-3-8912. This chip has 15 regis- MAESTRO Je tAdcL md,^IMSTBAD Comum, GETTING STEREO SOUND FROM THE CPC HAS BEEN DIFFICULT. WE TESTED A UNIT WHICH MADE IT EASY

• Above: All kinds of music and sound effects will sound better with the Maestro.

ters compared with the eight found on lead from the amp into the computer, they are much improved by a system the CPU so, as you can imagine, it is a plug the stereo output lead into the jack such as the Maestro. fairly complex piece of equipment. socket and finally connect the speaker For the more seriously minded, there The Amstrad has only one speaker dri- leads to the amp and away you go. are a number of utility programs on the ven by an internal amplifier, which is not The leads are |ust long enough for you market which allow you to create tunes, much use for stereo sound, but on the to position the amp away from the com- sound effects and so on. For these users, back it has a stereo output jack socket... puter, but the speaker leads are long something as good as the Maestro is }

7 great. I wonder how many people plug- enough for you to set them up where you probably a must. ged their stereo headphones or speakers want, The amplifier is well made, both At £39.95 the Maestro is not cheap, but into this socket expecting to hear their inside and out, and contains both left and given the quality of the speakers, the favourite beeps, bops and bangs in super right volume controls, a headphone jack addition of headphones and the overall stereo and heard absolutely nothing? The socket and a switch to change from finish and presentation, it has to be good internal amp drives only the internal speakers to headphones. The speakers value for money. speaker, so you need to buy a separate themselves are typical of the good quality It is worth noting that Vanguard Leisure amplifier and a pair of speakers or head- car stereo type and can be mounted at is marketing a number of tapes/disks of phones. or attempt to utilise a Hi-Fi unit. any attitude with the brackets supplied. dedicated music called Easy Listening. At Amstrad sells an amplifier/speech syn- As they are of the duel cone type, they present there are four tapes and two thesiser to complement the computer, give you an excellent response over the disks available containing such diverse but there are other systems on the mar- full frequency range. offerings as fiach's Toccata and Fugue in ket notably the Maestro from Vanguard The sound quality from the Maestro is Dm to Another one Bifes the Dust from Leisure. The Maestro unit arrived in a first class, though it is dependent upon Queen. The scores are well written and large polystyrene box. together with a the sound being generated by the com- pleasing to listen to, while the screen dis- pair of high quality 30w double cone air puter - the demo tape gives you quite a play incidental graphics. The tapes cost suspension speakers, a pair of miniature few examples of what you can expect. £6.50 and the disks £14.50. headphones and a demo tape. Setting up The difference good sound can make to a the equipment is easy and straightfor- game is amazing. Take, for instance. Sor- Vanguard Leisure Ltd, Church Row ward. You just plug the power lead from cery from Virgin or Defend or Die from Chambers, Frsnklands, Longton, Pre- the monitor into the amp, link the power Alligata. These games may be old, but ston PR45PD.

YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 42 HOTLINE 0705 210012 SPECIAL OFFER REQUIRED & SEND CHEQUE/'P.O. TOsUIZRRD OF THE NORTH ,THIMBLE HRLL PCW8256 SOFTWARE ' SCORTON,NR PRESTON^LRNCS. PR3 1RY. SANDPIPER HISOFT Oft SBC S.R.E. FOR CflTfLOQE AH) DETAILS OF FF'EE PROGRRMS Sandpiper Accounts £140 Dev Pack 80 £34:95 PLEASE TELL DC WIZARD YOUR Hflft.FUi ADDRESS t COTUTER HAKE t fU0EL| Payroll £75 Pascal £34:95 File Manager £95 •C' £34:95 ALSO STATE ItCTlO YOU tt£D TAPE.R0H OR DISK (IF DISK.C1UE SIZE ETO Accounts + Payroll £195 Knife £11:00 PRICES INCLUSIVE FOR IK ORDERS. ADO CI FOR EUROPE ANO £1.58 ELSEUCRE Integrated Accounts £195 Torch £11:00 Art in Pascal £11:00 DR PHONE(0524)791266 FOR PRICES MICRO-PRO Wordstar £40:00 LINC Wordstar Deluxe £60:00 Teach Yourself Locoscrjpt £12.95

CAXTON CAMSOFT VDU OPERATORS DO IT Integrated Accounts £149:95 here Cardbox £42 WITH A Condor One £82 Pay Roll £49:95 the Scratch Pad + £45 Cambase £49:95 nes. Touch N'Go £15 COMPACT Smart Key £39 ;ers, Integrated Accounts £185 Brain Storm £39 o is Order Processing £75 M.A.P. Nominal Ledger £75 Daybook £75 Integrated Accounts £145 Nucleus £75 Payroll £45 Sales Ledger £75 Purchase Ledger £45 Sales Invoicing £75 Sales + Invoicing £45 Purchase Ledger £75 DATARUN ANAGRAM PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS Datafile 1 £26 Sales Ledger £86:25 HERE ARNOR Keep year name in front: Purchase Ledger £86:25 Prospell £26 Stock Control £86:25 Protext £79 ACCESSORIES Makes an Idea! Gift - DISKS 8256 Wlz Card £17:00 Everybody needs a Thtngi' KAO Branded SV* DS/DD £8:95 8256 Joystick Interface £13:00 • Unique Velcro™ Fastening Unbranded 5V* DS/DD £7:95 Mouse Mat £3:95 Maxet CF2 3" Disk £24:95 Parallel Printer Splitter £42:50 JOYSTICKS DISK STORAGE BOXES Cheetah 125 + £7:95 sure Hold 50x5 Va Disks £9:95 Mach One + £12:95 s of Hold 100 x5V«Disks £14:95 Professional £17:95 J At The Thrngi creates working space out of 'thin air" Please make cheques payable to: two • Left hand or right hand versions. CAPITOL. F3. Railway Triangle.Farlington. Portsmouth, srse Hampshire. P06 1TG. • The compatible low cost PLEASE SUPPLY te in solution to the problem that rom plagues all computer users! NAME ' Don 't struggle any hngei - AODRESS and Tb« TtogmraodoBr dM«M d k hold mjt ibmu « pad ftfti tpcuily ifcipad » bt GRAB YOtm THINGINOWH! POSTCODE dis- i ^i'WJj i^-TT.^'rt to tar fov fc Itidi DAY TEL NO. t*c*t a net • wi m » we*. b«± ed m ovxhsah: ltd RRP SIGNED cost tins. Mm la aa miawd prooacn VDth In now Tt>™ PfcMB 0«M Uy ACCESS/VISA TM t aiton «t»a» k Sj» ri ft tSam bit int ud ITS Chmij So«t ilVt^Maftx kCMvfnnHQiiiCTKil'n1^ £6" All Pfic** mcfcJOT VAT and postage in tt* UK Ovtficu pieai* add CI SO IptfrJ ^tflUfO^ B TtcJeftTjCHiiif D Wind 141 9 tnOUod axe VAT Tat (Ml) MI (Ml (HUM) andPA P Wte u a at. wtao lumoip nwfca be ttrj IJIMCWBTQ wnm^iBW low wnjil r» tftuhmail Pre- AMTTHL* i7*£A T MTTBH P*OiKKT CWWTTD WOULD'.VTDC • DCAiDt tMOVOUB WTLCOXZ

7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 43 DATA SOLVED WITH THE AID OF INGENIOUS ADD-ONS THE DISABLED CAN COMMUNICATE THROUGH COMPUTERS. CAROL ATACK INVESTIGATES

Computers can bring a host of benefits to our lives. They ease communications and help us lo deal with Information quickly and efficiently but their usefulness to able- bodied people is slight compared to the advantages a computer can giv e lo people wilh certain disabilities. To highlight those possibilities, Datasolve. a Thorn-EMI company based ai Sun bury-on-Thames, has launched ihe Datasolve Award for Technological Inno- vation to Aid Cerebral Palsy Children. Cerebral palsy Is a disability caused by damage lo the brain at birth. Sufferers are unable to control muscle movements and have great and frustrating difficulties in communication. AWARENESS Margaret Fawcett, Datasolve group marketing manager, explained how fy company became Involved with raising awareness of the problems of cerebral palsy children. Datasolve Inaugurated a charity ball for the computer industry last year and it was decided to nominate a different char- A pupil from Thomas Dealrue School, Kent, learning to paint with the Photonic Wand. ily to benefit each year. Last year we raised more than E-10.000 for the Associa- work. though some Inventions have helped themselves in from of computer. Another tion for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus many people." eniry was a double-sized keyboard to fit children, through the ball and other fund- The award scheme was begun by a group over the existing one w hich would enable a raising events. This year the charity we of Datasolve employees who saw thai child with reasonable control of the hands chose was the Spastlcs Society, which there was an opportunity to provide a great to get to grips with the increased hit area works for people with cerebral palsy. We deal of help and raise awareness of the and lie much less frustrating than a sian- had decided to look for a charity approp- usefulness of computers to people with dard-slzed keyboard. riate to our industry, so that we could do cerebral palsy. Two of the entries arc already in produc- more than raise money. "We began the award scheme to encour- tion and proving their usefulness to chil- The Spastics Society seemed best as age a range of people, particularly hob- dren in schools and al home. The 4-Way there are strong links between the Society byists who may not have thought of these Games Joystick was Invented by Tony and ihe computer Industry already . People problems previously, to think of w hat can Cartwrighl of Interface Designs at wllh cerebral palsy usually have full con- be done to help the handicapped. We Guildford. It Is a simple idea to help chil- trol of one muscle group and through that wanted them to develop gadgets which dren with cerebral paisy play computer they can control a keyboard The Spastics would be of use lo a child. We want to games which require a joystick with their Society already lias a microcomputer Increase awareness." able-bodied contemporaries. It drives all officer vv ho co-ordinates work In this area. After a launch of the award scheme, standard games software on the BBC "Many people who are related to or know there were a great many enquiries from series machines, except for the few which someone with cerebral palsy have used home enthusiasts and small-scale man- demand a true analogue joystick their computing knowledge to facilitate ufacturers. Twenty-five entries were The 4-Way Games Joystick differs from that person's use of a keyboard; as the dis- received, varying in the amounls of standard models in lis rugged and stable ability is specific to the individual, each technology Involved in ihelr operation. construction. A large slick movement case tends to require an individual solu- Some were simple ideas, for example a helps those wllh limited control over limb tion so that they can sil at a computer and device to help wheelchair users to position movement to move In the proper direc- 7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 44 A pupil from Charlton Park School, London, preparing to use the 4-way Games Joystick.

approximately £100 and details can be obtained from the Photonic Wand Co on 0244 300002. These commercially-exploitable Inven- tions are examples of what Dalasolve has been seeking in competition entries. They negate the effects of a severe handicap and help the user to work or play with a com- puter In the same way as anyone else. Should any entries be suitable for develop- ment and production. Dalasolve will help entrants find a suitable manufacturer and provide marketing advice, and do every- thing possible to get the product on the market Fawcett says: There are obvious benefits to the com- pany In sponsoring this type of competi- tion, as Datasolve Is Involved In the educa- tion sector of the computer market and 11 ties with lhat. We should try to promote a social conscience. There Is a great deal of expertise among the public relating to computers and we are trying to tap that llghipen, and permits a child to use a com- We must harness the enthusiasm of hob- puter by head movement alone. The wand, byists and the Ideas on which they are w hich plugs into the analogue socket of a working should be taken up by industry. computer. Is attached to a plastic helmet We hope this initiative will have a lasting or to spectacles and acts like a pointer effect." moving the cursor round the screen as the \nother important point is the relation- child's head is moved. ship between the computer Industry and The wand can help children with severe people with cerebral palsy. Using a com- Involuntary head movements, as the closer puter Is a good way for a disabled person to they sit to the screen the greater the move- gain employment on equal terms to able- other lions. A single fire button is built into the ment necessary to move the cursor I sers bodied people. In the pasl there have been to fit lop of the slick but those who cannot man- with very limited movement can adjust the few real jobs for the severely disabled and iblea ipulate It are helped by an automatic fire system so lhat it responds to very small technology should open the opportunities lands facility brought into action by a switch at head movements. which previously have been denied them. area the base ol the |oysllck. A specially- The wand will work up lo a distance of With w ider interest and more Input from slan- designed gale gives the loystlck a fast but two metres from Ihe screen and although it the computer industry and experts at positive movement. can delect light from the screen at that dis- home, more disabled people can be helped )duc- tance 11 Is unaffected by daylight or light- to work and enjoy a hobby which does not chll* INDEPENDENCE ing. discriminate against Ihem because of their -Way Cartwright believes Ihat technology has The flexibility of the wand allows it to be communication difficulties. Tony a great deal to offer cerebral palsy chil- used by many people and It can be used The entries are being judged by a panel s at dren and would like to see more work being with a variety of programs depending on of experts. Including representatives from chll- done to help them lead independent lives. the needs of ihe user, \oung children can the Spastlcs Society They will all he on puter "It Is vital to understand the psychological use It to selecl single letters or whole display lo the industry al its charily halt at Iheir Importance lo a disabled child of being words, play computer music or paint a col- the Hilton Hotel. London on June 11. The es all able to play exactly the same games as a oured picture. Duchess of Kent. Ihe patron of the Spastlcs BBC brother or sister and not being excluded on Older and more proflclenl users can, Society, will attend. vhich Ihe basis of handicap," he says. with the addition of keyboard emulation The winner will he presented with a The joystick Is already available from software, run commercial programs with- Thorn-KMI Liberator, a laptop model Interface Designs at a cost of £60.40. The out modification. Including word proces- which Dalasolve believes would be uselul company can be contacted on 0483 32909. sing programs That Is done through Ihe to anyone with an Interest In computing. The second of ihe designs already in pro- use of Special alphabetic displays on the Although this competition is a one-off, next duction Is the I'hotonic Wand. It Is an opti- screen which enable ihe user to select year's charity should receive similar cal sensor, a long-distance version of a commands or letters. The wand Is sold for innovative support.

7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 45 r

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46 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987

MM r

Atari naturally enough chose Jack Tramiel, Atari's the Atari Show, held in London Chairman explained the from April 24-26. to launch decision to move into this part their numerous new models in of the market; "We aim to the UK market. Delivery and cover the total spectrum of THE 1987 ATARI SHOW MERITED A prices for the two versions of business and we are now fully VISIT FROM JACK TRAMIEL. OUR the PC. the Atari SLM laser equipped to do this. People printer and the Mega ST were want an IBM clone because REPORTERS WERE ALSO THERE announced by the National it's what they have in their Sales manager. office. If they want to buy The entry level Atari PC will them we are going to make be available in June. The 512K computer will support EGA and CGA graphics modes without the need for add-on cards and will cost £399.95 without a monitor or £499.95 with. The system features an them. It's not something I'm 8088 microprocessor with a SHOWINvery proud of." G OUT switchable clock speed of Perhaps the mnost exciting 4.77Mhz or 8Mhz. It is of the new products was the expandable to 640K plus 640K laser printer for the Mega ST. screen RAM. Sockets are It will be available from June provided for an 8087 maths as will details of its price co-processor, and there is a which, it seems, is yet to be parallel printer interface and decided. However when the an RS232C port for modems printer does arrive it will print and other serial devices. eight A4 pages a minute at a resolution of 300 dots per AVAILABILITY inch. This means that a 1 mm square contains 140 points. // f 'i '{'<'*%',•.',•<.. •••»'.. A single floppy disk drive is The printer uses the DMA standard, though there is the interface on the ST. option of fitting a second one, The Mega ST itself is to be and a mouse is also provided. sold in two versions. The 2MB • Above: the entry level Atari PC is compact, offers built-in The expandable system will version will cost £999.95 and graphic modes and is available very soon. be ready in July. With a twin the 4MB version £1299.95. floppy dnve it will cost Open architecture design will top publishing unit though However the variety and £599.95 and with a 20Mbyte make expansion easy, and it assessment of the system quality of programs currently hard disk drive the price goes will be compatible with must await the announcement being developed or adapted up to £999.95. In addition to existing ST software. Ports for of the printer's price. Atari are for the ST will provide plenty the features it shares with the modems, printers and MIDI also keen to promote the of choice for the business or entry level model five are standard and the music music capabilities of the serious home user. One expansion slots to house features are quite impressive. various versions of the ST. example of the products on industry standard expansion The Mega ST and SLM laser Apart from the product offer is Precision Software's cards are included. printer together form a desk launches (which included a Superbase, an easily games machine, the £89.95 manipulated relational XE) the show includes an array database system with a useful of software which is quite picture/text library. astonishing. Both business The hardware launches and and entertainment uses are software displays at the Atari being vigorously pushed. Show were one thing but the Activision, US Gold and Atari executives themselves Rainbird were among the were most keen to show the companies showing games regeneration of their company. and Rainbird's Guild of Jack Tramiel. who had flown Thieves adventure was one of over for the occasion, the more interesting and glowingly praised UK Head colourful. Bob Gleadow for his work and The business and non- a justifiable air of self games packages shown were congratulation could be all touted as making good use detected. The company's of the ST's graphics turnaround is at least capabilities and it can no impressive with an 81.8 per longer be said that the only cent increase in sales from good software for the 1985 to 1986. and although machine is games based. 1si they refused to disclose Word Plus would be enough in precise figures relating to their itself to refute this, with performance in the UK market numerous small the long-term outlook is very • Above: the price of this printer remains a mystery. improvements. positive.

YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 47 1987 ADVENTURE

not worth the effort involved. We will have BUILDINThis month Pele to assumeG that adventur e game playei can spell. Gerrard explains Since we are producing a lext-only ganw we want lo be able to store as much text as Ihe art of text possible tn memory, to give the player thr Impresslon lhal lie is using a large, well- compression in thought-out program. That is not particu- larly easy to do on most home computers adventure Some have large amounts of memory and will not need to compress text, although writing any adventure game gains by having more for the player to read while he is playing the game. We finished last month's look at parsers Other home computers have large with some homework. It entailed trying to amounts of memory tucked away some- find some way in which we could Introduce where which can be accessed and used to a spelling checker into the main hody of the store some room descriptions without eat- parser listing and thus correct any errors ing Into our Basic memory. Others have the adventure player might make when not. typing-in instructions. It is hoped that you One could store all the text on disk and tried to produce such a routine and If you produce a game. Infocom-style. which did you probably reached the same conclu- reads all its room descriptions and mes- sion I did - that it is absolutely impossible. sages from a series of disk files, freeing the Well, perhaps not - |ust very difficult, main RAM of the computer to cope with ihe that Is all \ simple ( heck in last month's game and not worry about using vast por- listing could look for the presence of the tions of memory lo prlni-out a message word hte' and re-translate that as the', which may be seen only once by the player. since there is no such word In the Knglish Our brief Is lo produce a stand-alone language as hte' and one must assume game, so disk drives are ruled out. We can- that the player really meant to type-in the not be machine-specific, so there should word the'. That occupied part of line -1018 he no PKKKIng behlng the ROMs lo store and all of line-1700, data that way We cannot assume lhat the Similar amendments lo Ihe listing could computer has a massive amount of RAM to be made and would allow us to check for play with In the first place, so that leaves other possible typing errors on the part of us with the problem of having literally to the player hut. as well as being time-con- compress text. sumlng. ll would also use a good deal of When you see the word simple, ears memory, a precious commodity to the prick up - it will all he easy this month. adventure game writer, \part from thai, Wrong. Simple methods might be simple the only sensible way would be lo look ai but they are nol very good and tend to be thai part of the program which checks to very adventure-specific. Whal we are try- see whether a non-recognised noun, for ing to do is to produce a generalised lext instance, is a recognised verb, tn which compressor which will work on any adven- case the program would inform the player ture you might write and will be relatively lhat ll had recognised the word but not In easy lo transport from one computer to the context the player w anted to use it, another - as in BBC to Commodore <>1. We could have a cross-referenced llsl of rather than |usl from one Amstrad PC to words stored in a two-dimensional array, another Amstrad PC. WORDS say. so thai if a non-recognised Let us look at something straightfor- w ord - OPNK' for example - was found as ward. Most location descriptions In adven- part of WORDS(2l.1). then \\OKI)S(2l ture games tend to start with the words could contain the word "OPEN' and Inserl Vou are In a', or 'You have entered' or 'Vou lhat in the place of the spelling mistake. have arrived at', or something reasonably Thai would Involve going through the similar I low about hav ing a set of phrases whole parser again lo try lo analyse the stored aw ay as a separate array which can sentence with lis spelling mistake cor- be called up every time a certain symbol is rected and so. on the whole. It Is probably met? Like, for example, ihis:

48 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1387 # Figure 1 10 A* < I) You have arrived at a": AS <2) «*" You are standing in a" 20 REM get on with game for a bit. 1210 REM room description one comes here. 1211 ZS»" 1 wooden door. which is an integral part of a wooden house."sGOSUB 1900iRETURN 1220 REM room description two cones here, 1221 Z»-"2 large hole in the ground. with your fset immersed in something stickily horrib1e."tGQSUB190<» RETURN 1230 REM get on with game for a bit. 1900 FORI 3 ITQLEN(Z*) 1902 A»=MID» SG0T01906 1903 IFAS—"2"THENPRIN fA*(2> :GOTO1906 1904 REM a f*w more A*= 1905 PR INTA* 1906 NEXT:RETURN

Not only does this take up a large w hich once occupied 18k is now reduced to others are off. byte 1024 would contain the amount of memory - if used judicially ii something a Utile over I IK -an extra 7k for value 1 If bit one was on and all the rest can save you a reasonable amount as well code, which Is not lo be sneezed ai. Twice were off, the same byte would contain the - It lias the effect of making the resultant Ihe memory Yic-20 had when ll was value 2. If bit three were on and Ihe rest printout took very |erky. to say the least. introduced, merely by running the Cerrard were off, the value 8 would be stored there. Most computers have a number of charac- text compressor. That is progress. If bits four and five were on and Ihe rest ters stored in memory which are not There are. however, a number of prob- were off. the value of 48 (16+32) would be accessed easily from the keyboard and lems attached. Chief among ihem is that stored Ihere. By adding all the numbers anyway adventure location descriptions we cannot use numeric or graphic charac- you reach the value of 255. which means usually need only the letters of the ters and Instead are restricted lo letters of that when all eighl bits are turned on the alphabet, a few punctuation statements, the alphabet - upper- and lower-case, of value of 255 is stored in byte 1024. Thus and possibly - hut not very often - num- course - spaces, commas, full stops, quo- 256 values can be stored in any one byte, bers as well. tation marks and apostrophes. Thai since 255 numbers allow s us to store 255 Consequently It is usually easy enough should, of course, be sufficient lo cater for values plus one for w hen every bit is turned lo find a collection of 64 or so characters, all possible needs and If you want lo use off and the byte contains the value of zero. noi pari of the previously-mentioned lot. anything else In your descriptions you have So w e can store any one of 256 numbers whose ASCII values are consecutive. Say. to change the routine yourself. The great In any one byte. How many characters is for example, characters 160 lo 223 - fairly advantage of using it. however, apart from Ihe average home computer capable oi dis- common, those. So If Instead of line IJ)02 I lie memory saving. Is that one line is used playing on the screen, regardless of differ- checking for AS It could check for the ASCII to print-out all room descriptions, wher- ent colours and user-defined characters? value of AS, and If it fell between 160 and ever the player happens lo be - or mes- By an amazing coincidence. 256. With how 223 define a variable \ to equal ASCII sages for that matter. Say the variable CP many bits can a high-resolution Spectrum VALUK-160 and print \S(A). having pre- contains the current location. To print the screen cope horizontally? Again. 256. So determined what the 64 strings in \S() will location description which corresponds lo when you store your location description be. location CP we: somewhere in memory, so far as the com- Thai can save memory bul requires POKE 5I967.CP:SVS51968 puter Is concerned you could be sioring plenty of care to get the printout speed At least, that POKE and SYS work on ihe any one of 256 characters In every location looking correct and also requires time version as Implemented on the Commo- of memory. and so one byte is used lo store and patience to gel Ihe descriptions to be dore 64. Other machines will be covered each character. spaced properly on the screen. I nless you later, w hen we gel dow n lo specifics. tt hai if w e were lo dispense with certain wan I to write a inlerrupt-drivcn word- First, how does it work? Most of ihe characters, so that the computer had to wrap routine you will be better doing ihls computers in ihe realms of the 1 our Com- worry about only, say, 128 of them? No kind ol thing by trial and error - printing puter readership are what is known as 8- reverse field characters, for Instance, the description on the screen and adding blt computers. Larger business machines which gets rid of 128 straight away. Could or deleting characters until it all fits into fall into the 16-hii group, while some can we now store two characters in every one place. be described only as 2-bit We devote our- byte, since we have only 128 different The problem, however. Is something selves to 8-bli computers now . Being an 8- ones to worry about and any one byte can rather more than being a little awkward lo bil machine. Chat means that In any one store 256 values? Sadly noL as I shall use. II is very adventure-specific; few byte a computer is capable of addressing explain. adventures sel in the Wild West will have any one or 256 numbers. Say the character V has the value of 65 anything in common with adventures set in One byte in an 8-bit computer consists and the character T the value of 20. If we Sherlock Holmes territory , to pick two dif- of eight bits, and lhal. amazingly enough, POKKd an 85 Into location 1024. would fering types of adventure ai random. is why they are called 8-bit computers. that not tell us that one character with the Moreover, if you decide to dive into the One byte Is also ihe amount (if memory value 65 and one vvlih the value 20 are now murky waters of machine code and do all of occupied by any one character, like the let- stored there? Think about ll - it does nol. Ihe foregoing in 6502 code or whatever, ter A', the number '7'. the symbol and so The number 85 could be made up of any you will have a good deal of work lo do on. We can spill our one byte Into Its com- combination of two characters, like 40 and every time you want to sel up a new collec- ponent elghl bits like this: 45,21 and 64.4 and 81. and so on There Is tion of phrases for a new adventure. • Figure 2 How much better 11 would be If we could devise a routine which will work for any adventure and w lilch w ill consistently save Bit number 7 6 S A 3 n 1 0 more space than that rather long-winded Value 128 064 032 016 008 004 002 001 procedure. The answer will be revealed soon. It will give us a typical memory sav- ing ol about 35-40 per cent, which is one Each bit can be either on or off: there are cuit is either on or oil and so Is a bit. If bil way of saying thai room descriptions only two ways about ii An electric cir- zero ol byte 1024. say. Is on and all Ihe

YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 49 10 K£H VOUR COMPUTER PG 13/4/U7 20 X»-0«»<34>iftl*»0#**TL8) iR2*-CHR»«146>iF0RI« 1T01«|C0«-CD»*CHR» (1 7) I«1T Figure 3 30 POKE33.0iP(KE36,96lA-1024iii*33296 40 C0«-CHHt(144> iCR»-0«»<29) *C>«t (29) 30 POKE 33281,7iP0K£33280.9iPRINTChft»(147)CMft«< 144>Q#t«(14)| ADVENTURE 60 F0RI»OT039l POKEA* I ,2BlP0KEb*[ , Ol T I FCiRl-I T 023i POKEA*1140,28lPOKES* t(40,0 TO POKEA+39+1140, 2Bi POKEB+39* U40, OiNEX TiFORI-O T039iPOKEft*960*I,28 BUILDING BO F-0KE8*960+l,0lNEXT 90 PRIMTTA8(3l)Rl«"¥our Ccwputmr"K2« 100 P#INTlPRlNT(PRlNTCWErU»r room description.

ttO PRINTCR»-R«vi»« rso* HtkLription.,*R1»-(2>" 120 PRlNTCRS'Ouit •Ri«-(3I- 130 POKE 198,0 140 GCTAtiJFA4---THEN140 ISO IFA»--3"Tt*.N420 160 IF1"TH£N270 170 1FA»O*2"TmEN140 ISO PRINT iPRINTi PRlNTCR*"£ntar roo* nuabtr *| 190 POKEl98,OlR»--- 200 GETA*i 1FA4---TKN200 210 A-AfiC(A»> I IF(A<4aQRA>37)AN0A< >2(*WM< ;l2ThtH 200 220 R»LEN(R»)i IFA-13ANDRTtCNPRlNTR2»|iG0T0360 230 IFA-20W4DH THENR4-LEFT* - I > i PRINT A* I JPQKEI662, 32IP0KEI663, 28i{«0T0200 240 1FA-20TMEN200 230 IFLEM-- 290 GETA»iIFA»-""THEN290 300 A-ASC(A»>ilF(A<4BaAA>37>AMM<..>20ANOA<>l3TteN 290 310 R-LEN < R*) i IF A" 1 3ANDRT«NPR 1NTR2* 1100T0390 320 IFA-20ANORTHENR«-L£FT»-1) l PR I NT A» » t POKE 1 662, 32i POKE 1663, 28I&OT0290 330 IFA-20THEN290 340 IFLEN(R4)"2TMEN2VO 330 R«*R«*A»lPRINTRlftA*|I00T0290 360 R-VM.IR4) 370 JFR>640ftR-OTM£N3O 380 R*R-llP0K£3197*,RtRWt*li8VS31968iaOSU»660l00 T0490 390 R«VAL 400 IFR>640RR«0THEN30 410 ft-R~liP0KE31967,R(R>ff»l |SY631968|QOT0470 420PRINTtPRINTCft»HAr« you lurt *460 440 IFA4--N-TWN30 430 00T0430 460 PR I NTOtfCt C 1471 | I END 470 PRINTCHR«<147>| 480 PRINTCHW114) | 490 PRINT I PRINTCMR4 (19)LEFT4ICD4, 10)R1 *| i FORh^l T 040i PRINT * " | t NEXTMlPR1NTCHR4 < 19) | 300 PR1NTCHR4<19)LEFT*(CD*,121-ftoo* nuabw "Rlt| RJCHR* 11321'.-CMKFTL 1*11 310 fRlNTOM<19)l_EFT»R2**To cHdrtiiCK 1»* )"R2»|0«»( 191 | 320 GETA*i1FA4---THEN320 330 tFA*>*)"THEN610 340 IFA*--."ORAt--.-QRA»-'*-0RA6-- '0RA4-CHR4(34 ITNDtMO 330 A»A6C t IF tA>64ANDA<9l 10R 192AN0A< 218) TM EN600 360 IFA»«CHR*(20)TKMPRINTA*| IOOT0320 370 lFAMCHR«tl3)THEMPRlNTA*| I00T0320 380 IFA«-0*Uf 17)0AA**Cr«*(14S)aAA*-CK*t4<29)0R*« -CHR • (13 71 0RA»*CHR« < 19) THCN600 390 Q0T0320 600 PR INTA*|I80T0320 610 SVS3S77* 620 00&U8660iPRINTC»«*<19>LEFT»«»(19)1.EFT41C0». 12>-Rom nu«t)»r "RL*i

no way of knowing which two numbers In the range 0-16 can be stored In one byte. originally went into making up lhat There Is only one problem. There are 26 number of 8f>. letters in the alphabet and by using the If you study the diagram of how a byte is range 0-16 we have confined ourselves to made up. you w ill see why. Look at the bits having room descriptions which use only which have to be turned on to make the characters In ihe range A-Q. That, as you number 85. Unfortunately, it is not possi- might Image, la a llaalc hia annoaing ao ble to store two separate numbers with aoa ahe Icaaa. Replacing anything later values of anything up to 128 and then later with a V with an a" Is not very productive. distinguish Ihose two numbers from any Twenty-six letters of ihe alphabet, plus a other two numbers. space, four punctuation marks and if we used only numbers 0-16 we could another character lo Indicate whether the do it. Sixteen times Mi equals 256, which Is letter concerned Is an upper-case or a what we can store In one Inte. remember? lower-case one. gives us 32 symbols lo So if w e multiply our first number by Hi it is play with. The numbers 0-32 cannot be stored in (lie left-most four bits of the byte. stored in one byte and sllll enable us lo dis- Add our second number, w hich Is stored in tinguish combinations of numbers but if the right-most four bits of the byte and you we spread our information over a number see how two separate numbers with values of bytes we can then selectively take five 7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 50 R|CMR4ll37l -.•|R29|CHR9< l lA4-HID4 I 1FLEN (A4>-1 THtNA4- ' J40 BATAI22, 123,124,123, 12*, 127, 1 aa, 1 2*, 130, 131 0"+A9 330 DATA 132.133.134, 133, 13*. 137. IN, 19*. 140, 141 720 RETURN 3*0 DATAI42,141, 144,143, 14*, 147, 14a, I**, 1*0, 191 750 PKINTiPRINTPrMB "R t SPACE-R24" to continu 370 0ATAI92, IH, IM. 193, 13*. 137, 134. 13* a. " 400 DATAI*2.0, IB*.120,9,32,0.200,233,1 740 POKE198,0 410 0AIAI33.0,1*3, 200,332,1*2,*,*•,934. 33 420 D*T4*0,200,Z9*,IB*,0,1*9,10, 10.10, 1*1 730 GETABi 1FA4<>" "TMtN750 430 DATA291, 149,232, 1*4,0,149,41.IB, 74,74 7*0 PftJNTCwftf<147111 RETURN 440 0*1*104, 233, 1*4,193,235, **, 200, IB*,0, 1*9 490 0*T*4I,1. 10, 10, 10, 10,10,10, 141,293 4*0 DATAI*9, 232, IB*. 0. 1*9, 10. 104. 231. l*a, 141 470 0*1*293,149,212, IB*.0,1*9,41,14,74,74 • Figure 4 4B0 0ATA74, 74,104, 293, 1*4, 193, 233,**, 200. IV* 4*0 0ATA0, 149,41,19, 10, 10, 10, 10, 141,203 Character Meaning 900 0ATAI4B, 232, 1*4,0.1*9,41, 30, 74, 104,2*3 910 0ATAI4B, 133,229,44,200.234, 18*.0,1*9.41 CHR*(34) Quotation marks 330 DATA 1,10, 10, 10, 10.10,10,10, 141, (91 S30 DATA1M.ZI2, 144,0,1*9. 10, 10, 104,233, 149 CHR*(19) Reverse field on 340 0ATA141, 291. 14a, 232, 144,0, 1*9, 41, 24,74 390 DATA74, 74,10*, 1*3, 1*4, 193, 239,4*,200, 144 CHR*(146) Reverse field off 9*0 IATA0, 1*4,41.7,44, I*,**,44.-14,441 CHR*(17) Move cursor down one line 970 DATA293, 144,212, 144,0, 149,104,293, 149,193 340 D*T*239,*4, 200,234, 234, 234, 234,140.94. 200 CHR*(144) Turn print colour to black 9*0 DATA172,293.144,200,300,200,200.300,140,293 *00 OAT* i **, 142, 240, 240, 19,140. 44, 144, 140,9* CHR*(29) Move cursor right one character »I0 OAT* 14*, 140, 112,1*4, 140, 19*, 144, 1*0. IBO, 144 CHR*(14) Switch to upper/lower, case mode *20 DATAIAO.O,1*0.44, JOO. 32, **. 200, 173,299 *30 aAT*t**.20l,240,240,3.7*.0,144,234,234 A=1024 Start of screen memory *40 DATA4*. 234. 234. 234, 234, 234, 234,234,214, 234 *90 0ATA234,234,214,214,234.340,201.33,240,29 B»35296 Start of screen colour memory **0 DATA201,44,340,27,201, 4*, 2*0, 2*. 201, 9* POKE19810 Empty keyboard buffer *70 DATA 240,29.201.34,240,24,201,27.4a,24 4*0 D*TA20l,*4,l*,23, 1*4,30,**,234, 1*4,27 48-57 ASCII values of numerals **0 D*TA**,l**,2a,**. I4*,3*,*4, l**,3l,«* 20 ASCII value of delete one character 700 0*TAl**.3O,**,334,106,1,«*,!**, 31, 193 710 DATAO, 1*9, ••*, 129,9,233,•4,200,193,0 13 ASCII valu* of RETURN or ENTER 720 D*T*I*9,4*. 120,120, 120,120. 120.234,234,234 730 DATA234, 234,234, 234,234, 234, 202, 234, 234, 140 32 ASCII value of space 740 OATAO.142, 1,144, 1*2,0,4*. 120, 120,120 CHR*(147) Clear the screen display 790 CATAI20,120,173.294,200. 104,1,144,141.294 7*0 DATA200, 1*2,0, 142, 1,144, 17*. 1*. 170.142 CHR*(19) Move cursor to top left of screen 770 OA1*3,14*.142,97,200,1*2,9,142.4,1*4 790 DATA142,BB,200,44.1*2,9,142,120,200,170 65-90 ASCII values of lower case letters 740 DATA7*.113,200,24,214,190,219,70,103,40 193-218 ASCII values of upper case letters BOO BATA334,234,334,234,234,234,234,234,214,224 BIO 9ATA234, 234,234, 234, 234,234, 234, 234.234, 234 CHR*(143) Move cursor up one line •20 BATA234.I34, 234, 234.234,234, 234,234. 294, 234 B» 4ATA234, 234, 234, 234,214, 214, 234,234, 234, 234 CHR*(157) Move cursor left one character •40 BATA234,234,234,234,234,234,234,234,234,294 BOO 9*7*234,234,234.234,234.214,234,234,294,294 B*0 DA1A234, 234, 234, 234, 234,214, 234,234,214,234 a70 BATA234,234,234,214,214,234,214,234,234,234 • Figure 5 •40 MTA234,234.234,234,234,234,234,234.234,234 •*Ci D*T«234. 234,234, 234.234, 234,234,234, 234,234 LOAM* MHMMtfl 400 DATA234,234,234,234,234,234,234,234,214,234 N.II1 410 DATA12S,1*2,0,144,0,44,41, 24a.74,74 3 DinB,ci2>.ai2),D TO DAT474,234, l*a, 1*9. 32, 202.12.240,201,19* 10 niAOfciIJ,(<1>,at2l ,C l3l,»ll),»tZ>irOMIMtM. 43C OATAO, 44,41,7,10,10,141,299.201,232 •MMUiiim 4*0 B*T»IB*,0.44.*1, 142, 74,74,94,74, >4 ao wi 490 9ATA74.104.299,301,1*B.IB9.12.202,12,340 23 a-o 4*0 4ATA201,1*4,0,44,41.42,74. 1*«, IBB,12 lO rOMJ^I 1ITOC 111 470 DATA202, 33, 240, 201, IB*,0,44,41, 1,10 13 MAMIM^IWIJi A *ao BATAIO, 10,10,141,290, 201,212. I**.0.44 40 MIT 4*0 BATM1,<40.74.74. 74, 74.104,293.201, 1*4 43 irXMII)Tt«>MtlNT-Lln*l 200-370 Incarract.* IOOO BATAKO, 32, 902. 32,240,301, 1*4,0,44, 41 • CMC 1010 BATA19,10.141.29«.201.212, IB4,0,44,41 •1 ntlNCLiw 900-VO carrKl.' 10JO DATAI29,74,74,74,74.74,74,74,104,290 *J a-c, L-oIr-b 1010 DATA201,1*4, IBB. 12, 202,12, 240, 201, 1B*,0 •a FOKJ-a in Tea; Ui 1040 0ATA44.4I,124, 74.74. I4«,1BB.13, JD2.S2 3* ira/ioo>iHTTt«Maaaua«b 1090 BA1A240, 201, 194,0,44,41,9,10. 10,10 ao waiii a >iwmj.»i1>i« 1040 CATAI41,299.201,233,144,0,44,41,224,74 *3 •«>> 1070 DATA74,74, 74, 74,144, 299, 201, 1*4, IB3, 32 ** IF<< >*43*TX1*-*1NT'LI*** 1200-11B0 incorraci 10*0 MTA362,12,940,201,1*4,0,44,41,31. 14* .'•CMC 1040 DATA1B3.12,202,32,2*0, 201,224,214,340, 4 ro iraoeiiincjmiNT-iMta imr-tiat.*iM 1100 DATA232,7*, t,901,4*,2I4.234.234,134, 234 10 MINT'tt1 U xlrM cvKtli.'ilw 1110 MTA234.234, 234.234, 234, 234.234.234. 234.234 ao II J< M1IP« I 1 TW«WHT-L|Wtl|tO.tK<'--ril0t 1120 9ATAI72,394, 901, 1*2,1, 240,4, 93,310,299 •4*0" incarracl. 'iDtt I 110 9AT***, 1*0,0,140,294.301,109, 127,7*.219 *l FUlWfL IW TlUDiW-'f >100 »*40' ur'Kt.* 1140 OAT A201.214, 234. 314, 234,234. 234, 234, 234, 234 *2 11 l-o> wtlpw 1190 9ATA234,234, 74,OO, 202, 234,214, 334, 234, 234 ioo r ii-iT.T 1.•.*irir .nui.irr' 11*0 DATA234,214,234,234, 234.44,0,24, IBB,12 MO B4TA1 1340. 117B2, 1473*. I jaia, 1123*, 12Ba*.123* 1170 DATA202,201,44, 240,4, 7*, 209, 301,4*, 141 *, 1 tou HBO 0AT*293,2Ol, 1*0.1.140,294.201. 4*, 234. 234 200 •AT«a7,2*a,2ta,24«,aY,24a,a7>2«a,«7l23D 1140 DATA234,234.334.234,234,214,334.334,234,234 2io aAT*s7,t«a,aT,2*a,«7,2*«,a7, 1*4.219,>44 1200 MTA*3,**,*7,*«,**.70,71.73, 73,74 220 bata«7, na, a?,»*a,e7, ?4a,B7.120,47,2** 1210 DATA79, 7*, 77, 79, 74,90, B1,B2,B3, 84 230 a*T*«7, Ma,a?.244.e7,2*a.aT,>t«.er,)M »*20 **IAM,«*.B».BB,**,40, 12,44,4*, >4 240 bata*7,290.97,24*,a7,2*a.a7,m.o.i 1210 DATA!*, *4, 1*2,0, 1*0,4, 142, 44, 144, 142 »3o 4*TA|74.I»0. 303, ir», *4,»o3, 141,49, I4*.i4i 1240 DATA**,144.142,112, 14*.143,19*.1*4,1*3,190 2*0 **TA*7. 1*4,141, 113,1**,141,197,1*4,141,191 1390 D*TAI44. 142,94,200. 142,3,144, 143,97,200 no MiAtaa. 141,3.201,141.1*,201,141,30.201 12*0 0ATAI4O.4, 144,140,34. 200, 142, 1, 144,142 24u BATAI41,91,201,141,*4,301,141,77,201, 141 1270 BATA294.200. 140, 120,200,143,299,144,1*0,0 2*0 OAT***,201,141,to*,201,141,13*.JOl,141,1*2 12*0 DATA7*,0,1*4 300 DATA201,141, 134, 201, 141,1 74, >01, **, 2*9, 0 310 B*TA293,0,233,a,4*,4?,4a.«*, 100, lOI 320 D*TA102,103, 104,100, Id*. 107, 10*, 10*. 110, III 3JO B*TA1I3,II1, 114,113. 11*. 117,1 IB, 11*. ISO. 121

consecutive bits from each byte and use want to recall ll. another machine code course; others to follow. them in turn, since five bits are the number routine will re-convert everything to nor- Given the following table, you should be required lo give us a value in the range 0 to mal and display our location description as able to convert it to run on any home com- 31. or 32 different numbers. it was first typcd-ln. but now occupying puter. Now all we have to do ts write a machine somewhat less than two-thirds of its origi- So much for \merlean Standard Code code routine which translates what is nal amount of memory. for Information Interchange. It is like try- found on the screen and decodes it so that This sadly machine-specific Basic ing lo fit a spare Ford Kscorl engine Into eight bytes - or characters on the screen - routine allows you to enter your descrip- something which Nigel Mansell might use are now translated into five bytes' worth of tions and (lien stores them in memory for to do better than he did in the Brazilian information: and reads five bytes of infor- later recall. Vou will need to save them to Grand Prix. Line 30. by the w ay. low ers the mation from memory and re-converts it disk or tape using an assembler, monitor, lop of Basic memory on the 64 lo allow us into eight characters again. or whatever. To go mad. you will need to to use I6K up at the lop without interfering II you have just been dazed and con- save memory from $6000 to S9FFF If you with anything else. Ise IIIMKM. or what- fused. do nol worry To put il basically, we use Ihe maximum allowed 64 room ever commands your computer might will read In our location descriptions, descriptions, each of which, when con- have, instead. typed-ln normally on ihe screen, in groups densed, occupies a maximum or 256 bytes If you look at lines 380.610 and 670. you of eight bytes or characters. A machine In memory-around 380-390characters of will see three SYS calls to machine code code routine will take care of everything uncondensed location description. Those routines These machine code routines are and store the data in memory. When we figures apply only to a Commodore 64. of listed - Commodore 64 only:

INE 1987 YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 51 •ASIC COMPRESSION H.IST 3 PR I NT CHR4(147)|lREM CLEAR THE SCREEN 6 PRINTCHR9M4)|IBEH OCT UPPER/LOWER CR8E m' to PRINT-Vou ara walking along a duaty, dirty" 12 PRINT-trail tiwtrdi tha cantra at town. To" 13 PRINT-tha mouth, batund you, thara la nothin g" 14 PRtNT'but roCka and wilOarnaaa, land not lit Figure 6 m 13 PR 1 NT - 4 or aan nor baaat, a van you. To Uw' lo PR INT "r>or th, hoMrtr, la tha town, hOH of• 17 PRlMT'aaloona and goal tlM gala, liquor and

IB PRINT-14 you mvmr «aka tt that «ar, a bank a a- IV PRINT-H*U. THIa la your aourca monmy. Oofor It.* 20 I-I*XIX-OI IFI>3*7TWEN100 21 0-01 FORJ-OTOO*7 22 B-0 23 A-PEEK< 1024•!•,)> 26 IF lA>0ANE*K27>T«N40iREM UOtCR CASE LETTER 28 IFA-32THENA-27iU0TO4OiREN SPACE 30 IFA*44Tf«NA-28l80TD40lREN COMMA 32 IFA-4*T>CN*-29ie0TQ40>R£N FULL STOP 33 1FA-34TXNA-30IBOT040IREN QUOTES 34 lFA»39T«NA'3WaOT040lREH APOSTROPHE 33 ]FlA>*4AN0A<9l)T>CNA-A-*4i»aliGOTO4OlREI1 UPP ER CASE LETTER 3* PR INT i PRINT "Char act ar not valid. Ra-antar t a« t."iENO C 40 IfB-l ANOO-7ThfcK»-0 41 A-A-l•AlQ)-AiIFB-lTHENA~31lAI0+l1-AiO-O-I 42 *-*•! lO-O-lt IFO-STHEN46 43 NEXTJ 46 A-A(O) *BiB-(AAM>2S>/4iA»A*BiP0KE49**4«R, A 47 Aa(AAM03>l*4i»-A(2>l2 48 C'«A(3>AN01*)/l*aA»A*B+ClP0KE49**3*P>A 49 A-(A<3> ANSI*) /!*•»• (A<4>AHD30)/2lA«A*»tP0KE4 9*64.*P,A 30 A- (A (4 I AN01 >ll?Sl ft-A13H4iC» AMD24> 31 A-A*B*CIP0KE496*7*P,A 32 A-(A < * I AND7)•32•B-A I 7 »IA-A*B IP0KE4966S *f,A 33 P-P*3 34 80T020 100 PRINTCHR4II47>|lKEN CLEAR SCREEN 102 :*--A8CDEF0MIJKLfM)POR8TUVMXYZ , .-*CHR« <34t •

104 I-OiP-233 10* FDRI-0T04I A< 1 (-PEEK <4 IFCXT I0« A»(A(4>AND24SI/0IQO8UB12O 109 A*(A<3>AND192)/*4IB»(A<4>AND7> MI A-A*BI OOBUB 120 110 A»(At3>ANO*2>/2iOOSUBL20 111 A-IA<2tAN0240)/161< A (31 AND I1• tti A-**Bi OOMJ • 120 112 A"(Alt*AND128)/1201(A(2)AND13>f2lA—A-BiHO® US 120 113 A« (ALL) AND 1 241 / 4 ( QOSU9120 114 A»(A(0)AN0224)/32l»-(A<1)NH03I«0iA-A*BiOOSUB 120 113 A»A(0)AMD31i008UBI20 11* t-Ii^, IFKPTHCMM* llfl ENO 120 A«A»1 121 IFA-32THENX-1IBOTQ1Z3 122 IFX-lTHENV-ABCmID»CI*,A, t»l >V"V+I28|PRINTCH R»(V)|l*-Ol0OTO123 123 PRlNTniMIIA.A, 1)| 123 RETURN

ll works and If you have an assembler or Compared to the Commodore 64 gives you 64 descriptions, each of a disassembler you wilt be able to take It to machine code version Ihls runs like a dis- maximum of about 380 characters which, pieces and see precisely how it fits ease-riddled snail bul at least it works. II is when compressed, will occupy some 250 together. If you have not or do not have a also much easier to convert for other com- characters each - reasonable saving. Commodore 64 but still want lo use the puters. The printout on the screen is pleas- There is plenty of theory bul not much routine, here is the same thing in Basic, ant. as il is done at a fast enough speed lo work this month, so your homework must vv hich w ill do the same thing but, of course, keep the Interest ol the player without be to understand Ihe theory behind the text at a much slower rate: being so fast as to be Illegible - as If writ- compression technique. When you do. This is much easier to adapl for other ten by an Invisible hand, as someone once Commodore 64 ow ners can relax secure In machines and If you do not understand described il. ihe knowledge lhat all they have to do by about truth tables. \M)s and ORs. I fear Both this Basic and the earlier machine the time nexl month's Your Computer that Is a little beyond Ihe scope of this arti- code program work In the same way. Take appears Is to enter the 64 room location cle. There are plenty of books on Ihe sub- a string of characters - Z$ in the Basic descriptions. The remainder can either fed. so unfortunately you will have to in- program. |ust a collection of 32 consecu- live with the slowness of ihe compression content with the fact that il works. tive bytes in the machine code one - find technique - w hich, after all. only you will Anyway, back lo conversion. All you the values of the elght/flve-byte decoding see: the person playing the game will see need to know are the position of the top and recoiling, and print the appropriate the resultant printout, or try dabbling in left-hand corner of the screen in memory - character. machine code. location 1024 on the Commodore 64. as I se the program headed Demonstration Having squeezed our quart of text into a used In line - the \SCII values of charac- Model to enter your location descriptions, plnl of memory, next monlh we will stari ters as spelt out in lines 26-35. and lo lind up to a maximum of 64 as noted. On the building the vocabulary of the game and somewhere safe in memory to store your bottom line of the text area when entering seeing how the two parts discussed so far Information after altering the lop of Basic your description, do not use more than - parser and text compressor- are used to memory, using HIMKM or whatever. This aboul the first 15 characters, because if generate Ihe beginnings of ihe adventure refers to the PORK 499xxs everywhere. you do the rest will be Ignored. That still game. 7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 52 LONDON'S LA RCEST DISPLA Y OF PRINTERS MONITORS COMPUTERS AND PERIPHERALS

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This month we are offering five copies of each of two of the most exciting games to be released in the last few months, Rainbird's Starglider and The Pawn. Starglideris the game entirely to blame for the low productivity of certain Your Computer staff, which may or may not convince you that it is worth having. Once you've begun blasting away at the disturbing variety of enemies trying to block your intergalactic progress we can guarantee that you too will be spending a lot of time out there. The Pawn is an illustrated adventure of rate quality and imagination. Set in the fairy land of Kerovnia (from which you are trying to escape) The Pawn is enriched by many interesting characters and situations with which to interact, all illuminated by the stunning graphics. Addictive stuff. Both games are packaged to the usual high Rainbird standards and include a lengthy novella each, as well as hints and instructions. To enter simply send your answers to these five questions along with your name, address and preferred format to Your Computer, Greencoat House, Francis Street, London SW1

7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 54 CO to 25 <£> JJ CM lO 00 ^ r © CoMo CM co r > 00 oj a> rt CM 00 ir v) o o to Q_ CD T3 tt) "O -O E o o CD TO FARThis Is particularly time-consuming co < CJ 2 < < 99 CO counting program can be Invoked only from the opening menu. Previous versions z • of WordStar leave ihe layout settings as . -•• a • • •• •••• the userlefl them unless he exits WordStar 0 altogether and returns to the operating *-> system. CD —:point RTK: 00 CD co CM ID to CM CD 00 ij Thesaurus CD © 00 00 W CM C\l O WordStar Professional packages have o CL •a w *D CD E always included spelling and mail merge o O "O o "O o CD CO TO c_ 00 software, and this new version is no excep- CJ) r; E - © tion. This version goes one step further by- o C to co CO CD CD a. OS Core" Instead of "care" It will pas^ art of a start-up batch file marked. tl] Other

l. co -Q >• co C = i_ $ OC OJ 3 I 1DG, to arrive by Monday 6 July 1987. >t- O) L | .2 8 rv. S CL CD co CO — CD u Competition Rules CL -C E CO jz CO The winners of the competition will be the persons who send CJ CD - 2 the first all-correct entries drawn from all those received £ C C O rv CD tl (D CO CD C before the closing date of the competition. CL C T3 The names of the winners will be announced in the August OT £ j5 (!) II c issue of Your Computer. c rN.. rw. co JO. 93 c E a, Q) rv. a: All entries must arrive at the Your Computer offices by o SE-c CO x: CD CO Q. tn w Monday 6 July 1987. - o "O E -E, c o E c co .tr o Each person must enter the competition only once. *-> o tO k_ o P to o o Q Entries to the competition cannot be acknowledged. jr > i— to > £ c*> og C No employees of Focus Investments nor their agents or CD CO © CO close relatives may enter the competition. CO $ Si O) j£$ i0r Cl JC to [ > a) en tr *-t E The decision of the Editor in all respects of the competition CO to o ^ 8ll => 'c > § o will be final. o >

7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 S5 C real log or editing a document with the new WordStar a few variations from the traditional control-key sequences appear. Changing the line spacing now requires an extra carriage return, though the range of available settings Is now much wider. Changing ihe level of help menu assistance uses a revised sequence of keystrokes which will irritate ihe seasoned WordStar WordStar Professional Release 4.0 Is a iwo birds with one stone. Buying ihe user at first. classic defeat of revolution by evolution. upstart New Word developments effec- W here a particular sequence of editing Its publisher Micropro had a smash hit tively eliminated the irritation of another commands needs to be repeated a number with the WordStar line in the heyday of CP/ company eating into Mlcropro's market. of times the appropriate keystrokes can be VI, but then concentrated on new products Meanwhile, the brains behind NewWord entered Into a keyboard macro In the fash- which bore little resemblance to the went Into a huddle with Ihe Micropro team ion made popular by Lotus 1-2-3. In the classic WordStar other than the name in to come up wltii a completely renovated past, many WordStar users have adopted some cases. WordStar which combined up-to-date similar tactics by using third-parly macro The procession of WordStar 2000. Easy functionality with ihe traditional WordStar generators. and WordStar 1512 left many old-time look and feel. One change which some users will con- WordStar users disgruntled that their sider retrograde concerns the loss of mar- favourite word-processor was not being Influence gin settings and line spacing when a docu- upgraded lo take advantage ol the latest ment Is closed and the user returns lo ihe W P features. Some even defected to a look- WordStar 4 0 clearly shows the New- opening menu. When the document Is re- a-llke program called \ewWord. which Word Influence. The program files are now opened ihe sellings revert to the defaults. looked and fell like WordStar bm had the mostly .EXE rather than .COM files, and The text which has already been entered audacity to Include many long-awaited fea- ihe overall size of comparably set-up sys- retains the layout il was given at the time tures not yet available from the Micropro tems has grown considerably. WordStar -I ol writing, bul if any alterations or addi- camp, and at a lower price. can be run on floppy disk system, bul the tions are lo be made, the layout sellings W ftti considerable style. Micropro killed meagre 360k of storage on a PC-compatl- must be returned to the old values. 7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 56 TARThis Is particularly time-consuming w hen a document Is being written to a spe- cific word or line count, as the new word- counting program can he Invoked only from the opening menu. Previous versions of WordStar leave the layout settings as the user left them unless he exits WordStar altogether and returns lo the operating system.

Thesaurus

WordStar Professional packages have .ilways Included spelling and mall merge software, and this new version is no excep- tion. This version goes one step further by Including a new facility, an on-line thesaurus called Word Finder. Like Cor- rectStar. the spelling checker. Word Fin- der only becomes useful when Installed on a hard disk. The dictionary and thesaurus Above and below: the wonders of WordStar 4.0. flies are extremely large and only the ily add their jargon to a supplementary dic- useful An on-screen calculator Is provided capacity and speed of a hard disk can do tionary so thai it will nol be queried. for quick calculations, but most PC ow ners justice lo ihe elegant design of the Alas. CorreclSlar. like all spelling chec- already use something like Sidekick for software. kers. Is unable to spot errors where ihe such purposes. More valuable is a block Word Finder Is a TSK program, like wrong word has been used. If you type mathematics function, allowing you toper- Sidekick, and must he loaded from I he DOS core" Instead of "care il will pass unre- form some of Ihe lunctions of a spread- prompt or as pari of a start-up hatch file marked. sheet program wilhin a word-processing before WordStar itself. It is remarkably Other features never before seen In document. straightforward to use - |usl position the WordStar I'rolesslonal Include built-in WordStar Professional 4.0 is a great cursor on a word you wish lo look up and arithmetic functions and rudimentary box- step forward from Ihe earlier versions, yet press ALT-L A window opens at the lop of drawing. The latter would come Into Us it retains the fundamental way of working the screen and wilhin a second the own particularly when used in conjunction w hich long-term WordStar users know so synonyms for the selected w ord appear. If with a laser printer driver Sadly, though, well. It should ensure the continued suc- none of these appears suitable, more no Postscript driver is available, so laser cess of ihe WordStar dynasty for years to alternatives can usually be raised by {(Hik- printer support Is limited to those units come. ing up one of the words wilhin the window. which can emulate less sophisticated WordStar Professional 4.0 Another keystroke substitutes ihe new impact printers. £399.00 plus VAT word for ihe one in the original text. The arithmetic functions are extremely Mlcmpm IA 01-879 1122

Primitive

For some years the Micropro spelling checker was a rather primitive piece of software known as SpellStar. One of the ma|or innovations of the otherw ise unre- markable WordStar 2000 was a com- pletely new spelling checker known as Corrects tar^ This has now been implemented as pari ol the WordStar pro- fessional package, where it offers a last and convenient way of looking up a single word or checking through a complete document. As CorrectStar searches through ihe text, unrecognised words are automatically queried. Often GorrectStar is able to suggest the correct spelling of a mistyped word, and making the substitu- tion is a single-keystroke operation. Writ- ers w ith specialised vocabularies can eas-

7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 57 Subscribe to

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7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 58 Ml m WRITER ft

U Is lerrlble to he saddled with something Dirk Gently's Holistic you did nearly 10 years ago. There can Deleclive Agency hardly be a single sentient being in the Author: Douglas whole of the known universe who does noi Adams know that Douglas Adams wrote The £9.95 hardback Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy Large Publisher: Mannillan sections of the show are now recited wholesale by children too young to have known the I'arrol Sketch. The immense popularity of IIHGTTG means that, whatever \dams does, there w ill be a large number of readers who will keep expecting Zaphod Beehlcbrox lo pop up at the most improbable moments. What Vdarns needed lo do was wrlie a completely new, non-Guide novel. Which is Strange, because thai is precisely what he has done, in l)lrk Gently's Holistic Detec- tive \gency he avoids the pitfalls of doing another IIIIGTTG sequel in all but name, yet provides sufficient techno-humour material to keep most Guide-freaks happy. and Is almost common language. II is though Ihe Ideas are. In places, Giving a precis of the plot would ruin the about time computers had their own litera- even stranger. This is a more imaginative book for you. Like all good detective ture. like horse racing in the work of Dick work, it is simply thai the book lacks the novels. Dirk features some extremely Francis. This book goes halfway. lightness of the earlier stuff. It Is still funny acute plot twists The likes of Agatha The copy I saw was an early proof w hich and entertaining and new comers lo Adams Christie rely heavily on characters w ho are \dams had set by printing directly from the will probably wonder why I feel a little dis- not what they seem Adams does this. too. Mac. B> getting involved In the page layout. appointed. Of course. Il is almost a along with liberal helpings ol time and \dams found himself re-writing lines to guaranteed success. Computer buffs will space travel, robots and ghosts. avoid hyphenated word-breaks or ugly love It. The whole thing takes some time to gel paragraphs. The fiddling with Steve Mansfield rolling - Dirk does not really appear until the fine detail could be pari of about halfway through That gives Adams the reason ihe book as a whole time to build the main characters - a lux- feels undisciplined. The pace ury he did not have with the almost varies unevenly, from plodding slapstick speed of the Guide books. al the start lo chaotic at the Adams Is a well-know Apple Macintosh end. fanatic. The main character In the hook When he gets into his stride. has six of the machines and I expected \dams writes well. It Is Adams to have the same number. In fact he entertaining stuff, even when has only five bul he Is working on the next some of the jokes use rather one. Computer-based music Is also a well-worn formulae. strong element in the book - another of The biggest problem Is al the Adams' preoccupations. end - II all seems rather Throughout, the writing Is peppered rushed. You can sense that with computing phrases and. not to put too \dams was up against a fine a point on it. |argon. For example, a deadline and I did not find the robot monk is subject to an error checking ending all thai satisfying. In protocol which stops il leaping from a tree particular, the extremely In the belief it can fly. Interesting ghost created early Adams believes that computer nuts will in the story Is largely forgotten smile knowingly at the blls of jargon, w hile and then used in a fairly the uninitiated will skip the more obscure meaningless way al the end. words. That could be true but In a way It is Dirk Gently has few er jokes a pity more was not made of the computers. than the Guide - radio series or They fulfil a largely decorative role. Com- books. The style of w riting is puting Is now part of the social structure far more mainstream, even YOUR COMPUTER. JUNE 1987 f the 8086 processor and some of them are used for special purposes. On the IBM PC and compatibles, further interrupts are used by the hardware and software to perform certain actions. Whenever you press a key. for example, an interrupt is generated and POP-UP the code jumped to is that pointed to by interrupt vector number 9. Once an inter- rupt routine has finished processing, it executes a special instruction which returns to the program which was run- ning when the interrupt occurred. Thus, interrupt routines must not alter any PROGRAMAnyone owning a PC is almost certain to technique known as terminatinSg but stay- registers and must be as short as possible have a copy of some pop-up program - ing resident, to stay in memory while so that the interrupted program is not SideKick, WordFinder, THE Index or allowing other programs to run, so they delayed noticeably. whatever. These programs run invisibly in are referred to as TSRs. Altering an interrupt vector seems to the background, until a special key or key be a question of finding the vector con- combination is pressed. Then they spring How TSRs Work cerned and replacing the the address into life, popping-up on the screen over When a program is executed. DOS allo- stored there with the address of the whatever program is currently running. cates a certain amount of memory in routine to be called whenever that inter- When we want to return to whatever which it can run In the case of programs rupt occurs. But, there is a possibility that we were doing before we activated the with the COM extension, this is all avail- the interrupt whose vector is being pop-up program we need only press a key able memory, but the more versatile EXE altered may be called while its vector is or two and the previous program is format allows programs to specify their being altered. One way of avoiding this is TSR PROGRAMS CAN BE minimum and maximum memory re- to disable interrupts while the vector is quirements. being altered. Another alternative is to VERY USEFUL, BUT HOW When a program ends, it returns to use the DOS services forgetting and set- ting interrupt vectors. DO YOU WRITE THEM? DOS, which releases all the memory it originally gave to the program, as well as INTERRUPT ADAM DENNING any extra memory which that program The latter method is preferred may have obtained through DOS memory because, although the interrupt vectors EXPLAINS ALL allocation functions. This seems to mean on 8088.8086 and 80286 in real mode are restored as if nothing had happened. Pop- that if a program wants to stay in memory defined by Intel in a specific location, this up programs are so useful and convenient while telling DOS that it has in fact is not guaranteed to be the case on new that everyone is producing them these finished running, it needs to play dirty and future Intel microprocessors. The days. But. how do you go about writing tricks and fool the operating system. DOS services will safely alter or read the such programs? Luckily, the authors of DOS catered for correct vector in all circumstances. This two-part article - the final instal- this requirement and provided an alterna- An altered interrupt vector thus causes ment will appear next month - will explain tive exit method, using the KEEP DOS the TSR to be called whenever that inter- all about pop-up programs and how to function. This function call tells DOS that rupt occurs. Once we have control we write them. As a practical example, this a program has finished running, but that a can do basically what we like, except that month we are going to write a digital clock given amount of the memory allocated to various parts of the operating system are program which appears to run concur- the program at execution start should not re-entrant - this means that an area of rently with whatever other program is remain allocated. This means that the code may not be executed by two proces- being used. next program to be run will have less ses at the same time - so must generally Due to the nature of pop-up programs, memory available to it. as DOS ensures be avoided. most are written in 8086 assembly lan- that the memory kept for a TSR is not When the TSR has finished its tasks, it guage. This one is no exception, so a cer- used by other programs. should not generally execute an IRET - tain amount of familiarity with Intel 8086 The amount oi memory still allocated return from interrupt - instruction but assembly language is assumed when a program exits in this way is must chain to the routine which was In addition, you will need an assembler entirely up to the programmer. So, a large pointed to by the interrupt vector before it and a linker to assemble the programs. TSR with a lot of initialisation code - was changed by the TSR This ensures We recommend Microsoft MASM, which which is needed only once - can release that every TSR running on a given inter- includes the Microsoft linker. Other pack- the space occupied by this code when it rupt is given a crack at the whip, it also ages can be used, so long as they accept exits, leaving just the amount of memory means that TSRs which share the same the same assembler source as MASM. required. interrupt may interact in ways not You will also need the DOS utility Once a program has exited in this way, intended by the author. EXE2BIN, which you should find on one DOS is back in control and the program is of your system disks. never called again. So, what use is it? The For those without assemblers, the hex only way such a program can regain con- code can be entered directly into memory trol is by having previously altered an using the DOS DEBUG utility, and then interrupt vector. saved away as a file. The hexadecimal An interrupt vector is an address stored bytes are shown alongside the instruc- in memory which is used by the micropro- tions in the listing. cessor to tell it what routine to execute Before we start examining how pop-up when an external interrupt occurs or programs work, we must clarify our ter- when an INT instruction is executed. minology. Pop-up programs use a There are a large number of interrupts on 7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 60 play is updated to ensure that the clock display works even if we change screen mode. If we are in screen mode 7. a mono dis- play adaptor is being used, so that screen segment begins at BOOOH. Any other mode indicates a colour/graphics adaptor, where the screen starts at segment B800H. Please note that the clock display works only in text modes. Colour adaptors have a number of wants it that way, and used as a parame- video pages, so the screen start segment Digital Clock ter to the DOS KEEP function. This value is adjusted to incorporate the cur- causes all the memory from the base of rent video page number before the value TSR the program up to BEGIN to be saved, but is stored in ES. Text screens have two The digila! clock is an extremely all other memory owned by the program bytes per character, the high byte holding straightforward program which is able to is released. the attribute and the low byte the charac- display the current time in the top right This means that the clock occupies ter itself. So. by getting the column posi- hand corner of the screen. It does this by only 512 bytes of your memory - 512 tion, multiplying by two and using it as an setting up the Timer Tick interrupt vector because it is always rounded up to a 16- offset into the segment pointed at by ES. so that each time a tick interrupt occurs, byte boundary. The first 256 bytes of this we can write directly to screen memory the routine labelled MYINT is called IBM is the Program Segment Prefix which and cause the time to appear We could PCs and compatibles are set up to gener- every program needs. The first few bytes use the ROM-BIOS to avoid any possible ate a timer tick interrupt at such a fre- of this - up to offset 005CH - must not be snow effects, but this method is faster quency that 18.2 occur per second altered, but the rest is free for our use. and shorter. Also, very few IBM compati- Each time such an interrupt occurs, the Now that the program has returned to bles actually produce snow. clock program calculates the current time DOS with the interrupt routine installed, and compares the seconds value with the the code starting at MYINT will be called ROUTINE seconds value stored last time the code 18.2 times a second. The first thing it was called. If the values differ, the sec- does is switch to a local stack, as we have The routine DECOUT converts the onds, minutes and hours values are no guarantee that the stack used by the number in AL to two decimal digits by stored and displayed on the screen. If the interrupted program will be large enough dividing AX by 10. This leaves the quo- values are the same, no further action is for our needs. tient in AL and the remainder in AH. By taken. In either case, the routine ends by It is always a good idea to have a local adding ASCII 0 to both of these, the restoring any corrupted registers and stack in an interrupt routine. We need to numeric values become ASCII digits. jumping to the previous contents of the save the old stack before we do this, so The routine OUTCHAR displays each interrupt vector, thereby maintaining any SS and SP are stored in local variables. character. It puis the required attribute in chain of TSRs in operation. AX is saved also in a variable as this is AH and uses the STOSW instruction to used before the new stack is included. store AH and AL in screen memory at Having provided a new stack. DS is set ES:Dt. STOSW increments Dl automati- INITIALISATION up to hold the same value as CS. so that cally to point at the next screen location. our data can be accessed easily, and then The attribute, 70H, is black text on a white Looking at the code in more detail, the all the registers are saved on the stack. background. If you want to nave a differ- first thing the program does when exe- ent colour scheme you need only change cuted is to jump to BEGIN. The code from RETURN this bvte BEGIN to end of the program is the initiali- Once all the digits are displayed, the sation code; once it has been executed it Interrupt 1AH, the time-of-day inter- registers are restored, the old stack is is required no longer as it does not form rupt, is called to determine the current swapped in and then the program jumps part of the interrupt routine. Its first action time. The next part of the code, shown in to the old interrupt routine. is to display the program name on the upper case in the listing, converts the To generate this program, type in the screen. It then uses DOS to obtain the number returned by this interrupt into the text using an editor and assemble it as fol- current contents of the timer tick inter- current time in hours, minutes, seconds lows, assuming you have called it rupt vector. and hundredths of seconds. It is fairly DCLOCK. ASM: masm dciock/ml; Then This value is returned in registers ES complicated but works on all machines link it by typing: link dclock; Now use the and BX and stored by the program so that regardless of their processor speed. DOS EXE2BIN utility to convert it to a the interrupt routine can chain to this The seconds are compared with the COM file: address when it has finished. DOS is stored seconds value to see if they are exe2bin dclock used to set up the time tick interrupt to the same. As the routine is called over 18 ren dclock bin dclock.com point at MYINT. the routine which starts times a second, this saves time by ensur- del dclock. obj at the very top of the listing, after the ing that the displayed time is updated only del dclock. exe jump to BEGIN. Note that the segment when it actually changes rather than each The program may then be run by typing address of the routine is passed to DOS in time it is called. Assuming the seconds its name at the DOS prompt in the usual ES and the offset ot the routine within this values are different, the new seconds way. If you do not have an assembler and segment in DX. value is stored, as so is the current hour linker, run the DOS DEBUG utility and Once the vector is set up. the program and minute. either type in the hex or type in each can return to DOS. so it calculates how The ROM-BIOS video interrupt is used instruction. When everything has been much memory it needs to keep by work- to determine the screen mode and entered, save the file out to ing out the highest address used. The number of columns on screen. The DCLOCK.COM, code from BEGIN onwards is not needed, number of columns is used to calculate As a simple example of a typical TSR so it becomes the highest address. This is the starting position of the clock. This col- application, the digital clock is ideal. It is converted to paragraphs, because DOS umn value is calculated each time the dis- short, yet performs a useful function,

YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 61 • t

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YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 65 SOFT RELEASE

w here apparently you wit) find a and re-load: load and throw control the thing, hut I haven't PSI. 5 Trading collection of starving people away, really Law of the lies/ is got the hang of It yet. My only Company, Law of who are literally dying to gel a hit ol a disaster, although the gripe about the game concerns their hands on you and your author of Ihe program gives the continuous loading of dif- the West, Hardball ship of supplies. I say appa- himself every excuse by saying ferent sets of data, w hich halts Commodore <> I rently. because I've never got that he was trying to create a play and slows things down £9.99 rasselle there, though not through want totally different type of game. A considerably. Still, ll does give Publisher: I .S. Gold of Irving. joystick controlled adventure, you the opportunity to make Wfill my Inane crew carefully this sees you in the role of the cups of tea or something before t S. Gold has a reputation for selected (mad aliens abounding sheriff of Gold Gulch, a tough another heroic attempt. Bases producing some exceptional here) even the slightest hiccup w lid west tow n so they tell me, covered, third oul and nine games for the Commodore 64. saw my demented ship mates and all you have lo do Is stay (whatever that might mean). I Putting three of Its greatest hits go inlo a frenzy lo try lo repair alive until sunset. can only hope lhat one day Into one package for |ust £9.99 the damage. Ably assisted by a I could not get into this game there will he a cricket version would seem to be a reasonable number of robodroids. who at all. Large, two-thirds screen and I might he able to under- way of consolidating that repu- seemed more Intent on examin- size graphics dominate the stand what's happening. tation. especially when one of ing their fingernails than fixing playing area, with the bottom those hits Is the excellent PSI-5 anything. I was able to ignore part of the screen reserved for Trading Company. However, for such sage advice as turning off text. Being |oystlck controlled, The Image System Commodore 64/128 £9.99 you could gel five Mas- Ihe port shields to conserve however, means that you can Cassette tertronlc lilies, for example, energy if I were being attacked select only one from a given Publisher: CRI, number of possible responses, rather than typing in any old Well, that's the boast on the thing and seeing w hat happens. front cover anyway. Another II you love the Adrian Mole Commodore 64 program, this adventures, you might like this, lime from CRI,. called The hut I prefer an adventure to he Image System, and as you might of Ihe more traditional style, reasonably surmise from thai ll and il was w ith some relief thai Is a graphic design program. I I was shot to pieces by a two-bit have never seen any reason to outlaw. The game then refused take graphics programs seri- to restart, and after listening lo ously. They're all very well for a ihe same Inane soundtrack bit of a giggle, but w hen iheygo three or four times Law of the about proclaimine themselves lies/ was filed away, never to lo be the ultimate eraphlc sys- he looked at again. tem'. w ell, pass me the bottle of But. two out or three Isn't whisky. John. I feel a strange had. and the last game in this thirst coming on. set Is probably Ihe best of them After waiting an Intermina- all. Hardball! (their exclama- ble age for the program to load, tion mark, not mine) is a superb most of It spent admiring the rendition of the game of Illustrations on the front cover baseball. Now. I am not over- of the rather lavishly-designed familiar with (he rules of that packaging, one was ready on game, my know ledge being con- completion of the load to go Into fined to Peanuts cartoon strips, raptures and produce beautiful and what seemed like several Images to adorn some new hours of reading had to pass by arcade game of my own devis- before attempting to play the ing. Wrong. Not possessing a game, bui when I eventually W ico tracker ball, (he first thing made it. ll was well worth the the manual did (and is 12 pages effort. Wonderful graphics of really w orthy of the description and still have a lew pennies left by pirates on the starboard side pilcher and striker open the comprehensive?) was to tell me Do (he three programs stand up of the ship. Cheek whether a game, with you controlling one off and inform me thai If I only against that sort of compari- passing spaceship was friend or the other depending on had a joystick then it would lust son? or foe? Blast it out of Ihe skies whether you happen to be bal- have to do. Great start. l*SI-.l Trading Company Is a anyway, just In case. With ling or fielding ai the time. After You have to w orry about only very good Elite style game. As a interesting graphics and music a successful hit the display three keys on the keyboard, space freighter captain In the which wasn't written by that changes to the outfield area, these being the Commodore :ir>lh cenlury you have to select Hubbard chap. PSI-5 Trading with little fielders scurrying logo key (which toggles the your crew and ihen boldly go Company Is a game lo keep around everywhere trying to menuy system off and on. allow - where several Commodore 64 going back to. collect one ol your random ing you to see your graphics programs have gone before, in I nfortunalely. game two in swishes at the ball. screen in its entirety or not as fact, to the Parvin Frontier. this package is not one to load It would appear thai you can the case may be), the CTRL key

66 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1387 Vll

had made it. and was safely space bar. to replenish energy transferred lo disk before any and restore your shields to nor- other disasters could befall il. mal before the next bout. Some Back-up security copy only. 1 ol us were not loo good at this. assure you. \ cheap and cheerful litlle During abortive loading game, as ihey say. the kind of attempts I decided that 1 wasn't going lo join the Silver Club, as advertised on the inlay card. Bumper packs of goodies? I'd prefer tapes that loaded first lime I also decided that my know ledge of foreign languages was on the increase, as I can now say "Are you destined to become a lighter ace. take on Ihe Mien fleet and find out!" in six languages other than English, courtesy of the pack- aging. Presumably people who (which toggles control between The manual hetpfutl) gives can't speak Kngllsh are meant the menu and the graphics you a Basic program to type In. to be psychic, since the actual screen, allowing you either lo so lhal your hi-res screen can playing Instructions are only in choose options or continue be loaded without The Image the mother tongue. thing that most of us could with your masterpiece) and the System program being resident II I detected hostile I FOs knock up. given something like Run/Stop key (used, sensibly In memory. In my case, this pro- approaching New York City I'd The Image System to create a enough, to stop various duced nothing more memora- !el them gel on with II. but that hi-res screen or two and a little graphics actions, like filling in ble lhan my spray-on graffiti hi- would make a very boring game bit of knowledge aboul sprites. areas in a specific colour, or res screen, but it does show and a waste of two quid. So. Good fun. though, despite lhat, whatever), \parl from those that il works. man the joysticks and rush to and worth a couple of quid of three, your joystick becomes I would have preferred il if the defence, in our (as usual) anyone's money III could over- your paint brush and away you there had been some demonst- superbly equipped F2I Condor come my loathing of British 8<> ration screens to go with it, Flyer - an experimental crall. Telecom and all Its subsidiaries \\ hat I referred to as a menu, rather than pictures on pack- so ihey lell me. which probably I might even begin to like It. ihe company refer to as a Mas- age covers, but you can't win means that ihey have not learnt ter Control Screen. At least il them all I suppose. Given more how lo control the most signifl- doesn't have windows Moating time a designer-panic cani hii of the \ position of a CI u nst a r about everywhere and gelling magazine editor will allow, I sprite. I may be wrong. Commodore l> M2ft in the way Ml the options you could actually gel lo like this The controls are simple-up. £1.?)!) cassette could w ant of a graphics system program. II you must have a down. lell. right and fire - bin Publisher: Firebird are available. Including such graphic designer, you cannot require an annoying rush to the Honestly, you would have fun things as spray paint, ami really do much belter than (his. keyboard every now and again thought lhal Karlh would have you have Ihe choice of using a 10 hunt out Ihe space bar w hen been liberated by now. But no. standard hi-res screen or a UFO (lie ship s shields needs activat- away w e go to the year 1997 and multicolour one. All the options another game from Firebird in Comnodore 6-1/128 ing. Rapid-lire joysticks are out on the menu have llitlc sub- its £1,99 range for Ihe Commo- £1.99 rasset I e as well, since over-firing options available, so lhal (for dore (>4. Apparently there has Publisher: firebird causes tlie ship to overheat and example) selecting texture short circuit Ihe weapon sys- heen an unprovoked attack on brings up several thousand (lames players owe companies tems. This, however, was nol a Karth by unknown alien lite other options for you lo play like Master! rontc a great debl major problem, since (he I FOs forms, who quickly managed to with. Now you have to pay only £1.5)9 might be hostile, hui they are overwhelm our primitive Star With all of these it Is, as you lo lind out whether a game Is also piloted by brain-damaged Wars defences. Ronald Reagan, might imagine, somewhat dif- terrible or not. Where one leads aliens. They are not the most well into his eighties and still ficult to go aboui creating your others are hound to follow, and menacing of opponents any- President, eh? very own Sistine chapel. When Firebird Is busy producing a way. and soon succumb to ihe These nasty aliens enslaved faced with things like stitch welter of games al the same strong right hand of Gerrard. almost all of Karth's popula- lines, different fonts, magnify- price The one under considera- Wiping out one lot of aliens tion Mmosi. for you are still ing images, brush templates. tion here is a Commodore 64 takes your ship down a transit free: yes. another chance to Ihe mind begins lo gag some- game called f I'O. or I Lli for corridor, which has to be man- save the universe and win ilu* what and retreats. Given time 1 nldenllfled Loading Krrors ouevred through quite carefully undying gratitude of millions, and perseverance I have no since il didn't make fi inio the 11 you're to get on lo level 2. or al least the person who doubl lhal someone, some- machine first lime around. W liiisi doing this, if your fingers wrote the game anyway. A where. will make some fahul- However, a little hit ol perse- are agile enough you can press research team, hidden in the ous displays using this system. verance and success! The game Ihe M and k kevs. as well as Ihe subterranlal moon base (lhat is

7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 67 [SOFT RELEASE]

^ « co»«ooo«tw I •

whai u says, honestly) have you go. Strike and playing for hours" in French, somehow. nanaged to put together an Decimate Ihe turrets and Spectrum 48/128/Nus 2 experimental fighter called a you're on to Ute litth and Una! Cassette The controls are very simple Pulse Fighter, and with only stage, which is a bit easy alter Publisher: Mas)ortronlr to master, and if you're any- your Irtish (and probably rusty all you've been through. Dork thing like me you w ill be playing l>> now as well) |oystlek to help wllh the mothershlp to refuel, Mastertronlc, thai pioneer ol il (or hours, l sing the joystick you. II Is oul on to the screen and then you're back to the cut-price software, has pro- (much easier) you move ii leit and the chance lo decimate slart again, where verv little duced a little gem of a game for and right to aim your delivery thousands of unknown aliens. seems to have changed. Your less than £2 with Strike. This is press the lire button to move a Our experimental Pulse ship is still experimental. Ihe available for the Spectrum and lilllc man forward carry ing the Fighter has not yet mastered aliens are still bobbing and all its variants, like Spectrum ball, and release the button the ability to move over to the weaving with the best of them, 48/128. Plus 2. and probably when you want him to release right-hand side of the screen, and your score Is reaching suit- the C5 as well. Joystick com- the ball. Carry on too long and which Is reserved lor a bizarre ably astronomic proportions patible with a zillion different >ou will loot fault, and can display of fuel consumed, tem- Overall tills is not terribly Interfaces, such as Kempston. indulge in all the McEnroe his- perature. and score, which complicated, but good Itm Interface II, Cursor, you can trionics you like, bul il will still seems lo bear little relation to nevertheless. It was probably also use the keyboard il vou be a Tool fault. what you might be doing at the (although I don't know) written wish, "lou can play against the Mining, despite sounding time. by the same person who wrote computer and throw it against easy. Is not quite so easy w hen Five stages to this game in I FO for Firebird, since the two the wall when you've finished, you are playing, and it took all. so 10 pence a stage. Stage games bear something of a or play against a friend and some lime before I managed to one. zap everything in sight resemblance; with experimen- shake his hand while gritting gel a strike. Or even a spare, he while avoiding enemy lire, so a tal crafts, aliens rushing about your teeth at yet another said, reeling off the phrases as nice little shoot-em-up there. over hl-res screens they both absytnal defeat So whal Is ir ll he's known them for years. Stage two has you dodging look fairly similar Of Ihe two. Well, for once you arc not pit- Strikes and spares were all asteroids to progress to stage I FO Is probably the better, ied against llic hell hounds ol Greek to me before I started three, where you meet the alien although Gunstnr is worth a outer space, but are instead playing tills game, but I can now command ship, and a folly look if nothing else. See if you playing the humble game of ten talk like an expert. 1 nfortu- tricky blighter ll Is too. Having can pinch a play in Ihe local pin bowling. Ihe cassette inlay nalelv talk is as far as It goes, blasted away the gun turrets shop, and if you don't actually says thai vou will be hooked in since my playing ability is not It's time lo encounter a robot gel round to buying it at least minules and playing for hours, yel up to world championship who Is oh-so-witiily called \ou can rest easy at night, and somehow ll seems a shame standards. \LLOY. all hough lie might as secure in Ihe knowledge that that Firebird's lead in repro- Graphically this is very good, well be called Jonathan Woss vou can walk into a German ducing thai sentence in ump- il limited to the one main dis- for all the difference II makes: llicrkellcr and say .loin the teen different foreign lan- play I do like the way the little >oti don't actually gel lo shake Gunstar Fleel and Itv your guages has not been followed. I man rushes up and delivers the his little robotic hand. Strange Pulse Fighter against the alien rather like the idea ol being ball: it's word) making a few choice of companion, liui there hordes". able lo sav hooked In minutes errors |ust to see what hap-

68 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1387 card, because the game seems Since my Hying ability limited. 1 to bear little resemblance. don't think the Galactic Kmplre To go about this purification has got loo much to worry procedure, you must man- about. Similar in many ways to ouevre your spacecraft under- the original Thrust il is different ground lo collect orbs of vary- enough to be worth [laying ing masses. These must be £1.99 for: enjoyable, if not brought to the surface and put graphically brilliant (very jerky in place correctly, but alas for screen movement) game. We'll you once they've been removed draw a polite veil over the from their underground storage sound effects. they become liable to explode within a short space of time If not deposited safely and cor- Octagon Spectrum 48/128/1'lus 2 rectly. This Is where the fun, Cassette and problems, begin Publisher: Rlno Marketing As if all this was nol enough. Ihe planel is still protected by Some games are easy to play Imperial Android Guards, and requiring at the most move- despite sounding like an after- ment horizontally and verti- shave they are a mean bunch, cally. with a fire or two thrown let me tell you. They can be kil- In. On reasonable keyboards led only by using a chemical having to choose from more agent, and these are stored In than four or five keys Is not too boxes inside the planet. Certajn bad. but on the dreaded Spec- pens. I don't really see the point nothing about ten pin bowling, chemicals will work only on trum keyboard having a choice ol displaying a message like it's worth getting. certain aliens, and II you've got of six different keys Is ridicul- player I thinking' while you lr> the w rong one for the alien w iih ous. That is If you're using a and aim the ball. What are you Thrust II his hands currently around joystick as well, otherwise you supposed to he thinking about? \mstrud 161/664/6128 your throal It's tough luck, bus- can add another five to that list. Cricket? Wigan's chances of Ll.<><> cassette ter. A chemical can. however, Kleven keys to bother with, promotion to division two? It Publisher: firebird be used on more than one alien, w hlch Is one of the reasons I am seems you are supposed to be Yes. much as I hate lo adinil it. or android if you prefer, before not totally addicted to and thinking ol playing ten pin howl- the mighty right hand of Cer- il loses its potency. besotted by a game called Octa- ing, but it fills the screen I sup- rard was beaten by a mere Ready yet? No, because as gon. from the quaintly named pose. arcade game, \nother little players of the original Thrust Rino Marketing, available on Having more or less - well, jaunt from Firebird, ibis follow- will know, the program gets its cassette for the Spectrum fam- less rather than more - mas- up lo Thrust, named w ith devas- name Irom the fact thai the ship ily. tered aiming the ball, the next tating originality Thrust II. is a has a lo! ul thrust hull! Into ll On the plus side, at least il is problem concerns releasing £1.99 number for the Amstrad Start moving, and il Is very dif- different, ll would appear that the Ihiug. \ simple matter of •164. 664. 6128. and probably ficult lo slop. What Is more, you. the player, have been pressing and releasing the (ire every other \mstrad In the his- carting around chemicals and granted secret psychic powers button on the joystick you might tory of the known universe. orbs for processing the atmos- derived friun the Octagon sym- think, but alas, life is not that Once more we are waging phere all adds to your load, ami bol and must complete your easy, and many is (lie disaster bailie in the depths ol space, living along with a massive orb quest. W hat is this strange and you will have before gelling this time on a small, artificially dangling from the back ol your wonderful quest, one wonders? things right. \ wonderful dis- created planet called 1*2112. ship Is a tricky little procedure, Well, when you wake up as an play of the ball landing on your \Y'c are informed that this Is an and one which I could not for Octon you find you are trapped foot is the reward lor messing it essential forward base lor ihe the life ol me master. H all within the confines of a four up completely . next offensive against ihe looked remarkably like one of level complex of 60 cells. Il says Once you gel into the swing Galactic Kmplre. which seems those enormous balls used on on the cassette Inlay card. of things It isn't too bad. and I reasonable to me. Being a the end of cranes for knocking >our quest, should you must admit to being addicted. Resistance Kighier you know down houses, and with my choose lo accept il. is lo rebuild My scores are slowly beginning which side your bread Is but- piloting skill I managed to your octagon symbol from lo creep up a little, although I tered. and it is your bounden achieve roughly similar results; pieces which have been lelt have yet to muster two strikes duly to make the atmosphere ol disaster every time I look to Ihe carelessly al the core ol the in a row. never mind three - I his artificial planet pure. M air. complex t p lo four people can this Is known as a turkey', the moment il is covered In a In other words, the planel play at the same lime, which apparently, which leaves one to cloud of red dusl which blocks has still got a filthy atmosphere sounds vaguely ridiculous and wonder what gelling four In a oul sunlight and thus prevents and 1 am no longer the darling was not an option I bothered row miglii be called. - Kor a the existence of life on the sur- of the resistance movement, with. \ou can save and later Ll.il!> game this is great fun. face. Fortunately you an' told having cost them more space- restore your progress lo and and even il (like me) you know ail Ihls on the cassette inlav ships than I hey can afford. trom tape if you want to. and II

7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 69 SOFT RELEASE

you intend to have a serious Would, however. George Lucas Koam around a w hile, pick up a stall at this game you will need Koronis Rift be grateful for this mention? In few bits and pieces, then hey ho Spectrum 48/I28K to. never mind want to. Me. I other words, is ihe game any for the Orion Nebula and a Cassette preferred to record a Utile Feat good at all when you finally get decent pint of Panther Sweat or Act I vision album, hut then I'm an ageing to see It? something I just can't gel the hippy. Whatever a techno-scavcnger's Well, yes and no. ^es 11 is hang of 11 all. Graphically this Is not par- dream might be I have no Idea, quite good and no I won't be For one thing the screen dis- ticularly awe-inspiring, and hul this game, apparently, is il rushing back to play 11 as soon play is Incredibly cluttered ami some things are mil \er> clear Available for the Atari, Amstrad as I've finished this review My complicated, wilh loads of w hich is not good news Tor w hat and Spectrum al least - course on do-it-yourself brain things to watch out for all at the is really an arcade adventure. reviewed here on a Spectrum - surgery Is now coming along same lime, electronic counter Collecting keys as you go. you Koronis Kill comes from \cllvl- quite nicely, while I haven't measure devices and radars can move from one cell to slon, and is a Lucas Films mastered this game at all. The look totally different in the another h> entering a transpor- game. This means that you get theory is simple, it would manual, hut place I hem on the ter. but only il you hold a key an amazing amount of packag- appear lhal I am seeking Ihe screen and they look exactly and you can also only use trans- ing to wade through. Instruc- valuable technologies of the alike lo me. Half Ihe things porters of your own colour. tions thai make the game seem Ancients, in the hope of striking you're up against aren't even Knemles abound, although you marginally more complicated il rich. When I stumble across mentioned al all, just dismissed have goi a gun lo stun them I han do-it-yourself brain the koronis Kilt, stuck in a with the phrase other (milit- with Only to stun because you surgery, and while waiting for desolate sector of a remote star ary) types exist thai have nol must never louch them, as Ibis ihe thing lo load you can ponder system, il should he the answ er yet been Identified . Well. I w ish decreases your pyschlc pow- on the incredible fact that more to all my prayers. The hiding Kiev's Identify themselves to ers. should you have any left than a do/en people were place ol technological treas- me, I d be rather keen to learn after reading the instructions Involved In the writing of IL \rlc ures beyond my wildest what I'm up against The man- lor playing the game. Wllinunder handles !il) envi- dreams, all there For the taking. ual then goes on tt) describe the Sorry chaps, but I was not ronment and explosions. Tom Well, not exactly, because the Fin; ' game, hut Impressed. Il was much loo Wahl looked after Science guardians of the rllt have other it might as well be printed In complicated, though I suppose Droid artwork. Douglas Ideas. Which hulks must 1 loot? Greek for all the sense it makes II you had plenty ol lime to Crocklonl produced the sound w hit h weapons and shields do I to me, and I know I'm never, spare you might eventually get effects and music for the Atari pack into my haltered surface ever, going to gel there. the hang of things, ^ou might version, and so on. Thousands rover? Which technologies will You might like this, but 1 also be able lo design your own ol them, and they had to slip in 1 save? Could I possibly care didn't, 1 in afraid: il \\;is just too nuclear reactor, which might a thank you to George Lucas as less? So that's the theory , and II much to bother with. \i least be slightly easier. well. There's gratitude for you. all seems reasonable enough you'll get some reasonable

70 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1387 (1

backspln or a smash, iclt and most definitely in the class of right of course just to return the arcade/adventure. At least, ball if that's as far as your com- that's what Codemaster would petence goes. It is fun. but awk- probably describe II as. If ward. and the screen display pushed. docs only the bare essentials, The story so far. It would as indeed it does lor air hockey. appear thai you have recently Darts is darts is darts, and been exploring Ihe Stella somehow no computer version mines, and while there man- has ever come near to repro- aged to drop a vast amount of ducing the real thing. No beer equipment and prompily forgot by the side of the computer is aboul It. although how anyone probably Its biggest failing, but can drop a ladder and remain as far as darts games go this unaware of the fact is beyond one's good enough and w ill cer- me. Your crew mates aboard tainly gel you going lor ihe the Kotar I. an Interplanetary magic one hundred and eighty mining vessel, laugh out ioud The character Is definitely about your total Inability lo do wrong on the screen though, anything, ho ho ho they proba- since he Is lacking ihe vasi bly go. and send you back to iry heergul which seems lo be a lo recover all the stuff that you prerequisite for playing darts. dropped. Deep down il would As individual games, they appear that they really love you. would all sll well on a £1.99 but I note lhat they don't love tape. For a four in one package, you enough to accompany you one can't complain al all. And back to the mines and help you. for me. It's back to the darts. >ou. Brainache. private Harry Shame aboul the absence of the Jones, are on your own. pal. beer, though with no-one lo help you out. And value (or your money II you do which of the four games you the mines, lei me lell you. are buy It. but It will take you about want lo play. \ significant wall Brainache rathcr a nasty place lo be. a week to understand the thing. then ensues while the correct Spectrum 48/128k In play, and in particular In game is loaded from tape Cassette the design of the screens, this Indoor Sports Ten pin bowling is not a bad Code Masters game reminded me a great deal Spectrum 4H/I28/PIBS2 version ol ihe game, using the Brainache sounds as ll it should of Boogaboo. which is odd Cassette joystick to position a litlle man be a variant on ihe Mastermind/ because Bralnache bears as Publisher: \dnncr who delivers the ball when you Connect Four type of game, bul much resemblance lo the lira Ml right. I'll conress. I like this tell him to. Nothing brilliant, no. The Brainache In this game hero of that game as I do to one. Indoor Sports, from bul everything you could wish is actually a person, a rotund Robert Redford, and. as even Advance Software Promotions. for Is in there, including correct individual, who Is loolish close friends will tell you. lhal Is a great little cassette for the scoring lor strikes and spares, enough to allow you to control is not much of a resemblance, Spectrum family of computers, and a reasonable, if not quite his actions. His real name ^ou have lo explore the rather and Is either keyboard or joys- reaching brilliant, screen dis- apparently is Harry Jones, a large game area, avoiding all tick (lots of Interfaces to play. private, and the butt of his manner ol nasty creepy crawly choose from) compatible. Il Mr hockey Is good lun and friend's humour, who call him things as you do so. collecting also contains four very different consists of moving a block Brainache because he is a pri- the odd pieces ol equipment games as well, which explains around a table while* whacking vate of very little brain, forever which are scattered about like the rather long and tedious the living daylights out of a puck forgetting things or dropping confetti after a wedding. loading lime. He very careful which, sitting on a mound ol air. them. I nder your expert guid- Reasonably enough, some of (hat you don't manage lo w ipe whisks off towards your oppo- ing. of course, (his won't hap- this equipment is too heavy lo out your copy ol ihe game, nents goal. He. needless losay. pen. be carried with other equip- because Ihe tape deck can also Is Irving lo do the same as you \ game for the Spectrum ment. and larger things like lad- be used to save or load high and score, so plenty of joystick range of computers, from ders require carrying on llielr score tables. Label your tapes action there. Codemaster. (his rather inn lit- own. otherwise ihe stuff lhat carefully. Table tennis Is another good lle game can be played using a you have already oh so carefully On completion ol loading, one. Just the sight of two (able combination of Joystick and collected will once more you are Invited to enter up to tennis bats floating around In keyboard. Joystick for the sim- become debris on the ground. four players' names, although II mld-alr kept me amused for a ple things in life like moving Kvenlually you might make II you just want to take on the while. II seems marginally around, while the keyboard Is and manage to escape again, computer - or have three easier to play the real thing used lor slightly more compli- hul I never manager It Not, friends who wish lo remain than tt Is to control Ihe Spec- cated matters tike picking however. Ihrough lack ol trying, anonymous - then the one trum hat. moving the joystick things up or dropping them, because this is one game thai I name will do. You then decide backwards and forwards lo gel because this Spectrum game Is Intend lo play again.

YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 71 •SPECTRUM * SPECIALS GOEL AMSTRAD PCWSZS&S512 Ifcurtwiie COMMODORE 64 £S69S COMPUTER SERVICES cr2Ettks n.M 45 Boston Road, London W7 3SH AMSTRAD CPC CF2Ewta BoxetfXUtJS Duh Cove-i Set 17.96 01 579 6133 COMPUTER GAMES ~ Ptuisot Ribbon Z fc: tlOJS Saftwan TRY BEFORE YOU BUY ADVICE ON SOXCItOK ANDStTUPOr SOFTWARE COMMODORE 64 Review the latest game* at home IS AVAILABLE r» RRP OURPRCt| dBase (I »« »5 * One week's review DELTA £9100 Skyrumar _ C6.9S £7J5 Camt.isv 2 £«.« Top Gun £6 95 C6.00 * Latest titles Antinad . £8.99 £6.60 Ctactef 2 HZM UchiMata E8.96 £6.60 * Lowest rates fem 2 and Woid+ £60.38 Proi^i, U4J9 Pistil £9.95 C7.U * Fast postal service Bgo-ot. £9.95 C6.60 SINCLAIR OL Ace of Aces E9.95 £7.25 * Free membership Microdrive cnrtttdgM now in Mock Kettle . £8,95 £6.60 6 ('.r 110 ..Hi 118 Ughttorce £8.95 £6.60 * BFPO, & European members Sandy Moiw< £85.00 World Games — £9.95 C7.JS welcome Dusi Covet U.IS AJieyKat C8.95 C6.60 Sui*?! o Bcnrd :-;2K (with metis £139 Graphc Adventure Creator £22.95 £18.00 Special discount prices less review 5 UK Expander am UIIJN Space Hamer £9.95 £7JS 10 DS-DDd.^.- £25 00 FwuPat £9.95 E7JJ charge to members who decide to buy SEE PRESTF.L FOR LATtSTCtSSSSOOSI) Cobra £8.95 £6.60 Contact: Prtcea inctede VAT & POSTAGE Tomahawk —i £9.96 £7.25 THESE ARE JUST A SELECTION - Blood and Guts C9.95 £7.25 PHONETOR FURTHE R DETAILS Leaderboard Golf .... £9.95 £7JS MICROGAME Sabjeci 10 availability InWtfBtOr «... £9.95 £7.25 12 Bagots Oak, Stafford, They Sow a MKton IM £9.95 £7.15 PERIPHERY Five Star Game* £9.96 C7J5 Staffs ST17 9RS Computer Mils III £9.96 £7.25 111 GAIHSBOROVCB A VT.. Braakthru £9.99 C7J5 or 'phone Stafford 211150 ANYTIME! OLDHAM OU J A/ TEL Oil tit 5M2 Howard the Duck C9.99 £7J5 Labrynth £9.99 £7J5 Mart>ie Madness £9.95 £7.25 Arctido* £9.95 £7.23

Graphic Adventuro Creator £22.95 £1B00 COMPUTER REPAIRS FIRST AID Silent Service .- £9.96 £7^5 FOR £8.96 £660 Fixed Super Low Prices! TopGtfi SPECTRUM TECHNOLOGY JaAreok £8.95 £6.60 Inckjsiva* of pan*, labour and VAT SpaceHanler £8.95 £6.60 EMe £14.96 £11.75 I week tumround They Sold a Million 111 £9.95 £7.25 REPAIRS Fro© col tec tlon/deti very available for local area Frve Star Games . £9.95 £7.25 ScoobyDoo £8.96 £6.60 Computer Hits HI £9.96 £7^5 • INTRODUCTORY OFFERS • Ewe Hit Pack .... £9.95 E7J9 Spoctrums £14 inc. +• Free Gome Rogue Trooper ... £9.95 £7^5 From £3-£19 incl. all parts, tkttn Wamors £8.95 £6.60 CM £22 inc. + Free Game Trivial Pursu! £14.95 £11.75 labour and 3 month C16 £18 Inc. Tempest ——„J C9.99 £7.25 VIC20.C+4 £22 inc. Legend of Kage £8.95 Guarantee. Gauntlet £9.95 £7.25 sac £32 inc. 3 Discs . £5.00 £4.00 ELECTRON £19 inc. AMSTRAD 464 £32 inc. + Free Game Fur SW discs colour DS/OO £19.50 bo* of 10 From Bristol's Sincla;> CAN CASSETTE UNITS £19 inc. C64 P.S.U. FOR SALE £20 inc. Specialists Printer nbbons- re-inking £2.00 Uack. £3.50 red, blue

BRANDED DISKS (BOX of 10) BEST PRICES IN UK? WHY PAY M0RE1 3' MAXELL CF2 C26.50 • VI I I SAVE IMSTBtiMl t»o . vat A MAJOR ADVANCE FOR THE tm * MI 3.5" SONY MF2-2DD 135tpt C24.00 COMMODORE 64,128 AND 1541 DISK DRIVE «*STH» C0W*:T Vom tp*r t«M + »inpiece Of HKreM»IU (Dot mm MM normal OK KERNEL ROW IO nwneomeiy F*j»i»T>jf Ontwr** cmkr 5.25" MAXELL MD2-DD 96tpi OSOD C19.95 exxnoe - FAST LOAD - ioani>*»A0m*cvum»*a oac«rt SCREEN DUMP even *h*e program C WO WfcCtSWCUXXCAWMM 4VAT fCO.O OKWOUfST) !&Mf nat < vat PC tHJKi.v. UU CM • VAT VVIJXkr COUJMHtpto T URBO-FtOM MAS AiMfiEOUrmv Htm tr ts% m I or?»rvei wth the prvaer connected JOHN HOLMES (tone last loaders don'tl and do»s not M uO the cartroge socket The TURBO-ROM can Oefated vxrwiues CMocwVpnm COMPUTERS andiatt permanertty nttaMd and hat an e*terna*y nuct |3Bt , VAT accessM swfch 10 seaaci t*i«een naritujjnd WILLOW SOFTWARE (YC2| FULBECK, GRANTHAM, LINCS. NG32 3LD. lirto operation Beware 'cheaper* Pricesmcfcid* THE WILLOWS, WRtNCTON LANS gomoiro TO- imitations ptO CONORESSURV, BRISTOL BSI»9SO A00 15% VAT Tel: |0934) 034056 M*ry otners *H it amount -ok tor a quott TEL: (0400) 72818 OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT « EDUCATIONALORDER ORDERSS WELCOM VrtLCO E

72 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1387 •COMPUTER REPAIR CENTRE HOUR

The only AMSTRAD SPECIALISTS I co *pectrum R A recommended by Amstrad L BBC:SBBr°,EMf'ATAR'' The established company with a proven reputation Over the years we have built up an enviable reputation in the UK for computer repairs, which is second to none. This is based on many years experience in repairing Spectrum. Commodore. BBC and other leading makes - and we were the first AMSTRAD repair centre anywhere. This is why we have customers all over • -WT DELAY We are the best^ forget the rest, look what we offer ACT TODAY /t sas Mo high fixed price - you only I Commodore 64's, Vic 20's, easy as pay what the repair actually Atari. Commodore 16'sand costs. Plus 4's repaired, ABC! While-CI-Wait Service - spare I Discounts for colleges, parts for all leading computers schools etc. - available over the counter. I Every computer repaired by us Simply send your computer securely packed, together I State of the art test equipment is completely overhauled and tested before return. with £ cheque or postal order for the to provide comprehensive test maximum fee to the address below. report and locate faults. I All computers returned Your computer will be repaired and carriage paid and covered by returned to you within 24 hours I Repairs to all leading makes of insurance. together with the balance of the fee computer. I Three months guarantee and you' FREE £33 worth of software. I Amstrad specialist included. Or if you prefer a written I Spectrum rubber keyboards I Free Software worth £33 with quotation just send £250 to repaired for only £8.95. every Spectrum repair. • cover post & packing. DISCOUNT COMPONENTS Alternatively just quote your e.g. PowerTransformers Access or Visa card number. BBC REPAIRS from repa/rs Commodore £29.00 £12 to £45 • £1.50 7 i Spectrum I £9.95 'I to £1930 ^ ^^^ £1.50 p.p!^*^ /*•, ^ SPECIALIST COMPUTER

Dept 12, Unit4, M.E.B. Works, Windsor Road, Enfield, Redditch,B97 6DJ. TehRedditch 65671. WE SET THE STANDARD BY WHICH EVERYONE ELSE IS JUDGED

7 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1987 73 YOUR COMPUTER CLASSIFIED CONTACT PAUL WILLIAMS Certified bulk disks Full user packs for 39p each * ASTROLOGY ON 01-222 9090 mln. quantity 50 for beginners Eg 5.25 DS/DO 49p min. quantity 50 COPY JULY ISSUE, 29th May Postage and packing Ci par batch of 50 only £11.50 ordered A Starter Pack comprising a simple DATES AUGUST ISSUE, 25th June program to calculate a horoscope, All pnees include VAT. an introductory booklet & 2 self- AMSTRAD SOFTWARE HIRE t YOUR OLD PWHTSH RIBBONS' W* also have a wide selection of teaching programs (how to interpret the horoscope). Ne OH WD a$ Wt rttai v mon software for the Amstrad PC1S12 'tt MM rang* at 10% off R.R.P. tmm maw sIWM1 f? and *e i ilt< No previous Detail from (Dspl VC(. KBT UK (Ltd) K A M COMPUTERS * Mu>W Cwc«mLn Eyelywnoulh. . knowledge required 40 Fairstead. Birch Qraen. Skelmarmdal*. Btmtcum TD14 SAP Carmel House, Lone* WN8 6RD TetQ**0'S0«M 85 The Broadway, Spsetnm. B8 CMtaction. One . Dragon. CoHwdvi 64/ftT. Atari West Ealing, Sharp. AnetradSdmadar, Colour Gm. LONDON W13 9BD MS*. IBM. Apncot. *te. BLANK CASSETTES Spectrum Repairs many more programs for WITH LIBRARY CASES CI4.90 inclusive of labour, pan* experienced astrologers + pAp. Fast reliable service by also other micros CIO CIS C20 C30 Qufllif^d doflinws Average nptir AMSTRAD (CPC/PCW) & ORtC/ATMOS Cash with order (add 5Op ao 7.50 7.70 7,90 8.70 24 hrs. 3 mth* guarantee. For help Soffnert Jbr safe or flirs outside UK) or large sae for free 90 1ft, 00 16,20 16.00 16.50 or advice ring: Saw at new i matur catalogue to: - 100 20.00 30.00 31.00 35.00 *•* CPC Utsn - ftM 1 Nns ME£< •*• HS Computer Service* For dtttM, ssrtS S4f (sttOnQ computer) to' ASTMHCAIC I Deft TO Superior Tapes. Don't Settle lor less' 2 Tha Orchard. Wart on Prerton. Lanes, PR4 IBf THE SOFTWARE CU* •7 Pseacrett Read Tel: 0772 632886 327 » •**eM*y Ortse, Cartfft CFi mt —frtui Harts HP] IE1 DISKS Tat 6442 HIM 537

10 6% OS/DO . SPECTRUM PRINTER 10 y/i SS/DO .cie UTILITIES 10 3 Am»oft CF2 . . £26 for Scwrflvnwitf ROTOBASE COMPUTER TURNTABLE Prices include plastic cam EpHKdffVHtMP'VIn Move your Computer VDU screen through 360 degrees with (he Rolobate. Puts your oum AM ARMR! screen where you want it. Enables shared use of screen and offers easy viewing. wOBO MAVta - - n^viwumtfr ortViary wort (rrtrtw and more Smooth rotation with damping action Max load 50 kilos CI 3.25 plus 60p postage MEMOTECH COMPUTERS uVin*;oijnv>». graven. Out m m* wm you AND ACCESSORIES printer ortm OAKDENE SERVICES LIMITED CRASH COPY - tJ JO - a* II* KW O^rtn you «hK mf neetf k-<*i«na w»jed s*t»*rt 35 Clkkett Hill. Basildon, Essex MT* 512 COMPUTER C75.00 OouMrurfc* end rw» we dimps DMX 80 PRINTER C150 00 TYPEUNER - C10 SO - produce Qualty from an »-pn prints Ougr your own fonts m) RS232 £35.00 pnM trwn n tarUMc NLO PASCAL ROM .... £36.00 HEAOLMER -11- TAPE UTILITY 9 SPECULATOR ROM £35.00 *>IWl produce GlANt SCEDrr I t tfi tneso mm Vk mt> DISK DRIVE ft INTERFACE C160 MLO TNs program a tip* back-up of most SPECTRUM toltwarsl Fwn ceriMrbRiotlfMkylMdtrstonoimM 1 mb. DISK DRIVE ft INTERFACE £160 Wtm rxM tor k* dttatt ot a* ow Kltmr*. Youl t« rtfitM loattng Hirngm wry long ptoflfami Wien&lK'i tasHoad*rt.«ic *lc StM*typ*ofSp*ctmniwmn Al the «iove mm are ncuiw We woo (m dtupooriM K you Wl tkXMrlng I48K. 178KH" « « an lap* (£4.9» It upMng) the enmusmoaecn Range CMnfntmtt CARDEX COMPUTING 11 Marsh Street. Barrow-in-Furness, NEW TRANSFER PACK 3-FOR SPECTRUM TAPE TO DRIVE UK HOME COMPUTERS Cumbria LAI 4 2AE A software systam to comrart many TAPE bated programs to four DRfVE (no mstlar arfut typa) -i OTHER 82 CHURCHWARD AVENUE, USEFUL UTILITIES Most jerky prwims »»EASO.* arverted to dm* Pack las al teut 7 prugtsm j'0pus.«eu SWINDON, WILTS. SN2 1NH DISKS 3W OS with labels. C13 tor ten By ownen add £1 tor 0Pn0WL extra program Suta TYPE al Spacbwn * nam* of 0MVE wtwn ordering < g 24-r» Pnon. Service 0 no (WW return Access. Visa. Grafton Ltd. Dopt IDYL) 147 High Streei, Huntingdon. Cambs I28KspectrummdMcrodrlvt, tn Won tape C* t12 ® on m/drtv« cartrWga f8i< Lpdilinat PE186TF (0480151444 iNFOfiMATIOH SWfTSi(pro« 8 tramlertot secular pfgr*wpt« shwt n»«hTP3 SPECIAL OFFER (with SAE) - No's I -20 new C4 50. Ito'i 2130 onty O.SO SINCLAIR SERVICE CENTRE Compatible AMSTRAD MICJTORSANS nv»ivt toitvUive back-up. eaty ERASE, tape kidrM iinc headtilaisi-docs NOT oVHCt ribbons in non-standard Fast repair serve* tor Spectrum ZXBl pngmns hdudn MKS0TAPE md RUN programs ONLY C3 on TAPf C4 50 on Cad ft* my Spectrum coot interlace 1 jmofodrrve. All units rep*»od to COMPRESSOR - (3 SO colours. Also for most original standard by Our H.N.C. qualified naifl avw age reoaf cost £15.00. But tor tree printers. estimate send Cl.95 return postage wth a AMSTRAO-TAPESPHO2-«0(ta(i*lHCk i« OMy £6 99 (stats wnether 464 or 6128) bnet description o< your fault tumround Details from approx 24 rxxrs established international Owseu add Ci EI«e*. £2 oBws each product S« lor detail-. service our work rs tu*y guaranteed Per- NO RISK' - ALL PROGRAMS CARAT OUR MONET BACK GUARANTEE W LPDATN Pearldeck Trading Ltd sonal callers welcomed FREEPOST. Biilingford, LERM, OEPT YC, 11 8EAC0NSFIELD CLOSE, WHITLEY BAY. NE2S 9UW. QUANTUM 33 City Arcade, (Tel: 091-2S33615) DISS, Norfolk IP21 4BR Coventry CV1 3HXTelii0203) 24632

BRADWAY SOFTWARE (YC) LSTTA-MSAO PLUS The mow .erteMe Speetfim i»ry program lor Oeugnno and pnrtmg twvwM 4 pnriil Vibonarr. Mkrncedi Mm«. poeln Mc (VealeOi* design on screen u*\g»*ua»aeric» or loedeny scnec Htarn a n MCkagi. add leal *oc r» U>tr, o> 75 (Hlaina * n RkM1 Pnee Me then fp per dump" CS.S0. IWO TYM Addtryteioywmtr word pmoutx^wonkxoceseoMeontapa mcro*neordaknn^'dvn«ylA.Oii ung aitvalope* sang n lomnt or wnonp vxn noes* Price UK it#e™o<2»lwieskTad»es NEW Th* vwy t*« ZS0 e»WTT*er ano momicr pacnage lor W Scecmx" E»ce*dnoty .wall. pi?«artji and ««ay lo u*e. fJ uratmocessor st^asemor. Uremead nxxe code: AaseiMy tangiwpoditveeor tne Opus Dwcovwy. Command . Eiwnna, iTiodiVandrscowtMmapsddeu tWJO on 3W dhk on*y. B»s<»>«r spn«*i* WatedrmAOMk Pncwsaratorc*(**n«s. nckjdo UmUfuctontandoSpMitviEumpa. pKat* add Q 00 aoitdMd* armat DoeLaoe tl JO M irvcrodwe c*mdve Send toi dataw 33 CONALAN AVENUE, SHEFFIELD, S17 4PG

74 YOUR COMPUTER, JUNE 1387 TECHNOLOGY SO ADVANCED... INPUT/OUTPUT i!?*Bytt» RAM •MICH Out I Spin DIN) JtttWC baud • lOJUKBytaa HAM MCMOS'-11 'Uioim (SpmOtH) 31 fStctmvd • UlIKoyla* BOM 'HtxHoout I Of DC paaa lo paa* ohm * Ktrrun niwai piut^i »ou option •t^Owtn t WOCpaat to eaat.KKctat •W»mon#or WOC Wonm ARCHITECTURE * tMmb mooo canttai iwrnu * DWO fcpflifontol K(n HH Js TKUt i*VJ tOfXH MIA * CAJC* tpaaH of jUHt 'mwwtufiwM :i?*Hi •tync WOCActMMlXiM ' !« -t>H HMmi MUhi •modtm^anal HStSX, 50 to it.SCO btjc •none/ami ?sUMLI gWi 4 H«M itgom •Aartftfaa IIJMNM vumm/wnnwii iMM'Mnmaw 'wiw * M. •cdrtrwtoappn liWOHMr 'arovfcttstasT+M) fer fVuao **j mDbMn . 4 Mwn * ^SvJjt nnW jnodNir pott •WXOkwwofeiAxi 'tauhn * paraft pttntar pan 'tfoMoui ' « Aw Mrf Avur * MIDI port (a*totor NAFTO«*lr ^ IM| button control " vrjj fwrrunjF (nalttcn SOUND AMD MUSIC • Iraa m'r/mVSJ ' HVlOtOST-f * 3 proQfmnnbim oowm? cAannal* • NON J/'» * ML/MCML MttWWI OLFFIMI MT*RT*C9 TUIDI) * flfW dU**FC*> • TOJT WMHW I)alani * J CMC* * UICH at«I Knvnoan of tyntf»MWI tc •SfWS*; <1l»tWI>"lingiilgt vaWi ')>ytWlJ(WIMWiy fDucad CW« H'lttaJ .. IT'S AFFORDABLE

Tho aflotoawHy ol Ann compoiori a roflanac » tho prioo oil Iho For Iho I [ONLFinally. «m t • partonaYi compute FROr that net only •M SILIC< rrmc m t A iX6t-U kayttjoid, ah«h lo o aan DM t« WAT} nut «w c4 man moot poaartul aoM no tgooSI-F with 1070A RAM TMa tow < iha CM pcitlia Nl en* computed tm imni ARordeMity S*ca Shoo ST plinin id praaaiu m» oa ST eonaa aim stJK RAM. ao aa* 00 a moouutor and load lor con poiaamouto tan 00 antodutad *lto 0 buomaoa o»iaauio—< aa SI nngt ot paroonal/Ouainee* cornsmen hoaa Alan Tim ST mi .wjffl Pa moot roeenl MO connocoon to any Oowtc TV Tho prtoo doaa not nco* a a ttond-aiona ayaaaan. or can tueoon o momnom cc—f ,aar aa o braatmrougha ji HmcomtuCK. technology. producing 1 ptWM computer DIM portorwa taaAt w,lh nouoo "i adOAion. whan mi buy 53BST M trom SJica. you aansoioi Tha icnOST-f not ona, ammo iwico aa nucA ni.au oa tow peril «UH| ,r coola lea* ID mate And lee* 10 buy Tho UM ST cor^luttai no* include wrn atao ncm tho FREE iitaltr Krf Oiatng 1VT awmmy d no MOST »M but aBO «Ua a aior* poworU bu«l m CM Ota budl in aucpaaa and bvltn tta* dnata The T05 operating tyalem and GC V widow a^vawmam ao«twar« nouaoo will bo p^idut^a gomoi aoltwoil a on MOM cart- Tho dnvo Morod on tha lOoOST F a o ono mogaoylo now o« MOU ahdi Wrwctr irnmi xmST taytotrl Tta> imlln kuhiK iiwUM iiogoa which will plug duality WHO tho caMocanr a olpl on Iho UCST moot Tha antra woaiory tacMy ol no tOOOST? HA www.g you nw cm Sua Sftop t i nn BOOf tn*As»n ST rtrqt Ou> null ioyeoord. gntng maiorit loodng a«M mo aa^anao ot porchaair^ ap^iicaitoni auen aa torgo dotanma or apraoOohaota laaa na Mvartiran u MUM « Smcup mo •• ivm < ovnott « Stfcup. 0(»(w lw HOUH a - M drrrt With tha onomoua pew ol no ST, you con aapact UOST-FM. I ha lUOOST I haa a aoM I (TMMwn Cool «d) M Mlnd«« (Oi«on> Stnat) Wo KM wghl rw •!(•«<< ol Alan (yoOjcli aom pan la IMMO to aa pmeuood. «oom« rma iho libmota ganaa I OMU *w> wr omar u* convwiv. vk) on —wt*Mmi m m« nac»naty paciago and ST STARTIW Kir m no USA. no iCiaoST f hot tw O'OVVH HWd IUM «nich jou »•« Tmd tMU* iVxint iw Aunmn^ianf UnmimiolvimO* nO^wWl K^d irtfl 'WMuCtHA O^ t#f(wfvM aoV With a TV aoMMti w tno «oST ru new.or. tor no UK OA ROM cartntgo. tha ST pKmM 0 low pneo lonnnol tor hwmao* maAot. Alan aro wonutocluV^ na 1000ST-F aoWy aim ll airiai UOO m mino and • dot* not cwranfty mCJudo on Mr modulator ttua licMM i-i ruJifiN ONLY FHOK MJCA Ho m^nl Ml rou W Wroujn •rl«i x Im 19 0IV uoo it you n ah to laaa odi«niogo ca ma maaonw rango ol o upgrade a mod. w« »>m an Alan or Itilrd party aMnav Thai* on (ho OUI you WD too louln fn tomanng tron A ton Cocpoc ol-o^ « pod at 9a oockogo at mo Ann KMbylo nan) 0.M ana o^llotaa on roqooot. It roquood ara throa Atari maNtm I ititll and tho pneaa tor na tOaO win Oat -BASlCUmai 'SIOwi Mom*' ' TQi-G/w on ff0« oi a toaar oaao. aw nouoo moy to twwoad ooparotoly N you Out rom S•T HtOcnro-* from SAU S>»» . rocvfc^'u ma olo Pffxxo rooono prof^ -luWom WorO Procmaor I040BT-T KayOoata Wmout Uon/Ut OW/hc Mil In toanton, w ol l*cl aouM alio to MO you tm oi lo •frying Mv i witn yen* no» (C^vuW. w ** htn IQ40ST-F Kayteai* 'tag* rw awns ntomaor omftncwri Oul logotnoi a *p*c-Jk ST STAKTSK KIT aodh M CtOO •fucx H arc e-v «My lilt Or CHAHCt 'CHOsrr Keyboard'lam tm a*-VMK* irmtmcvAT) Mtti Ml) ST t»w» ^Utnoooa ai oat nofmoi xw oncoo Tim kit n MIIOVo 0W.T F ROM SIUCA JOOCtSf^ Kfboan) * Uad rat cot /wvvrw am tnc vaT) and » wot 01 piM^ DM Willi a »o»jotla r«0OXWn 0} no mWJ Of compiAng Mo ai* continwOWy Tha 1WBT-I oomaa W«I a mouaa CdmioHor and nnl iltaa ittbyta upgcaO^s th SI stow ah whitti mhohputoc oowam anoonw mnooo ao t Tho 4J06T-FU wilh HAM and hoo a | | I 1Mb NAM UMAACf: Our uogrado on tho HtMord Alan UOST U or M0ST.FM larboard w > Siaaativough by Atari Corpomon * no worvj ol high j mcroaaa tha mamory town J1JK lo a maw>t 1 naa a lull t yaar wranay and a a-a.iaM* I | coat pononai cmputmg Tha moeoi «t no IOMOI addrtion is tho Si tamriy. ono a not only poworlul. but compact it a pnoad at orOy Silica at an adlkunal rotat pr^a o< only CM M CVAT • ttOOl OM One VAT) a laual wtuch brmga a aNNn na laacn ot a art*to TV MOCMJLATOFt UPOttAOC: Siwa con •OVOm no tOaOGT F lo .nciudo a TV modulalor tnamo gonoraoon ot compular omvoaaa Whan purchatad Horn ut, mat you can ihan uaa « win your TV aat. Th« m an awoniai upgraoo and dooa noi mm* any untidy * comoo with no FRtE Silica •ST Stortoi Ha oaa paragracm on »w aatainat boaat A taM lo connad yotf ST Id any domaooc TV a uiciuood m tha pnea 01 na i«grodo am To maAa Iha 5J0ST-FU natfy tot uaa maigM away. Atari Ma Which a o«r l«* VAT| Thoupyoooioaotoi .mil lor party MOST computori at no iamo prtco but ltd tna tayboard a » magapyta OOA drha tor Intonubon tlorago and I*tna»al, oOowing ycu ooay occaaa lo (ha maaana rango THE FULL STOCK RANGE - Only From Silica Ol daa boaar) nrftwo which a a»*aaota lor Wit ST Tha nam wo OM 10 aaop oocli oI all Alan rum a product* ana our wwahouoo carnaa a HOC* ol C't million wa computar comao aim nIfeha oorvac l rtnaaa and connacbona you ma import marry aoftawa Ulaa arocl Irom ma USA and you •«• find not wo haao now itllOllt in odwwo ol naad 10 ptug .t imght Mo any Uandard donaooc talonaion aa« many st our oompoMon Unaaa daaian who aar cnty aaoci toloctod miaa aa ua no tun tango In Vou do noi noaaiora htaa to puimtn an Alan monitor « you do addition, ma carry a cornptota Una ol 0 mhaia a monitor howaaar. thaoo ara aiaHoMo wllh Iha MOST m o Hh aa oxa » aomanng you .HI Itnd a a^.iaw. OW.T FKOM HtlCA AFTER SALES SUPPORT - Only From Silica HOSTfU Ktrboan! 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