Computer Gaming World Issue
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I VOL. 3 NO. 2 Mar.-Apr. 1983 Features SOME READER COMMENT 9 Comments from R.I.D.s COMPUTER GAMES IN 1983 10 A Report on CES and HIA Russell Sipe COSMIC BALANCE 14 Tactics and Ship Design Floyd Mathews ZORK! 18 An Overview of the Series David P. Stone ULTIMA II 23 The Revenge of the Enchantress James A. McPherson LATCH ONTO THE BULL 26 The "Bear" Facts about MILLIONAIRE Johnny L. Wilson ROBOTWAR TOURNAMENT RESULTS 30 Results of CGW's 2nd Annual Tourney LISTEN TO THE MOCKINGBOARD 33 Sound and Speech for the Apple II Thomas Cleaver EPIDEMIC 39 "An Apple (or PC) a day. ." Valerie Trott READER INPUT 48 Game Ratings of the Past 10 Months Departments Letters 2 Inside the Industry 3 Hobby and Industry News 3 Real World Gaming 4 Taking a peek 5 Atari Arena 20 The Learning Game 36 Microcomputer Mathemagic 38 Micro Reviews 41 Reader Input Device 48 Dear Editor: READER COMMENTS, page 43 of Dear Editor: your VOL. 2 No. 5 issue, I quote, I am an avid gamer and have "There is a senseless preference Thank you for promoting Robot- been for all but a few early years of war activities. It is a game that shown for APPLES and ATARIS over my life. I advanced through the var- requires continuing competition the TRS-80 graphic junkies."; "Too ious levels of the gaming world with other players to be fully many games are first developed for much like any other gamer my age, appreciated. the APPLE then converted to the and I faced the same dreaded ATARI. ATARI users must then suffer I was very frustrated when I found problems what with the lack of with sub-par graphics and sound"; out I'd missed your first tournament. I opponents and the mounds of and "Go monthly and put in some couldn't rest until I'd organized a paperwork involved with role-- ATARI articles, This past issue had local tournament, which we've playing. Therefore it was only natural more for the ATARI than other. But that I realize the potential of the been holding every 2 months ever APPLE users have enough maga- since. Richard Fowell, creator of computer in this area. However all zines of their own without giving "Norden", is one of our club the computer related magazines them 3/4ths of this one also" members. We are currently holding began to drift more into the techni- un-quote, our tournaments at Rainbow Com- cal aspects of computing and a puting Inc. 9719 Reseda Blvd., North- well written detailed review of gam- Competing for top honors in the ridge, California. ing software became harder to find. 'My computer is better than yours" Then came COMPUTER GAMING contest does nothing to further the Concluding there must be others WORLD. Long had I wished for just hobby of computer gaming, but a in this great country that might be such a magazine and I pounced on little understanding and co-opera- searching for Robotwar a subscription faster than a starving tion could make quite a difference. I competition. I also organized a "postal" dog on a ham hock. I have read agree that when it comes to soft- Robotwar tournament. It is held the and re-read every issue thus far and ware and software reviews practi- 1st of every month with a $4 entry I look forward to each new issue cally every computer system except fee to cover prizes and postage. impatiently. However, of late I have for the APPLE suffers. The question is, Anyone interested may receive rules began to fear that you too will be who do you blame for this problem? and mailing instructions from: drifting to a more technical aspect The editors cannot justifiably be Frank Krogh rather than staying with your name- blamed as they rely heavily on out- P.O. Box 5337 sake. There have been several hints side contributions, so who on the North Hollywood, CA 91616 in various articles that you may outside can be blamed? Is it rea- indeed include articles of a techni- sonable to lay the blame on the We've had 3 postal tournaments cal nature and although it may be ATARI users because there is an as of December 1st, 1982. The selfish, I hope you will refrain from insufficient amount of good soft- winners were: "Stalker" by Pat doing so. There are multitudinous ware and/or software reviews for the Bachelder from Andrews, TEX; articles on that end of computing TRS-80? Of course not. The only peo- "Norden2" by Richard Fowell from in other magazines and as a result I ple who can be blamed are the Palos Verdes Estates, CAL; "Samoth" do not subscribe to them but I buy users themselves. Someone has to by Tom Schai from Roseville, MINN. them one issue at a time depend- write the software and the reviews, Good luck on your 2nd Annual ing upon interest. You are the offi- therefore if the PET users feel left out Robotwar tournament. cial voice of the computer gamer then they must accept the respon- and as such are filling a void inher- sibility of doing something to correct Frank Krogh ent in us all. Please try to keep it that the situation. The same would hold way lest we drown in a sea of true for any computer system and technicalities. the users of that system. Another bothersome area for me I would like to see the computer is the sniveling rivalry between enthusiasts of today come together computer enthusiasts. There is the in friendship and co-operation to APPLE group, the ATARI group, the make the hobby as exciting and TRS-80 group, the PET group, and rewarding as it can be. While there is lord knows what others. Many times I nothing wrong with loyalty to a par- have felt that I am personally being ticular computer system, detrimen- chastised because I happen to own tal comments about other com- an APPLE II PLUS. I have nothing puter systems can easily be avoided against ATARI, TRS-80, or PET owners. and should be, for they serve no use- Why do they insist upon making ful purpose. snide remarks about the APPLE II PLUS? For example there are three Stephen Stahl such remarks of childish rivalry in the Brazoria, TX INSIDE THE INDUSTRY by Dana Lombardy, Associate Publisher Game Merchandising Last issue we listed almost 400 game manufacturers) account for 13 Futureview Inc. different new game software titles nearly half of all game releases in 13 Gebelli Software Inc. that were released in 1982. Looking 1982. In fact, just counting the top 13 Sirius Software Inc. at the data provided by the survey ten on the list shows that these firms 11 Hayden software forms returned from the computer (7% of the industry) account for 11 Strategic Simulations Inc. game publishers, we find some one-quarter of all 1982 game 11 United Microware Industries interesting facts. software releases. 9 Artworx Software Co. Inc. Out of over 150 computer game It must be noted that this list does 9 Sierra On-Line Inc. software publishers, 81 listed their not rank the companies by their 7 Datasoft Inc. 1982 game releases, 6 were still size or the number of any one 7 Synergistic Software active but had no new game particular game sold. Some of the 6 Avant-Garde Creations releases, one was out of business, publishers with only a few game 6 Insoft Inc. and one was no longer publishing releases in 1982 had tremendously 6 Sublogic Communications game software. 69 were sent forms successful titles. This list is just one of 6 Syncro Inc. but never replied, despite two several methods of measuring 5 C&C Software separate requests. Of the 81 America's most rapidly-growing 5 Computer Kinetics Corp. responding, a total of 394 games hobby: computer gaming. 5 Creative Software were produced in 1982 (about 5 5 Instant Software games per company). If we assume The 30 Most Prolific Computer 5 Micro Lab that at least 60 of the non- Game Publishers of 1982 5 Spinnaker Software responding companies also had Number of 5 Swiftly Software Inc. 5 Synapse Software game releases last year, that would Releases Publisher bring the total number of computer 22 Avalon Hill software games published in 1982 (The remaining 51 companies to 694! 20 Atari Program exchange 19 Thorn EMI Video that reported publishing games in A list of the 30 most prolific game 18 Datamost Inc. 1982 had four or fewer titles software publishers follows. Even 15 Spectral Associates released.) when including the games from 14 Epyx/Automated Simulations none-reporting companies, these 13 Adventure International 30 software publishers (20% of the 13 Broderbund Software Inc. IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter. It will be as a character's gold, experience, attributes, HOBBY AND available on disk and sell for $39.95. spells, and other items that Wizardry players McKelvie Programs, P.O. Box 53076, Phila., PA need printed. INDUSTRY NEWS 19105, has released GAMEMASTER, a new program for the Timex-Sinclair and ZX-81 Two more new releases from Sir-tech are PITS computers. GameMaster is a control and record OF PERIL, an arcade game for the Apple II (48K), and Broderbund Software, Inc. has entered the keeping system for role-playing fantasy ad- POLICE ARTIST, a childrens game which is basically a face recognition program for ages 7 CARTRIDGE game market with its first two Atari venture games. It is compatible with TSR's to 14.