20 Great Computer Games You Must Have! May 1988 I The Leading Magazine of Home, Educational, and Recreational Computing - HIT THE ROAD! 6 HOT LAPTOPS Which Portable Fits Your Budget? SUMMER FUN Dozens of Computer Activities for You and Your Kids PERSONAL FINANCE SPECIAL • Facts & Figures on 76 Super Programs • Expert Reveals What to Look For PLUS $3.00 More Reviews! $4 .25 Canada New Columns! 05 Latest News on Your Favorite System BUY2, HERE ARE PICKiPREE! YOUR CHOICES We're sure that amongst all these choices. •Amnesia • Instant Pages • B/Graph there's one that you'd like to pick - for free. So, go • Arcticlox • lntellilype • The Consultant ahead - exercise your free choice by visiting your • The Bard's Tale • Legacy ot the Ancients •DEGAS Elite nearest retailer. Buy any two of these best-selling • The Bard's Tale II • Marble Madness • DiskTools Plus Electronic Arts products between April l, 1988 and • Chuck Yeager's AFT • Patton vs. Rommel • Homepak June 30. 1988 - and pick a third one for free! • Deathlord • PHM Pegasus •IS Talk To redeem your free software. simply fill out • Demon Stalkers • Return to Atlantis • Outrageous Pages either your retailer's coupon or the coupon in this • Dragon's Lair • Skate or Die • PaperClip Publisher ad, and mail it with proofs of purchase (see re­ • Earl Weaver Baseball • Skyfox II • PaperClip with Spellpak quirements on coupon) along with $3 per free • EOS: Earth Orbit Stations • Slarflight • PaperClip Ill product for shipping and handling (U.S. Funds). If • Get Organized • Strike Flee! •Thunder! you can't find a participating retailer. order direct by calling 800-245-4525 throughout the U.S. and • GrandSlam Bridge • Wo~d Tour Golf • nmelink Canada. Just tell us which products you want to • Instant Music buy, and what you want for free. Have your Visa/MC numbers ready. Product availability vanes by computer format. Ask your retailer or call (415) 572-2787 for details. ,----------------, ANDYDUR PICKiFREE! DEWXECHOICES MAIL·IN COUPON Choose from our Deluxe CreatMty Series for your purchase products. Or, P'ieose send ITT/ free software to the 1o1owirYJ oddress. I hove redeem tree Deluxe software when you buy arryi two of these Deluxe products: enclosed the reqLired proofs of p.xchose (specified below) and SJ (check or morey order payable to ~trorlc Arts) for sr.ppirg ord OOrdirg. • DeluxeMusic • DeiuxePaint • DeiuxeProductions Construction Set • DeiuxePaint II • DeiuxeVideo Norre -------------~ Address--===------------- - Oty ______ The corrp.J!er I own _ __________ PROOF OF PURCHASE REQUIREMENlS: Serd the tolowirQ ~ 11ems: 1). the doled cash register tape(s) °' soles receipt(s) sho.olilg the two proO..cil yoo DU'· chased. ond 2). find the Command Soovnay Cad 01 the Marual (wham ro Com­ ELECTRONIC ARTS® mand Soovnay Cord exlm) Inside each pockoge. cut off the pcr1 rurt>er on the bock. ic>Ner portion of the Cad OI McnJci MAIL TO: Electroric Am. BUY 2 PICK t FREE. l'O. Box 7530. San Ma1eo. CA 94403. Orly YOid iequests postmooed by lif 15. 1988 w1 be honored /\bl 3-6 weeks fOI delivery. All products are registered/trademarks of Electronic Arts. L.--------------..J I I I I I FEATURES Taking It on the Road -· Six of the best battery-powered laptop computers surveyed. Arlan Levitan 31 Kids, Computers, and Summer Vacation Dozens of ideas and activities for a fun-filled computerized summer./Fred D'Jgnazio 22 Our Favorite Games Twenty great computer games you shouldn't be without. Editors 12 The Automatic Shoebox llilll~~~~!~ Whatfinance to managementlook for in personal software. A Conversation with Andrew ! Tobias.fKeith Ferrell 42 Buyer's Guide Personal Finance Software. Facts and figures about 76 financial packages for your own bottom line. Caroline D. Ha nlon 43 - REVIEWS Fast Looks 57 Ticket to London Ed Ferrell 59 Border Zone Scott Thomas 60 MAY The Commodore 1280 Cl{{ton Karnes 61 1988 Star Trek: The Rebel Universe Neil Randall 61 VOLUME 10 Robotic Workshop Keith Ferrell 62 NUMBER 5 Airborne Ranger ISSUE 96 Robert Bix by 64 I I I I I COLUMNS Editorial License We 've changed COMPUTE!; here's Dream Zone why, and what to expect in months James V. Trunzo 65 to come./Gregg Keizer 4 Print Magic News & Notes Duncan Teague 70 Computer sales up, Soviet software invades the U.S. , video­ Gee Bee Air Rally game explosion, and more. Rhett Anderson 78 Editors 6 Quattro Game play J. Blake Lambert 79 Change history with Balance of Power and President Elect. Orson Scott Card 9 Impact Only important software alters the way we think of computers. David D. Thornburg 10 Discoveries Computers in schools-have they lived up to the promises made? David Stanton 86 Levitations Our free-form columnist takes his first bow./Arlan Levitan 94 Letters Tell us what you think. Editors 11 New Products! • New software, new hardware. COMPUTE! SPECIFIC Editors __________ 37 MS-DOS Clifton Karnes 39 64 & 128 Neil Randall 40 Apple II Gregg Keizer 41 Amiga Rhett Anderson 51 Macintosh Sharon Zardetto Aker 52 Atari ST David Plotkin 54 Hints & Tips Editors 55 Cover illustration: Lee Noel, Jr. COMPUTE! The Leading Magazine of Home, Educational, and Recreational Computing (USPS: 537250) is published monthly by COMPUTE! Publications. Inc .. 825 7th Ave.. New YO<k. NY 10019 USA. Phone: (212) 265-8360. Editorial OHices are located at 324 West Wendover Avenue. Greensboro, NC 27408. Domestic Subscriptions: 12 issues. S24 . POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: COMPUTE! Magazine. P.O. Box 10955. Des Moines. IA 50950. Second class postage paid at New YO<k. NY and additional maili ng offices. Entire contents copyright © 1988 by COMPUTE! Publications. Inc. All rights reserved, ISSN 0194-357X. editoriallicense GREGG KEIZER e've changed. We're doubling the number ofour prod­ When you flip through the pages uct reviews, adding hardware evaluations on W ofthis issue, the first thing you'll a regular basis, and changing the focus of notice is a new, clean layout and design. those reviews to give you solid information Thanks to the expert guidance ofour art di­ about the software that you want to buy, not rector, Janice Fary, the magazine is easier to the software we want to hype. We'll review read, easier to use, easier to digest. COM­ programs like Quauro because many ofyou PUTE!'s contemporary look reflects, we work in the home, Ticket to London because think, our philosophy of providing the most you and your children want to learn with the We Changed up-to-date information about computers computer, and GeeBee Air Rally because and how to put that information to use. everyone likes to have fun. Because We Which brings us to an even more fun­ COMPUTE! has always been known for damental difference. Over the last decade, its recognized columnists, and we're not go­ Saw You COMPUTE! has published the highest qual­ ing to change that. "Gameplay," our new ity software available in print form. With entertainment column, is written by Orson this issue, however, COMPUTE! magazine Scott Card, an award-winning science-fiction Changing. It's begins a new era, one that doesn't include writer who has a keen eye for what makes or type-in programs. breaks a game. We're also debuting "Dis­ That Simple. As computers and software have grown coveries," David Stanton's educational more powerful, we've realized it's not possi­ computing column and "Levitations," our ble to offer top quality type-in programs for free-form column that reports on almost all machines. And we also realize that you're anything connected with personal computers less inclined to type in those programs. and their users. And though we've changed You're more interested in hands-on fea­ the name ofhis column, we're keeping David tures, dependable and forthright product re­ Thornburg's refreshing look into both the views, and insightful columns. We've near and the distant future ofcomputers. changed because we saw you changing. It's Even though we no longer carry type-in that simple. After all , our job is to give you software specific to each kind ofcomputer, the kind ofinformation you wa nt. we do give you computer-specific infor­ We believe that the new COMPUTE! mation in the new COMPUTE! Specific de­ will make the time you spend on your com­ partment. Ifyou own an Amiga, Apple II. puter more interesting, more worthwhile, Atari ST, Commodore 64 or 128, IBM PC and more productive. And we think that the or compatible, or Macintosh personal com­ package we've put together does that better puter, you'll find this new section an invalu­ than any other consumer computer magazine. able fount ofproduct information, news, COMPUTE/will include more feature and application hints and tips. Herc you'll articles, written by authors old and new to read about everything from an IBM PC virus the magazine-practical features that dem­ to Commodore 64 emulators for the Amiga. onstrate the power of personal computers, Rounding out the magazine are such that show you how you can use the machine things as "News & Notes," full of industry to educate, entertain, produce, and process. news-the serious and the humorous-that Well-written articles show vou how to use appeals to anyone who owns a computer: your computer, not how one person far re­ letters to the editor; technical and program­ moved from your experience may use it. ming hints and tips: and a stronger new This issue, we're showing you a bit ofevery­ products listing. thing-a preview ofwhat to expect from We like what we're offering, and we COMPUTE! features.