OCT 96 columnWindowsNEW NT p262 www.pcw.vnu.co.uk 19 No10 Volume www.pcw.vnu.co.uk Overseas Price £3.95 Germany DM 20,00 Italy 18,000 Lire Spain 1,225 PTS Malta Lm 2.85c Holland HFL 17,95 Belgium 364.00 BFr Finland FIM 49.50 Canada CAN$12.95 VNU Business Publications Web Authoring Software, Macromedia Backstage Authoring Software, Web Multimedia Notebooks EVERYTHING YOU NEED UNDER ONE COVER Oct 1996 £2.95 MultimediaMultimedia Notebooks , Word Processors, Multimedia Authoring Tools, , Word Notebooks CDCD andand soundsound fromfrom £1,759 £1,655 Web authoring 7 top tools tested EZflyer Syquest’s answer to the Zip DriveDrive Dotlink Power Tower 166MHz £1,099 10 9 770142 023069 If your CD-Rom and 3.5” disk are missing Group test ask your newsagent 11 word processors UPGRADING TO HANDS ON HARDWARE p292 SCSI All hardware tested by Exclusive-free gifts with PCW & CompuServe p14 the VNU Labs NEW PCW CD-ROM Contents Cover Story Reviews Cutting Edge 186 Notebooks 58 Gadgets 79 Epson Stylus Pro XL+ Adele Dyer and the VNU labs team put 14 100MHz Including a digital camera from Nikon, Great value A3 colour inkjet. multimedia notebooks under the microscope. the new console from Nintendo and the new Gameboy. 81 Roland PMA-5 Focus A stylophone for the nineties. 216 Is there a future for First Impressions magazines on the 62 SyQuest EZflyer 82 Scala Multimedia MM100 web? SyQuest strikes back with its 230Mb 220 The techno wizard Group Tests removable system. 84 Emagic Logic Audio behind the music of Powerful Windows 95 sequencer. the Black Dog talks. 124 Web editing tools 64 Dotlink Power Tower Nigel Whitfield weaves a wicked web: so much so that we A 166MHz system for £1,099. 87 Optima++ Developer Online let him decide the winner in our round-up of top web 222 Net.news editors. 66 Mini Office Home Finance CD-ROMS 232 Net.answers 88 Perfect Plants, Crazy for Notebooks: Dell Latitude p199 134 Multimedia tools 69 Olivetti Xana 73/200 Ragtime, Language CD Media Multimedia has come of age as Panicos Georghiades and Olivetti’s new Xana range, and The Encyclopedia of 238 Books Gabriel Jacobs discover in their latest group test. represented by a P200. Space and the Universe. Plus, driving cars as well Futures 156 Word processors 71 Microsoft Visual FoxPro as golf balls. 240 Cool ideas are Which is the finest word processor you can buy? Tim 5.0 becoming reality. Nott puts his head on the writer’s block to find out. Edutainment and kids 72 Toshiba Tecra 720 CDT 97 Fun with Blinky Bill, Fuzzy, All-singing, all-dancing notebook. Floppy and Peter Rabbit Hands On 74 Macromedia Backstage Long term tests Multimedia web authoring package. 105 Sharp PC-3000 Features 78 Evesham Micros Vale 106 Novell Groupwise v4.1 Platinum HXSE 166 107 Gravis Ultrasound 112 Nintendo Ultra 64 79 Xerox Textbridge Pro 96 HiGrade Notino P75M Nintendo’s new games console has got the Japanese 251 Introduction drooling. Gordon Laing finds out why. Regulars 252 Workshop: NEW! Multimedia tools: Macromedia Director 5 p143 Mark Whitehorn introduces 116 Sport and Technology 14 Cover Disk Notes 326 Beginners the first of a four-part Euro 96 and the Olympics have faded into sporting history teach-in on SQL. but the technology that helped run them is very much 24 Newsprint 521 ChipChat 256 Windows 95 alive. Ben Tisdall reports. Microscope browser, hints on new 259 Windows 3.1 Psion, more virus scares and 506 Leisure Lines 262 Windows NT NEW! 154 Nicholas Negroponte censoring web sex. Screenplay 266 Unix Eddy Gibbs meets the man more wired than most in the Retro computing 270 Word processing PCW interview. 38 News Analysis Brainteasers 274 Spreadsheets Reports on Apple’s dilemma; an IBM Computations 278 Databases 216 Cutting Edge comeback; and Psion’s call to ARMs 286 OS/2 Focus: is there a future for magazines on the web? Plus, 291 Numbers Count we talk to the techno wizard behind the music of the 43 Sounding Off 292 Hardware Black Dog. 298 3D Graphics Direct Online: Net.news and Net.answers. 45 Home Front 349 direct buyers 300 Graphics and DTP Media: book reviews. Buyers’guide cover to 304 Multimedia World Futures: cool ideas are becoming reality. 47 Straight Talking go here 308 Sound 312 Visual Programming 512 Live ’96 Preview 49 Business Matters 317 Networks Read all about it: Europe’s leading consumer electronics 328 Buyer’s Guide 322 Macintosh Nintendo N64 — now with 64-bit plumbing p112 show is heading for London later this month. 52 Letters 514 Product Locator NEW! 6 • Personal Computer World • October 1996 Personal Computer World • October 1996 • 7 Ad index www.pcw.vnu.co.uk ★ Advertiser Telephone Page Advertiser Telephone Page Advertiser Telephone Page Advertiser Telephone Page Advertiser Telephone Page Advertiser Telephone Page Roldec Systems 01902 456464 282 Visioneer 0181 358 5850 119 Westlakes 0181 902 2392 406-407 A Diamond Multimedia 01344 720000 42 Microsave 0121 765 4685 380 Digital Workshop 01295 258 335 136 Mitac Europe 01952 207200 189,191 Visual Components 01892 834343 185 ACI Software see advert 115 Dover Bookshops 0171 836 2111 334 MJN Technology 01282 777 555 145-151, S X Aci 0161 929 9444 348 269, 277 S&S International 0800 581 263 398/399 W Xara 01442 351 000 68 Adams Technology 0161 282 8822 359-362 E Morgan 0171 255 2115 29 Sight and Sound 01527 579 120 441 Wacom 0049 210 116 001 78 Xyratex 0500 432 431 44 ADI Systems (UK) 0181 236 0801 57 Electrone 01494 511999528 MPC International 01923 249898 358 Simply Computers 0181 523 4002 497-503 Watford Electronics 01582 487777 444/445 AJP 0181 452 9090 356 Elonex 0181 452 4444 211 Mr PC 01282 777 888 385-387 Simply Computers 0181 523 4002 230/231 Allied Telesis see advert 325 Epson 0800 220546 65 Multimedia Direct 01635 873000 372-375 SMC 01753 550 333 444/445 ALR 0800 525 911 96 Evesham Micros 01386 765500 452-467 Software Warehouse 01675 466 467 444/445 Alternatives 01925 700007164/165 Direct Buyers’ World N Sony Europa 01784 466660 54/55 Alternatives 01925 700007 164/165 F NEC 0645 40 40 20 75/77 Stak Trading 01788 577 497 371 Apricot (UK) 0800 212422 93/95 The place in PCW where you can compare Fox Computer Systems 01621 744500 381-383 Netland (UK) 01638 720999 530-531 Star Micronics (UK) 01494 471111 32 AST Bound see insert 196/197 prices on a wide range of hardware and Fujitsu/ICL 01364 654 100 122/123 Nikon 0181 541 4440 70 Sterling Management 01483 301 331 440 Atlantic Systems 01792 792999 193-195 software. The card insert on page 348 marks the Novatech 01705 664144 364/370 ATT 0181 520 1007 525 start of the section. G T AuthenTec Data Recovery 0800 581 263 334 Advertiser Page No. Advertiser Page No. Gateway 2000 Europe 0800 342 000 102/103 O Tag PC Technology 0181 803 7770 330/331 Gateway 2000 Europe 0800 342 000 100/101 Obodex 0181 841 3555 207 Taxan (UK) 01344 484646 98 B Adams Technology 359-362 Richnight 408/409 Global Internet 0181 957 1002 236 Olivetti 0800 447799 60/61 TEAC 01923 225 235 86 Byte Direct 0121 766 7000 422- 427 AJP 356 Roldec Systems 377-379 Grey Matter 01364 654 100 527 Opti International 0181 507 1818 205 Tech Direct 0181 286 2222 504-509 ATT 525 C Gultronics 0171 323 2838 363 Opus Technology 01293 821555 171-174, Technomatic 0181 205 9558 472-495 Byte Direct 422-427 182-184, Tectron see advert 202 C&T Group 0171 637 1767 392-393 C&T Group 392-393 H 255 Texas Instruments 01932 780753 85 Carrera Technology 0171 830 0486 284-285 Choice Systems 400-403 Simply Computers 497-503 Hewlett Packard 01344 369 222 83 Orchid (Europe) 01256 479 898 129 The Electronic Frontier 01734 810600 228 CD Revolution 01932 562000 290,303, Computech 389-391 SMC 444/445 Hi-grade Computers 0181 591 9040 152/153, Time Computer Systems 01282 777111 394/395, Dabs Direct 430/437 Software Warehouse 444/445 310 201 428/429, Dan Technology 349-351 Stak Trading 371 Cherry Mikroschalter 0049 96 43 18 00 334 P Hitachi Sales (UK) 0181 848 8787 91 Pace 214 442/444, Devcom 416/439 Sterling Management 440 Choice Systems 0181 993 9003 400-403 Panasonic see advert 26 450/451, Electrone 528 Tag PC Technology 330/331 Collosus Computer Corp. 01282 77 00 88 243-249, Paradigm Technology 01491 822600 166,168 468/469 Tech Direct 504-509 281 I Compaq 0181 332 3000 50/51 Ilyama (UK) 01438 745482 130 PC Science 01423 323386 417-421 Tiny Computers 01737 779511 438, 445- Compuserve 0800 289378 235 Intermediates see advert517 PC World 0990 464 464 344-347 449, 470/ Evesham Micros 452-467 Computech 01923 224440 389 -391 Intuit Software 0800 585058 177/179 Peripherals Direct 0181 810 4128 376 471,496, Fox Computer Systems 381-383 Technomatic 472-495 Computer Manuals 0121 778 3333 213 Pico Direct t/a DIP Systems 01483 202022 396/397 510 Grey Matter 527 Computers Unlimited 0181 200 8282 73,138 K Plug and Play Technology 0181 341 3336 404-405 Toshiba Information Systems 01932 828828 46 Gultronics 363 Keyzone Computer Products 0181 500 1525 321 Powermark 0181 956 7000 444/445 Trust Peripherals 01376 500 770 307 Computing Plus 01993 881912 265 Multimedia Direct 354/357 Kingston 01252 303588 48 Princeton see advert 67 Corel 0800 581028 140/141 Microsave 380 Time Computer Systems 394/395, KYE see advert104 Programmers Paradise 0171 833 1022 316 U Corporate View 0990 848484 208 MPC 358 428/429, 442/444, 450/451, 468/469 Crown see insert 412/415 Ultra Notebooks 0181 452 9090 357 Multimedia Direct 372-375 Tiny Computers 438, L Q Universal Control Systems 01902 28688 410/411 Netland (UK) 530/531 445-449, 470/471, 496, 510 D Leonardo Computer Systems 01734 753477 293 Q Computers 01302 760 622 384 US Robotics 0800 225252 225, 289 Novatech 364/370 Universal