•tVMxnw -"•^'bifsop. CQMlffig 25 September- 1 October 1986 Vol 5 No 39 October arrival for Spectrum Plus 2 AMSTRAD PC Full review | inside | Starts on pl7 SOFTWARE New fast Basic for the Atari STs BMX Simulators and Asterix reviewed NEWS DESK The Amstrad threat to Atari: Tramiel speaks out - pl2 Beyond's Star Trek: exclusive pictures "GAMES AT THE SPEED OF UGHT". Ice-Pianet,ihe jungie Planet, Alien (aciories EfSH^iBJgUiK "T RIDERS aie the pick otlhe ATHLETIC.AGGRESSIVE & X !MU:ai:iy,t\u\\l 25 September-1 October 1986 Contents SOFTWARES 15 Fast ST Basic 16 Blinker 64 Compuler Concepts' Fast Basic pro- Houv lo utrlise your subroutinas lib- vides art aliernative lo the much rary - a professional software tool critFcised Basic bundled with the fof the Commodore 64. Peter Wor- STs. SO tock Iries but InDev's Blinker. ^HARDWARE 17 Amstrad PC 1512 .rige through its paces. How does Now that the initial ballyhoo has the PC 1512 measure up to the IBM receded somewhat, John Letiice standard, and what improvements puts Amstrad's much-heralded PC has Atnstrad made? GAMES^ 22 Adventure Corner 20 Reviews More simulations this week, with the 23 Adventure Atari ST version of Microprose's Helpline Silent Service, and BMX Simulaiars, sequel to BMX Racers. Plus the long 24 Arcade Action awaited implemenlation of Asteris. Part one of the complete solution of and new for the Spectrum, Conques- Mercenary — Second City. Plus this tador. a game with a Spanish flavour. week's Gallup Top Twenty. ^PROGRAMMING 26 BBC 27 QL 30 Commodore 64 Keep track of your Roms with this Out and out warfare in Ken Smith's utility from Alan Griffiths. 26 Spectrum 33 Bytes and Pieces Demonstrating the use c 29 Amstrad CPC switching on the Spectrum Continuing Road Toad, our mi Plus 2. code arcade game. 35 Peek and Poke REGULARS 4 News Desk 13 Competition 44 New Releases Part three of our autumn giveaway 8 Letters, Puzzle Ziggurat, Hackers 12 News Feature 36 Communications « John Lettice talks to Sam Tramiel, David Wallin with new s of a special Soundcheck will be back president of Atari, about the threat posed by Amstrad's new PC range. enthusiasts. holiday. EifttDT Chrfatina Erakina Nbws aditor John LaiiloB FeanirBi odhor John Cook Tochnteal edltof Duncan £ . Beauchamp Supplam«ms edfloi Clirlslapher Jenkins Supptaments dinignat BartiorB Hajek AdinrtliemefTt Bnil Promntlofia msnaget Simon LflnBston AnlBDnt adimrthBmoiM manBgaf Oa<M Oson AdwerHaemeiit fixacutJwe Jon Beafos ClesslfiMi aucutfva RoAwy Woodlay "'"-"""'"Editorial BacrotaryAnnmoneODmyerAdmlnitlrationGwaldlnaSmyihMBnMinQ editor PaierWoritnk Puliltehing dlr»«i» Jonnv Irsland. " -9NflwponSlreei,LondonWC2H7PP.Tol01-«743*3Ta[9»2§e27SFBx0l-*390eBl Popular Computing Weekly. Tel: 01-437 4343. IM law 01 copynghi lo co News Desk No Plus 2 till October i.A_l_-U \-VVV-U^ THE SpEClium Plus 2 isn'i to the Spectrum 128 n 3 un- now expecled in iha shops jntJI mid-Oclober, despite ihe design problem, biil it may be facl ihat (1 was launched at thai Amsrrad fs finding la the boginning of this month. computers and games sofl- AtU old and new software. Amslred Dislribulion has sent s PCW Show The company will however out a letter detailing the re- n [he be spending £2.4 milNon on quirements for this, and staffing probli for British High Si re el advertising the machine this "Unless you are able to small dealers, bul win ai month." bul both WH Smith Chfislmas. and Barry Young, specified. mean ihat many major mul and Amsliad Disinbuiion say rn plei ,e do ni pies will naed to reorgani Its not expecled in the stores for another three weeks. lingly. From Amslrads poinl of The delay is unusual The major lequiremenls are ilrad, hich I that shops selling the PCs ually should have a "Business Cenlre," wilh The new Am s trad PC i Computer two staff iratned in Ihe Am s trad PCW, as I his will avoid the range and facililies for indivi- two machines getting into dual hands-on demonstra- close competiiion wilh each tions. Tha Cenlre should also PCW now Low-cost hardcard stores more planned for PC Id PCW. The latest up S from ASD Peri p her- id costs CbTi for e J ot this week li is. however, unlikely machine will ba aueilahle lor Amsirad-supplied hard disc lies are already gearing up to plug the gap, drives loct Am s trad upgrade. Forainosl among these is Amslrads Like the Amslrad hard disc uiiiis ihey will take up one of which has been taken on by tion norma the machrne's three available AmstradtosupplythePCand the floppiai expansion slots, but because which hopes to secure a sup- NorlhamI of the width of the card ihey'li power supply thai siis undei also llmtl one other slot to a Ihe PCW Itself. haH length card. Because the Details from ASD Peripher- AmstraO already has moat of als, 03224 49235/6. the Ram and I/O you'll need unlikely to be a problem. Amstrad PC Correction user group Those of you who have been A user group for the Amsirad following the Popular vs Co- PC has been formed already. The 1512 Independent I lis won den ng how on earth tha Group in I ends to pub bishop managed to move from fl to c6 in game one. helplir ', offer sofiwi t, hold m The move should have read a public domain software 1-c4, The collators will library. Membership is £20 a year. Funher information Is iding 1 : readers' availeble from Paul fvlullen on 0732 450908. ISBB 4/POPULAR COMPUTING Ml aBSiPTlMBEB-' News Desk Sidecar to Software Hotlines Not wishing to repeal the fias- launch soon? co of their last major licensing deal tSuperman], Beyond is COMMODORE is itiought I upgrade This of pulling all the slops out for ashes with Ihe 128, Srar Trek - as the develop- IS originally inwridHd ment versions so far indicate In the UK shonly. (see helDWi. It's big (lOOO stars), complex (255 sub- plotsl, and looks lovely on the telly (lots of digitised pictures Dreams Is in negotiations The plot has the Enterprise puter rights. Bui who is going investigating Ihe mysterious to be the first to go for Ram- defection of Federation star- page - the latest multi-player ships within an area of space from Baliy-Mldway? This is called The Qua ran line Zone', a \-2 player game m which centred around the planet you each play a gigantic gor- Adaktak. Tricky sluff. H they illa taking apart an American city - complete with National Guard sharpshooters and in- Acorn shows firrncd l^at [here would Oe ar up in Ihing st idoff pariy tl^'S week he caiegon- t Manchester around a year ) prograi cally denied thai it would be country with that one to four liga-rslaied THIS weekend's Electron and player fantasy adventure Irom BSc Computing course a I BBC Micro User Show will Atari, Gauntlet, soon to be Bristol University - but decid- la posi feature Acorn iissH. showing emulated in some fashion by ed thai they weten'l teaching IIS new Master Compact US Gold {Gai/nrler II - a Iwo him the kind of things he player adaptation - should be wanted to know After leav- launches expected are a £700 hitting the arcades 50on|. ing he messed around a bit on Winchester system, E79 Master console unit and a few ideas on how to imple- C16.95 Rom cartridge adap- Quartet. Although placed m a space-age setting, this ahoot- cally impressive as Gauntlet. This was followed by Super Sprint. Again from Atari, this thought to be undergoing re- IS 1—3 player racing game, 6^c 13 being viewed by indus- lies gams Spnnt. Possibly the PCW show couldn'i fail lo be try sources as a slop-gap wich Computers, showing a best game in the arcades at impressed - it II be out on 28 machine that will he the sub- utility Rom for Wordwise October John Cook ject of development, reducing Plus, and Advanced Comput- the chip set to make it interface for the Electron. First launches £50 PC integrated package PRICES (or inlegraled soft- ware packages for the PC are set to tumble shortly, with the First will also be importing a launch of Decision Director, a new database. Able. lo be E49,95 combination spread- priced at £86. This again will shael and word processor be under the predicted price from First Software As the for the PC1512 version o( package will be priced lower Details from First Software, I 20D. Horseshoe Hoad, The reduced Horsi li IseB sepa- Berk )iie the fact 5244). News Desk Cheap dBase Apple launches out soon for the PC new 16-bit IIGS A £120 versior Horse feathers KBS' nest and allows you to select parti- Soflware launch Iha sVsiHm on Ifie I offer young program- cular people from your Hst before It latest idea open markal ai Ifie tieginning i working space and of- doing a mailshot. of next year. Punters eaget to facililies far C12.50 a costs C39.9S. press money inio KBS' fiands t. and to try to encourage DatBils from Proteus Com- in ihE use of expert and rul betofe then should, however, OSS-flow of business puting. 2 Iffley Road, London >ased micro syslams for U! d (hat si : programmers W6 101-748 2302) n eusrvdav applications an pulensed systems were bi arested parties ;a¥S Cliff Walden-Goodwi ing blamed for last week' 0207 513053. Real-time spectacular cfash on the Nei clock for York Stock Ekc hangs . NLQ extras In a separate initii for the 64 Epsons ELECTRONIC and Compulei CMOS Ram and real-lime clock plug-in module for the Commodore 64.